Seth Godin's THE DIP

"Quit the wrong stuff. 

Stick with the right stuff.

Have the guts to do one or the other."

One of the best characteristics of a strategy book is being brief. Another one is being easy to understand. Written by the creator of Squidoo, the book may not be necessarily agreeable as per reader, but a little push is something we might just need in improving ourselves within the dynamics of the current professional ecosystem. But the basic ideas you can learn here is applicable anywhere and in any forms of relationship be it organizational or one-on-one. Illustrations by Hugh Macleod provide an additional comic relief.

Genre: Strategy

Rating: 4 pawns

Logos Hope visits the Philippines

The Ship is here! 

Currently docked in Port of Cebu, the GBS Ship Logos Hope is serving onboard visitors and potential recruits eager to embark on a global cause in bringing knowledge, help, and hope to those who are less fortunate. This ship is more than just a floating book fair. It's also a community.

If you're a resident in Manila and wants to get involved more than just purchase a good quality literature at a fraction of it's retail value, Logos Hope will be visiting Manila at the 16th of February and will be open to visitors the next day, until March 13, 2012. Here's the schedule for the current and the rest of their trip in the Philippines:

AREA                                               Arrival                             Departure
Cebu                                                 January 10th, 2012 February 14th, 2012
Manila                                                 February 16th, 2012         March 14th, 2012
Subic Bay                                            March 15th, 2012 April 8th, 2012
Subic Bay shipyard works project     April 9th, 2012                 June 25th, 2012

Webcam shots as of this writing (1132H GMT +8):

bridge

bookfair port

bookfair starboard

international cafe

all images copied from www.gbaships.org

Kokology: The Game of Self-Discovery

What else can I say about this book? It's been around for more than ten years and I think my late discovery is better than not having that opportunity to flip the pages at all.

Learning about yourself is fun with this book and I find the explanations or analyses of my answers entertaining and sometimes weird. The accuracy (on my case) based on a loose estimate, stands somewhere between 80%-90%. This edition that combines the first and second books includes over 100 situations and scenarios for your own leisure of reflection and insight. Originally based from a Japanese quiz show that also spawned from the study of kokoro ("mind" or "spirit" in Japanese), it is now a common tome for team building activities in business or private organizations. This is highly recommended because of its lighthearted getting-to-know-you setup without prejudice and player intrusion. It is very helpful to bridge the communication gap between two people. One of the authors described it clearly--It's kind of like a Rorschach test that uses words instead of ink blots.

kokology \kōkōl'ōjē\ 
A series of psychological games 
designed to reveal your hidden attitudes
about sex, family, love, work and more.

I thought I was abnormal or something (LOL) but after reading this, there's nothing really to be afraid of. Unless the book's principle is severely flawed, I was still normal (and a dork) after all. If the authors' (Tadahiko Nagao and Isamu Saito) aim in publishing this book is to promote fun without diverting from science and at the same time for the reader's learning or reflection, then I can say that they hit the goal with a positive mark. Highly recommended for friends, lovers, and enemies alike.

Genre: Activity Book, Self-Discovery

Rating: 4 kokoro

Pag-iilaw: Xmas 2011 at UPD

This place has been my home for 7 years and whenever the month of December looms in the horizon, that unique atmosphere of excitement leading to inevitable basking in festivity of the Lantern Parade is one unforgettable event for any alumni. Pinoy Theme is an undying trademark and this constellation of "parol"---lanterns glimmering in darkness is simply nostalgic.

source:
pag-iilaw
image ©upd.edu.ph

Book Review Rule # 1

Stop whining, bourgeois reader!

Finish the book first, and stop whining.

A book review is not a book review if you can't read through the whole book. If you want to write a review, make sure you read the book from cover to cover and go through the whole reading experience. If you don't like the experience and cant finish it, better not make a review and give the book to somebody else. The point in writing a review is you must finish the book first to prevent prejudgements and observe protocol to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Who knows if it turns out good in the end, or the hardship is intentional until you reach a certain revelation point---an "Aha!" moment? It's as important as studying first before taking an exam; if you failed the test 'coz you cant read through the book, it's your fault. You can't blame Shakespeare, or Newton.

I have often seen a lot of book reviewers endlessly complaining and whining like "This book sucks 'coz I can only read the first five pages!" or "I cant finish this book for the author's weird, political, and misogynistic foreword. Ergo, I rate this book one star! Blah blah blah" Partial reading leads to an incomplete and incompetent judgement. What they are doing is not a book review but only a book warning. As self-confessed bookworms and avid readers, they just displayed their laziness and stupidity in choosing the wrong book.

What's the point of "reviewing" if you never made the "viewing" first? As the saying goes, "Learn to ride the bicycle BEFORE you drive the motorcycle." Don't try to put the cart before the horse.

What is The Element?

This enlightening and assuring book made it to the 4th spot on my list of best strategy books in the post-industrial era. Dr Ken Robinson got a keen eye in dissecting histories of misunderstood and miscast individuals performing unbelievably high standards of professional and artistic work after discovering where their personal passions and their aptitudes meet, and binding them in unison. He also made a very good analysis on the current system of education that dwells on the past system of standardized mass-production and assembly line, “selling” education like meals from a fast food outlet. Creativity should never be treated like that. Applied imagination has an identity, and a soul, too.

The lives of Sir Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Gillian Lynne, Richard Feynman, Meg Ryan, Chuck Close, and Paulo Coelho can attest against this traditional system of education that almost hampered them in discovering their own personal worth and identity if not from their own perseverance to follow their hearts and their instincts and with some element of luck and positive outlook, meeting exceptional mentors that helped them to continue moving forward.

This current system of education limits the child’s creative development by concentrating the curriculum into compartmentalized subjects applied separately from each other. Science is usually favoured over arts, mathematics over music or sports. What Dr Robinson proposes is for the educator to teach art as important as science, and music as with mathematics especially in the public schools.

This is really not a new concept but human development is never complete without improving the individual and the collective creativity and if you limit education by designing students to become technical workers, the child’s education remains partial. Nobody wants to see their children learn that way, to become future automatons. We mean of synergy here as unifying science, art, music, and athletics in one learning experience.

 

Anyway, I encourage you to try this if you’re looking for a good non-fiction read this year. You will be happy to find yourself in it.

Memorable Quotes from the book:

“Children learn best when they learn from each other and when their teachers are learning with them.”

“You can’t be yourself in a swarm.”

“Often we need other people to help us recognize our real talents. Often we can help other people to discover theirs.”

“Never underestimate the vital importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play. This turns possible underachievers into happy warriors.”

Genre: Personal Strategy, Modern Philosophy, Applied Philosophy

Rating: 4 sticks of crayons