Clearly I don’t update here much, yet hello to all of you delivered here by Google. A couple quotes to start the New Year:

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
- Benjamin Franklin

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.
- Henry Ward Beecher

“Do I strike you as a man with a miserable inferiority complex? Only that kind of man spends his life running after women.

Love is blind, they say; sex is impervious to reason and mocks the power of all philosophers. But, in fact, a man’s sexual choice is the result and the sum of his fundamental convictions. Tell me what a man finds sexually attractive and I will tell you his entire philosophy of life. Show me the woman he sleeps with and I will tell you his valuation of himself.

He will always be attracted to the woman who reflects his deepest vision of himself, the woman whose surrender permits him to experience—or to fake—a sense of self-esteem. The man who is proudly certain of his own value, will want the highest type of woman he can find, the woman he admires, the strongest, the hardest to conquer—because only the possession of a heroine will give him the sense of an achievement. He does not seek to gain his value, he seeks to express it. There is no conflict between the standards of his mind and the desires of his body.”

Francisco d’Anconia
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

Best Man Speech for Adam’s Wedding, July 11th, 2009, Chicago, IL

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For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ashutosh Kadakia and I’m friends with Adam and Shannon from IU.

This is a pretty hard act to follow after all the great toasts we had yesterday, and following in Mr. Hanson’s wake and these lovely maid of honors wake isn’t easy.

But, let me start by apologizing for this awkward presentation – I was going to make it formal, and I had a 717 word speech ready to feed into a teleprompter, but then found out at the last minute that President Obama has gone through so many of them, that teleprompters are in short supply.

No but in seriousness, this was an absolutely perfect weekend and I can’t imagine a bride more beautiful and radiant than Shannon. For those of you that weren’t there yesterday, Shannon’s aunt has a recording of Shannon from when she was 3 ½ asking her what she wanted to become when she grew up – she replied, a lady and a mom. Well Shannom has clearly become a lady.. And well Adam its time start on that second part.

I’m quite used to seeing Adam in grungy sweats, and that dirty tan baseball cap, so seeing him here in a tux is a welcome change – so Shannon thank you for that.

However – I think it’s a great honor to be here as Adam’s best man; we’ve lived together, travelled together, closed out Nick’s and Kilroy’s together, Facebook stalked together, skied together, and even occasionally studied together, and – he has been – and continues to be – a terrific friend.

But, let me hasten to say that the term “Best Man” is a purely a ceremonial title for weddings and not – in any way – an actual intellectual or physical distinction.

However – if any of you single beautiful girls gathered here wish to think “the Best Man” title is an accurate description of my manliness and power, that’s perfectly fine with me.

I think it’s fair to say that I was the first to know – even before Adam knew – that he and Shannon were destined to get married. I broke this rather extraordinary news to Adam as we walked – perhaps staggered is more accurate – back to our dorms while we studied abroad, but in reality the prediction was not that difficult to make.

While we were competing over who could consume the most British pints, all Adam did was talk about Shannon. It was Shannon said this, and Shannon said that, and how bright Shannon is, and how beautiful Shannon is.

But, it was altogether unnecessary, because – truth to tell – I completely agreed, and Erik is a great guy, but I think it was a bit shortsighted of you to not have a sister for me.

Well Shannon thinks I’m and absolutely reckless, awful California driver, who should have his license suspended and when Shannon found out about my being the best man, the first thing she said to Adam was any role he wanted me to play at the wedding is perfectly fine with her, as long it didn’t involve my driving her anywhere.

And, knowing my miserable record for attending classes in college I think she was a bit nervous about me showing up for their wedding, but – not to fear, Shannon, I may have missed half our R305 classes, but I am here.

But, in all seriousness, as I’ve watched Adam and Shannon grow closer, I’m totally certain that they are perfectly matched for each other and there is no doubt in my mind that each has found the perfect soul-mate for life.

And it’s great to be able to say that the couple we just to joke about being the married couple, are now officially the married couple.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses.

To Adam and Shannon Jorgensen:

• May they always have around them the kind of wonderful people who are here to bless their marriage this evening;
• May they comfort each other in the hard times and share in all the good times;

Ladies and gentlemen, to Adam and Shannon Jorgensen.

I recently lost my phone — actually the more detailed reason is I ran fully clothed in the Atlantic at 4am in the morning, but that’s a different story.

Yesterday, I bought the Blackberry Curve 8900. I literally went back and forth between the Curve 8900 and the Bold 9000 five to six times, and ended up going with the Curve. I love it.

It’s the perfect shape, quick, takes 16GB external memory, has a vivid display screen, and has phenomenal battery life. I spend about two hours on the phone yesterday, installed tons of apps, browsed internet, and my battery is still at 55% after not charging it overnight.

Yes, the Curve has no 3G, but 3G from all accounts is a battery hog. My dad recharges his Bold every 7-8 hours. It drains battery as the network isn’t as well saturated yet, and the phone constantly jumps between EDGE and 3G causing the drain. Additionally, most places I’m around frequently like work and home have WiFi so 3G is useless. While traveling on the road, 3G isn’t available due to the remoteness of the highways, and the costs of 3G outweighed the benefits.

The Curve is a better phone on most other accounts, better 3.2mp camera (with auto focus), keyboard (a preference thing), larger screen (40 pixels taller), smaller and lighter. The Bold felt clunky and out of proportion to me, but that’s another preference thing.

For all your iPhone fans out there, I understand the appeal, but I’m a blackberry lover for life. It’s simply too good a phone for people that actually work for a living (ha!).

Microsoft Enterprise Exchange Server, Microsoft Outlook, Blackberry Enterprise Server, and a Blackberry device are the perfect combination and I have yet to see a service that can rival how these four play together. Contact, calendars, memos, tasks, emails, settings, speed dial lists, alarm preferences, (even something as meaning less as my ring tones), were automatically synced with my new phone while my old one is somewhere in the bottom of the Atlantic. I can literally throw away my desktop, blackberry, laptop, and still have my data synced with new devices in a matter of minutes.

I initiated a remote wipe on my old phone, just for peace of mind, but I highly doubt underwater sea creatures have mastered the blackberry yet.