On the map

Apropos of nothing here is an excerpt from P.G W's " A D in Distress"

"Consider his position you faint hearted and self pitying young men who think you have a tough row to hoe just because, when you pay your evening visit with the pound box of candy under your arm you see the handsome sophomore from Yale sitting beside her on the porch, playing the ukulele. If ever the world has turned black to you in such a situation and the moon gone behind a cloud, think of George Bevan and what he was up against. You are at least on the spot. You can at least put up a fight. If there are ukuleles in the world, there are also guitars and tomorrow it may be you and not he who sits on the moonlit porch, it may be he and not you who arrives late. Tomorrow he may not show up until you have finished the Bedouin's Love Song and are annoying the local birds, roosting in the trees, with Poor Butterfly.

What I mean to say is, you are on the map, you have a sporting chance. Whereas George...well just go over to England and try wooing an earl's daughter whom you have only met once and that without introduction; whose brother's hat you have smashed beyond repair; whose family wishes her to marry some other man: who wants to marry some other man herself - and not the same other man, but another other man; who is closely immured in a medieval castle...Well all I say is - try it. And then go back to your porch with a chastened spirit and admit that you might be a whole lot worse off."

Laughter

SP - Dude apply to Australia...you have passed their only criteria for success"

Me - What's that?

SP - At work but not working

SP - and if you start being a bit of an asshole and confusing the shit out of everyone you will become senior management

**********
IDB - I am going to be a mudjahid**n tomorrow

Me - WTF?! what do you mean?

IDB - I am going to Srinagar
*********

Really...each day should begin with a thanks for friends like these heh :-)

Money honey

India's Harvard educated Finance Minister was addressing a massive press conference after presenting the annual budget. Watching him parry & answer questions with the panache only he can garner, one is reminded of a combination of a boxer, a ballet dancer and an arrogant young man (though he's well into his 60's)

Being a South Indian, a funny and common occurence throughout the press conference was when a journalist ostensibly from the North or some such other part of India asked a question in Hindi. Mr. P Chidambaram would lean to his right, get the question translated and then answer in English. What the hapless journalist from say Ranchi or Allahabad comprehended, I am really not too sure but it was funny all the same.

To a question, ''Sir, why don't lawyers fall under the service tax net?'' he smiled and said ''Because no one believes that lawyers render service of any kind!''

J is for...

I caught about 3 minutes of the Tonight Show a few minutes back where Jay Leno talks about ''news'' around the world

"So the UK Medical Society has published a report that marijuana users are increasingly susceptible to panic attacks. Hmm...I don't understand because the only time a marijuana user has a panic attack is when he's out of marijuana''

It took me a few minutes to pick myself off the floor after that one. Heh!