DAY 32
Let's go back in time a little, all the way to 1999. This was the year the world changed forever, as we place the beginning of the modern dot-com era in this year, when the internet, as such, exploded and spread globally across six continents.
Around this time, Google also started to become a major player, while Apple was putting all its eggs in one basket, preparing to play its only seemingly potent card: Steve Jobs. This was five years before Facebook, and social internet didn't even exist yet.
In 2003, YouTube was founded, which, in my opinion, is the most significant historical tech step since Microsoft's founding in 1978 and Google's in 1998. Video sharing became a concept and took on a whole new meaning. Millions of users started using it, and then in 2006, Google acquired it, which was simply referred to as the meeting of revolutions. YouTube's timing was perfect, but its incredible success was also due to three other things.
One was the video revolution, as cheap handheld cameras and mobile phones just barely capable of video recording appeared, making it possible for the broadest masses to capture their daily lives. Secondly, social sites emerged, such as Myspace, Wikipedia, or the now completely vanished Digg. These sites embodied what we know as Web 2.0. Finally, it was none other than the cultural revolution, driven by a generational need that became a movement on YouTube, opposing the media and all its manifestations. As often happens, when something reaches massive proportions and exceeds all human calculation (35 hours of video uploaded every second), exceptionally brilliant creations and life stories appear, or the exact opposite: an unbearable sea of crap. YouTube gave a passport to everyone who, with their performance, be it positive or negative, valuable or pathetically useless, was able to stand out from the crowd. The internet thus produced its own stars, cult figures, and almost legendary personalities. Who doesn't know who the Star Wars kid is, the Chop Suey guys, the Evolution Of Dance prick, or the coolest, the biggest jerk in the world.
But let's slowly steer towards domestic waters, because extreme performances were abundant here too. I won't highlight the deepest filth of Hungarian video production now, because those who were curious could watch Balázs and Mónika, the lieutenants of unacceptable depravity, for years. Let's talk instead about the exceptionally talented, amateur Hungarian users who rightfully earned all our recognition. To start, here's the work of Greyhound and Underdog, which is such a professional piece that all one can say is, hats off, technical analog geeks. Or how could we forget the globally successful parodies of scenes from the movie "Downfall" (Hitler A Bukás). Hundreds of versions have been made in Hungary, but the first and most successful was the video parodying the referendum.
So, we've arrived, as I saved the best creation for last, which clearly takes the cake from the last few years in terms of creativity and professionalism. I suppose everyone remembers the stock market crashes of September 2008, labeled by economic players as the Lehmann Brothers credit crisis. Stocks, investment funds, the BUX, and global stock markets plummeted, incredible negative figures flew around, and there wasn't an hour when at least one Blue Chip stock wasn't suspended. Even in this situation, OTP was at the forefront, its value falling to a sixth in three weeks. This video is dedicated to that, with parts that have made me cry for two and a half years now. Congratulations to Dandog once again, because it turned out to be as big as a damn house.
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“Putting my money in stocks, I know it was a grave mistake, I watch the news with two boxes of Andaxin. I will never invest in securities again. It’s better off on red or black. Every person who thinks they can win where the bank always takes the money has feathers on their back. In this game, you’re not dealt cards. Whatever you put in here, you’ll lose it one way or another! If you don’t really understand where the money you lost went. Because money doesn’t disappear, it just changes wallets, right?”
Well, yes, there are a few things in life where if we put in some money, there’s a high probability we’ll never see it again. These include women, parties, and insurance companies. Money, money, pussy, as we know, are the three most important things in life. What happened was, Generali called and informed me that they had assessed the damages, and they were allocating 28,000, that is, twenty-eight thousand forints, for the replacement of 6 square meters of parquet flooring. Typical “go screw yourselves” thoughts raced through my head, and at the same time, I felt this incredible generosity was an exaggeration. Suddenly, I couldn't decide which profession is most despised by society, because, well, the competition is fierce. BKV inspectors, APEH employees, even maintenance workers, parking attendants, but I think Generali employees have now joined this illustrious team for me.
Enough of the public filth, because this call was just the beginning of something that ended in a wall, which I have now successfully run into.
Insomnia plagues me, even though I needed sleep more than ever now. I haven't slept this badly in weeks, although "sleep" might not be the best word for the state I was in today, because the problem was that there was no sleep at all. This is the typical case when your body is so tired that you can't fall asleep, and that sealed my day. I don't understand these things, because I fell asleep at my friend's place during the Xbox evening, but I couldn't when I got home, so I passed the time watching TV. I watched "Cake Boss" on Discovery Channel instead of sleeping at 3 AM. In the middle of my diet, for fuck's sake. These are bloody matters.
After such a night, I couldn't expect much good, but if that wasn't enough, I completely miscalculated my food, meaning I hardly ate anything. I get home in the evening, well, I say, where's the oxygen mask, I need to put it on because I'm going for a run. I felt it was going to be bad, I knew, I knew I shouldn't go, but the program, you know, and the goals set. I came up with a new route, across the Chain Bridge – Buda embankment – back over the Elizabeth Bridge, Váci Street, and then back to Heroes' Square.
Have you ever been on a date that was terribly awkward within the first 3 minutes, and the first escape point was still half an hour away? Well, that's roughly how bad I felt, plus 3 buckets of crap. I can't describe how awful the run felt. I was tired, I was starving, my body craved food, and I still had at least 8 km to go. I wanted to push myself to the limit this week, and I was well on my way. Running up the Chain Bridge, I already had serious problems, but on the way down, I recovered a bit. But the real punch in the gut came at the Elizabeth Bridge. That's where I first faltered, and from there on, I just dragged myself. At Váci Street, I reached my deepest and worst low point. The problem is that finishing this run wasn't a matter of willpower anymore, because with an hour and a half of sleep in the middle of a tough week, starving, it's no longer about mental strength.
At Deák Square, I hit the wall, and I slammed into it mercilessly. My body signaled, "that's it, enough is enough," and I stopped after 6.2 km. Stupidly, I almost cried, but I couldn't go on; I was physically incapable, and there's a certain limit you shouldn't cross. I didn't feel well, I was dizzy, and while waiting for the subway, I almost fainted once. The problem is that this isn't the limit of my performance; I pushed myself into an extreme state, and this was the inevitable consequence. I'm exhausted on every level, and I need to recover. I'm damn lucky tomorrow is Saturday. Home, clothes off, shower, Atáék call, saying there's a party, come down to 4Bróba. Motherfucker, you guys aren't human.
This thing broke me. Tomorrow I'll rest, so I can fit in a gym session on Sunday and a really tough run on Monday. My thoughts haven't solidified yet, but I'm planning 15 km. Briefly about my Saturday: I slept for 14 hours. In the evening we're going to Mix, and pre-drinks at my place, which means another huge night of partying fueled by protein shakes.
PS: Brigikém, I'll post the "Conscious Nutrition III. Women" entry around Thursday; until then, here's some music, the great wisdom starts at 01:01.
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