Thoughts on being a better version of myself, helping people & organizations present better stories, and making the world a better place
Trigger Warning*: Self-harm, suicide, violence Life was scary; it was unknowable. Even Malcolm's money wouldn't immunize him completely. Life would happen to him, and he would have to try to answer it, just like the rest of them. They all - Malcolm with his houses, Willem with his girlfriends, JB with his paints, he with … Continue reading Why We Need Difficult Stories
On ne règne sur les âmes que par le calme.One leads by calm.French maxim cited by Clementine Churchill to her husband I recently read The Splendid and The Vile by Erik Larson, a masterful story-telling of the The Blitz - the nearly year-long bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany during World War 2. … Continue reading Why You Need to Rest to Work Better
In the past months, I had the privilege of speaking in several youth leadership webinars. During these webinars, I usually talk about my experience leading a non-profit organization from when I was a teenager, the successes and failures I've had, and what I learned along the way. Lately, I noticed a trend. The most common … Continue reading Youth Leadership: Growing Slowly (and Compassionately) in a Pandemic
Earlier this year, I wrote about seven books which became close companions amid the lonely days of quarantine in Manila. To close my 2020 literary journey, I'd like to share about three more books which took me on a roller coaster ride of insights, emotions, and internal debates overlaid onto a similarly tumultuous year. I … Continue reading Van Gogh, Dune, and Lessons for the 21st Century
I've been reading voraciously this quarantine, almost as much as I did as a child. Many years ago, on rainy afternoons like today, I'd be slumped over our home's orange sofa, my head tilted towards the window beside it, rain pattering on our rooftop, an open book on my lap. The gentle sunlight from outside … Continue reading Reading Lolita in Quarantine
"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." Socrates Schools will never be the same after COVID-19. For the first time, many educational institutions have to radically rethink the process of learning from the ground up. As we struggle with possibly extended periods of physical distancing and the inequalities in … Continue reading 6 Make-or-Break Questions I Should’ve Asked Myself as a Student
"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light." Vera Nazarian It's not easy to read an actual book these days. Picture this: Wake up in the morning. Open book. Receive e-mail notification. Close book. Read e-mail. Respond. Open laptop. The work day starts. Break for … Continue reading A Tribute to Books in These Un-Book-Friendly Times
I've made a very good friend in the past year or so. Through my ups and downs, he's become a companion, a mentor. I consult him when I fail. When I succeed, he gives his input to show me what could be next. He's taught me the practical value of philosophy and, now, a big … Continue reading Meditating with Marcus: Lessons from Stoicism
At your age the best way you can improve yourself is to learn to communicate better. Your results in life will be magnified if you can communicate them better. The only diploma I hang in my office is the communications diploma I got from Dale Carnegie in 1952… Without good communication skills you won’t be … Continue reading Work Hard, Speak Better: An Introduction to Good Public Speaking
Ingenium mala saepe movent "Difficulty is what wakes up the genius." - Ovid I've been going to the gym for nearly 2 years now. In the first year, I stuck to relatively easy cardio routines - walking and running on the treadmill, stationary biking, the elliptical. I had a good channel to relieve stress, but … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid of Pain
The Pursuit of Excellence 