Death Sentence Vs. Life Imprisonment

I was reading an article on BBC (here) calling for the better treatment of prisoners in Thai prisons, and the following paragraph triggered this post:

"The group has campaigned against the death penalty and praises the government's promise to commute death sentences to life imprisonment."

To be honest, I had never really given much thought to the issue of death sentences vs. life imprisonment.

Now, I always said that a person will analyse and dissect any issue based on the career path they have chosen, and since I am in finance, I will first look at this from a monetary stand point, then follow that with the moral one.

There is no argument, nor is there any doubt, that prisons are a drain on the taxpayers money (or the governments, for those who live in countries that do not impose tax). There is no stream of revenue generated by inmates, at most they are a source of cheap labor for menial jobs. Other than that, they are not contributing much to cover the overheads, which include but are not limited to utilities (gas, water, electricity, sewage etc.), rent, clothing, food, rehabilitation, facilities (library, training yard), maintenance etc. All this money has to come from some place, and the government does not just print money, nor does it fund prisons for free, so the brunt of it lands on the shoulders of the working class, men and women who pay their taxes to support infrastructure, education, health-care and prisoner-care as well.

So here comes the dilemma, a person has been slapped with a life sentence, with no possibility for parole. They will never walk as free men (or women) again, and will remain incarcerated for the rest of their days (not to mention some criminals are slapped with multiple life sentences, meaning if they die, and are miraculously brought back to life or reincarnated, they will again, be incarcerated!). All of the above overheads will be borne by the working class on behalf of this criminal for the rest of his life. They [the criminals] who have forsaken all law and humanity, and committed whatever crime it is that warranted such a sentence, will have the rest of their lives to ponder over their transgression, whilst the working class toil away in the real world outside the prison walls to fund for them.

I will say this matter-of-factly, how much does it cost for the government to take a life? An injection? A hanging? A burial? Cremation?

From a financial stand point, there can be no argument; it is cheaper to put them down that to keep them up.

Morally however, it is a grey area. Who is to judge those that are to be judged? What right does one have to actually take another's life, despite that life not belonging to either one of them (as in the end, it all belongs to god).

Religion (thank you Wikipedia) views the act of taking a life as circumspect. Each is aware of their own teaching.

One might argue that to prolong the life of a criminal tried and found guilty of a crime warranting life imprisonment is a fate worse than death, as they are kept alive, incarcerated, segregated from society, and forced to relive the horrors of their transgression for the remainder of their lives. 

Is that not then, a form of cruelty, of mental torture, that can be relieved by imposing the death penalty in the first place? Which is the crueller of the two fates? Who reserves the right to decide? Would anyone willingly give up the gift of life, to face the unknown that lies beyond? Are they allowed to make that decision for themselves? Apparently not, as suicide has been tabooed by both major (and minor) religions.

Unfortunately not all people are born the same, and whilst some may suffer from nightmares and tortures of the conscious, others are unfazed by the reality of their actions, and no amount of psychology or psychotherapy can make them feel anything for their victims.

The age-old adage of "let the punishment fit the crime" can be viewed as archaic this day in age. How then are we as a society meant to persevere and prosper, if a clear cut resolution to this question is not apparent?

Sick Minds and Sicker Reporting - Kuwait News Fail

The article title reads: "Kuwaiti Military Man Dies After Youth Smashes Head With Stone"

Primarily, one would be sympathetic with the military man, as the title does not elude to any fact other than that he fell victim to a youth.

That is not the main reason behind my comments; the article goes on to read as follows:

KUWAIT CITY, May 27: A 21-year old Kuwaiti military personnel died after a youth smashed his head with a stone in Umm Al-Hayman area. Apparently, the 16-year old boy knew the deceased citizen who had invited him for a jolly-ride inside his car and tried to molest him near a power generator where the boy hit his head with a stone and rendered him unconscious. 

The boy is said to have rushed home to inform the family about the incident and they called the Operations Room to report immediately.

(http://www.forensicsciencecolleges.org">Forensic Science Colleges provides information about courses you can take in order to learn the skills you need to help police to solve crimes the right way. This resource can guide you to courses and degrees that can enable you to help law enforcement to solve crimes.)

Acting on the distress call, paramedics accompanied a team of securitymen to the scene to examine the military personnel who had already died as a result of severe head injury, and so Criminal Evidences men referred the corpse to Forensics.

Meanwhile, during intaerrogation, the youth stressed he had acted on self defense, as the deceased citizen tried to molest him near the power generator, and that he only agreed to ride with the man because he knew him. Criminal Evidences men have taken the stone for analysis, while the youth has been detained for further investigation.

So far so good right? Everything has been played by the book. Or so it seemed, until the following [GRAPHIC] image is entered into the mix.

The post on Arab Times is located (here)

Caution is advised when viewing this image...

There are several inconsistencies in this, but the one that draws my attention the most is the barbaric nature of the photograph, and the sadistic mentality behind its inception.

Reading the sequence of events, the military man (MM) invites the 16-year old (MINOR) into his car for a joy-ride (where on earth does the Arab Times get its phrases, Jolly ride?), during which, an incident occurs that lead the Minor to bash in the MM head with a stone. (It is not my position to take sides, as this is an unbiased report)

This indicates that the Minor escaped from the vehicle, the MM gave chase, and judging by the positioning of the body in the picture (assuming the body was not moved post-mortem) was rendered unconscious as he tried in vain to get back into his vehicle as a result of the attack with the stone.

The story goes on; the Minor escapes and rushes to his home, informs his family of the events that had transpired, they in turn inform the operations department who go to the scene.

It is now a circus, with all of the following in attendance: paramedics, security men and criminal evidence men.

It is not mentioned that the Minor also accompanied the operations department.

However, it is evident from the photograph that he did.

At which point, the sadistic person behind the photograph figures it is a good idea to handcuff the Minor to the corpse of the now deceased MM.

Has that sunk in? Handcuffing a minor to a corpse for a photograph.

How is this sound judgement/ reporting?

If this were the US, whoever was behind this image would be subjected to a myriad of charges - mental anguish and scaring, endangering a minor, brutality/ cruelty etc.

My main question remains, what would possess someone to take such a photograph, and for a newspaper like Arab Times to actually publish it?

What strikes me as odd is the fact that the Youth's arms are still covered in blood and dirt, as are his clothes. I do not know about you, but I always wash my hands when I get home, or when I handle anything that has dust all over it. Wouldn't it have been the parents first instinct to ask their son to wash up upon returning home and reciting his horrid tale? Again, something does not add up.

And on a lighter note, take a look @ this:

Kuwaiti Rescued In Lebanon - Ramson Paid 350,000 Dollars.KUWAIT CITY, May 28: Lebanese security authorities have liberated a Kuwaiti man and arrested his kidnapper, reports Al-Rai daily.

The Kuwaiti was held hostage for three days and the kidnapper had initially demanded a ransom of one million dollars, but later settled for 350,000 dollars.

Lebanon-based MTV channel said the Kuwaiti was kidnapped last Tuesday and security authorities, after pursuing the outgoing and incoming telephone calls before and after receiving the ransom, arrested the suspect and released the kidnapped Kuwaiti.

I was breaking my head attempting to figure out what Ramson meant, whether it was a person who stepped in to pay $350,000. For one of the leading English dailies in Kuwait to have such an obvious typo is beyond me. What ever happened to professionalism?

It seems that the Arab Times website is in serious need of a tune-up, I believe I am one of many who rely on online websites for their daily news; I check BBC for the international scene and Arab Times for the local scene, why I continue to do so despite their obvious lack of professionalism is beyond me, I believe it rests solely on the fact that they have no competition in this circle.

authors note: this post is not meant to degrade or defame Arab Times Newspaper, a well established and respected daily in Kuwait, however it is meant to draw attention to the minor flaws that, if rectified, can serve to enhance its current position.

Customer service, The Commercial Bank of Kuwait has it right!

You don’t need an appointment to send an email

Remember back in the day when you had to stand in a long line, on a hot afternoon, to file a complaint? And the pointless, senseless, mindless bureaucratic policies you had to go thru? It served to make people disheartened to have their voices heard and their opinions noted. Nowadays, with the internet gaining an unprecedented popularity, the matter of voicing your opinion has become but a click of a button away.

Information about http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com on line colleges is available at Guide To Online Schools for people who want to learn about how they can learn the business skills to also provide great customer service in their line of work. It is possible to provide better customer service than this bank employee did.

A while ago, (ok, a month or so ago) I was placed in an unpleasant situation at CBKs branch in Hawalli (which happens to be one of the few that work afternoon shifts). Normally, one would have shrugged off said occurrence and gone about their normal routines, however, as this blog has taught me, I had learnt to always voice my opinion in any situation, hence whilst standing before the teller, I inquired as to the name of the person sitting in the office that had just irked me (this will make more sense later), and then upon getting home, I sat down and shot a very well-worded email to CBK admin. Here is the email:

Dear CBK,

 Good morning. I am writing you this email as I wish to file a formal complaint against one of your employees in the Tunis St. Branch, I believe his name is (BLANK), he occupies the(location of guys office).

 Yesterday I visited the branch to conduct a transaction; I wished to withdraw a sum of money from my account. I visited the branch at roughly 5:40~5:50, the number on the waiting board was 76, and my number was 131. I waited for a while, at the front desk, then realised that this wait would take some time, so I left and sat down to get some work done, I had my laptop with me at the time.

 I kept a watchful eye on the waiting board, and when the number reached 128, I decided to move out of the waiting area and closer to the tellers, as numbers were being rapidly changed and I did not wish to miss my turn.

 Please note I was not the only one standing infront of the tellers waiting for my turn, there must have been atleast 6 others there as well.

 I took a position infront of the aforementioned office and awaited. By 129 I heard a voice calling the following, "excuse me", "pssst", "Mr.", "sir", much as you would do with a child, actions unbefitting of a working professional in a professional environment seeking to conduct business. Afterward, (HE) comes up to me, taps me on the shoulder, and asks me to take a seat.

 Again, I disregarded his previous and rather mediocre behavior reminiscent of a high school teacher and politely informed him that my number was 131; that I had been sitting down, and that the counter was now on 129. He kept insisting that I sit down, rather rudely. Again, I pointed out the fact that there were other people standing infront of the tellers waiting their turn. Again, he kept insisting that I move.

 He was not even humorous or comical about it, he was serious.

I was taken aback by this. I do not expect to go into a CBK Branch and be treated like a child in high school, he refused to give me any proper reason or justification for requesting me to move, and not asking anyone else to do the same.

 Therefore, I wish to file a formal complaint against his actions of yesterday, by the time he was done with his tirade, the waiting board had hit my number, and I had my transaction processed with haste.

 Thank you for your time,

 Best regards,

 Ayman Nassar

I had done my part and was satisfied, I had named the person in question, given an accurate description of the event that had occurred, along with timings etc.

Two days later I received a call, the person was very pleasant and polite, introducing himself as the Head of Customer Service and Employee Relations (I think, I’m not really sure) at CBK. First off, he apologized for the harassment I had been subjected to (if you can call it that), and requested me to re-tell the incident. I did. He then inquired as to what I was wearing at the time, as he wished to review the CCTV footage of the day (good thing I mentioned the times properly). He also informed me that yes, the employee’s actions were not professional and that they would speak to him.

At this point, I was elated. I never thought that this email would go this far and that a tangible investigation would be solicited.

The next day, I receive another call from the same Head asking further about my attire on the day, to verify where I was standing exactly on the CCTV footage.

What happened next is beyond me, I was not privy to that information, however, suffice to say, I really appreciate CBKs effort to take a pro-active attitude in dealing with customer complaints.

I am not a guru with photoshop and my photo-search skills are limited, however, I do remember seeing a picture somewhere before of a customer complaint box with an open bottom right atop a trash can, this is clearly not the case with CBK.

If only all companies in Kuwait would put more faith and effort in their online presence, as I would much rather send an email than make a phone-call (yes, I have become desensitised as a result of the online world). For example, UshopWEship, whom I have not used again since my last disagreement with them, and will most definitely not use them again.

ALERTS TO THREATS IN 2011 EUROPE - (Funny)

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to “Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels:"Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is canceled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

John Cleese
British writer, actor and tall person

NBK Chops Off its Green Thumb

Not really, but hark, hark and lend me your ears (or eyes) for a second.

Recently, NBK decided to charge 10KD per annum for their SMS-Banking Notification Service. It is an inconsequential amount, a mere 27fils per day for an entire year, i.e. one local msg a day from any local service provider in Kuwait . 

However, never look at things from such a micro-scale. How many customers does NBK have? Lets put it at a modest 500,000 in Kuwait (out of a population of 3 million), so we have:

500,000 X 10 = KD5,000,000

For a service that had been free for as long as I can remember, or atleast ever since I started my professional career (which was 4 years ago).

At first it was a txt msg for every transaction, then they tweaked it and made it a txt msg for every transaction above KD10.

I ventured to the ATM today (don't carry much liquid cash on me, plastic all the way), I came across a peculiar sighting that was the premise for this here post.

There was a man standing there before me, luckily he had just finished and was walking away, however the minute he turned his back his receipt was printed out. He never saw it. I tried to inform him but it seemed trivial, so I merely pocketed it to throw it away later (as there was no bin near the ATM machine inside Zain HQ – a big no no as you can see receipts littered on the floor from people without a green thumb such as myself).

Anyhoo, I digress. Soon as I was done with my transaction, I also requested a printed receipt, seeing as how I no longer opted to receive the SMS-banking notifications on a matter of principle (charging for a once free service).

During the walk back to my office, it dawned on me, during those 4 years, I had never once checked 'yes' when the ATM machine asked if I wanted a receipt, knowing full well that I would receive a txt msg a while shortly, and that I was doing my part to preserve trees by not printing a piece of paper I would later throw away.

Think about it, most corporate emails being sent around nowadays have a watermark embedded at the bottom saying please save trees and do not print this email unless absolutely necessary, right?

Even my company has the following embedded in all outgoing emails:

We are committed for safer running ships and cleaner environment.

P  Save a Tree, Please Be Responsible towards the environment. Print this e-mail only if you have to.

By charging 10KD for this service per year, NBK will now have to pay more to get those rolls of paper used inside ATMs, as well as the ink to print on the papers, to facilitate my need for a receipt. The previous method saved them from this hassle.

I think it is a safe bet to assume that everyone who has a bank account, automatically has a mobile phone.

I think if some analyst were to properly crunch the numbers, they would find that their txt service saved them more in terms of paper and ink than the revenue they will generate now that the service is not free (the KD5mil from before).

I thought about it, and to properly compare both methods, you will need to check the number of times clients visit ATMs, length of paper printed, total length of paper in roll to calculate how many receipts can be printed per roll, and how often these rolls are replaced, plus cost of roll ofcourse.

There are two ways to get a profit; you either earn a revenue (new service charge) or save on expensing a cost.

For a bank that boasts to be the best bank in the Middle East, this is not a very sound PR strategy, as the current trend in all corporations is to “Go Green”.

Shame on NBK for wasting trees; as both a client and a shareholder, I am most appalled at your antics to earn a quick buck at the expense of the environment.

legal disclaimer: this post represents the authors own opinion, it does not in any way, shape or form demean or belittle the services provided by the aforementioned company to its clientele. (who knows what with the recent Benihana fiasco!)

(some) Women at the Cinema

So there i was sitting @ the movies, getting ready to watch this movie that I should have watched last week, in Egypt, with my cousin, had he not opted to go to the wrong mall where the movie was not showing.

Anyhoo, I digress, so I'm there and I'm all set to watch a movie right? Headed over straight from work hence I'm all dressed up in my suit and tie; looking & feeling like a million bucks as Ludacris said before.

Upon handing over my K-NET to print out my ticket, I head inside to take my seat, and survey the scene. I was unable to select my seat myself, as there were no writings save the number on the chair (where do they keep the letter assigned to each row? Surely there must be something that the Ushers use for reference!)

The theater was relatively empty (albeit filling up), I politely asked the usher to show me to my seat, it was an aisle one, halfway up, just the right position so that ur head is neither tilted up nor down, nor are the edges out of view. As I was looking up, I saw a 'family' of 2 girls and a guy sitting to my right (girl, girl, guy from the seats straight across the aisle from me), so its:

(ME) ----AISLE------ (Girl)(Girl)(Guy)

Soon as I took my seat, i heard the femenoid (remember the term for an explanation later) to my right exclaim something that I could not catch/ decipher in a cacophonous shriek (the harpy) and then a short while later, she gets up and changes seats with the guy, putting him immediately to my right, straight across the aisle.

so now its:
(ME) ----AISLE----- (Guy)(Girl)(Girl)

my exact sentiments after the "incident"

What a way to crush my spirits lady, me thinking I'm super fly and all.

You're so ugly you can make an onion cry!

*SIGH*

First, I wish she were good looking, then maybe I can find a way to give her an excuse (albeit a lousy, stuck up, stupid excuse) for her behavior, but alas! (hence my use of the term femenoid, get it?)


I just dont get it, I wouldn't give her a second glance on any given day, not her specifically, but anyone in that environment; but seriously; some chicks need to get over themselves. Like waaay over themselves. I'm talking space shuttle to the top of ego-atmosphere over themselves.

PLUS, it was Vin Diesel Vs. The Rock! I don't care if, hold on, let me check and see who'se the sexiest woman alive atm according to the polls..

Ok, too many polls, if memory serves, I think it was J-Lo this year. So, I don't care if J-Lo were sitting across from me (it COULD happen!) I would be too transfixed with this clash of the titans that transpired during the movie!

So shall I hide my face beneath a brown paper bag henceforth, whats the dilleo?

(PS this is NOT me in a suit with a bag over my head btw!)

I mean, I'm not vain or anything, but I am not a monstrosity that has women running away in terror once they see me, so what is it? There I was sitting there under the impression I was either grotesque or emitting a foul odour of some kind.

"I just want somebody to love me"

And oh, the femenoid finished her nachos before the trailers even played, just FYI.

(who's the monstrosity now?)

Also btw, there were women on the bachelors side too, so whats that all about?

I said it before, and I'll say it again, this silly segregation of the seatings at the Cinema is so last century. Get with the program, and keep the seats on a first book, first served basis.

FYI to anyone who still hasn't seen Fast 5, I suggest you do (there are a couple of deleted scenes that have ruined the movie tho [thank you very much Ministry-of-Whatever]), and to those that have already seen it, I hope you stayed until the end credits rolled, coz there was a little teaser scene at the end, setting the stage for another sequel.

Was it just me, or was Vin Diesel sporting a bit of a turkey neck in this one?

Anyhoo, there you go, an anecdote, a joke, a review and a recommendation all wrapped up in one post.

Shoot Like a Pro - Photography Workshop with skilled photog Tayseera Al-Barram

Gangs of Cairo

As I wrote this, I was being held hostage in an area of cairo i had never visited in all my 25 years of life.

Al Amiria, an industrial area the likes of amghara, but scrummier.

It started off as a normal visit to a specialist mechanic, at the time we were awaiting inside a stronghold, with words of gunfire, swords and billy clubs @ the entrance.

My cousin had taken his car to get fixed, his dad and myself accompanied him. We had tried the car out however there still remained a problem with it, so we came back to the mechanic and one of his assistants, nicely dressed, went along with my cousin to test drive it again.

I remained with my uncle, talking work.

20 to 30 minutes into it, i hear a car roaring down the dirtway, and was surprised to find it was my cousins car, and he was driving erratically.

The firs thing that caught my attention, amidst much yelling, was that his passenger was badly injured, bleeding profusely from the head. Crimson blood flowing freely down his face and splashing all over his chest.

My cousin angrily recalls the story to all standing around; it goes that at the entrance to this desolate area, they ran into trouble with minibus drivers, who hit my cousins car. The mechanic had been driving and the minibus backed up into him. The mechanic climbed out of the car to berate the minibus driver, insults were exchanged, next thing you know the minibus driver is swinging a billy club wildly and smashes it down on the mechanics head. Based on my cousins account, this was not a swing to aggravate, but a death blow being launched, as amidst the bleeding, the minibus driver was still wailing on the mechanic.

The situation had turned into a gang war between mechanics and minibus drivers; as the mechanics would not allow such an audacious affront on one of their own, and we are caught in the middle. They armed themselves with iron rods and broken glass, large pieces of wood and whatever projectile they could carry.
Then they ran to the gate, a distance of maybe 1~1.5km, to exchange blows with the minibus drivers.

We awaited to see what would transpire.

One returned, shirtless and proceeded to pull out a gun, informing any who would listen that they were greeted by stone throwers much fighting.

From what I understood from what was going on, the assailants brother came into the mechanics den to talk peace, and implore them not to take blood retribution against his brother. A person claiming to be the victims brother was reluctant to accept, inciting that his brothers injury had to be returned in kind.
How geared are we, the students of knowledge and white collar jobs, for such acts of violence & mindlessness? How can an intellectual fare against brute strength and wreckless abadon? We may workout, we may run for miles, we may be well versed in various forms of combat, if at all, however that accounts to nothing beside someone who is ready to die over a petty, inconsequential matter. We are not battle tested nor war hardened, no matter how many action movies we watch or rounds of call of duty we simulate.

We had gone there since 8pm, we left by 11pm, having been informed that the mechanic required 7 stitches to his head.

God save us, god save Egypt, for this country is beautiful and beaming potential, however it is the unfortunate residue of removing a cancer that has plagued the people for 30 years. 50% of the population is illiterate, and the Law of the Jungle prevails in most far-flung corners of Egypt, were the law remains reluctant to trespass.
 
Pictures and video soon to follow.

Reality TV.. terrible tragedy

It has come to my attention that the current trend in cash-cows around the world is Reality TV.

From the title, you would assume a touch of reality in said shows, however, you would be gravely mistaken.

I am not a fan of reality TV. Some shows are ok, like the talent shows, because you keep getting fresh people every week.

It seems that every idea that can be thought of, no matter how insane or mundane or trivial or inconsequential it is, can be made into a reality TV show.

A few examples:

Verminators: (here)

A reality TV show about exterminators, doing their job.

Queue in YAWN.

The Swan


A TV show that perpetuates the greatest stereotypes in the world, that beauty on the outside is the key to self acceptance. You are basically telling all normal people that, unless you get snipped, tucked, sucked, enlarged etc. you will never love yourself. A very uphill view for all teens struggling with image issues.

Keeping up with the Kardashians

Seriously, how shallow can you get?











House Swap, Wife Swap, The Nanny....

The list is really endless, I can go on forever.

What really annoys me about reality TV is how it continues to attempt to insult my intelligence and the intelligence of everyone out there. Dialogue in these shows is forced, it is not real, its not natural, its put on for show.

The greatest paradox about reality TV is that there is no reality in the TV show whatsoever.

It has people that I do not know, living lives that are not mine, doing things that I will not do, and happily removing all borders of privacy for their 15 minutes of Fame.

OK maybe this was real, and funny, but as you can see:



I would very much rather spend my time watching professional, PAID actors and actresses entertain me and grab my attention,that waste my time watching the average joe's/jane's attempts to squeeze every femto-seconds worth of fame they can.

That is just me.

Again, I agree with some shows, like the Talent Shows etc. But the majority of Reality TV, we can really do without.

Our Concept of Time

Despite wanting to be Kuwait's Sports Page, I find nothing sporty to reporty (hehe, lame I know) atm, so here I am with something to break the monotony and quiet and inform my dear readers that yes, I am still here.

The current events have just grabbed my attention and I find myself endlessly reading news articles etc.

I'll have a mindless dribble post later, but right now I have an idea I want to put forth.

Time.

What is it?

It is referred to as the fourth dimension. However I am not here to talk physics.

It just came to my attention whilst looking around my desk that there once was a paper I decided to throw away, it never made it to the trash bin unfortunately, and instead rolled off into a forlorn recess of my desk floor, heres a picture:

As you can see, it was not intentional, the paper landed far away.

That paper has been lying there, unattended, unmoved, undisturbed, for over a year now.

I hope this does not reflect badly on the cleaning crew! Or me, I'm not not moving it out of some sense of false-pride or anything, as you can see, pondering the piece of trash has a meditational effect on my psyche.

 I always thought that the longer I wait to have a look at that sheet of paper, the more meaning whatever was written on it or scribbled or printed would have. It could be an order of food I made, a picture I doodled, a report I made an error on and decided to bin. I don't know. In the end, it could be a blank sheet of paper.

But I have yet to open it, for hopes that later it might carry greater meaning.

How often do we put off doing things because it is not the right time, or so we feel? How frequently do we limit our inspirations under the guise of us not being ready, or not having enough experience etc?

Take me for example, I am currently hoping to finish a professional certification (the CMA), I think that this certification will help me get a better position, better perks etc. Have I tried to apply for jobs without it? No. I have limited myself to thinking that without it, I cannot find something better (not that I am looking if anyone from where I work happens to be reading this!)

I have this bottle of perfume (cologne, whatever) that I bought a long time ago, I absolutely love it. Dolce&Gabana, the original. I remember I got it for 7KD (tester, from Mubarakiya) and as it was very rare at the time to find (in Mubarakiya) I held onto it, to this day, unopened in its box. Awaiting some occasion to use it.

When we put things on lay-away for a long time, we often forget why we enjoyed them in the first place.

I guess the meaning behind this is, do not waste time. There is no opportune moment for something to happen, time is infinite, and everything happens at exactly the time it should. As Gandalf said in Lord of the Rings, "A wizard is neither late nor early, but arrives exactly when need".

And i'll end with an original quote:

Time, we never have as Much as we would Like

but we always have More than we Realise



Why do some guys have to be such grade A-@$$holes?

I wasn't really sure with the title whether to use guys in general, some guys or most guys. I went with the latter to pretend there is hope.

Read on:
Remember that post I wrote a while back about how single guys are singled out as pariahs in our society (here)?

I’m printing my fourth retraction...

Why do guys have to be such grade A-@$$holes?

It seems fitting that the final choice in men lies with women, heaven forbid it should be the other way around and a woman would be pining and bending over backwards for a guy.

I say this now because I am sick of hearing of how some guys behave. It really does reflect badly on the rest of us, and casts a black cloud of doubt and trepidation that can nay be lifted without going through labors that would make the 12 tasks of Hercules appear as simple as morning chores.

Guys are now divided into groups, the posers, the liars, the fakers, the @$$holes and the dreamers. If you end up with one of the first four, you are shit out of luck. And unfortunately, the majority of the market nowadays is compromised mainly, if not solely, of the aforementioned Big Four.

Onto a few examples:
First off, you have the kind of guy who feels when he is out with a girl that he must put down everyone else around him and degrade them to appear superior to his beau. If his beau gets off on that kind of behavior, then they are a match made in lovers hell and are fittingly deserving of one another. If however, his beau has any shred of decency, or is a level headed person, she would dump this dude like a bad habit on his rear-end.

Second, you have those that would spin a tale as tall as Burj Khalifa as to how much they make, how much they spend and overall how material they are. Again, in my books, or that of any warm blooded femme, money spent on everything else does not translate to money he will spend on you. And I know that you do not need to spend a great deal to have a great time, it all depends on the company you are with. Learn that.

Come to think of it, fakers are much like posers and liars, just probably an amalgamation of both in one ugly, compact package.

Now, the grade A sirloin, certified, 100% @$$hole, and trust me, I have heard of MANY. These are the guys who just don’t care. Lets face the facts, the sweetest thing about any relationship is always at the beginning (don’t get me wrong, it can be sweet all the time, but at first, when the “chase” is on, I believe that is the sweetest time). The initial introduction, the hesitant glances, the longing to make eye-contact, to gather every single emotion one feels and frame them into one glance.

Does that happen? No. you have guys throwing their numbers into girls cars, plastering their contact info on the back of their souped up rides in an attempt to get the girls to chase them, even blurting out the most incomprehensible and utter garbage to a person that they do not even know in the first place!

As Dylan Moran said, “WHATS WRONG WITH US?!”

Now this is a heart-felt apology, from me personally, and every other guy like me out there, to all those who have fallen prey to such vile characters.

I try to convince myself that guys are not single-minded, that they do not have naught but one goal in mind, and strive to achieve it by any means necessary, pulling as many curtains as they can, setting up an elaborate façade meant to confuse others and hide their truly nefarious purposes.

(to those wondering, I use the term nefarious purpose alot as a pun on a character from the Asterix & Obelix comics, Nefarius Purpus)

But every time I check online, every time I read the paper, I find that I am sadly, and gravely, mistaken. You have but to refer to the previous weeks antics of a man on the Gulf road, whom after several failed attempts to give a girl his number (she rejected), he proceeds to smack her atop the head with a bottle.

Its time to shape up or ship out.