Another odd thing I see people do comes out from when they walk, and I haven't quite got my head around why they walk this way. I tried to find some videos or pictures online to help illustrate this, but no luck, so does this mean I'm the only person who's noticed it?
I'll try to explain it here, and see whether you notice it in people as well. It's more common with ladies than men, but its still only a minority of ladies who do it.
When people walk, their arms move by their sides and generally there is just a small swing, with your arms keeping to a certain space around your body. But I've encountered a few people now, whose arms swing a moderate distance away from their hips. Some of them seem to completely have their elbows relaxed, so the forearm flicks out on the backwards stroke. This is compounded if they've relaxed their wrists as well so now the hand flicks out too. So at the point where their arm has mostly straightened and finished the backwards stroke, it is also extended sideways some distance from their body.
Now the post is not about how it looks, but what it means for me as a fellow pedestrian, particularly in a growing city with more crowded walkways and congested malls. It means its harder for me to walk past them. The space they occupy is almost double what it should, but it often catches me out as I don't notice the flicking arm thing until they've almost caught me in the leg (or worse).
And it gets more exciting when we're climbing the stairs, and I'm tearing up alongside trying to catch a train, as now their hand is at a height to catch me in the face.
This post really has no point, other than highlighting something else that irks me when I commute. I need something to balance it out.
So I found this; apparently if you swing your arms in sync with your legs (i.e. swing right arm forward when your right leg steps forward, etc), you use 26% more energy while walking, as well as also messing with your mind. (See indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/swing-arms-walking/).
I'm going to try this out next time I go walking in the evening. Just for laughs, try it too.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Monday, 20 January 2014
Don't. Stop. There.
When I catch the trains in the morning, I've noticed that by the time they reach the station where I get on, the trains come in pairs. There is the express train, and about 4 minutes after, there will be the local train. After that, its generally a 10 minute wait for the next pair.
Now the express is always full. It always starts from the furthest station, and because there is a considerable time gap between it and its preceding train, then more people have accumulated on platforms waiting for it. Now by the time it reaches the station I'm at, its generally full, so most of the time I end up having to wait for the local.
So far, this is all good. Now stuff gets interesting when the bus drops us all at the station, and we all realise that the local has just arrived. Naturally, we don't want to miss that one, as it means almost a 15min wait doing nothing; 10min for the express we can't get on, then another 4 min for the next local.
So we rush for that train.
I've noticed on a few occassions that there are people who rush down the stairs/escalator, sprint across the platform, dive through the open doors into the carriage, and then stop.
Not just stop at their seat.
Not just move down the carriage and then stop.
Not even take a couple of steps in and then stop at the centre support bar.
But actually stop in the open doorway. They do it while they decide to go left or right for an open seat.
So I'm right behind them, and now I can't get on, even though there's room in the carriage. I'll make my presence known, a tap on the shoulder, a subtle cough, a muttered "excuse me".
But I know one day I won't be able to pull up in time and I'm going to end up ploughing through one of these jokers.
Now the express is always full. It always starts from the furthest station, and because there is a considerable time gap between it and its preceding train, then more people have accumulated on platforms waiting for it. Now by the time it reaches the station I'm at, its generally full, so most of the time I end up having to wait for the local.
So far, this is all good. Now stuff gets interesting when the bus drops us all at the station, and we all realise that the local has just arrived. Naturally, we don't want to miss that one, as it means almost a 15min wait doing nothing; 10min for the express we can't get on, then another 4 min for the next local.
So we rush for that train.
I've noticed on a few occassions that there are people who rush down the stairs/escalator, sprint across the platform, dive through the open doors into the carriage, and then stop.
Not just stop at their seat.
Not just move down the carriage and then stop.
Not even take a couple of steps in and then stop at the centre support bar.
But actually stop in the open doorway. They do it while they decide to go left or right for an open seat.
So I'm right behind them, and now I can't get on, even though there's room in the carriage. I'll make my presence known, a tap on the shoulder, a subtle cough, a muttered "excuse me".
But I know one day I won't be able to pull up in time and I'm going to end up ploughing through one of these jokers.
Friday, 17 January 2014
The Nod?
I drag my skateboard with me on the bus and train every day as I commute to work. It's been just over 2 years since I started doing this, and I can definitely say there has been a noticeable growth in the popularity of people now carrying these things around.
Before I started skating, there only be one or two occassions where I'd spot someone carrying a board. But now it has risen in popularity to the point where I now regularly see a couple of people a week, at least.
When I used to ride a motorcycle, most riders would nod to each other as they passed in traffic. It was some sort of acknowledgement that we were a minority and only seconds away from a terrifying accident or death. But here is my question: Should skateboards do a 'nod' to each other when they pass on public transport? There are moments where we make eye contact and it seems as though the quesiton is floating through their mind as well.
My conclusion: .... I don't think so. They've all got a reputation as ratbags for a reason! ha ha ha ha.
P.S. It's not called a "wheely plank"!
Before I started skating, there only be one or two occassions where I'd spot someone carrying a board. But now it has risen in popularity to the point where I now regularly see a couple of people a week, at least.
When I used to ride a motorcycle, most riders would nod to each other as they passed in traffic. It was some sort of acknowledgement that we were a minority and only seconds away from a terrifying accident or death. But here is my question: Should skateboards do a 'nod' to each other when they pass on public transport? There are moments where we make eye contact and it seems as though the quesiton is floating through their mind as well.
My conclusion: .... I don't think so. They've all got a reputation as ratbags for a reason! ha ha ha ha.
P.S. It's not called a "wheely plank"!
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Bogan fashion
First time I'd seen the 'recession collection'. Fashion just rolls on, leaving me tearful in its relentless wake.
Ice Queen
One particular experience that sticks in my mind, from my car yard days, was a particular encounter with a young lady. Amusingly enough, I never encountered her in person, only over the phone.
In this yard, we had a hotline phone, so for our online and paper adverts, the number that was dialed would come through to the hotline phone that sat on a lecturn with some notepads, separate from the our desks. The rule was to take turns in answering calls that came through. If a caller enquired about an advertised vehicle, it was the responsibility of the salesperson answering the call to set an appointment, and to make sure that the caller asked for them by name so they could continue the sale.
On this occassion, the lady who called had seen an advert for a Chrysler Sebring convertible that she liked, but it turned out she had already been into the yard, and found out that the car was not available due to some mechanical issues that were being fixed. She had called through to the hotline to see if any other options were available. It seemed odd that the sales staff from that side of the yard (the Chryslers were handle by a different division) hadn't taken care of her properly, but I was happy at any opportunity presented.
Now this lady was interesting. She was a fairly high powered HR executive, and had recently bought a Holden Captiva SUV brand new. It had been a great deal at the time, but now, 6 months later, she just wanted to have the feel of the wind in her hair, and hence a convertible was now what she wanted. Knowing what Holden Captivas really were (re-badged models from when GM had bought out failing Korean car maker Daewoo), I also suspected there may have been other reasons she wanted out of that car.
Anyway, digging through the stock, I mentioned to the lady that we didn't have anymore Sebring convertibles available, however we had a nifty Astra convertible available at one of our other yards and that I could bring it down for her to look at. She seemed pretty sweet on the idea, so I was going to call her back when I found out when I could get it there.
Many car yards are actually part of a chain, and not in the sense of "all Toyota yards are owned by Toyota", but more along the lines of a company that owns several yards of different manufacturers spread across town, and mixed with new and used vehicles. Even though all the yards are part of the same company behind the scenes, they are all still competitors in a tough business, so it can be hard to convince another yard to pass a car from their stock to us, as it means we found a buyer and the sale will be recorded to us, instead of them. This all means that it takes time and some effort to get a vehicle from a sister yard.
It was the next day when I was able to call back my customer, and it turned out that she was rather enterprising, as befitting of her executive background. She'd dug around online, found the yard that actually had this car, and had been there to look it over.
Now I don't know how her conversation with the sales staff there went, but as she told it to me, they were rude, not very understanding, wouldn't let her test drive the car, and also wouldn't tell her how low they'd go on the car.
It seemed odd to me that these sales staff would treat a customer so poorly, but their loss was going to make an even better opportunity for me. So looking to work a silver tongue, I sought to sooth her frustrations and assure her that she would be treated as a queen at our yard. Now, still on the phone, she enquired as to what ballpark she'd be looking at if she traded in her Captiva for the Astra. She didn't want to come in, she wanted that answer now.
Over the phone she told me all the details of her car, Holden Captiva LX auto 5 seater and just under 10,000km. The car was basically new. But this was where things got interesting. Relaying the information to the yard manager, I got a shock with what he was prepared to offer. The car was a 2009 model, even though it'd been bought in 2010, and she'd gotten it during the first round of sales prior to the next model of the Captiva that was coming out as the true 2010 model. Her car, in 6 months, had dropped $9,000 dollars just because Holden yards were dumping these things to make way for the new model.
The switch from pleasant and curious to the venom and fury this lady now expressed at this news, was not something I can adequately describe, but it also made me think that perhaps there was more to the story of what happened between her and the staff at the other yard. It just conjured images of the White Witch.
Needless to say, I did not sell a Holden Astra that day.
In this yard, we had a hotline phone, so for our online and paper adverts, the number that was dialed would come through to the hotline phone that sat on a lecturn with some notepads, separate from the our desks. The rule was to take turns in answering calls that came through. If a caller enquired about an advertised vehicle, it was the responsibility of the salesperson answering the call to set an appointment, and to make sure that the caller asked for them by name so they could continue the sale.
On this occassion, the lady who called had seen an advert for a Chrysler Sebring convertible that she liked, but it turned out she had already been into the yard, and found out that the car was not available due to some mechanical issues that were being fixed. She had called through to the hotline to see if any other options were available. It seemed odd that the sales staff from that side of the yard (the Chryslers were handle by a different division) hadn't taken care of her properly, but I was happy at any opportunity presented.
Now this lady was interesting. She was a fairly high powered HR executive, and had recently bought a Holden Captiva SUV brand new. It had been a great deal at the time, but now, 6 months later, she just wanted to have the feel of the wind in her hair, and hence a convertible was now what she wanted. Knowing what Holden Captivas really were (re-badged models from when GM had bought out failing Korean car maker Daewoo), I also suspected there may have been other reasons she wanted out of that car.
Anyway, digging through the stock, I mentioned to the lady that we didn't have anymore Sebring convertibles available, however we had a nifty Astra convertible available at one of our other yards and that I could bring it down for her to look at. She seemed pretty sweet on the idea, so I was going to call her back when I found out when I could get it there.
Many car yards are actually part of a chain, and not in the sense of "all Toyota yards are owned by Toyota", but more along the lines of a company that owns several yards of different manufacturers spread across town, and mixed with new and used vehicles. Even though all the yards are part of the same company behind the scenes, they are all still competitors in a tough business, so it can be hard to convince another yard to pass a car from their stock to us, as it means we found a buyer and the sale will be recorded to us, instead of them. This all means that it takes time and some effort to get a vehicle from a sister yard.
It was the next day when I was able to call back my customer, and it turned out that she was rather enterprising, as befitting of her executive background. She'd dug around online, found the yard that actually had this car, and had been there to look it over.
Now I don't know how her conversation with the sales staff there went, but as she told it to me, they were rude, not very understanding, wouldn't let her test drive the car, and also wouldn't tell her how low they'd go on the car.
It seemed odd to me that these sales staff would treat a customer so poorly, but their loss was going to make an even better opportunity for me. So looking to work a silver tongue, I sought to sooth her frustrations and assure her that she would be treated as a queen at our yard. Now, still on the phone, she enquired as to what ballpark she'd be looking at if she traded in her Captiva for the Astra. She didn't want to come in, she wanted that answer now.
Over the phone she told me all the details of her car, Holden Captiva LX auto 5 seater and just under 10,000km. The car was basically new. But this was where things got interesting. Relaying the information to the yard manager, I got a shock with what he was prepared to offer. The car was a 2009 model, even though it'd been bought in 2010, and she'd gotten it during the first round of sales prior to the next model of the Captiva that was coming out as the true 2010 model. Her car, in 6 months, had dropped $9,000 dollars just because Holden yards were dumping these things to make way for the new model.
The switch from pleasant and curious to the venom and fury this lady now expressed at this news, was not something I can adequately describe, but it also made me think that perhaps there was more to the story of what happened between her and the staff at the other yard. It just conjured images of the White Witch.
Needless to say, I did not sell a Holden Astra that day.
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
No way....
I'd mentioned in the past that I love watching the Japanese game show: Ninja Warrior. Of course, with many things of rising popularity, other countries take on their own variant. Malaysia has theirs, and USA has American Ninja Warrior. There are most likely other countries that have their own branch too.
Occassionally competitors from those other countries show up at the Japanese course, but they rarely seem to do well. The one American I saw do quite well, though he fell out on the 3rd stage due to a technicality, was a massive US Navy Diver. A bit too much brute force in his approach, but I was quite impressed.
Anyway, I have watched a couple of episodes of the American Ninja Warrior, and you can see the differences immediately in terms of the character of competitors, and also how you get alot more sports professionals appearing.
The thing is, they generally don't seem to do as well, as more strength and muscle also means more weight and that almost always wipes out the larger competitors. So when I read that in the first formal team Ninja Warrior competition of Japan versus USA, it was a complete whitewash with the USA team winning everything (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/game-of-secrets-the-conspiracy-the-controversy-and-the-ninja-warrior-cover-up/).
I find myself thinking that it may not have been entirely legitimate either.
Occassionally competitors from those other countries show up at the Japanese course, but they rarely seem to do well. The one American I saw do quite well, though he fell out on the 3rd stage due to a technicality, was a massive US Navy Diver. A bit too much brute force in his approach, but I was quite impressed.
Anyway, I have watched a couple of episodes of the American Ninja Warrior, and you can see the differences immediately in terms of the character of competitors, and also how you get alot more sports professionals appearing.
The thing is, they generally don't seem to do as well, as more strength and muscle also means more weight and that almost always wipes out the larger competitors. So when I read that in the first formal team Ninja Warrior competition of Japan versus USA, it was a complete whitewash with the USA team winning everything (http://grantland.com/the-triangle/game-of-secrets-the-conspiracy-the-controversy-and-the-ninja-warrior-cover-up/).
I find myself thinking that it may not have been entirely legitimate either.
Persistence can pay off
There's more to that story with the lad looking at having a Ford as his first car. We did get him back a week later.
Most yards have a purchaser, or the yard manager may also take on this role. A purchaser is a person who is constantly scouring the private market and auctions to look for vehicles which can be bought cheaply and then resold through the yard. Their qualifications are simply experience in recognising a serviceable vehicle and negotiating skills in getting a good price to suit the vehicle's condition.
Our purchaser dropped in 2004 Ford Fairlane Ghia, and this car was in really good condition, complete with headset mounted television screens, and a pair of wired Bose headphones. If I was in the position to buy a car myself, and had the money, I would have bought this thing too.
Sometimes its just a matter of having the right combination of features, and as a result the young fellow was all over it even before the test drive. Occassionally, you get a car that sells itself, and it makes the job easy. I wished that had happened more than just the once...
Most yards have a purchaser, or the yard manager may also take on this role. A purchaser is a person who is constantly scouring the private market and auctions to look for vehicles which can be bought cheaply and then resold through the yard. Their qualifications are simply experience in recognising a serviceable vehicle and negotiating skills in getting a good price to suit the vehicle's condition.
Our purchaser dropped in 2004 Ford Fairlane Ghia, and this car was in really good condition, complete with headset mounted television screens, and a pair of wired Bose headphones. If I was in the position to buy a car myself, and had the money, I would have bought this thing too.
Sometimes its just a matter of having the right combination of features, and as a result the young fellow was all over it even before the test drive. Occassionally, you get a car that sells itself, and it makes the job easy. I wished that had happened more than just the once...
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