Sense in these senseless times

I don't know how to start this without omitting any details. Today, I had my brush with the Talibans and the Mujahiddin.

At 12:10 today a bomb exploded in the center of Qunduz in Afghanistan. The target was the former head of the Mujahiddin. In the blast, there were 18 bystanders who were deemed collateral damage, including a 6 year old girl.

The team responded well to the emergency. We were very quick in triaging the injured and prompt in the management of the cases. I saw a man with his left leg totally blasted off,and another with the gaping hole on his abdomen. Despite the severe injuries, we were lucky that we have a good team so there were no other persons died in our hospital.

The head of the Mujahiddin was however, unlucky. He was dead on arrival.

With all the commotions,there was an exodus of people outside the hospital - military, press, common people and other what nots. It was my first time to see tanks and men with AK47s, submachine guns and other artillery I couldn't even name.

I had to deal with the dead body and meet all the grieving "family". I had to have a shouting spree with the members of the special investigations division because they want to come inside the hospital. In the end, releasing the body has reduced the tension in the compound.

My adrenaline has gone down now and I just want to lay in bed and cover myself with a blanket. After all of these, thinking of the lives lost and living wasted, I am happy to have come to a conviction: I am proud to be here and give my best to the victims of these senselessness. There is already too much hurting in this world and me being here, even just providing a little bit of care and protection to the patients is enough.

I salute our brave men and women who risk their lives in helping other people. In the end, what we do defines us -- and that is all that matters.

A-tinggling we will go....

A couple of days ago, while taking a long ride from the field to the office, one of the guys started to ask about the efficacy of viagra on young men. Being the know-it-all that I am, I started my lamentation on the abuse of this drug and the side effects it would cause. I also volunteered some information about Cialis (which by the way you can buy over the counter, without prescription in a lot of countries in Asia)and got some curious georges asking more about it.

And the story winded on to some more sex and me being too polite to tell them, I wanted to sleep, I give in to the endless barrage of questions.

And then I asked: Do you know about the clitoris?

Blank faces - innocence personified.

Apparently, a lot of men all over the world do not know where the love button is!

And I asked further: So what is it that you do? Just huff and puff and blow the house down?

Sex is a funny topic. It gets everyone interested, curious and even downright eager. But when it comes to the mechanics of things, some gets lost in the action and not with the parts associated with it (the act, dummy).

And when I got more puzzled look, I just yawned and closed my eyes. Enough for today's class.

Of cameras and acts

I should have smiled when he took a photo of me.

I have been on TV, yes - a couple of times, but never on international news.Some news agency came to ask for on the interview about 10 days ago on the the floods here in Sindh and then someone from French 24 came and took some footages whilst we are moving into our house (if you call a-one-bedroom-for 14 people-a-house).

15 minutes of fame, here I come. And like I said, I should have smiled. But then looking around at the desperation of the IDPs, I decide to put on sad and serious face. It wasn't on my best angle, and I was wearing a rather pudgy vest -- but hey! a lot of people would kill for their 15 minutes of fame.

Have a scan on your TV channels - everywhere in world, there seems to be a competition showcasing the amazing hidden,some not so-amazing and downright rubbish talents showbusiness has. I admire the guts of those who shame themselves in front of the camera, but I guess before one starts to strut their voice and shrill their dances (you read it right) - they should ask first: "what would santa claus say?"

And so there I was thinking whether I should proceed wowing the world with my emotions, I decided to tone it down low and speak as truthfully as damn possible.

Jacklyn Jose, eat that!

Freaking Glad To Be Back!

I can't believe that it has been more than a year since I have posted something here. I admit I got a bit dismayed by the lack of internet connection in most of my missions, uninspired by some turn of events and had accumulated so much experiences (!) that I totally lost interest in sitting down and typing them into one fluid story.

What broke the camel's back? I have received 3 (yes, Marsha, 3!) requests for new posts -- not from my friends who regularly check on this blog, but random acquaintances. It seems mid life crisis is more apparent these days, no? And so after so much dilly-dallying and spending too much time in the office - bored to death with protocol and policy writing - I did what most office employees do: went online, searched the web and now, writing on my blog.

I promise on a boy scouts three-fingered oath that I will constantly write something here.

There.