Learning

Few months back while having this conversation with Neophyte over how he puts in so many hours reading news over the BBC website, I wondered, 'What is it that could keep him glued to it...the mundane daily reporting, the filthy politics, the sports highlights, the gossip (Yeah, Men are bigger gossip mongers than women), the sensual XX pictures (XX denotes the female chromosomes, you're responsible if you thought otherwise), etc. etc.? Wouldn't the articles just end with his speed of reading and leave him sore one day to not have found good stuff to read?'

Leaving his choices to himself, I was content for it would, at least, prevent me from his over thinking and general concern for my career/future. (Oh Yeah, He's mighty worried about my indecision, instability and unpredictability. That's a different point, anyways!)

After months of time spent on facebook, twitter, movies, serials, cookery shows, sitcoms (Started with The Big Bang Theory, finished all seasons, and then to Friends, whose 2 seasons have only been 'covered' !) ; today it struck me to do something better than just loiter around for entertainment from others. And what better could it have been than the BBC portal, which I had a recommendation for.

Neurohacks, is one section of BBC that caught my attention and there were two things I learned today:

1. Endowment Effect : The exact thing could be read here, but I put it in my life in a way which goes like this: The fact that we are possessive about a thing is because we own it. We value it even more because it is special to us in an emotional way. Be it a person, a novel, a shirt, a keychain, or a message in your Inbox. We don't do away with them, and keep them treasured within us.

2. Fundamental Attribution Error : The phenomenon that we all inherently have of blaming others for their mistakes, and being plainly unlucky for ours is what is Fundamental Attribution Error. (Read more here) The virtue of finding causes for things is what leads to it, and generalizing it to them leads to the Ultimate Attribution Error, eg. Women can't do math.

PS: Hoping I get to read some good stuff like this regularly. ;-)

Maa

Tumhaari aawaazo se judi hai meri hansi ki thitholi,

tumhaari chhaaya se bandhi hai meri hiya  ki dori,

tumhaari aankhon se samjha hai artha khushi ka,

tumhaare ashruo se dekha hai mann tumhara.

Itni pyaari, itni kareeb kyun ho tum...

Ki tumhaare hone se hi lagta hai sab poora,

ki tumhaare bin, sab kuch lage hai kora kora,

tumhara sparsh jaadu ka ek rehasya hai,

tumhaara dil, ankahi bhavnaao ka shrota

tumhaara mahaj pratibimb mera upchaar hai...

Tum ho to mera sansaar hai..

...Tum hi to mera sansaar ho.

---6th March 2012

Kind, are you?

Donated blood today.

It must be sometime in 2nd year of my MBBS curriculum that we students
attended the proceedings at our hospital on the Blood Donation Day.
Though, then we were taken for being the 'crowd' and to fill the empty
auditorium (& we were also offered samosas, pastries and cold
drinks!!), I felt since then the desire to donate blood myself.

Either due to pale conjunctivas, cold-cough, upcoming menstrual phase,
or due to the myths my family held...years passed and I never could
really do it.

Particularly remembering my Final year days, we conducted a blood
donation camp in tribute to a deceased, and my Mom didn't let me leave
the house. (The reason was: Your exams are coming. You'll get weak.)

Intern year made me even more desperate. Being the Pediatric Intern,
the interactions with the thalassemic kids (so many kids...dispersed
over the age groups) and their helpless parents...It pinched and
pricked why we could do nothing else but give repeated blood
transfusions to keep them going.

Over the period of one month of our duties, we made friends with them,
few of which required transfusions fortnightly. Sweet, tender kids
with smiles on their faces, and tensed, sad parents who painfully saw
their darlings needled.

So, after 6 years of my first desire, I today, without telling anyone
at my home, went to the hospital and donated a unit of blood. For
those kids, I tell you.

PS: Mom Dad have scolded me quite harshly for not informing them. Dad
himself is a volunteer blood donar, and my Mom believes that his
weight gain is due to previous such donations; and so he doesn't
donate anymore. Total myth.

PPS: I also donated blood because I get to drink Gold Coin!!! ;-)
besides the frooti, chaanch, gulabjamun, chips, samosa they gave us at
the blood bank! ;-)

So, here I enjoy my chilled glass of apple juice in the satisfaction
of having done something for my cute little friends.

Do that. Be brave. Be kind.