Saturday, June 14, 2008

'Arse'nal beat Man Utd in the race to sign Aaron Ramsey.

At the end of the 1987-88 season, a young footballer named Paul Gascoigne decided to leave his club Newcastle United, as bigger fish were after him including Tottenham and Manchester United. He wanted to sign for Liverpool, but with no offers forthcoming, he promised Sir Alex Ferguson, the Man Utd manager, that he would play for United the next season. Sir Alex Ferguson went on holiday, and on coming back, finds out that Paul had instead signed for the Spurs.

The Clincher: Spurs bought his family a house.

In 2008 Aaron Ramsey, a young footballer from Cardiff City was courting the attention of major clubs like Man Utd, Everton, Arsenal. His club had agreed terms with United. And according to some unconfirmed reports, even he had agreed on personal terms with United in principle. On June 10, 2008, Arsenal announce that Aaron will be playing for them.

The Clincher: Arsenal flew Ramsey to Switzerland on a private jet to meet with Wenger.


Let's just hope Ramsey doesn't throw it all away like Gazza, arguably the most talented footballer of his generation did....

Monday, June 9, 2008

Wilde Ideas

I am not laughing; at least I am not laughing at you. But you should not say the greatest romance of your life. You will always be loved, and you will always be in love with love. A grande passion is the privilege of people who have nothing to do. That is the one use of the idle classes of a country. Don't be afraid. This is only the beginning.

I think your nature so deep.

The people who love only once in their life are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect - simply a confession of failures. Faithfulness! The passion for property is in it. There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.

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My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly.

Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals.

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Soul and body, body and soul - how mysterious they were! There was an animalism in the soul, and the body had its moments of spirituality. The senses could refine, and the intellect could degrade. Who could say where the fleshy impulse ceased, or the physical impulse began? How shallow were the arbitary definitions of definitions of the ordinary psychologists! And yet how difficult to decide between the claims of various schools! Was the soul seated in the house of sin? Or was the body really in the soul, as Giordano Bruno thought? The separation of spirit from matter was a mystery, and the union of spirit with matter was a mystery also.

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- The Picture of Dorian Gray

You row your boat. Does your blood form the stream?

Individualism (n) - A belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence.

Egotism (n) - An exaggerated opinion of your own importance.
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These are two vastly different terms. However the distinction between the two is not usually appreciated and they are often confused, or used interchangeably. Those who believe that these terms effectively refer to the same thing are invited to drink deeply from the deep wellspring of pity that eructs from my "selfish" heart.


Selfish. What a word. "Selfish" is thrown around as an insult. Most people think it's a bad thing to be selfish. It is called a vice. Me, I'd take it as a compliment, in a trice. What are we if not selfish creatures. Who would want to be a selfless person? Self-less??? Doesn't the word evoke some measure of disgust in you? What kind of a man/woman are we without our egos/selves. It is that self which makes a person unique. It is that self that makes a person stand out. It is that concept of a "self" that gives us worth.

A person who says "Me first" is not selfish. To say something like that, in front of so many other individuals, does require something extra. That is an opinion/estimation of one's worth. That is what most people lack. They hide it under the halo of "sacrifice". It of course is "self-sacrifice" Which brings me to why I started writing this.

Self-sacrifice is not a good deed. Not to you, at any rate. Not unless you are willing to 'sell your soul', to quote an oft repeated cliche. However, this is more of a case of maiming/killing your soul, depending on the extent to which you go. Altruistic values preached at the altar of self-sacrifice and selflessness are lies. They attach to your person, servility towards the rest of the race. Whatever happened to freedom? To make your own choices and be responsible for them?

Live for yourself. Live with the knowledge that the only person you are ultimately responsible for is yourself. The expectations others have for you are meaningless. It is not for you to satisfy them and in the process raise their estimation of themselves by your actions. It is their problem, and let them deal with it. Their loss, not yours. Your actions are what that define you, not them. You do not have to live for another. Love your life, and not theirs. A person incapable of that, cannot truly love. Always, know that you come first; the rest merely follow.

Your life is your own. Live it up.