As mentioned in the title, When:
1)The instant you say you're a Doctor to an acquaintance, they start of with a totally vague symptom thinking you know the diagnosis,AND the treatment.Which is what they expect you to do because,and let's face it,you are a doctor.
However,the history these acquaintances(now prospective patients) offer is far from diagnostic.Such as:
a)I have this major pain in my arse,what could you think it could be?Is there any treatment for it?
We might want to answer that the pain is most likely a failing marraige,but we are forced to say that it could be haemorrhoids.
2)People start bitching to you about the kind of care that they received the last time they,or their relatives,were in hospital. And the fact of the matter is that you don't have a clue how things work in that hospital,nor can you defend or persecute the hospital for same.
Yet you say something like "Yeah,some hospitals tend to be that way" instead of saying "I don't have a freaking clue what you're talking about, man"
3)People tell you "Wow!!You're a Doctor!!So you're raking in the moolah aren't you?"
When the answer is that "Dude/Dudette,I'm unemployed"
4)When people ask you what it is you're specializing in. You would want to say "Fuck you!! I'm working my ass off to get into a speciality you retard!!"
Yet you say "Well i'm interested in surgery,(not to mention what makes you tick((should the interviewer be a particularly smouldering female)))"
5)People say that how they wish they were a doctor,yet due to some family circumstance,they were unable to. We say what we think,namely "You lucky Bastard" and we mean it with all of our heart.
6)Those in high paying jobs say "Wow!There's shitloads of money to be made in Medicine"
When the reality is that the shitloads we might be making will come at the time when we have a wife and kids to fend for....and the people who so graciously said we'll be making shitloads have had their share of all night discos,totally unwarrantied vacations and would have paid off their loans for their cars and flats and whatnot.
Anyway,I'm all written out for now. Just to lighten up your mood!! My aim is to make a movie out of all this......and those who read this I'll sponsor their tickets for the premiere:-)
Peace out.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
The Wandering Mind
Anyway forget about all the dark entries made previously...this one will make them seem like a night-lit stadium!!
When one studies its seldom that one can put in more than,say,6 hours of dedicated intense study- with the stuff you learn staying in your head for a good period of time. Yet in Medicine we have to do more than that.Much more. Like 10,sometimes 12 to 14.Its survival instinct..one does not want to flunk the exams and one must do what one should to stay ahead. Eventually the time comes during our staring at the book when we feel :
"I wonder what my friends in the corporate and software fields are doing with the money they earn"
"Is this what I had fantasized about during my entire childhood?"
"My family doctor was right when he told my parents that I need to see a Psychiatrist when told about my intention of joining medicine"
"Is sex as easy to get as depicted in Gray's Anatomy?"
"I wonder if I will ever fully understand the meaning of the 4 lines that make a sentence in the text I just read"
"Heath Legder as The Joker is coooooool"
"Its sad that the message alert tone is not heard very frequently from my phone"
"Whatever happened to the one that got away? If only she/he would have realised the mistake they made and come crawling back to me telling me that I'm the one,finally!!"
"Going on a 24 hour drinking binge right now is what I need.Oh wait,I don't have the money!"
"Will the world end now that MAD is becoming more and more probable?"
"I should get back to studying"
"What would I choose: Being the superhero of my dreams or being immortal?"
"Ok I'm the helmsman for the USS Enterprise,and there's a Bird of Prey right in front of me. Activating Photon Torpedos....."
"Who is the better guitarist-Edward Van Halen,Mike Mcready or David Gilmour?"
"Dr.(Self Name),MBBS,MD,DNB,DM(Cardiology/Nephology) How cool would that be??!!"
"That cockroach has been darting across my floor for,like,forever"
And so on and so forth. The above can be freely borrowed for any book dealing with how to waste time or The Psychology of a Med Student,should the prospective author decide to,no problem.Only too glad to help:-)
Basically the point of a persons growth is when he/she reaches a point that they have traversed before and they decide to go the other way. And so it is that after a while we shake our heads and go back to what we were reading, with concentration this time around. Hopefully things work out for the best.
I am by nature a realist,but appearently my mood is very much subject to circumstances around me(and here I am writing about personal growth.Anyway..). But the way things are at the moment,I would be what you would call a pessimist.Ok,a fatalist. (Some Kudos for honesty,people,c'mon!)
Because things,at the current juncture,are tough,the toughest I've experienced in my life. But then on I can put it in writing that 20 years from now I'll look back and wonder how simple life was back then,when the only thing required of me was to be a dilligent student and nothing more. But we as humans tend to get caught up in the moment. Its only natural.
Well,anyway,thats that.Its easy to theorize things like this but truly applying them in reality is what makes us wise.
Tata.
When one studies its seldom that one can put in more than,say,6 hours of dedicated intense study- with the stuff you learn staying in your head for a good period of time. Yet in Medicine we have to do more than that.Much more. Like 10,sometimes 12 to 14.Its survival instinct..one does not want to flunk the exams and one must do what one should to stay ahead. Eventually the time comes during our staring at the book when we feel :
"I wonder what my friends in the corporate and software fields are doing with the money they earn"
"Is this what I had fantasized about during my entire childhood?"
"My family doctor was right when he told my parents that I need to see a Psychiatrist when told about my intention of joining medicine"
"Is sex as easy to get as depicted in Gray's Anatomy?"
"I wonder if I will ever fully understand the meaning of the 4 lines that make a sentence in the text I just read"
"Heath Legder as The Joker is coooooool"
"Its sad that the message alert tone is not heard very frequently from my phone"
"Whatever happened to the one that got away? If only she/he would have realised the mistake they made and come crawling back to me telling me that I'm the one,finally!!"
"Going on a 24 hour drinking binge right now is what I need.Oh wait,I don't have the money!"
"Will the world end now that MAD is becoming more and more probable?"
"I should get back to studying"
"What would I choose: Being the superhero of my dreams or being immortal?"
"Ok I'm the helmsman for the USS Enterprise,and there's a Bird of Prey right in front of me. Activating Photon Torpedos....."
"Who is the better guitarist-Edward Van Halen,Mike Mcready or David Gilmour?"
"Dr.(Self Name),MBBS,MD,DNB,DM(Cardiology/Nephology) How cool would that be??!!"
"That cockroach has been darting across my floor for,like,forever"
And so on and so forth. The above can be freely borrowed for any book dealing with how to waste time or The Psychology of a Med Student,should the prospective author decide to,no problem.Only too glad to help:-)
Basically the point of a persons growth is when he/she reaches a point that they have traversed before and they decide to go the other way. And so it is that after a while we shake our heads and go back to what we were reading, with concentration this time around. Hopefully things work out for the best.
I am by nature a realist,but appearently my mood is very much subject to circumstances around me(and here I am writing about personal growth.Anyway..). But the way things are at the moment,I would be what you would call a pessimist.Ok,a fatalist. (Some Kudos for honesty,people,c'mon!)
Because things,at the current juncture,are tough,the toughest I've experienced in my life. But then on I can put it in writing that 20 years from now I'll look back and wonder how simple life was back then,when the only thing required of me was to be a dilligent student and nothing more. But we as humans tend to get caught up in the moment. Its only natural.
Well,anyway,thats that.Its easy to theorize things like this but truly applying them in reality is what makes us wise.
Tata.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
What is a blog there for,exactly? It is definately not for sharing your most deepest of thoughts or putting out your frustrations in text,and I certainly do not think that it is a forum where you can fully express,in clear and succint terms,what is wrong in our lives,the political system, or the world in general.
For starters we cannot say that the current crop of politician are corrupt,stupid, and mind numbingly naive to think that what they state in their agenda will be taken at face value by we,the people. But then,that was what we thought 20 years ago;that our elected representatives will not be as bad as they are at the present moment.
It is certainly not a forum where we can talk about our love lives,or lack thereof.
It is not a place where we can curse the people whom we work for,because should they come to know that we are,our ass is going to get fired in a jiffy.
I do not want it to be a place where I talk only about the movies that I've seen...I have come to realise that..thanks to Cheeki for the feedback.
Many of us use these blogs to say how screwed the world is,how things can be better,how the people who run the country don't know their ass from a hole in the wall,etc etc etc.
But have we tried to do anything about it ourselves? Have we tried undoing the wrongs that have been done due to short sightedness and narrow mindedness?
Have we consciously tried to change the world we live in,instead of only cribbing about it?
I honestly believe that not everybody enters politics to make money,although thats what eveybody ends up doing.Most of them would have entered it out of a desire to make their constituency a better place,with better roads,electricity and potable water. Alas one they're in the game,and money comes in from virtually all avenues,welfare of the masses takes a back seat.After all,and they're right about this,they cannot support a family based on a government salary.So they must choose other routes to survive.
But,in the end,that does not validate what they're doing. No way.
The solution? Dictatorship? It is a short term solution which will create more damage than control it. Look at Pakistan. Plus it is inherently against the principle of human freedom where a regime can jail you for no reason,take you away and lock you up in a hole in the wall 'cos you might have done something wrong,and you cannot fight for your innocence. You're guilty.period,and not guilty until proven innocent.
Whatever. We have more important things to think about,like living our lives,don't we?
For starters we cannot say that the current crop of politician are corrupt,stupid, and mind numbingly naive to think that what they state in their agenda will be taken at face value by we,the people. But then,that was what we thought 20 years ago;that our elected representatives will not be as bad as they are at the present moment.
It is certainly not a forum where we can talk about our love lives,or lack thereof.
It is not a place where we can curse the people whom we work for,because should they come to know that we are,our ass is going to get fired in a jiffy.
I do not want it to be a place where I talk only about the movies that I've seen...I have come to realise that..thanks to Cheeki for the feedback.
Many of us use these blogs to say how screwed the world is,how things can be better,how the people who run the country don't know their ass from a hole in the wall,etc etc etc.
But have we tried to do anything about it ourselves? Have we tried undoing the wrongs that have been done due to short sightedness and narrow mindedness?
Have we consciously tried to change the world we live in,instead of only cribbing about it?
I honestly believe that not everybody enters politics to make money,although thats what eveybody ends up doing.Most of them would have entered it out of a desire to make their constituency a better place,with better roads,electricity and potable water. Alas one they're in the game,and money comes in from virtually all avenues,welfare of the masses takes a back seat.After all,and they're right about this,they cannot support a family based on a government salary.So they must choose other routes to survive.
But,in the end,that does not validate what they're doing. No way.
The solution? Dictatorship? It is a short term solution which will create more damage than control it. Look at Pakistan. Plus it is inherently against the principle of human freedom where a regime can jail you for no reason,take you away and lock you up in a hole in the wall 'cos you might have done something wrong,and you cannot fight for your innocence. You're guilty.period,and not guilty until proven innocent.
Whatever. We have more important things to think about,like living our lives,don't we?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
I don't think the governing body of medicine in India,or anywhere else in the world has got it right.Instead of producing a Doctor who is truly caring and interested in the welfare of patients,as well as one who has a real zeal for the residency he is pursuing,residents come out at the end of their course cynical,battered and only interested in making money,and fucking soon at that.
Which is why people say that Doctors are money minded,which is why doctors may not be as good listeners as what they were previously,in the era when our parents were kids.
Because for a medical student to who wants a subject of his choice,say,Pediatrics or Surgery,getting it is a Herculian task.He will be told many times over "Better be willing to compromise". And he will eventually end up with a subject that is not of his immediate liking-say ENT. Because the system dictates that only the brightest/most hardworking/intelligent get in,as do people who have one crore of money to pay up the exhorbitant capitation fees demanded by most of the private institutes nowadays.People in the middle are fucked. And they end up pissed at their jobs,and wish they hadn't joined Medicine in the first place.
Why is it considered an unholy sin to actually get what you want? For an average student with some brains and intelligence and who will be willing to work hard at the field he is in,to get the subject of his choice and be in a much better position to be a better Doctor to his patients?
Because there are too many ungergraduate seats and hardly any post graduate ones.If that is the case then the number of seats for the MBBS course should be halved,so that the ratio of an MD seat for an MBBS one is about 1:3,and not like 1:30 like how it is now. Sadly,a lot of the money for a hospital's basic needs are supplied by the fees that the Undergraduate students pay. Which is why their number won't ever be reduced. Sad,but true.I'm speaking from the perspective of a college like the one I studied in.
The other alternative is to increase the number of MD seatds,but that also will prove an impossibility because the ratio of resident to faculty should be 1:1,and considering how shitty the pay for faculty in a teaching hospital is,it will be a much better,and more just world,if their numbers were to increase.
Thanks for listening.
Which is why people say that Doctors are money minded,which is why doctors may not be as good listeners as what they were previously,in the era when our parents were kids.
Because for a medical student to who wants a subject of his choice,say,Pediatrics or Surgery,getting it is a Herculian task.He will be told many times over "Better be willing to compromise". And he will eventually end up with a subject that is not of his immediate liking-say ENT. Because the system dictates that only the brightest/most hardworking/intelligent get in,as do people who have one crore of money to pay up the exhorbitant capitation fees demanded by most of the private institutes nowadays.People in the middle are fucked. And they end up pissed at their jobs,and wish they hadn't joined Medicine in the first place.
Why is it considered an unholy sin to actually get what you want? For an average student with some brains and intelligence and who will be willing to work hard at the field he is in,to get the subject of his choice and be in a much better position to be a better Doctor to his patients?
Because there are too many ungergraduate seats and hardly any post graduate ones.If that is the case then the number of seats for the MBBS course should be halved,so that the ratio of an MD seat for an MBBS one is about 1:3,and not like 1:30 like how it is now. Sadly,a lot of the money for a hospital's basic needs are supplied by the fees that the Undergraduate students pay. Which is why their number won't ever be reduced. Sad,but true.I'm speaking from the perspective of a college like the one I studied in.
The other alternative is to increase the number of MD seatds,but that also will prove an impossibility because the ratio of resident to faculty should be 1:1,and considering how shitty the pay for faculty in a teaching hospital is,it will be a much better,and more just world,if their numbers were to increase.
Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Delhi and updates.
It's been a while..(since i could say that I wasn't addicted-Staind.Hahahahah!!) But really I had been to Delhi and then was busy wasting time and not doing anything productive.
Now I have realised that I had to update my hardcore fan following of maybe 3 readers on goings-on.
Delhi was a nice place to visit.Although in India,in comparison to southern cities,it might as well be a totally different country..the way of life of it's residents,food habits, the very broad roads,traffic that moves quickly as well as a metro rail service that does not smell of Pan spittings or urine.
I had been there to write an entrance exam for admission into AIIMS,the premier medical institute of the country.Competition is cutthroat and the paper was such that the cream will definately be seperated from the rest of the students who write it. But I studied as much as I could and wrote the exam with presence of mind,something that I don't do very often.
I had also been on a plane for the first time in more than 15 years,and I was nervous as hell about it,because my paranoia has escalated post 9/11 and is still very high regarding hijacks and the like.Hence,I was quite on edge until I boarded.Then until take off it was excitement and anxiety,then post take off it was exhilarating!!The sight of a giant city looking like little squares during take off was really cool!
Now I am back in Bangalore,and have been chilling a bit post-AIIMS.I saw quite a few movies,Garden State being one of them.Zach Braff"s directorial debut is an uneven movie that is refreshing because it is different.The tale of a young man who is numb to feeling, going home for the first time in 6 years to attend his mother's funeral,to see the changes in the friends he grew up with and finding a love interest played to perfection by Natalie Portman is at times quirky,at times dark,and at times totally incomprehensible. It turns out the reason he is numb because he has been on Lithium and Anxiolytics since he was a kid!! Braff is good,but I feel he makes a better director and writer(he wrote the script too) than actor. Sadly it might be due to the fact that he has been stereotyped as John Dorian from Scrubs to such an extent that we can't imagine him in any other role.It's basically a coming-of-age tale told in a different way.
Then there was Zodiac,David Fincher's movie about the serial killer of San Francisco and the men who investigated the murders and how it got in the way of their lives. Well made,relentless,and it keeps on making you wonder what's coming up ahead,but as far as performances go it was mediocre.The story is the ultimate winner here.Mark Ruffalo is good,but Jake Gyllenhall is unconvincing as a cartoonist who is obsessed with solving the case. Robert Downey Jr. isn't given enough screen time to expand on his character.
And then finally.....(drum roll)...Om Shanti Om,or OSO. I was the victim of a family conspiracy that made me watch the movie. Let me just say that Akshay Kumar is the best thing of the movie,even though he appears for about a minute. SRK did the movie 'cos one of his best friends was directing it,and it tells you that he's a true friend!! Because the movie will roar at the Box Office just because SRK was in it,and it's sad to see a pathetic movie such as this do well,even though it had minimal substance. The only people who will go to this movie are the women to see SRK,and men to see Deepika Padukone(who is the second best thing of the movie.She is HOT!). Nobody will go to appreciate a movie well done.
I've been reading The Dilbert principle.And it is amazing.Scott Adams explains in detail why companies use complicated words to explain simple things,why people are promoted to management,and how to get ahead in the work place by doing no work and pretending as if you're doing lots of it!!It is worth a read for anybody,because it explains things as how they really happen,and not how it's supposed to happen.
Following is Chris Nolan's debut feature film and it is clever and crafty.In short,vintage Nolan.The non linear story telling and the complicated plot are all there,as is the superb cinematography,which was by Nolan himself.I only hope that Nolan does not let this become his formula,and that audiences should not be able to tell what the ending is after seeeing a couple of movies which he directed.Because this guy is the Alfred Hitchcock of our generation and he should remain so.
More later.
Now I have realised that I had to update my hardcore fan following of maybe 3 readers on goings-on.
Delhi was a nice place to visit.Although in India,in comparison to southern cities,it might as well be a totally different country..the way of life of it's residents,food habits, the very broad roads,traffic that moves quickly as well as a metro rail service that does not smell of Pan spittings or urine.
I had been there to write an entrance exam for admission into AIIMS,the premier medical institute of the country.Competition is cutthroat and the paper was such that the cream will definately be seperated from the rest of the students who write it. But I studied as much as I could and wrote the exam with presence of mind,something that I don't do very often.
I had also been on a plane for the first time in more than 15 years,and I was nervous as hell about it,because my paranoia has escalated post 9/11 and is still very high regarding hijacks and the like.Hence,I was quite on edge until I boarded.Then until take off it was excitement and anxiety,then post take off it was exhilarating!!The sight of a giant city looking like little squares during take off was really cool!
Now I am back in Bangalore,and have been chilling a bit post-AIIMS.I saw quite a few movies,Garden State being one of them.Zach Braff"s directorial debut is an uneven movie that is refreshing because it is different.The tale of a young man who is numb to feeling, going home for the first time in 6 years to attend his mother's funeral,to see the changes in the friends he grew up with and finding a love interest played to perfection by Natalie Portman is at times quirky,at times dark,and at times totally incomprehensible. It turns out the reason he is numb because he has been on Lithium and Anxiolytics since he was a kid!! Braff is good,but I feel he makes a better director and writer(he wrote the script too) than actor. Sadly it might be due to the fact that he has been stereotyped as John Dorian from Scrubs to such an extent that we can't imagine him in any other role.It's basically a coming-of-age tale told in a different way.
Then there was Zodiac,David Fincher's movie about the serial killer of San Francisco and the men who investigated the murders and how it got in the way of their lives. Well made,relentless,and it keeps on making you wonder what's coming up ahead,but as far as performances go it was mediocre.The story is the ultimate winner here.Mark Ruffalo is good,but Jake Gyllenhall is unconvincing as a cartoonist who is obsessed with solving the case. Robert Downey Jr. isn't given enough screen time to expand on his character.
And then finally.....(drum roll)...Om Shanti Om,or OSO. I was the victim of a family conspiracy that made me watch the movie. Let me just say that Akshay Kumar is the best thing of the movie,even though he appears for about a minute. SRK did the movie 'cos one of his best friends was directing it,and it tells you that he's a true friend!! Because the movie will roar at the Box Office just because SRK was in it,and it's sad to see a pathetic movie such as this do well,even though it had minimal substance. The only people who will go to this movie are the women to see SRK,and men to see Deepika Padukone(who is the second best thing of the movie.She is HOT!). Nobody will go to appreciate a movie well done.
I've been reading The Dilbert principle.And it is amazing.Scott Adams explains in detail why companies use complicated words to explain simple things,why people are promoted to management,and how to get ahead in the work place by doing no work and pretending as if you're doing lots of it!!It is worth a read for anybody,because it explains things as how they really happen,and not how it's supposed to happen.
Following is Chris Nolan's debut feature film and it is clever and crafty.In short,vintage Nolan.The non linear story telling and the complicated plot are all there,as is the superb cinematography,which was by Nolan himself.I only hope that Nolan does not let this become his formula,and that audiences should not be able to tell what the ending is after seeeing a couple of movies which he directed.Because this guy is the Alfred Hitchcock of our generation and he should remain so.
More later.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
See this movie.
Requiem for a Dream is perhaps the most brutally honest movie I have seen. It shows how drug addiction can ruin your life,and the depths people go to to get high one more time.
After I saw it my gut was feeling uneasy and my mind was dazed.The movie is near faultless.The 4 principals deliver the performances of their lifetime and Darren Aronofsky has declared that he is here to stay.
The Score is what echoed on and on in my head even as I was about to sleep..it is haunting ,melodious and ensures that the film stays with for longer than you want it to.The ironic thing is that these young protagonists are at an age where they can do anything they want with their lives. However,their entry into the world of drug addiction is not gone into...they start out as junkies willing to pawn even their mothers television for some cash.
Jared Leto is near perfect,as is Jennifer Connelly as the spoilt rich kid who is Leto's love interest.Marlon Wyans gives an amazing performance as Leto's friend and fellow junkie.But the movie belongs to Ellen Burstyn.As Leto's widowed mother with nothing to hold on to but the vague promise of appearing on a television programme,a person who is so obsessed with becoming thin so that she can wear the red dress she loves so much(which she also wore to her son's high school graduation) which doesn't seem to fit her anymore,and who falls prey to prescription amphetamines,she is amazing.Her harrowing transition to a lonely widow to a schizophrenic drug addict is perfect,and I think that for a performance like that she should have gotten the Oscar Award for Best Supporting Actress,which sadly she didn't.
I think everybody should see this movie once.It should also be part of the therapy for drug addicts who want to quit. Because this is one movie that has the potential to make them. It shows the world of bright young adults being transformed into a nightmare becasue they want to get high.The hazards of i.v drug use and the seedy world of prostitution is also delved into.But the love that Leto and Connelly share is demolished into a mere parasitic relationship where one is dependent on the other for money and drugs.
See it once even if you don't watch movies regularly.
Take Care.
After I saw it my gut was feeling uneasy and my mind was dazed.The movie is near faultless.The 4 principals deliver the performances of their lifetime and Darren Aronofsky has declared that he is here to stay.
The Score is what echoed on and on in my head even as I was about to sleep..it is haunting ,melodious and ensures that the film stays with for longer than you want it to.The ironic thing is that these young protagonists are at an age where they can do anything they want with their lives. However,their entry into the world of drug addiction is not gone into...they start out as junkies willing to pawn even their mothers television for some cash.
Jared Leto is near perfect,as is Jennifer Connelly as the spoilt rich kid who is Leto's love interest.Marlon Wyans gives an amazing performance as Leto's friend and fellow junkie.But the movie belongs to Ellen Burstyn.As Leto's widowed mother with nothing to hold on to but the vague promise of appearing on a television programme,a person who is so obsessed with becoming thin so that she can wear the red dress she loves so much(which she also wore to her son's high school graduation) which doesn't seem to fit her anymore,and who falls prey to prescription amphetamines,she is amazing.Her harrowing transition to a lonely widow to a schizophrenic drug addict is perfect,and I think that for a performance like that she should have gotten the Oscar Award for Best Supporting Actress,which sadly she didn't.
I think everybody should see this movie once.It should also be part of the therapy for drug addicts who want to quit. Because this is one movie that has the potential to make them. It shows the world of bright young adults being transformed into a nightmare becasue they want to get high.The hazards of i.v drug use and the seedy world of prostitution is also delved into.But the love that Leto and Connelly share is demolished into a mere parasitic relationship where one is dependent on the other for money and drugs.
See it once even if you don't watch movies regularly.
Take Care.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Long Halloween
"The Long Halloween"-Batman in a gangster noir story.But it rocked all the same.Here is a relatively young Batman who is introduced to Harvey Dent for the first time,and it also shows some serial killer who likes to kill on National Holidays,hence him/her being christened "Holiday".
It also shows Batman to be naive,if that is at all possible-he keeps reminding himself of the promise he made his parents at their grave that he would rid Gotham of all evil,and from what you read,he actually thinks it can happen!
Far more attention worthy is the young D.A,idealistic to a fault,and deeply passionate about his convictions. The accident that threw him over the edge is more or less the same,but his pre accident psyche is not well described.In fact,it's not gone into at all.The Animated Series Batman showed Dent to have a volcanic temper and one who would snap at anybody if his threshold is broken(which is not all that much anyway).But in The Long Halloween,that aspect is not gone into at all,only the fact that he is almost as focussed as Batman in trying to stop the plague of crime and corruption.Maybe more.
Hopefully The Dark Knight will show Dent to have a bit of a temper before he becomes Two Face.The casting of Aaron Eckhart took me by surprise.What was even more surprising was that Ed Norton and Matt Damon were offered the role initially and they turned it down.
Norton is perhaps the most talented and gifted actor of his generation,but he isn't physically right for the part of Dent.But the intense personality and volcanic temper that I hope will be Dent's character profile is almost too easy for Norton to pull off.Which is why he chose to instead play the most volcanic character of the Marvel Universe-The Incredible Hulk!!
Damon I would have had grave misgivings about.Not that he's a bad actor or anything,you just can't see him playing a character like that.
My choice would have been Josh Lucas.He has the charisma that Dent exudes,and he can be quite mean as well,as he showed in The Hulk.Plus he can get quite angry too(The Hulk again).
Eckhart is a good actor.He single handedly made Thank You for Smoking a memorable film to watch.Hopefully the goody goody movies he has been in recently(No Reservations) will provide the contrast needed for The Dark Knight.And hopefully we see more of a Suspect Zero type perfprmance from him.
It also shows Batman to be naive,if that is at all possible-he keeps reminding himself of the promise he made his parents at their grave that he would rid Gotham of all evil,and from what you read,he actually thinks it can happen!
Far more attention worthy is the young D.A,idealistic to a fault,and deeply passionate about his convictions. The accident that threw him over the edge is more or less the same,but his pre accident psyche is not well described.In fact,it's not gone into at all.The Animated Series Batman showed Dent to have a volcanic temper and one who would snap at anybody if his threshold is broken(which is not all that much anyway).But in The Long Halloween,that aspect is not gone into at all,only the fact that he is almost as focussed as Batman in trying to stop the plague of crime and corruption.Maybe more.
Hopefully The Dark Knight will show Dent to have a bit of a temper before he becomes Two Face.The casting of Aaron Eckhart took me by surprise.What was even more surprising was that Ed Norton and Matt Damon were offered the role initially and they turned it down.
Norton is perhaps the most talented and gifted actor of his generation,but he isn't physically right for the part of Dent.But the intense personality and volcanic temper that I hope will be Dent's character profile is almost too easy for Norton to pull off.Which is why he chose to instead play the most volcanic character of the Marvel Universe-The Incredible Hulk!!
Damon I would have had grave misgivings about.Not that he's a bad actor or anything,you just can't see him playing a character like that.
My choice would have been Josh Lucas.He has the charisma that Dent exudes,and he can be quite mean as well,as he showed in The Hulk.Plus he can get quite angry too(The Hulk again).
Eckhart is a good actor.He single handedly made Thank You for Smoking a memorable film to watch.Hopefully the goody goody movies he has been in recently(No Reservations) will provide the contrast needed for The Dark Knight.And hopefully we see more of a Suspect Zero type perfprmance from him.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Don't answer the question!!
I had seen this movie called "Little Children" starring Kate Winslet that is a very accurate,albeit cliched look of the life of an educated,empowered young woman in Suburbia,and how the gossip and the attention to trivial detail is too suffocating for her open and broad mind.How does she deal with it? By having an affair.Of course,the stimulus was when she found her husband jerking off to lingerie(not her's).
It is a black comedy in that it shows how the bad choices we make are sometimes preceeded by moments of sheer hilarity.....which is a lot like real life.There are also other sub plots involving a child molester just out of prison,a gung-ho ex cop who is mentally unstable,for reasons unkown until the end,and a law student who still hasn't passed the bar exam with a son and a successful career wife,and how he doesn't really want to be a lawyer-the look in his face when he joins the skateboarding group shows that his interests perhaps lie elsewhere.
How many of us actually like what we do?
John Mayer is a genius.Quite simply put. I have been listening to "Room for Squares" again and it seems amazing.The lyrics are mature,even though they sing of love (and of one's body being a wonderland).The guitaring is top notch,even though it's not flashy and doesn't have amazingly fast speed metal solos!
I had recently quit my job in the search for greener pastures,and a psychiatry residency.Hope the risk pays off now. The hospital where I worked was top notch,with the finest doctors one could assemble under a single roof.Only thing was there wasn't a psych residency available,hence the decison to quit.
More later.
It is a black comedy in that it shows how the bad choices we make are sometimes preceeded by moments of sheer hilarity.....which is a lot like real life.There are also other sub plots involving a child molester just out of prison,a gung-ho ex cop who is mentally unstable,for reasons unkown until the end,and a law student who still hasn't passed the bar exam with a son and a successful career wife,and how he doesn't really want to be a lawyer-the look in his face when he joins the skateboarding group shows that his interests perhaps lie elsewhere.
How many of us actually like what we do?
John Mayer is a genius.Quite simply put. I have been listening to "Room for Squares" again and it seems amazing.The lyrics are mature,even though they sing of love (and of one's body being a wonderland).The guitaring is top notch,even though it's not flashy and doesn't have amazingly fast speed metal solos!
I had recently quit my job in the search for greener pastures,and a psychiatry residency.Hope the risk pays off now. The hospital where I worked was top notch,with the finest doctors one could assemble under a single roof.Only thing was there wasn't a psych residency available,hence the decison to quit.
More later.
Monday, October 8, 2007
I am writing these lines from a computer in the hospital where I work. I have to spend the night here today and hence decided to peruse the net post dinner. It is very often in the quiet after-5-pm hours of this hospital that you tend to be much calmer in thinking things out,as opposed to the mad rush of the out-patient hours.
A few points I would like to mention:
1)Your parents did the best they could. You will also screw up when you become a parent,but perhaps in ways that are diametrically opposite to how you got screwed by your own parents.But it will happen. The sacrifices they made for you,you will understand when you become one yourself.
2)Things are not as bad as how they seem.Unless you're a starving child in Africa,they're not.
3)Sometimes you can't help people screwing up.They may be your dear friends but they will do it anyway,even though you try hard to avert the potential disaster. Hell,whole countries make catastrophic blunders while the world watches in quiet amusement and pity.Look at the most powerful country in the world; it's citizens voted a president who has been singlehandedly responsible for bringing Armageddon closer. Plus,he's dumb.He can hardly read.He definately doesn't know English. Still,it happened and we couldn't do a single damn thing to stop it from happening.
4)Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler rule. Ditto Eddie Van Halen,Pearl Jam,Matchbox 20,Queen,REM,Tom Petty,Bob Dylan,Mr.Big and many more.People who let their work do the talking is who i'm talking about. Same for Gandhi,Syu-Kyi,A.P.J.Abdul Kalam,Manmohan Singh,Al Gore,Nelson Mandela and a few others.
5)Dogs are nice and they DO NOT KILL unless provoked.
6)Although we get the Government we deserve,the political crisis in Karnataka makes even the most absurdist ideas we had about Government seem like Nobel Prize winning material.Because things have become so dumb that the thermostat has to be reset and new definitions have to be formulated regarding the future use of that word,and in the context it can be used in.
7)Its ok to be neurotic.But its not ok to put on a falsely gung-ho appearence to hide the fact.
8)Before you decide to blame someone,ask yourself if you were also responsible for the misunderstanding. Most likely you would have been.
9)Don't listen to people who tell you that you can't do it.However,listen to people who tell you what your shortcomings are,provided they're honest and have nothing to gain from it.
10)There in nothing more peaceful than waking up in the morning as the sun rises and the birds are chirping. Try to keep that peace with you throughout the day in the helter-skelter of your daily life.
11)Smoking is bad.Period.And if you do it,don't be upset that you can't quit.It is THE most addictive substance in the world.If you do quit it,tell me how.Because i'm trying to quit it too but somehow can't get myself to do it.
12)There is always time to do the things we really want to.
13)Sleep less,eat less,drink lots of water,don't gorge on fast food, and walk 5 km a day to stay in shape.
14)Play an instrument.Even if what comes out is noise,do it anyway.
15)It ain't over till the fat lady sings.
16)Watch The Matrix,The Godfather, and The Shawshank Redemption at least two times each.You will learn how to dream,how to make a fucking amazing movie,and how to keep trying and never lose hope respectively.
17)Dancing stars and Glitzy musical numbers do not a fine movie make.
18)Laugh at something,even if its the jokes you crack in your own head.
19)Take pride in the fact that you're an Indian.Never believe yourself to be inferior to anybody....let's not be pushovers but quitely and assertively state that we are here to stay.
20)Give money to the poor. They need it a helluva lot more than we do.Ask yourself this question :"Is this person's need greater than mine?"
Phew!!Thats all I could think about at the moment.
Just to remind you all that The Dark Knight will hit theatres on July 18th,2008.And appearently Heath Ledger is bloody amazing.Can't wait!!
A few points I would like to mention:
1)Your parents did the best they could. You will also screw up when you become a parent,but perhaps in ways that are diametrically opposite to how you got screwed by your own parents.But it will happen. The sacrifices they made for you,you will understand when you become one yourself.
2)Things are not as bad as how they seem.Unless you're a starving child in Africa,they're not.
3)Sometimes you can't help people screwing up.They may be your dear friends but they will do it anyway,even though you try hard to avert the potential disaster. Hell,whole countries make catastrophic blunders while the world watches in quiet amusement and pity.Look at the most powerful country in the world; it's citizens voted a president who has been singlehandedly responsible for bringing Armageddon closer. Plus,he's dumb.He can hardly read.He definately doesn't know English. Still,it happened and we couldn't do a single damn thing to stop it from happening.
4)Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler rule. Ditto Eddie Van Halen,Pearl Jam,Matchbox 20,Queen,REM,Tom Petty,Bob Dylan,Mr.Big and many more.People who let their work do the talking is who i'm talking about. Same for Gandhi,Syu-Kyi,A.P.J.Abdul Kalam,Manmohan Singh,Al Gore,Nelson Mandela and a few others.
5)Dogs are nice and they DO NOT KILL unless provoked.
6)Although we get the Government we deserve,the political crisis in Karnataka makes even the most absurdist ideas we had about Government seem like Nobel Prize winning material.Because things have become so dumb that the thermostat has to be reset and new definitions have to be formulated regarding the future use of that word,and in the context it can be used in.
7)Its ok to be neurotic.But its not ok to put on a falsely gung-ho appearence to hide the fact.
8)Before you decide to blame someone,ask yourself if you were also responsible for the misunderstanding. Most likely you would have been.
9)Don't listen to people who tell you that you can't do it.However,listen to people who tell you what your shortcomings are,provided they're honest and have nothing to gain from it.
10)There in nothing more peaceful than waking up in the morning as the sun rises and the birds are chirping. Try to keep that peace with you throughout the day in the helter-skelter of your daily life.
11)Smoking is bad.Period.And if you do it,don't be upset that you can't quit.It is THE most addictive substance in the world.If you do quit it,tell me how.Because i'm trying to quit it too but somehow can't get myself to do it.
12)There is always time to do the things we really want to.
13)Sleep less,eat less,drink lots of water,don't gorge on fast food, and walk 5 km a day to stay in shape.
14)Play an instrument.Even if what comes out is noise,do it anyway.
15)It ain't over till the fat lady sings.
16)Watch The Matrix,The Godfather, and The Shawshank Redemption at least two times each.You will learn how to dream,how to make a fucking amazing movie,and how to keep trying and never lose hope respectively.
17)Dancing stars and Glitzy musical numbers do not a fine movie make.
18)Laugh at something,even if its the jokes you crack in your own head.
19)Take pride in the fact that you're an Indian.Never believe yourself to be inferior to anybody....let's not be pushovers but quitely and assertively state that we are here to stay.
20)Give money to the poor. They need it a helluva lot more than we do.Ask yourself this question :"Is this person's need greater than mine?"
Phew!!Thats all I could think about at the moment.
Just to remind you all that The Dark Knight will hit theatres on July 18th,2008.And appearently Heath Ledger is bloody amazing.Can't wait!!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Updates and confessions.
Recently I had realised that people(I,to be more honest) want the easy way out of everything. I am one of them. We(more suitably I) have had the vaccination of a previleged upbringing that makes us(me,actually) loathe to really endure times that are so shitty,so bad,that you hang in there just because you believe there is a light at the end of your tunnel.And unlike James Hetfield of Metallica,we should believe that it isn't just another freight train coming our way.
I guess that life has generally become so much more easier and convineant for us that we don't want to strech ourselves anymore.What if there is to be another Great Depression coming?How will we deal with it? Will we have the spiritual arsenal to cope?
Which is why I take inspiration in(NOT The Bible or The Bhagvad Gita) the Rocky series of movies,which depicts a 30 year old fighter(played to perfection by Sly Stallone) who fights in seedy clubs at night and works as a loan shark during the day. He isn't smart,but has a stout heart which helps him when he is challenged by the World Heavyweight Champion for the Heavyweight Title bout after the latter's original contender pulls out due to medical reasons. How a down and out 30 year old (whose locker is given to another,more promising boxer in the first half of the movie) trains with the help of his manager Mickey,and prepares himself for the biggest day of his life is depicted with the standard inspirational music and heavy sweat and training sequences that are now cliched. But it is in the fight in the end that your heart goes out to Rocky and you see that all it takes is the heart to hang in there and stay for a while longer in the ring, and give your best shot while trying to duck the opponents fist.
I always knew that Stallone was Rocky,but it was only recently that I discovered that he has written all the scripts of the franchise as well as directed 4 of them. Suddenly the mumbling muscleman became a man who has written a story to stand the test of time.At least in my eyes. What most people do not know is that Stallone himself had about a 100 dollars in his bank account when he wrote the script of the first Rocky movie with a family in tow. So it goes to show that miracles do happen if you work at it long enough.And provided you don't lose heart.
I personally struggle with pessimistic and occasionally fatalistic patterns of thinking and I hope to adopt a more positive,or at least realistic,attitude in the days to come.And I sincerely hope that all you guys do too.
Updates are hard to come buy owing to paucity of time. I suppose I too am slowly becoming more and more immersed in daily goings on that time to ponder is hard to find.(At least,its hard to find time to type my thoughts:-) )
Books....bought a whole lot of them but unfortunately haven't opened a single one. Looks like its going to be only academic books for the next 4 months,as the entrances are coming soon. Now its time to put into practice what I wrote in the paragraphs above:-) Cheeky!!!!
Please discount the whole aversion to pain-themed-first 2 paragraphs if you have streched yourself and achieved something you're proud of. Drop in an e mail to tell me your story. I'd love to hear it!!
Bye-Bye.
I guess that life has generally become so much more easier and convineant for us that we don't want to strech ourselves anymore.What if there is to be another Great Depression coming?How will we deal with it? Will we have the spiritual arsenal to cope?
Which is why I take inspiration in(NOT The Bible or The Bhagvad Gita) the Rocky series of movies,which depicts a 30 year old fighter(played to perfection by Sly Stallone) who fights in seedy clubs at night and works as a loan shark during the day. He isn't smart,but has a stout heart which helps him when he is challenged by the World Heavyweight Champion for the Heavyweight Title bout after the latter's original contender pulls out due to medical reasons. How a down and out 30 year old (whose locker is given to another,more promising boxer in the first half of the movie) trains with the help of his manager Mickey,and prepares himself for the biggest day of his life is depicted with the standard inspirational music and heavy sweat and training sequences that are now cliched. But it is in the fight in the end that your heart goes out to Rocky and you see that all it takes is the heart to hang in there and stay for a while longer in the ring, and give your best shot while trying to duck the opponents fist.
I always knew that Stallone was Rocky,but it was only recently that I discovered that he has written all the scripts of the franchise as well as directed 4 of them. Suddenly the mumbling muscleman became a man who has written a story to stand the test of time.At least in my eyes. What most people do not know is that Stallone himself had about a 100 dollars in his bank account when he wrote the script of the first Rocky movie with a family in tow. So it goes to show that miracles do happen if you work at it long enough.And provided you don't lose heart.
I personally struggle with pessimistic and occasionally fatalistic patterns of thinking and I hope to adopt a more positive,or at least realistic,attitude in the days to come.And I sincerely hope that all you guys do too.
Updates are hard to come buy owing to paucity of time. I suppose I too am slowly becoming more and more immersed in daily goings on that time to ponder is hard to find.(At least,its hard to find time to type my thoughts:-) )
Books....bought a whole lot of them but unfortunately haven't opened a single one. Looks like its going to be only academic books for the next 4 months,as the entrances are coming soon. Now its time to put into practice what I wrote in the paragraphs above:-) Cheeky!!!!
Please discount the whole aversion to pain-themed-first 2 paragraphs if you have streched yourself and achieved something you're proud of. Drop in an e mail to tell me your story. I'd love to hear it!!
Bye-Bye.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Why Friends and Seinfeld struck a chord...
Have there ever been times when you've felt that you are completely alone and isolated from the whole world,prefer to live in a cave for the rest of your life,with cigarettes,caffeine and alcohol(or whatever you deem comforting) as your sole companion(s)?
Of course you have!!
What I am confused about is that we were told that this would happen during puberty,and I remember that a Doctor had come to my school and spoken to us about how this was a time of change,etc etc etc. What he did not mention was that this would stay with us throughout the majority of our adult life!! It's only when we are 60+ that we (hopefully) sit back and realise that our demons have been tamed,and that we are,finally,at peace.
In which case shouldn't puberty extend upto we're 45 or so?
Sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld were such a hit because they showed adults who had issues that one normally sees during adolescence. "Will she like me?" "I can't say no to him" "Is it too early to call back?" "What happens next?" "What do i want to be doing for the rest my life?"
Such issues never leave us. Those who have resolved them,we label as sages and new-age gurus.
Dravid has resigned as captain of the Indian Cricket Team,which is a good move. Like Tendulkar before him,he couldn't juggle both captaincy and batting. Hopefully from now The Wall will make us remember again why we named
him so.
Of course you have!!
What I am confused about is that we were told that this would happen during puberty,and I remember that a Doctor had come to my school and spoken to us about how this was a time of change,etc etc etc. What he did not mention was that this would stay with us throughout the majority of our adult life!! It's only when we are 60+ that we (hopefully) sit back and realise that our demons have been tamed,and that we are,finally,at peace.
In which case shouldn't puberty extend upto we're 45 or so?
Sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld were such a hit because they showed adults who had issues that one normally sees during adolescence. "Will she like me?" "I can't say no to him" "Is it too early to call back?" "What happens next?" "What do i want to be doing for the rest my life?"
Such issues never leave us. Those who have resolved them,we label as sages and new-age gurus.
Dravid has resigned as captain of the Indian Cricket Team,which is a good move. Like Tendulkar before him,he couldn't juggle both captaincy and batting. Hopefully from now The Wall will make us remember again why we named
him so.
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Watchmen.
Right now is one of those times when i'm pissed at the whole world,for reasons that are not important. But this overwhelming sense of frustration is there,and i guess that time is the best healer for periods like these.
Anyways,I had read Alan Moore's graphic novel-The Watchmen. And it is striking. Not as much as for the intense characterizations of their leads-these are real people,man-than for the underlying theme i.e one of Spock's most Zen like statements-the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If you haven't read it yet,then its best that you avoid the following paragraph.
One of the Watchme-Adrian Veidt(if that is the spelling),actually organizes this elaborate plot that culminates in a part of NYC being blown to bits by an extraterrestrial being that is suddenly teleported there.As a result of which the impending nuclear war with Russia is avoided,all hostilities are forgotten,and a new age of friendship and empathy dawns on man,at the expense of a few million lives.
On the surface,it might seem that what Veidt has done is horrendous,but on closer inspection,he actually did change the world.He ended the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction,and the annihilation of the world at the same time. But there were casualties,lots of them.
I suppose it was one of those presidential style decisions that has to be taken by world leaders. My father once told me that Heads of Government are presented with problems that have an equal number of pros and cons. And which way to take it is left in their hands. Which is why that its a bitch to be the President of the USA,or any other country. They have blood on their hands,but if it means more lives saved than expended,the decision is one worth taking.Similar to the manner in which Harry S.Truman dropped those 2 bombs to result in the ending of the 2nd World War.In the end lots more lives were spared.I am not supporting what he did,and I'm not condoning it either. But I am saying that sometimes these are hard decisions that everybody will have to take at some point or the other in their lives,although of not such a dramatic scale.
And Rorscach rules!!The philosophy he practices has been described as "Moral Absolutism" by Wikipedia.Its a nice description. Although I would like to live like how he did,I am realizing,by bitter experience,that it may not the right way to live. Because in the end you'll end up being defeated by a power higher than you,in much the same manner that Rorscach was killed by Dr.Manhattan. I don't like the way it turned out with Rorscach,but somewhere in the back of my head was the phrase "Was expected". Which is why characters like Rorscach and Howard Roark exist only in books and not in the real world....they don't live long enough for their story to be told!! Sad,but true.
Anyways,I had read Alan Moore's graphic novel-The Watchmen. And it is striking. Not as much as for the intense characterizations of their leads-these are real people,man-than for the underlying theme i.e one of Spock's most Zen like statements-the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If you haven't read it yet,then its best that you avoid the following paragraph.
One of the Watchme-Adrian Veidt(if that is the spelling),actually organizes this elaborate plot that culminates in a part of NYC being blown to bits by an extraterrestrial being that is suddenly teleported there.As a result of which the impending nuclear war with Russia is avoided,all hostilities are forgotten,and a new age of friendship and empathy dawns on man,at the expense of a few million lives.
On the surface,it might seem that what Veidt has done is horrendous,but on closer inspection,he actually did change the world.He ended the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction,and the annihilation of the world at the same time. But there were casualties,lots of them.
I suppose it was one of those presidential style decisions that has to be taken by world leaders. My father once told me that Heads of Government are presented with problems that have an equal number of pros and cons. And which way to take it is left in their hands. Which is why that its a bitch to be the President of the USA,or any other country. They have blood on their hands,but if it means more lives saved than expended,the decision is one worth taking.Similar to the manner in which Harry S.Truman dropped those 2 bombs to result in the ending of the 2nd World War.In the end lots more lives were spared.I am not supporting what he did,and I'm not condoning it either. But I am saying that sometimes these are hard decisions that everybody will have to take at some point or the other in their lives,although of not such a dramatic scale.
And Rorscach rules!!The philosophy he practices has been described as "Moral Absolutism" by Wikipedia.Its a nice description. Although I would like to live like how he did,I am realizing,by bitter experience,that it may not the right way to live. Because in the end you'll end up being defeated by a power higher than you,in much the same manner that Rorscach was killed by Dr.Manhattan. I don't like the way it turned out with Rorscach,but somewhere in the back of my head was the phrase "Was expected". Which is why characters like Rorscach and Howard Roark exist only in books and not in the real world....they don't live long enough for their story to be told!! Sad,but true.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
There is always this sense of doom coupled with a hope of better things to come whenever it's your birthday. Resolutions are made,new dreams written down on paper and the mood is generally upbeat. On the other hand,when we realise that not much has actually changed compared to our birthday last year,we go into a self pity trip that destroys much much more than it comforts.
So,when i celebrated my birthday recently,I was cautious not to fall into either of the two extremes listed above. Instead I hope ,and I truly hope,to be more aware of the fact that I am living a life that is my own,with its own unique issues and triumphs,and that comparison with others is folly. The reason most of us are unhappy is that we compare our current positions to others,or we wish that we were in a happier,more financially secure place than where we are now.
Because the truth is that we are damn lucky to be able to have a roof over our heads,with food to eat and water to drink,and people who love us-family,friends,whoever. And we have the luxury of wasting food that is enough to feed a starving African family. The bigger picture is what i'm thinking about,and urging readers to do the same.
I figure that the more we have,the more we want,and once we can't get it,we curse and abuse our fate and go into that self pity trip I was talking about earlier. I know this sounds very pop psychology,but let's just stop for a moment and think about what we have with us now,and picture ourselves without it. Then let's see what we value,and hopefully then we can differentiate between what we really need and what we want.
Apart from that,I'm confused about what subject to pursue for my residency-Internal Medicine or Psychiatry.Hopefully I'll come to a decision soon.
Good Night and Good Luck.
So,when i celebrated my birthday recently,I was cautious not to fall into either of the two extremes listed above. Instead I hope ,and I truly hope,to be more aware of the fact that I am living a life that is my own,with its own unique issues and triumphs,and that comparison with others is folly. The reason most of us are unhappy is that we compare our current positions to others,or we wish that we were in a happier,more financially secure place than where we are now.
Because the truth is that we are damn lucky to be able to have a roof over our heads,with food to eat and water to drink,and people who love us-family,friends,whoever. And we have the luxury of wasting food that is enough to feed a starving African family. The bigger picture is what i'm thinking about,and urging readers to do the same.
I figure that the more we have,the more we want,and once we can't get it,we curse and abuse our fate and go into that self pity trip I was talking about earlier. I know this sounds very pop psychology,but let's just stop for a moment and think about what we have with us now,and picture ourselves without it. Then let's see what we value,and hopefully then we can differentiate between what we really need and what we want.
Apart from that,I'm confused about what subject to pursue for my residency-Internal Medicine or Psychiatry.Hopefully I'll come to a decision soon.
Good Night and Good Luck.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Updates
I am unable to write as often as i'd like to,what with starting work and all,but I hope this entry will suffice in providing updates(or lack thereof)
There is this one movie called "Cinderella Man" starring Russell Crowe which I would advise anybody to see. Because in the tradition of the "Rocky" franchise,it speaks about the triumph of the human spirit,but it also says that we do need a break once in a while,when the chips are down.
I have always found Crowe to be a tad overrated. I was not particularly impressed by his performances in "Gladiator" or "The Beautiful Mind", but on this occasion he has delivered a truly remarkable performance as a professional boxer who goes from riches to rags during The Great Depression.Only to fight back and finally come out triumphant. Mostly understated,he lets the strength of his characters spirit do tha talking. Ditto Renee Zellweger,who is one of the most underrated actors of our generation,as the loyal wife who is paranoid about the safety of her boxer husband.
In current news,you would have all heard of the rift between the Congress and the Left front,over the nuclear deal with the United States. There are,as always,two sides to this story. The deal will bring with it much needed electricity and other essential requirements.On the condition that we do not conduct any more nuclear tests. Which I think is silly. It's not that we are so bellicose as a nation to expand our arsenal at any given opportunity to counteract the slightest possible threat,real or imaginary. The world would be a much more peaceful place if everybody were libertarian,which translates into..Leave others alone and vice versa. But it will never work out.Because sometimes what others want will impinge on your way of living,and if you are to stick to your word,then it would mean that you get screwed in the name of being a Libertarian. There is a thin fine line to walk,which we will never find,not in all our lifetimes,between letting people be and an intervention that is needed to protect ourselves. Like i said,we'll never find it,let alone walk it.
Apart from that,Sanjay Dutt is in jail. Which is the supreme irony,like many things in life. Christopher Reeve plays Superman on screen only to be paralysed from the neck down in real life. You take the bus instead of your bike on a rainy day because you fear the bike may slip and you might injure yourself,only to have a humongous crash involving the very bus you took. Munna Bhai is convicted and sent to jail. Will this ever end? Its cruel,very cruel,and the exact reasons for such events happening in such a sequence are poorly understood.
The song "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles is one of my favorites,but the number of times it has been covered and remixed is a stark reminder of the fact that creativity is wearing out in the entertainment world. Not to mention the countless mediocre sequels to movies that were a box office hit. It's basically sticking to a formula. And the results are there for everyone to see. Whatever happened to spontaneity? To original thinking? To being open to the idea that one might actually fail,but at least one has failed at trying to do something original.
More later. 'Night.
There is this one movie called "Cinderella Man" starring Russell Crowe which I would advise anybody to see. Because in the tradition of the "Rocky" franchise,it speaks about the triumph of the human spirit,but it also says that we do need a break once in a while,when the chips are down.
I have always found Crowe to be a tad overrated. I was not particularly impressed by his performances in "Gladiator" or "The Beautiful Mind", but on this occasion he has delivered a truly remarkable performance as a professional boxer who goes from riches to rags during The Great Depression.Only to fight back and finally come out triumphant. Mostly understated,he lets the strength of his characters spirit do tha talking. Ditto Renee Zellweger,who is one of the most underrated actors of our generation,as the loyal wife who is paranoid about the safety of her boxer husband.
In current news,you would have all heard of the rift between the Congress and the Left front,over the nuclear deal with the United States. There are,as always,two sides to this story. The deal will bring with it much needed electricity and other essential requirements.On the condition that we do not conduct any more nuclear tests. Which I think is silly. It's not that we are so bellicose as a nation to expand our arsenal at any given opportunity to counteract the slightest possible threat,real or imaginary. The world would be a much more peaceful place if everybody were libertarian,which translates into..Leave others alone and vice versa. But it will never work out.Because sometimes what others want will impinge on your way of living,and if you are to stick to your word,then it would mean that you get screwed in the name of being a Libertarian. There is a thin fine line to walk,which we will never find,not in all our lifetimes,between letting people be and an intervention that is needed to protect ourselves. Like i said,we'll never find it,let alone walk it.
Apart from that,Sanjay Dutt is in jail. Which is the supreme irony,like many things in life. Christopher Reeve plays Superman on screen only to be paralysed from the neck down in real life. You take the bus instead of your bike on a rainy day because you fear the bike may slip and you might injure yourself,only to have a humongous crash involving the very bus you took. Munna Bhai is convicted and sent to jail. Will this ever end? Its cruel,very cruel,and the exact reasons for such events happening in such a sequence are poorly understood.
The song "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles is one of my favorites,but the number of times it has been covered and remixed is a stark reminder of the fact that creativity is wearing out in the entertainment world. Not to mention the countless mediocre sequels to movies that were a box office hit. It's basically sticking to a formula. And the results are there for everyone to see. Whatever happened to spontaneity? To original thinking? To being open to the idea that one might actually fail,but at least one has failed at trying to do something original.
More later. 'Night.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
23 and what it meant,plus The Dark Knight
I was seeing the movie "23" a few days back,starring Jim Carrey.And it was a good movie,no doubt,although a bit cliched,as all suspense films these days tend to be. Although I had a vested interest in watching the movie(to see the beautiful Virginia Madsen as well), there was a line in the movie that really hit home:
"There's no such thing as destiny,there are only different choices..Some are easy,the others aren't. Those are the ones that define who we are as people"
I suppose the screenwriter,whoever he is,has summed up the whole search for the meaning of existence in those 2 sentences.
Because,in the end,it's all about the choices we make. And the choices you make define who you are. Even if we don't do anything and sit around on our arses all day long,we are making a choice in deciding to do nothing. Although I am one of those people who are more happy to sit back and let things happen to them instead of taking a more proactive stance in life,it is only recently that I have realised that you need to do things for yourself in this world and make things happen,instead of letting things happen to you. Should you fail in your attempt,at least you know that you have tried the best you could,and that is what we should all strive for in our lives,be it in the work place or in the sphere of human relationships and interactions. Because the pain of not trying for anything just because we were scared of the result,or worse,because we were lazy, is the most excruciating experience we will ever feel,and it is certain to leave a bad taste in our mouth for a long time to come.
(Borrowed heavily from Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch,a must read)
Now,on to more exciting stuff...the teaser trailer of The Dark Knight, the new Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan,That Genius amongst film directors,has been released,and although it did not have any visuals,I had an idea as to the central theme of the movie.
Nolan and co-story writer David Goyer have said that this movie is a continuation of where the last movie ends.If you remember,Gordon and Batman are standing on the rooftop of a building and Gordon says that there is a possibility of escalation :"We start carrying semi-automatics,they buy automatics" just about sums it up. So this one looks as if there is going to be a murderous backlash from the criminal community,and of course,The Clown Prince of Crime himself,The Joker.
Heath Ledger's casting as The Joker took me by surprise. I was not disappointed,because Ledger has shown his ability to deliver the goods in "Brokeback Mountain". But my obvious thought was that "He just isn't physically right for the part". Lachy Hulme would be more physically in line with what The Joker looks like. And my personal favourite for the role was Alan Cumming. Or Sean Penn,whom Warner Bros first approached for the role.Penn would have been amazing!!Cumming too has the maniacal glint in his eyes which is so The Joker.
However,after hearing Ledger deliver his first threat as the homicidal maniac "Starting tonight,people will die. I'm a man of my word.HAHAHAHAH!!!",I feel a bit reassured.Chris Nolan is not one to follow stereotypes,for starters. And his choice of actors are such that they are exactly right for the role they play,or in other words,you can't imagine anyone else playing that part,instead of wondering whether they had been miscast or not. And Nolan does deliver.
Ok,ok,I'm a bigtime Batman geek alright!!!
"There's no such thing as destiny,there are only different choices..Some are easy,the others aren't. Those are the ones that define who we are as people"
I suppose the screenwriter,whoever he is,has summed up the whole search for the meaning of existence in those 2 sentences.
Because,in the end,it's all about the choices we make. And the choices you make define who you are. Even if we don't do anything and sit around on our arses all day long,we are making a choice in deciding to do nothing. Although I am one of those people who are more happy to sit back and let things happen to them instead of taking a more proactive stance in life,it is only recently that I have realised that you need to do things for yourself in this world and make things happen,instead of letting things happen to you. Should you fail in your attempt,at least you know that you have tried the best you could,and that is what we should all strive for in our lives,be it in the work place or in the sphere of human relationships and interactions. Because the pain of not trying for anything just because we were scared of the result,or worse,because we were lazy, is the most excruciating experience we will ever feel,and it is certain to leave a bad taste in our mouth for a long time to come.
(Borrowed heavily from Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch,a must read)
Now,on to more exciting stuff...the teaser trailer of The Dark Knight, the new Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan,That Genius amongst film directors,has been released,and although it did not have any visuals,I had an idea as to the central theme of the movie.
Nolan and co-story writer David Goyer have said that this movie is a continuation of where the last movie ends.If you remember,Gordon and Batman are standing on the rooftop of a building and Gordon says that there is a possibility of escalation :"We start carrying semi-automatics,they buy automatics" just about sums it up. So this one looks as if there is going to be a murderous backlash from the criminal community,and of course,The Clown Prince of Crime himself,The Joker.
Heath Ledger's casting as The Joker took me by surprise. I was not disappointed,because Ledger has shown his ability to deliver the goods in "Brokeback Mountain". But my obvious thought was that "He just isn't physically right for the part". Lachy Hulme would be more physically in line with what The Joker looks like. And my personal favourite for the role was Alan Cumming. Or Sean Penn,whom Warner Bros first approached for the role.Penn would have been amazing!!Cumming too has the maniacal glint in his eyes which is so The Joker.
However,after hearing Ledger deliver his first threat as the homicidal maniac "Starting tonight,people will die. I'm a man of my word.HAHAHAHAH!!!",I feel a bit reassured.Chris Nolan is not one to follow stereotypes,for starters. And his choice of actors are such that they are exactly right for the role they play,or in other words,you can't imagine anyone else playing that part,instead of wondering whether they had been miscast or not. And Nolan does deliver.
Ok,ok,I'm a bigtime Batman geek alright!!!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Been a while since my last post(not that any of you would have been reading it regularly anyway!!). Like I said i'm studying to get into a residency and it's high time to get back into the groove,because the noose is tightening day by day as I type these words.
The profession of medicine is historically a very noble one,and one that is respected,and one of the toughest to get into and to maintain as one's career.
I would disagree with the notion that it remains a noble profession. The reasons are that most practitioners get into it to get rich fast,and to earn so much of money that they don't know how to dispose of it and,eventually,to be the target of an IT department raid!!
The old idea if getting in to serve,to heal,to help,is very very outdated. Like an old computer programme,it's time is over.
It is still respected,but as people become more and more educated as with the spread of the internet,doctors are now seen as a product. And ever since the COPRA Act came into effect,the service of doctors to the public is considered a product,and,as with all products,if the customer is dissatisfied,they can claim compensation.
This is most unwelcome. After throwing away what is arguably the best decade of anyone's life i.e the time between when they're 20-30 years old,in studying and working in hospitals,with a limited social circle,since all their other friends have moved on from the student phase(which is prolonged for us),all they can feel is "Aaah,now I can start living my life."
Now,the Government wants compulsory rural service for another year from students doing their MBBS,which is asinine. Sheer idiocy. Granted,rural areas are underserved,and there is a 3 month block posting in Community and Rural Health(incidentally the longest posting during internship). If more time is to be served in the rural areas,it is to be done durin internship only. Another year is just nor required.Period.
What my friends and I have observed and felt all this time is that the Government consider Medicos to be sheer robots who will gladly and automatically do as the master says, with an "Ours not to reason why,ours but to do and die" kind of attitude about us. We are also human,we have lives,we would like to earn when we're 24 like the rest of the world,instead of 28 or 30 or whenever else we start. And to order us to stall our lives for another year does not help our situation at all.
And don't get me started on the Quota debate!! They say that they are implementing it in order to "Not divide the country further", whereas in reality it is doing just that.This will only segregate our country further,into warrinf factions like the days of old. Haven't we progressed beyond that?
If there are to be reservations, it should be for meritorious students who are economically poor,not for a class of society who have 2 cars in their garage and who have homes and tv's and air-conditioners.It should include those who are historically of the "Upper Castes" as well as the lower ones. It should be for the boy or girl who wakes up at 4 in the morning since his house has no electricity to study,and who walks 4 km to school daily,and who gets a good score,given his/her circumstances. They are the truly deserving. Not people who post blogs in their spare time,and DEFINATELY not people who have reaped the benefits of being a previliged community and who are greedy for more and more. Not to speak of the Government that wants to increase the number of people who vote for it regardless of the consequences it will hold for future generations to come. They might win the votes of their targeted group,but they've lost the confidence of the rest of the country in doing so.
Now,for some book reviews.(I declare myself to know squat about writing at the outset)
"About a Boy" by Nick Hornby is one of the finest novels I have read in a while. Like "High Fidelity" before it, he very successfully shows adults as how they truly are,with a lot of issues still remaining from childhood,and who haven't quite grown up yet,and who are getting there by their own unique journey. Also the mind of a 12 year old boy is very accurately portrayed,as is the realization that some kids have to grow up sooner than others,due to some unforseen circumstance that proves to be the catalyst. It also shows how depression can be such a lonely experience,where getting up each day is a struggle in itself,and how being depressed can cause one to act in manner that they wouldn't normally do. A fine read.
The profession of medicine is historically a very noble one,and one that is respected,and one of the toughest to get into and to maintain as one's career.
I would disagree with the notion that it remains a noble profession. The reasons are that most practitioners get into it to get rich fast,and to earn so much of money that they don't know how to dispose of it and,eventually,to be the target of an IT department raid!!
The old idea if getting in to serve,to heal,to help,is very very outdated. Like an old computer programme,it's time is over.
It is still respected,but as people become more and more educated as with the spread of the internet,doctors are now seen as a product. And ever since the COPRA Act came into effect,the service of doctors to the public is considered a product,and,as with all products,if the customer is dissatisfied,they can claim compensation.
This is most unwelcome. After throwing away what is arguably the best decade of anyone's life i.e the time between when they're 20-30 years old,in studying and working in hospitals,with a limited social circle,since all their other friends have moved on from the student phase(which is prolonged for us),all they can feel is "Aaah,now I can start living my life."
Now,the Government wants compulsory rural service for another year from students doing their MBBS,which is asinine. Sheer idiocy. Granted,rural areas are underserved,and there is a 3 month block posting in Community and Rural Health(incidentally the longest posting during internship). If more time is to be served in the rural areas,it is to be done durin internship only. Another year is just nor required.Period.
What my friends and I have observed and felt all this time is that the Government consider Medicos to be sheer robots who will gladly and automatically do as the master says, with an "Ours not to reason why,ours but to do and die" kind of attitude about us. We are also human,we have lives,we would like to earn when we're 24 like the rest of the world,instead of 28 or 30 or whenever else we start. And to order us to stall our lives for another year does not help our situation at all.
And don't get me started on the Quota debate!! They say that they are implementing it in order to "Not divide the country further", whereas in reality it is doing just that.This will only segregate our country further,into warrinf factions like the days of old. Haven't we progressed beyond that?
If there are to be reservations, it should be for meritorious students who are economically poor,not for a class of society who have 2 cars in their garage and who have homes and tv's and air-conditioners.It should include those who are historically of the "Upper Castes" as well as the lower ones. It should be for the boy or girl who wakes up at 4 in the morning since his house has no electricity to study,and who walks 4 km to school daily,and who gets a good score,given his/her circumstances. They are the truly deserving. Not people who post blogs in their spare time,and DEFINATELY not people who have reaped the benefits of being a previliged community and who are greedy for more and more. Not to speak of the Government that wants to increase the number of people who vote for it regardless of the consequences it will hold for future generations to come. They might win the votes of their targeted group,but they've lost the confidence of the rest of the country in doing so.
Now,for some book reviews.(I declare myself to know squat about writing at the outset)
"About a Boy" by Nick Hornby is one of the finest novels I have read in a while. Like "High Fidelity" before it, he very successfully shows adults as how they truly are,with a lot of issues still remaining from childhood,and who haven't quite grown up yet,and who are getting there by their own unique journey. Also the mind of a 12 year old boy is very accurately portrayed,as is the realization that some kids have to grow up sooner than others,due to some unforseen circumstance that proves to be the catalyst. It also shows how depression can be such a lonely experience,where getting up each day is a struggle in itself,and how being depressed can cause one to act in manner that they wouldn't normally do. A fine read.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Turning the other cheek
The President of Afghanistan,Mr.Hamid Karzai,had made a magnanimous gesture yesterday in setting free a 14 year old suicide bomber who's destination was to be the aforementioned country.
Now,the motive of that i.e to maintain friendly relationships with Pakistan and The United States- the so called "partners in the war against terror" might be a bit self serving,as it should be since that is one country that really needs all the help it can get in terms of social and economic assistance.
In contrast to this the charging of Mohammad Haneef for "recklessly providing etc etc" is a bit severe,and totally unjustified. He honestly looks as if he didn't have anything to do with the Glasgow incident. And he only provided the main players a SIM card as he was leaving the country to head to Australia. What is suspicious is that he had booked a one-way ticket from Australia to Bangalore. But nonetheless,such an extreme act of self-protection by the Australian government is one that is borne out of fear and paranoia. Fear that such a thing had happened in their land,and paranoia that it may happen again. However,it is these G.I.Joe-cum-Rambo type tactics by the Western Countries that are causing the greatest amount of distress. Like begets like. And that immortal quote of Gandhi "An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind".
If you have been the victim of a violent attack,and you choose violence yourself to retalitate,then you are caught in a very viscious and deadly cycle.And it stops only when everyone is dead. A bit simplistic and naive,but i believe it to be true.
Maybe we can all learn from Mr.Karzai's gesture and try to act in a similar fashion.The politicalleader who will take such a stance will create history. But he will be killed in the process,gunned down by someone who believes in the phrase "GO JOE!!" than in the concept of compassion and turning the other cheek.
Now,the motive of that i.e to maintain friendly relationships with Pakistan and The United States- the so called "partners in the war against terror" might be a bit self serving,as it should be since that is one country that really needs all the help it can get in terms of social and economic assistance.
In contrast to this the charging of Mohammad Haneef for "recklessly providing etc etc" is a bit severe,and totally unjustified. He honestly looks as if he didn't have anything to do with the Glasgow incident. And he only provided the main players a SIM card as he was leaving the country to head to Australia. What is suspicious is that he had booked a one-way ticket from Australia to Bangalore. But nonetheless,such an extreme act of self-protection by the Australian government is one that is borne out of fear and paranoia. Fear that such a thing had happened in their land,and paranoia that it may happen again. However,it is these G.I.Joe-cum-Rambo type tactics by the Western Countries that are causing the greatest amount of distress. Like begets like. And that immortal quote of Gandhi "An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind".
If you have been the victim of a violent attack,and you choose violence yourself to retalitate,then you are caught in a very viscious and deadly cycle.And it stops only when everyone is dead. A bit simplistic and naive,but i believe it to be true.
Maybe we can all learn from Mr.Karzai's gesture and try to act in a similar fashion.The politicalleader who will take such a stance will create history. But he will be killed in the process,gunned down by someone who believes in the phrase "GO JOE!!" than in the concept of compassion and turning the other cheek.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Happy Birthday!!
Many of the people whom i know appear to be Cancerian,for some reason. I don't know if it is sheer coincidence or a cosmic conspiracy. Ergo,I know quite a lot about Cancerians.Firstly they're highly persistent in what they set out to do.Secondly,they're very attached to family.And then,of course,comes their famous moodiness,which i think is a tad over-quoted but in those in whom it is present,these swings can be quite scary,I kid you not!!
Today happens to be the birthday of my wonderful father.Happy Birthday Bapa!!
Also to Varshneya Shridharan,fellow back bencher in SBOA,Chennai and good friend,who has been in Singapore for the past 7 years. And i haven't seen him in those many years!! Hopefully we will meet soon.
Today happens to be the birthday of my wonderful father.Happy Birthday Bapa!!
Also to Varshneya Shridharan,fellow back bencher in SBOA,Chennai and good friend,who has been in Singapore for the past 7 years. And i haven't seen him in those many years!! Hopefully we will meet soon.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Retro
While I was channel surfing yesterday,I noticed that Broken Arrow,the John Travolta starrer, was playing. And my mind went back to 1995,when the movie was first released.At the time it was the talk of town.Everybody wanted to see it,everybody loved it,and many began to practice smoking a cigarette the way Travolta did.
Now,twelve years hence,the colour of the movie seems to be a tad faded,the make up second rate,all the principals were much skinnier,and smoking is on the verge of becoming taboo.
What i am trying to say is that what we adored and swore by 10 years ago,well,it need not be ten,it could be as recent as 6 months to a year also. Our opinions of things and what they mean to us always changes,with many of us dismissing what we thought of as good and adopting a more attractive and modern stance to things as we grow older. With the exception of music,maybe,although hip hop is THE music everybody listens to nowadays.Guitar based rock and blues and jazz have a much smaller,albeit more loyal following.
And the very colour of the movies of old,when seen now take us back to a time when perhaps life was simpler,when people were nicer,when fuel didn't cost as much, and we always look back to that time fondly.When falling in love was a lot easier and less complicated than what it is now. Conversely it could be a flagpost of a very difficult time in the past for a few people,one that they disliked intensely and would never dare think of for a long time to come.It varies. But what i am trying to emphasize is that cinema and songs and old classmates and friends are the most potent stimulus to remember the past,with its good and bad,and i feel that we are now at a time where we need to remember the past more than anything else.Not because of the good memories,but because there might be lessons learnt then that we need to apply now.And most people tend to keep the past in a water tight compartment that you cannot have access to,because should there be a leak,then all the contents of the compartment come crashing down. We must learn from the past,consciously,and with dilligence.For only once we embraced what has happened for what it truly is can we forever send it away,with valuable lessons learnt from same.
Now,twelve years hence,the colour of the movie seems to be a tad faded,the make up second rate,all the principals were much skinnier,and smoking is on the verge of becoming taboo.
What i am trying to say is that what we adored and swore by 10 years ago,well,it need not be ten,it could be as recent as 6 months to a year also. Our opinions of things and what they mean to us always changes,with many of us dismissing what we thought of as good and adopting a more attractive and modern stance to things as we grow older. With the exception of music,maybe,although hip hop is THE music everybody listens to nowadays.Guitar based rock and blues and jazz have a much smaller,albeit more loyal following.
And the very colour of the movies of old,when seen now take us back to a time when perhaps life was simpler,when people were nicer,when fuel didn't cost as much, and we always look back to that time fondly.When falling in love was a lot easier and less complicated than what it is now. Conversely it could be a flagpost of a very difficult time in the past for a few people,one that they disliked intensely and would never dare think of for a long time to come.It varies. But what i am trying to emphasize is that cinema and songs and old classmates and friends are the most potent stimulus to remember the past,with its good and bad,and i feel that we are now at a time where we need to remember the past more than anything else.Not because of the good memories,but because there might be lessons learnt then that we need to apply now.And most people tend to keep the past in a water tight compartment that you cannot have access to,because should there be a leak,then all the contents of the compartment come crashing down. We must learn from the past,consciously,and with dilligence.For only once we embraced what has happened for what it truly is can we forever send it away,with valuable lessons learnt from same.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
About Dogs and killing them
I cannot state this more strongly: Killing dogs is wrong. Period.No questions asked and i won't allow any either.
I am an animal lover,and maybe my view is biased. But even if i weren't,i would still say that it is an inhuman,barbaric and totally self serving act borne out of fear.
A dog has a life,and he/she has his/her own role to play in the world,even if it is as a scavenger.But how arrogant can the human race get when we assume the power over ourselves to decide that their life is expendable? Granted,rabied dogs have to be put to sleep,just as how one would wish for a terminally ill patient who cannot bear the pain and suffering that comes with incurable disease.
If an individual with Schizophrenia were to kill a person because of some imaginary grudge or the delusion that he/she is being persecuted because of him,is killing him/her as well as ALL patients with mental illness or a history of mental illness,even,the answer?
Everybody would be aghast and there would be talk of the agency committing the killings to be tried under the Human Rights Courts in Geneva or wherever it is.
But people happily sit back and smile in a self satisfied manner about the fact that we are attempting to do the same thing,but only with animals who cannot speak in their defence.
Of course,going down to names and blaming individuals personally would be to be as childish and immature as they themselves are,if they are advocating mass-killing,electrocution,vitriolage and the like.
Better garbage disposal. Mass sterilization programmes. And these meat stalls and the like should make it a point to dispose off the refuge in a more sanitary manner that would stop the animals proliferating there.
And to those people who personally killed the dogs,including those low lifes from Malabar, I have this to say:
Imagine having a noose so tight tied around your neck that you can't breathe,and your violent movements to break free from that noose would cause your cervical vertebra to be fractured,causing instant death.
Now,again imagine if you died like this for something you did not do.For something which was not your fault. And yet it was decided that you had to die.You just had to. How does that feel?
After all,this is Man's best friend we are talking about here.Who are loyal to you regardless of how much money you have and who wag their tail at you even though you may not have any food to give them,only because they are happy to see you and they have faith in you. Imagine how they would feel if they came to know what we are thinking.
Mukund.
I am an animal lover,and maybe my view is biased. But even if i weren't,i would still say that it is an inhuman,barbaric and totally self serving act borne out of fear.
A dog has a life,and he/she has his/her own role to play in the world,even if it is as a scavenger.But how arrogant can the human race get when we assume the power over ourselves to decide that their life is expendable? Granted,rabied dogs have to be put to sleep,just as how one would wish for a terminally ill patient who cannot bear the pain and suffering that comes with incurable disease.
If an individual with Schizophrenia were to kill a person because of some imaginary grudge or the delusion that he/she is being persecuted because of him,is killing him/her as well as ALL patients with mental illness or a history of mental illness,even,the answer?
Everybody would be aghast and there would be talk of the agency committing the killings to be tried under the Human Rights Courts in Geneva or wherever it is.
But people happily sit back and smile in a self satisfied manner about the fact that we are attempting to do the same thing,but only with animals who cannot speak in their defence.
Of course,going down to names and blaming individuals personally would be to be as childish and immature as they themselves are,if they are advocating mass-killing,electrocution,vitriolage and the like.
Better garbage disposal. Mass sterilization programmes. And these meat stalls and the like should make it a point to dispose off the refuge in a more sanitary manner that would stop the animals proliferating there.
And to those people who personally killed the dogs,including those low lifes from Malabar, I have this to say:
Imagine having a noose so tight tied around your neck that you can't breathe,and your violent movements to break free from that noose would cause your cervical vertebra to be fractured,causing instant death.
Now,again imagine if you died like this for something you did not do.For something which was not your fault. And yet it was decided that you had to die.You just had to. How does that feel?
After all,this is Man's best friend we are talking about here.Who are loyal to you regardless of how much money you have and who wag their tail at you even though you may not have any food to give them,only because they are happy to see you and they have faith in you. Imagine how they would feel if they came to know what we are thinking.
Mukund.
The State of the World
As we become more evovled technologically,the lists of grievences we are commiting against ourselves and against our planet is increasing on an almost exponential scale.
Yet all of us are going about our daily lives unperturbed,blissfully unaware even,of the real dangers that lie ahead. And sometimes i wonder what will it actually take to stir us out of our own daily dreamworlds into action.
Take for example the religious battles the world is facing.Every major battle,or war in this world has been due to religion.Or to be more accurate,it has arisen out of one group of people believing their faith to be superior to their opponents. To be bluntly honest about it. But instead why can't we follow a live and let live policy where we say to each other "You have your own faith,and I have mine,and let's just leave it at that". And i am not that stupid where i think that this has never been practiced. The problem regarding all religions is that it is a group-based activity where the rule seems to be that if there are more of their kind,then their faith automatically becomes more superior,or more righteous.Hence the phenomenon of conversion,with promises of a happy life and a life free of poverty and hunger if they would but join their ever-increasing tribe.Sad,but true.
I had read once in the Quotable Quotes section in Readers Digest: "Regrets are as personal as fingerprints" I can't recall who it was that said it,but I would like to add to it the words "and one's faith" after regrets. So why can't we just have our own little support system that we can call our own,and not impinge on others our beliefs? At least not in something as personal as faith.
Phew!! Fingers paining. Am not used to it.
Now,regarding the way we are maliciously raping our environment and our natural resources. I myself admit to being part of the majority who are totally dependent on electricity and fuel and hence i am also responsible for it's depletion. But I would like to suggest a few ways in which we can cause a little less damage than what we are doing now:
1)At traffic signals,turn off our vehicle until the signal turns green.
2)Turn off all switches,including the one to the TV and Computer when it is not being used.
3)Instead of going on vehicle to a nearby shop,we might try walking there. A little exercise never hurt anyone!!
4)Have a small garden,or at least a few plants,wherever we are.
5)Use our horn less than what we do. In all probability the car ahead you isn't blocking your way on purpose.
Well thats all i have for now. More later.
Yet all of us are going about our daily lives unperturbed,blissfully unaware even,of the real dangers that lie ahead. And sometimes i wonder what will it actually take to stir us out of our own daily dreamworlds into action.
Take for example the religious battles the world is facing.Every major battle,or war in this world has been due to religion.Or to be more accurate,it has arisen out of one group of people believing their faith to be superior to their opponents. To be bluntly honest about it. But instead why can't we follow a live and let live policy where we say to each other "You have your own faith,and I have mine,and let's just leave it at that". And i am not that stupid where i think that this has never been practiced. The problem regarding all religions is that it is a group-based activity where the rule seems to be that if there are more of their kind,then their faith automatically becomes more superior,or more righteous.Hence the phenomenon of conversion,with promises of a happy life and a life free of poverty and hunger if they would but join their ever-increasing tribe.Sad,but true.
I had read once in the Quotable Quotes section in Readers Digest: "Regrets are as personal as fingerprints" I can't recall who it was that said it,but I would like to add to it the words "and one's faith" after regrets. So why can't we just have our own little support system that we can call our own,and not impinge on others our beliefs? At least not in something as personal as faith.
Phew!! Fingers paining. Am not used to it.
Now,regarding the way we are maliciously raping our environment and our natural resources. I myself admit to being part of the majority who are totally dependent on electricity and fuel and hence i am also responsible for it's depletion. But I would like to suggest a few ways in which we can cause a little less damage than what we are doing now:
1)At traffic signals,turn off our vehicle until the signal turns green.
2)Turn off all switches,including the one to the TV and Computer when it is not being used.
3)Instead of going on vehicle to a nearby shop,we might try walking there. A little exercise never hurt anyone!!
4)Have a small garden,or at least a few plants,wherever we are.
5)Use our horn less than what we do. In all probability the car ahead you isn't blocking your way on purpose.
Well thats all i have for now. More later.
Welcome
Hello All,
Perhaps as a result of lying about idle in Chennai and perhaps out of the need of posting my comments on a forum where the only person who reads it may only be myself,this blog was created.
Should you stray during your journey through the Internet into this page,feel free to post a comment anytime.And only constructive and meaningful comments folks,please.
Now,a few lines about myself(although most of you who read this probably know me,but aaw what the hey!!)
I'm a Doctor who has completed his MBBS last year and is studying to get into a residency.I completed my degree from Mysore,a wondeful city and where i have left a part of my heart. I now stay in Bangalore with my parents. I enjoy listening to music,and i have a bias towards music played with real instruments,NOT a synthesizer,and music that has a real voice,NOT somebody who talks with a lot of anger on the microphone.I'm interested in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine as regards my career intrests. And i'm a Batman fanatic as well,and i love comics.
Regards,
Mukund.
Perhaps as a result of lying about idle in Chennai and perhaps out of the need of posting my comments on a forum where the only person who reads it may only be myself,this blog was created.
Should you stray during your journey through the Internet into this page,feel free to post a comment anytime.And only constructive and meaningful comments folks,please.
Now,a few lines about myself(although most of you who read this probably know me,but aaw what the hey!!)
I'm a Doctor who has completed his MBBS last year and is studying to get into a residency.I completed my degree from Mysore,a wondeful city and where i have left a part of my heart. I now stay in Bangalore with my parents. I enjoy listening to music,and i have a bias towards music played with real instruments,NOT a synthesizer,and music that has a real voice,NOT somebody who talks with a lot of anger on the microphone.I'm interested in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine as regards my career intrests. And i'm a Batman fanatic as well,and i love comics.
Regards,
Mukund.
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