Going Paperless

Everyone dreams of a paperless mortgage loan process. 

In a SunStar article last 2010, Margaret Chan, manager of Global 360, a solutions provider, urged companies to phase out paper-based transactions in favor of online automation of their business processes. The article goes on to mention AUB's (Asia United Bank) initiative to automate their loan processes as well.

Although the article hints of some biases in the part of the writer, it does point out an inevitable trend in the banking industry, one that will continue in the coming years.

In a related article from Stewart, a company, eOriginal, had begun pioneering the advent of paperless transactions in mortgage loans. Even the local government had stepped in, initiating and passing special legislation to make paperless transactions possible.

Why am I talking about this? That's because I intend to do the same thing here in the Philippines. Let's just say I'm frustrated with the current loan process that we have now, not only in my company but also with the rest of the banks  that comprise the Philippine banking industry. 

To start, I've decided to make paperless loan transactions my personal pet project. However, I guess there are a lot of factors working against me. I don't have any programming knowledge, so to speak. I don't have much in the way of resources, particularly time and money. I don't have special access to my company's databases for beta testing purposes. 

But I do have knowledge of the loan process (I've been a marketing assistant for almost two years now, for crying out loud). I can name collaborators and programmers who can assist me. I have bosses who can support me if they knew how big an impact this is going to be.

So how do I begin? Well, I'm keeping it small for the meantime. I'm thinking of starting with the development of an application which will integrate once and for all the company's loan management system with its loan documentation process. It's not that complicated, mind you. All I need is a team of dedicated individuals to jump start the whole shebang.

Then afterwards, we proceed to making the entire transaction paperless, including the actual loan mortgage agreement that the government gets. But that's for later.

I'm excited at the prospect, at the challenge. I'm going to make this work.

Praying For Someone

Warning: This isn't a coherent post.

Caroline Myss, a former journalist, wrote in one of her essays, The Collective Soul, the following eye-opening incident. She was having a conversation with two friends, a political chitchat about the controversies surrounding Bill Clinton. Things had began to heat up when Caroline noticed one man, who remained silent, by the side. She asked him for her opinion about the issue, to which the man replied, "I have no right to an opinion because I did not pray for him. Therefore, I owe him an apology. He doesn't owe me one."

Ms. Myss eventually interweaves this story to her most profound insight, that the private negativities of each individual or citizen can determine the quality of the nation's spiritual energy and its leaders' decisions.

Obviously, the man's words bear a kernel of wisdom which rarely manifests itself among us Filipinos. Leaders need our sincere prayers and, when prayers aren't enough, that's the right time we use constructive criticism and decisive action.

In extension, it's not only leaders which need our prayers. I, on the other hand, can take something slightly different from this story.

One of the most subtle changes I've experienced within myself started when I began including other people in my morning prayer. At the start, the usual suspects would come to mind. Mama. Papa. My siblings. I prayed for my family, that we remain whole and well. Then, I included my friends. Then, later on, I included people I just happened to meet. The jeep driver, the passersby, and so on. At the beginning, the inclusion of other people in my prayers was a deliberate interruption to my self-centered petitions. As time went by, the habit began to take shape and it has made me feel less critical about my condition and has granted me a softer heart.

Right now, I'm praying for someone. I'm praying that God will give her a miracle this October. I pray that her estranged father can come home at last.

Conceding

Okay, Nathan, you win.

Remember that contest we started two years ago? You're probably earning a lot more these days as a consultant (which is good actually, because you've got a family to take care of).

But, it's not yet over. I'm going to surpass you later. The one thing I learned about this experiment is that I have to be realistic with my timeline. Clearly, succeeding as an entrepreneur would require more than two years.

And maybe then, when that moment arrives, I'll be teasing you to buy some of my company's stock. Hehe.

Something's Wrong

Something's up with the laptop. I'm not a techie but if the CPU is a 100% utilized for the entire duration of my session, clearly, there's something wrong. Another thing is that I can't play music and surf the internet at the same time (the music suffers).

And what's this svchost? Hmmm...

Falling Out Of Love

Mandarin Tea Garden has fallen out of favor with me. The commercialization is now too much. Whereas, before, you could expect a decent meal by eating at one of their restaurants, now, you're already fortunate if the servings could placate your hunger for the next five minutes.

The problem is that their prices have jacketed up but their portions have shrinked. It is completely understandable if, say, the ingredients they put in their meals have become more costly (hence, a reduction in serving amount is justifiable) but a quick comparison with the competition (*ahem, Dimsum Diner*) claims that this isn't so. Definitely, Mandarin Tea Garden is not giving their clients their money's due, which is sad because that was, I believe, their formula for success then: giving the customer good Chinese food at reasonable prices.

I also am not a fan of Babista's anymore. The prices they tag on their viands are ridiculous. For instance, a regular-sized hotdog, something you can buy in the malls for P12, is being sold at P20. A piece of fried chicken, which can be sold elsewhere at P26 (with rice), is being sold at P30 (with no rice).

Jeesh.