it is FAR too late, and i am FAR too unmotivated. WHERE did it all go? ugh...
i am convinced that university is a guise under which there is an underlying goal to stress students out BEYOND belief; perhaps ensuring our untimely demise due to stress-related illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and the like. [one might wonder who the beneficiaries of the proliferation of these diseases might be...?] the amount of stress we are under at our relatively young age has been unprecedented in our parents and those before them. [no matter HOW much your parents say they did when they were your age, you can't tell me that milking cows and looking after a farm was mentally draining, you just can't.] the difference in our relatively insignificant stress compared to that of say, people fighting for their very existence in far away countries, is that our stress, comprised of incomprehensible amounts of information to memorize for exams, and seemingly inacheivable amounts of research to complete for papers and assignments, is one that we have KNOWINGLY and WILLINGLY accepted. we have actually invited this stress into our lives; it is stress that we LITERALLY pay for.
so is this stress, really necessary? if i live in afghanistan, and i'm stressed out about my family and i making it through the next day, i would say that's a good reason to stress. that's unavoidable, given the unfortunate circumstances. in comparison, me being stressed about my marks, my midterms, my assignments, just doesn't seem, well, worth it. we are SO lucky to have it so much better than so so so many people out there in the world, yet, we feel the need to make it tougher and tougher for ourselves. why is that?
i suppose it's human nature to always push on, and try to be the best one can be. the ideals of our capitalist society deem that we constantly need to work ourselves harder to earn more and more wealth via status, knowledge and of course, money. but is it ever enough? will we ever be satisfied? is the state of ultimate contentedness so elusive in our world? and if so, why is that, and what are we really pushing our limits for?
i don't believe that life is as complicated as we make it out to be...i just hope we all realize that while we still have the power to change it.
so chill, relax, c'est tranquille... ;)
soph*
10.13.2006
10.10.2006
HERE'S a bright idea for you...
say the word "FREE" at a retail store, and you'll draw a huge, bustling, frothing-at-the-mouth crowd in no time.
for the next four weeks or so, i'm working at such a retail store, promoting energy savings via the use of compact flourescent lightbulbs [or "CFLs", as the energy-savvy call them], torchiere lamps, and seasonal LED lights [no, i don't remember what LED stands for]. this event is entitled "Bright Ideas" and is being hosted by Toronto Hydro, along with a few other environmental organizations. it's a great opportunity to learn about energy savings, as well as get free lightbulbs [if you're brave] and coupons to save you money and save toronto energy, so come out!
so i walk into the home depot saturday morning, bright and early at 9am, and there is a crowd of maybe 15-20 people WAITING for their free lightbulbs. i am then told that many of these people have been waiting since 6am. the store opened at 7am. the lightbulb giveaway starts at 10am. that's a total of 4 hours waiting, one of them outside. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? well, to the credit of these crazies, there was no time advertised on the distributed flyers, so, i guess they can't wholly be blamed. i GUESS.
i proceed to meekly tell these people that although i am here, my fellow team members will be arriving at 10am, and if they would like to continue their shopping they were more than welcome to, as there were 500 packs of lightbulbs to be given away. needless to say, people were less than happy. and so as i unpacked my things, and began to set up, they stood in a little bunch before me, looking puzzled and annoyed at the same time. weird. after a while, an old lady comes up and asks me what she needs to fill out to get her lightbulbs, and so i tell her with a smile it's a short little survey which asks for her postal code, as well as a few other questions. suddenly her eyes narrow, and she says loudly, "well WHY don't you just hand out the surveys NOW so that we can do SOMETHING while we're waiting? isn't this thing all about efficiency? you're not being very efficient!".
oh hell no.
the smile drops from my face, and i less than lovingly reply that the survey takes about 30 seconds to complete, so it wouldn't really be advantageous to her to complete the survey, and then continue waiting another 30 minutes. i then turn my back and continue setting up. later on, when this lady receives her lightbulbs, she looks at me with a gaze that could kill, snatches them away and turns her back. you're freaking welcome. over the course of the weekend we encountered more than our fair share of nuts. there were many repeat customers, who thought that if they took off their sweater, they would magically turn into a different person and as such, were rightfully entitled to get back in line to receive another pack of lightbulbs that cost a whopping $5 with the coupon [$8 without]. contrary to what seems to be popular belief, toronto hydro is NOT here to outfit your entire home with lightbulbs, but merely to offer a sample to try out. then there were upset customers, complaining they didn't receive their free bulbs. we ran out relatively quickly, and had a line-up during the first couple of hours while giving the lightbulbs away. the rest of the day [approximately 12pm-6pm] consisted of us telling each and every customer who walked up to our booth that we had already served our first 500 customers but we would be back next weekend, same bat time, same bat channel. EACH AND EVERY CUSTOMER. very annoying.
i think working in retail in general makes one aware of the true nature of the human race. one thing i've realized while working the past 5-6 years in this lucrative field, is that people will do ANYTHING to get what they want. you've all seen it: boxing day INSANITY. people greedily grabbing at everything on sale, regardless of whether it's their size, or if they even like it, playing tug-of-war over half-price scarves and gloves, and arguing over who saw the last size small first in the most hideous sweater you've ever seen. i've seen the scratch marks first hand, so i know it happens. even on regular days, customers will try to return ANYTHING and everything they possibly can. it's funny how things you've never worn and have just been sitting in your closet smell like tide. people will argue for a damaged discount on anything. "there is a RIP in these jeans, i want a discount," demands a customer, to which i reply, "uh, miss, that's the style, they're all like that,".
unless you've worked in retail, you won't empathize with the employee plastered with a fake smile, folding, and refolding that same table at 15 minute intervals throughout the day. customers are vile, VILE beings, who will turn over the entire pile, searching for a size large, and upon finding it, will proceed to pick it up, unfold it, hold it in front of them, look at the price tag, and drop it right back down as they continue onto the next. if only that customer would look up for a minute to notice the looks of death they were receiving from surrounding employees.
don't treat retail employees and managers like shit. they're part of the service industry, and they WILL serve you, they have to, it's their job. don't go out of your way to yell at them and leave upset piles of clothes in your wake. a job in retail or fast food is pretty down there when it comes to the low end of the work spectrum, and i can speak for most retail employees when i say that you will be made to do as much as possible for that little amount you get paid. "but i didn't get hired to scrub the bathroom floor" is not an excuse.
the next time you're at a retail store, fast food chain, or home depot energy savings giveaway of some sort, wait patiently, and be nice to those SERVING you. smile, and try to give these people hope that humankind isn't so lost that they have no more feeling, kindness, and at least sympathy, if not empathy in their hearts. the customer may always be right in theory, but they need the retailers as much as the retailers need them.
respeK to my fellow slaves of the western world.
soph*
for the next four weeks or so, i'm working at such a retail store, promoting energy savings via the use of compact flourescent lightbulbs [or "CFLs", as the energy-savvy call them], torchiere lamps, and seasonal LED lights [no, i don't remember what LED stands for]. this event is entitled "Bright Ideas" and is being hosted by Toronto Hydro, along with a few other environmental organizations. it's a great opportunity to learn about energy savings, as well as get free lightbulbs [if you're brave] and coupons to save you money and save toronto energy, so come out!
so i walk into the home depot saturday morning, bright and early at 9am, and there is a crowd of maybe 15-20 people WAITING for their free lightbulbs. i am then told that many of these people have been waiting since 6am. the store opened at 7am. the lightbulb giveaway starts at 10am. that's a total of 4 hours waiting, one of them outside. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? well, to the credit of these crazies, there was no time advertised on the distributed flyers, so, i guess they can't wholly be blamed. i GUESS.
i proceed to meekly tell these people that although i am here, my fellow team members will be arriving at 10am, and if they would like to continue their shopping they were more than welcome to, as there were 500 packs of lightbulbs to be given away. needless to say, people were less than happy. and so as i unpacked my things, and began to set up, they stood in a little bunch before me, looking puzzled and annoyed at the same time. weird. after a while, an old lady comes up and asks me what she needs to fill out to get her lightbulbs, and so i tell her with a smile it's a short little survey which asks for her postal code, as well as a few other questions. suddenly her eyes narrow, and she says loudly, "well WHY don't you just hand out the surveys NOW so that we can do SOMETHING while we're waiting? isn't this thing all about efficiency? you're not being very efficient!".
oh hell no.
the smile drops from my face, and i less than lovingly reply that the survey takes about 30 seconds to complete, so it wouldn't really be advantageous to her to complete the survey, and then continue waiting another 30 minutes. i then turn my back and continue setting up. later on, when this lady receives her lightbulbs, she looks at me with a gaze that could kill, snatches them away and turns her back. you're freaking welcome. over the course of the weekend we encountered more than our fair share of nuts. there were many repeat customers, who thought that if they took off their sweater, they would magically turn into a different person and as such, were rightfully entitled to get back in line to receive another pack of lightbulbs that cost a whopping $5 with the coupon [$8 without]. contrary to what seems to be popular belief, toronto hydro is NOT here to outfit your entire home with lightbulbs, but merely to offer a sample to try out. then there were upset customers, complaining they didn't receive their free bulbs. we ran out relatively quickly, and had a line-up during the first couple of hours while giving the lightbulbs away. the rest of the day [approximately 12pm-6pm] consisted of us telling each and every customer who walked up to our booth that we had already served our first 500 customers but we would be back next weekend, same bat time, same bat channel. EACH AND EVERY CUSTOMER. very annoying.
i think working in retail in general makes one aware of the true nature of the human race. one thing i've realized while working the past 5-6 years in this lucrative field, is that people will do ANYTHING to get what they want. you've all seen it: boxing day INSANITY. people greedily grabbing at everything on sale, regardless of whether it's their size, or if they even like it, playing tug-of-war over half-price scarves and gloves, and arguing over who saw the last size small first in the most hideous sweater you've ever seen. i've seen the scratch marks first hand, so i know it happens. even on regular days, customers will try to return ANYTHING and everything they possibly can. it's funny how things you've never worn and have just been sitting in your closet smell like tide. people will argue for a damaged discount on anything. "there is a RIP in these jeans, i want a discount," demands a customer, to which i reply, "uh, miss, that's the style, they're all like that,".
unless you've worked in retail, you won't empathize with the employee plastered with a fake smile, folding, and refolding that same table at 15 minute intervals throughout the day. customers are vile, VILE beings, who will turn over the entire pile, searching for a size large, and upon finding it, will proceed to pick it up, unfold it, hold it in front of them, look at the price tag, and drop it right back down as they continue onto the next. if only that customer would look up for a minute to notice the looks of death they were receiving from surrounding employees.
don't treat retail employees and managers like shit. they're part of the service industry, and they WILL serve you, they have to, it's their job. don't go out of your way to yell at them and leave upset piles of clothes in your wake. a job in retail or fast food is pretty down there when it comes to the low end of the work spectrum, and i can speak for most retail employees when i say that you will be made to do as much as possible for that little amount you get paid. "but i didn't get hired to scrub the bathroom floor" is not an excuse.
the next time you're at a retail store, fast food chain, or home depot energy savings giveaway of some sort, wait patiently, and be nice to those SERVING you. smile, and try to give these people hope that humankind isn't so lost that they have no more feeling, kindness, and at least sympathy, if not empathy in their hearts. the customer may always be right in theory, but they need the retailers as much as the retailers need them.
respeK to my fellow slaves of the western world.
soph*
10.06.2006
stop. just for a second.
i find time is going by far too quickly.
remember when you were a kid, and weeks, months, and especially years would absolutely DRAG. it would take forever for your birthday/christmas/summer to come, and the year between ages 12 and 13 was monstrous, it seemed. whatever happened to that?
now it seems that weeks positively FLY by. i remember last friday like it was, well, yesterday. there's no more waiting, our lives are a constant GO. between school, work, studying, transporting ourselves, sleeping, and occasionally, entertaining ourselves, there is NO time. we absolutely pack our days and nights full of these necessary activities so much so, there is no room left for life itself. not enough time to consciously discover new things, to discuss issues with our friends and expand our horizons to become better people.
maybe i'm getting ahead of myself here, but it seems to me, that life has sped up, big time. i think it's a combination of our "young adult" status, as well as our increasingly global world, teeming with new technology, and new ideas to keep up with, which force us to constantly be on the go. energy drinks are one such product of this way of life. i'm sure it was once unheard of to drink caffeine, guarana, or sugar to KEEP us awake, let alone make us better at the things we do. today, they're a norm. you will not find many university students who HAVEN'T tried a red bull to stay awake to study for an exam, or to take an exam.
however, this, i think is a very western reality. i haven't travelled east of England, but from what i hear, things are very different in many eastern countries. life is less of a run around, and more of, a life (at least in some places). people get more paid holidays, take more breaks during their day, don't work their asses off, and are content with what they have. [i'm not saying that that's everywhere, we are so far removed from the tragedies of many eastern countries, it's ridiculous...but that's another post.] maybe it's the increasingly greedy capitalist society in which we live, that drives us on, pushing our noses closer and closer to the grindstone, until we have no perception of "what could be".
i never want to lose sight of that. i never want to be so overcome with materialism and desire, that i lose sight of the earth i live on and the world community i live among, because humanity is what we're all a part of, and that's what we're truly made of. it's not worth it to me to lose sight of this. the world is a temporary stay that we have, and while we should make the very best of it we can to ensure our health, well-being and security, there is SO much more out there to live, experience, and love than i'm sure any of us can imagine.
so, what began as a rant about myself having NO time to breathe between school/work/studying, turned into a wistful reflection on the goodness of humanity itself.
that was random. double you tee eff?! =)
soph*
remember when you were a kid, and weeks, months, and especially years would absolutely DRAG. it would take forever for your birthday/christmas/summer to come, and the year between ages 12 and 13 was monstrous, it seemed. whatever happened to that?
now it seems that weeks positively FLY by. i remember last friday like it was, well, yesterday. there's no more waiting, our lives are a constant GO. between school, work, studying, transporting ourselves, sleeping, and occasionally, entertaining ourselves, there is NO time. we absolutely pack our days and nights full of these necessary activities so much so, there is no room left for life itself. not enough time to consciously discover new things, to discuss issues with our friends and expand our horizons to become better people.
maybe i'm getting ahead of myself here, but it seems to me, that life has sped up, big time. i think it's a combination of our "young adult" status, as well as our increasingly global world, teeming with new technology, and new ideas to keep up with, which force us to constantly be on the go. energy drinks are one such product of this way of life. i'm sure it was once unheard of to drink caffeine, guarana, or sugar to KEEP us awake, let alone make us better at the things we do. today, they're a norm. you will not find many university students who HAVEN'T tried a red bull to stay awake to study for an exam, or to take an exam.
however, this, i think is a very western reality. i haven't travelled east of England, but from what i hear, things are very different in many eastern countries. life is less of a run around, and more of, a life (at least in some places). people get more paid holidays, take more breaks during their day, don't work their asses off, and are content with what they have. [i'm not saying that that's everywhere, we are so far removed from the tragedies of many eastern countries, it's ridiculous...but that's another post.] maybe it's the increasingly greedy capitalist society in which we live, that drives us on, pushing our noses closer and closer to the grindstone, until we have no perception of "what could be".
i never want to lose sight of that. i never want to be so overcome with materialism and desire, that i lose sight of the earth i live on and the world community i live among, because humanity is what we're all a part of, and that's what we're truly made of. it's not worth it to me to lose sight of this. the world is a temporary stay that we have, and while we should make the very best of it we can to ensure our health, well-being and security, there is SO much more out there to live, experience, and love than i'm sure any of us can imagine.
so, what began as a rant about myself having NO time to breathe between school/work/studying, turned into a wistful reflection on the goodness of humanity itself.
that was random. double you tee eff?! =)
soph*
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