Muze maaf karnaaa

Blogging, reading blogs, commenting on blogs has been on an all time low of late. Kindly put up with me. And blame my schedules, studies and that ounce of laziness..and my renewed interest in Orkutting that too eats up a major chunk of my time online......

But I will be back.

Varsha

Click me!!

the thought bug strikes HERE today for a change....

Prayers

Please pray for me. While my personal life is at a high, I need prayers for what I can call my "professional life". A lot of messy issues to be solved.

Thanks a lot

Sincerely
Varsha Naik

The Chandelier...Photos

Refer to my previous blog......here are the photos of our new chandelier, courtesy Nagesh

Dil Ki Baat

When you really really want something, like its said in Alchemist, the whole world conspires with you in achieving it...

Mom and I had been shopping for clothes for my mamis, as Diwali gifts. There I loved a dress material....orange and blue. These days I have taken a fancy for bright and contrasting clothes and loved the piece immediately. Didn't buy it. Not that it was too expensive but since I have many dress materials still waiting to visit the tailor I kept it aside. And the next day at mami's place, I get a similar dress...as a Bhau Beej gift!! Same shades of bright orange and turquoise blue......

Mom and I were dying to shop for a beautiful chandelier for our new home, mom more than me. But we never managed the time to go shopping for one. And one fine day, a friend of mom's from her old college, who has been working in Dubai for the past 2 years...whom mom has helped in her own small way comes to mom and tells her that he has gotten a chandelier for her...as a gift for the new home. He and his family came here some hours back, and we just finished assembling it. It should be on the ceiling by tomorrow.....shall post the photos if I take them.....

Mixed Bag

Long time since I wrote a blog..so a lot of topics in this MIXED BAG....

Happy Diwali
Wishing everyone a Happy, Prosperous and Safe Diwali. Happy New year to all celebrating it. My new year will be in March..

Names
Had a fun time with funny/non funny names of late.

Today in the blood bank
Me: Aapka naam..?
Donor: Basudebh Das
So I started filling it in the form. B A S U D E B....
Donor:Basudebh mein B nahin...BHEE
Me: Ok. So I added the missing H, slightly confused
Donor: B nahee BHEE, BHEE.......'S', 'T', 'U', 'BHEE'

Then once at Oshiwara Maternity Home there was a lady called Photu, no jokes. The nurses had a fun time calling out to her....."Photudeveeeee" the way all B.Com ladies are addressed. Well here B.Com stands for "Bihari Community" and not Bachelor of Commerce (No offence to the Bihari's or Commercies). Photudevi's name was the talk of the town...(ok,just of OMH). One day at breakfast table with 2 neonatologists..

Neo 1: Arey postpartum ward mein ek patient ka naam hain Photu...what a name..heh heh
Neo 2:Uska Husband hoga Camera....aur unka surname studio...hah hah hah
Neo 1:(In his slightly pansy style) What funny names people call their kids.Sweety, Dolly!! I know a 60 yr old dadima called Sweety.......imagine calling a lady that old Sweety...
Neo 2: Arey par usko Sweety bulanewaley dadaji bhi utne hi old honge naa......

Nanhi Kalee
I wonder when Indians will get over their craze for a male child. Tired of seeing women with 2 or 3 daughters getting pregnant, hoping for a son.....relatives pulling a face "ladki huee"....women refusing to feed their new born baby girls.....Of men treating their wives like a "Baby producing factory".....of women with 3 girls going for a copper T, when advised permanent sterilisation saying "Ladke ka lalach hain thoda doctorsaab"

Fevicol Ad
Liked the new fevicol ad...which combines the words Diwali in English and Id in Urdu..its a hoarding. Tried to find a picture of it online...in vain. But very nice.

Nine Wierd Things About Me....

I have been tagged by Mumbai Girl.

The rules of the tag are:

State nine things (weird or otherwise) about yourself. Then tag 6 others, and also let them know that you’ve tagged them by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here's my Wierd Quotient

1. I can't keep my cupboards tidy. I set about 50% of it and then I get bored so 50% remains in a mess. Then I turn the remaining 50% into a mess in no time. So my cupboards are perennially messy
2. I don't like to wear accessories. Although I get many of those as gifts I never wear them. So I don't appear as hip and fashionable as girls my age...and it doesn't bother me much on most days. But I am crazy about good perfumes. If I leave home without one on I feel incomplete.
3. I am a very secretive person. I rarely share things on my mind. Sometimes causes me troubles.
   
4. Strong odours give me a headache. It could be any perfume, stench or even too much hing in food.
   
5. I have a strange thing for piling up things. Literally so too. So I pile up my books, my clothes and anything that can be piled. If my books are lying around, instead of putting them in their place I pile them up on my table.
   
6. I am a big worrier. An problem in my mind is constantly churned, pondered over and this causes me a great deal of anxiety and troubles.
   
7. I love music. And I want to be able to play many musical instruments. I play keyboard by the ear. Leave me with a keyboard I can play it for hours. I listen to songs whenever I can and I constantly have a song running in my ears. Even then I rarely hum a song and this makes my mom feel I am melancholy....which I am not
   
8. I am quite bad at spellings and use dictionary.com often when I blog
9. I got myself a pair of contact lenses with great enthusiasm since I didn't like wearing spects. But I rarely use them. Just ocassionally. After buying them I realised I am much more comfortable with my spects and I feel incomplete if I don''t wear them.

I tag

• Aparna
• Abhijit
• Chocolateluva
• Orange Jammies
  
• Rama
• Shikha
  

The tests

Severe writer's block right now. So not many posts from me at present. Plus Wadia Maternity for 15 days has driven me nuts. Plus also started studying for the entrance. So it all adds up to lesser than usual posts for the time being.

In the meanwhile I took these tests. Picked them up from Dadoji's site who in turn got them from Mumbai Girl.

My Loser Score



My Nerd Score

Aditi's Tag

So I am tagged!! Here's it

• What according to you, is a blog?
Its a place where YOU call the shots. Post all that you feel needs to be, no rules. A fine way of putting your words into thoughts

• How did you come to know abt blogging?
Heard about it on my school yahoo group, felt dumb to not know what a blog is. Ran a google search and landed on blogger.com.....and here I am!

• How far it has changed your perception?
Well I have realised that I am not that bad a writer...realised that I am baaad at spellings. Speaking about perception of the world...hmnn it really hasn't.

• Are you true to yourself while blogging ?
Yes....can't blog about things that I don't believe in. So you won't find me blogging preaching Living in relationships, sadhu babas etc.

• Any blog? you wish to be the author of ? and why?
Ah I author enough blogs. But I wish I was the author of "Aayi's Recipes" . Shilpa updates her blog regularly and has a good database of recipes.

• What it has preached you?

• Two of your fav. Blogs? And why?
Two is a small number.....atleast a dozen. Check the blogroll...only blogs that appeal to me are in there..

• One of your fav. Post by a fellow blogger?
Difficult to zero in on just one post but I like Malshej Ghats by Nagesh. Like it for the album along with it. Its a long post but fun. Thw Album is a MUST SEE

• One of your fav. Post by yourself?
Movies. One of my first posts...

• A blog which inspired you?
Mukta and Nagesh's Blog 1 ang Blog 2 These blogs inspired me to make my own.

• any Blog friends ! who are they? and why?
Many.

• If provided opportunity would you like to meet a fellow blogger? Who? and why?
Certainly! Each blog creates an impression of the author in your head. Meeting them would help you understand their blogs better. Would love to meet Aditi, Dadoji, Pooja, Dilnavaz ,Shilpa...and some more...Have met a few bloggers too....Nagesh, Ananth, Aparna, Abhijeet.

• name a blogger, who comments regularly in each post of yours?
Aditi , Dadoji and Pooja are absolute regulars! Admire the sincerity with which they visit all the blogs, not just mine and leave comments.

• A blog, where you comment regularly?
Aditi, Dadoji, Pooja, Arz000n, Nagesh, Aparna, Rama...most blogs on my blogroll

• How does it feel to be called as a blogger?
Wonderful!! I feel bloggers are a different genre of people. In the sense that putting your thoughts into words, joys, sorrows, failures needs a lot of courage and an open mind.


I tag Nagesh, Aparna, Shikha

Amusing and Musing

Mid Day Boy
There is a boy I often see on the train who sells Mid-Day. He hops on the train, shouts "Mi de Mi De, tsk tsk"....."Mi de, Mi de..tsk tsk". He has a 'eager+ forlorn+ anxious to jump out of the First Class ASAP' expression on his face. Suddenly I got an urge to buy Mid day from him (Mid Day is something I buy only on impulse, or unless my Ajji (gran) is home. She HAS to have the crossword or she gets bored sitting at home all day). So he got in at Khar and I took a paper...started hunting my wallet for change. The train was about to leave and TC was on the train. So the guy said,
"Baad me sandaas me akey dena..."

I said "Huh, aye ruk...." He had long left the train, and the train had left the station. I keep feeling bad for not having paid the fellow, and befuddled by the toilet bit till Santa Cruz arrived and I realised I heard him wrong. He had said..."Santa Cruz mein main ayega to dena...."

Professional Secrecy
Now I know why professional secrecy is such an important legal issue in Medicine. Today in the Gyn OPD came a patient whose name I will obviously not mention. She was married and in Gyn you have to ask the patient a lot of personal questions...like time since marriage, about miscarriages, contraceptive use and so on. The lady started giving her history by telling me that she had been married since 5 years but her in laws had cheated them so she and her husband had had no physical relationship whatsoever. In her words, he had still not 'broken into her'. I was shocked. Not as much by that fact as much by the realisation that without having known me at all that lady had confided a very personal, a very serious matter in me. I am still dazed.....

Just for the fun of it

Just for the fun of it I have tried my hand AGAIN at fiction, twice in fact.

And just for the heck of it I started this new blog. No my primary blog is still going to be this blogspot one. But try my new one too. This is just an experiment...to find out if wordpress is REALLY better than blogger, considering the number of bloggers making the switch. So far I didn't think so....but lets see.

Whenever I update any of my blogs shall leave the link here.....to avoid any inconvinience to anyone...

Ciao for now....

Self Advertising

Ok..here's my maiden attempt at fiction. That is if you exclude the funny essays I wrote in school with titles like 'An hour at the bookstall/railway station', 'It happened one night..' and so on.

The post is called 'Thoughts'

Musings.....

At present I am posted in Gyn/Ob department of KEM. And 10 more days to go. And I remembered Dr.MSVK Rajoo, my psychiatry HOD from my alma mater in Loni. Now what's the connection you would ask. I will come to that, at the risk of being bashed up by all the feminists and probably my non feminist gal pals too. But I take the risk anyways. This has been bothering me for a few days now and finally I decided to put my feelings into words. Not only have I been busy but have also learnt that when you post too frequently the number of comments you get on your older posts reduces.....:)

Coming back to Dr. Rajoo. He is one of my professors I have adored. And who have inspired me. After one Dr. Abhang Prabhu who inspired me to take up MBBS, Dr. Rajoo was the one because of who my interest in Psychiatry deepened. Then one day he made a statement in class, "A woman's biggest enemy is another woman." And God was I scandalised!! He clarified, saying visit the maternity ward to know more, to see how one woman treats another. And I forgot all about it till I joined here. He wasn't too wrong. Here I see many gy/ob PGs......all females themselves treating their patients very badly. Those coming in the middle of the night to the labour ward are the ones treated the worst, "Arey if your tummy hurts, but you are not ready to deliver your baby, I can't admit you. Admit karke kya pooja karu tumahi?" Now thats not very consoling to the lady who's just 7 months pregnant, worried she's in labour too soon. Ok, you are overworked, your unit has in all about 100 patients, your diurnal rhythm is screwed for life and you don't remember when was it that you last slept. But is that the fault of the distressed patient sitting in front of you? Didn't you know before taking up this field that all your patients are going to be women coming in unannounced, in multiples and they are going to be anxious!! As a fellow woman can you not understand their anxiety! And when you start your private practice...will you still shout at each and every female who comes in at 4 am with labour pains?

I still do not completely agree with Dr. Rajoo but what he said wasn't too far from the truth....I am sad...

The Great Indian Habit

Jara sa or little bit is such a popular word of the Indian man's jargon. Like when they cook, they always put jara sa hing or haldi or whatever. My jara sa never matches with that golden standard jara sa I feel, hence when I cook, the haldi hing and salt are either jara sa excess or jara sa less..or maybe jara sa more would be fine....huh


Or when I miss meeting the head of the unit for the coveted signature and posting completion I am always jara sa late.


The other day in the casualty at around 2 am came a patient with a nasty laterated wound on the scalp, outcome of a fall.
I am not going to translate the rest, won't be as much fun....

Me, "Vomitting vagera hua?"

"Haan, jara sa."

Me, "Chakkar aya kay?"

"Haan, jara sa."

Me, "Kahi aur laga kya?"

"Haan idhar udhar jara sa laga"

Me, "Behosh hua tha kya?"

"Haan, jara saa hua....."

Me, "AREY, JARA SA BEHOSH KYA HOTA HAIN??!!!....HUA KI NAHIN??"

"Haan matlab hua........"

To Choose Or Not To Is The Dilemma

Go to the market, try shopping for a ...say bottle of shampoo and then tell me, do you really believe its fun having so many choices? Has our life improved by these?

First the dilemma of the brand. I decided I would pick looking at the company....hmnn P&G is good, so is HLL, hmnn and so are many others.....Plus one company has more than one brand. Uh..

Ok now you narrow down to particular brand based on any considerations....price or whatever (I go by the appearance or even the fragrance at times..heh heh. Makes a funny site in a store...a looney girl sniffing into shampoo bottles. Thats why I like shopping at less crowded hours). but the confusion doesn't end here.

Which one of the many types now....hmnn lets see now is my hair just dry? Or is it dull and dry? Or dry and damaged? Dry and frizzy?? I guess all of the above options....oh but I also need volume, bounce and shine....oh is there one which combines all the goodies?? And the strength......too. Plus not to mention the split ends...(By now my head is split too) Plus just the shaft is dry....the scalp is like an oil mine in the middle east.

Lets go by the contents. Egg is good for the hair..lets buy this one. But isn't olive oil good too? And wheatgerm? And lemon? And Rose hips? uh rose hips? REALLY? Amla? Oh ya my granny will swear by that one. Water of xxx spring? Oh now where else will my hair get THAT?

By the end of it I want to pull out my hair. But that will defeat the purpose of buying a nice shampoo. Probably I should buy a strengtening shampoo. So that my urge (or anybody else's) to pull out my hair won't be successful.

So by the time I have purchased a bottle I know that

1. I have wasted too much time
2. I must try all the bottles in the range and chose the best amongst them.
3. I am missing on MANY other nice herbs and whatevers for my hair by choosing the bottle I have chosen.
   
4. I DON'T HAVE PRETTY HAIR....waaaaahhhhhhhh.

The Girlfriend

Ya , like the movies or those forwards you get I too like to trouble my dear Nagesh by twisting words and taking meanings he never meant out of many things he says...and when he wars his befuddled plus mad expression I like to laugh naughtily....sadist me....


One fine day
N, "You know most girls I have seen have a backup....they see one guy and have a backup in case that doesn't work well"

V, "Oh ya?? When I was seeing you I didn't have a backup.."

N, "Well I say most girls....those typical types you know....."

V, "Elaborate..."

N, "Those typical girls who bother a lot about their external beauty and those ....." with a slight tinge of MCPsm

V, "You mean I don't take care of my external beauty?? You mean to stay I stay sloppy!!"

N, "No what I meant is that you don't need to...." a cute smile flashed at me.....

N and V break into laughter.....I love troubling him this way. He too always has a diplomatic answer for me.

One Day on the phone
V pulling N's leg, "We do not belong to the same generation......I am of a younger generation" (FYI V is 23 and N is 28)

N, "No...you are so of my age.....you look and seem so mature"

V, "You mean to say I look 28!!! No I most certainly don't! In fact I look less than 23"

N, "No I mean you are so mature...I like mature girls".....probably flashed the cute smile but I didn't see.....

V, "Heh heh I know....but I love troubling you this way!"

Many more mad conversations like this...will have to keep updating this post when I remember!!

Look Who's Following Me......

A lot of animals troubling me these days...some horses ahem trojan horses attacked my PC...just when I yanked myself free from those that I landed amidst some canines. The Hutch puppy has been following me like mad.....

First some executives landed home. Incidentally the same day Mom had decided to go billing from prepaid. So for a change I entertained them. Since I didn't have the necessary documents Now co incidentally the same day I had called up hutch to send to my mom a represenatative of theirs to help my mom go billing. That person too landed up at her office. So now there are two groups of hutch puppies trying to wag their forms at me....sigh. And Mom has already commited to one and me to the other. Now I am trying to get the ones I took the forms from off my back.

Also I am now with a female co-intern whom I would love to call a "she dog" (you get me, don't ya?!) ..more so ON HER FACE. That lady lied and cheated me into doing some work delegated on the both of us and tried to scoot. Alas she was given a more irritating and a nuttier job....*evil laughter*.....serves her right. Jhoot bole kauwa katey!!

Russian Tonsillectomy

So today while I was sitting in the side room of the OT, killing time and worrying like mad about many things including PG exam, my preparation (or rather the lack of it...why would I worry otherwise?) the sick AMO of Cooper etc Dr. Hindolkar, unit head of surgery walked in with his gang. And after the usual talking about PG exams, reservations, etc he started telling us all and Dr. Bhargava about people removing appendices via the stomach for people who want no scars on their abdomen. Or removal of thyroid by laparoscopic techniques and more such fascinating surgical developments. Dr. Samir Bhargava is a famous ENT surgeon who has also written a text book I used for ENT in final MBBS. So while Dr. Hindolkar was amazing us with these facts Dr. Bhargava chipped in,

"In Russia they remove the tonsils via the rectal approach........
............as you are not allowed to open your mouth in Russia!!!"


For the uninitaited....tonsils lie inside your mouth....open your mouth...stick out the tongue...aahhh there they are!


Erratica!!....it was Dr. Kamat who we were talking to....not Dr. Hindolkar. Since I have never seen both before I mistook one for the other

HT on 20thAugust

I liked these articles in the Hindustan Times Mumbai Edition dated 20th August 2006. Always like Vir Sanghvi's Articles.... this one about the war on terror in reflections is a nice one too.

And the big story too is an eye opener.

Disclaimer: While I am not advertising for the HT, I do like the paper and have changed over to HT from the TOI almost a year back.

You will have to sign up to read the e paper. But its free. God for those who don't subscribe to the HT

Gods Must Be Crazy

The water of the Mahim creek turns sweet.... then in Orissa somewhere Devi maa starts drinking milk.....so apparantly Gods are all appeased......

I wonder which mahabhaag thought of tasting the water of the creek....it LOOKS so filthy- leave aside the tests conducted on the water. Or which fellow decided to place a glass of milk to Godesses' lips. Serendipity huh.....

14th And 15th Aug 2006......

Ok..the title may sound like some tale of Indian and Pakistani Independance days. This blog entry is far from it. Enough is said and written about it for me to add more. Plus abhi mera mood nahi hain...

13th Aug, Anuja's brother's wedding at Jogeswari. Supremo activity club. Nice time, GREAT FOOD (my primary concern). Plus the reception was studded with a lot of celebrities of the marathi stage and TV...Milind and Rani Gunaji, Sachin Khedekar, Vikram Gokhale, Pradeep and Rajani Velankar, etc...My friends from Ahmednagar had come for the wedding and stayed over at my place..so 13th night was a pyjama party!!! 14th is mom's and Nagesh's birthday. Cut a cake at night.

14th morning go to Cooper. See my lost stetho around one of my senior's neck...and I see RED..After confirming its mine I gather courage (and encouragement from mom who calls up at just the right time) and ask him casually taking care not to hurl any accusations at him. Works. Get my stethoscope back. twice lucky.....long ago had left it in ward 5 of KEM but thankfully one staff nurse had been nice enough to keep it away safely.

14th noon have lunch at Govinda restaurant of ISKON courtesy Dr. Galliara and Neha Purshottaman. Lovely food. Cooked in pure ghee and devoid of onions and garlic. The variety is stunning. Have heard that sunday is the day for chappan bhog...all 56 varieties!! Must visit. Wasting food not allowed as the food is Krsna Prasadam. So take small helpings and try everything. Must write a review of the place soon.

15th was supposed to be a trip to Karjat to N's. A, T and R also in the gang. However mom worried about 15th Aug security concerns and the blast threats. Forced to cancel at the last moment. Friends sad, say won't be fun without me so plans cancelled. Lots of rona dhona gussa from my side. But decide to be a good girl and not hurt mom..not on her birthday.

New plans....stay at N's place..night over. Me, N and A. T and R just come for dinner.

So after my brahmavidya class, dinner I give Mom and Nagesh mugs I painted for them. They are surprised and they love them. Mom and I give Nagesh a kurta and a shirt respectively. Nagesh and I leave for N's place. Rather I go there, Nagesh proceeds home. T and R leave past 12.30. N, A and I chat chat chat and bitch for a while untill N dozes off at 3 am. A and I go on till 5 am discussing life, guys, ambitions, patients, our dear friend's not so great fiance (according to me he's fine, according to them he is far from it. Hungry at 5 am so we devour theplas. Ya N is a gujju girl. Sleep as A has to wake up at 8 am. I get up at 10.30 am. tea, bath, chat with N about my interest in Ayurvedic research. Early lunch at N's place...and back home....

Whew.......so much activity over the past 2 days........

Terror ! !

They strike again...or almost. Police foiled the plans for bombing of 10 planes in Britain. The attakers are said to be British men and links with Pakistan said to be established. Al Quaida again.

Dekh tere sansar ki halat kya ho gayi Bhagwan!!

Take Care

There are two patients lying in the ICU of Cooper hospital. Both young men around 25, both found fallen on the railway tracks, both so badly injured that they can't speak a word....comatose. Both brought by good samaritans who found them. Both with their kin worried for them....both in the valley between life and death...hanging, holding tight.

Take care when you travel on the trains...don't hang out.......please..life is too precious

50 Things about me

I am inspired by Boo and her list to make my list of 50 things about myself.

1. I am very sensitive.
2. I love eating good food and I live to eat.
3. I am a quiet girl and prefer listening to talking.
4. I love good music....classical, devotional as well as rock.
5. I love watching plays and prefer theatre to movies. Also love to act in plays
6. I love my family dearly and I am attached to my mother and brother
7. I believe in God although I am not very religious.
8. But I fail to understand God's doings. I fail to understand why he took my dad away from me at a young age
9. I miss my dad very much.
10. I love my fiance a lot and he brings out the best in me.
11. I love cooking though I still have to master the art.
12. I believe in having a positive attitude and I am an optimist
13. But even then I get nervous easily.
14. I derive great pleasure from small things in life.
15. I believe in simple living and high thinking.
16. But I do love living a luxirious life.
    
17. I believe in doing my work with utmost sincerity.
18. I cannot lie...even if I want too.
19. I cry easily.
20. I dress simply and hate putting on any makeup
21. I don't like coloured hair and keep my hair jet black..however 'boring' black hair may be.
22. But I can't live without good perfumes and I don't leave home without putting any.
23. I love chocolates.
24. I am obsessed with oral hygiene.
25. When God was alloting creativity, I was absconding.
26. I feel sad to see terminally ill people.
27. I feel I am blessed.
28. I love tea
29. I hate getting forwards.
30. I love getting comments on my blog.
31. I love to exercise.
32. I love slothing as well!
33. I hate getting up especially on winter mornings.
34. I love talking to my friends.
35. I wish I was more assertive than I am.
36. I wish I was better at anger management.
37. I wish I was better at time management.
38. Poverty makes me ill.
39. I hope to be famous one day
40. I like being economical but I hate to scrounge.
41. I don't like to see people dieting.
42. I would rather be plump and happy than slim, sexy and starving.
43. I love birthday parties.
44. I believe in fate and destiny.
45. I believe in natural justice.
    
46. I don't keep grudges.
47. But I do not forget hurt easily.
48. I love reading novels.
49. I am quite a lazy person.
50. I believe good things happen to good people.
    

My Blogger Personality!!

Got this link courtesy Ravi. Thanks Ravi, though I don't know you personally.
This is supposed to be my blogging personality.....please tell me if you agree with what it says!!

Your Blogging Type is Kind and Harmonious

You're an approachable blogger who tends to have many online friends. People new to your blogging circle know they can count on you for support. You tend to mediate fighting and drama. You set a cooperative tone. You have a great eye for design - and your blog tends to be the best looking on the block!

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Happy Birthday

Had a good time yesterday on my birthday. Nagesh , mom and Supriya made elaborate designs to get me out of home, to decorate the house and give me a surprise party.My buddies Anuja, Amrita, Namyata, Rajvee, Ashish, Rohit and Supriya's fiance Kiran too were the members of the party.... the results are here in the photos and Nagesh's account of the party.

Will write about the whole party soon.

Dear Mr. Bacchan

I saw on some news channel that Amitabh Bacchan wants to raise funds for the blast victims.

Huh....RAISE FUNDS?? If he really wishes to help he might as well just sign a cheque. This seems more like a publicity gimmick.....Where you make others buy passes for your shows, or auction some of your many possessions and "show" how benevolent you are..

C'mon Mr. Bacchan we are not fools to fall for this.....try something else...

The Poor Man's Blood

Story Courtesy: Dr. Meena Galliara

Post 11/7 blasts in Mumbai each and every Mumbaikar wanted to do something for the injured who need help. This feeling is intense amongst people who were not present at the site and may not have been able to help in any way. And not all of us have the cash resources but we readily donate one thing we all can...some thing that cannot be replaced..that is Blood.

NMIMS had organised a blood donation camp at the college for student volunteers and anyone else who wished to donate for the noble cause. Dr. Galliara and her department was actively involved in this campaign. The student turnover was awesome and probably more than they anticipated or even were prepared to handle.

A frail looking poor man turned up there. He was so poor that he didn't even have anything to wear in his feet. And the organisers knew from his looks that he couldn't possibly qualify for the donation as he was certainly less than the mandatory 50 kgs. When asked how he had learnt of the camp he said,
"I saw your board outside and came over to donate blood. I lost my brother and bhabhi in the blasts. They were my only kin in this world. Now I have no one in this world and I don't wish to live. Government has promised compensation for the kin of the dead. But whats the use of all the money? If I come into too much of money, some long lost relatives might turn up like leeches and run away once they get what they wish. So please take all the blood you wish from my body......1 bottle, or 2 or even 3 if you need."

Sad but true.......

The poor man had to go back without donating a single pint of blood as he weighed only 45 kg.

Management "Guru"

My mother is a professor of Research Methodology in a famous B school (she has warned me not to mention the name in this blog entry...). And her class too has its share of pesky students without any exceptions. They tinker with their cell phones, read novels or news papers in class and so on. She normally pays little attention to them...or just gives them a warning if she feels their behaviour is beyond her level of tolerance.

Once in her class one Mr. Disinterested was distracting her. After having tinkered with his phone he started playing a game with his partner...the game we all have played as school children. Where you wrap all your fingers of one hand in the other and your friend hunts for the middle finger. Mom lost her cool and gave him a short and sweet warning....which resulted in a laughter riot in the class

"Excuse me...I think you and your partner may stand outside the class and find each others' middle fingers!"

Silly me.......

Interns in any hospital are, according to the patients, modern day vampires. They come to you every other morning (or every morning if you are unlucky to be a diabetic, have kidney failure or some disease which wasn't enough of a headache for you by itself) armed with a swab, syringe and a needle and suck the blood from your veins. Patients' reactions to this painful rituals are different...

Some scream, shout or make any sort of sound a person in pain would (blood collection is a slightly painful procedure..however when done repeatedly the site too gets tender and the procedure a more traumatic and painful one. Lack of skill on the part of some just adds to the woes)

Some complain...."You will finish all the blood in my body....." or "What do you do with so much blood?".....I prefer ignoring these types

Some like to ask why the blood is being taken . These are the ones with some basic idea about their disease or the ones who want to pacify their minds with "This is being done for my good". To them you explain in the little time you have 'Kidney kaa tapaas-- renal function test' or 'Liver ki jaanch--liver function test' or 'HIV ki jaanch' and so on..in simple short words. (Interns are always short of time.....too many collections, shortage of equipments and the rush to arrange for more, or just in a plain hurry to scoot home or to the library)

So once I had to collect the sample of a lady who was posted for a 'Serum lipid profile' meaning a test for cholesterol, triglycerides, etc in blood....in short the 'fats' in her blood. She was of the 3rd category mentioned above and she asked me,

"Aaj kaunsa tapaas karna hain?"

My plain reply, " Cholesterol, lipids ki jaanch"

"Matlab?"

In my hurry to finish my work on time I could not think what I should tell her. (Plus never before had I explained to a patient about a lipid profile so didn't have a reply ready in my head). So I said to her the easiest non technical reply that came to my head....which I didn't even bother to replay in my head..

"Khun mein kitni charbee hain uskaa jaanch karna hain!!!"


To the uninitiated: Charbee is Mumbai Slang for 'attitude' or 'masti'.

Some More Funny patients

Once a fellow intern was posted in a PHC (Primary Healthcare Centre) and he had been staying there. One night a patient's relative came him and woke him up..in the middle of the night. He asked what was wrong and the fellow said
"Keeda chavlaa.." meaning that an insect has bit the patient.
Bhavin cooly got out of his bed thinking why people come to the centre with silly complaints like that.....Thinking on his way isko painkiller aur Avil deke bhagaa deta hu he went to the waiting room.
"So which insect bit you?"
Relative, "I got it killed with me...here it is...." and saying so he opened a polythene bag to show a three feet long snake!!!

Aruna..................

When I read about one Terry Wallis who got out of his semicoma of 19 years after an overwhelming head injury...I pray to God that such rare luck befall Aruna Shanbhag too................

Yesterday wasn't the only time I remembered Aruna Shanbhag again. When I was posted for a short while in Ward 4 of KEM, my co-intern who is a graduate from there told me,


"You know that Aruna Staff?? She is in one of the side rooms here in this ward. She has been in this semi comatose state for almost 2 decades now. The staff (short for staff nurses) of Ward 4 take care of her."

Me, "Oh..Aruna......oh THAT Aruna staff........"

Pritee, "Yes, she is almost 50 now...she is very fair...and must have looked pretty in her youth."


Then on some other occassion I went to the nursing station of the ward looking for the keys to the staff restroom of ward 4. There I saw a cylindrical box with a label made of sticking plaster reading 'Aruna's Keys'. That was the other occassion when I remembered her.

Aruna was a staff nurse at KEM hospital Mumbai. During her work there she had came across a sweeper Sohanlal who worked in the animal laboratory. She had found him mistreating the animals and warned him against doing that. (The other version of this story I had heard says that she had warned the fellow since she had found him stealing medicines and BMC supplies from the ward. I really don't know which is the true version of the story). So this fellow out of venegance strangled her with a dog chain and raped her brutally. The strangulation caused reduction in oxygen supply to her brain and caused what is called 'hypoxic brain damage'. As a result Aruna is now in her semi comatose state, unable to speak or move. She just responds to stimuli. Apparently she screams and laughs too sometimes.

At the time of this incident Aruna was engaged to be married to one doctor. Needless to say the doctor married some other lady later on. And apparently took no interest in caring for Aruna. I don't know how much her family is involved in caring for her. But the staff nurses at KEM take care of her....Upholding the oath they take in the name of Florence Nightingale.


Sometimes I wonder what will happen to me should such a state befall me. I know my mother will care for me as long as she can. Will my brother be able to care for me apart from his family callings? My fiance?? Some day out of social/familial pressures and the will to move on with life he will get married to someone......thats what even I would want him to do. But will he still look after me.....for how long? How long will his wife and children allow him to? Aruna has fellow nurses to look after her....but if something like this befalls me during my stint as an intern.....certainly I don't expect any interns to care for me........

I use this opportunity to say that should I become a vegetable at any stage of time, please give me my right to die....don't keep me alive just to make me a burden on the future......

Of Women and Cut Wrists- Part I

In the past week I saw two women with neat and deep cuts on their wrists....allegedly accidental. And there is a lot I learnt from them in the 15 minutes I spent with them

Girl # 1 came in the evening, well dressed, young. 18 according to her case sheet. Brought by neighbours.
When we asked her how she managed to get her wrist cut, she said that she fell on a sheet of metal!! However she didn't have a single scratch on her body, nor any other injury a person who falls from a height would sustain.....how miraculous for her.
"You didn't try and commit suicide, did you?"
"No nothing like that"
"Sure?"
"No no......."

We accepted her story and took her to the table for suturing her injury. Since it was a visible area on her wrist, to save her from an unsightly scar we made her buy a fine suture material which costs around Rs.120/. Otherwise the BMC provides suture material of a slightly thicker diameter for any patient who comes to the Minor Operation theatre. The girl was eager to watch what I was doing and at the same time would wince the moment I took the needle near her skin. Local anaesthesia had been given and all was just fine.

"Baghu nakos ga!"
(Don't look here)
"Nahi mala baghaychay tumhi kay karta tey"
(No, I want to watch what you do)

She said she worked at a private practitioner's clinic at Cotton green and that she was used to all that.
"Kay kartes tithe?"
(What do you do there)

"Sagla karte...takey ghete, dressing karte, ECG kadhtey, injection dete......."
(I do everything...suture wounds, wound dressing, take ECGs, give injections....)

"Kay shikli ga tu?" The OT assistant asked her
(What are your qualifications?)

"Dahavi fail"
(Flunked 10th standard)

After I had taken some 6 stitches she asked me how many more I would be taking. The wound was a good 6-7 cms long and I told her that I can't really say.

"Andajey sanga naa...."
(Make an estimate)

"Tuch kar naa...takey ghetes na tu pan"
(Why don't you make one....you too do suturing, right)

"Tumhi javal javal ghetlet na takey......amhi khup lamb gheyo.....me he kam don-teen takyat kele astey"
(You have taken knots at a very small distance....I would have done this in only 2 or 3 knots)

She continued "Amhi patientla vicharto..kiti takey gheu..karan ek taka ghyayla doctor 100 rupaye ghetat"
(Actually we ask patients how many stitches should be taken as doctor charges Rs.100 per knot taken)

We all asked the girl to continue her education..take a second attempt at English, the subject she had failed in. But she was the sole breadwinner of her family and further education was out of question. Her older sister was shorter than her and was denied any job at any place.

"Pan mi mazya dhaktya bhavala shikavnarach ahey"
(But I am going to see to it that my younger brother gets educated)


I sincerely hope her younger brother remembers his sister's sacrifice for him and the family and takes care of her in the future when she needs it. And that the unethical doctor is brought to the book ASAP! Both seem like remote possibilities to me

Part II will follow later ...tired of typing anymore

Funny Patients

When you sit in the emergency medical services...better known as EMS or Ward 20 of KEM, many funny incidents take place there. Let me get myself clear..Here I do not intend to make fun of the patients or their ilnesses but somethings they do and say are just too funny to be left in some corner of my brain and forgotten.

RAT MAN #1
On any given day, during any given shift there are atleast 2-3 cases of poisoning, mostly suicidal, in the EMS. So one fine day (actually one fine evening) came a man who consumed rat poison for some reason. Now unlike some poisons, rat poison has no specific antidote. The treatment is mainly removal of unabsorbed poison from the stomach by emesis that is, forced vomitting by giving the patient extremely salty water....

So the staff nurse gave him a bin to vomit in and a jug of super salty water. The fellow had a glass of the concoction and puked a bit. Then he stopped having it at all. We all were instructing him to have more. He pulled a face and yelled out to the staff nurse,
"Thoda namak kam dalte the to chalta thaa..."
(Putting a little less salt wouldn't hurt)

Pat came the reply from the seasoned lady,
"Yeh kya nimbu paani hain kyaa?....namak shakkar ki bat karta hain"
(You think I am giving you lemon juice?)

The patient was told to get admitted but after having just a glass of the solution he ran away and didn't get admitted.

AMBA-BAI #2

One girl was brought to the EMS at night by her friend. The girl said she had consumed a bottle of baygon. A naso-gastric tube (a tube to empty the stomach, put via nostril) was put in and gastric lavage was performed (stomach wash). The gastric contents did not smell of Baygon AT ALL...infact they looked strangely yellow. On asking her if she really had taken any poison, she replied she had had one whole bottle of Baygon worth Rs.90.
"Why do you stomach contents look so yellow then?"

She replied,
"Maine socha....khali pet davai kaise khaneki..to pehle maine do aam khaye aur phir Baygon Piya"
(I thought, how can I take any poison on an empty stomach, so I first had two mangoes and then I drank the poison)

I am Back

Hi All
I am finally back home. Came back a week ago. Joined KEM hospital for my internship. Now posted in R.N.Cooper Hospital. Life is good. Shall keep my page updated

Varsha

My Life Quizzed Again!! After a few changes in my life

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	9
Mind:	8.4
Body:	8.9
Spirit:	8.8
Friends/Family:	5.6
Love:	8.5
Finance:	7.2
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Tete A Tete

Yesterday was a special concert at Shanmukananda Hall, Ghulam Ali, the Gazal Maestro performing in Mumbai after 20 years. Indeed the magical versatile voice of Ghulam Ali has made me join the Gazhal lovers' club

However that is not the Tete a tete I had.

Mamee and I were waiting in front of one gates of the auditorium for one Mrs. Navinbhai (sorry I don't know her first name, nor her last name) and her daughter as they had our passes with them. They came after some time and we stood there discussing things and the concert. The gate we were at was the entrance for the VIP car parking.

While we were having our chat a car came by with an obviously important looking man, flaunting a VIP pass with him. His car was not allowed to get into the hall premises

"Arrey main sponsor hu, yeh mera hi show hain yaar..mujhe jane nahi dega kya phir bhi..."
Watchman "Sir aapki gadee ka number nahi hain list mein"
Him, showing his pass, "Arrey A row mein important guests hi baithte hain naa...dekh yaar" He pointed to some name on the pass and said, "Dekh mera naam hain idhar...jane de yaar. Yeh mera hi show hain"
The watchman was still reluctant and refused to comply. The man was getting exasperated,
"Arrey teri bat bhi sahi hain, lekin main agar barabar hunga to teri galati ko tu kaise sudharega, gadi jaaney de, agar nahi hogi allowed to wapas bhej dena baahar. Ghulam Ali saab mere hi saath ruke huey hain...."

Suddenly mamee mumbled to me "He's ......" I didn't really get her, rather was not sure I heard her right.
Then to the watchman, "Janey do na inko yeh itna keh rahey hain to...."
All of us joined her too. The man seemed genuine and in a hurry as well.
And the chap had to allow him in, coz he was alone Vs. The imp man and 4 ladies!! Man was he overpowered!

The car was allowed in. The "sponsor" got out and came towards us. Till then mamee told us again..This time I was sure I heard right
"Woh Vitthal Kamat hain shayad" she told Mrs. Navinbhai
"Arrey woh...apde book padhi che ney..Idli Orchid aur main" she told her daughter in Gujarati.

Mr. Kamat came to us and said with folded hands,
"Apki wajah se meri gadee andar ja payee. Aisa hota hain na jab do logon ka jhagdaa hota hain to teesra akey usko nipta deta hain. Waisa hi kiya aapne mere liye..."
Mrs. Navinbahi interrupted him and pointed at mamee,
"Yeh aapko jantee hain,aap Vitthal Kamat hain naa! Apki book padhi hain humne, bahut acchi lagee..."
"Thank you, thank you" he said politely and with pleasure at being recognised. Even after having pointed at the orchid logo on the pass the guard had not recognized him.

He went away in a hurry or else I wanted to tell him,
"Ofcourse aapko help karnaa to hamara kartavya tha...after all ek Kamat hi to dusre Kamat ki help karega!"
My mamee is Dr. Kamat and genetically even I am 50% Kamat!

Phool aur Patthar

Place: Ramabai Paranjpe Balvidyamandir, Vile Parle(East). Junior KG class,
Incharge Jaya Tai
Task: Draw a picture with brush and grey paint.

Varsha's turn. She wants to paint a flower. She takes the brush and starts. Well well, the petals don't look that fine...kya karein, she just moves her brush all over the picture in slight disappointment. So now on the paper is just a splash of grey paint!! Suddenly it strikes her
"Hey this looks familiar....."
Jaya Tai watching intently, "What have you drawn on the paper dear?"
Varsha: "Tai its a rock"
Tai: "Hmnn...nice"

I remember the story so vividly...And my tais in Ramabai had good knowledge of child psychology I feel. When later Jaya Tai picked up some of the best drawings to show some other teacher, she selected 3 nice drawings of a house, sunset and a man and handed them to me. Then I must have been staring at my own book hoping she choose it for she lifted that one too and handed it to me.
"Show all these nice drawings to Lata Tai"

I remember at that moment I was on the top of the world.

Later a befuddled Lata Tai asked me
"What is this drawing?"
"Its a rock" I said proudly.
"Have you drawn it?" she asked me with a smile.

That was probably my best day in junior KG.

My Life Quiz

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.6
Mind:	7.5
Body:	8.8
Spirit:	7.5
Friends/Family:	5.3
Love:	2.9
Finance:	6.2
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Fishy Story

Isn't it amazing how we change with the circumstances............

Till about 4 years ago fish was something I never touched. I would even make faces and complain about the "aroma" when fish was cooked at home. At Vile Parle (E) Mandai which is probably the cleanest fish market in Mumbai I would stand out with my nose hidden behind a handkerchief. At home I was lovingly dubbed as a "Kalank on Malvanis" or even an "Abnormal Saraswat" because both these are supposed to be "fishiterian" communities. Of course it was very late that I learnt that being a GSB and eating fish do not necessarily go hand in hand. Nevertheless.

Then something changed.....I moved to the hostel. My tryst with the mess food made me ache for lovely home cooked meals. Slowly I started associating the aroma of fish with home food. It was then I realized what girls mean when they say that their MIL's kitchen does not have the same aroma as their mom's and that's what makes them miss their home the most. Now although I would prefer vegetarian food to fish any day I must admit I relish fish, don't mind shopping for it and am slowly turning into a "fishetarian" person.

Movies....

I spent 4 long years of my life in a small town called Loni where Iwas studying medicine. Watching movies in Loni is quite an experience. To fill you in about Loni..its a very small village in Ahmednagar district. Its 30 mins away from Shirdi.

So we all decided to watch a movie.."Lakshya" We had heard about theatres in loni but had never watched a movie in Loni before. We got all dressed up (So what if its dark in the theatre..looking good for a movie is very important!) And we entered the small gully where we knew the theatre was. It was a long lane. Along with us were a couple of goats, dogs and hens with their chicks. But our enthusiasm was with us all along!! Then we saw the theatre (Finally!!).

"Lakshya chal rahee hai na?" we asked the guy who looked like the theatre owner
"Haan..lekin demand show hai, isliye 20 rupaye ticket hain" The usual rates are Rs.10/-
"Theek hai...." we gave him the money. We were waiting for a ticket.
"Ticket wagera nahi hain...kaise bhi baith jao"--Shock no 1

What we saw inside was something I will never forget.There was a large screen....10 feet*15 feet wide. 10 feet away fromthe screen was the "seating" which consisted of 10 rows of wooden benches, each large enough to seat 7 people.--Shock no 2

"Arrey yeh to Anatomy Hall ke discarded benches Lagte hain" I told my friends who were just as shocked as I was. We made ourselves "comfortable" and settled down. Later some more people came and since the benches seemed full they settled on the floor.The movie began. It was an obviously pirated CD playing Pakistani Ads every 20-30 mins. The ads were too funny. The best we liked was "Chintoo candy". Most ads had jingles based on the tunes of Hindi movies of the 90s. The CD quality was poor. The movie was nice though.

Later after the movie
"Kaisi lagee movie" my friend Pragati asked everyone
"Its nice yaar" Aditi said
"Uh..hmnn..guys by the way tum logonko wo kuch last scenes samajh me aayakyaa...?" I sheepishly asked everyone.
"The ones in which Hritik was trying to climb the mountains? Nahi yaar wasn't it too dark? I think there was 15 minutes of just continuous darkness!!!!" Pragati"
Thank God, I thought I needed new glasses"..me

Later when I saw the movie again I realised that was the hallmark ofthe movie!!!!Later many theatres cropped up in and around Loni. But the aditya experience was unbeatable.

My name story

There is something in a name...in my case there is something "behind" my name.

Apart from beginning with "V" like both my parents, my name has a funny history. On the day of my christening ceremony, my aunt (dad's sis) left from Churchgate to come to Goregaon where the ceremony was held. That day, some day in Aug 1983, due to heavy rains, a tree fell down over a local train at Grant Road railway station. Due to this, the railways were disrupted and it took my poor bua heroic efforts to reach goregaon. She was the one to "name " me according to the rituals!! And hence she chose the name "Varsha" for me!!!

Blogging

Few months back the word "Blog" meant NOTHING to me. Then this vacation after viewing a few blogs, I was enticed into start blogging myself. So my blog is going to be just some stuff i feel like writing. I am not exactly an author in making...so let me not raise anyone's hopes.

Till then
Varsha