Keira : The not-so-perfect girl (Part 2)

Read Part 1 here

This continued on until one day, Keira got so fed up with her life that she decided that she was not making any difference to her life or any others' and hence there was no real meaning for her life. The constant restlessness drove her crazy. In an impulse, she packed her bags and left the city without telling anyone.

She switched off her mobile and got into some random bus without even looking at where it was headed to and took a ticket for the last stop. After what seemed to be an hour of journey, the bus stopped abruptly. Her co-passengers got down to investigate and she followed them to find out it was a break-down. Even the bus she came in was not the perfect one. Frustrated, she started out on her own, with her little backpack, walking along the green lanes along the main road. After sometime, when she looked around, she could not recognize where she was. There were tall trees all around her. There was little light, though she was sure it was early evening judging by the time she got down from the bus and took off. Unsure of what to do, she trudged along the path until she came upon a cottage.

She knocked on the door and waited. The door was opened by a sweet old woman who welcomed her into the simple cottage. Keira asked the lady what the name of the place was. The lady shrugged and replied it was nowhere. Keira was confused. How could it be nowhere? She asked again and again but she got the same answer. The next shock was that the lady introduced herself as Keira. What kind of freaky coincidence is this? They shared the same name. There were too many questions running in Keira's mind but she was too exhausted to start with all of them. So she just requested the lady to let her stay in for the night to which the lady accepted gladly and offered her dinner and then a warm bed.

For the first time in several days, Keira had a peaceful sleep. The next day, Keira woke up to rays of sun shining upon her. Clearer than she was the previous night, she went straight to the other Keira and shot out all her questions like where they were, how did the lady end up living her alone, where were her family and so on. The lady smiled at her and asked her to take a seat. Then she started talking. Her voice echoed through the silence.

"I am not sure if I have all the answers to your question. But I will tell you whatever I know. I will tell you the story of my life as I remember it. I was a normal girl who lived her life to a humanely possible extent. I cannot say that I excelled in anything but I could  not say that I had a perfect life, being the best in anything. The life that I wanted to live. To be perfect in at least something. I did not have a lousy life, but this want to be perfect and outstanding in something nagged me from the inside. I felt that I was not fulfilling any of my beloved's expectations or even my own expectations, for that matter.

So, one day I decided that my life had no meaning and started off on my own until I came here. I did not recognize it and I did not know how to go back either. Then I found a shred of glass that was lying near that tree. As I looked into it, I could see every bit of the life I lived until then. But the difference was I did not see through my eyes. In that mirror, I saw my life through the eyes of every other person who had been with me until then. It was then I realized that what I had was an awesome life even if not a perfect one. It was then that I realized that not being perfect in anything or not achieving anything that the world would go "oooh!" and "Aaaaah!" over, is not the only thing that we were made for. It was then that I realized what a fool I had been, despising myself for not meeting some expectations. Life is not just about meeting expectations. It is much more than that. But by the time I realized it was too late and I did not know how to go back from here. How much ever I tried, I could not find a way and so I gave up and stayed on. And sadly, I have found another Keira who has done the same and ended up the same way I did."

The lady finished talking and looked at Keira who sat there shell-shocked that she could not even bat her eyelids....

To be continued..

Until later,

Keirthana :)

Keira : The not-so-perfect girl

Keira looked at the woman sitting beside her. Wow! The girl was beautiful beyond normal standards. Normally Keira would not give in easily and accept that a girl/woman is beautiful. Girls' tendency, you see! But if any woman who made her go "Wow!" would be a lady for whom guys would die for. She did not acknowledge women who are ordinarily beautiful. Maybe it is because of the fact that Keira felt that she was not very beautiful. She knew she was not ugly or clumsy. She was good-looking. Just good-looking as any other normal person. She knew for sure she was not the stands-out-in-the crowd type. And maybe because of that, she have always admired women who managed to look beautiful all the time - be it a fresh morning or after a tiring day at work. They managed to find time to gloss up their lips even on the way back home. Keira had had days when she wanted to be one of them and desperately tried on every bit of make-up she can and she felt that she was the same good-looking but nothing more. Nothing special.

Not only in looks, Keira had the same feeling about her life. She had been a good daughter, a good student,a good friend, a good employee, a good girlfriend, a good citizen etc. But when she searched an answer for what she has achieved, what special thing she has done that not many others have achieved, she drew a blank.  She felt dull and gloomy at such times when this line of thought crops up and she would make her mind to do something more useful, cooler than the normal. But then again, after a few days, she would realize that she is wrapping her in an artificial shell and she is trying to be a person who she is not.

This happened over and over again, building up her insecurities and making her life shades of grey. She knew that she had been a good daughter, but she felt that she could have been a better one if only she could have developed passion in medicine and had done the Doctor's course just as in her dad dreams. She knew she was a good student, but she felt she could have been a better one if only she could have got the hang of Mathematics and was the best at what she studied. She knew she was a good girlfriend, but she felt that she could have been better if she did not fight with her love. And so on. The list was really  endless. She felt she could have been better at everything, but she seemed to wind up at just being good.

This continued on until one day...

To be continued..

Until later,

Keirthana :)

I Am Still Alive. :-)

Hello Girlfriends,

I know. I know. It has been really long since I greeted you all with a random blabber. Actually, I had kept myself busy with movies, South Park, Friends and some more of South Park and oh a little bit of studying our country's legal system as well. But the hibernation has officially come to an end.

*smiles*

And here is what I have got for you sakhiyo. Check out this following video. It is umm so....so different. Yeah different. :D

__________________________

And this is what it does to me. Sigh!

 

Yep...that's me!! ^_^

Much Love

Vinati

In conversation with the lost girl

Raumali: A little secret first, it's a little selfish on my part, like m a huge fan of your blog, a HUUUGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEE one, so i wanted to interview you

Smita: Awww :) that's just so sweet of you :)

Raumali: So now my questions. Define smita- the person.

Smita: Well, technically means a smiling face :) name given by my maternal grandmother :) as told by all, I look best when I smile. People say I have that natural best smile, showing all the teeth :D I am a mix of various things, emotions n love being the major ingredients. I am moody at times. Not too much talkative, But I speak a lot to the people I know or to the people I feel good about. :) I am calm, patient. I used to be short tempered, but now, people who know me don’t believe this. I am not pretentious, what I have in my heart, I say it, can't hold it for long from d person for whom I have that thing :) I start getting a guilty feeling, as in hiding things from that person. I believe why to be worried with human made worries. Let’s just say things, and be clear in life, we have a lot other mandatory life worries like love, study, relations to be worried about ;)

Raumali: J tell me why did you decide to study engineering?

Smita: Hmm, nice question :P am also finding the answer to it now after being placed in an IT company after studying 4 years of electronics and communication :) My father is my answer for me selecting BTECH :) I wanted to be like him one day, make him proud :) also; I think it will feel good to have ER before your name after completing engineering: P no other course gives you this privilege, and doctor is a big no for me

Raumali: So getting to your blog now. Why "LOST GIRL"?

Smita: well, I had a long thought process for selecting a suitable title for my blog. I wanted my blog to be a showcase of my thoughts about life, things and stuff. Along with stories and poems etc and not just a personal blog, so i named it, Pages from, diary of a lost girl. : It's my personal e-diary keeping a track of all my thoughts about life, topics of my interest, and happenings in my life that I feel comfortable sharing with the world. And lost girl because I was not sure of revealing my real identity in the blog world at first I don't find this net world safe for a girl, so I chose to be a lost girl, a girl lost in this world with her thoughts :) hence came the full title of the blog :)

Raumali: Ok so what made you writing and blogging?

Smita: I want this interview to be read by one and all who know me, so I will be very honest here in this question as not many know the real reason of me starting this blog. There are two reasons

Or let’s say 3

first, I was once preparing for GRE, so blogging appeared to me as the best option for improving my vocabulary and my writing skills as mugging things is something I can’t do, and blog writing is putting all the English you learn to practical use that u will never forget

Second reason, I always wanted to write stories and stuff. Writing a diary is a something I never liked. You write personal stuff in a diary and hide it from all, this I dislike, so I started a blog where I can be honest as to what I wish to share and I don’t.

Now the third reason,

I liked a guy, He had a fantastic blog, that was the first blog I saw in my life :) his blog had his philosophy stuff about life and incidents in his life His blog actually triggered me to start a blog :)

Raumali: Hmm, so “every blog has a story”:P. Now tell me who has been the person of your blog?

Smita: Well, there are actually many :)

My aunt, Suvidha Agarwal reads it, she has a kitchen blog if her own which she started after getting inspired by me:P my aunt is my first and most lovely fan n critic. She once said, "After reading your posts I feel like hugging you ", I still remember her words, she praises my writings a lot

Then my very good friend Mohit reads them all and my best friend Vibhas reads all the acknowledged blog posts. Mohit is a silent reader, he just reads. Vibhas is the best blog critic. He loves finding mistakes and I love acknowledging them

But there's this guy Ankit, he's the best reader I have got till now :) He reads it all, no matter what I write and how I write. He has been my muse for a lot of stuff on DOV as well my very own blog :) He has read max of my posts , and he started reading just few months back And he's a bit ignorant about this blog world So he reads all those whose link I send him. He appreciates my writings like anything, very less bad things I have heard from him though he's the most unbiased guy I have met when it comes to giving an opinion about anything. He wants me to write a book in future.

Raumali: Express your feelings when one day you open your blog and see the number of followers increased by one

Smita: I simply can't explain this feeling, a get this bigggggggggggggggggg smile on my face

Some 4 days back only my followers increased from 51 to 52, thanks to you for that :)I had this big smile on my face at 7:45 in the morning. It feels just so great to know that you have one more follower or a new facebook page like :)

Raumali: Ahh so I made your Day: D

Smita: you just made my day J now tomorrow am going to be jumping all around telling everybody what a big nice fan I Have in you: P

Raumali: how does the increase of a number of followers affect your next post?

Smita: hmm.., no effect. I write because I love to write. The only effect i seen in the posting: P. any new follower, any new comment, makes me blog more frequent J I just write :) As I believe one day I too will have many readers who would read it all :)

Raumali: Like me, just took 2 days to completely read your blog.

Smita: you have read all my posts? 2 days? Gosh! Didn’t u get bored ;)

Raumali: nah, i told u. It’s like your blog is a real person

I find solace

Smita: aww, that’s so sweet :). Thanks a tonn yaar for such a nice piece of appreciation :)

Raumali: J, coming to my next question. Family members who read your blog and their reactions too

Smita: my aunt, from maternal side. She reads and appreciates it all. She loved my CABG series. She said, “nobody can read it without crying". she tried making my father and mother read it, father didn’t read because he doesn’t likes reading this much but he heard it all from my aunt, but mother had tears in her eyes on only reading its 2 parts, she didn’t read further :)

Raumali: you say, what was exactly going thru u when u was writing d CABG series?

Smita: CABG series is my blogs most priceless possession :).my father was operated in December, 2010. His heart disease was diagnosis was the scariest moment when the doctor said, he needed to be operated as his condition was critics, and everything seemed to be coming to an end to me. Because we r only 3 people in my family. me, my father n my mother and I was in B.Tech 3 rd yr only that time, so one can imagine what a scary situation it was for a family to know his only bread winner was not fine health wise. So I had a very bad time. But I couldn’t say my feelings and emotions to my mother that would have weakened her. I tried finding solace with friends, but it’s hard to understand things when actually they r not happening to u. So I had my blog, who listened it all, the way I wanted to say. The way I wanted it to hear. I wrote all my frustration for life giving me such horrible scenario at this point of life. I wrote it all :)

Raumali: And it must have felt better after writing it all

Smita: Yea, felt lighter :) it feels good to share things J and I don’t like troubling people I love with my cries so I wrote it all on my blog :)

Raumali: Let’s talk about Chennai to New Delhi drama series. That night train journey how it felt? And how it felt the next morning?

Smita: it was the scariest train journey of my life. I still was too scared while travelling from Delhi to Chennai in Feb. I was scared to death when we had to leave our train. The next morning too I was scared, for I was worried how we would go home, but I was at the same time a bit relaxed, because I was with two very good and caring guys :) I pray, nothing similar to that happens to anybody ever they saved me I would say: D I am lucky to have those two people they cared a lot in that whole journey a lot more scary and caring part is still not on the blog about that series though, it’s not advisable to write everything on blog too ;)

Raumali: yeah, about that. Writing about personal life in a public domain- where does u think one should draw the line?

Smita: I believe one shouldn’t write about all the personal stuff on blogs. but then I believe it all depends on the individual if one is comfortable about sharing all the stuff of his life with his/her readers, then one must go on but if you are not comfortable then one shouldn’t write. Like I am not comfortable writing all the personal stuff, and sometimes I mix fiction with my real life incidents. So sometimes I write pure real stuff like CABG and Chennai to New Delhi series. Sometimes I write pure fiction like my award winning story and leave it all on the readers to guess what is real n what is fiction I love writing it this way. What fun is there in reading something when you get to know it all by the end ;)

Raumali: ok my next question is about "another two states", it's been really long, and it's going gr8 too, why didn't u think about writing a novel?

Smita: hehehe, and still I haven’t completed it, J I know. it has been stretched a bit too much. a lot many readers ask me to complete it soon, some even ask me to tell them it’s further story in their ears ;), but I definitely will complete it soon but I won’t write a novelJ I will compose a book in future, containing some of my blog posts, it would be like kinda a short stories book something. This is what I have in mind right now, who knows in future I might even pen down a novel too :) but currently I am not ready for a novel :)

Raumali: pages from the diary of the lost girl or creative corner?

Smita: pages from diary of a lost girl. Creative corner is a totally diff blog piece of mine. It’s like my creative work online scrapbook :)

Raumali: rate your blog on the scale of 1 to 5

Smita: 3

Raumali: so who is the first person u want to talk to when u r upset?

Smita: Well, actually no one. i like being alone when I am sad. But then I always like talking to my mother. Thinking about life and stuff is what i do then, whenever i am low. Who always uplifts my mood every time i am in blue shades, then i have my friend ankit.

Raumali: ever fell for the wrong person?

Smita: yup J the guy whose blog I saw first :)

Raumali: ever felt for a single moment that you were betraying your guy?

Smita: no, never

: i am a one man woman :)

Raumali: one thing about conventional women which you don't like and you are not

Smita: I don’t like buttering n being a polite person on face but a back stabber later. I don’t like keeping secrets n bitching about every other person. gossiping is absolutely not my cup of n all those fake pomp shows and childlike activities done by women of today's age to attract men r all what I don’t do :) I like keeping things simple, straight and clear, be it any area of life or relationships :)

Raumali: coming to my last question, one philosophy you follow in your life and you want to share with your fans

Smita: be happy and others happy :) you don’t know what may happen next so why waste today in being sad and making other sad because of you before you do something foolish to hurt yourself and other just think what impact that may have on people attached to you, on people who actually love you :) Everybody lives for their own selves, but the real life is lived by the one who lives it for others :)

Raumali: that brings us to the end of it. I seriously am happy to get this opportunity to interview you. M such a big fan of yours. J

Smita: aww, thank you so much for reading my blog :) It really means a lot to have a fan like this :)I will have a broad smile on my face for some next few days because of this :D

Raumali: J

The Pebble

Random thoughts flooding my head

Seeing colors everywhere, blue, green and red

The black and white haze seeming to lift

Life seems wonderful almost like a gift

You do right, you do wrong

In the end, it only makes you strong

Forgive, but do not forget

Happiness is not that hard to get

You need to make it happen

Life is not always pixies and elves

Cos a soul that has not suffered

Would never fully know itself

Even from the darkest alley

You can still see the stars

Smile, pray and love

This will help heal the scars

The purpose of humanity

Is the meaning of life

At least within yourself

Let go of the strife

While in a storm

Don't let go of the boats

Only while you're sinking

You'll know that hope floats

Just because you have it all

Doesn't mean you have all the power

The best of fragrance

May still come from the ugliest flower

We all have our faults and foibles

After all we're just human

The least we can do, is to live up to it

And try to conquer the inner demon

Love must be, free like a bird

Give it space and it'll never bid adieu

The more you give it away

The more it comes back to you

Stand by your thoughts

Never let it go away

Make sure when you kneel

Its only to pray

Things will not be smooth always

There will be conflict and collision

Through hardship and misfortune

We usually have the clearest of vision

Do not be discouraged

We all have our share of trouble

You'll never make it to the top of the mountain

If you whine, while you step on a pebble

~ Soumya

You're The One, I Love !

Each day spent with you

Is

A special one.

And

I want you

To know,

That just being close to you

Is

A wish come true !

I

would give you the world

if I could

the sun,

the moon

and all the stars ,too

 

But all I can give you

is

what’s mine to give

all my hopes,

all my dreams

all my love

all of myself.

Sweetheart

I love you

With all my heart.

Smita

COLOURS AND WOMEN

The festival of Holi is here. I couldn’t get a more relevant post on this day. Have you ever wondered what does each colour clothes you wear signify? Here’s something I think you will enjoy.

         If you wear RED you are impulsive, excitable, energetic, ambitious and like things to happen quickly when you want them to do so. Red is a good stimulant and the amount of red is directly related to the amount of energy perceived.

        If you wear BLUE you are creative, perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, self-reliant and have a great depth of feeling. You have a good imagination and practical approach to life. Blue invokes calmness and rest. Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed. You like to do things in your own time and not be rushed.

     If you wear GREEN you are a cautious person and not inclined to trust others easily. You are an observer in life but don’t wish to get involved more than you are supposed to. Green is seen as tranquil and refreshing

      If you wear WHITE you have a positive, well-balanced and optimistic personality. White projects purity, cleanliness and neutrality. You seek a simplified life-style free from outside pressures

     If you wear BROWN you are a honest, down to earth person who likes a structured supported lifestyle. It signifies stability, reliability and approachability. A lover of the best things life has to offer, you are a sensous type

   If you wear PURPLE you are intuitive and have deep feelings and high aspirations. You are sensitive and compassionate so can be easily imposed upon. You are interested to be the best in everything including friends. 

j        If you wear ORANGE you are competent, self oriented and impatient. Orange is the colour of practicality and creativity. You are excitable and seek dominance over others.

 

    If you wear BLACK you are a strong willed, opinionated and disciplined person. Black is authoritative and powerful because black can evoke strong emotions too much can be overwhelming. You are too inflexible and too independant.

      If you wear YELLOW you have an interesting and stimulating personality. Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment and happiness. You like to be active in whatever is going on.

Life is Beautiful

You know life is good

When you wake up with a smile

It felt real good

It had been quite a while

Its kinda surprising

How a tiny sms can cheer you up

Can lift your spirits

Like being licked by a pup

Life is wonderful

Filled with great friends

Some make me smile throughout

While the others defend

A day out with my girls

Keeps me cheered for a long time

This is the best kinda fun you can have

Where every laugh seems like a chime

Its definitely true

Every ending has a beginning

There need to be ups and downs

For life to have a meaning

When you are lost

Or feel lonely in a mass

Just chant to yourself

That this too shall pass

Life is a gift

The best you can get

Things will get better

Only if you let

Here I stand

All tall and strong

I may be a tiny part of the world

But still I do belong

I strongly believe

Life is a matter of choice

Either you choose to suffer

Or make merry and rejoice

Hope and faith always pays

Never try to give up and run

For there is a God above watching you

And everyone has their day in the sun

I know I can have all I want

But somehow I'm not ready yet

When I am, I'm gonna rock

Its only gonna be fun you bet

Life is sometimes tragic

And sometimes almost magic

Sometimes it gets awful

But still, Life is beautiful

~ Soumya

Mistake Revisited

“Okay…..Hmmm…Should I tell you one thing?”, he interrupted her.

She was busy thinking about what all was happening and was trying to cope up with his words when the sudden words surprised her.

“Okay, tell me “, she waited for his reply.

“Hmm……”, he still was in thinking mode whether to say it or not.

“Come on, tell me”, she insisted and planted a tax on his cheeks.

“I have read your blog post Mistake”.

                                         **************** 

They had been collecting tax from each other for a while now.

She had said earlier in the afternoon that he needed tax from him for pulling her cheeks.

“You need to pay tax for this”, she said looking up.

“Okay, tell me what you want”, came the quick reply.

She was not ready but. She had said so in a rush but now she herself wasn’t sure of what to ask from  him. 

He was pulling her cheeks and she needed tax for that.

He loves doing that and she loves letting him do that.

So no question of asking anything in return was there but she had said something which now she herself was finding hard to explain.

“Hmm…nothing. What do I ask you now”, she said smiling.

“No, no. Tell me. I will pay the tax na”, he said smiling too.

“I …..don’t know”, she said, confused what to ask.

“Tell me… what you want. I will give”, he was comfortable in giving anything she might have asked, but she wasn’t sure what to ask from him.

He already had given her much of gifts, much of happiness, much of care, too much of everything that nothing flashed in her mind to ask him now.

“I don’t know….I…..Just asked and now I myself don’t know”, she said, looking in his eyes.

 And he pecked a kiss on her forehead.

He knew she is confused and this appeared to him as the most suitable tax, that could be given at the moment.

And another tax was then paid on the right cheek and then on her left cheek.

Tax was collected happily!

“Oh… God….you have read Mistake”, she said shyly and covered his eyes.

His face was in her lap and they had been talking about all their stuff accompanied by paying and collection of tax by both of them. 
New sprouts are really fresh.
She covered her face with her both hands. He pulled them away and faced her eyes.

“Yes, I have read it. I have read all the comments also.”, he grinned.

It was really a shock or a surprise for her, to know that the person for whom something not so good was written has been read by him.

“But….How did you find it? I didn’t give you it’s link. So….How did you manage to find it?”, This was indeed the million dollar question. She had hidden that blog post from her, as not to complicate things more between them.

“Hmm..I have read! I liked it. So…Now also is it a mistake?”, he asked.

“Yes, Now it’s a beautiful mistake”, and they kissed.

                                      *****************
 

Mistake stated her pain for coming up with his feelings for him in the first place, before him even. But no reciprocal of any such thing from his side surely broke her few days. But faking is what she’s best at! She managed and coped up with the situation. They guy was made to think, think and think, about the post, get a bit irritated and wonder why and what might be going in her mind.

She never knew this could happen! That he would somehow find this blog post of hers, but now she's happy that he has read it. She's glad that she wrote something like this!

She had stated it all as a Mistake but now she was happy more than ever as that mistake led to another mistake, The mistake of being together !

[The original mistake can be read here :  Mistake ]

P.S. : A, you know, a lot more is what I intended to write but somehow it's hard for me to concentrate on writing than thinking about you :P So, sorry, this might not be that long as you might have expected it to be. :) 
 

Smita

What you pass on to your child

Darlings, this is a new section started at Darlings of Venus. Like they say- Educate a woman and you educate a family, this section has been started to educated us about health. As nurturers, it is important that we are equipped with the correct knowledge about medicines, healthcare and nutrition. This is a small step towards the same. 

We are thankful for Dr Roshan who has agreed to share his knowledge here at Darlings of Venus. He will be posting regularly on this section. Thank you Dr Roshan for sparing your precious time for this work.

“What you pass on to your child”

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan

In the early 50s, a drug was introduced into the market that provided pain relief, a calming of the senses and even treated headaches, coughs, colds and insomnia. As if that weren't enough, it even stopped morning sickness in pregnant women. Heck, the only thing it didn't do was tap dance and clean the dishes. In short, it was a miracle drug. It was called thalidomide. And it was available over the counter at pharmacies without even a prescription.

Everyone wants to be a good parent. They want people to 'like' their kid's Facebook pictures, like his playful giggles and sleeping faces. They want to teach their kid everything that is good in life and pass on all the wealth of information that they've learned ( and probably ignored when their own parents tried to teach it to them ). But the fact is that this isn't the first thing you pass on to your child. Infact, the first thing you pass on to your child may be the thing that defines who he is for the rest of his life. And not in the way you want it to be.

In today's day and age, we are blessed that we all have information literally in the palm of our hands. I bet half of you are probably reading this article from a smart phone. But back then, in the 50s, you relied on the information that was given to you. In the 50s, nobody believed that the drugs taken by a mother could reach the child. Thalidomide changed that.

Of all the mothers who took the drug back then, an overwhelming majority of the mothers gave birth to children with birth defects and deformities , including the rare 'genetic' disorder called phocomelia (Google it if you want pictures, I ain't placing any in this post ). Of these deformed children, only 50 % survived the first month, which was actually a blessing in disguise. You see, the children who survived were born with miniature arms and were blind, deaf and had heart conditions and even missing lungs in some cases.

In 5 short years, the miracle drug had killed over 10,000 new born children world wide.

More than half of all pregnancies are unplanned for. That is normal. It's one of the biggest joys of family life and shouldn't be scheduled based on a clock or an astrological chart. But in today's day and age, where medicinal drugs, smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs are all considered the norm, the things you take into your system when you don't know you're pregnant may itself cause irreparable damage to your unborn child. The first trimester ( 1st 12 weeks ) is considered the period of organogenesis - when your child's organs start developing. These are key months as infections, illnesses or medications during this period can cause permanent damage to the newborn child. I've personally lost count of the number of women I've seen crying as I've had to provide anaesthesia for removing a lost fetus.

So what about women who are on medication ( asthmatics, diabetics, hypertensives, epileptics, cancer patients ) before the pregnancy, who get exposed to environmental factors ( x-rays, ct scans, women on oral contraceptives ) or need medicines during the pregnancy ( infections, severe nausea and vomiting ) - what about them ?

Well, the simple fact is that not all drugs are harmful to your newborn child. Infact, in the case of hypertensives and diabetics, it maybe essential to take for the mothers to take their medications as stable values can prevent abnormalities to the child and mother. Some of the strongest drugs are extremely safe and effective to the child you nurture within you. Some of the most common medications you have in your cabinet right now may destroy this new life.

                                                

                                            

Know your medications. The most commonly quoted body in this regard is the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) which categorised drugs based on their safety during pregnancy as A,B,C,D and X - where A was safe and drugs marked X had a high risk of fetal damage. Thanks to the work of the FDA and corresponding bodies worldwide, most of the key drugs used on a daily basis and now mapped under these categories. Use their results effectively.

In the Mahabharata, the knowledge of how to enter the Chakravyuh battle formation was passed on to Abhimanyu as his father told it to his mother while Abhimanyu was still in her womb. It's considered the first documented evidence of 'passing on to the child'. ( It's probably also the youngestdocumented case of a child listening to his parents talking, but that's beside the point.) As you all go through the joys and vagaries of pregnancy, I'm sure you'll each have your own eccentricities : maybe it will be playing Carpenters and Michael Learns to Rock continuously so that your kid grows up a romantic, maybe it will be teaching her the joy of mascara at an early age so that she becomes a beauty pageant winner, maybe it will be throwing mango seeds left handed so that he will be a Zaheer Khan, maybe you will be inspired by this article and read IIT entrance books aloud while you're pregnant hoping for the next genius in the family ( after you, of course ).

But before all this, you have an obligation to your child. To keep him safe within you while he's still a part of your body. Above all else, that will define the rest of his life.

                                            

Don't hesitate to seek out a doctor for help regarding any queries related to the medications or recreational additives you take and how they can affect you once you're pregnant and the alternatives/options available to you. It isn’t enough anymore to seek the age old advice on whether or not to eat tamarind or papaya during pregnancy. Remember, ignorance is bliss is a swell dialogue.

But no child in this day and age deserves to die/ be born malformed because of it.

Author’s note : I’m really thankful to Maithili for giving me the chance to be the guest blogger at

Darlings of Venus. While I hardly ever blog on medical topics in my own blog, I felt perhaps I’d be of more use here as a doctor who blogs than the inverse ( a blogger who docs ? ) Anyway, I hope the blog was helpful to you all and I’d be more than glad to answer any questions you have.

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Entries from other healthcare professionals accepted under this section. If you are not a professional but would want to write something about health or nutrition or share an article, please contact us at darlingsofvenus@gmail.com

A SCENE INSIDE THE DATASTRUCTURE LABORATORY

I wrote this piece long back. Found it really humorous. Wanted to share with my Darlings...........

Thursday, 08-09-2011

8:15 am

 The department get was closed and no one had the keys. We had a three hour lab and it was held in a room which was more of a boiler. So everyone was hoping that the gate never opens. The third semester students along with their Lab assistant was waiting outside. Even the fifth semester students were present there. Everyone was sitting in small groups and chatting, while the CR's were running around.

9:15 am

The Lab started an hour late. Ninety three students in one room, which meant fighting for "NOT GETTING A COMPUTER" [:P]. The instructor gave us the questions and while we were solving it he was writing new topics and programs on the board trying to get atleast one student's attention. At regular intervals he was saying -

"Please TP ma'am koi maat bolna yeh karaya hai, this is not in datastructure"

10:15 am

Everyone is tensed with the programs they got on Linked List. No one was able to compile perfectly, even if the compilation were succesful, there remained runtime errors. Discussions were taking place in small groups, everyone was trying to find out where the problem lied. Suddenly in the middle of such tension, sir suddenly shouted out loud-

"OYE! PICHLE DIN KISNE BOLA THA KI "BODYGUARD ACHCHA MOVIE HAI?????"

Everyone was shocked. Each of us stared at each other's face trying to understand what had exactly happened. Then one guy raised his hand...

SIR: "Tumhare dimag mein kya hai? uss movie mein toh baas ek train se dusre train mein jump karta hai, ekdum ghatiya movie hai"

No one knew how to react.

11:25 pm

It was already 10 minutes pass the scheduled time. Sir was still teaching. Everyone was restless to go back. But no one had the guts to say sir that the time was over. From somewhere a faint voice came, "sir we have a class now", but out of sir's range of audability. Again amother voice-

"SIR TIME IS OVER, WE HAVE A CLASS NOW"

sir suddenly jumped up- " CLASS! CLASS! TIME! TIME! KITNA HUA?"(searches frantically for his mobile)

"AAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! 11:25, NIKLO NIKLO, JALDI SHUT DOWN KARKE NIKLO, WINDOWS BANDH KARO JALDI KAUNSA CLASS HAI ABHI????"

(continues jumping frantically)

-"sir, sadhu sir ka class hai"

-"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH SADHU SIR!!!!!!!!! JALDI NIKLO!!!!!!!!! WOH DANTENGE TOH NEHI NA???? (points to the CR) PEHLE KYUN NEHI BATAYA?????"

CR- "sir aap achcha padha rhe the"

SIR: "GHANTAA PADHA RAHA THA MAIN, AAB NIKLO FATAFAT!!!!"

:D :D :D