What Goes Around Comes Around

Growing up, we make friends, we make enemies and we make awkward acquaintances. Growing up we often don’t realize how important these various relationships are.

Obviously we try to treat others nicely, and hope they treat us like so in return and if not….well, as they say ‘what goes around comes around,’ but as we grow older we start realizing that ‘Hey maybe I should’ve been nicer’ or ‘I should’ve been a better friend’ or just generally ‘I should’ve behaved differently in that situation.’ When we mature and become adults and get jobs we begin to see how these relationships can play a huge role in our lives when it comes to applying for a job or asking for a favour of similar importance. If someone you’ve previously engaged with is involved with that company or organization, well why look at your resume, when they have a first hand reference?

This can be good or bad. They can and should ask that person what their experience was like knowing or working with you. If you didn’t try very hard to get along with them, they have every right to give you a bad review and therefore ruin any chance you had at landing the job.

This could also be a good experience though. If said person is your best friend, they can give you the best reference you would’t ever be able to ask of someone to give for you. Because that person knows you, the employer will take into serious consideration what their current employee says about you since they have first hand experience working with you. Employers of course love this, because they have a credible, reliable source telling them the potential risk they are taking hiring someone will hopefully be one well worth it hiring you because of a good reference. Or not-so-much worth the risk if they give you a bad review.

So remember, next time you plan on making friends, enemies,or acquaintances, they could be influencing your future employer. Do you really want to lose job opportunities over trivial things?

Cyclists Versus Drivers

Living in Manitoba, one is especially privy to hearing the numerous arguments that drivers make about cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the ones cyclists make about drivers, and witnessing it all as one drives or cycles down the streets of Winnipeg. Why is that?

It’s an ongoing cycle. Drivers just want to get to where they’re going, and get there fast. They don’t want to drive behind slow cyclists or having to move halfway into another lane to avoid hitting one, just so they can pass them. They also hate treating cyclists like a vehicle when they’re cyclists. Drivers resent cyclists being allowed on the road because they have to be tolerant of them – as we all know you can’t just pretend that a cyclist isn’t there and run them over.

Cyclists in turn don’t like when drivers aren’t considerate of them on the road and try running them down. They also don’t like it when drivers ignore their presence and try driving like they aren’t there, as that usually ends up with someone getting hit. Cyclists are, by law, on the streets instead of the sidewalks. They don’t have much of a choice, and I’m sure don’t like feeling in the way on the road. But no one has a choice and so drivers should at least respect that and give them their space when driving so they don’t feel like their life’s endangered when cycling.

What doesn’t help this is when drivers don’t bother to be considerate of cyclists, and don’t move over or almost kill them by ignoring their presence on the street. It’s also unhelpful is when cyclists ignore all laws of the road by driving through red lights, riding the wrong way on a one-way and dodging around slow-moving vehicles, never mind switching back and forth from the streets to the sidewalks believing they have the right of way at all times and thinking drivers will yield for them when breaking all said laws. They won’t if they can avoid it, even if that’s a near life and death situation for said cyclist.

But when neither party seems willing to be considerate of each other is when we face most of these problems that occur every day. Wouldn’t it just be easier if drivers shared the road instead of trying to run cyclists into the ditch and cyclists did their best to keep up with traffic and abide by the laws? I think so. If they both tried, rather than accusing and fighting as to who has the right to drive where, driving and cycling in Winnipeg might actually be nice, as opposed to stressful and aggravating.

As a driver, I can accept that cyclists have a right to be on the road. What makes it hard is when all of this is going on and no one is willing to give in. Unfortunately, the streets will only be better if everyone cooperates, and at least tries to get along. At least until then, we could all try to pretend and you know, not run over any more cyclists. They aren’t exactly made out of metal…

Internet Trolls and Why We Hate Them

I must say, I really hate Internet trolls. Yes, sometimes trolls can be very hilarious, especially when proving some dumb or ignorant commenter very, very wrong, in a genius way. That I can appreciate. What is aggravating though is when trolls go looking for an internet war and just start them for no reason other than pure boredom. It’s gets old fast and is pointless. Boredom aside, it’s overall senseless to do. Why would you want to go around pissing people off and making yourself look bad in the process? I don’t know.

Honestly, trollers are so ridiculous. They wasting their own time and everyone else’s and for what? To get banned from networking sites or have their accounts removed because they’re bothering everyone. Yes, because that’s SO cool. Cyber-bullying is where it’s at these days, where no one can touch you. Not. You think you look awesome for picking on someone just because you can? Or for starting an argument you have no reason to start or get into? You don’t. You feel like saying you hate this singer or that on their fan sites? Don’t. You’re honestly just making an asshole of yourself. I get that we’re all entitled to opinions, and I am so for that, being so opinionated myself, but there’s no need to go around stirring up shit and forcing your opinion on others. Everyone has their own opinions and sometimes you just won’t be able to change someone’s mind about something. It’s okay, because they probably already know of your apparent dislike of Justin Bieber or country music or that last film Johnny Depp starred in. You don’t need to harass people about it, or bother them for liking something you don’t. Looking for a good debate? Yeah, sure I’m all for that, just stop looking for fights and being idiotic on the internet. Please and thank you.

How To Procrastinate Like A Pro

You realize you might be a good procrastinator now, but you could be even better. I, friends, will show you the way.

First off, don’t read the assignment sheet. If anything, take a glance, or quick skim, but don’t absorb any information. That way when you go to write your assignment in the few remaining wee hours of the morning, you’ll feel especially stressed and panicked, and really, it’s the only way you’ll know you’ll get it done.

Secondly only take mental notes, so you can stay extra unprepared. This is good. Then you have an excuse to text all your classmates at terrible times of the night, trying to figure out what is going on. If they didn’t like you before, I’m sure they’ll love you after this!

Third, don’t write any reminders about when the due date is, you don’t want to know, it’ll only ruin your week and all those fun plans you had.

Should you bother getting any work or notes prepared ahead of time like the keener you aren’t? No, this only adds to the stress and fun later when panicked. Also, now you don’t need to worry about losing those notes or making time to make them in the first place. You’re welcome.

Now all you need to do is stay occupied until the night before the assignment is due. This can virtually include anything and everything. Yes, anything. Want to go snowboarding? Do it. Feel like having an eating contest and making yourself sick? You’ve got time! Have you been meaning to getting around to having a t.v. marathon? Now is the PERFECT opportunity for it. Especially the day before the night the assignment is due, so you’ll tired and have to power through the sleep deprivation. This is an excellent reason for you to also take up the habit of drinking coffee. Or Energy drinks. Or coffee flavoured energy drinks. In this step, anything goes. You can do anything, be lazy or have a social life. The skies’ the limit!

Now, the weekend before it’s due, your classmates are starting to worry! But not you! 😉 You’re calm and under control, you’ve got all weekend and frankly, didn’t remember at all until now. Keep on keeping on.

As the weekend goes on, find other things to do to put your assignment off. Read you library book – It’s due in two weeks! Watch that movie on t.v., you’ve only seen it like 8.79 times but you still don’t know all the lines by heart! Get down to business, common!

It is now Sunday, and you’ve managed to get through the day, slacking off while the stress rises, knots build in your chest and the panic is making it hard for you to focus on anything and is making it harder and harder for you to breathe.  Now you know it’s time to get started. After supper though of course, you can’t work on an empty stomach!

Also, wait until after your favourite Sunday night soap because you still haven’t gotten around to obtaining the privileges of the PVR yet. It could make procrastinating harder if everything is pre-recorded for you to watch later when you actually have nothing going on in your life.

Now you’re ready to write! It’s definitely after 9 pm and your eyes are getting droopy. You’ve already done your typical Facebook and Twitter scans for the evening, but another five or six times couldn’t hurt though right?

While opening your blank Word document, it may occur to you that you don’t know what to write about. It’s time to go back and actually read the assignment. Actually see what your teacher has been talking about for the past 3 weeks. This is when you realize you need more information, and back to Facebook and Twitter you go, messaging everyone, because you don’t know who is still awake at this hour!

Finally some heaven-sent person has responded to you and now you’re back in business, time to start researching. Time to get distracted by Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Facebook again, research a little more, go see if anyone is tweeting you, text that ‘special someone’ and check the time.

Oh no! You have to write pages about how thoroughly you know this topic and you know close to nothing and now it is nearly 12 am. It’s time to begin staring at the page, hoping your assignment will write itself. It won’t, but how will you know if you don’t try?

Since you have discovered no matter how hard you try, staring does nothing but dry out your eyes, it’s now time to take a quick 2-hour nap because you are exhausted or get down to business.

Assuming you get down to business, or get to it after napping, now it’s about 2 am at least and it’s time to get writing! You finally have enough motivation to work! You’re welcome, I know. Now you write anywhere from 20 minutes to the next 3 hours and just pump out the gold. After you’ve finished your definite masterpiece, it’s time to print.

Please note this is what your printer lives for. It is THE opportune time to jam, run out of ink, paper or just try to explode. But usually the printer will realize that this is a bad time for printing dramas and therefore will *usually* cooperate.

OH BOY-O! You sir or madame have just printed your assignment! Apart from getting up in the morning and handing it in you are now done. Give yourself a pat on the back, and get some rest while you still can! Be prepared for the long crappy day ahead since the chances of you running late, the dog eating your homework, forgetting your lunch, and falling asleep in class are way likely. As long as you remember to put on clothes, eat and maybe brush your teeth, you still can make it through your day relatively unscathed!

Now that you know how to procrastinate like a pro, put your new-found skills to the test and put off using them!

*please note this can also be a guide for everything you should not do. Especially because it shows in your work, and your teacher probably won’t like it as much if you put legitimate time and effort into the assignment*