Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Quotable

"The cost of good intentions is high," said Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News) in a recent sitting with late night talk show host David Letterman.

He was making reference to the numerous donations made to Haiti (I think he said something like 37 million people made a donation via text message) that we do not see the results from. In other words, a lot of the money that gets donated is used to cover the overhead costs. And you do not necessarily see the money get used to buy food, build shelter, or provide clean / safe water.

I'm definitely in favor of seeing more of the money go towards the necessities, but where is the line drawn between necessity and overhead? I'm not sure. Do you have a clue?

Friday, August 20, 2010

Piece of Advice

If there's one thing that I would tell new graduates it would be... don't be in a rush to jump into the workforce. Take some time off. See the world. Experience new things. Enjoy life before you have to work for the rest of it.

If you were to ask me for how long... I'd say 6 months.

For those of you already working, you should try to really take a long vacation. Try to leave all the thoughts of work at work and enjoy yourself. Everyone needs a little time away... I heard them say... from the stressful environment that is work.

I've always wondered why the United States' attitude towards work is that much different from any European country. I constantly hear that European have a better work life balance.

In any case, my recent departure from my last job has given me this time to reflect on the idea of "vacation" and time away from "work." We will all work some 40-50 years. What's wrong with taking a few weeks to relieve yourself? Anyway, it's nice to have this time off from work and not have to think about tax or any work related responsibilities. You should all try it...

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

I don't understand...

Why do doctors have terrible handwriting? How do pharmacists know how the prescription reads? Is there just a mutual understanding?


Why is it that when you are late (to arrive, to pay, etc.) you have to pay a late fee, but when a servicer is late (on pick-up / delivery, on reimbursement, etc.) they don't have to pay you a fee or discount the amount due? For example, I used to request for car service going home after a late night at the office. I would set the pick-up time to be, let's say, 3AM. If I walked out of the building at 3:15AM, I was penalized for "waiting time." On the contrary, if I stepped out at exactly 3AM and had to wait until 3:15AM for the car to arrive, there was no discount on my service. What's up with that?


Why is the subway system in New York City so hot during the summer months?! I thought that being underground always meant that it should be cold... or at least cooler than street level. You know, under the same concept as a basement...


As a daily commuter on the NJ Transit bus line, I've noticed something that I find to be contrary to law. The moment that all seats on a bus become occupied, the driver announces that there is standing room only. What this means is that people can stand in the aisle until the vehicle fills up to the very front, at which point, there is a skinny white line just beside the driver as if to indicate that the bus is "full." Question: Why is it that you can stand on a bus just behind this white line which is 2 feet from the front window, but you can't sit in the back of a car without a seat belt legally?


The word "regretfully" is often falsely used... how unfortunate. The truth hurts, but lies hurt even more...........