Monkey Business - Swinging Through the Wall Street Jungle
by John Rolfe and Peter Troob
ISBN 0-446-67695-0
Retail $13.95 US / $19.95 CAN

Monkey Business is a book about two investment bankers’ life stories in investment banking. The stories are expressed explicitly in colorful detail. The authors shamelessly tell us about every thing that happens in their career.

One of my favorite parts are the interviews. Peter goes to the bathroom, which is next to the interview area and after Peter does his business, the odor from the bathroom fills up the whole room during the interview. The interviewers are obviously affected by the smell but they try hard not to be bothered by it. In another interview, Peter is sat in the middle of a huge, long table. Two interviewers sit on either ends of the tables and take turns drilling him with questions. Peter bounces his attention left and right across the two sides of the table like a ping pong ball. Peter knew the company did this on purpose to see how he would perform in this setup. It is a funny scene.

The life of an investment banker is very chaotic. It is not for everyone. You’re working 80-hour weeks and are always on the run. You could be working in New York one day and be in a client meeting in London another day, and then meet another client in Tuscan on the day after.

There are good perks in investment bank, however. You get to fly first class, stay in five star hotels, and go to fancy restaurants. You also make good money, even though you may not have time to enjoy it.

The book talks about the pros and cons of investment banking and all the things that goes on behind closed doors. The book is captivating and easy to read. After reading this book, you will find yourself either loving investment banking or hating it.

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this review. The contents on the post are entirely opinions of the blogger.

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686 Enterprises Smarty Complete 2.5 Ply Snowboard Jacket 2007 Model

Outer: 20,000mm waterproof / 15,000gm breathable with Westech-20DT coating
Lining: complete layering system package with zip-in fleece liner and base layer thermal shirt

Features:
Fully taped seams
Wrap-around lower body side panels
Water-proof zippered front handwarmer pockets with Invisi-pull hidden hem drawcord adjust
Radio pocket with window on left sleeve
Goggle pocket with snap-in goggle chamois
Laser-cut and welded pocket construction
New internal multi media (cd/md/mp3/iPod) pocket, mesh miscellaneous pocket and credit card/id pocket
Zip-off hood with stealth front hood with “quick-draw” hood bungee adjustment and single-pull back peripheral drawcord adjustment
Weather-guard rain gutter hood brim and easy-on & off stretch hood panels
Full front zipper with external center front storm flap + internal draft flap with magnetic closure on external storm flap
2-way center front Vislon zipper with custom 686 center front zipper pull
Peached tricot chin guard
2-way zippered pit vents with dual storm flaps with new “smooth-operator” mesh vent gussets
Easy-access chest vents with waterproof zippers
Partially elasticized, adjustable wrist cuffs with Lycra wrist gaiters
“Stash pass pocket” left cuff tab (patent pending) and vanity mirror on right cuff tab
Zip-off, adjustable powder skirt with jacket-to-pant-connect snap tabs
Multiple attach hooks & clips
Available in Black and Burnt Orange
Sizes: SM, MD, LG, XL

Comments:
I bought the 686 Smarty Complete Jacket online from Daddies Board Shop for $264.95. The retail price is $359.99 and I almost paid the full amount in another store, but luckily they ran out of stock. I’m glad I found the jacket for a better deal. The outer layer of the jacket is waterproof and the inner layer is breathable. The jacket also comes with a thermal base layer. The threes layers make the jacket insulate heat very well. I took the jacket on a skiing trip. The 3 layers and a vest kept me warm on the slops even though it sub-30 degrees F and windy. The technology is where the jacket shines. The breathable material regulates the temperature and doesn’t make me feel too hot when I’m actively skiing. The base layer supposedly wicks the sweat away so I won’t feel wet. The outer shell is wind proof and was very helpful when I was skiing rapidly down the slopes. Overall, the jacket was very helpful, plus it has a nice design to it.

Rating: 4.5/5
SmartBuy? Yes

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I signed up with Cingular in November of 2006 and chose the Sony Ericsson W810i. The phone is free for me, but I had to pay $250 up front and receive $250 in rebates three months later.
The Sony Ericsson W810i has a nice design and a bright, sharp, large screen. It comes with a pretty good camera, but I wished it had the three megapixel lens in the Sony 800i. The phone shines most in the music arena. It has great sound and the speaker really blows you away. No wonder it’s called the Walkman phone. I bought a 2GB memory card and use the phone as a MP3 player everyday. It can also play radio stations, a big bonus. If I run out of music, I can just tap into the radio. I also take advantage of the speakerphone feature for handsfree conversations. It is a huge improvement for me, because my old phone, the Sony Ericsson 610 doesn’t have a speakerphone feature and I hate holding on to the phone with my hands or neck. Now, I can engage in a phone conversation while typing with both hands and looking straight at the monitor with my head untilted.

The phone comes with lots of features. There is a sync feature with Outlook Contacts and Calendar. It comes with one game, JC Does Texas. The game was fun for a while, but I beat it in a week. Battery life is very good in my experience. My only complain is that the buttons in the center are too closely packed together. It’s very easy to hit the wrong button. Other than that, it’s a very neat phone. This phone is definitely a nice upgrade over my old Sony Ericsson 610.

Rating: 4/5 stars
SmartBuy? Yes

W810i
Deluxe Walkman® phone Mobile phone and music player for audio connoisseurs. Great sound quality, advanced communication features, sleek style. Go music Music on the move with style to spare. Easy-to-use Walkman® phone with fast Web connection for quick downloads. Compact music kit Neat, petite phone with music player, management software and accessories to make mobile audio pure pleasure. Video is the radio star Make your own fun with still pictures and video clips. Or listen to the FM radio and get into someone else’s groove.		Screen 262.144 color TFT 176×220 pixel Memory Memory Stick PRO Duo™ support Phone memory 20MB Networks EDGE GSM 850 GSM 900 GSM 1800 GSM 1900 Available colours Satin Black White Sizes 100 x 46 x 19.5 mm 3.9 x 1.8 x 0.8 inches Weight 99 gr 3.5 oz

Data from Sony Ericsson website.

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this review. The contents on the post are entirely opinions of the blogger.

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I have been looking for a good vacuum for a long time. I have wall-to-wall carpeting in my apartment. I need a vacuum that would be easy to use and could do a great job at the same time. I have had a few vacuums before but they were cumbersome to move around and they did a lousy job.I have seen the Dyson vacuums on commercials and read many online user reviews. According to the reviews, many say Dyson vacuums do a great job. One of the reviewers named Dyson, “the Mercedes-Benz of vacuums.” That is a high praise. Dyson is built with advanced technology to maintain the same suction power from start to finish. They claimed, “no suction power lost from obstructions.” So, I decided to buy the Dyson DC 14 All Floors Upright Bagless Vacuum. To save some money, I bought the factory-reconditioned version.

I received the Dyson this week and I tested it out yesterday. I can tell you, Dyson really lives up to its name. After one session, the dirt chamber was almost filled up. My carpet has not been that clean for a long time. Surprisingly, it was not that hard to use at all. I rolled the vacuum around my apartment with relative ease. I highly recommend a Dyson vacuum now. The Dyson made me feel good after cleaning. My carpet collects a lot of dust, and the Dyson picks them up.  I can feel the difference after one vacuum session.

For paying $289.99, I would say, it was well worth the money.

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this review. The contents on the post are entirely opinions of the blogger.

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