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Last Minute Travel

Please note that this piece reflects my own views and not the views of CityFALCON or any of its other stakeholders. Let me start with saying that I don’t mince words and I was never taught diplomacy in school. I’m content with my life in the UK. I’m lucky to be able to afford my daily meals, have a roof over my head, feel secure when I roam in the streets and have the world-class NHS to look after me. In fact, we in the UK live a luxurious life compared to the rest of the World. This could be fairer though. It’s a pity today to see that so many smart non-EU students, who spend a lot of money coming and studying in the UK, have to leave the country after their education. Several of my friends can’t move their jobs because they fear that they might lose their visa. Every time I did a visa application, it felt as if I was considered guilty and I had to prove myself to be innocent. 2006 was a boom time, and the UK Government had a scheme called HSMP, or Highly Skilled Migrant Permit. One of the categories provided a 3 year temporary residency visa if you completed MBA from one of the top universities in the World. The scheme was absolutely brilliant — it’s difficult to get into these MBA programs, so the country can acquire some of the sharpest minds around. For those who question what an MBA is a worth as a degree, my answer is “it depends”, but you can surely use MBA as a proxy for skilled labour that could move us forward. I sent my passport and MBA graduation certificate to Home Office, and received a 3 year visa within weeks. Easy-peasy! Most of us could have gone anywhere: the US, Canada, Australia, but I chose the UK. Apart from the HSMP scheme, I have always been in love with the UK. Yes, 150 years rule in India was painful, and I believe the UK should return the Kohinoor to India. But at the same time, I understand that it is history, it was a different generation, and we need to look forward. The love for Cricket and tea WITH milk, the abundance of “curries” (seriously, not every Indian dish should be called a curry), the evening walks on the bank of Thames — no other country even comes close to this. Above all, I fell in love with Oxford the first time I visited the city. There have been several reports about economic benefits that both EU and non-EU immigrants bring to the UK. However, the politics of immigration seems to override economics of at this point. immigration With an Indian or another “third world” passport, it hasn’t been easy to travel already, and you have to properly “prepare” before doing that I had to face several issues before getting the UK citizenship, and the UK passport opened the doors that would have been double locked with just my Indian passport. I’ve had to spend thousands of pounds to get HSMP visa, then renew it, then apply for permanent residency, then citizenship and finally the passport. For all my travels, I have to fill forms, apply to consulates and pay a lot of money to get visas. Moreover, even after having quality education and working for some top international brands, some countries would give me a single-entry visa, and at times, for 3 days max. Yes, 3 whole days! I’ve got a lot of respect for the US, because they perform a thorough check, but once they are satisfied, they give a 5 or 10 year visa. I’ve been stopped from boarding twice because of visa issues which led to big financial losses and more importantly stress and anguish. I’ve been stopped for hours at immigration borders. I usually ask people behind me in the immigration queue to join another queue. There was a time when I used to carry a file with employment agreement, invitation letter, payslips, etc. while traveling. Indians can’t take advantage of those early-bird or last-minute travel discounts, as we need visas for most countries. The problem of too many skilled and unskilled EU immigrants can’t have a solution of banning non-EU skilled immigrants Being in the EU gives the UK some benefits — free trade, lower bureaucracy for UK companies, Britons can work freely in the EU and buy houses in the South of Spain (so tempting!). Of course, on the downside, anyone can pack their bags and come to the UK for a better . Some amazing talent comes into the country but also people who want to take advantage of the social benefits. To compensate for that, the UK cuts down on non-EU skilled labour. How does that make any sense? future This policy means that UK is going to miss out on the skilled scientists, doctors, engineers who unfortunately weren’t born on EU land. We talk about equality, but even today the future for most people is dependent on where they are born or on their nationality**.** Non-EU immigrants do NOT get some social security benefits even though they have to pay into the pot You have to pay the national insurance and our taxes, but you can’t have “recourse to public funds” i.e. if you lose your job or suffer disability, you are not eligible for the same benefits as a EU citizen is. See the full list what non-EU resident people are not eligible for . here There are different types of immigrants For most people who aren’t happy with immigrants, their view is that most immigrants come to the UK for social and economic benefits. While there is some truth in that, there are many reasons why someone might try to come to the UK. Let me try and break the different categories down: . You have a house, family, good job, and suddenly you lose it all because of ISIS or any other calamity. I have a lot of respect for what the EU has done for people who have suffered so much at the hands of these terrorists while North America and Asia are keeping their distance. Refugees or those who need help Wouldn’t you do the same for yourself and your family? Those who want a better future for themselves and their families. (you may laugh, but it’s amazing how many stories I’ve heard of people moving after a breakup). Boy / girl issue People who want to exploit the social welfare offered by the EU. Skilled labour who can go anywhere but chose UK over other countries. UK is not doing anyone a favour by letting skilled labour in There are obvious benefits of getting smart people into the country, and the current immigration policies hurt not only potential immigrants, but also the entire country. We need them as much as they need us. A smart person with a computer can build a sustainable business today. Think about Mark Zuckerberg single-handedly building Facebook If they come in as students, they bring foreign exchange and support our universities and the industries built around universities. If the students can’t stay back and work in the UK after they earn degrees, most are not going to come to the UK to study in the first place. Shortage of skilled labour, especially in the tech sector, has lead to spiralling salaries and it’s not affordable for smaller companies to build a tech team here. We can’t train the next generation of students who could have picked-up necessary skills from smart people Visa restrictions are killing entrepreneurship Even after getting the visa, you have to keep complying with the requirements including minimum salary, time spent outside the country, and restrictions to move employers. This means that a smart person needs to stay in job and is incapable to take risks. Personally, I had to delay launching my start-up until I got permanent residency, or risk getting thrown out of the country. “Craziest immigration provision award” from me.. READ MORE

Life Of A “Highly Skilled” Immigrant In The UK

The concept of ride-hailing on demand by using location assistance provided by GPS might look like a very recent innovation by Uber a little over a decade ago. Ride-hailing, as we all know, is not new. It has been in existence ever since the concept of taxes and transportation was introduced. However, ride-hailing was a cumbersome process involving telephonic coordination and a lot of uncertainties. In essence, what Uber introduced was not a new way of booking cabs but a new way of generating demand for transportation. This revolution and transportation have trickled down to every other possible vertical, including but not limited to babysitting, household services, beauty services and even dating. Even within the realm of transportation, there are a lot of manifestations of this new technology brought in by Uber. One of them is self-driven vehicles on demand. Self-driven vehicles on-demand eliminate the need for a driver and also give the passengers a lot of flexibility. Although it might come with a few packaged disadvantages like the need for parking space and the loss of relaxation, it does provide quite a lot of advantages. The relevance of self-driven vehicles Self-driven vehicles present an interesting option for people who would like to command the terms of their own travel. It also brings quite a lot of advantages for people who play a lot of emphasis on privacy. It also eliminates the hassle involved with waiting time and also takes off the pressure of taking care of the driver’s need every now and then, like food. Self-driven cars or rental cars are growing steadily in terms of market value. The industry is expected to breach the hundred billion dollar mark by mid-2022. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5%. One of the biggest factors contributing to the growth of these rental cars is the growing number of airport rights, the increasing number of international air travelers and tourists with an explorative mindset. Self-driven cars hold a lot of relevance in a world where there are more backpackers than planned travelers. Given the magnitude of uncertainty, these people like to avail of the liberty of driving the car by themselves the moment they step out from the airport. Bringing in airport car rental apps We have already seen that Uber has revolutionized the way in which we have ordered for transportation on demand. Extending this method to the realm of rental cars, it opens up avenues to an entirely new business. It has to be agreed that flight travel is one of the most convenient and comfortable modes of getting from one place to another. People who stepped out of flight demand the same level of comfort and convenience. The introduction of new technology and the ongoing growth of digital trends are expected to bring useful solutions in the field of rental cars. Brands like Hertz and Europcar have made the concept of rental cars relatively simple and as easy as booking an Uber. It might not be a surprise as these apps, in essence, are Uber-like apps. They are expected to deliver location-based transportation solutions on demand. There are a few ways in which Hertz and Europcar revolutionized car rentals. These solutions have given car rental start-ups some valuable lessons to learn. Make the process simple The beauty of anything lies in simplicity, and the growing rage for minimalism is an apt example. The apps like Hertz and Europcar have completely eliminated the questions of car availability outside an airport and the hassles involving foreign languages and haggling over prices. Earlier, people had to wait outside the airport for the taxi that they had probably booked over a call. They also will have to pay a lot more than a domestic traveler because of the taxes. However, with the car rental apps, a user can order a car right from their home country and have it delivered at the airport in a time when they need it. The best part is, as of today, the supply is more than the demand, and it only means that the user stands at a clear advantage of increasing the possibility of finding a self-driven car in real-time. Provide flexibility Nothing delights a user more than flexibility! Earlier, there were no means of changing a booked taxi. This meant that no last-minute accommodations could be made for business travel or personal travel. Car rental apps, on the other hand, give quite a lot of flexibility. They can be used in such a way that cars can be changed even in the last minute. You can also request for a special child seating if you are traveling with the family. In addition, there might also be needs for a car with huge storage spaces just in case you plan to go on a fishing trip with a boat attached to your car. In all these cases, car rental applications provide you the flexibility. The flexibility does not vest with just changes but also with cancellation. Car rental apps give you the option to cancel your booking even at the last minute. Car rental apps can also give passengers the flexibility of choosing their own cars, so they are likely to drive a car that they are quite accustomed to. Providing flexibility is of paramount importance when it comes to creating a car rental app out of an . Uber clone Providing roadside assistance It should not be forgotten that a person who rents a car out of your car rental app is not entirely well versed in the local amenities. Therefore, there are considerable chances that they might end up in some hassle that requires assistance. Emergency roadside assistance should be made available to your passengers through the app. The services required might include technical assistance, storing, flat tyre, fuel delivery, lockout, battery service, and extrication. Providing roadside assistance increases the likelihood of your app being used by amateur travelers. They, in all their confidence, would also like some kind of assurance that they are covered. If the help can be provided without extra charges, it gives some muscle-power in terms of marketing credibility for your brand. In fact, one of the greatest advantages is brought about by GPS is precisely finding out the location of your rented car. This feature should be exploited constructively to the fullest, and roadside assistance is one of the best services that you can provide in this regard. Recognizing loyalty Money, as the commerce pundits say, is the biggest motivating factor. Regular rewards and discounts ensure that the users stick to your car rental app brand. Running a loyalty program and a referral program goes a great distance in ensuring a steady growth of customers. It is quite possible that travelers are network and backpackers, all the more. This implies that rewarding one backpacker spreads the news like wildfire in the community. This is one of the greatest branding and marketing exercises that you can ever do to keep up the image of your brand. Above everything… getting the basics right The success of an app entirely depends on how well the services of your app perform in the real world. Maybe Hertz and Europcar were immensely successful as applications, but the main reason for their success lies in the logistical strength that they have established. Never ever has been a time when they did not have cars to provide their users. They also ensured that factors like convenience, speed and time are taken into consideration to ensure their success not just as an app but as a business. Creating your own car rental app It has to be understood that at the end of the day, a car rental app is, in essence, an Uber with a different garnish of features. Instead of connecting drivers, you will need to connect cars and nothing else is different. The concept of tracking the vehicle through GPS and enabling making payments online remains the same. Therefore, all you need to do is to get in touch with a company that specializes in and ask them to customize your app in such a way that it falls in line with your requirement for car rental. white-label Uber clone

Airport Car Rental App: Booming Solutions For "Rent A Car" Startups

Many years ago when I was in my teens, I lived in a small Kentucky, USA town and one of my requirements in school was to learn Spanish. I enjoyed learning this new language, but I became discouraged. I struggled to understand the point of learning Spanish. A much younger me thought, "Why? No one here speaks Spanish... And I won't have the money or ability to travel in the near future or maybe even at all...." I think I voiced this to my 10th grade Spanish teacher, Susan Stucker, who tried to encourage me. She found a way for me to participate at little cost in a two week student exchange living with a host family in the northern suburbs of Madrid.\ “Estoy harta de tu queja.” I vaguely remember her saying this. “I am tired of your complaining.” My talkative teacher arranged for me to go on this trip. I never thought I would be going to Spain, but she found some unknown funds from generous donors. Suddenly, I was on an airplane to Spain with her and 5 or 6 other students.\ I was a good student and rather than being someone whose comportment my teacher worried about, she was encouraging me to be less uptight. \ “Try the sangria.”\ I know she thought this experience would change my life, but I don’t think she knew when that would happen. \ My Spanish was just a little better at the time than the other students. I remember being a human dictionary for them (a teen Google Translate of sorts) when they wanted to tell a shopkeeper what flavor of candy or ice cream they wanted. “Fresa.”   “Strawberry”\ I remember the smell of fried sardines the mother of my host family made. It was so delicious! And I recall the pounds I gained from the rich chorizo and chocolates she packed for me to take in a sack lunch. Though our student budget was slim, we did go into the urban areas of Madrid once or twice to see the Prado Museum and Fountain of Cibeles. I remember having very little pocket money. I did not buy any souvenirs. I was able to buy a Spanish chocolate candy bar to bring back home for a “best” friend who was disappointed when she saw it. “You got me a chocolate bar from Spain? That’s it?”\ I was not a hardy traveler and it took me a while to get over the strenuous emotional changes that happen sometimes with international travel. Wanderlust lay dormant for decades, but ultimately, I decided to travel again. My experiences led me to return to Spain this year. I have been studying Spanish part time and online for the past 2 years. My ability to understand and even speak Spanish has increased some. I have a greater appreciation for learning this and any language as well as the cultures of the Spanish speaking world. While I am far from fluent in Spanish even with continued study, I am improving and I greatly appreciate my high school teacher, Susan Stucker, for her encouragement and for broadening my worldview at an early age. I was worried about going on this trip but it was not because I did not want to go. I was experiencing a fear of leaving my comfort zone. My short trip with a tour group took me again to the northern suburbs of Spain and to the Prado Museum, but I also traveled to a few other cities and experienced a Spain much different than the one from my youth. Though it was not on the itinerary, someone on my trip convinced me to go with her and others to a bullfight. This would not have been something I chose to do ordinarily, but I tried to go into this experience with an open mind and see what I could learn. I got a ticket for the bullfight but because we had waited until the last minute to get seating, there were no seats together. I bought a seat far away from the others. As I tried to climb the stadium steps to my seat, I asked other spectators along the way for help finding my spot. I did sit in the wrong place (awkward as ever) and had to be notified by my neighbors. Ultimately, I found a spot to sit on the concrete and I watched the bullfight respectfully and peacefully, taking occasional pictures like a tourist, and speaking whatever garbled Spanish I knew with my kind neighbors to either side. I won’t pretend I know much about the history or actual meaning of bullfighting. I also can’t comment on the animal safety aspects of this because I don’t know much about that. I tried to show respect for the cultural event and come to the stadium with a beginner’s mind. With these caveats in mind, I just want to share what I felt internally and what I learned about confidence from the bullfight. The bullfight occurs in a large arena in a stadium. This arena seemed to me like a metaphor for life. Death likely occurs in the arena and comes for someone. There is a living being that will not get out of the arena alive. Will it be the bull? Will it be the matador? There are more humans in the arena that work together to stack the deck against the bull. It's not fair? Life isn’t fair. The circumstances that bring the bull and the matador to the arena are governed by chance as well. Both the matadors and the bull have the potential to kill each other in the arena. I found that I could not look away. The reason I could not look away was that I felt connected to the bull and matador in their actions to relive what I felt were the lessons of the arena, the lessons of life. In the arena, the matadors must distract the bull from hurting them and also actively seek the bull’s death. I was told that the bull must be naive to the ways of bullfighting to participate. During the process, the matador leads with confidence and hides whatever fear he might have of the bull’s size, aggression and ferocity. There is a potential for severe disability and even death if the bull harms the matador, but it is crucial that the matadors never break character. They work as a team to distract, confuse and wound the bull. The matadors play to an audience of hundreds drawing all eyes to them in a spectacle who bellow “Olé" in a pleased fashion if they are doing well. The 5 rules of the matador:

Lead with confidence
Never break character
Work in a team
All eyes on you In life, I can see how important it is to lead with confidence no matter how afraid you might feel. Confidence comes with experience and failure. Never break character to show vulnerability. It's only if you break character that anyone might notice if you messed up or that things have not gone as planned.  Good teamwork can prevent failure in many situations. Finally, there is always an audience that judges you on everything you try. I can only imagine that if I was the bull what I would learn. The bull is a tremendously strong and dangerous animal that I was told was bred to be aggressive. During the course of the bullfight, the matadors confuse and wound the bull several times. But even in its most reduced state, the bull has tremendous power to hurt the matador. First and third lesson of the bull: Never forget your power and It's not over until it's over. If the bull runs after the matadors, it takes the bait and begins the bullfight. If the bull does not run towards the matadors and is pacifist it will be set free. Second lesson of the bull: Don't take the bait. If the bull is able to gore and harm a matador, it can make a severe injury. Fourth lesson of the bull: Make your mark. And finally the more aggressively the bull attacks the matadors, the more they work in a team to cause death for the bull.  Fifth lesson of the bull: Aggression quickens death. 5 lessons of the bull

Never forget your power
Don’t take the bait
It's not over until it's over
Make your mark
Aggression quickens death Strangely, I felt during the bullfight that I was participating or that this experience was part of my life experience as well. I felt connected to the matadors and bulls. I tried to learn from the experience so that their sacrifices would teach me something. What I learned about confidence from this experience was so valuable to me. We are all dancing a dance of mindset when we are trying to be confident. We don’t want to show the enemy our fears so that we can vanquish them. Whether it's facing a micromanaging boss or an ex that hates your guts and is sashaying with their new girlfriend in your direction, there are people with whom and times at which it's important to show how unafraid you are. The bravado protects you more than actually not feeling afraid. Being genuine and vulnerable has its place, but so does hiding your flaws and exhibiting confidence like a shiny coat of armor. My trip to Spain was short, but what I learned from my experiences might last a long time.  I don't think my high school Spanish teacher would have expected that I would learn my Spanish lessons decades later. They are life lessons instead. I don’t think she expected her good deed to help me get to Spain for the student exchange would have this effect. But then again, neither did I. I got a Spanish candy bar as a souvenir this time - for myself. Many years ago when I was in my teens, I lived in a small Kentucky, USA town and one of my requirements in school was to learn Spanish. I enjoyed learning this new language, but I became discouraged. I struggled to understand the point of learning Spanish. A much younger me thought, "Why? No one here speaks Spanish... And I won't have the money or ability to travel in the near future or maybe even at all...." I think I voiced this to my 10th grade Spanish teacher, Susan Stucker, who tried to encourage me. She found a way for me to participate at little cost in a two week student exchange living with a host family in the northern suburbs of Madrid.\ “Estoy harta de tu queja.” I vaguely remember her saying this. “I am tired of your complaining.” “Estoy harta de tu queja.” I vaguely remember her saying this. “I am tired of your complaining.” “Estoy harta de tu queja.” I vaguely remember her saying this. “I am tired of your complaining.” My talkative teacher arranged for me to go on this trip. I never thought I would be going to Spain, but she found some unknown funds from generous donors. Suddenly, I was on an airplane to Spain with her and 5 or 6 other students.\ I was a good student and rather than being someone whose comportment my teacher worried about, she was encouraging me to be less uptight. \ “Try the sangria.”\ “Try the sangria.”\ I know she thought this experience would change my life, but I don’t think she knew when that would happen. \ My Spanish was just a little better at the time than the other students. I remember being a human dictionary for them (a teen Google Translate of sorts) when they wanted to tell a shopkeeper what flavor of candy or ice cream they wanted. “Fresa.”   “Strawberry”\ “Fresa.”   “Strawberry”\ I remember the smell of fried sardines the mother of my host family made. It was so delicious! And I recall the pounds I gained from the rich chorizo and chocolates she packed for me to take in a sack lunch. Though our student budget was slim, we did go into the urban areas of Madrid once or twice to see the Prado Museum and Fountain of Cibeles. I remember having very little pocket money. I did not buy any souvenirs. I was able to buy a Spanish chocolate candy bar to bring back home for a “best” friend who was disappointed when she saw it. “You got me a chocolate bar from Spain? That’s it?”\ “You got me a chocolate bar from Spain? That’s it?”\ I was not a hardy traveler and it took me a while to get over the strenuous emotional changes that happen sometimes with international travel. Wanderlust lay dormant for decades, but ultimately, I decided to travel again. My experiences led me to return to Spain this year. I have been studying Spanish part time and online for the past 2 years. My ability to understand and even speak Spanish has increased some. I have a greater appreciation for learning this and any language as well as the cultures of the Spanish speaking world. While I am far from fluent in Spanish even with continued study, I am improving and I greatly appreciate my high school teacher, Susan Stucker, for her encouragement and for broadening my worldview at an early age. I was worried about going on this trip but it was not because I did not want to go. I was experiencing a fear of leaving my comfort zone. My short trip with a tour group took me again to the northern suburbs of Spain and to the Prado Museum, but I also traveled to a few other cities and experienced a Spain much different than the one from my youth. Though it was not on the itinerary, someone on my trip convinced me to go with her and others to a bullfight. This would not have been something I chose to do ordinarily, but I tried to go into this experience with an open mind and see what I could learn. I got a ticket for the bullfight but because we had waited until the last minute to get seating, there were no seats together. I bought a seat far away from the others. As I tried to climb the stadium steps to my seat, I asked other spectators along the way for help finding my spot. I did sit in the wrong place (awkward as ever) and had to be notified by my neighbors. Ultimately, I found a spot to sit on the concrete and I watched the bullfight respectfully and peacefully, taking occasional pictures like a tourist, and speaking whatever garbled Spanish I knew with my kind neighbors to either side. I won’t pretend I know much about the history or actual meaning of bullfighting. I also can’t comment on the animal safety aspects of this because I don’t know much about that. I tried to show respect for the cultural event and come to the stadium with a beginner’s mind. With these caveats in mind, I just want to share what I felt internally and what I learned about confidence from the bullfight. The bullfight occurs in a large arena in a stadium. This arena seemed to me like a metaphor for life. Death likely occurs in the arena and comes for someone. There is a living being that will not get out of the arena alive. Will it be the bull? Will it be the matador? There are more humans in the arena that work together to stack the deck against the bull. It's not fair? Life isn’t fair. The circumstances that bring the bull and the matador to the arena are governed by chance as well. Both the matadors and the bull have the potential to kill each other in the arena. I found that I could not look away. The reason I could not look away was that I felt connected to the bull and matador in their actions to relive what I felt were the lessons of the arena, the lessons of life. In the arena, the matadors must distract the bull from hurting them and also actively seek the bull’s death. I was told that the bull must be naive to the ways of bullfighting to participate. During the process, the matador leads with confidence and hides whatever fear he might have of the bull’s size, aggression and ferocity. There is a potential for severe disability and even death if the bull harms the matador, but it is crucial that the matadors never break character. They work as a team to distract, confuse and wound the bull. The matadors play to an audience of hundreds drawing all eyes to them in a spectacle who bellow “Olé" in a pleased fashion if they are doing well. The 5 rules of the matador: Lead with confidence
Never break character
Work in a team
All eyes on you The 5 rules of the matador: Lead with confidence Never break character Work in a team All eyes on you Lead with confidence Never break character Work in a team All eyes on you In life, I can see how important it is to lead with confidence no matter how afraid you might feel. Confidence comes with experience and failure. Never break character to show vulnerability. It's only if you break character that anyone might notice if you messed up or that things have not gone as planned.  Good teamwork can prevent failure in many situations. Finally, there is always an audience that judges you on everything you try. I can only imagine that if I was the bull what I would learn. The bull is a tremendously strong and dangerous animal that I was told was bred to be aggressive. During the course of the bullfight, the matadors confuse and wound the bull several times. But even in its most reduced state, the bull has tremendous power to hurt the matador. First and third lesson of the bull: Never forget your power and It's not over until it's over. If the bull runs after the matadors, it takes the bait and begins the bullfight. If the bull does not run towards the matadors and is pacifist it will be set free. Second lesson of the bull: Don't take the bait. If the bull is able to gore and harm a matador, it can make a severe injury. Fourth lesson of the bull: Make your mark. And finally the more aggressively the bull attacks the matadors, the more they work in a team to cause death for the bull.  Fifth lesson of the bull: Aggression quickens death. 5 lessons of the bull Never forget your power
Don’t take the bait
It's not over until it's over
Make your mark
Aggression quickens death 5 lessons of the bull Never forget your power Don’t take the bait It's not over until it's over Make your mark Aggression quickens death Never forget your power Don’t take the bait It's not over until it's over Make your mark Aggression quickens death Strangely, I felt during the bullfight that I was participating or that this experience was part of my life experience as well. I felt connected to the matadors and bulls. I tried to learn from the experience so that their sacrifices would teach me something. What I learned about confidence from this experience was so valuable to me. We are all dancing a dance of mindset when we are trying to be confident. We don’t want to show the enemy our fears so that we can vanquish them. Whether it's facing a micromanaging boss or an ex that hates your guts and is sashaying with their new girlfriend in your direction, there are people with whom and times at which it's important to show how unafraid you are. The bravado protects you more than actually not feeling afraid. Being genuine and vulnerable has its place, but so does hiding your flaws and exhibiting confidence like a shiny coat of armor. My trip to Spain was short, but what I learned from my experiences might last a long time.  I don't think my high school Spanish teacher would have expected that I would learn my Spanish lessons decades later. They are life lessons instead. I don’t think she expected her good deed to help me get to Spain for the student exchange would have this effect. But then again, neither did I. I got a Spanish candy bar as a souvenir this time - for myself.

How fear can be transformed into confidence

Note: This was originally written in 2019. During his travels, author and podcaster mentioned on comedian that the first thing he likes to do in a new city is to take a bike tour. I followed that move, taking a walking tour my first few days after arriving to get a sense of the areas, following that up with experiencing local marketplaces, bars, and nightlife. Tim Ferriss Ari Shaffir's podcast I traveled to Medellín, Colombia, both to explore for a week on vacation and then to immerse myself in daily life, while working remotely as the creator of , the first cryptocurrency news audiocast app. Coinverse Tours Whether your interest is history, marketplaces, art, or coffee, there is something for you. I have always avoided what I thought of as "traditional tours."  After experiencing RealCityTours "free" city walking tour, where you pay with a tip, it is an experience I will actively seek out on future trips. The free tour was led by a local who was an interactive storyteller. It's best to base your tours on personal recommendations and/or online reviews. I got suckered into a "transformation tour" through a popular hostel chain that was advertised as educational to learn about the positive evolution of neighborhoods. In actuality, it was a drive to three different tourist spots to look around and spend money with the tour guide’s friends. I've had a great experience and received excellent in-person feedback on the tours below. freetour.com : , , and Real City Tours Free walking tour Exotic fruits tour Transformation tour Comuna 13 Medellin Graffiti Tour Urban coffee tour Markets Marketplaces refer to anything from "mom and pop" merchants where everyday people or businesses buy groceries, to hubs with restaurants from around the world. Both are worth exploring. The former lends itself to more adventure. Traditional Marketplaces Plaza Minorista San Alejo 1st Saturday of the month San Fernando Plaza Market Square Envigado Central Mayorista de Antioquia Placita de Flórez El Pulguero Llanogrande Limited to a few times per year Restaurant Hubs Mercado del Río Resources Markets map The Best Markets in Medellín, Colombia by CultureTrip The Best Street Food Markets in Medellín by CultureTrip Social scene Through the handful of nights I went out, I experienced the variety the city offers. I explored a battle of the bands at the hostel, danced to Reggaeton till 4 AM on my birthday at , stepped on a few toes at a local salsa joint, , helped host a rooftop morning yoga and dance party, and saw a new friend DJ. Sellina Buena Vista El Tíbiri My social circle grew through roommates, informal events friends hosted, tech meetups, etc. One of my favorite experiences was . A local friend introduced me to this street where you walk up to a bodega, drink beer, and hang out on the street. People are here every night, and I hear it can get rowdy into the early morning. Calle 66a If looking for the hostel party scene, there are well-known "party hostels" like and the . For bars and clubs, the two main spots are around in El Poblado and in Laureles. Selina Purple Monkey Parque Lleras Carrera 70 An alternative to the bar scene is language exchanges like (Wednesdays), and (Wednesdays and Fridays). Locals and travelers meet in order to practice speaking, listening, and hanging out. El Social Café Ondas Outdoors Within a quick trip from downtown, you can be in the jungle jumping into a waterfall or overlooking the cityscape. The proximity of the locations and range of difficulty in accessing these sites make the samples below easy to get to from downtown. I'm happy I did last minute. I chose this because it was a decent workout, thanks to the ascent, a view of the city, and the opportunity to jump in the waterfall. The waterfall was cold, surprisingly not as cold as Yosemite National Park's waterfall in California during the summertime. Cuevas del Higuerón You can take Uber or public transportation to the trailhead at . Cuevas del Higuerón - Camino Ancestral - Camino Real La Ayurá Next time I'd love to do El Cerro De Las Tres Cruces because of how easy it is to access and the citywide view. The hike up lasts only 30-45 min. To get to the trailhead, take an Uber to which will take you to the start point. Casa de los Bernal Here are more great outdoor adventures. La Ruta hiking Facebook group Parque Arví bike Parque Arví hike Parque Arví night hike ATV tour offered by Rango Hostel Mountain bike descent offered by Rango Hostel Spas After a week of exploring, it is nice to wind down with a massage on the rooftop of the . It took me a while to book the full body massage because I had a hard time understanding what I was ordering due to my Spanish, or lack thereof. The massage was good, costing $50 per hour, about half the cost compared to the states. Diez 10 Hotel If you decide to go to Diez, the following descriptions of the menu will save you my confusion. :  Full body using hot stones Masaje terrenal :  Using coconuts Masaja tropical / nuez de coco Masaja de caña: Using bamboo : Using hot wax Masaja atardecer llanero For a less fancy and highly rated experience, is $40 per hour. Sports Massage Lastly, I explore how to work effectively, Medellín —  Work remotely If you're curious "Why Medellín?" or for the best local flavors, read the following. Medellín —The nomad's hidden gem Medellín —  A taste of classics and the best cacao enjoys sharing and is a researcher and product consultant. Adam Hurwitz travel open info

Medellín — Discover the local appeal

209 Stories To Learn About Mental Health

110 Stories To Learn About Time Management

The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Chapter XXII CHAPTER XXII (Extract from the diary of Sir Eustace Pedler) I am inclined to abandon my Reminiscences. Instead I shall write a short article entitled “Secretaries I have had.” As regards secretaries, I seem to have fallen under a blight. At one minute I have no secretaries, at another I have too many. At the present minute I am journeying to Rhodesia with a pack of women. Race goes off with the two best-looking, of course, and leaves me with the dud. That is what always happens to me—and, after all, this is my private car, not Race’s. Also Anne Beddingfeld is accompanying me to Rhodesia on the pretext of being my temporary secretary. But all this afternoon she has been out on the observation platform with Race exclaiming at the beauty of the Hex River Pass. It is true that I told her her principal duty would be to hold my hand. But she isn’t even doing that. Perhaps she is afraid of Miss Pettigrew. I don’t blame her if so. There is nothing attractive about Miss Pettigrew—she is a repellent female with large feet, more like a man than a woman. There is something very mysterious about Anne Beddingfeld. She jumped on board the train at the last minute, puffing like a steam-engine for all the world as though she’d been running a race—and yet Pagett told me that he’d seen her off to Durban last night! Either Pagett has been drinking again or else the girl must have an astral body. And she never explains. Nobody ever explains. Yes, “Secretaries I have had.” No. 1, a murderer fleeing from justice. No. 2, a secret drinker who carries on disreputable intrigues in Italy. No. 3, a beautiful girl who possesses the useful faculty of being in two places at once. No. 4, Miss Pettigrew, who, I have no doubt, is really a particularly dangerous crook in disguise! Probably one of Pagett’s Italian friends that he has palmed off on me. I shouldn’t wonder if the world found some day that it had been grossly deceived by Pagett. On the whole, I think Rayburn was the best of the bunch. He never worried me or got in my way. Guy Pagett has had the impertinence to have the stationery trunk put in here. None of us can move without falling over it. I went out on the observation platform just now, expecting my appearance to be greeted with hails of delight. Both the women were listening spellbound to one of Race’s travellers’ tales. I shall label this car—not “Sir Eustace Pedler and Party,” but “Colonel Race and Harem.” Then Mrs. Blair must needs begin taking silly photographs. Every time we went round a particularly appalling curve, as we climbed higher and higher, she snapped at the engine. “You see the point,” she cried delightedly. “It must be some curve if you can photograph the front part of the train from the back, and with the mountain background it will look awfully dangerous.” I pointed out to her that no one could possibly tell it had been taken from the back of the train. She looked at me pityingly. “I shall write underneath it: ‘Taken from the train. Engine going round a curve.’” “You could write that under any snapshot of a train,” I said. Women never think of these simple things. “I’m glad we’ve come up here in daylight,” cried Anne Beddingfeld. “I shouldn’t have seen this if I’d gone last night to Durban, should I?” “No,” said Colonel Race, smiling. “You’d have waked up to-morrow morning to find yourself in the Karoo, a hot, dusty desert of stones and rocks.” “I’m glad I changed my mind,” said Anne, sighing contentedly, and looking round. It was rather a wonderful sight. The great mountains all around, through which we turned and twisted and laboured ever steadily upwards. “Is this the best train in the day to Rhodesia?” asked Anne Beddingfeld. “In the day?” laughed Race. “Why, my dear Miss Anne, there are only three trains a week. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Do you realize that you don’t arrive at the Falls until Saturday next?” “How well we shall know each other by that time,” said Mrs. Blair maliciously. “How long are you going to stay at the Falls, Sir Eustace?” “That depends,” I said cautiously. “On what?” “On how things go at Johannesburg. My original idea was to stay a couple of days or so at the Falls—which I’ve never seen, though this is my third visit to Africa—and then go on to Jo’burg and study the conditions of things on the Rand. At home, you know, I pose as being an authority on South African politics. But from all I hear, Jo’burg will be a particularly unpleasant place to visit in about a week’s time. I don’t want to study conditions in the midst of a raging revolution.” Race smiled in a rather superior manner. “I think your fears are exaggerated, Sir Eustace. There will be no great danger in Jo’burg.” The women immediately looked at him in the “What a brave hero you are” manner. It annoyed me intensely. I am every bit as brave as Race—but I lack the figure. These long, lean, brown men have it all their own way. “I suppose you’ll be there,” I said coldly. “Very possibly. We might travel together.” “I’m not sure that I shan’t stay on at the Falls a bit,” I answered non-committally. Why is Race so anxious that I should go to Jo’burg? He’s got his eye on Anne, I believe. “What are your plans, Miss Anne?” “That depends,” she replied demurely, copying me. “I thought you were my secretary,” I objected. “Oh, but I’ve been cut out. You’ve been holding Miss Pettigrew’s hand all the afternoon.” “Whatever I’ve been doing, I can swear I’ve not been doing that,” I assured her. Thursday night. We have just left Kimberley. Race was made to tell the story of the diamond robbery all over again. Why are women so excited by anything to do with diamonds? At last Anne Beddingfeld has shed her veil of mystery. It seems that she’s a newspaper correspondent. She sent an immense cable from De Aar this morning. To judge by the jabbering that went on nearly all night in Mrs. Blair’s cabin, she must have been reading aloud all her special articles for years to come. It seems that all along she’s been on the track of “The Man in the Brown Suit.” Apparently she didn’t spot him on the Kilmorden—in fact, she hardly had the chance, but she’s now very busy cabling home: “How I journeyed out with the Murderer,” and inventing highly fictitious stories of “What he said to me,” etc. I know how these things are done. I do them myself, in my Reminiscences when Pagett will let me. And of course one of Nasby’s efficient staff will brighten up the details still more, so that when it appears in the Daily Budget Rayburn won’t recognize himself. The girl’s clever, though. All on her own, apparently, she’s ferreted out the identity of the woman who was killed in my house. She was a Russian dancer called Nadina. I asked Anne Beddingfeld if she was sure of this. She replied that it was merely a deduction—quite in the Sherlock Holmes manner. However, I gather that she had cabled it home to Nasby as a proved fact. Women have these intuitions—I’ve no doubt that Anne Beddingfeld is perfectly right in her guess—but to call it a deduction is absurd. How she ever got on the staff of the Daily Budget is more than I can imagine. But she is the kind of young woman who does these things. Impossible to withstand her. She is full of coaxing ways that mask an invincible determination. Look how she has got into my private car! I am beginning to have an inkling why. Race said something about the police suspecting that Rayburn would make for Rhodesia. He might just have got off by Monday’s train. They telegraphed all along the line, I presume, and no one of his description was found, but that says little. He’s an astute young man and he knows Africa. He’s probably exquisitely disguised as an old Kafir woman—and the simple police continue to look for a handsome young man with a scar, dressed in the height of European fashion. I never did quite swallow that scar. Anyway, Anne Beddingfeld is on his track. She wants the glory of discovering him for herself and the Daily Budget. Young women are very cold-blooded nowadays. I hinted to her that it was an unwomanly action. She laughed at me. She assured me that did she run him to earth her fortune was made. Race doesn’t like it, either, I can see. Perhaps Rayburn is on this train. If so, we may all be murdered in our beds. I said so to Mrs. Blair—but she seemed quite to welcome the idea, and remarked that if I were murdered it would be really a terrific scoop for Anne! A scoop for Anne indeed! To-morrow we shall be going through Bechuanaland. The dust will be atrocious. Also at every station, little Kafir children come and sell you quaint wooden animals that they carve themselves. Also mealie bowls and baskets. I am rather afraid that Mrs. Blair may run amok. There is a primitive charm about these toys that I feel will appeal to her. Friday evening. As I feared. Mrs. Blair and Anne have bought forty-nine wooden animals! About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Agatha Christie (2020). The Man in the Brown Suit. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/61168/pg61168-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

Abandon my Reminiscences

“This holiday season is all one more reason to cry…” - (the best-ever Christmas song) Table of Contents How holidays affect people and businesses. Is it possible to manage a high load and minimize its impact? How to get accurate predictions for high load, and do we need the exact numbers? What size of margins is sufficient? Anomalies: how to predict the unpredictable? Example: assemble the anomaly criteria and alerts system Conclusion How Holidays Affect People and Businesses Most people got stuck in traffic at least once in their life trying to fetch last Christmas gifts or were unable to make phone calls to friends on New Year's Eve due to a high load on the mobile network. The holiday season (a time of joy and celebration) usually brings an increased load on various aspects of life. This is especially evident in areas such as travel, postal services, and banking, as there is a higher demand for these services due to the increased number of people traveling and sending gifts. The high load can lead to delays, congestion, and other issues that can be a source of stress for individuals and businesses. Companies have to work harder to meet the increased demand for their products or services. Failure to tolerate the higher pressure can lead to customer disappointment and negatively impact a company's image. This can be particularly damaging for businesses that rely directly on positive customer experiences to drive sales and attract new customers, but it also affects B2B products. When a supplier may need to intensify product manufacturing and distribution, a service provider has to deal with an increased number of operations. Is It Possible to Manage a High Load and Minimize Its Impact? If it wasn't possible, I wouldn't be writing this article. For many years, businesses of all sizes - from small bakeries to large manufacturing companies – have been studying how demand changes over time (trends) and periodically (seasonality). For example, a bakery might produce more heart-shaped cakes around Valentine's Day. To prepare for a higher volume of production, businesses introduce scaling of all kinds: increased staffing levels (e.g., hiring seasonal workers), paid overtime, goods production beforehand, and moving critical software services to clouds that support auto-scaling out of the box. But to activate scaling, businesses need predictions, etc. How to Get Accurate Predictions for High Load, and Do We Need the Exact Numbers? Specialists analyze worldwide trends, perform social studies, and rely on historical. However, there is no known method that will give a perfect forecast. The real world is way too complicated, and it is impossible to take all the factors into account and include them in any sort of model. While manual processing of data is time-consuming and not very accurate, modern businesses tend to rely on machine learning (ML) methods to approach the task. They need to identify the target value (or several values) to predict: demand for products or services, traffic on a website or social media platform, or the number of customer service calls. Then they work with the time-series forecasting problem. I won't describe the approaches to time-series forecasting in this article (all the standard techniques are applicable), but I will highlight what is special about them when we are interested in high load as a narrower class of tasks. The main thing is that, in many cases, we don't need accurate numbers. The insight would be more of "if this day/week we'll see a high demand or not" rather than "what precise number of customers we expect" – rather flagging the fact of high load and its degree than producing the precise number. For example, if a company needs to prepare for an open-air festival in a small town that is expected to attract a large number of visitors, it's important to know if the demand for hotel rooms will be high and plan accordingly. However, it's hard to predict the exact number of visitors as many make last-minute decisions that are affected by factors such as the weather. When it comes to software applications, the load is often mapped to a number of servers (nodes) with large margins included, so that resources are not fully utilized at all times. This allows for more efficient use of resources, and when a new machine is needed, it is a granular decision. Whether it's a need for 0.05 or 0.7 machines, it still means allocating an additional node. The key principle of machine learning remains: use the simplest model that produces sufficient results for a particular task. What Size of Margins Is Sufficient? While businesses can implement backup plans to cover potential increases in demand, it also increases costs. If resources are not used, it also affects revenue. That's why it's important to get the forecast as accurate as possible and include margins that balance between being overly optimistic and overly pessimistic. For example, imagine a small newsstand that normally sells around 100 papers a day. A trivial prediction would be 100. But the owner knows that based on news and other sporadic factors, he can sometimes sell more items, and he doesn't want to lose his customers. So, in an optimistic approach (if the forecast is precise enough), he adds 5%, and in a pessimistic approach, he adds 10%. When looking at the calculation, we can see that the optimistic approach generates more revenue  – fewer papers are recycled, but there are 5 unhappy customers in total (on the 6th and on the 10th day). In the case of papers, it makes sense to maximize revenue – possibly the customers were late in the evening and didn't expect to buy a paper, so they weren't as upset. But if we're talking about a bank or a hospital instead of a newsstand, the damage from the inability to handle a higher number of transactions or patients is crucial, and management would likely accept higher costs. It is important to consider the nature of the business, the cost of overproduction, and the cost of not meeting the demand while defining the margin. The margin is a balance, and it needs to be tuned to the particular case. Anomalies: How to Predict the Unpredictable? Let's assume that we've built a model that produces fair predictions for most of the time, including general trends, seasonal, weekly, and daily changes, and the business has developed measures to deal with high load and even has contingency plans in place to deal with anomalies. But how do we detect such anomalies? If a business is able to notice it early enough, the company can minimize the negative impact of high load and maintain a high level of service for their customers. To achieve this, we can compare the predicted data with real-time data coming from the field. If there is a significant discrepancy, an alert can be triggered, and proactive measures can be activated, either automatically or through human intervention. Example: Assemble the Anomaly Criteria and Alerts System I once worked for a B2B company* that processed millions of requests per day, with one stage of the processing performed as a nightly job, which typically finished before users became active again in the morning. However, one night it failed, processing only around 60% of requests which resulted in serious issues for the morning and additional costs to mitigate the impact. Fortunately, an ad-hoc solution was quickly implemented, preventing any damage to the company's reputation. But the lesson was learned. The company wanted to investigate the situation and ensure that it had mechanisms in place to activate alerts as soon as a mild anomaly was detected, in order to mitigate risks in the future. To do this, we assembled a dataset by aggregating transaction numbers for the last 10 years since the product was launched in production. By performing Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) on the data, we noticed weekly patterns, a trend, and a clear outlier on April 17th, 2022. The daily volume was than the maximal historical number. Such a deviation would have a big impact on the model's accuracy; therefore, it is essential to determine if it can be explained naturally and is possible to predict. ~2.5 times higher 65% of requests that day had a null amount of money associated. When we dug deeper, we found that the difference was caused by a single business user who had mistakenly requested past data for every request. So, the conclusion was made: this was a true anomaly caused by an unpredictable external factor – the perfect candidate for an early anomaly detection challenge. As the company is interested in knowing the total number of requests for a day to be handled tonight and knowing if the actual numbers are much higher than predicted, I suggested splitting the day into hourly buckets and comparing the predicted requests for each bucket. By doing this, we transformed the problem into multi-target regression and predicted a number for each hour of the day. This allowed us to compare numbers throughout the day and spot any mismatches by the end of the day with granularity. To check the hypothesis, we split the day into four parts: When we built the model, the standard deviation (std) of relative error did not exceed 3.4% for day parts and 5% for the entire day. The error distribution was close to normal, so the 3-sigma rule was natural to be applied to formulate the anomaly criteria: if the difference between predicted and actual counts is more than 3 standard deviations, an alert is triggered. When we tested this criterion for April 17th, we noticed that the alarm would have been triggered as early as 6 AM, when the requests for the first buckets were calculated. Monitoring systems can maintain events of different severity levels, such as a warning for a mismatch breaking 2 sigmas, and a critical alert for breaking 3 standard deviations. Since the system operates on a daily basis and buckets allow for scaling, this adds a layer of early detection and improves the company's ability to respond to unexpected events in real-time. The suggested criteria are just an example and shall be adjected for particular business scenarios based on the nature of the data. However, the described approach can also be applied to low load detection by looking at deviations in a negative direction. For example, in retail, many offline shops are closed on holidays, and delivery from online shops may not work on New Year's Eve, which can affect warehouse loads and the number of people needed to work those days. Conclusion In conclusion, while it is challenging to predict high load with 100% accuracy, businesses can use data and machine learning techniques to build models that can anticipate and prepare for high load periods, set up early detection of anomalies, and by these means, minimize the negative impact and maintain a high quality of service for their customers. *The name of the company is left out for privacy, and the real data was altered

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