Nick was a highly desirable man by any definition. He came from a good family and had a high-paid job. He was also physically attractive. Nick had a James Dean’s type of look that would knock many women off their heels. Known around town as a womanizer, Nick changed girlfriend frequently. All of that, however, would end when he met Jasmine. Nick fell in love with her at first sight; he would sacrifice everything to be with her for the rest of his life.

Nick’s biggest obstacle in winning Jasmine’s hand in marriage was her highly traditionalist family. Knowing this, he tried very hard to transform himself into the type of man Jasmine’s family would be willing to accept. No longer would Nick be seen attending any of those wild parties he was infamously attached to. Instead, Nick was seen attending church every week. In addition, he was always present at every special family occasion and showered Jasmine’s parents with lavish gifts. During the holidays, Nick would take everyone in her family on expensive trips to various destinations. He had also returned to school to complete a degree in chemical engineering, in hopes of scoring points with Jasmine’s parents.

Although Jasmine’s family was still skeptical about Nick, her parents were impressed by his devotion to their daughter. Nick and Jasmine would soon get engaged and their marriage was only weeks away. Unfortunately, the sudden return of Jasmine’s ex-boyfriend would deal a severe blow to the relationship. The man was quite a formidable competitor. He was one of the top brain surgeons in the country, having graduated with distinction from Harvard. He was currently serving as the director of one of the leading medical institutions in United States. If that was not impressive enough, his family pedigree was even more impressive; he came from a long line of distinguished doctors and lawyers.

It wasn’t long before Jasmine’s family took a strong liking of the new guy. In fact, the family became increasingly hostile to Nick. They persuaded Jasmine to break off the engagement and forbid Nick from coming to their house. Nick, however, didn’t really care much about what Jasmine’s family thought of him – all he really cared about was Jasmine. Sadly, Jasmine had also distanced herself from Nick. She would not answer his calls or meet him face to face. Jasmine’s sudden change of heart was like a cruel spear, piercing through Nick’s heart. He was confused and depressed.

Nick would ultimately find his solace in alcohol and gambling. He gambled, gambled, and gambled some more. There were nights when he lost over $20,000 on a single hand. Debts were piling up. When one of Nick’s creditors contacted his boss at work, he was fired from his job. He would soon lose his house and car. In desperation, Nick would make contact with everyone he knew trying to “entice” them to invest in his supposedly new business startup. Some fell for this scheme and gave him their hard-earned money.

After a few hours of “intense” gambling, he had once again donated all the money to the casino. At this point, the news of his gambling addiction had become prevalent. People would begin to distance themselves from Nick; many even shut their door on him. Meanwhile, his creditors continued to be on his heel. When the news of his addiction reached Nick’s family, his parents tried to contact him hoping to help him overcome his gambling addiction. Unfortunately, he would avoid them like plague.

On one autumn afternoon, Nick was found dead of drug overdose on a lonely street in downtown Austin.

~Simon N.

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During the 1991 Gulf War, a Scud missile penetrated the Patriot antimissile shield and struck a barrack near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. 28 Americans were killed by the strike and 98 others wounded. A number of Saudi Arabians were also injured. The mishap was attributed to a software bug in the Patriot missiles.

According to unofficial sources, the manufacturer somehow forgot to convert the software from the U.S. time zone to the Middle Eastern time zone. The time difference caused the missiles to malfunction and fail to respond to the Scud. The Israeli army actually discovered the glitch and reported it to the manufacturer in the United States. The company quickly created a patch for the bug, but the new software arrived one day too late.

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Are humans to blame for global warming? If yes, what is the best way to rectify it? Share your view on this issue.

Facts about Global Warming:

• Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

• Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.

National Geographic News

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–Pick your favorite from each of the following pairs/groups.
–read previous results
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#1 - WordPress vs Blogger

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#2 - Hollywood vs Bollywood

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#3 - Submarines vs Spacecrafts

Image Credits: wikimedia

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~vintage 12/2007

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. Not only she was beautiful, she was also a true lover of music. She could not eat, play, or sleep without someone standing besides her playing her favorite tunes. When it was time for her to get married, the princess asked her father to organize a talent competition inviting the best and brightest musicians in the kingdom to come and compete. With the competition, she hoped to find her ideal husband–one that would enchant her with the most beautiful of music. Unfortunately, none of the competitors was able to impress her with his music. The princess was thoroughly disappointed.

On one starry night, she was sitting melancholily inside her private quarter when she heard a beautiful flute’s sound lingering outside her rear window. The music quickly conquered her heart. The princess hastily left her quarter, and headed toward the direction of the music. Unfortunately, she was not able to identify who the flutist was.

The music would return in each of the next ten nights. Even though she still did not know who the flutist was, the princess’ views on life took a dramatic turn. She started to enjoy life again. In fact, she was never happier than now. Her sudden change of attitude caught her parents’ attention. Seeing how much the princess was deeply in love with the unknown musician, her parents decided to help make her dream come true by having guards hiding around the castle–hoping to catch the mysterious musician. After much effort, the unknown flutist was apprehended. When the musician was brought to the princess, he wore an old and ragged attire and his face was covered by a mask.

The princess was ecstatic about seeing the person she had longed desired for the very first time. What she really wanted to see was his face, because it was the subject of her many beautiful dreams. When the flutist refused to remove his mask, the princess had no choice but to ask the guards to gently remove it. Unfortunately, what she saw was totally opposite of what she had romanticized. The man’s face was very repulsive. In fact, it was the most hideous thing the princess had ever witnessed. Disappointed and saddened, the princess had the guards sending the man away.

The next night, the beautiful music returned once again. Instead of bringing joys and happiness to the princess’ heart like usual, the music absolutely infuriated her. In her rage, she ordered the man executed. She also convinced her father, the king, to ban all flutists from playing their music in the kingdom. The princess, herself, would continue in her search for an ideal husband, a musician that is both handsome and talented. The end.

Commentary: The main lesson here is ugliness doesn’t pay. When someone says that he or she prefers “inner beauty” over “outer beauty”, you should not take it at face value.

Retold by Simon N.

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I have uploaded some of my garden photos to Flickr. Check them out if you have time.
link: garden photos

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One month from now, China will celebrate the first Olympics on its home soil. Given China’s horrific human rights record, should the international community boycott Beijing 2008? If yes, to what extent should we boycott the Olympics? Explain the pros and cons.

China’s Human Rights Record:

1) The country’s one-child policy is blamed for having caused millions of infanticides, forced abortions, and abandonment of newborns.
2) Extreme censorship of the press and brutal treatment of activists.
3) Engage in torture and religious oppression.
4) Supporting repressive regimes around the world including Sudan (Darfur) and Zimbabwe.

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–Pick your favorite from each of the following pairs/groups.
–read previous results
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#1 - Myspace vs Facebook vs Friendster vs Orkut

#2 - Diamond vs Pearl

#3 - Clowns vs Mimes

Image Credits: wikimedia
Top Posts for June: 1. Life Art || 2. Pick Your Favorites - R6 || 3. Blogs of Note

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~vintage 12/2007

Part I

Michelle had always considered herself a lucky woman. She was married into a wealthy and highly respected family. She had two wonderful kids and a husband who loved her dearly. Her favorite hobby was gardening. She actually owned a flower shop, which was not too far away from her home.

Yet, Michelle’s perfect life had been showing a few minor cracks. Her husband was a businessman who often left home for long business trips. Rumors had been circulating that he was having an affair with a flight attendant. Despite the rumors, Michelle had complete confidence in her husband’s faithfulness; they had gone through so much together.

During a trip to the mall, Michelle ran into Jennifer — an old friend from college who recently moved into town. Their friendship quickly rekindled; they became the best of friends. It was through Jennifer that Michelle had her first casino experience. The experience was pretty forgettable, however. The people (in the casino) were just not her people, she thought.

When Michelle’s mother-in-law celebrated her 60^th birthday, she threw a huge birthday bash inviting all the friends and family to attend. Michelle was not invited to the party. Michelle and her mother-in-law had always had a tumultuous relationship. In fact, Michelle’s mother-in-law had never publicly recognized Michelle as her daughter-in-law. But since her husband still insisted that she should attend the party, Michelle reluctantly agreed.

It turned out that the decision was a grave mistake. Most people at the party showed an apparent aversion towards her. No one would talk to her or would even acknowledge her existence. She felt like an outsider. Meanwhile, her mother-in-law was busy introducing her son to some of her young female friends. Nothing could be more obvious.

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Part II

After the birthday bash, Michelle began to suffer from an acute depression. Sadly, her husband had to leave home once again for another business trip and thus was unable to console her. Michelle was confined to her large but empty home–lonely and isolated. Fortunately, her good friend Jennifer was once again there for her. Michelle was able to confide to her friend her deepest feelings and frustrations. To help relieving Michelle from her emotional problems, Jennifer would once again take her to the casino. Unlike the first time, Michelle felt much more comfortable this time around. The casino would eventually become her second home.

At first, Michelle actually won quite a bit of money. It would go downhill from there, however. She would soon exhaust all her funds and savings. Despite her debts, Michelle continued to gamble. She just couldn’t stop. To pay for her debts, Michelle was forced to mortgage both her car and the flower shop. Soon, she had to sell off all her jewelries.

At first, her husband didn’t suspect her of gambling. Over time, it would become obvious. When Michelle’s husband confronted her with regards to her gambling, she pleaded him for forgiveness and promised to stop gambling. Her husband took her at her words. In fact, he even settled all of her debts.

For a few months, it would appear as though Michelle had finally learn her lesson. She became a mother to her kids again, and her flower shop thrived. But on one fateful afternoon, Michelle left home abruptly after receiving a phone call from Jennifer. After not hearing anything from her for about roughly seven hours, Michelle’s husband and her two kids were getting really worried about her. They contacted the police and stayed up late to wait for any news of her.

At around 4 A.M., there was a sound at the door — entering was Michelle. Upon seeing her, her husband did not say a word. Her tired appearance had already betrayed her. The couple would divorce a month later. The husband sold the mansion and gave Michelle haft of the proceeds.

Had she finally learned her lesson? Michelle was last seen in a hospital recuperating from a severe fatigue–resulted from her spending too many hours gambling.

~Simon N.

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You are looking for your glasses. You know the following statements are true. Where are the glasses? Explain why.

a. If my glasses are on the kitchen table, then I saw them at breakfast.
b. I was reading the newspaper in either the kitchen, the bedroom, or the living room.
c. If I was reading the newspaper in the kitchen, then my glasses are on the kitchen table.
d. If I was reading the newspaper in bed, then my glasses are on the bed table.
e. If I was reading the newspaper in the living room, then my glasses are on the coffee table.
f. I did not see my glasses at breakfast.

Source: Susanna S. Epp

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