Shalu's blogspot
Thursday, 2 February 2023
17 again
Wednesday, 15 December 2021
A Picnic to remember
Picnics, one of the most cherished things and pastimes ever in our daily lives are fast disappearing due to the recent COVID - 19 pandemic, declining family values, addiction to technology (particularly smartphones and the internet), rapid urbanization, a busy but sedentary lifestyle and globalization. Picnics can be of anything, be it school, college (in the term of field trip), corporate (in the term of team outing) as well as involving family members, friends and neighbors. Any child, who grew up in the 1980s, 1990s and the early 2000s would remember those fantastic and memorable picnics destination, be it a hill station,a zoo, a beach or even a park. This time, I will be going back in time i.e., in my class 4 school picnic, which was considered as the best one in my life.
It was back in the year 1998, I was just a 10 year old and a 4th standard kid in the Indian School Bahrain (4K) (at that time, there was no social media, internet, smartphones). In the beginning, Our class teacher, Stella teacher made an announcement to all the friends and classmates of Standard 4K about a picnic field trip to the Italian Circus and many of my friends are very excited about it. For that, we have to pay 10 dinars for the trip. Then on Tuesday, May 12th 1998, it was the day of the trip and all my friends and classmates are extremely excited about going to the circus, so there is no class at that same time, but we concluded the class with only 4 subjects each. After all the classes for the 4 subjects are over, we got ready for the picnic i.e., field trip for the circus. Immediately after reaching the circus, all the 4th standard children along with their class teachers of all classes screamed as they reached the circus and then the show started. It began with an acrobatic performances of the circus acrobats, which was then followed by animal performing various stunts, clowns doing the comedy sketches, juggling and funny pranks, as well as magic shows and tightrope walkers When the first interval is almost over, all the kids and teachers had a lunch, which was then followed by a second interval, which consists of mainly acrobatic performances again, as well as unicyclists, trapezes, dance acts etc. with a grand finale of all the performers bidding farewell to the show. the show ended and the kids and class teachers went back to school and their respective classes.
Fast forward to 2021, we are all gown up, married with our kids, social media and the internet invaded our lives as well as the COVID -19 pandemic. Once the pandemic gets over, we will plan for a picnic, travel abroad for the holidays. get a job as well as to shun social media and plan a picnic in the near future.
Wednesday, 14 July 2021
My first COVID 19 vaccine
On the night of March 31st 2021, me, Aftab and Aymaan left Bangalore for Udupi for summer holidays as well as taking my 1st COVID-19 vaccine shot, spending Ramadan and Eid with my parents as travelling during COVID - 19 pandemic is very dangerous but luckily we traveled before the 2nd wave of COVID - 19 started in April. On the morning of the next day, we reached Udupi on the morning of the next next day (April 1st 2021). For four days, we spent all the time going to the nearby Malpe beach (when Aymaan got scared of the sea water) and enjoying a chicken tikka party until Aftab left for Bangalore on Sunday evening (April 4th 2021).
Searching and waiting for the vaccination center
Earlier, both my mom and dad got their COVID-19 jabs twice (one in January and another in April) at T.M.A Pai Hospital in Udupi, it was also my turn to get the jab at the same hospital. When the news of the COVID -19 vaccine for the age group of 18 - 44 is announced by the government in the month of April (starting from May 1st), I felt very happy and delighted about my turn. As Ramadan is going on on the last few weeks of May, my mom called the administrators of the hospital about the availability of the vaccines as well as the COVID - 19 vaccine appointment, they told that the vaccines were not available until further notice because of the shortage of the vaccines. Then on the last week of May, they announced that the vaccines for the age group of 18 - 44 years old is for 3 days (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). Then, I went to the Co-Win website to register for the vaccination online as well as the Co-Win app on my mobile phone as well as on my laptop (the Co-Win website is working on the laptop but its mobile app has some issues). I tried to book the Vaccination at T.M.A Pai hospital for Monday May 7th but as soon as I reached the hospital, the hospital staff and administrators told that my name is not mentioned as I was not registered as it is also fully booked. Instead, they told me to register in the hospital's website. When I went to the hospital's website, it it showing the hospital number and I tried to enter the beneficiary ID or the hospital number but unfortunately the software error came in he hospital's website as the number of the hospital is required. Then my mom tried to call several hospitals for the availability of the COVID -19 vaccine in Udupi but there is no response at all in any of these hospitals (In government hospitals, the vaccines are free whereas in private hospitals, they are all paid). Then my mom called my cousin Deena about why all the vaccination centers in Udupi are showing fully booked and then Deena suggested that there are lot of vaccination centers in Manipal and she informed my mom that there are a lot of COVID -19 vaccination centres in Manipal and she gave me the pincode of Manipal that is 576 104 (Udupi's pin code is 576 105). Then on Saturday evening (12th June 2021), I logged in into the Co-Win website via my laptop by registering my mobile number and password and I found the vaccination center for the Covishield in Manipal and I finally found one vaccination center in Manipal i.e., KMC Manipal - Site 9 (Marena Sports complex), which was scheduled on Monday (14th June 2021) at 10:30 a.m. and then I booked it immediately, which was then receiving, downloading and saving my appointment slip via my gmail id and smartphone.
Vaccination Day
On June 14th 2021 (Monday), I woke up very early in the morning and I had my breakfast immediately. Afterwards, I got ready for my first jab, which was scheduled to be at 10:30 a.m. in the morning at the Marena Sport Complex in Manipal (KMC Manipal - Site 9). I kept all the important things such as Aadhar card, cash as well as all the appointment slip for the vaccination and me and daddy left home at 10:00 a.m. via a rickshaw. Then, 15 minutes later, we reached the vaccination center and Daddy told me to get the seat by taking the token number 9 i.e., the batch who are taking the vaccine. After I took the token, the health workers gave me the feedback paper for filling the details before going for the vaccination. Then I filled all of them and I went to the vaccination center for my first dose of the Covishield vaccine (I am extremely afraid of needles and injections). After I received the jab, I went to the observation room for an 1 hour observation until 11:30 a.m.(some people who received the jabs at for 1/2 an hour after getting their first or second jabs respectively). Afterwards, I left the observation room and told daddy to take the first vaccine photo. Coincidentally, I noticed that my cousin Deena who is also taking her jab on the same day along with her sister Hanan, then daddy took the photo of my 1st jab shot frame, which was then followed a special pizza treat.
First Dose Certificate
Nearly a month after I got my 1st jab (Monday, 5th July 2021), my husband Aftab gave me a missed call as well as the Whatsapp message regarding the certificate for the 1st dose of the COVID -19 vaccine. He told me that he will download the vaccine certificate and send it via Gmail. Then I went to my Gmail account and I immediately downloaded the vaccine certificate in my smartphone for the 1st dose.
NEXT DOSE - IN SEPTEMBER!
Sunday, 11 April 2021
When I was 20
Saturday, 5 September 2020
College Days - Part 2
Wednesday, 26 August 2020
An Autobiography of a Schoolbus
Thursday, 13 August 2020
Facts that will make you feel old
- Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge was released 25 years ago.
- Windows XP was released 19 years ago in 2001.
- The 'new' millennium is more than 2 decades old.
- Chethan Bhagat's antics have been going on for 16 years.
- Pierce Brosnan last acted as James Bond 18 years ago.
- The Delhi metro has been going on for the past 18 years.
- It's been 19 years since 9/11.
- The Matrix came out 21 years ago. Keanu Reeves is 55 today!
- Mother Teresa and Lady Diana have been dead for 23 years.
- Remember "Jungle Book" on Doordarshan? It was 24 years ago.
- Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai became Miss Universe and Miss World 26 years ago, and yes they're old too!!!
- Macaulay Culkin is 40 years old. The movie Home Alone came out 30 years ago.
- Terminator 2 - Judgement Day was released 29 years ago. Edward Furlong, who played the kid John Connor is now 41 years old.
- Sean Connery is 89 years old and is retired now.
- The youngest Spice Girl is 44, the oldest Backstreet Boy is 48, Gwen Stefani is 50, Madonna is 61.
- VHSs, Floppy Discs and Walkman's are obsolete now.
- Akshay Kumar is older than the moon landing. He was born in 1967.
- The first Harry Potter book was published 23 years ago.
- The first season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S was aired 26 years ago. All the cast members are middle aged.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger is older than Independent India. He was born on July 30th 1947.
- Kids born in 2002 can legally drive, drink and vote this year.
- Jurassic Park is older than Justin Bieber.
- Rajiv Gandhi has been dead for 29 years.
- Bryan Adams' cult song "Summer of 69" was released 35 years ago.
- Kids, whom you remember in their diapers and posting their pics on Facebook.
- Facebook has been around for the past 16 years whereas Orkut was shut down 6 years ago.
- Maruti Zen was launched 27 years ago.
- Remember the little girl from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? She is now 32 years old (Sana Saeed).
- And the Rasna Girl is a fully grown woman and she has a family on her own.