I'll be there for you!

Once upon a time, there lived a wolf, a deer and a kangaroo. The three were great friends. Their lives were juxtaposed into each other despite their varied food preferences. All the 3 got pregnant and gave birth to beautiful babies. And they were wonderful mothers; sacrificing food, sleep and comforts to take care of their offspring. Baby wolf, baby deer, and baby kangaroo played together, ate together and were inseparable. But one day, it was a time of great drought and famine. Hungry, tired and helpless, the three mothers and their children traveled across the jungle for food and water. The vast horizon stretched for miles and miles, but there was no sign of food or water.

As the setting sun spawned the dusk, the animals, completely spent by now, were almost certain that they would die. They talked about spending their last moments together. About their wonderful times together. But just as their death was beginning to look inevitable, a mighty beam of light tore the skies and hit the forest floor. The impact resulted in the formation of a huge chasm. Quite stunned by this supernatural phenomenon, the animals paced towards the hole from the sky. As they stood there gazing at the infinite depths of oblivion, a heavenly voice began it's sermon. “Because you three animals have been very noble and united, I shall give you a chance to live. Beneath this forest, there is a treasure chest that transgresses Elysium. There you shall find all the food and water you require to sustain your lives..."

Delighted, they were about to enter the pit when the voice interrupted: “...on one condition... Only one of you may enter the pit and bring back food for the rest. So choose well..." After a lot of discussion, the baby kangaroo decided to enter the pit. They others waited eagerly for their share of life. It had been a few minutes, but the kangaroo wouldn't send back any food. Wondering what the problem was, the animals looked down the pit to see the kangaroo eating all the food in the chest. “Hey what are you doing?! Give some of that to us, will you?!", they screamed with anguish. The baby kangaroo's reply restored my faith in F.R.I.E.N.D.S... “Joey doesn't share food!"

Troll Week

Hello, one and all! I am currently doing a practical course in the field of Regenerative Medicine at the Rehabilitationsklinikum, Ulm. I work with cartilage and stuff. Anyway, Fridays are good days, and hence I will now post a collection of troll incidents that have taken place during this week at my lab. Featuring me, Anup Vasudev and my supervisor, Jana (pronounced as Yana). Here goes:

#1: Monday (6th July, 2015)

Me (looking at the bottles in the lab): "Hey Jana, what does "MeOH" mean?"
Jana: "What cats do."
Me: "Excuse me?"
Jana: "Hahahahahahahahah! Kidding. Methanol, Anup."


#2: Tuesday (7th July, 2015)

Jana: "This is the Annexin Stain. You are not to leave it open, it will not be chemically stable for a long time at Room Temperature."
Me: "What causes the Annexin to lose stability?
Jana: "Some chemical bond breakage I guess."
Me: "Which bonds?"
Jana: "Just use it fast. It's very costly.


#3: Wednesday (8th July, 2015)

Me: "Where should I store the RNA, Jana?"
Jana: "At the -80 degrees Celsius freezer. It's outside the lab."
Me: "Why there?"
Jana: "Because it's very, very cold."

#4: Thursday (9th July, 2015): Tables turn, suckers!
Me (during the coffee break): "Hey Jana, what are your plans for the future?"
Jana: "Post doc maybe.. I am not sure. What will you do after this?"
Me: "Go home, have a bath."

#5: Friday (10th July, 2015)
Me: "Hey I have a little work with cell culture, can I take your place at..."
Jana: "No, I have worked very hard to get here. Hahahahahahaha!"
Me: "I meant at the... never mind..."

FULL TIME: JANA WINS 4 - 1

Lonely

Once upon a time, there lived a short girl. Solitude was her only companion. She could never figure out why people avoided her. She once decided to go out for a walk on a very cold, snowy day. She wore her favorite sweater, jeans and a pair of nice, furry boots. She headed straight towards an orchard filled with fruit trees. Distraught about her loneliness, she wanted to contemplate about her life and lack of company. While all the trees were covered in snow, she spotted one tree: greener than the rest; symbolizing life and hope. It was an Apple Tree.

She smiled to herself. She approached the tree and felt like there was a subtle need to make contact. She did. "Speak to me, O tree! I have no friends." There came no reply. Angry and disgusted, she kicked the tree. Tears came streaming down her face. "Why am I so lonely?!" But Mother Nature was very kind. She gave her a sign. A couple of apples fell to her feet. She was delighted! "Oh thank you, sweet tree. I am indebted to you for your kindness." The tree replied: "Shawty had them Apple Bottom Jeans [Jeans], Boots with the fur [With the fur]."

Never mess with Mother Nature. Never.

A Good Hair Day

Earphones plugged in; I boarded the bus and headed back home. Just had to tie my hair up into a pony tail today. Looking out of the window; I was enjoying the magic the music was weaving into my soul when I felt a gentle tug on my pony; a slight pull. I turned to see what was it that had dared to touch my beautiful locks. What I saw surprised me. It was a cute little girl; maybe 5 or 6 years old. She looked at me and gave me the widest smile anyone's ever given me. Her innocence was pure as anything could possibly be. How could I not reply back with a smile? As the little child continued playing with my hair, her mother smiled at me and said: “Warum müssen Sie lange Haare haben?" (Why must you have long hair?) I chuckled: “Denn ich liebe es!" (Because I love it!) She said to me: “Nein, nein, bitte schneiden Sie Ihr Haar!" (No, no.. Please cut your hair). The little girl was observant of our conversation. Visibly upset by her mother's request, she was prompt with her reply: “Nein Ma, es ist wunderbar!" (No Mother, it is wonderful!). I was touched by the little girl's words. “Ich werde nicht meine Haare schneiden!", (I will not cut my hair!) I said to her.

She patted me on the head like I was her pet dog, held her mother's hand and got down. As the bus moved farther away, I was left with an image of her smile: wider than before, and a loud “Tschuss!" (Bye). I waved gleefully; hoping that I would see the little angel again; the little angel who bore a staunch testament to the fact that mutual respect and kindness are omnipresent. They are the laws of Nature that all living creatures are born compliant to. But mankind defies these laws to create and perpetrate hatred and racism, unbeknownst to the fact that these will destroy their creators with far lesser effort than what their creation necessitated.