Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Terrorist Arabs

I would love to update my blog with all the cool things that I've been up to.

Yet, I cannot.

I suppose it is because of the guilt of knowing that in Israel ARAB TERRORISTS are doing there best to annihilate Jewish people.

I have the guilt of knowing that Israel is under constant barrage of bombs.

Guilt of knowing that families are currently sleeping in bomb shelters.

So, I suppose this update will have to do. Till there is something worthy of writing about.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Parents' House

Have you ever noticed, that while you love your parents very much, there comes a time that you realize that you can never move back with them again.
For some people this realization comes sooner rather than later; for me, it comes now 2 1/2 years into marriage.
Love them, miss them daily, can't ever live with them again :-)

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Responsibility for one’s own actions

I once watched a very interesting program in regards to debt. It was a show based on how to get out of debt. The show found people in debt and provided them with a financial adviser who gave them a plan on how to get out of the situation that they were in. The show centered around three big points; how these people got into debt, what kind of lives they are living to continue their debt problem, and how they are doing nothing about it. Out of the two cases that I watched there was a re-occurring theme. The people in debt felt that they deserved a much better life style than they could actually afford. In one situation it was a female who had graduated university with a student debt of forty thousand dollars. She was able to find a job right out of school which paid fifty thousand dollars a year. With her new found job she decided that she must move out, because her style was slightly cramped living with her parents. This is how her cycle started. Then, for her new job she needed a new wardrobe which added another thousand dollars to the debt. Then she needed to furnish her apartment, the first and last month rent, security deposit and other miscellaneous fees all added another ten thousand dollars to her debt. At the point of the show she had been working for three years and getting nowhere fast. She was always stressed out, and at her ropes end. When the financial adviser came on the scene she started asking questions about her credit cards and any other debts that may exist. There was another couple thousand on credit cards that this girl owed. So, the financial adviser sat down with her and explained to her that if she ever wants to get out of debt that is currently eating her alive she needs to make some changes right away. Some of the things she listed were: not going out as much, not eating out at all, not buying new clothes or shoes for at least a year and possibly moving back home. To most of these suggestions the girl agreed. Then there was another little part where the financial adviser said that she should find a second job to relieve some stress from her and for her to be able to have some kind of spending money. Needless to say the girl did not agree to that. With the plan that the financial adviser made, it would take the girl three years to pay off her credit cards, and her student loans. This would be a hard three years with no savings account and no luxuries, everything going towards paying down the debt. I would love to see if she was able to accomplish that and to see what she is doing now.
Most of the advice given by the financial adviser was good sound practical advice that I agreed with and so did her client. Yet, it seems like if this was so practical and the girl could really understand it and see it, why was she not doing it earlier?
Are some of us like that girl? We know what we should be doing, and what would make financial sense but we are so stuck in our routines and in our own worlds that we do not do it. Are we all running the risk of being so in debt as this girl was just because we are in a routine? Does tightening your belt have a much different meaning now then it did years ago? Do people in general not know how to ‘tighten belts’?
It seems that we live in a very interesting era. We live in a time unlike any other before. Everyday people live as king’s used to live back 3-4 hundred years ago. We live not only to survive but also to derive pleasure. People don’t just want to work to survive; they want to like their work. People want different things out of their lives and therefore choose work that compliments that lifestyle. People have more clothing than they can wear in a month, more shoes than they can wear in a week. In the olden days only the kings and queens were allotted such luxuries. Yet, in our society it is no longer a luxury it is now a necessity.
Is it that we no longer discern what a luxury is and what a necessity is? Or is it that it varies from person to person and there is no more a general definition of those words.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Feeling the Blah

So, what if generally you are a very happy person?
What if some days you are not so happy? What if some days you look around and realize that the weather outside is frightful :( ? What if some days you know you should be happy but you are not, and there is not a really good reason for it?

What if some day's you realize, you might not have that plan B you were hoping for?
That plan B sucks as much as plan A.

Not to be a copy cat, but...

What if this, is as good as it gets?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

America (the UN-Loved)

Some of my readers may know that I am Canadian, therefore I'm going through the immigration process to become a citizen in the United States of America.
Part of the process is to be finger printed. I had to go for my second finger printing appointment today. What a difference from the other two times when I was at that office.
The other times it was packed. If you came early, to bad you had to wait for your appropriate time. Then, you would have to wait a good hour to hour and a half to be seen! Today I was in and out in 15 minutes.
There was no line, there were just the workers and two other people in line!
Well, what could it possibly be? Could it be that nobody wants to come into America anymore? Could it be the lack of jobs?
I spoke to the lady who was finger printing me. She said that there has been a substantial drop in traffic that comes through that office. She also said that it could be the season.
I think its probably a little bit of both, although I've got my money riding on the awful economics of this country!

How sad :-(

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Job Fair

If anybody out there has ever been to a job fair then they will not be as surprised as I was with this particular culture. This was my first job fair. Hopefully my last.
What interests me is that the people that are interviewing for positions are so glum, boring and depressed. Then they go into a tiny room and become vibrant, enthusiastic, optimistic candidates. Its really an amazing phenomenon to watch.
I personally found it draining and for the most part a complete waste of my time.

Here's hoping that America will stop this downward spin.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Snow and Jackets

I don't understand why people wear jackets and then not zip them up?
Why bother even wearing a jacket if you are going to keep it open? Honestly what is the point? Just go out without a coat on, that is exactly what you are doing by not zipping it up in the first place.
Then again the people who are not wearing your jackets...where is it that you think you live? This is not exactly FLORIDA!
Ah well, as long as everyone is happy.

Happy December everyone :-)