Light at the end of the tunnel

Good news from the recent Harvard Medical School Newsletter …  sexuality is not just for the young. Results from a University of Chicago survey suggested that over half of Americans remain sexually active well into their 70s. For most previous studies 59 years was the upper limit.  However, the Chicago study focused exclusively on 3000 older adults between 57 to 85. The results have lent some legitimacy to the subject of sexuality of older people.

More than the outcome of the study, what caught my attention was that - the older adults were now found suitable for study ....  I mean someone actually had this bright idea that older people may be still doing it. Previously older people weren’t included in studies of sexual behavior because they were seen as largely irrelevant to the topic. Written off since they could not participate in the procreation process? 

That said, the results did show that sexual activity does decrease with age. Biological factors do tug in that direction, as do social arrangements. Older people, especially women, often end up single when a spouse or partner dies. Statistics show that at the age of 70, there are 5 women to every man. Isn't that an ironic time for a guy to get those odds? 

In UK, the Manchester City Council published 5,000 copies of sexual education booklet specifically designed to educate elderly people about sexual issues. The reason being elderly have very little experience with condoms or have forgotten how to use them and hence the medical problems were increasing in the elderly! 

The point is – In India do we really care?  We have such social taboos out here that we do not even encourage the young to indulge. No public display of affection... premarital sex is a complete no-no, live-in relationship are still not accepted. So in our country, which researcher would be  interested in studying what the oldies are doing with their goodies. 


So my dear 'ol frens .. men and women .. there really is no pause. The tagline 'Do till you can'.  


Remember 'old' is when you don't care where your spouse goes, as long she does not force you to go with her. 

Secrets to stay blissfully stressed

Are you worried about how to stay stressed? Here are some sure ways

1. Never Exercise - Exercise wastes a lot of time that could be spent worrying.

2. Eat anything you want - Hey, if cigarettes can’t keep u healthy, then balanced diet isn’t going to

3. Try to gain weight – Make sure you are at least 15 kgs above your recommended weight.

4. Take plenty of stimulants - caffeine, nicotine, alcohol are just fine. Take loads of them

5. Do away with real time friends - Tell your friends that you don’t have the time for them. Invite all- you-can on Facebook and wait for them to 'like' your comments.

6. Personalize all criticism - Anyone who criticizes your work, children, house, or car is mounting a personal attack. Don't take time to listen. Be offended and return the attack! 

7. Never ask for help – Whether you are male or a female, be macho.  If you want it done right, do it yourself

8. Work hard - Put work before everything else and be sure to take work home evenings and weekends.  That will help meet the sleep deprivation targets

9. Never holiday - Keep reminding yourself that vacations are for losers

10. Become a perfectionist – Set impossibly high standards and either beat yourself up or feel guilty and depressed when you don't meet them. 

11. Forget good time management skills - Schedule in more activities every day than you can possibly get done and then worry about it all whenever you get a chance. 

12. Postpone as much as you can - Putting things off to the last second always produces a marvellous amount of stress. 

13. Worry about big issues - like the stock market, earthquakes, global terrorism and all the other things you can’t control

14. Throw out your sense of humor - Staying stressed is no laughing matter and it shouldn't be treated as one.

15. Dont read my blogs – It may be injurious to your health since you may laugh a little or may pick up a few health tips.

If you follow all these religiously there are great chances that you may need to schedule a visit to a Cardiologist clinic very shortly.

FYI – My consultation hours are between 9.00- 1.00 pm when I am not holidaying. (The rest of the time I read books, watch TV, go gymming, chat with friends, party or sleep) 

Ciao... am off on a holiday and shall be back next week. 

The Tihar Safari

Amar Singh, the  cash-for-votes scam accused is the 6th MP to be lodged inside Tihar prison after Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, former telecom minister A Raja, sacked CWG OC Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and former Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav.

Also are the four heads of large business enterprises (Shahid Balwa, Vinod Goenka, Sanjay Chandra and Karim Morani) and four high-ranking corporate executives (Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara, Hari Nair and Sharad Kumar) who have been to Tihar.

All of them are crying that they are innocent till proven guilty. Though the prison life itself may not be humiliating, being imprisoned on corruption charges definitely is.

Tihar Jail had never had it this glamorous. So many influential people ...those who could virtually buy anything. They flew in their own planes and choppers, lived luxurious lives and used their power and influence to not just bend rules but to create their own. 

This is their daily routine presently. 

Breakfast          - 5:30 am. Queue-style. Two slices of bread and a cup of tea.

Shower             - By 9 am and lunch that has rotis, rice, dal and just one vegetable

Noon                - Visitors time.

Post Lunch       - Reading or watch TV in their cell

Tea time            - At 3 pm. a cup of tea and two biscuits.

Dinner               - Has to be collected by 6.00pm

Geez.. I would love to see them in Tihar. And I am sure I am not alone.. there will many more

Vicarious pleasure or just sadism?

May be the Government should seriously consider making a viewing gallery with entry fee or better still a customised mini bus with pop-up roof akin to Serengeti and Masai Mara. These are not endangered species.. they are dangerous specimen.

What say people?

                                                      -------------  TIHAR JAIL -------

Being McDonaldized …do I love it ?

I had my first Mac burger in 1998  and since then must have visited over 50 of the 31,000 McDonalds outlets….thanks to Ramesh who is not a burger aficionado, but a surprise detester. McChicken tastes the same whether you have it in Hong Kong or Honolulu. No surprises whatsoever in quality and service. My personal interest, however, in trying to locate a MacD is majorly to use their loo … it is clean even in Europe!

                            “If I had a brick for every time I’ve repeated the phrase Quality, Service,Cleanliness and Value, I think I’d probably be able to bridge the Atlantic Ocean with them.”                                            - Ray Kroc, Founder McDonalds Corporation

All of us know that McDonald's Corp earns revenue as a franchiser and operator of restaurants, but do we know that it also earns as an investor in properties. A nice ASSet building coalition between the corporation and the consumer. One could easily spot the Double arched Yellow M in all the main malls and markets in the major cities. They are more easily identifiable than Rakhi Sawant in an Old Age Home for Men. Related differently - When Ram Gopal Varma's Sholay released, I recall Cyrus Broacha commenting  that there were only two good things in the movie and both belonged to Urmila!

Back to MacD, though the menu and the cost varies with region, the Big Mac is universal. Here's a trivia for you, the Big Mac is most expensive in Norway and cheapest ...no .. not in India, but in Malaysia. In India, MacD doesn’t serve beef and pork and still continue to be the single largest purchaser of these in the world. Out here Big Mac is rechristened as Maharaja Mac.  I would have preferred just Maha Mac .. the 'Raja' component somehow seems to leave a bad taste.

There are McPaneer and McVeggie for the Indians. But hey.. they are still burgers.  When Indonesia can have McRice, why not a McRoti or McBiriyani in India - then I’d be loving it