Their Courage Is Among the Greatest in History: “Let’s roll.”

In his book Decision Points, George W. Bush has poignant words for the heroism on Flight 93 during the infamous 9/11 attacks:

“… the passengers had decided to storm the cockpit. In some of the last words recorded from the doomed flight, a man named Todd Beamer can be heard rallying the passengers into action by saying, “Let’s roll.” The 9/11 Commission later concluded that the revolt of the passengers aboard Flight 93 may have spared either the Capitol or the White House from destruction. Their act of courage ranks among the greatest in American history.”

When I read this I recalled Perry's Apothegm no.44 (part of Perry's 100 Apothegms for 2010): "a Boss says 'GO!' ...a Leader says 'LET'S GO!'”

Sometimes a leader utters seemingly incomprehensible words that get the job done.

In the case of Todd Beamer, his 2 words, “Let’s roll” set things in motion; cemented their fate; and immortalized their heroism.

Me and my guys use something similar and equally dramatic: “Go Let’s!”

This gives magic, adrenalin and blood to the anemic and bland: “Let’s Go!”

Try it. It works! hehe…

Where's the Longest Zip Line in Asia? Almost a Kilometer Long!

Wow Bukidnon. It's in Bukidnon, Philippines, and the exact length is actually 0.84 of a kilometer. It is the third leg of 3 separate runs, the first leg being 0.32 of a kilometer and the second 150 meters. If you decide to complete all the 3 runs you are getting so much thrill for your money’s worth - 1.31 kilometers of total adrenalin rush.

The zip lines are in Dahilayan Adventure Park, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, located 4000 feet above sea level. One reaches the area by traveling along gravel roads that cut inside the property line of the lush pineapple plantation of Del Monte. Inside the pineapple plantation, one gets a feeling of travelling back in time. There are rows of neatly aligned houses of singular design inside well manicured lawns. There’s a supervisors’ row with slightly bigger houses. It will take more than half an hour to traverse the gravel road of the plantation into the park. But the travel time flies as your senses feast on the open spaces and rows upon rows of pineapple plants in orange clay soil as far as the eyes can see.

The Dahilayan Adventure Park is like no other. Good architecture and engineering allowed them to integrate the structures of the park into the mountain environment in an unobtrusive way. You have to take a quick meal prior to the activities. The restaurant glass panels give you an elegant view of the majestic mountains amid the cool breeze. The food is good and very reasonably priced if you have the patience to wait 20 minutes for the pleasure of eating what is like home-cooked meals.

The professionalism of the rig crews that attach you to the zip lines was astounding. I was awed by 2 things: First is their concern for safety. Second is the genial warmth of the way they coaxed excited guests who hesitate at the last moment. Time flashed in a jiffy as I took the first 2 legs of the zip line in quick succession. Then I had to take a transfer to the apex via a 4x4 off-road Land Cruiser ride on a bumpy mountain trail. But once I stood on the platform of the third leg, time stood still. 

Quickly processing the data on the billboards in my mind, I learned the elevation was 4000 ASL. The average speed of the run is 45 kilometers per hour. They say there are 2 ways of altering this: spread your arms to go slow; or clip your arms on your sides and be like a bullet to go fast. I reckon it will take a little bit over a minute to do this run as I slung myself on sturdy harnesses in prone position. I was wrong.

As the steel gates opened, I hurtled myself into a free fall. The cool air was immediately on my face and in an instant I could feel the adrenalin rush as objects below whizzed by in a blur. I thought to myself that the only way to enjoy this run was to let go and enjoy the moment. You cannot ‘not’ shout for the exhilaration that will electrify your body. Once I settled down, things seemed to go slow-motion. I began to focus on the beautiful pine trees below, many of them cut at the tip in order to provide safe passage for the zip lines. 

After what seemed an eternity, I saw the clearing where the terminal platform is located. I must have accelerated substantially because I heard a loud thud as my harness hit the brakes. This abruptly swung me from prone position to a wild momentary erect sway, and my helmet hit the shackles overhead. The crew gave a few simple instructions so I can disengage myself from the zip line. And that was that. You wanna get out of your comfort zones and experience the thrill of childhood? Get on a zip line!

What'sThe 3rd Most Visited Place In The Philippines?

WOW Cagayan de Oro: Wild Rafting & Golden Friendships

For the longest time, I get to travel the country twice a year for the POGS conventions. But this April I visited Cagayan de Oro for the first time. I read somewhere that it is the third most visited place in the Philippines. Arguably it should be either no.1 or no.2. the Cagayanons represent what’s best in the Filipino: warm friendship; spirit of adventure; honesty.

A visitor is greeted on the tarmac with a big signage: Cagayan De Oro – the City of Golden Friendships. I had thought this was hype, common to all who promote their cities as tourist destinations. And as a rule, Filipinos are generally warm and friendly people. But as you meet the ordinary Cagayanons, from drivers to bellboys to vendors to tour guides, you will sense that they are a cut above the rest of us.

They are more accommodating, always on the alert in whatever way they can help. They will engage you in whatever language you will understand each other, be it Bisaya, English, or Tagalog. It is as if they are trained or have the instinct to host the numerous tourists that flock to their city. Golden Friendship.

Cagayan de Oro means "City of the River of Gold". They are the whitewater rafting capital of the Philippines and the guide said their river, which separates the city from Bukidnon province is accredited by world whitewater associations.

Do not fail to do whitewater rafting when you visit the place or you miss half of your life. They have whitewater runs for Intro, Advanced, and Extreme. Their Intro run takes 4 hours along 14 major whitewater, with a good dose of minor ‘not counted’ rapids and several ‘still’ waters where you can take a swim.

           TIPS: 

           1. Dress for the whitewater like you are going for a swim. Leave everything that can get wet behind. 

           2. Engage a rafting shop that has good tour guides serving as boat captains. Do not get on a boat just to finish the run. The prices are standard for all, but a good tour guide will make the difference in terms of safety and value for your money. You will get awed by his story and history. Example: “the next whitewater is major… it is very technical to navigate… it’s called the ‘Kiss the Wall’ bend…” 

            hehe, goodluck!

The Reason They Are the Poorest… and How You Should Not Be!

I watched a segment of Fox News several days ago called ‘Freeloader’. It was the first time I had seen this show because it was several wrong clicks away from ‘History Channel’, the cable tv I regularly watched if I can afford the time. The man on the show made a compelling statement. He said the Sioux, a group among the Native American Indians, is the poorest ethic group in the US. They live in reservations that receive a lot of federal financial assistance. He was interviewing this lady-lawyer who said the Sioux was a neglected community and she advocated for a strong lobby to force government to provide more.

However, for each argument the lady-lawyer made, the host would show a small video clip of a successful Sioux individual of the community who made it big in business. And there were several of them. What they said was startlingly consistent: they attained success by not depending on the dole-outs to the reservation. They scratched and scrimped to buy their own lands and set up their own businesses, and resisted freebees of government. 

One guy owned a big, thriving farm in a plush area. His neighbor had a decrepit, unproductive farm in another part of the reservation. He said the difference comes from the confidence in investing money and labor to what is truly your own. And most importantly - knowing that you cannot and should not be dependent (on dole-outs) for your survival.

I have been president of the association of private tertiary-level schools in my province for several years now. I have witnessed through the years some member-schools fold up and close shop. This made me take a hard, cold look at what ails our industry. 

You could say things were bright for them at the onset. They were established by wealthy families. They had the right connections. But they started with one intrinsic, fatal defect: they believed that their endeavor would succeed because they could depend on this state subsidy or that state grant due to the fact that they had the right government connection here and there at one time or the other. Wrong.

Well, this leads me to try and coin the wisdom of these events, not in the most eloquent of terms but in the most dramatic, the better for all of us to remember: “Survivor’s Law: Do not be dependent on others if your survival is at stake.” I know you can improve on this concoction to suit your own taste and experience. Let me know.

Perry's Apothegm no.106: For Those Who Would Be Kings.

This past week was really hectic. I am involved in a foundation, the SCL (Speed Center for Leadership) that helps send kids to school, and we were designing tour and training packages. This is our IGP (income generating program) for the summer that is fast approaching. We wanted to help fund the foundation in a creative way.

So I made it a point to come to work really early for one week.  This is my contribution to our foundation's effort, knowing that as a private, non-governmental organization, we don't and cannot depend on any  state assistance. We don't have the time to dwell on the things that we cannot change. We can only be thankful for the many others who have given their time, ideas and energy to our advocacy.

But last Wednesday I was late.

I was gearing up for an early jog when I saw "Prince of Persia" playing on cable TV. It gave me the material for Perry's Apothegm no.106 "A good king always seeks counsel; but always listens to his heart."

The Power of Thinking Impossible Thoughts

Perry's Apothegm no.105: 

"If you can think impossible thoughts, you can do impossible things." by Yoram (Jerry) Wind

This is a powerful thought and it can teach you how to think more effectively. It comes from a book I'm reading, "The Power of Impossible Thinking" by Yoram (Jerry) Wind, he is The Lauder Professor; Professor of Marketing; and Founding Director of the Wharton Fellows Program and the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management at The Wharton School.

It came with a CD and if I can find the time, I'll try to get some great thoughts in bits of audio that i can send to friends. Listen and learn.

 

Of Dogs and Firemen - Heroes All

I have to write this to pay tribute to my dog, Kiko for saving property and possibly, lives. It was all quiet and the whole village was fast asleep when Kiko, my Chinese Shar-pei went berserk, barking endlessly, jumping up and down. This frenzy was enough to wake up Noel, my relative who is quartered in a house I own just across the street. I awoke on the sound of a steel gate opening, in addition to the hysteria that Kiko had kicked up, thinking a burglar had broken in.

As I gleaned through my front glass window, I could see a strange orange glow reflect on the wall of the small one-story structure across the street which I use as on office occasionally. When I went to check it out, I met an animated Noel at my front garage frantically motioning to the house immediately next to our right side. 

The object of his concern was not visible to me at the time because my house has a frontage of about 12 meters with a setback of about 3 meters from the perimeter wall on both sides. It happened that the perimeter wall I had with the house on the right side is some kind of a fire wall because it adjoins a den of my house that opens to my garage. At the back of this den is an enclosed garden that can be accessed from my living room through a glass door. The perimeter wall on this living room garden is only 6 feet high with simulated bamboo made of 2” diameter PVC pipes painted green.

I ran to the street to get a clear view of the house immediately on our right and the reason for Noel’s panic was immediately apparent: the house was on fire and the residents were not there. Since the fire was in the early stages, my instinct was to rush in and put it out. But I knew I had to resort to other means after several kicks i made on the steel & cyclone wire gate did not budge it.

We had decided that as I try to call the fire station, Noel would take the car to drive down to it about 3 to 4 kms away. As usually happens in extreme situations Murphy's law kicked in. This is an adage that says: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". We cannot find the Fire’s phone number. This was easy – call the Police’s number.

The next few moments passed in excruciatingly slow-motion. But it could not have been much more than 10 minutes from my reckoning that flashing lights and wailing sirens broke the eerie state of trance that seemed to have enveloped the few spectators that began milling around the area. An Emergency Response vehicle arrived followed by a lone fire-truck. 

One can judge that the fire crew of less than 10 men are professionals of the highest caliber. They went down quietly from the truck, set-up their equipment, and proceeded to do a job. A fireman approached us and in a calm and quiet demeanor asked if we knew of people inside. He then went in to challenge the conflagration which by now had reached the roof. A few moments later, there was a request for us to call the local electric utility to disconnect the power. A fireman sustained an electric shock as he water-hosed the house. He shook it off with a strong jerk of the hand.

Devoid of any media fanfare which accompanies every fire situation in Manila, watching these firemen in the dead of night do their job is like watching commandos and other elite units of the great armed services of the world like the Israelis, the British and the Americans.

Everything was over in 30 minutes. Noel had told me later that as he approached the fire station, the fire truck was on its way out and driver had shouted to him that they already knew. The call we made to the Police station had in fact been acted upon responsibly.

Talk of public servants. Are these Sorsoganons the stereo-type government employees that media never fail to bash? Or are they more the exception to the rule? I can only say that they are Filipinos in the truest sense. I can imagine what could have happened if they had delayed 5 minutes. Fire could have crossed through the perimeter wall of my garden, which was not a fire wall. There was a big tree in that spot. Or it could have crossed to the house on the other side of the burning house. It only had a 4-foot high masonry fence and its residents had already abandoned their house, seeking shelter in my garage.

Talk of heroes. There is hope for the Filipino.