Darts, Tennis and other methods of Denial

 

We play darts in the office. And not just the plain old mainstream version of darts, but rather a version filled with guts and gusto and which builds character. We wouldn't play it otherwise, you know. Our version involves scaling tall wobbly poles, evading the attack of various exotic but lovable wild animals and the usage of faculties of the brain as yet uncharted. We name our invention "ManDarts"™ (Shooting for Real Men). We wanted to not be so sexist in the title of our invention but realized that "PersonDarts" did not have the same ring to it.

I'm really lousy at ManDarts though, the last game I lost by 28 points. The other guy got 10 points, so readers of the blog can work out how much I got. Anyway, I got so friggin' mad afterwards that I decided to stop playing ManDarts and take up tennis. Right now my sparring partner is the wall. It's going really well, and I've defeated the wall—twice. I'm trying to convince the others to bring a racket to the office to little avail.

Another favorite of ours is the Frisbee. They say that the Frisbee has its roots in a University game involving the throwing of a pie platter after the pie was devoured. We like the game because it reminds us of food.

But essentially all these activities are really very important to our mental and physical well-being. Without them, we will be stuck behind our computer day in day out, our energy levels will go to the crapper and we'll all be brain-dead clones of our friends stuck in the rigidity of the regular rat race. That of course means we are at the very top of our game in work and in play all day. Not really actually.

Ok, guys Happy Chinese New Year! Its Yixue signing off now, for the week, I'm going to KL.

 

Buh Bye Varum Golem

Hi guys!

Saturday has descended upon us once again; the ignominy of having gone an entire week without having either saved or destroyed the world eats at our very soul. But we manage. Ok, big news, Varun has left Singapore for the Indian Office. So that frees up the sofa for the rest of us if we stay over.

It's quite funny actually, because he was supposed to leave two Sundays ago but sort of missed his flight. So he strode in Monday, to our astonishment and utter surprise. Apparently he had lost his passport. Not the most brilliant of moves on his part, totally uncharacteristic of his usual sharpness and coolness under fire. But it's all good. He applied for a passport, and expedited (his own words) the process with his numerous political connections. So under armed guards, and a coterie of delegates, the passport, under the cover of heavy darkness was delivered unto Varun in but a matter of days. Knowing the bureaucracy of India, and the red-tape involved in such a process, one needs to take a step back and realize what a miracle that was.

So he got another ticket to India and left back home this morning. However several things did happen pretty fortuitously because of the delay:

1. Instead of having 1 farewell dinner we had 2.
   
2. Varun grew a beard
   

For our first fortuitous event, it was meant to be. We didn't have a proper dinner as a farewell; the main problem was that it was a lunch and I can't actually remember whether Varun was around (It was quite some time ago). So the powers that be, displeased with our first sacrificial dinner, commended upon us to prepare a dining experience that would be fitting. Thus Ming, the sole provider of the choicest food led us to the land of milk and honey: BAN LEONG WAH HOE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT. We had crabs. And it was good. Ming is now shouting over our heads that he took 2 pincers— that greedy bastard.

Here is a picture of some of us:

Now the second fortuitous event: My personal belief is that when Varun was left behind by his plane, he became psychologically changed. He started channeling the spirit of Robinson Crusoe, of Tom Hanks (in Castaway not in Forrest Gump). In order to fit in with that image, he had to stop shaving, to leave his physical appearance in disarray, while rearranging and organizing his inner spirituality. Oh the IRONY!

And it reminds me of all the great programmers in the past (and the present and future). Take for example:

Richard Stallman

And

Steve Wozniak

They are all full-bearded, enigmatic personalities. It's the programmer's dress code, and Mr. Varun Chatterji is about to join that club.

OR he could just be lazy.

In other related news, our fridge is decaying and everything inside is rotting, Darius just got back from Hong Kong and Tito is leaving for a holiday in Cambodia.

AND HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

This is Yixue, signing out.