Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Hospital adventures - 1

I’ve wanted to donate blood ever since I saw Amar Akbar Anthony at age 5. This morning I finally got my chance, but it wasn’t as dramatically heroic as I had hoped. (It’s difficult to be dramatically heroic when one has to hold a green rubber ball in one’s palm and squeeze it at regular intervals.) Anyway, once the thing was over I was shown into an antechamber containing a sad-faced attendant who asked me if I would like tea, coffee or Real fruit juice. Sipping the juice, I noticed a sign that said:

Do not think of the refreshment as a replacement for the blood. It is simply a gesture of goodwill.”

What did they think one would do, cut open a vein and pour the stuff in?

12 comments:

  1. well I had same feelings abt blood donation.. I still do. I wana do it. But last year I went into the NY blood donation thing in my unniversity, but couldnt do it - I didnt have SSN# and they needed one.. :( but yeah, be happy and have good food..

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  2. the only time i've donated blood was when my father was in hosp and we needed blood asap. i was supposed to donate it and run with the little plastic bag to the hospital next door (long story). But I couldn't! I felt faint and weak as a kitten, despite the juice and all. In fact, I felt like that chap in Hot Shots, who become as flat as defalted doll after he donated blood!

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  3. You surely have a great sense of humour mate, this was surely funny. Amar Akbar Anthony apart I feel the best part of blood donation is taking a look at the attendant's face. Your comment "Sad Faced" says it all.

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  4. My! Do they really have a poster saying that?

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  5. Me too actually. I wanted to donate blood and boast about having done my bit for my fellow humans. The doc wouldn't let me though...he thought I was anaemic. That was depressing...

    Hilarious post, btw....I was crying tears of laughter.

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  6. I am strongly on donating blood, used to donate it regularly once in 6 months - 1 year until sometime back as i have become aneamic... its a great feeling and always remember and be proud of the fact the fact that this blood that u gave might just save a life........

    PS: regarding the poster, its not a joke... i have worked with lions and rotary as a volunteer on some of their blood donation camps and there are poor people who actually just donate blood for the sake of that juice and fruits

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  7. Trust an admonishing finger to be raised to bring u back to the political correctness in life. I must say hilarious and seriously i liked the amar akbar anthony throwback coz that would be my quintessential cinema blood donation secene...where all three give blood to sav 'Maa'...typical...and (m being repetitive) hilarious...as for blood donation, i would love to but i have been marked underweight...pity...AAA will be a distant dream...and pity yet (at least for me) for the likes of us...this might be the closest we can get to feel heroic (aint that a trifle sad)

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  8. Trust an admonishing finger to be raised to bring u back to the political correctness in life. I must say hilarious and seriously i liked the amar akbar anthony throwback coz that would be my quintessential cinema blood donation secene...where all three give blood to sav 'Maa'...typical...and (m being repetitive) hilarious...as for blood donation, i would love to but i have been marked underweight...pity...AAA will be a distant dream...and pity yet (at least for me) for the likes of us...this might be the closest we can get to feel heroic (aint that a trifle sad)

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  9. In college I used to give blood every three months, because you aren't allowed to do it more often than that. For me it was always embarassing because the relatives of the receiver were often too grateful. One even tried to give me money for donating blood. "for the auto back to college" he said and tried to give me what looked like a three hundreds.

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  10. Hmm..maybe it's a precautionary measure so that the opffering of a drink doesn't look like *payment* for the blood donated?

    Or maybe the world is just strange and stupid. Hmm.

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  11. hi jai! nupur had mailed me ur blog id. i have just read the first two posts and i am coming back for more. from ur blog name i gather u may be a lewis carroll fan. btw he also invented the word chortle!
    see ya around
    nenem

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  12. Or maybe the world is just strange and stupid.

    Aishwarya: ish-mart girl! See, I knew you'd learn one day.

    Nenem: good to see you here! Yes, Carroll rocks (and chortles. and burbles. and whiffles).

    Monika: thanks for making that point. Yes, it's terrible to think of poor people lining up outside a blood-donation centre because they've been told about the biscuits and juice they'll get when it's over.

    twoforjoy: they don't make mothers like Nirupa Roy anymore, alas...

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