Arguing with Zombies

Hi friends! How are you? I haven’t been able to update this blog as much as I wanted to, but it is not by choice! I have been swamped the past couple of weeks…๐Ÿ˜“ Indeed 2023 started with a bang!

At work, we have a major issue that my team had to help resolve. When I say major, it is reportable to the ombudsman major! It has been very stressful and challenging trying to fix something that we did not create in the first place, much less totally avoidable! It is disappointing as well that the moment the risk was identified, the most plausible solution was ignored. Ironically, nobody want this escalated, yet they escalate the most little things on a daily basis. So politically motivated ๐Ÿ™„ I was listening Paul Krugman’s audio book entitled “Arguing with Zombies” and surprise surprise, the resemblance is uncanny! Sorry for the lack of specifics, but as you know I work in an institution where matters like these are highly confidential. But I know for a fact that you guys could relate! Anyway, according to the book (if I understood it correctly lol), politicians create these “social issues” to show people that the government is working towards the betterment of the society when in fact their “proposed solution” has been proven wrong and their only motivation is for their own welfare. When economists advise them of the policies that could help the economy, they take it with a grain of salt and proceed with what they want their constituents to perceive anyway. I mean, that’s technically the definition of Politics right? As Krugman says,

Zombie ideas are those that should have been killed by contrary evidence, but instead keep shambling along, eating people’s brains.

When you become aware of this, being in an environment with so much bureaucracy just becomes so intolerable that the only way out is out the door (or in a wooden box, as Lainey says).A lot is going on work wise and changes are happening so quickly. As much as I wanted to focus on my CFA studies (one of my career goals in 2023), as early as the third week of January, it has shifted from “Pass CFA level 1” to “Be in an environment surrounded by CFA charter holders that will motivate and inspire me, so I can apply what I learn conceptually to practice“. In short, it is time to move on, I don’t have time for this foolishness anymore!

Thanks for coming to my TED talk lol (as usual! ๐Ÿ˜œ)


you may also like

  • white and black abstract painting

    Why do I feel like I’ve already lived through my 30s?

    Sometimes it surprises me how I’m still in my twenties when I feel like I’ve already aged by so much the past few years. I don’t know if it is the hectic work/study schedule, or the sudden lifestyle change from buy whatever you want to responsibilities before happiness. I’ve never felt so adult (and so exhausted!) in my life. You probably hear me complain about this all the time lol.    My birthday is coming up and I don’t even have plans or anything. I originally wanted to go shop my heart out for cosmetics and skincare, but then again I still have a handful of unopened products I hoarded when I went to the Philippines last year. Even though I already have everything I ever asked…

  • First time in Tokyo, Japan

    First time in Tokyo, Japan

    This trip to Japan was so unexpected. Me, my husband, my mom, my uncle, and my auntie all ended up going together. Thereโ€™s been a lot of drama with my mom lately, and I just wanted to take her somewhere new, somewhere she could breathe for a bit. I also havenโ€™t seen my cousin in years, so I thought, why not visit her in Tokyo? Then I invited my uncle and auntie too, hoping we could all have a happy, peaceful vacation as a family. I only had three weeks of vacation left for the year. I already used one week in Jamaica back in May and another week in Manila, so this basically gives me one week in Japan and one week in Korea…

  • I Didnโ€™t Expect Giselle to Haunt Me โ€” But She Did

    I Didnโ€™t Expect Giselle to Haunt Me โ€” But She Did

    Lately, Iโ€™ve been watching Natalia Osipovaโ€™s performance of Giselle, andโ€ฆ wow. I didnโ€™t expect to feel so much watching it, but I did. I still do. It wasnโ€™t just the dancing (though yes, she moves like sheโ€™s made of moonlight and memory). It was everything โ€” the music, the stillness, the way love and heartbreak and grace can live in one story, one body, one breath. Thereโ€™s something about Giselle that lingers with you โ€” like the echo of a song long after the final note fades. You think you’re just watching a ballet. But then it stays. Quietly. Gently. Like a memory you didnโ€™t know meant something until it started whispering back. Maybe it’s the way she loves โ€” fully, without hesitation. Maybe it’s…

  • Life Update: Week 3

    Life Update: Week 3

    This week has been pretty mundane, nothing much about me. How about you? The things that kept me busy all week are errands for my workplace and mostly games. The island has been responding very positively on the restrictions set up by the government to prevent the spread of the virus (e.g. curfew, essential business operations, last name protocol, etc). They have been doing an feedback session every two weeks, and when circumstances are getting better, restrictions are being gradually lifted. Majority of the population are obedient with the policies in place that’s why we are now only on suppression level 3, coming from maximum suppression! Great job Cayman! Anyway, in another news, I downloaded the The Sims 2: Super Collection a couple of days…

  • Batabano Carnival

    Batabano Carnival

    Since it’s almost carnival season (but has been postponed until further notice), I will take you to trip down memory lane with me in last years celebration! Batabano Carnival  is an annual festival held in the Cayman Islands every month of May. The island is home to more than a hundred nationalities, most (if not all) of which participate in light of community spirit. It is a cultural celebration filled with music, dance, food, costumes, heritage and culture, and ofcourse booze! lol. It is a pretty young carnival that has only been going on for 30 years (thanks to Rotary Club!) The highlight of the festival is the street parade composed of masquerade bands and *drumroll please…..* exotic costumes! Last years parade started from the Seven…

  • Life lately

    Life lately

    I have been back and forth to the hospital the past few days and I haven’t been feeling my best self lately. I’ve been to the emergency room twice and boy I tell you, how lonely it is to be in a hospital bed alone with all those beeping machines and people in pain all over the place. I even witnessed an ambulance coming in with person who just drowned and soaking wet. Anyway, I’m not sure if my condition is due to stress, home-sickness, or change in weather and fatty foods whatever – but don’t worry I am recovering. One thing I know for sure — medical bills are not a joke so everyone please don’t take your health for granted! and when I…