Legos!

A few days ago, the Lego Death Star was delivered to our house. It was given to me by my chachas - Sachinchacha, Anupamchacha, Jituchacha and Ajaychacha. I started building it the next day. It is so big it took me half an hour just to make all the figures! Then it took me another half an hour to make the bottom level. I have just started on the 2nd level and have finished just less than a quarter of it I think.

And Papa has ordered the Lego Eiffel Tower for me. It's arriving today! I want to finish the Death Star fast so that I can start on the Eiffel Tower. I think there's also a Lego, George Washington Bridge, which I would like to add to my architecture series, if it exists!

Now the only problem is where and how to display my Lego creations! What do you think?

What should I get Papa?

Hi everyone,
sorry I have not been posting very much. I am wondering what to get Papa for his birthday. Please email me suggestions (no clothes please, Mama already got him a lot of those).I want to get him something which he can use for a long time and which he really will use.

CTY

As many of you know, I am signed up for an online program called Center for Talented Youth by John Hopkins University. I became eligible by getting a good score on an exam right before I fell sick.

Every week, I have assignments, both physical and digital, which are due at the end of the week. Week 5 was so hectic, I had to take a week's extension on three projects! I still need to turn in two of those three by tonight, as tonight is the end of week 6. Thankfully, all my week 6 projects are done. Yesterday, I made a paper airplane, and it flew 59.16 feet!! That is the most out of all my classmates I think! I also made a balloon powered paper plane, which ran on a track of fishing line which was threaded through a straw taped to the plane. It traveled 498 cms on it's longest flight. There are many other projects like these, except that some are much harder and some are just PDF files which I have to fill in and email to my instructor. It is a very interesting course, and I am learning many new things every day.

Yet ANOTHER Surprise!

Before Mrs. Wolfe and Ms. Vandor had come by, I was chatting with my dad on gmail. He said he had a surprise for me for Diwali, and told me to guess what it was, but still would not tell me. He said I would have to wait. I expected something like cucumber ot tomato, but turn s out, he got me a Sony VAIO!!!!!!!!! I knew that he was going to fix the laptop conflict between Mama and me, and I heard my mom say something about a Sony VAIO, and that she had liked the one she had 7 years back and my dad he said he would get one, but I thought it would be for Mama! When I first saw the VAIO, I thought it was for mama, until papa said it was for me! I was so surprised! He even got Microsoft Office and Student 2010 along with a wireless Bluetooth mouse! The laptop even has an HD screen and built in HD webcam with a light up keyboard! I could not have asked for a better Diwali gift (Except maybe to be rid of all this cancer and SCT transplant mess, but some things must be borne through)!

Surprise!

Today, after I came back from clinic after my platelet transfusion, (I am not in the hospital anymore, I am in the Ronald McDonald House), I was lying in my room wondering waht to do when I get a call from the front desk. The woman asked my name, and when I said Harindra Rathi, she said I had a visitor. I asked who it was, and when she replied Katherine Wolfe, I mentally short-circuited for a minute. Mrs. Wolfe was my 2nd grade teacher! I said that I would have my mom pick her up. I quickly got up and went to the lounge, where my mom was working on her laptop. She went to get Mrs. Wolfe immediately. As an even bigger surprise, Ms. Vandor, my 4th grade teacher, walked in too!! I was so excited! When I hugged them, I was only a few inches short of their height. They commented on my growth, and it felt quite weird to be standing eye-level with your 4th grade teacher. We sat down and talked a bit, and they told us about everything going on at school and how things had changed a lot since I left. Mrs. Wolfe said that she she only had a two siblings (of her previous students) in her class, and how "a new wave" was beginning. In all, we had a very good time. I have their emails, so I can keep in touch with them, which is a big relief. They said that they would visit soon, and I would really like that. I hope to see them very soon, as they were very good teachers, and my education would be a mess without them. They are probably two of the most memorable teachers I will ever have.

Cool Links

Hello everyone,
Here are some cool links that the adults as well as
the kids will like.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/3-million-luxury-camper-40-mobile-mansion-220233175.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Veyron

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Toilet-Motorcycle-Hybrid-Biofuel-Waste,news-12851.html



The first one is about a $3 million RV, the second one is about the fastest street-legal car in the world, and the last is about a toilet-powered, yes, toilet-powered, motorcycle.

Have fun,
Harindra

Showers

One day, when papa got back from work, he noticed black stuff around my nose, and,
thinking it was dirt, gave me a lecture on how I should shower. The next day, I scrubbed unbelievably hard at that spot, but nothing came off, and it burned a LOT. Later, when papa looked more closely at my face, turns out the black stuff is hair! One of my medicines makes more hair grow, so what used to be a trace of a mustache can now be seen from a good distance, and I have a lot of hair where I will have a beard. It looks really weird, and my nose is all fuzzy. To add to that my face is puffy too.
Yesterday, when I video chatted with Gauri Mausi, she said I looked grown up, and Rustom Chacha (Gauri Mausi's husband) said I looked like Salman Khan. When I take a shower, now I have a stool, so I can really scrub areas good while sitting down. The other day, when I was quite exhausted and just wanted to sit in the shower without scrubbing, I just lifted my arm, and a mountain of dirt washed out of my armpits, which I find very confusing, as I had been scrubbing my armpits for the past week to no avail. Then, out of the blue, I don't even touch my armpits, and out comes the loot! This was a very weird feeling, but then I just cleaned my armpits and sat down for the shower.

Farts and Aveeno

Yesterday I was farting a lot! When the nursing assistant, Elizabeth, came in, I farted once. And I was talking about farting with Manimau and of all people, mamma! So Elizabeth told us a story. Here's how it went.

Elizabeth is from Mexico. This is a story about her once upon a time boyfriend and her mother. He came to Mexico city to meet her mom for the first time. He came to pick up Elizabeth and her mom, who were shopping. They got into his car and before any words could be exchanged, Elizabeth's mother let out a loud, wet - this is my own imagination - fart. This was followed by a series of more farts. Elizabeth was very embarrassed. Her boyfriend was red and speechless. And her mother was laughing!
Elizabeth let out a complaining, "MOM!!!!" Her mother said, still laughing, "I couldn't help it!"

I like her. You should take pride in your farts like me! This is especially for Saahil, Arnav, Siddharth and Harman.

And now about Aveeno! My mom uses Aveeno cream on me. Beware! If any cream is in a tube, take it out carefully as it may make a farting sound, or a sound very much like you would imagine that a person stepping in and out of fresh, wet poo would make. This is almost always hugely satisfying for your kids and irritating for you! Also it comes out like a very disgusting blob of poo. So beware again! (Feel blessed I am warning you even though this is one of my favorite sounds on earth)

Second engraftment

Today I engrafted for the second time! And the doctors put me on a Step 2 diet, which means I CAN HAVE CHEESE! So for anyone who is getting food for me, please put cheese wherever logical! Please increase the number of times you get pasta tenfold (for the cheese :))The doctors have asked me to hold off on regular milk for now.

I HAVE LIVED A MONTH WITHOUT CHEESE! THIS IS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE CENTURY! (and also the torture of the century. Do NOT try this if it is not absolutely necessary. It will cause great discomfort to the mind).

A Fact For Everyone Part III

This post is for all the kids.

Arnav: Zach Wong played Guitar Hero for a record 50 hrs and 3 min.

Saahil: The world's largest train set can be found in Germany. It covers 12,378 ft. squared, but when it is completed in 2014, the 13 miles of track will cover more than 24,756 ft. squared. The model has more than 11,000 passenger cars and wagons, 900 signals, 3,500 buildings, and 200,000 figures.

Siddharth Z: The largest underpants in the world measured 65 ft. 7 in. across the waist and 39 ft. 4 in. from waistband to crotch.

Siddharth D: Qiu Jiangning jumped 10 ft. 2 in. through a hoop.

Harman: The fastest car went 458 mph.

August: A 1988 Volksagen Scirocco was driven 209 miles, from London to Manchester, powered by coffee.

A Fact For Everyone Part II

Today I will continue where I left off on your facts. Meanwhile I am waiting for my highly intelligent aunts and uncles to figure out how to post comments!

Ravneet Chachi: The tallest ice cream scoop pyramid had 3,100 scoops of ice cream.

Ajay Chacha: The thinnest Blu-ray player is just 0.9 inches thick.

Kanchan Chachi: The Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine, known as "Baby", was the first computer to store its program internally.

Nilesh Chacha and Priya Chachi: The iPad2 is the fastest selling consumer gadget ever!

Punita Mausi and Rekha Mausi: 6.5-Weight in tons of fruit you'll consume during your life - about the same weight as a bull elephant!

Jitu Chacha and Usha Chachi: A humanoid robot named I-Fairy conducted the wedding ceremony of Tomohiro Shibata and Satoko Inoue on May 16, 2010.

Preeti Aunty, Anita Mausi and Jayshri Chachi: Kalamandalam Hemaletha danced the traditional Indian Mohiniyattam for 123 hours and 15 minutes.

Rajesh Chacha: Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 wickets in 133 Tests from August 28, 1992 to July 22, 2010.

A Fact For Everyone

This is a table of facts from the Guinness Book of World Records 2012. I will write a fact for everyone that I think they will like. Please email me if I missed you.

Anupam Chacha: Evel Knievel endured 433 fractures.

Radhika Chachi: $56,825 - your total spending on clothes. A lifetime supply of boiler suits and sensible shoes would cost $5,178. The extra $ 51,647 is the price you pay for a lifetime of fashion!

Sachin Chacha: Ashrita Furman traveled 4 miles while juggling on a pogo stick.

Sonali Chachi: 5,609 - Number of movies you will watch in a lifetime, or one every five days.

Kala Aunty (my violin teacher): Fiddler Frankie Gavin played the "The Foxhunter's Reel" at 150 bpm on Sept. 2010 in Ireland. Fact 2: The largest violin was 14 feet long and 4.5 feet wide at its widest.

Harmeek Chacha: Major Singh, a Nihang Sikh, wears a turban 1,312 feet long.

I will do more people in my next post.

A Word From My Mother

Harindra does not smile as much as before but he is definitely getting his zing and wise-cracking ways back. An example

Yesterday I was giving him a hard time, as usual, about brushing his teeth. My typical complaints are, "you don't brush round and round, you don't brush for 2 min, you space out while brushing etc. etc. Yesterday it was, " you don't take enough toothpaste. I never see foam in your mouth!"

Pat came the triumphant reply with a victorious hand in the air, "Because I don't have rabies!"

Poopoo Power!

When the doctors started me on steroids, I started gaining weight very fast. I became all puffy, my arms and legs swelled up, and my face became round. I was already on fluids, so the doctors think that it is fluid retention caused by the steroids. At one point, I was 16 pounds above my regular weight!!!!!! Slowly, over the days, I started losing weight by exercising. Now, I am 5 pounds over my usual weight, and my body is much more normal-looking. Sometimes, when I eat, I feel as if my stomach will burst! Then I go #2. It is AMAZING how much relief a good go can give you when you are bloated. then my parents get all eager to check my weight to see how much weight I lost after my little trip. Poop rocks:)

My Lesson

Yesterday my tutor, Kevin, had come by. He works in the school here at the hospital. Together, we started doing some Khan academy, a website to practice math. I was doing an exercise called "exponent rules" with Kevin. The type was very small, so Kevin was having a hard time reading the exponents. It was actually quite funny, seeing Kevin squinting at the screen, thinking a 7 was a 3 and so on (no offense to you, Kevin). Even he had forgotten some of the things in the exercise, so we slowly went through it together, remembering things, (since I used to be proficient in the exercise, I just messed up and had to restart) and getting things wrong a lot until we finally got 10 correct in a row (you need to get 10 in a row correct in order to become proficient).

For anyone who wants to try Khanacademy, all you need to do is use either your Gmail or Facebook account to log in (no registration required). The website is www.khanacademy.org

TV

A few days ago, Manimau got us a Korean TV show
called "Jumong" from the library.It is about a Korean prince named Jumong who united Korea a long time ago. It has a complicated plot, lots of action, royal family feuding, and deception.


Papa had seen it a few years ago and
wanted to see it again. We used to watch it at night while eating dinner, but I had to go to bed early because I was little. Papa would still watch it after I went to sleep even though I told him not to, and wouldn't rewind it the next day saying that I could watch what I missed in the day. I never got time in the day though, so he ended up watching most of it without me, and I would only see random parts in the middle. Now though since I have more time at hand and sleep at the same time as my parents, I can see the whole thing properly.


See it for yourself!

BEEPING PUMPS!!!!!!!

I am going to have nightmares about these medicine pumps later when I get out of the hospital, when I can actually get some sleep. They are so noisy, and I have 5!! If a pump battery is low for a few minutes, it will tell you to restart the pump and restore the program. Until the nurse does that, we can't even mute it!! When the pumps aren't ringing, they are making these really loud and irritating clicking sounds while they infuse me! These pumps might just be the worst part of the hospital.

Weird Dance

Yesterday Manimau got me the TV show set of Archie.

Mama was very excited and wanted to watch it immediately, so we started watching it while eating dinner. The voices sounded pretty weird and mismatched, and the characters looked different from their paper versions, but it was still quite funny. Most of all, after every episode, they would show a dance which you could "watch and learn", like "The Rocket" or "The Surfer". The dances were so funny and ridiculous, we were laughing the whole time!

Peeing, peeing, and some more peeing

This post is for Sachin chacha and Anupam chacha, the pee/poo information cravers.


Every day @5am and 5pm, I get a medicine to make me pee. Then later, I get a fluid bolus to make me pee out MORE medicine!! Many times, the nurse will not have emptied the urinal, so by morning it has around 900 ml in it! It can get quite heavy too. I wonder how much I have peed since coming here...


Then we have the rectal waste issue. I can elaborate... if you want.


Please post a comment so I can know what to write next. Is there anything in particular you want to know about?

Feeling better

Yesterday my teacher had come. Right now he is teaching me US history.
History does not interest me much, but I try to listen. After he left,
my nurse, Julie, from my old hospital came for a visit. she got me a
lot of things! She got me a huge pack of Pirate's Booty, scones, and
other sweets for my parents. Julie is very nice. A little later the
OT therapist, Sarah, dropped by, so my mom and Julie went and got some coffee.
Meanwhile I played some badminton with Sarah. After Sarah left, I started working on a Lego set that my aunt had gotten me. I worked on the Lego for a few hours, then I
got tired, so I sat down in bed and read a little bit. I lay down for a bit until Ravneet Chachi came with some food. I tried to eat a little and then fell asleep.

Who am I?

I am a 10 year old boy in the hospital undergoing a stem cell transplant(SCT).
This is the third time I have had cancer, so the doctors are giving me a SCT to make sure it doesn't come back. I completely missed kindergarten, missed most of first grade, and then missed the last three months of fourth grade. Luckily, my teachers are very nice and used to come tutor me. Now, the hospital school tutors me until I come back to school.
Today I had to use my PCA (Patient Controlled Analgaesic). PCA is a machine where I can push a button and get pain medicine once every hour. I was having a headache today.
My mom has stinky coffee breath (don't go near her right now, I am going to faint)!!!