Away away.

"Let's get out of this town,

Baby we are on fire". The lines are in my head. The haunting voice is singing from my little music box inside my head. And I am inside the swimming pool fully submerged. I am holding my breath and looking around. My limbs! My limbs feel so free and detached from me but still under my control. I wriggle my toes. The blueness enchants me and I experiment with the new found 3D effect that can be found in water or in space in the larger picture. I am no fish, I have lungs and I emerge my head out with a deep gasp.

"Do the butterfly stroke" 

I don't want to. Today I want to be away. So I have come to the deeper side. And I look at the sky. The feeling is ethereal. I float. I am flying. The sky beacons at me. The cloudless formless, story less vast sky. It makes my eyes shut and I am drunk in its generosity. The buoyant force propels me skywards but gravity pulls me back. And I am tethering in between these forces very much enjoying their want for me. The forces rocks me up and down and sideways. And I let myself lose. If the forces want me, let them have me.

"You have to learn the butterfly stroke!" I scream out in my head.  

I want to be away. I watch my friends and they are swimming. The curves are graceful and the strokes relentless. I want to be away from them too. Just right now I want to be with the forces. And muses. 

Somebody comes to my side. And as soon as she makes it here, I dive in and swim away. To a place where no one is there. And again I submerge and watch the world. Silent and free. Happy. 

The butterfly stroke can wait. The breast stroke can wait to be perfected. 

To learn to play the grand piano can wait too. I smile. This bucket list of things I had planned to complete by twenty two has been fully upended and reviewed over. Except one thing that remains. To play the grand piano in style. So that I can sing a Lana Del Rey. I am doing the things I want and I will do it in style, with fervor and endurance. With a will to do and not by coercion. In style. In sexy style. 

"Let's get out of this town,

Baby we are on fire.

Everybody here seems to be going down, down, down.

If you stick with me, I can take you higher and higher,

It feels like all of our friends are lost and nobody's found, found, found"

I get out of the pool before the time is up. Just so to be found, found, found.

 Peace-dr. Diksha.

Indian Society of Organ Transplantation

So yes. I attended the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation Conference (ISOT) only and only because my favourite professor Prof. S.C. Dash was the organizer. Despite the perpetual rainfall and the diaphanous wetness, ( I call it diaphanous because the bright fungus has sprouted in places and it has decorated the place), I attended the conference without even an invitation or a qualification. Because I don't know anything about organ transplants yet and I should go to places that offer education.

There he is. Prof. S.C Dash.

And the one leaning by the dice is Dr. Deepak Shankar Ray. He is my best friend's father and he is one of my inspirations too. He has performed several successful transplants.

My favourite professor is Dr. Suresh Chandra Dash. He is not the only one in the list however this post will be only about him.

In one word, he is  a  CONNOISSEUR. A connoisseur of fine arts, and subjects. 

I enjoyed his classes. I enjoy everyone's class that is not boring. He took our Nephrology classes just a month ago and now that is over for the year. He quizzed us constantly. He would ask us facts about from medical subjects and other non-medical subjects. Mostly Geography. And History and Mythology. And then literature. His interests are diverse. Just as diverse as mine. And when he would quiz us, I would be on my guard ready to answer everything that I have had learnt in my school years and medical years. I answered so much that I got his attention in class that when no one would answer he would point to me and say, "This girl will answer."

I did. He called me intelligent and a hard working student. I am so flattered and stoked and inspired and pressurized. 

I am being called the 'favourite one' and so I will work very hard to keep the name. Just as hard as I worked under the guide of my Paediatrics professor Dr. Aswin Ku. Mohanty. 

I have had been a victim of several things. Taunting, teasing, being ignored/ostracism and all because well I even don't know. Because I am always on the run. Studying or reading novels or playing tennis and then some not so pleasant things. Or maybe because I am a freak. 

I am pressurized. Professor S.C. Dash thinks that I am capable of so much that I feel terribly pressurized. What if I can't live up to the status that I generate everywhere I go! 

And this post was supposed to be about my favourite professor but I ended up ranting as always. I should do more justice to this man who inspires me. 

He has shown me that not all doctors are dulled by their own subjects. He is diverse, brilliant , extremely thoughtful and an excellent guide. He read us TO REMEMBER ME by Robert Test and that has further influenced my interests in literature. 

Since I still have no achievements to boast about right now, I will just copy some links I got.

http://www.kiit.ac.in/about/scdash.htm

http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=43747

                                                              PEACE-   dr. Diksha.

(I should do an extensive research before I write posts like this and should stop ranting).

Under-graduates Paediatrics Quiz.

I have bagged a bronze medal in East zone all India quiz in Pediatricians.

I am thrilled. But most importantly I am glad I did not quit. I mean I had quit. I gave the preliminary test of MCQs and then completely forgot about the quiz. Till junior came to my room and told me I had topped as second in the test and was to go to another medical college.

I freaked out. 

I was unprepared. And to go compete with other medical students from other colleges? The prospect was terrifying and I spent the whole day probably crying and thinking of a way out. I didn't have anyone to talk to. I wanted someone to understand why I was not the best option to go compete for the interstate level quiz.

Then I went to my Paediatrics professor, a brusque man with coiffed hair that falls all over his forehead but somehow never obstructs his vision let alone his eyebrows beneath which are those thoughtful eyes of a man who has saved thousands of infants and children.

"Err, I want to quit." I squeaked as soon as I entered his office.

He was reading some paper, and looked up and asked why.

"I am unprepared, and its a big event. I am completely totally unprepared and we have just 2 weeks to go and I won't be able to complete the whole book and we will lose because of me and then it will be bad." said I in a breath.

"But you have done well in the test," he said slow and clear as he fished his drawer and took out the papers and flashed mine. 

But I wanted to quit and when my mind is made up, it's kind of impossible for even my Paediatrics professor to convince. 

"Fine!" he said as he decided to take the next person for the quiz and I happily trotted out of his office feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders and I was free. Free like a bird.

That night I couldn't sleep. I was haunted by my own insecurities. To miss an opportunity such as this was sheer stupidity. I knew that. Quitting was cowardly. Quitting is what losers do. Winners never quit. Had Andy Murray quit just because he couldn't bag any Grand Slams in the first of his career he wouldn't have gone onto winning a US Open, a Gold in the Olympics or a Wimbledon! And he wouldn't have been dubbed as the big four if he had quit! And he wouldn't have come on to become my favourite player.

And I revisited my professors office again.

"I have decided I will go," I declared triumphantly.

"TSK!" was what he said. "I have already taken a junior in your place." he added.

"I will go," I said a little quieter this time afraid I had jeopardized my own chances.

"Call that junior and come with him and then you can go," he said.

And after that the junior who is one hell of a guy and is highly interested in his medical profession (as evidenced by his colloquial paper presentations in several topics) but I had beat him and he yield.

The past two weeks were all about Paediatrics. Me and the junior girl. We were given a Nelson each and advised to remember Nelson values. Nelson is the standard, the best textbook. It is a large book of more than 2000 pages and a font size smaller than an average ant. 

I completed the smaller undergraduate level textbook however, i.e OP Ghai, and then went onto solving MCQs. Solving as many as I could get. Reading as many quiz books as I could get. The junior girl whom I would always see in the reading room but never talk, now we began to solve MCQs together 2 hourly everyday. And we began to get to know each other.

She is sweet. Courteous and respectful. And the obedience that is in her is unforced. I liked her instantly and it was easy to work with her. A quality I render absolutely necessary in medical career.

The other Paediatrician doctors took extensive vivas to the both of us. Sometimes even lasting for six hours without break.

September 14th, a Saturday and we left for SCB Medical college. Seeing other contestants was scary. It was. We didn't study. We just sat, waiting for the whole thing to start. 

The only thought that relieved me was that "YEAI within the next three hours this all will be OVER." And my mind decided to hang onto that sentence every time I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach.

But we did well. We had been underestimating ourselves all along. I shouldn't be over whelmed either because it will prevent me from working hard. However we lead the quiz for the first half. But we lost track in the final rapid fire round and secured ourselves a third position.

So today I went to the Professor to return the Nelson.

A chortle as I entered with the heavy textbook.

"Do sit," he ordered.

I sat obediently and he asked how was the quiz. I explained with worlds like 'great experience' and that our college needs more coaching since the other colleges prepare for the quiz 2 years before itself.

"In two weeks if you can prepare this much then you surely have proved yourself. I hope you will continue studying and not quit in the most adverse of situations," he said.

I grinned thinking of Andy Murray and the quiz and how daunting it had appeared and came out ever more determined to try. To give my best. And to never quit.

A book that says Why Sinarest is the best. And a cartificate. :D

                                                                 peace- dr. Diksha.

Why the Man Of Steel.

Man of Steel did not disappoint me. But then again none of the super hero movies ever disappoint me. Except that one, the one with the hunky Brandon Routh and the hetero-chromatic Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns which was such a bore that ran for non-exhaustive length that even I a faithful devoted comic lover hated the movie.

Why steel? Why not Titanium or Adamantium or better yet Iron? The director prefers alloys to single elements as mashed up a character as Super Man is. He is an alien, he is a small town boy,  he is a Daily Planet geeky reporter, he is Lois Lane's love and he is Clark Kent. He is Super Man.

Iron Man is a billionaire. The tweeds and his insouciant ego and some clever quips throughout the comic book, and especially the movie has earned him his fame. Actually Robert Downey Jr.'s fame. The name Iron Man stirs images of Robert Downey Jr. but nothing special to the Iron Man character.

But the Man of Steel will capture your heart. A man so righteous,so brimming with justice in every throb of his heart, rigorous in his approach, living a common life of a good man with geek glasses and almost so boring is the Man of Steel. And I have every right to call Super Man boring because I am a devoted comic reader, I have watched Super Man movies, cartoons of every version. I have followed Super Man in his every move in Justice League Association and in the newer Justice League too and I read articles about him online.

Should one hate a man who is impeccably perfect but for just the glitch of being a little too boring?

                                                                  pE@c3-dr.Diksha

Auscultating the Chest.

I was in a bad mood today. And I sprawled my Facebook profile with the filthiest and the most common profane used. Afterwards I felt bad when I got messages from my friends consoling me and one message that snapped my anger and produced rather a guilt was from one of my high school friend who said that of all the girls out there he thought I was the one who has got it figured it out. Shame and guilt came over me for my momentary lapse of losing grip over my bizzare emotions but moreover I cannot fathom the reason for my devastating anger. And the readiness for contrition is because I hate not smiling.

Now I am chilled. Chilled as ever and laughing with my friends over silliest of the events that unfolds in our lives.
Because medicine without humour can be hard.
Plus I changed my blog name to a dr.DOOFUS. Yeah Doofus till I specialize.

And that actually happened to one of my friends. :D                                                      
                                                           p3@ce-dr.Doofus.

When the Myope gave the viva.

                                                            p3@ce-dr.Diksha

Swimming Desires.

Medic 1: Dude that place looks awesome. I want to take a dip in it.
Medic 2: Yeah right and present few months later with a rhinosporidiosis, with a lump in your nose and throat.
Medic 1: (Groans).

                                                    p3@ce-dr.Diksha