Is ‘in denial’ the status on your life messenger?

It 4:30 am now and I have been in office for eighteen and a half hours. And I have a meeting at 9 am.

Any one knows of a nine to five job? I'll work for free!

In a country like India, however much we deny, the male still dominates. The lives of the women are centred around the men. Their careers, their lives, their families. I don’t say this in a feminist’s tone of disgust but in a quiet stance of acceptance.

I have grown up in a family where I was never made to feel differently from my brother. In fact, if possible, I was more pampered. My parents never distinguished between girl-friends or boy-friends. They were just friends. Yes, my parents have always been extremely open-minded. My brother and I had the same deadlines and the same rules of discipline that were to be adhered to.

And yet, I have always been taught to leave the toilet seat up. Why I ask, when the rest of the world leaves it down? My mother tells me that it is not because we are a male-oriented society but because Indian men (not Papa and my brother of course but the other men who could be visiting) tend to be dirty.

So there it goes. Either our lives centre around the importance of men or their filthy habits. I rest my case.

Another night spent
In restlessness of a dreamless sleep
On the bed my ego chose.

“My daughter called me Uncle today,” he said. “Either it is because I have been working late nights too long or because my wife has been freelancing.”

Sunday Blues…

Am totally into the blues. And Sunday Blues beat Monday morning ones anytime. Yeah baby! Yesterday was all about the blues. Attended the One Tree Festival yesterday evening (as well as on Saturday).

Sunday’s Performances
Walter Trout and the Radicals
The Original Blues Brothers Band

Saturday’s Performances
Earth, Wind & Fire featuring the Al Mckay All stars
Kool & the Gang

(I missed Uriah Heep on Friday. Damn!)

Who can blame me for the rock-ing mood I’m in? Or should I say the jazz-y mood!

Currently listening: Jack Johnson – Inaudible Melodies

B: Eh. Kya bolti tu?
Me: Huh? Kya main bolun?
B: Sun
Me: Sunao
B: Aati kya khandala?
Me: (Kya karoon aake main) Khandala?
B: Jayengey, logon se milengey, research karengey aur kya?!

B (Sigh! Not a nice flirt-worthy boy but my female research recruiter) suggested Khandala as a venue for conducting focus group discussions for one of the brands I handle. That’s where I was all of yesterday – working in Khandala.

Sigh. The sad story that is my life!

My father (Papa), his brother (T. Kaku) and I were having a chat today. I was telling them that a lot of my colleagues have started buying houses. This is how the conversation went:

Me: Real Estate is good investment. And most of my colleagues are DINK households. So they can afford to buy houses at such an early stage in their career.
T. Kaku: DINK?
Me: Double Income No Kids
Papa (talking to me): So then sweetheart you should marry two men, then you’ll become a TINK household.
T. Kaku: And you can buy two houses. Or perhaps you should marry three guys…
Papa: Yeah. Then you’ll become a FINK household. But if you’re a FINK I don’t think I want to be interacting with you too much.
Me (God only knows why I was bothering to participate in this inane conversation): No Papa that would be a QUINK household. The word for four is ‘quadruple’.
T. Kaku: So then Draupadi’s was a HINK household from ‘hexa’
Me (Rolling eyes): Yes
Papa: You better not marry seven guys or you’ll become a pig.
Me: Huh?
Papa: Octa…OINK OINK

Somebody please rescue me from this family!

I am tired of daily calls from various banks offering free credit cards, bank accounts without administration charges, free debit cards, pre-approved loans and whatnots.

I have tried everything to stop receiving these incessant calls. Being polite and being rude. Spending 20 minutes listening to their spiel and then informing them with heart-felt regret that I did not need a loan. Cutting their sales-pitch short and telling them directly that I was not interested. Pretending I am busy in a meeting. Saying that they’ve got the wrong number. I have done it all. Nothing has worked.

So, last year I took the humungous decision of giving in. My logic was that if I did take a free credit-card from a bank, say X, then I would get no more calls from X. Brilliant, wasn’t’ it? The bank I chose was ABN Amro.

After I acquiesced to the tele-caller, an executive from the bank was sent to my office. I filled in all the necessary forms and told him specifically that I needed the credit card within the next month as I would be out of the country for more than a month. (This was just before my Europe back-packing trip.) He promised me several times that there would be no problem. I would receive my card right on time. I didn’t.

I came back from my trip and there still wasn’t any card waiting for me at home.

A month later (in July 2005) I started getting calls from ABN Amro bank. My outstanding amount was Rs 800 or something. I told them that I had not received any card so there could be no outstanding amount. And by the way, wasn’t the card supposed to be free?!!!

By Jan 2006, my outstanding amount had risen to Rs 1895. In the six months that had passed I had registered my complaints with several customer service executives, telling them again and again that I had not received any card.

Now, not only do I get calls from ABN Amro customer service executives asking me when I can pay the outstanding amount, I also STILL get calls from tele-callers asking me whether I want a free ABN Amro credit card.

Since morning I have received two SMSes from ABN Amro wishing me a very happy birthday and hoping that I have a happy and long association with ABN Amro Bank. Arrrrgggghh! I don’t want a happy and long association. Six months have been long enough. And damn it, it’s not even my birthday today.