working out

I decided to work away from the office today, mainly to do some zoom-out, big-picture thinking and planning. I rescheduled one meeting and informed my staff that I would be accessible virtually if they needed me, thanks to email, instant messaging, and the cellphone.

I find that working off-site once in awhile boosts productivity. Being physically away from my desk extricates me from the usual office distractions. Matters that need my attention are automatically filtered —if it’s really important, I will get a call on my cellphone. And, when I decide to work some place other than home, the new environment stimulates creativity. I have a very able team, and I suspect that sometimes they also consider me a “distraction.” So maybe they welcome not having me around every now and then.

After going through email at home this morning, I packed Zak (yup, that’s the name of my MacBook – thanks, Ruben) and headed to Gloria Jeans in Araneta Center, Cubao. I like this place because of its many power outlets. Customers can freely plug in their gadgets without having to deal with the service crew’s darting looks. No time limit on power usage too. There used to be just a handful of laptop users in GJ; but since the rise of ultra mobile PCs, more techie telecommuters have swarmed the place. The spots closest to the power outlets are obviously the most coveted. Thankfully, my favorite spot was available.

I’m happy with how my day has panned out. I managed to pin down a backlogged project, flesh out some nascent ideas that would otherwise be ignored during the course of an office day, and start planning the next few months. As a bonus, I also got to put Zak to test—to see how well we can tackle work documents together. Before today, Zak and I have only been playing—it’s amazing how fun Macs can be! I’ve been a long-time WIndows user who dabbled with Linux for awhile, and so far I’ve found the Mac OS experience a pleasant one. The Mac is very intuitive and elegant, among other things…

But that’s a different story altogether.

touché

quote: on changing others

“Whom you would change, you must first love.”
– Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

back with a mac!

And I’m back! Apologies for the silence, friends. Been awfully busy (therefore, blog-lazy). There’s one thing though that I won’t apologize for: this silly grin on my sillyserious face. It’s been on for days now. And it’s all because of a gadget dream come true. I finally succumbed to a long-time want (it isn’t a need, I concede) of gliding my fingers on my very own Mac computer!

Sometime last week I abandoned caution and risked going hungry for the next year or so when I broke open the piggy bank (proverbial) and squandered a small fortune (literal) on a MacBook. Before the fateful purchase that reduced me to a grinning pauper, I had been visiting this computer shop at the mall to gawk at the shiny white gadget on display. I was a bit embarrassed that the lady manager recognized my face the day I came by to buy.

Di ba kayo po ‘yung kahapon, sir? (It was you who came by yesterday, wasn’t it? Yup, that’s moi. And the day before that too. And other days before that when I “just happened” to swing by and drool at the Mac on display. I joked that I had to sell a carabao to get enough cash for the purchase.

The past few weeks have been very busy at work preparing for and doing the Book Fair. It’s just now that I’m finding the time to get to know the new gadget–and each session brings with it new discoveries! I’m trying not to gush too much here…

Now I just need a cool name for this shiny white new laptop. I’ve named its predecessors after philosophers–Hobbes and then Kierk (short for Kierkegaard). I’m open to suggestions. Humor me while I still have this silly grin.

calling all book lovahs!