Many of us often find ourselves deep in work and family duties mode, leaving maybe the weekend for a little time off. A friend commented that her job is fully flexible with a laptop yet she ends work typically after 8pm, so her social circle evolved to people whom she could meet during pockets of free time during a day. She seemed content with the ability to maneuver her activities although our conversation was occasionally interrupted by incoming phone calls seeking her inputs. Is this arrangement doable in most companies? Within a company setup, I think it's too difficult for certain functions such as logistics and customer service. The problem is how to provide enough options across different departments and ensure a level playing field. Even though the government promoted flexible work for some time now, I still don't see adequate solutions. My friend is fortunate to have found a suitable compromise.
There was a reunion with secondary school classmates where our last gathering was three years ago. It was interesting to find big contrasts in the individual circumstances. One went jobless last year, took up PHV license and currently works in a construction company. Another is a car salesman and just glad he didn't end up in the bottom five performers during the last review. He provided an intriguing observation though. Due to the pay slips he has access to, clients are better remunerated now and general spending power is strong. That goes against another friend in HR consultancy who commented that most residents are finding expenses tough. Then, everyone focused their attention on the friend who needed to borrow money from $5000 per person. A recent period of market volatility caused his trading account to be suspended. Probed further, he revealed an unknown broker name that traded in crypto leveraged products. The mechanism is, when a person puts funds in, it becomes part of a pooled liquidity. Basically, over few months, he made and withdrew more than $500k, so it seems legitimate. One fine day, margin call came, the platform froze along with its funds and requested everyone to top up. It's like a one for all, all for one scenario. The total sum required is $235k. We vehemently stated it was a scam. He stands to lose $2m in profit if it remains in limbo and I hope he will just let it go.
A cousin turned 50 and threw a mega celebration onboard a yacht. I wasn't keen to go as I had bad episodes of sea sickness before. The first time it happened was on a navy ship. The doctor prescribed a wrist aid and medication, none worked and I endured five days of headache and vomiting. As I got older, being a car passenger sometimes induced motion sickness as well. So I was very apprehensive before this birthday cruise trip and took medication while hoping for the best. As it turned out, I coped well and enjoyed the evening sunset. My wife fared worse as she drank a punched out mixture of alcohols and threw up. While heading to shore, there was more drama. The boat's power steering malfunctioned and we were left stranded at sea, drifting along with the waves. Rescue boats were activated and arrived to ferry us back on land. This added two extra hours and I was just happy to reach home and settle the wife in bed.
Tip: Charly Nicolle Chablis 2022, autumn pear, honeysuckle, young and fresh minerality
