A little help goes a long way..

What if life's basic amenities elude you? the things you supposedly seem to take for granted.. your medicines.. or even your spects , for example. and what happens if the 'you' mentioned happens to be an octogenarian who has no alternatives to replace what he/she just lost or something which they wish they had in the first place.. something which may seem inconsequential to us but of immense value to them.. something which might make their day-to-day living somewhat easier.. little things, like umbrellas and sneakers in monsoons to things more important.. like heating systems during winters.. to water purifiers and medicines which are not accessible to them.. or health check-ups at regular intervals ..for which tie-ups with health care centres is important.. from prosthetics to operations and surgeries..and so forth. We have blood banks in each state..all over the country..with registered voluntary donors, who may not know how it all works but know its needed and most importantly ..they know where to go to help and vice-versa with those needing urgent blood supply. similarly, there are donor-watch organizations in other countries where if you need something.. you know where to go to in your town or city or state.. whichever is nearer, and these orgs. run mainly on volunteers or Samaritans..

The problem in our country with over a billion people is connectivity.. what is really irritating..exasperating and even infuriating ..is that there are people and organizations-small and big ..medicos and even entrepreneurs who've been there and done that , and people who just basically want to help .. but have the perennial problem..having absolutely no idea how to. Putting an amount on a cheque and sending it to your nearest old-age home helps but what about the places which are not connected and not within your reach..? what about centres which need actual supplies rather than cash..?..or something particular and urgent..? what about centres and people who're looking for help nearer to home..but do not know how/whom to get in touch with..? and eventually.. what about those who WANT to help these centres which are closer to them but have no idea how to..?

What we need is a data base (online and in traditional forms..) , big and spread wide enough .. covering even the remotest regions in this country or the nearest possible accessible place ..from where one can get all the info. needed about any and everything required available at the NEAREST possible place to where one is.. where one can go for help ,or get in touch with those who've endorsed themselves to the cause , inc. NGO's and health centres and such orgs. and even Samaritans who wish to be involved and get in touch with them.. people who're the answer to the specific problems. it'll help in taking distance out of the equation.. in getting required supplies and help to places where you know there's a need ..more so by the people IN the region.. which works two ways in that people looking for help of any kind can also search what they're looking for .. starting nearest to home and get help OR they can advertise for help and people know what is required and where .. which helps in equi-distribution of amenities. and even voluntary donors know where their help is required.. or where they might contribute. this works in an inside-out way.. where the people in your region, town, city get localized help first before the search is moved outside.. its been proven feasible AND vastly helpful to the people and the regions around the world where its been tried.. and hope the basic picture about this is clear.

In a country of more than a billion people.. there are lots and lots who need help and equally as many who ARE willing to help. The trick is to get the people who need help, in touch with the right people who are the answer to the problems. The mobile companies have realized this connectivity jig-saw puzzle and are making inroads into getting the pieces together. its time we put other, more important issues on the front page as well.

The parrot that loved rasogullas...

Animal love stays. There are no fears.. no proposals to make and silly insecurities that goes with them, no shattered lives, no divorces and though they too leave a hole in your heart when they go, esp. when you really get attached, you know that the memories left behind would be the fonder ones (except maybe when you think about that one shoe of your favourite pair that went missing or the suspicious bite mark of a squirrel teeth on your toast each day..). My house has been a walking zoo for as long as i can remember.. not for the people who live there (clearing this before i get a kick up my backside..) but for the number of birds and animals that have came and found a place in our hearts. in no particular order, there has been one dog , one kitten who became family and raised 3 generations , 3 squirrels, 4 parrots, 2 mynehs, 2 lizards, 1 rabbit, 1 frog, 4 generations of mongoose , 2 chicks , one snail, and 3 generations of sparrows, that i can remember , who've been there and done that at my place. there are amazing stories to tell about each and every one of them.. and i'll be more than happy to tell them to anybody who's interested but the story i'm writing about right now is about the 'Parrot who ate rasogullas' .. coz she was the first creature i really got attached to..

she came to our house when i must have been 7-8 years old. she was bought from a bird seller coz she was thin and weak and the glummest looking bird you could ever imagine. it took the biggest cage with the largest space you could find, lots and lots of typical parrot food and a tiny water cup to get her moving and speaking. her health improved and so did her voice and she became family. then, one day, came the test.. we opened her cage door inside our house , moved back and waited. Nothing. we decided to wait some more. still nothing. after an hour or so , we gave up. maybe she couldnt fly.. but that was hard to imagine. maybe, she was afraid..

We tried again the next day and this time we moved out of her sight. Then it happened. She slowly came out of the cage door.. had no idea what to do next.. paused for a moment and then, flew on top of the curtains. SHE COULD FLY. we were ecstatic. she was a very beautiful bird.. very shy but had exotic tastes for a parrot. with her very tiny tongue.. the cutest you could ever wish to see, she licked cream found between biscuits, ate pineapple jam.. she liked pineapples, but her all time favourite were rasogullas. she could eat one entire small dripping rasogulla at one go and then go to sleep.. maybe it was heaven for her. we joked she'd get diabetes one day coz of her sweet tooth but of course, she didnt care. she never did. she would sit on your shoulders when you had biscuits in your hand or would sit atop one of the open cupboard doors in anticipation of her favourite cream biscuits.. AND she had to get her share, else your earlobe took a bloody beating.

She was with us for four years and then one day she flew away.. she had to go.. start her own family. i cried that day , maybe coz i thought she'd never go and was also fearful of her safety coz we all knew she had never been in the open on her own before. but she came back .. about 3 months after she left , we heard her voice one day .. and there she was .. sitting on our verandah chair's hand rest. 5 minutes later.. she flew away again. we all saw her.. she was fine.. she was a tough cookie, that girl.. maybe i underestimated her.

we still have two parrots coming to our guava tree at the back of our house each month. the voice is still the same.. she was a chatterbox.. no other parrot could maintain the intensity of the noisiest parrot talk which she could , and with ease. she's way more healthier now.. maybe she's become a mother..

Maybe the love's still there...

With great libido comes great responsibility...

.. or simply put, the ribbed and scented condom sales go up.. helping the company/s meet and better their expected quarterly earnings and resulting in them announcing two more flavours in the scented segment and launching an extra ribbed version of the former - for the fairer sex who turn to their vibrators after a session with their mate who , presumably, seems to have a little problem of his own.. (only he'd never confirm it) ..and on the contrary.. grows rather wild just at the mention of the question.. the sort of aggression the female with the thing in her grasp with the 'in-use' button on, wishes her guy had shown a little while earlier. (the female.. OR the male in the female's body i.e. .. you never know these days..). the man, of course, oblivious to all the ambivalent thoughts in his girl's mind .. being quite pleased at his efforts.

getting back to the topic of the post.. so what happens if two people with diabolically opposite feeling on the most primitive and natural urge known to mankind ..(dont say you dont know what i'm talking about) ..come together? hmm..
its still not so bad if its the guy with the mega libido.. his parter can always rein him in i presume (and we're talking about committed couples in this post guys..) and ANYWAYS .. if the guy cant help it.. the jerk can always..uhh.. jerk off ..right? ("i was so poor when i was growing up.. if i wasnt a boy, i wouldnt have had anything to play with..") , but what happens if some poor guy, looking for a comfy settled relationship.. (with the activity between the sheets thrown in but in a normalesque amount .. yeah right! however much does THAT amount to?..) gets stuck up with a .. shall we say , a nymphomaniac..huh? 'stuck up' in the REALLY LONG TERM view , of course, coz initially the absolute radiant glow on his face would be more than sufficient to put the kohinoor to shame (..the diamond i.e. ..not the condom..).

lets skip the passionate initial phase ..when everyone's happy (inc. the corner shop selling the u-know-whats.) and move on to the couple after say, many years later (put a number yourself) .. when the 'she' has one of her urges kicking in but the 'he' is feeling like a spent force.. (honestly.. its a little difficult imagining this would ever happen to a guy.. but we ARE talking about two ppl who are on the extreme ends of a spectrum ..right?) .. so what does he do? (american pie ..anybody?) .. but running away doesnt seem like the answer , does it..? .. not when you're a couple and its the gal on a high n unlike monica bing's line .. "just get in , do your job ..and get out.." .. you, being a guy very well know you cannot fake it coz it just shows when you're not up for it (get my point?..) and it'll do the poor guy's self esteem no good if he sees/hears that mechanical vibrating device in use one more time..

having to climax this post abruptly guys , for want of free time.

and thus people .. the newly coined adage.. 'with great libido comes great responsibility' takes centrestage.. (..the superman guys wouldnt be too pleased with this but who-the-heck cares anyway.. he's superman ..right? .. HE shouldnt have any problem! .. more so with the content of this post ..ha!) .. maybe it IS time the 'she' with the high testosterone levels understands the fundamental differences between the two anatomically different species and finds a mate more in sync with her own feelings.. or actions.. and let the spent guy have a deserved rest.. may the force be with him again!.. so as to speak. and maybe ..just maybe.. getting those extra set of batteries for her toy wasnt such a bad idea after all.. hmm..

( the content of this post bears no similarities with the author of this blog in ANY form and with any of his mates.. any resemblances is purely co-incidental and rather unfortunate.. for the girl i.e. )

SPAIN WON..I WAS WRONG BUT I'M HAPPY!!

Predictions are meant to be wrong.. right? The better team won.. DAMN PLEASED for the spaniards! deserving champions..

4 minutes.. injury time.

Cesc Fabregas. the transformation from an immensely talented footballer at arsenal to a matured international.. is yes, complete. its spain v/s germany in the finals and for the first time since the 2000 world cup.. i've NOT sure about this one .. (backed greece once the group stages finished the last euro .. so it was a different feeling altogether). the heart says germany .. and the heart AND the brain says spain.. if you know what i mean. how COULD spain miss out AGAIN.. you ask yourself .. surely not THIS TIME.. maybe this IS their chance to get something started.. maybe an injured David Villa would be the difference between a win and a loss.. but then , maybe the realization of the magnitude of the event would be the difference.. too many maybe's. i hope it happens .. the country needs it. defence would make the difference .. and stamina for a 120 minute match.

Germany.. maybe one better than when under klinsmann.. maybe just what the captain needs to cap a successful career.. maybe the launching pad for something from this team which never quite meets the expectations when the crunch time comes .. ala, who else but their opponents. maybe it'll be the Klose match when the world watches bastian or ballack.. maybe it IS about the defence after all with germany.. maybe the physical advantage of the germans would decide it .. especially in extra time.. again too many maybe's..

you'd expect and hope for an open game .. you hope and expect for an early goal .. you hope the refree has a good day.. but with these two teams .. you just hope it's not another heartbreak.. and know what ..for one set of the fans .. it's going to be so-near-and-yet-so-far once again.
.

my prediction? .. 1-1 normal time and germany to get that winning goal in extra time . no penalties.
maybe its not yet the time for spain..

Sex on the highway..

..n no, this is not some lecherous post ..so dont get all worked up. The abovesaid caption is , according to a daily newspaper, worldwide the third most favourited 'routine destination' (whatever the heck that is..) for couples in an amorous mood n seeking a place to vent out their passionate inner urge .. THAT , after the perennial bedroom and the kitchen took the first and the second spots.

Hmm.. come to think of it.. (..the poll result that is..), the key word in all of this is 'world wide' , coz , there's no way you're telling me that the three and a half hour on the highway it takes me to get out of this city (..which , incidently , is 250% above the normal time it should take..) is coz some god-only-knows-who libidinous couple is finding it hard to climax their sojourn.. (the pun being purely co-incidental..) amidst all the honking all around .. , which is a theory i'm NOT ready to buy (thats unless, of course, the couple got stuck in the dastardly traffic themselves and tried to make use of their time in the best possible manner possible.. the word people , is, creativity)

So, with all due respect to the poll and its creator/s (who..i'm sure got the idea of the poll caption during one of their long drives ..so as to put it mildly..) .. , terming the third from the top poll result as 'routine destination' , seems a little far-fetched.. thats unless this city comes outside the purview of the word.. 'world'. A one-off instance or the flare-up of passion on one such drive when you , surprisingly, have the whole road to yourself, might seem a possibility .. but try driving on the highway on any particular day , or night for that matter, and if anything other than getting out of the messy conglomeration of traffic comes to your mind - AND routinely, as the poll puts it.., and buddy you're in for a tough talk , if that car ahead of mine holding up the traffic, hapens by any chance to be yours.. so hit the gas and MOVE ON...

(P.S. - this post was conceived on mention of the word 'highway' . removing the word , thereby implying ANY place outdoors .. would be preferable ..and make a lot more sense.. )

Exam woes..

University exams universally suck , .. more so if one of your parents has had an operation less than a month and a half away from one of these exams and you end up missing a whole damn imporatant subject and the major half of another. Its still not the worst case scenario though.. one can always cram in everything between odd hospital shifts.. thats unless, of course, you havnt slept for more than 4 to 5 hrs for more than who-knows-how-many-days and also not slept at the same time two consecutive days.. having to commute between two cities every second day , and , on top of that you've just realized you're not going to marry the girl you thought you would for the major part of your life and you're left an absolutely shattered person.. not knowing how to react to everything.. your studies take a bloody beating.

Then , just as you think you're FINALLY finding some time to study , you get called up by your institute and you end up filling lengthy exam forms with weird questions ( chances of you taking a transfer next sem? .. or .. assignments/papers you think you're not clearing this sem n reasons..) which takes up a hell of a time , used otherwise working TOWARDS clearing those papers instead of using all of your intellect guessing how many you would.

i also do not know of any other institution/college, which takes a medical exam of students ( AND faculties to add to the presposterousness ..if there's such a word) prior to each university exam.. i mean whats the whole bloody point of all this? if you're telling me somebody with jaundice cannot take the exams and has to wait for the next sem to clear the papers.. you've gotta be absolutely mad. whats the 5 starred quarantine ward meant for? and whats the fault of the poor guy with jaundice anyways?... eating roadside samosas and drinking the almost greenish blue water on a cold n wet monsoon day??? ..its no crime surely .. you dont expect one more person to die of hunger n thirst in this country of more than a billion people, do you?

Whats also so depressing n sucks ( no.. not the lady v.chancellor ..ha! ) about the medicals is that the students have to mention ANY medication he or she is on (in another form ..yeah.. you guessed it right) and they have to mention even the medications nobody cares about (ala.. ze cough n ze cold ones) .. BUT , the center head's on three medications BUT MENTIONS ONLY TWO OUT THE THREE .. the third is never disclosed. Now, i'm no doctor , but what pill could a man who's in his sixties and has a wife who's comfortably 20 yrs his junior, be taking which he cannot tell the world ..hmm? ( forgetting the pun for a moment.. a question which needs to be raised, believe me)

Getting back.. so the exams are less than 20 days away and i'm approximately 20% of where i should be.. which means a lot of late nights still, and no sleep and no computers unfortunately.. which in turn means no blogging for some days , and also the use of a little imagination in understanding concepts i havnt heard before (classes missed). its alright though. what can be worse than whats already happened this past one month.

time to wind up for today.. any further misadventures regarding the exams would be duly posted (the admit cards havnt been issued yet.. so there's a potential storm already brewing ) . and people, this IS the new thread.. so plz no more of the stupid 'is this really you' shit , .. lets keep the place clean. and as far this blog is concerned.. post exams.. will carry on from where the last site's post left off. just a matter of a few weeks..