Staples Business Depot

So i'm usually saying nothing but good things about staples business depot, it is where I do my shopping for pens, paper, etc.

The thing I like most about staples is that I live beside one which has a 24 hr copy center. This means no matter what time it is, no matter how late i'm working on a project I can go there to take care of my copying or other needs.

Or so I thought...

They are not in holiday hours. But that's fine I went back when they were open. I found out I could get 250 business cards made (it use to be minimum 500 so that was good), the price was more than I wanted to pay, but it was ridiculous that they take 3 - 5 days.

Staples copy center was one of the few things I talked about that was open 24 hrs, but now, because of holiday hours that isn't true any more. You can barely do anything during holiday hours except you can still get a Finch Station hot dog. But even those are low quality at certain hours, sure you can go to Union Station for quality hot dogs, but they charge 50 cents more now ($3.50). Dominion (grocery store) is supposed to be open 24 hrs as well but i'm not sure if they are or aren't because of holidays.

I should open up stores in convenient locations that do things 24 hrs including during holiday season (coffee shop, pizza place, etc)

What is it with things being low quality & costing more?

Traveling story

So i'm packing nice & early so that I don't forget anything.

I'm trying to bring as little as possible & thus having nothing but carryons. Those that were with me last NC will remember how huge my luggage was (mostly because of extra layers of clothes, it's cold in Canada)

My BIGGEST fear right now is not security, or forgetting something, it is saying something that only I would say. For example I will probably end up making conversation with the person next to me & ask "so where are you going?" (it is a direct flight)

I'm really looking forward to the moving walkway in the airport (they should have those things everywhere! esspecially in malls!)

P.S.: Is it traveling or travelling?

I can't sleep!

I don't know what it is, but once I start sleeping at odd hours it'll remain that way for a while.

So I decided to blog some random thoughts.

I just read that this year, we'll have a leap second, so 2006 will start 1 second later then it's supposed to (to make up for changes in the Earth's rotation)

I am spending the new year at an AIESEC conference again. Excitement for the conference could be one reason I can't sleep. This will be a very different conference since a lot of the people I spent most of my time with at previous conferences either won't be there or will be doing different things at different times.

So far this winter holiday i've spent time with family/friends, worked on E-strat, did some AIESEC work & made my blog fancy with addons to the sidebar.

My last week of vacation until May should be spent with family & friends, i'm on a plane Friday morning.

It is crazy having a dad whose an accountant since I have to make a budget for the year which has to be approved by him & then I have to show him statements & we discuss any variances. It is interesting how similar my dad & I are.

I have been thinking about what next year will be like & although i'm not one to make resolutions, I think i'm going to strive for more balance in my life next year. Next summer will be interesting, I could be doing something in AIESEC, or maybe i'll be working full time. I turn 22 next year & that is the age i'll be when I graduate from university so i've been thinking a lot about what i'll be doing post-grad.

2006 will have some movies I am looking forward to seeing such as Mission Impossible 3, X3, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Casino Royale (James Bond 21, I have all 20), Die Hard 4, Rush Hour 3
While we are on the topic, 2007 will have a new Rocky Movie (I have all 5), Spiderman 3. One of my favourite movies remains to be The Godfather.

I will randomly post about my favourite president, JFK, & my favourite city, NYC, soon. Enough randomness for one late night/early morning.

E-mail yourself (in the future)

NO, this is not because no one else e-mails me!

I thought this was pretty interesting. It is the second website I heard that does this, but basicially, if you know of an e-mail address you will be using for the next while (up to 30 yrs) then you can send a message to yourself (or someone else)

It is pretty interesting because you can compare where you thought you would be then, to where you actually are.

I have more than 5 e-mail addresses right now, BUT I don't think i'll have any of them 30 yrs from now, maybe not even 5 yrs from now (the site also works a day or a yr from now but that's not the point of this), but in case you know you'll have an e-mail address for a while go Here

How do you like your eggs?

So I wake up a lot later than usual, but it's around 10am so it's too early for lunch.

I think of what to have for breakfast & I think about how many different ways I can have eggs.

Have you ever seen the movie Run Away Bride? Well in there this lady is not decisive, and chose her eggs based on what the guy she was with was having, but then later to find out how she actually preferred eggs she made a lot of different kinds & tried them all.

I didn't do that, but I did do a search for different egg recipes. I use to always have scrambled eggs, it was a safe option, I knew what I was going to get, but I like eggs over easy.

Blogging

So i'm trying to find ways to update my blog, with fancy things on the sidebar or a new template

1 thing I wanted on the sidebar is something like geoloc, I found some other site that did something silimar but didn't have a map for me to post on the blog, but then I found this other map that does it & it is now on the sidebar!!!

Next i'm going to try & have a picture, but I want it to randomly change to another picture next time someone goes on it (i'm not sure if I want to have public pictures on flickr so i'm looking for a way to do this)

I saw blogging as something I can do to post my thoughts/feelings/beliefs but have quickly learnt to be careful with what you say. Really makes you think about censorship.

They just want to fit in...

So NYC Transit workers are still on strike. Very huge since 7 million people use the system a day & it is costing the city/state millions of dollars ($300 - $400 million) in lost revenue & extra policing.

Because New York state laws prohibit public sector employees from going on strike, the union, is being fined $1 million per day.

So there will probably be a resolution very soon, but now I read reports that

Via Rail & that union of workers are in negotiations to avert a strike. It looks like it won't even get close to a strike, but the NEWS must go on, so be it celebrity gossip, or taking the smallest things & making them sound like it is life or death, they report whatever they think people would want to hear or read

On Vacation

I am on vacation for at least the next week.

If I do any work it will either be E-strat or MQB work.

This is the only vacation I get until May (if then!)

RUIN'S MY READING WEEK

One of my professors (I don't want to say any names but you know who you are) sends me an e-mail regarding next semesters course

I thought, that's nice, now I know the class website & can get all the info i'll need for the semester.

So I check it & it turns out that 1 of my midterms next semester is PART OF READING WEEK!!! (technically you get a business week off, but with not having classes Friday, Saturday or Sunday, I would have a 10 day reading week) BUT NOW THE LAST DAY, ON A SUNDAY, I HAVE AN EXAM!!!!!!

HOW DO YOU RUIN SOMEONES READING WEEK BEFORE THEY EVEN GO ON WINTER HOLIDAY???????

Person of the Year

TIme Magazine since 1927 has named a Person (or something else) of the year. It is for "the person or thing that had the greatest impact on the news" which means it isn't always someone who did good things.

I think this honour is up there with winning a nobel prize.

Think about it. At some weddings I could be selected as the "best man" so I am the best man the person knows, but TIME MAGAZINE which goes to SO many readers thinks you had the more impact in that year.

Anyway,

Google

Have you ever done a Google search on yourself just to see what you'll get?

I did just that recently click here for the results

So, all I am known for is:

1) this blog
2) booking a study room at York University
3) helping to organize ORC 2005

P.S.: this is not recommended for everyone, especially those people who would have an identity crisis is someone else is this world had the exact same name as them (there are a few Puneet Duggal's in the world, it would be SO COOL to meet the other ones)

AIESEC Photo's

AIESEC York's Photo Page

Christmas Movies

There are two movies that are CONSTANTLY played this time of year.

A Very Brady Christmas (1988)

&

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

You'd think we could make a good Christmas movie in over 15 years, but apparently not!

Click here for info on ANY movie!

Raptors

And the Raptors are again the worst team in the league...

I actually hope they get the worst record ever (which currently belongs to the 72-73 Philadelphia 76ers)

To get it they will have to do the same or worse then 9 - 73. I want them to get it so that they can always be remembered for being SO bad, and start making CHANGES

Raptors are currently 4 - 19, we (it hurts to say we, might as well be saying they) should win the 3 Atlanta games coming up, maybe the 3 Charlotte games, the 4 games against New York & the 1 against Portland, but we won't.

I may be seeing a game or 2 this season, I saw one last season (against the Atlanta Hawks, our biggest competition for worst team in the league) & found myself yelling more than ever

I guess we can look forward to being "rewarded" with a top player in the draft, but we have too many new players, we should trade away our draft picks & get better experienced guards.

It's no surprise we don't have another basketball team in the country

Hands in my pocket?

Capital One has a television advertisement that has some song that repeats the words "Hand's in my pocket"

It also shows business men going around with the hands in men's pockets while they do everyday things.

This is just WEIRD, and definately does not make me want to get a credit card from capital one.

E-strat

So they announced the teams that get to go on in Loreal's E-strat challenge

For those of you who haven't heard of it go here

My team is with Sheryl & Adil

I was looking forward to this announcement since I put a lot of time into it & had to manage my time around exams & E-strat, but it was worth it since...

WE MADE IT TO ROUND 2!!!

This means we get to make decisions in January (one a week until the end of it) & then we'll know if we go on further!!!

Dictionary & More!

When you need to know...

Currency Converter

Convert your currency!

Time and Date

Finally!!! Know the time & date wherever

Passport

So I am flying again soon

But then, because i'm VERY careful about these things, I check my passport.

It expires on Dec 20th 2005. I fly on Dec 30th 2005.

But on top of this, I need to go get a picture taken. It being exam time I have not shaven in approx 1 month, and have not not gotten a hair cut for about 2 - 3 months.

Then there is also the fact that I do not smile in pictures, and have been called a terrorist in my pictures. And this passport will expire 5 years from now!

Good thing I realized this now, I have 5 days until it expires, and it takes 10 days to get it done, and today is a business day.

Pnut

Most people have them. A nickname. Something that sticks with you long after you forget how it originated.

My nickname is Pnut. It was given to me in high school, and could have been given by Jamie Lee, and was supported by teachers saying my name wrong, or math class with p-not. Pamela has been keeping it alive, and even though I told her that something I really like about AIESEC is that they call me by my name, she introduced this nickname to my local. So my local also calls me Pnut now. It feels odd coming from some people, but from others it's almost at the point it is with Pam & Steph, where them calling me something else seems odd.

My local also at ORC 2005 would say "pnut by day, pnutty by night." Which is a combination of 3 random inside things. We do a lot of random inside jokes at AIESEC York.

Random Link

http://cagle.msnbc.com/

Check here for politcal cartoons. Some are pretty funny, lots are good for use with projects

Gas Prices

Improved a little, but very strange how the prices are determined.

http://www.torontogasprices.com/

The Bay

The Bay is some how "the official store of Christmas"

Can someone explain this to me?

Esspecially considering all the talk of secularism...

Basketball

The greatest sport ever.

Such a big part of my life.

Not only do I watch professional & college ball on tv or live, I follow it on the internet, play fantasy games, and was the manager on my high school team (NOT waterboy! I helped with tournaments, stats, practices) I play for fun when I have the time, and would gladly work for the league or a professional team for free!

What I enjoy about basketball is the strategy, the teamwork, the leadership, the excellance attitude in some players & coaches

Although I am in a country which is not good at the sport, Canada did invent it!

The NBA has taken many steps to take the game international.

My favourite NBA team are the New York Knicks, my favourite college team is the Duke Blue Devils.

Education/Career Planning

I feel it is appropriate to start this blog with something that has a VERY big part of my life to date, my education/career.

Since high school I knew I wanted to study business, but not just business, that I wanted to get the CA designation (high accounting designation) and than after that get an MBA.

Now that i'm older and more aware I know the details of what I want to do, and where I want it to take me.

While working towards the CA designation (takes 3 yrs post grad), I also want to have a securities designation (approx 2 yrs), while doing those things I want to learn Mandarin (this way I will know English, French, Hindi, & Mandarin), and then get a Law MBA, which will give me 2 other degrees in 3 or 4 yrs

That is what is my 10 yr plan.

But then came AIESEC...more detail on that on my other blog http://pduggal.myaiesec.net

The plans remain the same, but things may get delayed...

This blog will be about me & random things, the other blog is the professional one and is about AIESEC & me.

So I may be starting a blog, 2 reasons:

1) I talk to much
2) It's a good way to keep in touch with people