Spoken Query

A friend asked me: I met this guy on online and we have been chatting for the past two months. He is married but his marriage is going through a rough time. He seemed nice and very charming and I instantly got attracted to him.  It all started with a very healthy friendship until one day he confessed his love for me. He said that when the time comes, he is ready to leave his wife and child for me and marry me and until then we should chat so we can understand each other very well. Everything was going great until recently he pressurized me to send him nude pictures of myself to him. I said NO because I do not want to and I am not going to. He broke up with me.  Here are the recent accusations that he has made towards me and my replies to him: BF: I am fed up with your conditions. Me: When we started chatting, you said everything will be mutual and no one will force the other to do anything that they are not comfortable doing. You are adding this new condition now. That's ...

My parents have come to visit me in February 2020 and they are supposed to return to India in May 2020. We all know that there is a lockdown till 12th April 2020 in India and 30th April in the US- we don't know if these dates are going to be extended. As on today traveling is UNCERTAIN. So, what options are available if they have to  extend  their stay? Change of Flight Tickets Most airlines have begun changing their policies to create more flexibility for changing bookings. So, if you’re planning — or have already scheduled — a trip for the near future then, depending upon the airline, here are your options:  You can cancel the ticket.   Some airlines are offering   e-credit (e.g. Delta airlines), while some are letting you cancel the ticket  without having to commit to a new flight date right away (e.g. Lufthansa) .  In case you want a full cash refund, I would suggest that you wait up to 72 hours before your flight. In the meanwhi...

We know that healthcare in the U.S is expensive and elderly people are more susceptible to illnesses. Bills can quickly add up if you run into a medical emergency. Depending on the treatment, visiting an urgent care or the emergency room can cost anywhere between $150 to $1,000,000. Ambulance or helicopter services is beyond the afforadable limits of middle-class people like me if I have to pay for it out of pocket.  You must realize that even if you are healthy at this moment, you can still encounter unexpected emergencies like sudden illness, accidents, hurting yourself or falling down, etc.   This is where having a travel insurance policy can help in avoiding a bankruptcy.  You can either buy the travel insurance from an Indian company in India or a US company. The pros and cons for both these options are listed below: # Indian Insurance Company US Insurance Company 1 It is way cheaper to buy insurance from an Indian company in India a...

Your mother runs out of her blood pressure medication.  Can she refill her prescription at a U.S. pharmacy?  You forgot to bring your Ayurvedic medicines.  Can your parents mail it to you from India?  Your father is traveling to the U.S and wants to carry his prescription medications that aren’t available OTC in the US.  Can you?   These are just some of the questions people who need medications worry about.  So, what are the rules for refilling or shipping medications or flying to the US with them?  How to refill medicines at the local pharmacy in the US? If you need a prescription filled, you should visit a local doctor as very few pharmacies can fill a foreign prescription, and this is determined on a state-by-state basis. Therefore, it is very important that you have a travel insurance and your foreign prescription. You need to show your foreign prescription to the local US doctor and request him/her to issue you a local...

After my blog post on "Coronavirus: How To Make Face Mask At Home" , the article received a huge traffic with emails asking for advice on how they can make masks without stitching. While most of you were excited with the little sewing project, I realize that at times like this, it is important to help people by sharing tutorials that anyone can easily take advantage of. Moreover, I understand that many of you may not have a sewing machine or a thread and needle or may not know how to use them (I don't either). Therefore, I decided to share the simplest, easiest and useful mask tutorial. No cutting or stitching is required. Yes, you read that right! Moreover, it takes one minute and just two items. The final product Instructions for making a  face mask with handkerchief and hair ties Materials for making one mask: One Handkerchief or bandana (100% cotton and tightly weaved) and two hair-ties. An old handkerchief will do, as long as it is not to...