The cold wind

The wind blows hard tonight,
It's a cold, damp, disturbing wind,
And I think about,
Below,
By the gutters,
The men on the street.
I hope some of them have,
At least,
A bottle that's warm.

It's when you're on the street,
That you notice,
EVERYTHING

EVERYTHING
Is owned,
And there are locks on,
EVERYTHING.
This is the way a democracy works.

You get what you can,
Try to keep that,
And add to it,
If possible.
Until possible.

This is the way a dictatorship works too,
Once they either enslave,
Or destroy their
Derelicts.

A newspaper flaps by.

With time,
We just forget the men below.

In either case,
Tonight,
It's a hard, cold,
Wind.

If a snake bites...

Sri Lanka are host to a rich and diverse snake fauna of close to a hundred species, of which only a few(7) are venomous. Hence even though there are a reported high number of snake bites per year(around 50,000 if my memory serves me right), of these only about 100-200 people die due to snake bite. This is a relatively high burden and the outcome of some of these deaths could have been different if proper first aid was given at the initial stages. Snake bites occur frequently around Colombo too, in the suburbs so do not think this is restricted to the villages. Here are a little pointers on first aid treatment of a snake bite.

DO NOTS
-Do not panic
-Do not make any cut, scratch or incision at wound site
-Do not suck at the wound
-Do not use a conventional very tight constricting band or tourniquet
-Do not apply ice packs to the bitten area
-Do not drink alcohol, take herbal medicine or aspirin

DO
-Reassure
Calm the bitten person as far as possible, excitement causes the increased blood flow, letting the venom be quickly absorbed to give toxic effects. Say to the victim, "Most bites are by non-venomous snakes. Even if so, most of the time the venom if injected is hardly enough to be toxic. Effective Antivenom is available as a specific antidote."
-Remove all rings, bracelets from the bitten part of the body
Sometimes the bitten area may become swollen and blood flow will be obstructed by these leading to secondary problems.
-Wash the bitten area with soap and water
It neutralises part of the venom as also keeps other harmful agents out. Remember to get a tettanus jab if you haven't got one recently.
-Immobilise the bitten limb with a splint or sling and keep the limb below heart level
To minimise systemic absorption of venom.
-Get medical help as quick as possible
Transport the patient avoiding movement as safely and comfortably as possible.
-If in severe pain Paracetamol may be given in usual dose.
(do not use aspirin)
-If possible bring the dead snake for identification
Though not essential for the species diagnosis, the dead snake if available, is a confirmation to clinical findings. But be very careful to not be bitten again when trying to collect the snake.

Avoid snake bites too if you are in a very prevalent area by,
-being specially vigilant after rain, flooding, harvest also at night(use a torch)
-try to wear shoes/boots/long trousers
-frequently check houses for snakes(wattle and daub with thatched roofs)

My friend (Part 3)

I knew I was doomed, as he rose from his seat,
And found his way towards me,
He pointed the sign, 'Silence Please',
And asked, 'Can't you see?'

'Sorry', I murmured, I gathered my bag,
Burning in my ears, in shame,
With a glare at you, I rose to leave,
Was mine, all the blame?

Your eyes still twinkle,
You smile. Huh. Me, to you a joke,
You followed me, as I sped out,
For a moment nobody spoke,
Would I have ever,
But then, your laugh booming out, through the hall,
Breaking in to me, dragging me out,
We laughed at the entire thing,
Our friendship grew, ever since,
Like the blossoms of the spring.

Invest in time...

What is the your most valuable resource in the world? Is it money, jewellery or any other material possession? To me, it's time. Time is the only thing that starts to dwindle away even as you start to think about it. Our life, (whatever religion you align yourself with) is numbered and limited by it. Hence one must be very careful in dealing with time.
Spending time, is nothing but serious. Once gone, it cannot be dragged back. One does not at a later day, want to look back and say "Oh, if only I had spent that time better...". Hence I chose to live time, at it's best. Eke the maximum out of the day. And in that time do things that would guarantee my happiness now or in the future. I try hard not to dwell on the past, nor to dream about the future, spending the present is what is most important.
Think about it a bit... and invest in your time.
I hope this was not a waste of time for you. :-)

It's a cause for celebration

Is it really..? In such a flamboyant manner?
I was wondering and thinking about this for the whole of today. Even now at 1245 am the sound of two separate 'bajjawwa', drift in through the window.
I'm not unpatriotic. No. I've done things for my country in my own small manner, which i'm mighty proud of. But i was really trying to understand why people have been driven overboard with joy at the killing of prabha n co. I mean it's good and just that they should be killed, they deserve more pain and suffering for the hurt they have caused sri lanka and it's people. But to celebrate by processions in the street, crackers that scare the shit of you, joyous singing far into the night..
Was it a kind of sadism, i wondered.
But then it occured to me that what we are celebrating here is not a killing but a liberation. A liberation of our minds from the overhanging cloud of fear. A cloud that sometimes we did not even know was existing, but nevertheless darkened the visage of every sri lankan without cast or creed. It was this relief from the oppression that we are/were celebrating.
Freedom from terrorism that has plagued us and has been almost able to crumple our beautiful country, that's the true cause for celebration. Peace was a rare commodity in sri lanka for a long long time.
I don't plan to go and join in the frolicking, but there's no denying that my heart has also taken a lift.

Vesak at NHSL

Vesak at NHSL
Originally uploaded by Caduceus2009

Vesak full moon poya does not miss the national hospital, either. Albeit without any fancy pandals or overt deco, the wards are dressed up in the devout buddhist colours, and most sport vesak lanterns of vivid colours. The monks attached to the nearby temples also visit each ward and chant pirith and the occasional small sermon.

Vesak at NHSL

Vesak at NHSL
Originally uploaded by Caduceus2009

Vesak full moon poya does not miss the national hospital, either. Albeit without any fancy pandals or overt deco, the wards are dressed up in the devout buddhist colours, and most sport vesak lanterns of vivid colours. The monks attached to the nearby temples also visit each ward and chant pirith and the occasional small sermon.