Out of the Window

Monochrome or not?

No Parking

Zebra Crossing

Will you cry?

I stumbled upon this picture and I was wondering. If I were to die tomorrow, how many people would actually cry? I counted my mom, dad and sister. Some close friends for sure, hardly a handful of them. Then some relatives (I think). When I say cry, I mean actual heart broken crying. Not those temporary tears at a funeral where by the end of the week the thought of my death is no longer in their mind. 

From my calculation, it looks like a very few will be inconsolable and desolated. Damn. Looks like I need to work on my character or maybe I should contribute more to society in such a way that my loss is felt. I wonder what I should do?

Just yesterday I was thinking of the friends I had lost. I had a friend back in high school who died of cancer. He was this brilliant kid in academics and one of the reasons I loved him was because he was the only one of the two guys in class who would talk to me (I was the only non-nerd person in a class full of students aspiring to become doctors). I used to flunk in most of the subjects. But this guy was cool, allowed me to copy from his paper during exams and sang traditional folk songs for me. A huge loss for me when I lost him and his death came as a big blow for me.

While in university, I had another friend who succumbed to epileptic seizure. That was sad as well. I think of these lost friends and the memories I had with them still linger in my thoughts. When a close young relative died recently, in a few months even after accepting the fact that people have to leave one day, my heart suffers when I see the plight of the family struggling. My grandmother expired 3 months ago, I felt bad. I felt worse for my grandfather because of the companionship he had lost.

I don't think I will be able to bear it if anyone close to me leaves their mortal coil. It's like a piece of me going away for ever. I pray that I don't live to see that day. To be loved by one and all is cool, yet a great feat to achieve. So be kind to all and smile more often! One life folks, we have only one.

Motion Sickness

Whoa! The thought itself is making me nauseous. I've had this problem forever and always had a hard time travelling around especially in buses and cars. To kill me, all you have to do is put me in the back seat of a moving vehicle on a long drive. Ughh! The thought is disturbing. This is torture. I can also never read in a moving vehicle. I might end up puking if I try to read something on my mobile or a book for anything more than 10 seconds. My small brain is not built for it. 

But this mechanism in the brain is an amazing thing. Let me tell you! Motion sickness is also called travel sickness. It is that uneasy feeling you get when you are travelling on a ship, bus, plane etc. You tend to get claustrophobic, dizzy, nauseous and experience fatigue. This is because the brain is unable to comprehend the relation between what your eyes see and what your ears, responsible for inner balance, sense. Your inner ear is also responsible for a sense of balance and they detect motion. But as your eyes cannot see motion. This conflict makes you sick.

The brain, the super hero immediately detects that something is wrong and as a defence mechanism against neurotoxins, a part in the brain known as 'area postrema' becomes responsible for inducing vomiting thinking that there is poison in the body, makes sure, it is sent out from the body. But in reality there are no toxins. It is automatically induced when there is a conflict in vision and balance. 

Neurotoxins??? Well, for instance, you are in a ship, your inner ear senses motion. But you can't see movement from your eyes. Your brain thinks that either your eyes or maybe your ears are hallucinating and comes to the conclusion that this hallucination is the result of ingesting poison. Immediately, the brain responds by making you nauseous and so you vomit thereby flushing out the illusionary toxins.

Hats off to the brain!! I know it's helping me, but by putting me through a lot of misery. Because of this, I avoid hill stations and mountains. Unless I am driving of course. There is also a way to get rid of this. You can look out of the window, get fresh air, take a pill to prevent vomiting or get a Rolls Royce and sit in the front seat. 

Mobile Shots

Interesting Museum, I must say!

Doha Corniche

The Principle of Cosmic Order

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत । 
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् । 

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥

"Whenever and wherever there is a decay in dharma, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious, protect the good and to annihilate evil, as well as to re-establish dharma, I Myself appear age after age." 

- Lord Krishna 

Many Hindus are familiar with this verse from the Bhagvad Gita. Basically, it means that the Lord himself will manifest age after age when there is no righteousness left in the world, to protect all the good and destroy all evil.

Commonly known as the 'Kali Yuga' (dark age), Lord Vishnu will take his tenth avatar 'kalki avatar', riding a white horse with a sword, to conquer evil. 

Questions and more questions

What happens when you try hard and don't succeed?

So do you now say that maybe I didn't try hard enough?

Or just dismiss it by saying I wasn't lucky enough?

It wasn't meant for me?

Better things will come?

Why is it that people who deserve to be rich are poor?

Why is it that they barely make money to make both ends meet?

Why is money a problem for some and not for others?

Why are people so judgemental?

Why should I care?

Why do people say "I'm not judging you" and do the very same thing?

Why are people rude?

Why are people pretentious?

Why doesn't anyone smile anymore?

Why am I stuck in the wrong place?

Why does Adobe Reader keep asking me to update it's software?

Why do I ask questions knowing that I won't get answers?

Is there a God?

Do you know for sure?

Is it faith?

How many prayers went unanswered?

The mind does adapt itself to reality, doesn't it?

What will I have for dinner?

Will I wake up tomorrow?

What if today is the last day of my life?

What is life?

Why are we here?

Will you let me know?

Who's out there?

Scottish Shower

When you wake up in the morning, you require so much motivation to get out of the bed. When I wake up and dread the morning, I hit the snooze button and hug my pillow for a little more sleep. But ten minutes is faster than light. Then I drag myself to take a shower and the hot water literally makes me forget the world. I keep telling myself that if I don't get out of the shower, I'm going to run late. But this scumbag brain does not listen. I stay in soaking myself in the hot shower and stay there forever. Now the thing is, hot water actually makes you lazy after a while and the skin gets affected as well. It becomes kind of hard and feels uncomfortable. One hour after the shower and I'm sleepy again. Hot showers weren't helping me actually. I read somewhere that hot showers tend to decrease sperm count and cold shower increases the testosterone production in men which leads to an increase in fertility. Not that I'm worried about this, but if you are are planning to make babies, switch off your heater. (The more you know!!!)

Here is a small tip for those who don't want to feel groggy in the morning. It is difficult to take a shower in ice cold water, no one wants to do that. But what I do is, as I am showering in hot water, I shut it off and turn on ice cold water. This sudden change of temperature makes your heart beat faster and increases respiration rate. I clench my teeth and feel like a Spartan standing under ice cold water. Yes! the Spartan's took freezing ice cold baths to enhance their mental strength and thus prepared their body for war. They felt that hot water was a luxury and for the weak. It actually feels refreshing and you can see for yourself that you are more active when you take a cold shower.

In James Bond novels, the character usually takes a hot shower, then switches to cold. The system of alternating hot and cold showers is called 'Scottish shower'. Mr.Bond learnt this from his ancestors I guess. Oh these Scotts! How surprised was I when I learnt how a kilt is actually worn. Reminds me of frozen meat balls (no pun intended...or maybe a little actually was).

So next time you shower and you want to step out fully recharged, don't fear the cold water tap, turn it on and feel the lightning electrify you. Refresh yourself!

Note: Please bin my advice if you live in the North Pole or South Pole.