Merry Christmas, Merry Xmas, Merry Xmas,

As a non-Christian, the longer I live here, the more annoyed I become around Christmas. I didn’t used to have a problem wishing people Merry Christmas, but when I now realize what it means to them, I have a real hard time with it. When I utter those words, not only I’m approving and celebrating this nonsense, I’m agreeing with them of my demise as a non-Christian. According to them, I’ll be going to hell unless I accept him as my savior. The hell with his love for me!

Happiness

Happiness is being content and having all “your needs” met.
Everyone’s needs are different.
My needs are as follows, but not necessarily in this order:
Being healthy to be active and enjoy my life.
Having a good job that I’m happy to do and make good money.
Having a great family and bunch of good friends.
Marrying my soul mate, my true love, and the love of my life.
Having two or more healthy children.
Being able to do good for the mankind.
Having hobbies to enjoy my spare time.
I don’t have a need for spirituality or faith in my life.I don’t believe in reincarnation or after life, so for me, this is it. I have a burning desire to know what else is out there, why, and where I came from, but I know that will never be answered to my satisfaction. I have resigned myself to that and I’m able to accept that and move on.
What makes you happy?

Palestine Peace not Apartheid

Ex-President Jimmy Carter’s new book, Palestine Peace not Apartheid, has caused a great uproar among Jews and their supporters. I love Jews and I’m very sympathetic to their plight. I like to support them whenever I can, but who do you believe here? Read the excerpts and watch the video here. He answers a question about Iraq and then speaks on Israeli’s confiscating and occupying and taking Palestinian lands. Palestine, Peace not Apartheid, on CBS News. Here he defends, one of, his critics on AOL News.

Ouch! You snooze you lose.

Ouch! You snooze, you lose. There is another angle to this, a whole long story and somewhat related, but it’ll fall in the category of “Too much information!” I will tell you this much that I had met someone new prior to this and it was amistake and I wished the whole date and dinner had not happened, but it did and it was all my fault. So, how do I explain this? I had often thought about that new book by this guy, former Sex and the City writer and co-author of He’s just Not That Into You, Greg Behrendt. I totally understand it. I have not read the book or need to read it. I get it! There was no fooling myself and I absolutely didn’t want to use her, waste her time, or just string her along until a better thing comes along. I’m not that way. I am a romantic fool. I yearn to be in love and have butterflies in my stomach when I’m dating someone… I really have to like someone and be attracted to her. So, I’ll spare you and will just jump into the real story.

Well, I just couldn’t get myself into picking up the phone and calling her. I did torture myself, thinking about it though. I made a few excuses in my head, but all along I knew if I don’t call her soon, I will regret it. I just procrastinated. I think I felt I was still in mourning as a result of the last fiasco. This is not like doing your taxes. There are people on the other end of this and my decision and indecisiveness will have a cause and an affect. What was I thinking? Did I think I could just take my sweet time and time will just stay still for me? I sat on it until I new it was probably too late. So, just to be sure, I called D again and asked if N is still available. I jokingly asked if she was already married. She told me that she is still available and I should go ahead and call her now. I called N today and she said, “I’m sorry, but you were supposed to call me long time ago and they said you had made problem with the distance and…I already have a boyfriend.” The line wet quiet for a minute and all I could say was to say was to say, “Oh well! I guess it’s my loss! I hope everything works out for you. Thanks for returning my call and bye.” I had never felt so little! I guess I deserved it. I’m sure I will not repeat that mistake again. How much did this lesson cost me? Okay, mister romantic: Could I have missed meeting my true love? I'll never know!

Vanity - It's all about me today.

It’s all about me today. Today, I finally enjoyed being at the gym. I wasn’t checking the time every 2 seconds. I have slowly worked up my stamina to the same shape as before to the point that I no longer feel like I’m going to drop and die after each regiment and a few sets. Yes, today it’s all about me. My name is Bijan, but not that Bijan the designer. I'm much more handsome, dress better, and I'm much sexier. Don’t confuse me with the violin player and singer either. I can sing much better than him. Yes, it’s all about me today. I’m going to call her (N). She can like me just the way I am. Why did the old date (M) want to see me again? I thought she was using me to get back at her ex-boyfriend (more than a year ago.) I wasn’t about to allow that relationship to continue, once I read her hand. Now after a year she wants to get together again over a drink to catch up on things! Is there any point to that? Should I give her the time of day? I have one weakness and I admit it. I am too considerate and I too nice. I can’t’ be mean, even if I wanted to. Are we that civilized that we just want to be friends now or does she have ulterior motive. Should I even care?. Should I even waste my time? Oh well, this is today and tomorrow is a new day. Let’s not jump to conclusion. Sleep on it and check the mirror again first thing in the morning and see if you are still on your high horse. “It’s good to be the king,” as Mel Brookes said it in, “History of the world.” I love it when I feel this cocky! Is there too much vanity going on around here? Life is good today. Okay, back to the earth! I'm almost done with my xmas shopping too. Just a couple of things and that'll be it. No Vages this year either. Well, at least no plans yet!

Iran - 8 year old caught stealing bread...

Sorry everyone. This story apparently is not true and it was all staged.

An 8 year old childcaught stealing bread in a market of Iran is
punished in a public place.
His arm will be crushed and will lose its use
permanently

I have had it up to here! How can anyone have any peace in their life with all this going around? The other day someone sent me a group of pictures where a little boy was being punished for stealing. Apparently he stole some bread because he was hungry. They forced him to lie down on the ground with his arms extended and had a car cross over his arms. It results in unbearable pain, to say the least, and two broken arms in several places. His arms were crushed and shattered under the weight of the car. The pictures, carefully demonstrated his ordeal as the car got closer and finally passed over his hands. No human being should endure this kind of savagery. He was no older than 8 or 9. What is wrong with these ignorant savages? What kind of God promotes this barbarism? This story (email) was sent to me a couple of weeks ago and I still have nightmares about it. My sister called me the following day and she was blaming the messenger and was subbing over the phone. At first she condemned the sender of the message asking how could anyone send or show something so obscene to another and next she condemned that Iranian regime condoning this form of medieval cruelty. I agreed. At first, I thought she was over reacting, but it’s now I who can’t erase that picture from my mind. The last time I felt this way was the result of another act by this same regime hanging a veiled woman from a crane in public for dealing drugs or something like that. Shame on them!

To Iraq

To those ignorant souls, selfish bunch of religious neanderthals sects that are killing and blowing up each other in the name of god or a creed. I condemn your religion and that holy dogma that you and your kind hold so dear. You are forever lost.