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A Trip

This Time

Big Fish, Small Fish

There is an old sports shop near the park that I have been an occasional customer of. It's a nice, traditional, family-run shop that offers low prices compared to big shiny stores.

Last night, I was there to buy a tracksuit (it's getting cold for running) and I found myself standing at the door of a nice and clean Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital Collection Center. I was like "What?" and when I turned to go back I looked at left and there it was, the old sports shop, squeezed into 5 feet wide hole. I instantly recognized the proprioter, who was arranging plastic cricket wickets at the door. I went ahead and inquired about the tracksuit and he told me that he was out of tracksuit stock (huge demand?).
I turned back, stopped, and turned back.

"What happened to the shop?"
"It shrank because of cold", he said smilingly. "They paid huge rent", he continuted and pointed towards Collection Center with a movement of his head. Probably he didn't want to look there.

I felt bad for him all the way home.

This is an example of what happens when we pay more for something that should cost less: we ruin others' chances. This phenomenon is screwing our economy. Commodities get expensive because there are people who are buying them. As a businessman, if something sells, why would I lower it's price?
And as a responsible citizen, I would never pay exuberant prices for things I can live without, even if I can afford to.

Temptation

The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it

Oscar Wilde

Someone Confessed

Recently, someone told me how he gave me an unfair review, simply because he disagreed with me on a matter not even remotely related to work.

Basically were a very small company. And now after hiring 100% more people, we upgraded from very small to small. Also we have a review system, which I think is not fair enough. The review system is that people review people, sort of, everybody reviews everybody else. I dislike it because of following two major reasons...

Not everybody knows about everybody else's job
Personal preferences and socialzing skills contribute heavily

When you get your review back, it's anonymous, which is the only positive point I can think of. So, when I got my reviews in email, I noticed one particular review which was falling just short of declaring me a waste of skin. It gave me this huge fit of depression.

Last Wednesday, the fellow who sits right next to me, told me that he had something to say. What he said was that he gave me an unfair review. I asked about that particular feedback and he said it was him. I felt so sick I didn't know what to say. I asked why would he do that and he said because in general discussions I said things against Islam.

I don't know what to write. People are just sick, sick as hell.

^