11 of 52: The Exclamation Po!nt On a Disappointing Yet Predictable First Year: Universal Healthcare

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. -- Thomas Jefferson

I’ll do something a little different from my previous notes. I’ll present facts and attempt to answer them. If you think you have an alternative by all means go ahead. It's about the Universal Health Care bill that was just passed.

“$940 billion over a decade” – Where’s it coming from?

Surely not our already increasing deficit. Nope, we can’t just print more and more money. That would be immoral... Instead let’s tax the living hell out of every American. Firstly to pay for all the money we’ve used to approve the health care. Secondly…


“The government may pay up to 75 percent of the premium” – So we only have to pay 25 percent right?

Zing….Wrong again. Sure you’ll have to pay 25% of your premium but where do you think the money from the other 75% is coming. Bam, and were back to your taxes again. Your working wages will have even more taxes taken form them and in turn that money will make up the brunt of the 75% that the “government” is being ever so helpful in providing…free of charge.


“Parents would be able to keep children up to age 26 on their family insurance plans, three years longer than is now the case” – Is this too far?

Firstly answer me this… Have you ever heard of a 26 year old child? Thank you for your silence :) You graduate at 22. You get a job within a year. You support yourself. Your parents are no longer required to hold your hand, and you’re an independent.


“Most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and face penalties if they refused” – So we have no option anymore?

People can’t even pay for their own insurance! How in the heck are they going to pay for theirs and others? Right now you are paying a ton of money to insurance companies who you feel are unjustified in giving you adequate health care. What’s going to happen is you will be paying the government, a MEGA-INSURANCE company, that money instead. And maybe if you had a choice that if you did not have any money then you could not pay for health care, but nope it’s no option. The government needs your money to pay for others expenses.


“This agreement by congress was fair seen as we have a Bipartisan government” – As in really?

Answer is no. This health care was forced down our throats so quick that the Dems knew exactly what they were going to do, and did just that. They’ve had a 60% majority and they knew that eventually with a little pulling of the strings and a condition where ‘none of the money from the new program will be used in abortion’ to satisfy the anti-abortion party, that they could sneak it in. And not even in separate bills to make a general approach to see what works and what doesn’t. ALL AT ONCE. That’s not called capitalism folks. It’s called Socialism. Socialism is a “middle ground” between Capitalism and Communism. Any guesses on which side it leans more too?


“Medicare signed in 1965 worked though” – Can’t universal health care work too then?

Okay I have to actually pause for laughter on Medicare……… The federal government's lead actuary in 1965 projected that the hospital program (Medicare Part A, yes that’s only Part A) would grow to only $9 billion by 1990. The program ended up costing more than $66 billion that year. A single-payer health insurance program is Medicare again… but on magnified scale. You see that little (but not so little) chunk of change called Medicaid on your paycheck? That will INCREASE... drastically.


“Americans will be getting back most of their Social Security” – The money taken from our paycheck will be coming back to us right?

Another laughable moment. What has really become the issue with Social Security? Firstly, it’s kind of ironic that it’s called social security, because it rather seems to be anything but. All we do is worry if were ever going to get it back. Secondly, the word “most” in the statement above worries me. Does most imply 50% or more? World War II vets are still waiting for theirs. When’s it coming? After they’re dead? Don’t plan on seeing yours anytime soon. Thirdly, to relate it back to national health coverage. What happened to Social Security? Well they figured out that they would run out of money to fund it quicker then they thought. So what’s stopping it from happening in this new TRILLION dollar plan?


“Universal Health care works in other countries, why not the U.S, the only industrialized country to not have it.” – Sikeeeeeeeee that was the question.

And no. There are way too many optionally unemployed, welfare receiving, knocked up teens, with no income in this country that will all flood the hospitals, clinics, everything and use the resources so quickly, it will send the government reeling for money and resources to keep supporting this. So the people, who make all the money, so pay all the taxes, will pay for the health care of those that make nothing? Makes sense. Also In order for you to see a doctor you should probably start booking your appointment weeks in advance.


Okay it’s late. I'd prob be up til 8 in the morning if I kept going. 
Any input go right ahead. I’ll read it in the morning :)

10 of 52: Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

"It's the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness. Nothing more." - Albus Dumbledore"

Often you are asked what your biggest fear is. How do you answer that question? Firstly what is fear? Is fear being scared? Is it the gut wrenching feeling in your stomach? Fear is nothing more than the unknown; exactly the quote by J.K. Rowling above. Everyone wants the path lit for them telling them exactly what is coming every step of the way. If only it worked that way.

The "unknown" can be assimilated the closest to death. Nothing more than a natural part of life, yet it strikes fear in the hearts of every single person alive. If you tell me you’re not afraid of death, I’ll tell you I don't believe you. I remember when I was younger and I would always have two kinds of nightmares. One, where some cataclysmic event would be occurring out of the ordinary, like a hurricane or something, usually when i had a high fever. But the other would always end in death. My death. No matter how I saw myself die, the end of the dream would always be the same; darkness. No light, no life, just dark. I remember waking up and crying for hours on end and not knowing exactly why.

So I came to the conclusion that fear is death, and death is fear. A horror movie or a roller coaster isn't fear; that’s being scared, a simple reaction from your body's nerve endings keeping you on your toes. Which brings the most underrated human emotion into the picture, grief. You won't understand it until you feel it. The feeling that all the happiness is gone, replaced with pure sorrow. I guess I stopped thinking about death since I stopped having nightmares, but recently a string of them brought the thought back to the forefront of my mind.

Michael Jackson. I like his music. I don't know him. But a sense of insanity hit, when i thought how a legend, could just like that, die. It's more of a reality check because he's actually from our generation, our childhood, and those things are supposed to live forever, right?

Mrs. Schroeder. A few weeks later I found out my doubles partner from high school, and one of my best friends Ryan Schroeder’s' mum passed away. No warning. Within 3 days she was gone. I didn't know her that well, but the struggle comes from "how does Ryan feel". I, like everyone else said if you need anything don’t hesitate to give me a call. Does that even mean anything though? It frustrates me that it's not possible to carry the burden of someone else sometimes.

Nirmam Vasanwala. Remember, Remember the 10th of September. Schroeder and I used to play tennis doubles against Nirmam and his partner back in H.S. 3 straight years of mediocrity, where we'd joke about who sucked more. Now it seems irrelevant. I'd never been to a funeral before this one. I can honestly say I never want to go to one ever again. The pain of grief is unbearable. To watch an entire family mourn so desperately over their loved one is something I’d never wish upon anybody. Tears streaming down faces, sharp breathing, and the look upon a mother watching her son and his dreams wiped away. A mother should never have to bury her child. Ever.

My only fear is the unknown. That's it. Death scares me so much, that just the thought alone makes me choke up. I'm not telling you this to depress you. More so, to make you realize the sanctity of life. We take life for granted sometimes. Wait...All the time. How do you know that today is not your last day? You don't. When you are living life, seconds feel like they will come forever, so will hours, so will years, until you are nearing the end and you begin to wonder. What haven't I accomplished yet? Have I graduated? achieved my work goals? felt love? Just makes you wonder how suddenly a life can change.

How long do we really have to make our impact on the world?
While time slips objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

"To the well-organized mind, Death is but the next great adventure." - Albus Dumbledore"

 

© Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Nordstrom

9 of 52: They say People in your Life are Seasons, And Anything that Happens is for a Reason

Kanye is awesome, but for once I don't hear this song and smile.

I say "Story of My Life" a lot. Most times I exaggerate. 

But sometimes I don't. I guess this is one of those times.

Sometimes it knocks you down. It takes a while to get get back up.

It always seems like you want what you can never have.

If you've ever felt like you have more thought's then space available in your head then welcome to my life.

Sometimes we have to master the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.

Maybe one day they'll be continuous Bike Rides and everlasting Popsicles and timeless Beach Visits and eternal BBQ's. The Unfaltering Summer.  

Only One Season. Til the End of Time.

8 of 52: FIFPro World Team

Every Year FIFPro releases a World Team of the Best Starting Soccer Team. They haven't released this years yet but I thought it would be fun to let you know who in my opinion is the World's Best 11!!!

Use whatever formation you want and let me know who you think would make the Worlds Best Team :)

7 of 52: One more Mr. Men Collage and I Swear...

I was having a hard time writing so I decided to write a list of things that piss me off. And honestly it was so easy, it surprised me. I seem to hate anything that anyone but me does. Does that make me a Narcissist? I don’t know but I figure I’d let you guys know what they are.

1. Mr. Men Collages: This was only the start. I hate seeing my news feed cluttered with tons of these pictures with a million tags. I don’t care if I am Mr. Friendly because it won’t make a difference to me. And it doesn’t stop there because now they have all those fucking quizzes where you can “Find out what YOUR sex drive is?” or “What 2009 song describes you?” or “What character from Pokemon would you be?” I use my newsfeed to creep on people without them knowing, not to find out "What birthday are you?" No one gives 2 shits that you “Would make a great Pikachu!!!!!!” Stop publishing them.

2. Foreign Teachers: I’m sure they are smart, and have earned their P.H.D in their country, good for them. But if I’m paying $40,000 to go to my school, I’d appreciate if I could understand a single freaking word coming out of their mouths. I don’t care if they have a Pulitzer if no one in the class can understand what they are saying then no one will get anything out of the class. The only reason they are here is to pretend to teach while using the University’s resources to help them write their book that no one's ever going to read. Welcome to America. Teacha mea inna englishaaaaaa…… Please?

3. Pointless Notes: This means notes about lists. Please don’t go through a list of 100 movies and check off each one you’ve seen or would “really really badly want to see.” Or take the last 20 people who wrote on your wall and tell me you would “ewwww never date #4” aka. Irrelevant shit no one cares about.

4. People who love money: Don’t get me wrong everyone loves money. It’s one of our greatest developed faults as human beings. One that cannot be prevented. But it’s the people that are so consumed by it that it clouds their view of all else that really gets me. I by no means grew up with a rich lifestyle. But my parents instilled in me the virtue to be giving, even if it means occasionally you have to take the loss. So especially when people I know, who have grown up with the kind of luxurious lifestyles most of us can’t afford, are so money hungry that they see nothing else it annoys me. If they are friends then you should be able to be more lenient. I wish more people didn’t consider money to be more valuable than the very air they breathe, but sadly most do.

5. Talking on the phone: There’s a reason I text you. If I need to borrow a book a phone conversation turns into a: Hey…Hey…Whats up??....Nothing, you?....Nothing??? …How You been??....Good….You…Same old….The kids???....Still trying to unload them……oh cool…. So do you still have that Acc book??…. Yeah….Can I borrow it???...I guess….Ok ill pick it up tomorrow….. Ok…I’ll call you…Oh fuck… ------ Where as when you text it’s: Hey I need that Acc book if you have it, I’ll be there tomorrow to pick it up……Word, Homie. MORAL OF THE STORY: Don’t call me. I don’t want to shave valuable seconds off my life talking about your life.

6. The Cubs: I am a die hard Cubs fan. No further explanation needed.

7. People complaining about Change: No, not the non-existent Barrack Obama Change, but one little change to peoples everyday routine and ALL Shit hits the fan. An perfect example is the New Facebook. They change the homepage and people are running around like they found out they have Swine flu, and are tripping on acid. OO kkkkk calm down. In about 3 weeks you're not even going to remember the old one existed. So it’s new. Get used to it and stop bitching to me about how you “can’t figure it out”.

8. Girls with Scarf’s: It’s Summer. Why must you insist on wrapping a scarf around your neck when you’re indoors, outdoors, in class, eating, doing laundry, and anything and everything? I know turtlenecks died a long time ago but you obviously don’t have a hickey on your neck 6.5/7 days of the week. It’s like wearing uggs in 100 degree weather. Fashion Faux Pas (I just wanted to be able to use that word once)

9. Chapstick: It makes your lips feel weird and definitely does not taste like “Mixed Berries” like advertised. I’d like to officially rename them Shit-Stix.

10. When I Can’t figure things out: If someone asks me a general knowledge question that’s in the back of my head but won’t come to mind, it will BUG the hell out of me. Either I will wiki it or grow more and more annoyed until I figure it out. I remember one time I was dreaming about a game of monopoly and all I could think of was…. Pennsylvania Railroad, Reading Railroad, B and O Railroad, and…..oh shit. I stayed awake for 2 hours that night just thinking. I finally convinced myself that it was perfectly normal to dig through my attic at 4 in the morning to search for my monopoly…… At least I slept well the rest of the night knowing all about the Short Line Railroad.

11. Can’t Figure out what they're Thinking: So this is when you think I’m absolutely crazy. Theirs a fine line between being intuitive and this. Sometimes I know EXACTLY what you’re thinking. I can’t do it on command but sometimes I have the strange ability to know your thoughts even if I don’t tell you I know. It sounds insane, and it’s almost impossible to prove cause either I’ll be wrong, or you’ll deny what it was if I was right. So when some people are especially tough to tell, it PISSES me off. I like knowing as much as I can and if you wear your heart on your sleeve then you’re especially easy. It’s the protective ones that are hard to break.

12. Facebook Groups for Everything: Stop with these groups. I doubt the Guinness World Records gives a tiny rat’s ass about the “Biggest Group on Facebook EVER!!!!!” I have been sucked into so many pointless ones that just when I leave one, I seem to join another. Group invitations are one of the more annoying notifications on the book. Send one to me and I will cyber punch you in the balls.

13. Prefer Professional sports over College sports: Sometimes when I ask people about that “college basketball game yesterday” they respond with… I only watch professional sports. Firstly, where do you think these professional athletes come from? They developed all their skills in college and watching them grow as players is exciting. Plus the games have sooooo much more rivalry in them. Secondly, the players aren’t getting paid obscene amounts of money. They’re actually playing for their teams. College sports are amazing. Next question?

14. When people cannot Pronounce Names: I know my name is not the easiest to pronounce. But it’s really only 2 syllables. Shree + Raj. I mean if you can say them separately with ease how could you be so fucking stupid that you cannot put them together. If you tell me that people in America speak English then they should be able to put at least 5 letters together in a coherent order. If I can say ‘JUSTIN’ with no problem then you should be able to say my name. But if you want to admit you suck at English, your own language, go ahead and call me Raj. I won’t mind.

15. People in Elevators: In the DePaul center there are sixteen floors. So if you’re the first one inside going tothe 16th floor and know it will fill up so why must you stand at the front. Then at every single floor get out of the elevator to let other people pass. You are wasting both mine and your time. Also if the weight limit is already at 2000lb’s and you see 15 people already cramped into the 5 x 5 metal box dangling on a string, please don’t get in. I don’t want to die from either the elevator falling or your B.O. Thanks.

16. Illinois Politics: In my philosophy class last year an international student who was Chinese was asked what people thought about Chicago in China. She said people attributed them to racism and corruptness. Everyone was surprised but she said that was the general view. Personally I think race is far less of an issue here than in other states around the U.S. Maybe I’m oblivious to it or the fact that I go to DePaul forces me to assume everyone else is just as diverse. I don’t know. As for the politics, we have to be the corruption capital of the United States. Three of the state’s seven previous governors have been convicted and served time. And now our president is from this very state. So proud.

17. Japanese People & Cars: So let me get straight. You Jap’s spend hours on end developing Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, and Nissan, so you can run the entire automobile industry that will soon be U.S free. Yet none of you fuckers know how to drive properly. FanTasTic!!

18. Blue Boner Plaid Shorts: I have these blue plaid shorts that I’m semi-gay for seen as I wear them so often. I even encourage other people to buy plaid shorts so we can all match, lame I know. But the thing is these shorts instead of having a button or even a zipper, have a ‘neat’ little piece of Velcro. It wouldn’t be so bad, if the Velcro didn’t have the tendency to bend outward and make me look like I have a raging hard-on!!! I can tell sometimes on the train when people are staring right at me due to my inadvertent bulge. Not cool. They're my favorite shorts too.

19. Stupid People: Probably one of my biggest pet peeves. I think if you’re smart enough to be in college you should be smart enough to do a job properly. Whether it’s a group project or a real job there should be no reason for you, not to be able to do it. Especially when you’re getting paid to fail at your job where I could do the same thing for half the money with my eyes closed. This isn’t about book smarts, as everyone is blessed differently and all the studying in the world won’t change that. But there is no excuse for lack of common sense.

20. Barrack Obama As the Messiah: Everyone who knows me, knows I’m not a fan of this man. We could debate about it for hours so I’m not gonna start right now. What Really PISSES me off though is the image below. It’s pretty disgusting the affection this nation shows to a man who has so far done as much for this country as Herbert Hoover, i.e. nothing. If people support him that’s your prerogative and I won’t try and change your mind. But things like THIS. Wow.

6 of 52: The Few Times I Like Media

Sometimes I hate media. That's a lie. I almost always hate media. Chris and I saw two reporters from NBC at the corner of Fullerton and Sheffield. They were questioning a woman about Lincoln Park and of course all I heard was irrelevant shit coming out of her mouth. Chris and I waited at the light intentionally so we could go next but they already turned around. I was pissed because I actually wanted to say something insightful. It seems as if whenever you watch T.V. or hit up Yahoo or something all the stories are worthless or depressing. And it’s not like you can get away from it. We live in a propaganda based world, and there’s no way around it.

I try and avoid the news because it is surrounded with animosity and problems. Not once in five years have I seen news regarding, War in Darfur, Poverty in India, Child Prostitution in Russia, Communism in China, or even current reports on the non-profit charity Redcross. Instead I see drug busts, corrupt politicians and Chris Brown with iron fists. I love sports so if I watch T.V. it’s always on ESPN Sportcenter.

And no I don’t like seeing reports on 150 players who ALL used steroids, especially one of the best players in the game getting paid more then anyone else… to cheat. Or an Olympic champion who is an idol for many kids, who supposedly is a class above the rest, smoking a bong. But this is America. And they only care about America.

So I like when I see a feel-good story. Like the one I saw today about Clemson freshman guard Tanner Smith who used all of his money to give tote help bags to teens with cancer. No, he’s not the only person who does this, but just the fact that he can, inspires me.

There are a number of historic philosophers in history, but honestly none of them would have been heard if they were just regular people. Aristotle came from a family that was one of Greece's wealthiest. Sure his thoughts were great, but nobody would have ever listened if he wasn’t a “somebody.” It’s kind of sad but for the most part you need to have connections or money to be heard.

That’s why I think people in positions of power have an ethical responsibility to not only ‘not mess up’, but to help others. Tanner Smith is no superstar to anyone who watches basketball, but at 9 he only had 3 wishes.

• Play pro ball
• Get a Dog
• Make kids with Cancer Laugh

I don’t know about you but I’ve never met a nine year old who’d think of that third wish. This is why it’s a crying shame that there are not more people like him.

I always wonder why people with money are so vain and selfish. It starts off good, with most stars keeping their ego and slowly dwindles away resulting in them bitching out one of their colleagues for “stepping in front of him.” I always tell myself that if I ever had that much money I’d never turn into one of them. But who knows?

That’s why I find certain people admirable, like Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Oprah Winfrey and especially Warren Buffet, who donated $43.5 Billion last year !!!! That’s what I want to see on the news. I don’t need some guy talking about change, I want to see people making a difference. If I wasn’t so broke I’d love to go to impoverished areas and help people enjoy a higher standard of living.

So I don’t care if Tanner Smith averages 3 points a game for the rest of his career. I have a tremendous amount of respect for someone who can do something like that. That makes him a Superstar.

5 of 52: A Shining New Era, is Tiptoeing Nearer… Be Prepared

The beginning of the end if you will. The past century has been a magnificent one. One of industrialization, social righteousness, and great magnitude. Sure the British Empire was the greatest this world has ever seen, but that was in a time of the New World. Impoverished nations and third-world countries scattered the globe. The emergence of the United States as the world’s superpower was unmatched as they had to fight all odds to overcome the Royalty of Britain, the Communism of Russia, and the Dictatorships of Germany and Italy. A century of pure power. But all good things must come to an end.

15 degrees and 800,000 people stand on Capitol Hill to witness a black man take the Presidency. The shear will of people to travel there to see a man who just two years ago was virtually unheard off. And Clap. Clap. Clap…. What a speech. People are going crazy. You’d think Mr. Obama was the new messiah, the savior. And he certainly addressed the problems of this crumbling nation. Not struggling, Crumbling.

Personally I don’t think HOPE will change the minds of most financially fucking stupid American’s to continue buying things on credit, we all know they can’t afford.

I don’t think CHANGE will facilitate a new U.S. defense that will step up to the aid of suffering nations. Forget Darfur, Rwanda, Israel/Gaza, and Senegal. Now we only invade countries we have no business occupying.

I don’t think FAITH will fix increasing domestic problems of Drugs, Teenage Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Gun Violence, and the early corruption of this nation’s children.

I don’t see 10,000 Inauguration Balls as the way to raise money for suffering families, while athletes could lose $5 million and would hardly blink.

This isn’t called being Pessimistic, this is called Stark Truth. If you actually look beyond the realm of North America you’ll see that it’s no longer filled with third word countries who have to rely on the United States to "have their back." If you pay attention then you will notice countries like China and India have been buying an obscene amount of airliners and such an outstanding number of nuclear weapons, it would make 1970's Russia cringe.

It's an internal shame that the world no longer wants to follow "The American Dream" because frankly today it's become an oxymoron. Why would the east want to follow the 'world power' when in their country technology, industrialization, and opportunity is at every block. There's no such thing as the epitome of a great nation, as the bars are always being raised. The rest of the world simply caught up.

It's a sad truth but the good years are gone. Even if the problems were minor I don't think Barack would be able to fix them. It's kind of like the longest standing game of Domino's ever. America's been going well; but once one bank crashes, the domino's all start tumbling.

Whenever I see it in my head I see the song "Be Prepared" with Scar in the Lion King, signaling a change that has been biding it's time. And now is Here.

4 of 52: Cause Everyone's Doing It

25 Things That Are So Random, You Won't Even See It Coming


1. I would love nothing more then to become a writer. I have soooooo many thoughts floating around in my head that sometimes I just have to write it down so I know it was once there. I prob have hundreds of pages of stuff just packed away.

2. I love pissing people off. Call it weird but nothing makes me happier then seeing someone tick. For most people I know exactly what will make them mad and I try hard to see them blow up. Weird I know.

3. I never do my laundry at school. I take my laundry home every weekend. The one time I did it at school, several socks when missing and I have refused to do it here since. Those sock thieves are fucking everywhere.

4. My family tends to have a lot of drama. Brown people tend to have even more drama. I HATE DRAMA. I like my white friends perfectly fine :)

5. Rap collaborations are awesome. Songs like: Drive Slow, Welcome to Atlanta-remix, We Takin' Over, are some of my favs just cause they all have so many different rappers with unique styles.

6. I'd expect that if anything happened then my boys would back me up, even if I was clearly in the wrong. I'd do the same for them. We'd discuss everything else later.

7. Rivalry's are what makes life interesting. Sports, Politics, Religion, Family, you name it, it's all about rivalry.

8. I sometimes believe God put women on earth INTENTIONALLY just to fuck with guy's heads. Sometimes I just have no idea what goes on in that puzzle that is a woman.

9. If were still friends by next year and you read this you’re invited to mine and Evangeline Lilly's (Kate from LOST, ABOVE) wedding. She's perfect and our babies will be perfect too.

10. I like to think I’m funny, and I LOVE making people laugh. Because when I see that smile it makes me in turn laugh again.

11. I wish my parents would have taught me ummmm 6 foreign languages when I was young, it would make me a stud today.

12. Athletes tend to become my idols and I hate when one of them lets me down. I pick them all for not just their athletic ability but for their integrity and the ability to be a LEADER which is harder then most people think.

13. I kind of have this thing where everyone has to like me. I like to think I’m a nice guy and don't really want to give anyone a reason to dislike me. I'm fine with some hating me, but that's only because I felt that way about them first.

14. I believe everything has a phase. It is only exciting for a small amount of time until something new and better comes along. Like Pokémon cards (see #15).



15. I'd probably have more money to pay for college if I didn't waste thousands of my parents dollars when i was young on those fucking pieces of thin cardboard with some retarded picture.

16. One of my pet peeves is when someone leaves the mouse cursor on the screen when watching a video. It must be dragged to the side and made invisible. Otherwise the video must be paused until the matter is taken care of.

17. I wouldn't really mind if my future wife had like 11 boys. I could create my own team for pretty much any Sport. ANY. A guy can dream right?

18. I can't stand Stupid people. They annoy me because they have nothing intelligent to say, therefore they should not say anything at all. They are simply here to make the rest of us seem smart.

19. I sometimes wish I was rich. Not so I could buy everything but just so I wouldn't have to think twice when buying something. So many of life's problems stem from worries about money. It'd be a nice change.

20. I think I’m cursed cause I try and stay away from getting too close to most people, and just when I finally do, Bam comes back to bite me in the ass.

21. I wish I had a cool animal that I could show off to people like a Koala wrapped around me when I go to classes or like an enormous lion in my backyard like Azlan from Chronicles

22. I like stalking people on facebook. Like a Lot. I’ve probably stalked you about 6 to 7 times..... In a week. NOTE: The Facebook Stalkers Motto is "It came up on my newsfeed"


23. The world is not what it seems. Not that I’m being a conspiracy theorist, but I believe there is sometimes a blanket over our eyes. Most people can't even accept that.

24. "Power Corrupts. Absolute Power, Corrupts Absolutely"
Favorite quote Ever.

25. I Love meeting new people, so I’m gonna tag a few random people from my friends list who I hardly ever or barely speak to after I tag close freinds. I can bet myself now that if even one of them creates one of these lists I’ll find something in common to talk about.

3 of 52: Nineteen and a Well Oiled Machine

I figured I'm turning 19 so I'd make a list of things I want to do before my young life ends, (i.e. now and marriage) because everyone makes mental goals, and even if you can't meet all of them, one's better than nothing right?

• Graduate with a Double Major not just to make my parents proud but for me

• Meet one of my Sports Idols, because Sports are an important part of my life, and you try especially hard to meet the goals dearest to you

• Find a Girl worth Hanging on to and not risk Losing

• Find at least one job that will help bring a smile to peoples faces. This one's not for me, it's for them

• Doing most things right by not only my family but my friends who I have come to realize mean more to me then they will ever know

• Go back to India and Uganda, and actually see them for the first time properly, it's where my parents grew up and I'm simply a footstep following in their wake

• Go to World Cup 2014, My hearts in soccer and if i could have a dream job, it would be watching that all day

• NOT become just another accountant at a firm, but a financial job that I look forward to, for the good of me and others

• Be more assertive in pretty much all aspects of my life

• Not have a routine. I don't want to become a "Well-Oiled Machine" where my life depends on a series of events that have to follow exactly.  

A life without excitement is one not worth living for

 

 :)

2 of 52: Click-Clack, Ding-Dong, & Charlie Chan

If you like observing people then there’s no better place than the Chicago El aka. The CTA. The extremities are crazy, with one seat occupied by a clean-shaven white businessman with his $400 briefcase and his equally expensive phone. You can tell he dreads the smell of piss and B.O. reeking all the way down the train, and he just can’t wait to get off so he can get his Mocha-Frappa-Fucking-Chinno at one of his 10,000 local Starbucks locations. You wonder does he enjoy being a state attorney working 60 hour weeks making 360 K a year, or is he doing it to escape his Shit-Brick of a suburban wife so he can fuck his secretary on weekdays and pretend to be a father on weekends to his kids. Who probably aren’t even his.

In the seat next to him sits a 6’4” black guy with his Braves lid tipped back and his denims pulled down so low you could swear they were about to drop. He has his cell phone pulled out playing some 36 mafia gangsta rap, loud enough so everyone on the train can hear, but quiet enough to not drown out his own freestyle rap: “Rhymes cash-money like Lupe Fiasco, Naw gon’ be peached like Rod Blago.” He’s going places. The real question is if he’s rapping to kill time before he heads to Rogers Park to hustle some nobodies for the day’s paycheck, or is he on his way to work so he can support his family.

Two seats down from there sits a white college girl all cozy with a Black NorthFace, Brown Uggs, a Spray-tan that has no place for January in Chicago, and a Coach handbag so enormous that you could probably fit 3 Small children, a Chihuahua, and Kim Kardashian’s Ass comfortably inside. Her layer of makeup has to be an inch-plus, and she’s texting furiously like her life depends on it. She looks like every other girl in this city and you wonder if she likes looking like a clone, or if she’s just trying to be the same until she finds out what makes her different.

If you stray your eyes past her you’ll see an 70 year old man, who knows the government is never going to give him his social security so he has to work hard for shitty pay. Or is he not doing it for the money but to show he still has the 2 balls and a dick necessary to make him feel like he’s young and up there with the faces of tomorrow.

Three Asians sit behind the old geezer and they have all the signs of a triad gang, with their jet-black slick hair and identical faces of monotone soldiers. Or maybe their guns are smaller than their dicks and they're less of a fearless Hero Nakamura mold and more like Click-Clack, Ding-Dong, & Charlie Chan. (- By Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino)

And opposite them sits me. A broke-ass college kid whose trying to make his own niche by staking out the traits in others. They’re all unaware I’m observing them, making defiant judgments that if spoken out loud would force them to reveal their true identity. Over the next few stops they all get off and I don’t say a word leaving my empirical views to recline to the back of my head until I see someone just like them. You’d think I’m simply relaying stereotypes but if you’ve ever been on the El you’d know not a day goes by without you seeing at least one of these.

So you’re probably wondering why I told you about the people of the El, but really it’s not about them, it’s about you. Right now check your Facebook Chat and see how many of those people you talk too regularly. There's 20 or so you don’t talk to, simply because you think you know them. When in reality you know nothing. Maybe they're depressed and need some hope, or maybe they're even exactly like you just waiting and wondering who’ll come online to put a smile on their face.

So I’m asking you for a favor look down your list of friends online and find someone who you wouldn’t really consider a "friend." And just say Hi. Maybe you’ll find out they're exactly like you thought with a blend of shallowness and bore. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll find that you’ll connect and talk about random things that you would never have dreamt about and how you’ll be happy you had the guts to say hi because now you’re not judging, you’re learning.

“To correct the evils, great and small, which spring from want of sympathy and from positive enmity among strangers, as nations or as individuals, is one of the highest functions of civilization”

- Abraham Lincoln

1 of 52: 2008 in Retrospective

Music: Lil Wayne in 08' has finally reached the point of "I don't understand what the fuck you're saying." Do you remember when he was part of the HotBoyz or even his album "Tha Carter I" with GOOD songs like Go DJ or Way of Life when he would rap. Now it's more like "Wayne's World, Bitch, Pussy-Money-Weed, Sister, brother, son, daughter, father mothafuck a coppa, Got the Maserati dancin' on the bridge pussy poppin, Vernierial disease, Whodawannadodaboyanoodlechooda, muthafucka dsfhdskjfhksjdfhksdfhksd3492834^&$^&utds8f7te....... " Yeah WTF?

- Besides that it's been pretty good, Kanye, Akon, Rhianna, The renaissance of Justin, T.I, and randomly what happened to "Band-Aid Face" Nelly?

Politics: Why bother? I'm sick of it, sick of hearing that Obama's "god's gift to man" after oh 0... days in office. Antigua actually is renaming its highest mountain Mount Obama. grrrrrrr. Sick of the democratic party the republican party, MILF Sarah fucking Palin, her MILF daughter Bristol, just politics in general.
- 8 years of a shitlly ( I invented it) run country and the worst Bush gets is a Shoe thrown at him, Awesome :)

The Economy: ooooo this is always a fun one. A bank crashes and people panic and take their money out of other banks. Those banks in turn crash and more people panic. The DOW JONES drops 20,000,000 as people sell all their stocks. Bush says he's Thinking of injecting banks with money. The DOW JONES rises 20,000,000 as people try to buy all their stocks back.......... Moral of story: PEOPLE ARE FUCKING STUPID.
- Iceland only has 2 banks. And both have now filed for bankruptcy..... Yeah, i don't give a shit either :)

Movies: Not the best but decent. The Dark Night by far was the best movie. I hate to say it but Heath Ledger's death probably earned him an Oscar.... True Story.
- Indiana Jones was the third top grossing movie. And you thought Harrison Ford was finally dead :(

People: Like: Michael Phelps, Rod Blagojevich for 11 of 12 months, Hiro Nakamura. Hate and hope they DIE soon: Taylor Swift (for her slutiness), Rod Blagojevich, George Bush, Barrack Obama, SO politicians... Miley Cyrus, Her perverse mullet of a father, Rachael Ray, Mortgage Brokers, Jeremiah Wright, Jamie Lynn Spears, Billary Clinton, Celebrities who think a new fad means adopting half the Eastern Hemisphere, Media.
- I know, Pessimistic much?

Sports WOW, probably one of the greatest sports years in History. Who do you mention as the story of the year? Micheal Phelps? Usain Bolt? Rafael Nadal? David Tyrees Catch? Cristiano Ronaldo? The Celtics and their Big 3? Tiger Woods? Albert Pujols? Kansas's Miracle Comeback? The Big 12? Fernando Torres? Nastia Liukin? LeBron James? Candace Parker? ...... I could go ON and ON. Just shows how amazing sports were in 2008. Individuals, Teams, Nations.
- Sports Embarrassments: T.O. The Detroit Lions, Marion Jones, Stephon Marbury

So in general a pretty good year. It does seem like just yesterday it was the Millennium and it's already 2009. Insane :)

Note: Not all the notes are gonna be this long. Just this one :)

Because I Felt Like It

2009 already. Shit, it seems only yesterday we passed the millennium mark. I figured it's time to make a New Years resolution again. For about the past 4 years its been get better grades. I guess I have kind of done that but that shouldn't need a resolution, it should just be something you do.

So I figured this year I'd start writing notes. Do you ever feel like you have to many thoughts and you need to express them. I'm no novelist but sometimes I feel like writing one, not cause I want that to be my career but just for the self-satisfaction of knowing I can. I have a lot of friends and we do talk about such random stuff that I'm happy they are there. But I still feel like there's sooooooo much more I think about that I don't really express.

The content of my notes are gonna be pretty random but usually something to do with sports, music, politics, people, news ( I feel we don't read enough newspapers), book, movies, reminiscing or just life in general.

52 shall shortly follow (maybe not shortly, but eventually)

You may agree with what I say, you may not. My aim is not to offend so i will try to respect that and responses should be likewise.