How Old Were You Guys When You Settled Down In The Philippines & Why?

[Thomas]

Having a military background, we try to plan ahead and come up with contingencies plan B, C and D.

Are any of them good?   :)

Of what I have seen of Swedish military planning, much of it is a big joke at least at average size and detail level, and there are several examples of stupid misstakes from military of other nationalities too. (As e g lose a battle - and by that that war - because they couldn't open the ammunition boxes...)

 

((E g during my obligatoric military service (radar observation) they tought us how to handle different stations. In one of them I wondered if they realy had made the computer programs that stupid so a lot of "automatic" things needed to be done by hand. They tought us wrong. After checking with the technicians, I could make so the computer told me when there what anything to do, so most of the time I could sit there reading a book...  :dance:

In the company I got my first full time employment they had two bosses, who had retired from military.

One of them I soon stoped listen to concerning HOW to do things, just listened to what end RESULT he wanted, after he had told a so very stupid work method, so he thought I only had made the first of five steps he told, but I had finnished all...  :)   Then I were 16, working extra parallell to school.

The other one's job I got (long vacation substitute) direct after I finnished High School, without I hadn't even apply for it, I suppouse because the top bosses had seen how much faster "my" teams had got things done, when they made me group boss during I worked there during school period.))

 

I do a lot of planning too  :) Now I plan even more than I realy need before moving, because I don't have much other Philippine related to do, during long booooring waiting at my knee can manage to move...  :unsure:

[Malcolm Graham]

Thomas, They hadn't taught you wrong.  The design was so that the most useless soldier could operate the equipment correctly. You can plan as much as you like but mostly they will fail. I only had one plan go and spend a longer time there and if it doesn't work go back to UK. Wasn't it Clauswitz who said "No plan survives contact with the enemy" or in this case "No plan will survive the move to the Philippines"

[Thomas]

Thomas, They hadn't taught you wrong. The design was so that the most useless soldier could operate the equipment correctly.

  Well. They tought we had to check ALL THE TIME making SAME process as I did when having it "automatic", although it was WASTED work, because if the handler didn't, the computer told us WHEN that process needed to be done the few times it needed to be done...   So I didn't even had to make any changes, I just skiped doing a they told   :)

 

It was extra funny, they used me as TEACHER for new arrivers on several station types. Then they gave me the LOWEST knowledge grade of the approved levels, although I could all same as them and one of the stations even better than  them...   Military logic :mocking:

You can plan as much as you like but mostly they will fail.

Well. Perhaps for military planning  :)

Beside my plans are DELAYED by my injury - but I knew it will take long time to heal, when I started the planning the move and life in Asia - my MAIN plans have never failed, when I have had the power myself. (Both in business and in sports  - except the injury stoped my personal sports carriere  :)  

But of course the DETAILS in plans can need to be ADJUSTED now and then to get good results.

(But my plans have failed both times, when I hadn't majority of the votes, geting crap results when the majority haven't had knowledge/skill enough  :1 (103):   So it's a problem the Philippines want foreigners to pay 100 %, but only get 40 %... :bash:

 

So it's left to see if I can keep that record in Phils   :)

Wasn't it Clauswitz who said "No plan survives contact with the enemy" or in this case "No plan will survive the move to the Philippines"

Well. The Philippine government don't make it easy...  making it a biger challenge. I don't like unnecesary mess, but I like challenges  :)

[BrettGC]

Thomas, I see much potential in you as an SNCO.  A goes to sh**, you go to B, B goes to sh**, you go to C, C goes to sh**, you wing it and start drawing on personal experience and yelling at the commissioned types to pull their heads out of their arses.  I find that it applies to life in general as well, except dealing with bureaucracy of any stripe and then you just put up and get on with it.  I've always found it amusing that something we ex-military types take for granted in the above from a very young age takes many people until their dotage to realise.  That's that old prayer:

 

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

 

This from an agnostic with major Buddhist tendencies.  I think it still holds true whatever you believe.

[jon1]

  God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.  

 

And the patience to not thoroughly choke the SH**T out of someone that deserves it :D

 

 

This serenity prayer is a very useful tool at times.

 

Yes it is true what you say about how us ex-military types think.

[Thomas]

Thomas, I see much potential in you as an SNCO.  A goes to sh**, you go to B, B goes to sh**, you go to C, C goes to sh**, you wing it and start drawing on personal experience and yelling at the commissioned types to pull their heads out of their arses.

(I don't know what's "SNCO".)

Yes, but - so far - nothing I have had enough decision power in have gone sh&t   :)

I yell at crap solutions and them who get things done to bad/slow for my taste, but I get things done when it take unnecesary long time by other's crap handling too.

((E g two days ago I "yelled" at Swedish tax officials, because this year they have changed deadline for tax declarations for companies. Earlier personal and company tax declarations had same deadline date, so they could be done at same time. This year they have put company deadline 1 months later. That would have been ok IF it hadn't been because of one the COMPANY tax forms need to be send with the PRIVATE . It's the form, which I do LAST of the company documents, because it get a result from the other company documents - and the company forms - with some prefilled values - will arrive half month AFTER the normal deadline for the private - with the company attached form... 

- What idiots have got that idea and decided that stupid?  I said to the tax people   :)

One of the tax persons understood the problem, when I had told it some turns. So she delayed the deadline for my private enough to make it possible to make that attached form within two weeks AFTER I have got the company forms...

 

Some years ago we had problem to get a new company registrated in Sweden of different stupid reasons (e g they didn't approve any company name with "Tech" in it, because there was one, which had that as a part of their name !!!) but after some months I said to them:

-We can't pay VAT before we have got the registration.

Then we got the registration fast  :hystery:

I find that it applies to life in general as well, except dealing with bureaucracy of any stripe and then you just put up and get on with it. I've always found it amusing that something we ex-military types take for granted in the above from a very young age takes many people until their dotage to realise. That's that old prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. This from an agnostic with major Buddhist tendencies. I think it still holds true whatever you believe.

Yes. I expect I will be a lot of crap in Phils specialy in the startup.   I find it impossible to change the world. That's why I want to live rural, far from neighbours, so I get a chance to change a SMALL part  :dance:   :)

((In Sweden I prefered staying as chairman at CLUB level, because a club I could change to be handled good enough for my taste. When I had improved that club, reaching the Elite at youth level, several tried to make me join the NATIONAL federation, but I didn't want to, because I didn't expect it was possible to change whole enough to my liking. They managed to make me find it OK to join the board at REGIONAL level, because I found it hard to say No, when "my" club had developed to be the bigest in the region - and I thought it was possible to do some good changes  :)   First the region wanted me to be chairman:

-Do you realy want me to be chairman? I would give priority to results, not bother much about formalities...

Then they found it better someone else became chairman  :lol:

[Jake]

How Old Were You Guys When You Settled Down In The Philippines & Why?

 

OK guys, it was me that led you guys astray from the original thread.  We should whack each others'

pee-pee and let's get back on topic please.  

 

Respectfully -- Jake 

[MikeB]

Ok, back on topic. I was 62 when I came, now 65. In a kazillion years I could not have envisioned how much my life would change in 3 years. No regrets.  

[alsuave]

I moved here when I was 33. I'm 35 now. I'm self employed and fortunate enough to be able to live anywhere I want.

Edited April 26, 2014 by alsuave

[Steve & Myrlita]

I was 49 now 56 next month. Time flies......