ChapterTwo

My dad always told me, “Be careful what you hate, you might end up doing it for the rest of your life.” He hated English when he went to school in Taiwan. And now, he lives here, having to use English every single day.

I never liked writing while I was in school. And it seems like I am having to write more and more emails everyday. Who would’ve thought a software engineer would spend more time writing emails than writing code?

I am not complaining though. I don’t picture myself coding for the rest of my life. I’d like to get into management. And if getting into management requires more email writing, I am fine with that.

“working out more gets me hungry more”…from ME!

I love WikiPedia, but it’s just so slow nowadays.  Yahoo, please save WikiPedia from drowning in its own popularity!

Is it bad that sometimes I just don’t feel like answering my cell phone? And the worse thing is that sometimes I don’t even feel like returning peoples’ calls. I don’t necessarily have a personal grudge with the people (well, sometimes there are). I just don’t feel like talking on the phone. Am I just some type of anti-social person? Sometimes I wish I didn’t have a cell phone.

I don’t think I am alone. I think this is why text messaging was revived from the pager era. A lot of times, people don’t feel like talking on the phone when a quick text message will suffice. I rarely ignore my text messages. (Speaking of text messages, I just got one now!)

On a related note, I wonder if video phones will ever become hugely popular? If people are not inclined to talk to people sometimes, will they be inclined to show their faces?

Let me know what you guys think…

Do we, as consumers, want products with the best value anymore? From the recent trends, it looks like we care more about the “emotions” that a product brings. Look at the sucess of Apple and Motorola. They are successful because they were able to create products that people lust. And most of the lust is generated by beautiful designs. Are we so spoiled that value is no longer the most important thing to us when we shop?

That said, I still must give kudos to Apple and Motorla for forever changing how we feel about our electronics….

UPDATE: Maybe we are not so superficial. Maybe we are just victims of emotional branding

I was at WalGreens grabbing some stuff when I realized there was a whole section on the shelf for men’s products. I had no idea there are so many products catered specifically for men. I don’t recall ever seeing a product say “FOR WOMEN”. Why is that? Is it just implied that all the products that don’t specify gender are “FOR WOMEN”? Does that mean I’ve been using women’s shampoo all my life?!?!?

I just realized that when I don’t have a girlfriend, I accumulate a lot more pricey gadgets. When I do have a girlfriend, the spending on gadgets drop. Why is that? Is it because the girlfriends convince us how ridiculous our gadget spendings are? Or is it because we have less money to spend on gadgets due to the girlfriends? Combination of both, maybe?

Anyway, the latest toy I am eyeing on is a new watch. TAG Heuer’s Carrera chronograph is pretty hot (see right). The Porsche Design watches are pretty hot too. I just looked them up a few moments ago and they are pretty expensive. Maybe I’ll get a Porsche Design watch when I finally can afford a Porsche. (Mmmm, 997…droooool) I think the TAG will be a reward to myself if I can get a 700+ on the GMAT. GO ME!

What detertermines the things that we like?

Do we prefer certain things because our body needs it? Or do we simply prefer them because we are used to it? If a person likes strawberries, does the strawberries provide something that the person’s body lack?

What determines the color we like to wear? What determines the types of people we are attracted to? What determines who our favorite singers are?

Are our prefereances simply dictated by our environment? The individualist in me hopes not… (Hmmm, is the individualist spirit fostered by a homogeneous environment? If everybody were completely different, would there still be “individualists”?)

Tonight, on the way home, I saw a couple very inconsiderate drivers. I started wondering what REALLY cause road rage. What REALLY cause people to start tailgating, high beaming, and honking? Is it because people are stressed out? Is it because they are in a hurry? Here’s an interesting thought. Or is it because we regard the drivers on the road as CARS and not as other human beings?

We frequently get mad and frustrated with machines because we expect them to be perfect. Often times, we would openly express these frustrations verbally and/or physically. On the other hand, when we interact with other humans, we don’t expect perfection. In fact, we expect IMPERFECTION. And because humans have feelings, we often restrain the desire to openly express our frustrations. We even lie sometimes just so others don’t feel bad.

I think if everybody can view other drivers as human beings instead of some inanimate machine, everybody would be more calm and considerate on the road. What do you guys think?

You know you really like something when you can’t quite explain why…