Is Workplace Discrimination Really Discrimination (Part 3)

We now know that for a company to have sales, there must be trust between the seller and the buyer. We also know what constitutes trust and that intimacy is required (Part 1). We then got to the point where the person that will make us look the best, is the person we want to be the most intimate with and finally we worked out that, by and large, this person takes the form of the 'Ultimate Male Specimen (Part 2).'

With that in mind, lets now discuss whether there is a place for 'appropriate discrimination' in the workplace.

If profits are all dependent on intimacy, you have to put yourself in the decision makers position. Ask yourself this simple question, 'would you send a sheep to negotiate with a pack of wolves?' My guess is many different variations of NO. You would send the biggest bad ass you could find (i.e. The Ultimate Man). However, don't forget that every time you don't send a sheep to the negotiation you are discriminating against all sheep.

Now if we apply this internally to an organisation, many of us are stereotyped by management as a certain kind of worker based on our skills and personalities. As such, just like the sheep, many of us will be 'discriminated' against which is of course wrong.

However, if sales are a function of trust, trust is a function of intimacy, and intimacy is indeed a function of our skills and personality traits, then why shouldn't we be excluded from doing certain things if management does not think we can make the sale. After all, its their butt and not yours on the line if sales targets are not met. As such, in this case, I think there is definitely a place for 'appropriate discrimination.'

Fortunately, unlike the sheep, you can do something about this. Let's have a look at a scenario.

Your Company Has Many Foreign Clients

Communication is a large part of intimacy. As such, if your company has many foreign clients and you can't speak said 'foreign' language, you may feel yourself unfairly discriminated against. To this person, I say that you may be missing what is truly important to the 'sale.'

Yes, just because someone can speak Chinese, they might be able to speak directly to the client and therefore have a perceived advantage at gaining their trust. However, if they can't generate intimacy whilst discussing high risk fund investment, they're still just as useless to your manager as the person that can't speak Chinese.

Instead of worrying that your career progression is being blocked, try focusing your efforts to identify what is the key defining factor to the 'sale.' It could be the best returns on the clients assets. It could be the piece of mind that their funds will be safe with your bank. It could be the access to the lowest interest rates. Whatever it is, you should be looking to undercover it. If you manage this, it may not matter what language you speak as this was not the key factor to gaining someone's trust.

On the flip side, if it is something that is non negotiable (i.e. the monthly management meeting is conducted in a foreign language), then you may be forced to accept that your career pathway is probably quite limited. However, you should not let this stop you from succeeding. Companies are so big and diverse these days that there is more than likely an available career path for you that you will be attracted to.

This may not be immediately clear to you; which is why communication is once again, very important. You need to be having regular career discussions (note: every week may be too often - try every 3 or 6 months) with your manager or mentor to ensure you can map out a career path that both of you are happy with. As I alluded to in 'Getting the Most Out of a Career Discussion,' management can only act upon the information you give them. They are not mind readers and you will definitely get more out of it if you do your homework before going to a meeting.

Remember management respond best when you present them with a problem and also include a possible solution. This is where intimacy is developed and trust is gained. Do this often enough and hopefully you will find that you are no longer subjected to 'appropriate discrimination.'

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:
Instagram: @the_over_correction
Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Is Workplace Discrimination Really Discrimination (Part 2)

In the discussion of whether the idea of 'appropriate discrimination' is acceptable in the workplace, I wanted to introduce two concepts that would form the basis of my argument. I first presented the idea that every company or business is selling something. I then discussed the defining component of a sale, which i quantified as being dependent on trust. Part 2 of this series will introduce the second idea, I alluded to in Part 1.

Let's begin.

2. Who is the Most Trustworthy?

In Part 1 we learnt that intimacy was required in order to develop trust. By this rational, the person that is most intimate is the most trustworthy.

So then, maybe the question really is not 'who is the most trustworthy,' but instead is, 'who do we want to be the most intimate with?'

I would say that the person 'we want to be the most intimate with', is the person that is going to make us look the best in front of other people. 

So if we superficially look at society (yes, that's all society is), we can by and large agree that the ones who have, look better than the ones who have not. As such, we therefore desire to be more intimate with the one who have. 

When we look at this upper echelon of society (the haves), we also see that it is very male dominated. Now, if we equate that to a company, this means that management (upper echelons) in companies will invariable be male. So when we think about who males generally want to look better in front of, I would say it is other guys. This 'Wanting to be the King' mentality means that men only want to be intimate with someone that will make them look better in the eyes of other men. 

Keeping with the company analogy, the decision makers of a company (who are predominately men) will only want to be intimate with people (predominately coworkers) who in the decision makers' eyes, have the skills to help further the decision makers' careers. 

To summarise, by this rationale, the person that makes you look the best, is the person you want to be the most intimate with and therefore this is the most trustworthy person. So who is person? This person is a male who is the most desirable of all; i.e. the who has the best combination of brains, looks, height, charisma and power - 'The Ultimate Man.'

Society has obviously come a long way since these days where the aforementioned conclusion was accepted as fact. However, this old fashioned thinking still exists in the workplace; especially in the upper echelons of society and businesses. This doesn't mean you can't succeed if you don't fit the required stereotype. There are plenty of cases where it has happened. It does however, mean that you have to be smarter than the average competitor.

This concludes Part 2. I will use the ideas presented in Parts 1 and 2 to make my case for whether 'appropriate discrimination' should be allowed in the workplace and how you can overcome it. Stay tuned for Part 3 - The Conclusion.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:
Instagram: @the_over_correction

Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Is Workplace Discrimination Really Discrimination (Part 1)

Today's topic has been inspired by a dedicated reader. Thanks for the great ideas people.

I've been tossing up how to present this and I think I've now worked out my opinion. It's going to take three parts so i apologise for the delay in getting to the conclusion. Parts 1 and 2 will present two ideas or thought processes that will allow me to make my final argument in Part 3. Hope that makes sense, let's begin.

Workplace discrimination is discrimination. There's no question about it and it should not be allowed. However, if we look at it another way, maybe there is a place for 'appropriate discrimination.'

I want to stop here and present the first idea.

1. The Beauty of Trust

No matter what working environment you are in, your company or business is in one way or another, supplying a service to a customer who then buys that service. There's no way around it. It's just simple business. Many sales equals a successful business. However, the key thing to remember is 'what is the key point to a sale?'

Would you trust this?

I say it's trust. Trust can mean many things. It could be the trust that you are getting the information you paid for. It could also be the trust that the seller has been completely honest with you. It could also be the trust that that you are getting the quality that you require. No matter what the sale is, if there is no trust there is no sale.

Now let's take this to the next level.

I say that trust is a function of intimacy, reputation and risk. By this I mean:

Trust = (Intimacy x Reputation)/Risk

The average person will have no control over reputation so let's assume that is constant. 

This means that the two variables that influence trust are intimacy and risk.

A. Intimacy

Intimacy is your personal connection to the customer or client. How intimate you are will decide how much trust you get. 

B. Risk

Risk is the opposite of intimacy. As such, the higher the risk the less trust you will get. 

The conundrum of all this is exactly how much trust someone needs for the sale to happen. By this, I mean a low risk transaction does not need a huge amount of intimacy to ensure the sale goes ahead (think cafes, supermarkets and mid priced clothing stores). Similarly, a high risk transaction, needs a huge amount of intimacy for the sale to go ahead (think large business acquisitions).

So now you should have an understanding of what constitutes trust and the requirement for a sales transaction. This concludes Part 1.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:
Instagram: @the_over_correction
Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Favourite Luxury Items 2

More often than not, the original was better than the sequel and we wonder why the producers had to go a ruin a classic. However, like every sequel ever made, the opinion at the time was that this would never happen. This brings us to Favourite Luxury Items 2 (Click here for Favourite Luxury Items 1). I sincerely hope that this post is more Dark Knight than it is Batman and Robin. Lets begin.

6. Johnnie Walker Blue Label

The universal drink of someone with way too much money and zero knowledge about whisky. Similar to Moet and Chandon NV, it is only down to marketing that this whisky is well known. I've spent countless nights where a bottle of blue has been used for our drinking game shenanigans. However, if that's how highly you regard it, then whats the point of you telling everyone how much its worth and therefore how generous you are. Pull your head out of your arse, go get a nice blended whisky in the $100-$150 (i.e. Chivas 18), actually take the time to enjoy it and stop serving glorified red label. Or you could even go get some single malts to try and justify your manliness.

7. Comme des Garcons Play T-Shirt

This t-shirt has a special place in my heart of rage. It's the shirt worn by the person that wants you to know they can spend more than you and yet they still want to dress like a 10 year old. Seriously it looks like a t-shirt out of the kids department and yet its worn by college kids thinking they're all mature and shit. Go buy some clothes fitting of your age.

8. Gucci Wallet

I think Gucci gets a lot of unfair criticism a lot of the time. As it's such an iconic brand, naturally the moment some gets some money, they go buy something Gucci just so they can feel like an 'equal'. Just like the LV belt, the Gucci Wallet is another must have (and vice versa - Gucci belt and LV wallet) for this special kind of person. By now you must know what kind of person desires this wallet. I'm running out of ways to describe the same thing so I will just say one more word; 'Why?'

9. MontBlanc North South Bag

It saddens me to put an item from MontBlanc on this list. However, I absolutely hate the man pouch. I can live with the Indiana Jones satchel worn by Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover but I can't believe what a waste of money the MontBlanc North South Bag is. Seriously the bag is worth about $1000 and can barely fit much more than your wallet in it. You might argue that its handy for carrying passports or other small items but seriously $1000 for this idiotic item is insane. This is what arguably makes it an even bigger slap in the face than anything else on the list. The fact I hold MontBlanc in such high esteem only for it to tarnished by some idiot who wears it as a fashion accessory to display wealth.

10. Beats by Dre

I have to say Beats by Dre are one of the smartest marketing cons currently out there. They are essentially the Pitbull song of the headphones market; something that is crap by market standards and yet the masses want it. I don't know what the appeal is about Pitbull but I do hand it to Dre for capitalising on the fickleness of sheep; and of course I certainly wouldn't say no to a billion dollars.

So before I get too sidetracked let's get back to Beats. I'm not sure there's anything about beats that makes it a 'market leader.' Style - No, Sound Quality - No, Noise Cancelling Ability - No. So why is it so popular? Price - Yes. We've worked it out. People want to pay large sums of money so they can brag about it. At least LV and Gucci have the defense of being a 'market leader.' People really need to pull their finger out, do some research and make a educated decision for once.

Aaaargh!

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:

Instagram: @the_over_correction

Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Getting the Most Out of a Career Discussion

Today I thought I'd take on a more serious tone in lieu of my recent cheery posts. 

I had my bi-annual career discussion today. I haven't really taken these seriously until now and saw them as a waste of time. It didn't help having a manager that wasn't interested in my career or personal development. As a result I got myself into a position where I felt my career was going no where. One thing I've now realised is that a lot of this stagnation was my own doing. Don't get me wrong, management should help you with your career. However, instead of looking for them to develop your career, use them to facilitate. Trust me. You will get more out of it.

I'm pleased to say that a recent structural change in my job has resulted in a change in management. My first meeting with the new boss, was a pleasant experience. I have to admit though, I definitely didn't get the most out of it as I was unsure what kind of manager she would be. Now though, I have some confidence in her ability to deliver so I wanted to make the most of this meeting.

This brings me to the topic of this post; getting the most out of a career discussion. It doesn't matter how junior or senior you are, or how well defined your career path is. These are your most important meetings for the year. This is why you must make the most of it otherwise you may find the next 6 months will be wasted. The trouble is more often than not, you may not know what you want or what options you have. Nonetheless, the following ideas are a great place to start.

1. Select Your Role Model

I can't stress enough how important having a role model(s) is. There are too many variables in the work place for you to go it alone. The lone wolves sometimes seem successful but they always have one major handicap so I do advise against this option.

The right kind  role model?

This meeting is no better time to address this topic. Role models are often senior staff members that may seem daunting to approach. As such, your manager should be able to help facilitate some rapport. Or if you don't know who you want, your manager should help you choose one. Try to choose one that has personality traits or skills that you desire. Don't worry if they turn out to be completely different to how you thought they would be. These meetings are 'regular' for a reason. Take it as a learning experience and re-evaluated your position at the next one.

2. Career Goals - Short Term

The short term is for trying

Choose a time period (6 to 12 months) and tell your manager what you want to accomplish or achieve. Discuss areas you feel you are strong in and therefore would like more responsibility. Similarly discuss areas you are weaker in and would like more guidance. An engaged worker is a good worker and management (if they are any good) will respond to this. Try to get another person that knows you along to the meeting as they will be able to help support and steer you through the discussion.

3. Career Goals - Long Term

The time frame you pick here should be in the 2-5 year range. What you say here isn't binding but if you can determine something to work towards, your job may not seem such a drag. Don't worry if it doesn't work out. Re-evaluate in 6 months time and never stop trying.

Don't give up on finding that long term goal

In the meantime, good starting points are linked to who you choose as a role model (i,e. you eventually want to emulate them). If you really can't think of anything, maybe look at why that is. Is it because of a lack of support in your local setting? Is it because the work that stimulates you occurs in another office? I encourage you to discuss possible career paths with your manager and therefore hopefully you can pick one that seems right for you at this point in time. Don't be scared that your dreams may be bigger than what the home office can currently provide. You may be surprised to learn that a new initiative is going to be rolled out or there is a position that can provide that experience elsewhere.

4. Personal Development

Personal development is all about moving forward

This is your chance where you can discuss what personal skills you want to develop. It could be becoming better at public speaking, handling pressure or anything you or your manager feels is not as strong as it could be. You are only as strong as your weakest point and your manager is there to help facilitate your personal development. Remember they can only help people that want to be helped. So try to keep an open mind even if they say something that is a bit negative about your skill set.

You can also use this opportunity to get to know each other better. Chances are your manager has also had their fair share of things to overcome. Ask them about their faults and how they overcame them. There's no better way to learn and gain perspective than by asking them to relate their own relevant struggles.

5. Discuss Your Own Ideas

Your ideas don't have to be as game changing as George Lucas

Manager's love initiative and they love nothing more than someone identifying a problem and also providing a potential solution. Just remember though that your manager isn't supposed to be your therapist or the referee during your discussion. So leave all the pettiness aside and try to remain calm and constructed when talking about something you aren't happy with. If you can't think of anything don't fret as the most productive outcomes don't necessarily need to be game changing to the business.

If you really can't think of something processed based, how about ofering something in terms of company morale. Morale in the workplace is one of your manager's greatest responsibilities. However, they can't do it alone. Therefore, any idea for facilitating positive morale has to be a team effort. As such, you should be discussing ways you think morale could be improved.

It's up to you

Hopefully starting with these points will lead to a very successful discussion; one that leaves you optimistic and enthusiasm for the work ahead. There will be speed bumps along the way, but instead of seeing this as a sign that this won't be your year, treat it as a learning experience and actually learn from it. This all rests with you and until you realise and accept that, you aren't going to be able to build from a position of strength.

I hope your career discussion is as effective as I hope mine will be.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:
Instagram: @the_over_correction
Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Essential Items of Clothing (Part 3)

Welcome to Part 3 of this mini series. I hope you have agreed with Parts 1 and 2. By now I am starting to run out of the big everyday items. This essentially leaves only accessories. I'm a bit reluctant to suggest what you should get for accessories. Accessories are one area where you can and should be able to express yourself. Despite this, I guess there certain types of belts, socks, ties, even shirts, that you should definitely have. By all means go out and get the most ridiculous looking accesories items if you like them. However, among all these items I hope that you consider the following.

7. Belts

Belts are often an item of clothing that gets overlooked when it comes to owning a quality essential piece. This is simply because all standard belts (black/brown with a metal buckle) generally look the same. It takes a certain person (usually gay) to really notice what belt you are wearing (not to mention good eyesight as more often than not it will look like you are investigating somebody's crotch). Therefore, for some people, the only time they justify an expensive belt is when its for show and is bought in poor taste.

Rugged Leather Belt

So that being said, why bother spending a lot of money on an item that basically looks like the $20 knock off? Well for starters a belt should compliment your clothes. Its the finishing touch that keeps you looking sharp. An honourable mention goes to RM Williams for the quality of their leather goods. However, I don't really identify with being a farmer so my choice is from Ralph Lauren. Depending on its purpose, you could go for a great everyday belt such as the rugged leather belt shown above.

Chunky Roller-Buckle Belt

However, if you're after a fancier belt that can be used for everyday wear in addition to formal occasions, might I suggest the chunky roller-buckle belt; also from Ralph Lauren

8. Socks

After a long day (even if there's a lot of sitting involved) you will find there is a massive difference based on what kind of socks you wear. Your socks are very much part of your identity so I will keep it general. There are always two issues with most socks; odour and chaffing. You could try the *Silverescent socks (apparently they have silver in them to help with odours...?) such as those from Lululemon which are supposed to suppress the odour. However, I've found that this can generally be counteracted by simply wearing thicker socks. This poses the next problem. With a market so saturated with socks, what should you choose as an essential?

Solid Crew

I'd suggest you go with long black sport socks when it permits. My choice is the solid crews from Adidas Originals. I've always been skeptical of sports socks, but unlike a lot of sports gear, these work. You get great elasticity in the socks such that it doesn't feel like your toes are being suffocated. They are ridiculously comfortable and any smells seem very manageable compared to office socks that end up sweaty and slippery.

9. Jackets
In Australia, our winters are relatively mild compared to other parts around the world. As such, the most important jacket you will own is a mid weight versatile jacket. I'm not here to tell you which jackets you should or should not get but one that you should definitely own is one that falls in the causal to almost semi formal range. As such, this rules out hoodies and dinner jackets as your most versatile jacket.

Nylon Field Jacket - The Closest I could find

What you are looking for is something that has the comfort of a hoodie and is less formal than a dinner jacket. For me, my choice is the the easy jacket from Scotch and Soda. Goes with everything and you can dress it up or down as required.

Before I conclude part 3, I'd like to summarise my thoughts. With these 9 items, you basically have the 'essentials' set for your wardrobe. With that in mind, I encourage you to fill the rest of your wardrobe with items that allow you to express your identity. That's why I generally left out tops and accessories from these posts. So until next time, my closing words are to remember to question why you like or identify with an item before you buy it.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:

Instagram: @the_over_correction

Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Essential Items of Clothing (Part 2)

This is expected to be the second of three posts. Continuing on from Part 1, I'll select another three items of essential clothing you should consider paying more for. Our basics are the most important part of our wardrobe which should be enough justification for not getting on a fashion train band wagon.

So without further ado, let's continue.

4. Shorts

I'm pretty relaxed when it comes to shorts. Much of the same criteria applies as pants but because of the general nature of shorts, suffocation is never too much of an issue. That being said there is a current fashion trend of guys wearing very tight short shorts. I can understand wanting to join in on a fashion trend but what I can't understand is wanting to deliberately suffocate your bits. Seriously it's bloody uncomfortable and it's probably why guys that wear these kind of shorts are so prone to brain implosions. 

Boston Short

So once again, short is fine but keep the air flowing. I'm not a huge a fan of short so my go to brand is Tommy Hilfiger. They seem to offer the right levels of comfort, length and quality (most probably because they are american - see part 1). They also have one major advantage over fierce rivals Ralph Lauren; they don't look like 'dad' shorts.

5. Sunglasses

Everyone should have a good pair of sunglasses. Unfortunately many do not. What they have are either a white pair of Oakley's that say I have no taste or they get very shiny Prada ones that say I'm over compensating for something. 

In Australia let alone Adelaide, chances are you will need two pairs; one plastic, one metal. The plastic will usually take the form of the Ray Ban Wayfarer. This surprisingly doesn't suit a lot of people, so I suggest you get something like the Ray Ban Justin. I find this to be a great casual multi-purpose pair and if on the off chance you really are worried about them getting ruined at the beach, go get a cheap $20 pair. No one seriously cares how expensive your beach sunnies are.

The metal pair is for more formal events. Events like a day at the races or a day time work function; basically anywhere you are wearing a shirt and slacks. As I alluded to before, a big unstylish pair of Prada sunnies is not the answer. Leave them to the overweight black watch polo wearing douche. I'd like to see you get something that suits your face shape and compliments instead of another seeking. My choice is another Ray Ban. The BB 3477. What a name.

6. Underwear

To be honest luxury underwear could easily have landed in my 'Favourite Luxury Items' series. The fact that it hasn't is due to two main reasons; they are actually more comfortable than regular underwear and the special feeling you get from wearing them. 

There's something pleasing about having something that's yours that other people can't see or don't know about. I think I can therefore justify saying that luxury underwear falls into this category. You gain confidence and comfort from your luxury underwear which is unknown to the people that pass you by and that for me is particularly pleasing; unless you're the guy with your pants around your ankles.

Trunk Fit Boxers

So what's my choice? Calvin's rate quite highly of course but I think I prefer Abercrombie. Sure it's same shit different name but at least you ain't being compared to Bieber.

This concludes part 2.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:

Instagram: @the_over_correction

Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Essential Items of Clothing (Part 1)

I was tempted to make this an analysis post about spending habits but in lieu of my promise for some more cheery posts I thought I'd spin it a different way.

So today I'm going to discuss what items you should spend more on such that it becomes more worthwhile in the long run. If this proves popular I'll do a few more and slowly expand to the more showy and out there items.

1. Thongs

We live in Australia which means almost anywhere you go thongs are an acceptable footwear. I'd even go so far and say that jeans and thongs are considered a well dressed individual. So my choice here is a singled coloured pair of Havianas. If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now. In almost every case 'a brand that is know for a certain type of product is the brand you should consider buying even if they cost a little bit more.' 

Top Black

Havis are the leader when it comes to thongs. They offer extra comfort over the obvious competitors and provide you with a fashionable accessory to go with almost anything; not to mention, they seem to last forever. That being said the amount of wear, comfort and flexiblity you get out of Havianas are why they are my choice of thongs.

2. Suits

No matter what you do with you life, a black suit will always be required. You could always rent but why would you when you could purchase a core item that will become part of your identity. Most people have no idea when it comes to suits so I'll suggest some advice. The suit I'm getting at is not the play suit you use for 21st bday's. This suit should be well made, offer a flattering body shape and represent you at your finest. That means suits from entry level places such as TopMan, Roger David, Suit Co. and their equivalents are out. Go after the next tier up such as Herringbone or even Ralph Lauren. However, steer clear of brands like Armani and Burberry; completely over priced for the quality you get. You got to remember these high end brands want you to buy each year's collection. So essentially you are paying for style not quality. 

Black Modern Twill

My personal favourite is Rhodes & Beckett who offer a flattering cut, good quality and english tailoring. They may even be made in Italy (I'll have to check that). The best bit about them is the fact that in Australia, we don't have a big stylish suit culture. This means if you are willing to wait (EOFY or Boxing Day) you can pick up these $1000 suits at 50% off (i.e the price you would pay for one of the entry level brands). Are you sold on them yet?

3. Pants

When it comes to pants, I need ones that allow my bits to breath. It doesn't matter how stylish they are, if your manhood is suffocating, you probably shouldn't buy them (unless you're into that sort of thing). That's why you should buy american for pants. No one knows how to do style and comfort quite like the Americans . A lot of good quality brands such as country road do style but they are guilty of trying to suffocate your manhood. As such, my brand for pants is Hollister. 

Slim Straight Chinos

From chinos to jeans, hollister provides the same stylish cuts as good as any other brand; except with extreme comfort. You could always pay extra to get Ambercrombie but seeing as they come from the same factory, I don't really see the point when it comes to a straight pair of chinos or comfy slim cut jeans.  

This concludes Part 1 on Essential Items of Clothing. Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:
Instagram: @the_over_correction
Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Fun Things to Do at Fancy Restaurants

As today is Valentine's Day, a lot of people will be going out for fancy dinners so I'd thought I'd share my thoughts on fancy dining.

It's a rather interesting phenomenon when you experience silver service for the first time. I'm sure most of us obsess about what clothes we should wear, only to second guess ourselves at the last minute and perform a complete make over. Additionally, more often than not, as this coincides with a special occasion and we therefore put unrealistic expectations on the night.

Already a nervous wreck, we then enter the restaurant only to be greeted by a well dressed maitre d with a funny accent who looks you up and down. You feel judged as you take your seat and look around the restaurant like an idiot hoping to see someone famous.

The menu is explained to you and a lot of big words are said (many of which sound like gibberish and must be made up) and often your waitress can come across as very condescending. At this point, you might feel you made the wrong decision coming here. Fortunately for you, its mostly in your head. You would actually be surprised how much these restaurants will put up with. Considering the amount you're paying (e.g. $20 for a bottle of water is completely ridiculous) they damn well should.

So what can you do to get your nerves under control and start enjoying your night? How about trying the following:

1. Become a Food Critic of Side Dishes

This tip is one of my all time favourites. Often when I hear how the main dishes are prepared, the waiter waffles on and on, describing things you've immediately forgotten. To this I say, flip straight to the side dishes and get them to describe their mash potato and recommend food and wine to match. I'm pretty sure you know something about mash potato and/or garden salads so chances are you will start to feel more comfortable and begin having a more enjoyable night.

Note: My favourite mash of all time comes from EST in Sydney

2. Take Your Photos Immediately

Just do it. To quote nike, the restaurant wants you to 'just do it'. It's their best form of free advertising, so start taking them as soon as you get there and then you can start feeling more relaxed now that you've got those first few awkward snaps out of the way. Just remember to turn off the flash if you're going to be continuously taking photos.

To make your photos and memories truely unique, you could go pro your meal. I recently did this at EST and my waitress was so amused she even offered to help me film my food being brought to me. Don't think I'd do it again though, she wasn't a very good camera woman.

3. People Watch

I don't think you will come across more interesting diners as you do when eating at a fancy restaurant. There are of course some typical diners that you can count on being there; The rich guy with his trophy wife/escort for the night, the 'rich' asian couple constantly putting their night up on social media and the birthday group where everyone is trying to out dress each other. 

However, once you've had your fun making up these people's back story, you might notice the guy trying to win his girl back, the couple that are mid argument or the dad making up for never being there for his kids significant events. Chances are as you people watch, the night will get more and more interesting and you will realise that you are just the same as someone else in the venue. Just don't forget the real reason you came here tonight. Otherwise it would be a waste.

4. Make Up a Compelling Back Story

This night is about you. So if you don't feel like you belong, why not make up a story so that you do? The waiter will probably know, but for the price you are playing he will play along. We've always imagined what it would be like to be so rich that you never have to work again, so why not pretend for tonight?

Good places to start are something that's a bit obscure but still potentially believable; something like my dad invited dice or I was George Soros' junior associate when he broke the Bank of England. What ever you choose, have some fun and enjoy your night.

Hopefully by now you are feeling more relaxed and realised that a fancy restaurant is just like any other restaurant except that because you pay more, you get to get away with more. Happy dining and Happy Valentine's Day.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:

Instagram: @the_over_correction

Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.

Niseko vs. Hakuba

Being near the end of the week. I thought I'd take on a lighter tone from the more serious posts of the last few days. It seems that my most popular posts are essentially sarcastic rants about materialistic luxury items (see 'Favourite Luxury Items' and 'How to Dress Cool'). This makes me wonder if the reason they are so popular is because it's;

A) Actually funny

B) People don't like to see other people with money

C) It's a momentary escape from your everyday routine.

I'm going to assume it's 'C'. Otherwise I can't really segway into today's post. So with that out of the way let's talk about snow. Everyone loves snow. If you don't, I don't like you. Fortunately many people agree with me and my Facebook feed is currently filled with people skiing and snowboarding in Japan. The two most popular snow areas in Japan are Niseko and Hakuba. I have been lucky enough to have visited both of them so I thought I'd profile them.

Niseko

Niseko is located on the northern island of Hokkaido. Snow season starts in mid December and can last until mid April. To get to Niseko you have to fly into Chitose Airport in Sapporo and take a 2.5 hour bus ride to the slopes. Niseko is essentially one mountain that feeds 4 resorts; one of them being the ski in ski out Hilton at Higashiyama. Even if you don't stay there, I recommend you ski down there for a buffet lunch which is up there with the best food on the mountain.

The main ski village of Niseko is Hirafu. There are many great bars and restaurants around here. I recommend you go to Barunba. Barunba is one of those hole-in-the-wall bars that you just have to experience. Note that smoking is allowed indoors in Japan (The place can fill with smoke). If you are after something more 'classy', head to The Barn. As the name suggests its a barn with a restaurant downstairs and quite an amazing upstairs cocktail bar.  

One of Niseko's best selling points is the night skiing. The sun sets at about 3:00 to 3:30 pm and this means that most families will head inside. As such, you get wide open slopes all to yourself. There's nothing quite like the experience of night skiing. Tree runs become very interesting at night.

Depending how you look at it. One draw back of Niseko is how many Americans and Australians there are (Its good on Aus Day though, when the annual bikini run occurs). During the peak times, foreigners out number locals so it can be a bit annoying if you expected some Japanese culture.

Another drawback may be experienced by more advanced snowboarders and skiers. Whilst there is some great fresh powder right up the top of the mountain (there's a short hike involved), the general difficulty of runs are relatively skewed towards beginners and fresh powder is harder to find. 

Overall, if you're there with a group of people who aren't very advanced snow people then Niseko is probably the better choice for you. However, if you're like me that wants more interesting terrain and less foreigners, might I suggest Hakuba.

Hakuba

Hakuba is the site of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, so you can be assured there is some great infrastructure in place. Located about 3 hours North West of Tokyo you can get to Hakuba via bus (4.5 hours, leaves from Shinjuku) or a combination of Shinkansen and Bus (Approx 3.5 hours). I'd suggest taking the bus, as the Shinkansen option ends up costing you double the price (Approx $100 AUD each way) for only a 1 hour saving. However, if this is your only opportunity to travel by Bullet Train, then it may be worthwhile.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Hakuba. I was surprised that the quality of snow in Japan could be exceeded. Fresh powder was everywhere to be found (something I found less common in Niseko).

The thing I enjoyed the most about Hakuba was the choice of ski resorts (There are 10 to choose from). Happoone is easily the best for all levels of ability. I preferred Happoone to Niseko as there are 'difficult' runs that continue all the way to the base of the mountain (Niseko generally graded to beginner runs in the bottom third and therefore became very crowded). I'd also suggest Goryu or Hakuba 47 (Both linked) as alternatives. However, keep in mind you can only visit one resort a day. Also make sure you use the free shuttle bus that services all the resorts and attractions in the village. 

Another bonus of Hakuba is the Japanese feel to the place. There seemed to be more Japanese culture around the villages and less foreigners around compared to Niseko. However, be prepared if you are in Hakuba for the weekend or over a national holiday. As Hakuba is very close to Tokyo, it will get over run with locals during these times which you might find a bit off putting.

I may have been a tad unlucky but I found the weather was more temperamental in Hakuba. Whilst you would get patches of magnificent bluebirds, the weather was quite reminiscent of London; i.e. in this case it would be perfectly clear and windless one minute, only to become windy and cloudy the next. This made visibility extremely difficult and I remember being pinned in Goryu for a period of time whilst waiting for the conditions to clear (I didn't feel like bum shoving down to the bottom).

So overall, I enjoyed Hakuba more than Niseko because of the choice of resorts, challenging runs and larger Japanese presence.  However, compared to the snow we get in Australia, either resort is miles ahead. You can't argue with 12 m of snow over the course of the season, a snow dryness that means you never get wet and a snow softness that means it never hurts when you fall. Make sure you use wider skis or longer snowboards than you are accustomed to. This will make you lighter on all that extra powder. Thank me later and if Japan hasn't been on your to visit list, I suggest you add one of these places to it.

#Hanbaobao

To stay up to date with all the latest posts follow me on:
Instagram: @the_over_correction
Facebook: facebook.com/theovercorrection

Alternatively, any sharing of a post using the share bar below would be greatly appreciated and would be greeted with multiple imaginary high 5's.