Flying is nice, you know? But if you look on the other side, it's cold, windy like hell and the turbulence makes you feel sick. And when there's overcast and your view is obstructed by clouds, then nothing is there left for you to enjoy. And that, my friends, is the time to land. Refuel, wait for the clouds to break apart, and see if there are any places you could fly to next.
Overall, flying has been a very pleasant experience. I am grateful that everything worked out fine and that the flight was possible. And I am so glad the weather didn't get as bad as to cause an emergency landing or even force a pilot ejection and crash.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
On Wealth, And How We View It
Every weekday, I go to school. And every Thursday, we have religion. Our teacher, Marek Orko Vacha, is a very smart young guy whose lessons are always the best part of my day (well, almost always, but they are really hard to beat).
Today, he spoke about christian and other communities, which are a recent (20th century) development in the way people approach their spiritual selves. But that is not the main message I brought home from today's class.
Among other things, he said that in comparison to the Czech Republic, western countries tend to consider wealth not as a sign of success, a guarantee of social status or simply a possibility to live on high standards, but as a resource which can (and should) be used to make this world a better place to live. That means donations to charity, sponsorship of beneficial events, or just helping those in need. I find this approach very inspiring and attractive for me.
Should you take that one step further, you will find that wealth is not only the amount of money or possessions you have managed to gather, but it also includes your abilities and talents. That means that even though you aren't exactly rich at the moment, you can (and probably should) still make yourself useful for those who need it.
My point is: Am I doing enough? Are we doing enough? And how much is enough?
That's just a quick thought. Enjoy your Christmas preparations everyone!
Today, he spoke about christian and other communities, which are a recent (20th century) development in the way people approach their spiritual selves. But that is not the main message I brought home from today's class.
Among other things, he said that in comparison to the Czech Republic, western countries tend to consider wealth not as a sign of success, a guarantee of social status or simply a possibility to live on high standards, but as a resource which can (and should) be used to make this world a better place to live. That means donations to charity, sponsorship of beneficial events, or just helping those in need. I find this approach very inspiring and attractive for me.
Should you take that one step further, you will find that wealth is not only the amount of money or possessions you have managed to gather, but it also includes your abilities and talents. That means that even though you aren't exactly rich at the moment, you can (and probably should) still make yourself useful for those who need it.
My point is: Am I doing enough? Are we doing enough? And how much is enough?
That's just a quick thought. Enjoy your Christmas preparations everyone!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A Life, Numbered
For your amusement, I have created a list of numbers or codes I can remember off the top of my head:
923...my student number
583...my locker number
12/2389...building number of the house in which I live
0600077600...my former tram card number
0000053836...my even older tram card number
188244616*...my bank account number
73764174*
60720921*
60325248*
60491678*
72477407*
27481703*
14014
1188
112
155
158
150
...various phone numbers
67128248...my Czech airlines frequent flier number
253470303...my ICQ number
35/305...my Boy Scout troop
10000...my ZIP code (very hard to remember...)
33901...my grandma's ZIP code
21212..ZIP code of northern Baltimore/Towson border
107...house number of the house in which I lived in the USA (it's in northern Baltimore, surprisingly)
377...train number of the EuroNight Galileo Galilei from Nurnberg to Budapest
306...our class' home classroom
504 512 405 407 409 401 411 301 305 311 309 308 209 212 101 102 107 108 112 028
...all other classrooms, about which I know specifically what is inside
42...The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
44...my regular shoe size
19-01-15...a sequence used to open a lock that is hanging from my lamp
16-02-28...a sequence used to open a lock that is hanging from my brother's lamp (or wherever he put it)
12881...my former Word Challenge high score
6318 212 214 1111 113 6352 921 911
...various keyboard shortcuts on my cell phone
'impure' (including letters):
2A6 4066
AED 15-32
8A5 9528
...our car license plates
R60...my laptop model
T5500...my laptop CPU
3510i...my cell phone
S30...my camera
A610...dad's camera
A100...mom's camera
R52...Honza's laptop
T60...mom's laptop
SCPMX1E-S...mi Hi-Fi model
e260...my mp3 player
'censored' ;-)
****...my cell phone PIN code
****...my credit card PIN code
**********...my internet banking client number
Note: This post wasn't created to show off my supposedly unmatched memory. For one, I don't have a very good memory, and for two, I just wanted to illustrate how our life is more and more described by numbers. And, for three, I bet each one of you could create a very similar list, probably an even longer one
923...my student number
583...my locker number
12/2389...building number of the house in which I live
0600077600...my former tram card number
0000053836...my even older tram card number
188244616*...my bank account number
73764174*
60720921*
60325248*
60491678*
72477407*
27481703*
14014
1188
112
155
158
150
...various phone numbers
67128248...my Czech airlines frequent flier number
253470303...my ICQ number
35/305...my Boy Scout troop
10000...my ZIP code (very hard to remember...)
33901...my grandma's ZIP code
21212..ZIP code of northern Baltimore/Towson border
107...house number of the house in which I lived in the USA (it's in northern Baltimore, surprisingly)
377...train number of the EuroNight Galileo Galilei from Nurnberg to Budapest
306...our class' home classroom
504 512 405 407 409 401 411 301 305 311 309 308 209 212 101 102 107 108 112 028
...all other classrooms, about which I know specifically what is inside
42...The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
44...my regular shoe size
19-01-15...a sequence used to open a lock that is hanging from my lamp
16-02-28...a sequence used to open a lock that is hanging from my brother's lamp (or wherever he put it)
12881...my former Word Challenge high score
6318 212 214 1111 113 6352 921 911
...various keyboard shortcuts on my cell phone
'impure' (including letters):
2A6 4066
AED 15-32
8A5 9528
...our car license plates
R60...my laptop model
T5500...my laptop CPU
3510i...my cell phone
S30...my camera
A610...dad's camera
A100...mom's camera
R52...Honza's laptop
T60...mom's laptop
SCPMX1E-S...mi Hi-Fi model
e260...my mp3 player
'censored' ;-)
****...my cell phone PIN code
****...my credit card PIN code
**********...my internet banking client number
Note: This post wasn't created to show off my supposedly unmatched memory. For one, I don't have a very good memory, and for two, I just wanted to illustrate how our life is more and more described by numbers. And, for three, I bet each one of you could create a very similar list, probably an even longer one
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