Its Scary..

One of the sureshot symptoms of addictive joblessness is when you start listening to each and every song on your computer hard-drive. On a lazy saturday, that was precisely my plan of fruitful action. This particular song caught my ears, tinkered with my mind and made me do things I did not want to be caught doing today..retrospecting, introspecting, speculating and in general, thinking.

25 is a scary age man.A fourth of my life just whizzed by along with 16 years of schooling, 2 degrees and a year on an insipid profession. Its an eerie thought of disbelief.

So many things have happened so fast. Mom's cooking now become a thing of the past and cooking for yourself is trendsetting. Being dropped at school has transitioned to walking to college and commuting to work. I have moved from people making decisions for me to being consulted on to make decisions and eventually making decisions for myself and others. I dont know whether this wind of change is for the better or the worse. Better-because it makes you responsible.Worse-because you are responsible.

Anyways, to cut a long story short, change is growth. Sometimes, things take a while to change making us anticipative. Most of the times, change is so fleeting that it catches us short of our breath. Either way, it is upto us to make the most of what change brings.

Without further ado, may I present "100 years" by Five for Fighting.

I'm 15 for a moment
Caught in between 10 and 20
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are
I'm 22 for a moment
She feels better than ever
And we're on fire
Making our way back from Mars

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind
I'm 45 for a moment
The sea is high
And I'm heading into a crisis
Chasing the years of my life

Half time goes by
Suddenly you're wise
Another blink of an eye
67 is gone
The sun is getting high
We're moving on...
I'm 99 for a moment
Dying for just another moment
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are

Scrubisms 5

The original Scrubs title sequence..

This video was aired only for 3 episodes of season 2- an extended version of the title accomodating the likes of the janitor as well. However, due to fan consternation and studio pressure, this video was removed and replaced with the shorter one, still opening the show to date.


and the actual theme song itself,
I am no superman by Lazlo Bane

Coffee Conversations...

Coffee is a great bonding agent. Discoveries, friendships, opinions and hell has been made across that cup of caffeine. I am proud to admit I am a big fan of coffee, a tad overindulgent infact, and millions will raise their mugs in admitting the same.

AL and I caught up last evening after a long time. He's an MD, a plastic surgeon passed out of JHU and UCSF respectively. We work together occasionally. Random conversations about the weather channeled towards scientific research and his work ( Disclaimer: Some of the facts stated are directly from conversational ditties, the authenticity of them will soon be verified. They were taken for granted because they were from a highly qualified individual). AL is here on a 2 year resident fellowship to study the effect of specific genes in the cause and effect of atherosclerosis (clogging of the blood vessels due to fat accumulation). He then gets back to UCSF as a resident fellow. He was telling me about his addiction towards research-which according to him is like gambling. When you win some, You play more..when you lose some, ou play more to make up for the loss and win some. His only regret after getting back to the emergency, is that he would be putting in 84 hrs of work every week as opposed to the 60 he does now. Why? a simple example- Sewing back a cut hand will take 14 hours to rejoin 3 blood vessels, 5 nerves, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Then, theres the risk of internal clotting, which would involve repeating the entire procedure. As part of his future plans, he wanted to do a sub speciality in pediatric craniofacial surgery. In infants born with deformed head shapes, it is actually possible to split the skill which spreads out, and parts can be cut and rearranged. wow!!Conversations drifted to alcohol and drug rehabilitation- something I am really passionate about. AL opines rehabilitation is of two types-One following any addiction, another before it. I concur with him.

Needless to say, I savored those 20 minutes after 5 and my coffee ofcourse!!

Bussy Days

I thought of this post on an impromptu early morning bus trip to New York last week, and it finally materialized on my notepad. Much as I tried to catch some sleep during the monotonous 4 hour journey, I couldn't help thinking about the influx of public transportation in my 24 year journey so far.

My earliest recollection of buses was when dad took M and me to check out the buses at Sanskrit college after dinner. I still remember the 12Bs, 45Bs, the 12s and the occasional 41 series at the bend. School was closer to home and we did not bank on buses to get us there. We walked and then eventually graduated to cycles. I used buses to get everywhere in town and was a master of most of the cities bus routes. 21 went all the way from Parry's to Mandaveli, 29C all the way from Perambur to Adayar, 12G from Anna Square to KK nagar, 12B from Foreshore estate to Vadapalani and 1 from thriruvotriyur to thiruvanmiyur. We used to take the express buses from Broadway to Vellore, the equivalent of a Boston-New York journey. The buses stopped enroute for breaks, and we made use of opportunity to have "Elaneer" on hot summer days. These point to point buses were outrageously fast, but had limited stops on the way. I remember travelling in UP, Haryana and Rajasthan in their famous tourist buses.

Manipal was bus haven. The trains used to go all the way to Mangalore and Manipal was an hour away from there. It was on the notoriously famous Mangalore-Manipal buses on NH17 that I used to reach college. These buses had their fifteen minutes of fame on the highway by travelling at unimaginable speeds. There have been many an accident on NH-17 courtesy these buses but the need for speed flourishes. An alternative way to reach Chennai was by taking the buses to bangalore and take the train from there.

In the US, my college was in a place where public transport wasnt necessary. I traveled from Chicago to Lexington in DEC 2004 which was my first long distance bus trip. That trip was a blast ( I have blogged about it earlier). After relocating to Boston, Buses were my staple mode of commutation till late.

My trips to New York have been courtesy the Fungwah buses, these buses are a boon to students and the like who want to get to New York fast and without burning a hole in your pocket. The tickets costs you 15 bucks and you are in NYC in 4 hours. Buses leave every hour and they are invariably filled.

As I look back, how much ever I love to bike or drive, my first crush is always public transport. I have met interesting people, debated on contemporary issues, made friends and in general, had great times during my bus and train travels. Madras, Manipal, New Orleans, Boston, Chicago or Vellore, nothing beats a good ole bus ride!

May the trips keep rolling.

mimes and sketches

played dumbcharades and pictionary with some ubercool people this evening. After a very very long time. Lots of competition and loads of fun.
I miss quizzing.

One Step Closer

This wednesday evening was spent watching a reality show called Dirty Dancing on TV. The premise of this show is that 6 couples performing diverse dance routines compete to win a dance contract. There were salsa, tango, cha-cha, hip-hop, pop and ballroom dancing on stage.The male is a professional dancer who has to choose his partner out of three contestants. In the hip-hop category, the ladies had to put up with the obnoxiousness of this guy, who was self absorbed, pungent and racist. One of the contestants actually wanted to leave the show but held on for the love of the dance. When she actually won, she told him onstage that  training with him made her lose respect for the dance and walked out. Despite losing out on a chance in the finals, she sure won a lot of respect.

Shahrocks Primetime

The much anticipated revival of kaun banega crorepati with more moolah at stake, and most importantly a new helmsman. Shahrukh Khan takes over from where Amitabh Bachchan left. Amitabh reclaimed his lost glory and won the hearts of millions of indians all around the world, being the accessibly affable superhost of this show. Shahrukh has huge shoes to fill. At a time when his moves seem to be taking Bachchan head on, comparisions and opinions are flowing in by the dozen.

I checked out the first 15-20 odd minutes courtesy youtube and I loved it. Heres why shahrukh hits the ball out of the ground.

Right from his early days till date, Shahrukh's forte is his charisma, energy and his uncanny ability to banter forever, with repartees thrown in good measure. It is exactly these which he brought in with him on the sets. Pour liberal measure of warmth and spontaneity, I am sure he brought smiles on everyones face with his introduction lines about not speaking pure hindi and when he asked the contestants wife to " wish him all the best and say I love you".SRKs enthusiam and geniality provides the perfect alternative to Amitabhs restraint.The only sore point was the shoddily made, kindergarden music video. Whats up with the blings and whites a-la Abhishek Bachchan bluffmaster mode? The english and hindi soliloquies...Namak Halaal/Velaikkaran anyone? and SRK did mention mere angane mein tumhara kya kaam hai.

give the guy his due..stop drawing comparisions and lets enjoy the show for what it is..Big B, SRK or whoever.

P.s: on a personal note, the new Don was a very well made film by its own might.

IF.

I remembered Rudyard Kipling's famous poem this morning on my way to work. I heard it for the first time during the teacher's farewell for my seniors, when my principal recited it on stage. Elegant, inspiring and plain wonderful, I love this poem. In fact, I had a poster of it on my wall for more than 5 years and quoted it in many an autograph book.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Rudyard Kipling

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scrubisms

" In Med school they warn you about the sacrifices you need to



make, I guess it means different things to different people, like



giving up something you want now, for something you really want your



whole life "



Scrubs, Zach Braff- I am hooked!!

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Performancing

Heres my first post using the performancing firefox, a full featured blog editor for the Mozilla browser and am I impressed..:)

Now I dont need to log into my account everytime to write a post, all I need to do is press f8 and lo! this editor screen pops up. Once when I am done, I click publish and the post is automatically uploaded to your website ( obviously we should update the url and the login details)

You can store multiple blog sites and enable 1 click publishing for each of them.

Heres to performancing!!

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Sit or be Seated

This evening I offered my seat to a lady who politely declined it.
The gentleman next to me got up and offered his seat to her, she politely declined it as well.
He caught her arm, turned her around and made her sit.
Whoever said Chivalry was dead, look again. Its alive, kicking and ready to grab you by the throat.

INDIA POISED

INDIA POISED

India Poised- The Times of India's ode, on our 60th year of independence to the other India, the India which is ready to take on the world. A very interesting campaign, encompassing the varied facets of the media to get the message across. The website had an interesting appeal to it. I particularly savored the RK Laxman's TOI cartoons and Jug and Ninan's musings. The India Anthem as it is called is recited by the inimitable Amitabh Bachchan. Here's the text of it, and the video plays on the site.

There are two Indias in this country.
One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us. The other India is the leash.
One India says give me a chance and I'll prove myself. The other India says prove yourself first and maybe then you'll have a chance.
One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.
One India wants. The other India hopes. One India leads. The other India follows.
But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming over to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.

An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure. An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.
History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it's taking a turn.
This is that rarely-ever moment. History is turning a page.
For over half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up and dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today, as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.
And one India - a tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.

The other India is looking up at the sky and saying it's time to fly.

INDIA POISED

Our time is now

Swe and I were discussing this couple of evenings back and the only thing in our minds was Why Amitabh Bachchan? . Its true that he is the numero uno of our film industry, a performer par excellence. Isnt it time we realize we are overplaying him? The guy is everywhere, right from promoting suitings, cars, pens and what not. Nowadays there are updates about his walk routines, temple visits and the like.

When I see Amitabh Bachchan take centerstage, the first thing that came to my mind was whether we will be able to appreciate and relate to someone else ? If so, would it be the same? Is it because of the fact that he has won the hearts of millions, we tend to cling to him? Are we scared to let go, because we fear the same impact would not be achieved?
Nevertheless, a very interesting and an inspirational campaign.Dont forget to get your indiapoised badges!!

Introspectively Retrospect

What a year its been, having its own shares of highs and lows, plusses and minuses, hits and misses, hellos and farewells. On a personal note, 2006 brought its share of enthusiasms and tribulations. I became a degree wiser, moved north east, working harder and enjoying it. Though the year started off on the wrong foot, things transitioned to a smoother directive and I hope its stays that way.

In retrospect, time exudes change, which keeps you going. Over the years, change has shaped my perception, thoughts and action. Change brings realization, which provides suitable experience for further change and the cycle goes on.2006 has been one such year and I hope the following years would be the same too.

Over the last year, I have made concious efforts to reconnect with people who matter the most and continue to do so. It may not be for knowing what their weekend plans are, but for consistent support, apprisal, opinions and criticism. At the same time, I require and respect my space and know that others do too. I have realised that keeping the final goal in sight, and savoring the steps towards it makes it worth the effort. Perfection isnt the zenith, striving towards it is. In addition, I have reaffirmed the importance of concurrent opinions in any relationship.

I have realized the importance of adequate rest.I have caught up on a lot of reading and honing my writing skills. I have walked miles and reaping the benefits of fitness and good health. I've volunteered and will continue doing so. I picked up my tennis from where it was and taking it further. I am meeting enterprising people by the day and seeking inspiration. Lifes looking up.

This year, I want to strike a more definitive balance betweeen liking what you do and doing what you like. I want to be a little more cynical,detached, practical, focused, diligent and smarter. My confidence, sense of humor, motivation and spirit is getting the much needed tinkering. Looks like I want a lot..true and I am working my ass off towards getting it. Did I forget to mention I turn 25 this year?

An awesome year ahead and pray everyone makes the most of it.

Tag

I realized M tagged me a couple of months back, and on my way back to regular writing, this should get me started.

One book that changed your life?

Hmm..books dont change my life, probably influence its course.Currently, The screenplay of Good Will Hunting by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck tops the list. I know it sounds a little queer, but I actually own a copy of this tale about this prodigy, working as a Janitor in MIT and his struggles with himself, his personal and professional relationships and eventually working through his problems.

An Excerpt from the actual transcript:

WILL: Do you play the piano?

SKYLAR: I wanna talk about this.

WIL: No, I'm tryin' to explain it to you. Do you play the piano?

SKYLAR: Yeah, a bit.

WILL: All right so when you--when you look at a piano you see Mozart.

SKYLAR: I see Chopsticks.

WILL: All right, well, Beethoven, okay, he looked at a piano and it just made sense to him. He could just play.

SKYLAR: So, what're you saying? You play the piano?

WILL: No. Not a lick. I mean, I look at a piano, I see a bunch'a keys, three pedals, and a box of wood. but Beethoven, Mozart, they saw it, they could just play. I couldn't paint you a picture, I probably can't hit the ball out of Fenway, and I can't play the piano.

SKYLAR: But you can do my O Chem paper in under an hour.

WILL: Right. Well, I mean, when it came to stuff like that I could always just play. That's the best I can explain it.

The Kite Runner of late has been an inspiring read as well.

2. One book you have read more than once?

Hmmm..the Kite Runner, Love Story, Catcher in the rye, the TinTin collections, the color of water, the diary of Anne Frank.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?

I'd probably want more than one here..Ayn Rand's works The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, my Calvin and Hobbes collection,

4. One book that made you cry?

None that I can think of..though the pursuit of happyness by Chris Gardner had its moments. I am planning to watch the movie this weekend..it stars Will Smith and his son Jaden.

5. One book that made you laugh?

Gods Debris, C n H obviously, Dave Barry's and some of Nick Hornby's works.

6. One book you wish had been written?

I am a big fan of stories being retold. I wish a lot of valued classics could be retold in current premises to accentuate their worth or obtain different dimensions of the fable.


7. One book you wish had never been written?

Some of these annoying British writing with cynics, drug addicts, omniscients, sexpots and the likes..reading which makes you more depressed than before.



8. One book you are currently reading?

Tsotsi, Harry Potter and the sorcerers Stone, the interpreter of maladies, deception point.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?

the remaining books in the Harry Potter series, Scott Adams's Way of the Weasel, Ponniyin Selvan, the works of James Herriot.

10. Tag five people.

Dont Bother..:)

Doctors

I havent been consistent in writing, largely due to the fact that I have been prioritizing work over everything else of late. I am trying to keep myself busy doing a bit of traveling, reading, sorting out my books and music, volunteering at the Hospital and playing some tennis. I love being around at MGH. The place is abuzz with activity throughout the day, and you get to interact with so many people from all walks of life. Its heartwarming to see them contribute their bit towards making someone feel better, physically and mentally.

I recently read about 4 new residents who have joined Brigham and Woman's Hospital this summer.Sarah Billmeier (MD, Surgery) lost her left leg above her knee to bone cancer at the age of 5. That did not deter her from learning to ski and she made it to the US paralympic team at the age of 14, winning medals at different events in France, Norway and in the USA. She completed her MD from Dartmouth college and began her residency this summer at BWH. She hopes to utilize her experiences in healthcare to show that obstacles are meant to be overcome. Sashi Ranganathan (MD, Radiology) graduated from Yale and relocated to Calcutta to work at Prem Dan, run by Mother Theresa's sisters of charity. At Prem dan, she tended to tuberculosis and AIDS affected patients and returned back to the US to complete her MD at the St. Georges University in Grenada.
Nirav Vakharia (MD, Internal Medicine) graduated from Case Western and spent 2 years teaching 7th and 8th grade kids and eventually researched policy initiatives for the goverment. He then relocated to Burma to train educators in refugee camps there, and returned back to commence at Harvard Medical School.For Michael Westerhaus (MD, Internal Medicine), a service trip in Mexico made him realize he wanted to directly work with patients than performing research. He spent a year volunteering at a health care camp in Uganda, returned back to the US to pursue his MD at HMS. He spends his summers in Uganda, researching HIV transmission and working with AIDS patients.
4 diverse backgrounds, 4 unique experiences and 4 inspiring individuals.

Whats in a Name?

Due to unspecific reasons, I changed the name of my blog to arkatva.blogspot.com from das-zeitgeist.blogspot.com. In between these two, there were a couple of insignificant addresses which I would rather not talk about.
Arkatva is a sanskrit word which means brightness, and I will try to continue keeping the zeitgeist amalgamated in these pages.

Kiss and Make Up

Today was a day which you wish never happened, but realise you never had a choice in the first place. I was late for work ( Late and Latest tactic did not hold good this time around). I commenced working on some protocols, but realised I had to send a courier home. I located a UPS store in downtown Boston, and took some time off in the afternoon to get this done. I got off at the wrong T station, traversed the entire downtown, got lost ( I would done better navigating the chakravyuha)and retraced my way to the UPS store.
Afternoon was even "better". Things werent completed on schedule and the protocol was messed up. Guilt and remorse was blowing in the wind. Onyi asked me why I had to cramp so much in a day. She said she always made sure that she Kept It Short and Simple.
Now, who would not want a kiss like this.

Mom Chips in...

"Sucess is....going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm"

Winston Churchill

Or-CUT!

Quote of the week
" I really dont like this Orkut. Its the virtual equivalent of shouting across a busy road"
AJR

Once upon a time in Kentucky

The last time NJ and I worked out a trip together, we got stranded for 2 days in a snowstorm, almost got arrested while consipiring to rob a Family Dollar store, missed our bus back to Chicago, took a taxi to outrun the bus and board it in Cincinatti. Wonder whats going to happen next month..

It happened December 2004. I was tormented with excess work and took a break to visit family in Chicago. It transpired to me that SS lived pretty close by and it would be a great time to drop by her place. I roped in NJ and a plan was made.

I missed my flight to Chicago on saturday evening, thanks to my last minute shopping spree. Dad used to say I never learn. He's the kind who reaches the station an hour before a train departs, and here I was, trying to catch a flight fifteen minutes before it took off. His laughter still rings in my ears.



I rescheduled my flight for sunday morning and spent a day and a half with my cousins. I met NJ on monday evening at Union Station to take a greyhound bus to Lexington, KY. We were supposed to get back on thursday and I was flying back to Ruston on saturday. We reached Lexington on a cold tuesday morning and had a wonderful time with SS, who was getting ready for a short vacation to India. Come wednesday night and we were ready to head back to the windy city. SS, who had borrowed her friends car, drove us to the bus station and we were stationed in the parking lot of a mall, waiting for the bus to arrive.It was cold and we decided to wait in the car itself. Barely 15 minutes had passed,we heard sirens and two police cars pull behind us. I panicked and got out of the car, only to get back in when a voice bellowed through the loudspeaker " GET BACK INTO THE CAR AND DO NOT GET OUT UNTIL WE SAY SO..". Yeah whatever.



Here we were, inside the car clueless about what was going on. SS had another problem , the car was not hers. Two policemen walk towards us. SS rolled down the window and we were bombarded with a zillion questions. Apparently, the family dollar outlet in the mall noticed us in the parking lot and realised we were there for quite a while. The paranoid owners telephoned the cops thinking we were waiting to rob them ( Family dollar of all places). We had to show the cops our bus tickets and IDs for him to believe us. Actually he dint, one of the cars left while the other waited till we boarded onto the bus. We did not board the bus eventually, because of a snowstorm in Ohio and Indiana. All roads leading out out of Indianapolis were blocked and there was no way of us reaching Cincinatti, leave alone Indianapolis and Chicago. Here we were, in Lexington, toubling SS who hadnt even commenced her packing. The following day was spent at home looking at each others faces.



We found out that there was a bus leaving for Chicago on Friday morning though. SS dropped us off at the bus station a little earlier, and since we had some time on hand, we walked across to walmart to grab something to eat and buy a discman. As we come out, the Chicago greyhound bus departs right in front of our eyes. I had to be on that bus as the next one was only in the night and I had to catch a flight out of Chicago the following morning at 6. We knew that the bus had a stopover at Cincinatti. We pooled all the money we got, rented a taxi,scared the wits out of SS, made the driver break every speed limit on the ice covered interstate, and boarded that bus five minutes before its departure. We made it to Chicago that evening at around 6. Everyone was happy, NJ got home safely and SS successfully completed her packing. I almost missed my morning flight, but thats another story.
A jinxed trip? No way. I got to spend quality time with two of my most favorite people in the world, missed buses, endured snow storms and house arrests and had a whale of a time.Thats all I wanted.
(I still dont regret buying that discman for altogether different reasons.)

P.S: To all who stumble upon this page and spend a couple of minutes perusing it. Please let me know what you think, it does wonders.

P.P.S: I dedicate this post to my co-accuseds. This wouldnt have happened without you two. I still miss the Karagatta "car" though. Thanks for one hell of a ride.


DPK