Did I miss the train?

Geek Speak (at a q for billing during a sale)

G1: This Q is so long because they have closed two counters.

G2: It might have crashed

G1: That could be because they have not tested package properly

G2: Talking of not bad testing have you tried this feature on this phone? It doesn't work properly

G1: Oh it works fine on my phone. You need bluetooth for it to work.

By then G3 is interested and jumps right in.

G3: Yes I have the same phone. G1 and me use it all the time. Let me explain.

And then then three happily chattered on about the intricacies of bluetooth technology with terms like MMS, MP3, speed and cost factor thrown in. While I stood there with a mobile phone that did nothing but call and send text messages. The only extra feature it had was that it doubled up as a torch when needed. So I stood there wondering about my position in the gadget freaks' world nursing the sore spot which was turning blue where a tooth previously existed.

In the same Q there were two little girls who very excitedly talked about their new aquisitions, a complete Barbie kitchen set (pink mind you) and a delicately proportioned doll whose name now I have forgotten, in a bright purple dress. What shocked me was the price tag, together they cost 1200/- Not the kids but the dolls. I don't remember ever owning anything that expensive even when I was 20 let alone when I was 8. Nor do I remember knowing anyone who owned a Barbie doll let alone a complete kitchen set.

Suddenly I was in a hurry to finish paying and go home to my "drab" world.

Tress Stress :-)

All those women, not so blessed with straight manageable hair (in short curly hair) will relate to this. And all those women who like me had their initial hair cuts in the hands of their dad's barber and so are now struggling to communicate with new age hair stylists will surely relate to this.

I will write about my own hilarious struggles some other time :-)

blog hopping thoughts

Two days ago I realised that at least once a day I peep into other blogs. Some of them friends, some are strangers, in the sense I don't know them any other way other than through their blogs. I drop in nevertheless. It also occurred to me that I was getting entangled their stories. I wonder about A's travel exploits or if that girl got her husband to cook a meal for her or if that other guy found his love...

Now a question popped in my head. Isn't this a new form of gossip monging? I mean sure instead of someone else telling you about someone else here the concerned person was putting it all out in the open for every one to read. But still...

Or is blog hopping becoming the soap entertainment of internet? You see so many different lives unfolding in their own words thankfully minus the (K)Ekta Kapoor elements. It works on the same principles; atleast for me. You see a new blog find it interesting because the author is writing about the same issues that you are interested in either in the exact same way or with her own spin to it. You go back to that blog as often till you find other more interesting blogs or this person offends you or bores you.

For obvious reasons I have decided that I surf the blogs for the second reason. Why do you do it? Do tell me.

Dental Discoveries

This week I learnt that the innocuous wisdom tooth (why wisdom tooth) can be a super pain in the well ofcourse the mouth when "impacted." Did you know that just the simple act of lying down can cause enormous pressure on the jaws? Well I didn't know till I removed one of the wisdom teeth. I have another one to go and I don't even want to think about the when of it.

For the last four days I have been living on ice cream, soups and sweets since I can't even open my mouth let alone chew! This is my childhood fantasy come true. Didn't you want to live on ice creams and chocolates? Only I am hating it right now. I want sambhar with veggies (!!!) in it. I want lots of veggies (I know mom you are smiling reading this). I want lots of chinese food and I want to bite into cashews and groundnuts. And what's worse I get tired of talking. Sigh.................

There is a good side to this process though. You can actually sit around and demand things. I have not had this fortune in a very loooong time. So there's mom who is constantly trying to feed me. There's dad actually taking off from work to be with me. A husband who is actually cooking his signature dhal for me before he gets to work! And a very jealous brother of mine who is trying to get back at me saying I am imitating Sean Connery while trying to talk. But except for the pain I am not complaining at all.

I also discovered that being a dentist is a very lucrative biz. 15 minutes of cutting, trimming and pulling and stitching up he gets a thousand rupees! It takes me at least a week's work and 1500 words to get that kinda money!

Confused!

Yesterday The Hindu had published a survey on the thoughts and aspirations of the youth. Some of the figures confused me a lot.

18% own mobile phones

18% own Two wheelers

47% say dating should not be allowed

58% say marriage decisions should be left to parents

Are they talking about the same country that I live in?

In my country -

1) Every kid who has learned to talk can operate a mobile phone and the moment he or she is of mall hitting age they pretty much get a mobile phone.

2) Any kid who is over 13 is allowed to ride mother's, sister's or sometimes even father's bike and then they pretty much own it.

3) As soon as they can stop wearing uniforms (sometimes even before that) they have boyfriends and girlfriends whom they take on their bikes and talk for hours on their cell phones.

I am not blaming the kids, I am guilty of one or two things that I have just said. But the point is that I had assumed the whole country is like this only. That's what you see in movies, advertisements and even in news reports right? But the The Hindu - CNN IBN survey doesn't seem to be talking about the same people?!?!?

Yes they are. Only they talked to the rural India; whom all of us have happily forgotten. 80% of the youth questioned are supposed to be from rural India.

So all the media and advertisements are becoming richer just by milking the 20% urban population? And all the so called telecom revolution, and easier loans have been only for the urban junta?

I am not suggesting that the whole country should become mobile flashing brainless, courtesyless people that we have become. But doesn't the report make feel you very uncomfortable and confused about the so called progress our country seem to be have made?

Something is wrong here isn't it?