Sophisticated Banking

I'm in North America, who considers themselves brain child of internet and computer technology.

So here is how I transfer money from my bank account to another:
- Add recipient name and email address to my account
- Select how much I want to transfer
- Set up a security question and answer to verify recipient
- Physically call the recipient to tell him of my security question and answer
- Recipient checks email, is asked the questions, answers correctly and provides bank account details for the money to be transferred into.

Sending my hard earned money through silly bank processes via gmail and yahoo internet email accounts is not only inefficient and backward, it also costs me me a whooping $1.50 a transaction.

The banking industry here is ridiculous. At least I can transfer funds electronically though, a big improvement from 4 years ago.

Oh, and interest rates for savings accounts are 0.012% (compared to my 6.1% in Sydney), and the interest rates for credit cards are 19% (compared to my 16% in Sydney).

Don't get me started on telcos!

Be warned of rambling

The purpose of this blog is really to keep in touch with friends back at home and around the world. Share my embarrassing moments, and basically let you all know that I am still alive and kicking. I've been lousy, I know...

So just a quick update (as much as I love you guys, I value sleep):

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Despite my last blog entry, I'm really enjoying my contract. At first, I had absolutely nothing to do. Zilch. They paid me by the hour to sit, chit chat, and surf the net. It was brain numbing and I was bored to tears. Literally.

Then they asked me to join a team that was absolutely drowning in work - and now I'm drowning with them. My long hours the last few weeks is nothing compared to what will come. The project plan has each of us scheduled 15 hours/day, every day from April to July, and I suspect it's on the optimistic side (another reason to hate PMs on this project). I've told G to be nice to me now coz I won't be around for a while.

Having said that, I'm enjoying it so far. I thought it was going to be very similar to my last big project, but this is bigger and more ambitious. I love my role, and I love my team which is also a bonus.

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I'm getting used to Winter (note: this does not imply liking it), it's been a brutal one as everyone reminds me... we have only 5cm of snow to go before we break to all time record for snowfall in one season. We have had the biggest snow dumps that T.O. has seen in 30 years. Great timing on my part *humph*

Only good thing is, I tried snow boarding again last weekend, and surprisingly enjoyed it. G was shocked to see me holding my snowboard and grinning simultaneously (and this was even before the Beavertail). I'm still crap, but at least I can link my turns and I'm on my board more than I'm on my bum.

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I've put on weight. A-lot-of-weight. And I'm not sure how it is I'm going to lose it. I think I have a fair idea of how I gained it though.

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I won poker... it was a while ago, but I was proud and I want to boast about it. After many many weeks of contributing to the pot and not reaping any returns (the boys love it when I play), I finally turned the tables and took their money.

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It's sad, but the highlight for me this week is shopping for a laptop so I can work more comfortably from home.

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I think I am delirious now. So much that I am rambling. I think I need sleep.

Lessons not learnt

Experience is gained by learning valuable lessons, and being open to learning more. Time is not the sole measure of experience, a certification does not prove you can apply what you have been taught, and a business title alone is certainly not commands respect.

I don't care if someone has been in an industry for five, fifteen or fifty years. If they are not open to giving someone else with a difference of opinion to speak, not willing to listen to suggestions for improvement (or listen at all for that matter), or allow an intellectual conversation to take place because they already made a decision - and hell no, decisions can't be changed... their experience means nothing as far as I'm concerned.

If they haven't realised in all their grand years (often mistaken as experience, and sometimes more outrageously mistaken as wisdom), that valuable learnings can often be gained from others if only they had an open mind to catch it, then I'm not interested in learning from them.