As much as I hate to write a strictly personal entry without any type of entertainment value...something compelled me to write about this:
In a nutshell: My family immigrated to America in 1990, just after the fall of the Soviet Union. We settled in Brooklyn, NY and that's where i grew up. I consider myself "born and raised" here. My parents never quite accomplished the "American Dream" of American lore, but it's all relative (we were far better off here then in the land of the hammer and sickle). So, after my parents separated times went from hard to harder...and I grew up making sure that me and my mother were getting by...and that's what we did. Money was tight, and still is, but through the good times and the bad I kept on hoping for something better with a childish twinkle in my eye, waiting for dumb luck.
Then something in me changed, I didn't just hope anymore, I set out to get it. I knew there were bigger and better things out there and my hunger for them-for the money, the power, the prestige-became insatiable. I looked around me and all I saw were people succeeding out of humble origins, some more humble than my own. I saw these 20 something year old kids with fancy cars, wads of cash and gorgeous women on their arms. I saw sleazy businessmen pulling up to local Russian restaurants in Bentley's and Lamborghini. I wanted that, I wanted that success-not their success, or their money-just success.
I see all these successful people in the world who don't have to worry about money, or how to put food on the table, or how to put their kids through school-and all I know is I need to be one too, more than twelve does...And I'll stop at nothing.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I need to be one too,more than 12 does...
So i should?
So a few months back I decided to go get a haircut. Long story shirt, I got one, and as i casually walked through the crowd of unfriendly faces that is Brighton Beach, i walked up the stairs to get on my beloved Q train. But what do i see when i approach the door i want to use to get upstairs? This: 
Now i don't expect the people who work at this train station to be the most intelligent bunch, but you certainly don't need to be th next Albert Einstein to know when to use quotations. When i saw this sign, all i could think about was why...why in the world someone felt it was necessary to put "do not" in quotations...are they simply implying that I should use the door? or was that their way of emphasizing the fact that i shouldn't, as if the presence of the double underline didn't tip me off.
Now i don't expect the people who work at this train station to be the most intelligent bunch, but you certainly don't need to be th next Albert Einstein to know when to use quotations. When i saw this sign, all i could think about was why...why in the world someone felt it was necessary to put "do not" in quotations...are they simply implying that I should use the door? or was that their way of emphasizing the fact that i shouldn't, as if the presence of the double underline didn't tip me off.Flattery
I'm always impressed with the amount of various little things that catch my eye when I'm out and about doing whatever it is I'm doing. Always making me wish i could meet the people responsible for whatever it was.
Case in point: Knock offs; we've all heard of fake cologne, fake purses and sneakers. I mean-I'm not ashamed to say I've purchased some knock offs on canal street..."real" Air Force One's for $60 cheaper than at foot locker? Of course i want a pair! But these are elegant fakes, pretennding to be the actual product...most of the time they come close and if you don't look too close no one would ever know...but then you come across a whole different type of imitation...not one that pretends to be the original by looking JUST like it, but SORTA like it, trying to trick you into buying it...this annoys me:
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but honestly...i mean...wow! What are these people thinking? Why not just create your own brand...if your not trying to pretend to be the actual product, then your insulting my intelligence in thinking I'll buy your product by accident because it looks like the original.
I burst out laughing when i saw this...then i walked over to the cereal aisle and saw The Tastee-os, my day was complete.
Case in point: Knock offs; we've all heard of fake cologne, fake purses and sneakers. I mean-I'm not ashamed to say I've purchased some knock offs on canal street..."real" Air Force One's for $60 cheaper than at foot locker? Of course i want a pair! But these are elegant fakes, pretennding to be the actual product...most of the time they come close and if you don't look too close no one would ever know...but then you come across a whole different type of imitation...not one that pretends to be the original by looking JUST like it, but SORTA like it, trying to trick you into buying it...this annoys me:
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but honestly...i mean...wow! What are these people thinking? Why not just create your own brand...if your not trying to pretend to be the actual product, then your insulting my intelligence in thinking I'll buy your product by accident because it looks like the original.I burst out laughing when i saw this...then i walked over to the cereal aisle and saw The Tastee-os, my day was complete.
6ix
20. Are you considered a nerd?
-Probably..I do well in school, I'm often described as intelligent, and I love technology and geeky things..but strangely there is a new found respect for people like me...turn out we can be trendy and cool. A new breed of nerd and geek has risen from the lower echelons of the space where "cool" people are and i'm proud to have been and continue to be in this category.
22. Do you think like the enemy?
-In life, one MUST think like the enemy. If you don't-how can you ever outsmart them? I like to think that i plan my action carefully, and whatever entity the "enemy" happens to be is a few steps behind me.
80. What do you think of marriage? Is it an antiquated institution in the age of post feminism?
-Speaking like a true biologist i would have to say marriage is the single most stupid thing a species as smart as humans could have come up with. Biologically, in order to evolve and ensure the long-term survival of our species we should be mating with everybody, weeding out the bad genes and fornicating like rabbits. Realistically however our sociological upbringing, and economic systems have both molded us into cultures where marriage is not only beneficial for a sound, stable life, but almost required to appear normal.
90. Of tradition?
-Tradition is a funny thing, it keeps a culture stable yet it defies logic to such a degree that it blows my mind when i think about some of the irrational things we do purely out of tradition. Traditions hinders innovation and progress, it's okay to do something our ancestors did, but for how long? shouldn't we be writing our own history? Shouldn't we be creating our own story to tell? Why do a bunch of people i never met, none of whom could fathom the lives we lead now still dictate some of the things our cultures do.
93. Do you think your ought to live to 120?
-I think i should live forever. I'd have to say one of my biggest regrets is i wont see the world 100, 500, or even 1000 years from now...that would certainly be a sight to behold. I must say it would either be the most marvelous thing to look at, or the most disappointing-given the human condition and it's never ending list of flaws. I'd like to think that by that time we have all found a way to put our minds to good use and live peacefully-but honestly...what fun would that be? I'm sure that if we haven't killed each other by then, we'll find a way to have wars without casualties...just for fun.
134. Are you a parasite to Gaia or a collaborator?
-We're all parasites, I think that may just be the best way to explain the human race and its existence. I'm not saying it's a bad thing or that I'm one to judge-but not one single person on planet earth can claim they are not a parasite in relation to the earth...we all certainly take much more than we give back (either directly or indirectly). As a collective, we are the big tick on planet earth that it cant seem to pluck off yet.
-Probably..I do well in school, I'm often described as intelligent, and I love technology and geeky things..but strangely there is a new found respect for people like me...turn out we can be trendy and cool. A new breed of nerd and geek has risen from the lower echelons of the space where "cool" people are and i'm proud to have been and continue to be in this category.
22. Do you think like the enemy?
-In life, one MUST think like the enemy. If you don't-how can you ever outsmart them? I like to think that i plan my action carefully, and whatever entity the "enemy" happens to be is a few steps behind me.
80. What do you think of marriage? Is it an antiquated institution in the age of post feminism?
-Speaking like a true biologist i would have to say marriage is the single most stupid thing a species as smart as humans could have come up with. Biologically, in order to evolve and ensure the long-term survival of our species we should be mating with everybody, weeding out the bad genes and fornicating like rabbits. Realistically however our sociological upbringing, and economic systems have both molded us into cultures where marriage is not only beneficial for a sound, stable life, but almost required to appear normal.
90. Of tradition?
-Tradition is a funny thing, it keeps a culture stable yet it defies logic to such a degree that it blows my mind when i think about some of the irrational things we do purely out of tradition. Traditions hinders innovation and progress, it's okay to do something our ancestors did, but for how long? shouldn't we be writing our own history? Shouldn't we be creating our own story to tell? Why do a bunch of people i never met, none of whom could fathom the lives we lead now still dictate some of the things our cultures do.
93. Do you think your ought to live to 120?
-I think i should live forever. I'd have to say one of my biggest regrets is i wont see the world 100, 500, or even 1000 years from now...that would certainly be a sight to behold. I must say it would either be the most marvelous thing to look at, or the most disappointing-given the human condition and it's never ending list of flaws. I'd like to think that by that time we have all found a way to put our minds to good use and live peacefully-but honestly...what fun would that be? I'm sure that if we haven't killed each other by then, we'll find a way to have wars without casualties...just for fun.
134. Are you a parasite to Gaia or a collaborator?
-We're all parasites, I think that may just be the best way to explain the human race and its existence. I'm not saying it's a bad thing or that I'm one to judge-but not one single person on planet earth can claim they are not a parasite in relation to the earth...we all certainly take much more than we give back (either directly or indirectly). As a collective, we are the big tick on planet earth that it cant seem to pluck off yet.
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