Sydney

Sydney! The name of it brings me smiles and sighs to some extent. I have endless memories belonging to the place and not sure may be the first impression is the one that remains forever! That might be the reason I love that place!

On my my first day me and my roomie had dinner cooked by her and then we went out for a walk. A walk to Darling Harbour, one of my favourite places on the earth. I don't know how many times I have walked the Pyrmont bridge and everytime I found it beautiful. I loved the cold wind blowing, I loved the setting sun and I simply loved to walk by the Harbour or sit still and watch the people!

Should I ever go there again I know that Darling harbour would always be on my list of places to go.

On my first visit to Sydney, a friend and I thought that we should go for morning walks. One such morning, we walked and talked, a couple of guys drunk said something like Indians girls being pretty and passed a comment that they ate fish and were good at ignoring. Gosh, I just controlled my laughter and then when they left us, I gave my laughing nerves full freedom.

There are so so many memories of Sydney that when I remember I update this. Random thoughts actually! One evening as I was returning from work with a friend, it started raining. We were to get off at the next station and I stood near the door. As the door opened, I took my head out to watch if it was still raining as though it was the door of my house and I would decide whether to venture out or not! My friend then reminded me that we had to get off and we quickly ran out. Once we were out, we could not help laughing at my absent-mindedness :-)

So many times I have played the guide and Luna Park was one such place where I visited don't know how many times. The rides and the fun was too good to ever forget. A friend of mine and I went to Luna Park once and the man at the gate was perhaps very happy to meet folks from his country that he did not swipe our tickets, allowed us the ride and asked us to enjoy another.

Another time we were a group fo 7 or 8 people visiting the park and none except three of us had the guts to ride the most dangerous one. I was scared too but seeing little children so much at ease made me think that I could do it too. For a while I screamed and shouted with the fellow riders and then I felt that it did not seem to end and I just closed my eyes and prayed for a safe landing!!!

I had my scary experiences too, the first one being me and my rommie waiting for a friend at Town Hall and I think it was almost 9 pm when someone approached us and demanded money. My roomie was so scared that she almost reached her purse when a couple passed by us and saved our day. They asked the intruder to get away and waited till he was out of sight and made us so comfortable that we felt safe.

On another occasion we were returning from Watson Bay if I remember right, and on the train I had just turned around and a lady took offence.I don't yet know what I had done to earn her dirty looks but that incident did scare me to hell. A similar incident repeated when a guy with long hair and shabby looks just sat near us and kept tapping his fingers on the window pane. And it took only a line in Hindi to my friend who was traveling with me, to make the guy angry and call us names. We both kept quiet and almost remained motionless until the time he got away.

I always think I will do Sydney once more in my lifetime and till then I will re-live the memories many more times.

Rain

Raindrops on my window pane will lull me to sleep tonight, oh I wish I was with friends tonight telling stories of years bright...oh I wish I could watch a movie tonight over a cuppa tea and some pleasant laugh...but theres work for the morn and the rain to lull me to sleep tonight...

Colours say it all

Today is Feb 13 and I thought if I could find a colour that I would wear to work tomorrow. So, I found the following which is rather interesting:

http://www.weeksupdate.com/2009/02/valentine-day-dress-code-which-colour.html

Continued....
Also, some time back someone spoke to me about the colours that should be worn on particular days of the week. I don't remember all of it except for Red on Tuesdays, Green on Wednesdays and Yellow on Thursdays. The one I try to follow is the Thursday one but Wednesday seems to win as well as green is the colour of my cupboard now. Actually my cupboard is more pink than green but I don't know the day for pink except for today, Feb 14 when I take special care not to wear it as I don't want to send the wrong message :)

On Holi, I received the following message from a friend:
Red for prosperity
Green for happiness
Blue for longevity
Orange for progress
Pink for friendship
..........
I am reading 'The Winner Stands Alone' now and here's wht Paulo Coelho says bout colours:
White signifies purity nd integrity
Blck intimidates
Red shocks abd paralysis
Yellow attracts attention
Green calms everything
Blue soothes
Orange confuses

Well!

One odd day

It's my strength that you know of
It's my toughness that you can see
It's my calm that you know
You can have my shoulder to rest and cry
You can see me smile when you feel down
You can hear me soft when you want to rest
But there is that one odd day
When I can break, when I am lost
On that very odd day
I want you to read my mind
I want your shoulder to cry on
I want you to be just by me.

What is in a morning cup of tea or coffee?

Hi, good morning! Ready for a cup of tea? I often wonder what a morning cup of tea does to you or me that we wouldn't start our day without it? For many years, I have not drunk tea even though I belong to a cold place and had frequent attacks of tonsillitis or sinusitis. But my years in Bangalore have made me a tea drinker anyway. It's not about being in Bangalore but it is about being in a group that one takes to tea or coffee, I guess.

Back in Bangalore, I remember we use to have our tea glasses in hand and stand by the balcony and chat for hours before we thought it was time to do some studies.

I am not addicted to tea as such but even at work, it feels like I should have my first cup of tea and then start working. Sometimes I get my cup and its cools down on my desk just as it was without my realizing and I really don't have an urge to get another cup but the feeling of getting your first cup must be satisfied!

I miss it where I am now as a tea friend does not exist here. Earlier my tea- friend and me would just check our morning mails and tasks and then get together for a cuppa. It would be the same in the evening when you felt exhausted and then looked forward to that much needed tea break. Machine tea never tastes good but its just that little chat over whatever kind of tea that did wonders.

I remember in Sydney, the mornings would be filled with the coffee aroma and even though not much of a coffee drinker myself, I just loved it! I didn't feel the same ever in London even though people gathered around coffee machines but that never tasted or smelled like how it did in Sydney. Well, well...I might be just a bit partial.

I will never say no to a cup of tea or coffee as anything could happen over a cup of coffee...(stealing the tag line from Cafe Day I guess). and Starbucks opening its chain in India is certainly news too!

And I love my tea in a special way, not many can match my expectations and sometimes I fail big time too. That perfect colour, that perfect dash of sweetness, not too much of milk and neither too strong is hard to come by...

Doctors and the Medical profession

When I was in my growing up years, I loved playing doctor-doctor and treating my playmates - my brother and my grandfather with some imaginary pills, checking their heart-beat and the like. No wonder till a certain point in my life, I wanted to choose medical science as my profession. This did not happen for a few reasons however I am glad I am not one among today's many doctors who are so professional that they don't care much about the lot of the patient as long as their purse is happy.

Though I have severe tonsilitis inflammation since the last two days, I will not visit a  doctor. I will have the homoeopathic remedies my dad prescribes or stick to home made ones like a ginger tea, or some jaggery to keep my throat in some shape to sustain the 1 week period that a normal cold/cough takes to vanish.

I know of doctors who won't even check you properly and prescribe medicines. Also in Delhi, I know of so many doctors who give you some colourful pills in small envelopes and no prescription. What does the poor patient know what medicine he is taking and if he needs to consult any other doctor in the future, how will the other doctor know what was the previous treatment undertaken by the patient?

Doctors should not only ask the patient of his medical history but also should be aware of the physical condition of the patient before prescribing any medicine. My mother was prescribed some medicines and since she has a weak constitution, her body could not take those and that resulted in severe vomitting and her being admitted to a hospital.

It is indeed sad that the profession which deserves so much respect is being looked down with disguise. The doctors today are only interested in earning commissions. They will tell you to undergo the same tests in a matter of a couple of days. I never understand this logic. And they will tell you to get it done from a certain clinic only.

What I do and tell the people around me to do is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, eat the right food, sleep well and then diseases would not be so near to you. Avoid the doctors as much as you can. If you are fearing that something is not right with you, do seek advise but don't blindly follow what the first doctors tell you . Today's doctors are doctors because they have passed some exams by some means including swallowing the names of the medicines. When prescribing these medicines, they don't think about the possible reactions becuase medical books cannot have eveything in such minute details. The physical condition of each human being is unique and how they react to the same medicine may be different. Good doctors are those who think, analyse and remember if they have treated a similar case before. So, please understand what your doctor is telling you to do and why? Take second opinion, take third opinion.

Having said all these, I still hope the faith in the profession is restored.

Winter

Winter sets in once again as cold wind fills the air
Winter brings in memories of people far and near
Winter takes me to childhood years
Winter was when morning grass remained covered in frost
Winter was when Christmas carols rang in the air
Winter was when the warm sun lulled us to sleep
Winter was when stories filled the air
These and so much more
Special memories I have of my Shillong years


Winter sets in once again when dark fog covers the air
Winter brings in memories of places far and near
Winter takes me to my working years
Winter was when the sea breeze was cold and clear
Winter was when walk past the bridge was fun and some sun
Winter was when the rain was fierce, the wind was loud
These and so much more
Special memories I have of Sydney years

Winter sets in once again when morning sleep is hard to leave
Winter brings in memories of things far and near
Winter takes to my working years
Winter was when the grasses were green
Winter was when the rains were a pain
Winter was when the darkness grew each passing hour
These and so much more
Special memories I have of London months

But as I wait for the sun to shine, I agree I don't mind
To have this on for a couple of more months
And then to have it back in a year
For this is the season of memories, of friends
Of places far and near, of people dear
The sun will shine but it is fine
To relax and relive the old winter years