Aaaa...Chooo

Common cold, though being pretty common, has no treatment. The capsules and tonics that we drain down our throat make us feel less miserable but they are not a cure. Since my childhood, I get at least two attacks of cold in a year, each time the season changes from hot to cold and vice versa. I have my own ways of battling it by inhaling steam, consuming hot drinks. I am ready to take anything as long as it doesn't get converted to into fever and I need to see a doctor.

Though I regard Doctor as a revered profession, I hate to see one for my treatment. To be precise, I don't like to take medicines. I have never completed my full dose of medicines. Each time, after taking a couple, when I start feeling fine, I stop consuming the rest of the tablets. As a kid, when I was forced to drink tonic, I would eat some sugar along with it, to alleviate the medicine's taste.

I had a strange fascination in childhood. I would prefer to get hurt and have a bandage wound around my leg or hand instead of being down with fever. For some stupid reason, I used to feel bandage of one arm or one leg makes one look smarter - yeah, yeah, like a war time hero. I have bruised myself couple of times and felt good sporting a white bandage around my leg. Though I was in high spirits at that time, now I hate to see the mark that the wound has left behind. Once while playing, my brother accidentally hit my head with a bat. Initially, seeing the stream of blood running from my forehead, I got scared. Later, I felt like a mini hero when everyone I met kept asking me about it.

The other thing I don’t like is getting injections. For the same reason, I don’t like getting flu shots. I am down with cough and pretty bad throat now. I am trying cure it using some home made remedies. The problem with cough and cold is, I don’t get the correct amount of sympathy. Had I got hurt or be down with fever, I would have been asked to stop working and take care of myself. But now, the world goes around as if nothing as happened to me, only stopping occasionally to say “Bless You”.

Wanna know me more?

Just when I was struggling in my mind on what to write, Thinking Aloud tagged, that too with a minor challenge. As usual, all the tags have always been fun to do. So here we go:

Last Movie You Saw In A Theater:
Rang De Basanti and am really happy about it.

What Book Are You Reading:
Actually I am listening (audio book) to My Life by Bill Clinton

Favorite Board Game:
Scrabble.

Favorite Magazine:
Reader's Digest

Favorite Smells:
Baby smell, bakery, rain on mud/brick

Favorite Sound:
Soft instrumental music.

Worst Feeling In The World:
Helplessness and self pity

What Is The First Thing You Think Of When You Wake? :
If I can sleep for 5 more minutes.

Favorite Fast Food Place:
Chaat place

Future Child's Name:
I'll faint if I come to know I am going to have another one.

Finish This Statement. "If I Had A Lot Of Money I'd...”:
I'll travel around the world to remote places and help needy children with food, shelter and education

Do You Drive Fast? :
No. I am a law abiding citizen. The cop who gave me a ticket for speeding was wrong in his part.

Do You Sleep With A Stuffed Animal?:
No

Storms-Cool Or Scary? :
If trees do not sway hard, cool else I don't want to look outside.

What Was Your First Car?:
White Ambassador

Favourite drink:
Nice cup of tea

Finish This Statement, "If I Had The Time I Would .....” :
Read and travel

Do You Eat The Stems On Broccoli?:
I don't eat the broccoli florets let alone the stems

If You Could Dye Your Hair Any Color, What Would Be Your Choice? :
Auburn

Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In
Delhi, New Jersey

Favorite Sports To Watch:
Tennis, one day cricket, world cup soccer, olympics, gymanstics, skatting, basketball

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You:
A great personality and I really look forward to meeting her someday. I love what she writes and my day starts with a visit to her blog.

What's Under Your Bed?:
Nothing

Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?
Sure but with some changes.

Morning Person Or Night Owl?:
If I am with a friend or have a work to finish or prepare for an exam, I can be either.

Over Easy Or Sunny Side Up?:
Neither. I like hard boiled eggs.

Favorite Place To Relax:
Any vacation place. If home, I like to have a quite time with myself reading a good book.

Favorite Pie:
Mango pie.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:
Hot chocolate fudge topped with chocolate chips

Of All The People You Tagged This To, Who's Most Likely To Respond First?
I think Arch or Archana

And I tag Arch, Archana, Madhu, Ziah, Sumana.

Addicted to eat

I had these phases during my childhood when I used to be addicted to one type of fruit for a period of few months. I would gobble them up in the morning, afternoon and evening, many times replacing them for my regular lunch/dinner. The fruits I was addicted to were orange, grapes, pomegranate, apple, guava and mango.

My first addiction to oranges was when I was 10 years old. I could gobble a dozen a day. Before my mother could lay hands on them to make some juices, they would be already in my tummy. In that grade, I had a chapter in English - The Seveteen Oranges, where the author, working in a dock had consumed 17 big oranges, including the seed and the skin, in order not to be caught by police. Though I could not have eaten the skin but I was amused knowing that someone else could also consume oranges in that proportion. The story remained in my heart as a tribute to remember my own addiction to oranges.

As a kid, I used to like apples, though now it is a different story. Once I had consumed a whole fruit with the seeds. I was freaked out for a couple of days thinking that an apple tree would grow in my stomach. Growing up, becoming wiser and understanding biology, I knew this would be a pure miracle and a sure-shot place holder for Guinness Book of world records. Years later, I had a chapter in English written by Giovanni about a little girl who had an apple orchard in her backyard. She would climb up the tree whenever she got annoyed with her family. She used to refer it as "Apple Tree Pomplex". In my early teens, I used to find similarity between the rebellious nature of the kid to mine and her understanding family to my people, who gave space and lended ears to a teenage mind.

Of course, mango has been my all time favorite. It’s the king of the fruits in all sense. The looks, smell and the taste- everything about it is majestic. I would eat the mango to its last pulp and suck its seed dry. I love all it's flavors. The best were the ones from my home grown mango tree. It was planted by my grandma and my brother, in his toddler days. After a long time, I had a delicious mango today. I sowed the seed in a flower pot, hoping for the green thumb magic to work again. In the meanwhile, I would cherish eating the rest of the box, remembering my good old days.

Worth(less)

Having a hefty bank balance is everyone's dream. Nowadays, the banks have program where one can introduce the early saving concept to the kids. There are umpteen books and seminars of how to get rich fast. There is one seminar hosted every quarter by Warren Buffet, which reveals his secret of getting rich and would help us becoming one. I got an invitation for this last spring. I wanted to attend it just for the heck of it but the day/timing did not suit me. Later I realized that Mr. Buffet made half the fortune from the entry fee required in all these seminars.

As a kid, we did not have the formal pocket money concept. We asked for money from parents when needed but if the frequency became more, it was met by cold stares and questions. So somehow, we were always within the limits of our spending expenditure.

When my brother was in his preteens, my dad decided to open a bank account for him. Though I was much smaller, he opened one for me too. In those days, an account could be opened with Rs. 5 initial deposit! Few years later, my brother had some ceremony at home when lot of people gifted him with cash/check. He also won cash prizes on various competitions, which he promptly deposited in his account. In his college, when he got another proper bank account, we decided to close the accounts in our old bank. My brother checked his balance and was very pleased. It was approx Rs. 3000, a fine amount for a teenager just starting college. I eagerly waited to see my bank balance, only to get disappointed. My balance was Rs. 5.75. 75 paise gained on interest accumulated over years! Some interest rates they had!

Jack of all trades

People always amaze me with their multifaceted skill sets. The amusing part is that the variety of skills they display has no link to each other. But they are able to perform all of them with complete ease.

Few months back, a successful fixed income trader was auditioning for a play that he had written and wished to direct. I was wondering what sort of story a person with an analytical mind can come up with. The script turned out to be pretty interesting. He depicted the job scenario and had come up with a plot on how to recruit people. According to the script, all the job nominees should be taken in a room and asked to talk to one another. No questions asked but in the end, the best candidate would be selected. I am eager to know when the play would hit the street theatres.

Math/physics and music has a relationship dating back to centuries. Many well known scientists play at least one musical instrument. It was no surprise when my music teacher left her well paying software job to start music lessons. A friend of mine had mentioned that her skating instructor was actually a networking professional working in some reputed firm and was teaching skating as a hobby.

My recent astonishment was when our business analyst was away for two weeks. The project that we are working on is in a critical stage and we could not comprehend how he was able to get days off. It was later we figured out that he was away "on duty". It made me wonder how insignificant our software deadlines seem in front of a real battlefield.

The most bewildering news was when we heard that the priest in a local temple has turned into a cop! He is working in both these positions. While he advises the traffic during the day, he gives spiritual discourses to the people in the evening.

Wonder if he gives sermons to the thugs he catches.

Catch me if you can

Walking is one of my favorite activities. Even though I am not able to devote time for a morning or evening walk, I enjoy whatever walking I am able to accomplish during a day. I do not mind parking my car further away and taking few extra steps to enter my work building.

I think in any other part of the world except USA, people would do this activity, more out of necessity if not by choice. Seeing people walk also increases the vibrancy of a place. No wonder New York City and Mumbai are so electrifying.

In my younger days, I have walked 5 miles from a cousin's house to mine. In a nice evening, the walk would be gratifying and I would enjoy the small markets, parks and the residential complexes that came along the way. As a kid, I and my brother used to walk to school. I used to carry a school bag on my shoulders, holding its large strap/holder across my neck. According to my brother I used to walk so slow that he had to drag me with the strap. I think they stopped making those school bags now, which is good – reducing torture from elder siblings.

Years later, when I started working, I had a manager, who would zoom past like a breeze, actually tornado would be more appropriate. I could never figure out if a slow moving manager was better than a faster one. One can at least be prepared once a slow moving manager approaches one's desk. In case of the faster one, all you experience is a gust of wind in your way. But I assumed if he is zooming past, he would have little time to grasp what is shown in my screen. Now all these do not even matter.

Few months back, I watched the “Walk Marathon” held in New York City in the TV. The lady who came first had just become a new mother. She enjoyed walking so much that not even motherhood stopped her.

Recently people have told me that they see me only as a flicker as I go past them. To the extent that one of them asked me if I was a sprinter in school and if he can call me "PT Usha"! I never realized the increase in my gait. In my family, I know people who walk faster than me. I believe I picked up speed while trying to keep pace with them. In any case, if I can accomplish some exercise by just walking, I should be far from complaining.