After almost two years, I finally finished reading “What the Dog Saw”
Gusto ko sanang maging "book review" ito pero nag-iba ang direksyon habang sinusulat ko.
Yes, you read that right. I was finally able to finish reading “What the Dog Saw” by Malcom Gladwell last June. I read that 500-page book for almost two years. Sa totoo lang, I consider that as one of my recent big achievements. Ang dami naman kasing nangyari talaga sa akin in the last couple of months.
I switched jobs. I left a company that I really liked in terms of culture and pay. Kaya lang, bilang isang padre de pamilya, I had to sacrifice the security that I was enjoying in that company because I needed the money. Gano’n naman talaga, lahat tayong lumulundag papunta sa ibang kumpanya; hangad lang ang magandang buhay. Even if that meant foregoing our comfort zone.
Paano nga naman, wala pa ring improvement itong bansa natin. Inflation, corruption, traffic, etc. Tayong mga ordinaryong mamamayan ang nagsasakripisyo habang ang ilan ay nagpapakasasa sa mga pinaghirapan natin. Kaya naman yung mga basic needs natin, ang mahal din. Halos walang natitira sa mga sweldo natin.
Kagaya ng karamihan sa atin, abot-abot lang ang sweldo ko buwan-buwan. Babayaran ako ng company ko, tapos ibabayad ko naman halos lahat sa mga utang ko.
Nangarap ako kasi para sa pamilya ko. Gusto kong mabigyan sila ng magandang buhay. Yung peace, katahimikan, and a good environment that they deserve. Kaya naman sinugalan ko na.
Sabi nga nila, wala naman kasing ideal time to go for our dreams. Hindi darating yun. We will never really be ready. There will come a time when we have to go for it, no matter how scary. At gano’n na nga rin ang ginawa ko.
I made a big decision na scary. Sabi kasi nila, the higher the stakes, the bigger the possible rewards.
Anyway, sorry, lumihis na ako ng topic haha…
Going back to What the Dog Saw, I “borrowed” it from a former colleague. In around October 2024, after we finished our major projects and product launches, we considered doing a “book exchange” within our team. The rule was simple: bring any book that you have read, put them on the common table, then choose the books that you wanted to read.
I brought two of my most loved books: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) and The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman). I was happy when a colleague took both books; I felt appreciated.
I chose What the Dog Saw because I knew that Malcolm Gladwell’s books are insightful, practical, and packed with nuggets of wisdom (like Outliers).
I was already hooked as I flipped through the first few pages of the book. By the way, What the Dog Saw is a compilation of Gladwell’s 19 articles published in The New Yorker. The articles tackled diverse topics from business, politics, science, medicine, and sports, to name a few.
The articles were never boring. Long enough to include the important facts, and short enough so that they’re not dragging.
However much as I was engrossed with the book, I only got to read it on weekends. Specifically, mornings after breakfast. I’ll sneak in a few pages, and then off we were to take the kids out.
Before the 2026 Iran war, we made it a point to spend time outside with the kids. If we were not traveling, we went to the nearby mall. However, because of the geopolitical conflict that led to the surge in fuel and commodity prices, we thought it best to be more prudent when it came to spending.
We explained it to our kids, and we were glad that they understood. Of course, we still took them out. But since we were just near the malls, we just rode the tricycle, which they enjoy and look forward to.
Some of the stories that made a mark covered topics related to appliances, hair color, condiments, birth control pills, sports, the fall of Enron, dogs, and the 911 incident. I like the diversity of the topics covered and how well-researched they were.
I finally finished the book in June 2026. At last, I had some time on my hands when I left my new job also in that month. The gamble that I had to make, all for wanting a better future for my family, turned out to be a path full of frustration (and misery), all thanks to a bad manager. It was one of the most toxic workplaces that I’ve been to in my career.
One moment, my manager gave me a rating with flying colors. He was all praise and good words. Then I went to the office one day, and suddenly the atmosphere was a lot different. There was a slight tension in the air, subtle yet still palpable. In a snap, my manager’s words went from compliments to criticisms. It was a complete 180-degree turnaround, and nothing prepared me for it.
I know that I gave my best and did what the job called for. In the end, there was no other way but to accept reality and choose well-being over money. It was sad because, of all people, I thought my manager would be the first to understand my situation.
After all, we were both breadwinners. We came to work to afford a good life for our families; nothing else. I didn’t even have the illusion of getting rich. Sadly, I had no other choice but to go because my relationship with my former manager had gotten sour.
As a breadwinner, the uncertainties of joblessness took a heavy toll on me. I was anxious most of the time, and sleep had been elusive. I had to exhaust myself just to fall asleep. And even if I slept beyond 8 hours, I still felt unrested. It took a while before I could finally get a good night’s rest. Thankfully, I was able to find a new job soon after, and my mind and body gradually recovered.
I can put all of that experience behind me, but the memory lingers. I still get bad dreams, be jolted awake with dread of going to the office, until I realize that I’ve already tendered my last day at work. It’s like a mini trauma of sorts.
You are completely aware that you’ve already gotten past a bad experience, but the emotions involuntarily surge at times. On the brighter side, I’m grateful for having the maturity not to let that experience define me. Sabi ko nga, kung bata-bata ako, baka nagmukmok pa ako nang ilang linggo.
I would’ve wanted to finish What the Dog Saw straightaway. After all, the stories were good. Then again, life doesn’t always give us the ideal situation. Oftentimes, even if our intention were good, life gives us numerous detours and distractions. We don’t always win, even if we felt that we deserved the prize. That’s our reality.
How I wish things were only black and white, or good and bad. Like how we saw things when we were young — pure and innocent. Pag mabuti, kakampi natin. Pag masama, kaaway natin. Adulthood is complicated, or shall we even say, convoluted? Ang masama ay hindi automatically bad; baka may pinagdadaanan lang kasi. Ang mabuti naman, hindi laging kakampi. Baka naman kasi may kailangan lang.
Sana easy way na lang palagi para sa ating nangangarap at nagtitiyaga.
Sorry naman, nalihis na naman ako sa topic haha. Nasa What the Dog Saw lang naman ako dapat. Kaya lang, gano’n talaga ang buhay. As I look back, literal na reflection naman kasi talaga ng mga experiences ko these past two years itong pagbabasa ko ng aklat na ito.
Will I recommend the book? Definitely. Pero kaya naman naging memorable sa akin ang pagbabasa nito dahil sa bawat story na binasa ko, ramdam ko rin ang mga naging saya at sakit ko nitong huling dalawang taon.
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