Hi buddies

Sorry buddies. Dentist out of town and dental pain has been driving me mental for a week. Will catch up in a day or two. Keep the cheers till then.

No problem at all-2

I picked up some more inspiring points from Tamil thinker Sivam’s speech.
Inferiority complex is a dirty disease. If we have a particular weakness, there’s no shame in accepting it. For example, even great leaders like Vivekananda and Gandhi made errors while speaking in English.
There was a chief minister of Tamil Nadu called OPR. He had to send a reply to the central government. While writing, he spelt “opinion” wrong. His assistant, worried about boss’s image, corrected it and brought a new draft. OPR told him, “They asked my opinion, not yours. Let them know the truth that I don’t know proper English.”
Lack of confidence can kill. A man was being punished. His eyes were shut, his hand was pricked with a pin and he was told that his blood will spill drop by drop until he dies. The sound of drops scared the man so much that he died in just 45 minutes. Actually, it was water from a vessel that was allowed to drip and not blood.
Confidence is a wonderful gift. In Paris a competition was held for clapping longest time. While many gave up in a short while, one pair of hands went on clapping for four hours. When called to the stage, two people stood up. Both had single hands.

No problem at all-1

I was hearing a speech by famous Tamil thinker Su.Ki. Sivam and it was full of wisdom.
“Shun inferiority complex,” was the message.
There are people who keep cribbing “If only I had a bigger house..,” “If only I had a car..,” and so on. One guy cried, “If only I were two inches taller, I would have joined the police force.” Sivam questions this attitude. “There is no height constraint in becoming a Collector. He could have aimed at becoming that.”
Napoleon, former Indian PM Shastri, Al Pacino were short people, but look at their tall achievements.
There’s an interesting story. One revolutionary youth was arrested by the police and put in prison. His 72-year-old dad wrote a letter lambasting the youth. “In our neighbourhood, everyone is farming potatoes. Instead of working here, you have foolishly gone to prison. What use your being my son?” He went on criticizing the son, closing the letter with, “I will now go and do the farming myself.” The youth shot back a letter, “You stupid old man. Don’t dig our land. I have hidden arms and ammunition there.” The next day, a military squad surrounded the home, pulled up the old man and ripped apart the entire land. Nothing was found. The son wrote to dad again, “On my behalf, I have made the government help you out.”

Deceptive humility

Never trust a man who is too quiet and too humble, commented friend Ravi.
“Thank God, I may not qualify for that list. If you had said ‘keep off talkative guys,’ I would have been worried,” I replied.
And I asked why he made the comment.
He narrated this true story.
This neighbour had a quiet, submissive son. The son always respected his father. When he got a job, he offered the “entire” first month salary of Rs5,000 to his dad. The proud father was touched. As days went by, the dad thought the son should get married. When he suggested this, the son reacted strongly, “Never dad. You are very important for me. No marriage.” Again the dad was moved to tears. What a gifted son. The neighbours were not amused. “Maybe he is in love, check out,” they told the dad. He checked out. And then came the shock.
The son was not only already married; he had two school-going sons too.
He had concealed his affair with a neighbouring girl all through.
Well. Well.
Heard this joke:
The computer beat me at chess; I avenged with boxing.

No need for anesthesia

With wife around (tomorrow I become a married bachelor again. She returns to Chennai), it was party time, and we, along with a few wonderful friends, were out most of the time in Dubai. Throughout, you - yes you - my buddies were on my mind.
Yesterday, we were in Dubai’s empty Wafi Mall and a shopkeeper started a discussion.
“Do you know what’s happening in Kashmir?” he asked me.
“Not pretty much,” I replied.
“Over hundred people were killed recently just because they were protesting peacefully. Curfews are clamped regularly, women are harassed and children cannot go to school in peace.”
In a few minutes, he was in tears.
“All we want is a peaceful life. Why can’t Kashmiris be left alone?” he asked.
I and friend Subu felt sad and moved to the next shop, where a Syrian salesman greeted us. He was smiling throughout.
“Are you married?” was his first question.
“Once, but don’t mind again,” I joked as my wife stood outside the shop.
I blurted a few words in Arabic and he happily passed on a handmade soap as a gift.
In the morning I had been to the dentist.
“You need to remove four caps. You may be having an infection. Wait, I will give local anesthesia,” said the doctor.
“No need for anesthesia,” I replied. “Just tell me the fees and I will become unconscious anyway.”

‘Diverse’ society: He, she & they

He married twice, had kids, gave up and married another woman, who had married twice and had kids. The children of the spouses joined the well-wishers and blessed the couple.
She is married, has a son, and is now separating from her husband, opting to wed a younger man.
He is married, but not happy with his wife. She loves him and struggles to keep the relation going.
She is an Indian, not married, but prefers to live with him in Germany. She has two foster children now.
He’s an Indian in love with a local girl, ended up marrying an African.
She is here in the UAE, he is there in India. Both love each other, but hardly meet.
These are a few instances I know of personally.
A few years ago, most of these acts would have been scandals. Thank or blame globalisation, not so any more. It’s all in the mind.
With the combined stress of homework and office work telling on them, a colleague told me that many women now prefer to remain homemakers even when they had top academic qualifications.
Well, well. The society is changing. Money, money… Run, run.
That’s the norm.
Buddies, don’t waste time. On your mark, get set. Hey, don’t run so fast, me wanna join you.

Wife and the wallet

It was not the right joke to read on the Net when my wife is in town, but it went like this:
A man was complaining to a friend: "I had it all - money, a beautiful house, a big car, the love of a gorgeous woman - and then, BAM!, it was all gone!""What happened?" asked his friend.
"My wife found out..."
I read this aloud and my wife looked at me angrily.
“But you are such a good wife. You never ask to buy anything,” I tried to please her.
“Thanks. All I need is a new cellphone,” she replied.
Before I could recover from the shock, she added: “Let’s not go for an expensive laptop. Our daughter can adjust with a cheaper one.”
“Will you think of anything for me?” I asked.
“Of course. Let’s buy a bigger wallet for you. The one you have is too small.”

Carry on doctor

I thought doctors are serious, introverted people who stick to their work day and night - blood, injections, death certificates. I was wrong. Many doctors have active blogs and wonderful friends’ circles. Some even take to politics. Fiery trade union leader Dr Datta Samant was so powerful, when I asked for an interview, he replied: “Meet me midnight, maybe I will be free.” I interviewed him surrounded by labourers.
The Mumbai dentist who fleeced me was active on stage. Once he was doing root canal while murmuring something. I was screaming with pain. He told me: “You create so much drama I will forget my lines for today’s drama.”
There’s this old doctor in Chennai who will rip the rich. But when it comes to poor he will melt. A poor relative of mine used this weakness. After getting the prescription, the uncle will shake his fingers through his torn shirt pocket. The doctor will smile and say “namaste.” The uncle will escape.
Interestingly, many of my dentist friends are dentist-couples. How is it? Do most dentists fall in love at college? Shucks, why female journalists never followed suit?
PS: Murphy is not leaving me. I had an offer to visit China. I was told I had to leave on Sept.24. On that date, my bitter-half, oh, better-half, is arriving in Dubai. So China, next time.
Hey buddies, read this joke on the Net.
A doc tells patient: “Sorry, you have little time to live.”
How long?
“10.”
“10 what? Years, days?
“9,8…” continued the doctor.