Nothing can be more ironic than this - well, at least as far as I am concerned. I had gone to the chemist's shop on Sunday to purchase some medicines. I brought back 'cold' instead. I just happened to be standing very close to the counter when the shop attendant sneezed. Of course, it's not the rule of the land to cover your nose while sneezing so I got a full blast of the germs right in my face despite jumping back in alarm pretty quickly :-(

I am not at all fond of popping pills so I didn't touch "Celin" though prudence demanded that I down at least 3-4 of the tablets to ward off the attack, if any was coming my way. That, as it turned out, was a big mistake! The enemy attacked while I was sleeping soundly so I woke up the next day - sneezing and wheezing. Luckily, I know a very good home remedy for cold. You basically make a paste of Sunth (dried ginger) and Vekhand (Google tells me it is also called 'Acorus Calamus'), heat it up a bit (just to the level that your skin can tolerate), apply it evenly across your forehead and leave it overnight. More often than not, by morning you are relieved of nasal congestion, heaviness in head and runny nose!

What I am more worried about is the cough that follows these cold bouts. It takes ages to get cured and drives me as well as those around me absolute nuts. :-( I do have a home remedy for this as well. I mix lemon juice and honey, add a touch of black pepper to this mixture and consume it throughout the day. It is not a quick-fix but I believe it does go a long way in easing the symptoms and providing relief.

In the meantime, this cold attack has made me grumpy big time and not a soul has ventured into my cabin all through the day :-) Finally, time to get some work done!