Yesterday, I went to Landmark at Forum and bought a book. I generally don’t. My place is Strand – one, because of the homely atmosphere; and two, because of the book-lover discount that you get on anything you buy!
My wife and I had gone to Forum to catch a movie, which wasn’t to be, so we walked into Landmark, and bought this book ‘What Should I Do With My Life?’. The rupee-conversion was precise, and the book was priced Rs 260.70. Fine. I went to pay the bill, gave the cashier a Rs 500 note, and he nonchalantly returned Rs 239. What about the 30 paise...?
Yeah, what about the 30 paise? I wouldn’t have minded the book being priced at a rounded off Rs 261, or even a further rounded off Rs 265, if the store doesn’t like dealing in smaller denominations. But, no! They price it at Rs 260.70, and then take it for granted that the 30 paise don’t matter to me. Like hell! If the frigging 70 paise matter to you, the 30 do to me, too.
I had a good mind to demand the 30 paise, except that both my wife and I were feeling pretty sick from the combined scents assailing our nostrils from the perfume counter facing the billing counter. What’s with that perfume counter location...? Is it supposed to remind you that all the perfumes of Arabia or wherever can’t get rid of the stink of dubious practices at the billing counter?
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Friday, October 27, 2006
+ The Day My Life Changed
The other day, I was flipping through the channels late in the night, which is when I usually relax with inanity on TV, when I came across a Tamil channel playing a film. I stopped for a while, and – I don’t know about this, but sometimes I think I invite things on myself – there was this absolutely mindblowing sequence.
There is this woman (Madhavi, I think) tied to a tree. She has a horse and a dog for pets/companions, and the horse unties her. She gets on the horse and rides away and the villain shoots and injures the horse. Heroine gets down from the horse, looks at the wound (let me not get too much into the details here), and then I think the villain who is following comes up and shoots the heroine.
What followed was straight out of a bloody fairy tale. The dog sniffs around, spies a visiting card on the ground, notices that it belongs to a doctor, goes to a public telephone and – you won’t believe it – dials, and barks loudly into the receiver.
It took me a while to gather my wits around me and to convince myself that I wasn’t dreaming. The next thing I know, the dog is walking into a house – presumably the doctor’s house. Once inside, the dog, that divine creature, goes straight to the typewriter and – I swear I’m not making this up - types out an SOS in the Tamil script. That was the fastest I’d seen a paw work on a typewriter. Hell, that was the damnest thing I ever saw a paw do. Going by hunt-and-peck standards, this dog was good enough to compete with humans – and win by a mile.
10 minutes later, after I’d recovered....
I am humble. I accept that life is strange. I concede I don’t know what could be. I know now that what I know not to be is actually what I haven’t known to be. I should believe...I should believe. I am in awe. I would like to meet these extraordinary people, the filmmakers, the story writers, that creative ocean that came up with this...this...this (please provide a suitable word – I am completely chastened and at a loss for words).
Whether I may or may not believe more in God, let me assure you, I already believe more in DOG!
There is this woman (Madhavi, I think) tied to a tree. She has a horse and a dog for pets/companions, and the horse unties her. She gets on the horse and rides away and the villain shoots and injures the horse. Heroine gets down from the horse, looks at the wound (let me not get too much into the details here), and then I think the villain who is following comes up and shoots the heroine.
What followed was straight out of a bloody fairy tale. The dog sniffs around, spies a visiting card on the ground, notices that it belongs to a doctor, goes to a public telephone and – you won’t believe it – dials, and barks loudly into the receiver.
It took me a while to gather my wits around me and to convince myself that I wasn’t dreaming. The next thing I know, the dog is walking into a house – presumably the doctor’s house. Once inside, the dog, that divine creature, goes straight to the typewriter and – I swear I’m not making this up - types out an SOS in the Tamil script. That was the fastest I’d seen a paw work on a typewriter. Hell, that was the damnest thing I ever saw a paw do. Going by hunt-and-peck standards, this dog was good enough to compete with humans – and win by a mile.
10 minutes later, after I’d recovered....
I am humble. I accept that life is strange. I concede I don’t know what could be. I know now that what I know not to be is actually what I haven’t known to be. I should believe...I should believe. I am in awe. I would like to meet these extraordinary people, the filmmakers, the story writers, that creative ocean that came up with this...this...this (please provide a suitable word – I am completely chastened and at a loss for words).
Whether I may or may not believe more in God, let me assure you, I already believe more in DOG!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
+ I Met Life Today...
I had this bizarre conversation three days ago with someone who called me on the phone.
My mobile rang. I picked it up, and said hello.
“Sir, I am calling from Metlife(-something). I wanted to talk to you about our financial services (blah-blah).”
My stock response: “I am sorry, I’m not interested. Thanks.”
“Ok, thank you, sir. May I know your name?”
!!!!!!!!!!
“You don’t know my name??!! You just called me and spoke to me!”
“Yes, sir, but I don’t know your name.”
“If you don’t know my name, why did you call me?! Where did you get my number from?”
“The number is there on our company database, sir. That’s why I called you.”
“You have my number on your database, but you don’t have my name!! How can you just call up someone without knowing who they are...??!!”
“I’m sorry, sir. Goodbye!”
Have you met life today?
Oh, yeah, I have. And I didn’t like the experience one fricking bit!
PS” A point to ponder. All sorts of your personal, professional and financial information is floating around. Do you have any idea who knows what about you, and what they are doing with it?
My mobile rang. I picked it up, and said hello.
“Sir, I am calling from Metlife(-something). I wanted to talk to you about our financial services (blah-blah).”
My stock response: “I am sorry, I’m not interested. Thanks.”
“Ok, thank you, sir. May I know your name?”
!!!!!!!!!!
“You don’t know my name??!! You just called me and spoke to me!”
“Yes, sir, but I don’t know your name.”
“If you don’t know my name, why did you call me?! Where did you get my number from?”
“The number is there on our company database, sir. That’s why I called you.”
“You have my number on your database, but you don’t have my name!! How can you just call up someone without knowing who they are...??!!”
“I’m sorry, sir. Goodbye!”
Have you met life today?
Oh, yeah, I have. And I didn’t like the experience one fricking bit!
PS” A point to ponder. All sorts of your personal, professional and financial information is floating around. Do you have any idea who knows what about you, and what they are doing with it?
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