Monday, December 19, 2005

Please press 0 for frustration

A couple of days ago, I was supposed to meet a friend to pick some stuff up at the train station early in the morning on my way to work. When I reached the station, I realised that she would be alighting at the bus stop from where I would be taking the bus to work. So I sent her an sms to ask her to meet me at the bus stop instead.

I crossed the overhead bridge from the station, and waited at the bus stop. And waited. And waited. And it was 8 am and I was afraid I'd be late for work. So I sent her another message. I immediately got a call from her number. Her mother was on the line! My friend had actually left her phone at home, and the poor thing had been waiting for me at the station! So I dashed up the overhead bridge again, picked up the stuff, and dashed back again, in heels that are only meant for only one overhead bridge trip per day.

And my heart went out to my friend. I can only imagine how her day would have passed without her phone. We have become so helplessly dependent on our mobile phones, that it's almost become a part of us. And it's a horrid nagging feeling to not have our mobile with us even for a few hours.

I remembered the last time I had forgotten my mobile phone at home.

I was uneasy the entire day at work. I cancelled my dinner plans as I wanted to get my hands on my phone asap. It's quite annoying how desperate we are to stay connected, and how uneasy something as trivial as leaving our mobile phone at home can make us. It's amazing because I don't even use my phone much. I am not the compulsive type who looks at her phone every three seconds. But I just need that sense of security that the phone is somewhere around where I can reach it.

The entire day I kept freaking out at regular intervals. I kept imagining -- someone would be calling me now, and getting frustrated with me. Someone would have left seventeeen pissed-off voice messages. Someone would have sent sms after sms, and cursed me for not replying. What if one of my authors called?? (My authors, for some weird reason, like to bheja-fry me by calling my mobile.)

The day seemed to stretch on and on. And I got more and more worked up.

Visions of the whole world trying to contact me crossed my freaked out eyes.

What if my parents call? My folks have a tendency of freaking out when I don't pick up the phone. My Dad would first leave a voice message that only says "This is Dad." and then another one to tell me that he's left the first voice message. And then another one to say there are two messages for me. And then he would send me an email to tell me about the voice messages. And then he would leave another voice message to tell me that he has emailed me about the voice messages. And this cycle would continue till I call him back.

So when I reached home, I tore through the house to my room, found the phone on the bedside table, and almost threw myself at it in my excitement to see who had called and who had left messages.

And there it was.

The blank screen, staring at me. No missed calls. No sms messages. Nothing. Nothing at all.

I shook it. I stared at it. I even rebooted it. Twice. Yet, nothing. The screen was as blank as my mind at that point in time.

Sigh.


Sometimes all it takes to put us in our place is a non-living thing.



56 comments:

Deeps said...

Bronze to me :-D. Yeah its scary how we become dependent on these modern gadgets. I remember insisting to my dad that I really DID NOT want a mobile phone for this precise reason. After coming to US, I haven't even bought one ;-). Life's much easier :).

Shobana said...

ditto!

Kaala Kavva said...

Sayesha!!
Ur banerjee sir wa right!
you really are hyper!

arre phone hee to hai.. a 100 times mine is not charged or i forget to take it along... im chill!

chill hoja bachchi!

shub said...

:D for me the times i left the phone home was sheer bliss...not constantly ahving to check if it was still around me, not keying away messages endlessly...freedom! :)
now of course,I don't use one, and I'm loving it! :)

Anonymous said...

I finally decided to fall in line and get a cellphone in final year afer I missed a 'dream' job interview because I wasn't in the room when they called! Lucky for me they chose to call again (whew!). I then proceeded to leave the 'dream' job after a couple of years for an even dreamier one. Still got the cellphone though...

Cheers
Kais

Sayesha said...

#Rinku,
Wow, someone is back in style, eh? ;)

Yeah, my Dad's antics (especially those involving technology) are hilarious! I have a few posts on that! :P

#ABias,
Silver medal? Haha! Dena hoga kya? :)

#Deeps,
Some day I will leave my phone behind on purpose! Let's see :)

#ABias BHAI,
Oh man, the EMR freaks me out too! I don't use my cell phone for calls so much, but I sms like crazy! :P

#Jade,
:)

#Ze,
Arre yaar, time lagega... tension hoti hai yaar phone ke bina :P

#Shub,
Wow, you actually survive without a mobile phone??? I should learn a thing or two from you! :)

#ABias,
I'll get in touch with you over email, want to write aaraam se, ok? :)

#Kais,
I managed to survive both first and second years at uni without a mobile phone. Got my first one during internship! :)
ps: So now you're doing your dream job? Actually I have no idea where you work! Where??

Rays Of Sun said...

Gosh! One more post!! Will come back later honey:)

Adi Oso-Groot Finch said...

i call it cellphone addiction. more symptoms:
-look at the phone screen every 5 minutes (or sooner) to see if there are any messages/calls you may not have noticed.
-fidgeting around with the phone when sitting in a meeting or ppt oblivious of the fact that the boss might be watching
-feeling uneasy and surprised if anyone borrows your phone for a while longer

i've been there, done that ... and more... and then, after four years of organising my life around my phone.... one fine evening this last summer in bhubhneswar... i lost it.

and surprisingly, by the time the first pangs of loss got over, i realised that i liked it. so ever since (around 6 months now), I haven't had a cell phone. Yes, I haven't had a cell phone. no parents calling up twice a day to check how i was doing... no classmates msging and asking me to put proxy for them... no clenching my teeth at forwarded messages from ppl who last called me in year 2003 (or earlier).

and most of all... no itch in my fingers... flutter in my heart... running around of my eyes when it hasnt made it presence felt for a while.

I'm so glad I got rid of my cellphone addiction. :(

And I'm so sad I'll have to buy one next year when I join a job. :(

Anonymous said...

>> ps: So now you're doing your
>> dream job? Actually I have no >> idea where you work! Where??

At a small company doing analog ic design for power electronics. Yeah yeah, the geek shall inherit the earth etc. etc. But its FUN - you dont have to sit around long before an interesting problem asks you for a dance. And it forces you to be creative, much in the way your job probably does.

Don't want to name the company though, this being a public blog 'n all. Mail me at
kais.bad-am-i@gmail.com (remove dashes), if you really care to know. [ Oh who am I kidding :D ]

Cheers
Kais

Ginkgo said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ginkgo said...

lolz u had me there..
I was getting ready to give ya a lecture on how ppl would behave when they had no cell fones..
and that there are ppl in the world without one..:-)

All this until I read the last line.., when I had wanted to add, that there would be days when u dont get any calls at all..:-))


dont u worry though..we will ask blogger to have sms alerts whenver someone blogs or comments :-P

so howya doing 'item' ;-)

L said...

:)))))))))))))))

The voice mails from ur Dad seem real... Some of my frnds have that habit..!! My mom too gives a collection of 20 missed calls if unanswered.

My dad is cool, If i dont answer..He assumes that I have slept over.. even if its 2:00 pm and calls back only next day..!!

Too sad that u didnt get any calls.. Reminds the times when I have no mails after a vacation...!!
Hence I love spam..!!

Kroopa Shah (Kr00pz) said...

LOL, I am like that with email. I need to check my email constantly or else I become very restless. Thank gid I don't have a cell phone!!

R said...

my folks say my fingers will crack someday cos i keep smsing.. n that my ears will have serious problems!

AWESOME LAST LINE!

Raj said...

Thats rather strange cos the day i forgot my cellphone home, i got 12 missed calls. Even the people who never call me decided to give me a call. Not just that. My sister called up from the US and when i didnt answer the phone, she got worried and called up my parents. At the end of the day, i had to call up everyone and listen to a long speech abt how i shudnt forget to keep my phone with me all the time.

Archana said...

:-))! Very true! Though in my case, if I forget my cell, rather than worry about all the calls I might miss, I worry about all the calls I *might* have to make and can't due to having no phone! Weird, huh!

Anonymous said...

beautifully written!

Thanu said...

For me cell phone is not just for calls and text messages, it my alarm clock, my watch for the whole day... and so much more. Having a cell phone on me gives me a sense of security. I love my phone.

Anonymous said...

Could totally identify with that feeling of restlessness
:-). The phone is the very first thing I rush to too, if I had forgotten it. If by mistake I drop it, my heart can literally stop that second. :-) It has become such a part of me. And it's usually when I happen to not have the cell with me, that I feel the most urgent need to use it!

The description about your folks made me smile. My folks freak out too! Arre, and Mummy even start calling all my friends. :-) They worry too easily. I have to take real good care not to miss their calls by any chance :-).

V said...

But You are VERY MUCH EXISTANT on my links!!!

?????????????

Eclectic Blogger said...

ROTFL at your dad's all-possible-ways-to-contact-you cycle :)

Planck said...

Haye mera cell baby! I to love um!

educatedunemployed said...

For me too the phone is an alarm clock, companion on my travels..Its got games on it..And no one ever calls when I have it on me the whole time.But that one freaky day when I forget to carry it..All hell seems to break lose and I would have missed like 9 calls 7 msgs and my mother doing that loop call..every 23 seconds

Sayesha said...

#ROS,
Hehehe... see ya later! :D

#Raven,
I wouldn't say I am addicted to the cellphone, in the sense that I don't keep lookin' at it or fidgeting with it. But I need to have the assurance that it is within earshot :)

#Kais,
//doing analog ic design for power electronics.

Hehehe... one man's meat is another (wo)man's poison! :P

//kais.bad-am-i@gmail.com (remove dashes), if you really care to know.

Oh dear God no! Hope I have other reasons to mail you sometime. :)

#Ginkgo,
//we will ask blogger to have sms alerts whenver someone blogs or comments

No way man! That would be too distracting and I wouldn't be able to get any work done! :O

#L,
I think I can take no calls. But no mails after a vacation??? That would just kill me! :P

#Kroopz,
I can totally understand. I can't live a day without checking email!

#Rohit,
Thanks! :)
ps: Your folks are right yaar! Do minimise cell phone usage.

#Raj,
Hahahahaha! :D I can totally understand. When I am in a movie and Dad calls, and I can't take the call and have to call him back after the movie, I have to hear it too "What happened? What happened? Why didn't you answer when I called an hour ago??!!" :D

#Archana,
Hehehe! :P

#Bindu,
Thanks! :)

#Thanu,
Yeah, mine's my alarm too! And you're right, it's the sense of security that I miss the most when my phone's not with me.

#Harshi,
//and Mummy even start calling all my friends.

Haha! This reminds me, once my Dad could not reach me on my mobile, and he emailed my friend!!! :O

#Tequila,
Dude, the only links on your blog are 'Google news', 'Edit-me' and 'Edit-me'! I think we're both missing something here! Do you have another blog URL or something? I followed by clicking your name and there's only a test post each on both of your blogs 'Musical Musings' and 'Hmmm'.

#Eclectic Blogger,
:D

#Sneha,
Cell baby? Hahaha! :D

#Vikram,
You're right man! Earlier, I used to leave my phone behind when I went to the pool or the beach. Now I wonder if I am capable of it at all. I am gonna try it out soon!

#Educated,
Haha! :)

Rays Of Sun said...

Baby!

I agree so much to it. My cell phone is my life! Last winter when my car had knocked itself off and I had left my cell phone charger at a friends place. I had no mode of transport. So I gave my cell phone charger to my neigbor when he was going out and asked him to charge it for me:D
I think I am addicted to it:O

Keshi said...

I basically cant and wont live w.o. my mobile..it's such ahuge part of my life and it's sad..yes...but it's the truth :)

Keshi.

Angelsera said...

geez..in my case its usually the other way round!I have to keep calling to check wher my parents are!

Anonymous said...

How ironic that one needs a cellphone to be reminded of your relative (un)importance in the grand scheme of things!

Whatever

PS: Mine is a fone-cum-alarmClock-cum-reminderService. And used to have -cum-InternetBrowser-cum-SMSmachine-cum-Camera, etc. till I had Hutch/Orange service. Oh those good ol' days. Ab to call&SMS recieve karne ke bhi paise lagte hain... Evil world :(

V said...

Aaah.
So that means something's wrong with your memory(?)!

My Blog is(and has been) www.solitaryhummer.blogspot.com
Not displayed in my profile.

Sayesha said...

#ROS,
Hahaha! :D Please tell me that the neighbour a hunk at least? :D

#Keshi,
Yeah... sad truth of many lives...

#Angelsera,
Lucky you, girl! :)

#Whatever,
True, my bills used to waat lagao like anything! I recently switched to a free incoming calls plan so that I can continue to keep in touch with my blog friends around the world without becoming a kangaal! :P

Jay said...

Oh yeah! Can relate to this!

Sayesha said...

#Tequila,
Argh! Then why isn't it in your profile man?? Meri galti nahin hai! Yeay! :D

ps: Will blogroll you tonight, my work Mac is not blogger friendly.

#Jay,
:)

Sahil said...

Sayesha man, you have to learn to stay less connected. Like you were in Cambodia, wasn't that awesome that you didn't check email for such a stretch?

The problem with the time we live in now is that everyone and everything is too accessible. Can you remember the last time you went to the library to even look something up, rather than google it?

Back in the day when I was in uni - I took not being connected to a whole new level. Not only did I not have a cellphone, but for 2 months I went without a watch. It was so relaxing not having a watch and having to worry about where I should be or what I should be doing with my time. Probably the least stressed 2 months of my life that I can remember..

Sayesha said...

#Sahil,
Wow, someone remembers my Cambodia posts!

I think the reason why I could go without email in Cambodia was because I knew I'd come back to find lots of emails. :P

Some emails just keep us alive, don't you think? :)

ps: No phone is still okay, but no watch?? Knowing how particular I am about time?? You must be freakin' kidding me! :D

Anonymous said...

Hi Sayesha:
I simply loved the last line. I think this one (like many other mater pieces of yours)is simply wonderful .....

Cheers
Prince

ritzkini said...

no phone..no watch..for close to 2 months now...life..zero stress..mtv enjaai !
:)

R said...

Dont start talking like them!

Deepa said...

I dislike using ,moblie phones ...
carrying them every where u go...stealin all the privacy ,,...but the saddest part is ,i can't live without one in my bag ,even though ...all i see in them is missed call's and call them back....;o)

Chitra said...

Ha ha ha ha ... how true !! So, how was it getting worked up for nothing? :)

Anonymous said...

If anyone out there hasn't yet gotten a cell phone, DON'T! Once you have it, you're a goner man... no way you'll be able to live without it. It's kind of like electricity, but worse!

// Sometimes all it takes to put us in our place is a non-living thing.

So true... I got no emails when I was away for a week... :)

// I am not the compulsive type who looks at her phone every three seconds. But I just need that sense of security that the phone is somewhere around where I can reach it.

The question is, do you provide others with a sense of security that they can reach you? :) There's nothing more annoying than messaging a person and finding out later that they didn't check their messages even though the phone was around... maybe because of the noisy surroundings or whatever. I've been the culprit myself quite a number of times :P

Hey Sayesha, what happened to the VW? It was so much fun!

PuNeEt said...

wow... beautiful post...
yes we have got so used to our cell phones...
n a bit impatient also...

wen we decide for a meet.... every 5 min we give a call or mesg to check whr the other person is...

so far I've forgotton my phone only once...
can forget my shirt not phone ;-)
lolzzz

Sometimes all it takes to put us in our place is a non-living thing
well said

Take care
Cheers

virdi said...

virdi ne half century poora kar diya... yahooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! 50th comment is mine....

Sayesha said...

#Prince,
So good to see you back! Unless you had turned into a silent reader (again)! :)
ps: Thanks! :)

#Ritzkini,
//Zero stress??

What a mess!

#Rohit,
HAHAHAHAHA! I set myself up for that one, didn't I? :P

#Chints,
Thanks for the note, buddy! Three phones??? Floraindia mein bahut business ho raha hai kya? ;)

#Deepa,
Hehehe! Welcome to our world! :)

#Chitra,
Let's just say I felt incredibly sheepish and foolish when I saw the blank screen! :P

#Viv,
Long time! :)

//There's nothing more annoying than messaging a person and finding out later that they didn't check their messages even though the phone was around

Errr... sorry yaar! :(

VW?? Hahahahaha! You mean WV! :D Arre aajkal spam nahin aata so I thought hata saawan ki ghata! :D

#Puneet,
//can forget my shirt not phone

HAHAHA! Should I expect another profile photo change? ;)

#Virdi,
Tussi great ho ji! Kya half century mara! Maza aa gaya ustaad! :D

Sayesha said...

#Chints,
Arre wah, tarakki kar rahe ho! :)

Yeah, I remember the company name. Along with the daant for not using it to send Virdi's surprise! :P

Anonymous said...

@shilpashettyji..
=))
/ *zero stress, what a mess */
not again.. pleeeeeeaaaaaasee...
but..
cant resist the bait ! :) so..

oh,lochness ..
(funda-I dont know much abt u..
much like the world doesnt know much abt the lochness monster..sooperdooper funda,na ?? :)
ok,fundas later..tp poetry continues..:)
dont be in haste..
cos...in our quest..for success..
we do need some rest..
and not let time and gadgets-be a pest..
so i say..only in jest..(and...not in lust-sorry,had to get something kinky in! just my style:))
to live, together in our love-nest..
it'll have to be zero...stress.....

=))

Disclaimer : Again ! u are the king,the queen and the whole paraphernalia of tp poetry !
I am zero...i am nothing !!
i am not even nothing..i am the dirt found after nothing is wiped away...
so donot even dare to even think of continuing this crazy thing !
:)
I just do a walkthru of the alphabet..a..b..c..d..e..and substitute it in a similar sounding word... simple..
:)

Anonymous said...

@shilpashettyji..
=))
/ *zero stress, what a mess */
not again.. pleeeeeeaaaaaasee...
but..
cant resist the bait ! :) so..

oh,lochness ..
(funda-I dont know much abt u..
much like the world doesnt know much abt the lochness monster..sooperdooper funda,na ?? :)
ok,fundas later..tp poetry continues..:)
dont be in haste..
cos...in our quest..for success..
we do need some rest..
and not let time and gadgets-be a pest..
so i say..only in jest..(and...not in lust-sorry,had to get something kinky in! just my style:))
to live, together in our love-nest..
it'll have to be zero...stress.....

=))

Disclaimer : Again ! u are the king,the queen and the whole paraphernalia of tp poetry !
I am zero...i am nothing !!
i am not even nothing..i am the dirt found after nothing is wiped away...
so donot even dare to even think of continuing this crazy thing !
:)
I just do a walkthru of the alphabet..a..b..c..d..e..and substitute it in a similar sounding word... simple..
:)

Sayesha said...

#Dilwalon ka dilbar (geez!),

OH MY GAWD! (Janice style!)

Oooooh! Did you actually sit down and write all that nonsense for me? How sweet! I will ask ROS to come up with another annoying nick for you! Chalega? :D

//so donot even dare to even think of continuing this crazy thing !

THANK YOU for saying that, Ritesh! I am so not up for another one! The last one was enough to drive both of us crazy! :)

Anonymous said...

@chick
/*OH MY GAWD! (Janice style!) */
"Janice ?! Janice ?!! Who the f$#% is Janice ??!!"
:)
just a "who the f$%@ is alice ?" track..
:)
/*Did you actually sit down and write all that nonsense for me? How sweet! */
OYE !! Jaan de,Jaan de ! thodee hawwwaa aane de !
:)
actually creative juices fulltoo flowing recently...deserves a post in itself..wont waste it on a comment..u shall see the light,my child..
:)
no please not ROS !! no pinky,no amroos plz..nooooo !

/*I am so not up for another one! */
same here dudette !!
:)

Sayesha said...

#Raajoo,
Geez! Raajoo?? Double A se mann nahin bhara, double O bhi?? :O Now you sound like one of Ekta Kapoor's nonsensical soaps! Kkussum, Kaahiin Kissii Roz, etc.

Janice from F.R.I.E.N.D.S yaar! The one who says the annoying "Oh my gawd"! :D

// thodee hawwwaa aane de !

Oye! Humara dialogue hum par hi??

Forget ROS, allow Sayesha to do the honours this time. Chalega, Kinnu? ;)

ritzkini said...

/*Janice from F.R.I.E.N.D.S yaar! The one who says the annoying "Oh my gawd"! :D */
pata hai item ! that annoyingly cute lady !
=))

/*Chalega, Kinnu? ;) */
:O !!!
*psyched-out expression..total blank face !*
i t-h-i-n-k i p-r-e-f-e-r R-O-S' n-i-c-k-s t-o u-r-s...she never murdered my name !
:)

Sayesha said...

#Ritesh,
//Annoyingly cute lady

Wow, I think you're the first guy in the world who finds Janice cute.

//she never murdered my name !

ROS, tujhe challenge kar raha hai dekh!!

:D

ps: You know, someone sounds so cute when someone doesn't what to say on the phone to someone he doesn't know.

Yes, I said 'cute'. And yes, I know any self-respecting guy hates to be called 'cute'. :D

ritzkini said...

/*'cute'*/
no comments...u said it yourself,why..altho ppl say i have no sharam and self-respect
:)

/*Janice*/
she never seems to realise that ppl dont like her mannerisms/voice..i find that really cute !
:)

/*what to say on the phone to someone he doesn't know.*/
yeah..that..and if u noticed..when u asked "kya kar rahe ho ?" i said "nothing much yaar..i just finished the game.."
:)
euphoria,elation,exhaustion..and a PIDEK on the other end of the phone ?
"speechless" is the right word..sorry...didnt meant to sound the way i did..just the situation i was in yesterday..
:)

PS:If we are going to use this as a doodleboard,we mite as well start to mail each other..but,since that's against our "rules of engagement"..what now ?
:)

Sayesha said...

#Dear "Fiance",

//we mite as well start to mail each other..but,since that's against our "rules of engagement"..what now ?

You broke off the engagement, my dear. Is there a going back now?

//didnt meant to sound the way i did

You sounded fine. Exactly the way I expected you to sound. Popo took both of us by surprise. Lekin kehna hoga, baazigar ki nervous wali voice mast hai! ;)

Doodling on, my fav part of the conversation:

S - Oye grumpyface, good night!
R - Nahin yaar, no grumpy face, I am smiling yaar.
S - Yeh kya khaak smile hai, I want that stupid ad wala smile with the flash.
R - Hahaha!
S - Yeh hui na baat. Ab dil se hanse ho :)

ritzkini said...

mail kar diya hai...padh le..
:)

Sayesha said...

#Ritzkini,
Mail padh bhi liya aur reply bhi kar diya :)

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