Sundae with Shiva...

The post that shall remain on top.

2007-10-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

(P.S.: This particular post by me is post-dated so that it remains on the top of this page. To check out newer articles by me, please scroll down.)
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(Blog Last Updated- 30th September 2007)

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-Cheers,
Shiva.

Diary of a Romantic Idiot - II, III and IV!

2007-09-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Offbeat romantic letters - Deux, Tres and Quadro. For Uno, scroll down to the post below.

P.S (again) : These letters has been born as a result of my boredom, and it has been written by me with an imaginary lover in mind. Any resemblance to letters written to any of my actual lovers is purely co-incidental.

II

"Dearest Madhuri (Name Made up),

I want to proudly announce to you that I have been working out and gymming regularly since the past 2 months to develop my physique to perfection, because I want you to experience the feel of a really good n firm male body everytime we cuddled. I love you so very much, that I want you to have the best of everything when it comes to things that can be handled under my domain. One aspect of the 'best of everything' is to give you the best possible body of mine to hold. I don't want my love bunny to settle for what is on offer and run her hands over my flabby arms, chest and tummy during the more intimate moments we will share in the future. So I have set upon a mission to develop some rock hard pectorals, a chocolatey six-pack abdomen and some macho firm popeye-ish arms to squeeze you with and give you that ultimate male experience. I am indeed motivated by what I have seen on TV in the film promos of Om Shanti Om lately- If Shahrukh Khan could do it at 40+ age, it should be a piece of cake for me, at half that age.

- With lots of love and potential muscle,
Shiva.
Date:10/07/2007

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III

Dearest Madhuri,
Remember I had told you a couple of months ago that I had begun working out to achieve muscular perfection just for you? I am sure you must be missing me terribly and licking your lips in anticipation that you shall soon get your own Hrithik-ish/John-ish boyfriend in your arms to hold and you can then proudly flaunt me in front of other girls with flabby boyfriends. Well, the good news is that my efforts are finally showing, but though not to the extent that I would have liked. But still it's a commendable progress I guess. My arms feel stronger than before - the pillows I hug in your absence, now take a longer time to regain their original shape when I let go of them. Earlier they just used to just instantly spring back after my weak hugs. My chest seems firmer, but the best news of all is that I have developed ONE PACK OF A SIX AB! It's amazing! They look like 2 cute little bourbon biscuits on either side of my umbilicus. Would want you to eat them some day! *growls naughtily* Just 5 more packs to go now sweetheart. Romantic bliss for you is just 5 packs away.

- With lots of pecks and potential packs,
Shiva.
Date: 10/09/07

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IV

Dearest Madhuri,
I have some heartbreaking news for you. Remember a couple of months ago I told u that I had developed a one pack ab? Well, today I looked into the mirror after a long time, n poof!- that one pack has disappeared. GONE! I Just couldn't find it..I searched all over for it. I flexed and deflexed my abdomen several times, hoping that it would appear somewhere! But no! It's gone! The only thing that appeared was a hernia. All that workout n sit-ups to make that shape appear- Gone in vain. I was so happy that I had developed a one pack ab that I celebrated my success for a couple of weeks by taking a break from my workouts. It's amazing how just a short period of break can reverse all efforts so fast. Makes me realise how fragile life is if u take it for granted. Maintaining success is more difficult than i thought. I'm really sorry ya- you may have to deal with my pendulous toneless Gujju abdomen in later life if i cannot maintain my workouts in future. I feel like I have let all your expectations down. You must have been dreaming about my chocolatey hard abs na? Pls forgive me love. But on the bright side I watched the film Guru recently and noticed that Aishwarya seemed pretty happy with Abhishek's pot belly. Made me realise that mebbe not all girls are crazy for men with a 6 pack ab, Infact a 10-pack income like Gurukant Desai might be a better goal for me to achieve....especially since u hate Sharukh khan anyways. What Say?

- With lots of honey and potential money,
Shiva.
Date: 10/10/07

(P.s. to all blog readers: You may use my romantic letters for your personal purposes at your own risk)

Diary of a a romantic idiot - I

2007-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Updating my blog after a long hiatus of more than an year. Just felt like sharing my little offbeat romantic letter to keep my blog alive.

P.S: This letter has been born as a result of my boredom, and it has been written by me with an imaginary lover in mind. Any resemblance to letters written to any of my actual lovers is purely co-incidental.

"Dearest Madhuri (Name made up),

It's amazing how having a girl on one's mind can bring about a massive change in one's personality. Love sure has the capacity to mellow down even the most ferociously violent gangster and convert him into this tame, docile person who begins to see the world around him as a wholesome, beautiful place to live in. Yes, the beauty of love is that it makes life seem worthwhile again.

Let me give an example of the change in myself, to drive home the point of how you have changed me. There was a time when my tolerance threshold was very low. Especially towards flies. Yes - FLIES. Every monsoon used to test my patience to the limits. (Monsoon is one season where flies decide to seek refuge indoors to save themselves from the rain, and this leads to a terribly increased fly nuisance for mankind). I had a zero tolerance policy for flies. I made sure that no fly who dared enter my house left it alive. The greater the offense committed by the fly, the more horrifying death it met. Flies, flies everywhere- Flies in my morning tea, flies on my toast, flies on my lunch, flies on my dinner. But the two main offenses by the flies that really made me go berserk were flies landing on me and flies who buzzed in my ear.

I used to be armed with a variety of weapons- Traditional rolled up newspapers, fly sqatters and the chemical sprays to the more high tech electrified fly killer (the one that the flies get stuck to and roast to a painful death). Years of fly-killing experience had given me an accuracy that most novice fly-killers would envy. Any fly that was unlucky to come within striking range of me met a certain death. The mode of death would range from being crushed ruthlessly till it's guts were smeared to a fine pasty consistency on whatever surface that they chose to sit on, to being repeatedly sprayed with chemicals till their last molecule convulsed to death. Those flies that were stunned/killed on being hit and those that fell to the ground, but weren't crushed - met a worse fate. They were picked up by me and using forceps their limbs and wings were torn apart one by one. I had a nasty habit of repeatedly spraying even obviously dead flies multiple times with hit/baygon just to make sure that even their souls don't get a chance to escape without toxic levels in them, so that they would in-turn contaminate the souls of other flies in Fly-hell or Fly-heaven or where ever the souls of dead flies go. Yes I was known as "The Ruthless Fly-Destroyer"

But now things have changed dramatically. I am in love. And everything around me seems to have a new meaning. Everything seems beautiful. My mind cannot think of anything else other than being with you. You make me happy. Everytime I meet you, my heart sings with joy. Getting to sit with you, see your smile, feel your laughter - the feeling is indescribable. Those moments when I get to hold you in my arms, play with your silky hair, feel your soft smooth skin against mine, hold those delicate fingers of yours - the moments give me goosebumps. I have never been angry ever since I have been in love. The true test of the change in my personality has been with my change in attitude towards flies. I no longer hate them. Infact I LOVE them too! I love everything! I now treat every fly entering my house as a guest. And I make sure that they are comfortable and feel at home. I Keep bowls of sugared milk in every room so that they can feed themselves to their hearts content. If they want to sit on me ... I let them do it. Their tiny feet walking over me feel like you running your delicate fingers over me. It's bliss. Their buzzing in my ears seems as sweet as the music of love. Whether i am having breakfast, lunch or dinner I make sure that they too enjoy the meal as much as I do. And in case i do happen to find any fly lying dead in my house, I tenderly lift it up and give it a proper honorable burial with full honors. *Sigh*.... You make me see beauty even in the small things of life.

I (and the flies too) would like to sincerely thank you for this profound effect you have had on me and I am grateful that you are changing me for the better.

- With lots of love and gratitude,
Your Darling, Shiva.

More Calvin & Hobbes...

2006-04-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favourites...

(Click to Enlarge)

Links to Other Calvin and Hobbes put up on my blog..

C&H 1 C&H 2 C&H 3 C&H 4

- Cheers.

Great Joke!!

2006-04-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a great joke I stumbled upon on the internet and felt like sharing it here...

Donald Rumsfeld is giving the President his daily briefing on Iraq. He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed."

"OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!"

His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, head in hands. Finally, President looks up and asks, "How many is a brazillion?"

...absolutely loved this joke!

Cheers,
Shiva.

P.S: Have added new pictures of matheran trip, kelve beach and a few more in the Flikr photo album.. check them out!

The Fetus Papyraceous Report

2006-03-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

"If fetus papyraceous could survive, it would become you"- Armaan.

Well, if the above statement didn't make any sense to you, if you felt that it's yet another one of the highly intellectual yet sensitive gibberish that Armaan occasionally spews on us [hey, just kidding Armaan - i absolutely LOVE your highly intellectual yet sensitive gibberish :-D] , then think again- You are wrong! The above statement is actually a very well disguised, extremely subtle way of commenting on my weight and my physical appearance.

If you look at the picture above, you may not be able to see me at first glance. The picture may simply appear to be of two mammoth, colossal human beings standing together in an awkward embrace. But look again... study the picture carefully... go ahead, take your time. Squint your eyes if you have to... notice anything unusual?? Yes!! You are right! There IS a third person in the picture!!! Slowly and steadily your eyes will be able to make out the presence of a tiny human being caught in-between the two massive, prominent figures. Yes, That's me. Thank you for spotting me. Now read ahead.

I am thin. Underweight. Skinny, malnourished, skin and bones, skeletor, anti-fat...whatever!

My "Body weight : Body Height Ratio" is pretty skewed... one look at me and you'll know what I'm talking about.. For the past 22 years of my life, i have tried everything within limits of sane recommendations to gain weight, to consume calories on a regular basis in excess of what I burn, to make sure my BMI reaches double figures... or as the common people say - to "Put on". I have always felt that "To put on" is a remarkably dumb phrase to be used in context of gaining weight, as it makes gaining weight seem to be as ridiculously easy a task as "putting on a jacket"... My vivid imagination keeps playing a continuous video of me walking up to my closet and picking out the right weight that i'd like to put on for that lovely evening walk...

Right through my schooling days, to my junior college days to my medical college days, friends have been able to come up with various creative statements to remind me time and again that i'm an ectomorph [people have been classified into 3 groups based on their body structures- ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph- these body structures are mainly genitally inherited (actually 'genetically', but i prefer the former as it sounds naughtier & makes equal sense) and is predetermined before a person is born - click on them to get a better definition].

Not that i enjoy being teased on a regular basis - but i AM happy with the fact that my mere weight (or rather lack of it) can be a lovely source of inspiration in inviting occasional witty comments from friends.. It's these rare gems by a few friends that i really look forward to, rather than the mundane, numerous, routine, unimaginative and sometimes pirated wisecracks that the majority indulge in... Let me share a few that I have endured over the years:

There are the good ones...

"Do you even bother walking or does the air push you around?" - Maverick

"Your scapulae are so prominent that you could wear a bra backwards" - S.J.S.

"Before I met you, I used to think that floaters were only a type of footwear. I had no idea thet the term could be applied to humans too" - S.J.S.

""Body Mass Index = Weight In Kg/Height in metres (Squared)". Frankly Shiva, I don't think you should take the risk of squaring the height" - S.J.S.

"Shiva has the dedication of a great actor. Just as an actor studies his character in detailed depth and seems to 'become' the character himself when he acts on screen, similarly Shiva studies paediatrics in great depth. He seems to 'become' the topic he studies. Unfortunately it appears he's been studying Marasmus for too long." - C.R.

"Hmm, your kidneys can never be ballottable. There just isn't enough space between your anterior and posterior abdominal walls" - C.R.

.... and there are the well known one liners....

"If Shiva stands sideways he disappears" - Meghan

"Shiva has a figure of " - S.D.

"You are so skinny, you could probably look through a peephole with both eyes" - Shemin.

"You are so skinny, you could hoola hoop with a donut" - Diro

... and then there are the childish, routine ones... short and to the point...

"Skeleton" - Meghan

"Invisible"- M.P.

"A walking-talking X-ray" - S.J.S.

"The P.S.M. department has called you. They require a P.E.M. specimen for the museum" - C.R.

You may have been able to judge the gravity of my thinness by now. The above is a pictorial representation of a daydream that I quite often indulge in... imagining that someday I would be able to miraculously convert myself into a muscled hunk - a dream which I have tried to make a reality by joining a Gym 6 times in the past 6 years. Unfortunately, each determined stint in the Gym lasts for a maximum of 2 weeks, before the lazy Piscean in me surfaces and makes me quit.

Chalo, enough of me cribbing about being a feather weight. Time to look at the bright side.... Being thin has it's own advantages. It's these very advantages that keep me happy and satisfied. It's these little positive things, the little pleasures of life that I have noticed over the years which make me glad that I weigh less than all those who weigh more than me.

Here are the 10 good things I'd like to share:

1) Getting through my first year subject, Anatomy, was a breeze. To revise what I had learned, all I had to do was stand naked in front of the mirror- and all the muscles, tendons, their origins, insertions, venous drainage, etc etc.became crystal clear. The same advantage applies to surgical anatomy too.

2) Travelling through the crowded Mumbai trains is simpler. I can fit into the tiniest space created between two humans and still have enough space to breathe while maintaining atleast a 2 inch chest expansion. And even if I step on the feet of other people, they don't mind it- that means more surface area to walk on.

3) I can run faster than fat people - less wind resistance.

4) The batteries on my electronic weighing scale last longer. Think of the money I save.

5) I was a champion Hide and Seek player in my childhood. I could hide in places where no one could seek. I used to feel sorry for the poor seekers. They didn't stand a chance.

6) Even Bullies feel sorry for me. Never once have I been beaten up or threatened by anyone who is bigger than me. Infact I have seen 'pity' even in the eyes of the coldest hearted punk when they see me. It's good to know that there is emotion even in those who are inherently anti-social.

7) 'Hey Skinny' sure sounds better and more pleasant than 'Hey Fatso' or 'Hey Ganapati' or 'Hey Mote' or even celebrity heckling like 'Hey Tun Tun' or 'Hey Adnan'... Teasings sure are more limited and less harsh sounding for the thin people.

8) I can make *slurping* sounds indicating pleasure while eating fried stuff, dip my hands into butter rotis and lick the butter off my fingers, eat Gulab jamuns and Jalebis and Ice cream at will, without thinking twice - All this while simultaneously enjoying the jealous looks on the faces of some of my more 'well endowed' friends who always have to think twice before enjoying such gustatory pleasures, with either their increasing waistline or tightening jeans niggling them at the back of their minds.

9) People suffering from Anorexia Nervosa feel much better after seeing me. I make a difference in the lives of Anorexics- they realise that their bodies can never compete with mine, so they might as well eat more.

10) I used to be the one chosen by default to break the Dahi Handi during Gokulashtami- I get to do cooler stuff. Even when parasailing, my parachute goes higher than that of the others and I get a better view of the world below.

Time to end this post. I am happy that I am not the only light-bodied blogger in here. My good friend "D" too shares a similar physical existence as me. Maybe I should be starting a club for like-bodied people. Hmm....

Ectomorphs of the world - Unite!

Blogging can take a backseat...

2006-01-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

I'll be off on a tour to Mauritius and Singapore in 2 hours from now...

Spent all the post-exam days shopping, packing, preparing and day dreaming about the trip...

See you guys in Feb... I apologise for the mini death of this blog.. I'll resurrect it as soon as I get back..

P.S: Saw Rang De Basanti First day, First Show today...

Here's a quick verdict:
Pre-interval: I'd give it a 4 star rating.
Post-Interval: I'd give it just about 3 stars.
Overall: 3 and a half stars for the lovely theme of the movie, excellent music score, top-notch acting by ALL the actors (Aamir is simply superb), a fresh youthful look and cinematography, excellent humour, touching moments... everything- it had all the ingredients...

We could have had a lovely Dil Chahata Hai-ish hit movie but the second half is kind of flawed and is quite out of whack... doesn't quite do justice to our expectations.. Nevertheless- definitely a movie that today's youth would enjoy... Do Watch it..

-Bon voyage to myself,
Shiva.

December Reloaded!

2005-12-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

Refer September Reloaded! - the reason for this post is basically the same.

Oh and yes - Here is some Calvin and Hobbes...

(click to enlarge)

-Cheers

Sayonara for a while

2005-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

"Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer" - Oscar Wilde.

Well, 3 weeks of my PL have flown by and it's high time to start studying seriously for my finals. The 4 and a half years of our MBBS course has finally neared the point of its culmination.

4 weeks to go. Thousands of pages to read through. So time to say adios folks. This shall be my last post until mid-December. I won't be updating this blog for a while, though i'll try to update 'Young Medical Minds' if anyone wants to contribute.

For my last post here, I thought i'd take the easy way out once again and copy-paste a few funny medical quotes and cartoons that i've accumulated on my PC over the years.

"Genetics explains why you look like your father, and if you don't, why you should"

"It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class" - Proof that doctors are weak in maths.

"After 3 months of therapy my doctor said to me, 'Maybe life isn't for everyone'."

"My doctor gave me six months to live, but when I couldn't pay the bill he gave me six months more."

"I was under the care of a couple of medical students who couldn't diagnose a decapitation." - Jeffery Bernard

"First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me." - Steve Martin

"A psychiatrist is a man who goes to a strip club and watches the audience."

"I have the body of an eighteen year old. I keep it in the fridge."

"It is a good thing for a physician to have prematurely grey hair and itching piles. The first makes him appear to know more than he does, and the second gives him an expression of concern which the patient interprets as being on his behalf"

"A Short History of Medicine

2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."

1000 B.C. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."

1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."

1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."

1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."

2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root."

"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places."

"A doctor has a stethoscope up to a man's chest. The man asks "Doc, how do I stand?" The doctor says "That's what puzzles me!"

And my personal favourite...

"Who ever thought up the word "Mammogram?" Every time I hear it, I think I'm supposed to put my breast in an envelope and send it to someone." - Jan King

That's it for now folks. I'd like to wish all the medical students, especially my colleagues a huge

BEST OF LUCK!

"Studying medicine is like scrubbing an elephant: There's no good place to begin or end, and it's hard to keep track of what you've already covered"

-Cheers.

A shot at seriousness...

2005-11-03T23:48:00.000-08:00

I have been often criticized by many (infact hundreds (infact thousands (infact millions))) (I’d like to thank Saptorshi for familiarizing me with the highly irritating but creative concept of ‘brackets within brackets’ style of typing (I actually am highly indebted to him, for without him, this paragraph that I have typed here would have been way too ordinarily easy to make sense of (I like making my blog more difficult to read than it already is))) of my fans worldwide, for the uselessness and worthlessness and insaneness and ridiculousness (Pun: I guess I have made a huge ness of this paragraph!) of what I post here on my blog. (And no, unlike Govindraj I do not have a split personality who types within the brackets). I have been getting some serious flak for the mindlessness and insensitiveness and seriouslessness of the content that can be found in here. (Read between the brackets in the above paragraph (Only if you want to))

Here are some excerpts of what I've had to hear regarding my blog from those who matter to me:

“Look at the amazingly sensitive articles that Dnyanesh writes, the thoughtful masterpieces on Dhanwanti’s blog, the delicately delightful way in which Spriha pens down her thoughts, the thought-provoking posts by Meghan, the sensitive, heart-warming posts by Maverick, Sarthak and Govindraj (Ok, Ok- Scratch the last three)…Why can’t you write something like them?” – My girlfriend.

“Instead of guzzling colostrum, instead of spending a large chunk of your life trying to figure out what a loofah is, instead of studying the drab life of a mulberry, instead of finding similarities between the Al Qaeda and fictional medical terrorist organizations, I’d love you more if you wrote something worthwhile… something that brings a tear to my eye… something that makes today’s youth sit up and take notice… something that enlightens me… something that provokes me to involve myself in intelligent thinking.. " – My boyfriend.

"Shiva, for once can you stop trying to be ridiculously outrageous and post something that atleast makes me want to come back to your stupid blog a second time?" - My girlfriend's boyfriend.

"Do you seriously think i come in here to read your posts?? I visit your blog only to check out the links you have put up" - My boyfriend's boyfriend.

"Your blog is a hurdle in the path of progress of this great nation" - Dr. Manmohan Singh.

"Please make sense. Common Sense." - Bond. James Bond.

Ok Ok. Fine! I get the picture! I know I am incapable of writing something which can be considered 'elite' material. I know I'll suck if I try writing thoughtful, insightful stuff.
But...
- A winner never quits, a quitter never wins.
- Try and Try till you succeed.
- Fortune favors the Brave.
- Don't lose hope is the moral of the story. (lovely jingle by Mr. Crorepati),

...with these encouraging thought-for-the-days to back me up,

I thought, Hey why not give it a shot? Why not try my hand at meaningful writing too? Why not I give the dynamic youth of today reading material that shall light the fire in their bellies? Why not I write something so sensitive and touching that people shall get touched and sensitized (!) ?

So be it! I'll give it a shot! I'll try my hand at this totally new genre of writing. The following paragraph shall reflect that attempt. At this point of time i have no idea of what i shall be typing and how it shall turn out, so i give no guarantees whether it'll be good or not. Oh Lord, help me. Here goes nothing...

"It was a cold, rainy day in the middle of March. She awoke with a startled jolt to the gentle tapping of raindrops against her window pane. She looked around, wide-eyed, in sheer panic, her eyes desperately searching for a sight that she knew would calm her. Was it all just a bad morning dream?
Unable to see what she was looking for, she gingerly stepped out of bed. She could feel her heart thumping heavily as she walked over to the telephone, picked it up, and listened intently into the dead receiver for a full minute. The voices that she had heard the day before seem to have subsided."

(Whew- This is tougher than i thought... An hour has passed and so far i have only managed to wake up a random woman, in some random country where it rains in march, and made her listen into a dead telephone for a whole dumb minute... well... let's see where this leads.. I'm improvising cluelessly...)

"She slammed down the receiver"

(Another hour has passed. Aargh! I give up. Screw This. Let me try a different style. Maybe narration of a personal incident may work better than trying to make up something from scratch. Here goes again:)

It was a routine week day. I had just entered my college campus through the main gate at about 8:15 am as usual, with my cell phone's headset dangling around my ears, FM radio playing lightly, lost in my own thoughts. I passed the usual early morning queue of patients formed outside the 'Get-your-OPD-papers-made-here' rooms. (I don't know what it's officially called). Well it's the place when new patients are supposed to get their OPD papers made and are given the correct OPD numbers that they require before they can consult the doctors. The queue of patients or their relatives begins very early - as early as 6:30 am, in an attempt to avoid the huge crowds later in the day - and becomes pretty serpentine as the day progresses. A one-time charge to get an OPD paper made costs Rs. 10/-

Anyway, just as I passed the queue, i heard a frantic "Excuse me! Excuse me sir!" cutting into my thoughts. I turned around to see who was being called and realised that it was me. A short, medium built, decently dressed guy, maybe in his late 20's ran upto me. The most striking feature about him was his face- he had the most perfect, innocent baby-face that i have ever seen. There was a certain cuteness and childlike quality to his face that stood out. I realised he was probably a patient who had been standing in the queue. He continued in flawless english, (considering this was a municipal hospital and 80% of the patients live below the poverty line, out of which 60 % seem uneducated, finding a patient as well dressed as him who could speak english is a rare sight), "Sir, could you please lend me 10 rupees so that I can get an OPD paper made? I travelled to sion by train, and I was carrying 500 rupees with me which I have lost. All I need is 10 rupees. My mother is very sick and I'd have to go all the way back home to get it. Please help me"

I studied the guy for a moment. His baby-face staring up at me. There was something about him that made me believe he was telling the truth. I'd asked him, "Where do you live". His reply was prompt, "Kandivili". Well, fine, i thought, this guy seems genuine, I don't see any reason to believe that he's lying. Without any further thoughts I pulled out my wallet and handed him a 10 rupee note. "Thank you sir".

I was glad that I'd helped out someone. But I also did consider the niggling possibility that there was a chance that I might have been a sucker. Later that morning in the canteen I told a friend about what happened and asked him if he thought what I had done was right. He told me, "If you felt this guy was genuine, you did the right thing". I felt better. I returned back to routine life. And the incident evaporated from my mind.

6 Months later:

I walked into my college campus through the main gate at about 8:15 am as usual, with my cell phone's headset dangling around my ears, FM radio playing lightly, lost in my own thoughts. Just as I passed the queue of patients, "Excuse me! Excuse me sir!" cut into my thoughts. I reflexly turned around and within the fraction of a second that it takes a person to turn around, my brain had already processed the voice behind the "Excuse Me", had found a matching voice from 6 months back in it's archives and had formed a visual image of the guy whom it most likely belonged to. So before I turned around completely I knew the face that I would be seeing. And indeed, it was the same baby-faced guy. Before i could make any guesses, he was already near me and in flawless english had already begun, "Sir, could you please lend me 10 rupees so that I can get an OPD paper made? I travelled to sion by train......." I stared in disbelief. The realisation sunk in- This guy had not recognised me. Not only is he a con, he is one hell of a STUPID con. Strangely, I felt a smile form on my face. This guy looked as cute as ever, his innocent face working it's charm, his dialogue delivery perfect. I waited till he was done with his 'practised speech'.

"Don't you recognise me?" "Do you remember that a few months back you had said the exact same thing to me?" His cute face instantly showed fear when i reminded him. His expression said it all- He realised he had goofed up. Aggressive thoughts were racing through my mind on what should be done now:

1) Should i let him off with a warning?
2) Should i inform the security guard that this guy was a crook?
3) Should i click his snap and put it on my college notice board warning others not to fall prey to him?
4) Should i ask him to give my 10 bucks back?

I am not normally an aggressive person. I have never scolded anyone nor have i lost my temper on any occasion. I am a guy who believes in forgiving. But this was different. I was certain if I let him go he would cheat many more people (the fact that he didn't recognise me itself was proof that he has fooled so many people that he couldn't even remember their faces). In my mind I knew I should probably drag him to the hospital security guards and give him a punitive jolt. But in my heart I knew I was incapable of such a thing. I opened my mouth and hoped something strict comes out that would frighten him, but all that came out was "Please don't cheat people like that. And don't let me ever see you in Sion Hospital again". And I was on my way.

I felt like a coward that day. I narrated the incident to a few friends, and their opinion was unanimous. I had done the wrong thing by letting him go. That seasoned con guy would, without a doubt, use his Baby-Face charms to fleece many more people. Maybe not in our hospital, but he obviously had many target areas to operate. I felt miserable. The thought that I had been the chosen one, the one to be given the rare opportunity to catch a crook, I felt ashamed at letting the opportunity go.

Now when i think of the incident, I know if I had a chance to go back in time, I'd be sure to play the second encounter differently and see to it that he be reported to the auhorities. I feel like i have failed a little reality test that life offers.

THE END.

(Hmmm...I can't believe I actually typed all of the above in one go! Did I end it correctly? Was I able to write a serious article effectively? I don't know. You folks tell me. Frankly for some reason unknown to me, I enjoyed writing this particular boring post more than the others)

A clarification in case the thought crossed any of your minds while reading the above: I'm NOT Gay. Having a fictitious boyfriend, and calling men cute are in no way indicators of homosexuality.

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DIWALI AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!

- Cheers!

It'll take much more than that...

2005-10-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

I hate mindless products being advertised in unconvincingly artificial ways through advertisements and tele-shopping programmes. Especially when they are dubbed in hindi (Aaargh!).

Compact home exercise equipments that promise to give you that perfect physique in which your abs would look much better than your face, innovative weight losing methods from cellulite-burning creams to sauna belts that promise to slim you down even after eating twice your body-weight a day, height increasers that promise to save you from the embarassment of being seen with your taller partner, boob enhancers that...well...umm...enhance boobs i guess..., teeth whiteners that promise you'll never need a flash for your camera again... so on and so forth...
..... fairness creams, anti-smoking herbal shit from the jungles of amazon, ultrasonic massagers to relieve stress and tension, magnetic therapy to help you have a better sex-life, anti-mosquito creams that have to be applied on the mosquitoes, thermal underwear that won't allow your privates to freeze even at minus 40 centrigrade, wonder mops that can soak up an ocean including the fish, deodorants, rat traps, kitchen knives that can cut a diamond... and all sorts of 'miracle beauty products' that promise to help people get rid of their physically ugly aspects and turn them into a Cinderell or an Arnold.

And with amazing rapidity another company comes out with a different design of the same product claiming it to be superior to all others.. this is especially true of the different exercise machines being advertised (Ab king pro, Ab exerciser, Dream Abs, Abs this and Abs that.... ever notice how they always focus on perfectly chiseled abs to make it their selling point?)

Now don't get me wrong... i'm not saying that the above products are fake (of course i made up a couple of them) and that they do not work, i have no authority to comment on that...My point is that the way in which they are advertised seems fraudulent to me..

I am an irrational skeptic and it'll take much more than that (title, title!) to convince me.... a couple of random examples below...

1) Fairness Creams: Ever get the feeling that the advertisements for fairness creams are dumb? I mean to me it seems that an 'already fair' model is chosen to begin with, an obvious thin coat of a darkening paint or some light black cream is smeared on her face to give her that tanned black look, and then at the end of the ad this cream is simply washed off to reveal her original fairness. Or probably a lightly brown female is chosen and at the end of the ad immense powerful lights are shone on her face to brighten it up and make her look fair....

Please Show something realistic folks!

It would take much more than that (title, title!) to convince me that fairness creams work:

They'd have to show me a frank negroid/African female or a real 'dark-as-hell', 'impossible- to-see-at-night' skinned girl... Demonstrate how she applies the fairness cream... show a brief genuine follow up of her over a significant amount of time.. (not just the 'before-and-after' pics), and then show us that she's now Caucasian, and that her 3-dimensional X-ray skull reconstruction pattern matches that of the original negroid girl, with conclusive evidence that the two girls are indeed one and the same. - Maybe then i might be convinced that fairness creams do work.

In a nutshell, something radical like this...

...would convince me more..

... than something silly like this.

Disclaimer: Any resemblance of any of the above models to Michael Jackson is pure co-incidental but intentional. (come to think of it, Michael sure would make a good brand ambassador..)

P.S: Male fairness creams have just been launched too in case you guys didn't know...I think i'll try one out soon...

2) Exercise Machines: These are really annoying. Why in the world do they come up with something new- and then use already perfectly chiseled men and women with six-pack abs, with muscles to die for, with an abdominal tone that could subdue and bully any hernia to stay put inside where it belongs - to advertise the products? I mean if the product is new, then depicting muscled men and toned women to sell them is stupid since they obviously have been in such good shape wayyyyy before the product was even made. They have obviously sweated it out in a full fledged gym, with a rigorous diet, an occasional steroid shot, and a strenuous workout regime to get that shape. But the common man watching television is led to believe that these beefcake men have attained their current physique by having used these home exercise machines since a long time. Bull dung! Sure, the companies can hire these muscled creatures to endorse their products to boost their sales- no harm in that... but please don't make it look as if they have been using these products since ages...and the stupid 'hindi-dubbed-before-and-after' pics of so called satisfied customers makes it even more unpleasant to watch... Please Show something realistic folks!

It'll take much more than that (title, title!) to convince me that working out on these 'convenient products that help you get a six pack while watching TV' indeed are worth it...

Show me a real fat guy with an abdominal girth that equals the diameter of a small planet, with a BMI value that's twice my own gross body weight.. show him using the product regularly, follow him up over a significant period of time...(by significant- i mean about 5-10 years... hey so what if it that's a long long time? ...at least it'll be undoubtedly convincing if it works)... and then show me that he's now got 6-pack abs that'd put Peter Andre to shame, Biceps that weigh more then me, Quadriceps that can kick a football into outer space... Sure, in the amount of time that it takes to convert the oversized buffalo into a Greek God, i will have aged by 5-10 years and may no longer have the strength or desire to work out anymore. But atleast i'll be adequately convinced to buy the product.

In a nutshell, something massive like this...

....would be more effective than...

...something dubiously attractive like this.

Basically the idea has been conveyed... To sell a product to me, it better be convincingly depicted..with hardcore realistic facts... without the fancy superficial mindless sugary coat..

- Show me height increasers that can make basketball players, show me boob enhancers that can...well...umm.. enhance boobs i guess, show me weight losing cellulite burning creams and sauna belts that can make fat people marasmic, show me teeth whiteners that make people ask 'Yeh Naya Rang Kaunsa hai?', show me magnets that can cure rheumatoid arthritis..... show me any such outrageous product claims - BUT show them convincingly. That's all i ask.

Hmm i guess that ends my rant on televised products.. But since i am ranting anyway, i might as well put my two cents in on the KBC celebrity episodes...

Enough of fake celebrity episodes where 50 lakhs are the minimum winnings for their selected charity organisations... It'll take more than that (title, title!) to convince me.

Show me a realistic celebrity episode in which they fall flat on their faces, goof up within the first 5 questions, get absolutely no money, embarassment on their faces, a sad smirk on Mr. AB's face and a genuine collective audience gasp when Mr. Bachchan announces "Galat Jawab" amidst high expectations.... Maybe then i'll be convinced that the celebrities have not been given the answers prior to the show and that such 'special' episodes are not a sham..

I apologise for the random "(title, title!)" appearing above at certain places. I do not see any reason why they should have.

Whoa! This Post sure has turned out to be longer than i expected. Well it's time to conclude. And it's time for my daily workout on my very own 'Ab exerciser'.

-Cheers.

September Reloaded!

2005-09-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Whew! After a gruelling month of preparing and appearing for my prelims, losing a lot of body weight, losing precious hours of sleep, getting stress ulcers from all the tension and battling with a constant sense of pre-exam hopelessness (medical students would easily understand the exact nature of this 'It's-just-all-so-Hopeless' feeling that i am talking about, which is typically felt prior to ANY exam that we appear for), IT'S FINALLY OVER!! A few days of relaxation, a few days of rest. A few days to enjoy, a few days to roam around and a few days to BLOG!!

But then the important word is "Few". That's the sad part. Before we know it, it would be time to get into gear to prepare for our finals... well enough of exam talk...

Why did i title this post as "September reloaded"? Because it's actually 23rd October today. September went by blogless (i hope blogless is a word), and i couldn't bear to see that little vacant gap between "August" and "October" in my archives. It was saddening.

So to fill the gap, i thought i'd post a filler (filler to fill a gap - hmmm...i'm a literary genious!) for september... and i have no better filler than my wonderful collection of Calvin and Hobbes!

Here are a couple of them:
(Click to Enlarge Them)

-Cheers,
Shiva

P.S: Do not believe the sentence below this one.

Worth a thousand words...

2005-08-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you actually check out the links i have put up...

Well i found this picture on C*S*F

It was clicked by Objet Petit M, a photographer/blogger. You can check out his other snaps by clicking on the link "Still Tour - 2005 Mumbai" in the 'Coooool Blogs' section in the left column.

Loved this pic,
- Shiva.

India lost. I am frustrated.

2005-08-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Whenever India loses in a cricket match, i wish i was married and had a shoulder to cry on.

Nope, Not really. Just had a frustrating day and this was all i could think of.

-Grumpy and lonely,
Shiva.

Mangal Pandey - A review

2005-08-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

Watched Mangal Pandey last saturday. Had written this review a few days back on Mouthshut.com.
Since my blog was looking a bit empty, thought i'd copy paste my review over here.
Nothing great about this review. Just my first attempt at movie review writing.

Don't get me wrong. I am a huge Aamir Fan. Here's a brief review of the movie and the thoughts that came to my mind while watching it.

1)Overall Impression: Not bad, but not good either. Not a very impressive movie. Not very gripping, has an all around slow pace, and doesn't manage to invoke much patriotism the way other freedom-related movies generally do. I would give it 3 stars. Or maybe barely 3 and a half stars out of 5. Just about. It's a likeable movie if watched with an open appreciative optimistic mind (Me). Pessimists and those who like to pass stupid comments and who have come with a group of friends with the sole purpose to have a good time won't appreciate this movie. It gives plenty of chances for youngsters to mock at. (referring to a large group of teenagers who were sitting next to me and constantly commenting that this movie was a mistake and that they should have gone for ''the island'' instead)

2) Direction: Poorly average. Lacked the finesse and substance that an epic movie of this proportions is expected to possess.

3) Acting:

a)Aamir Khan: Not satisfied with his role in this film- quantitywise. Not a very chunky role. Most of the times in the movie he is silent without much to say. Qualitywise his acting in this film is pretty good. Intense expressions and perfect emotions. Though not an ''outstanding performance''.

b)Toby Stephens: Has a pretty major role. Good performance by him.

c)Rani Mukherjee: Very good screen presence. Gorgeous. Excellent expressions. But a pretty small role. Would have liked to see more of her.

d)Amisha Patel: Huh? Why? A total Waste. She was not needed in this movie. Has barely a couple of minutes of screen time.

4) Minus Points of the movie:

a) Too long. With two absolutely unnecessary songs. Infact one song just magically appears at a time when u don't want a song. After seeing no nonsense concise films like Black, Sarkar and Viruddh without a single song - Sitting through a 3 hour song filled film is strenuos.

b) The foreigners speaking Hindi. Very funny. And at times hard to understand. but all credit to Toby for managing to speak so much hindi. he must have had a tough time learning his dialogues.

c) The hundreds of extras that were used in the movie were terrible. They took the seriousness out of some serious scenes. Infact some of them were actually smiling during scenes where a crowd had to charge in rebellion.

d) Dialogues: Some were dumb. Not powerful enough. Many hindi dialogues spoken by the britishers were riddled with 'double meanings' - enough to make a pervert giggle. But the ''Tu kootta Hai'' dialogue by a blood soaked aamir is a pretty good scene stealer. Had a nice impact.

e) The war scenes: Not very authentic. Had an artificial feel to them.

f) The disclaimer at the beginning of the movie- that most of the things about Mangal Pandey have been fictionalised for dramatisation. I would have liked a more realistic hard hitting story.

5)Plus Points of the movie:

a) Om Puri's narration was impressive.

b) The Music is pretty decent. Tha Mangal Mangal Track is pretty catchy. Main vari Vari is excellently picturised.

c) Many foreign actors shown- made the dominance of the East India Company more realistic.

d) The ending- where original footage of Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters ahead of mangal pandey's time were used- gave a nice impression.

e) Showing Jhansi ki Rani, Bahadur Shah, Tatya Tope etc, reacting to Mangal's Rebellion was a nice touch- gave good info to the viewers: I didn't know that all of the were present during the same era.

f) Realistic Demonstration of Sati- With firm religious beliefs, typical young girl getting married to an old man who dies and wife has to be burnt is well shown.

6)Surprising Points:
Considering that this movie is a historical freedom struggle movie given a 'U' rating... i was not prepared for certain things.. which took me by surprise.

a) There are two actual scenes of breastfeeding. I was pretty pleased that breastfeeding was being shown on screen in a mainstream hindi movie. But the group of teenagers next to me found it funny and were chuckling everytime the mother pulled up her blouse to breastfeed the baby. I felt pretty irritated by their constant cheap unappreciating comments.

b) A fairly bold love making scene between 2 foreigners suddenly pops up out of nowhere. Not needed. No Nudity though. Again giggling from the group next to me.

c) The french kiss between toby and amisha - absolutely no chemistry. Very dumb.

d) The item song rasiyan- was shockingly and embarrassingly bold. Extreme Cleavage with constant closeups of heaving torsos. - hmm.. the song was nice and catchy, well picturised... but i don't think such an obvious sexual overtone in the song was necessary- especially when it doesn't fit into the theme of the movie. The group next to me had a gala time during this song.

e) The language used at times- did contain foul language. And the language used by the prostitutes - bold, but realistic. Kirron Kher's neckline plunged as far down as it could.

f) The drunken and mischievous antics of Aamir and Toby shown when they get high on bhang- nice touch.. but slightly difficult to swallow. I Guess the disclaimer that the some parts of mangal's life have been dramatised comes in handy in such scenes.

Verdict: I liked it as a potentially interesting film with not so good direction. I recommend it to all of you to watch it once especially to appreciate the effort and the moustache.

That completes my review.

Review Details:

Pros: Acting, Aamir, Toby, Rani, Some Cinematography
Cons: Slow pace, too long, unnecessary songs, not much patriotic feeling invoked.
Plot: Fair - Small plots here-and-there.
Cast Performance: Good - Overall good
Soundtrack: Good -Except a few
Camera Effects: Good - Will do for normal viewing
Watch this movie with: Family

P.S: Wish you all a very Happy Raksha Bandhan!!

Calvin and Hobbes - A Tribute (II)

2005-08-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my favourite Calvin and Hobbes: (you can click the images to see them in a bigger size in case you are hypermetropic or presbyopic and don't own a magnifying glass)

.......or you could buy a magnifying glass.

-Cheers.

Wish you all a HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!!!

Aimless Wanderings...

2005-08-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

I was wandering about aimlessly around the house today morning, in search of the true meaning of life (I'm lying.... couldn't think of a proper opening sentence), when I spotted a bottle of 'some-new-pharmaceutical-preparation' in my room. I'd like to assume that one of my parents left it there. (I hate it when things magically appear in my room without valid justification. Believe it or not, they quite often do.)

Anyway, the 'some-new-pharmaceutical-preparation' in my room happened to be colostrum tablets. And that too, strawberry flavoured.

It said:
Each Chewable tablet contains:
Colostrum : 300mg
Protein: 245mg
Total immunoglobulins: 60mg
Calcium: 4.5mg
Lactoferrin: 490 micro g.

"New Life Colostrum is 100% pure New Zealand colostrum. Certified to be from healthy, pasture-fed, pesticide, hormone and antibiotic-free New Zealand dairy cows." (cooool..aa toh phoren gai nu maal che)

It had always been my cherished childhood dream to taste 300 mg of strawberry flavoured Kiwi cow colostrum. And here it was - right in my hands!

Convinced that none of the contents/description on the pack sounded fatal, I promptly unscrewed the cap, pierced the tin-foil covering with a pen, took out a colostrum tablet and popped it into my mouth - and thus a childhood dream was fullfilled.

I then continued wandering about aimlessly around the house, in search of the true meaning of life. (i'm lying.... couldn't think of a proper closing sentence either), but hey- atleast now i have some idea of how life's first food might have tasted like.

-Cheers.

Just one of those days...

2005-08-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Background:
1) I am lazy when it comes to bathing, especially on holidays when i'm at home the whole day. I keep postponing my bathtime until, before i know it, the day is over and i have gone yet another day without having a bath. However, i love getting wet in the rain, and in this season- i frequently consider getting drenched in nature's pee as the equivalent of a 'cleansing bath'.
2) I thought i knew the name of most toiletries.
3) I have never used liquid soap. (Imp.)

To lengthen this post and make it falsely seem 'intelligent by quantity', i shall post some not-so-relevant things before i get to the point.

Time: 4:00 pm (It's raining heavily)
Dad(D): Shiva, it's raining. Have you had bath yet?
Shiva(S): Nope, not yet.
D: Me neither. Want to get wet in the rain first? You can have a nice hot bath later.
S: Sure. Would love to. (Dad and i change into shorts, go out on the terrace and get drenched in the cold rain. Mom clicks pictures of the two of us enjoying the rain. Mom hates the rain.)

Time: 4:30 pm
( I am drenched. The wind is cold. My teeth are chattering. For a change i can't wait to have a nice hot bath)
S: (through chattering teeth) Mom, is the water hot yet?
Mom(M): Yes. I have filled up 2 buckets for you and your father.
S: Thanks mom, you are the best! Dad, isn't she the best??
D: (through chattering teeth) Yup! (unfortunately for him, it sounded like a "Yuck")
[I would not like to go into the conversation that followed between the two of them]

Time: 4:35 pm
(I get into the bathroom, lose my cold shorts, and begin to indulge in what happens to be called 'bathing')

Time to be more specific. I got to the point when my body was wet enough to apply soap. I looked around for the regular green bar of soap (lyril?) There was a real tiny strip of the green soap in the soap tray -doubtful if it would last even one more bath. Just about then my eyes fell upon this thing of beauty lying in the corner:

Brand new bottle of unused Lux international body wash (It had this 'you-have-to-hold-me' kind of shaply figure)

At first glance i assumed it was a new shampoo (never seen liquid soap in a bottle before), but then quickly noticed it said "Body wash" and not "Hair wash". I like trying out new things, and liquid soap was the neo that caught my fancy. The bottle looked and felt LUXurious. Aha!- Today i shall have a refreshing change from solid soap i thought. I flipped the bottle over and began reading the instructions (i ALWAYS read instructions). Things were going fine until i came across this sentence:

Loofah? What the hell is a loofah? Where the hell is a loofah?? Wet?? soft?? Fluffy??? I had no idea.

[Hey for a guy who doesn't deem a daily bath necessary, for someone who hasn't had the priviledge of using liquid soap- I had every right Not to know what a loofah is. So if you just went: "Wow! Shiva's dumber than i thought. He doesn't even know what a loofah is. *giggle*" -- then screw you!!]

I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out what a darn loofah was. (My wet body began to dry up btw).. The following thoughts ran through my head:
-> It's probably a spelling mistake... but no, wait...this is not pirated indian stuff that would have a spelling mistake (bought a music cd once of "Byran Admas").. it's lux international for God's sake!

- >Maybe they meant a body part in a "coochie-coochie" way..(loofah does sound cute, doesn't it?)....maybe it was a body wash primarily to be used only on certain body parts.. i gave a quick glance, carefully scrutinizing my anatomy for any hints of a possible match with 'loofah'.. i came to this conclusion: 'there is absolutely nothing in the male body that could possibly be a loofah'.. well, one part did come close by satisfying 'wet'and 'soft' but it sure as hell wasn't 'fluffy'. But then again, this seemed to be a predominantly female product..

-> Maybe they meant "hair" in a "coochie-coochie" way... hair is wet, hair is soft and hair IS fluffy... a perfect match! made me think that this is Shampoo after all! but the "body wash" title sure was discomforting. I gave up.

Time: 4:50 pm
(I open my bathroom door a crack, slide my head out and call out to mom on top of my voice)

S: Mom, give me the loofah!
M: (Shouts back from another room) Give you the what???!
S: The Loofah, The Loofah!
M: Did you check your pockets?? Maybe you left it there.
S: Mom, i'm in the bathroom, i have no pockets! I WANT THE LOOFAH!
M: I have no idea what that is.
S: What do u mean you don't know??? Don't u use the liquid soap??
M: We have no liquid soap.
S: Yes We do!! It's right here! Didn't you buy it???
M: No. Look, I'm busy in the kitchen, ask your father to give u what you want.
S: Dad, Where is the loofah?
D: (shouts back from another room) Ask your mom. She's the one who keeps all things.
S: Mom doesn't know what the loofah is.
D: Then how would i know? Listen to your mom. And hurry up, you've been in there for over 20 min now.
S: Aaaargh!

I decide- to hell with it! I certainly wasn't going to use this thing , which nobody knew how it landed up at our house in the first place, until i knew what a loofah is. Life has taught me that 'if you don't understand the instructions, don't do it.'
I stuck to my good old tiny bar of green solid soap that day.

-Cheers.

PS: Later i took a quick survey to find how many of my friends actually knew what a loofah is.

*70% of the girls knew what a loofah is. (made me feel like a doofus)

*98% of the guys didn't know what a loofah is. (Made me very glad)

And if you are among the ones who doesn't know what a loofah is - Click here to find out

-Cheers.

Click here to see all my posts made in the month of July

New Photography Section Added

2005-07-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

Check out the new shiva's photographicity section added in the left column and do give me feedback.

Thanks.

Deluge!

2005-07-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

After two days of very erratic electricity, even more erratic mobile phone networks, after being glued to the news and radio for regular weather updates, after a sense of being cut off from the world despite being in the lonely comfort of my house - i can't think of much to post. So i thought i'd speak louder than words with these images to summarize the state of a city whose infrastructure just crumbled. (Courtesy rediff images)

As for my plants- They had to brave a lot of rough weather and strong wind continuously for two days - most of them are now inclined at an obtuse (or acute, depending on your point of view) angle with respect to their pots. 8 young plants have been uprooted, including 2 bonsai. They have been repotted promptly, but only time will tell whether they shall survive the ordeal. *sniff*.

P.S: Check out Shiva's Google added in the link section. Personalise your own google!

Fascinating

2005-07-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

Today my friend, Gerbelfuj (Name distorted to protect identity), revealed to me that when she was young, she was involved in an accident which knocked of her two permanent front teeth, leaving a big gap. The dentist then applied braces in such a way that her lateral incisors were gradually brought to the front. So now her two front teeth are not her central incisors, but her lateral incisors! Then come her canines.
I never realised it - always thought that she was just another person with two weird front teeth.

Fascinating.

Cherry Tree + Hope.

2005-07-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

Call me a geek, but this is just something i came across while studying:
"ethrombosis": Blood clots occuring in people sitting at their computers for prolonged periods of time. - Copied and pasted from Dnyanesh Lad's blog page.

The cherry bonsai tree started bearing fruits yesterday. But since none of you voted for my mulberry bonsai blog, i don't think i should even dare dwell into the life of a darn cherry.

Saw Viruddh yesterday. I'm extremely glad that Bollywood is breaking it's shackles of the routine song and dance movies that it used to mindlessly belt out. This is my third movie this year without a single song. Black, Sarkar and now Viruddh. Black was a class apart - all genuine attempts at quality cinema. There's still hope for bollywood. And these 3 Bachchan movies are providing that hope. And so did Parineeta, except for the last half an hour where it seemed as if the director was suddenly changed.

-Nothing else interesting happening today.

Poll added

2005-07-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

Hi.
Today i decided that it would be nice to have a poll section in here as well. So i've added one on the left side. Do check it out and please vote. I guess i shall keep each poll question for about a fortnight, after which i shall change the question.
I also have added a couple of more links.

Well, i saw "The Interpreter" last night - lovely movie. Sean Penn has performed marvellously. A nice gripping movie, with a fairly decent pace. Everything seemed to fit perfectly into place at the end. I think it should be given a 4 star rating.

-Cheers.

Calvin and Hobbes - A Tribute (I)

2005-07-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." - George Bernard Shaw

I am a HUGE fan of Calvin and Hobbes. According to me, Calvin and Hobbes is one of the best comic strips to have been drawn. Ever. I am a staunch admirer of Bill Watterson, it's creator. He has managed to guide us through the mind of an extremely intelligent, exceedingly naughty 6 year old, who has a fascinating hyperactive imagination. Through a simple comic strip, he effectively potrays, in his unique style, calvin's interaction with his parents, teachers, classmates, babysitter and most importantly his interaction with his only true friend - his stuffed tiger, Hobbes.
Simple, funny, witty, insightful, tongue-in-cheek and very sweet. I thought i'd give my own little tribute to Mr. Watterson by regularly posting some of his best, and some of my favourite ones here every now and then. Hope you folks enjoy reading C&H as much as i do.

(I loved this one for Calvin's dad's innovative reply. Funny.)

P.S: If You didn't already know, Calvin and Hobbes is a daily strip in our very own mumbai mid-day newspaper. So if you haven't read it yet, i recommend you do give it a try, and marvel at the mind of Calvin and his creator.

Links and Chatboard added...

2005-07-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

Hi. Do check out the cool links i have added on the left of this page.. especially if you are a medical student, you should find the first link informative and a whole lot of fun.
Also do feel free to chat with me with the help of the tagboard i have added on the left. Post your messages for me there and i promise i'll respond to them as soon as i can.

PLEASE NOTE: It has been brought to my attention that 'Netscape' users have difficulty viewing the tagboard properly. It is recommended that you use 'Microsoft Internet Explorer' instead of Netscape.

- Cheers.

"I would like to live my life in such a way, that after i'm dead, people should ask why i have no monument built in my name, rather than why i have one." - Some famous guy.

The Mulberry Paradox

2005-07-18T08:24:00.001-07:00

I have a genuine interest in plants. As of now there are 194 potted plants in and around my house, all either owned/purchased/herited/planted/transplanted/grown by us. 1 out of the 194 is a Mulberry Bonsai Tree. It's a full grown tree, but barely reaching my knees due to it's bonsai origins. Size of the tree apart, it does bear fruits which are normal in size. (Skeptics who haven't seen the tree and it's fruits, usually scoff at the idea that a bonsai mulberry is capable of bearing normal sized fruits. Maybe beacause the word "Bonsai" brings to the mind an image of a tiny little tree, and the fact that a tiny tree bears fruits makes one feel that even the fruits are tiny)
Now consider the stages of any fruit: Unripe -> Ripe -> Overripe. Generally one can make out which stage a fruit is in by it's colour, it's smell and lastly by it's taste. The smarter ones can figure it out just by it's colour. (random eg: a black banana is overripe, a green banana with a few black patches is just ripe, while a totally green banana is unripe).
As a rule of thumb i'd assume that:
1) most fruits turn black in their final stage of overripeness.
2) an edible ripe fruit generally can be made out by it's attractive colours (a red juicy apple indicates its ripe by the red colour and shiny sheen that it displays)

Now we move onto the mulberry:
A green mulberry: One look at a green mulberry (upper mulberry in rt. pic) and you'd know by natural instincts that this is NOT to be eaten and it would be terribly sour. (Very true - I can vouch for that. Sour as hell. In fact so sour that i don't think my body could tolerate any more ascorbic acid for the rest of the year)
A bright red mulberry: AHA!! This is where nature cheated me. This is where my human instincts failed me. This is the reason for this blog. This is God's idea of a stupid cruel joke. A bright red mulberry is the most attractive thing on a mulberry bonsai tree. Especially when the tree is in full bloom, multiple red mulberries interspersed between the fresh green leaves is a heavenly sight (too bad, didn't have a pic of a red mulberry at the time of posting). One look at a red mulberry, and your heart falls in love. You start feeling a burning desire to rip out all the mulberries on the tree and pop them into your mouth to experience the heavenly sweetness of a mulberry. The long agonising wait during which u waited for the obviously unripe green mulberries to ripen (Remember Unripe ->Ripe ->Overripe?) is finally over. But wait!! what's this? You pop multiple red mulberries into your mouth and behold! They all are still UNRIPE! Sour, sour, sour! and Sour!! to make sure, u pop one more red mulberry in your mouth and you guessed it- Sour! Your very faith in ripening of fruits is shaken by it's roots. You look up at the skies and feel Him mocking you at your plight. Ha ha! "I fooled you" says God. You suppress an angry, yet defeated emotion, and wait to see what the future has in store.
A black mulberry: The next phase is an obnoxious black mulberry. (the lower mulberry in the rt. pic is something of a cross between a red and a black one). One look at a black mulberry, and the instinct in you tells you that it looks rotten, overripe, and unfit for eating. But the common sense in you knows that every edible fruit does have a ripe, edible day in it's life. Could this be it? You skeptically and cautiously pluck a black mulberry and reluctantly put it in your mouth. And Wow! The delightful sweetness of a mulberry, that u have waited for two cycles, gradually fills you up. This is it. The ripe mulberry is finally here.
The black mulberry: You wait to see what colour follows black in the curious life of a mulberry. But it remains black. It remains black till the day it falls off from the tree and disintegrates into the biological environment. But it remains sweet till the last day. There is no phase of the classical "Overripe" taste that you get with other fruits. A true miracle. You look up and smile at Him, knowing that He has snuck in a paradox into our lives that we have to learn to accept by making the error with a red mulberry.

For the Mulberry it's : Unripe -> Unripe -> Ripe -> Ripe. No Overripe. No Nonsense. No shit.

Extras:
1) The author hadn't seen, eaten or experienced a ripe mulberry prior to his episode with his own home mulberries. So this was his first hand first time account of studying a fruit's ripe-cycle.
2) The author feels that black, unappealing mulberries is probably a protective mechanism by the fruit to avoid being eaten. And a red, falsly appealing one is a decoy.
3) By this blog the author hopes to warn other poor, unsuspecting souls of God's game.

-Cheers.

2 feet. Both Left. Both Hairy

2005-07-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Whew... Had a Tiring day.... Went for a friend's brother's wedding which included all sorts of dancing and music, where i discovered (yet again) that i have two left feet.
Now that that's out of the way, let me move onto the next point: they are hairy. Sure i have seen hairier legs than mine before, but hairy feet I haven't. The hair on my legs blend nicely with the hair on the dorsum of my foot. According to my astute sense of observation, i have noted that leg hair generally does not extend down to the dorsum of the foot in normal people in the sheer quantity that mine does. Normal leg hair should, and does end right around the ankle, but mine? Noooooo, it doesn't. Grrr.

The pic posted here is an authentic picture of my feet. Ugly, aren't they?
Before i end this - certain notable points:
1) The 2 prominent veins seen on my foot are presumably the long and short saphenous veins. I don't know.
2) The Plural of 'Hair' is 'Hair'. Not Once have i used 'Hairs' above. A fact that i am proud of.

A Hearty Welcome to All

2005-07-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

A big hi to all those visiting... Currently busy preparing for my surgery ward exams due next week... i'm miserably lagging behind in my surgery studies because of multiple reasons ranging from 'college factors' to 'personal laziness factors'.. Will be concentrating for one week on surgery, get through the darn ward exam and then get down to some blogging..

P.S: If you are a terminologically backward person who doesn't know yet what a "Blog" is, here are a couple of consisely detailed definitions -
1) "On the Internet, a blog (short for "Web Log") is a personal journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or reflect the purpose of the Web site that hosts the blog. Topics sometimes include brief philosophical musings, commentary on Internet and any other social issues under the sun, and links to other sites the author favors. The author of a blog is often referred to as a blogger."
2) "A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site, although there are as many unique types of blogs as there are people. Blogs are alternatively called web logs or weblogs."

So now that u know what a blog is - Hurray! Go ahead and celebrate your gain of this knowledge.

Also do visit my good friend, Dnyanesh Lad's blog page for some really fun reading...
Click Here to go to Dnyanesh's blog page

-Cheers.
Do Keep coming Back.