J.K. Rowling and Adnan

Potter! Potter! , like a dumb slytherin would perhaps say. The hype, the drama, the spoilers, the bettings, the make-believe all seem to characterize every Potter release. I have a brother and a sister and incredibly a mom who’s hooked onto them. I personally stopped after the fourth one. Always reminded me of this guy called Adnan who was in my 4th standard class and was quite good at telling stories. Come a free period and the teachers would summon him to tell us a story. The guy was so good at it that he used to make them as he went along from scratch. Magicians, kings, queens, thieves, farmers, animals, potions, flying carpets, tunnels, magic rings etc etc would all get spun and pass through his hands. His favourite word was ‘Actually’ which he used quite liberally. “The thief was actually a king in disguise”, and our thief reborn as a king would again go on for some part of the story when the twist came in again, “Actually the king was a magician…”. I have to admit he carried it off quite superbly though.

I wonder what he’s upto now and what he did with his life. Sigh!

A wedding, a few good looking girls, fever and a group

Went home for the weekend, cousin was getting married. Promptly landed home with runny nose and eyes. Went for the marriage, the cold kept getting worse. Ogled at some good looking girls and then checked myself. Lest my runny eyes and nose gave them the idea that I was drooling at them. Escaped home after the nikaah leaving the family behind. Got under the covers expectantly and the fever came right on time.

Delirious!

Like I always am at the onset of fever. Sent cousin out to get some tandoori chicken and chappathi (I said I was delirious :-) ). No one home, the ladies had all gone for the wedding. Just me and cuz.

Had to stay an extra day home for the fever to subside. On the return journey. Sitting next to a group of 10 to 15 guys, uncles, cousins and perhaps even neighbours. Wondered where they were off to. Probably someone was going abroad and the rest were there to see him off. Then I noticed one of them was slightly older and he looked sick. Yes, they were off to see some far off doctor. Definitely. Felt a tinge of sadness. Tried to picture myself in his place 30 to 40 years later and being herded around by a group of people.

Its like that over here. If someone’s planning to go abroad or is brutally sick, a huge group will inevitably be accompanying him. Cousins, uncles and a couple of neighbours too pitch in. All with differing opinions, views and ‘experiences’. Maddening! 

Couple of stations later they take out their food hampers and start feasting. Maybe its not as serious as I thought.

The funny brain

Yesterday was reading a blog of my cousin who’s a dentist and came across a touching post. I thought I’d paste it here unedited. She’ll probably give me the eye roll for not asking her, but here goes.

 I’ve been through two slightly disturbing experiences and now that its has passed i can see an element of humour in them.

Last week we went to see grandfather, he had been bedridden for years together, in and out of the critical state. This time we squeezed time out to go see uppa… he was in the hospital. forty-five minutes had passed, he was breathing like he had a mike attached to him (pneumonia) and was comatosed. After a while he had his dinner and medicienes, Regurtitated and held my husband’s hand. Then let off his last breath.
I came in a minute later, he was still warm, peaceful looking, but not breathing. we checked his pulse..not there.
The doc came in about 5 min later..did all the ressucitation….and said..’He has gone in a cardiac arrest’.
Who is going say..’he died’.
Doc: ‘ if you want…..lets shift him to the ventilator’
One of his sons….’do some something..give him shock…’
The doc said ‘fine’
me and the uncle rushed with the strecher….Rushing the’gone’ to the emergency.
fixed those stuff on to his chest. gave the shock ….. The line on the machine never rose up.
It just kept down…going straight.
and then we beleived he was gone.

After about 1 week, my daughter picked up fever. Not a degree that i would worry about. But monitored her and stayed at home. Gave cold compress , kept the nursery rhymes for her and i got to working.
Then the maid casually said..’she is shivering’
I gave her one look…she was peacefully looking at the tubelight.
But i knew she was having a seizure.
Just as much as i knew it i dint wanna beleive it. I kept calling her name..imagining that she would just look at me and say ‘mama’ and everything would be fine . But she did not.
Her heart was in my hand..almost. it was like jumping out of her.
Her lips was blue and saliva bubbled out of her beautiful lips. She was still looking unbeleivably angelic.
That 5-7 minutes was a lifetime for me.
I held and cried like she was gone.
Her heart was beating..i knew she was alive..i did not function enough..to run out with her to the hospital. I went in to shock.
We then later took her to the hospital where she had a convulsion. But she started responding after that.

The storm has settled and i reflect on how desperately we tried to revive our’dead uppa’ and how i just stopped being when my daughter wanted me to act the most.

The mercy of God…she is fine. And i figured…there is fair and unfair. He gives– we thank him and recieve. If he takes ..we just have to of things that were never ours.
And that the gray world…is just another challenge … so are the gray people.

I think what she failed to mention was that they were living very near to the hospital, infact sharing walls with it…..