What a lovely weekend

It's been a while since I've posted here and I feel bad when I think about why. It's just that there's this other blog I recently created that I've been contributing too very seriously and that too with my real identity. Yeah, it's this blog accessible only to my family (who stay half way across the globe) and it's sort of a journal to keep them aware and up to speed with my excitement that lays ahead in my life…my marriage.

I have been playing some chess now and then, but no memorable games as such. Don't think putting up another chess analysis will do any justice to the other games so I think I'll just write some nonsense or post a chess puzzle, what the hell… you'll see.

This past week was awesome. For one reason and one reason only, I shopped my ass off. I know guys normally don't get all excited about shopping, but what can I say my girl told me that I needed to rebuild my formal wardrobe and I had to do it desperately and fast. Now don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't have decent clothes. But that's about all they are…decent. I think she was right there, after all it's been a year since I shopped and bought myself some nice clothes (note: I said nice not great). Damn, I spent shit loads of cash and so did my girlfriend…on me J

All-in-all this weekend's been wonderful. What a beautiful Saturday. Nice laid back Sunday. Aaaaahhhh!!!!!

*Grunts*

Drunken Debate

Once in a while the guys and I end up in these philosophical debates when we're on our beer spree. The subject of discussion is usually quite ridiculous and just to give you an idea of how drunk we are, a few examples are:

1. 
   
   "Does one love with the heart or the head?" (Yes. This one is as stupid as it gets)
   


2. 
   
   "What is the Meaning of Life?" (This subject is way too common, and the debate is usually quite boring)
   


3. 
   
   "How are Men different from Women" (Discussions on this subject are usually limited to the genitals and if you knew my friends, it's probably not hard to see why)
   

But recently we got into a very interesting discussion, which is decided to write about. During one of these beer sessions, a certain friend of mine suddenly made a statement that I didn't quite agree with. After taking a huge gulp, which looked like almost half the bottle to me, he said, "Money is everything in this world and if you don't have money then you're lost. You may be a good person and all, but you're lost." I'm not sure if it was a reflex action, but I began to refute this statement almost instantly. The conversation then went into a You vs. Me debate that didn't eventually lead anywhere and was soon forgotten by everyone, everyone except me. On one of my nostalgic 90 minute drives to work I started wondering about what this friend had said and wondered if there was any truth in that statement. I wanted to be neutral and logically come to a conclusion as to whether that statement was accurate or completely absurd. After a while of thinking, I felt that the answered lied in the two very important points of discussion. First there is upbringing, i.e. the way you've been raised as a child. The way your family, has conditioned your ability to think, has conditioned you value systems, your morals etc. The second is priorities; this includes a list of your priorities and more importantly the order in which you prioritize them. I realized the reason I jumped to negate my friend's opinion was that according to my upbringing, my priorities were slightly different from his. My priorities, simply put are (in order of importance) as follows:

1. 
   
   Values/Morals/Ethics
   


2. 
   
   Intelligence/Personality
   


3. 
   
   Money
   

Now don't get me wrong, having money at number three doesn't mean that I'm not ambitious and eager to be successful in life. It's just that I think there are other things that need to be ranked higher than money in my books. Why? Well let's see, let's start with values, morals, and ethics. For starters, they help shape your personality. I believe your values largely determine whether you'll turn out to be a nice guy, a cunning person, a prick, spineless wimp, bold and forward, a sexist asshole etc.

Intelligence/Personality, do I even need to explain? Do you honestly think that one would want to rank money higher than this? Well if my friend said money was the most important thing I'll bet 100 bucks wisdom isn't on his list at all. But now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't the only one like this.

"The lack of money is the root of all evil." True or False?

Men are from Mars, Women from Venus

Here's a prime example offered by an English professor at Southern Methodist University:

In-class Assignment for Wednesday:

Professor: "Today we will experiment with a new form called the tandem story. The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his other immediate right. One of you will then write the first paragraph of a short story. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on back and forth. Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep the story coherent. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached. The following was actually turned in by two of my English students, Rebecca [last name deleted] and Gary [last name deleted.] "

At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the question."

"Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. " A.S. Harris to Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off, a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit."

He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth -- when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree with no newspapers to read, no television to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered wistfully.

Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Au'udrian mothership launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace Disarmament Treaty through Congress had left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion which vaporized Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow'em out of the sky!"

This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic, semi-literate adolescent.

Yeah? Well, you're a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium.

A#$%##e.

B#@*h.

George Carlin: Life is Worth Losing (2005)

"I'm a modern man, a man for the millennium, digital and smoke-free, a diversified multi-cultural post-modern deconstructionist, politically, anatomically, and ecologically incorrect. I've been uplinked and downloaded, I've been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I'm a high-tech lowlife, a state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker, and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond. I'm new wave, but I'm old school, and my inner child is outward bound. I'm a hot-wired, heat-seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice-activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, and my database is in cyberspace, so I'm interactive, I'm hyperactive, and from time to time, I'm radioactive. Behind the 8-ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave, dodging the bullet, pushing the envelope. I'm on point, on task, on message, and off drugs. I got no need for coke and speed. I have no urge to binge and purge. I'm in the moment, on the edge, over the top, but under the radar. A high-concept, low-profile, medium-range ballistics missionary. A street-wise smart bomb, a top-gun bottom-feeder. I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps, I run victory laps. I'm a totally ongoing Bigfoot slam-dunk rainmaker with a proactive outreach. A raging workaholic, a working rageaholic, out of rehab and in denial. I got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant, and a personal agenda. You can't shut me up, you can't dumb me down, 'cause I'm tireless, and I'm wireless. I'm an alpha-male on beta blockers. I'm a non-believer and an overachiever, laid back, but fashion forward, up front, down home, low rent, high maintenance; super size, long lasting, high definition, fast acting, oven ready, and built to last. I'm a hands-on, footloose, kneejerk head case, prematurely post-traumatic, and I have a love child who sends me hate mail. But I'm feeling, I'm caring, I'm healing, I'm sharing, a supportive, bonding, nurturing, primary caregiver. My output is down, but my income is up. I take a short position on a long bond, and my revenue stream has its own cash flow. I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds, I watch trash sports. I'm gender specific, capital intensive, user friendly, and lactose intolerant. I like rough sex, I like tough love, I use the F-word in my e-mails, and the software on my hard drive is hardcore, no soft porn. I bought a microwave at a mini-mall, I bought a minivan at a megastore, I eat fast food in the slow lane. I'm toll-free, bite size, ready to wear, and I come in all sizes. A fully equipped, factory authorized, hospital tested, clinically proven, scientifically formulated medical miracle. I've been prewashed, precooked, preheated, prescreened, preapproved, postdated, freeze dried, double wrapped, vacuum packed, and I have an unlimited broadband capacity. I'm a rude dude, but I'm the real deal, lean and mean, cocked, locked, and ready to rock; rough, tough, and hard to bluff. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the tide, I got glide in my stride. Drivin' and movin', sailin' and spinin', jivin' and movin', wailin' and winnin'. I don't snooze, so I don't lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hardy, and lunch time is crunch time. I'm hangin' in, there ain't no doubt, and I'm hangin' tough, over and out."