It's A New Year

I can't even begin to describe the events that unfolded on New Years and the week before. What a fantastic time. And funny. Glad that Charles came to visit and we made it upto New York and came back just in time for all the parties and craziness on New Years Eve.

Wish I could write about the events of the week but I'm too lazy to go on. Lets just say that it was definitely crazy. Crazy but fun.

But before I forget..

One of my friends should thank me for providing him the possibility to crash at my place. Fortunately enough for him he never had to stay the night due to the abundance of tricks he managed to find both nights he was here.

And another friend of mine had a really hot threesome on New Years Eve which he should thank me for since I got really wasted and went home with someone else (too bad my drunken ass never managed to get an erection even when I woke up next morning).

Seems like it's going to be a good year. No sex but lots of other things to focus on. Excellent.

The Big 2-3

Quite a week it has been. The week of the big 2-3. My 23rd birthday. Getting older and wiser, slowly and surely. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a good day. Took the day off, worked out, shopped at Georgetown (bought a scarf and a pair of mittens) and spent the afternoon reading Three Junes.

Rents called from Saudi Arabia in the wee hours of the morning (around 3 am) giving me their best, sounding extremely excited after the Umrah. Don’t remember what they exactly said since I was still half-asleep. My sisters also called and it was somewhat comforting to talk to them. I think I’m pretty lucky to have a family that cares for me this much. Too bad they didn’t show it when I was in Pakistan, but better later than never. I know they miss me a lot, especially on days like birthdays and anniversaries, wishing I was with them. And a part of me also wishes that I was with them. But we all know that its better this way. They know I’m a different person now, “too American” according to them, and would never be happy living back home. Plus I’ve made my intentions of staying here pretty clear. Honestly I’m not being selfish. I do care a lot about my family. I just wish I could show it more. And I really want to visit. After all, I have been waiting so long to see old acquaintances, show off my abundant self-confidence and off course, cruise some desi hotness.

Went out later in the evening with JMarburg, a middle-aged JAP (short for Jewish American Princess), who is becoming somewhat of a good friend. We started by going to this gay “friends of friends” happy-hour. The crowd was too old for my taste and not very cute. I did look smashing though, turning it up a notch since it was my birthday. Disappointed by the lack of beauty, we decided to leave after one beer and were soon joined by Marco, another close friend of mine, for dinner at Busboys and Poets (a new trendy restaurant bookstore/café on 14th Street). It was the first time JMarburg and Marco had met, so I wasn’t sure if they’d hit it off. But they seemed to get along fine and, with utmost generosity, ended up splitting the check between them.

Later Roman, aka the French slut, decided to join us for drinks at JRs, not my place of choice but unfortunately the only happening place on a cold Tuesday night. Roman and I have a “history” but we’ve made out peace after everything (actually Roman also has a history with El but I won’t bring that up right now). So, we’re at JR’s having drinks, when Kai called, wishing me happy birthday. I told him where I was and asked him to join us. He hurried along and I introduced him to my friends who I think seemed to feel a bit awkward around him. I think its super hard and uncomfortable to introduce a potential someone to a group of friends who have had a romantic interest in you at some point. Thinking that we needed more privacy, my entourage trickled off one by one. They didn’t really have to leave because Kai and I left JRs soon thereafter and kissed each other goodbye outside of McDonalds, amidst receiving awkward glances from random strangers.

However, I did get an email from Marco the next day with the following disclaimer:

“p.s. watch out for those southern boys. i dated one for 3 years they're fun, sweet and cute and everything, but deep down, they're dangerous”.

C T A

CTA party last weekend. A lot of unattractive gays and a couple (one or two) hot ones. Somewhat fun! Good desserts and free drinks. Was in bed by midnight which was great.

Things are quite peaceful these days. And I should be writing more. But I'm just being lazy. Been thinking a lot though.

Going to NYC next weekend for Ed's WallStreet party. Am I going to meet my future husband? Probably not.

I'm turning 23 tomorrow and all I feel is nostalgic. I've always not liked the day of my birthday. Probably because I expect too much.

Ah....

Hingis returning?

Martina Hingis is making a comeback to professional tennis? Thats huge. Read the story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2240719


I've really missed Hingis. Though not the most powerful, she is an extremely talented player with a brilliant down the line backhand, which also happens to be her favorite shot. Last week I saw her play Steffi Graf (undoubtedly the best women's tennis player of all time) in the '99 French Open Final and I have to say that even though Martina lost, she played like a champion. To me that is her most memorable performance. Even though Steffi proved her brilliance, Martina, with utmost effulgence, played some breathtaking tennis, showing the whole world saw that behind the arrogant front was a teenager with strong emotions.

I just hope that after all this time Martina still has the burning desire to want to be on the top and compete against the top players. One thing is for sure; she won't settle if she doesn’t do well. Either she's going to be in the top 5 or leave again. Can't wait to see you back on the court girl!!

Routine..

Loving the new routine: Waking up at 5:30, reading the paper, or a tome (usually fiction), or studying for the CFA, always followed by a workout and a visit to the sauna.

Speaking of which, why are there so many black gays in the morning at the gym? Don’t they have jobs or do they just saunter around naked in the locker rooms, sporting their above average endowments, until its time for the mostly Caucasian evening crowd to show up? I mean, I hardly see a black person in the evenings, particularly in the locker room, but I always see at least ten (an enormous number for Resluts) in the mornings. And trust me I notice these things because I am colored myself. Weird, but another good example of the DC homo-segregation.

The weekend was somewhat fun. AB was in town for Thanksgiving and we went for dinner to Rice with Kai and a couple of his friends. Later MMaring joined us and we ventured to Cobalt and Halo, which were both pretty boring. The best part of the evening was dinner. I think Kai and I have a thing going and it does help that he is cute. Plus this time AB approves, quote a contrast to the last time when he told me how much he hated El. But I don't know, I am really enjoying being by myself right now and getting my life back in order. And I do like the routine, which is strange because I was NEVER a morning person. Weird how things change as you get older...

Reading Three Junes right now. Just finished reading Love in the time of Cholera, which was a fantastic read. Garcia really impressed me with his beautiful words and the way he describes the burning desire of the main character throughout the book. Probably the best book I have read on "love" and how true love lasts no matter who comes into your life. Though I'm glad that I picked up the book from the"fiction" section of the bookstore 'cause in reality the concept of undying love is a crock of shit. Seriously.

AND I replaced by jacket with another one that costs more. I am crazy, at least sometimes.

Brangelina In Pakistan

Oh my God,

Angelina “home wrecker” Jolie and Brad “the unfaithful” Pitt are planning a trip to Pakistan to check on the victims of the earthquake disaster. Could anything be worse?

Ok, I am sure that these two are “good” people. Angelina is just being supportive, doing her duty as the U.N goodwill ambassador, trying to bring a new child in the family. Cambodia, Ethopia and now Pakistan, what a wonderfully diverse photo album that would make. But COME ON Angelina. The LAST thing these people need to see is you making a poor example of yourself by flaunting a man who you nabbed from an innocent woman.

And look at Brad, accompanying Angelina to a “third-world” country just to be a kiss-ass. I don’t understand why he never visited Pakistan, or any other disaster-struck country, ever before in his forty-three years of selfish existence. Maybe he was too busy buying beauty products, made using ingredients indigenous to third-world countries, or just cheating on his sweet and innocent wife.

Anyway, I hope these two have a good time being supportive, running around rubble, falling of rocks, asking questions, giving answers, handing out medication, and helping people “understand the difficult life of a refugee”. Word of caution: Don’t forget to pack your lifejackets. And more importantly, keep away from the Pathans. Losers!

Dumb British Pakis

A friend just sent me a link to the following story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4416988.stm

These men could not be more stupid. Alcohol is NOT a reason to take someone’s life. And we’ve all been through a lot of shit and thankfully I don’t know these three personally, but they have no reason to kill an innocent bystander. I’ve been drunk several times, even blacked out, but have NEVER been violent enough to do something so irreprehensible. Or be a cause for vandalism. Self destructive, yes, but never socially destructive.

What makes things worse is that these three men British born Pakistanis. This gives the indigenous white majority another reason to condemn the influx of immigrants in the country. And unfortunately this bloody incident is going to add to the misconception of South Asians being violent assholes, which may not be a misconception, but is still far away from being a harsh reality.

Is the press exaggerating? Or was the man actually “ferociously” killed. And what about this quote shouted by one of the perpetrators: "We have killed the white man. That will teach an Englishman to interfere in Paki business."

Though this is the quote that really caught my eye: “They eschewed their parents' religion and culture - although they paid lip service to it - and chose instead to imitate their white English peers with binge drinking, sex and consumerism”.

Lets get something straight. Binge drinking, sex and consumerism do not lead to murder, if that is what the article is implying. Yes these people gave up their moral values, or at least thats what their families claim, yes these people are psychotic monsters, but no way in hell you can correlate the act of killing somebody with binge drinking, sex and consumerism.

Disturbing. Extremely…..

Relaxing Weekend

Quite a low-key weekend: dinner with JMarb at Health Bar Friday night, birthday dinner with Dan, MF and a bunch of older gays Saturday night at Old Ebbitt Grill, followed by some sober revelry at Halo. And a movie date Sunday evening to see the new Harry Potter movie, ending with some heavy making out at the end of the night.

But in spite of everything else, the best was playing tennis with Tom Sunday afternoon. And I played really well. What a great way to start the weekend.

Taste that tolerance

After the recent French riots, I’ve heard people question why similar riots are not a part of the American social scenery and why Arab immigrants assimilate better in the U.S. How are Arab immigrants in America able to climb the ladder of education and advancement when their counterparts in France are unable to do so?

According to U.S. Census Bureau, at least 3.5 million Americans are of Arab descent. Arab Americans live in all 50 states, but two thirds reside in 10 states; one third of the total live in California, New York, and Michigan. About 94% live in metropolitan areas. Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Chicago and Washington, DC are the top five metro areas of Arab American concentration. Even though this shows that assimilating does not always mean dispersing (Arab Americans tend to live in clusters), Americans with Arab heritage have successfully integrated themselves with the wider community.

Additionally, Arab-American workers and businessmen are woven into the wider economy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, similar to the national average, about 64 percent of Arab American adults are in the labor force; with 5 percent unemployed. Seventy three percent of working Arab Americans are employed in managerial, professional, technical, sales or administrative fields. Median income for Arab American households in 1999 was $47,000 compared with $42,000 for all households in the United States. Close to 30% of Americans of Arab heritage have an annual household income of more than $75,000, while 22% of all Americans reported the same level of income.

From the various mosques in this country to the new Arab-America museum in Dearborn, Arab-Americans have the freedom to profess their religion and celebrate their culture. I think it’s easier for immigrants to feel a part of this country especially if the locals feel they have something valuable to offer; or if they feel that these people are not acting self-righteous, imposing their values on the people around them.

However, I know that a lot of Arab-Americans are accused of “acting white”. Does that mean that they have to forsake their self-identities to wear the mark of acceptance in this country?

Immigrants from Middle Eastern countries head to highly concentrated Arab communities because they have relatives there; or, when they arrive in a big city, they may gravitate towards an area with familiar food and festivities. Contrast this with France, where the North African immigrants gravitate towards the slums because there is nowhere else for them to go. Ethnic ghettos have been formed in a country that prides itself in color-blind equality. And mass unemployment persists in a welfare system that is supposedly glued together by “social solidarity”, operating under a model of integration without recognizing the differences between various minorities.

So if you ever hear Americans complain about immigrants “stealing” away jobs, remind them of France which is feeling the wrath of immigrants who are forced to live in poverty and, to vent their frustration, follow a path of fury and destruction. We should be lucky that the U.S. has the resources and the tolerance to provide for the wider community and avoid riots based on ethnic differences.

The GM Story

Key players: General Motors (GM), Rick Wagoner, CEO

Summary: GM just announced that it will eliminate 30,000 manufacturing jobs and close nine North American plants by 2008 as part of an effort to get production in line with demand.

Popular Brands: Corvette, Chevrolet, Buick, Saab, Cadillac, Hummer

Comments: The world’s biggest carmaker is giving in; firing people even in the light of wanting to safeguard the American Dream of retiring with fat benefits. The culprit: Asian competitors, namely Toyota and Honda, and several other woes which include:

1) Recent SEC investigation for accounting errors due to improperly booking credits from suppliers

2) High labor, pension, health care and materials costs

3) Sagging demand for SUVs, largely due to higher oil prices, and by bloated plant capacity

4) Declining market share, currently at 25%, larelgy due to competition from Asian automakers

5) Possibility of a strike at Delphi Corp., its biggest parts supplier, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month. GM spun off Delphi in 1999 and could be liable for billions in pension costs for Delphi retirees.

Hopefully, closing the plants will shave off some of that excess capacity and bring demand more in line with supply. However, I see cost cutting as only the beginning to address these problems. Competition with Asian automakers is going to kill GM if it does nothing about it. But what can it do? Change its business strategy and introduce more fuel-efficient crossover and hybrid vehicles? But even then it faces intense competition from the Japanese who are currently dominating the market and are ready to drop prices to safeguard their powerful position.

GM said the plan is to achieve $7 billion in cost reductions on a running rate basis by the end of 2006. This is going to show up in the books as a "significant" restructuring charge in conjunction with the changes and any related early retirement program.

Gotta love globalization!

What a nightmare....

You know how we all have one of those nights which start out great but end up being total disasters, the memory of which remains etched in our minds for a very long time. Well, I had one of those nights this Thursday, a night that was marked by complete self-destruction on my part, ending in me losing the following items:

a) Jacket bought last month from Energie, worth four hundred dollars
b) Wallet with all my identification, including my invaluable UVA ID
c) Keys to my building, apartment and office

It was the night of the Madonna CD-release party at Hush, a restaurant in Adams Morgan that magically transforms into a gay club every Thursday. It was my first time there, and anticipating dancing drunk to the new CD, I’d been looking forward to this night all week.

I’m not going to bother talking about the “fun” since it the last thing I should be focusing on right now. But I did have a great time, I think, until they started serving free drinks between 11:30 and 12:00. Unable to control my vehement desire for free alcohol, I drank myself to the point of not remembering how or when I ended up leaving the club.

The next thing I remember is being lost, walking the streets of DC, trying to find my way back home. Oh, and off course I remember shivering uncontrollably in 30 degrees temperature, thinking where the hell my jacket was.

I guess I shouldn’t drink myself to the point where I blackout and tell my friends that I will be “fine” being by myself. Cause apparently, as far as I can remember, I was so drunk that I lost my way coming back home. And it sucks to get lost when you are drunk and don’t know where you are going.

But what sucks even more is losing your wallet AND your keys and not being able to enter your apartment even when you are outside your building. So I did what any other individual would do. Yell at my favorite neighbor, MF, and sleep at her place since my brain had completely stopped functioning at this point.

I haven’t done shit like this to myself in a while. Even after El and I broke up, I was fine, drinking moderately, not suffering any major repercussions. I guess all that changed last night. I can’t do this to myself again. I mean look at all the shit I had/have to go through; miss work, cancel credit cards, get new IDs, keys, and possibly another jacket if I feel that I am lucky or deserving enough to afford one.

But still I am thankful that I still have my job. And my life off course. As I tell myself, it could’ve been worse. A lot worse.

But at the same time a big FUCK YOU to the person who used my credit cards last night. What an asshole you are. You could’ve chosen to call me since my business card was in my wallet, but u didn’t. Instead you ended up spending $28.50 of my money at a 7-11 in Arlington, VA. Well, I hope my credit card’s fraud department really punishes your ass since you don’t have the common decency to return something that ain’t yours. Oh, AND if you also have my jacket then I hope that you get an STD from the next person that you end up sleeping with. And if you are married, I hope that your husband or wife cheats on you and ends up killing you in your sleep.

And if you are a silly faggot then I hope that your cheap ass never gets laid for the rest of your life.

But if you are a homeless person and you are using my jacket to ward off the cold, then God bless you. I have no qualms about you wearing the most expensive piece of garment that I have ever owned, which I bought last month and wore only twice, because you deserve to wear it far more than I do.