Today I had to take a test and was presented
with a sheet I haven't used in years, a Scantron sheet! The logo has
changed, but the usual "fill in the bubbles with a No. 2 pencil" and
markings on the side of the sheet showing how to properly feed it into the
answer checking machine instruction didn't change one bit.
I couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic as I filled out the various circles
corresponding to the answers. It felt like high school all over again!
I noticed that I penciled in each circle in a counterclockwise motion starting
on the outside edge working my way towards the center. What's your style?
It's that time of the year once again where on this holiday, made up by
corporations most likely, we celebrate the round fluffy breakfast cakes that
tastes pretty bland by itself, but taste kick-ass when syrup is poured on top
of them.
In honor of this day, I treated myself to some pancakes of course.
Instead of literally waiting hours for free pancakes at IHOP, I forked over
$2.50 and bought some at my local McDonald's. Free food is good, but it
didn't make economical sense to take off half a day of work to wait in line for
3 free pancakes.
I'm more of a waffles guy, but pancakes are okay in my book. It's one of
the few foods I can actually make!
During a meeting today we went over some
possible worse case scenarios and I noticed my colleague quickly and
confidently pointed out that they will not happen. He sounded really sure
and was able to back up his claim with his years of experience.
While it's true that nothing bad in the magnitude described has ever happened,
I thought that it wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan anyway. So far life
has taught me "never say never" repeatedly. It may have never
happened before, but if in some bizarre string of coincidences the worse does
play out and you're completely unprepared, you're going to be screwed royally
and have no one to blame but yourself.
Yesterday a couple of friends and I went on a
little photo exhibition in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We each chose a theme
and walked around the neighborhood taking pictures that fit the theme. I
decided on circles and ran around finding circles. Some pictures were
stretching it, but there was a circle in it if you looked at it for a while.
Aside from the high winds, especially while crossing the Pulaski Bridge, I had
a really fun time. I look forward to future installments of these photo
exhibitions.
Took me quite a while to figure out the reason behind the Q train service change this weekend. After going through two amendments, a little unusual, the MTA posted the final change: Q trains rerouted onto the R line terminating at Whitehall St and no service from Whitehall to 57 St from 12:01am Sat to 12:01am Mon. During this time N trains will stop at DeKalb Ave going across the bridge to Canal St.
At first I wondered why the Q just didn't kept normal service to 57 St. There was service between Prospect Park and DeKalb Ave and N trains were running normally across the Manhattan Bridge. Why was the Q the only one being rerouted and truncated?
Then I looked at the service changes for the other Broadway lines (N and R) and the answer was there. Well, that's what I think at least.
Besides Q trains being rerouted in Brooklyn, there were extra N trains making shuttle runs between Astoria and 34 St to accommodate the additional passengers from the 7 train suspension between Manhattan and Queens. Because of the special N shuttles they need space in Manhattan to lay up and turn around without interfering the N trains making the full to Coney Island. That meant the express tracks between 34 St and 57 St had to be used and Q trains that normally use these tracks had to move.
They could've just extended Q service to Astoria like previous weekends, but I guess they noticed from previous weekends that that much extra service was not needed in Queens and shuttle service was sufficient.
After figuring this out I understood the reason behind the Q running on the R and turning around at Whitehall St. I wish they explained this to straphangers instead of leaving them confused and wondering why they had to transfer to the N when the Q appeared that it could've run its entire regular route.
A quick search on Youtube yields countless subway related breakdancing videos
Within this week alone I have ran into four
instances, twice of which happened on the same train, of "WHAT TIME IS IT?
IT'S SHOWTIME!" in the subway. For those of you that don't know,
that's the opening line before a bunch of teenagers start breakdancing in the
middle of a subway car for money. Although the groups change and they
don't seem to be a collaborated effort, that line is always the opening
line. Then for about the next 90 seconds everyone in that subway car is
subjected to their show whether they want to or not.
I don't mind them for the most part as I stick my earphones in my ears and
ignore them, and if for nothing else, they are entertaining tourists and making some honest change in the process. However, running into them four times in the course of one
week is too much. Plus, after a long day at work I sometimes just want a
relaxing commute home, not be blasted with rap/hip-hop music blaring from a
portable radio not capable of such high volumes while crossing the Manhattan
Bridge.
It's one thing to be constantly on our mobile
phones and smart phones, but to actually feel uneasy and like a part of you is missing when not around
one of these devices? That's new to me.
I sometimes forget my phone at home or office when stepping out, but I'm not
going start flipping out just because I left it behind. I also am not
going to deliberately walk back just to get it, unless if I'm only half a block
away.
These people most likely to show symptoms of nomophobia are the same people who
must text while driving. They are so glued to their phones that
they don't see anything wrong with using it while operating something that can
cause serious/fatal injuries if one is not careful.
I wonder in the near future if there will be mobile phone withdraw support groups or some sort of drug that will suppress whatever someone discovers in our bodies that claims to cause our phone addiction.
Recently there was an article on the newspaper about a man who got injured on the job and claimed workers' comp and sued his boss/building owner for damages. This story doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary, but because the plaintiff decided to blow everything up, the defendants fired back and found some skeletons in the plaintiff's closet. Not only did the plaintiff collected low-income related government assistance fraudulently, he also let someone else use his social security number so that person could illegally work and he in the meantime work another while off the books. Now he's in serious trouble himself.
Given his situation, he was dealt a very bad hand. If he had kept quiet, none of this would've been exposed, but in turn he would had to pay the medical expenses from his injury by himself. He could have tried negotiating with his boss or building owner first, but coming from the viewpoint of the boss/owner it's hard to say whether the laborer was trying to extort them or not. All parties could've settled before heading to court, but I guess things fell apart if the situation went this far already.
So what's the lesson of this story? Always think before you act! Foolish moves lead to undesirable results more often that you think.
The good ol' paper transfer... one of the "perks" of having to take a shuttle bus
A bad thing about having to work on a holiday,
other than the obvious reason of having to work, is that public transportation
run on a weekend schedule. As an added bonus, in NYC weekend service
changes due to construction remain in effect on this day.
Having lived here for so long you would think I would be aware of this, but
every now and then I would have a memory lapse or be so preoccupied that I
wouldn't be aware of the changes until I was literally on the train.
Thank goodness this time I remembered about the service change before I left
the house! Otherwise it would've meant a trip on the shuttle bus and I'm
not too fond of cramming into a shuttle bus.
Regarding shuttle buses, if you timed it just right you can catch one that is
empty. My timing however, is always off and I always seem to get onto one
that is beyond full and stand next to someone that is either crazy or has some
anger issue. This being the case I always try my best to avoid shuttle
buses.
Having some spare time today, I opened up my W-2
file and started working on my taxes. I have to do them eventually, so I
might as well get them over with.
Since I don't have a complex tax return I was able to complete both the federal
and state returns in less than an hour. Enter a few numbers here, click a
few buttons there and viola, done!
My refund isn't as big as last year, but at least it's not the opposite I
actually owe something. I'll keep my low refund thank you very much.
Although I don't have proof, I have a very
strong hunch that my former landlady threw away some important documents that
was mailed to my old address.
Two things led to this conclusion. First, a call was made to the agency
that mailed the stuff and they said they mailed it to our old address and
someone at that address had signed for it, so it was never returned to the
sender for being undeliverable. Second, our landlady has thrown
away our mail in the past and we have found our letters sitting outside in the
rain or even worse in the trash can. So it wouldn't be so shocking if
they did toss our stuff away.
I can't believe I was able to cope with her for so long. Always so nosy
and asked me where I was going whenever I walked out or always came upstairs to
check on me if I made too much noise. She was worse than my mother!
I really want to warn the next tenant about her annoying habits and hopefully
scare them off.
Continuing yesterday's topic, if a food ban is
impossible to pass and enforce on the NYC subway, are we to just let everyone
eat whatever they want while underground?
While there's no stopping someone from eating, say Pad Thai while on the A
train, we could maybe ask straphangers to refrain from eating something that
emits an odor that would make other straphangers nearby uncomfortable. As
for consuming non-smell-irritating foods, keep it to a minimum and always
remember to pick up after yourself (this applies to everything, not just
food). This is sort of like a kind reminder of one's manners, for the
sake of other passengers. This is not going to be easy, but maybe enough
(and frequent) awareness campaigns can be effective.
An alternative idea is to have a designated food car and only in that area
people can eat more freely. In the place of some seats, that car can be
equipped with some standing tables and trash cans. Of course that car
would have to be monitored and cleaned frequently, so that's a problem.
Maybe a small snack kiosk can be built inside that car and in exchange for
allowing to sell snacks on the train they have maintain the cleanliness of that
car as best as they can.
Lately there has been a lot of talk once again about banning food on the NYC subways. This idea actually isn't new. Supporters of the food ban have been clamoring quite some time claiming it
would cut down on litter and rats underground. Opponents say the city is
full of people with such hectic/weird schedules that the only time they can eat
is during their commute. Personally I think a food ban is a good idea,
but unfortunately it's nearly impossible to enact.
One can't say that big cities can't impose such a rule because subway systems
in other parts of the world like Tokyo and Hong Kong have that rule in effect
and people for the most part seem to be following it based on what I've seen.
The problem lies among its riders. We New Yorkers are so accustomed to
eating on the subway that we see it as the norm like jaywalking, which by the
way is technically illegal in New York as it can be considered reckless
endangerment. To tell people to stop eating in the subway we would have
to change everyone's mindset that has been set a certain way for so long. This is going to be one tough nut to crack,
especially in this "I don't give a f*** and I can litter/spit-everywhere I
want" mentality many embrace here.
Cops can enforce a food ban by issuing tickets and fines,but they have so many other things to watch out for and this is probably the
least of their worries. Once again it all comes back to the riders. If each
rider can show restraint they can keep an eye on themselves and know everyone is trying just as hard. With this culture though, I just can't see this happening.
So does this mean a food-free NYC subway system is never going to happen? Not necessarily. Maybe not in my lifetime, but maybe somewhere
in the future there will be a demographic/cultural shift in NYC large enough
that people eating in the subway will be looked upon as a quirky habit of the
past.
Some HR staff must have stumbled across my post
a few weeks back about job application limbo because out of the blue I got
some responses from some positions I've applied to. I thought they
totally forgot about me, but I guess I wrong!
Granted, the responses referred to jobs I applied at least six months ago and
all of the responses were auto-generated, it's better than continuously wonder
about your status. Better late than never, no?
No need to worry anymore if I should bother them about the position they
probably don't even remember posting an opening for. No more constantly
checking my inbox or phone for that response that seem to take forever.
This case has finally closed. I can now breathe a little easier and move
on.
Am I bummed about the response? Yeah, but I'm happy that they at least
bothered to tell me exactly where I currently stand with them, even it was in
the form of a generic message.
Today I was greeted with someone who apparently really liked wearing cologne
because he went overboard with it. Within minutes the entire room was
filled with the fumes. As if that wasn't bad enough, amidst being
suffocated I could still smell the BO he was trying to cover up with that half
bottle of cologne he used. I was attacked with two funks.
The funny thing was that like most people guilty of doing this, he was
completely oblivious of the smelly crime he was committing. I know it's
rude to tell someone they smell, but there has to be an exception when that
nauseous smell nearly causes one to vomit.
Once again this season the over-hype of an incoming
snowstorm turned out to be nothing more than an early morning dusting ordeal
lasting about an hour or two. Don't get
me wrong, I'm glad there's no snow. I
don't have walk around that sludge afterwards or worry about unshoveled
sidewalks.
This season we got lucky in terms of low
accumulation. However, all the nonstop
talk about the white stuff makes me kind of miss it... briefly.
It's always nice to see how the past envisioned the future. Here's one where folks in 1930 imagined what life in NYC would be like in 1980. Why do these future vision videos always involving some sort of individual flying contraction?
Either I have a strong stomach or that I'm sadly
used to the stench that it didn't faze me, but I endured a nasty smell emitting
from a person for forty minutes on a Q train.
I should've known something was wrong right from the beginning when I noticed
the subway car was nearly empty as it arrived into the Canal St station.
When I walked in and finally realized what was going on, it was too late. The
train started pulling out of the station and onto the Manhattan Bridge. I
now had to wait until DeKalb Ave before I could switch cars. I wonder if
this was one of those situations where it was okay to use the side exits on the
ends of the subway cars.
When the train got to DeKalb Ave I had the chance to move to the next car, but
seeing as how I had a seat and the smell wasn't absolutely unbearable, I
decided to stay put with the handful of others and rode in the smelly
car. It was an interesting trip testing my resilience and strength to
withstand the foul odor, but I don't want to do this again.
I don't know what was up with today, but I got
side-swiped by six different people today in six unrelated instances.
They ranged from a light brush to almost a full-on tackle.
Normally I don't pay much attention because it happens all the time and that
they're accidental, usually by inconsiderate pedestrians who decide not to share
the sidewalk to others walking in the opposite direction. This time
however, I don't think I've gotten so many interactions in the course of one
day before.
I tried my best to avoid these walk-by knockers, but in some of the run-ins I
either ran into them or walk on the street into incoming vehicle traffic.
Seeing as how I didn't want to get hit by a car, I opted to get hit by the
sidewalk hoggers instead. At least with this method I could literally
knock some sense into them and remind them to share the sidewalk before getting
hit by the next person.
While waiting in a checkout line at supermarket
I was looking at various stuff around me to kill the time. Amid my glances I
noticed the ladies in front of me and in the next line over were using EBT
cards, aka food stamps. It wasn't strange seeing people use the card, but
rather seeing so many people use it. From what I saw, at least four out
of five people were using it. Thinking I was missing out on something, I
looked at the lady in front of me using her card. When she noticed she
had this panicked expression on her face, hurried up her transaction and
quickly walked away.
Everyone knows what's going on lady, so no need to act so sneaky.
Besides, if you didn't want anyone to know you were gaming the system why did
you apply for it in the first place? How did so many people qualify for
the card in the first place? Aren't there prerequisites? It seems
as if anyone can easily qualify if they shift their assets around and out of
radar.
For those that actually do need the assistance, there's no shame in using the
card. It's much better than starving.
For the umpteenth time, a conflict in direction
(or rather a lack of) and miscommunication led to a waste of time, energy and
money.
In the beginning no one said much and didn't really seemed to care, so I
assumed things were going well. It wasn't until the very end that
everyone then decided to have an opinion and started the criticism
parade. Gee, thanks everyone!
I'm fine with the critiques and making changes, but I just wish they didn't
came when it was too late with the product already produced. It's
extremely frustrating when I don't get any feedback when I ask for it and later
get them when I can't make anymore changes without spending extra time and
money.
Maybe I should start making these people give mandatory feedback before
proceeding to the next step.
Once again it's time for the Super Bowl and the
multi-million dollar ads airing in between the game. While the game was
great to watch with some great moments, the commercials this year though was a
little "meh."
There were some good ones, but a majority of them were rather lackluster.
It felt as if some companies were trying too hard while other on the opposite
side of the spectrum looked as if they blew all their money just trying to buy
a commercial timeslot and didn't had enough money for the actual production itself.
With an estimated one billion viewers, all that counted was the name exposure I
guess.
Here are some of the ones I liked. You can see the rest on a special
YouTube page.
The newly released jetBlue mobile app looks
pretty nifty with its designs and cool features. I'm eager to try it out
myself, but alas like many other apps out there it's only available for the iOS.
Being that I use a Windows Phone phone, my only option is to stick with their
mobile website. It's a bit dated, but it gets the job done and that's
what's important I suppose.
There are a handful of apps built for the iOS and Android platforms. It's
still relatively infrequently, but it's slowly growing. For us Windows
Phone users however, we're left in the dark as few developers bother to make
their apps compatible with Microsoft's platform. There's not enough
users/demand they say and I guess that makes sense, but still...
Like Android, I guess I have to wait until Windows Phone picks up in momentum,
popularity-wise, before I see a rise in apps supporting it. In the
meantime I'll just stay in this corner by myself while continuously hearing
"download our app to your iPhone or Android device now!"
Common courtesy would dictate that if you're the
first to walk into a subway car you move into the car as best as you can so
that others behind you can enter as well. It's all part of being the
first to enter. Of course this being the NYC subway, inconsiderate
passengers are aplenty and courtesy, sometimes even common sense, are lacking.
So was the case earlier once again earlier this evening at Canal St. Right
from the beginning things were going wrong as people started to push into the
subway cars as others were still trying to get out. I followed a group of
people getting into one of the cars and the lady walking in front of me decided to stand
right in front of the door. There was already another person standing
left of the same doorway, so that meant the rest of us trying to get in now had
to push our way through. As I did my fair share of pushing, the lady gave
us a nasty look as if we were in the wrong. Look lady, it's not like you
gave us any choice. You parked yourself right in front of the door
knowing that there are still people behind you trying to get in. What did
you expect us to do? Run over to the next door because your inconsiderate/lazy butt refused to move out of the doorway for incoming straphangers?
For the first time ever, the NYC MTA decided to
print an official limited edition subway map depicting night service. Out
of the million maps printed in the usual print job, only 25,000 copies of these
Night Maps were printed. Not super rare, but still limited quantity
compared to the big picture.
On regular maps, changes in service during night hours are noted in the corner
with the descriptions of each line, but this map shows the service changes on
the actual lines whether it be trains running local, making shorter runs, or
not running at all. The map also is in a darker shade to further
differentiate itself from the regular map. As an added bonus the back is
decorated with artwork from the "Arts for Transit" series.
Overall, I think this is a pretty cool concept for a subway system that runs 24
hours. I wonder if they will create a weekend version of the map sometime
in the future. That probably will be a lot more challenging though
because the weekends are constantly plagued with various service changes and
similar "typical" weekend service is rare and far in between.
