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#1 Japanese porn

I only write about things that are near and dear to my heart.

For all the years I’ve been watching porn on the internet, I’ve seen a LOT of it. So much so, that I’ve come to consider myself as an expert on Internet porn (not my proudest achievement.)

If you are talking about Internet porn, let me tell you that there is an infinite amount of it just floating throughout the Web. There are porn categories, porn stars, porn merch and believe it or not even award shows for porn stars (Google Pornhub awards). Millions of people watch porn everyday for many many reasons lol. Me personally? I think it’s better than video games.

Whatever your reason for watching porn. Horniness or boredom, there is no doubt that its a BIG industry. Millions of people and billions of dollars. With a big industry comes choices. And oh boy there are choices! BBC, step mom, step sister, halloween, asian, interracial, ebony, cnfm, bdsm, superheros? (don’t you dare question my superior porn knowledge ;). The porn world caters to all of your kinks. You want to see a bunch of girls beat up a guy? You got it. You wanna see a bunch of guys fuck a girl? You got it. You wanna see you favourite anime in porn? (BTW it’s call hentai if you didn’t know already 😉 you got it. You wanna see some other WEIRD shit that I don’t even feel comfortable writing here? You got it! There is something for everyone. That is true inclusivness, rest of the world needs to learn from the porn industry.

So as you can see, doing my years of “research”, I’ve come across many kinds of porn. Normal shit and well, some crazy shit too (I can’t help it! I am curious okay?) But among hundreds of categories I’ve come across in my short life so far lol, one particularly stands out. I present you:

THE JAPANESE PORN

Now, there is porn and then there is Japanese porn.You might not know it, but people have sex in different ways in different parts of the world lol. It’s kinda like languages. Like languages, sex also differs in different counties. At least that’s what I’ve come to learn from my “research” all these years.

Now you might find it difficult to understand what I just said above. It’s okay, such profound knowledge comes only from years of learning you see.

So, let me explain. So the most popular porn that’s found on the internet is the American porn (you know, the Hollywood shit) and the infamous Japanese porn. Now nubies are tempered to see them as the same but they couldn’t be more wrong. In comes the porn expert.

So American porn is like the porn that’s on the rest of the internet. The mostly normal stuff. Step sister and step brother (tho I personally don’t get why people even like this shit) The common theme in American porn is that there is space for women. I mean, there is an equal participation in the whole porn making process. And the porn is generally loud and flashy, basically America. The production is very professional most of the time, and if you are a avid porn consumer you might notice, the videos are shorter generally.

Now in contrast, the Japanese porn is a lot different than the rest of the world. For one, the penises and vaginas are blurred out. That pisses me off. Why would you do that man? = ( I still havnt figured that one out. I guess more research is required.
Then, women in Japanese porn are mostly dominated my men. Japanese women are the most beautiful creatures! Black hair, slender body and more importantly polite and shy. Well that’s my type anyways lol. (if u didn’t know now you know 😉 But in most of Japanese porn, the men are ugly ass old dudes. Why, just why? = ( I mean the women are amazing but the men are really fucking bad. But anywyas, the point is the women are almost always dominated by men during sex.

Half the time the woman is basically, (ah this is harder than I thought), um basically resisting the man’s approach. I mean i get it, it shows shyness which can be a huge turn on for many people but the point is; in contrast, American porn is a lot more upfront than Japanese porn. In America porn, the women are generally not resisting lol (well its porn afterall). They are loud and basically have equal power in the process. But in Japanese porn the man takes the central stage in the whole process and the women are submissive in general; bending to the wills and desires of the man in charge.

Now I was not planing to get into the possible reasons of these differences. But, a part of me really wanted to go into it. So, I believe this is because of the cultural differences between the east and the west. Eastern cultures usually value shyness and perceive women as submissive. It devalues independence of women in the society. It’s a common notion in traditional Eastern societies that women are to be inside the four walls of the home and are not to give opinions in important matters. While, western societies are much more progressive, tho still patriarchal. Such difference in culture and attitudes is reflected in the porn scenes. Who knew porn could be a sociology example?

Additionally there are other particularly strange things about Japanese porn. For one, amine porn or hentai is obviously a Japanese creation. Moreover, a great porn observer might notice that there is LOT of breast and nipple play in Japanese porn. That’s a particular characteristic. Also, molestation is apparantly common in Japanese subways. So there is a whole lot of “train porn”. Its strange how the Japanese find molestation sexually appealing. I don’t know, people are weird. I am weird myself so can’t blame the innocent Japanese!

And to top it off, Japanese porn is widely popular all across the internet. Don’t take my word. Pornhub statistics show that the most common racial category is Japanese. Everyone (white ppl, balck ppl, Jews, Arabs, Indians, you name it!) loves watching Japanese porn. Despite how different it is or maybe because its so different.

Congratulation! If you could read till the end. You either learnt something or just wasted a few precious minutes of you meaningless life. = )

Beginner’s guide to not being a bitch

Let’s face it, we do act like little bitches our whole lives. I mean, remember the last time you had to beg your dad for money, or the time you stayed hungry cause mom was not home?

That sounds very bitchy to me indeed.

So, I’m here to fix shit up lol.

Below is a detailed guide describing HOW TO NOT STARVE YOURSELF TO DEATH when there is no one to cook for you. It’s an easy, DYI recipe. It’s not fancy but it is good enough (I think) lol.

The Rice (Aka Bhat) : Difficulty – Easy

Step 1: Get some fucking rice: 1 standard tall cup = 2 people’s full tummy (or, depends on how much you eat lol)

Step 2: Put the rice in the rice cooker thing.

Step 3: Wash the thing well. Like 2-3 times and rinse off the water.

Step 4: Add 1 finger tip of water to the rice. (1 finger tip = good enough, More = Sticky rice, Less = Hard rice)

Step 5: All set and done! Just turn on the rice cooker XD

Pulses (Aka Dal): Difficulty – Easy

Step 1: Get some pulses lol. I’ll use the red ones.

Step 2: Get them pulses into a bowl. 1 handful = Good enough for like 2 people. (More pulses = thicker dal)

Step 3: Wash them shits well.

Step 4: Get a pressure cooker

Step 5: Add the pulses to the rice cooker along with the water. Put in a bit more than 1 finger tip cause it will dry off while cooking.

Step 6: Add turmeric and salt.

Step 7: All ready to go. Cook on a medium flame. Cook for 2-3 whistle.

Veggies (Aka Tarkari): Difficulty – Medium

Step 1: Get some veggies. I’ll use ladyfingers XD

Step 2: Wash them shits well.

Step 3: Dice them up! Take off their head and tails and then cut em into small pieces (or however you like them)

Step 4: Get some potatoes. You need potatoes in MOST veggies, they are default. You can peel em if you like to, but I like them with the skin (it’s healthier I heard lol).

Step 5: Dice them up!

Step 6: Onions. Most veggies need onions. Some also need tomatoes. Ladyfinger only needs onions.

Step 7: Get a cooking vessel. You can use anything (although if would be very sad if you used a pressure cooker lol). I’m using this rounded thing (idk what to call it lol).

Step 8: Get some cooking oil. I like to use mustard or sunflower oil. (Olive oil is too fucking expensive haha)

Step 9: Heat the oil till its steaming. It is important cause if it’s not heated well, it will retain it’s distinct smell while cooking.

Step 10: Add onions and spices to the oil. Cook till the onion is gold.

Step 11: Add the potatoes, add salt and turmeric. Mix it well.

Step 12: Add the ladyfingers (veggies). Cook on a low flame. Cook till the potatoes can easily be diced by a simple soon (that’s how you know it’s cooked well).

Spinach (Aka Saag): Difficulty: Medium

Not a must, but I like to add some green to my food.

Step 1: Get some spinach. It’s already diced up (if not, wash them first and dice them into small pieces). I’m using Rai Ko Saag (idk the english name for this lol).

Step 2: Get some garlic and ginger. Make a paste out of them or, use a readymade paste (totally recommend using the packet paste, saves a lot of time XD).

Step3: Here is the paste I made, I hope u make it even better and finer XD

Step 4: Get a pressure cooker and add oil. Heat the oil and then add the paste. Mix it well (don’t let the paste brun!)

Step 5: Add the spinach. Add some salt (only salt, nothing more needed!). You can add some tomatoes to some types of spinach but this one doesn’t need tomatoes.

Step 6: Cook on a low flame. You can either pressure cook it, or cook it slow with a lid on the top. (Notice the plate on the top has some cold water on it, helps in condensation and prevents burning : )

THE END RESULT

Rice, pulses, spinach, ladyfinger and some tasty pickles! Tastes good?

Hope you can make yourself an easy full meal now.

Cheers!

Books you should read

These are some of the books I have read over the years that have had an impact on my life.

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com

The Good Earth : It’s a story about a Chinese family who struggles through hard times, famine and poverty. It perfectly sums up what a good life should be. It taught me what truly matters in life.
Men without women: It is collection of short stories by one of my favorite writers, Haruki Murakami. It’s basically themed around, men who have lost women in their lives. From old widowers, to heart broken young men, it provides a peek into the lives of these lonely men and what they feel. It taught me that it’s okay to be hurt at times.
Kafka on the shore: It’s a story about a boy running away from his destiny. I did not fully understand the story but it was very fascinating nonetheless. It inspired me to be strong, and make myself better in life.
The white tiger: It’s a book about poverty, injustice and a man’s search for freedom. It made me appreciate the blessings I have in my life.
Last man in tower: It’s a book about human greed and how it can change people.
Norwegian woods: It’s a book about love and death. It taught me, it’s okay to feel sorrow and that sadness is not always a bad thing. Instead, it can be a beautiful thing.

# 28 Identity crisis

Most emotional pain is caused by either a lack of identity or a misplaced identity.

Identity is very important because it is who we are. It determines what we do, what we like, whom we talk to, what we think about and more importantly how we see the world. However, in the modern world, people have been struggling with their identity more than ever before. With the downfall of religious beliefs and advent of the concept of “global citizen”, more people than ever before are asking themselves the dreaded question: ” WHO AM I?”

If I am not my religion, community, or race, then who am I?

Now, the identity crisis is a real one. It can make people depressed, sad, angry, lethargic and even suicidal. It can cause much pain and suffering. Hence, it is not to be taken lightly.

The solution?

In the modern world, people need to create their own identity.

In the past, as I mentioned earlier, people did not have to create their identities out of thin air. It all depended on where you were born, if you were rich or poor, if you were a Muslim or Christian, if you were black or white, if you were a salve or not and so on. But today, these attributes that served as a means of identity for the population for so long have now vanished.

People do not care where you were born, they don’t care about your religion, race or wealth. The idea of “everyone is the same” has taken a hold on the social consciousness. And while the concept of equality is a good one, it unknowingly robbed us of our identities.

Hence, THE SOLUTION: CREATE IDENTITY

And how do you create identity?

You need to attach MEANING to something, anything. If you are able to derive meaning from any task, be it small or big, you have created yourself an Identity! When you believe you are good at doing this thing that you find so meaningful, it fills the void in your heart that screams “WHO AM I?”

Word of caution

Now while you might choose to give meaning to anything to derive identity from it, I would like to give some advice on that matter : )

First : DO NOT make something that you cannot control your identity.

Yes, this is a recipe for disaster. Personal experience: I used to make pleasing my parents a source of my identity for a long time back in my school days. It made me feel miserable. Yes, I did study hard and got those good grades but it did not feel much good. And while I did get happy when my parents were proud of me, it just wasn’t worth it. It was too much work just to experience a moment of happiness as my parent’s gleamed with pride.

What was the issue? I COULD NOT control my parents. I could not control what made them proud or disappointed. I if could I would have made it easier to make them proud (maybe just do the dishes instead of studying for hours to get that A?). But i couldn’t and so I suffered.

Hence, make something you can control your identity. For example, I derive my identity as: Prayas works hard and tries to be the best he can be. See the difference? I CAN CONTROL if Prayas works hard or not, I CAN CONTROL if he tries his best or not. Because I am Prayas lol.

This means, if Prayas doesn’t work hard, he will feel bad because he is not being himself. But Prayas doesn’t feel so bad if he gets, say a B instead of an A in an exam because his identity is not attached with the grade. Instead it is attached with his work ethic which he can fully control. The grades? He can only control so much, there are too many factors like the examiner’s mood, luck, resources available and more that influence it.

Hence, instead of making things like, pleasing other people you identity, make it something that YOU can control. You will be much happier.

Second: Find something worthwhile to make your identity.

Now, this might be a bit controversial but, while you CAN make anything your identity, I think it’s best to chose something that is actually valued in the world.

That means, you should not make watching TV your identity or eating junk food for that matter lol. In a similar sense, it’s easy to make useless shit like video games your identity because they are meant to be addictive. It’s easy to make betting on football games your identity because it’s gambling and it’s easy.

Hence, make something that arguably, people in general find HARD to do. For example, if my identity is: Prayas lives a healthy lifestyle, then it’s a much better identity than Prayas is good at playing X video game. It’s better because most people find being healthy difficult and hence, that’s a good sign that living healthy is a good thing. It’s good because it will help me become happy in the long run. You don’t want arthritis and hemorrhoids’ when you are in your 30s do you?

So, the point is: make stuff like, being good at studies, writing, being healthy, making good notes, housework, painting, editing videos, comedy, friendships as your identity not some useless distraction.

So, if you have managed to get to the end, here is what a good identity would ideally look like:

Name: XYZ

Identity

I am a hard worker
I try to be the best version of myself everyday
I eat healthy and exercise
I make time to be silent and reflect in my busy day
I am organized and I keep my promises

Seems like a great identity to me! What’s yours?

Cheers!

The Japanese prostitute. draft

Part one.

Spring field county, Alabama.

JOE

Fuck! The cooler broke again! I can’t believe they didn’t fix it.

Joe was sweating like an animal, his blue shirt full of dark stains from his sweat. He wished they had fixed the cooler after he asked them a thousand times, that’s the least they could do. But Joe knew they would not fix it anyways, why was he even furious?

He wished they had fixed the cooler

It was 26 degrees inside the office and the fun part was, he still had last night’s paperwork to finish.

He knew he should have known better. His wishes didn’t matter. He knew they didn’t care if he sweated himself to death. He was, after all just another employee, one of 268 others. It was absolutely clear they could replace him just as one replaces a broken light bulb.

His life didn’t matter to them, he didn’t matter.

But he mattered to Julie, right?

Right?

He wished he knew the answer. Deep down he desperately wanted to believe that he did, they had been together for 18 years after all. When he first met her in that multi-level management class, 3rd semester in college, he knew there was something special about her. The way she carried herself and her smile, her smile…. how the edges of her lips stretched far wide and her eyes became so tiny you could barely see them, her head slightly tilted towards left. He knew he had fallen for her. Though he had never considered he was good enough for a girl like Julie, but miraculously, by the intervention of the divine or something, it turned out she was into him too! It was nothing short of a movie. After graduating, both had decided to remain in Alabama and a few years in staying together, boom! they were married. It was pretty surreal now looking back. All of their friends were jealous. It seemed too good to be true.

Her smile….

Did he remember the last time she smiled? Searching through his memory, there appeared a hazy image, but it quickly vanished.

No, not really.

Julie didn’t smile these days.

The college days, the graduation, the moving in together, the intimate times…. it almost felt like a dream. Memories, fading away. So distant, that you’d have to ask yourself if they are even true. They had moved past the good old days; their relationship had moved past the good old days.

What must ……

JOE, JOE! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? I WANT THESE PAPERS DONE BY TOMORROW MORNING, WOULD YOU MIND DOING OVERTIME TONIGHT?

His thoughts were interrupted by the near screaming voice of his boss.

Fuck!

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

It was that asshole Reynold again. Doing an overtime? Would you mind?

Of course! I would mind you fucking dick head. What am I? Your dog?

But that was not a question, it was an order. They both knew it. There was only one answer.

Yes Reynold, sure, in what order do you want me to go through them?

Oh God! he would get home late again. Julia would be mad for sure, he had promised to make it home early, it was Kyle’s birthday after all.

KYLE

Julia was busy in the kitchen when the phone rang.

Hello?

It was nothing new. The same person with the same thing, can’t make it tonight.

She let out a deep sigh.

Okay.

And the line was dead.

She wanted to scream at him, cry out and pour her rage onto her husband, a husband that can’t make it home for his children. A husband who doesn’t have the guts to stand up for his family. A husband that’s never there.

She finished the icing on the cake and put on a smile. Children can be severely traumatized by tensions between parents, she had once read in a parenting magazine. She thought how she would tell Kyle that his dad won’t be home tonight.

It’s always me who has to do this. Always.

She went off to the TV room to greet the children.

It hadn’t always been like this. No, it hadn’t. Or had it? She wasn’t sure anymore. She remembered, she remembered how had they started out. The past felt warm and inviting, she almost wanted to get lost in her thoughts and never come back.

She felt someone tugging on her dress.

It was one of Kyle’s friends. Some of the children had gotten into a fight.

Supermom on duty, again.

BEGINNING OF THE END

Joe came home at 11. Julia and the kids were asleep. He had an extra key to the house. Julia had insisted he get one because she said she didn’t want to stay awake till he gets home.

She didn’t want to stay awake till he gets home.

He couldn’t blame her. He was the one who was always late and he could only imagine what it took to take care of Kyle. In a way, he was glad it wasn’t him.

He was glad it wasn’t him.

Yes, that was true. Sure, his life sucked. Reynold treated him like a dog at the office. He wasn’t sure he mattered or not. He wasn’t sure what his job was, selling insurance to people who didn’t need them? But he would rather do that than to stay in his son’s presence, because Kyle reminded him of something he did not want to remember.

Selling insurance to people who didn’t need them?

Yeah, that was his job. But there was more, it also included denying insurance to people who actually need them, old ladies with chronic arthritis would come crying at his office every day for help. But he couldn’t help them.

He couldn’t help them.

Or could he?

Yes, he could but, the company could not afford to lose money on claims that could be potentially denied. In other words, helping poor old ladies was not an option because it was bad for business.

Yes, this was his job. The company’s business model was his Bible. He was to read this Bible everyday like a faithful dog and follow every word. The company’s values was his values, the company’s words were his words.

His own values and words?

They didn’t matter. And why should they? He worked for the company and they paid him a lump of cash money every month so that he could run his miserable life. He had no reason to complain.

He had no reason to complain.

Or did he?

The truth was he hated his job. He hated, hated, hated, hated it!

He truly did. It made him feel hollow. It almost felt like he had no soul. Actually, he had no soul. That’s what the company wanted him to be, soulless. Did he enjoy lying to people selling overpriced health insurance? Did he enjoy saying no to pleading old ladies and acting like it didn’t bother him? Did he enjoy always keeping a straight face at work, as if he had no emotions, as if he was dead.

As if he was dead.

Yes, he was dead in a way. He was dead inside.

He was a dead man, just breathing.

Raised in a catholic family, Joe was religious. He was a church volunteer during his high schools and he never missed Sundays. At work, he always wondered if he was committing a sin. Sins, it was one thing he was taught as a child; after death God will judge you for your sins. God, he feared what might happen to him when he dies. All the pain and suffering he brought upon those whom he deceived. He just hoped Jesus would forgive him.

He laid in bed next to Julia. She was snoring slightly; they were getting old after all. He knew she was a light sleeper so he didn’t want to wake her up, so he slid into the blankets as quietly as possible. His thoughts soon filled his mind again.

He feared what might happen to him when he dies.

It was a funny thought he considered. Fear. Fear was an emotion he only knew too well. He feared everything. He feared that Julia would someday think he was too much of a burden to keep up with and leave. He feared he would lose it at work and say something Reynold didn’t like and get fired. He feared what Kyle would think of him if he was old enough to understand what a looser, he had for a dad. He feared his very existence. But the funny part was yes, he feared about things that might happen to him while he is alive, but he now feared what would happen to him after death too. Fear, he concluded, would be a part of him even after death. It was strangely funny, he almost felt like laughing.

He almost felt like laughing.

But laugh at what? His messed-up life? His painful existence? Yes. Misery becomes comedic when there’s too much to lament upon.

With that thought, sleep finally showed mercy on him, and he quietly slipped into a hazy state of unconsciousness only to wake up next day.

Not that he was looking forward to it anyway.

THE NEXT DAY

The next day he woke up early. The digital clock showed 3 am with its bright lights which hurt Joe’s eyes. Julia was still sleeping. He slid out of the sheets careful not to wake her up.

Shit! This was the third day.

This was the third day the doctor’s pills hadn’t worked. He had taken 4 Dioxepine pills last night, which was more than the normal single dose but, who cares right? This shit wasn’t working anyways. Julia used to make him not take more than one pill but these days she herself was taking medication; Prozac for her mild depression. She had problems of her own and he wasn’t expecting much from her anyways.

He checked his phone for what his day had for him. As usual, it was Reynold asking him to email, on his behalf, to his wife that he was busy in a shareholder meeting and couldn’t come home for a few days. In fact, he was going to LA with his whore; that pretty face, 22-year-old model Ardia and spend half his (Joe’s) salary on 2 day “trip”. And as his employee, he was naturally expected to lie on his behalf to his employer’s ever so trusting wife. It was completely normal.

Later that day, he had to review potential insurance claims filed this week and, in the evening, he was to attend the “co-worker meet up” which the company insisted to have every month in order to improve communication and relationship between employees for greater efficiency. What a load of bullshit. It was basically; 24 employees locked up in a bar for which the company paid for the night and you had to talk to people, or as the company puts it, your ever so friendly “co-workers” about your life and make friends with them. Co-workers huh? Half of those people, Joe had seen them every day in his department for the last year or so, none of them had shared more than 5 words with him. If he was lying on the street, bleeding to death, they would drive right past him, and he would do the same to them. it was unnatural as fuck but …

THE COMPANY WANTS YOU TO MAKE FRIENDS.

So, you will make friends. it is part of the job.

Morning came.

As always, he skipped his breakfast. Drove 2 hours in the never-ending Alabama city traffic and finally made it to his office. The entered his hot and almost suffocating room, fuck they still didn’t fix the cooler. But that was the thing of the past, just one of many miseries in his life he will eventually learn to live with. He got on with the paper work, not leaving his desk for the next 3 and half hours. *The doctor had specifically advised him to not do that (to avoid his horrendous back pains) but, who cares right?

He took a quick coffee break and did it all over again.

Around eight, there was movement in the office; chatters here and there, middle age men getting off their chairs to “talk” with fellow workers (which they rarely did). Around 8:15, the HOD (Head of Department) gathered everyone up as a shepherd gathers his cattle and made the usual announcement with a whole lot of fake enthusiasm, “Fellow co-workers! do you know what time of the month is it?” As usual, there was a low mummer of approval in the group of office workers. The HOD decided to go ahead; “It’s the most awaited part of the whole month, it’s co-worker meetup! So, I hope you all have completed you log entries. If so, then let’s head downtown to the bar and have some lively conversations!” With that, everyone gathered up their belongings and off they went to celebrate Joe’s most hated part of the job.

THE CO-WORKER MEETUP

Don’t get me wrong. Not everyone hated the event. There were some, middle aged men with families like Joe’s himself, who actually enjoyed this “meet up”. That wasn’t surprising because they actually had friends, or at least colleagues they could talk to (and the fact that they probably weren’t miserable enough to need pills just to sleep also helped). Joe on the other hand, had all the odds against him. He didn’t have any “friends” in the company, wasn’t into socializing with those generic ‘colleagues’ who would forget his existence the very next day of work (everyone is desperately trying to just float above water, no one had time for some dude who was stuck in the same boat in life as them), nor was he fortunate enough that at least sleep showed him mercy in his already fucked up life.

“Co-workers” they call themselves, but the moment Monday came, they would forget your existence entirely (even if you worked less than 12 feet from them) and just focus on work, trying to get the promotion that everyone wanted. Sure, you could talk about friendship and goodwill all day long, but when it’s time for that promotion there were no “colleagues” involved, only potential competitors. And you don’t shake hands with your competitors, do you? Nope, you try to crush them, and that’s exactly what everyone did in the office. Everyone wanted to deny as many claims as possible, and some even tried to steal customers from their “co-workers” so they could get their numbers up. Everything, of course, for that weekly bonus and eventually the promotion.

THE PROMOTION.

Joe found it all funny. Everyone ran after the promotion, but in the last 5 years he could not remember a single person getting it (at least not in his living memory). There was no proof that it even existed, yet everyone in the office dreamt about it every single day. Everyone still dreamt about getting that fancy promotion, moving to a new cubicle on the 7^th floor, and having their own private space. This was, Joe concluded, just one of many methods that the company uses to manipulate their workers. “Give them hope and they will work like ants to get out of their rut” was the company’s philosophy. It worked, and it worked well. It was quite admirable on the company’s part, Joe concluded.

So, with the soul draining work behind them, off they went to the bar.

MEXICAN FOOD

The bar was located in one of the “less affluent” areas of the city. The 14^th street was not known for the most beautiful sights; it was full of beat down, old residential buildings (the kind where the rent is cheap and the roof leaks) on one side of the street, while the other side was full of cheap restaurant and bars.

Wealthy families did not come here. The street had litter everywhere, the waste bins were overfilled and there were a couple of homeless people camping under the light pole. It wasn’t the nicest place to have “lively conversations” as the company put it. But since the event was sponsored by the company itself, the workers had, let’s say, “mediocre expectations”. And to make matters worse, the HOD was in charge of organizing the event, which meant he would do everything he could to cut the costs. Why? Because whatever he could save from the budget went straight to his pocket. A couple hundred dollars every month just to eat at a shitty restaurant and make your colleagues suffer didn’t seem like such a bad idea, did it?

And honestly, no one complained. They had bigger things to worry about in life, and everyone knew, if they were in HOD’s place, they would do the same. They all belonged to the same breed of men after all. Beat down, middle class and hungry for more.

Hence, on a warm Tuesday evening, the dozen or so employees of MET LIFE INSURANCE .CO went to the Mexican bar to enjoy their “co-worker meetup”.

EL MARCHINO

The bar was called, “El Marchino’s Restaurant and Bar”. Unsurprisingly, it was run by a man called, you guessed it, El Marchino. They served Mexican food. Adjacent to the bar, was a food stall run by an Indian couple. And besides that, there was a small bakery and so on. The street was full of mediocre restaurants (that primarily served the residents of the building across the street). Hence, the moment you walked into 14^th street, your nostrils would get filled with exotic smells from all over the world (with all those spices from the restaurants). It was a distinct feeling, and Joe had gotten accustomed to it.

The bar itself was nothing special. It was, after all, just one of the many restaurants on 14^th street and the food was mediocre at best. It wasn’t the most popular place by any means, and the nearby restaurants didn’t help either. Being cheap and opening till 2 in the morning were the only things that were going for El Marchino’s bar. The bar was barely making any profits.

Moreover, the recent FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) regulations required restaurants across Alabama to comply with the new food safety standards, a move which the restaurant owners were not very excited about, especially El Marchino. Marchino, being the man, he was, had enjoyed good profit margins (on whatever customers his shitty restaurant had) by spending little to no money on safety and hygiene. Everyone knew the place was dirty (not that they cared though). But with the new regulations in place, his profit margins were bound to shrink, and he (as any other business owner would) really didn’t want that to happen. His bar had been raided by inspecting officers 3 times in the last month alone, causing him to lose a ton of money in fines, and as a reward, there was a huge NOT SAFE sigh on the entrance of his precious little restaurant. They were already threatening to shut his bar down. The new rules had really started to hurt his already crumbling business, and Marchino was not happy about it.

He hated rules, even as a child. He hated school (in fact, he had never been to school). He hated those inspecting officers. He hated the law.

But he kept going. Nothing seemed to be able to bring El Marchino, nor his restaurant down. Not the competitors, not the bad publicity, and now, not even the state of Alabama. He seemed invincible in the face of such daring odds. People wondered how he could afford to run his restaurant in such circumstances, but he did. Despite everything, the bar opened up at sharp 6 in the evening and remained open until the sun came up, every single day. And El Marchino was always at the counter, like a goose brooding on its nest.

It’s important to mention that seemingly no one ever came to the bar, like the bar was almost always empty except a few mysterious old folks and of course, the employees of MET LIFE INSURANCE.CO every now and then. Why? There were a lot of better alternatives nearby of course. But unlike many businesses, the apparent lack of customers, it seemed, was not really an issue for Marchino. He didn’t really seem to care. He just wanted to keep the business running, even if he was his only customer. He was a strange man. It was a weird way to run a business. Very weird indeed.

HUMBLE ORIGINS.

Marchino, might not have been the smartest guy in the room, however he for sure, wasthe wittiest man in the whole of Alabama. You simply don’t make it from smuggling drugs in Salvador to opening a legitimate business in the middle of America without some serious wits.

Woah! Wait what?

Yup. But we will get to that later.

The Mexican was a peculiar character, both intimidating and charming. But mostly charming, after all not many knew his other side. In fact, no one in the Alabama county really knew where the Mexican had come from. And of course, no one knew of his past. He was a master at selling his ‘charming’ image, and it had apparently worked on the good folks of Alabama county. It was as if he had materialized out of thin air and now was a part of their lives.

“Hey, can’t a Mexican make an honest living in America?”, he would often chide the inspecting officers as they left his little bar with his ‘hard-earned’ cash.

He was a wild dog, even at the ripe age of 62. Rumors had it that he once had bribed the town mayor to avoid parking tickets for his food truck on Sundays (he ran a food truck on weekends to make those extra bucks). People speculated that he would do the same with the FDA officers, but that was just talk. Federal agents are way more expensive than your small-town mayor. Marchino couldn’t afford them, but he did try his best to win their favors (albeit with little success).

He was like the old, charming grandfather that every kid wanted, and with valid reasons too. Part of the reason why people came to his bar (despite the mediocre food and the obvious lack of hygiene) was his personality. He was really friendly to his customers and had lots of stories to tell from his days back in Mexico (how many of them were actually true remains an open-ended question, but people loved them regardless). He had a special way of talking that made even the most mundane topics sound vivid and exciting. Once you talked to Marchino with his slippery tongue, there was a good chance that you would get enticed by his ways. After all, even the mayor could not resist his charms.

And with that, there was the familiar jingle on the door and 27 or so employees of MET LIFE INSURANCE.CO entered the tiny Mexican restaurant oozing with alcohol.

Joe was the last to enter.

LION’S DEN.

As soon as Joe entered the bar, his ears were blasted with loud Mexican music as you would expect in such a setting. The room was dimly lit, and there was cigarette smoke everywhere. Apparently, some of those old folks had been there recently. And, in the corner close to the exit door stood Marchino. As always in his checked shirt and a cigar in his mouth. At the sight of his usual customers, he gave the familiar grin and loudly welcomed the incoming group, especially the HOD.

As soon as they entered the restaurant, everyone separated into their little groups. Everyone had their own little circles within the company. But the first one to leave the group and make himself at home was of course, the HOD. He went ahead with Marchino as usual (who everyone thought was a little too friendly with the HOD) into a private chamber, reserved only for the “important people”. Once the king had gone, the followers followed. And in no time the air was filled with loud music, alcohol and a whole lot of “lively conversations”. Joe on the other hand, went to his own little corner near the washroom and sat. Alone.

He started thinking again.

9/ 12 angry men.

Quick opinion: This movie is the heart of True Cinema.

12 angry men is an old American movie. In fact, its so old that it is black and white. It was made in the year 1957. It revolves around 12 men arguing with each other to come to a collective judgement regarding a serious murder case, hence the name of the movie.

I came across the movie, when I was going through the list: “The best movies of all time” on the internet lol (pretty basic huh?).

PLOT: The murder case is regarding a teenage boy, who has allegedly killed his abusive father. The boy of course denies the allegation, whereas the police present a compelling case against him. Now, it is up to the wisdom of these 12 men, to decide whether the boy is guilty or not.

The issue is serious, and the stakes are high. Ruling guilty would ruin the boy’s whole life. Ruling innocent could let a potential murderer go free without consequences. Hence, the story is ripe for some intense arguments and passionate debates. And that is what, the movie precisely delivers!

GOOD THINGS: First of all, the movie is as compelling as it can get! Despite lacking colors, the movie manages to grip the audience’s attention and holds on it throughout its course. The acting in the movie is just superb. All 12 actors paly their characters well and the movie manages to portray each character’s unique personality despite the time constraints. There is no shortage of intense moments, loud voices, sharp remarks and near break out fights. It’s a joy watching the men struggle to maintain their civility during the heat of their arguments.

Secondly, the arc of the move is very well done. The movie has a good beginning, a great story and an awesome ending. The movie starts by 11 men in favor of guilty and only 1 in favor of not guilty, and by the end, things become very different indeed. In other words, the movie feels complete. All thanks to a well written screenplay.

BAD THINGS: I don’t know man. I’m no movie expert lol. It seemed all good to me XD

MY REMARK: The thing that impressed me the most is that, despite being seemingly so constrained, the movie manages to be one of the most exciting movies I have ever seen! The odds were not in its favor :

It was all black and white.
The movie had no action scenes or flashy VFX
The whole movie takes place in a single room!
There are very few camera cuts, it feels like a single take movie.

Hence, in the age of superhero movies and Bollywood musicals, a black and white movie that takes place in a single room thorough out its whole course doesn’t seem like a great candidate to hold one’s attention, does it? Yet, it manages to do it in a beautiful manner.

The movie is carried by its great screenplay and the stellar performances by the actors. And that, I feel like is the heart of true cinema. No flashy stuff, straight acting.

THE THEME: So, there were a couple of recurring themes in the movie:

Bias: Some of the men had a predefined judgment of the boy’s nature because he was born and raised in a poor neighborhood. Hence, they had an inclination to assume he was rude and violent had hence, had committed the crime (despite the evidence). One man even had a personal reason to believe the boy the guilty.

Hence, the movie exposes how our personal judgement and biases, make it hard for us to make rational decisions. It highlights that all human beings (even the most respected people) are fundamentally flawed.

Conformity: When all 11 men agreed that the boy was guilty and 1 did not, the men (forgetting their morality and responsibility to the truth) started to ostracize the “odd one out” by trying to force the man with the “different” opinion to conform with their judgement. Hence, despite being trusted to uphold the ideal of TRUTH in the court of law (a great responsibility indeed), the men started to behave like tribal animals, forming groups instead of remaining open minded to an opposing opinion.

Hence, the movie, in essence glorifies the one who dares to stand in face of conformity. And while doing so, it highlights the dangers of conformity in society as a whole. When everyone agrees with everyone no matter what, fundamentals of truth such as facts become meaningless, which is a recipe for disaster for the collective wellbeing of the society.

Hmm… sounds familiar doesn’t it?

COCLUSION: All in all, I really liked this movie. I wish more people would watch it; it is a really interesting movie with important message for all of us.

Cheers!

= )

#27 I NEED to poop!

I NEED to poop!

So, long story short, I almost pooped in my pants today.

I go on evening walks every day.

Today, as with every other day, I decided to go for a walk around 3 pm (because it gets really cold by the evening). I usually go alongside the Nakkhu khola.

So, there I went, feeling the winter breeze.

Everything was going fine, but apparently, I had overestimated the cold. I had a warm jacket on when I left home. But at 3, the sun was still high up, so I was sweating like a pig as I was moving up a tiny hill. Hence, I decided to take off my jacket, and carry it in my bad instead (I always have by school bag with me). And I did, after which I only had a thin t-shirt on. It felt good, no more sweating.

Now, on this particular day, I happen to feel quite adventurous so I decided to go farther along the river than I had ever been before (maybe because I had missed yesterday’s evening walk because of the podcast thing). Hence, I walked for like an hour straight down the river, which led me to some pretty cool village like places XD

And then I stopped, because it had been an hour and it would take an hour more to get back home. So, I decided to turn back.

Now, at the very moment that I turned around; something happened. I felt this weird GROWLING sound in my tummy. And then, even before I knew it, I had an intenseeeee urge to poop! You know, the kind you get when you are having a terrible diarrhea lol

Maybe it was because of the cold (cause remember? I only had a t-shirt on) or something else. But regardless of the fucking reason, I had a serious problem at hand.

I heard a voice in my head: “You are in real TROUBLE bruh”

And I whole heartly agreed.

So, to summarize the situation, imagine this:

I am like an hour away from home, in the middle of nowhere (there were rice fields all around me lol)
And I need to poop! Like not even kidding, like ASAP

If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

I started thinking about options:

Shit in the rice field
Hold it in to the best of your ability, until you get home
Ask a nearby home, “Um.. excuse me, can I take a dump in your home?”

Damn! None of these looked like good options to me. Here is why:

Option 1: Well, ngl it honestly sounded like a solid idea in the moment… but come on! How would I wipe my ass? With leaves?

Option 2: I could, but needless to say, I have serious self-confidence issues lol. My bowel controlling abilities are questionable to say the least.

Option 3: I mean, I wouldn’t want a stranger to shit in my house and just leave lol. Needless to say, it was way too awkward for me.

So, I did what I do best, I compromised.

I compromised between option 2 and 3 (although option 1 would have been a great story to tell!). I decided, I would hold it in as long as I can, until I find a suitable house to ask for help or get home.

And if I fail… then well…. we all have shit our pants at some point in our lives, right? Anyone?

And so the mission begins!

I’m trying all tricks in the books to hold my shit together (no pun intended).

I’m walking slowly, so I don’t shake things up lol

I’m also using this ancient Japanese technique called, “Trying to fart” to get the excess gas out. It was arguably a risky move, but I had to do it.

So, long story short, I finally gather up the courage to ask this uncle at this cheap ass restaurant (you know, where they only serve tea and biscuits) to let me use his toilet cause I couldn’t hold it in any longer. And surprisingly, he was super nice about it and I took, arguably the most satisfying shit of my life!

It was such a relief! I can’t even describe it in words.

So, the moral of the story is: Um… don’t take your fucking jacket off during evening walks?

Oh and, Thank you uncle! You literally saved my life. I hope your restaurant becomes more successful and your chickens lay more eggs! (he had lots of chicken too).

Cheers!

Back to the future 2 is the best movie that’s ever been made.

There is nothing that comes even close!

I can’t explain why. It just is XD

#26 Fuck the small shops!

Fuck the small shops!

Judging by the title of this article, I assume you already know by now:

“I fucking hate small shops”

Yup, I do, with all my heart : )

Part 1: The Reason

Now, before I go on a rampage shitting on all “small shops” lol, I think it’s essential that we first define what am I referring to.

So, for me small shop is any shop where “you are expected to bargain”. Yup, that’s the category. These include mainly the street vegetable vendors, and “those shops” (you know what I’m talking about, can’t think of examples lol). Like places where you go to buy real shit like tomato, brinjal, underwear, cheap watches et cetera. Basically, any shop that has anything even related to the “B” word, I fucking hate it. No second thoughts.

Bargaining.

Ah I hate this word man! I mean, who likes to do that? Well… apart from middle aged aunties with nothing better to do (sorry aunty!), I think everyone is on the same page: “We don’t like Bargaining”. It’s messy, it’s time consuming and it honestly SUCKS.

And what’s more, in these small shops, the prices are kept deliberately high because they expect you to bargain. That’s all fine if I actually enjoy talking with people but what if I am not one of those middle-aged aunties? What if I don’t want to talk? What if I don’t want to play this stupid game of price negotiation?

Well, then they fuck you. Hard.

Yup, they charge you like 2.5 times the cost price, and you have to swallow it, smile and cough up the money.

I’ve experienced it myself, too many times lol.

And whenever I share it with people (let’s be honest mom), they look at me as if it’s me who is wrong? I mean, it’s not me who is cheating people! It’s the shopkeeper! But, since somehow this stupid game called “bargaining” is so normal in the society’s eyes, you can never be the victim (even if you have clearly been, as I’ve mentioned earlier, fucked by the shopkeeper).

Part 2: All hail the Supermarkets!

And ladies and gentlemen, that’s why I go to the supermarkets.

Ah! The supermarkets. I think it’s the second-best thing that ever happened to humanity (after penicillin of course). The long aisles full of stuff that I don’t need but I’ll probably end up buying anyway, the apparent lack of people whom you have to talk (even if you are dying inside), and most importantly NO BARGAINING.

I genuinely think about supermarkets when I’m anxious, it gives me peace of mind like nothing else.

They are fast, efficient and way easier to understand than the streets (for a dummy like myself lol).

Now, now, I know the popular sentiment around supermarkets: “Ohhhh ohhh they, they are too expensive”. Yeah right, you autistic motherfucker. This argument is only true for, again, those middle-aged aunties who were seeming born to bargain on the streets. For 90% of the population, you know the somewhat sane people, supermarkets are a far better option than the streets.

And yup, they might be a little expensive, but they don’t do you dirty like they do you on the streets. You can rest assured that you have transparency on the price. There is no hidden shit. There are no playing games. If you like it, buy it. If you don’t, leave.

They don’t waste your time.

You, the customer has the choice.

Plus, you don’t have to talk to people!

Part 3: I hate People!

Let’s be honest here. You don’t like people.

See, when I’m out there. It’s a sunny afternoon. I want some biscuits to eat (cause I’m a moron who doesn’t know how to cook). I check my wallet. I get into my slippers. I go to the nearest shop. Then everything goes downhill.

I have to actually talk with this motherfucker whose name I don’t even know. I have to first ask what biscuit is available. Then ask the price. Tell him if I want it or not. If I happen to want that one, then tell him which one. Then ask if a 10-dollar bill will do? If he says no, then go to the nearby shop like a fucking idiot asking for change. And then….

Holy shit! Stop!

Too many fucking steps for my tiny brain. I can’t do it.

Can’t I just go to the shop, look for the shit myself and buy it without needing to do all the extra steps? I mean, it ain’t rocket science, is it? “Gimme my shit, I’ll give you my money.” Simple.

I don’t want to talk to some “Ram Krishna Dai” just to get my biscuits. I just want my biscuits man!

But nope, these small shops don’t get it. And that’s why I like supermarkets.

It’s fast, it’s simple and there is one less face to talk to. And that… makes all the difference in the world. If it costs me a bit more, I’m more than happy to pay for it. Just cut the bullshit, will you?

Part 4: But what about poor people?

Now, it’s a sad reality that in a “poor” country like mine there are not many supermarkets. People are too poor to afford supermarkets, and I might sound like a douche bag for having such an affinity for shiny grocery stores. But just hear me out.

Yes, they are too poor to afford stores, but I’m not talking about the consumers like you and me (the consumers can afford it just fine), I’m talking about the sellers. Especially, the daily vegetable seller.

Most seller can’t afford to sell their products in supermarkets.

In most South Asian societies, we still get our veggies from the streets. And the people who generally sell these are the poorest of the bunch. So, the problem is, how can they afford sell in high end super-markets when they don’t have money for the bus ride?

Well, that’s what I fear.

As more people are figure out that it’s simply much easier and more notably, affordable to buy veggies from the supermarkets, I fear the poorest of the bunch, the common vegetable seller will have a really hard time (cause he will have fewer customers).

What hurts me when I shop on the streets is the fact that I have to bargain with the poorest people. And I don’t have a choice because I am expected to do so! If I don’t then, I feel like I am being cheated (cause, some of them do keep prices high because of bargaining). If I do bargain, I feel like a piece of shit bargaining with poor folks.

It’s a dead end either way.

And the reason why, they can’t sell like supermarkets might seem obvious: Capital. To open a supermarket, it takes a lot of fucking money. Money, which poor people don’t have. But, it’s not necessarily the money that’s holding them back, I believe it’s the community.

If all the sellers agree to sell stuff at a fixed price, there is nothing to stop them from doing so. But that requires a level of organization within these poor sellers, which they (for some reason) they can’t seem to achieve. So, if a bigger body, like the local government or the community itself pushes these sellers to sell at a fixed price and make the process easier then I believe it’s easily possible.

Hence, that’s why this idea of fixed price is good for us (the consumers, because we don’t have to feel like shit) and it’s good for the sellers too (as they will hopefully attract more buyers like myself).

So, that’s it! I believe most of our miseries do not come from the fact that we are poor, but from the fact that we lack the basic organizational skill and ideas to make life easier and efficient.

Geez! I sound like a fucking economist lol. What a shame.

Conclusion.

So, there are 3 things that we learnt from this seemingly random rant (from the depths of my heart):

Small shops suck
I love supermarkets!
A little bit of thinking can possibly solve big problems in life.

So, anyways that’s it for today.

And if you happen to have to talk with someone named, “Ram Krishna Dai” the next time you are out there to buy some biscuits. Convey a warm FUCK YOU to him from me, will you?

Cheers!

= )

/2 A doctor’s guide to killing a man

A doctor’s guide to killing a man

Now before you label me a psychopath, let me stop you right there. No, I’m not….yet lol.

And also, there is something very misleading about this article:

I’m also not a doctor.

I’m just a dumb ass who read something interesting while preparing for my exams and decided to write an article about it.

So, with the pressing concerns out of the way, now let’s see how to kill a man, shall we?

Carbon monoxide (CO)

It’s a simple gas. One can assume that there is not much going on in CO’s life by the looks of it. I mean, it’s just a lonely carbon atom attached to another lonely oxygen atom, floating around in space…

But, don’t let the looks fool you!

Sure, it might seem like just another gas (that too a boring one!) but this little molecule can easily kill you in a very short amount of time. And I mean SHORT.

See, if you inhale even tiny amounts of Carbon monoxide, it can cause something called: Carbon monoxide poisoning. What happens basically is that, you blood has hemoglobin and it is hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. But this nasty little gas, carbon monoxide, can also stick with hemoglobin just like oxygen. And that also 200 time faster than oxygen!

So, if you inhale CO (even minute amounts), it will stick with hemoglobin leaving less room for it to carry oxygen (because hemoglobin will be like: “Hey man! I am already stuck with CO, so no room for Oxygen sorry!”). And that… is seriously bad news for the body. Because, if you don’t have enough room to carry oxygen, how will all the tissues in the body survive? They need oxygen to live, right?

Yup. And that’s the how people die.

See, if carbon monoxide poisoning is not treated quickly, it can lead to death due to hypoxia (“lack of oxygen”) in the body.

And… that’s where my psychopathic tendencies kick in lol.

What fascinated me the most about CO (apart from its ability to kill people lol) is that: It is colorless, and odorless. And what’s more! The victim doesn’t even realize that he is dying!

See, since it is colorless and odorless the room could be filled with this nasty gas and nobody would notice it! That’s why there so many cases of people dying because they don’t even realize that their room was filled with this deadly gas.

And also, in other types of hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in the body, there is something called cyanosis, which is just a fancy way to saying “bluish tint in tips of fingers and lips”. That is, if there is lack of oxygen in the blood, the blood becomes blue (cause only oxygenated blood is red in color). And, so doctors can easily diagnose that the person is not getting enough oxygen in his tissues.

But that doesn’t happen in carbon monoxide poisoning! In CO poisoning, the skin stays normal even if there is less oxygen in the body! (The reason being, the CO-hemoglobin complex is also red in color). So, there no way to tell that the person is dying from hypoxia just by looking at them, which makes it even more deadly.

The plan

So, if you really want to kill someone (or say, a whole bunch of people lol), in the most hassle-free manner (cause your comfort matters to me) then let me teach you how:

Find a way to add Carbon Monoxide into air your victim is beathing.

You can do that in many ways (just have to be creative lol).

You can:

Add CO into their ventilation system if they have an Air conditioner system (typical in large offices).
Or, simply quietly leak CO into a room where someone usually sleeps (remember, it’s odorless and colorless).
Or, IDK just figure out a way lol

If you do that, there is a pretty good chance, that the person will die. And even if they didn’t die, chances are you have done some serious permanent damage to their brain or other vital organs. See, when your brain doesn’t get oxygen for too long, it begins to die, which can lead to a whole lot of nasty conditions: including, but not limited to, fully body paralysis, coma, speech impairment, respiratory failure (due to paralysis of lung muscles) and more.

So, you see, my methods are quick, easy and most importantly, EFFECTIVE lol.

Btw, you can literally buy Carbon Monoxide online lol. Go to amazon.com and search for methylene chloride (which is a chemical that spontaneously degrades into CO) used in paint removers. And the crazy part is, literally anyone can buy this online! Anyone!

So… I’m not saying that you should… but if you ever feel like killing someone: now you know how ; )

Thank me later

Cheers!

= )

But seriously, don’t try this lol. This is just something I found amusing XD. As reparations for the possible (and unlikely) harm I might have done by writing this article, here is a useful link highlighting the dangers of CO poisoning (for your safety) : Carbon monoxide poisoning – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

/1 The nature of medical education.

The nature of medical education.

Medical science is a vast and complicated field. There are so many topics to learn, so many diseases to diagnose and an unprecedented amount of new knowledge added to the field by relentless researchers all over the world.

And… it can be overwhelming at times. I mean, there is just so much to know!

But I believe a little perspective can help : )

Part 1: The destination.

So, the whole point of all the learning that you do in medical school is to prepare you to become a good doctor. Hence, it only makes sense to understand what a doctor actually does if you going to become one lol.

So, the job of a doctor (as far as I know lol) is similar to that of a complex computer. A doctor simply takes input (signs, symptoms, X rays, CT scans) from the patient, then he processes it (figure out what the symptoms mean, and form a proper diagnosis of the disease) and then gives output (give out a cure/solution to the patient’s problem).

Yup, that’s basically the job of a doctor at it’s core.

Now of course, human beings are not machines lol. Hence, there is always an emotional aspect to the job (you know, empathizing with the patient and listening). But, that’s not the theme of this article so I’ll not talk about these (although these too are very important skills).

Now, going back to the computer analogy, we can see how medical schools try to prepare you for each of these steps differently.

However, most important of these steps is: Processing.

So, in order for a doctor know process the complex sings and symptoms that a patient presents (after all the human body is incredibly weird lol), he/she needs to know and more importantly understand a lot of things. And I mean a lot.

For example, how do you figure out what’s wrong with a patient who has blood in his urine, is having persistent headaches and has difficulty walking? I mean, the fuck do I know right lol? These are seemingly unrelated symptoms at first, and to a layman (heck, even a doctor) these might not make any sense what so ever.

And if you can’t understand the problem, you can’t solve it.

And that’ why learning is given such an emphasis in medical schools.

See, in order to relate these 3 seemingly unrelated symptoms (and give a proper diagnosis of the patient), the doctor needs to know FACTS about the human body: Why is there blood is urine? In which conditions a person has difficulty walking? And so on and so forth. Moreover, he needs to UNDERSTAND what these facts actually mean, and make relationships between these facts to come up with a complete understanding of the disease at hand.

And that’s why medical schools are notoriously hard.

It’s because to become a good doctor, you are required to know a shit ton of information and be able to make logical relationships between these bits of information. And to know so much information, you need to STUDY a lot. And by a lot, I mean a lot lol.

“Hence, if you ever feel overwhelmed or frustrated as to why you have so much to study, understand and memorize in such a short amount of time in medical school, always remember: It’s because it’s such an integral part of being a good doctor.”

It can help you keep you morale up : ) Plus, if you really understand it, it’s pretty fun ; )

Part 2: The skills

So, medical school can be kind of overwhelming.

But if you are able to develop some basic skills early on, it will make your life so much easier. A better way to put it would be, medical school forces you to develop these skills because if you don’t, you will fall behind lol.

Below is a list of skills I think are absolutely important in order to survive (and do well) in medical school:

Organization/ Time management.

Yeah, we all have been there. We all feel like we are not organized people, that our life is an absolute mess. Don’t worry you are not alone.

But if you want to have an easy time in medical school, you do need to start developing good organization skills. These include,

Keeping track of you lectures
Knowing your exam dates
Managing your notes (whether physical or on a computer)
Managing your books (because there are so many!)
Taking time to study for exams beforehand (it’s very hard if you cram stuff at last moment)
Scheduling your day (to make time to study different subjects)
Plus, you need to maintain your health, relationships and overall wellbeing too!

Now, I know these don’t sound very sexy. I mean, these take effort and effort is never seen as attractive in a world that we live in.

“But I would much rather be a little ‘less sexy’ than be sleep deprived : )”

2. Learning skills

The stuff that you need to learn in medical school is vast. There so many subjects, and each has a seemingly infinite amount of information to be learnt.

Hence, knowing how to can help ; )

Below are some of the stuff I think you should be able to do in order to learn efficiently:

Manage your books: There are so many books for each subject (since there is no single “course book” in medicine), it’s easy to get lost lol. Hence, I recommend you read many books from different writers and find the ones that work best for you.
Categorize books: There are big books and there are small books. Big books should usually be used to understand concepts (but they are not really exam oriented) and small books should be ideally be used to prepare for exams (because they only contain the most relevant information).
Read multiple books when possible: Read both big and small books. Similar to point no.2
Lectures are a goldmine: Pay attention to lectures (or at least review the slides lol) because the lectures often contain only the most (I mean the MOST) important information that is bound to be asked in exam. So, if you only understand the lectures, there is a good change you know the basics (which is extremely valuable).
Use the internet: The is so much stuff to know that sometimes, going through books to clear every little confusion/ or understand every single topic is simply not time efficient (remember, you are always running out of time in medical school lol). So, use Google to quickly find information you need instead of flipping through pages. You can even find really good lectures on Youtube for free. There is more to the internet than just watching cat videos ; )

“The point is: Take charge of your own education, cause your teachers won’t. They are there just to cover the basics, clear up confusions and take exams. Much of the work has to be done by yourself lol. Seriously.”

Part 3: The conclusion

All in all, medical education is high volume and fast paced in nature. That is why most people feel that it’s so difficult at times. Hence, you need all the motivation, learning skills and organizational techniques you can find to keep up with your school work.

Most students struggle to keep with the never-ending stream of lectures and exams (I being one of them lol). And to tell you what? It’s okay.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed, do ask for help and be kind to yourself.

Cheers!

= )