I’ve started reading Errornomics, one of the previous birthday presents I got. It talks about why we make mistakes and what we can do to avoid them. It’s an enjoyable read and although I’m still 200+ pages to the end, I’ve already exclaimed “Aha!” plenty of times. Since I’m still miles away to making a book review, I just want to share the specific learning points that I’ve “tested” or realized.

As we look for things, we don’t always see.

This morning, we were in Lulu Hypermarket to do the weekly groceries. We intentionally went in during the peak hour to test one theory. Apparently, handedness is the best predictor of a person’s directional preference. Hence, most people who are right handed, like me, tend to look at the right when searching for the shortest lines for people at stores, banks, and the like. At the supermarket today, as we were about to pay, I checked the queues at the left first. Really short!

(A card sent by one of my Iggy sisters; I liked that this Papemelroti card depicts a lot about the colorful life in the Philippines. I miss riding the tricyle but not the craziness and unpredictability of situations like hold ups.)

Not that I want to test another theory, but I noticed that in some documentaries and investigative series men and women witnesses give separate strengths in their accounts of the story. But Errornomics suggests that in case of hold-ups/snatching event, it is better to have a man as a witness (ugh, I am a woman). Allegedly, women tend to notice the appearance and actions of the woman whose purse was being snatched while men pay more attention to the thief, hence, they are more accurate regarding the details about the thief.

The book mentioned other interesting examples of “looked but did not see” errors (and that’s just one chapter). It’s a good start to rekindle my affair with the books. It’s been a long time. And I want to find out the relevant symbolisms of those peeled bananas on the book cover,

For most of us who spend more time in the workplace, whether we like it or not, the best thing that should happen is to sustain our excitement in going to the office or attending to work-related stuff. Think of motivating factor + a reasonable boss, eh? I’m glad that although life at workplace can be really crazy at times, my boss is easy to deal with.

What about the monster bosses? We all probably encountered in the past dementors in the form of immediate superiors and/or colleagues. But we just had to accept it that they are like that and we had no choice but to pray for them (really works!) and infect them with positivity (and bitching on the side, kidding!). I recount someone’s horror stories of putting dirt in a colleague’s coffee and other gross and ghostly means of revenge. Ah, let’s all try to be nice.  Here’s something interesting, (my favorite) Google has started ”Project Oxygen” which aims to devise something far more important to the future of the company, not the search algorithm, but to build better bosses. The 8-point plan in simple terms revolves here:

“You don’t actually need to change who the person is,” he says. “What it means is, if I’m a manager and I want to get better, and I want more out of my people and I want them to be happier, two of the most important things I can do is just make sure I have some time for them and to be consistent. And that’s more important than doing the rest of the stuff.”

I think that goes for the rest of our relationships.

{Photo source}

Do you remember how our grandparents, parents and other people whom we look up to told us that one of the measures of one’s character is how he behaves during the most difficult times? And as we grow and become more accountable, we often hear that the strength of a nation or an institution is best tested in the most trying times.

I read this inspiring post today from one of my new found blogs in the UAE, authored by somebody who used to live in Japan for 10 years. For me, these are the more striking ones among the tweets from Japan in the midst of the catastrophic quake as shared by Grace of Sandier Pastures:

On goodness of Japanese people. This earthquake has reminded me that Japanese goodness that had recently become harder and harder to see still exists. Today I see no crime or looting; I am reminded once again of the good Japanese spirit of helping one another, of propriety, and of gentleness. I had recently begun to regard my modern countrymen as cold people … but this earthquake has revived and given back to all of us the spirit of “kizuna” (bond, trust, sharing, the human connection). I am very touched. I am brought to tears. (http://twitter.com/VietL/status/46376383592677376)

In the middle of all the shaking and swaying. We’ve all been trained to immediately open the doors and establish an escape route when there is an earthquake. In the middle of the quake while the building was shaking crazily and things falling everywhere, a man made his way to the entrance and held it open. Honestly, the chandelier could have crashed down any minute … that was a brave man! (http://twitter.com/gj_neko26/statuses/46394706481004544)

How foreigners saw the reaction of the Japanese people. At a supermarket where everything was scattered everywhere over the floors, shoppers were helping pick them up and putting them back neatly on the shelves before quietly moving into line to wait to pay for them. On the totally jam-packed first train after the quake, an elderly man gave up his seat for a pregnant woman. Foreigners have told me they are amazed witnessing sights like these. I do believe they actually saw what they said they saw. Japan is truly amazing. (http://twitter.com/kiritansu/status/46335057689980928)

Calmness. The words of BBC’s reports are so moving they make me cry. They were praising us with words of admiration! “One of the worst earthquakes in recorded history has hit the world’s most well-prepared, well-trained nations. The strength of its government and its people are put to the test. While there have been casualties, in no other country could the government and the people have worked together in such an accurate and coordinated way in the face of such tragedy. The Japanese people have shown their cultural ability to remain calm in the face of adversity.” (http://twitter.com/bozzo1985/status/46228470614855681)

Discipline. Japanese people don’t shove I’m looking at Yurakucho station from above. I see people standing in line, not pushing or shoving to get onto the Yamanote Line (probably the busiest line in central Tokyo), even at a time like this! (http://twitter.com/HASUNA_Natsuko/status/46331839136276480)

Cars were moving at the rate of maybe one every green light, but everyone was letting each other go first with a warm look and a smile. At a complicated intersection, the traffic was at a complete standstill for 5 minutes, but I listened for 10 minutes and didn’t hear a single beep or honk except for an occasional one thanking someone for giving way. It was a terrifying day, but scenes like this warmed me and made me love my country even more. (http://twitter.com/micakom/status/46264887281848320)

Yakuzas turned good. Japan is a wonderful nation! Both the government and the people, everyone is helping one another today. There are truck drivers helping evacuees move. I even heard that the “yakuza” (gangsters, organized crime groups) are helping to direct traffic in the Tohoku region! There have been many recent developments that have made me lose my sense of pride in my country, but not anymore. Japan is an amazing place! I’m just simply touched. Go Japan! (http://twitter.com/tksksks/statuses/46403815397801984)

How inspiring when a group or a person shines even better during the most difficult situations. At the end of the day, it’s never too late to be good.

Hey, I am still alive!

It is interesting how preoccupation makes us unmindful of other stuff which are continuously spinning. When things become overwhelming, it really feels liberating to get loose and laugh, be annoyed and surprised alike by the changes we randomly notice in a few minutes.

1. It has been weeks since I have stopped eating pork. Difficult, yes. Like a hard habit to break. But it is self-imposed in the spirit of trying to be healthy. And I am happy with the initial results.
2. Since my visit two years ago, I had to see an ophthalmologist again because of the eye discomfort happening lately whenever I am wearing (which I don’t on a daily basis) my glasses. Guess what? My grade decreased by 0.75. How cool is that? “Is this normal?”, I asked. “Yes, but very rare. There was a movement in your cornea, so and so….”, the expert said. Too technical to me. There are unbelievable circumstances which really do happen that you can only care less about the hows and whys. What matters more now is that my eyes are happy again. Okay, I take it back. That was rare. I am rare. LOL.
3. I finally managed to pay attention to my iTunes and came up with new playlists which include Linkin Park, Justin Bieber (LOL), John Mayer and Christmas songs. I wish to share some soon.
4. Flickr freedom! It has been blocked across UAE since 2005 because it was allegedly “inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the UAE”. Yahoo, which owns Flickr, has not disclosed the condition(s) met for the ban lifting. I have not decided yet on reviving my Flickr patronage, Webshots (which was there just when I needed it most) is doing a good job so far.
5. If things are not going to be sorted out through “peace talks”, the Blackberry email, web and messaging are to be banned in the UAE due to security concerns starting mid October. You can anticipate the drop in prices. I wonder what is going to happen in my company provided unit.
6. iPhone has been officially released in the UAE, too. But to most of the consumers’ dismay, the voice call feature is blocked across the country. Well, yes, Skype ban is on.
7. You want a degree on mothering? The University for Mothering and Family Science (Ajman, UAE), the first in the world to offer a “mothering profession” has been formally launched. The four-year programme currently has 25 enrollees. Annual fee is AED 25,000 (USD 6,806).
8. I have stumbled upon another amazing illustrative blog. That is where I sourced the above photo. An addition to my favorites: Milk toof (remember the book?), Indexed and Blogusvox‘s Buhay Buhangin Series.
9. And the list goes on.

I am not experimenting on the permanence and randomness of life. But I wanted to come up with a very random changes list because I am at the point of nowhere today. Apparently, life is not always a bed of roses. One of my favorite approaches to find my focus is to defocus by realizing (over and again) that the world is not only about me and my situation.

I always try to avoid blogging when I am at my highest high and lowest low because there is a tendency to overstate or understate some points. But I thought that there is no harm in making a stressful situation contagious in a positive context.

Sometimes I wish that I were blogging in full anonymity so I can rant in full blast here. The same way that I am thankful that I am actually not and that there are few whom I know personally who read this blog (how they stumbled upon this is history), hence, I still try to find a balance. (Okay, I have paused momentarily after the preceding sentence.) Let us just say that… wow, this day can qualify as one of my top 10 overwhelming days in 2010. I can not really say if it is on a good or bad light, but as of this minute I am finally admitting that my work, while stable, is making me insane. It follows that being important is both a strength and weakness. It helps though that I (still) love my job and my boss is very supportive, so I am willing to embrace insanity. More importantly, the renewal of strength and motivation is possible, hence, I am more than willing to have lucid interval. The best part is that things are changeable.

Hello Tomorrow! How nice that you are always there to look forward to.

If you have to choose between buying something or spending the money on a memorable experience, go with the experience.

According to a study conducted at San Francisco State University, the things you own can’t make you as happy as the things you do. One reason is adaptation: we adapt to all things material in our lives in a matter of weeks, no matter how infatuated we were with the coveted possession the day we got it. Another reason is that experience, unlike possession, generally involves other people, and fosters or strengthens relationships that are more edifying over time than owning something.

This supports my preference for travelling next to basic necessities and other things. What about you?

John: Hit me with the quick fixes. I’m excited about what you are telling me. But I’m an impatient guy.
Julian: Ironically, the less you focus on the end result, the quicker it will come.
John: How so?
Julian: (tells a story)

There was a young boy who traveled far from his home to study under a great teacher. When he met the wise old man, his first question was “how long will it take me before I am as wise as you?”

The response came swiftly, “Five years.”

“That is a very long time,” the boy replied. “How about if I work twice as hard?”

“Then it will take ten years,” said the master.

“Ten! That’s far too long. How about if I studied all day and well into the night, every night?”

“Fifteen years,” said the master.

“I don’t understand,” replied the boy. “Every time I promise to devote more energy to my goal, you tell me that it will take longer. Why?”

“The answer is simple. With one eye fixed on the destination, there is only one left to guide you along the journey.”

Moral: Be patient and live with the knowledge that all you are searching for is certain to come if you prepare for it and expect it. All lasting change requires time and effort. Persistence is the mother of personal change.

Hope you, too, felt better after reading this.

Persuasion mainly revolved about the intertwined lives in relation to Anne Elliot.  It is interesting to note that in one chapter, she was described as “She was just Anne”.  Yes, she is.  A sensible woman, have been persuaded to break an engagement, and holds an old flame in her heart.

Anne Elliot was persuaded by an elder family friend, Lady Russel to break off her engagement with Frederick Wenthworth because he is deemed not acceptable per family’s standards.  After 8 years, they met again.  And the rest followed.  The story may seem simple.  But Jane Austen really has her way of telling it in a classic and engaging way.

The most interesting part for me was not the one when she finally got the courage to decide for herself.  To renew the engagement with Frederick Wenworth.  But hey, that scene was so heart-trumping, isn’t it?  What I’ve guarded in the story was the moment that Anne and Frederick met again after 8 long years. Put yourself in their shoes, it’s exciting and frightening to see someone wherein you have a pretty deal of unfinished business.

I always believe that no matter how each party claims that they no longer feel for each other, you would never really know if you’re over it till you get a chance to see and spend time with one another again.  It’s more of a confirmation if the unfinished business is finally closed or not.

I think it’s generally acceptable to know that someone in his or her teen years will be easily persuaded.  Especially if your family and friends have justifiable reasons to conclude that the other party will bring no good to you.  But regardless of age, there are people who are easily persuaded.  They live with others expectations and wishes. On the other hand, there are those who listen only to themselves at the end of the day.  Life can be so tricky sometimes. It’s easier to decide and give pieces of advice when you’re not actually the one in the hot seat.  But when you’re the one crossing the bridge, it’s very difficult to know what to do.

What about you? Have you ever been persuaded to take a huge decision which is against your will?  How do you deal with an old flame?

***

This is my entry for this month’s novel in The Jane Austen Book Club.  You may submit your entries here until August 31, 2008 Pacific time.

Photo source

As you probably know, long weekend here is not as frequent just like in the Philippines. Holiday economics is not observed in UAE.  And of course, there’s no typhoon here (to rain is miraculous).  So when laziness attacks, my usual odd wish of “sana bumagyo bukas” won’t persuade Mother Earth a suspension of classes/work.

Back home, when there’s a long weekend I would usually be spending two of the three days at my favorite malls, go to province/go out of town, or spend all three days at home working, worst, spend the long weekend as if there’s no weekend (meaning I’m at the office).  For those who don’t know me personally, you might think I’m an office slave. Heehee.  No.  It’s normal for us to almost live in the office and sleep for only 2 hours especially during busy season.

When I started working overseas, that’s when I found more time for myself.  And one of the nicest realizations is that I feel just like staying home during weekends (except for hearing the mass and doing the weekly groceries, occasional socialization, etc.).  I appreciate the gift of time that I have now.  I’m still busy but per my definition of being busy (2 hours sleep), I had a 180-degree change of working environment as far as schedule is concerned.

Until lately, that things are going to being real busy again.  Last week I think my eyes became Garfield-like.  There was one time I was finishing papers while tuning it to Cinema Global, without really paying attention to the movie.  To my surprise, Mano Po 2 and 3 were already finished and my laptop is still being tip-tap-tip-tap by me.  I didn’t know it was already 6am and I still have to go to the office.  Glad I managed to get an hour sleep before doing my pre-office routines.

This weekend, I was so busy again:  work (much), personal errands, etc.  Gee, work has already affected my blogging and bloghopping schedule.  Heehee.  I have pending bloggable stuff + the tags (promise, I’ll do that).  I smell busier months ahead. And now, my waking up schedule needs to be earlier by 1.5 hours.  Why?  I’ll tell you soon.

Instead of blogging about something that I intend to, I just found myself writing this one instead.  I think I just wanted to ask you, “how’s your weekend?”

Photo source

In this capital city of UAE, there are no jeepneys, (months ago) no buses, no train. It’s either you’re travelling with your own vehicle or through the cabs. The best deal of all, there’s no traffic (that’s per a Filipino’s standards).

Photo source.  One of the new buses

With the influx of new residents coming from different countries (80% of Abu Dhabi’s population comprised of expats), the government has devised a new transportation system. In the middle of this year, buses were introduced with designated routes. With fare estimably 75% cheaper than riding a cab. The great thing in this country is that when a new service line is being introduced, it’s gratis. So the buses would be servicing the commuters for free in until the end of this year.

Also the old cabs are being phased out. The same way that the government phases out old buildings (unlike in the Philippines that old buildings are presumably regulated, substance over form, until the building actually collapsed). Majority of the cab drivers are Pakistanis and Indians who actually are here for almost a decade, that left their countries to make a living through driving. I am thinking and would definitely be amazed to find out that they do profit from these as drivers. As you probably know, there’s a pool of oil in the Gulf.  Hence oil, gas and electricity are oddly 90% cheaper here than in the Philippines. With that, they are collecting an average of AED 5 (PhP60) per route. Sounds like Philippines’ rate? A PhP25-route is actually possible here.  That’s in Abu Dhabi.  Remember, in Dubai cabs are skyrocketly metered.  It’s almost 300% higher there.  Unbelievable, but true.  Now you can draft your analytics how the cost of living differs between the two emirates.

I don’t know what will happen to the old cab drivers. The franchise to operate new taxis are awarded to seven companies last year. Phase out plan will be for three years which already started. The new cabs metering is 25% higher than the old ones. With the benefit of well-groomed driver (in a uniform) and of course the new car/unit. The drivers of these new cabs are Indians, Nepalis and Pakistanis in a better version (if you know what I mean).

And here’s the unexpected news-turned-live reality. One of the seven companies which were awarded a franchise actually hired 200 Filipinos to be drivers. There are 50 of them hitting the road by now. My random thoughts:

• Increase in OFW attributable to Filipino cab drivers
• Filipinos were preferred by Tawa-Sul Car Company because they (a) are responsible (b) are most hygienic of all nationalities (c) have most agreeable rate to the car company (d) whatelse?
• As these kababayans hit the road soon they’ll be surprised that there’s (a) no traffic in Abu Dhabi, 2 minutes IS heavy traffic (b) a disadvantage if you have a dog nose (like me!) that you should  refrain breathing from the nose or else you’re gonna die from the human pollution (ah, um, ang baho talaga nung iba!) (c) that they’d wish Filipino lang ang passengers nila
• They should learn the basic Arabic, Hindi, etc., i.e. directions at least
• Kabayan, more than hitting the road with care, you should treat your passengers and other drivers (car owners and cab drivers) so well.  Especially if it’s a local.  Kahit ikaw ang tama, wala kang laban sa batas nila.  As in.

Long live Abu Dhabi, mababango na ang mga cab drivers.  Drive so carefully.