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 Hello Belle,
Why do people completely ignore
road rules? Why do they drive on
the shoulder when everyone else
has to suffer and wait in traffic?
Or worse, why do they cut you
off at the traffic lights? I work in
South Trinidad and every morning
and afternoon, to and from
work, I will see many cars driving
on the shoulder and making
two lanes to turn off the highway when it should only be
one. It pisses me off! What's more is that there's never any
police around when this is happening. Why isn't someone
doing something about this?
Road Rage – Trinidad
Hello Road Rage,
I can empathize with how you feel. I've seen this happen
so many times. Not only is driving on the shoulder illegal
but given the number of road fatalities in this country, you
would think the authorities would enforce stiffer penalties
for these infractions.
What can I say; perhaps someone with enough clout will
read this column and decide to do something about it. Until
such time, try to keep your cool and remember, "Road sense
is the offspring of courtesy and the parent of safety."~Australian
Traffic Rule, quoted in Quotations for Special Occasions
by Maud van Buren.
Hey Belle,
You know what really ticks me off? The fact that everyone
I see these days has a damn cell phone glued to their ear. I
was in a meeting last week when the sales rep. answered his
phone in the middle of making an important point to me!
And after he chatted with whoever was on the line, he took
up right where he left off. No apologies—nothing! Why
don't companies teach proper phone etiquette to their staff?
FR – Tobago
Dear FR,
Phone etiquette especially cell-phone etiquette is sorely
lacking in this country. I am surprised that more companies
have not enforced stricter rules about cell phone usage.
What people don't realize is that today's ʻtalking on cell
phones' was yesterday's ʻmaking personal calls on company
time.' It's simply different technology, same business fauxpas.
What I do know is that in order to modify any behaviour,
perceptions must fi rst change. Firstly, people need to
acknowledge that talking on a cell phone—especially in the
way it's abused here, i.e. during business hours, no apology
for taking the call etc—is not only a major time waster but
is also highly unprofessional. Secondly, they should realize
that there is acceptable cell phone etiquette and practise it.
For example, if you are expecting an important call but have
to attend a meeting, it is acceptable to state up front that you
are expecting a very important call and must take it. When
the call comes, discreetly excuse yourself and take it outside.
Ideally in any meeting, you should put your phone on
vibrate or silent mode and let any calls go to voicemail. You
can check them once the meeting is over.
Dear Belle,
Why are men so afraid of commitment? I have been with
my boyfriend for 10 years and he has not proposed to me
yet! I love him a lot but am I waiting on something that's
never going to happen? I don't want to waste 10 more years
of my life.
JW – Barbados
Dear JW,
It's erroneous to make such a generalization about men. Not
all men are afraid of commitment. I would even say that
many welcome it. Have you spoken to your partner about
how you feel? Perhaps he has other reasons for not popping
the question' yet. Maybe he's waiting to be financially stable
or perhaps he feels that there are other areas in your relationship
that need work before making such a big decision. If
this isn't the case, then why not propose to him? The point is
that his not asking you can be attributed to a number of reasons.
You'll never know unless you communicate candidly.
However, if you've both discussed marriage and he is less
than enthused, then maybe it's time to re-examine your focus.
Instead of bemoaning the fact that he hasn't given you
a ring, ask yourself how much longer you are willing to wait
for what may be an uncertainty. If the answer is no more
time, then you know what to do.
BELLE invites you to voice your opinions, submit your critiques and untimately get those niggling complaints off your chest.
Email us at salisha@safaripublications.com
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