SIMPLE CURE FOR RAT BITE

Sometimes most unexpected things happen turning your world upside down. Who would've thought a rat would bite me one day - but yet, it did. And in most strangest of ways. It so happened, every couple of months I go to my native house. So, the house I currently live in is all locked up and bolted during that duration. In my many visits, I've discovered that rats and mice love living in my house, when i'm away. They also are surprised when they see me back. While they enjoy when I'm gone, same is not the case when I'm back. I use all kinds of baits and weapons to anihilate them for good. So far I've been successful using a combo of rat-cakes and rat glue boards. And this was when the mishap happened.

A rat ended up eating the cake and landed lazily in the glue trap that I had set up. It wasn't dead yet and was struggling to get off that pad. At that moment, just to prevent him, I struck another glue-pad over it. I know its cruel, but, its really a nuisance to have rats around. I so so wish they don't come, but, they do - so, I end up having to terminate them. Maybe, that day was my 'karma' day for having butchered so many rats. So, as I put the pad over him, my attention got diverted a bit; thats when I yelled out in pain. It had turned its head and punctured deep into my right hand's middle finger, behind the nail and the fleshy part ( two deep holes ). It was nearly stuck into my finger ( with its sharp teeth ) and I had difficulty shaking it off. I felt a very sharp piercing pain and blood came out oozing instantly. I let the blood flow a bit, before washing with dettol liquid. The pain was really stingy-kinda and bad - with my hand nearly shivering. I was told by my neighbour to get a tetanus shot. So evening, I got one. I never go to any doctors, but, it was several years since I had a tetanus shot, so, I decided to get it done. However, the doctor gave me a combination of few other medicines which I skipped. I didn't want to take anything orally - I'm petrified to take pills of any sort. The nurse put some ointment and dressed the wound saying it'll heal in a few days. But it didn't.

The finger pained so much that after few days I decided to remove the dressing myself. After I removed the bandage, the wound dried out - only, it didn't heal as I soon discovered. The outer skin had come back, but, inside the wound was still raw. I'd feel pain if my finger brushed against something or accidently got tapped. I didn't want to visit any doctor, but since the pain was persistant I went to a local nursing clinic. I asked the doctor there if she could prescribe any topical lotion or ointment. Instead, she started scribbing a list of medicines that I had to take orally. One antibiotic, another painkiller capsule along with a vitamin tablet. She told me to take the three together ( twice after meals every day ) and observe upto two-three days; then, continue for seven days if my condition improved. I was like, if conditions improved why I needed to continue it. She replied, that antibiotics had to be taken full course ( 7 days or 14 days ), else, the germs/bacteria could go rogue and multiply and attack more intensely. I heard enough for that day. I paid for the medicines and came back home. But, would I take them as instructed? Hell...no! There was certainly no way I was going to take any antibiotic - she said it'd heal the wound from within. I was not convinced. I heard all types of stories that anti-biotic damages the kidneys. So, it was time to get matters into my own hands eerrr...my finger in this case. I pushed away the medicines into some remote corner of my drawer.

I turned to my old friend 'dettol' instead. But this would not be an ordinary dettol wash. My wound was under the already dried skin. So I had to burn the skin to reach that infected area. It'd get messy. No, I'd not put my finger under the fire. Dettol would burn it. I used a stronger measure of dettol mixed with little water. Here the ration was almost 8:2, the dettol was that strong. And I started keeping my finger submerged in that liquid. Within few hours, I could see my skin scalding and shrinking at parts and the area was little open and sore. The dettol had reached those bacteria atlast. I dipped my finger few more times, till I was satisfied that the job was done. In two-three days, my finger was back to normal and new skin came in place of the damaged burnt skin. Till date, I have no pain in that finger anymore. Dettol, didn't fail me. And to think how that doctor had scared me to take those antibiotic and painkillers and stuff. So, glad, I listened to my own conscience. I felt like throwing those medicines at that doctor's face. Anyhow, I don't disrespect the medical fraternity. They are just not my thing and I hope to stay away from them forever. Maybe, someone else would've taken those medicines instead of being experimental like me. They are not wrong either. To each their own. I'm just glad, I avoided those medicines and healed myself with good ol' dettol.




Rats have those incissors that are ever growing, so, they have to keep chewing on things to control the growth. So, its not always for food that they chew, its something they have to keep doing - thus, they chew through everything - concrete, wires, pipes etc. Except hard metal, rats can chew almost anything. They end up destroying lots of things so an infestaion is scary, added to the various diseases they carry ( rat bite fever, plague etc ).

QUICK FIX FOR YOUR GREYS

When we were young, when we spotted anyone with grey hair - it instantly meant that the person is a 'bujurg' or 'old'. Ignorant were we that even young people sometimes have grey hair - some even in their twenties. There could be multiple reasons for those greys and silvers in your head - health, disorders, genetic, age etc. We are paranoid to call them 'white' even, @duh! All is hunky dory until we start spotting them in our own heads. Then, all hell breaks loose. We panic! We try to remember all the grandma remedies we'd ignore grandly till now, try to rub furiously into our hair various and sometimes bizzare concoctions of beet-root juice, coffee, tea etc ( every fruit and vegetable that has a dark colour/pigment ), pulping and making a paste or hair-mask out of anything and everything almost, hoping the greys cannot be spotted. We search one youtube video after another - how to control, prevent, banish those annoying greys altogether for good. We are almost scared to look into the mirror without an urge to burst into tears like a child at our 'lost crowning glory' of those luscious blacks, only to be replaced by the depressing 'grey cloud' that sits on our head. Taking 'selfie' becomes a 'horror' unimaginable, we try to hide from even being spotted remotedly in the background of someone else's picture - for the fear of the greys being spotted. We start chewing curry leaves or some falana-dhimkana like a maniac, because, someone suggested so. But nothing works. We just can't fight nature. What has to happen will happen. Another grey pops out in our head in the mean time.

Recently, a socielite Shalini Passi of ( FLOBW fame ) in her late forties, claimed that she had only two ( yes, she counted ) strands of white hair. Smoke went out of my ears hearing that. NOOO! I wanted to scream. How can it be? She must surely be lying. No one can really get to the truth, unless, we start spying her vanity. So, what to do when grey hair comes knocking. And they will, whether you accept it or not. Thats the karma for enjoying black hair in your youth. Its time to face the action of having grey hair at old age. And I'm blabbering a lot, right? lol. Well, I'm spotting couple of them myself and I've tried every trick in the book to defeat them. But, nothing has worked so far. No amount of plucking out or colouring stops them from coming back. And with time, its spreading like an epidemic all over my head. What started as few strands are spreading into groups or new clumps. And, soon, I'll be an old woman with a head full grey hairs. Thats a future I'm destined to accept. And my dear fellow country men/women - it happens to everyone. So, try not to laugh - 'greys' gonna get you someday too. Watchout!

Okay, so since I've blurted out as much as I could - whats the quick fix really that the title of my post suggests? No, I'm not going to advise hair colours or henna which are the usual go-tos, I find them time-consuming, messy and also damaging to the scalp. Instead, I've found the really short-cut to hiding those greys. Yes, 'only hide' mind you. I'm not claiming to cure them. Even God can't. ERR...so! And it applies only to short hair or the 'new growths', if you've already got coloured hair - near the roots to be very specific. This is best fix, if you are in a hurry and donot have time for an elaborate hair colouring ritual. So, lets get on to it. Take your kajal pencil - any black or dark brown kajal. We women always have a kajal pencil with us, so, its a very handy tip...applied at short notice. Swatch it in your index finger ( or any finger you're comfortable with ), and just rub it in the greys. As simple as that. Swatch, rub...swatch rub. And, presto---- your greys get covered in a jiffy, within seconds. And the colour stays too, at least the whole day So, simple haan...try it! You can thank me later :-)


take kajal pencil, swatch on finger and rub in the greys - repeat, and be happy!

HOW TO SET UP A SOLAR PANEL - CHEAPEST DIY HACK

When I was preparing for my Guwahati-Bombay road trip couple of years back, my main concern was how to get power in my car to charge my phone, fans or lights, as living without my gadgets was simply unthinkable. And it was to be a 4-5 days long journey, perhaps even longer as I was planning to halt everywhere. Sure, I could charge my phone while driving the car as driving would charge the car battery as well. But what about running my fan during a halt, or just heating up my mini electric kettle. I started researching as being dependent on my car battery was not an option - I wanted to use the car battery only for the car purpose, so, had to quickly think of viable solutions. I looked up at suggestions for installing a seperate alternator and a seperate battery, that could also be charged while driving the car, but, remains cut off from the main car battery and could be used for other purposes. While its possible, it seemed too complicated - the whole process. Also, I simply didn't want to keep driving just to charge my batteries. So, I searched for simpler alternatives. Then, my eyes fell on a Solar Panel, I knew I was fast approaching a solution. Solar Panels could charge even when the car is not moving. Just what I wanted. But since at that time it was fairly a new concept in my city ( in the year 2021 ), I had to do the whole thing myself - ordering, assembling and installation.

While ordering the solar panel of 100Watts ( monocrystalline as it is better than the polycrystalline ) at Rs.4000 from Amazon was easy peasy, the purchase of the battery though was a challenge, as I soon found out normal car battery would not allign with the panels. So, my hunt for a solar battery began. And it was not easy. No car battery shop had heard of those. I was at the point of nearly giving up, when one day I saw something 'solar' mentioned in a shop's signboard. And viola...I found my battery shop atlast. Yes, to my joy, they were dealing with solar related equipment and I could not be more happier. Meanwhile, I had already bought the 2mm red and black wires, and solar charge controller ( which is a crucial part of the setup ), and I took them excitedly to the shop. The battery I bought was deep cycle - that does not require to add distilled water, Exide 17 Ah Powersafe Plus Pure Sine Wave, two pieces = 34ah total. When I bought it, it cost me 7500 bucks ( both ), but, its cheap these days.

the 100 watt solar panel for the roof...

I fastened the panel securely in the roof carrier of my car, with the two positive and negative nodes attached ( and covered in tapes ) to the 2mm wires attached to the solar battery which I kept inside.


the DIY set up of solar panel to battery and charge controller...

On the left port of the charge controler, is the point to attach wires coming from the panel, in middle port, you connect to the battery, and the third port can be used to connect to an extra board for other gadgets or appliances or even a UPS... each port has positive and negatives, so, do connect accordingly with the corresponding wires ...the charge controller also has two USB ports in it from where one can do charging of phone/fans directly ( without discharging the battery - and it worked even in cloudy weather ) - do ensure all points are connected securely...this part is the most important of all steps...



For my 100Watt set up, I used two 17ah each batteries, connected at positives to positives, and negatives to negatives by a 2mm wire on each point, while only points from one of the batteries was used to connect to the charge controller. If one wants more battery storage, simply add via the same technique. One can also install panels of higher wattage to much higher AH batteries. But, since my requirements were only phone/fan/light I was satisfied with my 100 Watts and was always connected throughout my entire trip making it so enjoyable. The same technique can be used at home too and not have to pay huge electricity bills. But, I must say solar set up is not that cheap - atleast when I bought it. The panel, battery and wires would cost money, although, the charge controller is not that pricy. However, its a one time investment, and companies do provide long-term guarantees ( on the panel ), so, that could be a plus point, and we see so many opting for solar energy these days. The sun provides the energy here and charges up everything, its incredible ~ much clean and environment friendly too.

HOW TO GET RID OF ACNE/ PIMPLE/ BREAKOUTS IN A SINGLE DAY NATURALLY WITH JUST YOUR HAIR TIPS AND...

It was May2010, summer and very hot in Bombay/Mumbai. I was hiding in my home. I couldn't dare to go out. Not with my face looking like how it did then. What started with a single pimple, had spread all over my face. Not one or two, there were clusters of them, everywhere. They itched, I scratched, they spread like wild fire.....till I had no plain space left in my face. It was horrible. My face was both painful and itchy at the same time. And I was miserable. My mother suggested remedies. I tried them. They failed. Google and Youtube suggested various remedies as well. I tried. They failed too. It was a dire situation and I had tried everything. From my mom's suggestions of antiseptic creams like boroline, neosporin, aspoline, vicco etc to Youtube/Google's various suggestions of putting raw eggs, castor oil, turmeric, coconut oil, honey, curd and what not. Instead of improving - the condition went worse. I looked horrible and my neighbours too got alarmed at seeing my face. In the end I decided to stop everything. I removed all the muck and debris left from all the various experimental concoctions I had plastered on my face to demolish those pimple clusters. I decided dumping all. Those things were not letting the clusterrs dry out, instead, were trapping whatever germs or bacteria there were, inside. So, taking a soft cotton ball, I started to clean with simple dettol and water solution. I'd keep the dettol soaked cotton ball on top of the clusters for some time. I changed the ratio few times. I found that increasing dettol can even burn the skin ( and scar your skin brown ). So, perfect ratio is a must - not too strong or too mild. And thats what I did the following days. I found the clusters drying up and eventually healing. So, dettol was my cure - and not those other ointments and kitchen ingredients.



So, I found the cure - my saviour ~ the very common 'dettol' from our medicine cabinet. But how about preventing appearance of a pimple in the face altogether for life? From that May in 2010, till 2025 almost, I've never had a single pimple in my life. Of course, I had those itch moments, but, they stopped instantly and never went on to become the dreaded ugly bump called pimple. Its the most amazing find. I don't know the science behind it. But it works like a miracle. So, whenever we feel the slightest itch in any part of our face ( it works mostly on our face ) - take a small bunch of your hair tips - the ends in your hand - like a brush ( see the picture above ), then brush those strands vigorouly on the itchy spot. I guarantee the itch will stop within seconds and no pimple will ever appear!

HEALING TMJ/TMD - TEMPORO MANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDERS ON YOUR OWN? ITS POSSIBLE! THE DO'S & DON'TS...

'Managing' is the right word!

Sometimes, we go about our daily life gleefully, everything is good. But then, suddenly, something happens that you never ever imagined. Not in your wildest dreams. You are amazed that such a thing could ever occur. That there's even such a possibility. And when it happens to you, you are like - has it only happened to you? Am I the only one who is suffering from this. You make a mad search in the internet to see if there's anyone else on this planet that might have faced it too. And, finally, after lot of googling you heave a sigh of relief - no, you haven't found the cure. You are just happy that you are not the only one. You discover an entire community almost, who's going through the same - and are at different phases or stages. You follow their experiences and advices. Try to see what you can adapt and what to reject. For me, any physical intrusion ( examination or surgery ) by doctor is a complete no-no, so, I go about searching the whole internet upside down to see if anyone got any relief naturally.

So, what happened actually? It was just few days after I reached my native home. I had done a cross-country road trip, and was exhausted from it. Too tired and lazy to unpack, I went to sleep. So, on my right side the air-cooler blew air directly into my right ear. I tried to block the air out - by using the wrong ear plug instead. There are two kinds of ear plugs that I use. Foam ones when I sleep, and, the silicon ones when I'm out on walks. I was too lazy to take out my foam ear plugs, and ended up positioning the silicon one into my right ear. And here it went so wrong. Silicon ones are hard, and during sleep movements it pushed the soft cartilage disk ( I discovered this only later ) that sits in the jaw joints right in midde of front ear - behind that flap ( called tragus ) you see near the face and ears.



The next moring I yelled out in pain. My entire right face was paining severely. Of course at the time I didn't know what had happened. I thought, I might have some tooth problem - so, applied clove oil in my teeth. No respite. And I didn't really have any teeth or gum problems as such. For long time I couldn't fathom what went wrong. I was just fine till that night I arrived. Only after I rewinded all the events did I reach the culprit - that could be those silicon ear plugs. But the damage was done. Something bad had already happened and I was in excruciating pain. I searched on google causes of face pain. I also noticed, that the back of my ear, somewhere inside, felt bit heavy too. I included that too in my searches. It was then that I came across the term TMJ/TMD. I could finally grasp what actually might have happened. Why my face was paining so bad especially my right cheeks so much.

So, it happened, while I was sleeping the cartilege disc got displaced ( pushed behind ) by those silicone ( grrr... ) plugs that pressed against the tragus of my ear, pulling the tendons that were in turn attached to the muscles in my cheeks. Thus, the pain. Because my muscles got pulled. It all made sense. But, I would never go to any doctor, so, tried my 'self-ilaaz' like I always do. I somewhat succeeded when I had a leg issue not long ago, so, I guess it was time to tackle this problem my way too. After a few trial and error efforts, I found certain things that helped me 'manage' ( not cure ) this condition. Here, I'd also like to mention that in my case the cartilege had slipped into my throat and had blocked my breathing for some time. I pushed, till I swallowed it. Yes, I swallowed it. Because either that or die...it was stuck somewhere in my throat and I could feel it blocking the air. So, its safe to say, its not trapped behind my ears anymore. But my tendons are still pushed, stretching my face muscles and I have that typical popping/clicking sound in my jaw ( a regular symptom of TMJ to suggest the cartilege is not in its place anymore ) when I open and close my mouth.


hi there...


So, here's how to manage a TMJ(D), my way. What works for me may not work for others, so, do consult an expert. Here are mine :-)

1. Don't move your face too much. Keep it closed and don't talk moving the jaw too much.

2. Don't eat hard things - nuts or fruits. Try soften them before eating.

3. Always be chin-down and not chin-up. Keep your chin pressed closer to your throat rather than keeping it the air, which stretches the muscles and tendons. Earlier when I didn't know, it pulled at my jaw pretty bad, and nearly deshaped few teeth from their position ( ripping the gum a bit - it was bloody painful ). Keeping chin-down has helped prevent further damage.

4. Don't turn your face to the opposite side of the disorder. If you have problem in the right jaw joint, avoid turning your face frequently to left and vice versa.

5. If you have the cartilege still stuck - you might try doing some jaw exercises recommended by TMJ experts. However, in my case, I swallowed my cartilege, so, it didn't help anymore. I did try clicking my teeth together every few minutes to get them used to their new positions.

6. For facial muscle pain, close your fist and rub the knuckles in clockwise and anti-clockwise movements around your cheeks to loosen the fascia layer of your muscle. It gets entangled resulting in pain. The smooth massaging helped in reiieving my pain.

7. Sleep it out. Sleep slowly but surely heals.

P.S : I myself would not go to any doctor, as this condition doesn't really have a cure as such; unless, surgically the jaw is pushed back to its place. I would not do it, but, if you prefer to go that way, don't hesitate. For me, my methods are keeping my pain away ( and its still a 'work in progress' - it might go either way in future - better or worse ), and I'm happy with that for the time being; also, I'm aware my jaw will never be the same again.



TMD, TMJD are a group of conditions that affect the jaw joints, muscles, and nerves that control jaw movement with symptoms like Pain in the jaw, face, shoulder, neck, or back, headaches, earaches, limited mouth motion, jaw clicking, popping, or locking.

DIY - HOW TO MAKE THE SUN

Watching some odd craft videos on youtube got me the idea to do this DIY - making the sun. So, I was bored and was looking around the house for anything to make a sun-type decorative piece. But for long I didn't get any materials. I had some old CDs, the hardboard cake base and few wooden spoons that we get while ordering food. I had ordered something online, then these white thermocol sticks landed in my hands. Boy, the entire universe had listened to my desire to create a sun-type thing. So, armed wth these goodies I set out to make my DIY project. I cut some of the thermocol sticks, so that some were long and others, short. I placed them under the CD and glued them - in long, then short. It ended up looking like the picture below. I know, its not perfect. But well...it is wat it is - my kinda Sun!

first sun complete :D



work in progress for my 2nd sun :-)

SLEEP HACKS - HOW TO GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP

When someone said that we spend almost half our lives sleeping, I was almost offended and immediately started to defend that - no, we don't. But later, when I started to really think and reflect on it, it seemed somewhat true. I counted my own hours of sleep - 10-11 hours ( I used to sleep much less earlier ); that'd be almost half the day of 24 hrs. So, if I'm a certain age now, then, yes indeed - almost half that age I've spent sleeping. Not just me, every creature in this world sleeps. A baby would sleep whole day infact baring the little time it wails for its feed. As it grows slowly, only then the sleep time reduces as it starts activities like play and interactions with other humans. As it becomes a child going to school, further, it's sleep reduces - but still average would be around 10-11 hours ( or maybe even more ), that he'd sleep. So, why do we sleep at all, when we've come to this world. Its like God designed it intentionally - and those who doesn't believe in God - lets say our body was designed to sleep. During day time, when sun is up - wake and do things; and once its night time, and sun disappears, we too need to retire for the day. But question remains - why sleep at all? Whats the greater purpose behind it. Is there anything related to health? Many science studies have said that proper sleep is important and have its benefits - and there's definately a purpose behind it; although, the whole process still remains somewhat a mystery and nobody has clear answers.


However, intense observation, research and studies show that sleep is important because it -

It rests your body and also, brain.

It freshens you up.

It rejuvenates you.

It heals you.

It repairs you internally.

It obliterates your bad memories or experiences.

It reduces your pain.

It conserves your energy.

It boosts metabolism.

It helps in new cell generation.

On the other hand, lack of sleep is dangerous to your body - it can lead to cell-degeneration, feeling bad/tired/fatigued/irritated the whole day, can lead to heart attack and escalate diseases like diebetes/cancer, and sometimes even death. Its said, when you don't sleep properly and new cell doesn't get generated then the existing cells in brains starts attacking each other which can result in ill-health and other cognitive problems. Over-sleep too however can have its drawbacks - affects metabolism and increase diseases.


Sleep Types : There are two types of sleep - rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep, and we experience both in our entire sleep cycle several times through the night :

1. Non-REM sleep has two stages where in first stage its the zone between being awake and falling asleep. We may or may not see dreams in this time and most sleep paralysis or occult experiences happen in the light sleep that follows, when our breathing and heart rate regulates and body temperature drops. This is followed by deep sleep, when we don't see any dreams and it is when the body actually heals and is most important part of sleep cycle. The NREM lasts about two hours overall.

2 REM sleep is after the deep sleep state, and lasts about an hour or so and the eyes move rapidly behind closed eyelids. The breathing becomes irregular, and the body temporarily paralyzes to prevent acting out dreams. Both NREM and REM together is a sleep cycle that can last 2-3 hours each.



Try some of my tried and tested sleep hacks for a good nights sleep. They really work :-)

¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ Avoid caffeine like coffee and tea in the evenings; also, strong drinks like alchohol. Instead, one can drink sleep inducing warm Chamolie tea or have a banana an hour before sleep. There's melatonin food or supplements to help if you have extreme sleep disorders. Avoid the blue light ( mobile/tv ) atleast 1 hour before sleeping. Take a light warm shower before going to bed, avoid cold baths. Don't keep any strong lights on. Dim light in a corridor is perfect. Dark is best. Use soothing soft sleep music or white noise ( optional ). You can take foam ear plugs if you don't like any noise. Relax your body when going to sleep. Drop your shoulders, hands on the sides, legs - all parts from tip to toe. Close your eyes and gently lift your eyebrows - it'll instantly lessen any tension. Don't do it forcefully. Slowly drop them. Relax your face. Take long breathes and take pauses of 5 secs between each. Try not to think of anything. If any thought comes just try to imagine a blank slate. Try counting mentally the numbers 1-7 slowly, and then backwards, taking pauses between each. Visualise a picture of nature, water body, hill, clouds or anything serene; and then, slowly try to blur it mentally ( its possible ). IMP Note : Never sleep with your head in north direction; also avoid west - north's magnetic pull can be dangerous and west sleep is not wholesome and you feel irritable and it takes longer to heal. Try south, and east is best to make you feel healthy and refreshed. Avoid alarm clocks. Try to wake up naturally. -: I try these often, and sleep like a log :-

SOME UNIQUE WAYS TO HEAL KNEE PAIN ( BURSITIS ) NATURALLY, AND A MIRACLE!

We all have the habit of taking things for granted, until we really face an issue with it; and then, all hell breaks loose or heavens fall. We fret, panic, we try to wonder where we went wrong...blah blah...all kinds of worries buzzing through our heads! A great example of it is ~ our legs and its functions.

Our legs and walking are the duo we take for granted the most esp. walking! And when we face limitations on our mobility due to a leg injury/problem is when, it really hits hard. I faced this issue couple of years back and damn...I never felt so limited in my whole life. The issue lasted well over two years until it finally subsided ( with a miracle ), after me having endured those two long years of agony.


So, it happened when I was trying out some squat exercises. My ankles were feeling bit warm, but, I ignored it and went ahead. It was an exercise being shown by a famous celebrity ( who had shed many pounds ) - walking at squat position - yeah, exactly as it sounds - its similar to a housemaid mopping the floor on their fours, only here, we were simply trying to take few steps. It was not that difficult and I managed couple of rounds easily. But, maybe, I overdid it, because, the next day I felt a piercing pain in my knees. The pain shot up the thighs and down to the ankles, on my right leg. And it got only worse from there. I stopped exercising for few days, hoping, the pain would recede and if any damage occured would heal. But no, the pain persisted. And it was such a throbbing pain; that gradually, even taking few steps became difficult. I had to drag my foot and limp. Climbing up and down the stairs had become a torture. At night, the pain would double. I had to lie straight with a folded towel supporting the calf area, and any movements would be so nasty, that I'd writhe in pain. I was alarmed at the intensity of that pain - its indescribable! And I feared, maybe, this was it - that, I'd never be able to walk properly again. I searched online for natural cures, because, I was terrifed to go to a doctor. My mother had suggested me to go to doctor, but, I declined. One of my aunts had come and told me she'd take me to some ayurved practitioner, I refused. I'm paranoid of handing over reigns of my life to some stranger - a doctor in this case. I decided to give it time to heal itself. I'm a great believer, that the body is designed to heal itself. So...I just thought to give it time. But, it only got worse. My mother was insistent on me consulting a doctor to atleast find out what was wrong. I decided to find out myself.


knee cap...didn't really work as I thought...

From my studying across various online journals and medical websites - I diagnosed eerr... analysed myself, that it could either be some tendons that got ruptured during my exercise, or, a bursitis - when the sac containing fluid which cushions the joints, had burst or got compressed or enlarged. It had to be either of the three ( I had done nothing that would've broken my bones or knees ). Whatever it was - first thing that had to be done was - stop panicking. Your illness shoots up manifolds when you are stressed out. So, I cut down on the stress bit, and accepted that it was my fate and I'll try to better it with sheer will power and little bit of my own tinkering, here and there. At first I was using haldi paste along with that compressing knee cap - they were not working so, I stopped doing that. I also stopped the hot and cold compresses that were suggested on youtube. I put aside the walking stick I had bought to help me walk. I zeroed in on three options only and decided to concentrate on them.

1. Massage - I took 2:4 ratio of Eucalyptus+Jojoba Oil ( threw all other oils ), and started massaging the area several times during the day. Clockwise, then, anti-clockwise. I did it religiously. If nothing else, massaging helps in blood circulation.

2. Muscle stretching - Either stand on your heels and toes for couple of seconds each. It can be done while being seated as well. This stretches the calf and leg muscles and I found it quite helpful.

3. Imagination - Everynight I slept, I willed my knee and body to get better. I closed my eyes and tried to 'feel' the sore parts and imagined them 'mentally' getting better and better, till I got rid of the pain. It was trying to heal with imagination - manifesting a recovery, mentally.

The above three methods didn't completely cure me, but to large extent I felt comfortable. The discomfort was reduced to say 70%. At times, I did feel the piercing pain at times, but it wasn't constant like before.


While I did the above three options, one day a nightmare occured first, and then, a miracle happened.

The nightmare - I was taking a walk, and decided to walk a small playground. It was uneven, and before I could realise I slipped forward. I bruised my knee badly - yes, that knee! Can you imagine? It was such a bad fall that the cloth at my knee area had got ripped and blood was oozing out. I was like - I'm now done for life! I'll never be able to walk again. The fall had to happen on that place only. God was testing me and how. In despair, I somehow limped back home. It was the end of my world.

The miracle - Although I bled in that knee profusely, I noticed some golden-yellowish fluid oozing out from that bruise as well. It was strange. I had never seen something like that. Couple of 'mls' of that sticky yellow thing came out. I was like did my knee melted or what? Anyways, from next day onwards I felt a different kind of feeling on that leg. The pain was gone! I could walk without limping. And yes, the bruise had not dried yet. But I didn't feel a spectre of pain anymore. Maybe, that yellow thing that went off from my body was the answer. And yes, it was a miraculous cure.

Its been almost three years now, the pain hasn't come back in that leg!


UPDATE : Couple of weeks ago, I did twist my other leg while rushing to catch a local train. Something just popped in my knee ( made a sound ) and I immediately buckled down. Since I wanted to continue with the trip, I limped on. It was unbearable. By evening when I returned home, it was a horror climbing four floors - as my building didn't have a lift. Next few days, I stayed put in the house. Going down was unthinkable. I ordered all my food from swiggy/zomato. However, from past experience I had learnt to let my leg heal itself. So, I simply relaxed at home. I was sure, God would heal it. He had done it previously too. So, I left it to him. It was painful to go around the house the first 4-5 days. But, by 6th day or so, my pain had subsided a lot. And by end of the week itself, I could go down the steps. So, from my experience, instead of running to doctor - I'd let the wound or injury heal by itself. I did massage my leg with Eucalyptus & Jojoba Oil combo, but its the 'rest' that does its ultimate magic :-)

HOW TO CURE EXTREME DEHYDRATION, FOOD POISONING AND A QUEASY BOWEL NATURALLY - DIY

Recently, I went trekking. It was a huge hill and treacherous climb up. A total of almost 3000 steps ( bothways - up and down ). I was supa-exhausted that day, but the main repercussions of that trek was felt on the second day only after I returned and lasted for almost a week. Was it only the trek that resulted in my deteriorating condition or were there other factors too, I tried analysing. For one, that day, I had my breakfast of two vada pav at almost 12 noon after making a 45 minutes train journey. Vada Pav from a good hygenic stall is quite okay and not bad for health as such. But staying on empty stomach till almost noon and in lunch-time actually eating breakfast - that was the first red flag. The 3-4 hour climb uphill that followed was like a war cry that - oh wait and watch, what happens to you now. I did drink almost 2 litres water during my climb, but again, it was almost 5pm when I had reached the top and decided to eat at a restaurant which was located there itself. So, from 12 till 5, again so many hours of eating nothing - but, lots of strenuous physical activity ( of trekking ). In the restaurant, I ordered roti and chana masala. The chana masala was so oily add to the nutralite butter laden rotis, I couldn't eat my second. Even the tea, I could barely push in without almost throwing up. So, my body was already showing signs that - beta, ab dekhna maja. The place too was considered holy, but, being a non believer of rituals I did the 'offerings' with a skeptical mind ( those vendors kept coercing me so :s ). So, if it was the spirits of the place who took revenge on me - I can't say.

Anyhow, after I came back from the trip, around 9pm I decided to eat a left over banana paratha ( that btw I had carried in my trip but didn't eat ). I had another left over which I decided to eat the next morning. The next morning, when I heated the paratha - I did notice it become quite slimy/ sticky, but I ignored as I thought it was the banana releasing water and ate it anyway. That was around 11am. I started working on my laptop. At around 3.30. I decided to eat bread. I didn't want to cook, so, just added an omlette, cheese slice and some szechuan sauce - toasted the bread slice and ate. Till then, I didn't feel weak or anything....but by 7-8 pm I found myself running to the washroom. Not once or twice, but every few minutes. I knew my eating schedule was quite disorganised the last two days, but, I didn't anticipate what turned out to be some 'bloody' 'food poisoning', dehydration combo. Everything came out, till there was only 'bloody mucousy water' comming out. I realized it was nasty whatever it was. And, I couldnot afford to take it lightly anymore. I had to correct my eating and water intake immediately or it could go worse. If you find yourself in such a situation take the following steps without having to take medicines of any sorts. In between my running to the bathroom, I made a quick run down my building to buy some bread, some electrolytes, some raw bananas, curd, apple and arrow root powder. ( In absense of electrolytes one can mix little sugar and salt in water as an ORS too).


my ammunition to deal with dehydration, food poisoning and a queasy bowel...

Drinking water is important and electrolyte helps in replenishing the lost fluid, but it wasn't enough in itself. My morning schedule shifted to eating poha/umpa ( ready to eat - just add hot water type ) and coffee; followed by arrowroot drink ( boil spoonful arrowroot powder in water ); then, I'd eat either simple bread butter ( no scezhwan please ) or roti ( I intentionally mixed maida into the atta ) followed by some fried raw banana slices sprinkled with salt and turmeric. I also ate little curd rice with bit sugar ( one can have it salty too ). In evening, I ate a vada pav ( vada pao from neat place is okay ) and tea. At night, I drank another cup of arrowroot water. It took a while, but, following this routine slowly helped regain control over my bowel that had gone nuts for over almost a week :| ( I'm coffee addict, but, its recommended to avoid coffee at such conditions. And, avoid food that has gone slimy! ).

Alternatively, I also learnt that following the B.R.A.T diet when your tummy acts funny can help too. Bananas, Rice, Apple ( or applesauce ) and Toast. Easily digestible, they can calm a funny tummy :-)

WHAT TO DO IF MY SMARTPHONE SIMPLY DOES NOT TURN ON?

You may be wondering after reading the title ~ eh, what? But that's exactly what happened to me today ( in the afternoon time ); and I nearly had another heart-attack ( yes, I had 3 uptil now; its true, but its another story :o ).

I'm travelling rather heavily the past few months, before I go to my home-state in December. I've been trying to cover my long pending 'spook-travel' wish-list, and now my phone is literally jam-packed with thousands of pictures. In between, from time to time, I try to shift the pictures to my lappy, to better organize them. So, today, I did just that; and after long, browsed net too from my lappy ( after tethering it with my phone ). After the transfer done, I suddenly shut my lappy, with my USB cable still hanging on to my phone. Then, I abruptly turned my phone off too. After few minutes, just as abruptly, I turned back my phone on. But a big surprise awaited, a horrible one at that! My phone just refused to switch on. Imagine my panic! I pressed, pressed and pressed the power button. Nothing happened. My phone was all dead. I wondered if I should've removed the USB cable first, before turning off both my devices. Well...I imagined all kinds of stuff, that must've led to my phone's untimely demise.

I tried to charge it ( although it was already fully charged ), in hopes of reviving it, but to no avail. It just wouldn't start. Oh my God! What do I do now...I wondered, frantically. Tonnes of stuff are inside my phone, plus, its my only source of net-connection these days. Haaaaalp meee.....I cried! Haaaalp!!!!! But no one came forward to help me. I was all alone, with my dead phone for company. Should I take it to a service center to get it repaired, or throw it away for good? I was nearly in tears by then. My phone's battery was not user-removable, so I could not manually remove it and restart my phone, as I can with detachable batteries of other phones ~ where simply removing it for sometime does the trick. Oh...I was so stuck, and didn't quite know what on earth to do!

As a last ditch attempt, I pressed the 'power-button' furiously again, and this time held it for long. With long gaps, I counted the seconds ~ 1...2...3..4................15; and, lo and behold, it turned on suddenly, miraculously. It was so freakingly unbelievable ( I had almost given up on it, remember ). Relieved at last, I let out a loud yelp of joy. I immediately got the 'trick' on how to do it. Sometimes, android phones may just shut off/freeze/hang and refuse to turn on. But pressing it i.e the power-button on for quite some time ( 15-20+ secs), it can be brought back to life. Amazing isn't it? Try it if you experience the same issue, and let me know if this article helped :-)
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HOW TO BE A SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER ;-)

First of all, I don't consider myself as a social media infuencer at all. I AM NOT ONE! In my twitter, in almost five years, I've barely managed around 2k posts and have around 580+ odd followers ( Psst..I do have another account with over 1k followers, but that's only for my blog ); in my pinterest, the number goes down to 2 posts with barely 63 followers. And I'm truly ashamed of my instagram, with around 22 posts and 1 follower. My facebook and G+ fares better than these, with 4 facebook (2)profile/(2)page having collectively over 10+k friends/followers, and G+ with 946+. However, these last ones are where I barely post anything. I also have few blogs - nandinispeaks ( this blog ) and nandinireviews. Go and see the visitor statistics in both, to get an idea about it.

So, by now, you get an idea that my social media 'klout' is bit of a worry, so how on earth am I equipped to give any advice on it, eh? What I am going to write is purely out of my observations, these past years. While I've been on the lazier side, I've seen many others springing much ahead of me; who by the way, had started much later than me :| So, how did they reach where they are? I have my own demons to deal with, so I may not reach their level in this life-time; but, if you are trying to reach their position as a 'social media infuencer', then, I could gladly part with some FREE advice. Yes, free - but of course, you can follow my very very neglected and love-seeking social media handles, as a sign of gratitude for that :-) [ You'll need the following tricks if you are not a celebrity already. ]


1. Take part in obscene amount of twitter/facebook contests. There are plenty of those! Dedicate sometime to them daily, religiously. Here, your intention is not just to win contests, but gain followers.

2. Hashtags and retweets are the main mantras. See the trending hashtag topics, and start either tweeting or retweeting, using them. Many Pro Influencers have totally gamed these two methods; mainly the former, and combining the 2nd with the first.

3. Engaging and networking works. Social media is all about communication. Praise, and butter too, if you must. I've seen it happen with my own eyes, and damn..it works. Don't stop the communication.

4. Follow back. Everyone that follows you, follow right back! Don't mind if they unfollow. If you keep communication with them, they won't unfollow. Follow on your own too, some will indeed follow you back.

5. Get all your friends, family, relatives, colleagues and neighbours to follow/like you. Being in close proximity, they are naturally the easiest preys to be blackmailed into following all your accounts. They are the best options to get votes/retweets too especially, in those contests where engagement is the main criteria.

6. And of course, don't forget to post unique, interesting and useful content yourself too, and regularly! Some people have over lakh tweets in a span of a year itself, imagine that! Of course, those include contest tweets/brand spams and insane number of retweets as well.

7. Do a giveaway. If you have any stuff lying about unused and useless in your home, why not make a giveaway of it? In the giveaway rules, just make it mandatory for every participant to follow/tag/like/share/comment in all your social media handles.

8. When you go for any meet, carry a huge stack of visiting cards, where each of your social media handles are imprinted. Shove it at whoever is friendly to you; get theirs too, and make sure you tell them you'll be following them ( and do as well ), you'll definitely get more followers.

9. Don't get frustrated if things don't happen overnight. Following the above pointers patiently, will surely ensure success in the end.

10. Last but not the least, ( if nothing works ) buy them! Yes, its possible to buy followers, although, its a risky proposition ~ cos' you might either end up with bots or followers from Uzbekistan or some equally odd place, when your target may be something else.

11. A masterstroke secret - Some known infuencers have done this, right in beginning ( or maybe still do ), when they first started i.e make a couple of extra 'dummy' accounts and follow/retweet/like whatever shit 'engage' its called ~ to give an impression that its a busy account. People may get curious and start following. This tactic is also handy if you want to win contests where max votes/likes are required, or even to appear on the top in any trending hashtag where maximum likes/retweets are required. And, when your profile appears on top, you naturally get more followers ;-)


PS : Will add more if I come across them. Meanwhile, feel free to give your own valuable insights on the topic, if you have any. Happy Infuencing :-)
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HOW TO USE YOUR SMARTPHONE AS A MODEM AND SAVE ON DATA BILLS!

Are you one of those who loves to save at every given opportunity? One, who absolutely hate wastes? One, who loves to utilize every little money spent, to its fullest? Then you have come to the right place. Because, these very characteristics define me so well, and I'd love to meet other such like-minded scrooges, kanjoos or call it whatever! Hey, its not wrong to save and spend as little as one can, while enjoying to the maximum too; however, not depriving oneself totally, for the fear of spending as well.

You must be wondering, what this post is all about. I'm sure, this topic must be already out there in the internet, but, I had discovered this 'magic' only recently, and literally went 'wow'! Hence, this post :-)

In almost 2 decades of using internet, one thing when I've cried the most is ~ when I see amount of the money spent on data consumption. And in recent times, my woes have doubled manifolds. If earlier, I subscribed to only one connection, these days due to the type of work I do, I have to have atleast two net connections. One for my laptop, and the other, my phone. However, being more of a lappy person, most of my mobile data goes wasted; but still, I have to keep recharging, because, certain impromptu events or trips outside, demands a mobile connection at all times. I really crib, when my mobile data goes unused and wasted. But since I discovered the trick of 'tethering', my worries vanished overnight. I'm such a tube-light to discover this trick so late in the day. Anyhow, here it goes, how you can tether your Smartphone and save on all those data wasted.

Its easy-peasy, believe me...and everyone can do it. So, you don't need to subscribe extra data for your lappy separately. Saves money haan ;-)

Steps, how to Tether your mobile and make it a modem :

1. First, connect one end of your data cable to your phone and the USB node, to your lappy.
2. Switch on both your devices.
3. On your lappy, you don't really have to do much, it'll automatically detect the 'removable device'.
4. On your smartphone, go to 'Settings'.
5. Under Wireless & Networks, tap on 'More' option.
6. You'll then find the Tethering & mobile hotspot option. Tap on it.
7. You'll immediately notice 'USB Tethering' on the next screen, with a box right next to it. Just tap on that box, that'll show a tick mark.
8. A notification will then pop, that your device is successfully tethered.
9. And its done!

You'll see the the tiny network-monitor icon ( that displays internet access ), located in the bottom-right of your lappy, slowly getting activated. And soon, you'll be able to use the same internet connection, both in your lappy as well as your smartphone. Your mobile itself becomes a modem. Isn't that so cool? Go ahead and save on those data bills, like right now! You can thank me later :-)
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HOW TO SOLVE CHROME BEX ISSUE

Last Saturday ( 5th Aug ), my whole internet world collapsed all of a sudden. Whenever I tried opening my Chrome browser, it'd show an error window and shut off as soon as I tried closing that pop-up. It was annoying to say the least, frustrating too :| I had all my bookmarks and passwords saved in my Chrome, and I didn't want to lose them all of a sudden. Passwords being the ones I hardly remembered of almost all the sites I had an account in. I have few other browsers like Firefox, Safari, Tor, Opera and the good old Internet Explorer too, so I guess I shouldn't have panicked so much as I could still access the net. Well, wrong! These browsers totally suck especially with my snail-paced net connection in which only the Chrome seemed to work, not fast but managed somehow. For the rest, even thinking to use any would be a waste of time :s

So, my mind just wondered frantically what on earth to do. I had two other lappies and a desktop too, but this lappy of mine has been my favourite ( my loyal partner for last 4 years or so ) and I didn't want to desert it ~ as browsing ( also blogging ) is the only thing I use my lappy for. Some people suggested re-installing etc, which I did ~ over and over, but to no solution. I read tonnes of links in Google with people having the same problem and also checked some Youtube videos that suggested many things eg. installing software like revo-uninstaller to remove any hidden files and then installing the Chrome again. I did that, multiple times. But it didn't work. Also, there was a suggestion to exclude Chrome in Comodo Firewall settings, I did that too. Phew...it was really a nightmare, I say. Only when such things happen you wonder how casually you had taken the Chrome all this while for granted, duh!
Anyways, while browsing some more stupid videos on the same issue, trying to find a solution, I came upon one comment under a particular video. The video itself was crappy, but I thought to try out what was suggested in the comment.


"Go to the program files, google, chrome folder and add this .exe to the original Icon of Chrome.. For example " chrome.exe " then copy it and make a short cut to your desktop. done."
And voila....my nightmare instantly vanished! So, folks..if you are facing this headache called 'BEX' in Chrome, you know what to do. Simply do what the gentleman above has suggested. Thanks to that fellow my headache is cured and my favourite browser is back. So, this post is dedicated to that helpful chap Stay Connected & Follow my Updates on the blog's GFC | GOOGLE+ | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | NETWORKEDBLOGS

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