GMAIL!!! Stop reading my e-mails!!! This is so scary...
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Music
I listened to a friend sing 'Tum Pukar Lo' by Hemant Kumar while playing the guitar at a gathering yesterday.
And then, I came across this today - I had to share it!
"After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own. Music always seems to me to produce that effect. It creates for one a past of which one has been ignorant, and fills one with a sense of sorrows that have been hidden from one's tears. I can fancy a man who led a perfectly commonplace life, hearing by chance some curious piece of music, and suddenly discovering that his soul, without his being conscious of it, had passed through terrible experiences, and known fearful joys, or wild romantic loves, or great renunciations."
I love Oscar Wilde! :)
And then, I came across this today - I had to share it!
"After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own. Music always seems to me to produce that effect. It creates for one a past of which one has been ignorant, and fills one with a sense of sorrows that have been hidden from one's tears. I can fancy a man who led a perfectly commonplace life, hearing by chance some curious piece of music, and suddenly discovering that his soul, without his being conscious of it, had passed through terrible experiences, and known fearful joys, or wild romantic loves, or great renunciations."
I love Oscar Wilde! :)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thank you :P
It was just another day. I was returning from lab after a tired but productive day. As I neared my apartment building, I noticed that there was an old man standing by the main door, fiddling with his keys, but certainly not attempting to open the door. He stood a good two foot away from the door and I was skeptical of opening it and letting him in. He certainly seemed like a stranger to me because I have never seen him around before. The building management strictly advises us not to let strangers into the building. Even if inmates claim that they have forgotten their keys or locked themselves out, we are not supposed to play the good Samaritan.
Me being the over-cautious woman, I stood there for a moment or two wondering what I should do. Just then, this guy who was leaving the building left the door open for me to go in. I went in and as I had feared, this old man followed me promptly into the building, uttering a 'Thank you'. I slowed down, pretended as if I was trying to call somebody, and let him go in front of me. I checked at the building front desk and I wasn't surprised to see that the person on duty there was happily playing video games while she was supposed to be keeping an eye on people entering and leaving the building.
So I decided to take over the spying job (a lot of my friends would so totally agree with how good a detective I am. Thank you, thank you! :P). I followed this man to the elevators and saw that he did have the keys to the mail-box, which was sort of relieving. I held the elevator open for him and he entered saying, "Thank you". Now, why am I stressing on the 'Thank you'? Well, I am sure all of you must have heard Barack Obama say 'Thank you'. Remember the talk that he gave in Iraq a while ago? Oh, my goodness! He kept saying 'Thank you' 'Thank you' for a full ten minutes before the audience would stop clapping at his entry onto stage.
It was the exact same 'Thank you' with the exact same voice that my friend was saying. This old man with a graying beard, ear-muffs, a plastic bag in his hand and smelling strongly of, well, alcohol. That explained his unsteady gait and his inability to figure out which key it was that opened the main door. He entered the elevator and stood in a corner. I asked him which floor he would like to go to and when I pressed the button for him, he said the unmistakable Obama 'Thank you' again.
A moment later came the statement, "Thank you. Thank you for your heart!"
My heart?!?! What on earth?! I haven't given my heart to you yet my dear old man! :D
As I exited the elevator, he said, "Thank you! You are a beautiful woman!"
Beautiful woman?!?! No, I am not surprised that he called me beautiful - I know I am! ;) But, I couldn't help let out a small cry of anguish at the kind of men who hit on me these days, for that matter, always! Old men with unsteady gaits and that too, after I-don't-know-how-many pints of beer. Sigh! What has the world come to!
Me being the over-cautious woman, I stood there for a moment or two wondering what I should do. Just then, this guy who was leaving the building left the door open for me to go in. I went in and as I had feared, this old man followed me promptly into the building, uttering a 'Thank you'. I slowed down, pretended as if I was trying to call somebody, and let him go in front of me. I checked at the building front desk and I wasn't surprised to see that the person on duty there was happily playing video games while she was supposed to be keeping an eye on people entering and leaving the building.
So I decided to take over the spying job (a lot of my friends would so totally agree with how good a detective I am. Thank you, thank you! :P). I followed this man to the elevators and saw that he did have the keys to the mail-box, which was sort of relieving. I held the elevator open for him and he entered saying, "Thank you". Now, why am I stressing on the 'Thank you'? Well, I am sure all of you must have heard Barack Obama say 'Thank you'. Remember the talk that he gave in Iraq a while ago? Oh, my goodness! He kept saying 'Thank you' 'Thank you' for a full ten minutes before the audience would stop clapping at his entry onto stage.
It was the exact same 'Thank you' with the exact same voice that my friend was saying. This old man with a graying beard, ear-muffs, a plastic bag in his hand and smelling strongly of, well, alcohol. That explained his unsteady gait and his inability to figure out which key it was that opened the main door. He entered the elevator and stood in a corner. I asked him which floor he would like to go to and when I pressed the button for him, he said the unmistakable Obama 'Thank you' again.
A moment later came the statement, "Thank you. Thank you for your heart!"
My heart?!?! What on earth?! I haven't given my heart to you yet my dear old man! :D
As I exited the elevator, he said, "Thank you! You are a beautiful woman!"
Beautiful woman?!?! No, I am not surprised that he called me beautiful - I know I am! ;) But, I couldn't help let out a small cry of anguish at the kind of men who hit on me these days, for that matter, always! Old men with unsteady gaits and that too, after I-don't-know-how-many pints of beer. Sigh! What has the world come to!
Friday, January 1, 2010
You know it's New Year's when...
You know it's New Year's when... you don't see a single soul online on gchat when you log in at 8 o'clock in the morning...* and these are the kinds of conversation you have over the phone... **
"Aghghghilllaaa... I am sooooo drunk Aghghghillla... You know what I did last night... you won't believe this... I had two tequila shots and some kind of a tea.. forgot what it was.. Ohhh.. Long Island Tea... I have never been soooooo drunk before.. I think I made quite a spectacle of myself in front of my friends... :| And oh yeah.... Happy New Year!!! :D"
"It was sooooo cold last night.. I took my camera and tripod and went out to watch the fireworks.. You won't believe how cold it was... While taking pictures, I had to remove my gloves and my hands were freeeeezing.. Now, I am down with a cold and fever... :("
"You know what.. I thought the party at my cousin's place was last night.. turns out it is tonight.. I just ended up watching 3 idiots and went to bed.. :|"
"I have never bought alcohol myself before.. I went to the store and stood at the wine aisle, rather stupidly staring at all the labels.. After spending half-an-hour at the store, I decided to pick up whatever this decent, my age-looking girl chose.. Late harvest Riesling.. supposed to have a good aroma.. and then I thought, 'Hell...!!! Who wants good aroma at a New Year's bash?!' ...and so picked up the sweet and crisp Riesling, which is supposed to go well with spicy stuff.. ;)"
And this one is the best -
"I lovvvvvvvvvvve you... muuuuuaaaaaaaaaaah.. :-* "
(Mind you... I actually heard that kiss!)
Me: (Slightly blushing) Ahem.. Okaayyy.. Did you have a good time last night?
"Welllllll... ummmmmm.... Nooooooooo!!!!!" :D
*Yes, if I am awake at 8 o'clock in the morning on New Year's Day logging into gchat and calling people up, you can tell what a sad New Year's Eve I must have had. :(
**My dear friends - Please don't be mad at me for making our conversations public. I have taken great care not to give away your identities. :) So, please return the favour by not revealing your identities through your comments. :P
"Aghghghilllaaa... I am sooooo drunk Aghghghillla... You know what I did last night... you won't believe this... I had two tequila shots and some kind of a tea.. forgot what it was.. Ohhh.. Long Island Tea... I have never been soooooo drunk before.. I think I made quite a spectacle of myself in front of my friends... :| And oh yeah.... Happy New Year!!! :D"
"It was sooooo cold last night.. I took my camera and tripod and went out to watch the fireworks.. You won't believe how cold it was... While taking pictures, I had to remove my gloves and my hands were freeeeezing.. Now, I am down with a cold and fever... :("
"You know what.. I thought the party at my cousin's place was last night.. turns out it is tonight.. I just ended up watching 3 idiots and went to bed.. :|"
"I have never bought alcohol myself before.. I went to the store and stood at the wine aisle, rather stupidly staring at all the labels.. After spending half-an-hour at the store, I decided to pick up whatever this decent, my age-looking girl chose.. Late harvest Riesling.. supposed to have a good aroma.. and then I thought, 'Hell...!!! Who wants good aroma at a New Year's bash?!' ...and so picked up the sweet and crisp Riesling, which is supposed to go well with spicy stuff.. ;)"
And this one is the best -
"I lovvvvvvvvvvve you... muuuuuaaaaaaaaaaah.. :-* "
(Mind you... I actually heard that kiss!)
Me: (Slightly blushing) Ahem.. Okaayyy.. Did you have a good time last night?
"Welllllll... ummmmmm.... Nooooooooo!!!!!" :D
Happy New Year everybody!!! Cheers!!! :)
**My dear friends - Please don't be mad at me for making our conversations public. I have taken great care not to give away your identities. :) So, please return the favour by not revealing your identities through your comments. :P
Friday, December 11, 2009
Short in the Tooth :D
"Wisdom teeth usually appear between the ages of 17 and 25. They are called wisdom teeth because they usually come in when a person is between ages 17 and 25 or older—old enough to have supposedly gained some wisdom", says Wikipedia.
Apparently, I haven't gained any! I have long known that I didn't have wisdom teeth. I was rather proud of it - made me feel younger than the rest of my friends who had them - till this evening when I discovered that I may not grow wisdom teeth ever. Apparently, if they haven't grown by a certain age, chances are that they will never grow. :( My only consolation is that wisdom teeth are, after all, vestigial molars that our ancestors had, that we don't need anymore.
"Humans are gradually losing their wisdom teeth, with some individuals having them congenitally absent." So, does that mean I am more evolved?! :P
Just when I was gloating over that thought, a rather consciously ignored truth gleamed in my mind. The fact that I have at least four milk teeth left in my jaw, and I don't even want to find out how many more are in there! Milk teeth, baby teeth, deciduous teeth - call them whatever you want to - they are still intact, smiling at me every morning. I remember I went to a dentist, not very long ago, with complaints of a shaky tooth. The nurse put a funny instrument into my mouth, tapped my unstable tooth gently, and exclaimed, "OMG! That is a baby tooth! How old are you?! Twelve?!" She then affectionately pinched my cheek, like I were a little child. I can only thank my stars that she didn't hand me a chocolate at the end of the visit.
Quoting Wikipedia again, "By age twelve there usually are only permanent teeth remaining." Now, that really makes me feel very young!! :D
Young and highly evolved - what a deadly combination - enough to take over the world, isn't it?! :)
Apparently, I haven't gained any! I have long known that I didn't have wisdom teeth. I was rather proud of it - made me feel younger than the rest of my friends who had them - till this evening when I discovered that I may not grow wisdom teeth ever. Apparently, if they haven't grown by a certain age, chances are that they will never grow. :( My only consolation is that wisdom teeth are, after all, vestigial molars that our ancestors had, that we don't need anymore.
"Humans are gradually losing their wisdom teeth, with some individuals having them congenitally absent." So, does that mean I am more evolved?! :P
Just when I was gloating over that thought, a rather consciously ignored truth gleamed in my mind. The fact that I have at least four milk teeth left in my jaw, and I don't even want to find out how many more are in there! Milk teeth, baby teeth, deciduous teeth - call them whatever you want to - they are still intact, smiling at me every morning. I remember I went to a dentist, not very long ago, with complaints of a shaky tooth. The nurse put a funny instrument into my mouth, tapped my unstable tooth gently, and exclaimed, "OMG! That is a baby tooth! How old are you?! Twelve?!" She then affectionately pinched my cheek, like I were a little child. I can only thank my stars that she didn't hand me a chocolate at the end of the visit.
Quoting Wikipedia again, "By age twelve there usually are only permanent teeth remaining." Now, that really makes me feel very young!! :D
Young and highly evolved - what a deadly combination - enough to take over the world, isn't it?! :)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Technically sound!
This happened a couple of weeks ago. One of my labmates' computer at home crashed and she re-installed her OS. Everything was working fine except for her internet. As if I am an expert on computers and internet, I decided to go to her place to troubleshoot. I can already hear at least one person go, "Hahahahahahaaaa.. Look who was gonna troubleshoot internet issues!"
After trying some basic fixes (like re-starting the computer, turning off and on the modem), I realized that it was beyond my trouble-shooting capacity to fix the internet that day. So, I called up my brother who happens to me my tech-guru. Murphy's laws work without fail (and that is probably the only exception to the Murphy's laws - if you know what I mean). He didn't pick up his phone. So, I called up this other friend who certainly qualifies to be called tech-savvy and told him what the deal was. After asking me a few questions, he suggested that I call the ISP because there was nothing wrong with the computer or the modem. I think I understood why he said that, but let's not go into that! :P
So, I decided to call AT&T customer service and speak for my friend (not as my friend). Btw, I find it really annoying that AT&T actually makes you say 'Yes', 'No', 'Give me more options', 'Internet Problems', 'Tech support' etc. instead of making you enter the 1's and 2's and what-not's on your cell-phone. When the silly program doesn’t understand what you have said, it goes, “Sorry, I did not get that. If you would like technical support, say ‘Tech Support’, if you would like blah blah blah....” Aaaaaaaargh!
Anyways, after going through that drill, I finally got to speak with a customer service representative. I wasn't very surprised when the call went all the way across the globe to a call center in India.
"Hi! Thank you for calling AT&T customer service. This is Mike. How may I help you today?”
Yeah, right!! Mike, is it? I'm sure his name was some Mariappan or Michael Madhana Kama Rajan, for sanity's sake, shortened to Mike. And if you don't know what that latter name was all about, please watch it! It is a movie starring Kamal in four roles – will crack you up for sure!
Back to our dear Mike.
I tried hard to stifle my laughter and whispered to my Japanese friend (let's call her Sensei Sensei for now), "Sensei! This guy is Indian!" She followed the ‘wink wink nudge nudge’ protocol very faithfully.
"Can I have the name please?"
"Sensei Sensei."
"Is this the name associated with the account?”
"Yes."
I didn’t intend to talk as Sensei. It so happened that he thought I was Sensei. The confusion got sorted out later on when he realized that Sensei was sitting right next to me and I was asking her for all the basic information that I had to provide him with.
“So Sensei, could you tell me what exactly the problem is?
I told him.
“Couldddd yooouuuuu dooo sommmmethinnng Sensei? Could yooouuuuu turn off yourrrr commmpppuuuterrr, turn off yourrrr moooodddem, wait 20 seconnndds, restaaarrrrrrtt yourrrr moooodddem and then restarrrrtt your commmpppuuutterrr plllleeeassse?”
I did precisely as told.
"Now, caaaaaaannn yoouuuuu tell me what type of moooodddem you are uuuussinnnngggg?”
Once I provided him with that information, he asked me to tell him how many lights were there on that modem and how many were ‘ON’. I told him that one of the lights was not 'ON'.
“Verrrrrrry gooooooooddd, Sensei. That is egggggggcellllennntt!”
Huh?? What was excellent about that??
He then asked me to set up a new internet connection. So, these were his instructions, "Doooooooo yoouuuuuuu seeeeeeeeee aaa grrrrrrrrreeeeeeeen Staaaaaaarrrrrrtttt butttttonnnnnn onnn yoooourrrrr commmmpppppuuuuuuuttter screeeeeennn?”
"Yes! I do!!"
“Gooooood. Caaaaaaannnnn youuuuuuu clllllllllick on it, pllllleeeeeeaaassse?”
Imagine my frustration. He walked me through the process of setting up a new internet connection in his slow droning speech. More than his speech, it was his assumption that I was really stupid and didn’t know the basics of how to use a computer that irked me a lot. Of course, if I’ve called you about a problem with my internet connection, I obviously know how to use a computer!! For goodness sake!!
We had to set up a new internet connection multiple times, and on subsequent trials, I wouldn’t wait for his instructions and would let him know once I was actually done with the process.
"Wonnnnnnnnnnddderfullll, Sensei!! Thatttt is reeeeeeeaaaaaaallly wonnnnnddderrrfullll!!”
Half way through the call, I had become so impatient with him that I asked him if this was a problem that was fixable over the phone. I had a good mind to ask him to connect me to someone higher up in the ranks.
“Yessssss Ms. Sensei. Thiss is cerrrrrtttainnnnnly fixabllllle overrrrrr the phooonnne. Now, would you gooooooo to Myyyyyy Commmppuu….”
I was seriously losing it at some point, but he was very patient. Well, the call lasted about 45 min. Eventually, when everything was sorted out, I couldn’t stop myself from saying this, “I have to tell you this though, that you have been very patient with me.” Well, I really don’t know which one of us was more patient with the other.
“Oh nooooooo, Ms. Senseeeiiiii! You are highly mistaken. You are technically very sound. Usually I have a hard time giving instructions to customers because they don’t understand things very easily. It was very interesting troubleshooting with you. I enjoyed it!"
Enjoyed it, huh??!! Is that why he went on and on and on?!
“Sensei, if you are happy with my service, please fill in the feedback form that you will receive via e-mail from AT&T and let us know about your experience today. Again, my name is Mike. Thank you for choosing AT&T.We appppprrrrreeeeeciaaaatttte your business."
Yeah, right!
After trying some basic fixes (like re-starting the computer, turning off and on the modem), I realized that it was beyond my trouble-shooting capacity to fix the internet that day. So, I called up my brother who happens to me my tech-guru. Murphy's laws work without fail (and that is probably the only exception to the Murphy's laws - if you know what I mean). He didn't pick up his phone. So, I called up this other friend who certainly qualifies to be called tech-savvy and told him what the deal was. After asking me a few questions, he suggested that I call the ISP because there was nothing wrong with the computer or the modem. I think I understood why he said that, but let's not go into that! :P
So, I decided to call AT&T customer service and speak for my friend (not as my friend). Btw, I find it really annoying that AT&T actually makes you say 'Yes', 'No', 'Give me more options', 'Internet Problems', 'Tech support' etc. instead of making you enter the 1's and 2's and what-not's on your cell-phone. When the silly program doesn’t understand what you have said, it goes, “Sorry, I did not get that. If you would like technical support, say ‘Tech Support’, if you would like blah blah blah....” Aaaaaaaargh!
Anyways, after going through that drill, I finally got to speak with a customer service representative. I wasn't very surprised when the call went all the way across the globe to a call center in India.
"Hi! Thank you for calling AT&T customer service. This is Mike. How may I help you today?”
Yeah, right!! Mike, is it? I'm sure his name was some Mariappan or Michael Madhana Kama Rajan, for sanity's sake, shortened to Mike. And if you don't know what that latter name was all about, please watch it! It is a movie starring Kamal in four roles – will crack you up for sure!
Back to our dear Mike.
I tried hard to stifle my laughter and whispered to my Japanese friend (let's call her Sensei Sensei for now), "Sensei! This guy is Indian!" She followed the ‘wink wink nudge nudge’ protocol very faithfully.
"Can I have the name please?"
"Sensei Sensei."
"Is this the name associated with the account?”
"Yes."
I didn’t intend to talk as Sensei. It so happened that he thought I was Sensei. The confusion got sorted out later on when he realized that Sensei was sitting right next to me and I was asking her for all the basic information that I had to provide him with.
“So Sensei, could you tell me what exactly the problem is?
I told him.
“Couldddd yooouuuuu dooo sommmmethinnng Sensei? Could yooouuuuu turn off yourrrr commmpppuuuterrr, turn off yourrrr moooodddem, wait 20 seconnndds, restaaarrrrrrtt yourrrr moooodddem and then restarrrrtt your commmpppuuutterrr plllleeeassse?”
I did precisely as told.
"Now, caaaaaaannn yoouuuuu tell me what type of moooodddem you are uuuussinnnngggg?”
Once I provided him with that information, he asked me to tell him how many lights were there on that modem and how many were ‘ON’. I told him that one of the lights was not 'ON'.
“Verrrrrrry gooooooooddd, Sensei. That is egggggggcellllennntt!”
Huh?? What was excellent about that??
He then asked me to set up a new internet connection. So, these were his instructions, "Doooooooo yoouuuuuuu seeeeeeeeee aaa grrrrrrrrreeeeeeeen Staaaaaaarrrrrrtttt butttttonnnnnn onnn yoooourrrrr commmmpppppuuuuuuuttter screeeeeennn?”
"Yes! I do!!"
“Gooooood. Caaaaaaannnnn youuuuuuu clllllllllick on it, pllllleeeeeeaaassse?”
Imagine my frustration. He walked me through the process of setting up a new internet connection in his slow droning speech. More than his speech, it was his assumption that I was really stupid and didn’t know the basics of how to use a computer that irked me a lot. Of course, if I’ve called you about a problem with my internet connection, I obviously know how to use a computer!! For goodness sake!!
We had to set up a new internet connection multiple times, and on subsequent trials, I wouldn’t wait for his instructions and would let him know once I was actually done with the process.
"Wonnnnnnnnnnddderfullll, Sensei!! Thatttt is reeeeeeeaaaaaaallly wonnnnnddderrrfullll!!”
Half way through the call, I had become so impatient with him that I asked him if this was a problem that was fixable over the phone. I had a good mind to ask him to connect me to someone higher up in the ranks.
“Yessssss Ms. Sensei. Thiss is cerrrrrtttainnnnnly fixabllllle overrrrrr the phooonnne. Now, would you gooooooo to Myyyyyy Commmppuu….”
I was seriously losing it at some point, but he was very patient. Well, the call lasted about 45 min. Eventually, when everything was sorted out, I couldn’t stop myself from saying this, “I have to tell you this though, that you have been very patient with me.” Well, I really don’t know which one of us was more patient with the other.
“Oh nooooooo, Ms. Senseeeiiiii! You are highly mistaken. You are technically very sound. Usually I have a hard time giving instructions to customers because they don’t understand things very easily. It was very interesting troubleshooting with you. I enjoyed it!"
Enjoyed it, huh??!! Is that why he went on and on and on?!
“Sensei, if you are happy with my service, please fill in the feedback form that you will receive via e-mail from AT&T and let us know about your experience today. Again, my name is Mike. Thank you for choosing AT&T.We appppprrrrreeeeeciaaaatttte your business."
Yeah, right!
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