people and their words I remember

I would like to commend these people who without their knowledge have spared at least a single word that I absorbed and have helped me become a better person. These people are neither my immediate family members nor my relatives.

Some of these people are ordinary people. Some of them don’t really know me. Some I have not met yet but watched & heard their speeches. Some I have just read about their writings & looked at their websites. Others I don’t know if they still exist. One thing I can say. They put words in my journey as I travel in both personal & professional paths.

John Tan. Gray-haired, senior salesman officemate in a multinational company where I worked for 2 years. He once said that “ang lalaki dapat yumayaman habang tumatanda” (a man should get richer as he gets older). “Pag di nangyari yun, meron problema sa kanya” (if it didn’t happen, he had a problem).

Steve Murrel. Our senior pastor who founded our church in Metro Manila and humbly started at the basement level of an old building in Recto Ave., Manila more than 20 years ago & has built a legacy that continues to produce more worldchangers.

Ernesto Maglalang. My ex-girlfriend’s father who would once tell his daughter that my backpack had full of internal organs because I work too much. He came from Quezon province and found his fortune in Manila by working in a plastic moulding company. Later on he became a big time manufacturer.

Steve Jobs. I read a lot of stories about him. I learned about his childhood from the book “iCon”. I read & watch his speeches. He made me loved the movie “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”. A very passionate & a believer. He is more than an artist, a creative individual,& an engineer. He is one of the most important technology enablers & business wiz ever to live on this planet.

Greg Peñero. Senior accountant of the company where I worked along with John Tan. My officemates would always tease him as “the fly” probably because he looked like one. 🙂 He often times would tell me to get married early so I can see my kids growing & my kids will see what I can do more (maybe playing basketball). If I followed his advice, my parents would have denied me a long time ago. In my heart, I wanted to settle down in my early 20s. Until this time I am still single & holding on to my dream of seeing my grandchildren in the future.

Joey Bonifacio. A senior pastor in our church. I used to play basketball with his sons and with my brother King at the court across their house in Valle Verde. If I had kids today I would probably do the same way he brought up his boys. The miracle he shared about how he survived from his debts to where he is right now is an example I use to my friends who do not know how to manage their finances.

Alfredo Aragon. My first spiritual mentor who shared to me the good news of salvation. God used kuya Fred to explain to me the true meaning of having a personal relationship with God. On the same day, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.

Nicassius Cordero. The best sound guy I know. We have known each other since college. He’s more technically adept than any of my professors in engineering. He could balance both the academic and the business of managing a professional sound and lights company. I made it to the prestigious sound and lights touring company (from a small mobile sound reinforcement) through Nicky. He influenced me so much in the technical areas of our business. I thank him for the exposure in the technical guild. Having been classmates, groupmates, college friends, associates and partners, Nicky and I have not fought about anything from 1987 to 2001 (that’s the last time I saw him). I wonder where he is right now. He is now a full-time acoustic design consultant.

Professor Serafin Talisayon. One of my favorite professors in University of the Philippines Technology Management Center. Despite his age (I think he’s over 60 or 70), he visualizes such organizational changes through information technology. For me he is no old man. He thinks better in technology and change management than any of the executives or businessmen I know.