Err, can I give feedback when I want to?

So I can be a bitch of a customer, but mostly not. Those moments are reserved solely when life is being a bitch to me. And this post is about one of those moments:

I lost my wallet and discovered that an hour later while I was snacking on the road. Frenzied track-backs revealed that I was indeed a pauper-for-now :( After some pouting and whining, it was time for some action. Other than money and some email addresses I'd copied on tissues from my trip to Thailand, the other valuable in my wallet was my bank card. So I called the bank and asked them to freeze the account. So far so good. Now this lady on the phone asked me if I would give some feedback about her to some other lady in the bank. 'It will only take a moment ma'am'. Ok I said, I've got a moment. Clearly this is where I made a mistake. I was harried as I had to get to the bank to fill up some forms for card-replacement and shouldn't have offered to do this, but I did.

So Lady No.2 came on the line, and started asking me questions about my overall helpdesk experience. 'Did you get through the first time?' No. 'How many times did you try before you got through?' Four. 'Was the voice on the other end a)Friendly b) Curt.....' Aackk, hold it right there! I can't answer these right now, can you call me some other time?' But ma'am it will only take a few moments. 'Was this the first time you.... '

So that was it. I can't replicate my conversation with the lady but I can assure you it wasn't pretty. Why are you throwing this at me? Where were you when I had to get a coupon at your bank and wait in line for 40 minutes to get a simple question answered? Where were you when I wanted to inquire about my account and your helpline just DID not get through? HOW can you ask for my time when I'm least willing to give it? Do you really care about my experience when what you offer more often than not is mediocrity? Go away you super-inefficient-but-pretending-to-be-so-caring-concerned-jerks. Get out of my face!

Woof!

Math Wrath

I can't believe I'm confessing this online, but I'm a math-dud. I just about scraped through exams in school (and yes I even cheated to get that pass mark!) and I 'dropped the subject' as soon as I had the choice, which was at the age of 16 and opted for Psychology instead. And till date the number-crunching crunches my insides. So what do I do? I avoid all things numerical. At discount stores i take friends who can do the calculation for me, so I don't end up paying 2, 550 instead of 25.50. I avoid doing that tax thing (see I'm also math-lingo illiterate) and lose far too much than I would if I DID do that tax thing, but hey! atleast I don't have to add huh? I actively avoid anything and everything that will make me smath my head against the wall.

So when I came across this blog, I was intrigued. Someone's actually having fun with this! And I spent a reasonable amount of time trying to understand these.... but my escapist self got the better of me and I decided to 'write' about it instead. I hope you can enjoy it though.

Ouch Potatoe

I spent yesterday in front of the idiot-box. 6 hours of non-stop channel-flicking, watching Erin Brokovich (which HAS to be the highlight of my TV-session given that I'd even forgotten what the case was about!), receiving many messages from well-wishing companies that I need soft hair gels and better skin, that packaged soups are really healthy, that if I don't invest in the future, I will surely die a poor death, that I really have to, need to change my brand of sanitary napkins and finally that I'm a loser if I'm not watching KBC in its all new SRK avatar.

I watched some commentary about celebrities, who was dressed how at what event? Who's hooked up with whom? Who has died? Was it suicide? I also watched some serials - stories about people living by the beach, their loves and relationships, their lives of working and aspiring, laughing and crying. sob sob. ha ha

Then there was some research on the telepathic ability of twins and how scientific research is trying to figure it out with wires, monitors and all...

Yes, some of it was useful information. But honestly, I felt wasted when finally I 'pulled the trigger' on the power button. What had I achieved? Nothing. Created? Nothing. What had it done to my sense of satisfaction and fulfillment? Nothing. What could I write home about (well, ok I don't write home that much, but anyway:))? Nothing.

For 8 years now, since I moved out of home I haven't had a TV. And I now know why this has been a gift. For one minute of value-viewing, I flush 30 down the drain.

Why am I writing this you wonder? Because I feel sorry... for me. For having done this to myself. I'm sorry Puj. I really am.

Gasp! That's right, you're in Bali

Bali is not a destination to be reached or a tourist-attraction to be visited. It’s a delight to be experienced. The million blue-hues of the sea and sky, the warmth of its people, the freshness of every sunrise can’t be duplicated in image or print. One has to go there. And just be.

You step out of the airport and the air that wafts into your nostrils informs you that you have arrived… ‘if there can be a heaven on earth, this is it' the air continues to tell you. You switch off and let the breeze caress your face. It’s warm and humid. ‘Perfect for a dip in the sea’ the air manages to interject. This time you’re listening :D

Although one can stay in Bali ‘forever’, for all practical purposes you need a minimum of 3 weeks to be able to accumulate all that Bali has to offer. The first week - dedicated to the wild white sands and wilder waves. Yes, just lie around on the beach all day and all night, swim into the Bali sea occasionally, walk with the waves lapping up at your feet, feel the texture of the sand between your toes, collect unbelievable washed-away shells, corals...

Week 2 - set out to sight see. And trust me, there is a lot to see, off-the beach also!. Ubud, for instance is a delight for the artistically inclined. The winding, hilly journey takes you to this homely village lined with handicraft, paintings, wood and stone carvings' galleries. Then there’s Tanah Lot, where an otherwise ordinary sunset becomes an unbelievable sight...

And just when you think that taking in the sheer beauty of the place would suffice, you discover the Balinese water sports!! From safe glass-bottomed boat-rides to para-sailing, from snorkeling to surfing, Bali allows you to reclaim your adventurous side!


Parting words? “Dive right in!”

Global warming: has it sunk in?

Februarys in Pune are usually cool. But these are not usual times. There were incessant rains in '05 and the winter of '06 never really took off. Other countries witnessed strange seasons as well. An Austrian friend exclaimed "This time there was NO winter in Austria, and I mean "NO" winter". And so it is with all nooks and corners of this beautiful world. This site has aptly captured our dire straits.

How far removed we are from this situation that is staring us in the face became clear to me in a conversation with a friend (lets call him FX). Here is how it went:

Me(complaining): This is unbearably hot for Feb. I wonder what April will look like...?

FX: Yea, its horrible.. I'm surely going to get an A/C in my house this year...

The hair on my skin rose... if he gets an A/C in his house, will next year not be hotter? If everyone simply starts looking at 'What am I going to do to get comfortable this year' will that not affect and destroy whatever is left of our equilibrium next year? Is it really that difficult to care about our own, very very immediate future?

Is it not time to take personal responsibility for what is happening? Can small baby steps not help towards bringing/restoring some balance?

It is unimaginable in how much nature has given...and given... will we ever "see" that and give something in return, in gratitude...??