opportunity cost and subjectivity/particularity

There has been a great deal of things that have been bouncing about in my mind lately but one that has been persistent is the concept of opportunity cost and its subjectivity and particularity. The vague idea of opportunity cost as I understood it from high school econ was that it was a tool to help make decisions. If the cost of doing one thing is greater than the cost of doing another thing, then the latter choice should be the better choice since value is conserved.

Say for example, that I wanted to go to the pub with my friends on Thursday night but a co-worker called out at work and I have the opportunity to cover their shift on that same night. I have to then assess the opportunity cost of either going to the pub and enjoying my time with friends and spending money, or going to work and actually gaining money while not being able to enjoy the company of friends.

How does one make such a decision? In terms of monetary value, one can say that it would be a good idea to go to work in order to actually increase the flow of money gained to one's person instead of not gaining or decreasing one's flow of money as a pub and friends tend to do just that. But we can't account for the situation of every person. Suppose the meeting with friends is an investment, as said friends could happen to mention a job that one might like that pays way more with less work with an easy in. If that was the case, then going to work would actually be the lower value of the two situations as one should ideally take a small loss in order to receive a greater gain in the end. On the flip side again, the investment of going to work when asked to might influence the value of one's person to a manager and may just be the tipping point to that promotion/raise one has always wanted.

Subjectivity and personal preference is also an issue in the idea of opportunity cost as the individual's assessment of quality of one thing might be greater than the other. Perhaps the individual holds his friends in higher regard than work or vice-versa. Perhaps there is a romantic love interest in either location. Perhaps work is enjoyable already or that maybe the individual is saving up for something in the future.

I was thinking about this concept specifically as my sister complains about problems that are technical in nature and requests that I do something about it. I often wonder whether it is worth my time to troubleshoot these problems or whether it is worth her own time to troubleshoot these issues for herself.

A more specific example is from a couple of days ago in which her car's passenger side headlight bulb went out. The car has had a history of mechanical issues because it simply was not made very well. For a 6 year old car, it has been taken to the shop at least twenty or so times for issues regarding failures to some part. Whenever theres a problem, she first asks me (as I used to work on my car back when I had an old clunker) then when I stated I don't know or I don't have the time, she simply takes it to the dealership where she got the car to get it repaired.

To set the record straight, I find myself to be an amateur do-it-yourselfer as I enjoy learning how things work. I enjoy the experience of it even though many times it is a frustrating experience and I find myself way in over my head. In the end though, I get closer to finding out what my limits are in terms of what I can do, what I know, and what I am willing to do. As for her car, I find myself limited to minor repairs as it is a relatively new car with many electronically controlled components(which is not my specialty) and with many parts parts I am not willing to fix due to the high cost of specialty tools(which will only be used perhaps once or twice) needed to get the repairs done. Replacing headlight bulbs, though, is a relatively easy task given what I know.

It took me less than one hour to get to the auto parts store, find out which headlights to buy, buy the headlight bulbs, come back, assess how one is to remove the broken bulb, and ultimately replace the bulb. I actually purchased a set of bulbs and considered replacing the other one as well as it would be weird to use two different brand lights as a set seeing as one company possibly makes one brighter than the other.

SEGWAY: My theory is that cars are typically well balanced as there is always a set of something to counterbalance something else. For example, a front driver side wheel is balanced with a front passenger side wheel. If one tire is new and the other is old, then one tire will try to compensate for the other(and it physically can't) and cause increased wear or even dangerous conditions.

It was a good thing I got the set because as I checked the other bulb, I saw that it began to bubble up on the side and was well on its way to blowing as well. I replaced both bulbs and thus the repair was made for about 40 or so bucks. I walked back into the house considering my sister's other option, to get it repaired at the dealership. It is to my belief that repairs done at a dealership is more expensive as the parts used to repair are (what we believe to be)genuine factory parts(which is what is built for the specific model) with brand certified mechanics who specifically deal with mainly the cars of the make. I looked on Google and saw that the repair costs in California are on average $60/hr not including the cost of genuine parts. The work, I assume, definitely can be done in one hour as I did it in less than that and I am not a certified mechanic. The bulbs I got were not factory bulbs but the brand I bought is a trusted brand I've used before in the past and is fairly popular with the public. I am certain they are less expensive than the factory bulbs.

So what I am getting at is, what is the opportunity cost of my sister's getting her own bulb replaced versus getting it replaced by the dealership? I am convinced that in terms of monetary value, the better choice is to replace the bulbs personally. Cost being $40 bucks versus at least $100 at the dealership. Of course she completely skirted the cost of both by having me do the repair(which she hasn't paid me back for yet) but I wonder what she would have done had I not been there or had I refused to do it. I find the task to be rather simplistic, but I know that my sister does not care for the technical or the mechanical. She's good with memorization and creativity(which I lack) but she simply refuses to figure out anything technical, whether it be cars or computers. All she wants is for whatever it is to work. I can understand that. But is it worth it, in her case, to take the time to figure out how to replace the bulb and do it, rather than to bring it to the dealership? She was willing to bring it to the dealership so I guess she was willing to accept the higher monetary cost of repair over self-repair.

That I can understand as well, sort of. I find that I have issues with reading most terms of contractual agreements in products and services I receive as I don't have the patience and am willing to take a loss due to negligence and misinformation. However, had I the time and patience, I would read over every sentence. But I've already assessed for myself that this was a waste of my time, that I could be enjoying the product instead or something else for that matter. It is a matter of time and importance and of subjectivity. I, however, from time-to-time find myself standing back, observing this notion and see the worth in learning new things. But that is my own subjectivity and my own importance. I find value in learning different things. Thus, we can only assess for ourselves what opportunity cost is for the choices we have.

Wow, that was a long bit of writing about nothing. I need to pat myself on the back for this.

sop draft

I remember specifically the moment I decided to become a Philosophy major. It was at the College of San Mateo where I was trying to complete the requirements for transfer to a UC system as a Computer Science major. I knew that higher education was important but I couldn’t understand my disinterest in the field of study I was in. After completing another aimless semester, I decided to take classes other than my intended major. The introduction to philosophy class taught by Professor David Danielson is one that opened my passion towards argument, logic, and learning. It was there and then, after I finished analyzing the second chapter of Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy Of The Oppressed, that I realized that this was it. This passion and drive for learning and understanding philosophy brought me to change my major and end up as a student at the Philosophy department at UCI.

While Philosophy is in itself an interesting subject, a huge part of my passion was brought about by the amazingly inspiring teachers I’ve had in my life. This extends from the brilliant professors I’ve had at UCI and other colleges, to the amazing and caring teachers I’ve had at the K-12 level. Of course, there are also the other teachers who weren’t as creative and inspiring but nevertheless, allowed for me to assess and compare which helped me to learn better. I believe that it was in trying to understand the differences of teachers and teaching styles that that led me to taking education classes at UCI, as well as volunteering for programs like Humanities Out There, the Shalimar Teen Center, and substitute teaching.

The classes I took at the Education Department at UCI for my education minor were fantastic as they allowed for understanding of different problems of education and differing sides to how to teach. The first class I took with Professor Thurston Domina allowed me to see education as more than just teacher and student interaction. It allowed me to realize that other factors like socio-economic inequality, environment, and politics differ heavily from one school to the next. Professor Valerie Hall helped me to understand the difference between information getting and actual understanding when it comes to teaching students by providing different ideas and elements one can use in an actual class setting.

Trying to understanding education theory via the psychological, sociological, biological, and philosophical is vastly important but I believe it is important also to have the experience of being an observer as well as a guide in learning how to teach. My experiences as a substitute teacher in the public school are important as they allow me to observe classroom behavior and my affect on students. I do recognize, though, that being a substitute teacher is only a tiny glimpse of what actual teaching is like but being in a classroom as a guide is a much more real than it is discussing about it in theory. The experiences help me to become more comfortable in the classroom setting, but I feel I still need to learn more before I fully dive into teaching.

The MAT program at UCI is the best choice for me as I know for certain that the faculty in the Education Department are amazingly brilliant and also have a passion for their specific studies. I am also very interested in the public schools in the Orange County area, specifically in disparity of wealth between districts and schools as well as the effects of budget cuts. I want to do research to observe the differences between the public schools in the Orange County area and to perhaps contribute to world of education. However, I realize that I don’t have parameter or guidance as to what I am doing and I believe I would be able to fine tune the research with the help of the brilliant minds at UCI. I want to make a difference, but in order to do so properly, I feel it is imperative that I prepare myself properly and be able to learn as much as I can first. I don’t know if I am cut out to be a teacher, but I am defiantly willing to put myself out there to learn and to experience.

A subject turned observer. Rather, a subject-observer-interacter. That is what I want to become. My formal education, beginning with Kindergarten to when I walked on stage to graduate with a B.A. in Philosophy and minor in Educational Studies this past Fall, has led me to realize that I’ve only been a subject of education. That is, I’ve been taught to, but I have never before really taught others nor have I observed the process of teaching formally. My parents and teachers continually reminded me that education has importance and value and I wonder how far I would have gotten in my educational career had it not been for that realization. I wonder at times how students who aren’t blessed with wonderful parents like mine and equally devoted teachers come to that realization. Perhaps they don’t. One can't do anything about a student's familial situation, but one does have the opportunity to affect these same students in school and to impart in them the joy and rewards of learning. I, however, don't see education as a "banking system" as Paolo Frier advocates against in The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. I don't believe that teachers are sole retainers of information and that students are just merely waiting to be filled with information. Rather, students need to learn how to learn with what information they are given with teachers as guides. This takes as much discipline from the students as well as the teacher. Why do I want to get into the MAT program? I believe that the MAT program would help me to become a better guide versus being either a disciplinarian or a mere repository of information. I want to also be able to understand the structures and ideas behind modern educational theories and formulate my own based on the theories.

Perceptions and being good

Instead of commenting on why there hasn't been an update since last year, I will continue to just write.

Yesterday, I met with the Chairman of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Johnson Kam. My uncle-in-law, who came from China just about a little over a month ago with my aunt and her two kids, was looking for a job and so another relative set up a meeting with what I thought was the manager of the L&L near my house.

I went along with him because he pretty much does not know an ounce of english and was applying for a job as a cook and he needed a ride and possibly a translator. We get there and we end up meeting the man, who spoke Cantonese and English quite well, but it seemed to be quite an informal meeting as everyone was wearing street clothes and he seemed to talk to me more.

What he ended up saying was that he can give my uncle a job, but he would not be training in the store that we were in. The condition was, if my uncle wanted to work for L&L, that he would need to come with the manager to Hawaii for a month to train directly as he felt the people in the store would not train him well enough. The manager stated he will pay for the plane ticket, the housing, as well as food while he was in Hawaii.

I, being the skeptic and not really knowing who this man was, felt that this man was a bit on the sketchy side. Who was he to make such an offer for fully paid training for a month in HAWAII? He has never met my Uncle-in-law prior to this and I wasn't sure of what my Aunt's relationship to this person was. The guy even asked me if I was interested in being a manager of a store. Suffice to say, we had to think about it and consider with family and the man was more than willing to comply. He offered his personal number and told us to give him a call... and that was the meeting.

I went home to look up who he was and lo and behold, he was the co-owner of the entire franchise. With just knowing that, my level of skepticism was almost disappeared. But I wondered why he would do this for someone he doesn't even know. I'm sure he knows the situation that my uncle-in-law is in and he is willing to provide him with a great opportunity. While it isn't a managerial job or some kind of top notch executive career, I still think that such a job is respectable. My aunt and uncle-in-law must have come to the US believing that the opportunity will be better for their two kids in spite of the burden on them for not knowing the language or the culture. It is very taxing and trying for us to have to cater to their family, we have to remind ourselves that they are family and that we were once like them. I just hope they really are willing to put in the effort.

But back to the topic. This Johnson Kam really does seem to be a genuinely nice guy and it doesn't seem to me like he has any hidden agendas. I wonder that if I were successful as he, would I be willing to do so much for someone else? Would I still be able to relate to the people or would I end up being a stuck-up jerk? Then again, this supposes that I will be successful in the future.

Perception is a strange thing. In looking for a mate, (typically) we would first chose to talk to the gorgeous looking person rather than the pot-marked wall flower from across the room. People may seem skeevy or nice in outward appearance of mannerisms and through conversions, but how much information do we need in order to truly find out? This line of thinking, however, proposes that people are only one singular attitude/belief/behavior. Who are we to say that people are not a multitude of different emotions and feelings during different times? But if we were a multitude and can be different things all the time, where is the consistency? How can we believe in other people if they change their agendas and personal philosophies and beliefs all the time? Perhaps having relationships with others is about this balance between these two sides and judging for ourselves which to keep and which to change. Some might not do it as well as others, but then again, there are not really any guidelines. There may be ideas that many people believe, like the trustworthyness of a person as his beliefs and behaviors are consistent and the opposite for those who seem erratic. We can never be in the minds of other and thus, cannot know how they feel about us. But we know some things that people socially agree on. Deciding for ourselves how we want to portray ourselves is the only control we have... even if our portrayal by others cannot be controlled.

That was a strange segway. But do expect more.

A start

R.D. Laing writes,

"A family has a rule that little Johnny should not think filthy thoughts. Little Johnny is a good boy: he does not have to be told not to think filthy thoughts. They never have taught him not to think filthy thoughts. He never has. So, according to the family, and even little Johnny, there is no rule against filthy thoughts, because there is no need to have a rule against what never happens. Moreover, we do not talk in the family about a rule against filthy thoughts, because since there are no filthy thoughts, and no rule against them, there is no need to talk about this dreary, abstract, irrelevant or even vaguely filthy subject. There is no rule against talking about a non-existent rule about non-existent filthy thoughts: and no rule talking about non-existent talk about a non-existent rule about something that is non-existent...

Rule A: Don't. Rule A.1.: Rule A does not exist. Rule A.2.: Do not discuss the existence of non-existence of Rules A, A.1, or A.2"


I love how this man writes. It becomes a kind of an ongoing ontological process that goes to the root of something but then expands right back. How is it that we have rules for things before there are rules for things? If we don't know what that thing is, we shouldn't be able to even make a rule for it, never mind not even able to have it in our consciousness. It makes me think about many metaphysical debates regarding things such as morals, the good, evil and innocence. Also, does the progression of technology continually make it harder and harder for a child to grow up innocent? What are we before the rules set it? The simplest decision makers are computers as they are ruled by binary, things are either 1s or 0s. But what decision is made if the power is off?