Curbside Stories

Some of the many books I own and have read. No particular genre. In every page of a book is an adventure waiting to happen. I took a long hiatus from reading books because I am always busy reading reports. My regrets. It was Me Before You movie that motivated me again to read because I was so sad and I could not comprehend why one person would choose death over love and why would anyone permit that to happen. In my desperate move to understand the message of the movie and to "cure" my movie-induced sadness, I purchased the ebook version. And now I am back. I am so glad to be back.  I just finished reading The Genesis Code  by John Case and The Shroud Codex  by Jerome R. Corsi. Both has a science and religious themes. I like the  two books because of the extreme suspense like it was hard for me to leave the house with an unfinished book. I asked a lot of "whys" and "hows".

The first book that I bought this year is "What To Do Until Love Finds You" by Michelle McKinney Hammond. I bought it because it is my cousin's wish to have for Christmas but unfortunately I wasn't able to buy one for her because the bookstore ran out of copy. Luckily, I found it in a school supply store and swapped it with "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin that I gave her as a replacement. She obliged and now, we're both happy.  This book is all about creating and finding your own happiness in the simplest of ways. There's actually a guide on how to do it. I am excited because aside from taking the Reading Challenge , I am hoping to make people happy also through this journey.

I found this Reading Challenge in 9gag  (kudos to the one who originally did this, I'm gonna find out soon) and I couldn't resist but take the challenge. One of my goals for this new year is to get back to reading. I believe this challenge will help me fulfill that goal even if I wouldn't be able to finish the challenge. But, who knows? I might. I am keeping my fingers crossed. The image is blurry but here's the content. If you would like to take the challenge, please feel free to do so and involve your friends or relatives so that you will have different things to talk about when you catch up with one another. You can do this in no particular order: A book with more than 500 pages A classic romance A book that became a movie A book published this year A book with a number in the title A book written by someone under 30 A book with nonhuman characters A funny book A book by a female author A mystery or thriller A book with a one-word title A bo...

It may be December and everyone is excited to have a vacation, but I am here in the office waiting for my turn to share what I have learned from reading chapters 5 to 7 of the book by Brian Tracy entitled Focal Point . We always do these kinds of stuff, reading portions of a book and share it to every employee. This activity is one of the programs of the human resource to train the employees. It is actually a two point process, the speakers (usually managers and department heads) get to learn new managerial skills, including public speaking, and at the same time rank and file employees get to hear their managers deliver the message. This book hopefully will teach its readers on how to simplify their lives to double their productivity and to achieve their goals ultimately. There are 12 steps on how to do it but the point of this book is to make personal changes to allow new opportunities to come in, both in personal and career life.

1. Leaders engage themselves in filtered information, they surround themselves with bureaucracy that thinks the same way they do. As a consequence, although they reach agreement, oftentimes that agreement is not contemporary and not in any way relevant to what's going on in their marketplace. 2. Leaders who engage in selective hearing, in other words, they hear what they want to hear but not necessarily what they should.  3. Wishful thinking that when the business is off, the market will come back, they all do, they see the world through rose-colored glasses, they see the world as they want it and not as it is.  4. Fear. There are cultures that suppress reality. They punish people that have views that are confrontational or that are different from the norm. Organizations that suffer from this don't get real information, as a consequence, you behave in a way that's not contemporary with what's going on around you. This is from Larry Bossidy's speech ...

I dream of going to Disneyland even when I was still a kid. I grew up watching all the Disney princesses and I think that Mickey Mouse is the most lovable mouse ever. Indeed there is some sort of magic that makes people dream of going to the happiest place on earth. How Disney maintain that certain level that is beyond comparison is something that tickles my imagination. When I went to the bookstore to find reference books for my research, I stumbled upon a book entitled The Disney Way by B. Capodagli and L. Johnson. I read the foreword and before I know it, I was already at the cashier paying. I could not put the book down. It was amazing reading their management principle is almost the same as any other large companies, maybe, just maybe, the only thing that differentiates Disney from the bunch is that the have with them the most committed and happiest employees who believe in their vision to make Disneyland the happiest place on earth. I will let you in on Disney...

I was so pissed and stressed earlier this day that I went to the bookstore to buy a book. I have been planning to have a grand vacation since time immemorial and in my to-see places list is Disneyland--the happiest place on earth--to experience the magic of being in the land of pure innocence. Having Disneyland in my mind made me buy this book--The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company. I may not go to Disneyland any time soon but at least I get to take a look into the mind of the man who made a mouse famous--Walt Disney.

I am a Paulo Coelho fan. I like his style of writing, he simply puts me into a different world each time I read his book. I went to a bookstore and found this book on the featured rack. I was immediately drawn to take a look and then found myself walking towards the queue at the cashier to make a purchase. I could have bought it on Kindle but holding a real book would be a nice change even for a while. I am currently on page 50 and so far so good. Here is an excerpt from the book that is inspiring. Have a great day everyone!

Life of Pi is a story of a boy named Piscine (Pi), who became trapped with a Bengal tiger for 227 days after their ship sank in the Pacific Ocean together with his family. It is basically a story of faith, hope, friendship and survival. I was lucky to have seen this movie last week. It moved my faith to another level. Do you believe in God? If not, this book (and movie) will make you become a believer.

I got these cook books from my Kris Kringle monita. Cook book is actually in my wish list this Christmas. Wishes do come true! Woot woot!

This is an eBook from Good Reads. Although this book was produced out of warfare and is currently used in the military, it can also be applied in business. My favorite excerpt is... "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." In every business, it is important to have a SWOT analysis of both the company and its competitor. It will be a guide in creating a strong marketing strategy.

I actually bought several books over the weekend and I haven't finished reading Rich Dad Poor Dad  yet... All are e-Books from Kindle. I love my mom so much for letting me use her account to buy books that I desire. 1. Organizational Culture Change: Unleashing your organization's potential in circles of 10 by Marcella Bremer (I think something needs to change in our organization) 2. The World According To Monsanto by Marie-Monique Robin (I am into conspiracy theories lately) 3. The Existence of God by Francois De Salignac De La Mothe-Fenelon (just got curious of the title) 4. 30 Days and Counting by Leslie Symth (finished reading this just in time before Romney-Obama debate) 5. What Makes People Tick? Handwriting Analysis X-ray To the Soul by David J. Riffey (just got curious whether my handwriting reflects the kind of person I really am) 6. Butcher of Venice by Irmgard Rawn (one suspense novel to break the monotony) 7. Frozen Delight by Saff...

Our professor in our Special Topic course in MBA class is really awesome! He is too awesome because he was able to inspire me to buy books about banking and finance. Me becoming interested in a subject involving accounting is way beyond my wildest imagination. In fact, Accounting 101 is one of my least liked subjects when I was in high school. It is one of the reasons why I favored taking up a science degree course  in college rather than a business course. I really admire our professor for allowing us to understand the lucrative banking industry in the simplest possible ways. His Socratic style of teaching really fires us up each time. And he is generous in giving a recitation grade to anyone with the smartest question and answer. I specifically bought this book, Money Credit and Banking , because the authors' examples involve companies and financial institutions in the Philippines... something that I can relate to because I know more or less what is happening in my c...

I went to the mall after my MBA class to find a book recommended by our professor. Instead of finding it, this book found me. I have been following Ramon Bautista on Twitter and Instagram and my dear friend would update me of his new video uploads on YouTube. I find him funny in a sensible way. By the way, the book hopes to enlighten its reader on why his/her crush doesn't reciprocate the feeling. I bet this will be funny and really eye opening. Hahaha! If you buy the book, it comes with a notebook for you to take notes. You can also use it as a diary or a progress note of your courtship (if ever it will progress into something more than friendship).

Do you know this symbol? It is the mocking jay from Suzanne Collins' famous book The Hunger Games. And you probably already know that this is the symbol of Katniss Everdeen --the girl on fire, the hero of the story. This book is not really mine. An office mate just had me borrow this in exchange of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol  that I bought a few months ago. I have seen this movie and I am hoping a part two will be shown soon. And while part 2 is still in the making, I might as well re-live the scenes of the breakout movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, through this book.

"The greatest tragedy is that while most managers, supervisors, and colleagues genuinely appreciate the people with whom they work, they often neglect to verbally express that appreciation." "While character traits are not easily observable as specific accomplishments, they are in the long run far more important to an organization." "If words of affirmation are to be most effective, they must be given in the context of a positive, healthy relationship." Source: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman

I was lucky to have these two books borrowed from my boss. She reads a lot and she is not selfish in sharing her new knowledge and learning to us. She actually showed us five books that she bought in SM Mall of Asia but these two really caught my attention. The first book is entitled The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day  by John C. Maxwell. It is actually a devotional book that will hopefully inspire a manager to be a leader or a leader to be a better one. This book is a supplement to the author's book entitled The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership .  The second book is The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace  by Gary Chapman and Paul White. It is about helping organizations to empower their people through encouragement. It generally discusses the ways on how managers and leaders should properly appreciate the efforts of their human resource and why appreciation is a good form of investment. What have you read so far? Can you recommend ...

While trust is the foundation of a relationship, trust is built on character and credibility. Trust is hard to earn but the good news is, it can also be regained. I got this quotation from Stephen R. Covey's book The Speed of Trust and I think everyone should practice humility. I constantly remind my staff to be humble. Whatever achievement our department has earned, it is because we work as a team. Humility is not a sign of weakness but in fact it is the courage to control oneself of gloat and self exaltation. 

Ellen tries to narrate the erotic novel 50 Shades of Grey  by E. L. James. Hilarious! Hahaha!

I have been hearing a lot of buzz about how good a book Fifty Shades of Grey is by E. L. James. An office mate bought a copy three weeks ago and I am waiting for her to finish so that I can borrow it. Well, I no longer have to wait for my office mate. I finally had a chance to buy the e-book version via Amazon. I am now on page 51 and I can say that excitement over the next chapters is already building up on me. Photo from here . The book is so famous that it will be made into a movie and  Ian Somerhalder has been mounting a campaign for  months now for him to play the character of Christian Grey. I think his looks alone could earn him the role. What do you think?