A Spring Post

Hello! It is a nice, enjoyable, sunny and blossom spring afternoon. There are white trees everywhere and I almost feel like in winter when I look up.


I am thinking about my blog and its content and although it's called Business Stalker, which implies that I write about business-related issues, I realise that this isn't fun for me. So do I need to change the name again? I don't know. But at the moment I'll concentrate on my posts and the content rather than the name and whether I write in Blogger or in Wordpress. By the way, isn't it weird that the spell check is indicating that the word blog is wrong??
Never mind, I will finish off with today's post by posting a picture which was sent to me by my boyfriend!

It is so true that it hurts.

10 Deadly Mistakes During Business Cocktails

I recently attended a cocktail party with business people and have to admit that I didn't act too professionally at the beginning. So I decided to share some conclusions with you :) Just to make it clear - I didn't make all of the mistakes listed and I'm not going to share which ones were mine and which ones I've noticed before.


So here they are:


1. You forget the meaning of 'small talk'


When someone starts a casual talk with you, you suddenly turn it into a complex, intellectual, and well, let-me-escape-from-you conversation.


E.g.
"Nice to meet you, X. Do you enjoy your time here?"
"Yes, I do, thanks. But to be honest, not everything from the food appeals to me. They could have chosen another brand of cheese or at least serve it with a wholemeal bread. On the other hand, people here seem to be nice, but I think that this woman there next to the door is shooting angry glimpses at me, dunno why."


Your life at this moment could have been much easier if you had just said something like:
"Yes, I do, thank you. I don't really like the cheese, but i can live with that.How about you?"


2. Not drinking and giving long explanations for that


"Where is your drink?"
"Oh, I don't drink. It's just my lifestyle. Some people may find it strange, but it is just the way I am."


3. Wearing unpolished shoes


Like your dog has stepped on them. Dusty shoes make you look cheap.


4. Saying mean things about other people in the room.


We all have some moments when we feel awkward and say the first thing that comes to our minds. For example, discussing other people or laughing at them. It not only sounds malicious, but it also makes you feel low-confident. And just imagine that the person in question is the best friend of your interlocutor.


5. Eating fast/ eating food that applies big chunks/eating all the time like a rabbit.

 


Not sexy, nor professional!


6. Being dressed too casually

 



You are not on a teenage party, so if you don't want people to look down at you, you better try to understand the dress code.


7. Feeling too comfortable

 



If you are feeling relaxed and calm, it doesn't mean that you have to straddles your legs and occupy the whole sofa.


8. Forgetting what people have just told you 5 minutes ago.


As a result you feel unfocused and distracted and people may think you don't care about what they have to say.


9. Interrupting


Someone is telling you their favourite story and you constantly find something to add in between their sentences. Annoying!


10. Blah-blah-blah-blah


Even if you find the best listener to the world and he/she waits for you to finish your waterfall of words, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are interested in the endless talk.

To conclude with, I think that you actually need to make some of the mistakes in order to become more professorially-looking. And after all, it's always a good laugh when you remember it all!

Geek vs. Nerd Overview

I've been thinking about two popular terms 'nerd' and 'geek' which seemed identical to me. But as it turned out they aren't. And because my blog is mainly business dedicated I decided to explore them from a jobs point of view. But first, let's examine the distinctions.

What is a Geek?

(Yup, Justin. He was in an article about celebrities going geek)

1. Someone with specific niche interest or lifestyle

2. An early adopter (from marketing point of view)

3. The knowledge ranges from 'living encyclopedia' to mundane

4. He/she can be pretentious

5. A fan of gadgets

6. Someone who wears ironic T-shirts

7. .. and is highly likely to own a Mac

8. Geeks are usually communicative

What is A Nerd?

1. Someone extremely interested in academics

2. Runs away from society (introverted)

3. He/she is interested in games, movies, science, computers

4. Usually owns a PC (or a huge pile of books)

5. His/her interests include books: chess, fantasy, sci-fi, physics, computer programming

6. Nerds wear those kind of clothes which when you see you ask yourself: 'Who the heck would wear that?'

Movies Geeks like:

- Anchorman

- Donnie Darko

- Tron

- Office space

- Arrested Development

Movies Nerds like:

- Lord of the Rings

- Battlestar Galactica

- Star Treck

- Matrix

- Pi

Source: www.mastersinit.org

P.S. The business side of Geeks & Nerds is coming soon!

Top 8 for Expensive Pillows

There is something very cozy about those two pictures. I can't remember how I found them. Oh yes, they were in the folder of my old blog - Lullaby.

So how can I connect them with a business concept?
The first association is... pillows!

Here are the 8 most expensive pillows 
(that I managed to find)

8) £65.00 Organic wool pillow (www.greenfibres.com). Looks comfy, but as organic as it is, it's too expensive for me!

7) £81.73 Versace Silk Cushion Pillow (www.ebay.co.uk) - Ok, we all know that a brand always adds value.. to the price.

6) £110 Supreme Canadian White Down Pillow (www.duvetandpillowwarehouse.co.uk) - Well, this one is waaay to much. How special can it be to cost 110??

5) £223.48 Vintage Cotton & Silk Suzani Pillow (www.ecrater.co.uk) - Mmm... to be fair, this isn't the most beautiful pillow I've seen...

It's getting worse! Look at that:

4) £292 1950's Elsa Schiaparelli Silk Scarf Pillow (www.newyorkshoppingdiary.com)

 (Sorry, creators, if you read this, but I just don't see the logic beyond the price of this granny pillow)

3) £875.20  Rose Princess Pillow (www.etsy.com). Based on?

2) £1,069.69 Decorative Designer Pillow (it's a cover) (www.etsy.com) - And this is just the cover. Imagine if the had included the pillow (or VAT :D)

1) And the winner is... 

£ 1,887 - Twilight pillow from Edward& Bella  love scene (www.ebay.com)!

I temporarily lost my ability to talk!