ATM

One hot Saturday afternoon. I planned to pull some money from an ATM machine.  I went to a shopping mall. At first, I thought the ATM machine was put inside the mall. But it is not. It is put near the roadside. Since I am afraid that this is not safe, I then decided not to pull my money from it. Instead, I postponed pulling my money. I pulled my money the next day, from the ATM machine at the shopping mall not far from my house.

I once heard a story about people who were robbed after pulling money from an ATM located at a roadside. Therefore, we have to be vigilant. When we pull money from an ATM at a roadside, we are in a relatively open space. People can see us in a closer way. In addition, the security is relatively less tight since we are in a public area.

The situation is different when we are in an office building or in a shopping mall. In such places, the security is tighter. In many buildings, people have to pass security officers and equipment. Their belongings are also checked. Therefore, the security situation is guaranteed.

Don't Trust the Taxi Driver

A few days ago, I went to work by taxi. But first, I asked the taxi driver whether he knows the route to my destination. He said that he didn’t know and asked me to direct him. And I did that. At first, I felt a little bit worried because I didn’t really remember the route. On that day, I didn’t take the usual route. Fortunately, I finally managed to reach my destination although I was a little bit late due to the heavy traffic jam.

That experience reminds me of my speech in a toastmasters meeting a few months ago. In my speech, I advised people not to trust fully the taxi driver in deciding the route you should take when using taxi. At least there are two reasons for this. First, it is impossible for a taxi driver to know every place in town. So before taking a taxi, make sure that we already know the exact destination location and the way to go there. Thanks to the advancement of communication technology such as Google Map, identifying a location should be easier. Second, a taxi driver is just an ordinary human being, which could potentially have a bad intention. He might capitalize on your ignorance for his advantage, such as taking a farther route, to get more money. 

Things to be considered

I was asked whether I want to find an alternative to my current job. I said that if I could find a better job, then why not? However, when I say better, it is not merely about financial reward. For me, financial reward is important indeed, but it is not everything. There are some factors that I should consider. First, and the most important, is the working environment. Who doesn’t want to work in a favorable working environment? Big salary will be meaningless if you are surrounded by people bullying you psychologically.

A favorable working environment includes location, scope of business, and culture.  I do not want to work in a location surrounded by noise, pollution, and slum.  I prefer working in service to manufacturing industry. This is due to my physical handicap. Culture must also fit with personal values.

Last, I remember a friend advised me not to look for a new job just because you no longer feel uncomfortable. When you want to find a new job, please make sure that it fits with your personal vision.