asamvav111

Hello Hayden! Welcome to GA Community! wait for a while and just watch and read! it will take you less than a week to know what makes this community click! God bless you. Hugs and Chocolates.

My last post here said how happy I am to go home. Ironically, last night I recieved a call from my mom telling me, my childhood best friends dad has died. He was suffering from Parkinsonism for a long time, had a mass compressing his spinal cord, which was found to be thankfully benign and he was bed-ridden since early last year. But, he was recovering well. The physiotherapy was paying and the last when I saw him about six months ago, he was able to walk on a surface but couldn't take stairs yet. He was mentally sound and we talked for long hours just like old times. Now out of the blue, this news hits us that, he died four days ago due to renal failure and must have been hospitalized for a period before that. My mom is in a total shock. My friend's parents and mine were close. My mom had met his mom a couple of months ago, and she did not mention anything then. We live in the same neighbourhood. Their house is 6 houses away from ours. We did not have a clue this was going on there all this while. The whole incident makes me sad. I liked that man. He was a good teacher, a good human being, had very good taste in music and arts, was religious and definitely a good father. Being a math teacher, he was good with numbers and could communicate well with any age group. He had a congenital deformity, so always walked with a small limp and yet used to walk miles over miles. He was a humble man. He was a right wing Hindu fundamentalist and we used to have political discussions, yet never once he tried to indoctrinate me. Above all, he had a good sense of humour. I will surly miss him. May God grant him peace. I will never truly understand, why my friend had contacted me and my family so late. He could have done that earlier. We could have visited him while he was still alive. But, he didn't. May be he didn't think that I could help him carry the burden. And this enrages me. This is not the person I know. Not the jovial athletic musician math-wiz who was always there for me since grade two. Yes, we went to the same school too. We have grown apart since I came to Bangladesh to study medicine and he went to another part of India to study engineering. Could it be that the fundamental difference in our trade that has come to divide us? He is a working engineer now. Has his own peer group. And must be just as popular with them as he was in the old days. May be he moved on with life, while i am still stuck on mine. May be, he found a place for himself in the world and does not wanna continue with his old self. I don't know. May be I am just reading too much into this. There is a reason why this whole thing hurts me so much. And it's October. You must be wondering what that has to do with anything! You see, October is a cursed month for us Majumdars, especially around Puja. Someone always ends up dying. Last year my paternal grandfather died after a prolonged illness on 29th. My maternal grandmother, with whom I was exceedingly attached with since birth, died on an October day, on a Puja day, Ashtami. That has soured that day for me for the rest of my life. Now, this happens. So, does this mean I am gonna loose a loved one every October? Who is it gonna be next? My dad? My mom? Someone else? Why? I know death is a natural process of renewal. I believe in rebirths as well. But, that does not stop the pain of estrangement, of losing someone you cherish dearly. You will not be able to experience that person in the corporeal plane ever again; Not in the same way. And it hurts to see that. This is one dreaded aspect of Durga Puja for my family. We just don't want to hear the phone ring in the wee hours of the morning, telling us we have lost another member; that there will be one less elder to visit during the coming Bijaya Visitations. I just wish this would stop once and for all. But, as they say, Death and Taxes... P.S. I still don't know how to tell my dad. He was close with the man. And he is on the wrong side of sixty-five now. [This post is dedicated to Late Ashim Kumar Ganguly. May his soul rest in peace and may his family members recieve closure.]

May be Frosty! Anyways I just got a buzz kill. one of my very close friend's dad died. So, I don't think this is going to be my best puja so far. be ready for a rather sad blog post tomorrow. Hugs.

Marky, Durgapuja is hardly a religious festival. As I mentioned, it is just a time for people to have fun and just enjoy, whatever their religion or belief be. It is the whole community effort that translates into a big time fiesta. Yes Joann, I am grateful to life to have such wonderful parents. Thank you for reading. Hugs and chocolates for both of you.

This is my first blog entry here in GA, and I must tell you I am a lousy bloger. I have started three blogs in my online life and abandoned all three after a while because of lack things to post. Then, why am I doing this now? Do I have more things happening to me now? Well... for starters, I am indeed going through a period of change, no not Sex change, but a change regarding my career, my life, my surroundings and what not. More over, I have matured over the years to be able to find few stuff that I wanna write about and share with my friends. Especially so, since GA has provided me Safe Space to do that, where people are most non-judgemental and supporting in what I have encountered all over the internet. I am glad, I am a member of a proud effective community like GA, and am capable of giving a hands up to other members when they are in need, in turn. My life has changed dramatically since I had discovered GA early last year and ever since I have become an active member, it has become simply divine. I have all my GA friends and authors and admins and lurkers and posters and blogers to thank for that. GOD bless GA and its people. So, the Durga Puja is here. For those uninitiated in Indian Culture, it is the biggest event of the Bengali calender and the festivities are celebrated in a larger than life level in all over Eastern India, especially Kolkata, my hometown. It is centered around the worship of Mother Goddess Durga Mahishasuramardini, the Slayer of Buffalo Demon. The people erect practically thousands of Pandals(makeshift temples) through out the city and eachone houses her idol and worship commences. In recent years, Theme Puja has taken place of traditional puja, and Themes can be as bizzare as Sugarcane Fiber to Tea Leaves to Glass to Bull shit. There are entire Pandals made out of this with intricate designing and decorations, sometimes even the Goddess idol. It is an awe inspiring experience to be in Kolkata during the festival. I term it the Carnival of Kolkata, quite adequately. There are amazing street food all over. Restaurents come up with great traditional and fusion delicasies in this period. People literary clog the streets, the night lights up amazing effulgence and people mostly opt for the whole night outings, which is a good idea if you think about the merciless autumn sun during the day, but becomes a less happy notion if you consider the horde of people in the streets at night. The puja traditionally starts from Shashthi and continues till Dashami, that is the sixth to the tenth of the current lunar cycle. But, the festivities start from last day of the lunar cycle, some places even earlier. And ends with Laxmi puja, coming full moon. Then another heavy dose of celebration comes along with Kali puja, Dewali, Bhai Fonta in another fortnight. So, in essence this is a time of many celebrations. For those in the western hemisphere, you may not know but this year the Eid ul Azha, the Eid of Sacrifice has also coincided with Durga puja. This makes it doublely celebratory, especially for our muslim brothers who work tirelessly in all those pandals and idol work shops to make our Puja special. It is impossible to catch puja in so few words, that has so many facets in our Bengali minds, in a single post. So, I am gonna write about it soon and more will come. Durga Puja is when the Goddess comes back to her parents as per the traditional Bengali thought, long way from her in-law homes. It is the time when our daughters come to visit their parents' houses as well, with their husbands and children in tow just as Ma Durga comes with her sons, Kartik and Ganesh and her daughters, Lakkhi and Saraswati. It is a time of homecoming. I am gonna go home too a day before Shashthi and my married big sister gonna come stay with us for few days. In olden days, this used to be the only time the daughters were allowed to see their parents after marriage, even get out of their houses in most aristocratic homes. So has been the tradition for last thousand years. I guess you can understand why the flood gate of emotion just bursts around this time. I am gonna take a bus from Dhaka, cross the border at Benapole and then straight to Kolkata. It's an almost 14 hours long ride and extremely exhausting. And on top it, I have a bad cold. Taking multiple meds to get it under control. Also, have a truckload of school work with me. But, anything is worth it, if I get to be with my family and friends during the puja. I will be happy.

Proceed!

stop playing and start posting... Now!

Happy Happy Happy Birthday! May Lord bless you with love, happiness and prosperity. May the coming year see more flourish in your pen and more submissions for us to relish. Hugs and Chocolates.

Well-written tale of despair and death. They will never stop fighting, will they? Whom does the war benefit really?

Everytime I read this story, my mind enters into my purposeful-super-calm-mode, and I start devising plans on how to torture the man, again and again, while keeping him alive and lucid all through out. How to push him to the very brink of death and then pull him up again to restart the cycle! Torture him for so long that he loses his identity, turns into a piece of meat, yet understand how much he deserves it. Torture him so much that he begs for death. I have the knowledge and the tools. Tokyo declaration be damned and so be the consequences... That is how I feel everytime I read this. So, I guess a story that can produce such a strong emotional response is worth your time. Nephylim is my favourite. And I like this one too. Only I am a little dissatisfied on the wretched man's fortune in the end. See for yourself! I think that many will agree with me.

*trembling lips glassy eyes* Unc! Why you no answer me? No like? Me sad! T.T hugs.

Calcium per say is always good. So drink milk and eat plenty of green leafy vegs and take sun bath in the early morning. But, I think it is highly unlikely to be the cause in this case. For your age if absorption of Calcium and endocrine functions are normal, there is no reason to be calcium deficient. Anyways getting some extra calcium never hurts. But, you should try to get wholesome balanced meals. And exercising is good. But, over-exercising not so much. Check up with your trainer if you are doing it right and with proper rest interposed. It would be better if you don't exercise your neck at the moment. Tell your trainer about this pain. May be the exercise is unsuitable for you. He will change it to a more suitable one. Previous advices still apply.

Nothing to add. Just apply local wet heat- hot water bags. Don't chug on pain killers. And get a better sleeping surface. Correct your sleeping posture. Nicotine withdrawl is making it worse. But, don't loose hope and don't start smoking again. It will pass soon if havn't already. If the pain increases or any of the neck movement becomes restricted or if the condition worsens in anyway, go to ER immidiately. And another thing is that, this is not likely to be migraine so don't start on those meds. Hugs.

oh! Heavens rejoice! Finally an update about Seeon. Not a day goes by when I look at your icon and don't think about him. *sigh* Guess my wait has neared its end. Right? *in an sedate irrate icy voice* anyways hope your dad gets a speedy and uncomplecated recovery. God bless you two. Have a good day Unc! Hugs and chocolates.

I can see I am late as always. Well! Happy Belated Birthday, Podga. May you have a peaceful loving year ahead full of happiness and possibilities. God bless you and your loved ones. Hugs and Chocolates. I can see I am late as always. Well! Happy Belated Birthday, Podga. May you have a peaceful loving year ahead full of happiness and possibilities. God bless you and your loved ones. Hugs and Chocolates.

Super dooper trooper cute! Just made my day! Hugs and ki... Oops... Chocolates! *sigh*

Happy to know you are already working on it. Hope we read it soon. *Sending loving happy thoughts your way*

I am sorry for the loss. But, I really want to say something and don't take it the wrong way. Here it is. You should write about the cats. Like in a metaphorical real life cat story. You are so attuned. I can see a good writer sleeping there. Hugs and Chocolates.

It feels good to know your work being appreciated. A vacation is something good to look out for at the end of all this ordeal!

There are more morons in this world than the kind-hearted. The best way to deal with these idiots is to ignore them. The more thought and understanding you provide them, the more obnoxious they get. Personally, I will be feeling admired if someone sends me a letter in post. We only get bills and notifications these days. All personal mails come via email. :'( while it is all economic and good to send mails electronically, it lacks the warmth of a physical letter.

I know I am really too late for the party. But, I have been busy with exams and a little good wish never hurts. So, here it goes... Happy Belated Birthday Rob! May Lord bless you. May the upcoming year bring you ever more love, happiness and prosperity. Hugs and Chocolates. I know I am really too late for the party. But, I have been busy with exams and a little good wish never hurts. So, here it goes... Happy Belated Birthday Rob! May Lord bless you. May the upcoming year bring you ever more love, happiness and prosperity. Hugs and Chocolates.

My sympathies. But, all that back breaking labour must give you some satisfaction, with a sense of supremacy over the other numbskulls in the department. And not to mention the great service you are doing to all those cancer patients and future policy makers and epidemiologists. Please feel free to vent. We are all here for you.

I have read this 5 times by now... And if you don't post the next book soon, I have a chance of going mad. And start seeing angels myself. So please please please chocolate cake with vanilla butter cream icing and cherry on top please, post the next part. This is beautiful.

ROFL! I am laughing so hard right now! I gotta watch this movie... Chicken Fellatio! Really! They made him do that for real? Epic Lol!

Good luck on either way. Will be praying for you.