Renzie: One Year Later (Well, Almost…)

Hello blogosphere.

I’ve been away for a rather extended period of time. In fact, a quick look at the articles I’ve posted would reveal that my last entry was late last year– a little more than eight months ago.

I suppose I owe it to my readership to explain my prolonged absence.  Not that I have to, but it’s more of in keeping with the open-ness of this general blog environment here on “The Life and Times of The Renzie Man”.  After all, being an online documentation of my more recent comings and goings, it would only be appropriate to fill in the months-long gap in between posts.

1. I’ve been busy. That’s really the short of it.  How busy?  Well, for starters, I’ve been a lot more involved with a small events and marketing business I set up with a couple other friends.   It’s a teenie little project management venture that we can genuinely call our own, and personally, I don’t mind pouring every bit of time, energy and resource on it, as we all know that- in the end- the rewards are for all of us to reap.

My partners, Gelo and Janeth, stopping for a bite at the Bread Bag, Ortigas Home Depot. July 2010.

There are a couple of other projects and entrepreneurial endeavors besides, but nothing that occupies as much time as the aforementioned business.  There are even a couple of others lined up in the immediate future.

2. I’ve been making new connections. I suppose it can’t be helped.  Not only is it in the very nature of my work to be social (check it: marketing, events, business development, relationship management, new media, promotions– each and every one of them requiring a fairly high level of well, socialization), but from the standpoint of a business owner, a robust network of partners, allies, supporters, suppliers and clients all make for a promising future, with lots of opportunities for everyone involved.

Me, hanging out with JoJo, just before her show, at the Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza. March 2010.

I may have talked about taking off for the USA, but with what I’m doing now, it seems I may actually enjoy the best of both worlds. So here I am, back in Metro Manila, building up my personal network from scratch.

3. I finally figured what I want out of life, and- even better- how to go about getting it. How can you not appreciate this clarity of purpose?  What I do right now involves all the things I love: music, marketing and media.

I see a very bright future ahead, with enough hard work and with the right moves along the way.  I really don’t want much– just a comfortable enough lifestyle, a chance to enjoy mini-retirements every now and then, and a chance to keep doing what I’m doing now til when I grow old toothless and senile.

I finally get to do some traveling. I also get to top off a trip every now and then with the occasional awesome sandwich That's me in Bigby's Cagayan de Oro, July 2010.

4. My priorities have changed. The aforementioned clarity has given me vision– a newfound sense of direction, as well as a chance to lay out a grand strategy of sorts.  Which means I have a better idea of sorts on things that are more important to me, and things that aren’t.

Which is a good thing.  I feel old age starting to creep up on me, and I have to admit, I’m not as energetic as I used to be.  Priorities help me determine what needs working on at any given moment: what needs to be developed long-term, what needs to be addressed right away, and what can be completely ruled out as a distraction, and even ignored completely.

5. I’ve learned a lot. And I’ll keep on learning new stuff. I’ve learned not just from my own mistakes, but from the mistakes of others as well.   I learn from my interactions with my newfound friends and allies.

One of the more important things I’ve learned actually: always have an inquisitive mind. Keep asking questions, keep looking for answers. I suppose this part needs a post of its own. Which I should work on in a couple of days.

Oh well, I suppose I should get back to blogging. As soon as I finish this cup of fro-yo. Me enjoying some fro-yo over at Qoola in Greenbelt, Makati.

So where does blogging come in after all this? Well, for one thing, I can process all my thoughts online for free, instead of engaging the services of a psychiatrist. But seriously, after all that I’ve gone through these past several months, I’ve realized that writing (and blogging)serves as a very much-needed outlet to channel expression and creativity and even some stress release. I figured– why not hit the keyboard once more?

Which brings us to here and now. I realize I’ll have to do some housecleaning over the course of the next several days (or weeks- however long it takes, really). But one thing’s for sure, you’re going to be reading a lot more about me once again.

Catch you all again tomorrow, cats and kitties

Cheers, everyone!

Have a Healthy Learning Mindset

Share This Post: getting into a healthier, more creative state of mind, with Renzie Baluyut.

Besides my competencies in marketing communications, or people skills, or whatever skill set I’ve got going on, I think one of the most important attributes I have is my desire to learn.

It is a hunger for knowledge, an affinity for picking up new skills, and an equivalent desire to share what I know.

I have particularly appreciated this realization at my current age– 35, at the time of this blog post- even as I feel fairly accomplished, and thus far generally satisfied with my career and life choices.

Right now, at the top of my head?  I’d like to learn about growing my own herb and vegetable garden, or building even better websites.  I’d like to pick up more digital photography skills, and make better meat sauce, or learn to cook great soup completely from scratch.  More:  I’d like to learn to sail, and fly, and dive, and cover Depeche Mode on synths, or Boston or Dave Matthews on Guitar.

Fortunately, the internet allows us access to all the things we want to get into.  At the very least, there are all kinds of websites and e-books available to anyone who can do a fairly comprehensive search. You got all sorts of blogs and podcasts on a wide variety of topics, as niche as it can possibly be.

Then you got discussions, forums, and all kinds of communities- so you can go ahead and test your knowledge against everyone else’s.  And finally you have webinars and all sorts of e-learning programs- real convenient as you can listen to a speaker from halfway across the world while you’re having breakfast in your shorts back home in Manila.

The point is: learning now has never been easier or more convenient.  We still have our books and our films and workshops and classes, but now, there are so many additional options available, both online and off.

So go ahead- watch a new how-to video now, join the discussions on your favorite blog, share a link you found this morning on Facebook and Twitter, or sign up for a free webinar today.

This is a great time to learn all the things you ever wanted to learn.

Now is the best time to have a healthy learning mindset.

Thanks to Michael Jastremski for the cute photo.

Cheers, everyone.

10 Things I’ve Missed About The Philippines

appreciating Metro Manila and the Philippines, with Renzie Baluyut.

It’s been more than a month since I flew in from Los Angeles, and if anything, my being away for an extended period of time has made me appreciate a lot things in the Philippines even more.

Sure I wrote about this last year, so I thought this time I’d be a lot more specific.  Without any further ado, here’s a list of ten things I’ve really missed about the Philippines.

1. Home Delivery. Being a work-at-home advocate, home delivery services are truly invaluable.

Sure you have Thai food and pizza places delivering at home in Los Angeles. But if you ask me, nothing beats Manila in terms of the variety of food you can readily summon with just an easy phone call.

One thing I really missed was KFC's hot n' krispy chicken, delivered right at home. You don't have hot n' krispy in L.A. No idea why that is so.

Whether it’s a bucket of KFC hot n’ krispy, a quarter pounder at 2:30am, or an entire tray of pasta, dimsum or beef stew, you can pretty much have anything you want delivered to your doorstep as long as you know who to call.

2. The Weather.  Maybe my tropical ass just isn’t suited to LA weather just yet. What I like about Philippine weather is that, all year round, the temperature only varies by a relatively few degrees Centigrade.

Me and mom, visiting relatives in Butuan City.

It gets uncomfortably cold in the US, even in L.A., and even more so in the northern states.  In the summer (right about now), you can literally feel the sun beat down on you.

Here, all you need are relatively light clothes.  Plus a raincoat and an umbrella for the rainy season, and then a light jacket when it starts getting chilly over the holiday season.

3. Cheap services. One thing I really appreciated about the Philippines (which I only realized when I was in Los Angeles), was that you get so much for your hard-earned cash (more so, if you’re earning in dollars).

Getting a haircut, or having your laundry done, going for a massage- just about any service you can imagine can be had for cheap. One of the advantages of being in a third-world country, you might say.

Me and my ornery feet, about to get a scrubdown in a spa in Las Pinas city.

4. Cabs. While I admire the Los Angeles public transport system, I’ve simply grown accustomed to just standing out by the sidewalk, and hailing a taxi cab to take you pretty much anywhere you wish to go.

Caveat: a significant number of taxi drivers can be annoying, but remember that two can play at that game. They’re likely to play fair if they don’t see you as easy pickings.

That being said, I find the average day-to-day cab-riding experience in Manila rather worry-free. Even better if you know how to navigate your way around the city, and are familiar with general traffic conditions.

You can find all kinds of great stuff at the Salcedo weekend market. That’s my Tita Lina, looking for some stuff to bring home to the UK.

5. Shopping. I gotta admit, our malls here are truly great. Personally, I miss going to Shangri-la, Rockwell Powerplant and Greenbelt. Those malls were so close to where I used to live, it was practically just like home.

Heading off to Greenhills, Tiendesitas or even Divisoria brings shopping to an entirely higher level, an all-new experience altogether. Just a little out of the way (depending on where you stay, of course), but if you have time (as well as cash) to spare, these three spots are definitely worth the trip.

Besides all those, there are all kinds of food bazaars over the weekend- like the Salcedo weekend market on Saturdays, or all kinds of tiangges when the Christmas season is upon us.

Fish- tilapia to be exact- roasting nicely on some hot coals.

6. Fish and Seafood. Being the tropical island paradise we are, we got access to a great deal of fish and seafood. Sure LA food is (by comparison) cheap and plentiful too, I think there’s a great deal of fun heading for the public market or a dampa and have your seafood of choice cooked however which way you want.

All kinds of seafood: crab, fish and some skewered squid in the background.

7. Pirated DVDs. While you can easily get any CD, DVD, book, computer game, T-shirt or whatever else you fancy in the US (and have ‘em conveniently shipped straight to your home), you just don’t have that in the Philippines.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t encourage buying pirated software or digital media at all. I always say, buy originals all the time, as a show of support for your favorites, so they can keep coming up wth all kinds of great stuff in the future.

Now if I wanted to get into a brand new TV series, or if I’m curious about a specific horror movie or romance comedy, I’d like to know if the purchase of the real deal is going to be worth my time and money. And, for me, the locally available DVDs should serve that purpose.

You’ll be amazed at the kind of stuff you’ll find with the local DVD vendors- new releases, TV series, anime series, even hard-to-find old titles, documentaries and classics.

Again, if you like what you watched, be a true fan and score yourself the real deal when you can.

The ampitheater at Kawayan Cove was simply awesome.

8. The destinations. In the course of my travels, I’ve realized that there are still so many places in the Philippines I haven’t even had the chance of checking out. And it’s definitely part of the plan to seek good vacation spots outside Metro Manila (particularly so that I have plans to getting more involved in the travel business).

There are a number of  things going on even within Metro Manila as well, and you can read that in this online article from The Sunday Inquirer Magazine.

Also, thanks to Facebook, Multiply and a whole variety of other social media, I can get real customer feedback (good or bad) about specific resorts, beaches, hotels or whatever destination in just about any province in the Philippines.

Always nice to go provincial once in a while. A shot of our nipa hut, just outside the main house in our farm in Zambales.

9. I love the nightlife. Maybe it’s just our neighborhood in the area of Eagle Rock and Glassell Park, or maybe I’m just getting too old for the party scene, but when you feel like going out to party in Metro Manila, there’s easily a party anywhere you go.

I’m thinking that it’s also quite possible that maybe it’s because I’m not as well-connected there in LA as I am here in Manila.

In any case, if you want to get in on what’s going on in Metro Manila at any given time, all you have to do is go online, or scout around the areas of Makati, The Fort, Eastwood City and Ortigas.

Me with my good friends Tish and Coreen, hanging out at an 80's-themed watering hole with beers and good laughs.

10. My friends. I miss my friends back here, most of all. While modern technology allows us to keep in touch via all kinds of social media (Facebook, Flickr, etc.), VOIP (Yahoo, Skype, etc.) and other chat & microblogging services (Google Talk, Plurk, etc.), actual human contact and interaction is still much more favorable.

Precisely the reason why I’ve been meeting up with different groups of friends (and still continue to do so) ever since I got here.

Hanging out with my good buddies: Mich, Abi and Gelo at TGIFriday's in Bonifacio High Street. June 2009.

At any rate, I’m glad to be back in the Phiippines.  Sure, I know I’m going to take off from time to time, but I know I got all these waiting for me whenever I come back home.

For you Filipinos outside the country right now: what do you miss most about home?

Cheers, everyone.

Renzie Ten Years From Now

a snapshot of a vision inside the head of Renzie Baluyut.

We’ve all been asked, “so how do you see yourself <insert arbitrary number here> years from now?”

One thing I’ve realized is that this seemingly innocent, yet over-asked question, actually gives you a chance to evaluate your Grand Strategy over your life.  And by “Grand Strategy”, I mean a visualization of exactly what you want to achieve within the next- in this case, ten years.

“I want to be rich.”  “I want to be famous.”  “I want to live happy.”  These would be some of the more typical answers to the aforementioned question.  Nothing wrong with wanting to be rich, or famous, or happy, or thinner, or successful, really.  But you have to paint a clearer picture:

How rich is rich?  Do you want your own G5 jet shuttling you back and forth European cities?  A Bentley for each day of the week?  Similarly, how famous is famous?  Having a million followers on Twitter?  Five thousand friends on Facebook?

The point of filling in all these details, is to put together a realistically attainable (yet challenging) scenario of your future self.  If you were an Isaac Mendez- you’d paint this picture out in a mutant power-induced instant.  This is your destiny, one that you will have to carve out for yourself.

On this one particular beautiful spring morning, I decided to answer that over-asked question and fill in the details of my own vision of the future.  Allow me to acknowledge my vision of a typical day in the life of Renzie ten years from now.

Ten years from now will be 2019.

I see in my mind a beautiful 2-storey house that might be in a residential area in Glendale or Long Beach.  The kids are just about heading off to school with lunches I packed them earlier that day.  My wife’s getting ready for work too.  As she drives off for the day, I head on to the adjoining home office to get things done.

Yep, I have a home-based office, from which I run a network of small business ventures, just after breakfast.

• I have a couple of property management companies- one to oversee the day-to-day operations of a number of apartments along the West Coast, and another buying, selling and renting out real estate in various parts of the Philippines.
• A travel and tours company is just about getting a final count on a number of parties heading out to Blizzcon 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  Tour teams to Disney Resort and Knotts Berry Farm have been prepped and good to go, according to this morning’s report.
• A shipment of anime DVDs, dolls, action figures and other collectibles from Japan will be arriving tomorrow, according to my geek-friendly coffee shop based in Pasadena.  I’ll be dropping by later that afternoon to check out the inventories.

After poring through the rest of the sales figures and reports, signing checks and managing the other online accounts, I head off to town to get even more stuff done.

By 10:30 AM, I’m at the gym, working on tone and cardio for the most part.  I meet up with a client for late lunch, then stop by the coffee shop in Pasadena.  It shares floor space with a hobbies and collectibles shop, and has a nice little niche market of gamers and geeks, both casual and hardcore.

I get a call at 3PM from my wife- reminding me to pick the kids up from school, and to swing by PetSmart for some cat food and litter.  I round up the kids from school and take them out for some ice cream, right before heading off to the store to grab the supplies.

Instead of cooking dinner that night, the kids wanted some pasta and pizza, so we drive on over to a nearby restaraurant and order some carry-out.  My lovely wife is already home, spending some much-needed play time with the cats.

Over dinner, we all talk about school and the latest Twilight movie, which the kids want to see on Friday afternoon, as we would all be out camping over the weekend.  Gotta check on all our gear tomorrow to see what else we might be needing before heading out for the outdoors shop in the afternoon.

As Mom helps out with the kids’ homework, I check my email: approving the copy for a bunch of sales materials for a client due for printing the next day, online brochures for new apartments in Metro Manila, friends confirming game night two weekends from now, a business partner’s itinerary as she flies in from the Philippines next month, and a marketing proposal from a nearby computer shop.  I sync my handheld with my PC, and power down for the evening.

The kids are allowed an hour to play with their XBox 19.  Wife and I retreat to the den and squeeze in an hour of online gaming.  We then get the kids ready for bed and tuck them in.  We get ready for bed as well; she watches her reality shows recorded on DVR while I read a couple of chapters from the latest Robert Greene book.  After making sure the alarms are set right, we both catch some much-needed shuteye to take on a brand new day come morning.

That’s going to be me ten years from now.  A daydream on a blog post perhaps, but also a roadmap.  In my next post, let’s break it all down together, and join me pick on my own brains.

But for now, ask yourself this same question:  How do you see yourself ten years from now?

And this time, really paint yourself a detailed mental picture.

Cheers, everyone!

You Might Already Have Diabetes…

from the Health & Wellness Notes of Renzie Baluyut.

There is eveidence that a healthy diet coupled with regular exercise can help prevent or at least delay the onset of diabetes. ©iStockphoto.com/Lise Gagne

Today, November 14, is World Diabetes Day. Two years ago, the United Nations thought it would be a good idea to set aside this day each year to increase the general public’s awareness of the effects of diabetes and its complications.

The end goal, of course, is that all this increased awareness will lead to more resources to fight the causes of diabetes and help fund research into improved treatment options.

So today, you have all kinds of media channels- TV, publications, blogs, etc.- participating in the campaign to distribute information to encourage at-risk individuals to be screened for diabetes.

Now the topic of diabetes is of particular significance and relevance to me.  You see, I’m a high risk case myself.  Check it out:

• Mom has been diagnosed with diabetes, and dad (who passed away with cancer) also was diagnosed with hypertension.
• I’m an obese dude- my current weight is far more than my ideal weight of 175 to 180 pounds.
• I haven’t been exercising lately- and I admit to leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle.

Of course, working in my favor are the following:

• I don’t smoke.
• I don’t have a habit of drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee.  I enjoy a frap or a cappuccino every now and then, but not everyday.  Not even every week, I imagine.
• I am cutting back on the snacks and the soda- sugar-free or otherwise.
• I get my 8 hours of sleep a day, which reduces my likelihood to need any pick-me-up drinks like coffee or energy drinks.
• I try to eat healthier.  Whole wheat bread, extra virgin olive oil, more salads, less sugary stuff, all that.

Seriously, more salads.

Now here’s the thing: there’s a good chance that you might have diabetes already.

In this other blog post of mine on World Diabetes Day on Renzie Baluyut Online, a recent study already mentioned that as many as three out of five adults may already be on the verge of becoming a diabetic unless they change their lifestyle.  Oh, and at least 20% of Filipino adults have diabetes already.

Yes, it’s that common.

Now check this out:

One of the challenges according to Dr. B. Eric E. Desquitado of the Asian Hospital in Alabang, is that many people might already have diabetes without their knowing it. “Diabetes is largely asymptomatic,” he says, “at least until the patient comes complaining about, say numbness of the feet or something else.”

Another challenge is that, since most of the early manifestations of diabetes aren’t painful, the urgency to seek medical attention is NOT there. Which is what the annual full body examination is for.

So word of advice, ladies and gentlemen: take that annual physical exam of yours really seriously.  It gives you and your doctor to talk about what kind of danger signs you already have on a multitude of diseases and disorders- including diabetes.

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition that is centered around a hormone: insulin.  Insulin works by allowing glucose from the food we eat to enter cells and make energy.

In one type of diabetes the body does not produce enough insulin at all, so not all the glucose is used, and the cells don’t get to convert all that sugar into energy. In another type the body is producing lots of insulin, but the cells just don’t respond to it– this is called insulin resistance.

In either case, the end result is that you now have too much glucose in the blood, which is called hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. The excess sugar in the blood can lead to wide range of short and long-term complications, including foot and eye problems and vascular diseases.

Reading Up on Diabetes

There are a lot of great resources online on diabetes- whether you’re avoiding it, or you’re living with it, or living with a loved one who has diabetes.

Personally, I recommend this one particular site: The Glam Publisher Network’s section on diabetic nutrition on LoveToKnow.com.  It’s got great articles and ideas on managing meal plans and food for diabetics- a kind of diet that I think is actually good for people like myself who’s trying to prevent the onset of diabetes.

Also great reads on the topic:  TimeAndDate.com‘s section on World Diabetes Day, and the diabetes entry on Wikipedia.

—————-

Dr. B. Eric E. Desquitado, M.D., F.P.C.P., is an internist and diagnostitician at the Asian Hospital in Alabang.

Cheers, everyone.