Change, the only constant entity...

I am redeeming this blog after a period of 7 years. A lot has happened since then. This post is not about enumerating the events, but a platform to thrust out few observations I have made.

I am a stronger believer of making maximum use of whatever life has in reserve for you. We have ventured  ourselves in numerous things. At times, the moment has been awkward, we forbid ourselves from thinking about it and on the contrary, some have been very pleasant, which we cherish! This blog does not site any  cheeky moments . They are mere observations which will feature itself in one's learning curve..

Maturity comes with age, a fact well known. More often than not, somehow people fall short of what is expected! To overrun, I was told to never expect from others. As a matter of fact, you need to be super human if you had to do that. Clearly, I was not. This created a rift..

Vulnerability is a very troubling disease. It puts one in such a defenseless, unprotected state and to overcome the same, becomes an uphill task! Somehow I misinterpreted myself as a rebel. Even before I embarked myself upon the issue, I proved out to be extremely delicate..

I guess being extremely attached to your dear ones will prove to act like a web. We entangle ourselves voluntarily and very conveniently bombard the accusation on them. 

By far the killer, loneliness, accompanies through each of these stages! I was devastated. I saw myself stranded, trying to still sail the fierce ocean. Someday, I hope, I reach my destiny. Else, like I mentioned earlier, life is once. Do not be startled if the wind steers you to another direction! 

Remember, everything in life has an explanation. Final struggle to acceptance has four stages that precede it - denial, anger, negotiation and depression. Well, the good news is, it is at least accepted! 

I am not sure if you found a cohesion in the post. Let me clarify, I do not expect you to as they are mere citations. This has been my learning curve, trust me, not been easy! 

First Live Specimen, or Should I Say Patient?!

“Call Swetha immediately, She's got a case to attend..” is what my prof had told one of my friends. It was the day before the very first day of prostho posting. Prosthodonticts is a dept that deals with replacement of missing tooth or teeth. Yep, the dentures your grandparents wear belong to this branch of dentistry. Getting back to where we were, I was certainly not primed for the process. Mind you, it was my first patient!! I had worked on dummies earlier. But this person greets me with a big smile and calls me doctor! He he.. Poor guy. He had the least knowledge of being my first live specimen! I was minimally equipped. Neither was I mentally prepared. Since I was the first roll on in my batch, I was alloted the case. Its always lucky to be the first roll on, but back then, I did not feel so! I did not expect my prof to call me and intimate about the patient a day earlier! Quickly, as quick as less than less than ten mins, I begged, borrowed n stole the necessary stuffs from different places in the clinic, just to ensure I do not obviously get caught! :D

Things all set, patient still smiling and my hand still trembling! Next what? Ya, taking impression of the patient's teeth so that I can place an appropriate denture. The lab assistant tells me that the measuring jar is missing, and i have to do the calculation for myself to carefully measure the liquid and powder ratio to obtain a fine mix. Thanks lady, thats a lot of help! Struggled for the first 25 mins and later stabilized. An intern kept directing me and my doom, she was a screwed lady that day! She hardly knew the consistency of the mix! Her directions totally messed up, but blame not her. She was at least amiable !!

The problems seemed to be solved but NO! It got worse. My patient was this totally uncooperative person who kept biting my hand and nauseating every time I took the impression tray close to his mouth! The entire dept freaked out and my profs stepped in at the right time to save me from collapsing! Eventually the process of impression making was done!

Seems like a comedy story now. The way I was sweating, the way my hands were trembling and the nervous smile on my face. But just in a matter of weeks, it seems to be an art, the art of working, as they call it! Today it appears way to simple. Helping my friends who have this first patient syndrome, quite comical!

But beyond all this, there is this amazing co-incidence. I get the blessings of my parents before I commence anything. I did the same that day. Soon after I entered the clinic, the sister handed me the file of my patient. The name read Mr. Bala. I was moved. It felt as though my parents were there next to me by the clinic to watch all this. Well, my dad's name is Bala too.... :)

Drums or Surya-- Her fantasy?!

Friends request you to set them up with someone you know on a blind date.. Yes no big deal..
Friends directly approach you for a date.. Fair enough..
But your best friend approaches your brother through you... Really??! Then we owe each other a hi-fi!

Hi all!! Here is a post dedicated to the sisters who have handsome brothers and who have had bad experiences due to these brothers...

Its been 4 years now since this happened. But somehow i m unable to get over it! One, it has not repeated ever since and two, i kind of like to remember this when am down(the evil me!). Lets rewind 4 years back, to that particular date...


Time : 8 05 AM
Subject: Mathematics

The classroom yet has not been opened and the school starts at 8 00 AM! Its games hour at 9 00 AM. Teachers usually compensate the lost minutes in the next class and most of the days this is the scenario. In a 45 minute lunch hour if 25 minutes get utilized by teachers on the grounds of 'compensation', it is no big surprise for us! and in the rest 20 minutes, if the teacher comes in 5 minutes early and says 'students we missed some time in the last class yesterday(which would be due to the time taken for her to walk down from the class ADJACENT OURS TO OUR CLASS), so i do not think you students would complain!'
'No ma'am..' Sings the class in chorus! Apart from the 5 minutes for having our lunch, we actuate the rest 10 minutes in games like pen fight, book cricket, stone-paper-scissors and of course the chalk fights. Most of you, am sure, have been indulged in similar sort of activities!

Alas! The classroom opens at 8 10 AM (**** chemistry class attender!) Never mind :) To our surprise the math ma'am is already there.
'Good morning ma'am'.. Not chorus this time. She gets annoyed! 'Not a single day can this class wish me properly! Who wants your Good Morning! Settle down soon at least!' If she does not want our morning wish, why shout! **** ... Never mind again :)

Time: 9 15AM
Subject: Ideally games!

Ideally games?? Yeah, she has still not walked off the class. 'Ma'am its 9 15AM and sports sir had called the boys to be there in the ground for some rehearsal.'
'Some rehearsal?! You do not know what the rehearsal is? And you want to go? You think am so dumb to not understand what you are up to?'
'Ma'am, Suresh is right. Boys(he stressed) are supposed to assemble there.' Said Guhan(brilliant boy in the class and obviously her pet!!! hmph!!)
'Oh! Guhan.. You could have told me this before. I would not have held up the class for so long. Carry on boys..' She sure is dumb, isn't she?! And boys??!!! Why not girls?
'And girls..' We stand up, already packed our bags and just leave our place 'would take up the extra problems i shall dictate now. Boys, do not forget to take the problems. Guhan ensure they do!' She finished. That was ridiculous, atrocious! Guys will remain selfish for the rest of their lives. The extra problems are over and time is 9 25AM already. We rush to the ground.
'Can you girls never be on time?! Why are girls so not interested in games! You people know only to hog and comment. No activities!! Look at guys, or the only sincere guy...' Our sports teacher went on and on..
'Guhan!!!!!' We sang in chorus! God knows, how he impresses teachers... ahhhh!!!!!

When all subjects have compensations, games hour has never got one! So we get down in the lunch break, yeah the ten minutes break too, actually most of the days its 15 as we skip our lunches! But today, the next hour class got cancelled and math teacher had called for Guhan to dictate the extra problems! This message never reached Guhan as he was busy impressing our newly appointed English ma'am!! Told you, Guhan is an all-rounder...

We carried on playing Volleyball - Girls Vs Boys for the next one and half hours. The bell rang and we had to leave the ground.... Well i know, do not get frustrated, but the really story begins now! :D

My friend, lets call her Jothika (Jo) and lets call my bro, umm Surya :D. Common guys, its rude to reveal their identities!! ;)

Jo comes down to me and says 'Mind blowing !! What do you think?'
'Sure Jo.. I loved the last match. Best of the 3 we playe..' I was not done with my statement and she cut it down saying 'Dumbo, not the match.. That guy out there!! Looks like our junior'
'Ahh!! Where?? I cannot see..' Poor me and my sight!!
'Over there..' She pointed at a tree close to physics lab.. But i was watching the one near chemistry lab!! Seriously, heights of dumbness!!!
'Ahh, ya.. He's awesome' I said, finally!!
'He left long back. Who are you looking at idiot!' Ahhh!! I hate myself....

Another friend(Sreiya??!, alright?) joins us..
'Mind blowing ...' I was smart now and even before Srei could finish saying something about the guy i said 'I know but i did not see him. That's what Jo said too..' Ok!! I kinda guessed with her expressions i had messed up something!
'I'm talking about the match!!' She said.. I told you i guessed!
Crazy female, she thought and she left. Jo and myself, we were left alone again..

'You know Swe, some four years back, it was fun in here. You were not from this school then, were you?'
'No Jo.. But yeah, why not now? The school is still good now..'
'There's a difference between good and fun Swe, you wouldn't understand..'
'Oh!!.. Hmmm.. If you think so.. But yeah, my bro's told me about his schooling too...' As always i was cut down from my conversation.
'4 years and before that, the school had the handsome set of guys. And i knew everyone, i mean the 4 year seniors!'
'Oh!! Then you must have...'Again...
'Surya... ummm... My God!! He was talented..' Ohh no! But yeah, there were 2 Surya's then..
'Which Surya are you talking about??! The one who played the flute?!'
'Yeah.. He was brilliant.. And our SPL was too cute..'
'Oh! ok.. I do not know.'
'Obviously, how would you know??!! But there was this Surya who played drums.. I was a major fan of him.' I was confused! Drums or Surya- which was her fantasy!!
'Correction Jo, you mean his drums and talent!' Keeping my fingers crossed! Still expecting to hear the worse!
'Common Swe, would i not know what i'm talking about?!!' She was right, she would certainly not make a mistake of her crush, would she!!
'Jo.. Common.. Lets talk something else..' I was afraid i was gonna burst out and she being one of my best friends, never had the heart to hurt her..
'We were very close and he had played drums for the songs i've sung..' Guys, that is awesome chemistry but why do I have to know this?!! Was I the only soul she could spot in a class of 43 leaving the 2 of us! And that was it.. I lost it, my tolerance and self-controllability! Surpassed my threshold long back and i said..
'I cannot accept you as my sis-in-law!! Am sorry..'
'What the...' For a change, i cut someone down...
'He's my bro...'
'What???!!!'

Hahahaaa....

By the way.. All characters mentioned are alone fictitious and the incident is not. Resemblance to anyone living or dead or in coma is purely intentional! :) Should i have said this in the beginning?? Never mind, i have messed up enough. This would make no big difference!

I think of it, i laugh heartily today. Cannot believe we had such conversations 4 years ago. Seems a long past, but to me its an incident(or accident??!) that occurred yesterday! Sorry Surya and Jo, I mean my bro and my best friend.. But this being the place where i am myself, this blog had to be a part of this.. You guys complete me.. Not as couple though :D To this date she remains my best friend and we have shared lot many things. Bro, he's still the smartest guy!!

CANCER.. The Deadly Disease...

Cancer, meaning crab like feet. Have you wondered why is it called so?? The metastasis(the spread) resembles a crab feet. Generally there are 2 stages namely benign and malignant. Malignant condition is called a cancer as it encompasses a broader spectrum. I have personally seen people who have underwent such trauma. It is never easy to recoup. Rather it is always ornery...

I write this blog not to twinge anyone or their loved ones. In fact i do not mind removing it if i get any objection. What contrived me to write it?? A real life incident i had heard, a while ago. A husband who was so comforting, a wife who knew what her better half wanted and as a couple who vanquished the turmoil. Adjustment is life once you are married, i have heard some one say but always had protests to such statements. Today, it has been proved otherwise...

Here, the couple, adjust not because of destiny or fate but because of the immense love and passion for each other...

Leading a life by the country side to be woken up by the first rays of sun at dawn, to see each other in their arms, kiss a good morning, get ready for the morning walk and then drive a long way to the city to reach their work place. In the evening get back home, have their dinner at the garden with some light hearted conversation and bundling up their routine. All this just to spend maximum time with their partners and the nature. Though married for about couple of years, they felt it was not the right time to have kids. Furthermore, they had future planned for the kids in that sort of an atmosphere...

The lady suffered unbearable pain in her abdomen and was rushed to the hospital near by. Due to the inadequate facilities, she was taken to the city. This changed their lives up-side-down. Now, they had to visit the city more often than before. She was diagnosed of a cyst in her ovary. Did i say ovary? Then let me correct myself, 2 cysts in each of her ovaries. Blood cyst, nothing to worry, the doctor assured her. This is common with ladies around the age of 18 to 45 and she fell right in the category. Smiles on their face and the pain endurable, the couple went home...

The next 2 days were typical. Early next day, the telephone bell rings..Tring tring..

"Hello.. Good morning.. who's this??" Said the gentleman. Lady staring at him..
"Sir, this is a call from the hospital. We are calling..." Said the voice on the other end. Now husband staring at his wife with grief.
"Yeah, okay. We'll come down." He hung up the phone and held her lady's hand tight. She lay stiffen. Their eyes meet and adrenaline pumped. And a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Don't worry. Don't keep mum either. Please tell me what was the call about. Are parents alright? And granny, is she ok? Or is it about their neighbour who has been sick for long now? But why would u cry for them, you were never close. OH! shit, i know. Its baby right?? I always warned uncle to not let her drive bike at young age.. Or.." She never stopped.
"Ssssshhhhhhhh!!!!!" He was forceful. She felt terrorized! "Will you ever care about yourself and stop worrying about others?!"
"Am sorry, but i see my life as complete as it could get with you and i do not see the necessity to.." She whispered as the tears loaded her dark brown eyes.
"Honey, but my love is not strong enough to avert the cancer!"He burst out and she lay frozen...

Yes, she was diagnosed of ovary malignancy at a rare age of 25. And the only cure was cystectomy, removal of the cyst by operation, which would mean partial or complete removal of ovaries(oophorectomy). Simultaneously her life was put into danger as the cyst had occupied a larger proportion of each ovary. If metastasis is absent, and the lesion is localized to the ovaries, she can still give birth to a child only if other uncertainties were absent...

To the doctors, the lady conceiving a baby seemed impossible. They decided to examine the lady's eggs and her busband's sperm. Count for both seemed normal. Why would a lady be punished so hard? Everything to conceive a baby were perfect but she still was unable to do so...

Months have elapsed now after the surgery. However, she is unable to overcome the trauma or torsion, she still leads a happy life. Her husband supporting her entirely now. He has quit his job and set up a small business. Managing the same within the boundaries of their house so that he would never let his wife alone, even for a moment. Though they are not making an extra-ordinary living, they have not lost the love they had for each other and waking up at the first rays of sunlight at dawn at her hubby's arm is still a solace to her.

And i know what you are exactly thinking about. Nope, do not call her unpropitious because the couple will be having a baby in another 2 months. Ahh!! are u startled?! Do not be. Due to the old practice of producing a test tube baby and a very close friend of theirs ready to implant the zygote, they will have the fortune of being parents...

That is life after all right?! God can never be cruel. And for atheists, this is Providence...

IPL...'P' for PREMIER or PUNCH?!

Well thats quite a debate, is it not? IPL, Indian Premier(lets call it this way) League started off a big way on the 18th of April. Superstars inaugurating the grand event, 8 teams, big sponsors, cheer leaders from the US and more than that the huge sum of money involved! Room for enormous adventure, thrilling last couple of overs, providential wins for some and hapless loss for others. Featuring the overseas and home players in the same team, team consisting of the 35, 36 year olds and the 19 year old kids, the term league admissible in every plausible way!

Entertainment was the motive. But how far is that acceptable?! Especially after the series of events that followed the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab on 25th of April?

Bhajji had slapped Sreesanth on the field soon after the match instead of shaking hands with him. Why did he do so when there was no provocation from the other end? Is this the way one reacts under pressure? Mumbai Indians have not performed well in the matches so far and have lost all the matches they have played. When the entire team is under pressure, why would one elect him as captain who is known for his loss of temperament on the field?! Does it not surmount the already existing pressure?

The cost of this was a total ban from IPL for this year and a loss of 3 crores! Now that is not even an issue the media are blowing on. They have already started talking about the Symonds issue that happened sometime this January. Issue was on Bhajji abusing Symonds as monkey. Later BCCI settled the issue. Actually, Bhajji had said tere maa ki which is more abusive than calling him a monkey! Committees never realized that and the sequent was complete.

Media are now probing into that and since the punishment was not as severe as the one given to Bhajji for IPL, questions have been raised now. They are literally making it IPL Board Vs BCCI!! This can probably ruin his career! What more can a slap cost you??!!

Where is this going to terminate? Who is singing the melancholy and who is jumping with exult?? We never know. It has always been behind the screens and will continue to do so! A gamble is what you call it...

"May be crush, no actually love! Ah!!! I do not know.."

Look at them, they are such a cute pair. They have been committed since 6th grade. Their marriage is fixed for the next month now.....

Committed at the age of 10 or 11! First of all why would anyone call it a commitment?! I would define commitment as when both individuals are mature enough to take care of each other and also take care of themselves, to take a decision on their own and to abide by it, and to fund himself and his partner!

At the age of 10 or 11, its lure. When they move on to senior secondary, its attraction or crush. During the college-hood, its youth. When you are a full-fledged adult(not major!), its love. As kids, they are seeds that have been just sowed. At secondary or senior secondary, they imbibe water. At college, they give off roots. A strong anchorage and footage is provided. They learn. they start maturing. And when they are adults, the plant not only grows but also the fruits begin to ripen.

Most kids, particularly the blossoming generation, have their own guidelines. Certainly our parents did not impose rules on us, but we had a protocol. We exactly knew what was expected of us. This sort of an attitude is probably missing these days. The word 'kids' freaks them out. Especially during their teenage, they feel on top of the world. Why are such scenarios being witnessed today? Is it due to the technology advancement? Is it due to too much of net surfing? I shall call it the 'unnecessary knowledge'! Life style has become sedentary. Constant computer, HDTV with new gaming softwares, chatting, orkut, facebook, mobile, junk food and cinema are the contents of their world.

Wonder why I talk like a cultural cop at this age? If one understands what is expected from them at any particular age and sticks to the decorum, age should not really matter to touch on such topics.

Why do you think a life partner is necessary at age 10 or 11? You have umpteen problems to share it with someone or you are just too happy to celebrate?! At senior secondary, does your career and future not stand in front of you? The ambitions, other's expectations, your responsibility and your competency not dominate you? So what if you have joined your under graduation? You are a grown up now? Only now are the roots out, without grabbing a proper anchorage you want to choose your partner?

Everything in life takes time. Why decide your life partner that early then? "He's not my life partner, he's just my boy friend." Do you not know what you want in life yourself? "We have a lot of things in common, we can work it out." I have only heard opposite poles attract!!! "You kidding me, we are poles apart!" Good one, what a way to reject a person. When one cannot mold oneself that early in life, how is it plausible to settle down with anyone?! Finally it ends up in a break-up. Why in this first place did you start it?!!

Change is the only constant thing that takes place! The maturity to accept the change, to accept that the person you love will change tomorrow and to continue loving him needs the mellowness. Instead to hang around with a lot of people, calling them your boy friends or girl friends, to choose a person for a changing you, is not very necessary.

To confide to someone, to disclose you does not necessarily involve a partner. You can have best friend, where both exactly know their boundaries or some close person to heart. In fact you need not give that relationship between you a name as far as you know the circumference.

Think about it, a life can be different(not always glee may be) without a partner at young age! Enjoy life the way you want it to and not let anybody dictate or domineer you..

A word or two to parents, talking as a representative for our generation. We expect our parents to open themselves more to us. A generation gap is always noticed. If your kid makes a mistake, before punishing him, know what his intentions are. Like, seizing a mobile from a girl who talks a lot to a guy, is a punishment and not a solution. :)

Not everyone of us are fortunate as those couples(first paragraph) to marry their first lure, first attraction, first crush and most importantly first love ...

Stem cells - boon or bane?!

Recently I came across an article from a very popular newspaper. It spoke about transplants. The reason I chose to put it on my blog is because it spoke on heart transplants!

Stem cell is defined as a totipotent cell, meaning it has the capacity to take up the function of any organ when injected into the same. For example, take any fluid, say water. When you pour into a container, volume occupied by it is same as the volume occupied by the fluid assuming the fluid is till the brim. In simpler words, shape taken up by water and shape of the container are same.

Stem cell has developed a lot of scope for survival. It has made a lot of transplants feasible. In fact the use of stem cells in a limb of a diabetic patient was fantabulous! The limb was regenerated from the patela(knee cap) to the foot with all digits(toes)! A lot of analysis is being made to use it in almost every part of the body to replace a lost or affected organ.

It has been recently found that stem cell technology has been used to transplant a heart!!! It has almost made rat heart transplant possible! With that on the verge of completion, the scientists aim for more. Their target is next the pig(the appetizer). A good lunch is complete only with the main course! Bull's eye, its US next!!!!!

The procedure involves injecting cells from a young heart(more healthy) into a heart from the dead. By placing this 'dead' heart in a suitable medium and maintaining it at appropriate conditions, the 'dead' heart gets life! Then you place this 'beating' heart inside the patient. Though it is a hypothesis still, the scientists expect this project to be complete in another 10 years. Where is all this heading to?! A healthier society? A long life?! Or simply fashion?!!

It started from GM(genetically modified) fruits. Then came the foods. Now available are the frozen foods at market. Advertisements say your life style is made simple in the day to day hubbub! Is that so?! Does it not affect our health at some stage of life?! Pros and cons are always a part of any discussion. Pros are elephantine in comparison to cons when you deal with nature straight! Are we not constantly getting contrary to nature? In fact it should be called a trend setter. It is really unfortunate when we still do not realize after the global warming and ozone layer hole, what playing with nature can result at!

How many people will be ready to accept this? Ask a man when only the last breath belongs to him, would say one more day. We are greedy, nothing wrong. We have desires for present, aspirations for future and regrets for pasts. May be that is why we are humans! This should not be considered an excuse.

Though such developments are meant for the people who are at critical risk, it should not be made an alternative. One should not even call it the last resort! Whether or not there is a super-power controlling us, every particular thing, be it living or non-living, has a longevity. One can redefine his fate but one should not rewrite it!

Let us wait and face the consequences ourselves, afterall we created it!