Why I love the DAAD Scholarship

 1. One-stop shop at the German Embassy

It is so efficient. Every year they have the same deadline of July 31 and all the requirements for BOTH the scholarship and the university are accepted at the German embassy in Makati (either by post or in person).  So I prepared three copies of my requirements then chose 3 universities from the list of universities in Germany. For the list of requirements, go to this website: https://www.daad.de/en/

This is really convenient because I didn't have to apply separately for the scholarship and then worry about the requirements for the my desired universities. By the way, I applied for MA in Public Policy and Good Governance.

2. Everything is covered – well, almost :)

They don't pay for your winter clothes but that's ok. :) After 4 months, I received THE email from DAAD that I got accepted BOTH in the scholarship and the university. Sabay na yung announcement. Germans are pretty straightforward. In my one-page acceptance letter or what they call the “Letter of Award”, it contains one line telling you that you got admitted and in the succeeding paragraphs, it tells the financial assistance that you will receive and the conditions to accomplish to continue receiving them.

So here's a gist:

a. Flight – It varies per country and is re-calculated every year. In my case it's 550 euros and then 575 euros for my flight back (which may change after my 2-year programme).

b. Monthly allowance – 750 euros for MA, 1000 euros for PhD. If you ask me, it's not a lot but it's enough for a student-budget lifestyle and backpacking in Europe. :) Just cook your own food and do groceries for your baon.

c. Language Course for 6 months – This is part of the scholarship for MA in Public Policy and Good Governance because the course is more than one year. However, it may be possible that you get a language course for less than 6 months if your course is less than 1 year too.

I absolutely love the method of teaching at Carl Duisberg Centren. Check their website! It's not only Berlin that you can study your German language course!

d. Apartment for 6 months – You don't need to search for an apartment before you go to Germany. It's already prepared for you. You can even bring your family.  This is nice for people who already have a family but wish to get their MA or PhD abroad and would like to bring their family with them. However, DAAD does not recommend you bringing the family during the language course because subsidies extend only when you officially start your programme.

Internet is also included in this apartment so if you didn't bring your family with you, you can just Skype-date with them. You also got your own mailbox. Ask your family to send you snail mails. These help you cope with your new life. :)

e. Health Insurance – Yehey to this. The policy is quite nice. They even cover childbirth and deaths. But you would like to not have both yet while studying maybe. :p Also, if you bring your family, they are also covered but not similarly as the scholarship holder. Read your scholarship contract on this. Details like eyeglasses coverage is only after the 4th month or that childbirth is only covered from the 9th month of insurance coverage.

Look at the pictures of my apartment. It is a single-room apartment with its own kitchen and bathroom and it's semi-furnished with bed, a big closet, a big bookshelf, cabinets in the bathroom, heaters, curtains, blankets, pillow, stove, and a KITCHEN SET. :D I love it when a huge box of plates, utensils, and cooking wares with all these pans, chopping boards, knives, and spatulas arrived in front of my door. Of course, if you bring your family, you get a bigger apartment. My apartment is at the House of Nations in Wedding, Berlin. By the way, the rent which DAAD paid for already includes costs for water, electricity and internet. Sweet.

My 21-square-meter flat.

Kitchen!

My clothes fit in the closet. That's great.

Clean bathrooms are simple delights.

3. The system works

The Student Affairs Director is the coolest. That person answers ALL your questions. That's pretty cool because that person answers promptly and responsively. I got three Student Affairs Directors:

a. DAAD Student Affairs Director – he answers all my questions about my scholarship contract and financial assistance requirements. It's really great to have someone who does his job pretty well by just explaining everything well and answering your questions promptly.

b. Language Course Student Affairs Director – I am studying at Carl Duisberg Centren (CDC) for my German course and they not only take care of my German course, they also take care of me, literally!

DAAD and CDC has a partnership where in all the DAAD scholars are taken care of by CDC. That means CDC helps us in our apartment issues, our allowance, opening bank accounts, registration for resident permit, registration of address, visa requirements, and EVERYTHING, even your recreational activities! They schedule trips to several museums, table tennis games, film-showing, city tours, inter-city tours, and a lot more. It's so convenient. And fun! Hard-working people I tell you! After class, they also organize conversation sessions with other students so that we can practice talking in German for about 90 minutes. That's really amazing. I really like it because it makes learning Deutsch more relevant--it allows you to communicate confidently.

c. University Student Affairs Director – In my case, the Hertie School of Governance. Even when my MA course will start in September, they already sent me all the things that I need to prepare for in April! Talk about efficiency! They already emailed me to set a meeting to tour the school and meet people in their offices. And that is separate from the Orientation Week which will happen in September! The Student Organization already sent me a welcome package! To my mailbox! :) I love the Post Office here. It works so well I want to send out postcards to everyone. Haha.

So if you are considering getting a master's degree or a PhD, try Germany. There are so many universities that offer degrees for free. Some offer it for 300 euros per semester. Freie University, which is a very good university, offers MA in Sociology for 300 euros per semester. So if you don't get a scholarship, there are other ways to finance your studies in Germany. Internships and part-time jobs offer 450 euros per month for a 20-hour-per-week work.

If you got questions, send me an email at ppduman@daad-alumni.de. :) See, they even gave me a personalized email. :D See you around!

Sweden: The Parliament

I was lucky to get the chance to go to the Parliament Building and meet some Members of the Parliament. We were also toured around the offices of the Members.

ICT in the Parliament Office is very much integrated. Take for example the table of each parliament member as shown in the picture below:

The buttons on the left part correspond to Yes, No, Abstain during the voting processes.

The buttons on the right part correspond to Engage in Debate and Not Engage in Debate during deliberations.

For attendance, their IDs are inserted in the slot provided when they slide open their desks. Their attendance will then be reflected on the miniature found near the presiding officer’s chairs, in front of the whole gallery as shown below:

The corresponding light of each chair will be turned on , hence the Presiding Speaker will know who are  present (and everybody else will know who is absent).

A Member of the Parliament discussing with us the procedures during deliberations.

Each table has a microphone so each member can just use the mic provided on their table.

The media may only stay in the room behind the Speaker’s chair. There are holes in the wall where they can get snippets and record the proceedings .

Outside the Session Hall, talking to two Parliament Members, asking them all sorts of questions.

So that was part of my learning experience inside the Sweden Parliament. It was a very nice experience especially because this country has one of the lowest power distance index (PDI) in the world. We walked with the politicians going to where dinner was waiting for us without the need of bodyguards, drivers, and a car plates specifically designed for public officers. It was really refreshing. 

Sweden: High Quality Education is Standard

Typical day inside the school library.

One of the interesting places I visited in Sweden--The Stockholm City Museum. The Stockholm City Museum was established in the 1930s, and its objective is to document and display the  history of Stockholm and its inhabitants. This museum is the city’s cultural history authority as far as city  planning proposals, rebuilding of houses, demolitions and other changes in the city’s landscape are concerned.

A major part of the work of the museum is to record important buildings and carry out
archeological excavations (from  http://www.stadsmuseum.stockholm.se/ommuseet.php?kategori=8&sprak=english)

The SAP parliament member on the right won the last elections mainly because he campaigned for the strengthening of the cultural foundation of Lulea thru establishing a world class museum which packages Lulea’s great painters and Sweden’s great writers. He built within this House of Culture a large library which is one of the most sophisticated libraries in Sweden.


The library includes books that are in Braille, audiobooks and other materials that are for persons with disabilities.

Below is a classroom in Sweden. They have 15-20 students per class who use these computers. 

Where you get your notes during class and where you also write down your notes. 

Robotics. 

You have to think when playing this game. Lesson in Physics.

One of Sweden's best director teaching high school students how to create films.

High school students painting.

You want to learn Fashion Technology? Then this is the place for you. 

The library gives free access to everyone and there is no limit as to the number of books that each person can borrow. There is also no time limit as to how long one can have in his or her possession the book borrowed.

There are also documentaries and other educational videos which people can borrow or just watch in the library.


There is a bulletin at the ground floor where cultural shows are advertised.

It also has a world class theater where performers in Sweden can hold shows.

Classroom. Mac computers for everyone. First world standards. 

Some shows are for free while others are shown for a price. 


The museum also has a restaurant inside where one can eat Swedish food (which is kind of pricey, at least for me, hehe).

Music room for everyone.

What I like about Sweden's schools? Lunch for everyone is free. It's part of their benefits as a student. You just go to their cafeteria and get a tray. You get to choose from milk and different fruit juices for drinks and a wide variety of food. I somehow consider the food typical of an expensive restaurant in Greenbelt--mashed potatoes, beef steak, blueberries, a variety of bread, pasta, and some desserts. 

For some more pictures of my study visit in Sweden, please go to this link. :)

Sweden: Stockholm Culture House

FREE access to libraries!!!

One card access to all libraries in Sweden! ALL!


All books are in Swedish except books on English language (of course). 


DVDs, comics, manga, are also being lent in his museum. I even saw some porn magazines in one library. Condoms are also placed in a bowl on one of the tables.


Free access to the computers to search for the books across Sweden.


Inventory of books across Sweden is REALLY good.


Sweden has a law that certain libraries should have all books published in Sweden.


The whole museum offers different cozy places and different chairs where readers can choose to sit. You can choose to sit on a swing near the window, on colorful candy-shaped sofas, and on the floor. Look at the chairs on the right picture. It's really nice, isn't it?

Sweden: Court Center of Lulea

I went to Sweden in October 2010 for a study visit for 10 days. I was invited by the Social Democratic Party to learn about politics in Sweden and implementation of the government's programs. One of the places I went to was the Court Center of Lulea. It is a municipal court that has amazing things which put this Filipina law student back then in pure envy of their structure, rules, and efficiency. 


I am just posting it because I stumbled upon them in my files and it brought back memories of things that I wanted our country to experience. Well, also because I just think it is really worth sharing. It was such a great experience. So let me introduce you to the Court Center of Lulea.

The Court Center of Lulea

Municipal Court in Lulea

Structural

Court Levels

• Each municipal court is composed of eight (8) Municipal Judges.
• In the whole of Sweden, there are 6 Court of Appeals composed of ten (10) Justices.
• There is only one (1) Supreme Court composed of ten (10) Justices.

Access of Information and System of Documentation

• All court records are public and can be accessed by the public during office hours, subject to some limitations imposed by law such as custody cases of children or cases that are prejudicial to the privacy of the parties involved.
• Court personnel provide requested documents within the same day. If the documents are recent, it only takes minutes.
• Documents are kept for seventy (70) years. These documents are disposed through a system set by the courts (burning).

Media and Public Participation/Intervention

• Court proceedings are public. Media and other concerned citizens are allowed to sit inside the court during the proceeding and take notes. However, they are not allowed to take pictures and video record the hearing.
• The public is not allowed to sit in when the case involves a juvenile.
• Media write-ups and reports should not refer to the Judge in his or her personal capacity or real name. The Judges are referred to as Municipal Court Judge of (Name of Municipality).

Juvenile Delinquency

• Cases involving juveniles are prioritized. Their cases are disposed of within one (1) week.
• In Lulea, there are less than thirty (30) juvenile delinquents inside the Juvenile Prison.

Procedural

Record of Proceedings

• The hearings are recorded through a video camera set up in front of the Judge hearing the case. The proceedings are thereafter saved in the Municipal’s archive.
• Witnesses’ testimonies, if they can’t attend the hearing, can be recorded through a video camera and sent to the requesting Court.

Video camera that records the proceedings and allows
witnesses from other places to video conference

• Should the case be brought to appeal, the Municipal Court will send all the recorded proceedings to the Court of Appeals.

Case Disposal

Prosecutor Level

• Prosecutors take five (5) months on the average to investigate criminal cases.
• Most prosecutors are women.

Municipal Court Level

• Civil cases involving amount of money are resolved within 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• The longest period to dispose civil cases involving money claims is two (2) weeks. 
• Murder usually takes longer but should only be in months because the accused should not be deprived of his liberty. Nope, it doesn't take years.
• Their justice system does not have the concept of bail so once you are charged, you are incarcerated until acquitted. This is the reason why they dispose their cases speedily so as not to deprive the accused of his liberty.
• Exceptions where bail applies: where the penalty is just a small fine or cases involving foreigners charged with small money claims. The bail shall serve as the deposit where the claim of the complainant can be charged against.

Family Cases

• Divorce cases take 1 week to settle and resolve. But if the spouses have a child/children, the parents have to wait six (6) months before they can apply for a divorce. Within these 6 months, the parents try to settle differences for the sake of the child. If the cooling off period does not work, the court may already process their divorce application.
• Custody cases usually take longer to settle which takes two (2) years on the average because the Courts try to amicably settle cases involving children.
• Ministry of Social Service facilitates in the investigation, negotiation, and settlement of custody cases.
• Twenty (20) percent of the Court’s cases are custody cases.

All the information here are based on my notes while I listened to the Municipal Judge explaining to us how the justice system works in the Municipal Court. 

Super galing no? I mean to resolve cases in 30 minutes? And yes, they start on time. Strictly. 

On legal Internship and threats inside the courtroom

I was given the opportunity to share an experience inside the courtroom. To read my story please go to Themis.ph or click this link.

To the Universe, please make me a lawyer. Help me become a good one. :)

Hackers and IT Law Enforcement

When I watched the confessions of a Pinoy hacker, I can't help but be super paranoid.

How can we deal with the gaps?

Confessions of a Hacker

On IT Law Enforcement

Courses on IT and Law ICANN

How one’s IQ may contribute to one's wellness

Our present culture gives premium to what we produce or achieve than what we are. The standards of success revolve around bank accounts, number of properties, and the amalgamation of power and fame in a person. Our sense of security depends not so much on how we take care of ourselves in terms of body, mind and spirit but how well we manage our finances. It is not to say that they are mutually exclusive—that to take care of one necessarily involves neglecting the other—but that in fact, they are equally important to living life successfully.

When we say body wellness, we refer to not just some parts of our physiology but to our whole state of being—body, mind, and spirit. It is only proper that we similarly give them importance because the standards of the world for success are not departed from the standard of success of our own well-being. Is there a correlation between a healthy body and success? Are the rich people rich because they are healthy or are they healthy because they are rich?

It is argued in this entry that although body, mind and spirit should be given equal treatment in terms of health, it is important that we first take care of our mind’s intelligence quotient (IQ) before we can take care of the other aspects of our health as we pursue the formula health=wealth.

In a study by Linda Gottfredson, a sociologist based at the University of Delaware, and psychologist Ian Deary of the University of Edinburgh, she tried to find a solution to the correlation of health and status. Her proposition was that the rich live longer because they are smarter. The crucial points in the study are that:

(a) social status correlates strongly and positively with IQ and other measures of intelligence;

(b) intelligence correlates strongly with “health literacy,” the ability to understand and follow a prescription for disease prevention and treatment; and

(c) intelligence is also correlated with forward-planning—which means avoidance of health risks as are identified (FORBES, 2004).

In her paper Life, Death, and Intelligence, Gottfredson mentioned that preventing and managing both chronic disease and accidental injury, the leading causes of death today, is a highly cognitive process. In the Journal of Personality; Social Psychology in 2004, Gottfredson cited a 1993 study that shows that more than half of the 1.8 billion prescriptions issued annually in the U.S. are taken incorrectly. The same study reported that 10% of all hospitalizations resulted from patients' inability to manage their drug therapy. These studies only show that the ability to comprehend things around in a more critical way determines not only our success in life but our very own existence.

As what is propounded in the studies mentioned, intelligent people tend to be more knowledgeable about health issues or at least have the propensity to learn more and understand better their health. Health literacy matters to people whose level of intelligence can recognize the importance of knowing the risks of our choices to our health. Our next step requires us to increase our IQ now for a healthier and more successful life.

But the next question is: can we really increase our IQ? If not, are those who have IQ below 100 points doomed to be unwell, hence, less successful? How do we explain the existence of people who have superior IQs and yet are totally in a state of health imbalance?

These things are just some of the few things that I think of in between reading cases and Facebook. 

Two for Taft: Let's attend the benefit concert and the unity run

If you cannot go to the concert but would want to help, just donate to us through the numbers posted here. Thank you very much!

Sports for Men is like a Religion

Sports is like a religion for men. So when they ask for their "prayer" time, don't snatch away the remote from them because you wouldn't also want to be disturbed while you're putting your mascara on.  Just wait for the game to finish. Or before the game starts, ask him if you can get 10 minutes after the game with him. For me, our men are like athletes all day. We need to pace them and train them to respond to our coaching and make them feel good when they play the game and win it.

EVENING TEAM: UP COURTS OF LAW CENTENNIAL CHAMPIONS

And so we made history. For the first time, the evening team won and we won big. We are the Champions. But more than that, we are the Solid Evening Team.

Now I reflect on how we were able to make it. The team who always landed last in the past Courts of Law now emerged as the champions. Although in 2008, we already placed 2nd in the Courts of Law (YAY!).  Please allow me to share the what my reflections concluded as the reasons for winning.

1. SHOWING UP

We have never defaulted a single game. NEVER. Thanks to the block presidents who always texted our players the game schedule. Thanks to our players who do not wait to be informed but had the initiative to text us, the representatives, directly for schedule. Some players, like Jop, also message us the list of players as early as Monday, 6 days before the Sunday games.  And they confirm attendance. And they confirm absence. This was important  because it allowed us to find other players if some cannot go.

2. PLAYING THE GAME

Half of the battle was showing up. Half of it was playing it. Who cares if some of our women players really don't know how to play basketball. Most of our futsal players were first-timers. Some of our basketball players were sick, even had a fever during the game, were injured, or had no sleep especially if we partied the Saturday night before. But that didn't stop the players from showing up and playing the game. "Maglaro ka, kahit tumayo ka lang." But no one just stood there. Everyone played.

3. SUPPORT

Every Sunday, Faith will cook trays of pasta for the team. This was the contribution of their block (3E) . Every week, we always had grocery bags funded by 4E and some individuals of 5E and 6E. Our players came mostly from 1E, 2E and 3E. JD and Golda always brought water and banana for the team. And Jop, I cannot account enough his contribution--from water to driver for the team to photographer to helping us text and call the players minutes before the game. Sabi nga niya, nagkakahawaan kami ng pagiging competitive nina Golda, siya, at ako. Nakakahawa ang pagiging competitive!

And who will not notice that the evening team always had audience? The evening blocks sent their cheerleaders and stayed until the end of the game---studying in between games inside the court. A 9-am-to-5-pm moral support. Parang work schedule lang pero dito walang sweldo.

I think the mere abundance of water, ice cubes, Gatorade, bananas, food, Burger McDo, pasta, and all the chocolate bars and cupcakes in the grocery bags boosted the morale of our players. We had people ready to give the players cold drinks during the game. Medyo nahirapan kami dito kasi minsan kulang sa tao, pero ang importante, kapag nagutom o nauhaw, may makukuha ang mga naglalaro.

4. CONSISTENCY

All the above three items were consistently applied on the three Sundays of the Courts of Law. Bawal mag-falter. Dapat consistent.

These four points, in my humble opinion, were the reasons why we won.

Proud lang ako sa team. Obvious ba? Hehe. Maraming salamat sa buong evening community for being team players.  Sobra-sobra. Salamat.

VICTORY PARTY ON FEB. 5, 7PM, BAHAY NI JOP. POST MIDTERMS PARTY NA RIN. Galingan natin sa mga exams. Para sa lahat ng laro, lumaban.

CONGRATULATIONS! *group hug*

IMHO: Internal Locus Control Fights Bad Luck

In my previous post, I wrote about confirmation bias and self-fulfilling prophecy and suggested that cognitive therapy is one way to deal with our prejudices or how we tend to collect only statements or theories that would support our stand.

Today, I was reminded of "internal locus control" and how sometimes I forget that our existence depends largely on how we deal with our lives. For people who believe in bad luck, psychologists say that they have "external locus control" or there are a lot of things in their lives, if not all, that they believe are not within their control. They blame everything except themselves. The opposite is the belief that we can control our situation, that bad luck is just the product of your own decisions and if there are things that are not working for you, then you can change it by changing yourself or whatever it is that is not working for you anymore.

I was blaming bad luck for things that are actually within my control--backing up my files so that I don't fret at this time for not finding the most important folder in my files, running my anti-virus and spybot everyday so that I don't have to be stressed with my files' security from viruses, putting things in their proper places so that I don't spend hours looking for them and not finding them, and sticking to schedules so that I don't find myself more stressed than I should. At this hour, I miss Sven and his consistency in securing everything in place. Even me, literally and figuratively. But again, I have to do this myself.

Today, I was reminded about internal locus control and that it is perfectly alright to be anal about certain things and that the new zodiac sign dates do not change your destiny. If you are lazy, you are lazy not because you are a certain sign but because you chose to be. Deal with yourself.

100 Years na ang UP Law. Ano bang meron sa 100 years?

100 years na ang UP College of Law. Abstract masyado ang 100 years. Binilang ko ito sa araw, 36, 525 days na ang nakalipas simula nang itatag ang UP Law. Kung gawin ko pang linggo, 5, 217 weeks old na tayo. Abstract. Ako ay 9, 743 days old na, 26.67% ng tanda ng UP Law. Abstract pa rin.

Sa status message ni Dean Leonen, ito ang nakuha ko:

‎[4 Philippine Presidents], 12 Supreme Court Chief Justices, 75 Associate Justices, 8 Senate Presidents, 8 Speakers of the House of Representatives, 111 Senators, 248 Members of the House of Representatives, 52 members of the Batasang Pambansa, 3 UP Presidents, countless diplomats, public interest lawyers, entrepreneurs: UP Law at 100

Sa loob ng isang daang taon, pinatakbo natin ang bansang ito. Kumbaga kung may relasyon ang UP Law at ang Pilipinas, hawak-kamay na sila nung panahong tayo ay nasa ilalim pa ng mga Amerikano. Sina President Roosevelt at President Taft ng Republicans ang mga presidente ng Amerika na unang nakarelasyon ng UP Law. Nakita ni Emilio Aguinaldo ang unang pagkakatatag sa atin. 42 years old na siya nun at 10 taon na siyang wala sa posisyon nung itinatag tayo. Si George Malcolm ay 30 years old pa lang nung itinatag ang UP Law at College Secretary pa lang siya nun. Si Justice Moreland ang unang dean pero binigay niya agad kay Malcolm ang Deanship. Achiever din tong si Malcolm dahil 35 years old pa lang siya nung una siyang naging Associate Justice ng Supreme Court. Tatlong presidente ng Pilipinas ang maaaring naging estudyante niya--sina President Laurel, Roxas at Quirino. Maaaring naimpluwensiyahan niya sila one way or another at nahuling may love life sa unibersidad.

Nandiyan na rin ang UP Law nung nagsimula ang World War I, World War II, Cold War at nung natapos ang mga gerang ito, nung nagbagsak ng bomba ang mga  Hapon sa Pearl Harbor, nung nag-declare ng Martial Law si President Marcos na graduate din ng UP Law, kasama rin ang mga studyante at guro natin sa EDSA I, EDSA II, EDSA III, nakita natin ang "resignation" ni President Erap (na hindi taga UP Law), ang mga kontrobersiya ni GMA (na hindi rin taga UP Law) at hanggang ngayon nandito pa rin tayo binabatikos ang Korte Suprema (na dapat lang).

Naalala ko tuloy ang sabi nung pedikurista ko: "Sino ba ang nasa administrasyon? UP. Sinong nasa oposisyon? UP. Sinong nagra-rally sa kalsada? UP. Kayo ang nagpapatakbo ng bansang ito." 

Saan na ba tayo papunta pagkalipas ng isang daang taon? Saan ba natin dadalhin ang bansang ito pagkatapos ng isang daang taon nang tayo ay maitatag? Ito ba ang Pilipinas na gusto natin ngayon?

Marami pa tayong magagawa. Tayong mga batang henerasyong ng UP Law. Kung ang average age ay nasa 70, may halos 50 years pa tayo para mabago ang sistema ng bayan. Kalahati ng ipinagdidiwang nating birthday ng UP Law ngayon. Sa 150th year nito, ang mga ginawa natin para sa bayan ang ise-celebrate ng UP Law at 150.

Huwag nating kakalimutan ang araw na ito. Itaga natin sa bato, aasenso din ang bayang ito. Ang bayan natin.

Happy 100th Birthday UP Law.

100 Years of Honor and Excellence.
100 Years of Teaching Law in the Grand Manner.
100 Years of Making Great Lawyers.
100 Years of UP Law.

* I got the information about Dean Moreland and Dean Malcolm from Wikipedia. 

What was the bird thinking?

I was walking this morning on my way to the Courts of Law activity when I saw two birds flying above me. I stopped walking and watched them fly. One of the birds, as it glided in the wind, suddenly folded its wings as if it wanted to free fall. And it allowed itself to free fall for three seconds before it stretched its wings, flapped them and glided again. It surprised me when it folded its wings. What was it thinking?

The courage to jump. The courage to fall. The courage to fly. The courage to move on and glide in the wind.

The beauty of gravity. Without it, the birds cannot fly. Without it, the birds cannot soar.

When we glide, the lift force counteracts the drag.
Gliding is both a vertical and a forward force.
Know when to glide. 

IMHO: Spiritual exercise is a necessity to lead oneself and others

Chris Lowney published a book entitled Heroic Leadership and because I do not have the time now to read it, I searched for a summary of his book. I saw a powerpoint presenation and started to read the 51 slides. Apparently, he believes in the Jesuit approach and has explained such heroic leadership with a Loyola framework.

On his 36th slide, he mentioned what he calls a debilitating ego-itch and he put it this way:

I am terrified of failing; I need to feel important and be the center of attention; I'm insecure about my real talent and worth. 

He mentioned that money is usually the salve for some of these debilitating ego-itch.

So I read on and looked for what the author is suggesting to deal with this kind of ego-itch. He suggested that a person has make leadership like a way of living. He meant leadership not just in groups but more importantly self-leadership. To achieve this, he suggested a method called spiritual exercise and mentioned ways on how to do such exercises. I particularly like the THE EXAMEN where a person reminds himself or herself of key personal goals upon rising, after the noon meal and after supper. I have been trying to do this but I always forget the after noon meal, that is why at the end of the day, sometimes I ask what happened to my day. I feel tired but I tend to forget where I spent my energy in the past hours. The Examen, for me, is imperative.

To end, I would like to state a question that he posed in the presentation/book:

What would motivate you that you would go further than wholehearted service to achieve it? 

The author mentioned that asking oneself and coming up with an answer, all but guarantees motivated, imaginative engagement.