"Mayfly" is inspired from the Vodafone Ad - Mayfly. Despite the short lifespan, it's living life being curious, daring, and with due respect (in other words, zip respect for idiots).
I find this fascinating. But I suppose you do go through the cycle of wanting friends badly and frantically and then realizing that you have probably added more pest in your life than friends. So here's the solution.
A few years back I started the habit of having new year resolutions for myself, it's less because I wanted to, but mostly because I have all these goals and little intentions to achieve them. But according to some motivational books I read back then, it said, "writing down your goals motivates you to do 'em".
I have started writing them down since then, and in a way the book was right. In fact it has gone so far into making into my daily work task list, where I made a point that if it isn't on my task list on the day, it won't be done. If it is, it will be.
Sometimes I don't understand myself, why, I hate conflicts,
It could be because the fact that;
I am born the year of the goat,
or the month of Aquarius,
or the fact that I am different, brought up, history, or probably both.
I came from a small town, a really small town. A town that has it's own credentials, but small, which justifiably fades into the background, because nowaday everything is almost about power.
And my home town has no power, or status, anymore. Economics has justifiably export all that is worth. Nowadays, there's actually little left, but our roots, and dignity. Asked why we would sell everything? To the name of economics. Which is probably debatable as a separate topic.
But people from a small town, at times still do appreciate different things; like the ability to fish, toy through rivers, experiment with mud, trees, and probably everything thing else that in a way that the city kids were deprived of.
In the sense that all that is lost, there's actually a history that is not hard to understand. We actually don't want to let go easily of what we know, because we don't want to.
I think being a manager is a bit like being a parent sometime; when you can no longer pick your favourites, and you start to recognise that you're actually personally responsible for the wellbeing of the people less authoritative than you.
And you should no longer ask, "hey how's going", and ignore the response.
And you might just be ready, when you no longer ask, "hey how's going", just because you have to, you ask, because you wanted to.
" If the surge in greenhouse gas emissions is not halted, Earth will be on course within the next decade for warming that will inflict hunger, misery, disease and homelessness on many millions of people, say experts."
I don't think earthlings are necessarily all evil, when sense gets beat into them as they mature, they do tend to mellow and become a little less self centered; however *generally* still amazingly short sighted, unfortunately.
p/s Avatar does have an important message to deliver, even though it should already be obvious. Do watch it if you like.
Leading isn't that hard, most of the time involves caring about other people more than yourself, or at least good at faking that you do care about other people more than yourself.
Globalization is a double edge knife. The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer, someone who's from a country of stronger currency could deserve a much better life from your resources, even though you both worked just as hard in life - you're just not as lucky.
Sometimes I wonder how much we care about our young, next generation. I know we give them *most of the time* direct support, love, care, but indirectly, do we?
You know that as individual, people, countries; we borrow money right?
The simple concept of borrowing money means you're essentially trying to afford/enjoy something NOW which you haven't yet earn, in another words - cannot afford.
The concept of lending, printing money and issuing bonds would do just that and we do that everyday day; as a nation, earthlings, we are essentially borrowing "resource" from the future in the form of money so we can afford what we cannot afford now.
Yes you can argue that besides the overeating, over-indulgence, and over explorations are all part of the process of building the infrastructure and systems for our future generation. But imagine this:
" Dear unborn, when you read this I will no longer be here, we love you which is why we have built you sky scrapers, buildings, and banking systems! But we regret to have left you no porkchops, no more seafood, no green forrest, oh and here're some 100 year bond bills that mature.. probably about now, don't forget to pay okay or they may charge interest on top. Love, Past generation."
Xmas Drinkies, as much as you like to think that it's different, it's all the same.
Tonight I ran into this old-ish guy at work drinkies today, he asked what I do at work, rather than saying I work for my company, I was bluntly honest, "yes I work here, I manage the supply chain, and at the end of the day, it's not what products I look after, I make the process work", somehow he was utterly impressed, and said I got it sussed.
He's in the same industry as me, he admits he's in the business of managing people - be it his past role in Manufacturing, Mining, Finance, and then support and then Account Manager.
To him, it's all the same, to him, it's the people.
Life's like a roadmap isn't? There are many reasons as to why there are many ways to get to the same point, and on the same token there are also many ways to get there or not get there, because it's your choice.
Today I figured one of the only ways to get the cub is to walk into the Lion's lair - I think it wasn't a matter of desperation, I just did, the cub purred.
I think it's sad for someone to live an extremely logical life: when you can predict what your bosses want, which project is gonna stuff up (and thus you actually secretly fix it in the backend), when you can answer almost everything your bosses and colleagues are trying to find fault on, when you can clearly distinguish between the desire to have stir fry or pasta that day, or your thirst for a glass of port vs a red wine to go with it, and clearly see what it means to be human like how a cat couldn't resist a swaying string.
When little actually surprises you, but the illogical side of you that you hide.
" Although today is always the first day of the rest of your life, you can't hope to change everything, forever, in an instant. You are a product of all your yesterdays and if you try to cut yourself adrift from these, you may find that the boat of good intention soon sinks in the ocean of habit and tradition. " - Cainer
There's sometime this conspiracy theory at work that management will switch coffee supplies into the worst brand of coffees so that no one would drink it - How much do you think management will save?
I dunno how much companies can save, but I know how much people can spend otherwise out of pockets.
1. Instant coffee - freeze dry/plunger coffees. Average $0.50 a day.
2. Sometimes espressos from the coffee guy $4 a pop.
That's an average of $130 a year up to $1040 per annum, per person.
When I go somewhere, most of the time I will choose the long way, or the "wrong" way, because that's when I will learn something, or least learn something about myself.
And so we can't always win, we can't have it all, we're not always right, and we're definitely not perfect - so we must be somewhere in between, right?
So it's possible that we're, life is, a constant flux of affairs. Because we are a bit of everything that make up the way that we're. We're not perfect, we may defy change, but we're unique.
My dad calls me an autistic child the other day due to my inability to respect widely recognized authorities - I said from a personal perspective respect should be earned, and he said I am just autistic.
Autistic:
• a mental condition in which fantasy dominates over reality, as a symptom of schizophrenia and other disorders.
I still disagree.
No kidding I just think we're different.
If you want to employ a traditionalist you tell them job security, and if you want to employ generation X or Y for goodness sake tell 'em it's an opportunity.
As I was having dinner tonight my mum mentioned that she read about my horoscope fortune for next year and she said it's very me - I was surprised that she even read that stuff.
Aquarius 2010:
It's easy for you to make big money if you work hard, and there are also times when you're so broke that it's not even funny, but not as if it bothers you either way because money to you is just a mean to an end.
(wow.. what an exciting year to look fw to.. zzzz)
I think as beings we will eventually and conveniently brush aside all the glory, pains and tribulations that we'd been through, whether if its the pain of giving birth, or the market crash of 1929, 1987-9, 1997, or 2008, or the wars.
It's either an intrinsic desire to make peace so we can continue on as a race, or we are simply forgetful, either way, it's a mean to an end so that life indeed goes on - like it or not.
I was watching discovery channel the other day, and the "rocket scientists" in the show claim that it's possible that there're 7 plans/dimensions in our universe, contrary to the 3-dimensions which we are accustomed to. Interesting huh. And it's possible that the other extra plans are IN FACT, heaven and hell. Well well. I wonder if there's a different door price to those plans.
Undeniably. There are great people who discovered and invented amazing things in our lives, and also some who're not so great and like air heads who somehow managed to propel to the top with god knows what.
In life there are some people who end up with things they either don't deserve or didn't work hard enough for, but the majority of us ain't that lucky, unfortunately.
So most of us logically end up with things that we do work hard for. In other words, we also start losing the things we'd given up on.
I have managed to hit the bulls eye miraculously when I focus. I have also managed to dodge every kid on the snow field by looking away. I have learnt to believe.
Ever wonder why the heros in any movies tend to live forever while the insignificant ones barely make it past the first bullet attack?
Such is life actually. We all think that we're great and without that self esteem there would be no civilization, but the reality is no one makes it out alive, so really, one way or another it's actually not a big deal being great or not and for a couple of grand I can buy myself into a castle visit that would have me beheaded a few hundred years ago, "king who?".
1. I'd spend hours trying to wax every bit of my leather car bits. I love my car. It took me many wrong decisions to arrive to this car, it's not perfect, but it's what I wanted. If some bastard happen to steal my car, chances are I'll probably try buy the same one again.
2. My of my thumbed sized cichlid fish is sick, and I tried to make it better by rubbing iodine solution on it's wound, I still hope it'll live.
3. I handmade special food for my axolotls which consist of a special blend of salmon pellets and axolotl tuckers, it's perfect and they're getting fatter.
4. I realised that if you can get paid just as much being a president and a baker, it's probably more satisfying being a baker.
How I'd love to play piano - I'd come to believe that other than snowboarding which I have some talent for, I have little talent for everything else including piano.
Besides the point, I really like the song 'Colours of the Wind' featured in Pocahontas. It is indeed some kids fairy tales, but there's much depth to what the story is trying to tell people, and you wonder if it's really possible for anyone to be able to "paint with all the colours of the wind" - as in live life to the fullest.
There's this love song which I like by Sammi, it's a love song (like any others) but they wrote a part of the lyrics so beautifully to reflect the reality of what will be will be.
" if it's not meant for me, it doesn't matter how close your shoulder is to mine, what's not mine will still slip through between us.... these scattered lines within my palm, please let me extend them for you, and our scattered lines... even if they've mistakenly crossed path, how would I want them to separate... "
My manager also thought that it'll take me 3 months to settle into the role and 1 year to fix whatever I need to fix. The reality is (I think) it took me less than that - a few weeks into the role, I ged-it. Not perfect, but I get it enough to work with it.
Truth is. Instead of learning what I need to do, and the steps to do it - I also enquire the underlying reasons behind it. Very probing and uncomfortable to the person who's handing over the skills, but by knowing the "whys", I am learning instead how the system is driven and designed, and by knowing that, I can maneuver around it without learning the steps to do it.
My manager (whom I reported to for 3 weeks so far) has been seconded to a project role for the next 6 months, he doesn't sound too pleased with it, and the reason that he got seconded was because he got recognised through his feedback on a significant project - mainly to ensure that the project was done right, and already he can see the many things that could go wrong.
He said that he may have been better off keeping his mouth zip - like a life of muteness, when you're not suppose to question things.
My concience is actually a blessing and a curse in the sense of business acumen - when I see a run over hedgehog of some sort, I would think of both a destroyed natural habitat and also a fast rising property investment opportunity.
But because of my conflicting conscience, I often do nothing.
As I age, I feel more aware of the preciousness of time, arguebly it's the first hour after I wake up where I either have a very satisfying cup of coffee or a good 10 min catch up with my family before I leave for work.
Work's been absolutely flat out. I can't remember the last time I continuously put almost 12 solid hours into a work day (unfortunately salaried staff seldom get time in lieu or over time anymore - so why bother), but now I did.
I wanted to drop by to see D today. Because I can't seem to recall what happened between the time D called till the time I was able to call back.
Lost moments, traded as time, but no longer a commodity to me.
Ever wonder why religious practices often involve some sort of chanting?
I'll be interested to know, but seems like there's no straight forward answers.
But I believe that chanting and its rhythms probably mimic the conditions in our fetal development stages, you know that silent sound when you close your ears/being under water; a place where our mind, body and 'soul' slowly develops, and is probably the time where we are most receptive.
And chanting could well be a way to reignite that receptivity and assist in developing beliefs.
That's my theory anyway - words from an unreligious person.
Sometimes people wonder why am not on the production floor designing chemical reactors or process designs.
The answer is simple. It's just not my thang. Initially I thought I was gonna end up as a biochemical mad scientist who will find cure to any diseases possible. I realised that's just plain idiotic naiveness through the process of slowly 'growing-up'. Given the chance, I don't even give two rats about going into space anymore. In fact, I hate flying.
Anyways. As for the similarity between designing a process workflow and a management system?
Probably very similar, garbage in = garbage out. Think about it, it's not that difficult.
Sometimes I think the career ladder is a bit like an arcade game, you survive one stage to another, collecting experiences and tools along the way, while seldom knowing what might come up next or what collection/tools may help you onto the next stage. Life is like so, but unlike games, you only get to have one go at it.
I read this book - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho a few years ago now, it used to be one of my favourite books. Many years later I am actually very surprised that it still sit in the top 20 book list at Whitcoulls, and Boaders Bookshops etc.
Pity those lost souls. But anyways.
If you can't be bothered reading this book which you'll probably end up loving or hating. Well, it's about finding oneself in the journey, growing up in the process, and ultimately discovering what you're looking for (which probably has always been there - one of the painful realities about life).
Sometimes my latest job reminds me of my first job, something like the beginning of my career. I was discontent with my first job, because basically... I thought I can do a lot more than that - typical frustration of being a 20-something, despite being in a company with everything to offer.
Nowadays, I call that frustration, well.. probably plain ungratefulness.
Because after my first job, I've then changed a few jobs in a few countries, and I think I start to realise that it's not what's on the outside which you're craving, it's driven from within.. nothing wrong with that, except...
You start to realise that you're probably not the smartest thing since Einstein, even if you're, Einstein didn't live a filthy rich life so there you have it, and while the company may lack of everything you can think of, but at least it still makes more money than your talk-only-no-action approach, and even if you get more hot potatoes than flowers in life, such is life; you learnt to deal with it.
.. words of wisdom. Am sure you've read it somewhere somehow, if not, here it is.
Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your Self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault , so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
I long thought about the many reasons why a selective of people are less educated and stupid relative to other countries sometime.
1. Cost of reading materials, ie. relative to the living standard of that country, a typical American pays $10 for a book compared to a cost of at least three times that amount elsewhere, more like $30. Which means, by the time you can afford a book, a typical American would have probably bought three. Sux huh.
2. Most libraries don't stock anything proper for whatever reasons - it's either that the books are too old for my generation, or it'll take 3 months for me to waitlist the book that I want, or they just DON'T HAVE THE BOOK that I want altogether.
3. The transport system sucks, so everyone drives. Instead of the average 20 - 60mins time catching public transport where you can read/catch sleep, you concentrate on driving instead and try not to kill anyone.
I think if we can resolve the above three points, not only the people will become smarter, their disposable income will also increase, plus the additional time and money saved will definitely contribute positively to the country's GDP somehow. Win-win-win.
" People who think they're too smart for politics shall be managed by people dumber instead" - Unknown, or TBC.
New Zealand has recently launched a new mobile network called 2 Degrees. I must say that they did a VERY good job at it (am in the stage of switching over), it is irresistible, because they did their homework in finding probably all the answers to the silent questions as to why anyone would say no.
When I quit last year with the opportunity to do whatever I like to make a living, I was bored to the core, and I swear I'll never quit work again.
It's hard to admit, but the time off has allowed me to again miss those stupid people, frantic phone calls at 8am in the morning, the so call "important meetings", or only having time to much two biscuits for the whole day because I was so busy.
This week, even a pack of minties from work seemed to have make it all worth it.
I find myself getting more excited about the new car than the new job.. is it a problem? Maybe.
You know, after years of working, I realised that it's all the same - eventually you learn to compromise. People are seldom satisfy with what they have, and if they do, the world would come to a grinding halt and we would all still be living in caves. Obviously not the case.
There's always something not good enough about where you work and what you're doing - too much politics, too little opportunities, people talk too much about rugby, people talk too much about computer games.. the list goes on, and you're interested in none of them. Even not having a job is a boring mission on its on.
But eventually you will, because you will learn to compromise.
" You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both." - Bill Gates
I think this idea is absolutely brilliant. Started out with an innocent conversation of a mutual admiration of bacon, two guys, a garage, a $5,000 prize from winning the American Funniest video. Viola, Baconsalt was born. Apparently it's something you can put on anything including ice-creams, yes baconlovers.
I was watching an "ER" type of show on TV tonight, and I find white blood cells immensely fascinating. They look like aliens that comes out at night, crawling through your skin/membranes and lengthen out their arms like an octopus to repair damage sites, or eat up dead cells..
I'd a weird dream the other night. Apparently I was traveling somewhere, and then it so happened that my time has come - by that I mean to die, you know when death come find you kinda thing?
So guess what I did?
I ran away.
While running and hiding away from death, I was found! The odd twist is.. the death who came for me, was me. My mirror image then grabbed me and said I have to go with her, before we could walk out of my hiding place and go die, she turned around and said, "oh actually, we just missed the slot, oh well, you're free now".
Weird huh.
Anyways and back in real life, I've recently landed a role back in the corporate, and got myself a car on the same day. I'd like to call this my new life.
Get the latest market update here including a brief historical review of our share market. (life should be fun.. and my fragmented mind is needing a rest)
Fate, is a rather elusive subject, don't you think. I am not a subject expert of astrology, palm reading, i-Ching, religion or cultural practices that has been pass on from generation to generation, so much so that we even stop questioning it. However, I don't deny reasons for it's existence, there must be one, and valid at least at the time.
As we grow older, I think we tend to be more aware of signs; you know, like learning to never touch a hot stove pot again. Like a supposedly smooth sailing life cycle of growing up, finding work, growing old.. etc.
But if we keep disrupting this cycle, do we actually risk breaking something? Or was it fate trying to guide us elsewhere rather than keeping us on the road most travelled? So either way, fate is at play? Like the Matrix huh.
Ever feeling definite that the world is against you sometime? That feeling where if you have done something different at that split second, the whole outcome would be different.
" I'm walking into spiderwebs so leave a message and I'll call you back .. And it's all your fault" - Spiderweb, No Doubt.
I must admit that I am a rather proud person, I'd like to call it confidence, other call it ego. I think it steams from being optimistic, having time as my greatest asset, I have little to lose, and my skin is thick - I became unafraid to fail.
But over time. I realised that I am starting to have a few regrets..
1) Sometimes I scarifies much too much of the present moment for the future. Like working 5 evenings a week including weekends while I was a teenager, and skipping way too many lunches and club activities while at uni because I was too caught up in the lab. Which I don't think it matters much in the end.
2) Time is indeed an asset, one should never stop learning. However, sometimes I felt I am starting to spend much too much time learning, instead of performing.
3) The ability to earn passive income has become one of my greatest assets, however I wonder if the price I paid has exceeded it's benefits. Hm.
4) Being reckless, I chuck myself at the deep end way too many times. Bad timing has struck me big time, yet I still wanted change at the worst of time.
5) I only recently started making up my bed.
6) I hoped that I knew before what I know now.
In saying that, it's true, regrets are truly futile. Like chewing gums.
If you're on Facebook, you'd probably played the game Mafia War, or hopefully heard of it. It's a bit like the game monopoly, you know, you build your empire, growing it by buying more assets etc etc, except Mafia War requires you to recruit more member, survive on the streets, "rob" people, buy weapons and armors so you won't be snuffed by your Mafia competitions etc.
The problem with me in the game is that, I realised that I don't like robbing people, and I don't like beating people up, the only thing that makes sense to me is to survive, and save enough money so that I can buy assets. I am afraid that this actually reflects badly on my Mafia career... (probably in real life too I realised..)
Because throughout my Mafia career, I invest little in my violent skills, weapons and armors. I'd been badly beaten, robbed of my money, other Mafia's been dealing danage to my properties. At one point, the money that I was saving isn't enough to heal myself at the hospital, nor fix up my damaged properties, let alone buying more assets! It sux. AND the most annoying bit is that the stronger Mafia people KEEPS COMING BACK to rob and beat me up because they know am weak! But I suffered in silence, believing in my own Mafia ethics... while slowly, slowly accumulating assets.
Then finally patience and my plan pays off. I have now became wealthy and successful in Mafia War, and don't get me wrong.. I am still weak and people still beat me up and try to rob me, except... I have more than enough money to do anything I want, INCLUDING paying for a hitman to rid of anyone that pisses me off. Revenge has never been so sweet. ^^
Lately my trading reminds me of being in sales or running your own business. Sometimes you never know when you gonna close that next big account, or end up in donut club for the next few months. Actually, bit like a property broker too, selling a house here and there.
The difference? It's like deciding if you gonna be an entrepreneur, or a corporate slave.
The option to pick between a secured income with a career path 'lack' in opportunities, or an unpredictable income with potentially an abundance of opportunities?
Prune One, obviously number one in launching one of the MOST environmental unfriendly product eva. EACH PRUNE INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED IN PLASTIC! So each time you had one of these things, remember, EACH WRAP will take maybe 1,000 years to degrade. Your grandchildren and great great great grandchildren will be sure to remember us LONNNNGGG time to come.
You know.. considering a career change is like deciding on having a second tattoo at times, probably because you didn't like the first one enough, or maybe, it's a mistake, or, you've changed.
So you may want to tattoo over your old tattoo if at all possible, otherwise.. maybe you can start again with a second tattoo, and hopefully this time, it'll be a work of art. And like having tattoos, you can only do it so many times before you screw up your whole canvas and look stupid.
Your canvas, likewise time, is your only asset; however valuable, but exhaustible.
If you trade, have a mortgage, you'll probably heard of the name Alan Greenspan, who's the ex chairman of the Federal Reserve of the US from 1987 - 2006. I used to remember how cautious people are towards what he says and how he says it, to the point where if he sneezes, the world would catch a cold.
Anyway, he's important, because he "controls" the interest rate. If you have a mortgage, and imagine it being a noose (close enough huh?) you'll know that the interest rate is almost directly proportional to how tight the noose felt around your neck. Which is why, you'll want to know when he next wants to toy around with it.
To the point where CNBC created a gimmick called the "briefcase indicator", in which cameras will follow Alan Greenspan into his morning fed meetings. If the briefcase is thin, it means the economy is going fine and there won't be a rate hike anytime soon, in contrary, if the suitcase is stuffed full, it means lotcha work has been done and a rate hike is looming. Facinating huh?
But in Alan Greenspan's own words, " .. for the records, the briefcase indicator was not accurate. The fatness of my briefcase was solely a function of whether I had packed my lunch."
So there you have it. The "briefcase indicator" explained.
" Ambition can be pretty heady, like an expensive perfume or that new car smell, and you're both drawn to it and a little afraid of it. Ambition, like most strong forces, is an excellent servant but a bad master. As long as you remain aware of your ambition and make sure it doesn't get too outsized, you should be just fine. So go ahead and reach for the stars -- they're reaching back." - Yahoo Astrology.
A Redneck from Pohickey, Alabama walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going to Paris on an international redneck festival for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank.
The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the Redneck handed over the keys to a new Ferrari. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The Redneck produced the title and everything checked out. The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest.
Later, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Redneck from the south for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral for a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's private underground garage and parked it.
Two weeks later, the Redneck returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest of $23.07. The loan officer said, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out on Dunn & Bradstreet and found that you are a highly sophisticated investor and multimillionaire with real estate and financial interests all over the world. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"
The good 'ol Alabama boy replied, "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?"
I remember the time when employment figures was hitting news every other day (Unemployment, lowest in the last 26 years!!) you can easily stretch your CV a little and get to where you want to be.
Like,
I drink 12 coffees a day, from the coffee aroma, I can tell which brand and where the beans are sourced from. Thus, I can be a gifted Coffee Specialist, hire me. (there's actually such a role mind you).
Employers used to look for every reason to hire you during the good times, and every reason NOT to hire you during the bad times. Like now.
Recently I've discovered a new feeling of passion, re career. It's a bit like showing a banana and a human face to test a monkey's preference.
In comparison, and as humans, I think we tend to over-analyse things. Between two jobs, we'll think about the pay, the company, future prospects, the role itself, the people etc etc. THEN we make a judgement as to which one we will go for.
However recently, I read of a simple type of role, somehow it makes my eyes glow, my heart soar and sent all my reasons out the window. wow..
But actually, I've explained myself, it's like showing a banana vs a human face, to a monkey. Except, I am not a monkey. So I shall continue the torture with reasons.
There're many superstition and terror during times of eclipses. Understandably so because in the old days.. birds would stop chirping, dogs would howl and the world would suddenly be plunge into darkness. Boo.
Well now we know that it's only our moon passing between the sun and the earth.
But if you believe in astrology... eclipses are times of change. Something along the line of doors closing and new doors wildly being swung open. Now that's exciting isn't?!
If Healthcare is really the next big thing, you know, as with the emerging dot.coms back then which pretty much revolutionise the way we do things, like.. instead of asking for an address so you can send them a snail mail, you ask, "are you on Facebook?"
It would be a freak to not own a computer today.
But if we pride ourselves on healthcare being the next big thing and a new industry on it's own.. I am actually skeptical as to how far it can go. You know, more affordable healthcare would be the norm, but can it overhaul the world out of this recession? Or are we talking about chip implants, maybe a back eye or a third limb?
Would it be a freak to not own a brain chip in the future?
I supposed when I quit my job last year around Oct, I didn't think the econ was going to be this bad. Unemployment is still rising (I am referring to the States), fast approaching 10%, and in some States it has already reached 11%, and we are talking about millions of people here, some barely have enough money to survive beyond 3 months (thanks to bad financial education and credit cards).. What to do, what to do.
The interesting fact is.. The last time the world econ was in such bad shape was probably 1929 (and let's not talk about that since it's before I was even born), so the closest would be year 1987. Very similar scenarios, bailouts (Citibank was bailout then, they're being bailed out again this time round, time has changed nothing and we've learnt little huh?) credit crunches and unemployment..
The notable difference to me between now and then.. is the emerging of the dot.com industries, which pretty much revolutionized the many things we do today, you know... better faster hardwares and softwares, dot.com, the silicon valleys etc. The emerging of big names we know today like Yahoo, Google, Ebay, Amazon.. etc.
The creation of a new industry (in this instant dot.coms) which started probably 1994 (right after the 1987 crash) has pretty much resolved much of the unemployment issues. What goes with that? With employment there's income, there's demand for new offices, luxury items, business travels etc etc etc.
But now.. I wonder if the new proclaimed industry is going to resolve the unemployment issue, so we can party like it's 1994 and get ourselves out of this mess, so I can at least fudge my CV a little and get to where I wanted to be (Thanks to Bush! *shakes fist!*)
Is Healthcare and Green Industries really our next hope?
I trade shares from time to time, it's good side income if you know what you're doing.
Today just happen to be one of those days that you're 1 Cent too greedy and lost the plot, followed by the dawn of perfect reasons to start beating yourself up. It's one of those things that would echo with traders who trades rather frequently.
BECAUSE of that 1 Cent, it fell through, and this share I was trading went from an upside of +7% to a downside of -8% within the day. Yeap, -8%, if you think that's not a lot, well I betcha won't get +8% interest from the bank no more, in which you have to wait ONE year for the bank to credit you the full interest.
Anyway. I have learnt not to beat myself up over certain things. It's one of those days where I can only trade with the best of my knowledge, in the absence of "privileged" information, ie. rumours or insider trading news (which can be illegal to obtain by the way). I can only do so much.
Basically she gave an earnings upgrade on Goldman Sach, Walls Street's largest and still surviving Investment Bank, and due to release it's earning just a couple of days after that. With her reputation on the line as the second best stock picker in the world (I wonder how people come up with such titles) and the Worlds Top 50 Most Powerful Women..
As I grow up, I realised that my new year resolutions is less and less about "myself", and more and more about someone/something else.
But according to Chinese Tarot...
There's this love song which I like by Sammi, it's a love song (like any others) but they wrote a part of the lyrics so beautifully to reflect the reality of what will be will be.
My concience is actually a blessing and a curse in the sense of business acumen - when I see a run over hedgehog of some sort, I would think of both a destroyed natural habitat and also a fast rising property investment opportunity.
Ever wonder why religious practices often involve some sort of chanting? 
I read this book - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho a few years ago now, it used to be one of my favourite books. Many years later I am actually very surprised that it still sit in the top 20 book list at Whitcoulls, and Boaders Bookshops etc. 
Rather mind boggling don't you think?
I long thought about the many reasons why a selective of people are less educated and stupid relative to other countries sometime. 
New Zealand has recently launched a new mobile network called 2 Degrees. I must say that they did a VERY good job at it (am in the stage of switching over), it is irresistible, because they did their homework in finding probably all the answers to the silent questions as to why anyone would say no. 
What you don't have, you want.
I think this idea is absolutely brilliant. Started out with an innocent conversation of a mutual admiration of bacon, two guys, a garage, a $5,000 prize from winning the American Funniest video. Viola, Baconsalt was born. Apparently it's something you can put on anything including ice-creams, yes baconlovers.
I was watching an "ER" type of show on TV tonight, and I find white blood cells immensely fascinating. They look like aliens that comes out at night, crawling through your skin/membranes and lengthen out their arms like an octopus to repair damage sites, or eat up dead cells..
" I'm walking into spiderwebs so leave a message and I'll call you back .. And it's all your fault" - Spiderweb, No Doubt.
You know.. considering a career change is like deciding on having a second tattoo at times, probably because you didn't like the first one enough, or maybe, it's a mistake, or, you've changed.
I remember the time when employment figures was hitting news every other day (Unemployment, lowest in the last 26 years!!) you can easily stretch your CV a little and get to where you want to be.
Recently I've discovered a new feeling of passion, re career. It's a bit like showing a banana and a human face to test a monkey's preference.
I trade shares from time to time, it's good side income if you know what you're doing. 
.jpg)
