I'M HOME

it feels great to be back ! i've missed home.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

i'm finally at my last stop here in LA. in a few days i'll be happily back home. it's been a fun trip so far, and i can't help but reminisce on my vacation here.

to think it started out so disastrously!

i arrived in new york where i had to take the subway to my friend's pad. my insanely big maleta broke just when i got out. it was a pain to drag across three blocks! i had to stop every few meters, without exaggeration. and to top it all off, the sky started pouring heavy rain. i remember thinking to myself, "God are you trying to tell me something here?"

so after a rocky arrival, i spent a couple of days in New York, mostly just walking around the city, and one relaxing afternoon with friends in Central Park.

after that, i took a train to philadelphia where i stayed with a kabarkada. he had to leave for san fran so i was left all alone in his place for a few days. it was a good thing that i had that creative economy summit/conference to keep me preoccupied. for more details on that, just check out my blog "Real World University".

my next stop was napa valley/san francisco. my flight was 6 am and since i couldn't trust alarm clocks, i decided to just not sleep at all the night before. suffice to say, i missed all the meals in the plane as i was totally conked out. i arrived in the airport and got a car which i rented over the internet. thanks to mapquest, i was able to drive my way to napa valley just in time to catch a friend's wedding. that drive was a lot of firsts --- my first time to go to napa valley, first time to rent and drive a car here, and first time to brave the US freeway. well, thankfully it proved to be a fun and accident-free experience.

from my lonesomeness in philly, i was glad to be with familiar friends in napa. we stayed in a really nice hotel which was like a park unto itself, wherein i finally got a good night's rest. the next day's schedule included going around napa, dropping by the outlet, wine tasting, and driving back to san francisco where i had dinner with some friends.

the next day my friend jay and i decided to drive up to palo alto and stanford university, both relaxing places to visit. we had lunch in a burger place and finally went back to our friend's place, where we stayed the night. anyway, i returned the rental car, hopped on a cab, and went to the bus station where i took an overnight ride to LA.

now, i'm just literally resting and relaxing here with my cousin keije. i've caught a couple of movies - "the breakup" and "cars"; and even spent one whole geeky day in the LA library just to soak up stuff! let's just say that on top of that, i'm revisiting some of the deadly sins --- in particular, sloth and gluttony, hehehe.

i don't recall a time that i've had the luxury of being this well -- to put it bluntly, lazy. it's literally been ages. but i guess i'm just recharging my batteries for the marathon up ahead ...

“REAL WORLD UNIVERSITY” PART 2

--- oops!!! please read Part 1 below first, the previous entry ---

In line with # 8, I’m actually attending a conference here in Philadelphia called “The Global Creative Economy Convergence Summit”. It’s the reason I’m here.

I was actually planning to write about the conference after it finishes in three days, but I guess there’s just too much to share from Day 1 alone so I might as well get started.

Why did I attend this conference? How does it fit in what I want to do?

I begin with my starting point. --- let’s ask the question “What can Filipinos be really good at?” wherein “Be really good” is defined as “Ideally World-Class, with the minimum cost-of-entry being Regionally Competitive”

If it were up to me, I’d love for us to be absolutely excellent in Science and Technology (think Japan, South Korea, Taiwan), in Manufacturing (think China, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam?), in IT (think India), in healthcare/lifesciences (don’t really know). I don’t claim to fully have the data and depth of understanding of these industries and how we fare versus other countries but I do want to learn more (any comments / advise / info, email me please ruizmark@gmail.com)

Now, I’d like to discover and make bets in certain spaces that could be forthcoming. And when I scan the horizon, one place I’m going to bank on is Filipinos’ natural strength in creativity. I really really believe we’re inherently creative.

Now, attending this conference has made this space more appetizing. Let me be clear. The creative sector is not just arts and culture, as it can be narrowly misconstrued. As defined in this conference, “Every job where you think and/or generate ideas for a living is part of the creative economy.”

And so today, just to share the interesting topics / sessions I attended :

1. Overview of the Creative economy and the challenges ahead

Bottom-line, it’s one of the emerging sectors in the global economy. Developed Countries, especially US and England, are seriously developing programs to drive it . From other stuff I’ve studied, Asia is also getting on board. China is setting up “Design Parks”. I was in Thailand last month and I saw the concrete manifestation they’re entering this space - the Thailand Creativity and Design Center. Singapore is repositioning itself into a Creativity Hub as a source of growth. They’ve set-up the Ministry of Information, Communication, and the Arts. In fact, I met an Assistant Director who’s also an attendee here.

2. Higher education : Shaping the Creative Economy

There was a rich discussion here. Four different presentations running the gamut from design schools linking up with poor communities, attraction / retention strategies for university graduates to stay and work within the community, regional economic development strategies and programs, and setting up a “Creative Campus”.

3. Building and Sustaining Creative Cities

Cool track which was held off-site at the Atwater Kent Museum. Three presentors showed how they created city-wide programs to reposition them for the Creative Economy and thus drive regional prosperity and wealth. Bottom-line, how creative sectors can create valuable jobs.

4. How Big is the Creative Sector Economy?

Extremely interesting discussion from a consultancy company that’s linked to Richard Florida, one of the leading thought leaders in this space (he’s the author of “The Rise of the Creative Class”). It explained job trends/statistics, the creative sector, its economic contribution, and how regions/cities are developing programs to drive their own creative sectors. A bit uncomfortable in the Q&A’s section particularly when they talked of losing jobs to low-cost centers in Asia. Hello?

5. Christo and Jean-Claude and Dinner in the University of the Arts

This was just for exposure. We listened to two environmental artists. These people are really purists, absolute artists. They’d do anything in the name of their art. They don’t hesitate to think big, and it shows in their work. Suffice to say, I admire them, but I don’t envy them.

We ended with a networking dinner in the University of the Arts, which is a nice segue to my next point. Aside from the tracks, I’ve met some really cool people. I really didn’t hesitate to introduce myself and get to know them. Yes, makapal talaga ako.

In fact, I had a quick discussion with the author of “The Creative Economy”, one of the early pioneers who foresaw this emerging field and engaged him on the applicability of his ideas to a developing country such as ours. He intuitively explained yes, but seemed intrigued and wanted to further explore it. He asked me to continue the dialogue by sending him more information through e-mail. Whether he was serious and/or something will come out of this, I leave in God’s hands.

I’ve also met a score of other people whom I hope to keep in communication with. I always remind them - when I email you, just remember “that sole Filipino you met in the Philadelphia Conference”, hehehe. And i mean, all sorts of really smart and cool people doing smart and cool things.

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted as there are still two full days for this conference. Definitely more to learn and hopefully apply when I get back home.

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Whew! This has been such a long entry that I had to break this blog into two.

I’m energized by my trip here so far. Although I do miss home, I must admit that the travel, rest, and exposure is doing me a world of good. I’m sure I’ll be recharged once I get back and get on with my new life. It won't be a trouble-free ride, i'm sure. But i'm itching to get started.

Why not?

“REAL WORLD UNIVERSITY” PART 1

The book I’m plagiarizing it from escapes me now, but the term stuck. It’s called “Real World University” and what it basically says is this: in the real world, you’re actually in control of what you want to learn, how you learn, and where you’ll apply what you learn.

As opposed to the traditional structures of a formal education with all its core courses and electives, its classrooms and tight schedules - in “Real World University” you can actually construct your own curriculum, find your own learning venues, and go about your educating yourself at your own pace.

Now, before you embrace this concept blindly and wholeheartedly, be conscious that RWU connotes certain practical pre-conditions :

1. You know where you want to go.
2. You know the necessary knowledge and valuable experiences to get you there.
3. You inventory what you have and what you don’t have from # 2.
4. You plan where to fill in those gaps in a way that is attuned to how you learn.

But before I get ahead of myself, let me backtrack a bit on just what reminded me of RWU >>>

I’m in Philadelphia right now, bunked with my friend Noel and his wife KC. He’s here to pursue his MBA in Wharton, and in a few years I fearlessly forecast that he’ll be so rich, money will be flowing out of his ears. (After all, he’s focusing on finance! AND he’ll be earning in $$$)

Anyway, we got to tour his wonderful campus the other day, and I must admit that there was that part of me that thought-bubbled the inevitable “What if?” (which I also felt when I visited our other friend Jay in Harvard Business School last December).

“What if I did pursue an MBA?”

I pursued the line of thinking, and realized that for all practical purposes, I’ve already missed the boat. You see, to my mind I’ve never computed an MBA as taking only two years. For an MBA to make both economic and practical sense, I’ve got to work abroad for at least three years after I graduate. That means a minimum commitment of five years. Five precious years (away from home) that I really just can’t afford right now.

Moreover, I guess I’m struggling to see how it will fit in my new path as a starting entrepreneur. I may be wrong, but at this point, I’d really much rather learn from practical experience; what some people call the school of hard knocks (apologies in advance for such a cliché’ term)

I’m not trying to devalue an MBA – in fact, I totally, absolutely envy all those who have the degree, the knowledge, the experience, and the network. I mean, one conversation with Noel here and I see just how broad his world has become! But I guess I have to accept the fact that at this point in time, I just won’t be able to fit it into the tapestry of my life.

And so when I reaffirmed that it’s “Goodbye, MBA”, my memory banks resurfaced an underlying concept to comfort me. Pretty soon, it was “Hello, RWU.”

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So what’s in my RWU Curriculum?

I’ve touched on it a bit in my “ALL IN” blog. I’ve purposely concealed some of the specifics because I didn’t want to jump the gun and fall flat on my face if some things don’t materialize. So let me just say a very concise list that I deem sharable :

1. We’ll finally be setting up the small business when I get back in July. The plan, the product/service, and the partners are already in place. Don’t hold your breath, I’ll be starting and focusing on English proficiency (full entry in a future blog once I’m more comfortable to share). Why? I need to learn how to start a business. Moreoever, it’s practical, there’s a big market, and believe me it will help people get jobs. But to be clear, I don’t consider this market the endgame. But I will focus on it for the next couple of years to get started. WISH US LUCK!!!

2. I’ve already applied for a part-time teaching position in Ateneo. Earliest is 2nd Sem 2006 (November), if the schedule doesn’t conflict with # 3. Why? I want to eventually enter education. Also the topic I want to teach is something I want to advocate and force myself to learn – an elective revolving around innovation and creativity (more details on a future blog, this topic alone is worth one whole entry. And anyway, creativity is hinted on later on in this blog).

3. I’ve applied to a youth delegation that will let me travel and immerse myself in certain countries (cross your fingers on that one – I’ll know in a couple of weeks). If that doesn’t pan out, apply again somewhere else. Why? If you remember, I want to serve foreign markets.

4. I already passed the test to sell life insurance (anybody out there interested please let me know okay!). Why? I want to learn to sell. This is not a focus area, it’s just part-time.

5. I’ve found a few mentors to guide me. I’d still want more. Anybody interested to tutor this inexperienced kid, lemme know! Why? I’m so inexperienced, I really need guidance!

6. I’ve made a lineup of people I want to talk to and learn from. I need to check names from that list at least once a month. Why? To learn from their experience and help further shape my thinking and plans.

7. I’ve got an enormous library of books, reports, articles, magazines, papers to go over – like you wouldn’t believe! This time here has actually allowed me to go over a lot of them. I promise to share this list with you soon enough. Why? I love to read. It’s how I learn, how I feed my brain, and how I generate my ideas.

8. I’ve listed some conferences / workshops / seminars that I want to attend. Why? To learn from industry best practices.

(continued in “REAL WORLD UNIVERSITY” PART 2)

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