"It tastes like feet" ( The invisibles Part 2 )

you may read the first part here.

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It was at the beginning of my life inside mumbai (out side IIT) that I wrote the previous post "the invisibles". It was the time when these unknown beggar faces turning slowly into recognizable human beings. I met them every day at different parts of mumbai, all the way from ghatkopar to lower parel every corner of the road, foot over bridges, at the queue, outside the office compound wall... everywhere.

Now i know them better, I know them by face. they know me by face. And i can't explain how it feels to be greeted by a poor man on the ghatkopar bridge when i get back from office everyday. That smile we share, is such a wonderful thing that human beings can enjoy. As far as I know, only human beings can enjoy!

I told you, they were transforming... slowly... From invisibles to street people to some recognizable faces. In fact, it wasn't them but me who was changing. It's the world that I created around myself was changing. I started seeing them. I started looking at them, I started recognizing them. The change was right inside me and not anywhere else.

The more I looked at them --Not forcefully but I had no other choice since we shared a common space... my streets were their home.-- the more their life unfolded in front of me. A life full of tiny specks of happiness spread around heaps of filth.

Back then, the monsoons were yet to hit mumbai and it was a clear and dusty morning. I was about enter my office premises and I couldn't help noticing them cooking something. They were cooking chicken.

But when I say 'chicken' i didn't mean that juicy meat that you buy from a vendor or that frozen pack that you pick up from the super market.

they were cooking chicken feet!

They must've been collecting chicken waste-- the feet and the skin--from butcher shops.

And what else did i see there? ... Kids running around, waiting for that 'special' dish their moms were preparing. Everyone seemed excited. For that different, tasty dish of the day! When I said... tiny specks of happiness spread around heaps of filth... I meant this!!

Now, when I watch FRIENDS and Ross says "this tastes like feet!", what should I think of?

?!

"Eat" your medicines!

Well, when Arun commented "take 2 crocins and write a blog on ur illness" on my status update on facebook, I never thought I'll ever do that!.. but here i am.. doing just that.

But there's a reason behind this post.. and it's not my fever.... it's all about how to know more about medicines!

I'd been on bed for the last two days... with that irritating throat pain and friggin bodyache.. Well, I can handle all that with a little bit of rest. And I was doing better untill i realised that I've started coughing and my chest is about to get infested!.. wo wo wo.. that's something that i cannot handle myself. I have a very very bad bad history about all these coughing and chest infection thingy!.. and i don't even want to think about that ...

So.. i decided to go see the doctor!

I walked a bit near the Meat market, looking for this particular doctor my friend suggested... and .. Oh here it is... a Hand painted nameplate which said:

Dr. Doctor (Let's call him that way)

Consulting Physician, Cardiologist and Diabetologist.

Specialist in "Fever"

Come on!!.. A Doctor who's a fever specialist!!

Is there anyone who's a sneeze specialist? I want to consult him too.. !!

Well, that nameplate directed me to an apartment building which apparently had a "Hospital" working on its first floor!. and on the steps there was a board which said:

"please remove your SHOSE here"

(He has to be a vel ejucated doktar)

Well, I walked in.. met the doctor..

"Pull out your toungue... .. mmhmm.. take a deep breath.. aha.. hmm ok.. "

400 bucks and he "prescribed" these medicines to me.. for "Viral Fever"!

Otrivin Drops

Cetzine 0-0-1

Wikoryl 1-1-1

Roxid 0-0-1

Well.. I can not make out anything from those names!.. except for that Otrivin thing. I know what it is.. so decided to chuck that out.

But at the medical store, he said, it'll last for atleast two years.. Hmm.. quite a nice "investment" i should say... i decided to buy it :)

The rest of the stuff, since I didnt' know what they were, I bought them.

And just like anyone else who's in love with google... I just googled for their ingredients:

Cetzine

Cetirizine Hydorchloride IP 10mg

An OTC (over the counter) medication for Allergy/Asthma.

one site says:

Zyrtec may cause drowsiness. Be especially careful driving or operating dangerous machinery or participating in any hazardous activity that requires full mental alertness until you know how you react to Cetirizine hydrochloride.

I know!!!! I really know!..

Do you want me to post my 10th grade exam sheet that I wrote sleeping on it!!!! (well, I love it because it's kinda funny to read it now- well.. may be "look" at it.. you can't really "read" it!)

And tomoro at the office, I dont want me to type vvvvvvvvvvvvv... on my keyboard... AGAIN!!

WIKORYL

Paracetamol, Chlorphenamine Maleate, Phenylephrine Hydochloride, Caffine

Paracetamol!!!

Wah I love it.. Half a crocin, and you get the energy to update your facebook status :)

Chlorophlosgxphbrrgrhdgfmine!!.. whatever! I googled, and it says:
These products do not cure or shorten the length of the common cold and may cause serious side effects. To decrease the risk for serious side effects, carefully follow all dosage directions. Do not use this product to make a child sleepy.

Okay.. here's another one to make me sleepy!

Phenylephrine Hydochloride:
I googled, and it says:

Before you take phenylephrine, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any decongestants, or if you have heart disease, heart rhythm disorder, high blood pressure, circulation problems, diabetes, glaucoma, a thyroid disorder, kidney disease, an enlarged prostate or urination problems, anxiety, sleep problems, bipolar disorder or other mental illness.

So... does that mean that all these areas get affected when i take this drug??? oh my god!

and another site says:
Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Phenylephrine may cause dizziness, drowsiness, or impaired concentration. If you experience dizziness, drowsiness, or impaired concentration, avoid these activities.

There you go!!.. now this is the third one that's gonna make me dizzy!

Caffine

I'd always prefer Coke or Pepsi over a tablet!

Roxid

Roxithtomycin 300mg tablets

Wiki says:

Most common side effects are gastrointestinal; diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Less common side effects include central or peripheral nervous system events such as headaches, dizziness, vertigo, and also the rarely seen rashes, abnormal liver function values and alteration in senses of smell and taste.

What the fff..ell??

Looks like I'm gonna have the bad time of my life soon!!

you know what i learned from this?

"Don't google for your medicines!!..

Just eat them like you're hungry!!"

Everything will be alright!

Rx

first day first show

Well.. not first show.. call it a matinee on the first day.

That was a totally unexpected trip in the evening. We had to have a look at the cladding materials for our new office in Kalina and were on our way from Worli.

Wah!.. we actually had a reason to use that bridge that day!!. (Well I wouldn't have written this line unless I had a look at the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the bridge yesterday)

Seemed like every one in this huge city wanted to have a ride on the new bridge. First day first show :) Every one wanted to have a piece of the cake; still or moving!.

It was drizzling.. and the sky was cloudy.. adding a special mood to the drive.

"Now this bridge looks like some 'firang' who just came to India.. ."

-- that was Utpal, Creative Director from '(water strategy+design'. (I work there.)

"... and you see.. even this bridge will become one among us... just wait for the "Ganpati Visarjans"

true!!.. absolutely!!..

Only half of the lanes were open and the rest of the construction was still going on. Massive scaffolding and huge cranes stood tall. Iron giants!

Workers proudly stood at the side of the road looking at the sea of traffic on the bridge they just built! The joy was actually written all over their face!

And it was great, looking at the suspension cables from the three different spans creating patters as we moved along the road. Well, this time, the traffic was very slow... as in dead slow. As I told you earlier, the whole Mumbai city was there on the bridge that day!. We had to stop our car untill the ones behind us "honked @#$@#" to get a good view of the bridge.

I'm sure It will be a visual treat if you just dash along the bridge on a dark night when these cables are all lit.. whoa! what an awesome view it will be.. when you look at the beautiful Mumbai skyline with this engineering marvel in the foreground.

Hey, wait a second. I had a silly-stupid doubt yesterday. What are those cables for?(if you're gonna talk about physics, forget it. I'm not talking about that... ) well, of course, those cable sturcture is the one which makes it a landmark!. And it looks beautiful too. But my silly-stupid doubt was... "was it really necessary to have that much of a span there?" Or they were just trying to MAKE a landmark? To be frank, I don't care.. this one LOOKS good at least. (I'm not getting started with those ugly 'fly-over' constructions with no attention to detail or design.. duh!)

Attention to detail!. oh no!. look at those signages you'll understand (if you go close enough to read them) Felt really sad to look at those poor typography and stupid use of colors. (oh ya, I don't have a pic here, but there was a signage written in WHITE on YELLOW.. how about that?)

Well.. the trip was awesome!.. we enjoyed the bridge..

and now..

back to Mumbai....

HONK HONK!!!!!

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