SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY! Superbowl XLI LIVE FROM MIAMI
sorry got a little carried away... anyway, Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Head Says: Colts win, because there's one guy in this game who is ostensibly the best player in the league today, and possibly the most gifted quarterback of the last ten years (I said gifted, not most successful or most clutch, mind you, because that's Tom Brady), Peyton "Hate His Ugly Mug" Manning. Seriously, the guy looks and speaks like a hillbilly, but he works harder than anyone else, throws the best passes this side of Canton, and he has the best story coming into the Superbowl... he is the guy who could finally end his championship-less streak. Otherwise he might end up like Dan Marino... a fantastic quarterback, probably the most powerful of his generation, but also one who was never able to win the Big One.
The Heart Says: Bears win, because I hope Brian Urlacher and co. kick ass and keep Indy winless for another year. Besides I don't much like the look of the Colts' uniforms, too clean.
The Gut Says: Colts win. Considering everything, the Colts have gotten together at the right time, beat their eternal rivals (Patriots) and seem poised to finally make good on their potential. And of course Manning is the Man of Destiny, lest he become the 21st century version of Marino.
(Madden 06 says: Indy wins by two scores)
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
All Connected
Using my mobile phone I am able to send and receive photos, e-mails, video, soundbytes, and so on. It doesn't matter if I am at home, at work, in the gym, in the pool, in the car, eating or sleeping. I can make pictures, surf the internet, write a letter, listen to music, setup a meeting everywhere (at least, if a connection is available)...
...and yet there's a strange emptiness in all this. Should I actually be able to do all this at any time, in any place, no matter what I'm doing? The promise is to be able to save time, because you should be able to react and to act on information and new events nearly instantaneously. But all this actually ends up costing me more time: instead of dedicating and focusing specific moments to specific tasks (like answering my e-mail, calling a friend, gathering information about a new topic), I end up doing everything at once. That can't be effective.
What can I do about this... well for one, my phone is not set up for e-mail, so that won't be able to bother me much (my personal high was reached the past few months: more than 200 mails addressed to me personally or requiring my attention per week, spread over five addresses); I cleaned up my phonebook to just the people I call regularly; and I still pay extra for SMS, so that puts a constraint on my thumb-exercises.
So I can just focus the use of my phone on things I find useful about it: listening to radio or Mp3, reminding me of appointments, and making pictures.
...and yet there's a strange emptiness in all this. Should I actually be able to do all this at any time, in any place, no matter what I'm doing? The promise is to be able to save time, because you should be able to react and to act on information and new events nearly instantaneously. But all this actually ends up costing me more time: instead of dedicating and focusing specific moments to specific tasks (like answering my e-mail, calling a friend, gathering information about a new topic), I end up doing everything at once. That can't be effective.
What can I do about this... well for one, my phone is not set up for e-mail, so that won't be able to bother me much (my personal high was reached the past few months: more than 200 mails addressed to me personally or requiring my attention per week, spread over five addresses); I cleaned up my phonebook to just the people I call regularly; and I still pay extra for SMS, so that puts a constraint on my thumb-exercises.
So I can just focus the use of my phone on things I find useful about it: listening to radio or Mp3, reminding me of appointments, and making pictures.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Scary Stuff
The scariest things I've noticed this week:
- I can go to the hospital, and without even introducing myself the doctor and the receptionist and the radiologist know my name, my face and my appointment. How scary is that that people working in a hospital recognize you just by you walking in the room?
- I can take a day off from work, and still get called by work by 9:00 am. (Not that I pick up or anything) How scary is it that a project you work at is dependent on your input all the time?
- I got to see where I rank in the age-category at my company, and strangefully enough, I am at or near the average. That means that there's a lot of people younger than me, and that I am old. How did that happen?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
You Really Don't Want Me To Drive Do You
The process of selecting a new lease car is as quick or slow as you want it to be. If you don't really care, you don't drive a lot, you like the environment more than the ride, you'd probably not spend a lot of time on the choosing part. "Just give me anything that has four wheels and a roof and I'm golden", you say. In fact, you probably don't need a car at all.
However if you do mind, you can make a full project of selecting the best car out there. So you make a shortlist of cars or brands you like, compare the different extras and options between each other, you'll make some test drives, discuss some views with your friends or colleagues in the know, setup a budget, and so on.
Unfortunately there's this thing in the Netherlands called bijtelling. It pretty much screws up the whole deal, because it eats your net pay (literally!) like a fat guy in a snackbar. I'm sure most employers can happily pay for the monthly lease amount, because it's not that big a deal to them. Employees however have to bear the burden of covering the added tax. The alternative is to lease a cheaper car, with less extras, less exposure, less horsepower and so on.
In all fairness, if you want to drive a car, you'll have to pay for the privilege. It's just terrible though that we live in a country that doesn't trust people to drive, so much that it has to resort to paycheck stripping to discourage them.
However if you do mind, you can make a full project of selecting the best car out there. So you make a shortlist of cars or brands you like, compare the different extras and options between each other, you'll make some test drives, discuss some views with your friends or colleagues in the know, setup a budget, and so on.
Unfortunately there's this thing in the Netherlands called bijtelling. It pretty much screws up the whole deal, because it eats your net pay (literally!) like a fat guy in a snackbar. I'm sure most employers can happily pay for the monthly lease amount, because it's not that big a deal to them. Employees however have to bear the burden of covering the added tax. The alternative is to lease a cheaper car, with less extras, less exposure, less horsepower and so on.
In all fairness, if you want to drive a car, you'll have to pay for the privilege. It's just terrible though that we live in a country that doesn't trust people to drive, so much that it has to resort to paycheck stripping to discourage them.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Locked Out
Now: you spend a long time in the office just to avoid all the chaos and traffic during the worst storm in sixteen years. You end up driving home at about one hour past midnight, and everything seems to be okay (apart from all the tree branches on the road).
And then you arrive home and find the door doesn't open...
Argh!
Now, how was your storm experience?
And then you arrive home and find the door doesn't open...
Argh!
Now, how was your storm experience?
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Pattern of growth
Once you start something new - be it in your work, with people, in a new activity - you would be very reactive in your approach. You react to events, which at that point are all new. You have to adapt continuously to everything because you've had little to no experience with the subject matter. Basically it all boils down to not knowing what to expect.
Most people do okay in this reactive phase. People can adapt quite well and perform as best suited to them. A rare few may have genuine talent for the task, and thus not just do okay but even do very well. In the end though people still react to outside and current stimuli.
Once you gain more experience, confidence, skill and so on people become more proactive in their ways. They have learned which events require their utmost attention and which are negligible. They know when certain events or topics are due and anticipate on their outcome. They know what is important to accomplish the task and manipulate their surroundings to suit.
Proaction is being able to perform ahead of events, either by preparing for their occurance, or to be in a position where you can reap the most rewards from them. If you are really good, you can completely flesh out a full scenario with everything that could possibly impact the outcome of the task, and have the measures to control each factor.
But this is not the ultimate behaviour people should grow to. Eventually people grow so experienced that they not only anticipate on expected events, but can actually initiate unexpected events as well, which others have to adapt to. Only a select few can actually accomplish this. These people are called entrepreneurs.
Most people do okay in this reactive phase. People can adapt quite well and perform as best suited to them. A rare few may have genuine talent for the task, and thus not just do okay but even do very well. In the end though people still react to outside and current stimuli.
Once you gain more experience, confidence, skill and so on people become more proactive in their ways. They have learned which events require their utmost attention and which are negligible. They know when certain events or topics are due and anticipate on their outcome. They know what is important to accomplish the task and manipulate their surroundings to suit.
Proaction is being able to perform ahead of events, either by preparing for their occurance, or to be in a position where you can reap the most rewards from them. If you are really good, you can completely flesh out a full scenario with everything that could possibly impact the outcome of the task, and have the measures to control each factor.
But this is not the ultimate behaviour people should grow to. Eventually people grow so experienced that they not only anticipate on expected events, but can actually initiate unexpected events as well, which others have to adapt to. Only a select few can actually accomplish this. These people are called entrepreneurs.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Rugs. Pulling. From. Under.
Politics is not a fun game to play. In fact it's quite irritating that you can actually win with skills that seemingly have nothing to do with the game at hand. Looking nice, or having the most campaign money win you the presidency sooner than having a good story or a noble nature.
What's worse is that politics often involve you, even when you're not playing in that game yourself. For instance you could try to shape your career as best as possible, and your manager is trying to help you with that, but your boss blocks it, because his interests are best served by blocking the manager's.
That last one is the worst. Not being able to do anything, apart from acting like a petulant child, and just being thrown around between two raging bulls.
I vow to be in the position where I choose which games to play, or be played in.
What's worse is that politics often involve you, even when you're not playing in that game yourself. For instance you could try to shape your career as best as possible, and your manager is trying to help you with that, but your boss blocks it, because his interests are best served by blocking the manager's.
That last one is the worst. Not being able to do anything, apart from acting like a petulant child, and just being thrown around between two raging bulls.
I vow to be in the position where I choose which games to play, or be played in.
Friday, January 12, 2007
I don't believe this...
1. Just to make your dishes smell better in the dishwasher, our favorite dishwashing fluid has added perfume to its arsenal some time ago. Now when you open the machine after the programme has done its job, your entire cutlery, all your plates smell like a Chanel No. 5... sort of.
People actually complained about the smell, so now our favorite dishwashing fluid maker has also made, get this, a smell neutralizer to put in the washer.
2. Is there actually no one else that finds two ice skating shows, running simultaneously, depicting the very same vapid, interchangeable, semi-famous Dutch people, a little bit overkill?
People actually complained about the smell, so now our favorite dishwashing fluid maker has also made, get this, a smell neutralizer to put in the washer.
2. Is there actually no one else that finds two ice skating shows, running simultaneously, depicting the very same vapid, interchangeable, semi-famous Dutch people, a little bit overkill?
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Gathering Info
My Modus Operandi for every new situation I'm in, is as follows:
BLAM!!
- look around, observe; take up every little detail in the environment, the people, the relationships. get a feel for the place
- don't look out of place, but don't be too familiar either. I'm not here to play games, but we have to build some level of trust
- take time to think; I will not be pushed or pulled until I get an idea where I want to go
BLAM!!
- Attack, Full On, or Sideways. Subtly or out-in-the-open. It depends on who I'm dealing with.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Ruthless Aggression
Most people who know me a little bit would say I'm not a calm character. I yell, I slap, I curse and generally make it well known if things are not going my way. I can lash out with the best of them, and I will chew out everyone who gets in my way.
However, if you really think this is my standard demeanor, then you'd be quite mistaken. If you think I am an emotional person, then you'd be wrong.
Emotions to me are those feelings - when you take away all reason - is that which doesn't go away. You don't choose to be emotional. You're either sad, or happy or you're not. I however choose to be aggressive, if it gets my point across or serves my purpose. (Of course that's not to say that I don't occasionally shout out, but those specific instances are rare.)
If you are truly emotional, you let all your feelings just flow over you. If you feel like crying, you do. If you are in love, you zoom around like you're walking on clouds. That is definitely not the case with me. You'd see I'm tired, you'd see I was mad (but that may be my intention), but you would never see me miserable, or sympathetic.
I grew up being told never to cry and never to show emotions, and that has completely messed up my emotional growth. The only outlet I have in fact is frustration. Thankfully most people (most men actually) have the same problem. Apparently it is (was) the way society told men to follow. Be strong, be all business. Never show weakness.
Of course this was the source of many jokes about the differences between men and women.
The aggression, the frustration, it is not an emotion. It is not a cause, not even a symptom. It is a means to an end.
However, if you really think this is my standard demeanor, then you'd be quite mistaken. If you think I am an emotional person, then you'd be wrong.
Emotions to me are those feelings - when you take away all reason - is that which doesn't go away. You don't choose to be emotional. You're either sad, or happy or you're not. I however choose to be aggressive, if it gets my point across or serves my purpose. (Of course that's not to say that I don't occasionally shout out, but those specific instances are rare.)
If you are truly emotional, you let all your feelings just flow over you. If you feel like crying, you do. If you are in love, you zoom around like you're walking on clouds. That is definitely not the case with me. You'd see I'm tired, you'd see I was mad (but that may be my intention), but you would never see me miserable, or sympathetic.
I grew up being told never to cry and never to show emotions, and that has completely messed up my emotional growth. The only outlet I have in fact is frustration. Thankfully most people (most men actually) have the same problem. Apparently it is (was) the way society told men to follow. Be strong, be all business. Never show weakness.
Of course this was the source of many jokes about the differences between men and women.
The aggression, the frustration, it is not an emotion. It is not a cause, not even a symptom. It is a means to an end.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Selling
From the wikipedia: "In professional wrestling, the sell is the element of making the action (the wrestling move) appear to be at least somewhat realistic to the crowd."
Now when we try to sell products to our customers, we pretty much do the same. We make whatever we propose somewhat realistic and attractive to the customer.
There's also something called no-selling, and overselling. In our case, it would mean we either treat the customer like shit, or we offer something that is over-the-top, out-of-our-league, out-of-our-mind.
Now ideally we would be selling, but more often than not, we do the oversell. If the market allows, we would no-sell. Why do either? It's hard to find the right mark. And only the boys and girls who can effectively sell, are the ones who can keep the attention of the crowd (and thus sell tickets).
Now when we try to sell products to our customers, we pretty much do the same. We make whatever we propose somewhat realistic and attractive to the customer.
There's also something called no-selling, and overselling. In our case, it would mean we either treat the customer like shit, or we offer something that is over-the-top, out-of-our-league, out-of-our-mind.
Now ideally we would be selling, but more often than not, we do the oversell. If the market allows, we would no-sell. Why do either? It's hard to find the right mark. And only the boys and girls who can effectively sell, are the ones who can keep the attention of the crowd (and thus sell tickets).
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Guess that McLaren SLR will have to wait
Of course, you all hope you're a little bit richer after New Years, and that your lucky number finally pays off. That finally the television cameras head your way to interview you, hand you the keys to your new car (*cough* Nissan Micra *cough*), or a big five foot cardboard cheque with at least a six figure number...
You'll all be happy to know that I had the grand total winnings of...
Zero
Nil
Zilch
So that means that one of you guys actually won something in the lottery! Congrats! Let's Drink!
You'll all be happy to know that I had the grand total winnings of...
Zero
Nil
Zilch
So that means that one of you guys actually won something in the lottery! Congrats! Let's Drink!
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