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August 10, 2009
 

Bill got paid

Next time when a client asks "Why do you charge me so much when you can get this task done in such a short time?", send him this piece I found online some time ago:

A fellow works at a steel mill for most of his life. One day, he's laid off because a new machine comes in to replace him. 2 months later, he gets a frantic call from his old boss. "Bill, I need your help, the machine is broken and we can't figure out what's wrong with it - the whole plant is at a standstill!" So Bill goes over to the plant, walks around checking a few things and then finally pulls out a piece of chalk. He goes over and marks 3 parts - a switch, a gasket and a small servo. "Replace these parts and you'll be fine" he says. The plant manager is ecstatic, and replaces the parts. Sure enough, the plant is operational again. A week later, the plant manager gets Bills invoice. $50,050.05! Agast, the manager phones up Bill and says "What is this! All you did was walk around and make 3 marks! Explain this invoice to me." Bill replies "The .05 is the cost of the chalk. The $50 was my time for coming down here" "And the remaining $50k?!" "The $50k is the 40 years of experience it took for me to put the marks in the exact right spot and solve your million dollar problem." Bill got paid.

Filed under  //   business   fun  
Posted by Belle Liu 

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May 10, 2009
 

You know you are in Italy when ...

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After churning out all the trip logs last night with only one hour of sleep, I magically caught the train in Venice on time and now waiting in the lounge of Rome airport for my flight to Amsterdam. To sum up my first ever Italy trip, I've decided to compile a David Letterman style "Top 10 List" of You know you are in Italy when ... 10. You are getting impatient with those 2-hour dinners and ask for the bill many times but the waiters keep ignoring you and the customers waiting outside. 9. Cars are dirty, beat-up and parked (or double-parked) every where on and off the side walks, with less than 3 inches of distance between them. 8. Cigarette smoking is allowed in restaurants and parents have no problem smoking at their babies and children. 7. You wonder what the hell is cover charge in your bill, on top of a 12% service charge. 6. A cup of cappuccino (€2) is cheaper than a glass of coke (€4), and you hear the American tourist at the next table complaining how absurd that is. 5. 60-year-old are not allowed to sit on the "priority seating" for elderly on the bus as they are reserved for age 70 or above. But you notice that 70% of the passengers are over 80. 4. Men are either slim, handsome, well-groomed or all of the above. 3. If you wear high-heels you will be taller than most of the men. 2. Caucasian women in their 30s wear Hello Kitty clothing and carry Hello Kitty trendy bags. 1. There are 20 ways to flush a toilet.

Filed under  //   fun   italy  
Posted by Belle Liu 

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