Bye for Brussels

Well, after weeks of holding my breath -- I am finally leaving for Brussels tonight. I have finished some of the work that needs to be done, although I honestly feel that there is still so much not done. I will be away from Manipur for a long time (three weeks) because I am going for a holiday after the training/workshop. The picture is the place where I'll be staying along with 19 outer participants. It is called Maison Notre-Dame du Chant d'Oiseau, a name I think I have a hard time pronouncing. But this is going to be home for the next weeks!

Anyways, I have already a plan as to what to do and where to go during the time that I will be in Europe. Weekends in Paris and Amsterdam and then off to Rome on the last day. Whew.. the had life of a traveler.

I shall, of course keep on blogging so every whining, praising, crying, death-defying moments will be informed to you. Yes you.

So bye for today as by tomorrow, I will be Brussels, Belgium.

Did I mention they alledge to be making the best beer in the world?

Plans For An Indian Holiday

Today is a holiday in the whole of India. It is Republic Day -- though as a foreigner, I don't exactly know what it means. For me, it could be one of those days when I could lounge away watching movies after movies after movies, leaving bed only for necessary activites (eat, shit and piss, of course!!) and rocking myself to dream land sporadically. Best yet, because it is a Monday!

But... here I am facing the office computer trying to finish the 4M order. And truthfully, I hadn't slept at all last night! (I watched 6 movies non-stop from 8 pm onwards... this morning I started on season 2 of Californication).

I don't think it is a masochistic tendency. I just have to finish this and move on to other responsibilities before I leave for Brussels this Saturday. And just looking at the list of things I have to do (with big bold red letters labelled PRIORITY on most of them), I feel I just don't have enough time. Or probably the energy....

Worst -- I haven't packed yet. I know you'll probably say this dude is weird: he will leave days from now and he is talking about packing? Well, another psychiatric side of me is that I prepare my "wardrobe"days (some times weeks) before I leave. Like when I was in Myanmar, two months before I leave the project, I had already sorted, packed in nice folds all the shirts and jeans I want to bring back home. If there is a favorite shirt, I'd wash it (myself) 4 days beforehand and then pack day on the day I will leave. I think this is good because you (read: me in this context) tend to organize things and don't get frazzled by time constraints.

So anyway... these are my scattered projections for the day... Back to work!

Do you think the peripheral clinics will need more methyergometrine this quarter?

Whose Line Is It, Anyway?

After spending the day reviews medical stocks, I decided to have a nap. As I was browsing through some old magazines hoping to fall asleep amidst the hum of the office generator, one particular article caught my ever-discerning eye: “How to have an effective pick-up line.” Not that I need one desperately, but having been around different people from different nationalities had me thinking maybe I should read this – just in case I need one – someday.

The pick up lines in that article on MW (India’s Men’s Weekly) were not only cheesy but some were downright vulgar. Example: (Use index finger to call one over and then say:) “If I made you come with come with one finger, imagine what I could do with my whole hand.” Yuckk…. Or… “Hi, my name is Milk. I do your body good.” I know some of you might be screaming in your seats right now saying : “what the …” but hey! Let’s face it. In these modern times where relationships mean zilch to a metrosexual, having a good pick up line assures someone of having their needs actually met. At least for that time.

Somewhat related to this, a couple of years ago, in Malawi, in one of the welcome parties I have attended in the capital (Lilongwe), there was a game played (the name of the game escapes me for now) where we all sit in a circle ( about 5 or 6 persons) and you throw a question and every one has to answer. Example: Movies by Quentin Tarrantino. If someone can’t answer then he/she will be a “slave” for a couple of minutes. Pick up lines was one of the categories.

So in honor of these witty (less) remarks, I tried remembering the worst ones my friends and acquaintance had used at certain times of their lives…. And believe me dude, I haven’t used one, yet (defensive? – nope). Here are the dozen cheesy notes, posted in no particular category. Bravo for making me remember them all!

1. I had a wet dream about you last night. Would you like to make it a reality?
2. I’d like to name a multiple orgasm after you.
3. I’ve got a condom with your name on it.
4. That shirt’s very becoming on you. If I were on top of you, you’d be coming too.
5. There are 265 bones in the human body. Would you like to have one more?
6. Are you good in maths? Is 69 a perfect square?
7. Are you lost ma’am? Coz heaven’s along way from here.
8. Did it hurt? …when you fell down from heaven?
9. Can I borrow a quarter? I need to call my mother to tell her I met the woman of my dreams.
10. Hello… I’m a thief and I am here to steal your heart.
11. I have only three months to live….
12. Bond. James Bond.

Waddayathink? You think you could deliver these lines smoothly? Or are you puking your guts out at the intense drama of today’s courtship?

Journey To The Center Of The ... Eeek!

It is 3 am and I am still awake. I have started on 10-days PAP (prohibited area permission) journeys from Manipur to New Delhi. I am sleepy and tired but I don't want to close my eyes because I know that as soon as I wink -- it will be a nod to dreamland.

I have been here in Delhi since last week for PAP and Visa reasons (my Indian visa expires on the 25th). Just being away from the project fills me with a lot of anxiety over the tasks and responsibilities I need to do just before I leave (again) next week for PAP reasons and for my training in Brussels.

Honestly, I thought it was cool to travel regularly - lesser work-related stress, more shopping and sight seeing. Recently, I realized that with the regular round of airport visitations, you can never get things done and work clogs up.

Anyways, here I am , waiting for the driver to pick me up and having a last go on my blog. And so I say, not only hasta la vista, but here's wishing for lesser air pockets, baby.

Did I tell you I snore when I'm tired?

Giving In To Techno Temptation

I didn't want to say it and I have been keeping it for some time from you guys, but I guess it is safe to let the cat out of the bag. My gadget itch struck again while I was in Delhi. Of course I know that there was a need to buy a new lap top (my old one is still working but totally battered) and my want is so great I had to skimp on a few necessities. It took me three days to think and mope about it, but in the end I succumb to the techno temptation.

I bought an HP pavilion entertainment lap top (don't ask me of the model) which has amazing features: 3 GB RAM, superDVD, 3.2 meg web cam, finger print identification system, Nvidia graphics, etc... it was love at first buy. The sound is crisp, clear and loud: perfect for a music lover like moi.

I am so inspired to work on my lap top that I often forget it is time to go back home. At the house, I would either pitter-patter on the soft keys and have a continuous download of movies, music and software. Worst, Finn showed me a better way to get them so for the past few days, I was hooked.

Anyways, I promised myself that I would never salivate for another gadget. This would be the last --- this quarter. For now, let me go back and moon over my new baby.

Signing off.

Reviving A Dying Relationship

Two days ago, I had a long chat with a friend I haven't seen (and heard of) for a long time. Chat at this time and age do not mean sitting down and talk face to face (of course, some do it with a camera), but sitting and typing our hearts away. What started as a "hi-hello" , ended with thoughts about long lost loves and coping with the stressful search for sweethearts.

So X (he doesn't want me to mention his name) has been "separated" from his wife, four months after their wedding to work in the US. He is processing his papers, but since this takes time, he continues to do his work in the the Philippines. (A background: x was a school mate in the university, he used to date one of the girls from my class but nothing came out of that for reasons I do not know.) After a year and half of waiting for his papers and intermittently meeting his wife, he decided to call it quits. He said he got "tired".

I probed further on the matter, because you can't say get the hell out of my life to someone for nothing. He was evasive to the point that he was irritated by my questions. In the end, I said my good luck and wished him happiness.

I really don't understand relationships. I know that success in a relationship depends on a lot of things. Mostly it would be on a case to case basis, but the general ingredients should be there: love, trust and the willful desire to make things work out.

My "friend" must have his reasons and he must have NOT seen what he had. Probably it wasn't love at all. Probably it was something else. I have seen people get married for convenience, and I have seen people wrap their hearts in iron cages for the sake of those conveniences.

But that is beside the point. For someone like me who spends a lot of time away from people, including my family, I have yet to learn how to revive a dying relationship and let go when the moment comes. As a doctor, we were taught how to rescucitate the dying -- and when you see the point of no return -- you just have know when to stop. It is a tricky thing for a lot (including me) to hold on to long term relationships HOPING that it might come alive, long after everyone realized that what you are having is buried six feet under. We tend to rationalize, then bargain but most of us never come to accepting the fact that something is supposed to be over.

Love can be forever... and I am so happy for those people who have found themselves in love with the same person. But the recent roll of events has made me question the aspects of love and being in love. I am not cynical. I am a realist. It would certainly hurt the living shit of me should I fall out of a relationship, but that it is life and I have to move on.

Maybe when I find the answer to these I can have a more sturdy look on love and relationships... Maybe it would be the end to queries about mid-life love- panic attacks. And maybe then I could give my "friend" a better advice.

For Anam: A Greeting

It is Anam's birthday today so I'd like to dedicate a special post for him.

I met Anam in Maungdaw, Northern Rakhine State, Myanmar, last year when I was assigned there. He was supposed to be my translator/personal assistant but we ended up as brothers. I told him that was snubbish when I first met him... making me find it so hard to work on weekends because he would find alibis not to work. Of course I understand that it takes a lot of trust for friendship to settle in and trust takes time. After that it was all easy. He arranged my schedule, followed me whereever I go (as long as it is within the travel authorizations) and his family fed me up whenever I come for a visit. We shared t-shirts and other stuff during MMDs (mobile malaria days), had several rounds of beers somewhere, and talked about personal stuff like there was no ending. He knew when I am angry (he keeps quiet when I start to raise my voice), adjusts when I am lonely and sad, listens to my wild ranting about work and people in the office and introduced me to people and places and things other expats would never have the chance to. It is probably because of my friendship with him that I was endeared by the staff and was welcomed by the Muslim community in Maungdaw.

Looking back, I wouldn't have change anything -- he was one of the many people who made my work easier and my stay in Myanmar more memorable. Long after I finished in Myanmar, we still keep in touch, and update ourselves with daily changes in our lives.

So here's to a deeply nice guy who I wish will find success in whatever he does and whereever he goes. You are one of a kind and I am so lucky to have known you. Happy birthday....