Google showed this weather report on New Delhi on Monday (Dec 14) morning. Screenshot taken at 9:07am on that day. According to this report, it should have been -2 degree celcius here day before. And people are talking about global warming :-)
Showing posts with label Light. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Light. Show all posts
Saturday, December 19, 2009
When Delhi froze on Google
Google showed this weather report on New Delhi on Monday (Dec 14) morning. Screenshot taken at 9:07am on that day. According to this report, it should have been -2 degree celcius here day before. And people are talking about global warming :-)
Friday, July 24, 2009
A Simple Solution to Delhi's Parking Woes
"People unnecessarily complain that there's shortage of parking space in Delhi.. Everyone has a tree in front of their house. If they could get rid of it, there's more than enough space for all the cars.."
The driver who said this was serious. I found it funny, but could not laugh in front of him. Later I laughed my heart out, sharing this joke with friends.
But then, it is just a matter of choice. You decide whether you want that third car (or second, or fourth.. quite common in Delhi class families) or that tree in front of your house. Simple.
[image : sudeep]
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Making pink chaddi campaign more effective
I hope Sriram Sene people are not reading this. This is top secret intelligence material.
(By now most of you would have heard of the 'pink chaddi campaign'. If not, do google.)
I was talking with some people involved in this campaign at a secret meeting in Delhi discussing how could we make this campaign more effective. A major concern was that Sriram Sene would dump all the parcels that they get in these days, so the personalised messages would not reach them. (One my friend was saying she'd send a chaddi with her vagina's red signature on it..)
If they decide not to accept any parcels, there has to be some valuable parcel amongst it if they are to suffer from that decision. So we decided that we would send some expensive items also to them as part of this campaign.
* * *
[I do have a problem with this pink chaddi campaign and the kind of excitement associated with it, but seeing the right wing's comments on their blog I have decided to stand by them for now.
I also have an issue with the title 'Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women' as well. I will write about the differences in detail in a different post.]
(By now most of you would have heard of the 'pink chaddi campaign'. If not, do google.)
I was talking with some people involved in this campaign at a secret meeting in Delhi discussing how could we make this campaign more effective. A major concern was that Sriram Sene would dump all the parcels that they get in these days, so the personalised messages would not reach them. (One my friend was saying she'd send a chaddi with her vagina's red signature on it..)
If they decide not to accept any parcels, there has to be some valuable parcel amongst it if they are to suffer from that decision. So we decided that we would send some expensive items also to them as part of this campaign.
* * *
[I do have a problem with this pink chaddi campaign and the kind of excitement associated with it, but seeing the right wing's comments on their blog I have decided to stand by them for now.
I also have an issue with the title 'Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women' as well. I will write about the differences in detail in a different post.]
Friday, October 10, 2008
Gillette: The worst an ad can get?
(I know an ad campaign can get much worse. The title is not to be taken very seriously).
* * *
We live in a time when we are fed ads disguising as news. We have got quite used to it over last four or five years, and many of us have even developed a skill to tell an ad from a news byte. Yet, we look at some of these ads and feel like throwing up.
This time it was Gillette.
On September 17, HT City carried a survey report that 91% of Delhi women were turned off by unshaven men, 82 percent of Delhi men are clean-shaven (I refuse to buy that), and across the metros most women found clean-shaven men more kissable.
It went on to add that 47% of the respondents thought clean shaven men are more likely to become millionaires (what if 53% thought otherwise), 47% thought mistakes are overlooked if they are made by clean-shaven men, and 50% think that your Visa application will be rejected if you have a stubbled look. The survey was conducted by -- no marks for guessing -- Gillette India.
The survey also gave details of how women liked their favourite stars -- Hritik Roshan, John Abraham, Abhiskek Bachchan and SRK among others -- whether clean-shaven, stubbled or full-bearded.
If you thought this was a subtle and tasteless campaign for selling blades, the worse was waiting to come.
Audio ads on Delhi FM stations said, "Bankers are more likely to reject your loan application if you have a stubble." Since there is no such thing as 'news' on most private FM channels, this had to be a "commercial". The rest of the ad was essentially "Buy Gillette Mach 3 and shave off that stubble" or something like that.
This series of ads seem to be taking us back in time in more ways than one.
This is not about being better than your competitor. Somewhere, these ads give me an impression that people don't know there is something called razors. One gets a deja vu of the 19th century "don't stay dirty, get Pears" kind of ads.
(Note that this one can not be compared to adversitements like that of Nokia Navigator phones, as it is not the case that a company is introducing shaving blades in the market for the first time.)
Two, these ads are plain racist.
Do the creators of this campaign really think it is hip to boast about cultural biases like mistakes being overlooked if you are clean-shaven and all that? If they really do, I think they need to take a lesson from another series of ads in town. "I am not fair but I am lovely -- I am not yesterday" -- say hoardings that carry an image of a beautiful dark model. "Is it true that women make bad drivers?" "Ask Sunita Williams", goes another ad on air. Advertising Mail Today newspaper, of India Today group.
Two days later, Delhi Times showed us clean shaven make-overs of Milind Soman and Kunal Kapoor. The news, of the launch of 'Gillette Mach 3 Turbo' in New Delhi, went like this:
"It was part of their macho appeal -- Milind Soman's rugged beard and wild, long locks, and Kunal Kapoor's urbane but sexy stubble. But the two hunks have recently shaved off their stubble and chosen to go for the smooth, clean look. What made them do it was Gillette Mach 3 Turbo."
The actors, however, had a different story to tell. They did not quite owe up to the 'stubbles are for losers' campaign. They refused to disown the stubbled/bearded looks that they were in for quite some time now.
"I've never had any problem playing with my looks. We're actors, and need to meet the demands of different characters. And with Gillette, the best thing is it doesn't scratch your skin. When I decided to go for a makeover, it's the only one I could think of," says Kunal.
Milind said, "I don't know if women like men clean-shaven or with a stubble, but one thing is for sure -- a guy has to be confident about his looks."
Thank god, it is not the end of the world. Even as Gillette is doing its bit to kill the confidence of the sexy stubbled men.
* * * *
[The Hoot carried this article, with a few modifications. I felt there was too much stress on "ads as news" in the way they presented it. It was initially titled as "Ads disguised as news" or something. Later they changed the title after my comment.]
[Image: from The Hoot]
* * *
We live in a time when we are fed ads disguising as news. We have got quite used to it over last four or five years, and many of us have even developed a skill to tell an ad from a news byte. Yet, we look at some of these ads and feel like throwing up.
This time it was Gillette.
On September 17, HT City carried a survey report that 91% of Delhi women were turned off by unshaven men, 82 percent of Delhi men are clean-shaven (I refuse to buy that), and across the metros most women found clean-shaven men more kissable.
It went on to add that 47% of the respondents thought clean shaven men are more likely to become millionaires (what if 53% thought otherwise), 47% thought mistakes are overlooked if they are made by clean-shaven men, and 50% think that your Visa application will be rejected if you have a stubbled look. The survey was conducted by -- no marks for guessing -- Gillette India.
The survey also gave details of how women liked their favourite stars -- Hritik Roshan, John Abraham, Abhiskek Bachchan and SRK among others -- whether clean-shaven, stubbled or full-bearded.
If you thought this was a subtle and tasteless campaign for selling blades, the worse was waiting to come.
Audio ads on Delhi FM stations said, "Bankers are more likely to reject your loan application if you have a stubble." Since there is no such thing as 'news' on most private FM channels, this had to be a "commercial". The rest of the ad was essentially "Buy Gillette Mach 3 and shave off that stubble" or something like that.
This series of ads seem to be taking us back in time in more ways than one.
This is not about being better than your competitor. Somewhere, these ads give me an impression that people don't know there is something called razors. One gets a deja vu of the 19th century "don't stay dirty, get Pears" kind of ads.
(Note that this one can not be compared to adversitements like that of Nokia Navigator phones, as it is not the case that a company is introducing shaving blades in the market for the first time.)
Two, these ads are plain racist.
Do the creators of this campaign really think it is hip to boast about cultural biases like mistakes being overlooked if you are clean-shaven and all that? If they really do, I think they need to take a lesson from another series of ads in town. "I am not fair but I am lovely -- I am not yesterday" -- say hoardings that carry an image of a beautiful dark model. "Is it true that women make bad drivers?" "Ask Sunita Williams", goes another ad on air. Advertising Mail Today newspaper, of India Today group.
Two days later, Delhi Times showed us clean shaven make-overs of Milind Soman and Kunal Kapoor. The news, of the launch of 'Gillette Mach 3 Turbo' in New Delhi, went like this:
"It was part of their macho appeal -- Milind Soman's rugged beard and wild, long locks, and Kunal Kapoor's urbane but sexy stubble. But the two hunks have recently shaved off their stubble and chosen to go for the smooth, clean look. What made them do it was Gillette Mach 3 Turbo."
The actors, however, had a different story to tell. They did not quite owe up to the 'stubbles are for losers' campaign. They refused to disown the stubbled/bearded looks that they were in for quite some time now.
"I've never had any problem playing with my looks. We're actors, and need to meet the demands of different characters. And with Gillette, the best thing is it doesn't scratch your skin. When I decided to go for a makeover, it's the only one I could think of," says Kunal.
Milind said, "I don't know if women like men clean-shaven or with a stubble, but one thing is for sure -- a guy has to be confident about his looks."
Thank god, it is not the end of the world. Even as Gillette is doing its bit to kill the confidence of the sexy stubbled men.
* * * *
[The Hoot carried this article, with a few modifications. I felt there was too much stress on "ads as news" in the way they presented it. It was initially titled as "Ads disguised as news" or something. Later they changed the title after my comment.]
[Image: from The Hoot]
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Redlight area
I ask for directions, and someone tells me "redlight se right lena".
Ok, I tell myself -- "redlight" is a place everyone is supposed to know. I didn't have the guts to ask how to get to the "redlight" because I was afraid people might think that is where I want to go. That would certainly be an embarassing situation, especially when it is not "redlight" one is looking for.
So I ask for directions again, and this time I am asked to take a turn at the "laal batti". There was no point asking again, and after a while it hit me that it could be a traffic lamp they are refering to. Which indeed was.
More than a month in Dilli, I am coming to terms with it. It does not matter whether the signal shows green or yellow, it is still a redlight. Delhi is a land of red lights.
Ok, I tell myself -- "redlight" is a place everyone is supposed to know. I didn't have the guts to ask how to get to the "redlight" because I was afraid people might think that is where I want to go. That would certainly be an embarassing situation, especially when it is not "redlight" one is looking for.
So I ask for directions again, and this time I am asked to take a turn at the "laal batti". There was no point asking again, and after a while it hit me that it could be a traffic lamp they are refering to. Which indeed was.
More than a month in Dilli, I am coming to terms with it. It does not matter whether the signal shows green or yellow, it is still a redlight. Delhi is a land of red lights.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Seetee bajaayaa jaaye!
There was this film Praan Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye today on TV (Zee cinema, 12:30pm).
I remember it was released about four years back (I was in Mumbai then). The film did not have anyone with much star value (except may be Vijay Raaz -- and the posters did not have his face). Whatever little newspaper ads we got to see had a group of ladies (Raveena, Dia Mirza, Rinkie Khanna, Namrata Shirodkar, Divya Dutta..) and the film was gone in a week flat. One review said why people like Shivaji Satam are doing such useless films. A friend who saw it recently told me it is interesting, so I decided to check it out for some time.
I was hooked in about ten minutes. It has a parody/satire set up, the satire works most of the time. It also has scenes that appear forced and sequences that stretch. But what stood out was the presentation of women characters. The ladies (mind you, including Dia Mirza!) put in great performances and make sure it does not end up looking like an amateur drama. There were quite a few scenes where I could not resist whistling. ("Seetee", in desi language).
It was also refreshing to see the term "middle class" used in a better sense in a time when the word is often used to refer to the elite class just below the Ambanis and SRKs.
This one belongs to the ranks of Jane Bhi Do Yaaro. The guts quotient is even higher, as it dares to delve into areas that films (including JBDY) generally shy away from.
Taran Adarsh says the Sati track looks forced, but to me it did not seem so. That one also has a striking link to our times. When we are all going back in time -- and the rich and the powerful and the media are all helping it in every way they can -- glorifying anything done in the name of "beliefs", "religion" and "culture". (If the film was made today, I'm sure there would have been a reference to a certain "Manglik").
Even after all these interesting developments I was almost sure the ending would undo it all. It happens often with otherwise good comedy films. (I believe a funny Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani was undone in the last fifteen minutes). But surprise, surprise, the ending is too good -- The common man cameo and then an "irrelevant" song to top it! I am all happy tears by then.
* * *
The 2003 film is directed by Sanjay Jha (he pays for his guts -- this is the only film he has directed) and produced by Asoo Nihalani, Sagoon Wagh and Raj Lalchandani (cheers to all three of them).
DVD cover looks like this, in case you want to look for it.
[Links on the film:
IMDB entry;
Sanjay Jha comments at a review by filmiholic;
Review on Indiafm by Taran Adarsh]
* * *
Tailpiece: Saddest attempt at "feminism" I can remember in Bollywood is "Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya". "Astitva" and "Chandni Bar" were technically better but still sad in content. PJPSNJ is way ahead. (Interestingly, the former three had Tabu common).
I remember it was released about four years back (I was in Mumbai then). The film did not have anyone with much star value (except may be Vijay Raaz -- and the posters did not have his face). Whatever little newspaper ads we got to see had a group of ladies (Raveena, Dia Mirza, Rinkie Khanna, Namrata Shirodkar, Divya Dutta..) and the film was gone in a week flat. One review said why people like Shivaji Satam are doing such useless films. A friend who saw it recently told me it is interesting, so I decided to check it out for some time.
I was hooked in about ten minutes. It has a parody/satire set up, the satire works most of the time. It also has scenes that appear forced and sequences that stretch. But what stood out was the presentation of women characters. The ladies (mind you, including Dia Mirza!) put in great performances and make sure it does not end up looking like an amateur drama. There were quite a few scenes where I could not resist whistling. ("Seetee", in desi language).
It was also refreshing to see the term "middle class" used in a better sense in a time when the word is often used to refer to the elite class just below the Ambanis and SRKs.
This one belongs to the ranks of Jane Bhi Do Yaaro. The guts quotient is even higher, as it dares to delve into areas that films (including JBDY) generally shy away from.
Taran Adarsh says the Sati track looks forced, but to me it did not seem so. That one also has a striking link to our times. When we are all going back in time -- and the rich and the powerful and the media are all helping it in every way they can -- glorifying anything done in the name of "beliefs", "religion" and "culture". (If the film was made today, I'm sure there would have been a reference to a certain "Manglik").
Even after all these interesting developments I was almost sure the ending would undo it all. It happens often with otherwise good comedy films. (I believe a funny Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani was undone in the last fifteen minutes). But surprise, surprise, the ending is too good -- The common man cameo and then an "irrelevant" song to top it! I am all happy tears by then.
* * *
The 2003 film is directed by Sanjay Jha (he pays for his guts -- this is the only film he has directed) and produced by Asoo Nihalani, Sagoon Wagh and Raj Lalchandani (cheers to all three of them).
DVD cover looks like this, in case you want to look for it.
[Links on the film:
IMDB entry;
Sanjay Jha comments at a review by filmiholic;
Review on Indiafm by Taran Adarsh]
* * *
Tailpiece: Saddest attempt at "feminism" I can remember in Bollywood is "Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya". "Astitva" and "Chandni Bar" were technically better but still sad in content. PJPSNJ is way ahead. (Interestingly, the former three had Tabu common).
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
A birthday party
This story happens in the US of A.
It is a kid's birthday party.
He tells his mom he wants to call Elizabeth who's in his class.
Mom asks, "Is she white, or black?"
"Just a minute, I'll check with her."
* * *
This was supposed to be a joke. The innocence part is probably a bit exaggerated. But the conditioning that we go through in our early years, and the effect that is has on us, remains a fact.
I hear about a Jew who grew up in Canada. How the family members injected racism into their bloods when they were kids. How "saving Israel" became their first priority in life. And how she felt ashamed of it when she grew up and got to know more about Israel. And how she became an outsider, an "agent", at home..
It is a kid's birthday party.
He tells his mom he wants to call Elizabeth who's in his class.
Mom asks, "Is she white, or black?"
"Just a minute, I'll check with her."
* * *
This was supposed to be a joke. The innocence part is probably a bit exaggerated. But the conditioning that we go through in our early years, and the effect that is has on us, remains a fact.
I hear about a Jew who grew up in Canada. How the family members injected racism into their bloods when they were kids. How "saving Israel" became their first priority in life. And how she felt ashamed of it when she grew up and got to know more about Israel. And how she became an outsider, an "agent", at home..
Friday, January 12, 2007
Long Hair Blues
Growing long hair is not as easy as it looked. I'm learning it the hard way!
The hair strands get entangled often;
They collect all the dust and go wary when you're traveling;
If you don't apply oil it is difficult to manage;
If you apply oil it becomes even more difficult to manage;
You can not pick any shampoo-- you have to be very careful about picking the right shampoo;
Then you need a conditioner, and the right one (otherwise it worsens things);
Earlier I used to have bath and come out in three minutes flat, now it takes about fifteen minutes;
It takes another five minutes (at least) to comb the hair (and it is quite painful, untangling the knots) ...
I remember the days when I used to get irritated when mom (or other women at home) took time with their hair. I remember them with great respect-- unlike me, they didn't have much of a choice between growing the hair and keeping it short!
And I feel pity for those (short-haired) guys who have "long hair" in their concept of an ideal match:-) Unless, of course, they are looking for a mate who can manage things better than them.
The hair strands get entangled often;
They collect all the dust and go wary when you're traveling;
If you don't apply oil it is difficult to manage;
If you apply oil it becomes even more difficult to manage;
You can not pick any shampoo-- you have to be very careful about picking the right shampoo;
Then you need a conditioner, and the right one (otherwise it worsens things);
Earlier I used to have bath and come out in three minutes flat, now it takes about fifteen minutes;
It takes another five minutes (at least) to comb the hair (and it is quite painful, untangling the knots) ...
I remember the days when I used to get irritated when mom (or other women at home) took time with their hair. I remember them with great respect-- unlike me, they didn't have much of a choice between growing the hair and keeping it short!
And I feel pity for those (short-haired) guys who have "long hair" in their concept of an ideal match:-) Unless, of course, they are looking for a mate who can manage things better than them.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Police Story 2: The missing lion
While writing about the Police Story, I remembered an old joke on Delhi Police. I'm bad at recollecting a story well (though I can still feel the punch it had on me the first time I heard the joke) but would still give it a shot.
The lion goes missing from the New York zoo. The New York Police goes all out on lion hunt, but fails. Then they call friend Tony Blair, and the British Police team arrives. They use all their resources, searches the siberian islands and the African jungles, but can't trace the lion. Then someone suggests that NY take the help of the Delhi Police. Delhi Police comes to the zoo to check the site, and gets hold of the bear in the next cell. Bear is taken to the lock-up. Policeman comes and tells the bear, "bol tu sher hai" (tell you're lion). Bear is clueless.
The next day, the bear confesses he's lion.
[There are different versions of this story.]
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Uchchakkum Rathriyum Kaaryam Kashtam
My friend has come to India after a training abroad. It seems he has got some Johnnie Walker with him. That takes care of the mornings but what about afternoons and evenings?
[reference: Malayalam film Udayanaanu Thaaram]
[reference: Malayalam film Udayanaanu Thaaram]
Monday, October 02, 2006
Mahatma Gandhi meets Munnabhai
October 2 was a holiday, and Mohandas decided to check out the latest product that's selling his brand..
Mahatma Gandhi: Arre, tu to is baar ekdum pseud dikhrela hai bhaai..
Munna: Haan bhaai, sab jagah vikaas ki baat horalla hai, apna look bhi thoda vikasit ho gaya samjho bhaai..
Circuit: Aur mera naya cheshma dekha bhai.. Mere gale mein ka sone ka wajan bhi badh gayela hai Gandhibhaai!
MG: Lagta hai uske saath saath tumhare rishtein bhi badal gaye hai.. Pichli baar tumlogon ka ek "aam aadmi" image tha, kahaani mein bhi kuch aise character the jo not-so-elite India ko represent kar rahe the.. Iss baar to kahaani mein sirf amir log nazar aa rahe hai bhaii.. jaise Karan Johar ki film mein hote hai!
M: Kya karein bhaai producer ko shayad laga hoga multiplex audience ko unki class kihich kahani pasand aayegi.. Aur bole to shayad unko ye bhi lagta hai middle aur upper middle class mein Gandhigiri phailane ke liye aise characters chahiye jinse woh log relate kar paaye..
MG: Kya bol raha hai! Ye movie Gandhigiri phaila raha hai..?
M: Main nahi bola bhai.. Akhaa media bolrela hai.. Aur apna producer aur director bhi wohi bolrela hai..
C: Magar tumhe aisa nahi lagaa naa Gandhibhai.. Main bhi wohi bol raha tha.. Ye sab Gandhigiri Non-violence sab bakwaas hai sirf Dadagiri chalta hai-- yehi film ka moral of the story hai! Bura mat maanna bhaai mujhe Gaandhigiri ke barein mein kuch pata nahi hai (woh film dekhke tumhe pata chala hi hoga) main to sirf film ki message ki baat kar raha hoon bhaai..
MG: Circuit sahi bol raha hai.. Gandhigiri mujhe sirf iska poster mein dikha tha.. ki "Statutory warning: This film contains nonviolence.." Uske aage to film mein sirf goondagiri nazar aata hain! Tu bhi kyaa aadmi hai Munnabhai, do main mar pade to pehle bolta hai aage kya karna hai Gandhi ne bola nahi hai, uska bajaa dalta hai phir apnaa Gandhigiri yaad aata hai..
M: Majboori ka naam Mahatma Gandhi hai bhaai.. director saab ko lagtaa hai uskaa bajaa daalna chahiye.. mera matlab hai usko lagta hai audience ko wohich mangta hai.. to main kyaa karoon bhaai?
MG: Aur tu bhi Circuit.. Woh bechaara jyothish ka bheje pe bandook lagake uska dimaag out kar deta hai aur phir bolta hai "mujhe sorry bolne kaa hai".. Isko tum Gandhigiri bolte ho?
C: Maine pehle hi bola tha bhai.. Ye Gandhigiri Wandhigiri mein apun ka vishwaas nahi hai.. Sach to ye hai ki ye apna hero Munna ko bhi vishwaas nahi hai, directorsaab ko bhi nahi hai, naa film dekhke jo "enlightented" ho gaye hai unko! Aur mujhe kya bol raha hai ji..
MG: Magar ek baat to hai Circuit.. Tu jab pyaar se "Bhaai" bolta hai naa, Sanju bhaai ke saare female fans jalke koyla ban gaye honge. Pehle film mein bhi aur abhi bhi! Tu sahi mein Munna ka pyaar mein to nahi hai..
C (blushing): Ye sab public mein bolne ka nahin hota bhai..
LS (passing by, shaking his hips): Just chill chill just chill...
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Boy, get up, there's no dinner for you!
Talking of bad experiences, it's hard to miss this one. In Malayalam there's one phrase, "to wake one up and tell there's no dinner". I had a chance to figure out how bad it is, thanks to Al Italia.
It was about three years back, about an hour past midnight. Flight for Milan took off from Mumbai airport. I had not had dinner that night and was hungry, but more than that I was tired and sleepy, so I fell asleep even before the flight took off.
The the air hostess woke me up and said it's dinner, I was irritated that it disturbed my sleep but was happy I was getting to eat something. After about five minutes, she came and told me sorry sir, we have run out of dinner. Presumably everyone else in the flight got their meals. Including my friend who was traveling with me. We were on the last seat, we were students and we did look like students.
The Milan-Mumbai flight experience was even worse. It was afternoon, and I was served vegetarian meals. When I asked for non-vegetarian meals, they first told me they ran out of non-veg meals. When I told them I just saw someone else (who look white) asking for a non-vegetarian meal and she got it, the air hostess started arguing with me, then she asked me for my boarding pass to confirm I had indeed opted for non-vegetarian meals. And then they got me the non-veg meal.
The difference in the manner in which they treated similar requests from me and the foreign lady suggested that I was at the wrong place. I did not expect that on an international flight. That, along with the previous experience, convinced me that I shouldn't travel Al Italia again if I'm given a choice. [I didn't bother to file a complaint, as I didn't feel it was worth it.]
It was about three years back, about an hour past midnight. Flight for Milan took off from Mumbai airport. I had not had dinner that night and was hungry, but more than that I was tired and sleepy, so I fell asleep even before the flight took off.
The the air hostess woke me up and said it's dinner, I was irritated that it disturbed my sleep but was happy I was getting to eat something. After about five minutes, she came and told me sorry sir, we have run out of dinner. Presumably everyone else in the flight got their meals. Including my friend who was traveling with me. We were on the last seat, we were students and we did look like students.
The Milan-Mumbai flight experience was even worse. It was afternoon, and I was served vegetarian meals. When I asked for non-vegetarian meals, they first told me they ran out of non-veg meals. When I told them I just saw someone else (who look white) asking for a non-vegetarian meal and she got it, the air hostess started arguing with me, then she asked me for my boarding pass to confirm I had indeed opted for non-vegetarian meals. And then they got me the non-veg meal.
The difference in the manner in which they treated similar requests from me and the foreign lady suggested that I was at the wrong place. I did not expect that on an international flight. That, along with the previous experience, convinced me that I shouldn't travel Al Italia again if I'm given a choice. [I didn't bother to file a complaint, as I didn't feel it was worth it.]
Thursday, August 10, 2006
I like you as a friend!
One my friend is having a tough time phrasing a reject.
"I like you as a friend" and "I can not see you like that" are sure flops, and tying a Rakhi on the Raksha Bandhan day would be worse. If you think you're imaginative and you could help her, please give your ideas in the comments section below.
* * *
Talking of Raksha Bandhan, my friend read out this sms he got from some mobile number.
"Mere pyare bhaiyya,
Mera mobile kharab ho gaya hai isiliye mein inke phone se message bhej rahi hun. Aapko Raksha Bandhan ke shubhkamnayein."
I almost started wondering why he had to read this out to me, and he read the rest of the message, "Aapki pyari behen, Mallika Sherawat".:-)
"I like you as a friend" and "I can not see you like that" are sure flops, and tying a Rakhi on the Raksha Bandhan day would be worse. If you think you're imaginative and you could help her, please give your ideas in the comments section below.
* * *
Talking of Raksha Bandhan, my friend read out this sms he got from some mobile number.
"Mere pyare bhaiyya,
Mera mobile kharab ho gaya hai isiliye mein inke phone se message bhej rahi hun. Aapko Raksha Bandhan ke shubhkamnayein."
I almost started wondering why he had to read this out to me, and he read the rest of the message, "Aapki pyari behen, Mallika Sherawat".:-)
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