Make A Dif

Help Giraffes Stand Taller

2006-12-08T17:55:00.000+08:00

We recently discovered a great place in a small corner of our country. It's called Calauit Island in Palawan. Living in that island are some awesome animals that you can personally meet and even greet such as giraffes, the palawan bearcat, zebras, porcupines, the endangered mouse deer and many more.

However, the animals there need a lot of help so they can live in a happy environment. Can you imagine, they don't even have a full time vet to take care of them. So we are doing our share in trying to raise funds for the animals of the island. Our project is called, "Stand Tall" because, well, giraffes really stand tall, and that's what we want the whole island to eventually do, stand tall as one of the best wildlife preserve in the world.

For whatever donation you want to give to Calauit, we will give you a really cute stuffed toy turtle or an original framed photograph of one of the giraffes in the island.

We hope you'll help. We are sure the animals will appreciate it!

Stand Tall,

Migs, Beej, Joaquin, Mateo Jimenez

World's Best Sandbox 2007

2006-12-08T14:39:00.000+08:00

This is a preview of my upcoming 2007 calendar, "The World's Best Sandbox". It features some of the best beaches the Philippines has to offer. If you are interested in a free copy, email me at butchgjimenez@yahoo.com

Sunset in Boracay

Windmills of Ilocos

Giraffes of Calauit

Hidden Islet in Palawan

Boracay Banca

Descending to the Top

2006-04-15T07:53:00.000+08:00

93rd SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
Luce Auditorium Lobby
March 26, 2006

Descending to the Top

Delivered by

Mr. Menardo “Butch” G. Jimenez Jr.
Senior Vice-President, Retail Business Group PLDT
OIC, Wireless Consumer Division, Smart Communications

It is a privilege of mine to be here. In 2003, I was requested to be the commencement speaker for the graduating class of the University of the Philippines-Diliman. And after I gave that address, I said to myself—and this is true—the only other invitation that I will accept after UP Diliman is Silliman University. I have actually been waiting for almost three years. And I would have waited 30 more years to address you. You may be asking, “Why is that?” It is simply because of the Christian roots and the Christian heritage that this university has; the same roots and the same heritage that my great grandmother, my grandmother, and even my mother have tried to instill in my life.

That is why I am here. So thank you very much for the privilege. I am actually quite excited to address all of you.

One of the questions running in your mind today as you graduate and move forward is, “How do I reach the top?” A normal question and one that needs to be answered. And since I now handle marketing for both PLDT and Smart, let me share with you some marketing principles that I have learned, that may guide you on your quest to the top.

A BATTLE FOR THE MIND

Success in marketing is a battle to be the first in the mind of the consumer. That is the principle and that is the theory that was proposed in the ‘80s by two authors, Al Ries and Jack Trout, in their classic book, “Positioning.”

Ries and Trout said that success in marketing is a battle to be the first in the mind of the consumer. If you are first in the mind of the consumer, in most cases, you will rise to the top and become the leader or number one. So, the battle is to be the first in the mind.

Let’s give a couple of examples. When I say cola, what comes first in your mind? It’s Coke. And today, Coke has risen to the top and is number one. When you say beer, the first thing that comes into your mind is San Miguel. They are first in the mind, they are at the top, and they are the leader. When you say toothpaste, in most cases, what comes to mind is Colgate. The same rule holds true. Colgate is at the top of your mind, and they are number one. When you say photocopier, it’s Xerox. They are first in the mind, they are the leader, and they have risen to the top. Let’s try something more hip for the new generation kids. When you say mp3 player, what’s first in your mind. I can actually read your mind. The iPod. They are first in the mind, they are at the top, and today, they are number one.

So, in many instances, the rule actually works. If you want to rise to the top, you have to be the first in the mind.

The second thing that Al Ries and Jack Trout talked about aside from being the first in the mind of the consumer, is burning an attribute or a characteristic in the minds of the consumers.

For example, Volvo did that. They burned into the mind of the consumer the attribute of safety. If you want a safe car, Volvo is it. iPod, for example, is burning in all our minds the attribute of being cool. They want to drive into our minds that the Ipod is the coolest gadget in the universe today.

So, two concepts we learn from marketing to reach the top: you got to be first in the mind and you have to burn an attribute in the mind. Then, you start rising to the top.

So what does this all mean to you, as you go out into the workplace?

If you guys want to start rising to the top, you have to do the same thing. You have to be the first or the top of mind amongst the people that you work for specially your boss. When the boss needs something done, you have to be the first in his mind. If you’re just the third, or the fourth, or the fifth, or the tenth in his mind, you’re just like a company that is in third , fourth or fifth position -- far, far away from rising to the top.

But like I said earlier, being top of mind is not enough. You also have to burn an attribute in his mind. Now, a slight word of caution. Burning an attribute in your boss’s or co-worker’s mind is a double-edged sword. You have to make sure that you burn a positive attribute and not a negative one. Ries and Trout explains that it is very difficult or next to impossible to dislodge an attribute in ones mind once it has been established. If you go into the workplace and the attribute you burn in your boss’s mind is tatamad tamad ka (you’re lazy), mahirap kang pakisamahan (you’re not a team player), or di ka mapagkakatiwalaan (you’re not trustworthy) then chances are, that attribute will stick in his mind for years to come and you’ll have a hard time rising to the top.

How many classmates do you know have been branded “lazy”, “a flirt”, “playboy”, “cheater” etc. Think about it, no matter how hard they try to change their image, it just sticks and is so hard to dislodge from your mind isn’t it? That’s how powerful burning an attribute in the mind is, positive or negative.

So, key lesson is if you want to rise to the top, you got to be the first in their mind and you got to burn positive attributes in their mind.

DISCIPLINE

This leads me to the question, “What attribute should you burn in the minds of the people in today’s world?” There are many attributes that I would have wanted to share with you, but in the interest of time, I will focus on two.

The first one is the attribute of discipline. If we want to be able to compete not only with our peers, but with the best in the world, we have no choice. As a person, as a people, and as a country, we have to be disciplined.

Discipline is a very fascinating thing. In the world of competition, you’re always competing with somebody else. There is Smart competing with Globe, There is GMA competing with ABS-CBN, there is Sony competing with Samsung, and the list goes on. But when it comes to discipline, you are not competing with anybody else. You are only competing with yourself. And if you lose, guess who actually loses, only you.

A year and a half ago, I went to a leadership conference in Singapore that put together and assembled whom I felt are some of the best speakers in the world. I actually had to pay a huge amount—probably my whole month’s salary—just to be able to enter that conference. Al Ries was speaking. Film legend, Francis Ford Coppola was speaking, Rudy Giuliani, who led New York to rise from the 911 crisis was speaking. And Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore was one of the speakers.

I wanted to listen to Lee Kuan Yew and what he had to say. Lee Kuan Yew shared how he built Singapore from nothing to where it is today. He shared that Singapore, barely a generation ago, was far worse than many of its peers were. But today, it is an economic superpower. He narrated that when he first started to lead Singapore, he asked his think tank to visit neighboring countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and figure out what they don’t have. He said they all came back with one conclusion: These countries lacked discipline. So to differentiate Singapore from its neighbors, he decided to build his country on discipline. This meant that if Singapore promised something to its people, to its foreign investors, and to other countries, it will be fulfilled. A disciplined country and a disciplined people-that’s what he built Singapore on.

Discipline is a very important attribute all of us must have to be able to bring this country up from where it is today. If you want to reach your goals and dreams, you cannot do it without discipline.

One of my good friends is the president of Alaska Milk, Fred Uytengsu. I used to see him on the baseball field when he used to coach his son’s team and I was an assistant for my son’s team. One day, I saw him wearing a shirt and in the front of the shirt, it said, “If you don’t have discipline”, at the back , it said, “You do not deserve to dream”. Think about that: “If you don’t have discipline, you don’t deserve to dream.”

No matter how harsh it may seem, it actually is true. If you’re 350 lbs. overweight, and you’re dreaming to become the next big hunk, but you don’t have the discipline to watch what you eat, to exercise, and to make it happen, it isn’t going to happen. Don’t even bother dreaming, if you don’t have the discipline to make it a reality. You’ll just get frustrated. That’s how important discipline is in achieving success.

In the world of business, discipline is defined as work ethic. I’d like to share with you an anecdote from a great man who epitomized what work ethic is all about. Thomas Alva Edison. At the age of 82, the President of the United States said it was about time he was honored with an award for his work. So they put together a huge event in honor of Thomas Alva Edison. Being 82, he felt a bit sick that night and fainted. Good thing they were able to revive him and he was still able to go up on stage. Edison upon accepting the award simply said, “I am tired of all this glory. I want to get back to work.”

That is work ethic. That is discipline. And that is one of the attributes we need to burn in people’s minds if we are to rise to the top.

EXECUTION

The second attribute we should burn is execution. We need to be able to drive in the minds of the people that we work with that we are the “go-to” guy. That if they want to make something happen, you are the guy to go to, because you are the person who can execute. Execution is one of the attribute that will help you rise to the top.

I’d like to quote one of the greatest minds and teachers of all time who said to his pupil: “Luke, there is no try. There is either do or not do.” You know who that is? That is Yoda teaching Luke Skywalker of Star Wars one of the most important lessons in life: execution, or making it happen.

An icon of execution, of course, is Michael Jordan. He is arguably one of the greatest basketball players that ever lived, but not without getting the ball, taking that shot, and executing the play. Can you imagine what would have happened to Michael if all he ever did was to plan on shooting the ball but never did? One of the things you have to remember about execution though is that it doesn’t mean you have to be successful every single time. Part of execution is also failing yet rising up again.

Michael Jordan says this, “I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career and lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life, and that’s precisely why I succeed.”

When you go out to the real world, you will realize that there are many people out there who have great ideas and great plans. And that is good. But like I always tell my team in PLDT, what separates the good from the great is execution. We can spend endless hours and tons of money strategizing, planning, team building, and analyzing to come out with a great plan. But until we execute that plan, that’s all it will every be, a plan.

When something goes wrong in a company, the question the leader or the CEO almost always asks is not, “Who has the best grades?” “Who has a diploma?” “Who has all the awards?” “Who is the summa cum laude?” “Who graduated from an Ivy league school?” That’s not what he asks. The CEO just asks one question: “Who can get the job done?” That, dear graduates is the importance of execution.

Let’s learn a lesson from Mickey Mouse. Well, maybe not from Mickey, but from his originator, Walt Disney. Walt had four mantras: dreaming, believing, daring, and then doing. Of the four, “doing” is what turns everything into a reality. Walt said, “Dreaming, believing and daring without doing is just like Dumbo, the elephant, without ears. It just won’t fly. ABRAKADABRA will never work.” Only execution does.

DESCENDING TO THE TOP

In my UP speech, I talked to them about “what’s better than,” and I juxtaposed what’s better than this versus what’s better than that. Now, all of us want to ascend to the top. No doubt about it. And we should. We should plan on ascending all the way to the top. But I will pose the same question I did three years ago: “What’s better than ascending to the top?” The answer is DESCENDING to the top.

That may actually baffle a lot of your minds. “What is he talking about?” “How can descending to the top be better than ascending to the top?” It is a biblical principle. The Bible tells us that he who wishes to be the greatest must be the servant of all. That is the concept of descending to the top. What I want to share with you, is that as you rise to the top, the more you have to be a servant. The keyword is humility. The more you start rising to the top, the more humility needs to become an important place in who you are and in your life.

I want to share with you what happened to Steve Jobs the founder of Apple computers and now the Ipod. We all know what a great visionary Steve Jobs is. But if we chronicle his career, Steve Jobs, as he was ascending to the top, as he was rising towards greatness, forgot all about humility. While he was hitting his peak, all he thought about was how great he was, how fantastic he was, how the world revolved around him, and how his company should worship him. That is ascending to the top. The higher you go, the bigger your head.

What happened to Steve Jobs as he hit the peak? He was driven out of his company both in failure and in disgrace. Then after having failed in many other endeavors , he started again and went on to make an indelible mark in the entertainment industry, and with the extraordinary success of the iPod, regained his reputation as the “greatest innovator of the digital age”. And so Steve Jobs, after having ascended to the top and then unceremoniously booted out, now gets the chance to lead Apple again. But something was different about the man this time. People started to feel Steve had changed. And so in a big conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, there he was, listening to the chants of his people, demanding him to come back and run Apple again. Let me share with you how the new Steve answered the call. No longer ascending to the top, but understanding what descending to the top is all about. And I will quote from the book, “Icon: The greatest second act in business”.

For the first time in his public life, there on stage, Steve appeared genuinely touched when the people were starting to ask him to come back and take the CEO position. He wasn’t brash or cocky anymore. Maybe his four kids and the complete failure of a company and the near failure of another taught him something. There on stage, he fought back the tears as he mumbled something to make it clear that yes, even Steve Jobs can change.

He had made the transition into a world where feelings and passion could partner with business and technology. Steve Jobs said, “You guys are making me feel funny right now. I get to come to work with the most talented people on the planet at Apple and Pixar. The best job in the world! But these jobs are team sports. I cannot do it alone; I can only do it with a team.”

A team sport. Fifteen years ago, it would have been a lie. It would have been all about him and how great he was. But now, everything was different. He now understood that it was really the many others who helped him succeed. He did realize it wasn’t all about him. That Apple is a team sport.

That is descending to the top - the higher you fly, the lower the ego.

If you’re able to get a copy of Time Magazine’s issue where they declared who their Man of the Year was, the Man of the Year of Time for 2005 was Bill Gates. But not because of what Bill Gates has done for Microsoft. Not because he revolutionized the computer industry. But because of what Bill Gates has started to do for humanity. If you read that article, Bill realizes that this is probably the generation where if health care were given enough resources, he can actually make a big difference in millions of people’s lives. And that has become the man’s passion and advocacy donating billions to uplift the health of poverty stricken nations. This is what truly defines him; no longer his technological achievements. It is now about serving and helping other people. In other words, descending to the top.

A HEART FOR OUR COUNTRY

Finally, as you rise to the top you should never lose your heart for our country.

I always tell my team in PLDT, that yes, we have a business to run, but let us never forget we also have a country to serve. And that is the same thing I will tell you as you guys rise to the top. You will have businesses to run, you will have your own careers to take care of, and you will have your own dreams to pursue, but never forget you have a country to serve.

You may ask, “How? How do I serve the country?” One way is actually quite simple. I’ll give it to you in one word. If you are great, if you are smart, if you are the best, if you have a Silliman education, then, please STAY. Just stay in the country. You would have actually done a great service to our country just by staying.

But if you can’t stay, or you don’t want to stay, that’s fine. If you think you want to make it out there in the world, that’s a-ok with me. But I want to ask two things of you.

First, go out there and show the whole world how great the Filipino is. In whatever field you’re in, prove to the world how special we Filipinos truly are.

Second, don’t just plan to COME back. Plan to GIVE back to the country. If you do that, if every Filipino who goes out there into the world -- and there are millions of us already -- proves to everybody how great the Filipino is, and not only plans to come back, but actually plans to give back to this country, in less than one generation, we will be an even greater nation.

I will end with what I told the UP students in 2003. You must be asking yourselves, “How do I reach my dreams?” or “How far can I go?” I told them this: In the last 42 years of my life, I have realized one thing, “There is no destination beyond the reach of those who walk with God.”

So when you go out there in the world, take God’s hand and walk with him. Because when you do, whatever destination it is you are hoping to reach, if God walks with you and takes you through, there will be no destination beyond your reach.

To the graduating class of 2006, I will meet you at the top and nowhere else!

2006-04-06T21:57:00.000+08:00

Diving can't get much better than Tubbataha reef. Close to 100 nautical miles off the port of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, this marine heritage is home to over 379 species of fish and extensive coral gardens built within a topography of walls, drop-offs, crevices, overhangs and sandy slopes.

This dvd takes an up-close and personal look at this underwater wonder, where varied marine life, from turtles to sharks, barracudas to large tunas, from the smallest nudibranch to the biggest "butanding" inhabit the area. A place where mankind can interact with God's awesome creation.

Notes :

Amazing Tubbataha DVD credits - underwater cinematography :Butch Jimenez , editing : Paul Belleza
Award of Excellence - International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) April 2006
Underwater still pictures : Hisato Kishi
For a free copy of the dvd, please email butchgjimenez@yahoo.com

Scuba diving in the Philippines is definitely world class and something every Filipino can be proud of. The dvd is not just for personal viewing, it is for sharing. A simple tool to show the world that when it comes to diving, the Philippines is the destination to beat.

Boracay Sunset

2006-03-22T07:22:00.000+08:00

Boracay is undoubtedly best known for its powder-like sandy beach. But don't fail to catch its sunset. The view is spectacular !

Fly High

2006-01-21T10:10:00.000+08:00

A line from a movie goes… “They can, because they think they can.”

We all have seen it a dozen times in movies… teams oozing with high morale running rings around the competition. While those teams give up in utter frustration even if they are good. There’s really power in a team running on high morale, like they’re on drugs.

Every leader wants his team to perform and hum at the highest level. When your people feel good about themselves, their performance rises to a whole new level. They stop nitpicking on problems and start focusing on the potential. They come more committed and more importantly, unselfish.

Teams with high morale keep moving forward. No problem, no matter how big, gets in the way, no race seems too long, no project too difficult. A team with low morale however, is hurt even by the most minor problem.

Teams with high morale build confidence, allowing them to take risks, be creative, try out new ideas, new concepts driving so much innovation.

But how do you put your team on overdrive?

One thing great about building high morale is that it doesn’t take a lot of money. As I’ve always believed in the past, “money is the lowest form of motivation”. Even if I doubled your salary but treated you like trash everyday, you’d never excel. Building high morale takes leadership and sincerity.

Morale comes from you, as a leader making your people believe they are part of a winning team and that they play a special part in achieving something great.

Look at your team, and take out your morale meter. Have you lifted them up? Or have you beaten them down? If you want to steer your team to greatness, you have to get them moving first. You can’t steer a parked car, can you? And the higher the morale, the faster they move, upwards.

And as for me, I’ve always believed that the best way to motivate people is to make work simply “fun” or just like “playing.” As John Maxwell said, winning teams have two things in common:

And no. 1 is they play to win. Second, they have a winning attitude – they believe in themselves, their teammates and their dreams. They never allow negative thinking to derail them.

So, starting today, start making people feel good about themselves and make a diff. If you do, you’ll never be able to stop how high you can fly.

There's Always A Positive Side

2006-01-21T09:59:00.000+08:00

There’s a saying that goes…”Life is 10 per cent what you make it and 90 per cent how you take it.”

Nobel Prize winner and one of the greatest inventors of all time, R. Buckminster Fuller can attest to that.

Before winning the Nobel Prize, Bucky thought he was finished. He got kicked out of Harvard in his freshman year. All his business attempts failed. Nothing in his life seemed to go right.

And then at age 32, he simply couldn’t take it anymore. One night, he tried to end his life by jumping into Lake Michigan. But as he looked up at the dark skies, reason prevailed. A thought crossed his mind like a voice from nowhere… “you have no right to eliminate yourself as you do not belong to you.”
That moment changed Bucky’s life. He cast away his past failures and resolved to start over.

He studied math, architecture and physics 22 hours a day. In no time, he made over 170 patented inventions, wrote 24 books and went around the world 57 times making his mark on the lives of millions of people around the world.

In embracing life again, R. Buckminster Fuller ditched life’s challenges and lived to win the Nobel Prize as a renowned inventor, architect, writer and star-gazer.

When you’re at an all-time low, that’s the best time to pick yourself up and start again because well, how much lower can you get, right?

Just like another inventor, Thomas Edison. One of the best anecdotes said about him is that day when his warehouse in New Jersey got burned to the ground. He lost almost one million dollars worth of equipment along with the records of his work. But did he raise his hands in frustration and give up? Nope! The very next morning, while walking amidst the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, Edison at 62, said, “There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.”

Edison simply refused to look at the glass and see it as half-empty. Because of his positive outlook and tenacity, we’ve all benefited from his many trial-and-error inventions like
the light bulb, the phonograph, the telephone, the typewiter and motion pictures! And for all his works, Life Magazine chose him as the number one man of the millennium!

We owe it to guys like Tom and Bucky so let’s all take a cue from them and buck the odds that come our way…let’s conquer life and make a diff.

Execution : The Big Dif

2006-01-07T21:27:00.000+08:00

I just finished recording a series for Ponstan featuring short messages on various topics such as leadership, values, character, and the like. I'm not sure what they plan to do with it, but I think they'll make a cd out of it and give it to people who buy Ponstan. Here's one of the versions that will come out in the cd.......

Execution : The big difference between being just

good and being great.

I’d like to quote one of my favorite teachers of all time who said to his pupil…

”Luke, there is no try, there is either do or not do.”

That’s Yoda, the Jedi teacher instilling THE Force in young Luke Skywalker in Star Wars : The Empire Strikes Back. Take it from Yoda, if there’s something we want badly enough, we simply have to take that shot and go for it!

Michael Jordan may be one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived. But not without grabbing that ball and taking as many shots as he can.

He said “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career and lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed.”

In our game of life, we have as many shots at what we want as the great Michael Jordan. And like MJ who went from good to great, the thing that separates the Good from the Great is really simply just EXECUTION. He simply got the job done by heck… “doing it.”

We can spend endless hours and tons of money, strategizing, planning, teambuilding, and analyzing, to come out with a great plan…and that’s good. But until we execute the plan, we will never be great.

Execution means we make it happen.

I’ve seen some executives who are good at planning, coming up with wonderful ideas, and fantastic strategies. But when it comes to executing the plan, they fall short. These guys are good, but they will never be great.

The highest paid executives are those that can execute.

The primary question of a top CEO when confronted with finding someone who can address a problem is more often than not, “who can get the job done?”.

And like the great Yoda says, we either just “do or not do.” So let’s not miss that goal. Let’s just do it – and make a diff.

The World's Best Sandbox Calendar

2005-11-27T19:59:00.000+08:00

Featured in this section are the 12 photos showcased in the "World's Best Sandbox Calendar".

This calendar of mine has been in production for 3 years and has featured beaches my family and I have been to. If a particular beach isn't featured, it doesn't mean it isn't great. It just means it was featured before, or I haven't been there yet. But I will get there.

When it comes to the 4 S's, Sun, Sea, Sand and Sunsets, nothing beats

The world's best sandbox.

Our very own, The Philippines

(scroll all the way down to know how to get a copy of the calendar)

-butch jimenez

Big Lagoon, El Nido Palawan.

You can kayak through the rock formations entering a pristine lagoon with

crystal clear calm waters

A baby crustacean trapped inside a human footprint in the sand

Panglao Island, Bohol

Sunset in, where else, Boracay

Cottages in El Nido, Palawan

Sunset in the winding river of Donsol, Sorsogon. Though the

place is not known for its beaches, it is the best place to encounter the gentle whale shark

The world class resort of Amanpulo. If you read the guestbook, you'll see the note which says, "Mariah Carey was here." and yes, she was.

Simple cottage on the sandbar of Bais, Dumaguete.

I took this shot on the fly as the banca was speeding towards the pier.

Just 20 minutes away from this cottage lives over a thousand dolphins you can interact with.

Pearl Farm Resort in Davao.

Island seascape of Palawan

Apo Island 45 minutes boat ride from Dumaguete City. If you think the view on land is great, wait till you go underwater.

Who says God can't paint ? The changing hues of dusk in Palawan

The famed rock formation of Apo Island. The resort has no electricity, no internet, no hot water. But it's a great place to get away from it all. There is a smart signal though :)

For a free copy of The World's Best Sandbox calendar,

just e-mail me at butchgjimenez@yahoo.com .

See you at the sandbox!

Dumaguete - Snapshots of an under-rated haven

2005-11-03T22:33:00.000+08:00

When you talk about beaches, the top of mind is always Boracay. When you talk about diving, it's Tubbataha. When you talk about marine interaction, it's whale-shark watching in Donsol. But what if you want all three? What if you want fantastic diving, a great beach, and an up close and personal look at marine mammals, more specifically dolphins? Then Dumaguete is the place to go.

It's best I stop talking and you start looking.

So here's a couple of snapshots of the beaches in Apo Island and Bais. When blogspot allows video uploading, then I can share with you the underwater world and the hundreds of dolphins that played around our boat.

Till then, enjoy the pics of the beaches first. Just that alone will tempt you to take out the sunblock and head off to Dumaguete.

There are 2 beaches in Dumaguete featured in this section-Apo Island and the Sandbar in Bais.

Apo Island is about a 45 minute boat ride from Dumaguete City. The Apo Island Resort has a great white beach and fantastic rock formations. It has a modest restaurant, and about 5 cottages you can rent. If you want to just hang out in the beach, the fee is only P50 consummable.

Bais on the other hand is an hour drive from the city and a 30 minute boat ride to the fabulous sandbar. It's great for children since during high tides, you get sprawling white sand in just waist deep of clear water. During low tide, the sand bar emerges, and they get a huge sandbox to play around on. There are only 3 cottages for rent on the sandbar, and you have to bring everything.

In both beaches, you'll have to "rough it up". No electricity, no running water, no internet, and no television. There's a Smart signal though, so you're still connected.

But as you can see in all our faces, we had a blast.

Beej on Quitting

2005-10-23T22:02:00.000+08:00

My second son Beej contributes his thoughts on never quitting......

One thing I learned, is to never quit. Because if you quit you lose.But even if you lose in a game or in life, but don't quit, your not a loser at all, you are a winner.

One time, I was playing basketball with my older brother. He was so good that mostly I cry when I lose. But did that teach me something? Of course! I felt good when my dad (Butch Jimenez) told me I didn't lose. But I was so confused!

" I Lost!" I cried out to my dad.

When he comforted me with his arms around my shoulders, he explained what a winner I was because I didn't quit.

That time i still did not get it, but now as I grow older I start to understand how important it is to never quit. If you start something, finish it. Win or Lose, don't quit. It's not whether you win or lose it's how you play the game. Never quit, finish!

- Beej Jimenez : 9 years old

Do you feel like quitting right now? Just give it one more day. Then if you feel like quitting again tomorrow, do the same thing. Just give it one more day. In fact, keep giving it one more day. Next thing you know, your situation has started to change for the better and giving it one more day was all you needed to make it through. If a kid can learn not to quit, so can you.

- Butch Jimenez : a lot of years old :)

"Sketches" Inspiring stories from TOYM Awardees

2005-10-23T16:02:00.000+08:00

For 45 years, remarkable young Filipino achievers who have made incredible contributions in their fields of expertise have been singled out to serve as role models for the next generation. They are recognized and called The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of our nation. To be counted among this elite few is one of the highest honors one can possibly receive. And rightfully so, as each TOYM winner is chosen not just for sheer talent or intelligence but more importantly because he or she has overcome enormous challenges to make a lasting, significant impact on society.

The TOYM boasts of a select roster of winners as it upholds excellence each year. Among them are luminaries in the fields of business, the arts, media, science and technology, education and public service. Winners include well-known figures the likes of Tony awardee Lea Salonga to national hero Ninoy Aquino to national artists Jose Joya and Napoleon Abueva to senator Juan Flavier, taipan Manuel Pangilinan to a host of other achievers whose youthful dynamism have brought them to extraordinary heights. This year, for the very first time, the TOYM Foundation will unveil the revealing stories behind these outstanding young men and women in a book entitled “Sketches: Stories of Inspiration from the TOYM Awardees.”

Over 50 TOYM winners write their very own thoughts and experiences in essays that speak of who or what had given them the courage and inspiration to go beyond themselves to achieve the extraordinary. Edited by 1994 TOYM Awardee for Journalism, Malou Mangahas, the first edition of “Sketches” is a rare collection of memories, personal accounts of hardships, of crossroads, of defining moments that turned their lives around.

Editor Malou Mangahas says that the book is “good reading for our young” as “Sketches” shares the inspiring stories of TOYM winners such as Senator Juan Flavier, artist Napoleon Abueva, banker Jose Cuisia, Jr., journalist Maria Ressa, entrepreneurs Johnlu Koa and Jose Ma. Concepcion III, Inquirer president Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, Butch Jimenez, producer of Jose Rizal and Muro Ami and many others. Each essay is a delight to read; some humorous, some nostalgic, and surprisingly, a lot, paying tribute to their parents for giving them the faith to rise above themselves. Indeed, the book is a collection of portraits of men and women with lives well-lived and lessons painfully- and joyfully-learned, giving meaning to its short yet apt title, “Sketches.”

“The heart and soul of the TOYM does not end once the award is received, it merely begins,” shares Butch Jimenez, TOYM awardee and President of the TOYM Foundation. “The book ensures that TOYM awardees are able to share their valuable insights to this generation and the generations to come.”

"Sketches" is available at all National Bookstores or for more information, you can contact toymlarryc@yahoo.com

Teamwork - U can't do it alone

2005-10-23T15:53:00.000+08:00

We are a people that loves heroes, winners and superstars. We adore the point guard that makes the buzzer-beating 3 point shot. We hail the coach that delivers the championship trophy. Or in the corporate world, we salute the CEO that delivers the profits for the year.

However, as much as we admire “the man who made it happen”, we should also never forget that it took other people, some of whom will never be seen, to bring home the championship…any championship.

The folly of superstars and successful leaders is when they start thinking they can succeed on their own. When people start concentrating on “ME” instead of “WE”. President Lyndon Johnson rightly said, “There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.”

The theory of relativity which revolutionized that world has always been attributed to just one man, Albert Eintstein. But Einstein himself acknowledges that, “many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”

It has been said that “one is too small a number to achieve greatness”. So we should never forget the value of teamwork. As we cheer the superstar, we must also realize the work and the effort put in by every other member of the team that made a significant contribution to the victory.

Who Is The Best Painter In The Universe?

2005-10-23T14:35:00.000+08:00

If you're debating who the best painter in the universe is, then debate no more. Hands down, it has to be God. Just take a look at this pic I took in El Nido. A snapshot of God's painting at dusk with the vast sky as his canvas. Every 5 minutes, the colors, texture, images, and God's actual masterpiece changed right before my very eyes. Awesome.

Teaching Kids Kindness in a Violent World

2005-10-23T14:08:00.000+08:00

One of the things that often bothers me about this young generation of kids is the amount of violence they are exposed to. Almost every entertainment medium they interact with or watch has violence attached to it. I tracked my latest “dad’s day” with my kids and guess what we did, we watched a little WWE wrestling which is obviously violence personified. We watched “Batman Begins” where almost every other frame had someone getting his bones broken. And finally, we capped the night in an internet café shooting each other in the virtual world of “Counterstrike”.

We had a super day, and I saw in my son’s eyes, laughter and the skip in their step that they had a great time. But as a father, you come home and ask yourself, amidst all that violence, how does one balance life’s lessons and teach kindness?

Some people say not to allow your sons to be exposed to these forms of entertainment. Though I respect that school of thought, I just don’t find it practical. In some way, they will get exposed to violence and worse, get it behind your back and without your supervision. So to me, balance is the key.

So the question remains. How do you teach your kids kindness amidst a violent world?

The simple solution may surprise you. One of the best lessons I got on parenting was when my mom told me that if I wanted to teach my kids how to be kind, teach them how to take care of pets. It made sense. Exposing young children to caring for pets usually molds them into more caring human beings.

My 3 boys, Miguel, Beej and Joaquin have two rabbits, Pop and Acoustic that freely run around our front and back lawn, cross the street, visit our neighbors house, and meets us every morning so they can eat rabbit pellets off our hand (As of this writing, both rabbits have decided to roam the village on their own). We have a “sulcata” tortoise named Flash which in time, will be big and strong enough to carry them on his back and an Indian Star tortoise named Rocko. We also have a red tail catfish named Dog who resembles a Nike rubber shoe (get it? A CATfish named Dog?), and a big headed flowerhorn fish who acts like a dog because he allows us to pet his round head. Speaking of dogs, we have a Jack Russel Terrier named Smulkey that’s a small bundle of energy. Finally, though they are not ours, and just visits everyday, the trees in our home plays hosts to squirrels that leap from one branch to the next at 6:00 am, no fail.

As my boys grow up, I watch how they treat our pets. Though they have yet to become diligent when it comes to the feeding and cleaning, I can see the caring and concern they have for the animals. And as much as they enjoy the latest Playstation game, they also enjoy playtime with our dog, rabbits and tortoises.

At their age, what is important is developing a heart that cares. And one way to achieve this is through pets. In some shape or form, it will translate to caring for others.
I’m confident my children know that the multi-media violent world they enter in is fantasy, while caring for their pets is reality. I’m certain they know this, because I taught them that. Every time they play a new game, watch a new show, or surf a new site that has scenes of violence, I sit them down and grab that opportunity to teach them right from wrong.

In the end, the most powerful weapon against a world full of violence are the parents taking time to teach, show and model to their children that kindness wins over violence. No amount of violence seen by a child can beat the wise words of a father and the loving teachings of a mother.

If like me you’ve been wondering how to shield your children’s mind from the violence that surrounds them, try these two simple steps. Give them a pet they can love and care for. And spend time teaching them and showing them the virtue of kindness in your own life. Show them how you treat other people with respect, especially those lower than you. Show them how you help people in need. Show them how you volunteer to make a difference in other people’s lives. In a nutshell, the Bible sums the proper attitude up when it said, “Always esteem others higher than yourself.”

Finally burn in their hearts the rule John Wesley had for his life as he ignited the flame of christian revival when the world was spiraling down in decadence.

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,
At all the time you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you ever can.

I bet John Wesley’s parents gave him a pet to care for.

The Best Thing Your Kids Should Ask For

2005-10-23T08:46:00.000+08:00

The “Little Prince” said it aptly, “What is ESSENTIAL is invisible to the eye”. So rather than leave my kids with material things that they can “see”, my prayer is to leave them a legacy that they can “be”.

At this point in time, my three boys are still quite young. Miguel is 12, Beej is 9, and Joaquin is 3. And as they move forward in life, I hope that they develop within themselves “invisible” values that lead towards success. Values such as excellence, love, discipline, honesty, and the like. For now however, my prayer and desire for them is to seek God for wisdom.

At nearly the same stage of his life, God asked a young boy what he would want. Instead of asking for riches, power, gold and fame, the boy asked for wisdom. God was pleased and God granted him his request - God gave Solomon wisdom farther than any other man has ever had. And that wisdom was what drove Solomon to greater heights through the years.

I ask my boys time and time again the same question. “If God were to give you anything, what would you want?”

At first, they answered with material things – toys, money, hamburgers, Disneyland, Playstation games, etc. But then I tell them the story of Solomon. Little by little, their perspective has changed. Now they ask God for wisdom. Out of the blue, they would whisper to their mom, “ I want to be wise.” From there, they go through Proverbs. Solomon’s book of wisdom.

I’d rather leave my kids with a legacy that they can “be”, more than a legacy that they can “see”. For now, their focus is just like Solomon’s at a young age, “God I want to BE WISE”.

-Butch Jimenez
This article was published in the book, "Legacy"

Free 2005 Beach Calendar

2005-10-23T08:42:00.000+08:00

Here's the cover photo of my 2005 Calendar, "The World's Best Sandbox". It showcases some of the best beaches in the Philippines. If you want a pdf copy of the calendar, just email me at butchgjimenez@yahoo.com, and i'll send you a copy through cyberspace as soon as I can. The 06 version is coming up.

My Family Pic

2005-10-22T22:56:00.000+08:00

This is me and my family, trish, migs, beej and joaquin

Butch Jimenez with Pet Tortoises

2005-10-22T22:53:00.000+08:00

My fave pets, tortoises