Entries by Keith Bradford

Okay, okay, okay!

 

Let's get some car tips back in action!

 

Alright. Hmm... where do you want to start?

 

Hmm.. how about car washing?

 

Yeah, that sounds good.

 

Nothing looks like one hell of a father-son bonding experience when you get you and your son (or your father) to wash the old automobile. What more, it keeps your car looking nice and shiny--which is obviously the end-product of the car being washed. And so, get those buckets, sponges, and hoses ready. Coz we're in for an auto-hygenic ride!

 

 

Alright, let's start with some basic tips:

 

First, if it is possible, try to wash your car in the shade or indoors. After all, you wouldn't want falling leaves and dirt on to your vehicle while washing it don't you? Not only that, if you wash your car under direct sunlight chances are the water would evaporate too quickly and you would end up having waterspots all over your vehicle.

 

Now that you've placed your car inside your garage (again), and that you've already dipped that sponge into that foamy soap-water mixture. You might already be asking yoursef: "So where do I start?"

 

Alright, you should start with the wheels first. Okay, you might be asking "Why? Can't I start at the top so it's more systematic?" Well, sir, you should start with the wheels first because you wouldn't want that grime, dust, dirt, and sh*t on your wheels to be splattering on the "already-cleaned" part of your car.

Get it? Got it.

Alright.

 

Now, here’s some good car cleaning tips:

 

1.      Clean one wheel at a time (obviously)

 

2.      After cleaning each wheel, pre-rinse the entire car. That’d remove dry dirt and other fragments even before you start swabbing that sponge.

 

3.      After emptying that bucket of water, mix in some of your favorite (or appropriate) car shampoo and some water together. Now I’ve heard that some people use human-shampoo for their cars, but I wouldn’t suggest using that either.

 

4.      Start mish-moshing that sponge to that water-shampoo mixture and begin cleaning the body of your car. Start from the top and work your way downwards. And yeah, don’t use sponges that are hard to begin with. Chances are your car could suffer from a scratch or two. I use either a natural sea sponge or those soft yellow ones that looks like that cartoon sponge who live in a pineapple (under the sea).

 

5.      And finally, do rinse often after cleaning a certain part. With that you could prevent soap rings from forming over the body of your car.

 

6.      After doing all that, we’d then go to the drying part. Again, start at the top and work your way down again.

 

And that’s that! Though it may seem obvious, but most drivers don’t clean their vehicles properly. Just remember, clean your car like you clean yourself. Start with the most messy part, then work your way from top to bottom. Alright?

 

 

Alright.

Oh yes, the good old days of high-school...

Puberty.

Adolescence.

Pimples.

Acne.

Hairgel.

Rock Music.

and... Science Projects.

Yep, you heard me. Those godamn science projects.

I’m sorry I wouldn’t be discussing much about cars today, me and my friends got a little get-together a few days ago and we decided to reminisce about the old times.

Yep.

The old times.

And that science project of ours.

Well, here's how it goes. Back in highschool, me and my friend got an assigned chemistry project. We were supposed to do something productive with a "natural and indigenous substance" that could be found in your own little garden. We didn't really want to do shit like that since, c'mon, it's highschool, everybody's lazy and smitten with all that puberty shit going on.

So anyway, we decided to make ink out of an organic household substance. I already forgot what kind of plant we used but apparently it did the job... well... if the job was to smell like chicken shit mixed with a little bull crap that is. Yet, even though our "ink" smelled horrible, we couldn't find a way to make its tint dark enough to write properly on a piece of paper. So, we added Quink(TM) to our already smelly concotion...

Eureka! We found out that Plant Piss could write!!!

Fortunately, our professor was gullible enough to give us a score of B+.

What a dumbass...

A year afterwards, we did another project. This time, it was for our Physics class. We were supposed to do an "invention" of some sort. So, me and a couple of my friends (including my old buddy I told you a while ago) decided to make an un-electric-powered-oven-that-could-bake-dough-in-5-minutes. Unfortunately, the muses of invention wasn't on our side. Also, we had a few complications that needed attention:

First, the heat wasn't hot enough.

Second, the oven was too big.

Third, it couldn't bake dough in 5 minutes.

Fourth, we were all getting frustrated.

And...

Fifth, the deadline was on the following day.

So, being all hysterical with our wannabe-nifty-but-you-got-your-ass-fecked-gadget, we made a few "minor" alterations with the machine. So, we ended up with:

(Qeue Drumroll)

The "Improvised Home-Made Bomb/Oven Complete With Detonator-Timer/Thermometer"

Better known for its code name: IH-MB/OCWD-T/T Ver. 01

THE PERFECT TOOL FOR THE TYPICAL TERRORIST/AIRLINE COOK

Yep, we didn't know ovens could explode when you put huge amounts of paper drenched in gasoline (if memory serves me right, we inserted a small gas tank inside the oven, so as to "raise" the heat). We also didn't know that lighter fluid, gasoline, kerosene, and a dash of isopropyl alcohol was quite hard to extinguish with a pale of water. And we also didn't know that you couldn't eat unbaked dough that was splattered with car-fuel.

Come to think of it, it was my grandma's new charcoal oven that we used... Good thing she didn't know what happened to that poor little object...

Anyway, we could've sent the whole blueprint to Al Qaeda and we could'ved probably earned a few bucks...

Oh well... (sigh) those were the good old days.

Now back to writing about cars.

Okay, you've probably done it once. And yes, your passengers always do it whenever it's available. And yes, sometimes your the one who cleans it up. Still don't know what I'm talkin' about? Well, i'm talkin about eating inside your vehicle. Yup, there's nothing like eating that glorious take-out food while driving to work, or home, or wherever you are going to. Personally, eating while driving is such an incumbent and guilty bliss.

Well, two things can happen when you mix the two. Either you drive while eating, or, you stop your car and then you go on munching your burger, fried chicken, sandwich, pita, taco, shawarma, or whatever it is that you bought a while ago. Obviously, eating on a stationary object is much easier, if not convenient, rather than a moving one. Also, it's kind of hard to go multi-tasking, which is, in our case, eating and driving at the same time.

 

Oh, don't you get that envious feeling when all your passengers are eating that take-out lunch/dinner while you're still driving? I get that all the time. Haha. But hey, i guess it takes real good hand-to-eye coordination as well as some great reflexes so you could do both things at once.

 

In any case, here's some tips if you'd ever find yourself doing those two things at the same time:

 

Okay, most cars nowadays have built-in beverage holders. So it's kind of nifty to have them since you can place your cans or bottles or tumblers or whatever on it. If your car doesn't have one, and you do take-outs regularly, it's pretty much an obvious choice that you get a beverage holder for your car. And oh yeah, they're cheap too.

 

There are these beverage holders that you can clip on to your airconditioning system. However, i don't suggest you buy that because chances are it'll just damage your airconditioner's fins. What more, if it ain't sturdy, then your drink might just get to know your upholstery a lot better.

 

I suggest you grab those beverage holders that uses adhesive tapes to stick to your dash. Most of these drink holders are stable, and, if ever the adhesive tape starts to wear out. A good strap of double sided tape will do. Now the only problem with this drink holder, as well as all other drink holders, is that whenever your car rolls over a puddle, a bump, or a pothole chances are you'd have a little squirt come out of your drink. Well, I guess the only way man can solve this right now is to put the lid back on after you use it. But then again, there are such a thing without lids such as soda cans. With that, I don't think man has invented a drink holder that covers the top part of your soda can. And so, the lesson here is, try buying the bottled ones.

 

But then again, there is such a thing called laziness. You'd wonder: "Putting back the lid on my bottle takes me precious time when I'm driving, what can you say about that?" Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, it's called gluttony. Drink your beverages prudently. But then again, we don't put that lid back on all the time, don't we?

 

Alright. Now on to the solid products. First tip, DON'T BUY THE CHINESE TAKE-OUT. Not only would you need to use your fingers with the chopsticks, you'd also need to use the other hand to hold up the box. Now if you've been born near a nuclear reactor and you've got an extra pair of hands, that wouldn't be much of a problem now would it?

 

Try sticking to sandwiches and burgers. Try buying those meals that you can eat with one hand. Avoid the pasta, the rice, the steak (who sells take-out steak anyway?), and the roasted chicken. Oh, wait, I guess you can make the chicken an exception. Just pass on the mashed potatoes and gravy.

 

Hey, you know what? You can use that beverage holder for your gravy! Now isn't that neat?! I just thought about that right now, I'd have to remind myself to do that next time I go to KFC's.

 

Hmm… what else? Well, you can buy those food tray/holders if you want to. But that won’t do you any good while driving. After all, those things can only work properly while your car is stationary. Well, if no object can help you, I guess it’s time I give out some techniques to eating while driving.

 

First, you can just munch on whatever you have whenever you hit a red light (now ain’t that obvious?) Or, if you really are that hungry (or are you just gluttonous?), you can just have another person spoon-feed you or something. Still won’t work? Well there’s only one solution I can still think of.

 

Stop.

 

 

Eat.

 

 

 

Then drive.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, that’s about it. I hope you’ve learned something—or at least—have been entertained by whatever I wrote here. Anyway, I’d post some more driving tips for the driver soon!

The following essay was inspired by the writer's colleague's photo album title: "Take Dem Pics B'fo I Busta Cap On Yo Ass!" as well as another colleague's course on Photography. (You guys know who you are)

True enough. Why do we?

Man, I believe, invents out of necessity. He invented the door so as to provide protection from outside forces--may it be the weather or malicious intruders--as well as to create a sense of privacy from the outside world. He then created the doorknob in order to make the operation of his previous invention a lot easier. It appears that man never did made anything that wasn't put to good use, even stuff like Spam and forwarded quote messages. Annoying and painfully irritating as they are, they seem to serve a purpose; in a not so purposeful way though.

With this, the question then turns on the contraption that captures reality and immortalizes it.

The camera.

Why, as said earlier, do we take pictures of each other?

I believe we do take photographs because we put value on something that, on a superficial level, might not be of much value to begin with. We cherish another person's smile, a friend's laugh, a loved one's warm embrace. With that, we want to remember those memories. Even though we may not be able to re-live those events again, we try to capture even a small millisecond of it--since we believe that that speck of a moment was worth immortalizing.

A camera does not only capture what is physical and visual. It also captures the emotions of those people in the photograph. Though it may not be explicit, and that the eyes are not able to see it, the sentiments are thoroughly embedded in a piece of 300x400 pixel photograph. The heart takes over what the senses cannot process. Upon seeing a photo, we not only see what it portrays, but we also feel; especially if we are in it.

We take pictures because we want to remember. We want to remember that certain giddy feeling, may it be a simple class picture, a lively party, or an intimate photo with our significant other. We want to remember because, sooner or later, we may take those memories for granted--or even worse, forget them altogether.

Photographs are a part of our lives. The primitive Neanderthal painstakingly created cave drawings, artists laboriously drew paintings of families, and--most importantly--we preserved time with just a click of a button. Hence, I ask, my dear readers, are photographs just a simple, superficial, "want" or a well-invented "need"?

 

"She thinks I can't see the smile that she's fakin', poses for pictures but I'm being taken away..."

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another issue of car tips. Alright, I still want to extend the word Car Tips. I want to extend the word tips not only for taking care of your car, but also the driver. in this case, that means you. Now it's easy to take care of your own car. You wash it, clean it, polish it, and even give it endearing names sometimes.

But the thing is, can you take care of yourself? Can you be a responsible, prudent, and peace-loving driver?

Well, i've researched the whole net for someone you could learn a few lessons from. And no, that's not me, i'm no role-model driver anyway. but hey, i've found something you could learn a few things from. And guess what? Kids nowadays know this, and maybe you do, but then I'd introduce to you people from Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City.

Yeah, I guess you know what I'm talkin about. I want to introduce to you the protagonists of Grand Theft Auto. Haha. Let's see if we can learn something from them.

Aright, a few lessons from Grand Theft Auto.

First of all, don't STEAL a freakin' car. Not only is it written in the holy book, but it doesn't look nice as well. Haha. And yeah, don't STEAL and don't BEAT UP the driver as well. That's a big no-no in day-to-day driving. Not only that, your local law enforcement people might be more than willing to help you get reminded by that. 

Next, try not to carry any armed weapons when driving. Not only is it distracting, it's also deadly. Not only would you be tempted to do any drive-bys, but also, you'd be causing a lot of noise as well. Heh, again, your local law enforcement authorities might again be EVEN MORE WILLING to talk to you about that. 

Haha. And oh yeah, you might also get tempted to be blastin' on that inconsiderate driver who keeps on talking trash at you. Remember, patience and kindness is at the heart of the well-respected driver.

See? We ARE learning a lot from Grand Theft Auto. I can't imagine why people don't like that game. Drivers could learn a lot from that kick ass video game.

Hmmm... what else can we learn from GTA? Well, we should respect the speed limit. Alright, driving games were made so people could let their inhibitions loose. So they could experience what it feels like to live on the wild side. But hey, in the real world--things aren't like that. that's why there's a law on speed limits. They're there not to hinder you, but to protect you as well as other drivers. So keep that eye on the meter.

Alright, now that's clear. What else? I've read an article saying that playing video games saved his life. Alright, maybe i can agree with that. After all, playing video games for quite some time already enhances your hand to eye coordination. Which means that your reflexes would also improve. Which also means that you MAY (READ: MAY) react better in the real world as you did in the gaming world.

Okay, this article might be straying a bit. But i guess we've scratched the surface on what we can learn with GTA. After all, it's a game about a bad guy turned good. and we all want to be like that, don't we? Anyway, if you are mature enough, you'd get the point that you should'nt be doing what those characters do in the game right?

Right?

Right?

Alright.

And oh. You do know what satire is. Don't you?

 

Okay, I've already made this article way before. And i'm a bit sorry coz i just posted it right now. But hey, don't you worry. I'll try my best not only to inform you on things--but also do it in an entertaining way.

Hmmm...

Okay.

So what am I going to write about?

Alright, to be honest, writing about car tips, news, and reviews bores me a little. I mean, there are a lot of other sites that showcase such things. Also, there are even a lot more sites that have an AUTHORITATIVE view on cars and auto parts. But hey, this blog was made that way. So I guess I better write about something.

Something....

Something...

Okay, remember that Drinking and Driving article I wrote a while back? Well, talk about coincidence. A friend of mine got arrested for Driving Under Influence (what the police call: DUI) a few days ago. I was just told recently that my friend wasn't able to pass that alcohol test once the police-man-guy-sir administered to him.

Alright, that was quite a coincidence wasn't it? I mean, more and more people get arrested or at least be pulled-over by the police for that. I dunno, maybe it's because of the easy-access we have for alcohol, or is it because we really like to have fun? Well, yeah, i guess we do. But that doesn't mean we don't have to be responsible for our actions.

As said in my previous article, drinking and driving don't mix. They never do. And never will. I've experienced that. The hazy eye reflexes, the numbness, that weird throwing-up feeling. Everything. It's not that great after all. It ain't even close to being great when you have to drive yourself home. Yet it would be really far from great if the police was able to spot you driving drunk---and naked.

Hmmm... maybe these two topics mean so much to me. Back in college, me and my closest friends used to drink a lot--and drive a lot. I really am thankful that nothing bad really happened to us. Except for the parts when we used to throw up macaroni and cheese on the curb; or that time when we had to stop over to some abandoned parking lot just to get some sleep; or that time when we were so drunk that we didn't even bother driving at all and just leaving our car somewhere on the road.

Yeah, those were the days.

We were young. And stupid. As they say.

But still, I, for one, have learned about that. Now that I am much older, I guess I'm more responsible for myself and for those people around me. I don't drink like a trucks' fuel tank anymore. Nor do I go mixing those two together. One or two bottles of beer is alright for me now. Now don't call me a P*ssy, coz i'm not. But then again, so what? Least I'm alright and content by now.

Oh. Okay. It looks like I've just poured all my thoughts and feelings here in this blog. I hope you learned something here, coz, looking back at my life, i really believed i learned something. Not justfrom the good things, but the bad as well. (I wouldn't divulge everything here of course hahahaha). Still, it's true that you learn life's greatest lessons once you've already finished experiencing them. Yet still again, these are lessons we should live by.

So, again, when it comes to drinking and driving. Make sure you know your limits---and your friends as well. And don't go mad at the police officer, he's not the one who's drunk anyway. And oh, you don't want to be hit by that stun gun don't you? IT HURTS LIKE HELL.

First of all. Don't do it.But admit it. There was this one time...

This one time...

That you had to do it.

Had fun? I bet you did.

Haha.

Okay, this time, since we've been focusing too much on your car's performance and all that--this time--we're gonna do something different. We'll talk about the driver himself (or herself). So that's why our topic for today is about how to take care of the driver. And that means you.

Now that we're clear about that. Let's head to the topic at hand.

Drinking and driving. Again, you shouldn't combine the two on the same night--especially if you've got people with you in your car. But then, sometimes, sh*t do happen. And when it hits the fan, at least you've got some basic ideas on what to do when you go drunk driving.

Before that, let's start with some tips on drinking.

First, you shouldn't drink with an empty stomach. I know, eating and drinking afterwards would make your calorie count sky rocket, but hey, at least it helps you stay alert. You see, when you eat--there's enough material inside your stomach that could lessen the impact of alcohol in your system. Now I am no doctor, but with my experience, I'm quite sure that eating before drinking really does help you stay in composure after you go on a drinking spree.

Also, avoid drinking if you just took some medications. Not only will it null your meds' effects, sometimes the medicine can hasten the feeling of drowsiness or nausea after you drank your liquor. Yeah, instead of driving, you'd be sleeping on the curb.

Next, try to know your tolerance level. But, i must admit, it's kind of hard to know how much you can take once the fun starts. Still, once you feel that your eye movement seems to be hazy, and that you can't register much visual information, my advice to you is to slow down a bit.

You could do this by drinking a lot of non-alcoholic fluids after every drink. If you've just finished a bottle of beer, slow down a bit, try drinking a glass of water. And oh, did you know that to avoid getting drunk, you'd have to drink only one shot of liquor for each hour? In the real world, that seems to be less likely to happen--very less likely. But still, try to approximate your shots accordingly.

And now comes the post-party situation.

Okay, first of all. If there's someone who didn't drink, and knows how to drive, then he has shotgun over the driver's wheel. But then again, if you ARE the only one who knows how to steel that wheel--or worse--if you ARE driving alone, then try to stabilize your system first.

Now, after drinking, go grab some non-alcoholic drinks again. Drink as much water as you can. Your body needs to replenish its fluids so it could work properly--so you could get home safely. Not only that, it might also lessen the impact of alcohol in your system. So drink up. And if you can find one, grab a gatorade. Energy drinks have this thing called electrolyte. As they say, this electrolyte thing not only replenishes your bodily fluids, it does it at a faster rate.

Although it may sound like a great idea, gulping coffee right after drinking would only dehydrate you. Though I'm not sure how it would affect you if you drink alcohol, then coffee, then gatorade...

It would probably make your system go haywire.

Well, if all else fails, sleep in your car. Just remember to pack some clothes before you go drinking.

Hey, I’m back. It’s been what, a few weeks since my last post? I know it’s kind of late, but I just have to talk about Batman’s tank—I mean—car. Yeah, it’s been out there for quite a while now—two movies to be exact. However, I just wanted to write something about a vehicle that’s so cool. And now, since the Dark Knight was already out, the Tumbler’s gotten way cooler coz it comes with a built-in motorcycle. But first, let’s rewind a bit. Back in the first movie, I thought Batman’s car would still be called the Bat-mobile. But apparently, writer and director Nolan changed its name to “the Tumbler”. Personally, the name “Tumbler” doesn’t sound so appealing to me. I mean, if someone says to me “Hey, check out my new tumbler!” then I’d already be thinking of a toy for a five year old kid. But hey, the name really is an understatement. Admit it, the first time you’ve seen the damn thing, you couldn’t believe that Nolan named it as such. It’s like naming your bad-ass pitbull “Li’lSofie”—a complete understatement. Anyway, I forgot to do some research about it during the first movie, so I decided to do a little just so I could catch up. For those car fanatics, here are the specs: • 2.5 tons • 9 feet 4 inches wide • 15 feet long • HOOSIER racetrack tires on front • 4 Rear 44 inch SUPER SWAMPERS, a our wheel drive conversion component • Jet burner in rear with vector controls for the jet • Backend flaps for quick stops • Landing Hook • Enabled with front-firing machine guns • Built-in safety link for petrol control • Built-in fire extinguisher system • Front wheels on bolted arms for an axel-less front end • Conventional single axel rear end Now that's a lot of specs. But what it really means is that this is one Bad-ass Tank---i mean--car. But basically it's just another Hummer dressed up as a tank. Still, who wouldn't argue that this is one hell of a ride? I mean, yeah, I for one would like to own this baby. I'm just hoping it wouldn't drink gas as much as I could drink coffee. I’ve heard that this guy named Bob Dullam made his own version of the vehicle—good for him—but I don’t think there’s any Tumblers there that are out there for sale. And oh yeah, he’s planning to install a Batpod inside his own Tumbler too. Now that’s that on the Tumbler. Next time I’d be posting another on Bruce Wayne’s other toy—no, not Rachel—she’s already dead (lol, sorry for spoiling—but shame on you if you haven’t watched the movie yet). I’m talking about his Batpod. That 2-wheeled piece of artillery of his.

The Right Way to Positive Thinking Positive thinking has been stressed way too much already but life can actually give anyone a beat-down anytime, so I suppose it will never hurt being prepared by taking this kind of mindset. Thinking positively, yet being realistic enough is an excellent way of coping with the different tribulations that life can give you. The point is, positive thinking will never make you the greatest person ever, but it sure is even better than just immersing yourself with loads of negative thoughts and emotions . Negative thinking puts a clout over what you can do and it makes you lose even before the fight begins. Sometimes, all it takes to accomplish something is the mental toughness that positive thinking brings and believe it or not, this isn’t too hard to do. Here are the steps to achieve positive thinking. 1.Detach Yourself Most people tend to bury themselves into the situation even before they stop and assess what needs to be done. Remember that the best way to solve a problem and get out of it alive is to be calm enough while being rational about it. If the bank that you are indebted to is threatening to file a suit against you, don’t cry like a child, but instead sit down like a man. List down the best possible way of circumventing the problem and make the necessary steps to prevent the problem from further escalating. 2.It is Never a Trend People tend to think that they’re into a streak of bad experiences that just does not stop. To get out of that mental loop, think that it’s just an aberration rather than a rule. If you flunked at something in the past, it does not have any connection with the next job interview or the next business venture that you will be taking. Unless you don’t prepare and think positive enough, you’re definitely on your way to failure. However, you also need to be realistic when it comes to your goals. There’s a fine line between being delusional and rational. 3.Deal with it Oftentimes, negative thinking is brought about by past failures that accumulated all the negative thoughts that we harbor. Unless we start accepting our mistakes, it will be hard for us to look ahead without any unconstructive emotions. For instance, even if you have already failed in several businesses; it makes sense that you downplay your chances but thinking that it will all be the same thing waiting to happen is simply pathetic and illogical. The mind of the positive thinker knows that not everything will go his or her way, but whatever bumps and bruises that he or she receives will just be learning opportunities to be exploited. By being positive means that you are hoping for the best, but realistic enough to step back a little bit and not expecting everything to go according to plan. The past has an ugly way of repeating itself, but by thinking positively, you already won half of the battle. 4.Don’t be Delusional It’s already a massive step that you are able to think positively. However, having too much of it that it’s no longer believable will surely intoxicate anyone. Have that quiet confidence and belief that you can pull it off. Also, it’s not enough to simply have the mental toughness that you need. You also need to prepare while studying the tactics of your opponents. Know their tendencies and their strategies while keeping them very near. For instance, if you’re about to make a presentation that can make or break your career’s future, be sure you have prepared for it a lot. That means, doing your homework while having all the guts and not to mention skills to pull off the presentation.

When I graduated, I thought I already have what it takes to take on the real world. However, when I was offered my first real job; it was entirely different. Not only did I end up depressed but unfortunately, I was earning way below than what I thought I should be getting. On a different note, there’s no doubt that I learned a lot in school but there are certain things that I wish my teachers taught because they could have helped a lot. The truth is, I’ve learned more and matured more when I was out of school than when I was in it. Also, I thought I could have enjoyed school if I took the course that really interests me and that could have been either Anthropology or Psychology. Here are some things that I think should have been taught in school: Lesson no. 1 Networking It’s amazing how many people don’t know how to network. People are social creatures and it’s natural for them to seek other people as much as possible, especially when push comes to shove. Networking is used by almost every successful man and the truth is you don’t have to be born with it because you can definitely learn how to do it. Actually, some successful people didn’t even have to get high grades, they just know how and who to network that’s why they are where they are right now. Lesson no. 2 Speed Reading I like reading for the simple fact that it gives me a lot of knowledge that I can chew on. However, one thing that I really regret is I never really learned how to speed read. Just imagine how many additional books, newspapers, and even internet articles I could have devoured had I learned how to do this skill. Lesson no. 3 Setting Goals Organizing is extremely important these days and I am not even surprised when excellent multi-tasking people excel. These days, there are just too many stimuli that it’s hard to organize things and set goals everyday. But I really do think that if you’ve learned how to separate the urgent from the not-so-urgent, things would be a lot easier. Lesson no. 4 Office Politics I suppose every fresh graduate is befuddled when they realize that the workplace is so damn different from school and a case in point is the presence of office politics. I’ve never encountered any classes that offered lessons in office politics and if there were any, I bet most fresh graduates wouldn’t have such a difficult time adjusting with the transition from school to work. Lesson no. 5 The Art of Negotiation I learned how to negotiate my salary through the internet and without a doubt, it worked to my advantage. The thing is negotiating is life’s staple and whether we like it or not, we need to be able to learn how to work with other people to get something done and that involves tons of negotiating. Most successful people end up on top of the chain because they can make a one-sided deal look like a fair one because of their skills. Lesson no. 6 Saving I never met one teacher of mine tell me that it’s important to save and the good thing is that my mother is the first one to tell me how significant it is. Most schools teach you how to become part of the corporate world by training you on a specific industry, but few will tell you how not to be part of a 9-5 job while still earning enough money. I’m not saying that the school system is flawed, but to think that everything is there already that you need in life is simply absurd. There are certain fundamental lessons that I think every school should teach and