Archive for the 'No good' Category

Disadvantage in my car

Published
by
Rinchen
on October 16, 2008
in No good
. 12 Comments

My one year old Blaupunkt Maui CD player went kaput. CD Error, it kept displaying. All this while, I kept thinking - perhaps those cheap CDs were the reason. Finally when I told the friendly dealer about it, he said it was a company lens problem and asked me to bring it back for replacement with any other equivalent CD player. Thank god for warranty period.

So I go and choose a Sony X-plod. Dealer says, sorry cant let you switch over from Blaupunkt to Sony. Those are the rules.

I exclaim - but you said ANY OTHER CD player!!!

Dealer apologises profusely but stays adamant. I have no other choice but to select from about 10 models of Blaupunkt, each crappier than the next.

I fret and fume but am sure that this time, I want a CD player with USB because I was sick of writing CDs to death before. Every time I downloaded a new song from the net, I had to go through a whole process of CD writing. It was too much work.

I chose one with USB and by the time I finished pointing, the mechanics are already half way through installing it in the car. The demo goes well till I insert my 2 GB USB and then - gasp - USB ERROR!! 

I cringed inwardly, oh no - back to square one.

The dealer unconvincingly tells me - it just doesnt play 2 GB, thats all - see it works perfectly fine with a 1 GB USB. I feel like wringing his neck.

I dont want a new replacement which has USB size issues after which the dealer tells me (politely though not explicitly) to take it or leave it.

I eat his brains for about 3 hours, trying and testing all other models and eventually ending up with the one that gave me a USB error for 2 GB. 

By this time, the smile on his face’s been wiped out and so’s mine. We’re both feeling slightly hostile towards each other.

As I drove back home, I realized - maybe its okay I at least got a new replacement. The old one had completely stopped playing CDs and was only capable of FM. Have been using the new CD player and it works fine fine fine except for 2 GB USB.

Now I’m confused whether to feel happy about the replacement or to be unhappy about the entire problem to begin with. Or maybe Blaupunkt should change their logo of The Advantage In Your Car to the one in my title.

People can think what they want

Published
by
Rinchen
on October 13, 2008
in Life as it happens and No good
. 12 Comments

I was at the bank sometime back and had nothing to do other than listen in on a most personal conversation between two women, well… due to lack of having anything else to do. They had just finished hugging and greeting each other in such a manner that it was safe to assume they hadn’t seen either in years. In the mean time, a kid kept tugging at one of the woman’s dupatta, wailing about something or the other.

The other, apparently older friend then proceeds to generally fawn over the little dumpling and after getting over with the mandatory cootchiecooing, she turned her attention back to the mother.

“So how many kids do you have? How old is this little tyke?”

“Oh, he’s five. And also an only child”

“Hmm… so you have ONLY one kid?? I guess thats okay too. But I hope you guys are planning to have at least one more kid, you know. After all, you’ve been married for what? Ten years now?”

Embarassed laughter. “I guess we could always try…”

“Yeah, well - you know what people say when you have only one kid…”

What do people say when you have only one kid??? Poor sperm count? That they were apparently lucky that one time and god knows if not for that, they’d be childless and lets not even go to that kind of situation?

This WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK syndrome, which is a common enough topic in India, doesnt just stop at that poor ONE kid. For all we know, its an offense to:

1. Be a spinster/bachelor after 30 perhaps.

2. Have a live in relationship.

3. Be a childless couple.

4. Get separated.

5. Get divorced.

6. Get re-married.

7. What else? Perhaps think for yourself too?

I knew a chronic bachelor who was hounded by matchmakers all over town in the hope that some lucky girl would one day snag him and cut short his freedom. Another friend of mine’s a happy go lucky 38 year old spinster who doesnt mind categorizing marriage at the bottom of her priority list.

P.S. What will people think, eh? Answer in  # 24 of http://ringchen.com/things-about-me

Duh day

Published
by
Rinchen
on September 29, 2008
in No good
. 10 Comments

I’m extremely irritated at this point of time. I’ve sat in front of the computer the whole day and my eyes are watery and I’ve begun to get a mild headache that’s threatening to turn into a big one.

There was a bandh in the state today from 6 am to 6 pm, the first one in 10 years. As a result, I couldnt go out and do anything I wanted to. Not that I roam around like anything and keep doing things on a regular basis. But the idea of being confined to one space and not having the option to take off as I wanted to was a major reality check for me.

We take the notion of freedom of movement very lightly now that its been about 60 years of independence? Yet, when life comes to a standstill and you dont get to do the normal things that you take for granted, its a shock, nonetheless. 

To top it all, I deleted the previous post. Arrghh. I dont think I am in a fine mental state to type it all over again. My back hurts from sitting here all day and my moods worsens.

And I dont even want to go towards my state of writer’s block. Its been plaguing me for some time and I think I’m running short of things to write about in this blog. Brain function decreasing and oxygen suppy diminishes.

I… cant… see…

Security

Published
by
Rinchen
on September 14, 2008
in No good
. 15 Comments

I came to know about the bomb blasts which occured in Delhi claiming the lives of 22 people and injuring over 100 people. I find it difficult to imagine the monstrosity of the people responsible for this. What could possibly be going on in their heads? What greater purpose do the blasts serve? Its a shame that innocent people all over the country have to pay with their lives for whatever animosity lies behind the blasts.

We live in a world filled with terror. Of hatred for one another. Of cold, heartless killers who do not hesitate to take countless innocent lives. When the Jaipur blasts occured, one person on TV said, We are living in fear for we do not know if we’ll return back home in the evening or not. It struck me as a very unfamiliar emotion and state of mind. I remember thinking - how could anyone live like that? Surely we deserve to be safe and secure in our homes or offices or the streets we walk in.

Justifiably, people are more insecure these days. We do not know where the next bomb blast could possibly take place. It could be 1000 kilometres away from you. It could be next door. How pityful is it for us to be and remain insecure about our safety. How very primitive. 

I feel sorry for the people who lost their lives in the Delhi blasts. For their families who mourn the loss. Notwithstanding, It could have also been any of us. 

The government is talking about anti-terrorist laws. With so many attacks happening all over the country, it is high time that action should be taken and the people responsible behind it punished. Let them also know that they cannot just blow up cities and kill people for no reason. 

We need to feel secure again.

Pseudo feminist

Published
by
Rinchen
on September 7, 2008
in Gender blender and No good
. 14 Comments

I have very strong feelings when it comes to gender discrimination. I’m usually telling people off whenever I come across discussions pertaining to women belonging to the inferior catgory and what not. One of my colleague sometimes counsels students by saying This is not America. While it is true that THIS really is not America, I find it hard to maintain perspective when he says that men can do anything they want because they can. And women cant. Thats the law of society and thats just how it is. So quit with the behaviour-influenced-by-western-culture. Understand?

He’s right, I know. Our culture and society favour men. We, the women are the weaker gender and even though so many issues have been raised regarding the equality of women, the gender debate is far from over.

I, personally dont think that women are any less capable compared to men. If I were a man, I’d be able to afford a wife (who wouldnt need to work) and raise children comfortably. I’d also rather punch the daylights out of all chauvinists but thats just how I feel.

So, it was a shock, a major one at that - when I discovered a woman standing with a measurement strip wound around her neck at a local tailor’s shop yesterday. I tried my best not to stare at her, closed my mouth and proceeded towards the tumultuous ordeal of talking business to her.

(After staring at the lady for a long time)

Me: Erm… where’s the other man who used to work here?

She: (Frostily) That guy left the shop ages back. He doesnt work here anymore.

(Desperately trying to figure if she would screw my dress because whoever’s heard of a female tailor??? Certainly not the pseudo-feminist that I was)

Me: Umm… It’s been years since I’ve visited your shop. Thats why I was looking for that other guy… (Attempting at something that probably does not even resemble a smile)

She: (Smiling back) Oh, thats all right. I’ve been working here for the past 4 years now.

(Sigh of relief as I exhale audibly. If she’s been working for 4 years, my clothes are in safe hands, I figure)

Me: Oh! I just didnt know that you’re working here. Okay. No problem.

As I left the shop, I thought to myself - how ironic is it that I berate others for gender discrimination when I, as a woman, did exactly that just now.

It is doubly hard to change the world unless you can change yourself. Isnt it?

The great debate

Published
by
Rinchen
on September 3, 2008
in No good and Sikkim
. 359 Comments

I’ve recently been battling out the topic of stopping immigration in Sikkim in the forum of sikkimonline.info. The topic ranted about a Sikkimese being an alien in their own domain, being dominated or called chinkys, bahadur, etc. outside the state. This is how I responded:

Continue reading ‘The great debate’

Have some respect

Published
by
Rinchen
on August 12, 2008
in No good
. 11 Comments

I couldnt believe my eyes when I read this on MTV’s tickr:

Sania’s track pants will make more news than Abhinav Bindra.

He will not get to feature in a single advertisement.

Harman Baweja will be more famous that Abhinav Bindra.

No girl with put up a poster of Abhinav Bindra in her room or even wallpaper on her desktop.

No one will recognize him on the streets.

His signature will never become an autograph.

So what if he won a Gold, Rohit Sharma will still make more money than Abhinav!

At best, RGV may approach Abhinav Bindra for a gangstar film.

And he wont pay him for it.

No one will come on iSuperstar and want to be Abhinav.

Big Boss will not invite him to his house.

Abhinav Bindra will become one of the officers in Khatron Ka Khiladi, at best.

The Abhinav Bindra Fan Club on Facebook has 43 members.

Thats probably two less than Tusshaar’s.

The sad part is that MTV wants to be so cool - it thinks making fun of a national hero is okay. I dont agree with this. Watch out, MTV - this is not one of your Roadies that you’re talking about.

This is a big deal and I for one was stupendously proud of the Indian National Anthem being played at the award ceremony. This is not a small achievement and we all know it.

The 25 year old has achieved what no one had before in the history of Indian Sports. He is India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist while the last gold for India was won by the hockey team in 1980.

He has done India proud and reading such tasteless jokes on MTV makes me ashamed of the media. For what its worth, his picture is now on my desktop.

Congratulations, Abhinav Bindra!