Sip

I don't exactly know when or how it happened, but the day I realized that I will always have more questions than answers, is the day I realized I will ALWAYS be a child.

I like the Gipsy Kings version Welcome to hotel california Such a lovely place Such a lovely place Such a lovely place Such a lovely place Welcome to hotel california Such a lovely place Such a lovely place Such a lovely place Such a lovely place (and then repeat)

quote:Originally posted by vava:But it would be a logistical nightmare to be able to get everyone (or at least those interested) together at one time/ one place! Everyone? same time, same place? A physical impossibility as far as I know my dear VAVA. So it's probably a bit more than just a nightmare

quote:Originally posted by Rubo:Sip revealed some family background and to be honest I visualize him more in two dimension now ... Woo hoo!!! Almost after exactly a year and 1500 posts, I have moved up to the second dimension!!! Give me another year and a couple more thousand posts, and I may prove to you that I am actually a 2.5 dimensional fractal Dear Rubo, when I first came to this site last year, I was totally SHOCKED by the somber mood, the level of hostility against each other, and in general the extremely volatile atmosphere. After a bit of investigating, I realized there was a WEALTH of info deep hidden in the ruins ... it was sort of like stubmling on the ruins of a lost civilization of some sort!!! I felt that what was seriously lacking here was a hint of a personality, a smile, a laugh, something to go hand in hand with the utterly depressing (yet extermely serious) topics that were being discussed (argued over). I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out that by just being me and not pretending to be some sort of know-it-all god creature, I got this HUGE positive feedback ... it was something that I was NOT expecting at all ... well, that made me stay around a bit to see what's going on ... and then of course the addiction sets in and you're stuck forever

hehehe ... if you are suicidal, I guess it makes sense to jump in front of Nairi's car Just kidding Nairi ... I realized I sounded a bit too melodramatic above but Nairi struck a chord I guess But it was all true. Vava and Azat, very enlightening to hear that we have similar stories! I just hope one day our decendents keep the memory of those selfless sacrifices alive ... I realize it's really maybe not that selfless since in their own minds, their children are parts of themselves ... but never the less, those are some noble qualities in deed which I hope to mimic one day [ December 29, 2002, 04:53 PM: Message edited by: Sip ]

FYI, you can edit your posts by clicking the button above the post at any time

quote:Originally posted by nairi:As for leaving everything behind to come here: why? My parents only left behind what they chose to leave behind (and I'm not talking material). If you could have a comfortable and respected life in Iran under Khomeini and his Ayatollahs, or Armenia under Communism, I don't see how you can't have an even more comfortable and respected life in the West. Well, my mom was a successful doctor and surgeon in Iran with a very successful practice and tons of very happy and loyal patients that loved and respected her ... a respect which was certainly EARNED through years and years of hard work and dedication. My father was also a university professor for decades teaching mechanical engineering at one of the most prestigeous universities in Tehran. We had a house, two cars, and a dog which I loved. But they gave ALL that UP. Everything ... both material and otherwise. As my age got closer and closer to the mandatory army age, we left Iran with one suitcase per person, used up most of the money to pay this and that and the "fees" and the bribes and the colaterals that would supposedly ensure my father would return from his "sabbatical" ... which we knew very well wasn't going to happen. Needless to say, my mother has never treated a patient since (she is not licensed in the US and never had the time nor energy to go and relearn everything and pass the tests) ... and my father ... well, do you think anyone would hire an over 50 professor of mechanical engineering who spent the last decade in an islamic country shut-off from the world and the last several years traveling from country to country trying to survive with no up to date research or publications to show for it? Yes, it's hard to believe, but in this case, everything they had worked so hard for stayed with the ayatollahs ... they literally became poor nobodies after a LIFETIME of suffering and hard work. They will never have their own comfort, security, and respect that they had over there. It broke my hearth everytime I saw my mom counting coupons and trying to pinch every penny to feed the endless bellies of me and my brothers. But they will be somebodies again because of me and my brothers. So it wasn't all wasted

quote:Originally posted by Azat:... Now as far as the false(yes it a completely false) statistic that you mentioned about women earning less money than men. The stat released by some governmental agency says something like equally qualified women earn 76.5 cents to that of a dollar of men on average in this country. What a bunch of BS. If this was true, and I was running a shop I would fire all the men in the shop and hire all women. After all that would mean a savings of some 23-24%. Just think how brilliant I would be to be able to cut my costs by 25%. Wow! Simply brilliant Viva la capitalism, greed, and the pursuit of more money ... the most un-sexist, un-racist, indiscriminating forces in the Universe!!! [ December 29, 2002, 01:19 AM: Message edited by: Sip ]

quote:Originally posted by KoRn:... I know some Armenian 22 years olds from where I live who have no idea that last year was the 1700 anniversary of Christianity in Armenia and when I told them about it they were all like "wow, you're so smart for knowing that" which has nothing to do with me being smart or dumb since it's my duty as an Armenian to know such a basic fact as being the 1st Christian nation. Well, I didn't know that either but I figure some things are worth knowing and some things are not. I won't lose much sleep over not knowing that amazing fact But I do pride myself in knowing that the "Hundred Years War" lasted for about 116 years and that the Russians celebrate the "October Revolution" in November

quote:Originally posted by THOTH:So - wouldn't you just rather that I just post "I disagree"? Much less painful/time consuming - no? No! Cause as usual, this thread went from Armenia and the embassador, to the evil US, to how poorly the "constitution" is implemented, to the always under attack "white male" who is usually grouped to be in the "elite" while most of the time the "elite" is quite small in numbers, to parental roles, hard work and advancement in society, and a few other things. A simple "I disagree" adds a lot more to our confusion because you certainly couldn't have been disagreeing with everything (since some points were contradicting each other) As far as making generalizations, I agree 100% that one should NEVER use generalizations to judge an individual. However, generalizations, on their own, when making statements about a certain group can be ok and provide valuable information (or opinion). So I don't think generalizations on their own are evil ... they are only evil if used to judge or form an opinion of an individual (as Thoth stated). So once again, I think in GENERAL, women are much better care givers and more qualified to raise young than the males. Although any intelligent male can certainly make up for those personal defficiencies with thought and effort, that generalization still holds in my opinion. Of course it cannot be used to form an opinion on a "thoth", "Azat", "Sip", or "Loreley" as each of those are individuals.

quote:Originally posted by vava:Sip! Surely all that snow isn't in CA???!!! First of all, don't call me surely Second of all, it surely is!!! That's basically near big bear lake in the San Bernardino mountains ... the snow was so good, we decided to go up in the hills sledding for at least a couple of the days instead of dishing out $50 for skiing. It was a lot more fun ... It was my first time driving the blazer on snow. I was a bit disappointed with those BFG MT tires (mud terrain), but they still did ok. They kick ass on dirt and rocks so I am still very happy I got them. But the ATs (BFG all terrains) are much better on snow and ice in my opinion.

Azat jan, you are making me but let's also not forget that I have been VERY priviledged to have had Armenian parents who put me and my 2 other brothers as their highest priority in life. I will NOT claim for a second that I am where I am due to MY own hard work alone. If it weren't for them, I'd probably be flipping burgers somewhere right now and we wouldn't be having this conversation. I really don't know what I have done to deserve all this great things that I have in life, but all I can do is to take 100% advantage of it to try to give a little back to my parents who sacrificed EVERYTHING for me. They could have had a very comfortable life in Iran ... they were both respected immensely ... but they gave it all up just for us 3 brothers. We may say as many bad things as we want about "Armanians" but that kind of sacrifice is rare in the "westernized" world.

quote:Originally posted by THOTH:I disagree. Neither do I. [ December 28, 2002, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: Sip ]

Loreley, I totally agree with you that being a "hard worker" does NOT mean one will get ahead in life. It is a strong requirement in many cases, but it's certainly NOT the ONLY factor. So although Azat is probably very right that the "hard worker" in the corporate setting gets ahead in life, it does NOT mean that every hard worker will get ahead in life. The corporate environment is usually set up such that hard work is usually valued and encouraged... at least in the more successful corporations (I personally have high tech ones such as intel and microsoft in mind as those I am quite familiar with). quote:Originally posted by Loreley:The ideology that women are expected to do most of the childcare is not a choice, but it is a socially created belief based on traditional and patriarchal ideas. I don't think society has created the belief that women bear children and give them milk! That is a factor I would say dictated by nature. So at least in the VERY early childhood, the female who gives birth SHOULD take care of the child. Now if you are talking about later on in life, again, I think a female presence is much more beneficial to a child due to the softer, caring, and more emotional connection that there exists between the mother and her child. Now if you are going to tell me that males can be just as squeeshy and feely and warm and caring towards children, don't bother, cause I don't buy it!!!! ... and don't tell me that's what society has taught me cause I won't buy that either HOWEVER in a loving relationship, I think the partners should do all they can and more to support and help their partners. So although I think the female has the major burden of caring for the young, this does NOT mean that the male should just go and work! No ... depending on the situation and what's best for the family, all chores and "burdens" must be shared ... if not equally, at least in the "best interests" of the children. [ December 28, 2002, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: Sip ]

quote:Originally posted by Loreley:... but that statistically speaking, White elite men are in more powerful positions than women, people of color, and poor and working class White people. Sorry to butt in but that sounded like a tautology to me and therefore, of course it's "true". It's like saying statistically, rich people have more money than poor people (note that "elite" by itself means "priviledged minority").

I am not going to defend GM for anything but I think it's fair to say that the engine "cutting out" thing is a very rare problem. I am a frequent visitor of a discussion board with several thousand members who have ZR2 trucks and blazers, and I don't know anyone else who has had this problem before. However, having O2 sensors go out which causes similar problems (but not as serious) is not that uncommon. In general, GM trucks are really well built and tough in my opinion. However, the quality of parts and the workmanship putting them together is horrible, which leads to lower quality overall. But the main parts, as in engine, transmision, and drive axles, are usually very reliable. The land cruiser starts at over 50K here ... it is Toyota's most luxurious and expensive offering here in the US.

quote:Originally posted by Accelerated:Sip, did you consider perharps getting the Toyota Landcruiser instead of the Blazer Not even for a second. Those things, even the "base models" are 2.5x more expensive than a fully loaded BlaZeR2. Plus I don't mind bashing the blazer on rocks here and there ... the other thing is, the blazer is much smaller and much more maneuverable than the Landcruiser ... especially when it comes to trying to park it at UCLA. I can fit it ANYWHERE But I can tell you straight up that the TRD toyota pickup trucks are superior to the S10 ZR2 trucks that chevy sells (the S10 ZR2 platform is what the ZR2 blazer is based on, but with a shorter wheelbase). If they offered the TRD toyotas in an SUV version, I DEFINITELY would have gone with that. But since the blazer was so damn good looking, I decided to go with that instead of the TRD ... but now they offer the "double cab" pickups which can easily sit 4 people. I think I may have gone with that if it were available back when I bought my blazer. But as of right now, I think Jeep has EVERYONE beat with the Wrangler Rubicon. If I were to buy a new car, that would be my first choice ... no doubt about it. [ December 27, 2002, 10:46 PM: Message edited by: Sip ]

http://zr2.cs.ucla.edu/Sip/zr2/misc/wrx_3.jpg The guy in the WRX was stuck pretty good. He was sitting basically on his frame, spinning all four wheels. One of his skid plates came off while I was pulling him out I also got stuck in some place but was able to dig myself out with a small shovel (and a little push from a couple of friends). But you know what they say: a 4x4 will only get you stuck farther away from help!!!! http://zr2.cs.ucla.edu/Sip/zr2/sip_snow.jpg So Jug, you still thinking "acceleration"?

Or you could always make the Sip special which takes about 2 minutes: 1) Olive oil 2) Vinegar 3) Ketchup 4) Salt and Pepper 5) A bit of garlic powder I like to add a bit of lemon juice but not too much. The quantity for the rest is totally up to your tastes. I don't like too much olive oil so I do maybe 2/3 ketchup 1/3 oil ... I also sometimes use rice vinegar instead of regular vinegar.

quote:Originally posted by EZ:Sip, are you serious about the (amount) ketchup? Absolutely. I NEVER joke around when it comes to food as it is a very serious topic. You may like to start off 50-50 olive oil and ketchup, but it better be extra virgin GOOD olive oil. I go a bit nuts with the vinegar sometimes but I like the acidity. Some may like to use vegatable oil instead of olive oil ... or maybe even just water but I have never tried it like that. ... oh but keep in mind this is not meant to be a Caesar dressing or a variation ... it's what I call the "Sip special". I got the idea from a cooking show once but their version was much more complicated. This one, is the 2-minute college student alternative. One day, I think I will put together an entire cook book just for grad students. [ December 22, 2002, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: Sip ]

I was just thinking what I would do if the situation were reversed ... I just can't imagine what I would do. First of all, it's HIGHLY unlikely I would get lost. Second of all, the odds of 2 women walking towards me, one being well dressed and good looking in the middle of the night is astronomically low. So I think I just carry around my GPS receiver as usual But if I were to ask something from one of the two, I would probably ask the one that made eye contact with me first and had the friendlier face.

quote:Originally posted by Stormy:... more money doesn't mean better quality TV - just more of the same crap.... I STRONGLY disagree. Have you seen the new 60 inch plasma TV that Zenith makes? But to add something serious for a change ... I have continuously been shocked to see how "experts" are continuously ignored in the US. No one seems to listen to the experts! If an expert is saying something that the person agrees with, the person accepts it. But god forbid, if the expert (in whatever field) ends up saying something that "doesn't make sense" or is in some way in conflict with the opinions of the listener, the expert is immediately shot down by a defensive statement like "oh, what the hell does he know" or "yah, whatever". I have seen this on numerous occasions and it's a rather disturbing trend, especially in the US. Essentially, EVERYONE seems to think they are the expert (or better) in whatever is being discussed ... Everyone has an opinion, as they should, but they go to unlimited extents to try to back it up and put other opinions down. Even if the other side they are dealing with is an EXPERT in the particular topic being discussed. Maybe some would argue that this happens in this forum or what not ... I am NOT talking about this forum. Of course this does happen to a certain degree in any social setting. I am talking more about the society and the public in the US in general and the systematic "expert bashing" that is starting to become common place. Oh and the worst example of this ... whenever there is the slightest report on some "shocking" wrong doing on someone's part ... everyone and their mother somehow ends up becoming a judge, lawyer, and executioner and places a final judgement on the person!!!! Then they bring a lawyer or someone on TV, who tries their BEST to be objective and explain the law and the circumstances ... of course what do the people do? Just ignore the law expert and keep believing their own bull that they made up in their own head. (not defending lawyers ... just saying sometimes it may be a good idea to LISTEN to them for a change) [ December 22, 2002, 02:15 AM: Message edited by: Sip ]

ooooh and one more thing: It's not also that just ONE of the people changes or is lying and then starts "telling the truth". Most often, I think, it's a 2 way thing. Not only does one of them start lying less, the other starts seeing better and in more critical ways. That's why, for example, I think getting married after only a few weeks of knowing a person is a HUGE HUGE risk. You simply cannot see the other person the same way as you will be looking at them and judging them a couple of years after knowing them. Human relationships simply do not work that way ... things that seem cute and funny at first, can become HUGE annoyances in just a year or so. So what I'm saying is that not just the other person "changes", but your perception of the other person also can change a lot.

quote:Originally posted by Loreley:What about line like.....Hi. My name is.......and although I don't really know what to say, I would like to talk to you if you don't mind. I don't know if that works. Hmmmm ... or in other words: Hi, I really don't know how to fly this plane, but do you mind if I try to land it now? (you may want to fasten your seat belts) Azat, AMOT kez. I can just picture it ... you have probably used most of those lines, haven't you. How about this one: "Hi, I know at least 14 different ways to traverse a weighted graph with no cycles. Do you want to hear about them at dinner at this fancy all you can buffet?" Yah! That should do the trick

Dear Lorely, to me the answer is quite simple: Humans do that to get something they want! Sales people do it to sell stuff Women do it with makeup, clothing, and even surgery to attract attention Men do it to impress women for obvious reasons Kids do it to get gifts from "santa" Politicians do it to get votes etc Now in the context which I think you are referring to it, it's quite natural. But it may not just be that the person is lying or making it up ... it may just trully be that way where the person is interested in getting something (attention, "love", sex, money) but then later on loses interest for whatever reason. ... and it's not like he or she was lying to begin with ... but due to changing circumstances, personalities and thus behaviors DO change. People don't stay the same. One day your are a nice guy, the next day you are a BITCH. Fact of life ... and often driven by goals, circumstances, and other internal or external factors.