Apollo 11 a.m.

Yesterday morning, I had gone to Apollo Hospital for donating blood. It was the first time that I was going for blood donation. I was excited and a bit nervous. A few of my college seniors and I left for the hospital and reached there at 11 a.m., hence the title (I know, its a lame one!).
I was strongly advised to have good breakfast before leaving, but I had only a bottle of flavored badaam milk.
After filling the form (a formality), while I sat waiting for my turn for blood test, my mind recalled my previous experiences of blood tests and the pain when the sharp pricky metal piece was pricked into my fingertip, and the blood that used to ooze out when the pricked finger with the tiny hole was pressed. The pain was not much and watching the oozing out of blood was quite amusing.
I was glad I was called for the blood test, because I had to wait for half an hour after my mental tour of past experiences, during which I was just reading a couple of small posters on the walls which mentioned the precautions to be taken after blood donation.
The person doing the blood test took my finger and started rubbing a piece of cotton soaked in some liquid. I told myself, "this is it. This finger would be pricked with some metal piece and then the blood would ooze out." I felt my finger moving a little backwards, just a tiny but a gradual twitch. He again rubbed the liquid soaked cotton on that finger, and he used something which didn't look like the pricky metal piece I was used to. I didn't feel anything and was waiting for him to use that metal thing. He asked me to leave. I realized he was done and a tiny sample of my blood had been taken in that thing which he'd used to prick my finger and surprisingly, I didn't feel anything.
I went back and sat, waiting... a few minutes I felt slight pain in that finger and saw a tiny cut. The blood test was nicely done.
So now I felt more comfortable.
My seniors started talking, chatting just like that. One of them said, "Once it happened so that one of our batchmates, went to donate blood. After the blood donation thing, when he got up from the bed, he fainted." They all started grinning. I also grinned, slightly. He continued, "Later it happened so, that he had to be given 3 bags of blood." and they all started laughing, and I also joined in. He further continued, "As a result, one of our professors, said, 'we only need positive blood donors'."
I thought that since I'd not had much as my breakfast, what if I fainted?! One of the seniors told me that they're experts and they do it nicely.
For the blood test, I was called in with a couple of my seniors. I sat in the middle chair. The AC was giving me slight shivers. They checked everyone's BP. They started taking blood from the two seniors. I saw the whole procedure on one of the senior. I saw the long, thick pipe like needle with a distinct opening. I'd never imagined myself to be pricked with such a thick needle. Some other lady came and checked my BP, again. One of my seniors was done with his donation. The guy came again and checked my BP, again. He asked, "Are you nervous, or anxious?" "Is this your first time as a blood donor?" "Your BP is too high for taking blood, you relax for sometime, then we'll check your BP again and if its stabilized, then we would take the blood."
I went out, and told the reason. That guy took me to the doctor and she got worried after she heard that I had 150/90 BP. She looked concerned, "You must be anxious, since this is your first time, but its okay. You relax for sometime."
I tried to reason with her, the guy who drew out the blood, and my seniors that it might have been the AC, but of course it made no sense. I later realized that it might have been the long thick pipe like needle. My seniors (the ones who'd already donated the blood) were sipping frooti in front of me, which they'd got because of the blood donation thing, and I said to myself, "I also want one, please take my blood too."
I sat in a separate cabin and tried to relax. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, while sitting. I tried one of the relaxation techniques I'd recently read on the net. When I opened my eyes, I felt relaxed, but being in a hospital, due to the hospital environment, I lost it within a few seconds. But all I wanted was to donate the blood, that my journey from IIIT-Hyd. to Apollo be a success.
I was called again for a BP test and this time, though it was still high, it had fallen within the manageable range (140/90). The guy searched for my veins, then rubbed the liquid soaked cotton over that area, and then inserted the thick pipe like needle into the vein. The pain was negligible and I was happy, and relaxed. I was given a ball to press, so that the blood be transferred into the blood bag. I pressed the ball but after sometime I ran out of energy and I pressed the ball gently, less frequently, with lesser energy. After I was done, I sat there for 10 minutes, then I got the frooti (finally!) and then I didn't rest much in the separate cabin meant for resting purpose.
Everyone asked me if I was ok, including the lady doctor. Ah! I love that attention one gets, but sometimes it gets frustrating, makes you feel like a 10 year old kid. I assured everyone that I was fine!
I did feel a little drained out of energy, especially in my legs, but slowly everything felt normal. Back in the sun, while waiting for the vehicle, I felt nice. I don't like AC.
Talking of blackout, I had a blackout while traveling in train once, but that's a different story.
I liked the experience, but that high BP thing shouldn't have happened. I wasn't anxious as such... it was the AC

P.S. I think the liquid in which the cotton was soaked was probably a local anaesthesia or combination of anesthesia and antiseptic kind of thing... don't know much about it.
P.S. These bloodbags look really cool. I saw the blood taking guy opening their cover and making them ready for use.
P.S. The Apollo hospital looked like some airport kind of place from inside, and had something on its wall on the outside, which made it look like a museum from outside. Interesting place.