Oh my God!!!!!!!!!!!!

The world's youngest mother was 5 years old!

Her name was Lina Medina, a Peruvian girl from the Andean village of Ticrapo who made medical history when she gave birth to a boy by caesarean section in May 1939 at the age of five years, seven months and 21 days. Lina's parents initially thought their daughter had a large abdominal tumor, but after they took her to a hospital in the town of Pisco physicians confirmed that her abdominal swelling was due to pregnancy. Linda was eventually transferred to a hospital in Lima, where she delivered a six-pound baby boy by Caesarean section on 14 May 1939 (coincidentally the date on which Mother's Day was celebrated that year). Lina's father was temporarily jailed on suspicion of incest, but he was released for a lack of evidence and authorities were never able to determine who fathered Lina's child.

For a pic and more, have a looksee at this site

Hard-pressed for time!

Last evening my next-door neighbour remarked, after seeing me after weeks, ' Hey, I'm seeing you after such a loooong time.' And I quipped back, 'You are so lucky, I haven't seen myself in a while.' OK, that was an exaggeration, but not very far from the truth.

Life in cities is so fast-paced whether it is the hectic commute to work, shopping for groceries, haggling with the sabjiwalas over the ever-increasing prices of veggies et al. You barely find any time for yourself. It's all taking a toll on me now since I have never been good in the Time-Management department. I couldn't even meet my cousin sister and my niece who were here for a few weeks in Mumbai. Waaaaaaah!! :-((

As I struggle to juggle between my school, studies(and I haven't gotten around to it much either) and murdering potatoes in the kitchen (which gobbles up every free moment that I have) this poem that I learnt when I was a kid comes to my mind...

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

- William Henry Davies

Strange Taxes in History

And this is for those who are grouching about Mr. C's B. I mean the budget..
Here are some tax attacks from history..

In 1784, William Pitt the Younger introduced a tax on windows, which opponents labelled 'Daylight Robbery.' He also introduced taxes on wig powder, playing cards, servants and dogs.

The Russian leader Peter the Great introduced taxes on beards, souls, hats, clothing, food, chimneys and boots, as well as birth, marriage and burial.

In ancient Rome, the Emperor Nero levied a tax on (ahem)..urine. (It was levied only against urine being used in the tanning industry.) His successor, Vespasianus, created the 'Fiscus Judaicus', or tax on Jews.

Bachelors, too, have been taxed in the past. For example, in Auxerre in 1223, an annual tax of five solidi was imposed on any man 'qui non habet uxorem et est bache-larius'.

Taxes have been recorded from as early as the First Dynasty of the Old Kingdom in Egypt (3000-2800 B.C.). There is even evidence of early tax shelters!

The first income tax in the world was created in 1404 A.D in England. It was so hated that the Parliament later had all records of it buried. (Source- TOI)

What was that again?

I was shopping at the local mall on Sunday, when someone called out to me. I turned around only to find an old college friend of mine. It had been over a decade since we met, and we had a lot of catching up to do (like exchanging notes on old crushes, and gossiping about old friends). We tittle-tattled over mugs of hot coffee.

After the usual gab-fest, both of us chided each other for not staying in touch, and complained about not being invited to the other's wedding. This time, we promised each other that we would stay in touch. We exchanged our mobile numbers, and then...

Me : Hey, do you have a PC at home?

She : Yeah, (with somewhat pride) an internet connection too!

Me : That's greaaaaaaaaaaat! Lemme note your email address. Hope you check it regularly.

She : Yes, I do. But...

Me : But what?

She : It's going to change.

Me : Why?

She : (Swells up with pride) Oh, my husband has got a promotion, and we are shifting to Bangalore.

Me :......………………………………………(speechless)