On Dropouts and Cannibals

So it seems that both Giuliani and Edwards are dropping out of the US presidential race. A little tough to digest, as Giuliani looked like he had Super Tuesday wrapped up. His ouster puts another stamp on the 'Bandwagon Effect' and the importance of momentum in politics. Edwards on the other hand, lodst the 'Other America", and will now continue looking for some America that will actually vote for him. I believe he lost the election in Nevada, when, as he put it, he got his butt kicked.
A bit of trivia - did you know that Rudy Giuliani was the Attorney who brought down the Godfathers of the five families of New York?
For all those non-existent readers who were concerned about my fate after the Parent-Teacher Meeting - all zero of you - I survived sans the much-hyped beating. Can't say it wasn't a close thing, but survived nonetheless.
Bones had an episode on cannibalism last night. It got me thinking: judging by our size, human flesh must be pretty tender and juicy (emphasis on must be, no personal experience yet). The cannibal was about to make a case for cannibalism, when he was struck down and arrested. If it was India, there might have been a diktat issued against the arrest fearing repercussions in the cannibal vote bank.
In all seriousness (not that the last para was particularly funny), our politicos seriously need to undergo a crash course in psephology, and realise that you need the majority of people to vote for you to win any election. Maybe then they'll rethink some of their divisive vote-bank politics and work for sustainable development of the entire country.
Well, gotta go.
Ciao!

Parent Teacher Conferences and US Politics

I'm almost 18, on the brink of adulthood. Therefore, it's a bit of a pain to undergo a Parent-Teacher Conference. Today was my last. Surprisingly, I didn't get nostalgic about it at all (can you blame me?). Of course, I am old enough (and wise enough) to let my mum go alone, which I did. As I write this, I am still tense about the outcome, but a phone call gave a wonderful teaser...
Apparently, I've done horribly in math and I am consequently going to, well, get beaten up for it. I have a long overdue library book, without returning which, I won't be allowed to graduate. And, I'm possibly grounded for the rest of my adolescent life.
So adieu, cruel world...

Meanwhile, in political news, Hillary and John McCain have won their respective Florida primaries. While this means nothing for the Dems (no delegates), it might be the coup de grace on Rudy Giuliani in the GOP stakes. My sympathies go with the guy, whose Florida stragedy (a la Jay Leno's Freudian slip) backfired amazingly. It seems both my fave Republicans - Giuliani and Huckabee are out of it. Even more reason to love the Dems.
By the way, I recently did some research into the candidates' compatibility with Indian interests. By making an unscientific and, at times arbitrary rating system, I ranked them in order of pro-Indianism. (Note: I've left out the ones who've dropped out)

1. John Edwards (D) 41.7
2. Barack Obama (D) 39.3
3. Hillary Clinton (D) 34.9
4. Ron Paul (R) 29.4
5. Mike Huckabee (R) 27.33
6. John McCain (R) 23
7. Mitt Romney (R) 22.2
8. Rudy Giuliani (R) 21.7

As you can see, the ratings have been based on their stands on various issues, and not my opinion of them (Giuliani is last). The issues taken were India, War on Terror, Pakistan, Energy, Trade, China, Climate Change, Immigration, Russia and Israel.

Ever Yours in Eternal Pain

Ciao!

I'm Back!

So, my non-existent readers, you're very own Ajachi is back. So clear out the cobwebs and stop asking yourself, "Was he ever gone?", or better still, "Who the hell is he?", and ignore the obvious punctuation errors and get ready for an erratic feed of, well, nothing.
So, I've discovered someone recently. In the era of globalised TV, we in India have finally borne witness to the comedic genius of Ross Noble. Watching him on Jack Dee's amazingly funny show was sheer bliss, and after the intense bouts of laughing my prostate off, further perusal of the name on good old Google led me to his Randomness show in Stoke. He is the funniest man I have ever seen.
A thing you must know about me, dear non-existent reader, is that I am actually preparing for the inner circle of hell we in India call IITJEE. All right, not really preparing, more accurately, appearing to be preparing. Although I've given up on this grand finito of the teenage rat race we love to run, it is not because of a latent hatred of science. It is because of a new-found love for math, which I hope to pursue through the Indian Statistical Institute.
If you know me, O Imaginary One, you will have heard of my love for quizzing. My passion for the sport is truly the driving force of my young life, and although forced to give up on it, lest I lose the cheese, I hope to someday be back on the circuit.
I guess that's about all I have in this segment. Here's to all those imaginary people who I hope to never know.
Ciao!

P.S. A shout out to the brave men and women who go through life with the pain of halitosis. My prayers are with you. Just don't sit next to me at my Chemistry tuition again.

Life is an interesting pastime. You pass through it too quickly, never bothering to smell the roses. You rush through it in perpetual rapidity, always planning ahead. You live today for tomorrow, working for a goal, which leads to another. Philosophical, ain't it? It's an observation. I don't really mind it - it stops you from being bored. That's right, I don't mind it, as long as it ain't me working. I'm just too lazy. Yet I am at a point in my life, where I am being forced to at least give a passing thought to my life ahead, to reconsider my dream of being a cricket umpire. Make that food critic. And so i reconsider... and I find that the greatest challenge in life is attaining the tools to face all of life's challenges.A paradox to consider...