it’s always been an interesting observation of mine to analyze and investigate the root cause of different perspectives and causes of arguments and different opinions.  i see a lot of disputes in everyday life and can see some fundamental reasons why these things happen.  here in simple point form is the reasons i see why people argue.

1.  people have a lot of pride and always want to be right.  it’s a pure fact that everyone in their own right believes they are right and that their experiences and observations about life override another’s.  everyone wants to feel important and smarter than the next person.  it seems everyone has it figured out but in actuality if you take a look it from a broader scale, all of us don’t have it figured out at all.  it’s a fundamental characteristic that everyone wants to feel special and important.  although sometimes self absorbed it’s unequivocally a personal validation against societal expectations to be different and special.

2.  people are more sensitive to when people impose on them then when they impose on others. it’s another human characteristic to take offence to things said about ones self than to realize what you may in fact be imposing on others.  it’s often harder to appreciate what others do to you than to say what you do for others.  this comes down to the simple human characteristic of selfishness.  it’s true environmental conditions impose certain perspectives on life for each other and each others degree’s of courtesy and level of rudeness vary quite drastically.  we were not all raised the same and in different environments and taught quite different fundamentals so this is unavoidable, people hold strong to their values and beliefs.

3.  people interpret affection differently. people have different ways of showing affection.  this because of their inner belief in things or pride have a hard time expressing themselves without being gushy or too sentimental.  i feel that especially in guys, that expressing feelings can somewhat be a pride issue and showing weakness is always thought of as a bad trait.  guys are normally expected to be masculine and emotionless in some regards but i feel completely differently on this respect.  i feel if you are open with your feeling and willing to share them with others that you are more comfortable with who you are and less self conscious of what others think about you.  it’s again the case that many people are judgmental to people to reinforce their own self validation that they are better than another person, or have it figured out better than the next.

4. it’s easier to pass judgement than to self analyze. to pass judgement on a person is quite easy.  without all the facts an interpretation of the choices and decisions of another person can be quite subjective and only really skin deep.  from human nature we instinctively react to certain situations because of training in society, it’s also unavoidable whether we like it or not.. we are programmed to think a certain way.  turn the tables and put yourself in others situation and people synthesize happiness and different understandings of the situation and believe they are always making the right decision for themselves and that the are on the correct path.  self analyzation can sometimes be the hardest to appreciate because it takes a lot of courage to say that you’ve made a wrong decision and own up to it.  i feel though that accepting ones mistakes and trying to improve and be more open minded and less egotistical can be the biggest personal growth one can really make.

5.  people take themselves too seriously. everyone has fundamental problems that they deal with and these issues get pushed to the top because it’s important to ourselves what is directly affecting our lives.  but honestly i personally feel that some of these issues are mute and make very little overall impact at the end of the day.  i’m easy going and usually try to let things slide and be open to others but at the same time i see how i bring up my own personal issues and it’s the only thing that matters to me at the time.  to me i believe people will do their own thing and as long as i don’t interject and they don’t interject with my choices too drastically people can live quite symbiotic-ally with a mutual understanding.  do onto others as what you expect others on you.  if you raze somebody expect to be razed back.

at the end of the day everyone will rationalize with themselves that they are right, and logically in many obscure but not incorrect ways will show valid points.  people can not experience the same experiences as others and because of these experiences, everyone forms their own beliefs and interpretations on life.  it’s a culmination of life experiences that shape the fundamentals of who we are at the core..  life is not a matter of black and white… it’s never been about that, so we end up with this mix mash of slightly different opinions that clash.. sometimes dramatically and sometimes in a beautiful display of understanding.  in fact i believe that at this very moment people are passing judgement on my posting maybe saying that this is too deep and crazy and how dare i say such things.. or even be angry at the fact that i’m bringing these points up.. or who i feel that i’m better than all that.. but in reality i’m not.. i’m just as susceptible to these points as anyone else..  but such as life.. i do feel there is value in bringing these issues and discussions out of the limelight.. people are apathetic and need to be more sympathetic and humble as well as show humility  to understand each others positions in life and help society as a whole grow together.  this is my rant.. comments are appreciated. :)

table shape etiquette

Posted: 29th September 2010 by vidcow in Humour
Tags: , ,

This was a note I had written on Facebook some years ago, and I thought it would be appropriate to repost this with some modifications on this site.  This rant will focus on table shape etiquette.   Now what is table shape etiquette you might ask? It’s quite simply rules governing where people sit and the type of night they will have because of it.

When arriving for a party or a dinner there are typically only two types of tables, round or rectangular.

Why the difference? I’ve noticed that cultural differences may contribute to why this is.  Typically in Eastern cultures there is an emphasis on family and group culture.  This is probably why I’ve noticed that most Chinese restaurants that I’ve gone too have round tables or smaller tables to include everybody.  Asian style Karaoke bars tend to be circular in shape and enclosed to promote a quieter environment.

Western cultures tend to emphasize individuality and is most often the area’s where I see elongated tables.  This is where people are spaced out and often part of separate conversations.  Western Karaoke bars are also open to the public and if you sing.. you sing to everyone :) .  This is not to say this is the reason why there are round and long tables, but an interesting observation I have made over the years.  When parties get larger, sometimes is no other alternative then to just make the table longer.

Time of Arrival: The time of arrival to the event will signify where you will be seated. If you intend to say a long time at the party you must arrive early to secure an early position! Why? It’s because seating arrangements can be vital.

The middle sitter. The middle sitter is somebody that is located in the middle of the rectangular table. This person has easy access to conversations either to the left or right of them. This is beneficial in “hopping” conversations when people become dry or boring to talk too. This position gives you the most interesting night as you can bounce from conversation to conversation. The ONLY risk is when the conversations on either end of the table start getting interesting and this is where the night of the middle sitter becomes difficult. They must choose a conversation or else risk the chance of being flaked off by both sides of the tables in which case they sit alone in the middle sipping their drink.


The end sitter. The end sitters usually are ones who arrive late and are forced to sit near the end of the tables. Also when arriving with a large group of people, the people who were eager and first in line are often delegated early end seating positions. This is because when being seated you must move all the way to the end.. it’d be just too odd to plop yourself right in the middle. End sitter positions have to work a lot harder to enjoy their night. They must converse with only people located in immediate proximity to them which can be good and bad. If the people in close proximity to them are engaging, than the end table can create a much more intimate setting. However, end sitters have the risk of encountering “cut-off” people.  Beware, “cut-off” people can ruin your night.

Cut-off people.  Cut-off people are perfectly nice people, but for whatever particular reason or mood, on this particular occasion may be dull and boring to talk to.  Another type of cut-off person is just somebody you don’t really know very well or aren’t very close too.  Strangers who don’t feel like socializing can be included in this category or a good buddy that you spent all day with can also be included in this category.  They are called “cut-off” people because their position relative to you may “cut-off” any chance of conversation to the other parts of the table.  It’s interesting peering over your shoulder and are totally fascinated in a conversation a few people down are having but can’t really shout across the table to get involved.

If you wish to be a middle sitter here are a few tips. Do not arrive too early with a large group of people… if you are you maybe be forced on the end. Try to stay in the middle of the pack so when seating comes you have a greater chance of landing in the middle section. If you come very very early with a few people.. you have optimum seating selection power as it’s more customary to sit in the middle.

Now don’t be too depressed if you don’t get optimum seating position, because you can always make a fun night of anything.  Mingle, find out more about the people near you and if all goes to crap at least you can still get up from your seat, grab your drink and move around!  These are some thoughts.. have fun sitting.

an interesting observation i made today.  so i was pulling into the parking lot prior to volleyball and quickly found a spot.. then without even thinking i quickly ran out of my car grabbed my bag and shuttled inside.  after volleyball i tossed my bag into my car jumped in the driver seat and blasted off to my next destination.

it hit me then that without much thought i just took off and left.  almost like i was uncomfortable sitting in my car and that i was very anxious to reach my next destination.  there have been many times i’ve forgotten things in my car or refused to stop for a minute to clean out some garabage from my car…  a pair of shoes left in my back seat seem to sit there forever just because my mind or routine doesn’t allow me to break out of it and take hold of the moment to spend a few minutes to gather my thoughts.

it got me thinking about other people and how observing how long a person lingers or sits in the car might tell you a lot about them.  i think it actually tells you a lot about the persons thought process.  people who sit and are calm and spend a few minutes to gather their things and calmly walk out of their vehicles might just be more self assured or laid back then the rest.  maybe they aren’t so worried about “getting there”.  these people seem more at ease and comfortable with themselves.  sometimes people who blast off  without thinking tell you that these people are anxious to reach their destination and not necessary take hold of their surroundings.

this is even more interesting when you’re in a group of let say four people in a car.  when you guys stop and reach your destination who are the ones to jump out of the car the quickest?  is there always somebody that seems to leave first.  i’m more and more curious to see if some people wait till at least one other person leads before exiting a car.  what if you’re in a new destintation or traveling on a trip?  somebody who might jump out first is eager to see what is out there.  it’s an interesting thought and next time you’re in a car with a group of people just sit and watch and you might learn a lot. maybe next time you are out in a parking lot just observe how quickly people leave or spend in their cars.  and if you are like me and always seem to be in a rush… sit and linger in your car for a few minutes, it might just give you some perspective.

during my quest to find what occupation or career would suite me best i was told by my sister to try out some personalities test to see what jobs catered to the type of person i was.  i originally didn’t think much of this but now i realize that people have very distinct personalities type and if placed in the improper/restricting job they can be pretty miserable.  now with this said i decided to look into it a bit more and took the test.  a free version of the test can be found here and only takes a few minutes to complete:

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

so my personality type turns out to be ENFP or according to the personality page i am an “Inspirer” which i thought was pretty neat:

http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html

after reading this i was shocked that this personality type had totally nailed my personality and it was a bit scary and eerie.  a part of me is like no way that freedom of choice really didn’t exist.  maybe no matter how much you tried to be somebody else that ultimately you are a certain way.  now this isn’t to say it’s not possible to change personality types over your life.  but in any case it occurred to me that this totally related to how people fit into society and their roles in their everyday life.  interactions with people and why some people get along so well and why others just don’t work/clash.

i looked and thought about all my friends, family, and my ex-girlfriend and tried figuring out what personality types everyone was.  not surprisingly a lot of my friends are personality types that compliment me and i can even see how my personality type is similar to my family members etc.  they say ENFP types match well with INTJ or INFJ personality types.  now after breaking up with my girlfriend i almost needed to find out why it didn’t work out.  not as an excuse but a part of me says that anything can work if you put work into it.  maybe that’s my personality type.  anyways looking at my ex-girlfriends personality type ESTJ i just laughed and looked at our compatibility charts and of course we were totally opposites and least likely to match.

now that being said me and my ex-girlfriend got along quite well considering and i almost am amazed that we could work through our personality differences so well and for so long.  so this is me just saying that it’s not impossible to make different personality types work.  but this is also me saying that maybe things just work out easier and mesh easier.  in essence i wondered if we were doomed from the start and kind of were cursed to be put together.

well anyways after this i was so curious with what personality types everyone was i just wanted to ask everyone before i even started talking to them.  i wanted to work with people which complimented me and be friends with people that suited me.  more importantly i wanted to date somebody who is “compatible” with me and see if the match was easier.  i thought well wow if this is so important why don’t some dating websites use this myer briggs personality test to determine who matches and then i realized this is the premise of eharmony.com and other dating websites already.

i also found an interesting site which matches people strictly based on the myer briggs personality types:

http://www.typetango.com/

now the site isn’t beautiful but i found it very interesting and maybe you should give it a try.  so instead of settling maybe look into this a bit more for who you decide to settle with and who you decide to be good friends with or work with because it could be as easy as asking “wait before we start… whats your personality type?” :)

freedom of unemployment. finding purpose.

Posted: 10th July 2010 by vidcow in Work
Tags: , , ,

As I reach upon about 1 month left of employment at my current job, I’ve realized how gratifying and rejuvinating it is to be unemployed.  The thought and knowledge that in 1 month I will be essentially detached from the current work force to be with my thoughts and on my own is very exhilerating.

It’s funny because I’ve always felt so much pressure to hold a job and be on the correct path that it would seem crazy to have no job and not make a lot of money.  It’s scary for sure, no income, no real direction but at the same time I’ve been happier.  In my thoughts and in my mind I really have felt more like myself.

The question I’ve always had was why couldn’t I feel this when I worked.  Maybe it’s cause I put too much of myself in the workplace or couldn’t fully detach myself from work.  I always seemed to have something on my mind.  I had anxiety issues and always worried about what was next.  I just needed to slow down in my thoughts.

But with the end of a job I can already see the freedom that it gives to your mind and the ability for me to slow it down.  To be creative, to learn, to feel passionate and drive towards a goal and really to live and experience life again instead of being a mindless working robot.  Now that being said, I’m sure some people love what they do.  To them, these are the lucky ones because I for one am not currently one of them.  But I know it’s cliche and probably said a lot but I honestly feel that corporate life doesn’t necessarily make the happiest people.  Sure you have a lot of money, you can buy nice things but at what cost?  You really only have one shot on this Earth you might as well do something you feel is meaningful gets you excited and drives you for more.

There are days that you’re so worried about work or getting there that you’re lost in the moment.  Sometimes I stroll downtown just take a deep breathe and realize where I am and what I’ve done.  Take in the skyline, the sun, the sunny walkways.  For me I feel this way when I’m away from my home city I realize my surroundings more.  When I’m at home it’s much harder to do this and I’m sure all of you know what I’m talking about.  It feels too comfortable almost.

So at the end of this I just want to offer some peices of advice for those who are currently employed and feeling dis-satisfied with their current situation.  I had wished I had done more of these things but in retrospect I will really try to follow my own advice in the future:

  1. Take time for yourself to be with your thoughts.  Mediate, relax, and learn to say no.
  2. Take up hobbies and things outside of work that gets you excited.
  3. Volunteer in something that is rewarding.
  4. Simplify life – slow things down and just take in whats around you and your surroundings.
  5. Interact and develop relationships with people.  Don’t be snobby and judgemental.

career path of an (lost) electrical engineer

Posted: 8th July 2010 by vidcow in Work
Tags: , , , ,

So for those who do not know me I have an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering.  At the time when I signed up I figured an EE would make the most money, simply because I thought it was one of the most challenging engineering disciplines.  Turns out I don’t really even enjoy electrical engineering as much as I thought (at least in terms of circuits and power).  I interned as a firmware developer which was very interesting and challenging and afterward graduation I wanted to try something completely different.  This is when my career as a consultant began, perhaps thinking it would be an easier way of life.

Fast forward three years later and I decided that the software I was writing was not something that really interested me and it would be a good time for a change.  On top of that, my technical knowledge had plateaued which was something I had always been proud of.  My position now started shifting towards a project management position.  Now this would normally sound amazing for anybody out there but this was unsettling for me firstly because I did not enjoy the software or industry that I had come into responsibility with.  The role also now asked me to do development as well as project manage, with no increase in salary and a definite increase in stress.  This on top of a poorly estimated project which resulted in angry clients was my breaking point.

With that in mind, I’ve had some very good experiences at this company and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with clients, developing friendships and an understanding of the different components neceassary to bring a project together.  If anything, my business knowledge and overall system knowledge really has expanded.  Also let me tell you that leaving a fairly secure, cushy high paying job was more than difficult and I’ve second guessed myself more than a few times.

Anyways back on track.  I’ve always had a love of new technology and the software I started writing seemed unsophisticated and primitive compared to some of the new and exciting applications I had seen around.  I was in need of almost a real “Tech” company.  One where people were more into the cool technology gadgets and sharing of new ideas and excitement instead of the dire need to make money.

So I applied for a graduate program in electrical and computer engineering with a much stronger concentration of computer/software systems.  I got accepted and with nothing else lined up, accepted the admission offer.  This offer would put me in a position to rub elbows with the brightest of the brightest and really put my technical know how to the test against people who probably at least had more undergrad experience in the subject that I did.  This coupled with not being in school for 3 years… intimidating.

So with my unweariness I set out to see what was on the job market.  Looking for jobs I realized that a few opportunities arose because of my current experience.  I could really go towards more of a project management role or delve right into a hardcore developer role.  Either one seemed interesting, on one hand project managing involved more interaction, more overall system level knowledge and probably more money.  The other was a life of tough development, always working for somebody with long hours spent working on sometimes stupid bugs but the self gratification of my ability to “figure it out” myself.  Developers don’t always make the most money, but there are instances where they get to be creative.  Let me tell you creativity is HUGE in a world were re-hashing and routine in the workplace seem to take precedence.

So here I am, on the cusp of the start of a new school semester with me still applying for jobs and trying to figure it out.  Maybe I can work on my own.. take a few months off and apply for a new job or just buckle it down and try to prove myself again in academia.  Either way I am completely giddy at the opportunities that I have and slightly scared of an uncertain future.  But honestly, I’m glad this is happening cause the change that is occuring totally shook up my life and for the better.. it’s been refreshing.  For a split second I feel like I have escaped life as a mundane social drone.

welcome to social drone

Posted: 30th May 2010 by vidcow in Education, Family, Friends, Humour, Life, Relationships, Work

welcome to social drone.  a website dedicated to the investigation and interpretation of the social interactions, expectations, and quirks of everyday life.  we live in a world today where we are taught, educated and expected to behave in certain way’s without really fully analyizing why.  it is through this blog we will explore these social expectations and in doing so, will hopefully uncover some amusing musings of everyday situations.  i hope you all enjoy, share and comment on all the stories and perhaps think take a double take instead of falling to the conformities of a social drone…