Competition

Competition is everywhere. People compete against each other. Fruits are in competition, and so on. In my draft poem on oranges, I wrote:

When I was little, I did not like oranges much

My mother liked to put in quarters

I ate it just because it was there

The tangerine and grapefruit were similar and better options

I could peel the tangerine easily

And it was easy to halve the grapefruit and eat it with sugar

Did you see my previous posts on competition? View them here: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/search?q=competition

First Thought On Competition

Thoughts on Competition

My first thought on competition:

To win the race is important. A strategy is needed. Some people want to be the nice guy / Miss Congeniality. Some desire to “take out the competition.” Careful selection of strategy is needed.

Different perspectives

Thoughts on competition

Some may say nice guys finish last, but there are different perspectives on this. I recall reading about being likeable on LinkedIn. Giving back (sharing the bread) is also popular and it is not only a Christian thing. That may fall under ‘never taking more than you give’ from that Lion King song.

There are a lot of books/material on competition out there, but my experience and perspective is sure to be different. I grew up in a country (Guyana) that embraced socialism. I was in competitive situations since I was young. I was in a very competitive class at Watooka Day School. I also know quite a bit about competition and competitive behavior from:

- economics (perfect competition and so on), 

- competing for jobs (for example, I got into an IT Analyst/Consultant training program at a major organization without any connections. It would be nice to see the comments and evaluations of the folks who interviewed me), and 

- working at organizations.

(Feel free to send me comments, complaints, and any issues. My main email address is moorefo1@gmail.com.)

Hat Competition

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! Happy Good Friday!

I was impressed by an Easter hat competition held at a Government of Guyana Agency recently. The hat competition is such a good idea. I recall that a lot of Guyanese women like hats, especially straw hats. My grandmother always wore a hat to church. I have seen beautiful hats on the heads of women in Guyana.

I wore hats when I was growing up in Guyana. I remember that I owned a straw hat that shaded my face from the sun very well. I wore that straw hat just about every day during one (August holiday) vacation in Georgetown. When I was a student at the University of Guyana, I wore a jean hat with a jean flower at the front from time to time.

Job competition

Thoughts on Competition

To be among the best candidates for a job, there may be the need to retrain or acquire new skills. 

What bothers me

 The Wordpress writing prompt for today is: What bothers you and why? After much thought, I decided to write about competitive behaviors that bother me. Competition is all around - we compete for jobs, for promotions, and so on. Some people go overboard during a competition. I am usually put off by "extreme" competitive behavior. This includes things like trying to harm someone to win and spreading vicious rumors about someone they are competing against. I think people are just wrong to behave this way. When someone I am competing against behaves badly, a part of me wants to just hand over the prize because he/she wants it so badly. It would mean giving up easily and I am aware giving up easily is not the way to do it.

Hands

Hands are important. People accomplish a lot using their hands. This reminds me of a croquet project I completed at Watooka Day School. I learned to use my hands for creating pieces such as a colorful “stitch” display. I should have included prints of my hands (similar to footsteps / foot prints in the sand). That would have taken it up a notch!

I haven’t worked on a croquet project or art project in a while. It would be nice to work on something for the art competition by the University of Guyana, but I don’t believe I can do my best work in just a few. I learned of the competition only yesterday. 

Community Input

The blog post shown below provides examples of creative ways to obtain feedback/input from the public (rather than use a survey). Members of the community have fun providing feedback about their community using cards, drink coasters, voicemail, and so on. One example is a photo contest so there is some competition involved. This fun approach would likely lead to more participation (more responses/input, i.e. more quantity). Would a more structured approach lead to higher quality responses?

Usability Services

I saw a notice that the government intends to procure the services of a specific company to provide a tool for usability purposes. It seems that there is much less competition than I thought (a sole source is necessary). I thought more firms were capable of providing that service. Could it be that the company is the only one with the technical know-how or facilities to provide the tool?

Favorites

My favorite color is blue. Blue edges out the other colors by a narrow margin. I like red, yellow, green and so on. I am not sure why I prefer blue. I just do. I have a lot of other preferences/likes, of course. Some match what the majority prefers. Some are different or unique. Take the songs from The Lion King as an example. I like the song that won several awards - Can You Feel The Love Tonight. But, I really do like the Circle of Life better. Here is my argument for why it is better:

I think the words/lyrics are better. Can You Feel The Love Tonight is about love and that is important. The Circle of Life is about life, people’s beliefs, and doing good in the world. It starts….

“From the day we arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun, there is more to be seen than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done.”

I think about birth (a new baby) and entrance into this crazy world. I think of unknowns (in outer space, the unexplainables in life, things we just don’t know of because we are not God).

Then, the next line is about our beliefs. “Some say eat or be eaten, some say live and let live”

This means it is all about competition (a dog eat dog world) for some. For some others, it is about peace.

“But all are agreed as we join the stampede, you should never take more than you give….In the circle of life, is the wheel of fortune, it’s a leap of faith, it’s a band of hope, till we find our place on the path unwinding, in the circle of life.”

We are all hoping for the best in the future…on that path unfolding/unwinding.

The second verse is even better.

“Some of us fall by the wayside and some of us soar to the stars. And some of us sail through our troubles and some have to live with the scars … but the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky keeps great and small on the endless round.”

Can you tell I am on a break?

Comment

 A comment by my half-sister:

Her comment impressed me. I did not know that she won an essay competition! I recall that we participated in mass games at the same time. She was a teacher. I was a student at President's College. Interestingly, our aunt also participated in mass games that year. She was also a teacher at the time (and still is).

Guyana Future

Good morning from Linden, Guyana!

I saw an essay competition for Guyanese children on Facebook that got me thinking about the development of the country. The main theme of my poems is 'working from home' - production/manufacturing- like operations from a private residence. This information is useful when thinking of designs for homes and also when thinking of "office space" needs. I am not certain what the homes and offices of the future will be like.

Megabus

 Good afternoon from Linden, Guyana! I just read a surprising news story on Megabus. It was reported that the owner of Megabus has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Apparently, the company has been struggling financially in recent years due to a decline in ridership.

I rode Megabus quite a lot in past years. My longest trip was the ride from Washington, DC to Gainesville, FL (with a transfer in Atlanta, GA). It was a nice ride. I recall that I was a little afraid to ride at the top level of the 2 level bus. I rode the bus for about 7 hours.

I know Megabus is fierce competition for Greyhound. Megabus is known for low fares. Hopefully, Megabus remains a low-cost transportation provider.

Results Rescinded

 What a surprise that results of a writing competition were rescinded. I couldn't believe it so I wanted to save the announcement.

Job Options

I found an interesting position:

Job options from LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This job is not ideal, but would support my PhD studies and research. This is something I can easily do and I would have time for other things. Looks like competition is fierce though.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Ratings

 It amazes me that ratings for food (basically anything) could be very different from person to person. Here is an interesting show where Caribbean Moms rate the rice and peas of other Caribbean Moms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHToGvuZ7t4. I don't think I would rate any of the food a zero like one of the Moms did. I don't know which would be the winner for me. I like this competition.

Wall Art With Life Lessons

Today I found and reviewed wall art and posters that include life lessons. A lot of the wall art include only printed text on life lessons. Some included pictures or painted images. Some were inexpensive (between $10 and $20) while others cost $50 and more. I tried to explain why some of the art cost much more. That was a little difficult because the pricing seemed "all over the place." However, in general, those wall art with more text, images and/or framing (a framed canvas with nice framing such as a gold floating frame) had higher prices.

In the past, I thought of creating wall art for sale as part of my Lessons Project. I decided against it because such wall art is widely available and there is much competition. I am still not sure that was a wise decision.

Writing Competitions

 There is now more information on writing competitions. There are short story competitions, novel competitions, poetry competitions, and so on. There seems to be a lot more competitions! (See examples below - the Bridport Prize is one example.) I bet the very talented will enter/participate so there will be stiff competition.

Note that I am not affiliated with the bridportprize.org or other competitions.

Technical Writer

  Sometime ago, I considered applying for Technical Writing roles so I could have a lucrative side job while I work on completing my PhD. I applied for several jobs but did not obtain a position. I am very surprised by the number of people who are either already in a Technical Writer role or seeking to obtain a Technical Writer position. Apparently, even software developers are looking to move into the Technical Writer role. There is a lot of competition.