Bright overhead lights, a hospital room, surgerical instruments all around, the clean hospital smell …. A neat start to a Frankenstein style novel, but but but … it’s just a tinseey weensy surgery to remove the Corn in my toes .
Corn is a viral infection which starts in your feet ( YUCK) .. I agree … how did it happen, now that’s a story to be told.
Western Ghats.. Thickest rainforest stretch in India, Monsoon, torrential rain, horrid, wet and humid weather. We were a group of trekkers who despite odds were making our way through a stretch of thick jungles. And these guys are serious trekkers … and a friend and I had decided to tag along with them , BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG mistake. Wrong place , wrong time and we when we set out from Bangalore thought that, this trek would be fun. Noone told us that we will trek for 35 km in torrential rains with LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEACHES for company… Dude we dint know what rough two days we were in for.
We arrive in Sagara at about 7 in the morning … all of us were oooaaahhhhing about mother nature in all her splendor. We stopped in some seedy hotel to change , all the gurus told us to take what we need and leave the rest in the bus . We , first time trekkers dint know what “everything you need” really was. According to us, deo is very important. One of those guys looked at my luggage and rolled his eyes. First sign that I was not cut out of this. ( Ignored it) . At the end of 15 minutes, all luggage packed we were ready to go,(my bag was the heaviest, was wearing Jeans--- yes I know , the worst idiot). I got my second clue that I was not supposed to be here, when an old waiter in the restaurant asked where we were headed. I happily told him, the look he gave me was --- You are a classic Idiot. I should ve packed and headed back. But ………….
And the trek began , we had guides , they belonged to some nature club. They were going to guide us through the ghats. First adventure --- a 90 degree climb DOWN to a ledge to see a waterfall in all its glory. I hate heights of any kind (It’s a trek Braniac – I know) well god bless us all . I did manage to clamber down with help and my shoes became caked with clay, dead plants and god knows what else. They were not in a position to protect my feet or give me any balance. I am surprised that I dint tumble down to my doom. Now the waterfall , beautiful. But I dint even notice it because … yes you guessed it that I was freaking out about the climb back up. Damn .. by now all of us were totally wet(yes, it had’nt stopped raining for a second) , covered in a lot of leaves and mud. We would pass off as a tribal or something.
The fun was just starting folks, LUNCH.. yes yes .. but we had to walk for another 10 km to get to the place of human habitation ( a small hut) . Interesting. By now people had begun to feel small slimy little worms climb all over them to suck their blood ------ LEACHES. They had a preference for B+ blood only. They also had a preference – female. And that would ve to be ME. They just loved my blood. My god… Rain + Shoes gone + wet heavy jeans + Leaches = Miserable me. We reach the hut and we TRY to shake those leaches off.( FAT Chance)… well we tried. By then I was exhausted, dehydrated (yes it was raining , but I could not drink water which slid off my face right), had lost quite a bit of blood. Thanks to those blood sucking monsters. After lunch we press on. We had to walk 15 km to get to the next human habitation. The locals there thought we were totally nuts. Even they would nt venture out in that weather. I had to agree with them.
Dusk was gathering and it stopped raining. We said thanks a little too fast I think. The guide decided that we ll walk though the most dangerous jungles in India at dusk without proper torches and with leaches for company. Hungry, big, ugly ones at that. And as you can guess---- they sucked me dry. Yes yes… we come to human habitation and try to get rid of them . SHIT!!! Huge ones clinging all over me . Even dogs in those areas fear to go out at that time. And we were out trekking. Yes , brilliant I know. Tried to stem the bleeding but no use. Leaches are poisonous--- when they latch on to your body and suck blood, they don’t allow blood to clot. Platelets don’t congeal . So the bites just kept bleeding. We sleep and I pray to god that everything will just be a horrid Dream. Butttttttttttt …. No it was not.
The next day we walked and walked and walked to a fort (who builds these things in places where its inaccessible ? ) And we walk through gushing torrents to get there. My poor shoes--- gone …. We get there. Now how do we get down the mountain?? Ya you guessed it, we walk through a small river which is just beginning its own journey down the mountain. So what happens to me there ?? ---- Am this huge walking pastry to those vile things. So they suck suck and suck. Finally down. Get on to the damn bus … get home.. can’t wait….. But clothes were ruined cant wear the same things again… they were stinking. Now what we do ---- buy cheap clothes. Not a place which dint hurt, not a part which was not bruised. We got back on Monday morning. In one piece surprisingly (still wondering how I survived)
Now where does the Corn fit in all this?? Well after our dear adventure, I notice a small growth in my toe, very painful but small.. I ignore it. Then after 6 months another toe has the same problem. Then I begin to see the growth in a new light. They are infections. (hallelujah) . Now rush to the doctor, who thinks the best way to remove the infection is to cut both the toes open and remove them. They are deep rooted you see. Now you see how I came to be in a surgery L .
God never forgave me for joining that trek. Nature keeps reminding me that she does not really want me around her too much . So remember – Don’t go trekking, don’t go trekking in the middle of monsoon.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The LalBagh Walk
Not a very impressive title for a blog, agreed. But I dint know what else to call the experience.
Am a Bangalorean , born brought up here and all the beautiful parks in Bangalore were a part of my upbringing. You cannot live in Bangalore and avoid Parks.. impossible. Lalbagh and Cubbon Park happen to be the most popular and huge in terms of size and vegetation.
LalBagh is 200 odd Acres of Botanical paradise, containing a variety of exotic plants and ferns. And the best part is that it is in the heart of the city. It is a haven for joggers and exercise freaks. It is a meeting point for all the senior citizens, picnic spot for screaming kids and a good place to catch up. MTR is right next to the park , no wonder people who try to lose weight by sweating it out all morning are not too successful. After the morning jog, if you just go and order a Masala Dosa dripping in ghee , you really cannot hope to lose even a milligram.
The photographer in me , all of a sudden , in a burst of creativity , wanted to take “Nature Pics” ( O come on, I live in Bangalore… the closest I can get to nature is when am in one of the parks). So I hurry my parents into the car and we reach LalBagh at 6:45 in the evening. A wasted evening in my opinion. There wasn’t enough light to even see the bats there. Was fuming , before I could take even a couple of pics there was no light.
To work the frustration out, I just kept walking , reached the glass house which was lit. People milling all around, kids screaming, smiling, laughing, eating ice creams. They were the simple pleasures which I had almost forgotten. Days which were long forgotten, days of sunshine, sweet smelling grass and a ball. The days, when we used to go to Lalbagh as kids. In those days we had nothing else to do in Bangalore and the major eating joints were UD and MTR. Every summer a bunch of us cousins used to be taken to LalBagh as a treat, after the exam results. The whole day of feeding the rabbits and deer. Boating in the lake, rolling about in the grass, chasing each other. The day was complete when we were allowed to eat any amount of ice creams and chocolates we wanted. Puuuurrrrrrrrrrffect !!! Simple very simple …
There was a phase in between when I was this very diffident teenager. I needed to lose weight and look stick thin and wear “fashionable clothes” and the coolest thing to do then was to rush to Lalbagh with a couple of friends and jog. We always ended up doing almost nothing but chatting and giggling. Then came a phase where we just used to go to Lalbagh to see all the beautiful flower shows and generally to hang out, meet up, spend some time together.
The location of the park is really unique, it’s like the city has built itself around it. You can hear the roaring traffic outside the walls of the park, but there is a special stillness which creeps in when you are inside. It like you have entered another world and you are being rude if u make a sound. It is a living breathing entity which has its own calm personality.
Come to think of it Lalbagh has been an integral part of my life in Bangalore. There are memories which will never go away. Golden, beautiful days filled with sunshine which never will be forgotten. Dint get the pics I wanted but had a good walk down the memory lane.
Am a Bangalorean , born brought up here and all the beautiful parks in Bangalore were a part of my upbringing. You cannot live in Bangalore and avoid Parks.. impossible. Lalbagh and Cubbon Park happen to be the most popular and huge in terms of size and vegetation.
LalBagh is 200 odd Acres of Botanical paradise, containing a variety of exotic plants and ferns. And the best part is that it is in the heart of the city. It is a haven for joggers and exercise freaks. It is a meeting point for all the senior citizens, picnic spot for screaming kids and a good place to catch up. MTR is right next to the park , no wonder people who try to lose weight by sweating it out all morning are not too successful. After the morning jog, if you just go and order a Masala Dosa dripping in ghee , you really cannot hope to lose even a milligram.
The photographer in me , all of a sudden , in a burst of creativity , wanted to take “Nature Pics” ( O come on, I live in Bangalore… the closest I can get to nature is when am in one of the parks). So I hurry my parents into the car and we reach LalBagh at 6:45 in the evening. A wasted evening in my opinion. There wasn’t enough light to even see the bats there. Was fuming , before I could take even a couple of pics there was no light.
To work the frustration out, I just kept walking , reached the glass house which was lit. People milling all around, kids screaming, smiling, laughing, eating ice creams. They were the simple pleasures which I had almost forgotten. Days which were long forgotten, days of sunshine, sweet smelling grass and a ball. The days, when we used to go to Lalbagh as kids. In those days we had nothing else to do in Bangalore and the major eating joints were UD and MTR. Every summer a bunch of us cousins used to be taken to LalBagh as a treat, after the exam results. The whole day of feeding the rabbits and deer. Boating in the lake, rolling about in the grass, chasing each other. The day was complete when we were allowed to eat any amount of ice creams and chocolates we wanted. Puuuurrrrrrrrrrffect !!! Simple very simple …
There was a phase in between when I was this very diffident teenager. I needed to lose weight and look stick thin and wear “fashionable clothes” and the coolest thing to do then was to rush to Lalbagh with a couple of friends and jog. We always ended up doing almost nothing but chatting and giggling. Then came a phase where we just used to go to Lalbagh to see all the beautiful flower shows and generally to hang out, meet up, spend some time together.
The location of the park is really unique, it’s like the city has built itself around it. You can hear the roaring traffic outside the walls of the park, but there is a special stillness which creeps in when you are inside. It like you have entered another world and you are being rude if u make a sound. It is a living breathing entity which has its own calm personality.
Come to think of it Lalbagh has been an integral part of my life in Bangalore. There are memories which will never go away. Golden, beautiful days filled with sunshine which never will be forgotten. Dint get the pics I wanted but had a good walk down the memory lane.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Ho-Hum !! ... Dude we have a Meeting
"Concluding today's meeting ............ blah blah "
Has anyone noticed that when you attend the meetings with these senior types, your eyes automatically tend to droop as soon as you enter the room ? Out of its own voilation your brain switches off and your hands tend to simply type the words "boring" in your laptop over and over again ......
I dont know about the rest of the junta but i tend to switch off in every meeting where a stuffed shirt is talkin about the business models and how the company is doing or simply about some technical components which needed to be coded.
May it be a Stand up meeting or a sit down meeting or a half sit - half stand meeting , there is a common thing in all this ---- u pretend to listen while your brain refuses to work and there is an impossibly thick skinned person (who pretends to be oblivious to your plight) who is giving a mighty boring lecture on a topic which he "thinks" he understands.
Sad State of Affairs !!!
And there are these jokers who really actually listen to the person who is just babbling about something and these jokers ask impossibly irritating questions which usually to me, sound like --- do i know what am asking ??
And every meeting runs late and when they begin to conclude they actually start off with another unrelated topic which they think is funny ... which makes everyone smile that pain faced smile each one wondering when the idiot will stop and they can get back to work ....
A friend was mine was fuming today , she had missed her bus coz some stuffed shirt lectured them so much about some unrelated topic and the conclusion lasted for around a century...
And always when you have these meetings with associates "abroad" you are inevitably late and your counterparts are early .... sheesh!
I have nothing against meetings but keep it short and sweet ... "Come to the point dude , and do it asap" ... Noone is there to judge your public speaking skills nor are we there to judge how good a stand up comic you are ....
Yes very pissed off about meetings ....
Has anyone noticed that when you attend the meetings with these senior types, your eyes automatically tend to droop as soon as you enter the room ? Out of its own voilation your brain switches off and your hands tend to simply type the words "boring" in your laptop over and over again ......
I dont know about the rest of the junta but i tend to switch off in every meeting where a stuffed shirt is talkin about the business models and how the company is doing or simply about some technical components which needed to be coded.
May it be a Stand up meeting or a sit down meeting or a half sit - half stand meeting , there is a common thing in all this ---- u pretend to listen while your brain refuses to work and there is an impossibly thick skinned person (who pretends to be oblivious to your plight) who is giving a mighty boring lecture on a topic which he "thinks" he understands.
Sad State of Affairs !!!
And there are these jokers who really actually listen to the person who is just babbling about something and these jokers ask impossibly irritating questions which usually to me, sound like --- do i know what am asking ??
And every meeting runs late and when they begin to conclude they actually start off with another unrelated topic which they think is funny ... which makes everyone smile that pain faced smile each one wondering when the idiot will stop and they can get back to work ....
A friend was mine was fuming today , she had missed her bus coz some stuffed shirt lectured them so much about some unrelated topic and the conclusion lasted for around a century...
And always when you have these meetings with associates "abroad" you are inevitably late and your counterparts are early .... sheesh!
I have nothing against meetings but keep it short and sweet ... "Come to the point dude , and do it asap" ... Noone is there to judge your public speaking skills nor are we there to judge how good a stand up comic you are ....
Yes very pissed off about meetings ....
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Ridding the Writer's Block !!!
Ahh finally , i need to welcome myself into the world of blogging. A late entry but an entery none the less. Always have thought of myself as a person who cannot write for nuts , can read enjoy good posts dare not put my thoughts on a web page . A permanent Writer's Block as I called it. It served me well till now. Now i want to express an opinion on everything ... from the current onion prices to the launch of a new satellite ....
So god bless us all ... and here goes my first post :)
Ahh finally , i need to welcome myself into the world of blogging. A late entry but an entery none the less. Always have thought of myself as a person who cannot write for nuts , can read enjoy good posts dare not put my thoughts on a web page . A permanent Writer's Block as I called it. It served me well till now. Now i want to express an opinion on everything ... from the current onion prices to the launch of a new satellite ....
So god bless us all ... and here goes my first post :)
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