Blog Marco

Being an entrepreneur and starting your own business leads you down a path to being unemployable. There are two types of being unemployable: either that you are a bum and don't have any skills, or you own a business which provides you an income stream and you are the master of your own domain.

Entrepreneurs are unemployable because they love what they do. They have a passion for their work, they are dedicated to their cause and their goals and don't count the hours of their work. We think in terms of how much work we can do in one day and wish that there were more hours in the day to work.

Entrepreneurial individuals also are massive control freaks. We like to get our own way and we want control over what we've worked hard to build. We are also super independent but have a can-do attitude, We tend to jump into things, not really knowing what we are getting ourselves into, but we are determined enough to find out what needs to be done to get to where we want to get to.

I was watching an old episode of The Outer Limits (S02E11 - The Refuge 1996) which quoted the line "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" at the end. After some quick research I found that the quote was actually quoted by poet William Butler Yeats to some "Old Play". It is in dreams that we can imagine and create new realities - where unlimited possibilities lie. However it is responsibility which pulls those dreams from imagination to reality.

We are all responsible. Response-Able. Able to respond to choices - responsible for both failures and successes. Responsible for the decisions that we make individually, which ideas and dreams you decided to exercise and which ones you decided not to.

I was listening to Dr Karl on triple J podcast from early December 2009 when he started talking philosophical saying how "Life has a Low Signal to Noise Ratio." He goes on to explain the analogy with an old vinyl record where you can hear the noise in the background. And then a cassette has less noise and compared to a CD, there is little noise - so this means this has a good signal to noise ratio. He says that life doesn't have a good signal to noise ratio. He says that, "if you are walking down the street and you see the person - the one that is meant for you, the clouds do not open up and the voice of God says, hey You, go that's the person... but no, that doesn't happen - it doesn't rise above the noise...." Hmmmm...

The local newspaper rag had a short report about the five traits that determine the coolness factor for an individual. They include: self-belief and confidence, defying convention, understated achievement, caring for others and connectivity.

How to become Cool

steveuci says: It's not so much that you should stop trying, but that you need to put yourself in a position where it comes naturally.

Step 1 is, I believe you gotta get into the mindset of putting yourself into other people's shoes and really understand what's going on in other people's heads.

Step 2, work on your communication skills to be able to put any thought you or someone else may have into words.

Step 3, refine your self-confidence and outward posture, so that when someone looks at you and passes judgment, they aren't thinking "psssh, she hasn't got a clue." This hooks into communication skills as well, because communicating something in a confident (not arrogant, not know-it-all, just... understanding, intelligent, and humble) manner is a big part of self-confidence. Pretend as though someone you admire is watching your every move.

Have you ever had a bad smell cause you a headache or even a migraine? Well it did for me today. I was waiting in line at the post office today when a woman walked by with the most awful stench I've ever smelled. It's worse than the worst fart. It was worse than smelling gas or petrol vapours at the petrol station. The smell was so smelly I would classify it worse than rotten eggs, rotting fish or even driving by a decomposing garbage dump. Have a shower woman! (Or at least use deodorant)

The smell emanating from this woman was so powerful that even though she only spent about 10 seconds in the vicinity, the smell hung around for a long time. It made me gag and I noticed the other people waiting in the line rolling their eyes, coughing and covering their noses.

It's instances like this that make me a believer of aromatherapy. Therapy from smells. Bad smells can make you feel sick - even giving you headaches. Good smells from different oils can influence mood. Or so the theory says.

It's time to finally tune up the old car. First of all, why should I regularly tune up a car? A car is a machine - and in order for it to run properly it has to be maintained and worn out parts need to be replaced. Tuning up a car will allow the car to perform at its optimal level and may also extend the life of the car's engine. I like to be informed before bringing my car to the mechanic so here's a little more research:

So, what is a car tune up? What actually happens when I bring my car in for service for a tune up? A tune up replaces any worn out car parts. The air filter needs to be replaced every year (or more often if you're located in a dusty area). Having a dirty air filter will reduce the amount of air coming through to the combustion stage and alter the air:fuel ratio - meaning wasted fuel.

Other car parts that may be replaced during a car tune up:

• Fuel Filter - Fuel needs to get through to the cylinders. Replacement helps fuel economy and extends life of fuel pump
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Submitted by Marco on Wed, 08/04/2009 - 12:01pm.

I found this cartoon of heaven a while back. Enjoy!

Life gets unknowingly complicated once you get out of high school. High school sucks; cliques run amok, you have to wake up at an ungodly hour just to get forcefed lies, useless information and bad lunch, and you are consumed by pressure. Unfortunately, as much as high school is full of insecurities, it’s the most secure you’ll ever be. It cloaks you from the real world, and as much as teachers and guidance counsellors try to prepare you for it, it doesn’t even remotely come close.

How do you survive growing up? I’ll give you a few tips so that you won’t want to spend every day weeping like a two-year-old over a broken toy.

The first bit of advice I can give you is to be wise with your money. Especially in this economy, living is expensive. You like driving? Your car needs repairs and maintenance. You like food? That costs money too. You like having fun once in a while? That also puts a dent in your wallet. So, don’t over indulge; a Playstation 3 can always wait. Eat at home a lot (it’s way cheaper), don’t buy stuff unless you need it, and if you acquire a credit card, don’t go hog wild. However, don’t entirely deprive yourself either. Once in a while, treat yourself to a good show, or a movie, or some new clothes, but have self-control.

I was trying to find an English saying today and I found this list. Here's a list of English proverbs or English sayings which are commonly used in English speaking countries.

Top 10 list of commonly used English Sayings (i.e. overused English proverbs):

1. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
2. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
3. Walk the walk and talk the talk.
4. Actions speak louder than words.
5. Love is blind.
6. Money cannot buy happiness.
7. Never judge the book by its cover.
8. Prevention is better than cure.
9. Simple minds think alike.
10. Monkey see, monkey do.

What is the proper etiquette in this modern world? How do we conduct ourselves in our civilised society today? How to we behave in public? As the world quickly becomes technologically advanced our society is faced wth many new challenges.

The mobile phone is perhaps the most intrusive invention out of all technological advances. It is disruptive and interupts usually quiet places such as work, banks, stores, places of worship or transportation like trains. Imagine sitting in a train carriage with someone carrying on a long and loud conversation for your whole trip. Public mobile phone usage simply intrudes into your personal space. If you are at a theatre or restaurant, let management know about the problem to avoid any problems.

Where can we go in an article about etiquette without writing about formal dining arrangements. It is confusing to have a huge array of stuff in front of you. Your serviette and bread plate is always to your left and beverage on your right. With utensils, work from the outside to inside and watch others if in doubt.

Even successful people failed on their way to the top... The video uses famous American people such as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Ulysses S. Grant. Life = Risk. Failure is a part of life and success.

Humans are vain... from Greek Mythology in Narcissus to more recent times with the Vanessa Hudgens scandal... to yourselves! In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a handsome youth who rejected the desperate advances of the nymph Echo. As punishment, he was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. It is from this story that the word narcissism is derived from, which is the excessive love or admiration of oneself and is a psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem in the extreme state - but can also be used to describe the attribute of the human psyche that everyone has which is charactised by admiration of oneself. You own a mirror? Well you've got some level of narcissism in yourself. It's just normal. With Narcissus he ignored a girl who was pining for him (Echo) since he fell in love with his own image...

Humans are vain no matter where they are in the world. How does Vanessa Hudgens step into the picture? Well first of all she took photos of herself nude. Who knows the real reason for taking the photos but one reason may have been to just "have a look". She also has a tonne of other naughty candid photos, which is normal nowadays, especially with the proliferation of cheap digital cameras.

I was going through some old Seinfeld episodes when I caught this quote - perhaps the best and most comedic way to end a conversation with Telemarketers:

[Jerry Answers the Phone]
Telemarketer: "Hi, would you be interested in switching over to TMI long distance service?"
Jerry: "Oh Gee, I can't talk right now..why don't you give me your home number and I'll call you later."
Telemarketer: "Uh Well I'm sorry were not allowed to do that"
Jerry: "Oh I guess you don't want people calling you at home"
Telemarket: "..no"
Jerry: "Well you know how I feel"
[Jerry hangs up the phone]

We are the lucky ones. I've just read a news story from China about this story of a kid going to uni. It's a special story that moved me when I read it. From poverty to succeeding in university, have a read:

LAST week was the start of the Chinese academic year. Thousands of poor peasant children have triumphed over the world's most competitive high school system and taken their places at university. It can be a proud and bewildering experience. For a young man in Liaoning province called Sun Dapeng, it is time for an annual visit to his father's grave. Dapeng's father left this note three years ago before swallowing a can of pesticide: "My son, when you read this letter I will no longer be in this world, because I cannot provide for your education. Please accept my death as my apology." Dapeng's mother had died when he was young. His father was a landless peasant who slaved his guts out to earn five or 10 yuan on a good day, nothing on a bad one, hauling heavy loads despite a lapsed disc in his lumbar spine. His father had covered the school fees and protected Dapeng from manual work so he could concentrate completely on his study. But when Dapeng was offered a place at a teaching college the first year tuition fee was 5308 yuan ($851) - 100 times the old man's life savings of 52 yuan. This year the national censors have ensured there is no coverage of the student and parent suicides that greet the start of every academic year.

In Liaoning province, Sun Dapeng has just returned from his father's grave. He has just graduated from university with a teaching degree and a major in geography. Last week he started teaching at a privately owned primary school. It is hard work - he has to prepare and teach 24 lesson every week - but he earns between 700 and 800 yuan a month.

It is enough for him to soon repay the 6000 yuan student loan he eventually received from the local city government and the money he borrowed from his sister. His sister was cleaning chicken yards at the time for 200 yuan a month. Visiting his father's grave, Dapeng whispered "ku jing gan lai" (the suffering is over, I promise a better future). But the suffering will never be over. "If I had not gone to university my father would not have killed himself," he says quietly. "He was the perfect father."

We are lucky.

I was reading an article about Shannon Noll's move into the US market and I found an interesting quote by Shannon. Here it is:

What I've found is the people in the middle of the road are the ones with attitude and that sort of thing. But when you get to work with people at the top of the pile you realise there is hope; there are some decent people out there. They're not out to prove themselves to anyone.

Of course the quote is within the context of the article, which is talking about Noll's work experiences with notable songwriters in USA. But I've heard this quote a few times before, from different people about different careers, from business people to photographers. I've observed the same thing. Hmmm... something to ponder about...