Saturday, April 28, 2012

Rat Race


I finally found out the perfect definition of Rat Race in the book 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki. Here's an excerpt from the book:

"If you look at the life of the average-educated, hard-working person, there is a similar path. The child is born and goes to school. The proud parents are excited because the child excels, gets fair to good grades, and is accepted into a college. The child graduates, maybe goes on to graduate school and then does exactly as programmed: looks for a safe, secure job or career. The child finds that job, maybe as a doctor or a lawyer, or joins the Army or works for the government. Generally, the child begins to make money, credit cards start to arrive in mass, and the shopping begins, if it already hasn't.
"Having money to burn, the child goes to places where other young people just like them hang out, and they meet people, they date, and sometimes they get married. Life is wonderful now, because today, both men and women work. Two incomes are bliss. They feel successful, their future is bright, and they decide to buy a house, a car, a television, take vacations and have children. The happy bundle arrives. The demand for cash is enormous. The happy couple decides that their careers are vitally important and begin to work harder, seeking promotions and raises. The raises come, and so does another child and the need for a bigger house. They work harder, become better employees, even more dedicated. They go back to school to get more specialized skills so they can earn more money. Maybe they take a second job. Their incomes go up, but so does the tax bracket they're in and the real estate taxes on their new large home, and their Social Security taxes, and all the other taxes. They get their large paycheck and wonder where all the money went. They buy some mutual funds and buy groceries with their credit card. The children reach 5 or 6 years of age, and the need to save for college increases as well as the need to save for their retirement. .
"That happy couple, born 35 years ago, is now trapped in the Rat Race for the rest of their working days. They work for the owners of their company, for the government paying taxes, and for the bank paying off a mortgage and credit cards.
"Then, they advise their own children to `study hard, get good grades, and find a safe job or career.' They learn nothing about money, except from those who profit from their naïveté, and work hard all their lives. The process repeats into another hard-working generation. This is the `Rat Race'."

Things to remember while riding a motorbike


Here are some of the lessons I’ve learnt while riding motorbikes in various parts of India:
·         Choose a bike with wide tyres. Bikes with wider tyres are stabler and have a lesser tendency to skid.
·         Don’t overuse the clutch. Use it only while changing the gears or coming to a complete stop. Don’t use it while riding downhill. Excessive use of clutch wastes fuel and also reduces engine life.
·         Switch off the engine while waiting at the traffic signal. Avoid excessive throttling while waiting at the signal.
·         Slow down on the speed-breakers. Speeding on the speed-breakers can cause severe back pain.
·         Always keep an eye on the tyre pressure and stick to the recommended settings. Insufficient tyre pressure not only reduces the life of the tyres, but also increases fuel consumption.
·         Refuel the bike only at the selected and trusted fuel stations. Constant variation in the fuel quality might affect the performance of the bike.
·         If you are riding in a group, keep the headlights on even during the day. Makes it easier for your fellow riders to track you.
·         A simple rule to check whether a person driving ahead of you is able to locate you (especially for the trucks that don’t have the center rear-view mirror) - if you can't see the driver in his rear-view mirrors, then he can't see you.
·         If you are being chased by a dog while riding (very common in India), don’t try to speed away in panic. Just stop for a while. Most of the times, the dog will stop chasing once you stop. Dogs have a tendency to chase moving objects.
·         Enjoy the scenic views, the gushing wind, and the adrenaline rush while riding!

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