PINOY OFW ENGINEER

SHARPENING YOUR SAW

The Myth that you should know everything just because you are an Engineer is False! Yeah, you heard me right. In fact, if you assumed you know everything under the sun in your field of endeavor, you are now then doomed to failure. Let’s face it, in the course of our work, you will encounter new process, ideas, solutions, technology and systems you haven't seen before And, this can be very hard to grasp everything if you do not leave yourself a room for improvement, more so of adapting to constant changes brought by new trends in the workplace.

Related to this, let me tell you the anecdote of Two Carpenters in a race against each other to cut the two identical logs:

“ The First Carpenter starts cutting the log using his saw hurriedly as if there is not much time left. He pauses only for a while to catch his breath and continue the back and forth motion of his saw. He does not mind if the saw is still in good shape, he just keep on moving the saw.

The Second Carpenter on the other hand, does the thing differently. In relax and calm manner, he positions the sharp teeth of his saw in the precise perpendicular to the log circumference with consistent, slow back and forth motion. He just paused for a moment to sharpen his saw, oil a bit and continue cutting the log. After quite some time, it begins to notice a huge difference of progress between the two. The First Carpenter now lags behind the Second Carpenter in terms of the cut portion. To think that the Second Carpenter whistles while stopping many times than the First Carpenter seems like cool and amazing to imagine. Worse, the First Carpenter is sweaty and exhausted like hell. Guess who win the race? Believe it or Not, it is the Smart and Cool Second Carpenter! “

What is the lesson behind the story?

You should use razor sharp saw in cutting logs! Literally that is the key. In time, your saw will become blunt or rusted if not given the deserved maintenance. In our life or career as an engineer, you should sharpen your saw. In order to be a world class engineer in your own field, you should be constantly updated of the changes in the industry and the work place without neglecting the fundamentals. Most of the time, the basics is the foundation of the many complex solutions to the engineering problems. We tend to forget the fundamentals because of the fascinating software to automate the job. The Non Engineers will key-in the data, hit the enter key, print the information and submit the report. The Engineers, on the other hand will evaluate the data, key-in the data, hit the enter key, scrutinize the output, check the equation, do manual calculation, if the software is wrong, he will call the programmer to debug the software. Now, that indeed really separates the Man from the boys. Do you agree?

How do you sharpen your saw as an Engineer?

a.) Review fundamentals or back to the basics.

b.) Attend Seminars and Trainings.

c.) Mingle with the same mindset engineers.

d.) Involve yourself to any challenging projects.

e.) Love to read books.

f.) Be a member and participate to any Engineering Organization.

IIEE 13th Mid Year Convention

Technical Seminar

The next time you encounter an Engineer or colleague displays anyone as shown:

That he does not need the trainings anymore because he knows everything.
That he sees asking question makes you stupid.
That he is busy doing the same work for a long time.
That he sees reading self help books, manuals, procedures as a sign of weakness.
That he argues it cannot be done rather than it can be done.
That he does not listen to you talking, instead he is busy thinking for his response.
That he brags all of his completed projects without anyone asking.
That he believes his long experience is enough for him to know everything.
That he has done the same thing and why you should make a change now.
That he hates the Engineers sooooo much….because he failed to graduate. Really sucks man!..

With this, you know very well you are talking to the First Carpenter of the story. What you can do is, to disappear in a flash immediately like a bubble. Treat him like a person with a transferable disease, waiting for you to become infected with his own ideologies.

You know that we are now in the Information Age. That who has the knowledge has the power. The beauty of today is that information is within our reach for everyone to digest. You just have to open your mind and accept new ideas as you go along in your career. The Engineers of the future are not anymore those who have graduated and registered. They are also the Registered Engineers who are willing to learn more, unlearn and relearn.

Till my next post,

Allan Laranang

OFW Engineer Can't Jump?

Salamalaykom!

We know that most Pinoy Engineers love basketball, and I am one of them. When my colleagues scheduled a fun game of basketball after work, I got excited. Its quite a long time that I have not played the game. The same excitement with my colleagues where most of them are already in their mid 30s to 40s, including me of course!

Basketball Game in Riyadh

Substitution Ref?

Do you think we still have the ability To dribble the ball? To jump high for the rebound? To give the smooth assist? To drive the hook? To block the opponents ball? To give a pick? To give zone defence? To get a fastbreak? To make a fed away jump shot? To do shoulder fake cross dribbling? To follow up shoot. To make 3 points shot? To do short jump shot, To dunk the ball? To walk in the air?

Find out here in this video.

If video not showing, click here ---> Pinoy Riyadh Basketball

What do you think? Yeah, we still have the spirit to play the game. We want to make those barreling moves the way it is picture in our mind but those damn knees could not cooperate anymore as plan. The mind is willing but the body is weak. I think we need some compressor to drive enough air to breath more. We learned the need to respect biology now. Over-all, the game was great! We look forward to play more games except if it is sand storm.

Till my Next Post.

Seize the Day,

Allan Laranang

Are you Designing your LIFE?

Design

In my work as an OFW Engineer, I used to design electrical distribution system, equipment layout, lighting system, control system, power system, fire alarm system, grounding, lightning protection system....and even the house of my DOG!

Oftentimes, I felt great when I saw my work issued for construction, come to life and just worked perfectly fine. Sometimes, my design will require some modifications, adjustments and some revisions to suit actual field condition or, as per client suggestions beyond my control. That is fine with me. I accepted the fact that in this industry, constant changes are normal. We deal it systematically that it becomes standard in our job to adapt and create another option or solution.

Sleepless Night

ANALYZE THIS

In one of my sleepless night, I wonder if I could adopt this principle in designing my own LIFE.   I believe I am the Engineer of my own Destiny.    Have you ever thought that too? Have you got a master plan in place to retire the way you want to? Did you ask yourself about your own target finish date of being an OFW? Are you following your own Plan? Do you allow revision to your Life ? Did you consider contingencies and safety factor in your life design? Are you taking calculated risk in your decision making? Are you doing something different from your colleagues in your own spare time? Did you start and finish something?

The problem of not doing anything is that you never know when are you going to finish. According to my friend Albert Einstein, " Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different result. " You can be whatever you are Tomorrow because of what you have done Today. You are stuck to what you are Now because of what you did Yesterday. Today is a gift for you that you can draft your plan and change the course of your destiny for the better.   There is no more permanent things in this world except change. Do not dwell anymore in the past that you can do no more. Neither you dwell too much in the future that you forget to live. Smell the scent of roses along the way, appreciate the beauty of the surroundings and enjoy the tweets of birds in the trees.

PICTURE THIS

So, grab your pen, scribble something to your paper to whatever comes to your thought.
While looking at your paper, you BEGIN your design with the END in mind.   You imagine the following vivid pictures start to appear gradually one at a time like in the movies.

You are in the balcony of your house in the beautiful sunrise, sitting in your lazy chair, drinking brewed coffee with newspaper in hand, while your wife serving your favorite breakfast and your kids are playing in your manicured lawn.

You are generating multiple passive income, that you can do things you love most and at the same time helping others in your own capacity.

You go visit places like beaches, mountains, resorts, etc you have never gone before for longer period of time with your family and friends.

You go overseas frequently not anymore as an OFW Engineer but as a tourist, businessman or investor.

You wake up in the morning with the same woman in your side and giving her the tickling hug to assure her that you'll gonna stick to the same bed forever!

You pursue other hobbies and undertakings like photography, painting, yoga, gardening, aikido, judo, scuba diving. sky diving, mountain climbing, motor biking, cycling and even participating in triathlon.

You attend reunions with your old time friends and classmates and they are amazed that you are still the guy next door and high school heart rob you used to be!

You will have more time with your relatives and old folks exchanging pleasantries, giving them your hugs and affections, rekindle the memories, giving gifts, laughing out loud and laugh for more...

You participate actively in other socio civic organizations in your own locality. You are asked to run for Mayor but politely decline because you want to run for Congress!

You visit banks and go straight to the bank's manager to consolidate your growing account portfolio.

You drive your own shinning SUV to visit your businesses, associates and farmville together with your loyal assistant and body guard... German Shepperd Dog K9.

You are the favorite sponsor for weddings, fiestas and other local celebrations.

You play basketball with your teen son and very proud to say " You are Cool Dad!

You are drinking your favorite frappucino in the coffee shop when you are noticed by a passing former colleague. Surprise to see you again, now in his vanishing hair , he asked you in his garbled voice, " What the hell are you doing here? Why are you so fit and look younger? What did you do these past years? Where are you now working? What Country? What is your offered salary?.... You are overwhelmed, confused and you do not know what question you will answer first. You smile and just say you are officially retire as an OFW. You just make a brief talk because he is about to catch up a plane going back to his work abroad. You notice, as he carry those luggage in hand, he is dragging his feet as if the shoes are quite that heavy. As you bade goodbye and good luck to him, you notice he wants to hide those teary eye. You know how that feels. It sucks! man.

Wow! Isn't that amazing? Those are the future outcome of your design. It is basically a simple life crafted from your meticulous preparation, enduring sacrifice, patience, hardwork and resourcefulness. There is no cost for dreaming the kind of life you want to be. It is unlimited my friend! It will depend on your design and your plan of action. If you fail to plan, you just go with time instead of grow with time. In that case, time will plan for you. And I am sure, you will not like it. You will blame the government, the church, the president, the priest, your employer, your parents, your friends, your family and your best friend. But you forgot to blame the most important person... yourself! You will realize you were trained so much to create so many excuses rather than solutions. Of course, you will be encountering problems, set backs, and challenges along the way. But just like the way engineers work, you just have to evaluate, calculate and rework again. If you cannot figure out yet the solutions to your problems, no problem. Just Google it!

So, when are you going to start your design??? Tomorrow, Next week, Next Month, Next Year.... NO! START Now! Time is short to spend to things not related to your design.

How are you going to start? I will share that to you in my next Blog.

Till my next post,

Seize the Day,

Allan Laranang

PINOY OFW ENGINEER: 10 Ways to Get Water Melon Abs While Working in th...

PINOY OFW ENGINEER: 10 Ways to Get Water Melon Abs While Working in th...: "Water Melon Abs Did you know that most of the OFW Engineers managed to increase their waist lines in such a short period of time while wo..."

10 Ways to Get Water Melon Abs While Working in the Middle East

Water Melon Abs

Did you know that most of the OFW Engineers managed to increase their waist lines in such a short period of time while working overseas? The following are the fast and proven ways guaranteed to make your stomach shiny, round and soft like a sparkling Water Melon!

1.) Indulge everyday to the all time favorite foreign foods here, not common in the Philippines like Kapsa, Biryani, broasted, spare ribs and shawarma. These food are readily available anywhere for your quick sumptous dinner or lunch after work.

2.) Do not get into Exercise, instead get Sleep. This will prepare you to spend long time in front of your laptop doing FB, downloading movies, chatting friend while popping to your mouth your favorite potato chips, chocolate bars, biscuits and a very cold Soda.

3.) Schedule a weekly drinking session with your drinking associates every thursday evening. Make sure to include your favorite recipe of animal liver, intestines, brains, eyes, ears, foot, tail, gizzards and crabs for your finger foods.

4.) Bring with you to your work a daily 6 packs of different type of Soda to quench your thirst in between meals anytime, or just to wash your mouth after heavy meal.

5.) Always on the look out for any opportunity of FREE Meals. Be it from your company sponsor meal or from your colleagues who are celebrating their birthday. This will be your chance to load those belly until the button of your pant releases automatically. Do not mind what others are thinking lest they do not think about you anyway...because they are also very busy Eating!

6.) Avoid long walk. Park your car near your point of destination. You can instead get the parking lot reserved for the disable. You may get a free ride of wheel chair going inside the store. Load your cart with your usual pinoy favorites like dried tuyo, pusit, instant noodles, longanisa, tusino, ham and other frozen stuffs.

7.) Have your usual midnight snack of 2 Cups of Ice Cream Delight before you hit the bed. Alternate the flavors each day to give you a variety of taste. Stock your cabinet with canned goods like Corned Beef, Sausage, and Meat Loaf to make your quick Sandwich. Gulp your cold full fat milk in your fridge if you feel like going to the bathroom.

8.) Participate in any outdoor recreation just to engage in conversation with your friends. Do most of the talking but do not exert more of physical effort. Sit most of the time and take a nap if given the chance.

9.) During holidays, stay late in the evening doing what you love, and sleep until 12 Noon. This is the perfect time to wake up for a heavy lunch meal in your favorite burger chain. You will love to hear those words " Good morning Sir? May I take your order please? "

10.) Outsource the regular cleaning of your house, car, bed and laundry. The least you can do is doing your own dish washing and hand washing of your own underwear.

Thats it! ....Not yet my friend. Because by doing all of the above, you will reap the many consequences associated with having a stunning Water Melon Abs. While in front of the mirror, as you keep on noticing your protruding belly, you feel a sharp pain in your back, then you feel numbness in your arms, followed by a pain at the back of your neck. It is just like you are in a roller coaster. Suddenly, it dawned on you that hey, this is for Real! By consulting the doctor, you may be a candidate for the following findings. Some of which are the following:

Hypertension
High Uric Acid
Kidney Stones
Diabetic
Acid Reflux

Oh No!, You want to wake up. As you tell to yourself, " This cannot be happening to me... " Now, it is a wake up call. You realized you have been doing the above unconsciously for the past long years already, and now is the payback time. Is there any second chance? Any Medicine? Yes, if you are lucky of course. It will just depend on how big your water melon ab is.

Now, you come to your right senses that Water Melon Abs is not for you anymore. That you commit to yourself the biggest decision to your life to make a CHANGE. You do not want to feel those pains anymore. You want to feel and look good. You have still many things to do aside from EATING. You realized that in this world, you EAT TO LIVE and not LIVE TO EAT.

You promised to yourself that this time........ You commit to get 6 pack ABS! Click Here!

It is Now or Never. You will now turn to my next post of 10 ways to get Six Pack Abs Here!

Till my Next Post,

Seize the Day

Allan Laranang

My Cellphone Touch

Just as I am about to call my wife, I glanced my cellphone in my desk and wander how precious this piece of equipment that made a huge contribution to my working overseas.

My Cellphone Nokia 1100

I cannot imagine myself without my cellphone. It served my communication needs for more than 5 years now as evident by the almost vanishing alphanumeric tag in the keypads. My wife bought this to me some time last 2005 to replace my worn out Nokia 5110… Did you smirk? Come on, you read it right. So happen, I do not have the photo of that mobile phone anymore. But hey, my old mobile now as shown is a Nokia 1110 series which is still in good operating condition amid fading colors. My problem now is that I cannot anymore find here the exact casing cover replacement for this model.

Is it time for me to switch to a new Cellphone with so much fancy features, WIFI enable, loaded with many application and touch screen sensation operability?

I paused for a moment and contemplate on the many great features and benefits brought by my old cellphone for these years. Here it is:

Useful Features

Yellow screen resolution, 1 inch x 1 inch Digital Monitor
User friendly scrolling menu with Contact manager, Call Register, Clock Reminder, Games, Calculator, Stop Watch, Currency Converter and Alarm Clock.
Rugged look, Hard Casing with Soft Keypads.
Classic Ring tone with my favorite Cackle.
SMS, Call forwarding, Speakerphone,

Priceless Benefits

- When I checked my phone registers, I was surprised to check those information logged in my cellphone for the past 5 years.

my total sent messages is 2765
my total received messages is 3299
my total duration of received calls is 38 hours, 58 mins, 28 secs
my total duration of dialled calls is 35 hours 29, mins, 37 secs
my total duration of all calls is 74 hours, 28mins, 55 secs

- Survived being inside the washing machine for 5 mins when I forgot to remove from my pants. Superb Cellphone clean up!

- Fell off from my pocket to the stairs straight to the catch basin of sand and cement mixture. Wheew! Suffered minor scratches only from the upper surface.

- Lost and found in a restaurant on the same day. So lucky, So sweet...Nobody's interested?

- Favorite alternative use by my colleagues' with fancy mobile because the load is always available. What the f#@$%k is their phone for???

- I also cannot discount the many emotional touch my cellphone whisper to my ear drum.

Voices like...

" Dadi Love Youuuu"

"Uwi ka na ba... "

" Happy Birthday Lakay "

" Happy Anniversay Dad "

" Miss U na "

" Nagpadala ka na ba? "

" Oo, bakit wala pa "

" Kain ka na ba "

" Online na ako "

Somehow, I knew it will just be a matter of time if my beloved cellphone will soon be replaced. But it will not be because there is a new and sophisticated model out there. Rather, when I pressed the button and I will not anymore see those lovely text in the screen, and no more voice call.

Surely, I may soon forgot the cellphone model I usually used. But I will not forget the feeling that this cellphone created in my Life as an OFW Engineer. It is indeed a splendid TOUCH!...

Till my Next Post.

Seize the Day,

Allan Laranang

Why become OFW?

WHY?

There are a lot of reasons why you become OFW. Many of which are due to the color of money. Alright, aside from that, what exactly the triggering point that all of a sudden you grab your suit case and fly to your country of destination. In my experience dealing with my colleagues and friends abroad, women OFW tends to have different reasons than men. Oftentimes, because of men themselves!

Why women become OFW? Take note that not all applied to Women OFW, but majority it is.

their husbands are maltreating them or suffered from physical and mental abuse.
husbands are irresponsible, drunkard, addict, gambler and womanizer.
husbands have no plans, no dreams, no ambitions....nothing as in like a dry hard twig!
husband is a Mama's boy. If he got problems, go to Mama. He is sick, go to Mama.
husband is also working abroad and likes to join him there. or from other country.
support their daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, cousins and other relatives to study in college.
huge loans, credits, or their house is near foreclosure by the bank.
seek foreigner husband, popular from the single and complicated married as well.
stepping point to migrate permanently to countries like US, CAN, AU, NZ.
just simply want to join their friends abroad and do the same bonding they used to do at home.
Amazed of many pictures of his friends abroad in the facebook that she want to experience that too...
Invited by colleague and friends abroad because of high paying job.
Broken hearted, boyfriend married his ex girlfriend.
Like to study foreign languages and cuisine.
.....the list can be so on and so forth as you also join the ofw bandwagon.

WAIT!! What about those OFW men out there? They do have some similarities but mostly different in perspectives.

Reached the boiling point working in local that his career is going no where and not anymore financially rewarding.
Sons and Daughters already grown up and due to study college.
Wife is also working abroad.
Wife transferred to neighbor's house. Oucch! Napakasakit Kuya Eddie...
Answered Job invitation abroad and cannot anymore resist that tempting offer.
Enthusiasm to learn something new in his own occupation and discipline.
Opportunity to work with different nationality and cultures.
Likes to travel abroad and explore where others have not been there and done before.
Loves foreign women, hot blonde, russian, black, hispanic, chinese etc. Wheww!
No jobs available at home because overqualified or not qualified.
Visited other country once, love the place and decided instantly to work there.
and so on and so forth...

DISCLAIMER DAW: The points mention above are just some of my friends and colleagues experiences while working abroad and my erratic mind while writing this blog. Any similarity to actual person living things or non living things, toothless or thoughtful, shaggy hair or mr clean, mariah clara or madonna, brod pitt or brad pit, with 6 pack abs or watermelon abs, single or complicated are purely coincidence and is not punishable under the court of Democratic Republic of Internet. You may or may not submit your temporary restraining order to nullify the validity of this blog. :-)

Alright, for me the deepest reason why I accepted being part of the OFW phenomenon is because of my FAMILY... It is because of them that I endure the homesickness, sorrow and pains of being far away in order to give them a good life.

My wife Lea and Daughter Ela

Ogie, Ela, Me and Fifo

I am always looking forward to another vacation to be with my Family... Malayo pa ang Umaga pero asahan mo babalik ka rin.

Till my next post,

Seize the Day

Allan Laranang

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