The Proper Handshake

This morning while reading a daily newspaper in the lounge of a gym in Makati, I heard a couple arguing. I didn't look at them to give them the impression that I'm not listening to their conversation. Even though I didn't like to hear what they were arguing about, I simply can't. They were just some 60cm away from me.

And the girl started to raise her voice. She told the guy that he should have confirmed their schedule because she went to the gym as early as 7:30AM. She also said that it would only cost the guy 1 peso to send a text message to her if he will be coming or not.

Out of curiosity, I looked at them. Then I realized I was wrong. They were not a couple. The guy was a gym instructor/trainer while the girl happens to be his client. That time, I understood the whole thing.

While their voices were getting louder and louder, I was thinking of a concept I learned from one of my computer science classes back in college - Communication Protocols. The idea is so simple. One will send the message while the other one will send confirmation upon successful receipt.

Had they applied this simple idea, they could have saved time and energy. I think, during the span of their argument, they burnt some calories equal to that when you do a 15-minute brisk walk. Hehehe