Punishment?

What's the punishment for stealing a bicycle? In Bihar, it means having your eyes gouged out.

Unbelievable but true.

Inspiration

"I would not have written Eragon if I had gone to public (state) school."
-Christopher Paolini

Christopher Paolini is a 19-year-old who recently published a fantasy book, Eragon, the first of a trilogy. He hated reading as a child. This young home-schooled fella has been on tour, and once arm-wrestled a six-foot something farmhand to sell his book!

What I like the most about his surprise success story is that he started writing at the age of 15.

Maybe it's my turn now! He doesn't seem to be a bad mentor at all, does he? :-)

Recap

I told everyone I had paratyphoid. What I didn't say was that I had two diseases simultaneously- jaundice and paratyphoid. So since August 25, I have been on a diet of liquids (coconut water, juice, glucose water etc.) and oil-free food! And I cannot eat out for at least another month...

Everyone asks me how I fell sick since I eat only at good restaurants, and not too often either. Well, it all depends on what you mean by a good restaurant. If you think Taj and Oberoi are safe places to eat, think again. They are empty during the week, so when you go there, most of the food is stale and just re-heated! It's the same for other restaurants too, but if they are always crowded, then the food is little less staler. But if you go to Santosh Sagar or some other Udipi joint, the food is absolutely fresh!

I am still quite weak, so my vacations will be quiet. Learnt a couple of good lessons in the past couple of months. Health is wealth, after all!

Left Out

For once, left-handers all over the world (including me) can celebrate, because it's Left Hander's Day! :-)
I completely identify with this column. And I discovered that Prince William and I have something in common- we're both left-handed.

Encounters with the Indian Press

For anyone who wants to freelance as a writer, here's some terrible news.
"Only an optimist would try to freelance for a living..."