Important update…
I’m tired of maintaining two blogs with identical content…So I’ve decided only to update my blogspot account. Do check it out. Updated regularly.
100 questions aka Filler Post aka Succumbing to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
It’s 4 am. I woke up four hours back. Wrote the post below. Studied for my MLE. And got bored after 3 hours. And then I saw Ashrita tag me in a post. Another questionnaire on my favorite topic in the world…ME! Doing tag posts can be a pain at times, but I still feel compelled to do it. It’s just like when I eat chilli and my mouth burns…but I just can’t stop eating, or when I am walking and my legs are ready to give away any second…but I’m still compelled to go on just a little more, or when I know I should be studying the day before exam…but I feel compelled to watch my favorite TV show. You get the idea…tags end up being filler posts, but still feel compelled to write them!
Anyways, here I go:
1. Last beverage: *cough*Bournvita*cough*
2. Last phone call: My best friend, Angana Saikia
3. Last text message: Song download or similar crap message from Airtel
4. Last song you listened to: (and still listening to) Ma Rewa- Indian Ocean
5. Last time you cried: Yesterday
HAVE YOU EVER…
6. Dated someone twice: Yes
7. Been cheated on? Yes
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? Yes 
9. Lost someone special? Yes…my aunt
10. Been depressed? Yes. Few times.
11. Been drunk and threw up? No. I don’t drink.
LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
12.Black
13.White
14.Blue
HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends: Yes
16. Fallen out of love: Twice
17. Laughed until you cried: Yes. Every Day!
18. Met someone who changed you: A few
19. Found out who your true friends were: Yes
20. Found out someone was talking about you: Yes
21. Kissed anyone on your friend’s list: No
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: A few
23. How many kids do you want to have: Hum Do, Hamare Do…They drilled into our heads during Community Medicine classes!
24. Do you have any pets: Yes
25. Do you want to change your name: NEVER!
26. What did you do for your last birthday: Spent the day with my ex, went out for a movie with family
27. What time did you wake up today: 12A.M.
28. What were you doing at midnight last night: Zzzzzz
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for : Clearing my MLE exams
30. Last time you saw your father: Yesterday
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: Nothing…except for unlimited access to free air tickets, and travel around the world
32. Most visited web page: Gmail. My life sometimes revolves around it!
Whats your:
33. Name: Mayurakshi
34. Nicknames: Mon, Maina
35. Zodiac sign: Scorpio
36. Male or female or transgendered: Female
37. Elementary: Baby land, Nagaon 
38. Schools: Donbosco
39. Colleges: Cotton College,GMCH.
40. Hair color: Black
41. Long or short: VERY Short!
42. Height: 5′5″
43. Do you have a crush on someone? No
44. Ever been in love? Twice
45. Piercings? 2 ear piercings
46. Tattoos? No
47. Righty or lefty: Lefty turned Righty: Reason for bad handwriting
FIRSTS :
48. First surgery: in 2005
49. First piercing: 1 year old, at home, ear piercings done by my grandmother
50. First best friend: Partha
51. First sport you loved: Badminton
52. First pet : Dog
53. First vacation: Guwahati
54. First concert: no
55. First crush: My history teacher
RIGHT NOW:
56. Eating: Nothing
57. Drinking: Nothing
58. I’m about to: Get back to my studies
59. Listening to: Ma Rewa- Indian Ocean (it’s on repeat)
60. Waiting for: dawn
YOUR FUTURE :
61. Want kids? Yes
62. Want to get married? Not sure
63. Careers in mind? Pediatric Surgery
WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
64. Lips or eyes: Eyes
65. Hugs or kisses: Hugs
66. Shorter or taller: Taller
67. Older or Younger: Older (than me that is)
68. Romantic or spontaneous: Spontaneously Romantic!
69. Nice stomach or nice arms: Stomach
70. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive
71. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship
72. Trouble maker or hesitant: I had my fair share of both…so none!
HAVE YOU EVER :
73. Kissed a stranger: Hell No!
74. Lost glasses/contacts: I don’t wear glasses/contacts
75. Sex on first date: Never!!
76. Broken someone’s heart: My parents’ and friends’ hearts…Once
77. Had your own heart broken: Yes
78. Been arrested: No
79. Turned someone down: Yes
80. Cried when someone died: Yes
81. Liked a friend that is a girl? You mean attracted to…NO!
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
81. Yourself: Yes
82. Miracles: No
83. God: Yes
84. Love at first sight: No
85. Heaven: No
86. Santa Claus: No
87. Kiss on the first date? Yes
88. Angels: Yes, I know one…Ma
89. Devils: Yes…few of the species
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
90. Is there one person you want to be with right now? No
91. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? Never. Won’t.
92. Wanted to kill someone ever? Yes
93. Among you blog mates, whom would you like to kiss? No one
94. Committed a blunder and regretted later? Yes
95. Wanted to steal you friend’s boyfriend / girlfriend? Never
Associate with someone you know:
96. White: My sister
97. Black: Me
98. Pink: Pooja
99. Red: Chandamita
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? YES
I’d like to tag anyone who wants to go through the “answering 100 questions” ordeal!
The one where “Intuition” and “Internet” changed my life…
Updates are: I am down with flu, watched “Gulaal” and “A room with a view”, preparing for my MLE, and read “Recess: A penguin book of School Days”.
Now onto the post.
I never really relied on the (in)famous “intuitive” power women claim to be gifted with. Till recently I used to believe people unquestioningly, and was of the general opinion that all people have an inherent “goodness” in them, and since I don’t want to hurt anyone, why would anyone ever hurt me? Dumb reasoning, I know! I was taken on many a ride by friends, acquaintances and strangers alike because my reputation of being the “ever-trusting” fool preceded me everywhere I went! I used to unquestioningly believe each and every word the people I loved and cared about said to me. Not a very wise decision as I ended up hurt quite often. But being the dimwit I am, sense got drilled into my head much later. I finally have begun not to take everything at face value and trust my intuition after neglecting it for too long. I did follow my intuition when it came to all things except for when it came to judging people. If I had not done that, I’d have saved myself a couple of heartbreaks.
I am a firm believer of the fact that a lie would be caught sooner or later, in ways we least expect of. Every time I’ve lied about something, my family came to know about it sooner or later, even when I had made sure no one can ever detect it. So they came to know of each time I’d made excuses of bunking class, or had met my ex secretly, or made excuses about not completing a chore assigned to me…just about anything! They will come to know, sometimes as late as five years! Sometimes I confess and sometimes they come to know because I goof up and forget what I’d lied about!! It’s easy to tell the truth…you don’t have to make an effort to remember something that hadn’t happened, but for a telling a lie you need to be on constant alert for the rest of your life and remember what story you’d made up. It can be very taxing! My mother takes one look at me and immediately knows if I’m making excuses or fibbing about something. So, nowadays I don’t attempt to tell even the white lies. Too much effort! And not worth it.
So, I’ve experienced it myself in a small scale, and my belief that lies get caught sooner or later only got stronger. My mother intuitively knew every time I fibbed. And so did I, every time someone cheated me or lied to me. It took time, sometimes years…but I eventually come to know. ALWAYS! I find it difficult to explain, because it’s hard for me to ever doubt the ones I love, but sometimes an intuition gets so strong and it inevitably turns true when I follow it. Every time. Here are a few examples that changed my life.
My first breakup: I was in a long distance relationship and everything was going great when suddenly the guy says that his family will never accept me…and ranted
on about being orthodox and us belonging to different castes! Well, I knew it was a silly excuse because he had obviously fallen out of love, but never had I thought he had been cheating on me. And since we parted as friends, he never let me doubt in the conversations post break up that he had two-timed me. And I would have never known, had it not been for Orkut! My savior! I was going through his scraps and then something forced me to check his cousin’s scraps…there I found a scrap from one of his MBA classmates, a girl who he was attracted to while in college…and my heartbeat quickened! I checked her scrapbook then, and after much browsing through found one of her friend’s scrap her asking for her number…and I found her number in that friend’s scrapbook! The effort sounds desperate I know…but if it wasn’t for that effort I would never have known I was cheated upon and would have harbored love for him maybe even till now! I called the girl, and after initial hesitation she admitted that they were indeed together for quite some time!! That was at 4am! And I could sense the fear and terror in my ex’s voice when I confronted him that morning when he least expected it!
Second instance of intuition caused the breakup of my second relationship, when I knew the truth about my fiancee. I was supposed to pay his phone bills online as he wasn’t able to access the internet…and a strong sense of intuition hit me again…when I went through the phone bills and discovered that he had been two-timing me with his supposed ex all along, and that he had faked his whole identity…job, education, writing skills. A few phone calls to old acquaintances and the truth came out that he is a conman. I googled his writings only to have found each of his work copied from other blogs, and calls to his office revealed he didn’t even work there and had been carrying a fake ID, and that even his educational qualifications were fake! To say I was shocked is a huge understatement. Too much information in one night for me. And all because, intuition pushed me to go through his phone bills. When you meet someone, you can’t set a private eye after them to verify everything they have told you about themselves. You’ve to rely on your instinct. And I have learnt the hard way the value of it. There had been doubts in my mind in the beginning of both my relationships about the sincerity of my partner, but I ignored that because of my stupid belief that if I love someone so much, they would never hurt me. Turned out love wasn’t enough and highly overrated! But on hindsight, I’m glad I followed by intuition at last. Better late than never, and saved myself from even bigger disasters awaiting me.
If something doesn’t sit right with you, think and question why it is so. Don’t just ignore that voice. Don’t become suspicious of everything, but don’t take every word and emotion at face value either. It’s not just appearances that can be deceptive!
Another Tag…Skip the post if you don’t like to read random habits of strangers!
Tagged by Cute Priya! The rules:
1) Tell everyone that you’ve been tagged.
2) Link the person who tagged you on your blog
3) Write the rules (like I’m doing right now)
4) Tag at least 6 other people
5) Tell those 6 people that you’ve tagged them
6) Mention 6 things or habits of no real importance…which would be:
-I sometimes smile at the mirror to check whether the reflection smiles back. Childhood phobia developed after watching a really scary episode of “Aahat” where people get sucked into the mirror by their reflections.
-I read 4-5 books at one time. Get bored after a few hours of reading one book, and pick another.
-I terrorize my sister often by saying that I can read her thoughts if I keep my hand under her pillow.
-Once a month I shut myself from the rest of the world and spend the day in my room watching movies back to back, or sketching.
- I draw on newspapers. Especially faces of politicians. Horns or halos on the head. Mostly horns.
-When I was 12 years old, I bought a book from a mobile bookstore at school….”Seven on Life’s adventure”. There a character called Luke was advised by his mentor “There’s nothing half so sweet in the world as the first marital union of two virgin lovers”. I believed in that, and will always do, and even though it may seem foolish to a lot of the “cool” youths of today…I’m glad I read that book.
I’d like to tag The Demigoddess, Corinne, Aoife, Americanising Desi, Anurag, Crowscious. And I’m sorry! (if you don’t like tag posts. I’m not so particularly fond of it either. So apologizing in advance!)
“Life of ‘Pee’”, nervous boyfriend and hawk-eyed parent…perfect recipe for my first date!
I went after lunch to two of the few book stores in Guwahati which can boast of a good collection of books, from the latest bestsellers to the classics, covering a varied and interesting range of books. “Western Book Depot” and “Papyrus”, situated at Panbazar. If you happen to spot a fat female browsing through books at these two bookstores often, oblivious to the world around her…well, that most probably is me. I had spent many happy hours browsing at these bookstores every month, and save money all year round to splurge on visits to these shops. By the way, I bought three books today…Milan Kundera’s “Slowness” and “Ignorance”, and “Recess: A Penguin Book of Schooldays”. Reviews are due next month after I complete reading them. Anyways, this post is not about the pleasures of endless hours of browsing at bookstores. I had already written about my fascination for book stores. Today I want to share a very memorable incident in my life that occurred at the “Western Book Depot”. My first date. Or my first date turned disaster. You must be thinking what’s wrong with me to have chosen a bookstore as the location for my first date. Read on to know why. I fell in love for the first time four years back when I was 19. I was never interested in the guys I had grown up with, or studied together. And the whole concept of casual dating and testing the waters for a few months is something I can’t identify with at all. Add to that my introvert nature …and I would’ve remained single till I was 50 if I hadn’t met him! He was 5 years elder to me. Completely different backgrounds…he was an MBA student at IIT, Kharagpur, while I was a second year medical student in Assam. We met online. And I liked him instantly. He was witty, intelligent, caring and I absolutely loved talking to him. Friends first…and then in a year became a little more than friends. But we had never talked about meeting; and were quite happy with our conversations online. I admit I was scared that the comfort level in our relationship might change when we meet in person…scared of awkward silences in conversations, or that we might not have anything to talk about. When he got his MBA degree, and was about to leave for his new job…one night I received a phone call from him, saying that he’s on his way to meet me and arriving in Guwahati the next day. May 14, 2005: To say I was petrified would be a huge understatement. My father is way too protective of me and my sister, and we weren’t allowed to go anywhere alone. I had no other way but to seek permission and go. That day I told my mother about him…the most awkward conversation of my life! She was OK with it but forbid me to meet him alone. Back to square one! He called up on reaching Guwahati, and I told him of the dilemma I faced. He was quite supportive and didn’t sulk. But I so wanted to meet him, I was ready to do anything just to see him once. I told my mother I had to buy a new book and have to urgently go to “Western Book Depot”. My mother, who was already suspicious after I mentioned him to her, was adamant on accompanying me to the bookstore and worse insisted on taking my sister and aunt along too! I was on the verge of tears. But this was my only chance to see him. I frantically texted him to meet me at the bookstore and warned him that my mother would be with me. He said he didn’t know the way around Guwahati and would accompany a friend to find the store. I was in such a hurry…I forgot to even comb my hair on the way out! That too the first time he saw me! The last thing I cared was how I looked; all I wanted was to see him once. We reached the store at 6pm. My mother got down along with me, while my aunt and sister waited in the car. I pretended to search for medical books. After about fifteen minutes, my mother said she would wait for me in the car. I was so relieved. As I waited for him, I decided to gift him a book. He had mentioned a few days earlier that he wanted to read “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. I got the last copy of the book available in the shop for him. At around 6:25pm, I heard two loud, excited voices in the shop. My back was turned towards the entrance and when I turned around; I saw him and his friend. I smiled at him. But he didn’t reciprocate. I was taken aback. Didn’t he recognize me? After a moment’s confusion, I realized he was deliberately trying to feign that he didn’t know me. The reason: there was a lady in the book store who he thought was my mother!! He came and stood beside me but carried on the little act of being strangers, and instead turned to a man behind the bookstore counter, and asked whether “Life of pi” was available. The man answered, “Life of ‘Pee’ toh nahin hain. Last copy inhone (pointing at me) purchase kar liya.” (“Life of ‘Pee’ is not available, she purchased the last copy”).We were all trying hard not to laugh at the man’s pronunciation of the book title. I then turned and gave him my gift, the same book. He smiled at me, and by now had realized that my mother wasn’t in the shop as he had earlier thought. As he took the book from me, the bookstore owner went, “How kind of you, ma’am! Giving him your book. And that too free of cost!” They hadn’t yet realized that we knew each other and I turned the kind, helpful girl in their eyes. I had already spent a lot of time in the bookstore, and was worried that my Ma would come in and find him near me. I asked him to leave, quite reluctantly though. It was hardly for ten minutes that we saw each other that day…the first time…and he had to leave. As I walked out of the shop five minutes after him, I saw that his bike was parked right next to my car!!! Of all the places available, he had to park near my car, with my mother sitting in the car! I hoped that she hadn’t realized who he was. And I drove off, without daring to even look at him a second time in my mother’s presence. After few minutes, my mother remarked, “So you met him? He seemed nice.” I nearly had a cardiac arrest, when I realized that my mother had recognized him. How on earth did she know? Turned out that when my guy had parked his bike right next to our car, she overheard him tell his friend that I had asked him to meet me in the bookstore. And after all the trouble we both went through to keep the meeting discreet!! That relationship ended long back, and he is happily married now. But I still can’t stop smiling thinking about my funny first date-turned-disaster, the nervous look on his face that day, my hawk-eyed Ma on the lookout for a tricky Romeo out to trap her daughter and instead finding a bumbling fool, and me savoring each second of those ten minutes of my first meeting with my first love. Short and sweet, a memory so special that it would last a lifetime. And, the bookstore will always remain special too.
“The Battle of Muesli vs Aloo Paranthas” aka “Fitness woes”
When I woke up at four in the morning today and went for a long drive and then stopped at a park for a quick jog, I knew it was going to be one of those days. The more energetic the start to the day, the earlier the energy recess sets in. I gave a whole new meaning to the word “sloth” today. Amplified, magnified, hyperbolized, expanded, and inflated it’s meaning. I slept almost the whole day!
After the sudden burst of energy and strenuous physical activity in the morning, I decided to sustain that rare desire of doing something healthy. It was time to attack my daily diet after the attack on physical activity or rather the lack of it. Decided breakfast will be a small bowl of muesli and a fruit instead of the usual paranthas. My mother asked me once again whether I was sure I didn’t want Aloo paranthas for breakfast. I was so charged up about fitness by now that I vehemently said no. It was 8a.m. when I had breakfast. I went around the house feeling quite smug about my new found enthusiasm for fitness after a long hiatus. I felt so good till I heard my stomach growl at 9 am! I was already feeling hungry after an hour! I tried to curb the temptation to reach for the paranthas by eating some high fiber biscuits which claims to get rid of hunger in a jiffy. i struggled for an hour. Distracted myself from the thought of food by studying, but that was a disaster. I gave up after a while and binged on paranthas much to the amusement of my family. I tried to justify by saying that I would cut down on the calorie intake gradually…Today was the wrong approach. I over-ate. And that resulted in immediate drowsiness. Sundays I usually spend catching up on my reading and watching movies, the only time I can fully indulge on my hobbies without feeling guilty. So after the meal, I sat down to watch one of my favorite movies, “The Breakfast Club” (coincidence??)…but was feeling so drowsy…I slept off within few minutes. I woke up, had a quick shower, more food at lunch, and again felt drowsy and the vicious cycle continued till dinner time now. I had hardly been sleeping more than 4 hours per day in the past week and my body caught up on the lost sleep. But what’s distressing me is my poor resolve to stick to my fitness routine.
Lessons learnt:
1. After a long break in your fitness routine…build it up gradually, rather than doing everything at once. Adapt your body gradually.
2. Be realistic in your approach to cutting down calories. Especially when Aloo Paranthas are involved. And stick to your resolve. Don’t follow my example.
I’m sleeping off now. The sloth fairy hasn’t left me yet. And I’ve some really sore muscles tonight because of the long gap in exercising. I hope for a better start tomorrow. No Aloo Paranthas tomorrow.
The one where I travel to the past on my time machine…BOOKS!
Yesterday I stumbled across few rare books, travel journals, letters, and periodicals dating back to the 19th century. And I can’t wait to explore these treasures. Given my obsession with history, there’s an ever increasing want to know about the lives of the people in the eras long gone by…their thoughts, lifestyles, experiences, and their work. Their lives intrigue me. The past intrigues me. My sister often chides me that I should have taken up archaeology or history as a profession. But I love medicine more, and my love for history has just remained something that I pursue in leisure. I remember the old skeleton passed down to me by a senior during my first year in medical college for the anatomy classes. And during the hours I spent studying his skeletal anatomy that year, I inevitably got drawn into wondering about his life, what was it like, his dreams, were they fulfilled, or was his life difficult, and I wondered about his family too. That was just the beginning. I still can’t make myself regard any object that might have sustained life before as just a clinical specimen, and often wonder about the life associated with it in the past. It can be a bother at times, because I tend to get emotionally attached not just to patients but even to anatomical specimens in the lab, wondering about the lives of the people they belonged to!!!
I relish each and every word in the old classics of literature and especially travelogues, as I had earlier written. The journeys undertaken before the advent of modern transport highly interests me. Invasions, seafaring journeys, Viking plundering, pilgrimages undertaken by missionaries, settlers in search of a new land, voyages undertaken to explore the world in the past, the observations of the people is something I thoroughly enjoy.
So here are the books I came across yesterday:
1. I came across few children stories, written and illustrated during the turn of the 20th century. One is called “Abroad”, which takes us on a journey to Paris and is abound with the thrills of exploring a new place. Beautifully illustrated. Another is a short story called “A day on Skates” by Hilda Van Stockum (in 1934), a story about a Dutch picnic which is again very beautifully illustrated. The others are “The Windy Hill” written by Cornelia Meigs in 1921, and “Goody Two Shoes” published in 1888. But my favorite is “The Latchkey of My Book House” written in 1922. I can’t wait to complete it. Two books are based on Christmas. One is a collection of sketches of Washington Irving called “Old Christmas”, published in 1886. Another is a book of poems for children called “Christmas Roses”, published in 1886 too. And the last one is a delight for animal lovers, a story told about the lovable antics of a laughing kitten, Tinker trying to teach a puppy, Floppy, how to play a gramophone etc wonderfully portrayed through a series of photographs. A visual delight. It’s called “Mischief Again” by Enid Blyton and Paul Kaye.
2. Among the travelogues…I found few of the books on my reading wish list this year. I found “Travel Diary of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia (1608-1667)”, “Travels in Arabia Deserta” by C.M.Doughty, “The Mirror of the Sea” by Joseph Conrad, and “The Sea and the Jungle” by H.M. Tomlinson. I had been craving to get my hands on these books for a long time now and to say that I’m thrilled to have found them at last would be a huge understatement. The book “The Sea and the Jungle” is “the narrative of the voyage of the tramp steamer Capella from Swansea to Para in the Brazils, and thence 2000 miles along the forests of the Amazon and Madeira Rivers to the San Antonio Falls; afterwards returning to Barbados for orders, and going by way of Jamaica to Tampa in Florida, where she loaded for home. Done in the year 1909 and 1910. And the book is dedicated to THOSE WHO DID NOT GO.” These are the gems of travel literature. For more information on the other books, see my reading wish list for 2009 and if you know where I can get the rest of the books in the list, PLEASE let me know.
3. Then I found few works of English and American women residing in India in late 19th century and early 20th century. One is the “The Modern Marriage Market (1898)” by Marie Corelli (1855-1924), Flora Annie Webster Steel (1847-1929), Susan Hamilton and Susan Marie Elizabeth Stewart-Mackenzie Jeune St. Helier. Another is “The laws of higher life” by Annie Besant. And also “Between Twilights” by Cornelia Sorabji. Here’s an excerpt from her book.
“In the language of the Zenana there are two twilights, ’when the Sun drops into the sea,’ and ‘when he splashes up stars for spray,’ . . . the Union, that is, of Earth and Sun, and, again, of Light and Darkness. And the space between is the time of times in these sun-wearied plains in which I dwell. One sees the world in a gentle haze of reminiscence…reminiscence of the best. There, across the horizon, flames the Sun’s ‘goodbye’”
4. And a dance manual…”Dancing” by Mrs. Lilly Grove first published in 1895. The chapters chronicles the dances of the eras long gone by, ritual dances, English dances, dances from rest of UK, Bohemian, Gypsy, Hungarian and polish dances; and dances from France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Scandinavia, Lapland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, India, Persia, China, Japan. It also has chapters on Ballet, Practical use of dancing, time and rhythm of dancing…and even one called DANCES OF THE SAVAGES!!
5. I don’t know Urdu and Sanskrit and the Indian verses of the past were heavily influenced and generously peppered with Urdu and Sanskrit words. So I was very happy to find the book “India’s Love Lyrics” by Laurence Hope (1865-1904). She had translated many Indian love verses to English, and succeeds in retaining the meaning and melody of the original verses.
6. But the most treasured and highly valued objects are two letters and a book about women doctors that I stumbled upon while surfing the net. They are scans of the original handwritten letters written by Dr. Anandibai Joshee (M.D, 1886) to the Principal of Women’s Medical college of Pennsylvania informing him about her educational qualifications, financial status, and the reason for her interest in pursuing medicine as a career. I read the letter thrice. 1885!!! A married Indian woman of 18 years decided to pursue medicine as a career in America with the seventy dollars she had in hand in 1885!! Think about the social scenario then, and the huge step she had undertaken and also successfully completed. I salute her! I also read another letter by Anna S. Kugler to her alma mater describing her life as a medical missionary in India, struggling to make the people adopt modern medicine and she had a tough battle to fight against the superstitions prevalent at that time. Another is a book by an American medical missionary to China, chronicling her time in the hospital there and the hardships involved. Precious treasures for me.
My best friend is an alien…And I so love her for that!
THE CHARACTER IN THE POST BELOW IS NOT A FIGMENT OF IMAGINATION, AND EACH AND EVERY WORD DESCRIBING HER HOWEVER MIND BOGGLING IS TRUE AND BEARS FULL RESEMBLANCE TO MY BEST FRIEND, ALIVE AND KICKING.
Today my best friend completed the quarter century mark. Of all the people I met while growing up, I wonder how we two ended up being best friends. Chalk and cheese. North Pole, South Pole. Complete aliens. You get the idea. Little did I realize on the first day of school in 1992 that the new kid with the curliest curls ever and bawling non stop on her first day, would end up being my best friend.
Let me tell you a bit about her:
Name: A.S (disclosing her name might end in fatal consequences once she reads the post)
Fondly called: GT, Angu, Afu
Species: Surprisingly…human, of the female species. Despite certain characteristics that seems impossible in the earth folks.
Character Description: Crazy. Wild. Wacky. Chaos personified. The mere presence of who mimics a tornado hitting the place. Nick name generator. Some of the victims have still not recovered from the humiliation of their nicknames yet. Wildest and the most baffling imagination ever! Imagines at age 20 of digging a tunnel under the ocean in between India and Australia, and ride a bike to reach Australia because she didn’t want the hassle of getting a passport and visa! Another sample. Imagines about marrying a simple peasant and him working hard in the fields, sweating in the mid-day sun, while she carries the lunch basket atop her head and did I mention wearing a fluorescent yellow saree and Gucci shades! Used to spend evenings ogling at a cut out of a wrestler in the gym window opposite her room balcony. Resembles a frog while running, all bent knees at awkward angles…a run I immensely enjoyed watching during school days. Offers sage advice on important issues like how to avoid the “Kalyug” (the movie) disaster, that is avoid spy cams in hotels during honeymoon…put up a mosquito net over the bed and drape a thick blanket over it! Has the largest database of jokes on M. Gandhi of all people! Wears the darkest pair of shades only because they are oh-so-pretty and stumbles every few steps on the road. At art school, she was the proud achiever of sculpting a man with exceptionally huge cheeks (not the butt ones). Biggest fear was the subject “Mental Mathematics” in second standard. Had her share of being stalked by some exceptionally weird characters who were smitten by her. Proud owner of the loudest and the heartiest laugh ever. Cries at the drop of a hat and recovers just as spontaneously. Suffers from water-brash (mouth fills up with saliva while talking fast and has to pause and swallow every few seconds). Talks faster than you can comprehend. Loves singing in the famous nasal tone of the 50s era. Stands up for important causes…began a crusade against rock hard brownies served in Café Coffee Day once. Is a modern day Draupadi, she’s the wife of many celebrities…but unfortunately (?) they don’t know it yet. Is competitive while comparing embarrassing episodes. Has an uncanny sense of spotting hotties within a range of few hundred meters. Champion of facebook games…usually played during office hours. Expert in landing me in awkward situations and rescuing at the last moment. Dreams of pole dancing at her best friends’ weddings wearing a golden bikini! Fellow glutton. Pigs out on rice dishes. Has the tendency of laughing for so long at times over some topic…she forgets by the end of the laughing fit what was so funny. Biggest fan of King Julian of Madagascar. Loves to buy sexy sleep wear…just for the diva feeling it brings about. Writes wonderful poems. Was angry with me once for borrowing two lines, that she came up with, to complete a poem till a settlement was arrived upon involving chocolates and toffees. Overactive sweat glands and pesters me about conducting a nerve section on her to permanently avoid sweating for life!
I could just go on and on about her quirkiness. By now, you must be wondering whether such a person really exists! Yes, she does. And she’s my best friend. Even with the apparent quirkiness bordering on craziness at times, she’s one of the loveliest human beings I’ve ever known. It’s only her close ones who get to see the wacky side of her. The impish child in her. She is a doting daughter, a caring sister, a fabulous friend…and a very, very good human being. A brilliant student, topper in her graduation despite her childhood phobia of numbers…and now working in a great job. She’s an extremely talented painter too. She’s so kind, so loving, so supportive…you just can’t help smile and be glad to have just known her. She’s a prominent “feel good” factor in my life. Every time I’m feeling low, I know my pep up pill is just a phone call away. And how much we can talk!! Oblivious to everything in the world…talking, giggling, comparing notes on embarrassing incidents, and even more giggling…again becoming the two little school girls we once were. Even when it comes to the real nitty-gritty of life…I’m amazed at the sensible advice she offers each time, considering the clowning she’s up to in the rest of the time. She’s a wonderful friend, and I feel so proud and blessed to have known her. It’s so cliché but please don’t ever change,GT. I want you to influence my grandkids too with your overactive imagination. Love you loads. Happy Birthday once again! Muuuuuuuaaaaah!
How time flies! Time for the LIST (not the bucket one)!
Last night when I called up my best friend to wish on her birthday, we set about talking how fast time flies. Just the other day we were in school and had perhaps the world to stop spinning for a while when we entered our twenties or something extraordinary to happen. Nothing did. Life is still the same only with the exception of added responsibilities. As I was pondering on the fact how I too have just nearly reached quarter century, I decided to revise my list of things to do before hitting 30. I had made the list a couple of years back and as with the rest of the things I plan in life, I forgot about it in a matter of few hours. But the clock ticking so fast has really scared me a lot, and I HAVE to get these things done before I reach 30. I’ve exactly 6 years and 8 months left. November, 2015. Enough time. Hopefully. So here’s my list of 30 things to do before my 30th year:
1. Learn French fluently, and learn conversational Spanish/ German. (In progress)
2. Skydive, go rock climbing, para sailing, scuba diving.
3. Plant a tree every quarter.
4. Learn to say “NO”.
5. Learn to play guitar. (In progress)
6. Buy my own car.
7. Get financially literate. I know zilch about managing finances! HIGH PRIORITY!!
8. Backpack across Europe. And be able to afford it without having to spend my last penny. For enough savings, above point has got even higher in my list of priorities!
9. Get published. It can be anything; an entry in a medical journal or my own book.
10. Read at least two novels every month. And varied genres of literature; especially travel, history, fiction, biographies, classics of English and Indian literature, and short stories. (In progress)
11. Get more involved in the cause of “prevention of child abuse” and give 100% to it. HIGH PRIORITY!!
12. Create a home library.
13. Learn to paint. No more amateur efforts. Learn more about water colors, oils and acrylics. (In progress)
14. Register as an organ donor.
15. Learn to play tennis. And be passably good at it.
16. Get fit. Reach my ideal BMI. (In progress…verrrrrrrrrrrrry slow progress!!)
17. Charter a yacht. Go on a cruise.
18. Get a pug. In June, this year!
19. Buy and furnish my dream apartment…cozy nooks, wooden flooring, terrace garden, library, fireplace, and even a Jacuzzi!! Yes, I dream big!
20. Enroll in a self-defense class.
21. Be more informed about world politics, economy, and art history. (In progress) The internet has a huge collection of highly informative literature on the above topics. I’m currently reading the first volume of “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville.
22. Learn about basic car maintenance. (In progress)
23. Allot more time for learning photography.
24. Watch the classics of world cinema. (In progress)
25. Practice the virtue of selfishness. You didn’t read it wrong. It’s selfishness. I need to stop putting my life on hold for others.
26. Send a message in a bottle.
And now onto the top priorities of my list:
27. Rise in love (for a change!). Hope to meet an honest and trustworthy guy (I’m beginning to believe that’s an oxymoron!). A relationship where there’s commonality of principles, hopes and aspirations…a feeling of belonging to each other but yet distinct identities. A best friend. And just like the song goes from the movie ‘Rock On’…’yeh tumhari meri baatein hamesha yun hi chalti rahe”…someone to share the joy of endless conversations. Being lustily respectful, and respectfully lusty! Someone who loves me a lot, flaws included. I just read back what I wrote, and it seems like an ad on a dating website!! But can’t help it, I do get carried away by mush…and despite horrid experiences, I still believe in love.
28. Travel to Greece, Turkey, Tibet, Brazil and Australia. And travel alone.
29. Adopt a girl child.
30.Study abroad. Get into a residency of my choice in a reputed hospital. Be a good doctor.
Notebook look for my Notebook!
I have an organizing fetish. And so, I love notebooks. Here’s my new desktop. Inspired by the “notebook” desktop featured on Lifehacker recently.
Pretty or ugly? And I am totally technologically challenged…I need tips on how to get Google reader notifications on my desktop.
I’m cutting you off my life! TAKE THE HINT!
Calls go unanswered.
Messages not replied to.
Some urgent chore to attend whenever the possibility of meeting is brought up in the conversation.
It can’t get more obvious than this…take the hint. You’re being cut off from their life.
How do you cut off a person from your life without being downright rude? I’ve tried to cut off few people from my life without being rude…tried every trick in the book…successful with a few, failed repeatedly with the rest. There was a time when I had that uncontrollable urge to please everyone and not hurt anyone’s feelings and that compelled me to wish everyone on their birthdays, or major occasions, send mails, call them up once in a while…you know, the whole “keeping in touch” routine. I went out of my way to text every person on my phonebook be it New Year, Diwali and even Republic Day! Huge phone bills notwithstanding, I went all out in making sure none of my acquaintances were left out.
But one day, in one of those rare moments when some sense goes into my head, I realized the futility of the need to lug so many people around. Sure, they are my school buddies, or college mates, or gym pals, or a friend of a friend. But I’m not obligated to carry on an acquaintance forever! Times have changed, I’ve changed, and I realized I don’t really care about what my friend from 5th standard is doing these days. Sure, I’ve known these people, had spent some wonderful times with them, but there comes a time when I don’t want to clutter my life with those people from my past about whom I don’t really care too much. I just want to keep in touch with the ones who I genuinely care about irrespective of whether the feeling is mutual.
I’ve displeased a lot of people in the recent past by cutting them off, but there are some who just can’t take the hint despite calls and messages not being answered gradually, and end up hurting themselves for being ignored. But I just hope they take the hint soon enough. Just today I was discussing with my best friend how some people take a looooooong time to understand that they are being cut off. A common friend, who is a big time gossip, had been meddling in our lives for long. We cut her off. But she had been persistent too about not letting us go so easily. I got fed up of such characters; changed my number, blocked emails, and even made my Ma rehearse the “She’s out-of-town” excuse in case they drop in at home. So far I’ve been successful in warding off the few people who refuse to take the hint.
It’s not that I had never been at the receiving end. I too had been cut off by some friends. School, and college was a long time ago…everyone has different careers now, and their careers have taken them to different places. They’ve met new people, the earlier acquaintances have lost their value once time and distance have come in between. I took the hint early in few cases, but in the ones where I really cared a lot for the person…I persisted for quite some time before realizing the futility of my attempts. It does hurt when a person you care about, and had spent years together with suddenly fades out from your life. But it’s their choice. You can’t force your presence in someone’s life.
I have learned the hard way that people change, so do emotions. Once distance and time creeps into a relationship, only constant care and the genuine wish to continue the relationship can sustain a relationship. Any relationship. The relationships that pass the test of importance in my life, remain with me for a long time to come. And the rest I simply cut off to de-clutter my life. We meet new people everyday, and we can’t lug the whole world along with us. I’ve realized the importance of nurturing the relationships I know are genuine and weeding off the rest. A decision I know I won’t regret. I hope.
Sita sings the blues!!
watched the movie online a couple of days back. And absolutely loved it. You can catch Nina Paley’s “Sita sings the blues” here.
It’s a brilliant animated version of the Indian epic Ramayana which
runs parallel to a modern love story. It has been described as the
“greatest break-up story every told”! It uses the jazz vocals of
Annette Hanshaw to chronicle the events of Ramayana…keeping in focus
the relationship of Ram and Sita. It uses three shadow narrators (my
favorite characters in the movie) to depict the tale…and their
hilarious narration wil surely delight you. The animation varies from
frame to frame in three completely different settings of art. It’s one
of the best works I’ve ever seen. Witty and pithy narrative, fantastic
animation, good songs and above all a awesome depiction of the Grand
epic Ramayana and the plight of Sita…is sure to delight many a movie
buff.
Why did I choose to mention this movie? March 8th. Women’s
Day. MTV India ran a poll should there be a special day to celebrate
the achievements of women. 55% said “yes”, 45% said “there shouldn’t be
a specific day to celebrate the achievements of women, every day is
Women’s Day!!” That’s all very good…but honestly do you really think
women have got the respect and recognition they deserve in society? And
should we even strive for acknowledgement from men for every
achievement of ours? We all know the answer in our hearts. I’ve written
earlier about the significance of being a girl.
In the movie, issues such as Ram asking Sita to prove her purity,
despite her unwavering devotion and love for him and the sorrows she
suffers silently because of his decision to abandon her when she was
pregnant. Through all the turmoils in her life, she unquestioningly
obeyed him, loved him, worshipped him. But she didn’t get the respect
and love she deserved in the end. Sounds familiar? The film-maker draws
parallel to her own love story in the movie. And think about it, can’t
you or someone you know do so too? The story of Sita is still relevant
in today’s world and many women can relate to her at some point or the
other. Watch the movie. Highly recommended. You can watch the movie in
your web browser by clicking the link I’ve provided at the start of the
post. Sita sang the blues, Sita still sings the blues, but I sincerely
hope that Sita won’t sing the blues in the future!
The tagline
of the Cosmopolitan female is “fun, fearless female”. May I just add
“Fantabulous” to it! If I wait and think about the wonderful women I’ve
known in my entire life…I feel so proud to be a woman. Words won’t be
enough to describe their full importance in my life, and I won’t even
attempt to do so. I just want to tell these fabulous females…that I
feel blessed to have known them.
1.Ma- for being the epitome of
selfless love, for bringing me to this world, for every tear you shed
when I was hurt, for being my biggest fan in everything I do, for
always making me feel so secure and loved, for bearing my stupid
tantrums and never judging me, for loving me just the way I am, for
giving a wonderful childhood…For everything. For my existence in this
world. I’m eternally indebted to you. And not just a wonderful mother,
but the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known.
2.My sister- Few words to describe you…”You’re my life”
3.My
wacky aunt “Kuni” and even wackier cousins- Priyanka, Sangeeta, Ankita,
Bonani, Pompee, Visakha, Dimpee, Manali, Juku ba, Bu ba, Piya and my
baby, Pooja.
Juku Ba, I’m so so proud of you the way you’ve battled with the
unexpected setback in your life. I pray that you get well soon.
4.The
other females in our family- my aunts, my grandmother, my bhabhis. Each
one, an uniquely extraordinary great woman. Especially you Pepe!
5.My
daily dose of vitamins, my soul sisters- Angana and Aparoopa, my best
friends. Two amazing women- the perfect examples of fun, fearless and
freaking fabulous females!I love you to death!
6.Other gal
pals…with whom I have at some point or the other in my life have
shared some wonderful times together. I cherish your friendship. Devi,
Bandana, Jyotilekha, Kaveri, Chandamita, Pallabi T, Pallabi P, Supanta,
Mousumi, Ruma, Amrita, Daisy Ba. Girl Power Personified! All of you!
7. My teachers- Anita Ma’am, Deepti Ma’am, Srivastava Ma’am, Gayatri Ma’am, Manjula Ma’am…Thanks for guiding me at each step.
8.
And how can I forget my fellow bloggers. Each one of you so awesomely
talented, so wonderfully witty…I eagerly wait every day to read your
blogs; I’ve smiled with you, cried with you, laughed till it hurt with
you, and even fretted over your work problems with you…I could relate
to your experiences…I’m inspired by your thoughts, your lives. I
think you are oh-so-amazing! And even though most of the bloggers
haven’t met each other…I can surely say each one of us are bound
together by shared emotions, shared experiences…and it is such an
wonderful feeling. Keep writing those brilliant blogs, you’ve one big
fan here! I would specially like to mention my favorite blogs: Anita, Kopili, Lost on the street, PinkNic, Crowscious, prerna, Shahana, MARISSA, Brandy, Cyndi, Indi, Anuja, Aoife, E, Ashley, Lissa, Demigoddess and Corinne.
Happy Women’s day!
