Australian Open 2011

Yes, it is finally here!! At last, I can get up in the morning and switch on the television, knowing there's something meaningful to watch.

This time, I am excited because Rafa is on the verge of a 'Rafa-slam' ( I love the term! You really shouldn't much by my opinion because I love anything Rafa :-)), and because, Justine Henin is back after that 6-month injury lay-off. I am hoping that she will be able to emulate last year's performance and reach the final. As far as Rafa is concerned, I want him to win obviously. However, with the illness and all, I think I am betting more on Justine than Rafa.
Yesterday's first round match - Justine Henin vs Sania Mirza, was always going to be tough. But, I really did not expect breaks from the first game itself. That first set was scary. As usual, however, Mirza finally lost stamina, and went down quite meekly in the third set. The third set was more close to what I had expected to be the case through out the match. Point is, Justine's through to the second and I heave one big sigh of relief :-)
Rafa's match today got over in 47 mins. With an injured opponent playing against you, you can't expect it to go on for long. It is good, coz that means Rafa remains pretty fresh, and it is a little bad, because it got over before I even woke up!
I am delighted to be watching the first week. A friend of mine and I are big fans of tennis. The Grand Slams are treats we always wait for. We always argue about the excitement of the first week. Nothing really happens. All the paisa-vasool matches really come in the second week. But, my argument is that the first week is full of tennis. Something or the other is going on, on some court somewhere. Unlike the second, when the matches are few and just get fewer.
The first Grand Slam of the year looks to excite all tennis fans, and we can't expect to have anything less!!

My Experiments With Cooking

I am not the world's greatest cook. In fact, I don't think you could even count me among the numbers of cooks in this world. Yeah, I can cook to survive; I can cook to ensure I won't go hungry for days. But, I would be running to the other end of the earth if you asked me to cook for somebody else.
It is because I've never tried my hand at cooking. I can make great stuff out of the ready-to-cook packages- noodles, pasta, dosa mix, uttapa mix, soups....but, you give me the core ingredients and tell me to conjure up the same yummy dish out of them, you are talking absolute rubbish! So, yesterday when my mother requested me to cook a vegetable because she was going to get late, yeah, I spent a moment doubting my skills.
I did not really have a choice, and I wanted to give it a shot. So I tried any way. This is not one of those stories where the underdog goes on to beat the world champion, alright. I put in way too many spices, and try as much as I could, I couldn't match the taste with the salt. End Result: Melon with a hot spicy taste, which made want to resort to water every single time, and I had a hard time trying to figure out when the vegetable showed signs of having gotten cooked properly. Oh yeah, and in between I also had to battle the demons of burning, because I took a thin-based pan, and I don't have a very good idea about the intensity of our stove.
My brother declared before hand that he did not 'want to take the risk of tasting the food you cook'. Wow! That's some encouragement right?! My poor dad was the unfortunate 'guinea pig' (my brother's term) to taste my not very well made vegetable. As is the case with good parents, he told it was good. He did not take another helping, and, even if he had, I would personally have made him put it all back.
Today's attempt was much better. For one, I was better prepared with the procedure of doing things. And I got all my spices content right. I did end up putting a little water ( and cabbage doesn't need any water to get cooked, as my mother explained later) because of which the dish became a little soggy. But, today I was happy with the the end result. My mom did not tell my brother that I'd made the vegetable. And he liked it! Its not just the words, he finished half of it. Phew! If he thought that my mom had made that, then it's a huge compliment to me :-) We're planning to tell him after dinner that the maker is none other than his sister. Hahaha!!!
Deciding to make the vegetable today was a just a small attempt at making my mom feel relaxed on her birthday. I think it kinda worked :-)
Happy Birthday Mom! I wish I could make everything easy for you every single day...Have a long and wonderful life...Thank you for being there always :-) :-) :-)

The Art Of Leisure

When was the last time I sat down with a bowl of popcorn in front of the laptop and watched movies one after the other? I don’t remember doing it at all, because, well, I haven’t. On Saturday, I watched movies one after the other…all my old favourites obviously. I can’t remember another instance when I enjoyed myself more. The joy of not keeping a tab on the time spent, the joy of knowing that after the movie finishes, there’s another movie to watch, not a text book to read. I wish I could have more of such breaks. I’m sure I’ll do justice to them, as I never have to any other.


Today, I read ‘Pigs have Wings’ by P.G. Wodehouse. I love his stories! There’s a humor that is so hard to neglect, so had to not enjoy…..simple plots that make you just wonder at the pure genius of the author…My ultimate favourite P.G.Wodehouse stories are the schoolboy stories. It is probably because whenever I read them, I am reminded of my school and the feeling of childhood creeps back, bringing with it, memories that are etched in gold forever.

Another favourite of mine is Jane Austen. Firstly, because she writes love stories. Secondly, because she writes love stories like no other. There is humor, there is sarcasm, there is romance, there is an element of character…..and all her heroines are headstrong women; women with personality, women with a definite take on the world, women who have a place in a man’s world. My ultimate favourite is Pride and Prejudice. The contrasting characters of Elizabeth and Darcy are from the start so designed to make the reader understand that they are meant to be. I love the regal, uptight Darcy, who is capable of falling for a girl as badly as he does! Frankly, Jane Austen has taught me to hope and wish that Darcys exist in the real world too :-)

Meeting up with some old friends is on the agenda now. I hope they manage to take time out to come meet me…till then, happy holidays!!!!

New Year Rings In

Happy New Year to one and all!!!

2011 brings in a lot of new ideas, new choices, new opportunities and another lease of a beautiful, beautiful life! I wish every person gets to walk the path he wants to, and be the person he wants to be, and make a difference to the world in his own special way.

I have also decided that 2011 onwards, my blog isn't just going to be a report of my life as a medical student. It'll be my take on everything that I experience in life; as a student and as a person. I've always wanted to write, put my thoughts down into words because, frankly, I have way too many of them (kinda feel like Dumbledore here...so yeah, this is my Pensieve). And I decided that writing about what I do every day as a student isn't getting me what I really want - the joy of writing everything that I want, about anything that I want. So, here goes, from now on, 'Eh, Wat's Up Doc?' will be my online journal, a collection of my thoughts penned down from whatever touches my heart in that special place.

Lets get over with the round up of the biggest news of the latter part of 2010. M.U.H.S. University Examinations, Second Year, M.B;B.S:

I think they were good. I went through a lot of stress and a few stupid and non-me moments when I doubted myself, and wondered why I was doing what I was, but it all worked out great in the end. Here I am today, having finished the one-month long exam saga, waiting to enjoy a week of holidays before we get back to work again.

I don't want to know what marks I am going to score. For the moment, I am great with the knowledge that I have given it my best shot, and I have done everything I could, to make it all work. If the marks turn out low, well, it's my luck!

I have been watching some favourite movies of mine, the last couple of days. Romantic Comedies....totally relaxing .