To evolve or not...

Evolution is a hard thing to measure. We have advanced medically by leaps and bounds only to some times rediscover information known to our ancestors centuries ago. That results in a healthy struggle between modern science and ancient wisdom. Though these should be taken as synergies, giving each other information of what was done in the past and how we can apply in present.

Now a days lot of surgeries occur via laser, with no cut in the body. These kind of surgeries were popular in Egyptian times too when brain surgeries were performed via a tube from nose. Other medical activities like brain drilling, C-section and use of microbes for fighting infection has been in place for centuries. Modern equipments might have replaced the crude tools used earlier but the concept remains same. Maybe the probability of success has increased over the years. However, if you ever hear an ad for a stroke medicine, the number of side effects the medicine can cause makes you wonder whether its worth to take it.

Like the earth revolving around the sun, I believe evolution might be revolving around time. Rediscovering something of past and presenting with a modern outlook. An old wine in a new bottle, still good to experience.

Though Spring is no where to be found, summer jobs/ internship applications are out. I saw an application for the Medical Centre for robotic surgery. They are looking for applicants who can perform the medical surgery. Eh, are there any takers ? 

Decisions, decisions

What prompts us to make a decision
A tug in the heart or a logical signal in the brain?

A sensitive feeling that stops us
Or a logical strategy that helps us

"A routine" says the brain
Do what you do every day but stop and think sometimes

"A behavior" says the heart
Do what you feel like but care for self sometimes

Almost 10 years since I wrote last
Neither the heart nor the brain know the ask

I had a routine to write everyday then
Had a good feeling when I made online circle of friends

Everyone would have moved on through stages of life
A decade is a lot to live by

Does not matter what made me write today
Both heart and brain need to live with it everyday

Patience, My dear Watson

Patience is an admirable virtue. Many times I think not about the people but the things in my life which have waited and still waiting to get my attention. I wonder what they would say if they had a mind to speak up.

One of the most patient creatures is the apple that travels with me everyday to work. Poor thing endures all the hassles of car and train journey every week day and still puts forward its best red face on Friday evening when I eventually eat it on the way back home. I don't know why both of us should go through this torture. I should better start bringing a fruit which I relish.

Every time I buy tindora I promise myself to cook it the very next day and every time I forget or just ignore it. They sit in my refrigerator braving all the fungus that might be threatening them. Ultimately when one of them goes bad, I cook to save the others.

I might be one of the few people who owns the Dosa/Idli Grinder and never uses it. In the past so many years, I can count in one hand how many times I might have used it. I, in fact own two of them. My mother got me a lighter one few months back thinking the small and light gadget might allure me. Trust me, nothing yet has convinced me to grind the dosa/idli flour at home. I buy from the super market when needed.

I can't believe why a machine to fold washed clothes has not been invented yet. I actually end up folding at least 2 or 3 loads of accumulated washed laundry. This, after I realize that I better do the work else we would have nothing to wear.

Coupons and I are poles apart. We are never together at the same time. I remember them when I am not shopping and when I am indeed buying things, they are conveniently forgotten at home. Every Sunday, I keep aside the coupon section aside to take out the ones I need and every following Saturday I trash the newspaper as the coupons would have already be expired.

Half of my email box must be filled up by Tarla Dalal and other cooking emails. The amusing part is when I have to make something different, I always google for the recipes and never go through my emails. I should better unsubscribe myself from all these just to make my email box lighter.

There are of course other endless financial concepts, languages and To-Do lists trying to draw my attention which I’ll look at some other time.

Tech is blind

Technology can be blinding. Sometimes one can be so engrossed in discovering the new features that one might forget how the old original ones work. Many times as part of enhancing these new cool features, the old ones are moved around a little and the change is never mentioned, maybe because it is considered trivial.

The other day, one of our relatives visited us in a rental car. It has been sometime since I rode a rental car and I was not aware how tech friendly it has become. While bidding them goodbye, I noticed that the car keys were dangling in the start-key notch inside the car. The couple looked relaxed and unperturbed. I thought maybe they have not realised gravity of the situation and was debating to speak up my mind when the guy swiped a card in the door handle and it clicked open. That was awesome. Later he explained that like hotel keys, no one needs car keys now. All you need is a card. Swipe and the door opens. I really need such a cool car especially when I have a history of locking my car keys inside twice.

Every time, I switch cell phones, it takes me lesser time in familiarizing with the new features that to realise how the basic - call/end works. Some phone have two different button for "start" call and "end" call while others have one "talk/call" button which toggles between start and end call. When I got my touch-technology cell phone few months back, I used to fumble to end the call. During the conversation, the cellphone would get locked and the display lights would turn off. Hence when I had to end the call, I would have to unlock and then press a key or two to get the desired result. Listening to voice messages was another disastrous story. While I had cool features of setting unique ring tones for various incoming calls, capturing video, audio and still pics in my cellphone, the basic feature of making a call became complicated.

Today, my work laptop got infected and I got a substitute laptop to carry on my work. I was awed by how sleek and cool the new one looks. I attached the power cable and opened the laptop to power it on when I realised there was no "Power On" key. I wondered if this had the power of switching itself on. I felt ridiculous to ask such a trivial question so I actually studied each key but still could not find the "On" key. Feeling embarrassed, I reached out to pick up the phone to dial the help desk. I tilted my head to support the phone receiver when I saw the small "On" button way up in the edge on the side of the laptop!

Childhood Fascinations

There are umpteen games that we play as kids which never make to the main stream. Everyone knows about soccer, tennis, cricket, volleyball, football etc. I am talking about those simple, small games which remain fascination for few months or years and then wear off. Later as adults, we start following whatever the main stream sports offer.

And if you research, you would find that these games are played in almost all parts of the world with minor variations and they remain source of joy only for a short while during school years.

There was a game I played as a small girl with five stones. I don’t even know the game’s name but I used to call it “five stones”. Later I read in some book that young children in Africa also play similar game. This was a fascination for me for a year or two in mu middle school and I used to practice playing at home daily. Now, I don’t remember the rules but have a vague idea of how to play. Another one used to be “ghasita”. This was not as popular as its cousin “staapu” or “hop scotch”. It involved dragging the main striker along as one hopped over the squares. Even “staapu” and “hopscotch” are not exactly the same.

I enjoyed playing “pithu” that involved marble stones and a ball. It must be one of the most popular street games. There was a game that our whole class used to play when we were in grade 11 and 12. It used to involve two teams and one team had to run to a certain point and come back while the other team tried to stop them. I forgot the name but I used to love playing it. There was another game which also involved two teams and there were four squares drawn on the ground. The idea was to have one whole team in one square while the other team tries to stop them. Again, my memory fails me in remembering the name.

As a girl, I played even more girlish and sometimes meaningless games – clapping hands, jumping and turning around. Then there were others: “kho-kho” – this is kind of duck-duck-goose, “oonch-neech-ka-papda” – where the team has to choose between up or down. If they chose up, they had to be in an elevated position. If they tried to come down, they could be caught. Anyone remember “Chidiya –ud”?

All these were harmless yet fun filled games. Summer was never boring as one can play these over and over and over again. Then the world advanced and video games became part of our life. I have not played much video game. I used to have couple of computer games when I was in college but never got addicted. Tennis, soccer or cricket is not the same playing in a 20 inch screen where a slight movement of your finger can turn the game against you. Few of the computer games I enjoyed were Solitaire, Minesweeper and Tetris.

Now with Wii and Xbox, gaming industry has completely turned around. Now days, toddlers are getting introduced to Wii before their first soccer class. I am sure Olympics would also start featuring popular games played in current times. Last I heard was they were planning to introduce Tetris in Olympics!

Bon Appétit

Some dishes are like friendships. You always relish them. I can actually count the number of dishes I have really enjoyed in my life till now. These tastes heavenly and I can still remember the joy of eating them the first time. To name a few:

1. Nirula's Hot Choc Fudge: My mouth is watering as I type this. One of the best deserts existing on the earth. Surprisingly I have not had too much of these but I remember once treating my work colleagues on my birthday.

2. Nirula's veggie burger: It is one of the first fast food I have tasted and boy did I love it. There was one Nirula's pretty close to the University I studied in Delhi. My friends and I would eat burgers on any pretext as lunch, mid day snack, not-hungry-but-can-eat-burger time.

3. Buttered Nan and shahi panner: I don't know how those calories act as appetizer and make stomach want for more.

4. Veggie Quesadilla: I used to love the ones served by TGIF. I don't go to TGIF as they hardly have anything veggie but I heard that now these do not taste the same.

5. Rava Dosa: These have always tasted heavenly.

6. Burrito Bowl: I cannot have enough of this. The best part is it is healthy. I never knew plain rice and raw vegetables can taste so yummy. I think guacamole does the trick.

7. Mango Milk shake: Need I have to say thing here? The king of fruits is definitely the king of drinks.

What makes your mouth water?

Words are all I have

I can converse in three languages fluently and also have the ability to mix and match the words from these languages into the same sentence. Now I am so comfortable with this mix and match that I often forget the origin of the word. Add to this all the slang of teenage and college days. The result - a new language that can baffle any stranger. In my younger days, we tried to invent a "code" language which parents would not understand. At that time the code would be very simple - reversing the word or switching letters in specific places. Of course we never had an earth shattering secret to hide. So it never mattered if our code language actually got decoded. Later in my teenage days, my normal language became code to my parents.

Language of course evolves with time. Words describe not only the kind of lifestyle but also the change in our mindset. I am sure the current English Dictionary looks completely different from it's first edition. It is also keeping pace and updating new words from different origins, communities and reflecting the time we are living in. I wonder how many of the actual English words are of English origin now.

Did you know that 1 millionth word is going to get added into Oxford Dictionary on June 10 2009? Following are the finalists:

* Chengguan: Urban management officers, a cross between mayors, sheriffs and city managers.

* Jai Ho! From the Hindi, “It is accomplished”: achieved English-language popularity through the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

* Mobama: Relating to the fashion sense of the US First Lady, as in “that is quite mobama-ish”.

* Noob From the gamer community: a neophyte in playing a particular game; used as a disparaging term.

* Phelpsian: The accomplishments of Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics.

* Quendy-Trendy: British youth-speak for hip or up-to-date.

* Wonderstar: As in Susan Boyle, an overnight sensation, exceeding all reasonable expectations.

* Zombie Banks: Banks that would be dead if not for government intervention

Who do you think should get the honor of being the one millionth word in English lexicon?

UPDATE: The millionth word is "Web2.0". Wow, I did not know it was a finalist. Thanks to it, we are able to meet in this virtual land.