It is our duty to conserve nature and wild life and we must do whatever we can in this regard.I had signed up for panda passport,WWF,which is an online campaign to raise your voice against poaching and other threats to wild life all across the world.With me some of the ilander friends also joined in.It's almost a year and as online campaigners we have signed email petitions that DID make a difference.

China has been indulging in Tiger farms and Tiger trade for use of Tiger parts in it's Chinese medicine.China refused to lift it's ban on Tiger trade till it hears the scientific opinion from around the world.Panda passport holders sent their email petitions and photos to the Convention on International trade of Endangered species meeting in Hague in June 2007 raising against Tiger trade.I am happy to say that the email petitions from all over the world went in the favour of the Tiger.

The passport holders are truly making a difference and have met with success in many other campaigns across the world.

You too can be a Panda passport holder by signing in here-

www.passport.panda.org

ROAR OF THE INDIAN TIGER

The population of the Tigers in India is dwindling at an alarming rate!

You can help to keep the Indian Tiger roaring by signing an email petition here-

http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/tiger_wildlife/tigermosaic/message1/index.cfm

Join hands to work for a living planet!

It was more like 'make hay while the sun shines'.'Eat more than your fill till the merry lasts' .hehehehe..

Well..we don't get the opportunity to dine 5star style often do we? So I resolved that I would make the most of it.With an already rumbling stomach, I found myself in the most luxurious interiors of the hotel in time.

The theme being'Dakshin' melodious notes of LIVE traditional flute performance wafted through the air.The Menu card surprisingly looked pale and dusty..well..well.

With exotic names on the list and even more 'exotic ' rates I thought it was best for the host to order.

As the dishes were being served,they looked quiet colourful till I actually tasted them.

Eeewwwwwwww..They were actually stale,perhaps they were being mummified in the Refridgerators till unfortunate people like us got to taste them! It was more like 'The Emperor's New clothes' story..we were 'All praises' for the horrid spread laid before us!

Next stop.My mocktail experience.I always liked trying new ones..they blend so well and give you a sip you can remember for long.So,I stopped at one very unique sounding Mocktail that read 'Calcutta Dawn'..The name itself was classic..My imaginative mind wandered to the beautiful Hoogly perhaps shining in the golden rays of the morning sun..

In this excitement,I didn't read the ingredients..well..well..

When I sipped it, I knew it was perhaps more like a polluted lake.the mix ,ohhhh..sooooooooo 'Blunderful'..Orange juice with coffee powder.YUCK..YUCK YUCK..WHAT A COMBO!!! Costed a cool Rs 250 for that blunder..and another one with a very traditional name'vasantaneer' that was nothing but coconut water with a pinch of honey costing around Rs 195 per glass..SHOCKING!!!

With my stomach that turned from hunger rumblings to now churnings after such a ghastly dinner and a whooping bill of Rs 7000 for 6 starving people who hardly ate anything,it was sure a blunderful experience to remember!!!

Yesterday I headed off to a local chat shop and had my fill of Chats and Pav bhajji's..inexpensive and 'wonderful'..This was to nullify the effect of the 5 star experience.hehehe

Lesson I learnt- 'It's not wise to starve in advance when invited to a 5 star meal'..hehehe

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/waiter.gif

ME..Calling the mobile service to complain about bad service..

ME dials IN ANGRY MOOD...

Computer generated voice (CGV)- welcome to the 'BEST ' mobile network service

To listen in Regional language press 1

To listen in English press 2

To listen in Hindi press 3

Me presses 2

CGV-For account information press 1

For exciting offers for the day press 2

For excellent GPRS services press 3

For Fantastic Recharge coupons press 4

For Filmy ringtones press 5

For joke of the day press 6

For talking to your friendly cutomer care press 7

For escaping to language option press 8

For Marvellous MMS services press 9

For return to main menu press 10

WHAT?...ME LOSES TRACK..what do I press?

CGV- sorry your TIME IS RUN OUT..unable to process request..HAVE A NICE DAY..LINE CUTS......

GRRRRRRRR.NICE DAY?

Where the hell is the complaint cell?

Finally I repeat the entire process and Im lucky to get a 'friendly' customer service.(CS).

CS- Good morning..how can I assist u?

ME- hello I am unable to activate internet on mobile..please help me.

After sec..minutes..that seem likes years ...

CS- SORRY..I will transfer you to activation cell..HOLD THE LINE..

ME GOES- HELOO HELOOOOOOOO.

CS2- Good morning..how can I assist u?

After the REPEAT of my woe story.

CS2- Sorry you will have to go to the main menu dial 123 and then press * then #

Then you must dial 4567 for hand set settings department..HAVE A NICE DAY!..

WHAT??? GRRRRRRRRRRR....IM DRAINED FRUSTRATED..ANGRY..

After starting all over again..I finally reach HAND SETTINGS department..

CS3- Please set your hand settings manually..

First go to main menu..go to tools..then press settings.then go to connection settings..

ME- hello..hello..plzz can u be slow..

CS3..then go to access points..then press configurations..then TYPE..HY..line cuts...

ME- HELLO..HELLOOOOOOOO

Sorry we are unable to process your request..try again later..HAVE A NICE DAY from India's BEST mobile service..

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR...

Pic- http://www.citrusred.es/images/cartoon_mobile.jpg

My experience of being a patient is a very interesting one.

well..I never intended to(Im usually the doc in real life) but it just happened by accident..well..what happened is one 'not so fine' day,I was twitching my ear with an ear bud,not that my ear needed the pampering but I did it anyway.Very soon I realized that the stick was out and the bud was in.! ooops!!!

Well..no problem I just tried to pull the cotton out of my ear but it kept escaping my fingers..seconds ,passed into minutes and soon the bud was gone..GONE..deep into the interiors of my karna kosh.I tilted my head and beat it from the other side..but NO USE..

GOSSHHH.what did I get into? As any doc would,I tried to remain calm and kept trying to reach the cotton..but alas! No use!!!

Soon I felt deaf in one ear and realized that this was an EMERGENCY situation..hehehe..

AT THE ENT CLINIC

ENT SPECIALIST- 'hmm..what do we have here doc? I can see something lying on your ear drum' said the doc peering into my ear with his torch.

'I think you have been taking care of your ear really well..isnt it doc?' he added with a chuckle!

Soon the nurses started giggling too and talking amongst themselves that a doc has 'pampered' her ear too much!

GRRRRRRRRR.

Soon a giggly nurse came with some hydrogen peroxide and poured it into my ear.I could feel the bubbly oxygen trying to gently pull the cotton strands from the delicate ear drum..eeeeekk..the feeling!!!

'what the hell is she giggling so much about? cant a doc have the right to be a patient?' I grumbled to myself.

And now for the FINALE.

The ENT specialist now brought a huge syringe,more like the ones Vets use,with a loooooooooong needle.I jerked from the chair and clutched it's arms in fear..The nurse was still giggling..DAMN !!!

'Doc just be still..I am going to flush warm water into your ear and wash away the cotton strands.A little jerk from you can damage your ear drum as I am inserting the needle,'The ENT specialist warned.

There were two things on my mind.If I show that I am scared everyone around will laugh more as I am a doc myself but still I couldn't help feeling the shivers.I wanted to hold my mom and cry but even that I couldn't..wahhhhhhhhhh.

With the giggly nurse holding a tray on one side and the ENT specialist peering into my ear with a looooooooooong syringe,it was nothing short of HELL..

The scene looked like 'ME' the sinner was being TORTURED in HELL by Yamas Employees( the ENT and Nurse)

With the cotton strands out after minutes that seemed like ages,I decided never to 'pamper' my ear again!

After 'being a patient' I have more empathy towards my patients than ever before..Now I realize what it is to be on the other side of the syringe!

Pic-http://www.gooieduck.com/website/gallery/injection-bd.jpg

I remember taking him to a movie about sharks,an adventurous one..while the movie was an 'edge of the seat 'experience for everyone around,my dad was snoring!zzzzzzzz..

'Is the movie over? Lets go..the movie was crap!' is all that he would say when I jolt him from his slumber. Whether it is Anaconda movie,Shark attack movies or the usual Indian masala movies,it is the same thing with him..he snores away..zzzzzzzzzzz.

My mom ..well..well..she brings her mantra books or japa mala(rosary beads) to the theatre.she brings water bottles,napkins, some home made munchies and I wonder whether we are going to a movie or a picnic!

Last time we went to a movie,she hated the hero sooo much.You may ask why?

It's simply because he was teasing the heroine a lot and talking in a slang way!

'Is this the way a gentleman behaves? How did he become a hero in the first place? Perhaps he is the directors son!' she grumbled.

'Well..mom the hero is playing the role of a tapori..how can he behave like a gentleman?'

And YES he is the directors son..hahaha' I replied.

Before the interval itself I hear her chanting on her rosary beads,eyes closed and transported to spiritual land and of course my dad, as usual in dream land!

The only time my parents look happy is when the movie is over! Hahahaha.. when THE END appears..then I wake them up from their respective lands!

They come back home and put on some old mythological movie on TV and then I see them really enjoying it!

Well..Ive decided never to force my parents to watch any movies with me.They are happy watching their olden goldies! Years fly away, but the 'movie taste' of the elder generation will remain the same! Zzzzzzzzzzz.

pic-www.pro.corbis.com

A lovely butterfly fluttered on a blossom and I watched it in amazement..it's lovely colour and pattern so well designed by God.But was it so lovely from the time it was conceived? NO....

The butterfly went through a series of transformations called metamorphosis .It was well protected as an egg laid underneath leaves,hatched into a voracious caterpillar feeding on the leaves,shed its skin many times as a larva ,weaved dreams as a chrysalis where a hardened shell protects it to do the final transformation.It is here that it grows it's colourful wings and nectar sipping proboscis and finally emerges out as a lovely butterfly!

We too pass through so many phases in our life.We are protected as children,we pass through phases of growth like the caterpillar,leave behind some phases like the skin shedding larvae and dream all our dreams in the Chrysalis stage where we are given time to evolve!

It is here that we need to grow wings of humanity,aim to fly high and ultimately emerge out of our chrysalis as good humans .Perhaps,God anxiously waits to see each one of us emerge out as one of his lovely creations!.The whole process of metamorphosis looks complicated but the end result is what is important..the final emergence and exit from the world as a good human.. one who has completed each phase successfully in the metamorphosis of life!

pic- www.seykota.com

I always see that an army of ants invade the cooked food on my dinner table and also the bag of rice grain that I store on any sunny day.Just when it is about to rain,they are all GONE!!! How did these tiny weeny ants know that it is going to rain? Amazing!!! Before any thunder storm you see the birds fleeing to their nests chirping in alarm!

There have been many reports where cats,dogs,parrots and other pets behave abnormally and signal the coming of a storm ,earthquake,volcanic eruptions and even a tsunami.

Researches say that the senses of animals are better developed than humans and they can perceive the atmospheric pressure changes and can hear infrasonic sounds before a natural calamity.This ability is nature's gift to the animals to save themselves before any disaster.

An interesting article in the National Geographic news says that along Thailand's west Coast ,many hours before tsunami occurred, Elephants giving rides to tourists started trumpeting and became agitated!

Flamingos near the Indian southern coast went into deeper forests before the Tsunami striked.The Sri Lankan officials were stunned when hundreds of their wild life in the Yala National park escaped the Tsunami by taking to higher grounds.The sensory perceptions of the animals including the insect world are far more superior than our 'sophisticated' instruments that cannot detect the exact time of the calamity.

I was one of the lucky ones to have visited the Lovely Andaman islands ,just a year before the Tsunami.I also saw the Tribals and their habitat.They are still in the stone age!

But surprisingly according to reports the tribals could also detect the Tsunami well in advance and they fled to higher grounds and no real casualties have been reported due to the Tsunami of Dec 26^th.Is it because they are still primitive and are well in TUNE with their animal sense?

Tsunami engulfed thousands of people belonging to the modern world ,despite all the meterological equipment.Isnt it amazing to know that most of the animals and the Tribals survived despite being 'primitive'?

I think we all have these sensory perceptions in us too, but we have just forgotten to use it. Next time try noticing the army of ants in your garden or home and HEAR what they tell you.I'm surely going to TUNE my animal sense from now on!

pic-http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/123073/2093532/2110564/041230_TsunamiCritters.jpg

Come summer and you can't help feeling a thrill in the air...it's all around you! Those lovely mango blooms taking shape into little ripe mangoes and their aroma enchanting the air. The cuckoo sings it's first ballad and then you try to compete with it.the April showers that calm the sweltering heat with an unforgettable earthy smell that lingers on thereafter...

I already see the soda walas , nimbu pani walas and of course the Ice golas and ice cream walas that are pedaling down the street,sounding a bell, and children flocking around them.

Aha! Reminds you of your childhood.

Just the other day, an ice gola wala stopped in front of my house and I was very tempted to buy one ice gola..those colourful icy juicy delights!...but I didn't.

I just stood there watching kids lick them with glee.

I also wanted to try the goli soda,the one with the marble stuck midway in the bottle. I always wondered how they fixed a marble in the soda bottle that way!

But I denied myself that joy, because I chained the child in me. I kept thinking how I would push myself through the kids? What the adults around me would think seeing me lick the ice gola? What if it wasn't hygienic? What if my teeth wear off with that soda? I used so much of my 'brain' that I felt more miserable! My heart longed for these simple pleasures.

Next time the ice golawala comes around, I SWEAR I will unleash the child in me.no inhibitions.I'll buy all the rainbow colours of ice golas I can get....Wont deny myself of this joy!

The joy of having an ice gola or nimbu pani ka soda is so much more fun than the icy treats in fancy joints....so don't rob yourself of these little inexpensive pleasures this summer...

Nothing wrong in pampering the child in you...Treat yourself to some street icy delights and say 'welcome summer'!

pics- www.flickr.com

www.bp3.blogger.com

www.static.flickr.com

Good news for all Bholenath Devotees!

Live webcasting of the 'Garbgriha' of Lord Vishwanath of Kashi is available at the official temple site.

http://shrikashivishwanath.org/

This facility was inaugurated on Jan 31^st this year.The LIVE darshan is also Available on TATA sky and VSNL service

.The money paid by TATA SKY and VSNL to the temple amounting to 35 lakhs will be used for temple development and devotee welfare .

The clarity and images received by the webcasting depend on your network speed.

The schedule of the daily darshan that you can see through webcast is as follows-

It is truly a blessing that we can have the darshan of the Lord right from our homes!

pic-http://www.luxury.indiatourism.com/gifs/kashi-vishwanath-temple.jpg

When I look at this picture of a block of an educational institution in Alluru district of Andhra Pradesh, named after my friend,memories flood me.When I first saw her,she was a simple shy girl who couldn't speak much of English.She came to the city to join the local convent where I was already studying.I often read my English story books to her.A year senior to me in school,she learnt fast and soon topped the school and it was me who was referring her notes.She didn't stop at that,she then topped the district,the junior college and then scored Distinctions in her Engineering exams.I always admired her but little did I know that, what was to come ahead would surpass all.

During her final year in Engineering,a lump that was detected near her spine turned out to be malignant.I still remember the day I met her at the hospital and saw her studying on her bed for her finals ,while tubes emanated from her body draining fluids on one side.She smiled her innocent smile..and yes,she topped the Engineering college after her surgery!

With chemotherapy and radiation she was soon losing all her hair but not once did I see a tear in her eye.She didn't stop at all..she soon went abroad to work and then the hard news hit her ..the doctors in America told her that she had less time to live ,after a routine examination.

She knew her end was near but didn't let the news out to anyone.not even to her parents at first.

Coming back to India,she financially helped her family and also got her mother's heart operation done.Paralysed down the neck,the last few days were tough with chemos.She kept me away as she never wanted me to see her that way.and when I finally did,it was only at the FINAL farewell..and she still had the same innocent smile and she looked like an Angel!

She braved many challenges in life to reach the top, but her greatest challenge was to fight cancer which she did with a brave face , not forgetting the smile on her lips.I am amazed at the way she handled the last few months before her death..She spent every precious moment of her last days clearing debts of her family and making them more financially stable.she being their ONLY child!

Today, savings from what she earned go to the TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) that help cancer patients who need financial assistance.Her earnings have also gone into creating educational scholarships for students and also school and college blocks have been built with her earnings.

I salute to the brave spirit of my late friend 'SUMITRA' who still smiles through her various charitable works.

I learnt many things from her but the best thing I learnt is....

Life is precious...life is a gift....live each moment to the fullest ....face every hurdle bravely with a smile..and spread smiles as much as you can,only then it will be a life well lived!

Flower Glitters