Uber

Chicago is one of the lucky 290 cities to have adpoted Uber.  If you are unaware of Uber, it is essentially a taxi that you order and pay with your smartphone.  Only members can order an Uber that can be as small as a Prius or as big as a Denali.  All you do is order the size of car you want, within minutes your Uber will pick you up and then your credit card is billed.  My brother uses it almost all the time to get to point A to point B.  It's cheaper than owning a car and actually using a taxi.  Uber is the future or at least that's what the goal is, taking an Uber to be cheaper than owning a car.  Uber is so successful that it revenues in its 50 countries are growing exponentially every year.  The average number of weekly trips was around 150, 000 in 2014 and has a weekly user-base of 70, 000 in Chicago.  Imagine what it would be like in San Fran or NYC.  And to become an Uber driver is much easier and cheaper than a taxi driver.  For example, medallions in NYC can go for $1 MILLION each.  For an Uber driver, you just have to certify with their process which is much less strenuous.  So, if you're ever looking for a summer job or job in general consider becoming an Uber driver, since there is now talk that Hamilton might be the next to adopt Uber.  And that's a serious statement, Uber drivers make on average $80, 000 a year compared to the taxi driver who makes $30, 000.  Mind blowing really.

This Weather Doe

Don't get me wrong, I love winter.  Skiing, hockey, the snow covered trees.  I don't fully understand why people don't like it.  Pretty sure it's the cold weather that leads everyone to being in a grumpy mood but, hey that's Canada for you.  But I will also admit that enough is enough.  I was in Chicago visiting my brother over the March Break and the weather couldn't have been better.  Last time I had visited him was back before the Christmas break with my siblings, this time was with my parents.  Even though I maybe didn't have as much fun, no let's get that straight, even though I didn't have as much fun with my 4 other older siblings, the weather made up for it.  One day it was a high of 25 with clear skis and nothing but the sun.  I was wearing shorts.  And to come back to this weather is just depressing.  I want to get going with my summer sports like ultimate frisbee, tennis and golf.  I can now understand how my brother can live in California.  My brother and two of my close cousins who we have grown up with closely, visited him last year after we finished exams.  We all pretty much had a full week of break until second semester classes were going to start up.  We were wearing shorts there too.  And back in grade 9.  I can still remember the feeling.  I had broken my ankle the Tuesday of the March Break and had been hospitalized for a week.  Coming out of the hospital was literally like I had been reborn.  After a week of no showering, the stench is pretty unbearable but, when I came out of that hospital and there was sun and a nice breeze, it couldn't get much better than that, excluding the fact I had a broken ankle and was high on T4's.  Just knowing what it feels like to take a break from the cold weather and wear some summer outfits is nice.  The bad part is when reality hits and you come home to still having to wear a winter coat at the end of March.  Enough is enough, bring on the sunshine and golf tanlines.

Am I Crazy?

After years as a Windows user, I purchased a Macbook Retina 15" a couple of months ago *Note it's a $3000+ laptop that I got for $2000, it was too good of a deal to turn down since I plan to have this beast until I graduate.  After using it for the first couple of weeks, I asked myself why do people buy MacBook Pro retinas, given their outrageous price.  To this day, I can say with confidence that, to me, the price is worth it.  The Retina display is SO MUCH nicer than any other screen I've used.  Looking at it hours a day makes a big difference.  When I switch back to a Windows PC I find myself messing with the brightness/contrast until I realize it's just not going to look like a Retina display.  Most aspects of use are just...better. Not night and day better, but better.  The keyboard is crisp, the multi-touch pad makes lots of little tasks much easier, the OS is, to me, more responsive and intuitive than Windows. And keep in mind I used Windows PCs for years prior to making this switch a couple of months ago.  The battery lasts a good 8-10 hours.  There's certainly more things I could mention, but my main point is that I, and I consider myself pretty frugal, think the Macbook is well worth it. For me.

Summer Living

Being this my last summer I hope to have an enjoyable one.  Since I was 10 I started caddying at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.  I now reside during my summers working backshop at Copetown Woods Golf Club but, this will be my last summer of having time for myself - since I hope to have co-op terms while in university - so I want to be sure I spend it well.  Of course I will still have to earn some money over the summer but, I didn't want it consumed with me working out at the golf course.  Ironically, I love being out there, being outdoors and not stuck inside working at a supermarket or fast food restaurant.  Breathing the fresh air, spending it somewhere I enjoy actually being.  That's the difference between a summer job and counting down the days until school starts back up.  For this summer however, I have decided to take matters into my own hands. Me and a couple of friends from school are jobless this summer, so we needed to come up with something that would keep us all out of trouble.  And what did we come up with - an edging company.  At first we thought why not try and compete with the other guys and cut grass.  Well that idea quickly died out.  First of all, there are way too many of them out there.  We wanted to copy cat College Pro Painters but, we were in no way capable of that.  So we thought, what could we do that would allow us to be outside.  Our minds then went to joining a landscaping company but, like I said before I didn't want my days to be full of work.  We want to work on our own terms and most importantly at our own time.  Finally we came up with the idea of edging.  Just edging.  Sounds a bit stupid, I'll be honest.  Usually if you're paying someone to cut your lawn you're looking at around $30-$50.  But a lot of people aren't up to paying that much.  So, we want to provide a solution to that - subtract the lawn mowing and provide the good looks.  An edged lawn looks much better than one that is cut with sideburns.  It's much more appealing to the eyes.  The plan is to charge $5-$10 per lawn and just edge the perimeter.  If it works out, we'll be raking in some cash and will be each other's boss, if not we'll have the rest of the summer to worry about it!

LatchMyLanyard

What’s the best way to advertise your product?  Well, that’s what I have been trying to figure out this past week.  I recently entered an entrepreneurial competition held by the province.  It encourages students to create a 2 minute video pitching their idea.  The 20 students who get chosen to move on to the next round are based on 40% online voting and 60% from judges.  Obviously this is a big chunk that is based on the entrepreneur’s ability to showcase his/her idea.  So, I’ve been thinking what is the best way?  There’s the classic mass email you send to your friends and family but, how do you reach pass that.  I have made a Facebook page, Twitter account, even Instagram.  It’s hard to spread the word when you’re only 1 single person.  So, what is the best way then?  As an entrepreneur you have to resourceful and the best way to be that is to use Google.  I must say Google has a lot to offer.  You have to reach out to influential people to endorse your product and you have to find committed groups on the internet who are willing to help you out.  That’s exactly what I did.  I wrote to Marnie Jadon at the board office and she has agreed to post on behalf of myself and a couple of others who have entered the contest in the board.  I suppose that’s pretty close to an endorsement.  Regarding finding a group that can vote for you, I am part of an alumni group from my national science fair days.  The group has around 800 people in the group and the truth is I was surprised at the feedback.  I had a couple of people in mind who I thought would respond but, when I had people who wore different year alumni I was greatly appreciative.  So if you’re ever wondering how to promote a product, don’t be afraid to ask.  You will be surprised and your faith in humanity will be restored. 

Take a peek 

http://www.makeyourpitch.ca/entry/21882615-Latch-My-Lanyard?offset=0&sort=upload%20DESC&q=latch%20my%20lanyard&channel=26949

Rolllll Up the Rim To Win

This week has been a good week:  I had my first ultimate clinic with a response of about 40 students which is nuts especially since it was in the morning and I won a $100 gift card from Tim Horton’s Roll Up the Rim.  It was quite an experience – wining the gift card of course.  I was on my spare at the end of the day and I had just finished my XL French Vanilla with whip cream that was free thanks to a Roll Up I had previously won.  And I’m not like the usual Roll Up the Rimmer.  I first roll up for the big prize because if I win something from that, I wouldn’t need a free donut or dark roast coffee.  So after being disappointed for the x^th time, I rolled up the small prize roll up only to find out I won a $100 gift card.  After that moment, all hell broke loose.  I stood up in the library and screamed a nice “WOOOHOOO” with a side of a fist-pump.  I went around to every single student in the library and gave them a high-five including the librarians who then pointed at exit door.  As I continued my celebration in the hallways, numerous teachers came out and asked what had just happened.  I was too hyped up and just showed the Rolled up cup.  So for now on, don’t roll up the grand prize first and get your hopes down, roll up the small one, win a prize, then get your hopes down.  The feeling is much better.  All I can say it will definitely be an experience I will never forget.

Badminton is the coolest high school sport. True or False

I’m not sure what it is but, all I seem to play are the sports that in grade 9 didn't exist and now are the ones that gets the most people coming out to tryouts.  Back in grade 9 our badminton team was a walk-on sport, whoever wanted to go and miss a day of school could.  And ever since grade 10, our badminton team now cuts more people than our boys hockey team and girls soccer team.  I have had four older siblings graduate from St. Marys and every year they've played badminton it has been a sport that most people didn't even know existed.  I suppose I have to give it to my dad who has really committed to being the team coach.  Has he ever played badminton competitively?  No, but with his engineering background, he can really teach any sport in terms of mechanics.  He has coached the badminton team ever since I was in grade 7 and has grown it into a respectable sport.  Last year, my partner and I came second in men’s double at the board championships’ behind my brother and his partner.  They went onto OFSAA but, that’s where you start playing kids who play in clubs and have been playing since they were smaller than the net.  I enjoy playing the sports that aren't as popular as the most popular ones because they are the most fun.  Not to knock hockey which I love just as much but, watching my friends who play rep hockey, volleyball or, soccer try and play badminton and watch them excel at a sport they thought they would have never even considered playing in high school is a good feeling.

Ultimate what...

Two years ago, my school started an ultimate frisbee team.  Actually it was my brother and I after years of exposure of our older brothers playing intramural ultimate frisbee at university.  And my older brothers were actually exposed to ultimate frisbee thanks to my dad who use to teach it back at St. Mary’s – I can still remember walking the halls of St. Mary’s when I was just in JK.  Anyways, our ultimate team two years ago did exceptionally well for our first team in over a decade.  I think the big thing about ultimate frisbee is that it’s a sport that a lot of kids find fun because for one:  it’s a co-ed sport, it’s crazy competitive and, most kids who play are seniors who want to play a sport that is different from the usual sports that everyone at the school plays.  Ultimate frisbee has become unbelievable popular at my school and now have two teams playing mostly due to the fact that ultimate frisbee is now an OFSAA sport.  Yes, you can win an OFSAA championship with ultimate frisbee and with the stakes so high, I have acquired some MAC ultimate players.  Not sure what it is but, I have become so obsessed with ultimate frisbee from watching Youtube tutorials and highlights to playing it on my spare.  I think my love and passion for the game is also why so many people decide to play.  Along with my smooth talking, I have convinced people from all grades and sports to play.  Who would have thought a grade 9 track runner or grade 12 volleyball player would be such natural ultimate frisbee players?  In the meantime, all I can do is convince more people to play and practice more to snag that OFSAA title.