heal.travel.love

Damsel at A’DAM!!!

I hate short holidays !!! It makes me feel that even before I have soaked into the holiday spirits , I need to get back to mundane work. Nevertheless the travel bug hit the four of us once again to go on an epic trip to Amsterdam 😁

Day 1 :

Day 1 was dope and began with an exaggerated early flight from Liverpool airport ! Half asleep we dragged ourselves on our way to the airport and still in our REM phase of sleep managed our ways to Amsterdam!

Amsterdam was a breath of fresh air ( the air smelt sweet 😛 ) . The colours of autumn and the innumerous canals was pleasure the very soar eyes ! We started our trip with the melancholic trip to the Ann frank house which I managed not to go to ( museums somehow not my thing) As I waited for my friends I roamed around various roads to find innumerable “coffeeshops” , quirky vintage stores and Ofc the signature tulip stores and cheese stores ! Well one could easily skip lunch after entering a cheese store , the cheese for tasting satiates you in every possible sense ! By the end of the trip we became cheese connoisseurs and well yeah a few pounds heavier ! ( not complaining) The later parts of the day we roamed through the Jordan quarter of the city and ended up falling in love with all the art and vintage shops !

Day 2 :

Well if you are young and not a morning person the best thing is never to book a tour for 0830 especially after a crazy night out and an early morning flight ! The universe conspired against our trip to the windmills ! But yea the silver lining to it was a 7 hour trip starting at 1200 and a bright sunny day in October . With no time to waste we strolled through the iconic Dam square which is bejewelled by the not so touristy palace , the museum and the Amsterdam monument! The star of dam square is a very small eatery called manneken pis ( well the real manneken pis is in Brussels and I swear has nothing to with fries ) which serves the best fried in Amsterdam with yummy dips and huge huge portions!! With bellies heavy and a touristy canal cruise we made our way to ZAchen sans and found a city straight out from a fairy tale ! Beautiful lakes , grazing sheep and picturesque windmills that work even today ! The tour took us through another small town called Volendam where we stocked up loads of cheese, amazing stroopwaffles and freshly caught herrings ! The trip ended in a Marken , a small fishermen village with an educational session on how clogs are made ( not the most comfortable of shoes but not I see where croc got their not so glamorous designs from ) The day ended with some indulgence into the areas around the canal painted red 🤪

Day 3 :

A late relaxed morning, we headed to Albert Cuyp! One of the oldest and still existent markets in Amsterdam we came across everything that was Dutch ! We loaded ourselves with mini pancakes , Heineken and bitter balls ! The roads studded with local independent sellers , we found great buys of winter clothing ! The street is irresistible for a shopaholic foodie! we went on a night cruise with the city lit up and the light drizzle making it perfect to head to a club for some non stop dancing !

Day 4

The thoughts of getting home got our moods to a new low which was brightened by the autumn colours of vondel Park !

Amsterdam as a city has an charm by itself ! The city has a slow pace , with warm people and even warmer smiles ! Though Amsterdam is famous for its legal weed and sex , all we found through the streets was happy people . Though a major tourist city we did not face any touts during our stay and were gladly impressed by the beauty that is Amsterdam!

A dive to remember

24th of May 2018 seemed like the perfect weather and vibe for a romantic getaway, but we chose different. On the country side of the Czech Republic , me and my partner in crime Ms Lemos , decided to get our unparalleled adrenaline surge for life , yes we did dive from the skies , float amongst the clouds , be a part of the whole wide atmosphere before we touched land , unscathed

The idea of travelling to Prague revolved around the intent of getting to sky dive . This was our first European encounter and man I must say it was worth it ! The journey from Prague started with a bang . We were welcomed by a sleek driver on an Audi on a rainy day to Prague. Our spirits were low on seeing the rains lest our moods stayed top in form . Thankfully we woke up the next day to bright and dry weather and the first act of crime was taking the plunge .

The drive from Prague to the air base was a tumulous and tedious one . We tried to keep our spirits together and were kept in company by a very nice Korean gentleman ( whose name we forgot to ask )

We were the second batch to get to the sky diving . The moment of glory came upon as we wore our harnesses and looked dapper in our suits , the photo sessions ensued . I was greeted by my instructor , a very happy go luck chap . As I boarded the light weight craft, my heart started getting heavy with fear and self doubted . The flight was almost 15 minutes to reach to an altitude of 14000 feet . The scenery below did calm my nerves . As the craft opened up I sat at the edge of the plane , clouds above and below me and the hush of air on my face . Before I could even realise , I was one amongst the clouds screaming my gut out , falling at the speed of 200 kph. This was my moment , just me , the earth and of course yea my lifeline – my instructor . As the parachute opened up , the intense variations in the atmospheric pressure eased out and we swayed around a good 12 to 13 minutes capturing a beautiful panorama of the untouched countryside of the Czech . I think we perhaps saw parts of the Alpine Germany as well . It was finally the kick in your moment – yes the landing . The thing I feared the most was the part of landing on your bum , but in all honesty this was a breeze . And yes that long time dream of soaring to heights and being in total serenity came true .

Our sky dive experience ended up with happy moment and some Czech beers and Czech dumplings to follow

To know more about our sky dive experience click on the link

Falling through the clouds… My experience with sky diving!

Why are we the ultimate working class ????

May 14th 2018 , it is not a fancy date or a day that I would remember in future ! This day just means that 6 months have flown by in seas beyond the Bay of Bengal ! And here I am sitting in a Costa cafe , sipping on a cold brew and indulging in a good 1000 kcal “snack” which I will have to burn in eternity to come ! But no ! I am not gonna lament about those love handles ! Not today !!!

Cool!! So rewind! To the moment of sipping a cold brew and looking at life move by ! I see young women showing off their fake tan , young boys showing off those well sculpted calves (uuufffff my weakness 😛 ) but most of all what interests me is my neighbouring table of three women just talking about things right from the Second World War to planning a vacation to sun bathe and get some real tan ! What intrigued me is that they are all post retirement , one on a wheel chair , enjoying a nice latte and a good dose of nicotine ! What amuses me ! Is that I love the way people live in this part of the world ! I love the way the older generation love putting in their jazziest clothes on a Saturday night and enjoy the gin and tonic ! I love the way the older generation just dance and make merry and put my life to shame !!!! I love the way that the NHS did not give up on a 90 year old male with a brain bleed and let him live with dignity after surgery !

These might seem like everyday occurrences to a layman but what intrigued me is the scenario down in india and the fact that we will always remain a workaholic class ! As a kid you are made to go to school and get a degree to procure a stable job in future ! Our vacations are usually clubbed with a purpose of visiting a relative / wedding or to mend the most of your tour guide ! Once you graduate out of college it’s instilled in your head that you join the rat race of mediocrity; that you dare not be different or pose a 90 degree trajectory because your neighbor who you never talk to might get upset that you don’t follow” the guide book of being mediocre ” All through the dog years from 25 to 65 years of age you concentrate so hard on making enough money so that you can get your double degree kid married lavishly with guests who come to just make more gossip !!!! And the legacy continues!

The worst comes when you are at the age of retirement! You never know what to do in your free time because you are never used to being free in your 65 years of life ! You are bred for a purpose and you wanna keep treading that purpose ! It is true that old age is the worst phase in India ! There are no concrete pension plans for retired people to lead a life of dignity ! Every now and then the aged parent is looked as a burden and is ill treated ! And all this why !!! Because they don’t have an apparent purpose in the society after a particular age ! The ageing population is one that is most neglected in India physically and emotionally! It’s time we come up with concrete retirement plan, come up with liveable aged homes because it’s only right that we give everyone the dignity to walk with their head up high

To know the magnitude of the situation click on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025153/

Lemme get back to my cold brew and enjoy this current purposeless moment of mine !!! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025153/

Sejourn @ Yorkshire Dales !

I always have been a wanderer by feet and at soul ; and what better way to start romanticisng the English countryside than an encounter at beautiful Yorkshire . Yorkshire is a beautiful county in England and boasts of its cultural links right from the ice age , to the Romans, the Vikings , the upheavals of the Tudor dynasty and the present day English culture. We tread on this beautiful journey on the Easter weekend , 2 Indians and a mafia Polish ( to safe guard two pretty women, click their pics and well enough to cook amazing Polish delicacies ) Our trip started off with a scenic road trip through the vast meadows that the county had to offer.

We landed on the beautiful,scenic and pristine town of Giggleswick where the river Ribble seperates it from the cute town of Settle. As we wandered our way we were in high spirits as the ebb and flow of the river Ribble that flowed with us. We stayed in a cute little cottage called the Black Horse cottage which was kissed on either sides by similar looking cottages and an old fashioned pub with a very British bartender. The cottage was immaculate with care taken to every small detailing of the house . We fell in love with the warmth of the cottage and more importantly the warmth of the fireplace. Cosy and warm we spent the night with loads of laughter, loads of food and music to feed the soul ( CCHHHHHOH!!! inclusive ) The evening menu consisted of a Polish easter delicacy called Zurek .goo.gl/maps/BZXRdQhjuEp

The next morning welcomed us to the ever windy and unpredictable weather of UK . Being Easter we were left with no better option than to chomp on scrumptuous poached eggs and sausages and headed to the city of Skipton. As we walked our way to the train station in Settle we realised there was everything beautiful about the countryside. The well kept houses, the Victorian architecture, the wild Daffodils that colour up the landscape and the beautiful railway station . The station was a tourist attraction in itself. Coloured in white and red and kissed with beautiful flowers of sweet peas and Daffodils this spot became our favorite picture spot.

We reached the beautiful town of Skipton and hungry as ever we gorged on fish and chips at Bizzie Lizzie’s . We then made our way to the Skipton Castle which is considered to be the most well kept castle in England. The castle premises was like a time travel to the time of the tudor dynasty. The yew treat planted by Lady Anne Clifford lay testimony to the lives led and the lives shed. Lady Anne Clifford was considered as one of the strongest woman of her times who rebelled all social norms and nobility to win back the castle. Her soul rests in peace in Appleby and simply lit up my unrest soul . The day ended with endless moments that took our breath away with the architecture that transported us to the medieval era.

They say that the good times fly by and we hold back to the bad times, so was our trip. This was the last leg of our trip. We headed by car towards the town of Ingelton. Our hungry tummies led us to one of the most awarded bakeries in the region called the Season’s bakery. The bakery had boasted its multiple loafs f breads and the die for fluffy doughnuts and chocolate eclairs. If given a chance I would simply tent outside Season’s bakery.

It was time to unload the carbs and off we were into White scar caves with the beautiful pennines making a poster perfect backdrop. I am someone who hates the crowd and all touristy stuff that comes with major attractions. I went back to my 9th Geography classes of stalactites and stalagmite formations. As the not so bad cave tour ended we were on a caving spree which took us to the Ingelbourough caves. A 1.5 mile walk took us to this awe inspiring cave that stood testimony to the evolutionary changes that mother Earth has been through. There was an undaunting sense of mystery that lay billions of years ago. The fossils that lay as life swept out of existence reinforced the fact that change is permanent. All the squatting while caving got our appetites raving as we landed in the medieval Maypole Inn . We feasted on typical English roast lunches and washed our food with some ciders and Ales and alas it was time to head to Liverpool

This is gonna be one of my many blogs to follow on the English countryside . I would love my fellow bloggers to give me travel ideas through the English countryside.

PS Check out the pic blog @lemoschrissy.wordpress.com/…/yorkshire-diary-a-weekend-through-pictures

30 : Bald, bold and sexy

Ageing is simply inevitable like it or not.You are always in a constant struggle to make peace with your pace and face ; as teenagers you are raving to hit sweet 16, naughty 18 , free spirited 21 … and before you devour the entire experience of the 20’s you hit the responsible 30. Ouch that hurts real bad. This blog is dedicated to all the women out there who are dreading to get into their 30’s. Well I am a woman with minimal experience of adulting and the thought of getting into my 30 is still perplexing .

So , here I go of why I think 30 is all about being bald, bold and just so sexy

BALD :

I am Indian , a neuroanaesthetist living by myself in the UK , husband-less , childless , pet-less and it is just so natural for my profile to be uploaded in a number of matrimonial websites. To all those who want to know what a matrimonial website is , well, in simple words its simply tinder approved by parents with dates set up by parents and marriages arranged by parents , hence the term Arranged marriage. Well wondering why the term bald? Well in all honesty , the maximum matches you get once you start hitting the age 30 are pretty much the men who have their manliness at the top of their game : the male hairline pattern I mean!!

BOLD :

The late 20’s is all about being bold, shrewd and being the best version of yourself. Time and again I hear people ask me the secret behind my vivacious laughter and my know it all spirit. In the truest of sense i grew up from being an introvert to what I am today . I was the third in my family and my pretty and extremely intelligent sisters set quite high standards for me to follow. I realised quite late in my life , the days when i was in Mumbai that I just cannot be someone else and that i needed to find myself. I truly believe in the idea of being my best version. I slowly yet steadily opened up to a world of various possibilities . So I personally think 30 is just the right time when you are at the top of your game. You actually start enjoying who and what you are, you start falling in love yourself , you stop trying too hard to impress others and you may not have a ravishing career but you definitely have an illustrious path to a beautiful career ahead. This is the perfect moment to seize : sit back and bask in it !!!

SEXY :

Well to me sexy is more about attitude than appearance. All said and done , you are the prettiest version of you . Your raging hormones finally settle down and for once in your life you enjoy acne free skin, but alas you move from anti acne products to anti ageing products !! LOL ! At 30, you are financially independent and start investing on fashion you finally thinks suits you best . You move from the oversized salwars to well fitted trendy one , you move from patchy overtly done make up (PS every 90’s kid would remember the amount of talcum powder on one’s face) to subtler make up .You get bit by the health and fitness bugs and start doing cardio, spin or strength training. It is only natural all the endorphins start making you look even better .I believe a woman who is confident about how she looks can totally rock her show . an empowered woman is a sexy woman after all 🙂

Hitting 30 : husband-less , child – less , ova- less is not as daunting or as pressurizing as the world makes you feel. Every woman at some point in her late 20’s starts doubting every moment of her existence. The greatest strength lies in breaking free from stereotypes and from the in-numerous timelines we are bound to . Time has a way of telling us what really matters in life. Be awesome today and every other day 🙂

Kudos to my superwomen 🙂

A Brownie’s points :D

My title might be as bewildering as the cultural difference I experience every day since i landed in the UK. I was a thoroughly anglicised Indian ( or so i thought ) moving to the UK to join one of the biggest neuro centres to pursue my love – Neuroanaesthesia that is 🙂 Folks at home were quite concerned of how I would cope with a new country and a new culture. I , on the other hand , the usual carefree, extremely adaptable Homo Sapiens was sure I knew it all , well for one that BBC was our favourite news channel and English was the most spoken at home, then at school and finally at work too. so there I embarked on this journey that started from Chennai via Mumbai and landed in my favourite city London. London is close to me for a million reasons : the well curated Brit men with their impeccable accent and style ( obvious reason : my exposure with James Bond movies ) , the London bridge ( since the days of KG rhymes ) across the grey grey Thames , my first solo international travel destination and of course India’s love for anything British ( right from British tea which is made in India ) .

I always travelled with an open mind and heart and I was in fact more than excited about coming to the UK rather than leaving India ; well my soul always stayed in Mumbai ; I realised this the moment I moved from London to Liverpool . Being so used to the noise , the colours , the lights , the traffic , the sweltering heat , the ease of access and the never ending night life of Mumbai ; the absolute peace and calm of Fazakerley was deafening . The orderliness of UK was a pleasant surprise at first as I went around incessantly clicking pictures till I found that the orderliness was a little too boring for me.

Housing : The rooms I stepped into were nice and clean with wide open windows but the lack of a ceiling fan made me miss my never had lover.The carpets keep the room warm nice and warm but hoovering can again , not be one of my fortes. More than anything in the world the thing I think I miss the most about India is the hand faucet that rests right near your commode. The tissue paper is something I still am getting used to , enough of the icky talk perhaps. the next thing i found bewildering is the fact that there are two separate faucets for hot and cold water and are either too hot or too cold to touch !! Phewww I also learnt i very basic yet important fact that the shower curtains go inside the tub and not outside them to help prevent making the bathroom a swimming pool. The toilets are called toilets and not loos or washrooms or restrooms as we generally call them in India

Food & Drink : Indian food like Curry can actually be very British with umpteen number of options literally unheard of like the Madras Curry ( which sorta tasted like Vatha Kozhambu) , the all time favourite Papodoms and the mango Lassi. British food largely comprises of meat, eggs , loads of pies , breads and cookies . Christmas is literally incomplete without mince pies starting to hit the convenience stores from late October. Mince pies as opposed to my idea of a savoury meat pie is actually made with stuffing of dry fruits and spices (Mincemeat ) and is quite sweet for my palette . Gravy can be poured on anything right from chips ( fries in India ) to over yummy sausages and beef. A steak can be cooked to a level of very rare, rare, medium rare , medium , medium well done or well done ( Well, i can talk beef now :P) A refreshing side of the English cuisine includes my all time favourite the Sunday roast Lunch ( a little bland to the Indian palette) , English scones and oohhlaaalaa the chunky chocolate cookies . The ease of getting ready-made food when done with a 13 hour shift is a thumbs up .Tea is not equivalent to chai and I would not venture into either of them being more of a coffee lover. Drinking a coffee in starbucks or Costa is more of an everyday affair rather than an occasion as in India ( Oh i do miss the cosiness of the Starbuck st the Taj, Mumbai) It is quite common to have free coffee machines in office receptions and its more than intelligent not to try and place your credit card in the coffee capsule slot like I did.The UK is quite robust with its drinking culture with the NHS actually stationing mobile vans to help people to safety when overtly drunk .My personal favourites include the innumerous number of ciders and wines I could choose from . Mulled wine which is a connoction of warm wine with cinnamon , ginger , cloves , orange peels and cardamom is definitely an answer to the cold winter months in the UK . PS Water is actually considered a drink and not a necessity!!

Weather : The weather in the UK can be a real b**ch . a conversation on the weather can be a real ice breaker , so when in doubt always try and talk about the weather. I did understand after moving here why the British are so weather obsessed ; the truth being the weather literally changes by the minute. A sunny outside does not necessarily mean a day to walk out in shorts as it would start pouring or getting windy the next minute. In the UK it is important to dress according to the weather rather than style. I was no fan of wearing beanies and gloves till i almost had my ears and fingers ready to be amputated by the cold ( a little exaggeration is always good )

Fashion : I miss the Indo western blends and prints but naah I am not complaining as I just love the ease of access to high end fashion brands over here 🙂 I did realise after coming to the “West” what it really meant by summer, autumn , spring or winter fashion. The winter fashion can get very depressing ,if in particular you are a colour lover like me , to choose from varying shades of grey, black, browns and blues. With the fashion shifting to a lot of nude make up , nude lipsticks with a pop of eye colour could be a welcome use of some colour. Wet , windy UK definitely mandates investing on a good waterproof jacket with a hoodie ( downside being vision of a horse with a hoodie on) that would come in handy all year round. Living in the warmest parts of India, it took me a while to dress with fashion and sense and I realised layering was the key and a thick scarf can be a saviour.

Etiquette : The British are known for their very polite ways of talking and I being very undiplomatic was seen rude in the beginning of my stay . It is nice to hold the door out for somebody or anybody and is something have learnt for good. It is absolutely ok to be addressed as love, darling or sugar which can actually put a smile on your face . Greeting someone in Northern England usually starts with’ Heya , you Ok? or heyya, you alright? ‘ which does not mean that the person actually wants to know about how you are doing. When in doubt its more than useful to use the fillers sorry , thank you and please . Its nice to get a bottle of wine/ flowers when invited to a party at home. Its also nice to offer to bring food when having an in house party . Well afterall you could drink , eat and make merry if the company gets boring 😀

Language : I live in a place called Fazakerley in Liverpool and it took me a while to pronounce the name . At the back of my head I kept thinking how non English a name it was but to my surprise the name is actually anglo saxon in origin. It is wonderful to know that the English we know is quite different and is differently spoken in various parts of England. I live in Scouse land and is one of the most difficult accents to pick up. My fetish for the London accent has yet to be fulfilled I suppose. I did notice the utter annoyance when I end up using a lot of American English and there is still some scope to improve on those grounds.

It’s just the beginning of my novel romance with a beautiful country , its rich culture and its weird weather and I have a feeling that the romance would soon blossom to a never ending love . Adiue! Continue reading A Brownie’s points 😀

An anaesthetist by choice!!!!

Well to start with I am an anaesthetist also called an anesthesiologist/ perioperative physician. I took this branch in medicine by choice and sheer love for the enigma this speciality beholds. Choice!? Are you bewildered?? Well it could come as a shock why would someone do something for life without loving it . I am gonna be enlightening you on how specialities are picked up in India

1. The score you get in your PG entrance exam – top rankers opt for dermatology, orthopedics and radiology.

2. The money you could earn in least time : again the grand disparity in pay discourages people in taking up specialities like anaesthesia , ophthalmology , microbiology etch u

3. The time you take to reach the topmost stance of your career : end specialities like radiology, dermatology take over the once popular branch of general surgery

4. Everyone wants to be a superhero and dramatically save lives like Grey’s anatomy or Dr house . Hence every intern dreams of being that invisible surgeon or impeccable physician.

5. The bond between Indians and relatives is like that of a fetus and the placenta . So it’s only obvious that you please relatives and take up obstetrics ( lady’s doctor) if you are a girl and orthopedics if you are a boy

6. Ufff ain’t it surprising that a country with a population of 1.3 billion gives prime importance to matrimony! Who the hell will marry a female orthopedic or neurosurgeon and how the hell will a male physiologist procreate!!!

7. Physical attributes definitely do play a major role. You cant be Mr Hercules and end up doing pathology! Well the other way round is possible though!

8. You simply inherit the degree along with the genes of your parents and follow suit !

9. Gosh the constant rat race. You simply have a timeline to follow. You need to need to ( like a million need tos) get your PG seat before you are 30 so that the OTHER THINGS can be done in the prescribed timeline!

10.And yes finally, the reason why you should take up a speciality after fullfilling the above mentioned criteria- PASSION ( if that has not died yet! )

After this lengthy description let me do a little bragging about anaesthesia and it’s science 🙂

FAQs :

Q What is anaesthesia?

Anaesthesia is a state of temporary induced loss of sensation or awareness. Analgesia(relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis ( muscle relaxation) and amnesia ( loss of memory) are the components of anaesthesia.

Q Who is an anaesthetist?

An anaesthetist is a doctor who has completed his/her MBBS and then specialised in MD Anaesthesia ( in India) . An anaesthetist is not a nurse/ paramedic / non clinical personal

Q What does an anaesthetist do ?

An anaesthetist not only puts you to sleep though that’s what anaesthesia amounts to ; to most people including the ones in medicine but an anaesthetist actually facilitates in the conduct of surgery. An anaesthetist makes you safe for surgery by looking after you and optimising you prior to surgery , making sure you are taken care of during the long enduring stress of surgery and ensuring you stay pain free and wake up smiling at the end of surgery.

Q Who is / is not an anaesthetist for the medical fraternity?

Your anaesthetist is not your ot table / light /mobile phone operator. Your anaesthetist is not the person you blame when your case is postponed/cancelled. Your anaesthetist is there and cares for the patient as much as you do. When in doubt always communicate with honesty so that he or she knows what to expect at the end of surgery. A cup of coffee to your anaesthesist in the morning won’t hurt 😛

Q Why should I take up anaesthesia?

It’s sad that in India as an intern the anaesthetist is always vilified by your surgery post graduate and you think it’s almost impossible to take anaesthetic fitness. It is also sad that posting in anaesthesia is considered a holiday posting and there is nil exposure whatsoever. Reasons I took up anaesthesia were simple. When no one knows what’s happening to a patient an anaesthetist is almost always to the rescue. Anaesthetists have the bossy attitude and style which very few people can ever attain. There’s an aura of self confidence when he/ she walks into the theatre and owns it. Anaesthesia is all about style and finesse, I was always in awe for the way the anaesthesist held the scope, put in lines or even held a syringe. Life is simpler and happier. Work is work and post work you can dedicate time to life. Anaesthesia can be an end speciality if you decide not to go any further or you could specialise further if you want to. It gives you the freedom to improvise , incorporate into other fields and broaden your horizons like no other field

Anaesthesia is a fairly novel field and is one of the best decisions I would not repent. Progress in surgery has been made plausible due to advances in anaesthesia . It’s time we stop glorifying the surgeon and look at the entire team of people involved in making a surgery happen 🙂

Happy dexmeditising till then 🙂