Fast Car

As a music lover, I've always been a sucker for songs with music that bring an original, new sound to the public's ears. But I also go for the entire package. It's a big bonus for me if a song with beautiful and original music is also endowed with a great set of lyrics. It's poetry set to music.

The following song is one of those. I've loved this song from the very moment I first heard it when it came out in late 1988.

The song's called "Fast Car", written and performed by Tracy Chapman, a great American folk singer. The acoustic guitar introduction and sound was, for me, one of the most original I've ever heard then and since. In terms of originality, I would rank it up there with the guitar and sitar combination that served as intro on the Beatles' song "Norwegian Wood".

I loved the lyrics too. They spoke of sadness, heartbreak and disappointment. In her desire to leave a life of despair and hardship behind, a girl fell for the charms of one who seemingly offered her a way out poverty, one who could help her fulfill her lifelong dreams. But as they lived a life together, she finally realized that all the hopes she had in him were misplaced.

Ms. Chapman eventually won a Grammy ("Best Female Pop Vocal Performance") for this song. Let me then share with you the words that went with the music.

You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere

Any place is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school that's what I did

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

So remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs

So remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
And I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way

The Baker Goes On A Mini-Hiatus

I'll be on a brief one-week mini-hiatus from blogging. There are some matters I need to attend to and as a result, my blogging has to take the backseat for just a few days. Nothing bad or negative so please don't worry about me. I'll be fine.

I say mini-hiatus for I don't think it will be a complete break from posting any blog entry. I may be able to sneak in one or two during the week.

I'll probably bloghop whenever I get the chance but I seriously doubt that I will have the time to post a blog entry due to a rather tight schedule. Will try my best though. :)

Anyway, please take care of yourselves and I'll see you all in a bit. Who knows? You might even see me in one of your regular haunts. :)

Photo Hunt: Shoes

This week's Photo Hunt theme is Shoes.


My contribution to this week's theme is a picture of my left shoe. I took the picture at work earlier this week.

The shot was rather hurried because I didn't want my boss to see me taking a picture of my shoe. He would have found it quite weird and he would have busted my chops no end. :)

Have a great weekend, folks!

Cohesion

Cohesion is said to be the act of uniting or sticking together. In the context of a team, work unit, in relationships or even a family, cohesion refers to a couple or a group that's united in working towards a common goal or purpose.

Cohesion takes time to form because it requires that the development of a certain degree of trust and support among a group's members. It requires that such trust and support be elevated to a certain degree of sophistication that it becomes second nature for all the individuals involved.

Various factors influence the degree of cohesion a team has or would have. Shared experiences, the quality and amount of time a team has been together, and the dynamics within a team are some of those factors.

A team starts losing its cohesiveness once distractions surface. A sports team that finds itself embroiled in controversy or scandal often loses its will and focus to win. Morale among the players eventually break down and before everyone realizes it, the desire to win is no longer there.

Same is true in a work environment. Once a scandal flares up or once an individual pursues an agenda separate and counter to the team's, the spirit of camaraderie within a department or group soon deteriorates and unravels.

In relationships or in a family, cohesion is impacted when a member becomes withdrawn from the normal activities, begins to spend less time with a significant other or from the spouse and kids. Withdrawal leads to indifference and eventually leads to an unraveling of a relationship.

Cohesion is a delicate quality that needs a lot of work to sustain. Teams, couples, families, and even nations that have successfully attained it have reaped many rewards from it. Those who have failed to achieve it or those who simply don't have it are destined to wallow in mediocrity or are doomed to failure.

A Shortage of Engineers (and Nurses too)

This article ("High-tech Japanese, Running Out of Engineers") was from Saturday's (May 17) issue of the New York Times. It seems that after decades of sustained economic success that has catapulted it to the position of the world's second largest economy, Japan now finds itself facing the same problems that a lot of industrialized nations are facing: a lack of engineering and technology graduates.

At first glance, such shortage may present a much needed opportunity for engineering and technology graduates from poor nations. One of the world's largest economies, one that boasts of the highest standards of living in the world is experiencing a rather severe skill shortage. Thus, graduates from poorer nations ought to be flocking to it in droves, right?

Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Japan, unlike other industrialized nations, will probably have a harder time attracting foreign talent to its shores. This is due to the fact that unlike its first world peers, Japan unfortunately has gained a reputation for being a closed society where language and culture have proven to be strong barriers to any outsider.

English is not widely spoken and there are still a considerable number of companies that are against the idea of bringing in foreign workers into their fold. There are glass ceilings in a lot of companies and discrimination against foreign workers is still quite common. There may be some bright spots here and there but as a whole, the country presents quite a number of barriers that a foreigner could find difficult to deal with.

Such attitudes against foreigners is also reflected on its immigration policies for Japan has one of the lowest, if not the lowest immigration rate among industrialized nations. Aside from engineers, Japan is also experiencing a shortage of nurses. However, unlike the US and a number of European countries, it has steadfastly refused to increase its recruitment of foreign workers.

Japan's population is slowly but surely aging due to a negative population growth rate. Unlike China and India with their huge talent pools, Japan does not have that benefit. As per the article, Japanese companies can either increase their hiring of foreign workers or put up factories outside of Japan just to stay relevant and competitive in the global economy.

If it fails to hire the engineering and technology graduates it desperately needs, Japan's competitiveness could slide into irrelevance within the next 100 years. If it fails to bring in more nurses, the quality of health care in that country would also deteriorate. The country urgently needs to step out of its comfort zone to stay a step or two ahead of its rivals. If it fails to do so, then it might as well consider ceding its title as Asia's richest economy to China soon.