Subtle boasting minus subtlety

What causes a person to boast ?

Well, I can put down a few reasons on paper, but I think boasting cant be explained completely.

Here are a few reasons why I think a person might boast. Before I give you the points, there are two things to be noted here.
Thing number 1. Before you get smart and start asking me what happened to my supposed-to-be-funny blog, let me tell you that I've decided to get some serious stuff in. Thats the only way I can convey to you that apart from being a clown, I am a bit intellectual too.
Thing number 2: I just came back from a coffee, and I forgot this one. So lets forget it.

When a guy meets someone new, he'd want to convey how important he is. He would be intent on creating a good image of himself in the person's mind. For example, if I meet X, before X concludes something from my dark, skinny, bent-nosed, messy-haired personality, I would hurry up and do something which would get X to think of me in good light.

And there's always the desire to be looked up to. People love being hero-worshipped. They love being looked up to in awe and wonder, however humble they play.

The reason why I dont think boasting can be completely explained is this. Why would a guy keep boasting to people who already are awe-struck and have an amazing opinion about him ? Is image something like the government ? To be re-elected periodically ? Or does boasting become a habit ?
I really cant say.

Coming to the interesting stuff.
I hate boasting.
I love boasting, but I hate boasting.

I love it when I boast, but when others do that, I hate it. It ignites in me an immediate desire to bring them down to earth. And more often that not, I end up doing it.

Following was one of the chat conversations I had with a guy. This guy is an amazing 'Age of Empires' player. (AOE is a computer game). And every player including me knows that he's amazing.

The scene is after a series of AOE matches. Matches, in which, quite predictably, Dude won. (I am gonna call him Dude). I find this guy online on Yahoo. So I pull him for a chat. Its 1-30 AM.

Oka: Hey, playing another ?

Oka: How come you are still in office ?

Dude: No. Not playing another.

Oka: What are you doing ?

Dude: I have booked the 2 AM cab.

Dude: Was watching the recorded replay of the game.

Oka: Are you thinking of strategies for the next game or something ;)

Dude: Told you. I am watching the replay.

Oka: Okay.

Dude: How's your GD/PI preparation going on ?
(I think, I owe you an explanation here. GD/PI stands for Group Discussion / Personal Interviews. We both had taken CAT (Common Aptitude Test for B-schools) and we both had cleared it and received calls from some IIMs to attend the GDs and PIs - which constitutes the next round of the admission procedure)

Oka: It hasnt even started man.

Oka: I am always busy with work, and when I am not, I am playing AOE :)

Oka: How about you ?

Dude: Same here.

Dude: Actually I had planned to prepare and take CAT the next year.
(This is where subtle boasting begins)

Oka: Oh.. so you just gave it a shot this time, and you got through. Is it ?

Dude: I hadnt enrolled myself in any coaching classes. I took just a few practise tests.
(Advanced subtle boasting)

Oka: Are you some sorta fucking genius or something ?

Dude: I am just a normal human being, who gets lucky sometimes.
(Outrageously subtle boasting.)
(By now, you should have guessed the definition of subtle boasting. Boasting with an attempt - often a feeble one - at modesty.)

Oka: Modesty huh ?

Dude: My wing mates used to say the same thing at college when I scored 1520/1600 in GRE without any preparation.
(Subtlety just went for a toss.)

Oka: Wow. Thats great.

Dude: Nope. I was just lucky, thats all.

Dude: The only time I wasnt lucky was in my IIT-JEE.
(I forgot to tell you. This guy is from IIT - a premier institute in India. Not that I expect non-Indians to read this blog. But there's no harm in nurturing high hopes.)

Oka: What was your rank in IIT-JEE ?
(Why am I giving him more chances to boast ? Well.. maybe you should wait and watch.)

Dude: My rank was 1433.

Oka: Thats awesome man !

Dude: Hmm.
(His ego thoroughly pampered, he's at a loss for words for a second.)

Oka: I was also one of the also-rans of IIT-JEE. :)

Dude: You are from BITS, right ?

Oka: Yeah.

Dude: Which discipline were u in ?

Oka: Information Systems.

Oka: I went to BITS, because I wasnt getting software in IIT.

Dude: Oh.. what was your rank in IIT-JEE ?

Oka: 1350.

5 seconds....
10 seconds....
20 seconds....
30 seconds later.

Dude: Ok.

Dude: You got selected right ? How come you call yourself an also-ran ?

Oka: Hmm.
(I can tell him why. But he has to go through this blog first. And by the way, no prizes for guessing who has leapt into the best subtle boaster spot.)

Dude: When did you pass out ? 2003 ?
(Well, he's probably assuming that we both must have passed out the same time, and he's getting it confirmed)

Oka: No. 2004.

Dude: Was it a 5 year course ?
(Maybe he is a 2003 passout and he's probably assuming that we might have taken JEE the same time, but getting it confirmed all the same.)

Oka: Nope. 4 years.

Oka: When did you passout ?

Dude: Same. 2004.

Oka: Was yours a 5-year course ?

Dude: No. 4 years.
(The last few lines of the conversation might be meaningless. But for me, they sure do provide one more perspective into the character of the boaster. A boaster finds it difficult to accept that someone has beat him in some department.)

Oka: Hmm..

Oka: Okay man.. see you later at a game tomorrow. :)

Oka: Bye.

Dude: Bye.

Well. I havent said this earlier. But here's a disclaimer. The accounts I narrate are all inspired from real life conversations I've had. But they are all exaggerated to a slight degree, and sometimes to a large degree.
So buddies, keep behaving nicely with me. And no hard feelings :)