Thinking Big!

"Oh that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge the pegs of my tent to the coast,
and that Your Hand might be with me,
and you would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!"
And God granted him that which he requested.
(Prayer of Jabez)

On thinking big and plan-ning ahead !...

One of the favorite lines that our CEO uses during our regular brainstorming and planning sessions is, "He who fails to plan, plans to fail!" He always thrusts this maxim to his team. A big dreamer and a visionary who continuously weaves the dream and vision for the company, he embarks on a very ambitious and awesome expansion project that will put the National Prawn Company to become the undoubted yardstick and world leader in aquaculture... A Vision with a Cause!

During the past three days, all 4 executive managers of NPC, 2 Logistics Improvement Project Consultants from Germany, 4 Technology Partners from Canada and Prince Edward Is. and 6 Senior and First Line Managers involved in the implementation of the Project were gathered for a Workshop at the Convention Hall of the NPC Palace. The Workshop was moderated by a French-lady who made sure that every one was kept on tract, active and alert and enjoyed every bit and moment of the discussions, debates, and agreements.

Around 80 to 90% of the Logistics Improvement Project will basically evolve around my responsibility in the cold chain from the pond to the the shrimp processing plant. What is challenging in this ambitious project is to see a very big increase in our average daily harvest of 60,000 kgs a day to 200,000 kgs. It's a fact that the current logistics and transport system have reached its capacity as well as its process limits and may not fit in to the future challenges and requirements with regards to the enlargement in the operation.

The 3 hectic days brought us together to debate and agree on the process improvement requirements, critical success factors, solution options and elements, etc. The exercise was trying to bring the future to the present so that we can do something about it now.

In baseball, we just got to the batting plate... there are still 3 bases to run safely through before reaching the home base... It can not become a homerun. As in the prayer Jabez, we are just preparing the tent, and putting some stakes... pitching the tent may take some time...extending through the coast will cost more determination and endurance.

I believe that it pays to plan ahead. Remember, it was not raining when Noah built the ark. I guess he doesn't even know what rain was.

The National Prawn Company Story

It began as a dream....

It began in the desert...

In the desert by the sea...

It became a world leader in aquaculture...

A proven global leader in an environmentally friendly farming, the National Prawn Company is the largest fully integrated desert aquaculture operation in the world and also the world’s largest producer of Peneaus indicus or premium white prawn, currently harvesting approximately 15,000 tons per annum.

What makes the statistics even more staggering is the fact that this is just a beginning of Phase 1 of a most remarkable aquaculture company. Situated south of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia abd fed by the pristine waters of the spectacular Red Sea over US$350M was spent in the construction of Phase 1 which boasts absolute leading-edge technologies, sustainability and food standards. Without mentioning NPC’s intention to extend the aquaculture business in the fish cultivation by 2011, the company’s vision is to be producing in excess of 45,000 tons per annum which will see it strengthen its position as one of the largest fully integrated stand-alone prawn farms in the world.

Watch for yourself this company video that proves that there is life in the desert coast of Saudi Arabia. This will also show that impossible dreams are made possible by men with vision.

This will be my premiere post about my workplace. I will be posting more of my activities here at the desert coast by the Red Sea.

اعمل الطيب وارمه في البحر - An Arabic Proverb

اعمل الطيب وارمه في البحر

“Do good things, and throw them in the sea”. This is what my Saudi friend Ahmed told me when asked for the translation of this Arabic writing I found in my notes. Scrutinizing further for its deeper meaning, I found that one should not expect rewards for good deeds.

This reminded me of a biblical verse in Ecclesiastes 11 that says about “casting your bread upon the water”. It caught my attention that both phrases used the word “water”.

I learned that literal rendering of the Hebrew of Ecclesiastes 11 says, "Send your substance [out] over the face of the water [i.e., the sea] that you may find it [again] many days hence. The expression is taken from the custom of sowing seed by casting it from boats into overflowing rivers, or in marshy ground. When the waters recede, the grain will fall to the soil and spring up.

Of course this could also be the entire context of the Arabic proverb and both the biblical verse and the Arabic proverb make a good metaphor for benevolence.

“Sometime in your life, hope that you might see one starved man, the look on his face when the bread finally arrives. Hope that you might have baked it or bought or even kneaded it yourself. For that look on his face, for your meeting his eyes across a piece of bread, you might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer a lot, or die a little, even.” ~Daniel Berrigan

Isn’t it a great feeling that you handed the piece of bread to a starved man?

Here are some nuggets worth posting:

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

~Nelson Henderson

The difference between a helping hand and an outstretched palm is a twist of the wrist.

~Laurence Leamer, King of the Night

No man stands so straight as when he stoops to help a boy.

~Knights of Pythagoras

Charity sees the need, not the cause.

~German Proverb

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was:

"If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?"

But... the good Samaritan reversed the question:

"If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own.

~Author Unknown

I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives.

~Tracy Chapman

Is this a Graphology Test?

I was “analytically” reading Doc RJ’s Ang Mga Lihim at Kwento... when that rational mindset was slowly transformed into an empathic actor of the Agricultural Technical Officer, main character of the blog. I was feeling very tired and exhausted, with muscle pains all over my body because of the work load of this blogging-vet-friend-wonder from the land of Oz (a.k.a. kababayang mandirigma from the Stone Fort City in the Land of [Broken] Promise).

As I reached the end of the piggery and poultry experience, tired (aside from its being a long blog, hehehe), I saw the question – “Kung ipinaskil kaya ng agency sa job ad nila at sinabi rin sa job offer/visa na diesel attendant ang totoong trabaho (sa ganu'ng parehong sweldong natatanggap nila ngayon) tatanggapin pa rin kaya nila ang trabaho bilang isang diesel attendant “, I begun to be energized again and was cheering with glee with the way the question was designed. I guess kulang na lang pompoms and it was going to be a High School Musicale Night in my villa.

As I read through, I saw a very familiar name appeared – nicely and neatly handwritten. I almost got choked with my personal concoction of fresh Kiwi, grapes and green apple fruits which I was sumptuously enjoying. Geez, I’ve been tagged! And it’s a handwriting exposé.

Well, this should not be another dull and droning tag-post so I had to take the tag-writing-flamboyance of the tag geniuses Doc RJ, BlogusVox and Prof PaJay. Their elan for tag blogs are products of their ingenuity and novelty. I admit I coveted their style so I had to exert extra effort in making this post. I had to do research work and I’m just thankful that research work nowadays is much easier than it was 20 to 30 years ago.

Here are what I found out about HANDWRITING and its study and analysis known as GRAPHOLOGY:

(Brace yourselves up...it’s going to be another long post!)

From Businessballs: Graphology is the study of handwriting and handwriting analysis. It is now an accepted and increasingly used technique for assessment of people in organizations. It is said that handwriting analysis is an effective and reliable indicator of personality and behaviour, and so is a useful tool for many organizational processes, for example: recruitment, interviewing and selection, team-building, counselling, and career-planning. Check this link -

From Graphology-Handwriting Analysis: Graphology is so informative because it reveals subconscious character, the real personality, not just the persona and the one seen when a person is at his best.

Graphology can be used to identify personality strengths and challenges, to determine reliability, to display ability, talent, and intelligence, as a hiring tool--it allows you to select the right person for the job, to evaluate management or sales potential, to evaluate compatibility, to understand management or sales style, to detect leadership ability, to evaluate employees for promotions, as a tool for career guidance, as an aid in negotiations, and in numerous other ways.

Relating to romantic relationships, a good handwriting analysis can tell you if a person fears commitment, avoids conflict, lacks a good sense of discernment (necessary to identify and understand personality and relationship issues), is emotionally mature or immature, is impulsive, fears intimacy, is restless, is self-conscious, lacks self-esteem and ego strength, has an excessive interest or disinterest in sex, fears success, fears trusting others, has a tendency to withdraw, and much more.

Some pointers on how to look at Handwriting and Its Meaning.

If letters slant to the left: Indicates introspection and a lot of emotional control.
If letter slant to the right: Reveals a person who's outgoing, friendly, impulsive, and emotionally open.
If letters are straight up and down: The sign of someone who's ruled by the head, not the heart.
Letters that slant in more than one direction: Indicates versatility and adaptability.
An erratic slant: Usually means a lack of flexibility.
Heavy pressure writing (like you can feel the rib made on the back of the paper): The writer is agitated.
Moderate pressure (the writing is dark, but you can't feel the rib on the other side of the paper): Shows ability to deal with stress.
Light pressure: Indicates someone who seems to take life in stride.
Tiny letters: Indicate the writer is has somewhat low self esteem but is intelligent.
Small letters: The hallmark of quiet, introspective types - they're generally detail-oriented and have good concentration.
Large letters: Sign of a confident, easygoing individual.
Huge letters: Indicate someone who's theatrical, usually loud, and needs to be the center of attention at all times.
Wide letters (their width and height are about the same): The mark of someone who's open and friendly.
Narrow letters: Show someone who's somewhat shy and inhibited but very self-disciplined.
Letters that don't touch: Indicate an impulsive, artistic, sometimes impractical free thinker.
Some letters connecting: Means the writer's personality blends logic and intuition.
All letters making contact: The sign of someone who's highly cautious.
A curved first mark: Shows a person who's traditional and plays by the rules.
A straight beginning stroke: Reveals someone who's rigid and doesn't like being told what to do.
A final stroke straight across: The writer is cautious.
An end mark that curves up: Reveals generosity.
Perfect penmanship: The hallmark of a communicative person.
An indecipherable scrawl: Indicates a person who's secretive, closed-up and likes to keep his thoughts to himself.

Here are the new specimen/handwriting samples that we’re going to see in the blogsphere soon, (aside from the 4 other samples courtesy of Doc RJ: - Blogusvox, Kosa Pogi, Nebz’s Isla, Poging IloCANO.)

1. Mighty Dacz of My Kaleidoscope World

2. Ron Centeno – In His Own Words

3. Pope of Palipasan

4. Kenji of Thoughts Ko To

5. JV Cabrera

6. AJ of Josh of Arabia

7. Prof PaJay

8. Lucas of On The Coffin Rock

9. Mokong Anong Nasa Isip Ko?

10. Yanah