One (Poor Dad) believed, “Our home is our largest investment and our greatest asset.” The other (Rich Dad) believed, “My house is a liability, and if your house is your largest investment, you’re in trouble.” – From the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki Continue reading
Speak your mind
I prefer an honest guy who looks me in the eye and says you have amazing tits than a phony guy who looks at my breast all night and says I have beautiful eyes. – says the lady in the movie “Little Indiscretions”
To many of us, Dwight Schrute in the TV sitcom Office (US), appears to be rude. For he speaks his mind so loud and clear, that it is annoying. But this week, Time magazine has brought out an article praising his virtues. It says that it does a whale of good to the office, if even one person in a group speaks his mind. Continue reading
The myth of management education exposed in these economic times
This week I read two articles in Newsweek. While both are related in some way, one rejected outright the need for management education; the other was more subtle in stating that we are better off without it. I was so fired up after reading them, I had to stop everything else to write and finish this post in one shot. Continue reading
Performance enhancement: at what cost?
“When you burn the candles at both ends, you pay the price” – Randy the Ram in the movie “The Wrestler”
Once I happened to view a cartoon where a professional baseball player, asking a young kid with a baseball bat in his hand, if he was in it just for the fun of it. To him it was awesome that the kid has such motivation but somehow found it to be unbelievable. Continue reading
Will writing blogs make you rich?
What was I thinking?
My blog would one day make me a millionaire and at last I have my independent home overlooking the sea with my Ferrari standing in the drive way. My income for Google Adsense is helping me lead a luxurious life without a care in the world. Every day I have nothing else to do except to frequent one of the many social clubs where I am a popular member. I whiz past other ordinary mortals in their ordinary cars. I am not one of those worrying as to where their next paycheck is going to come from. I don’t have to work for the rest of my life.
Continue reading
It’s good to be a skeptic these days
Weight loss programs: Do they really work? Only about 20% of those on such programs seem to maintain that weight loss for a full year. If you don’t believe this, listen to what Oprah has to say from personal experience.
When rating agencies fail to rate investment vehicles objectively or when the most trustworthy person (Bernard Lawrence Madoff) as seen by the most prudent community fails it, I have reasons to be skeptical about many things in life.
To sport a moustache or not?
Just when Brad Pitt vows to bring back the moustache as an acceptable style in North America, I removed mine.
That too upon my manager’s advice. He said, “In North America moustache gives an impression that the man wearing it is not frank and seems to hide something from others.”
Being in customer service, in these times of economic uncertainty, I figured I could not take a chance with my moustache. To bring in some additional sales, if all that I need to lose is some facial hair, that’s OK.
For a few dollars more
Recently I came across a cartoon in which the flight attendant demonstrates the use of oxygen masks in case of an emergency. It is the part of the usual pre-flight safety drills but with one change. It needs you to swipe your credit card prior to the dropping of the oxygen mask. i.e.Even in an emergency, you can’t breath free, if you have exceeded your credit limit.
At the time I was reading it, I thought it to be too extreme and wondered which airlines would go to such lengths to squeeze out its already depleting list of passengers. So I didn’t bother to save the link for you. However to compensate I have saved this one which is just as good and as a bonus it comes with a good article that bears upon the current turmoil the airline industry is mired in.
Business is news nowadays
A few months ago I sold a computer memory module to an octogenarian and promised him that the product carries a lifetime warranty. I assured him that should it fail, he can always come to our store and exchange it for another. To this the man in his eighties replied with a smile, “Whose life are you talking about here?” Is it his life, the product’s life, or the store’s life?
While at that time we enjoyed it as a joke, I couldn’t help think of it when AIG was on the brink of failure this week. When an insurance company offers life insurance the prospective client rarely think of the company’s life. We take it for granted and go about paying premiums religiously month after month. And remember AIG was targeting aged customers with no medical, guaranteed acceptance.
Fun way to get smarter
What is the easiest and fun way to become smarter? Watching dumb (Jim Carrey in the movie Dumb and Dumber) or retarded (Ben Stiller in the more recent Tropic of Thunder) guys may help us feel a little smarter inside.
But I would recommend getting on the Internet.