Inventions

I keep changing my mind about inventions that changed my life. Here's the current list.

ATM- It was the ATM's birthday yesterday. I take my hat off for the guy who made the act of going to a bank redundant.

Diapers- a great help when parenting. Maybe adult version in future too.

Bean Bag- It gives you the perfect angle- always.

Desk calendar- Would be lost without one.

The aeroplane- Boeing, boeing, bong..beats horse carriages.

The computer. Made communicating easier-don't know about the computing.

Google- Except your lost key or glasses, you can find anything with it.

Not so thrilled about passwords, mobile phone, TV (after what we have done to it- not the inventor's fault)

New Songs for Changeing Times

New songs must be coined for the çhanged, or changing times.- where you are either short of change, or short of money itself. Here is an attempt. Inspiration is from old songs, of course- original thinking is passe- haven't you heard?

Ooo khilona, jaan kar tum toh purana note laati ho..

Jeena bhi kya hai jeena, ATM lines ke bina..oo ho ho, aa ha ha..

O majhi re, purane note le ja, nadiya ki dhara mein..

Zindagi ka safar, hai yeh kaisa suffer, koi note nahin, hai toh chalta nahin..

Yaadon ki baraat nikli hai aaj dil ke dwaare, purane noton ke haar pehne Mayawati ko pukaare..

Main to chala, jidhar ATM dikha, kahan meri manzil, mujhe kya pata..

Hum black money wale, hargiz na the, par hum white bhi ikattha kar na sake, humko mili iski sazaa, paise ke liye dar dar phire..jhingalala hoom, jhingala hoom.

Koi maane ya na maane jo kal tak the anjaane woh aaj hamein jaan se bhi pyare ho gaye (new notes- no change in original lyrics here)

The Pleasures of Inefficient Service

The title may sound oxymoronic or simply moronic, but there are occasions when slow and inefficient service is better than the quick, cut and dried version. I had an experience like this at a McDonald's a couple of days ago. With some friends, we ordered three things, one of which was promised to us soon at the table, and it never arrived for about 45 minutes. We reminded a passing body (employee), and then it did arrive. If we had not, maybe it would have been even later! The whole point of the Irani chai joints in Hyderabad and elsewhere was to have a long chat with friends with a single chai (half a cup of tea). You can of course, carry on at a Coffee Day or a Barista too, albeit at a higher out-of-pocket expense. And you may get some dirty looks if the place is full. This is guaranteed not to happen in an Irani chai place. Here is a pic of one here that does not exist any more- used to be in the Osmania University campus at Hyderabad, and a favourite with students.

Anyway, we were doing nothing in particular except (real) chatting, and so, it actually did not matter. Gave us more time to do the needful, anyways. So there are occasions like these, when slow service may be better than fast service. Elderly citizens may go to a bank to socialise if they are lonely, and turning them out in a jiffy might offend them. They don't use ATMs in some cases, because you can't talk to an ATM.