A Modern Day Holocaust

I found my Senior year research paper this weekend while cleaning out my room for a yard sale. I am not sure if I am happy that I had such great writing skills 10 years ago or sad to know what they have diminished to now. Anyways, knowing this is a hot topic with some people, thought I’d add this to my blog:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain un-alienable rights, that among these rights are life..." 1973 was a crucial year in the controversies surrounding abortion. That was the year the Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand in the notorious Roe vs. Wade case. Abortion, though one of the most immoral and heinous of deeds, is the most accepted crime in our world today. Some even applaud this sinful killing. All abortion should be made illegal for numerous reasons. Abortion is infanticide, and God said killing is wrong. Abortion is also harmful to the mother and future children. It is a great misfortune that our society has grown so accustomed to killing babies that we forget that we have not been assigned the job of Atropos, and we continue to cut short the thread of life.

Five types of induced abortion are commonly used by doctors to terminate pregnancies by killing the baby. A suction method, which works at powers 29 times more powerful than a vacuum cleaner, rips the baby into pieces. With the Dilatation and curettage method, a loop shaped steal knife is inserted in the uterus, and the placenta and baby are cut into pieces and scraped out into a basin. Also, there is a Prostaglandin abortion in which drugs to induce labor right at the moment are administered. Many times the baby is born alive, but it is too small to survive, and such a live birth is considered a “complication.” The salt poisoning technique is used after the 16th week. Salt solution is injected into the amniotic fluid through a large needle. The baby breathes and swallows this poison and struggles, usually living for over an hour. The mother then goes into labor soon after, ideally delivering a dead baby. Quite often, the baby is still alive when delivered after salt poisoning. Another method of abortion is a hysterectomy which is similar to a Caesarian section. The baby is lifted out of the uterus still in the placenta and discarded. Once, a surgeon was performing an abortion in this manner when he lifted out the baby who was trying to cry and flailing his arms and legs. The doctor smothered him.

Abortions will cause physical harm later in life to both the mother and any future children. The increase in premature births after one abortion is 14% due to the stretching of the cervical muscle ring. This also leads to a higher percentage of brain injuries at birth. Induced abortions can also cause Rh problems with later babies, which could lead to the need for transfusions. Babies suffering from this condition are likely to be born dead or die shortly after birth. There has also been an increase in tubal pregnancies after abortion, from 0.5% to 3.9%. This is because the scraping and cutting in the womb leads to permanent scarring which hinders the process of the fertilized egg moving down the fallopian tube. The egg then stays and grows in the tube causing hemorrhaging and a need for immediate surgery. Studies have also shown that there is a 50% increase in the risk for breast cancer, and this will result in 40,000 – 50,000 more cases of breast cancer per year.

By allowing abortion, not only are we placing a social or economic price tag on human life for its continued existence, but we are also requiring a certain physical perfection. Usefulness to others is a must. The only tim ein history that this was ever done was by the small group of physicians in Hitler’s Germany during the Holocaust. History is surely repeating itself all over the world. How can we, as a civilized nation, whose government was created by the people, for the people, resort to killing innocent babies and denying them any rights? Conception marks the beginning of human life. The baby has its own genetic code and grows and develops from this time to the rest of its life. This unborn child has a right to live, a right which is taken away from babies millions of times a year. Abortion is being used as a form of birth control by millions of women who want to be sexually active but do not want to take the accompanying responsibilities. These women claim that they have rights to privacy of their own bodies. Because a baby has its own genetic code unique to the mothers, it makes the baby an entirely separate being, and the baby can never be considered a part of the mother’s body like a lung or a kidney. Suppose a mother was beating her child on her own property and someone saw this. That person would definitely intervene, and stop the killing, without any regards to the privacy of the mother’s home. Abortion is the same in that a baby is being killed. Some would try to use the semantics of our language to argue that the baby is not human and is not being killed. Unborn babies are called by pro-abortionists as a “fetus” or an “embryo”, and rather than the repugnant term “kill”, words such as “terminate” and “interrupt” are often used. However, a baby is alive; it breathes, has functioning organs, and a heartbeat. Why would it have to be killed if it were not alive? A mark cannot be placed on the exact time that a “fetus” becomes a “baby”. No person grows at the same rate as another. Babies have been known to survive premature birth as early as at 20 weeks. How then can another baby, merely at a different location at 20 weeks not be regarded as a human?

When Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in 1973 for first-trimester babies, the decision in fact also legalized abortion for the whole pregnancy. Because of this, partial-birth abortion has become a common method for aborting pregnancies after 20 weeks. When the pro-choice nurse Brenda Pratt Shafer was assigned to an abortion clinic, she did not think anything of it. Then one day, a doctor was performing a partial-birth abortion. The doctor delivered everything but the baby’s head. The baby was kicking his feet and moving his fingers until the doctor took a pair of scissors and stabbed the baby in the back of the head, then inserted a tube in it and sucked the brains out of the baby. Nurse Shafer never went back to the clinic. That doctor has performed over 1,000 partial-birth abortions exactly as this one. The difference between partial-birth abortion and homicide is a mere three inches.

As a predominantly Christian society, we should not even have a question about the validity of abortion. From reading the Bible, we can infer that abortion is morally wrong. Both David and Job wrote that the Lord knew them even as they were being formed in the womb. “…When I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there – you saw me before I was born.” This clearly illustrates that God still regards a “fetus” as one of his precious children; a child that is to have a life in this world. “Verily I saw unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” One of the Ten Commandments states that “Thou shalt not kill.” By allowing abortion we are evidently violating this commandment and God’s word. What is this world coming to when we allow a mother to kill her own dear child?

Each year there are over 1.2 million legally induced abortions in the United States alone. There are around 55 million abortions in the whole word each year. The US has the highest rates of both unplanned pregnancy and abortion in the world. About 50% of the pregnancies in the nation are not planned and according to the Guttmacher Institute about 43% of American women will have at least one abortion by the time they are 45. Most of the women who are getting abortions are usually unmarried, white, aged 20-24. Twenty percent of the women are under 19 years old.

Even in the case of rape or incest, abortion is morally wrong. It is extremely unfortunate that a women or young girl had to endure the horrors of being forced to have sex by a total stranger, or even by her father. If a baby was conceived because of this, the baby still has a right to live. It was not the baby’s fault that it was the product of rape. The baby should not be punished for the crime of his father. The baby is still a baby, growing, and breathing in the mother’s womb. “All children are gifts from God. IT makes no difference how they are conceived.”

There is a wonderful alternative to abortion. This is adoption. About 1.4 million families in the U.S. are on waiting lists to adopt children. This figure is almost the same number of babies who are killed each year through abortion. Only 50,000 babies are released for adoption each year. This leaves over a million people still willing to adopt a child. It is a completely selfish choice not to carry the pregnancy to term and then give the baby up for adoption if it is still unwanted at the time of birth.

Abortion is a legal crime which needs to come to an abrupt halt. The only difference between abortion and homicide is the legality of it. Just within the past six years, abortion has claimed about 184 million babies worldwide. The holocaust took the lives of only 14 million people within the same period of time. That makes this “modern-day holocaust” over 13 times larger in the amount of lives that it is taking. It is highly ironic that Norma McCorvey, the woman who is responsible for the legalization of abortion, also known as “roe” in Roe vs. Wade, is now 100 percent pro-life. This change of heart came with her conversion to Christianity in 1995. McCorvey said, “I’m sorry for being so terribly, terribly young and so terribly, terribly naïve.” God said, “Thou shalt not kill.” He must be listened to before we bring disaster upon ourselves.

My Stillettos Can be your Problem...

If I see you riding down the street with my bike! Whoever stole my bike is going to be very sorry if I catch them riding through the neighborhood. I will chase you down with my stillettos that I now have to walk in, rather than ride in, and stab you in the face!!

BEWARE I AM ON A RAMPAGE!

PS - thanks for leaving the helmet. :-

Stilettos? Not a Problem!

So today I finally became that girl. Everyone who knows I bike to work on occasion has pictured and wondered about me riding a bicycle in with a helmet and the first question I get is - "Ha! Do you ride in those heels??" I chuckle and say of course not, I change when I get to work. Well not today. Today I walked to work from an undisclosed location in uptown, knowing my bike was locked away outside Gateway and available for me to ride back to Lela on. Well I thought I had planned it all out until I started to unlock my bike and realized that all I had were my brown stilettos! Crap! How embarrassing! And of course it was 70 degrees today, so as I biked home, I passed everyone at the trolley stop on Trade Street, several people running/walking/playing frisbee as I whizzed through Freedom Park, a police officer sitting in his car near the bridge at Freedom Park, others sitting on their porches and people watching in Wesley Heights, and like 4 people walking dogs as I entered my neighborhood. So now when I get that incredulous smirk from people who find out I ride a bicycle to work, I get to smile and say - "Why yes, I have ridden to work in these shoes."

Stealing is a Sin

So as I promised myself back in October, I was going to start reading more books. I finished the Alchemist AND The Kite Runner. Both were very good reads, especially The Kite Runner. I highly recommend it. I did really like one of the concepts from Kite Runner -

"There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. When you kill a man, you steal a life. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing. A man who takes what's not his to take, be it a life, or a loaf of bread... I spit on such a man. And if I ever cross paths with that man, God help him."

Now isn't that the truth? If someone is lying to you or cheating on you, they are stealing your right to the truth, your right to fairness, and your right to happiness. They are stealing your time, your health and that is no one's right to deliberately take. Every crime, be it written as law or not, that can be a variation of stealing should be crimes punishable by heavy fines or imprisonment. That includes lying to someone else, two-timing someone (three-timing should be punishable by death). The bad news is that it will be tough to pass such laws in America. The good news is that there is still a higher law that we have to all answer to, and those who cross you now, will have their own cross to carry later.

Moral of the story: Don't make Betsy mad because Betsy's best friend and cousin are soon to be licensed lawyers!

They've Won the Battle...

But not the war...

I've posted two prior blogs about battling the bugs. In both cases I came out on top. In this case, they may have gotten one over on me.

SO, I was in India last month and constantly on the lookout for huge hairy spiders the size of my hand. I like to know where my enemies are at. So one night I see my uncle's eyes get wide and he jerked the door to the outside open. I immediately sensed something was off. He quickly left and came dashing back in with some aerosal can of something unidentifiable to me (they don't do RAID in india). I was like, what is going on here?! So I got up and looked behind the door and there it was - a ginormous, fat, hairy spider climbing up the wall. He had opened the door so I wouldn't see it because he knows very well my fear of these 8 legged creatures. My eyes got wide and I immediately backed away to the chair I was sitting on and stood there, ready to jump on it if anything went wrong when he sprayed it. He opens the can, and starts spraying, and the spider immediately stops. He stops spraying and the spider continues walking. "It's not dead, keep spraying!!" I demanded! My dad said not to worry that it would just take it a few minutes to die. I was like, few minutes?! What kind of insect takes a few minutes to die when you spray it with insect killer for 10 seconds?!

So while I am waiting for it to die and keeping a close eye on its exact longitudal coordinates, I decide I should take a picture of it so I can prove to everyone who thinks I am crazy that there really are spiders this big in the houses. So I get my camera out, take a step forward and start zooming in to take the picture. Now here I am, about 5 feet away from this tarantula, arms extended, zooming in, when all of a sudden a flying grasshopper the size of 2 fingers comes FLYING in and hits me right smack in the middle of my neck. In my hands were my $200 canon digital elph and my purse and I THREW everything in the air across the room and JUMPMED on my dad screaming "get it off, get it off!!!" The entire house full of 10 people come rushing in to see what the heck is the commotion and everybody thinks that the spoiled american girl is screaming about a stupid grasshopper on the floor AND now I have a small dent in my camera. AND now the tarantula has fallen dead in a crumpled heap so there is no point in taking a picture. They may have won this battle... but I am still 2 for 1 in this war!

Dumb and Dummer

Does anyone else feel like they were at their smartest point in life when they were 22? 18? Perhaps even 17? I took my SAT's my Junior and Senior year and surprisingly scored about 60 points higher my Junior year. Did taking AP Calculus my Senior year make me an idiot? Probably not... however I do know that I was definitely at my smartest point in life sometime in college. I used to be able to whip out code faster than most of the people in my classes or at work. I still to this day do not understand why it can take estimates of 80 hours of work to add a link to a webpage. In 80 hours I think I programmed half the transfer funds system shortly after college graduation. Those were the days... I would be lucky if I could figure out how to write the Hello World program in a day now. I recently found an old high school essay and had to pull out a dictionary to figure out what I was saying 10 years ago. Who knew I had such an advanced vocabulary at one point in time. It definitely makes me feel stupid when I am on a conference call and I know there is an SAT word that would be perfect to use. Unfortunately my brain does not want to fetch it and I end up settling for a word like "thing" ... or something. Right... so in an attempt to make myself at least feel semi-smart again, I am going to start reading more books. First on the list is The Alchemist! More to come on this...

The Things that I Love! <3

I love my family, I love my friends, and I love God! I love my job at the Bank, I love real estate, playing poker, animals, being silly and laughing hysterically, being stupid and random outbursts of song and noise! I love being indian and I love indian food. I love my house, I love Charlotte, I love North Carolina. I also love Los Angeles and Vegas baby! I love learning, taking classes, continuing education for Real Estate, the prospect of flipping a house, and do-it-yourself projects! I love meeting new people and going on trips with friends. I love using coupons and scoring a 'deal' :) I love investing. I love Friends, General Hospital, American Idol, and most reality tv, lol. I love Sara Lee cheesecake ice cream, cookie dough, and desert! I love the ice cream man! I love helping people, giving, and making a difference.

People should always take a moment to stop and think about the things in their life that they love. The world would be a much more positive place!

Where's That From??

• I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so...so... scared!
• hey hey hey hey, what is going on here?!
• you got it dude!
• what it is a goo for absolulie nothing, huh, hah!
• inconceivable!
• la LAA la-la la-la
• hey, whats up with you? nothing whats up with you? nothing whats up with you?
• and thats how its done!
• beep beep!
• did i dooo that?
• cut it out!
• and knowing is half the battle.

And the Verdict is??

Signs that I am getting older:

• One drink is enough.
• Doing nothing on a Friday night has moved up to the top of my list
• I actually no longer mind cleaning the bathroom
• I have fun shopping for household items... like yesterday I bought a new tub cleaner and brush and was so excited to use it
• I just found out what Skype is
• I wake up at 8:30 on the weekends too
• And can fall asleep with no problem at 10:30 pm
• The work picnic is more enticing than Cosmos and Forum
• Who is Mike Jones?
  

Signs that I am still young:

• Pop Taaaaaaaaaarrrts
• What's stir frying?
• I got carded today at dinner and didn't have my ID, so I snuck in some sips from my friend's drink when the waitress wasn't looking.
• I still have my couches from college... that have been both peed on and thrown up all over at some point.
• My mom and dad had to drive to Charotte to help me with the weed wacker.
  

uh oh... I have more old signs than young ones!!!
no... its just writer's block... i'm sure i'll have more to add by tomorrow!

WHAT OPRAH HAD TO SAY ABOUT MEN

• If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away. If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay.
• Stop making excuses for a man and his behavior.
• Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache. Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be.
• Slower is better.
  Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy.
• If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends". A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend.
• Don't settle. If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is.
• Don't stay because you think "it will get better." You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better.
• The only person you can control in a relationship is you.
• Always have your own set of friends separate from his.
• Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you. If something bothers you, speak up. Never let a man know everything. He will use it against you later. You cannot change a man's behavior. Change comes from within.
• Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are... even if he has more education or in a better job. Do not make him into a quasi-god.
  He is a man, nothing more nothing less.
• Never let a man define who you are.
• Never borrow someone else's man.
  If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.
• A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you.
• All men are NOT dogs. (this I am a strong believer of)
• You should not be the one doing all the bending...compromise is two way street.
• You need time to heal between relationships...there is nothing cute about baggage... deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship.
• You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you...a relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals...look for someone complimentary...not supplementary.
• Dating is fun....even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right.
• Make him miss you sometimes...when a man always know where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.
• Never co-sign for a man. (funny, i've actually been asked this before!)
• Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need.
• Keep him in your radar but get to know others.

Share this with other women and men (just so they know)... You'll make someone smile, another rethink her choices, and another woman prepare.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them and an entire lifetime to forget them.

Random Annoyances of the Month

Things that make you go WTF!

• waiting over a year on a house to be built.
• Indian Standard Time
• indecisiveness - just f'ing pick!
• Stores that close before 6.
• another f'ing rerun of LOST.
• people who have NO respect.
• people who call you and leave you a PAGE instead of a voicemail... I have to pay .10 for that you punk!!
• people who "send a smile" on Friendster.
• Automatic toilets that flush before you're done.
  
  And the #1 annoyance of the month:
• calling my K,K raise with 3,4 off suit and winning with 2 pair on the flop.

The Power of Peripherals

Peripheral vision: Side vision. The ability to see objects and movement outside of the direct line of vision.

Peripheral vision - Everybody has it, yet most people seem to forget that they aren’t the only ones who have it! We all have it. We can all see things outside our direct line of vision. So why must people still make faces, nudge each other, try to discreetly notion with their eyes, whisper, raise eyebrows…. All in the name of sending one person a message about someone else who is also more than likely somewhere within 180 degrees of your direct line of vision. Now… if you can see the person you are trying to nudge someone else about, then idiot! They can see you too! And yes, they KNOW you are scowling at their unmatched socks, snorting at the monster zit on their forehead, motioning at the last comment just made that apparently you thought was absurd or ridiculous. But guess what… I am not stupid and I saw that!

Thus, this is just a friendly reminder to all, not to forget that just because someone is not looking at you, doesn’t mean that they do not see you.

Betsy's Winter Weather Advisories

Random advice to help you make it through this winter:

• Stuck without an ice scraper? A CD case works wonders! And this way, you probably have more than 1 and can make your lazy passengers help...
• Don't have a garage? Instead of parking as close to your building as you can, burn a few extra calories and park a little farther away and leave your car in the sun. It will cut down on ice scraping time and you won't be as late to work.
• Use all those leg warmers you bought last winter that are no longer in style to actually keep warm under your slacks this winter.
• I know it doesn't seem like it, but scarfs make a hellova difference.
• As dorky as it might seem to own thermals... I mean who really knows you have them on anyway?
• Halls vitamin C drops are really tasty and definitely help with preventing colds.
• Stuck in a really long line at Walmart because of the holiday season? Sneak over to the Christmas section at the far right or left of the store... they have their own register and maybe 1 person in line. Buy some wrapping paper and jump in line. Unless... you'd rather save the buck 50 and wait in line for 25 minutes.

And now since I saved you all that time at Walmart, and time is money, make sure you use some of that money to help some people in need this Christmas :)

Carb Addicts

Sitting around the dinner table with friends usually doesn't elicit the most gripping of conversations.... however on occasion you get past that wall and people start chatting about some enlightening topics... rather than beer and buckhead.

Here are the top takeaways from the evening:

• Too much hottness in a guy EXUDES adultery.
• Once a cheater, always a cheater.
• Simply having intentions is cheating; actually acting on it - not necessary.
• Girls can suck too.
• Having a child with someone definitely alters relationship logic.
• Please pay for these 1.99 chicken tenders... but not with MY debit card.
• A man who can fix a loose doorknob is hotter than a man who can pick out the hottest coach purse.
• However, a man who can pick out the hottest coach purse is not necessarily gay.
• Thinking a man is gay does wonders for that follow up call (lol).
  
  
• .... and this is unrelated, but I can't resist.... "If I have to pay a dollar for coat check, can I at least have my own hanger?"

Good times...

Supposedly Me...

Your Birthdate: January 3

You are more than a big ball of energy - you are a big ball of hyper. You are always on the go, but you don't have a type a personality. Instead of channeling your energy into work, you instead go for fun and adventure. Witty and verbal, you can have an interesting conversation with anyone. Your strength: Your larger than life imagination Your weakness: You tend to be pretty scattered Your power color: Lime Your power symbol: Lightening bolt Your power month: March

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

POKER!!!

So yesterday, I played Texas Hold 'Em for the first time in my life. Although I used to scoff at the game that was "all luck", I did a 180 and became super intrigued with it after the 2005 World Poker Tourney on ESPN. I bought in for 10 bucks and was given a cheat sheet so I could figure out which hands beat each other. (hmm did they just assume I needed it because I was a girl?) Anyway, who knew there were so many possibilities!? I used to think that a pair was a good hand! Well apparently it is the BOTTOM of the totem pole and there are SO MANY combinations that beat even a pair of aces! It is a wonder that anyone would ever go all in on just a pair. So I started playing, did pretty well, got offended when someone peeped at the hand that I folded (cheaters!).... then I got a pretty good hand - jack hearts, king! So I called on all the bets and even raised. Then with the flop, I had a king pair, and the other 2 were both hearts! Then I got 2 more hearts with the turn and the river!! I had a flush with Jack high! What would Cantor have done?! So I went all in. I mean these guys at the final table were betting millions on just a pocket pair! and I had a effing FLUSH! So what happened?? Did I win? Of course not. Do I ever? John had the SAME flush with KING high. DOH! Well.... I am going to take notes and master this game.... so who knows, maybe you'll see me at the 2011 WORLD POKER TOURNAMENT!

Blog-worthy

TACQUIT0: back
JazmineBT: you mean
JazmineBT: bac
TACQUIT0: changed my sell to 1.80
JazmineBT: we should speak in stock tickers
JazmineBT: i'm sirius
TACQUIT0: lu-ser

KEY:
*bac = bank of america
*sirius = sirius satellite radio
*lu = lucent technologies

Ummm WTF???

What did he think I was doing?!

Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: Hey Mike, I have a question relating to SSO phase 4
Mike Murray/USA/BAC: Hi. do you want to sametime it to me?


Why does he keep saying my name?!

Ravindra Modukuri: you are right Betsy....
Ravindra Modukuri: we add this to existing sub-product property file... so there is no need for new file
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: cool, so very little impact
Ravindra Modukuri: yes Betsy...
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: k i made a new version 3, let me know if anything looks off
Ravindra Modukuri: sure Betsy


uhhh... lost in translation?

Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: hey we never got a chance to go through some of those batch programs last week
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: do you have time this afternoon
Selvakumar Kesavan: Shall i tell later?
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: tell me later if you have time, or go over it later?
Selvakumar Kesavan: ok


I can be stupid too....

Robert W. Futrell II: hey
Robert W. Futrell II: what is the key for infiniti occurrences?
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: sideways 8
Robert W. Futrell II: lol
Robert W. Futrell II: for SST
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: ohhhh
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: all 9's
Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: 99999

Ain't That Funny?

My roommate is wise beyond her years:

http://maddieq.blogspot.com/2005/10/thinner-mints.html

maybe arranged marriges aren't so bad?

Spider Drama

So now to episode 2 of the battle of the bugs.... Last night Ruby was staying over and it was about 3:00 am and we were just about to fall asleep when all of a sudden we heard Madeha who had just gotten in a few minutes before calling out for anyone that could hear. Ruby and I got up and went out to the living room where she was like, dude, PLEASE tell me that thing in the corner over there is a roach. Yes, she wanted it to be a roach. Because if that was a spider... [shudder]... that would mean it was a huuuuuuuge spider. So I rub the sleep out of my eyes and focus.... sure enough.... it WAS a HUUUUUUUUGE black semi-furry spider! We were all like omg, WHAT do we do. Madeha had the bright idea of chasing it out the door. Now... a) our door doesn't stay open, it swings shut so someone would have to be close enough to the door to hold it open... b) those things move so fast, there was no telling if by aggrivating its current position in the direction of the door, it would actually go that way. I said, we must kill it where it is. Oh and by this time we were both each standing on a chair about a broom and a half's length from the spider. A broom and a half b/c we couldn't quite reach the spider with the broom that Madeha was holding. Since it was in a corner, she said if she she tried to smush it there, it might not die and come running up the broom handle. (I understand greatly this fear... see blog on Debugging). So then she said i'm going to throw this piece of cloth at it. And i was like.... noooo it will come running! She threw it anyway and it pretty much sheilded the spider in the corner. Great. So then she proceeds to bang on the wall with the broom to create some sort of vibration to make the spider move. Now i'm like great, the cop that lives across from us is going to think that the girls across from him are getting mangled. Nothing was working so she moved the cloth with the broom, and sure enough now the spider started moving, and it started moving fast. Ruby is standing on the couch in the living room with just her head poking around the wall to see what we were doing. Madeha and I are screaming bloody murder as she attempts to smack the spider with the broom. I think she got it on 2nd smack! Now she is holding the broom on top of the spider... and we have no idea if it is dead, injured at LEAST, or still perfectly fine in between the bristles. So madeha says, RUBY COME OPEN THE DOOR!! And she's like no way in hell!!! Slowly she lifts the broom... and viola! The spider looks slightly crumpled. Ruby says, be careful! It could be pretending!! This is true... so we stood there on top of our chairs, and examined the spider. Ahhhh... it was definitely dead. We left the spider dead on the floor, and concluded episode 2 of the battle of the bugs!

Bathroom Reading

This actually is a conversation from work from June 7, 2005 and as i was sorting through old mail, i found it and was still cracking up, so i had to add this to my blog. Das is a contractor from India that manages offshore contracters. He sits in the next row:

[13:55] Soumyabrata Das: u still there?
[13:55] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: yeah
[13:55] Soumyabrata Das: in package 68
[13:55] Soumyabrata Das: i have the jcl
[13:56] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: for..?
[13:56] Soumyabrata Das: the sst batch cycle
[13:56] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: oh
[13:57] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: package 68 is the fileset on the mainframe?
[13:57] Soumyabrata Das: yeah
[13:58] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: i put that on Dsname Level?
[14:11] Soumyabrata Das: wht is ur # ?
[14:12] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: 704.683.----
[14:18] Soumyabrata Das: that is ur # ?
[14:18] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: yeah
[14:18] Soumyabrata Das: thats an onsite # ?
[14:18] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: yeah
[14:18] Soumyabrata Das: you are onsite ?
[14:19] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: onsite..?
[14:19] Soumyabrata Das: without my knowledge :-))
[14:19] Soumyabrata Das: aare yaar!! i'm asking for your desk # /
[14:19] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: ohhhh
[14:19] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: hahhaha
[14:19] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: cube 84
[14:21] Soumyabrata Das: dont u have a phone
[14:21] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: yeah
[14:21] Soumyabrata Das: nearby ur desk
[14:21] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: yeah
[14:22] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: are you talking about my work phone or my cell phone
[14:22] Soumyabrata Das: can u pls share that # with me ?
[14:22] Soumyabrata Das: if i ask for ur cell won't u give it to me ?
[14:23] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: yeah you can have it, is that what you wanted?
[14:23] Soumyabrata Das: yeeah
[14:23] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: 919.264.----
[14:23] Soumyabrata Das: some # where i can call u now
[14:23] Soumyabrata Das: grt
[14:23] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: you are calling me now?
[14:23] Soumyabrata Das: yes
[14:23] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: you can call my work number
[14:24] Soumyabrata Das: not connecting
[14:24] Soumyabrata Das: give any # where i can call
[14:24] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: 704.683.----
[14:24] Betsy Thekkekandam/USA/BAC: or you can call cell if you want
[14:25] Soumyabrata Das: better u call me
[14:25] Soumyabrata Das: 704 683 ----


Ok so I called him and said 'hey', and he’s like 'umm who’s this…' and I said 'its betsy, didn’t you just tell me to call?' And he said 'no! I was talking to someone offshore...' (i.e. in India) and I was like 'ummm…' and he goes, 'I think my sametime (instant messanging application) is screwed up…'

So I go to his cube and this entire conversation on his screen was to some GDC contractor chick in India except it was all routing to me!!! I was so confused and so was he! I was like why is he asking if I’m onsite and if i have a phone…..??? duh I sit right next to you practically. And he was like why does she not know how to run a batch cycle and why is she giving me U.S. numbers…. And for each number that he tried to call, he dialed it with the 001 prefix to get to India!

HILARIOUS.

Ruminating on Relationships

There are some things that I just never really understood when it comes to relationships and dating... here is a short list.

1) playing hard to get.

If I have to be aloof for you to be interested in me, then really, what is it that you like... me or the 'game'? People love the competition these days so if you have to play hard to get for someone to like you, then its time to question what exactly it is that they like. You are the same person if you just keep it real and do what you want, so why should that change anything?

1b) playing games period.

Who has time for games? It is both mind jerking and exhausting. If you want to call me, please, call me. You don't have to wait 3 days 7 hours and 42 minutes to call me or else be viewed as a crazy stalker. oh and... I love this one... you ARE allowed to call twice in a row... or even 3 or 4 times. As long as I always pick up or return your phone call promptly (key word), you have no worries. (if neither of these are true, THEN maybe you want to stop calling).

2) who has the upper hand??

why the heck is there even an upper/lower hand? if there is... or better yet if you even think about it and who has it, maybe its time to rethink your relationship. Why would you want to be with someone who thought they had you 'wrapped around their finger' or if you think you have the upper hand and your significant other would do anything to keep you, then do you REALLY care about this person? When you are with someone, you are part of a team... you should trust each other... hold EACH OTHER in the highest regard. It really shouldn't be a one way street here... you should feel PROUD to have the other person by your side.

3) live together to ensure the 'little' things don't annoy you.

I've heard this one a WHOLE lot. The thing with this one that I really don't understand is if you truly love somebody... then those little things won't annoy you! who cares how they squeeze the toothpaste or put the toilet paper on the roll? If that is enough to make you stop liking someone, then you never loved them to begin with.

All in all, when you are with someone, that person should be your #1 confidant. If there is something you can't tell that person, then something is off balance in the relationship. It really is like a team, and if you can't trust the other person to always put your best interests first, then what kind of relationship is that? Some of the most important factors to building this type of relationship are honesty... communication (which automatically leads to trust, another vital factor)... selflessness (doing something for the other person should never feel like a task)... loyalty (you should always be able to count on the other person, be it for help, support, having your back, etc) These are the things that really make a relationship solid... and the things that people most often have to work on I think are the communication and honesty. Just those 2 things alone will help bring everything else in on its own. Give it a try!

Switching over from Friendster...

So, as it seems, with Friendster Blogs, your older entries stop showing up as you continue creating more. That is ridiculous. Apparently they want to make you pay to have everything show up. And its some crazy-ass fee like $150 bucks a year.... if someone was that into their blog to pay that amount... I think I'd be a little worried about how much they get out. So anyways, I am switching to blogspot. I'm going to copy and paste all the entries I've done thus far on Frienster to blogspot. That way you peeps can keep reading my "Scrubs" entry ;)

July Lessons

Here are some of the things I have learned this month:

1. Don't play "never have I ever" with brother's friends.
2. Flirting with Blue doesn't help me make it to first base. Although I do receive apologies for the "Strike!" ... or as they put it... "STRAAAAHHHH!"
3. Free cable doesn't always come 100% free.... :-X
4. A lot of Jettas take Diesel gas. I learned this lesson from a friend and am not speaking from experience. Really.
5. Dont ride to a wedding in a stretch hummer limo if it is 110 degrees outside, as it take ample time to cool such a large space.
6. Always keep a spare roll of duck tape with you for emergencies. Especially at weddings. Or a spare pair of shoes would do. Thanks Sindhura, for letting me borrow your shoes when mine broke 5 minutes before the ceremony started.
7. Roaches = free desert at Rock Bottom Brewery on Tryon St. in Charlotte.
8. Before you chuck someone into a pool fully clothed, ensure they have removed all wireless devices from their pocket.... oops...
9. Before you jump into a pool fully clothed, make sure you are not wearing a dress.
10. And finally... There really are guys out there who haven't even read my blog and have done everything in my "Scrubs" entry perfectly :)

Debugging...

And I wish I was referring to debugging my code. Ok that was really dorky, but yet by far better than anything with more than 4 legs. For some reason something one one zillionth the size of me can elicit the absolute worst horrifying bloody murder scream ever. My old roomate Rima is aware of this behaviour. She pretty much shares this fear with me as once we both came back to our apartment in Raleigh at about midnight, only to find the entrance to our door surrounded by about 3 grandaddys, a huge spider on our mop next to the door, and a 4 inch praying mantis chilling about a milimeter from the doorknob. yes. the doorknob. After about 20 min of pondering and throwing a few pebbles, we drove to the nearby gas station to buy raid. unfortunately it was like 6 bucks for a sample sized bottle so we opted to fill up our water bottles and throw water at the bugs. We eventually got in our aptartment.... eventually meaning about 1 hour and 45 min later. If Rima was not with me that night, I seriously would have driven back to my parents house in Greensboro. Hey at least thats only an hour and 15 away. So after living in bug-free LA, and then coming back to NC for winter, and then just being pretty damn lucky for the past few months, I was reminded last nightof just how badly I am afraid of creatures.

So I am about to hop into bed and I see this ugly ass thing on the top of my wall next to the ceiling. Imagine a roach's body with as many legs as a centipede but legs that are the size of those on a spider. Not a pretty sight. Especially not in my room. So i grab a broom, and some aerosal lysol spray (for the continuous-machine-gun-like weapon and get up on my stool and basically stare at the thing for about 5 min with the lysol fully aimed and ready to spray. I just can't bring myself to do it, as all the worst-case-scenarios start flashing through my mind. What if the thing gets scared and jumps on me, what if i hit it with the broom and it gets stuck to the bristles and runs towards me down the handle. I would scream and fall off the stool and my biggest worry about that? i would be on the same ground level as the bug. Not that I would break my neck or sprain my ankle. So I called my 1-800-SUPPORT friend Rob in Florida. He convinced me that the bug would not jump on me and a good strategy would be to spray then smack the bug with the broom and hold it there. So i put my phone on the dresser and started for about 2 min before i gatherd up the courage to spray and smack! In the second between the spray and smack, the bug tried to make a jump for it and i SCREAMED bloody murder and smacked. Poor Madeha. She came stumbling out of bed looking for sharp objects and thinking that I was being attacked. I was. Sort of. I WAS!! So congratulations to me for my first successful battle against the bug!

Strike 3!

So I added another activity to my list of things to do. I joined a softball team! First of all who knew it cost so much to play softball. The stupid glove cost like 60 bucks, and someone on our team bought a bat for $250!!!! i didn't even buy myself a softball since they were like 7 bucks a piece. Well, so my arm had to be twisted about 1080 degrees before I agreed to join. (I think they were short on girls). I asked if I could play the position of "catcher" since, well.... since I can't catch. I think the umpire hates me b/c the ball hits him about 60% of the time. However, I do make contact with the ball when I hit most of the time. I guess its fun still though because no one really expects anything from me, so when I don't catch, no one is surprised, and when I hit, everyone is surprised. lol. So far we are 0 for 2. But just wait till we play Ryan and Amish's team next week. muahahaha.

The Simple Life

Do you ever feel like you should star in a reality show? This weekend I went to NYC with Shama to visit Kaajal and other friends (Nakul, Tom, random friendsters (haha jk.... actually i'm not really kidding.... lol - kidding about not kidding - haha now you'll never know if i'm really kidding or not. but really i'm not kidding...jk)).
While in NYC we hit up the following places: La Souk, Cat Lounge, Park, Bar Room, and Libations. We also went to the famous Mamouns for falafels (or as I initially put it - fal-fa-lels).
Other simple mistakes of the trip:

1) shama scanning her metro card on the left side of the entrance and wondering why the gate isn't letting her through but in the meantime scanning half the money off her card.

2) me in times square, asking kaajal - "hey this place looks kinda interesting/familiar, is it anything?"

3) shama on Thursday before going to La Souk - "hey kaajal, do you think we should call a cab now?"

4) me and shama at Sbarros, each ordering one slice of cheese pizza and shama ordering a budweiser as well. we got to the register and the hispanic lady says "$7.89" and I say, oh its seperate. she says "yes, $7.89". and i say no mine is different. She says again "$7.89" and once again, hoping she just doesn't understand english, i meekly point at shama cheese slice and beer and say "for just that....?" [what happened to 1.99 cheese?!]

5) us getting VERY close to being hit by a car/cab driver at least three times and running back and forth in the road like those damn squirrels.

6) kaajal ordering a malibu rum and pineapple and a red apple martini.... ok fine now i'm just reaching.

lessons learned? definitely.

Scheduled & Recurring Transfers

So after almost a year at the Bank, I am finally actually seeing some results for what I did!!! It's not available to the general public till the end of May, but all the associates who worked on this initiative are now getting to make use of the functionality for what is called a "pilot" (i.e. lets test with our own money before we let it loose on the general public). Being that quite a bit of the code that calculates the logic of the transfer details (number of payments, payment amounts, transaction dates, editing transfers) was done by me, I made sure to write down all the amounts in my account because, well.... yeah. So for all those of you who use online banking with Bank of America, go to the "Transfer Funds" tab in mid-may and you will now have the option to schedule a future-dated transfer, or create a recurring transfer. And if you have any problems or see any defects, you know who you can contact for immediate support... that would be moi. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you would not attempt to break my code.... by doing crazy things like skipping a transaction 1000 times... because the max size on the skip field is 3... if you do this it will trigger a piece of code that will suck all the funds out of your account and send them directly to me. :-)

Cookie Dough

Something is terribly wrong with me. Not only am I updating my blog at 5:00 am (I just got off work at BAR and the time sprung forward an hour), but I am sitting here with a tub of cookie dough and a big spoon. So that whole eating right thing I mentioned in "402nd" place apparently isn't going over very well. I have some strange obsession with cookie dough. SAM's club sells huge tubs of it, already premade... dangerous. When we first moved in together, I got Madeha hooked on it also, and together, we finished 2 tubs of it in less than 2 months... definitely not good. I promised myself I wouldn't buy another tub of it, so why am I sitting here with a tub now? Damn coworker's-son's-boy-scout-troop. Popcorn is useless, and this was the only other thing worthwile on the menu. Somebody shoot me now.

The Importance of BAR

Apparently BAR has been given quite a bit of importance lately:

When casually asked what I do by my hairdresser, I respond that I work at Bank of America uptown and I'm also a bartender at BAR Charlotte on the side. She responds with "Oh, BAR Charlotte, wow, you must make good money there."

And online with my manager today in regards to a potential night shift helping out with transition:

Christine M. Wat... did you see my email about the CIS control room
Betsy Thekkeka... yeah, i don't have any known conflicts
Christine M. Wat... what about your work schedule at the bar?

Wow, I didn't realize my manager placed so much importance on my job at BAR!
Now only if my friends would follow suit....

The New Meaning of Double Fisting

What comes to mind when you think double fisting? Holding 2 beers? 2 drinks? something about fighting? None of the above is true anymore for me. Today on the elevator with Madeha, she demonstrated a new meaning for the term. Double fisting is when you have to cough so loud and hack so hard that you need TWO hands to cover your mouth. Please reference Madeha's blog for more clarification on this subject at http://madhee.blogspot.com/2005/03/thin-mints.html

I Don't Want No Scrub...

To all my guy friends out there.... this is an important read. I am writing this to HELP you all because I've realized that some people's mothers were apparently too busy watching soap operas to teach these important manners & since all of you are my friends, I want you to do well and succeed and always be spoken of positively. My girlfriends and I have had a number of conversations about this over the years about the guys we encounter and we have even contemplated writing a book because of all the stupidity and retardation. I'm going to start with a blog and just hit on a few high points... hopefully, this will be rather enlightening.

1A) Perception is worth more than a few bucks. A guy who pays for a girl is ALWAYS going to elicit a higher opinion from women than guys who have that "this is the millennium, girls want to be treated as equals, we should split the bill" persona. And no - before you even try to go there - it is not about anyone being a "gold digger" or us trying to get a free meal. It's about plain chivalry and the age-old tradition that the man should care for the woman. Does the man sleep on the arm of the woman? Absolutely not. That is just plain ridiculous for the same reasoning: the MAN should show care for and protect the woman, therefore HIS arm is around HER. So next time you have that "its ok if she pays because this is the year 2005" thought, remember that she is thinking "what a scrub, he doesn't really care, he is just using me, wait till all my friends hear about this." Now... is her AND all her friends thinking less of you worth a few bucks?

1B) What if she insists on splitting? Yes, it is true, the girl could REALLY be indifferent and would REALLY not think any worse of you if you let her split the bill. BUT - how much BETTER would she think of you if you refused and even abhorred the thought of letting her take the bill. I assure you, she would hold you in a much higher regard, and if your name ever came up in conversation with her female friends, you will ALWAYS be placed in a positive-he's-such-a-sweet-guy category. Is that worth the price of coffee or lunch to you? I think it’s priceless.

2) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS walk behind the girl. It might seem like such a small, stupid, irrelevant detail but I will tell you this now. WE DO NOTICE THESE THINGS. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THESE THINGS. AND YOU DO GET CREDIT FOR THESE THINGS. It is just a well-mannered thing to do. It's easy, and it doesn't cost you a dime (for all those undercover scrubs out there who want to bitch about 1A and 1B). Don't argue. Just do it. Nike.

3) If you are walking next to a girl outside, YOU walk closest to the traffic. This way if someone is going to get run over or hit, it will be you. Not that we want you to die over us, but again, its just shows that the guy is the protector and he cares deeply about our well-being and safety. Some girls may not think about this, so if she looks at you strange for switching sides, just mumble, "oh don't want you to walk too close to the traffic" and change the subject so as not to appear to be fishing for an "awwww".

4) This one should be a no-brainer but I'm going to say it anyway. Open the door for her. Duh. That’s all I have to say.

5) When waiting for an elevator, let her walk in first, let her walk out first. If you are in the front of the elevator and it would make more sense for you to walk out first, I don't care. Stand to the side, hold your arm in front of the door so it doesn't close on her or anyone else, and let all the women out first. If you let the other men out also, you are impeccable. Its the little things guys, the little things.

6) When ordering food from a waitress, always let her order first. If the waitress looks at you for your order first, direct the attention to the woman. You think I'm making all this up, but all of my examples are coming from what other girls have told me about guys they meet that they were incredibly impressed with.

7) Speaking of food and restaurants, please coordinate your eating speed with ours. On average, men can scarf down food faster than women.... so please try to not make us feel like a pig or feel rushed by finishing like 5 minutes after you get your food.

8) Another important note: You may be surprised but we are NOT impressed by men who drive like maniacs. Please refrain from attempting to cause us coronary problems by weaving in and out of traffic at ungodly speeds. It just means you are not confident and you think you have to act all tough to make up for that lack of confidence. We recognize this. It's not cool. We are not in 11th grade. Please stop acting like it.

Ok, that is all I'm going to say for now. I'm sure as I encounter more scrubbish behavior, I'll think of more things to add to this list. Feel free to comment, argue, or agree. But I'm telling you... you do these little things, you will be WELL respected.

At the Hop

Studying at the library is SOOO last season. No food, no drinks, no talking and it closes at the peak of your study time. The new best place to study is IHOP. Its open late, and there is unlimited access to food and coffee. What could be more efficient? Plus there isn't a single place in charlotte open past 11pm where anyone can go to study. Hell, even the library closes at 6 here on weekends. So thats it. From now on, its IHOP. The only issue is having to plug in your laptop to the ceiling.... and well... thats really a nonissue. Check on the one on South Tryon by Walmart and ask for Ferman.

402nd Place

So this past Saturday I ran in a 5K race. A friend of mine asked me to run with their team, so I reluctanty agreed after he convinced me that I wouldn't come in last place. I had been running 3 miles a few times a week on a treadmill at our gym at Tyvola Centre but for the last month I haven't really had too much time to keep this up with my 2.5 jobs and real estate class. I wasn't too worried as all I really cared to do was run the 3.1 miles and be done with it, after all it was just a charity 5K. But wow, running outside is a whole-nother ball game. My legs are still sore 2 days later. I think I did ok though, considering. Check out my results:

http://www.runforyourlife.com/2005_RACES/uptown_ymca_corporate_cup_5k.htm

Yeah yeah, I placed 402, but out of 1271 people right! But somehow the people ranking hit the competitive bone in my body, and now I am all motivated to actually train, go get a gait analysis, proper shoes, and heaven forbid... I *might* even start eating right. If you want to race with me next time, lemme know!

the evolution of friendster

Wow.... friendster has come a loooong way.... online chatting, photo albums, displaying birthdays, and now they have joined the blogging bandwagon. last year at this time friendster took forever to load, always had random errors, and 40% of the time would end up in being a "page cannot be displayed". I was so annoyed by friendster at one point, I switched to Orkut (google's version). When that didn't really take off, I reluctantly came back. I did swear I wasn't going to do the whole blog thing (like with blogspot.com), but I've been bribed by friendster. I have to start one inorder to create a damn photo album. I guess we'll see how long this lasts... probably not too long as my roommate has much better writing skills and well, since our lives are pretty much aligned, her blog will more than cover everything that I do. check it out at http://www.madhee.blogspot.com/