Amazing Scotland...

Scotland.

There are a few places in the world which can match this part of the British Isles in terms of natural beauty. And what better way to experience it than driving along the highways that spread across the Scottish highlands.

We started off one sunny morning from Birmingham taking highway M6 to the north. Driving past Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and Preston, we stopped mid way at Lake District to take a look at the amazing set of lakes right between the mountains. The view of the Bowness Bay Lake was stupendous even though the weather was a bit overcast.

We then carried on northwards passing Penrith and Carlisle to reach the historic and captivating city of Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Castle is a marvel in itself overlooking the entire city from the mountaintop.

Edinburgh certainly gives a feeling of being in medieval Britain but with the luxuries of the modern era. Still, the city retains its natural attractions with huge lush green parks and lakes.

We set off early next morning for Inverness up north. The journey got even more exciting and a visual delight to the eyes as we drove still higher up the mountains. The sun playing hide and seek with the clouds provided at least half a dozen sightings of lovely rainbows.

Inverness was the starting point of the journey along the long and beautiful but eerie Loch Ness; the great lake famous for the sightings of the imaginary (or maybe real) Loch Ness Monster. Contrary to the character of a lake, the water flows in turbulent waves but looks serene blue from a distance. It was a pity that the ‘Monster’ didn’t feel like giving us an appearance.

We completed our journey for the day driving through the evergreen mountains along the lake while passing the ancient town of Fort Williams and reaching the small coastal town of Oban. It was a lovely sight to see ships coming in and moving out of the docks right across our hotel room window.

The next morning we left Oban for Glasgow driving downhill and along another great lake called Loch Lomond. Glasgow bears the marks of a modern city what with the 2014 Common Wealth Games slated to be hosted there.

The drive back to Birmingham was no less beautiful with lush green farms full of white sheep appearing as small white dots and the occasional mountain cow with their long brown hair and horns.

It was a rather satisfying little journey but anyone who is looking to experience the wonders of the natural world must pay a visit to Scotland.

   

Heavy Petting...

It is usually not for a long stretch of time when I manage to keep my relationship status at the ‘single’ mark. I’m almost always in a relationship (or even more) at any given time. Ummm… with animals, that is !

And my latest liaison started off in the beginning of November 2012 when a generous cat walked into our place with a pair of twins dangling from its mouth. No wonder, I was hooked instantly.

Befriending an animal is one of the most exciting and blissful experiences one can ever have. And with loads of such experiences throughout my life, this opportunity was no different. However, the cat made a disappearing act the very next day, never to return to check on the twins. Maybe she was satisfied that the little ones were in an appropriate place to be left to grow up. But it left me with complete freedom to take care of the kittens all by myself.

Though under most unfortunate circumstances, one of the kittens met with a fatal accident. This led me to be even more attached to the other little kitty.

Before long, we were literally inseparable (much to the helplessness of my Mom). And intelligent kitty having discovered the risks of possible evictions from the house after following me indoors, took to walking between my feet to evade any impending hostility. And during times when my feet were stationary, little kitty let no opportunity pass to rub itself on and around my feet. At times made me wonder if kitty had heard something awful about cat-skin and hence wanted to get it off by rubbing me frantically.

I wasn’t even spared a minute’s peace in the afternoon sun to sit and read. Repeated attempts were made to jump on to my lap (with simultaneous shrieks emerging from the direction of my Mom). But ultimately, the victory for both of us would end up as something like this.

At other times when kitty wanted to play, a stare from a distance was enough to give me the signal.

And after getting done with playing ball, getting kitty down from the top of the guava tree and having a quick snack of our favorite choco cookies, it would be time to relax in the winter-afternoon sun.

Even if I shifted base from outdoors to indoors, kitty would follow and sleep with me not more than a feet away.

I even managed to get kitty to be friends with the dogs outdoor (the ones whom I feed every night). It was a pity I couldn’t get a picture of myself standing with kitty and the dogs on my sides.

Friendship with an animal is one of the purest form of relationships. One doesn’t even need to talk to communicate with such a friend. The eyes are enough to convey whatever one wants to convey in a true relationship.

If only…

Autumn Equinox...

It’s not often that at the stroke of midnight, I find myself relishing a full serving of hot biryani for dinner…


And being treated with with Forlan at his very best for Inter Milan in an action-packed game live on tv…


And with my phone to my ear, hearing two girls sing “Happy Birthday to you…” simultaneously over a conference call…

I couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the Autumn Equinox, could I ??? :D :D :D

Hope to finish it off with a grand dinner by the time the day ends ! (That’s the most I look forward to every day in life. :P :D Why worry about the future ? :-) )

P.S. : Equinoxes are the two days of the year when the day and night are closest to being equal. In more technical terms, the day when the sunrise and the sunset are closest to being exactly twelve hours apart.

(Image courtesy : Google Images)

The Hazards of Growing Up...

“God……. When will he grow up ??” exclaimed Mom, rolling her eyes heavenwards, as if having a one-to-one with the Almighty.

And without waiting for the Almighty to explain things, she looked back at me as I ended up sprawled on the floor, clutching my hurting tummy and laughing my wits off for the nth time in the last half hour, watching the ‘Tom & Jerry’ show on the telly.

Seeming to have given up on any hope she had for her elder son showing any signs of sanity, she walked off to the confines of her room, mumbling something to the effect of using the ‘parental control’ on our television set.


Ok. ‘Tom & Jerry’ has been one of my weak points, if not the weakest. But what’s it got to do with my growing up ?

Ohhh… Am I supposed to be a grown up ? Maybe…

But do I care ?? Not in this world !

Which makes me ponder… what is this thing about growing up ? When exactly does a person grow up ? Is it really the stage when one can reach up and quietly sneak away the cookies from the top of the shelf ??

I have seen lots of people (rather, kids) itching to ‘grow up’. Maybe so that they can do things which they cannot and should not do as long as they are kids. And I’ve seen people ‘growing up’ overnight on their eighteenth birthday. Maybe there’s a lot more fun on the other side of that landmark in one’s life. But I’ve seen more serious people than joyous ones towards the heavier side of eighteen.

Looking at most of the ‘grown ups’ around me, I always get the feeling that I’m in unknown territory. For a small example, mine was the only room in the entire campus during the days of Medical College, where one would always find a handful of comics on the table. Though they were not officially prescribed by the Indian Medical education, yet I wouldn’t be able to end my day without going through at least one comic.


I could sense some of my mates feeling tempted to ask me to borrow some of those at times. In fact, some actually did too. But most of the times, people showed more amusement of seeing those in my room rather than giving in to the urge of reading one.

At home I still maintain a vast collection of children’s books and comics into which I dive every other day and relieve myself whenever I’m in need to be refreshed.


But then, has age something to do with growing up ? People can drive, vote, consume liquor, marry and do quite a few other things once they cross a certain age. Legally, that is. Because I’ve also seen under aged individuals getting involved in things which they cannot legally be involved in at their age.

One can legally drive. And one can legally consume liquor after a certain age. But would a person who gets himself drunk and then drives around (and over unsuspecting people), really be called a grown up ?

Not including child marriages (which are still illegally practiced around India), so many ‘grown ups’ who can and do legally marry, don’t have a clue about what they are getting themselves into. And dare I mention about how most ‘grown ups’ use their right to vote ??

So what do grown ups do ? What are they supposed to do ? How are they supposed to behave ? And what do they do when they have some free time on their hands ??

And when I put myself through these trying questions, I can only come up with what grown ups don’t do, are not supposed to do and how they are not supposed to behave.

Because there aren’t many (or any) grown ups that I’ve seen who…

* Run out with a football while it rains instead of sitting in the shade and sipping tea.
* Or who play 'Caesar IV' on their computer overnight during holidays instead of muttering sweet nothings with a girl/boy friend on the phone.
* Or who share a toddler’s big balloon to play with instead of shouting at the kid to sit down and behave.
* Or who run around the house with their Mom chasing them with a glass of milk instead of sitting down at the dining table for a proper breakfast.
* Or who quietly sneak inside the refrigerator for some ‘Cadburys GEMS’ at 2 AM instead of snoring away in bed.
* Or who opt for a nice serving of Choco ice cream at a party instead of even giving a look to the liquor-bar.
* Or who are more interested in the latest Spanish-League scores instead of the values of the stock market in the daily news.

Even at my age I’m not considered a grown up and looking at some of my exploits as above, I don’t see me ‘growing up’ in the near future.

But I ask again, does being a grown up anything to do with one’s appearance, one’s age, one’s actions or does it depend upon one’s sensibilities ?

And, is it necessary to leave the child in one’s own self behind, as one continues to overtake new landmarks of age in life ? If that is necessary in order to grow up,……. What’s the big deal in growing up ???


Are you a grown up ???


(Picture credits : Google Images)

Kites...

The sun was still playing hide-n-seek with the dark clouds as he stepped on to the terrace. It had been raining heavily all through the day. The clouds, having seemed to have drained their store of cats and dogs appeared to be interested elsewhere. He was disappointed not to find a rainbow. But the brisk and cool breeze sort of made it up for him.

He decided to scan the neighborhood as he walked around the damp terrace. The north end was calm as ever. The only difference being that the kitchen-garden of the neighbors next door had pretty much been converted into a kitchen-pond in which their five-year-old was trying to sail his paper boats.

Moving over to the west, he saw two little birds on the big mango tree making quite a noise about a worm they had just caught. Obviously arguing about which of them was earlier. The south, however, looked a tad disturbed. It appeared that the dozen odd kids from the four-generation-household, who had finished drenching themselves running after each other in the rain, were now running around trying to escape their mothers who wanted to get them out of their wet clothes.

But he stopped as he came to the east-end. As usual, he glanced towards the house down the street. It somehow felt alive within, but motionless as always. The terrace was deserted. He was confused whether to feel relieved or disappointed. So he continued to eye the deserted terrace in order to solve his confusion.

And he got his answer the next moment as the door burst open and revealed contents which instantly spread all over.

The rucksack of terror that emerged from the door was ‘Gonglu’, the ten year old who was the scourge of the neighborhood. Though he was barely ten, he was built well enough to handle two ten-year-olds. He had heard how Gonglu’s mom was to have twins. But apparently gave up on the trouble of delivering twice and instead had Gonglu. He surely looked like a pair of twins that weren’t given the trouble to separate at all.

The quality which kept Gonglu at the top of the weekly charts of the nuisance mongers of the area was his spontaneity. To hatch up an evil plan to render his victims aghast was with him, the work of a moment.

And each time his eyes saw Gonglu, he would involuntarily be forced to recall that day when his ‘Rambo’ ran up and down the street at unbelievable speeds as each of the juicy ‘chatai’ bomb tied to its tail blasted louder than the one before. To watch one’s beloved dog run for his life is bad enough. But to watch him run without even being able to tuck his tail in between his legs is worse. And he simply winced on recalling that incident once again.

He had hated Gonglu ever since he descended on that peaceful locality with his family for newer prey. And he could have easily dealt him some good lessons if it wasn’t for… Her. Gonglu’s elder sister. He remembered the moment when he first saw her. And how he had simply melted. She had mesmerized him. And that sparkle in her eyes had shot right through him. He always wondered, how could siblings be so infinitely opposites of each other… ??

He scanned the terrace once again. There was no sight of her. But Gonglu seemed to be getting ready to fly a kite. Something that gave him immense pleasure. Though it served as a warning sign for the entire living neighborhood. And suddenly he had an idea. “I’ll show the devil how to fly a kite !” He ran back in and came out with a kite and thread.

The wind was brisk, and the kites were up in no time. He realized that the wind was towards the north-east. “Even better !” he thought. “Maybe I can poke it right on the brat’s head.”
Gonglu looked around for probable victims, and saw him tugging at his kite. He grinned. When he saw Gonglu grin, he felt his insides churning and something hot rising up his nose, to his head. “Just you wait. You monster !” And he loosened his kite further to get to the right length.

When he felt it was just the accurate distance, right above the ten-year-old plague, he tweaked the thread. Just as the kite turned down on its nose, he pulled hard. And down dived the kite. Aiming right at Gonglu’s fat head. And he mumbled to himself, “That’ll teach you a nice lesson !”

The sound of the impact echoed through the length of the street. He wondered if people had ever heard a kite strike a ten-year-old’s head. Maybe they hadn’t. But the sound he heard right then didn’t really seem like it. The sound should probably have been close to a thud. Not the thud of a falling sack-full of potatoes. But a thud of a stick striking a hairy head. But this sounded more like a pair of scissors striking a table head on.

And as he shifted his attention to the source of that very sound, he saw Gonglu’s burly Brigadier of a dad pressing hard at his bald head looking around desperately to ascertain the new target for his rifle. In all the excitement to teach the thug a lesson, he had completely missed when Gonglu’s dad had joined him on the terrace.

There are a few situations which ask for immediate actions. And this was one such situation. And the best and only possible action he could think of was to duck. And as he ducked, he plucked at the thread in his hand to avoid leaving any ‘loose ends’. He watched through a crack in the wall, still crouching. And he could see the Brigadier stomping his feet off the terrace. While the real target was still at large.

He wasn’t going to give up. And soon he had another kite up in the air. He decided not to risk repeating the previous plan and ending up hitting bald and unsuspecting Brigadiers on the head again. “I’ll fight him off in a kite fight !” he said to himself. He tweaked and pulled at the thread, trying to get close to Gonglu’s while he had one eye on the terrace to check if the dad really returned with a loaded rifle.

And that was when he lost it. She had just stepped out on to the terrace, looking around skywards. And he felt his heart skip a beat. She had walked up to her kid brother, taking keen interest in the kite flying contest.

He was still tugging at the thread, looking at her, when he suddenly felt it get too tensed. And as he looked back bringing his attention to his kite, he couldn’t find it in the air. And it immediately struck to him that his kite had smoothly landed somewhere behind their house while he was busy admiring the cutest girl around. The prospective fight had ended rather abruptly. And he saw Gonglu look back at him and grin. And she looked back too.

“Oh God. She’s looking. I’ve got to get out of this one !” he prayed. And he tugged at the thread. And all of a sudden his kite appeared from behind the roof top.

But his joy was short lived as the kite was now in the possession of a red faced descendant of the apes. Panic ! He tugged and tried to pull it out of the monkey’s hands. But one cannot do much but stare when monkeys have some other ideas. And this one had too. It quickly started biting the kite like there was no tomorrow. And with each bite, he could hear the guffaws of Gonglu mixed with those of his sister. All he could manage was stand and stare with his face getting as red as the monkey’s, and starting to feel faint with embarrassment.

Gonglu was having fits of laughter. While she had sobered down a bit. He watched silently as she turned to leave. She walked up to the door, and stopped. She turned her head around to face him. Looking at him, she smiled. And then she ran inside.

He suddenly noticed, there was a rainbow in the eastern sky now, and he smiled too.

(Plot source : A  friend's real-life experience :P)  
 
(Image source : Google Images)

Seven Random Facts about Myself...

This is the first ‘Tagged’ post on my blog, thanks to Garima. The following are just seven random facts about me.

1) I hate tea !

Though I never ever tasted it, I still hate the sight of tea. And being around people who literally survive on tea isn’t much fun either. Here’s an interesting incident that happened a few years back.

We were appearing for our University examination practicals in Anatomy at the Medical college. While in the midst of it all, I saw the attendant distributing small biscuit packets to the students. And much to my dislike it was followed by tea in small disposable cups. Before I could be handed one too, I saw my roomie Tarun being provided with one. As he didn’t usually like tea himself, he just refused taking it. Which was heard by our HOD (Head of the Department) who happened to be passing by.

As he was informed about Tarun’s dislike for tea, he softly said the following sentence in utmost seriousness. “Abhi pi le nahi to 6 maheene baad piyega !” (Better have one now or you’ll have it after six months). Which would surely happen if he failed him in the exam.

To which I saw Tarun gulping down the whole cup in one single go. Thanks to the Almighty, I finished up my work before my turn of being served. Otherwise I don’t know how many years I would have had to spend studying Anatomy… :P

2) I check the time often !

In fact, too often. Every few minutes I find myself looking at either the wall clock, the time on the table-piece or on my laptop. In fact, I’ve sort of unconsciously put a big clock on my desktop’s sidebar. Come to think of it, I must be checking the time at least 10-15 times every hour !

And another thing regarding time is that I keep my watch behind the actual time. You must have heard people keeping their watches ahead of time so that they don’t get late. But ever heard of anyone keeping it behind time ??? :D

3) I have this thing with animals !

I don’t know how, but I can communicate with most animals. Not verbally though… (If you are trying to imagine me making all sorts of animal sounds :P) But I can read their minds and nature. Something that really helps me to be friends with most animals quite easily.

4) I am bad at making choices !

Not just bad, I’m really lousy at choosing gifts or greeting cards for anyone. I’ve often entered stores to get one of those and took hours in choosing a suitable gift. It even happens if I’m trying to select an e-card online. :P

5) I survive on short-term memory !

I know people won’t believe it, but I’ve seen the biggest of examinations through by studying only the night before. Even those thick and heavy Medicine books have been read (and forgotten… :P) in just a day’s span. Maybe the reason that people at college had this thing going that I use the books as a pillow… :D

That doesn’t mean I’m good at cramming up things. In fact, I’m even worse at mugging up stuff. (A big reason why I shouldn’t be in the Med field as it is like in India… ) But once I remembered the value of ‘pie’ (22/7) to a hundred digits after the decimal both forwards and backwards in no more than fifteen minutes. Though I had already forgotten it by the next morning… :P

Maybe that’s why I can never remember phone numbers or Birthdays. :(

6) Currently my Blood Group is ‘A negative’. It was ‘B positive’ before !!!

Maybe you’ll have a hard time believing this just as I had when I saw my blood group change. But really, before I entered Medical college, my blood group was mentioned as ‘B positive’ wherever required. Surely it must have been investigated before being confirmed.

But when I tested my blood group myself during our Physiology practicals at college, it came out to be ‘A negative’ ! Well, yes, there may have been a mistake. So I got others to check mine too. But in the end it was confirmed to be ‘A’ instead of ‘B’. Strange ??? :D

7) I’m just not into religious rituals, ceremonies or functions !

I’d rather use my time doing something constructive that the Almighty would be happy about than having it one-on-one with him, trying to convince him to get pleased and bless me with what I don’t deserve. For me, belief is more important than praying.

So those were some strange random facts about me. I invite anyone who reads this post to tag herself/himself and let us all know some interesting facts about themselves. :)

Leisure...

These days, I am enjoying the company of a new friend who visits as often as his busy schedule permits him to.

On one such visit, he wasn’t much in the mood of interacting with me that much, and hence, decided to utilize the valuable time in relaxing in a quiet corner of the house.

I couldn’t but help capture the moment of such carefree leisure and at once snapped it up on my mobile phone. Well, you know the sound these things make when you try taking a snap. It was loud enough for me to look for cover at the prospect of breaking the spell of slumber of the four-pawed pack of naughtiness. But, instead, he just lifted his head, turned it my direction to about 15 degrees, gave me a sort of look which probably said, “Ohhh. So it’s you again…”, and then went back to enjoying the late-afternoon nap.

There are countless things we can learn from animals. One of them being, to indulge in complete leisure once in a while, leaving the world’s tensions and complications out of our minds. Isn’t it so ?