Visualize the "Crisis"
http://vimeo.com/3261363
I found this nice animation that visualizes how this "crisis" came to be. For those who want to know how it came to be, this is an informative video on how anything in excess is bad. For those (like me) who have had enough of words like "crisis" and "recession", you do not deserve more of this negativity.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
WWW
It was a Web Work Weekend. I was a busy netizen throughout the weekend and it was just last night that I realized, "Weekend over, work tomorrow" With how many people searching for jobs today, I won't cringe on that anymore though I know very well how much I would want to. Over time, I have accumulated a lot of online accounts ranging from e-mailboxes to online job portals.
Today, I tried to revive my PayPal acount. It was a pain to recall my username, password, creditcard number etc since it's been 4 years since I last used it. Paypal is really secure in that the call agent refused to entertain my account unlocking request if I failed to give her my credit card number and phone number in the US. Much thanks to good documentation, I've found all the details required in less than an hour. So I'm waiting. I need it for transactions that will require payment from another country.
Speaking of PayPal, I've signed up for PayPerPost. I'm still figuring out how to achieve my goal without having to make my personal home in the web look like a house that is up for sale. I miss writing and I'd like to be paid doing it. Why? Coz living in Singapore can take its toll on your English and last night I caught myself losing command of my tongue while reciting the prayer before meals.
Try calling the PayPal hotline in Singapore and you'd surely not want your English to sound like that Chinese voice machine. Nono!
It was a Web Work Weekend. I was a busy netizen throughout the weekend and it was just last night that I realized, "Weekend over, work tomorrow" With how many people searching for jobs today, I won't cringe on that anymore though I know very well how much I would want to. Over time, I have accumulated a lot of online accounts ranging from e-mailboxes to online job portals.
Today, I tried to revive my PayPal acount. It was a pain to recall my username, password, creditcard number etc since it's been 4 years since I last used it. Paypal is really secure in that the call agent refused to entertain my account unlocking request if I failed to give her my credit card number and phone number in the US. Much thanks to good documentation, I've found all the details required in less than an hour. So I'm waiting. I need it for transactions that will require payment from another country.
Speaking of PayPal, I've signed up for PayPerPost. I'm still figuring out how to achieve my goal without having to make my personal home in the web look like a house that is up for sale. I miss writing and I'd like to be paid doing it. Why? Coz living in Singapore can take its toll on your English and last night I caught myself losing command of my tongue while reciting the prayer before meals.
Try calling the PayPal hotline in Singapore and you'd surely not want your English to sound like that Chinese voice machine. Nono!
Friday, March 27, 2009
CHOICES & BEYOND
I'm back here once more. It's been awhile.
As the world battles this "recession", I've been looking at the future keenly more than ever. In today's conditions, no job is safe and job tenure/security is best managed when you have a number of options to choose from. When nothing is certain, there can be something certain and that is change. And I find conditions now very interesting as I ponder what I'd like to do next.
One: I could be revisiting that hobby I've always wanted to do but never had the time because "work" consumed most of your waking hours, and using that hobby as a way to find fulfillment and get paid well enough to pay the bills and have some extra. I love to cook! Even after a long day's work, I just love chopping with my knife and relish at the scent of aromatic garlic on a hot pan. Culinary has been something I've wanted to pursue but never thought it could provide financially as much as what my profession can offer. Not all is about money, and I'm thinking of returning home and help around expand the business.
Two: The quest to have my own patch of land is something I chase about as much as... everyone? From where I am, soil (and I'm not referring to a plant box) is expensive. The city grows vertically and I just am not as interested at owning a space in the air as having my foot feel the warmth of the earth. The place is getting a bit "smaller" as my familiarity of it grows. I have learned to love this place and yet I feel that in the long run there still is a better place out there. Mars.
Three: I can read Mr. Kiyosaki's book once more and implement his strategy. It will be painful without a clear plan as to where to settle but, hey, I can get money to work for me.
Four: There is no FOUR... yet! Three choices is a lot already.
I'm back here once more. It's been awhile.
As the world battles this "recession", I've been looking at the future keenly more than ever. In today's conditions, no job is safe and job tenure/security is best managed when you have a number of options to choose from. When nothing is certain, there can be something certain and that is change. And I find conditions now very interesting as I ponder what I'd like to do next.
One: I could be revisiting that hobby I've always wanted to do but never had the time because "work" consumed most of your waking hours, and using that hobby as a way to find fulfillment and get paid well enough to pay the bills and have some extra. I love to cook! Even after a long day's work, I just love chopping with my knife and relish at the scent of aromatic garlic on a hot pan. Culinary has been something I've wanted to pursue but never thought it could provide financially as much as what my profession can offer. Not all is about money, and I'm thinking of returning home and help around expand the business.
Two: The quest to have my own patch of land is something I chase about as much as... everyone? From where I am, soil (and I'm not referring to a plant box) is expensive. The city grows vertically and I just am not as interested at owning a space in the air as having my foot feel the warmth of the earth. The place is getting a bit "smaller" as my familiarity of it grows. I have learned to love this place and yet I feel that in the long run there still is a better place out there. Mars.
Three: I can read Mr. Kiyosaki's book once more and implement his strategy. It will be painful without a clear plan as to where to settle but, hey, I can get money to work for me.
Four: There is no FOUR... yet! Three choices is a lot already.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Lights Off for Circuit City
I feel bad about this, seriously. I got the news from my colleague that Circuit City had just closed its doors for the last time 2 days ago, March 7, 2009.
Hearing the news, I recall fond memories when my BIOS team and I queued up as early as 3AM, amid freezing temperatures, outside the Circuit City store at Hamburg Place Lexington KY to partake in America's largest annual shopping frenzy that is Black Friday. I remember that I didn't have a scarf then and so I took with me this bath towel from Residence Inn to keep my neck warm. I remember that I didn't buy what I went there for (a laptop) and instead bought a whole bunch of DVDs with price tags slashed by more than 50%.
Circuit City was a bit more expensive than Best Buy. But I can recall that it had a more convenient location than Best Buy, at least in the downtown Lexington area.
Goodbye, Circuit City.