11-11-11

11-11-11... marked 2 months of whispering sweet nothings. And I'm lovin it!

Social Networking-debate

First yr of Post grad is the one in which most people are least involved in extracurricural activites but it wasn't so in my case maybe due to lesser workload as compared to the other specialities. Thus, I took part in the debate and won the second prize. First, second, third or no prize at all... it won't have made much of a difference to me. It's just that I sometimes love to hear myself on the mike. So, here is the script of my debate:

Merely at the age of 21, when most of us struggling through medical school with books piled up by our bedside and semesters & professionals to look forward to, Mark Zuckerberg the founder & CEO of the world’s largest social networking site, Facebook was already a multi millionaire. Leaving aside the whole FB ,connectU, harvardconnect fiasco he certainly did revolutionized the way we interact with our friends today. From sending friend requests to receiving them, from putting up jazzy profile pictures to changing status updates, from writing on walls to poking, from ‘liking’ to ‘super-liking’ to ‘super-duper liking’ pictures… most of us have done it all.

Respected Judges, teachers, seniors and dear friends, welcome to the world of ‘social networking’. Until sometime back, it was just a mere word. But its transition from just being a ‘word’ to becoming a ‘world’ has been phenomenal!

Accept it or not, Our virtual existence is marked by our Facebook profiles. By ‘Our’, I take the liberty to include more than half the audience present here today. Yes, we do form the small proportion of its 500 million users. No matter how much I hate to accept… but I am a Facebook addict! As soon as the net is connected and the browser is launched there is always… yes… always a compulsion to open our profiles. We may temporary delete our accounts or curse these sites for taking away our valuable time but… you like it or not they have become an INTERGRAL part of our lives!

Actually…On a serious note, these sites are not just merely recreational tools but there is lot more to them. Websites like LinkedIn focus on business and professional networking…. having the right connections can make a HUGE difference in the success or failure of a business. Knowing lots of customers, potential customers & potential partners is always important. In this day and age, the Internet is the place to be…. for everyone . From shopping and selling things, and find what we’re looking for…. Internet seems to have an answer for everything. And if you don’t have a network for selling your product or service… then you certainly are not on the right track.

BTW Are you just being limited to hi5, Orkut, Facebook, big adda or myspace? Well, there is a whole world out there…. There are so many social networking sites dealing with chronic diseases, alcoholism, drug addiction and autism… focusing on helping people… bringing together patients with similar issues and provide valuable information, contacts, peer support, and encouragement. I would not say that misery loves company but it certainly helps knowing how others have fared and faced challenges during the course of their disease.

You definitely can’t ignore the fact that there are social media campaigns going on like the one on micro-blogging site Twitter which was able to raise more than 20 lakh for cancer patients. And not to forget…after all Facebook did fuel the Tunisia uprising and the revolt that toppled it’s authoritarian president.

I would not being doing justice to the topic if don’t mention about one of the popular networking site for doctors… rxpg! During my prep phase for AIPGE… it kept me going. Giving me information about exam notifications, results, counseling and of course the support n help I got from my rxpg friends.

Many of my opponents may argue that these sites potentiate the increasing cybercrime. Well, it is not these sites which are doing harm, it’s the users. Remember, "Guns don't kill people; it’s people who kill people." Had these sites not existed, they would still find ways to harm each other. About the whole privacy issue… I believe it is not the fault of social networking sites, just because of internet’s open nature a lot of information can be gathered from a lot of places. It is we who have to exercise our discretion when posting sensitive information about us. Then again there are features like privacy settings which can easily guard us.

So I again emphasize that the use of social networking sites depends entirely on the individual. It’s a blessing in disguise if we look at it from the development point of view. It’s extremely cost effective and has an enormous reach. All of us are just a click away from each other. We can always stay in touch, no matter how far we may be. And this increased communication definitely strengthens relationships. We no longer have to wait for letters, telegrams, post cards, emails… we are always CONNECTED.

So to conclude, in this fast paced and ever changing world, social networking is a tool and a very handy one.

So tweeple keep the news feeds flowing and the tweets in the twitterverse active!

Thank you!

The Gift

Life has been a whirlwind lately. Convincing yet confusing. Clear yet misty.
As seconds tick by questions keep piling. And who has the answers... maybe no one.What the days have taught me is that ACCEPTANCE not approval is what holds everything together.
And it is the most beautiful gift one can ever give and get.

Live by living!

First of all, Happy New Year!!

Though, the start of the New Year has been plagued by sadness. Just 5 days into indoor posting and I lost my first patient. It is very unfortunate and disturbing. He was 67yrs old, non-ambulatory patient of Pemphigus vulgaris also on ATT for pulmonary Koch's. He had been in the hospital for past 1month, had received blood transfusion and was due for another today. His high dose steroid regime wasn't too favourable for his present condition but then I'm no one to point fingers. Though, death by all means is inevitable but then medicines and medical professionals do have a role to play in modifying this inevitable.

As a doctor, maybe,I can't beat myself for not being that well informed about his history and a casual approach (even if it wasn't). But it did come as a rude shock! And it made me realise how important a physician's duty is towards his patient. When they say,' Doctors can't make mistakes', perhaps, they are right. We certainly, don't have any right to play with a patient's life just because we were too busy getting a manicure done or too lazy to get out of bed! We chose this life so along with the perks we should by all means be ready to face the responsibilities and sacrifice that come along.

Today someone lost a husband, father and brother. He might not have been able to give them a parting gift but... he did give me one! I wholeheartedly thank him and pray that God gives his family strength to face this reality.

He might have touched many lives during his lifetime and even when he is gone... he remains my inspiration and my motivation.

May his soul rest in peace!