~manila, you're not that ugly

Once read that a 24-hour response time for a business today is old skool, given all the instant devices we have at our disposal– texts and calls on cellphones, mobile landlines, emails, instant messaging online, facebook, friendster, multiply, etc. But one site I have yet to explore is Twitter, said to be the most inane and useless concept on paper, but once you’re on it, you’d wonder how you ever lived without it…

Imagine my surprise when I read today that even the British government is urging employees to tweet! Makes me feel like such a lola for refusing to get on this bandwagon!

New government guidance has been published urging civil servants to use the micro-blogging site Twitter.

Launched on the Cabinet Office website, the 20-page document is calling on departments to “tweet” on “issues of relevance or upcoming events”.

The website is already used by Downing Street, the Foreign Office and many individual MPs.

Wonder how it would feel like to have instant access to the people in government, and get instant replies… It would be like opening Pandora’s box I think, considering how given to complaining and badgering (i.e. makulit talaga tayo!!) Pinoys are… Then again, imagine the possibilities…! Even on a community level, getting live information on public events, traffic concerns, government projects, and straight from the horse’s mouth! What a way to engage your public!

Tweets should also be limited to issues of relevance or upcoming events rather than just campaign messages, and insights from ministers are encouraged. A cabinet office spokeswoman said: “At the moment, around 65% of homes are on the internet and there are 15 million visits a month to directgov and these numbers are growing.

Sixty-five percent of households online..wow. What a tech-savvy country. The most recent techie upgrade I saw in Metro Manila was the ticketing gadgets of street parking attendants in Makati: hindi na de sulat-kamay, you get your ticket printed out on portable machines credit card style.

But hayyyy. What a long way to go.

Sidenote: Twitter was apparently built by dreamers (what business isn’t?) who went by the “Field of Dreams” philosophy: “Build it and they will come.” Talk of the town now is how “to turn their popular micro-blogging service into a revenue-generating company.” From marketwatch.com:

The Twitter co-founders told me at the D7 conference in May that they believe their business is similar to Google Inc. (GOOG 444.80, -1.92, -0.43%) , which built its search engine before it figured out how to generate revenue.
But Google was faster to figure it out. It launched AdWords, its first system to sell ads related to search in October 2000, two years after incorporating. Twitter’s service is now three years old, having been launched in July 2006, and is still running about $55 million in venture funding.

Was researching travel sites online when I came across this video about TOMS Shoes, an American shoe brand that makes this promise: “For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One.”

More on this amazing project:

Since our beginning May 2006, TOMS has given over over 115,000 pairs of shoes to children in need through the purchases of our caring customers. In the next twelve months, TOMS will give 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world.

Shoe drops have been done in Argentina, South Africa, and parts of the US. Was wondering if they’ve considered the Philippines, when I saw that they actually have a local distributor in Manila:

ANTHEM
2/F Greenbelt 5
Ayala Center
Makati City, All of Philippines

ANTHEM
2/F Power Plant Mall
Rockwell
Manila, All of Philippines

Has anyone checked out these shoes? A pair costs about $50 or P2500, and can go over twice that much…for espadrilles it’s still quite pricey, but I saw Spanish imports at a fair in Manila last year–in the P3,000 to P5,000 range–so knowing you’re actually buying two TOMS pairs for half the price of the Spanish ones makes it an even more convincing buy.

I just had to find out the story behind this story, so I clicked away on the TOMS site and ended up in Blake Mycoskie’s myspace page. He calls himself the Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS, and a little more poking in the TOMS blog confirmed that he did start the company in 2006 along with Alejo Nitti, a (now) 27-year-old Argentinean he met while taking polo lessons (Alejo was his instructor). Blake is 30 years old, likes sunsets and polo, credits his parents for raising him well, and to make the story even sweeter, is actually quite a looker…

Truly an inspiring adventure, accessible, and relevant to me at this point in my life–looking for meaning and purposeful everydays, with the lure of Spain still taunting me, but somehow (sadly?) growing fainter… A short chat yesterday with my old boss in devex.com put my plans into perspective–he actually suggested for me to start my own project (maybe now, maybe in a few years..could be anything from a short-term endeavor to a full-blown cultural tourism NGO)! I’ve always been curious, restless, eager to help, but I’ve run dry, and have been asking for a long, quiet break the past year. Not for random adventure (ticktock, getting older), but for a purposeful retreat, to get re-inspired mindfully, towards something concrete and focused on my life goals… but oh well there lies the problem–my big aha moment still eludes me.. The upside is I’ve narrowed the path down to two worlds that have consistently tugged at my heart: creativity and Philippine tourism.

Soon, soon.

More info on TOMS here:
TOMSshoes.com
Toms Shoes youtube channel

There’s no doubting it– green is definitely in these days, what with most of us already getting firsthand accounts of the baaad effects of climate change. Al Gore’s vivid campaign is ruffling feathers, to say the least, and I’m both glad and wholly appreciative that even in the business sense, Pinoys are turning green.

Heard about AyalaLand’s new project in Canlubang, called Nuvali (from the Latin nuvo meaning “birth of a star”). Literally a “new valley” in the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay area, it’s a 1,600-hectare megatownship development set for full bloom over the next 40 to 50 years. Eyed as the next Makati, its main thrust is 21st century technology meets back-to-basics harmony with nature. Think eco-friendly, ultra-modern sustainable living: clean lines, fluid designs, integrated zones (residential, business, services), and green green green everywhere.

My dad has always pointed out that in the Philippines, land development is generally in the hands of private/business groups, which themselves target areas for projects and take care of building the necessary roads and infrastructure. In other countries such as the US, it is the government that first develops a piece of land, after which it invites private investors to build and sell.

Being in the real estate business, I’m wary of companies out to profit on monster sales talks, but as I told friends, if there’s one company you can trust to deliver on its promise, especially for a project of this magnitude (expect it to shape future lifestyles!), it’s Ayala. Sure it’s still, first and foremost, a business, but I see nothing wrong with that. Hooray for that, I say: bring in money, circulate it to benefit more people, everybody happy!

The holistic vision for Nuvali is contagious and in my opinion, exactly what we want and need today. Our parents’ generation lived to fight for causes; our generation is living to enjoy (?) the fruits of their labor. “Doing the right thing” is not as much as a struggle as before, with social trends making it almost natural, automatic, expected. We are living in the “ever after”, in what comes after Sleeping Beauty wakes up.

Good news is we don’t have to wait so long to see this vision made manifest (even partially). Turnover for the project’s first residential lots is in mid 2009, but some areas will already be open to the public by next year, in April 2008. These include an iconic commercial and sales center reminiscent of Singapore’s new Harbour Front (or is it Vivo City? pic below taken last July) and an 8-hectare manmade lake with water buses and taxis.

Coooool!

More on Nuvali here.

Here’s a new World Bank initiative to map out a comparative study on how business is done in 135 different countries, with three rankings of easy, moderate and difficult.

Of course I’m sad that the Philippines falls under “difficult”, but should have seen that coming. Podcast also available on how small Pacific countries made headway into transforming their island nations to have smooth business processes…

Source: http://www.doingbusiness.org/map/

Jayvee and Jon are two good friends– hope you can help spread the word!

Hello!

Organica Nutraceuticals Inc., a company founded by Jayvee Reyes (24yrs old) and Jonas Gonzales (25yrs old) is launching Sleepasil, a Natural Sleep Aid for fast and healthy sleep. It is a dietary supplement (capsule-form) imported from the U.S. that can be bought over-the-counter in Watsons and other leading drugstores.

We are asking for your help by telling your family and friends about Sleepasil (please pass this message on to people who might benefit from using our product – posting it in your Friendster Bulletin or sending it through email).

Do visit our website — we’re giving away free samples — just go to www.sleepasil.com.

We believe in the value of entrepreneurship in nation-building. Hopefully, with our success (in a large part because of your help), we hope to inspire others to also follow what dreams they have.

Regards,

Jayvee Reyes
Jonas Gonzales

———————————————————————–
Jayvee Reyes engaged in the trading and manufacturing of ladies’ footwear after graduating from college. After the business folded, he joined the family business as the production manager of Lorenzo C. Reyes Laboratory Inc., maker of Katialis Ointment and Katialis Medicated Soap. After taking up a short course on Distribution at the Asian Institute of Management, he set up a company that was involved in the distribution of whitening soaps. Now, his company (Organica
Nutraceuticals Inc.) is the exclusive distributor of Sleepasil Natural Sleep Aid in the Philippines. Jayvee graduated from Ateneo de Manila with a degree in Business Management in 2002.

Jonas Gonzales worked as an oilfield engineer for Schlumberger (a multinational oilfield services company) after graduating from college. In his brief stint in the company (11 months), he was posted in Egypt and Indonesia. After resigning from Schlumberger, he went on to pursue his dream of putting up his own business and set up Organica Nutraceuticals Inc. (a company he co-owns with Jayvee Reyes). Organica is the exclusive distributor of Sleepasil Natural Sleep Aid in the Philippines. Jonas graduated from UP Diliman with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 2003. He is also a co-owner of THE MANGO TREE (casual-dining garden restaurant) in Iloilo City.

P.S. In case you want to know more about us, you can check our friendster accounts:
http://www.friendster.com/dreaminawake http://www.friendster.com/burningman

I’ve said it before– financial security in this country can only be claimed by way of business. Basic employment, in most cases, isn’t enough to cover the elements of a comfortable life here.

Heads up on a free seminar on hope:

“How To Start Your Own Business”
August 19, 2006
1:00 p.m.
Room 201, UP Vanguard Building, UP Diliman, Quezon City
(near College of Human Kinetics and UP DMST)

Admission is free.

Topics include:
1. Improving Filipino lives through entrepreneurship
2. Why Be an Entrepreneur
3. Rewards of Entrepreneurship
4. Risks of Entrepreneurship
5. Process Flow : Starting A Small Enterprise
6. ANALYSIS – Are You Entrepreneurial?
7. Factors to Consider
8. Decision-Making / Planning
9. Types of Business According to Ownership – Advantages & Disadvantages
10. Writing a Business Plan
11. Sources of Capital
12. Rules for Sound Financing
13. Choosing the Site/Location of Your Business
14. Applying for a Business Name
15. Requirements for Business Name Registration
16. Barangay Micro Business Enterprises
17. Financing Assistance / How to get Business Loan
Admission is FREE but Pre-Registration is required.
Contactr Veegee 9260860 / Eric – 0920-7927361 / Ruben – 0921-8332714

How to got to the venue:
Take the MRT ride and get off at the Quezon Avenue Station. Take the Mc Donalds Exit and take a ride to UP Diliman Campus.. Get off in front of Administration Building and walk towards Ylanan Street (side of College of Mass Comm) to UP Vanguard Building. Proceed to Room 201 at the 2nd Floor.
(Please come early for Administrative process.)

Improving Filipino lives through entrepreneurship.
http://www.Globalpinoys.coms.ph

It always makes me sad to see businesses close down. So much wasted effort and dedication, not to mention money.

I’ve seen the many facelifts of Libis (or E. Rodriguez Jr.), from cogon lands to drag racing venues, to Cactus and PoNaNa gimmick central, and now to ghost town.

The first wave of business threat came with the Eastwood City boom in early 2000. But since last year, even Megaworld’s prized project has suffered from the second wave: Metrowalk and its thugs–Citygolf and Ortigas Home Depot. Soon we can expect the third wave to hit, with the recently opened Tiendesitas along C-5, and the planned malls alongside it (SM Hypermart and MC Mall).

Countdown of dead (some relocated) businesses so far: Don Henrico’s, Formula Sports Cafe, ManHan, Cactus, Cafe Metro, Burger King, Salsa Rossa, New Kamameshi House (now top Venue), David’s Salon, various shops in Madison Square Libis, Culture Club, Hotshots, Hen Lin (now Tapa King), Domino’s, Krokodile.

Surprisingly, there are tough contenders that are still alive to date: Causeway, Smart Panciteria, Outback, The Spa, A Venetto, Sushi-ya, Office Warehouse. Hurrah, there is hope.

BBC, Newsweek and Shell have teamed up to give entrepreneurs a chance to win US$20,000 for their projects on community development:

The World Challenge is a competition aimed at finding individuals or groups from around the world who have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. This competition is all about finding entrepreneurs whose projects are making a difference to communities.

Among the 12 finalists this year is Juboken Enterprise, a Pinoy company that makes COCONETS, surrogate tree roots made from waste coconut husks to prevent landslides.
Cast your vote here!

Other finalists:
ELEPHANT PEPPER,
Growing chillies: the solution to a jumbo-sized problem?
ZAMBIA, Africa

CAMEL MILKING BASKETS
Selling baskets made by pastoralists is giving women an income for the first time
KENYA

REAL IPM
Bringing down the cost of eco-friendly pest management using natural predators
*IPM stands for ‘integrated pest management’ – the use of natural predators to control pests.
KENYA

ORGANIC LEATHER FASHION
Badly produced leather can cause cancer – an organic alternative is on the market
UNITED KINGDOM & SLOVINIA

FAT CHANCE, BIO POWER
Cleaning up the Maltese coastline by turning cooking fat into a diesel-substitute
MALTA

RIET VELL: ORGANIC FARMING AND NATURE
Bird-friendly farming
SPAIN

MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
Improving the job prospects and quality of life of roadside labourers
SOUTH AFRICA

WEDDINGS THAT GIVE BACK
‘I Do’ Foundation: Americans spend $70 billion on weddings a year – a little is now going to charity
USA

REEF REHAB: RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PROJECT
Rechargeable batteries are restoring coral reefs in the Pacific
VANUATU

RESIN-BONDED ROOFTILES
Recycling plastic waste for indestructible roof tiles
UKRAINE

IRULA TRIBAL VENOM CENTRE
Supplying venom for medical needs
INDIA

Voting is open until 5pm 16th October 2005.