ManiaMoodiaMadia

Cats. :)

I have officially forgotten how to study.

Or my pea sized brain has calcified.

Or my hippocampus has degenerated leading to memory worse than a goldfish.

Or maybe the phoneswapping has affected me.

Or maybe I'm thinking too much about things that don't matter right now.

Or maybe this is the price to pay for watching Telugu movies.

Or maybe eating Maggi everyday is causing Monosodium Glutamate to form killer proteinaceous particles that cause atrophy of neural tissue.

Or maybe its a phase.

Or maybe is a neurological degenerative disease.

Or I'm having a nightmare and will wake up soon.

Hey There.

Things have changed so much, so drastically that it all seems so unreal.

Back in Bangalore post 3rd internals. Will be heading back to hostel over the weekend. 

Di no longer seems like a little kid. She's taller, stronger, sharper than before and now there's a little girl blossoming in the house; one who gets cranky and hyper, but also one who can play quietly and make people laugh with her words of innocence. She plays chess well for a beginner (learnt under Appa's tutelage) and can swim a few basic strokes as well. Doodles, drawings and artworks adorn the household, Pogo is on 24*7 and a mound of toys, trucks, dolls, ducks, building blocks, bubble guns, teddy bears and tigers are stacked at every inch of free space.  On the whole, she's in a different world altogether, Chota Bheem is her hero, summer camps, daycare centres and swimming pools are her world, weekends are at Innovative, Snow City or YemmenKay Park, Ma and Pa run around in circles to make sure she's happy and it's very similar to how things were before Di's time..

Di Posing at the Upkar site.

Bangalore is as heavenly as ever. The weather is out of the world. Unlike most people, I happen to love those cloudy, slightly drizzy days when all you want to do is sit on the terrace and watch the wafting clouds, ponder about life's endless possibilities and enjoy a slow Bollywood track.

Yesterday some of the Subbaiah Bangaloreans (Likki, Nammu, Govi, BP and I) met up in Mantri for a movie 'Million Dollar Arm'. The movie was surprisingly good and we had a nice time and as always we hogged. (3 small pizzas, 1 Medium size pizza, 1 Birizza, Garlic bread, Potato wedges and drinks)

The movie is based on a real life story about sending two Indians to major league baseball teams. Unlike most sports movies, the human aspect dominated over the technical details of baseball. The movie depicts how the opportunity changes all the characters as people and they discover more about themselves in the process. Familiar faces include Jon Hamm (Don Draper of Mad Men fame) and Suraj Sharma (of Life of Pi). 

Coming to Bengaluru is always an unplanned fiasco. This time it was because I didn't want to write the practicals post the theory exams and remaining in the hostel would be a difficult thing to do, hence Nam and I hopped onto the Airavat on Wednesday evening and that explains how I'm here right now.

The evening after Biochem theory, Likki, Kruthi, BP, Sahana, Deepthi, Nammu, Abhi and I went out with the sole goal of HOGGING. And hog, we sure did! Golgappas, Vadapaos, Sandwiches, Masala cokes, Masala Dosas (dipped in oil) and so on! B) Enroute we met HKM and Rakesh and they too joined the Noble Cause that we had embarked on. It was a fun evening (legpulling/ amputation was the agenda for the evening or so it seemed. ;) ) and we reached pretty late by Shimoga standards. (8:30)

Abhi and Me @ Goli

Hostel food exponentially expand one's appetite. I speak from personal experience and I also speak for my fellow nocturnal snackers in the hostel. Midnight maggies and fruitsalads are catching on in Subbaiah and they're a lot of fun as well. The other day we had the most delicious, nutritious and lipsmacking salad that was wolfed down in minutes. 

Mango+ Apple+ Pomo+ Mosambi+ Grapes + Sugar and Spice= AH-MAZING.

Exams are approaching, revision plans are being made, old chapters are being reopened and the library is filled to the brim these days. In the midst of all this, friendships are being strengthened and bonds are being formed. It feels different, surreal and new, but it is a wonderful feeling, I must admit.

Kruthi, Abhi, Ehra and me. :)

Sometimes the things you hear can break you. Sometimes you decide not to care. And that one little decision can make a lot of difference. 

Sometimes you put up with crap, not because you care endlessly about them, but because they're anything but that. So their good and bad is the same to you. It's a feeling of detachment that prevents disappointment.

Sometimes you look back and yearn for the past moments, the way people were before they changed, the way you were before you changed. But then, you've to look ahead and deal with the present. Clinging on to the past is no good. 

Sometimes you've got to remind yourself about the things you want to achieve, the goals you want to reach, the people who need you, the commitments you've got to honor, the places you want to see, the people you want to meet and most of all, the person you want to be. Because, often we tend to get sidetracked.

Musicophilia:

• Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse : Now that I actually understand the lyrics, this song has potential to become the next PNM. 
• Sahib (from Bhoothnath Returns) : One of those songs you will always love listening to.
• Mast Magan : Not sure if this will last the test of time or if it will become another 'Locha E Ulfat'. But for now, the joy that this song resonates makes it one of my favourites.
• Baby Doll: Stop getting psyched. I heard it for the first time during the cultural day. Curiousity prompted me to get the entire song a few days ago. The interest is bound to be shortlived, I assure you. It's similar to how a long time ago, I was hooked onto 'Lucky Boy', 'Kambaqt Ishq' and even 'Lat Lag Gayi'.
• Offo : Peppy, mood-uplifting and the Yeh Ishq Hai of the current times.

Here's something I found on Instagram. But I'm still very ambivalent over it. What d'you think? :P

Cya soon!. <3

I.Can't.Think.Of.Any.Sensible.Title

24/4

I mean seriously. Because I'm not sure what I'm going to blog about in the first place.

College is nearly over in terms of portion completion (anatomy will extend into mid May by the looks of it) and internal tension seems to be in the air. Library is practically crowded these days. My seat (where I always sit, rain or shine, exam or no exam, crowded or empty) was actually occupied for a day or two by some early birds but now I'm back in possesion of my seat. I know it makes no difference, but for me, its a comfortable spot where I quickly get into the 'groove'. XD

Basically feeling more forgetful than a frikkin' goldfish these days because I'm probably just reading without effective recalling. Or maybe I'm too tired when I'm reading. Or maybe I'm not concentrating. Whatever it is, I've got to revise more.

26/4

Sometimes life presents you with the most unexpected surprises. 24 hours I was wondering why was I so slow in grasping the functions of Thyroid gland. Right now Dad is in Shimoga, we had lunch at Akki Dabbi (Rice Bowl), watched 2 States (on a sudden whim) and I've been chatting nonstop on everything ranging from dissection and upcoming internals to the anchoring and Eunoia. :) There's nothing like spending time with Appa. :D

Recently spoke to a friend after a sort of long time and I felt unnaturally happy about it! We mostly spoke about the approaching exams and the tension in the air but I felt a lot more positive and hopeful after that. 

Once again I'm plagued by thoughts that I'm not focussing enough on things that matter. Barely 50 days left for the finals, the countdown has begun.

Oh and btw. I've got a cartload of fruits and snacks. I can't wait to stay up late and study so that I get to feast on all the amazing stuff! :') 

Thumbelina.

Feeling helpless and sleepless thanks to a painfully swollen thumb. One cannot fathom how essential a thumb is for the simplest of tasks, such combing one's hair or even brushing one's teeth. Be that as it may, work must go on and I've an avalanche of topics to cover and revise in a shockingly limited number of days.

In the past fortnight, the college was abuzz with activities. Eunoia 2014 was Subbaiah's maiden college fest. We had a sports day (800m 4th, 400m 4th, baddie semis), a cultural day (quiz 2nd) and a college day (co-anchored the formal program).

I feel the desire to have a Nutella-Milkmaid dessert. I've got a strong feeling that it would taste divine.

During the debate. Topic: Should a person know when he is going to die?

Saree day

BP and I; Sports day. (Phoenix!!)

The Practice.

Fresh out of medical college, Ayush was raring to plunge into clinical practice. He had been cautioned by seasoned veterans that his enthusiasm was ephemeral and soon he would be exposed to the murky side of medicine in the country. But like any determined youngster, he was unfazed by naysayers and was eager to begin the journey of service, self discovery and a lifetime of learning.  He chose to engage in a rural internship even though it would have been easy for him to work in the city.

It was a nondescript village perched at the foothills of the Himagiri, nestled in the lap of Mother Nature. The village was an oasis of tranquility with meditative cows, birds chirping merrily and sparkling streams that gleamed with thriving sustenance. But despite its sylvian appeal and relative placidity, the village was largely neglected due to poverty, unemployment, illiteracy coupled with lack of basid facilities. The villagers had accepted their fate and trudged on with the few privileges bestowed upon them.

After an 8hour journey from Bangalore, Ayush emerged from the local bus at the crack of dawn and surveyed the valley of mist. He stood at the makeshift bus stand grasping the scenery surrounding him. Enveloped by lush green canopies and enriched by melodies from a distant songbird heralding the arrival of a new day, the village was a utopic dream in his eyes.

With some help from the villagers, he located the quarters designated to him for his year long stint in the village. He had been prepared for the worst, so in that sense he was relieved by the comforts accorded to him. It was a small room atop the local municipal office, furnished with a small stove, wash and a fan to compensate for the asbestos roofing. A straw mat was his bed and the large verandah offered a breathtaking view of the hill ranges beyond the village.

As he started to unpack and set up the household, he thought about the hurdles he had to cross to begin this life of simplicity. Coming from a fairly well-to-do household, his family members were at their wits' end as to why he chose to lead an ascetic life but they knew he couldn't be coaxed or cajoled to remain in Bangalore so they only hoped that he would come back soon, realising the impracticality of his decision.

He wasn't able to pinpoint the reason for his firm stance on the matter but he suspected that it had something to do with his upbringing. He led a sheltered life, cocooned from inequalities and unexposed to the realities of life. During his 4 years as a medico, his worldly views began to slowly but surely change. He developed a deep desire to contribute towards society, to lead a simple life and he also began to appreciate the value of life and the necessity to lead a principled life.

Ayush looked around the room and smiled at his handiwork. It had everything that he needed and nothing more. He sat down on the porch to observe the setting sun with restful contentment.

The next day he was briefed about his duties at the primary health centre. The centre was true to its name, primitive, primary and unequiped. But patients were aplenty, doctors were insufficient and nurses were few and far from trained to handle the cases.
Over the next few weeks, he began to settle down into a routine that began with an early morning walk, cooking his own meals, the major portion of the day in the hospital and twilight in the privacy of his verandah watching the starlit sky studded with the moon.

On one such early morning stroll, he glimpsed a face amidst the bushes, supposedly scouring for leaves and flowers. It was a face that did not belong to this village. It was a face that shone with radiance in the semidarkness, a face that reflected serenity and placid confidence. It was also the face that regularly reappeared in his dreams but never glimpsed again in daylight.


(To Be Continued at: http://moodymusings95.blogspot.in/2014/07/the-practice-continued.html )

Offo!

Every person without sensorineural or conductive deafness and must listen to the above song. :D
I've got a thing for exuberant, vibrant and peppy songs. What else can explain my misplaced addiction to 'Punjabi Wedding Song'?

So last Saturday, Annlee, Saniya and I accomplished the Herculean task of watching the movie 'Yaariyan' which is probably made solely to test the tolerance level of simple minded individuals. If the movie wasn't banned from theatres for undermining the IQ of movie-goers it is solely because the sound track tries to mollify the viewers. The cliches are one too many, logic is extinct and common sense should not be exercised. Nevertheless, we had good fun poking fun at nearly every scene and the badly phrased subtitles only added to the mess.

So we've got this fest coming up in college, a first at Subbaiah and I guess everybody's pretty excited. The entire college will be divided into two teams which will compete for the championship trophy based on the sports and cultural events. I am more excited than I thought I would be and I hope it's going to be an amazing event! The other day, I played Baddie with the seniors (one of them was a State level player!) and I even got to play with a Yonex racket. 

This is probably my last visit until the Finals are done and considering the Physio quiz also in the same week, my visit got extended and I'll end up staying here for nearly a week. 
But Time has a horrible way of deceiving you since Time literally flies when I'm with Di. I'm missing out on a lot of things. Each time I come home, She's different. I only stay long enough to catch up on the differences. I wish I were around to watch her and be a part of her growing up. I don't want to be a mere spectator..

Yesterday was good. I met Pinki after ages and also met Praj near KIMS. The joy of meeting old friends can never be explained. The joy of hogging on Margherita Pizza is equally immeasurable. ;)

Some people will only cause pain and disappointment, because we tend to expect a lot more from them. It's best to stop having any expectations from anybody and stop putting people on a pedestal for their 'goodness'. 

There's just about 2 months left for Final exams of 1 MBBS. It's time to accelerate studies and revise and work hard now because the famous 'last minute' is finally here.


A week or so before second internals, MaPaDiMe had a weekend getaway and we spent time at Sirsi (Marikamba Temple), Sonda (Vadiraja Mutt) and Gokarna (Beach!!).

Sonda is small little village in the Sirsi taluk of Uttara Kannada district situated at a distance of around 450km from Bangalore and 20km from Sirsi. It is mostly known as a pilgrimage center due to the presence of three prominent Mutts: the Swarnavalli Mutt, the Vadiraj Mutt and the Jain Mutt. These attract hundreds of pilgrims mostly through out the year. The green surroundings, typical to the Malnad area of Sonda and Sirsi add to the serenity of these places of religious importance. 

Here's how we celebrated Holi in our hostel :)

Here's how our college looks around 6:30 in the morning; enveloped in mist and fog until the Sun overpowers and clears the sky.

I read about this article in TOI, about one Mr. Mirchandani of USA proposing a plan worth several million $. It involves the simply sensible point of changing the font from TNR to Garamond. Now this seems absurdly insanely simple to be actually true and here's why my suspicion was confirmed:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/mar/31/ask-a-designer-switching-fonts-save-us-government-millions

I intend to go walking/jogging with Dad tomorrow (don't we have a Saree day coming up? :) ) so it would be prudent to catch a few hours of good sleep :D

Everybody should take selfies with their dad. They're like the coolest thing. Ever.

EndocrineEndoCochlearPotentialElectronChainTransport

Summer has well and truly begun and Shimoga feels like an inferno. (Especially since we're nearly always forced into sweltering uniforms and aprons and made to sit in a classroom that is akin to a furnace and yet adorned with ornamental ACs)

Sitting in class has sadly become a herculean challenge. What with the soaring temperatures, the babble of bullshit, the cacaphony of idle chatter emanating from the bench behind and even the lecturer's suggestion that uninterested students may sleep or quietly do as they please, listening to the lecture seems to have become thing of rarity. Rare but not extinct, because there are some who make you hang on to every word, scribble every point furiously and listen wih rapt attention because they seem so eager to share their knowledge.

Head and neck is the final installment of gross anatomy for the year and and as usual we are galloping at a pace that can be matched only through burning the midnight oil. So far, we read about the scalp and its layers, the face and the muscles of expression, triangles of the neck and the vertebral canal. Next, I've got to read about cranial cavity and the cavernous sinus.

Physiology is steadily growing more expansive and requires much more understanding for permanent retention of concepts. Chetan Sir is regularly quizzing me on anything and everything in the book and this is a blessing in disguise, I suppose. We read about the sense organs and the pathways taken by these.

The visual pathway is particularly interesting. It begins in the bipolar cells which are the first order neurons, travel through optic nerve, optic chiasma and the cells of lateral geniculate body form the third order neurons. From here, fibres are mainly relayed to the visual cortex, but also to suprachiasmatic nucleus, pretectal nucleus and superior colliculus which help in interpretation, perception and light reflexes of the eye. Its also important to understand how a lesion anywhere along this pathway affects the vision in both eyes.

They also skimmed through the endocrine glands and now we're hurrying through reproductive system. Hormones are chemical messengers that bring about any physiological changes. What's noteworthy is how hormones are interrelated because they regulate secretion of the hormones released at their target sites and vice versa. The Growth Hormone for example is a peptide released by the acidophill cells of Anterior Pituitary and this occurs because of secretion of GHRH from the hypothalamus which acts on Anterior Pituitary to secrete its hormone..

Amma was here for the weekend. I enjoyed every minute of it and I realized I miss her more than I have ever acknowleged. I miss the healthy banter that we used to have back in Bangalore. I suppose I've got to wait for the long holidays post the Finals to enjoy quality time with family.

College is otherwise good. The seniors who cleared the recent exams are back and the college looks alive to some extent. I actually enjoy each day because there is something to look forward to and always something that will end up making me happy.

But why?!

You will never realize how much somebody means to you until they can no longer be a part of your life. And when that realization sets in, you debate internally about how much the person matters, you realize you must acknowledge their importance in your life and yet they are are irreversibly no more who they used to be nor can they ever be. Sometimes things change and its like the ground you are walking on lurches unsteadily, leaving you unbalanced and disoriented.

Why the frikkin' hell did I read Nicholas Sparks? I will always hate him.

Realization

Hello there! :')

Mornings are well begun with a round of jogging and a good game of badminton. I should probably do this more often.
I'm so excited about the KIMS Quiz!! I'm going to meet Sanjana, Adi, Praj, Chitra and Sahana! I really need to prepare well. We need to make an honest attempt and give it our best. Thank god I'm in Abhi's team. :P

I was talking to the above mentioned college friend yesterday and I realized that it is not necessary to conform. All that matters is our goal. No matter what anybody thinks, we've got to keep working and keep doing what we believe in. In the end, nothing else matters. I can't explain how much that reaffirmed my approach. It also reminded me that I know practically nothing. I've got to put in more, be more effective and have faith.

It also hit me that such people exist here in Shimoga as well. It's just that I've always seen them differently. It doesn't matter if you're aloof, reserved or even labelled weird. One must stick to the values they believe in. The worst thing would be to fall in your own eyes.

Got a lot of catching up to do, so seeya!

Foolishness.

It is an inherent trait in most of us. I seem to have an abundance of this quality. Not a day passes without me saying something extremely foolish, acting unbelievably foolish and assuming foolish things. I've realized (over the years, since I discovered this virtue several years ago) that the best option is to accept it and move on (like nothing happened, or what happened doesn't matter). 

Blogging at this unearthly hour is certainly uncalled for, considering that I have a bus back to Shimoga in a few hours but I want to rediscover the joy of blogging on a laptop, so here I am. :)

Back to the central theme, what prompts these Random Acts of Foolishness (RAF) is beyond anybody's guess since they occur without warning, and leave me pondering about my existence on this planet. But since this happens on such a regular basis, I suppose I've become immune to it!

Couldn't make it to IISc's Open Day once again this year due to transport issues and unforeseen circumstances. Hope to attend it next year atleast! To all those who aren't aware, IISc throws open its plethora of research labs in practically all the fields from Astrophysics to Neuroscience and visitors are encouraged to find out more about the ongoing projects and they get the opportunity to interact with PhD students and professors as well.

So I'm done with second internals and once again, I get the overwhelming feeling that there is SO much to read, SO much to learn and Time always seems to be scarce.

I've made mistakes, I continue to make mistakes on an alarmingly regular basis and sometimes I don't realize my mistake until a while has passed. Sometimes it's easy to make amends. Sometimes it takes some effort. While in some cases, it seems practically impossible to set things right. 

Coming home reminds me of my commitments, of the odds to be overcome, of how lucky I am to have what I have, of the dark days that always threaten to return and haunt our present and of the reasons why I chose to study this course. 

Sleep beckons, I still have emails to send, so Seeyaa!! :)