r.blog

Works in Theory

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:22:00 +0000

I am here in Naples, Florida on a non-celebratory Christmas family vacation. Nothing against Christmas -- I'm officially Hindu. Buddhust undertones, but Hindu nontheless.

In Naples, I have found that they have a good amount of round-abouts and I got to thinking...

Many people pawn communism with the cliche saying, "it wotks on paper - just not in reality." I think round-abouts are the same... in a sense.

They work if you know how to use them, but in the current America we live in, there is a lack of understanding. They work great in England - with several lanes in them and all - but even with one lane and two turn outs, Americans can't do it.

Not knocking Americans, as I am a product of an American living and up bringing, but Americans enjoy being told when to go in traffic... by a machine with three colors. God forbid a person honk their horn and tell them when to go... oh, how fast the rage begins.

Avoid it all, and I say it again, just hug it out.

Oh, and keep moving in those round-abouts!

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:42:00 +0000

As the holiday season begins to get closer, I've come to realize that this holiday season we need to believe in giving to others - especially in a time of economic crisis.

As people have less to give.

I am you and you are me and we are all together.

Something everyone [doesn't] need...

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:09:00 +0000

I have a Swiss notebook backpack and I was having some issue with it, so I went to the manufacturer's website.

While going, I was just poking around and came across the the "Giant Knife"

It has over 85 tools, costing you a mere $1200. You're not a lumberjack, or real man, if you don't have this.

I think if you have one of these, you maybe able to save the world, or do anything...

One thing I did notice though, it does not have the USB-drive many of the newer ones have.

Hah. I thought this could do everything. They lost my purchase.

NoBama NoMore

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:25:00 +0000

I woke up this morning and was getting ready when I saw yet another person wearing a 'NoBama' shirt. To give you a slight at my political stance, during the election season, I put a large Obama '08 poster in my window as I live in a 3 story building on the first floor which is the first building you see when pulling into the complex. I am a large advocate for change...

As I digress...

When I first saw these 'NoBama' shirts prior to the election, I thought they were fair game. People who wore them were showing distaste in a presidential hopeful - nothing wrong with that, it's a part of the political game.

When I see people wearing these shirts today - it shows a sense of Anti-Patriotism. A distaste for a man and that has not yet laid one foot into office, yet people are already showing a disliking for him. Why are we showing distaste for a man who has not had a second to make reform as President yet? Why are we creating groups against a man who hasn't the ability to anything yet. I know it may sound extreme, but if you are looking for a chance to hate on a man who has not done many tasteful things - lets look at our current presid..... Nah, that would be too easy.

Obama is indeed a democrat through and through, but he is definitely bringing rivals together in the same party and bringing in great minds from the Republican party - something that has not been done in a while. Sure, most of the people around him will be Democrats, but that's what happens when you win a political election - you help to bring in 'your own'.

Lets take the next month and a half to join together - in a sense of Patriotism and unity - and look up for the coming years. If you are heading into these coming years with a closed mind, then that seems like a personal issue to me. If we always had closed minds, women wouldn't be able to vote, America would still belong to the British, and the education system would be in shambles.

Things men should invest in...

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:07:00 +0000

...or at least give some thought.

Throughout the years, if I may, some have mentioned that I pay particular attention to the way I look and feel. Yes, I will admit, it is important to me that I feel good about the way I look and I feel even better about the way I feel. Nothing sucks more than waking up in the morning feeling and looking like shit, and knowing that you do.

After thinking about the smaller things in my life, I realized that there are some items that I think all men/gentlemen should have or consider. These things are not for everyone - though I will say, they make me... well, me. Sure, you maybe thinking - the last thing I want to be is 'that guy' - but I've done my research on all of them and think they do good things.

Give it a whirl...
(in no particular order)

-Shampoo and Conditioner (in separate bottles)
I can't help but to notice how many of my buddies have something like Pert Plus - the all-in-one formula that you can put in your hair for 10 seconds and you're set [or are you?] Take an extra two minutes in the shower and use two different products. Not saying go out and buy $20 shampoo - regular stuff from the grocery store is fine - just not an all-in-one. Maybe you make your hair smell good...?

-A nice pair of jeans
A guy needs a pair of nice darker jeans that he can wear with nicer shoes. Not tennis shoes. These are not the jeans that you just toss in the wash with the rest and hope that after you wash them 10 times they are not faded like the jeans you wore in 5th grade. On the note of shoes...

-Shoes

People notice shoes. Get yourself at least one pair of comfortable semi-dress shoes. A light brown usually does it. Something you can wear with nice jeans [see above] and the most versatile pair of pants a man can wear - khakis. Get comfortable ones - if they are uncomfortable - you wont wear them. I have a pair that I trust more than I do my tennis shoes for comfort.

-Hat
Not all guys are 'hat-guys', I know. But I think all guys should have at least one hat that they don't mind wearing. Whether it is a baseball cap, fedora, or Monopoly style top hat - find one that you don't mind putting on in a rush or to look nice(r).

...more to come.

If you have any questions or concerns about this and you don't want the world to know - email me.

The Ironic Comatose

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0000

I find it interesting that after I posted last about going comatose that I, well, in a sense, went comatose. August 3rd, really?! Where did the time go and why am I posting almost 4 months later?

I suppose I'm fairly bad at this - I was good for a while, and I lost it. I wish I hadn't. What really opened my eyes was the notion of ideas.

All of a sudden, I started to get ideas about ironic situations and things that make my own mind work - and I wondered where I should write these thoughts down. Then it hit me...

What have I been doing since August 3rd... besides working on my rap album, you mean? I'm now in Toledo, Ohio - quite different from Orlando or Atlanta, but in a solid program working on my masters. I'm literally up to my head in studies, but I'm managing. I have quite a few things brewing in the head right now - so check back soon.

I recently updated my photo gallery and that's it for now.

More to come later...

In a conversation...

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:54:00 +0000

...I was joking around with someone who woke up around 1PM. I was saying things like, you have missed so much, everything is different now, and you slept through it. Then I got to thinking...

[Sorry about the brief Debbie-Downer moment...] What if someone was to have an accident, go into a coma, a profound state of unconsciousness, and not wake up until February? They would be missing SO much, or would they?

Who would be the president? Did enough American's actually pass their drug tests to actually perform at the Olympics? Is the economy actually better? Did Paris Hilton put out another amazing CD?

These next coming months are going to some exciting times! Stay safe and watch it all unfold.

Biggest Quarterly Profit... agian.

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Exxon Mobil just announced its quarterly profits. I feel bad for the guys - they didn't meet what the market was projecting their profits at - about $12.1 billion.

Despite not meeting projections, they just broke the United States record books again. They brought in a whopping $11.68 Billion dollars in profit. In numerical form, that's $11,680,000,000. The previous record was $11.66 Billion in the fourth quarter of 2007. Sure it may be only 0.02 points, but don't forget that 0.02 points is $20 Million dollars. That's a lot of cash.

Sure their shares are down 3%, but lets look at some of the other industries of this nation. It seems like 3% for the largest publicly traded oil company is not that much in comparison to the downfall other sects have experienced around the country.

Much of the increased profits that are seen in the oil industry [in comparison to other industries] comes from government tax cuts that are issued to Exxon Mobil and companies alike. Some argue that these tax breaks allow for new drilling sites and would eventually raise the price of crude. I can understand this, but as energy is getting more expensive, roads are getting worse, and education budgets being cut - it seems as though we should be taking equal tax money in an effort to improve roads, develop 'green' technology, and get America's children the proper education they need and are entitled to.

Maybe it's just me, but for some reason I think that if the executives at Exxon Mobile had to fork over a little more in tax money, they would still be able to eat pretty well. Hah!

New Ad-Campaign?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:34:00 +0000

Now, I guess this post will really hit home as far as what party I support, but I'm doing it anyways...

John McCain recently decided he was going to endorse a new campaign advertisement which begins with camera flashes, a little cheering, and images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton saying that Barack Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world. Well, he just may be, but I feel that McCain's ad is lacking a vital component - propulsion.

I'm not talking about rockets here, rather, the idea that McCain knocks down Barack, but does not take the time to bolster himself forward. It's easy to show one's disapproval for another person's ideas and views, but you need to self promote as well, thus creating a larger gap between you and your opponent. This is the presidency here - there is no time to sit and say how bad the other candidate is, rather you need to have America see how great you can be.

This maybe the Buddhist ideology in me, but we all can play the tit for tat game, and just talk about others only causing misery to them, or we can rise above and show others what we can really do.

The political arena wasn't always a place to throw mud. At one point, people got along and were friendly. Can't we all just get along?

Cultrual Combo

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:12:00 +0000

I'm sitting at the library doing some work [surprise], and an elderly gentleman comes into the area I'm sitting in and is about to sit down at the table across from me. I, like many men, acknowledge him and he does the same - but the way he did it was slightly out of the ordinary.

[I forgot to mention that he is a very large African man. Not an African-American who was born or even raised here, rather, a man that has grown up in an eastern African country and has just arrived here.]

After acknowledging his presence he he opens his mouth and says 'HOWDY!'.

I was slightly taken aback by all of this. I really enjoyed this man say a greeting from the Old Midwest. It's not everyday that you hear such an expression, but it made me smile.

I was going to call this post 'Cultural Clash', but then I realized that this situation was not a matter of cultures actually clashing, giving a violent feel, rather a soft combination which embraces such change.

Yelling Kid

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:45:00 +0000

I was walking into the library today when I saw and heard a child, about 7 or 8 years old, yelling into his cell phone at the top of his lungs, "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I'LL PEE ON THIS BOOK ON MY OWN!"

Now, there are several questions one should ask -

a) Why does a 7 or 8 year old have their own cell phone? I was in high school when I got mine!
b) Why is a kid threatening to urinate on a book?
c) Why is there someone on this kids phone encouraging the child to pee on a book (causing them to say that they will pee on their own.)?

...and I thought my generation is weird.

Riddle: What is the chemical compound for dog urine?

K9P.

Glue in the name of Protest

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:46:00 +0000

I suppose if you want something done around this place you have to stick to it... literally.

In the UK a man glued himself to the Prime Minister in a nonviolent protest against building the largest international airport in the world. The Prime Minister seemed to be slightly amused by the protest. It's nice to hear world-leaders still having fun with the people they lead.

...I wish this could happen in the US but I don't think secret service would allow it this day in age.

This Time of Year

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:57:00 +0000

I was in the library today getting some work done and the librarian near me sneezed. Since she sneezed, I figure I would say 'Bless you'. (To be honest, I kind of had the urge to say 'God bless you and his almighty fortress' just to see what she would say, but I didn't).

After saying 'Bless you' she proceeded to tell me that they were allergies and that they were 'oh so bad this time of year'.

One thing that I tend to notice is that not very many people say, 'this is the most delightful time to have them' - in the most genuine way possible. I think there is just a constant assumption that when one has allergies, that it, at that moment, is the very worst season (or 30 seconds for that matter) to have them.

Pollen and allergies usually initially sprout from higher than normal levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) which cause over production in plants. This in theory *could* be linked to global warming and greenhouse gasses, which only brings the idea of blaming your allergy-induced sneeze on the fact that you drive a Hummer. Just a theory.

In actuality, it really is not allergy season right now, but saying so could justify your Godforsaken sneeze.

A long time coming...

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:31:00 +0000

So the last time I blogged it was September of last year. In the beginning, I was doing really well with the site, but as the academic year went on and time was more of an enemy then something that I had readily at my disposal, I lost track of this thing.

Alas, I have updated the site again, and am ready to take it on a little more frequently.

Please take a moment and visit my Picture Page and see some of the new photography I have posted.

Hopefully I'll have many more posts to come.

-rb

Chalking

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:52:00 +0000

So it's not uncommon to see that a campus has been tagged with signs or chalk to advertise an event.

On Emory's campus you'll see messages advertising events around campus all the time, but today for the first time I looked down to read the message, and all it said was

"Have a Great Day!"

That's it. It was a good feeling to see that instead of an advertisement, that someone was just trying to make sure that people were happy. Good day.

The War

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:29:00 +0000

I think it has become evident that the war isn't going anywhere - or at least anytime soon. Sure, President Bush said that he would pull out 30,000 troops in the next year, but what is the plan until then? There just seems to be a lot of unanswered questions, and I don't feel that this administration, nor the congress are addressing it in the proper fashion.

I guess what really gets me the most is the fact that there are boys the ages of 18-23 dieing daily! 18-23!! The Pentagon releases the names of about 20-30 soldiers who have died every week, and it's very sad. It's sad to know that parents are putting their kids to rest. The show, THIS WEEK with George Stephanopoulous, has a segment which he honors the life of people who have helped to make impact in our history, including the lives of fallen soldiers. Take a moment and watch - it really is a unique feeling.

MIA

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:21:00 +0000

WOW! So I realized how much I really playing the 'catch up' game. If you don't stay on top of your stuff, you wont get anywhere - and then when it comes down to getting things done, it's all a big rush in the end.

Anyways, I'm in the College Council office right now trying to get some work done, and I figure I would take a moment and write.

Secondary medical school apps take forever. Every school wants 6 essays it seems, but it is what it is, and it's all in the process. Would I rather be at a baseball game or something instead of writing? Yes. But I also want medical school pretty badly too.

A Long time coming

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:33:00 +0000

I know it's been a long time coming since I have updated this blog. Life has been SO crazy since I have gotten back to school. Tuesdays and Thursdays are actually the worst for me as I have class from 10:00am to 3:45pm - A long long day (good thing is, is that I only have T/Th classes, so 4-day weekends for me!)

Anyways, the point of this post is for the following message I got from CNN.com

"-- President Bush will announce this week plans to cut U.S. troops in Iraq by about 30,000 -- to pre-'surge' levels -- by next summer, a senior administration official confirms to CNN."

I'm sure it's a political strategy that the Republican party is trying to pull to help their candidates out, but it's good to see that Bush is finally listening. He's still an idiot, but he may actually be using some of his brain now.

1/2 a cent?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 00:34:00 +0000

So I'm here in Orlando, my hometown, and I've been spending some quality time with my dad. Really a good time. (My mom and sister are in India doing wedding shopping for my sister's wedding & engagement).

Anyways, my dad looks at me and goes, "what's 1/2 a cent to you?" I thought, well, it's 1/2 a cent. Then he told me to think about it some more. I told him that 1/2 a cent is nothing to me. It's nothing of significance and to be honest, I could live with or without it.

To further his argument, he told me to look to my right. What did I see? My old run down elementary school revamped to a new building with the newest of technology. It looked amazing! I saw a big sign outside of the building that said, "1/2 a penny hard at work!" It really was hard at work.

Several years ago at the time of the vote there was a lot of uproar in my town to continue on with the 7% sales tax, or to bring it back down to 6.5% like the neighboring counties. Needless to say, we went to up 7% and it's done us good. Real good.

Can you really make money off that?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 01:19:00 +0000

For those that don't know me, I've always been known to criticize those that buy bottled water.

Some guy out there thought, "Hm, in America - we have great water. Water that is free. How about if I take that free water, 'purify' it, then bottle it - maybe I'll make a buck here and there."

Well, at a dollar a bottle - that guy made a lot of cash!

I hope everyone realizes that water is FREE. Anywhere you go, you can go into a bathroom and get water. The same water that comes out of your bathroom sink, goes into your toilet, and comes out at your kitchen faucet is the same water! It actually includes Fluoride - something that's actually good for your teeth.

It's no surprise to me that Aquafina was 'found out' and that they are actually just giving people purified tap water - of course they are! And you go out and spend a dollar on it! Sucks for you.

Also, everyone wants to be healthy by drinking this bottled water, but that plastic bottle is horrible for the environment (as most people do not recycle all of them). It takes forever to decompose. So yea, while you're trying to save your health, you're killing the environment. Smart.

Hate to say it... but I told you so.

*Ever notice how water company Evian spells NAIVE backwards? Hm...

Hey there Delilah. ~Plain White T's

This world....

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:38:00 +0000

...is a scary place.

There always seems to be some sort of 'suspicious package' around, governments postulating terrorists are in our country, people going missing, and that's on a good day.

Kinda weird if you ask me. I'm tired of this game, I wanna go home.

SHHH!!! It's the library!

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:27:00 +0000

I'm not saying you should do this - because it's really annoying when people do, but you know how when you pick up your cell phone while you're in the library everyone whispers?

First, you are whispering because you're on the phone in a silent library (because of course you don't want to disturb anyone although they can hear you). After those people can hear you, they start whispering to their friends saying, "can you believe them? they are talking in a library!" (which in itself is quite perplexing). And finally - the person you are talking on the phone with starts to whisper too. WHY?! I don't know - but without fail, when you whisper to someone on the phone saying you're in the library - they usually start whispering as if they are there.

Try it.

Hey how you doin' lil mama? lemme whisper in your ear. ~Ying Yang Twins

Burd

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:48:00 +0000

Why the hell is the word 'bird' spelled incorrectly?! Sure, everyone writes bird, but it should be bUrd.

Take the word BURN. Burn has the same beginning and bird, 'buuurr-n'.... 'buuuurr-d'.

Same damn thing. Change the spelling.

Burd.

This Week...

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:51:00 +0000

This week the Pentagon released another list of 24 soldiers who have died in Iraq.

Why are we still there? Why are there 18 year old men dieing? Week after week, the Pentagon announces 20 - 30 deaths, and I hope this government knows when to stop.

Click on the picture of Bush. It's a collage put together making up the faces of deceased soldiers in Iraq. Interesting work. It's a big file - so it may take a while to load.

Sucky people

noreply@blogger.com (Rajiv!) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:33:00 +0000

This post is titled, "SUCKY PEOPLE". Yes, I know, sucky is not a word - nor a good word at that.

Today as I walking back home I saw that there was a long line of cars that had parking tickets on them. Yes, I understand that those cars did not have decals on them that said they could park there, but WHO CARES!? It's the summer, and they were parking a dorm that has no one there. The parking lot is literally empty. There are probably about 75 spots in that lot, and about 65 of those spots are free at any moment.

Why does the parking office at Emory need to go around and ticket people who are doing nothing wrong - its the summer - no one is here. If they are just trying to make a buck, they should fire the guy who they have doing the parking tickets. Sure you wont be making money - but you sure as hell wont be losing money and creating more hate for your office.

Emory parking office SUCKS! (No, my car was not one of those included - I walk to school - but I'm a man that works for the people... Forget the parking office.)

If the parking office is open, then who is running Hell?! ~Ankoor