Daily notes
Career/Education: I thought about going to take some classes, get a certificate, or attend graduate school for a busies-related subjects. However, I was discouraged with academic training without or wit little practical experiences. So I will apply for companies which offer good training programs, preferably multi-faceted and international companies. J., he has a technical degree and now works for Ernst & Young where he gets his 2 month training in auditing among other things. Columbia river: I arrived in Astoria after a 750+ mile drive from the Bay Area and stopped by Safeway to buy some food. I could smell and feel the coolness from the nocturnal water, and instantly forgot that I had driven for 14 hours. Craigslist.org: This community/classified website is great. I got so much done through it: getting a job, renting rooms, buying, selling, and recently got a traveling partner through rideshare category. Cheaptickets: I found the cheapest airfare ever from Dusseldorf to JFK for less than $200 one-way. However, "cheap is not always good" turned out to be right in this case as my credit card was multiply charged, the ticket was not confirmed by the airline, their reluctance to let me cancel my UNCONFIRMED ticket, the lack of sync-knowledge among their travel agents. I lived in Bosnia at the time and had to talked to them almost every other days to resolve the issue. Imagine I have to report information between the American and German agents giving the time difference. Every single time I talked to the cheaptickets’ agents, I had to repeat the information. Each call lasted more than an hour. Thanks god for Skype, I would not dare imagining using the traditional phone service. Tom Peter, a management guru, mentioned that businesses seldom own up to their mistakes, instead they point the fingers. It’s advisable just to have the courage and say: "We’re sorry we made blunder, how can we fix it for you?" I finally got a confirmed that I would get my money back for the ticket plus other multiple charges. The last agent I talked to was really nice, but eventually, she said: "It’s LTU. We have no trouble with other airlines. Something must be wrong with their systems. They kept refusing booking from us." But the thing is, I booked the same flight directly through LTU’s website. It went through. When I double booked, they canceled my other booking right away. I talked to four agents. Three of them were professional and helpful. I doubt I will ever deal with cheaptickets again. Too much hassles. Too much negativity. Ideal place: The other day, I thought of my ideal place to live. It should be near downtown to have easy access to culture events and people. Preferably near the water.Quiet. House with upstairs bedrooms. Organizer: I’ve used many organizers: electronic, computer, programs, online-services, paper and pens. Recently, I’m using MS Outlook 2003 integrated with Franklin Covey Plus. Plus, I have a small Todo-list pad which I carry around. So far so good. Too bad, don’t have the Palm Pilot. . Skype: A miracle. Not surprisingly, it was the brainchild of two idealists. Saves me a fortune in telephone bill. Especially now I don’t have a phone line and have to use my cell with only 300 free minutes. Skype is best used with a fast connection and good microphone/earpieces/headset. Walmart: I bought a lens cleanser botle at Walmart and got unlimited refill. Yes, I’m not joking. Free refill for life. Wallmart is insanely smart you know. Who would not want to buy something for less than 2 dollars and get refill for life? I wouldn’t. These refilling cost is nothing compared to Walmart’s huge pocket, but they will have people who come in for refilling, then cruise around, and buy other items. Later, they tell other people as I am doing right now. Shopping at Walmart is not simply going to the store, getting needed items, and driving away. No, it is more of an American pastime of the lower-class and perhaps frugal middle-class who would not care at all about those left-wing conspiracies against Walmart: exploiting Chinese workers, ruining small towns’ culture by driving away mom-and-pop stores. People, nowadays, go to Walmart during the weekend, eat at the in-store restaurants, look, and then shop. I was there last weekend and saw they just added a nail shop. Wifi: Wifi is everywhere now, good for me. JetBlue at JFK airport offers free wifi in the areas surrounding their terminals. In the mean time, I can sit comfortable in my own home and enjoy the free Wifi from outside, without their knowing, of course. Writing: More and more I realize that writing is a form of meditation. It builds focus and clarity. Read/Reading UPS vs. FedEx Which shipping company is right about the economy? http://www.slate.com/id/2146636/?GT1=8482 (logistic, culture, shipping, business, economy)
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