Friday, April 21, 2006

Number slumber

So I ran outta pages in my passport and decided to apply for an extra booklet.

Argh.

I wasn't pissed off that I was stripped of 120 dollars. I was pissed off because apparently they do not issue additional booklets anymore. You gotta apply for a new passport. And that's not the frustrating part.

They give you a new passport number!

:O :O :O

Sigh. So much for taking 8 years to memorise my passport number.

About three weeks ago, as I stood in the passport-application queue at the Indian Embassy and looked at the form that I had to fill, I panicked. The form needed me to fill up not only my current passport details (including date of issue and expiry!), but also my home address in India and phone number. Easy, you say? Not when your home address and home telephone number change every two years. So I sent an sms to my Dad to ask for the details. Following which, I relaxed. "He can take his time. This is the Indian Embassy. The queue will probably move an inch in the next half an hour." I thought. To my utter surprise, the queue started moving really fast. It looked liked the Indian Embassy was catching up with Singapore's ICA in terms of efficiency! As I reached the verge of panic, Dad smsed back. I quickly filled in the form, and managed to submit it just in time.

And as I walked back, I couldn't help but wonder.

In a world of open book exams, why is it that we have to memorise so many numbers to get by?

And I started thinking of all the numbers that surround my life. Numbers that make my life easy. Numbers that make my life difficult. Numbers that make me mad. Numbers I remember. Numbers I think I remember. Numbers I am clueless about.

And I decided to list them down.


Numbers I remember :)


  • Own birthday
  • IC number
  • Own mobile number
  • Best friends' mobile number
  • Office phone number
  • Numbers of buses that go to my office
  • Numbers in house address
  • Area code
  • Gmail password
  • Internet banking password
  • Blogger account password
  • Office email login
  • Family birthdays
  • Dad's and Mom's anniversary
  • Sister's and brother-in-law's anniversary
  • Some friends' birthdays
  • Date I arrived in Singapore

Numbers I forget every now and then :/


  • My home phone number (Hey, I don't call myself, okay! Errr... at least not that often.)
  • Sister's home phone number
  • University matric number
  • Old passport number
  • Area code of office address
  • University email password
  • Bank account numbers
  • Statcounter account password
  • Dad's shirt size (I have called Mom to ask this so many times that if my Dad knew, he would disown me.)
  • Brother-in-law's birthday
  • Date I joined my present company
  • Numbers in my salary

No idea! :O


  • Dad's mobile number
  • Home phone number (India)
  • Numbers in home address (India)
  • Numbers in sister's address
  • Sister's mobile number
  • Dad's/Mom's exact ages
  • Dad's car license plate number
  • Boss' extension number
  • Office fax number
  • New passport number
  • Passport issue date
  • Passport expiry date
  • Credit card numbers
  • Hotmail/Yahoo passwords
Did I miss out any?

Perhaps I did.

I guess some of them fall in the category 'numbers I couldn't give a rat's ass about'.




26 comments:

Pi said...

Gold for me. Do you remember my old mobile number? (the one I used in Singapore)

Sayesha said...

#American Pie,
Errr.... 9277 something something? :P

#Aslam,
Hahahaha! Oh yeah! I didn't even notice! Lately two have been like that - awesome mausam and number slumber. But hey, the others are not like that! :P

Lalit Singh said...

saare password ek hi rakh na... this way you dont have to remember anyone...

and i am even terrible at remebering numbers... only tel numbers i remember are my house in india n my own :-P

Kusum Rohra said...

HHmm i am real good with numbers, but birthdays are not numbers OK so i dont ever remember anyones birthday :)

Unknown said...

reminds me of that cheesy bollywood song, (that i don't really remember ;) ) that went "give me your mobaaaiiiile nambar..." or something..chi!

exams khatam??

Anonymous said...

i dont even remember my own cell number.

but i think i sud.

chaliye take care.

Sayesha said...

#Lalit,
Saare passwords ek hi?? :O :O :O

//only tel numbers i remember are my house in india n my own :-P

Sheesh. I dun even know my India wala home number! :/

#Kusum,
//but birthdays are not numbers OK

Arre all dates are numbers! :P

#Ipanema Girl,
Hahahaha!

What is your style number?
What is your smile number?
What is mobile number?
Karoon kya dial number?


HAHAHAHAHAHA! Kya gana yaad dilaya yaar! :D

#Satish,
Hahahahahaha! Finally, someone who's worse than me at numbers! :P

R said...

sayesa bahin,

sadar namaskar.

raat mein 4 badam leh liya karoh,pani mein bhigo diyah karoh,
subah kha liya karo..
humar gaon ke badde budde kehtein hai ki isasase yaad karne ki sakti ishtraang howat hai....

khoob doodh malaii khaya karo..subah subah khud hi jaa kar apani ghar ki gaay ka dhoodh peena boht paustik hota hai

aur, bahin,
birather-in-law toh ghar ka damad howat hai...
uska janam diwas na yaad rakhogi toh, tumri bahin ke saas sasur bura manege....


tumhari subhchintak
raam pyari bahin.

Abhishek Upadhyay said...

Bloggerland ki betaj Begum,

I think you dont have left any topic on which posts can be written.
Again a cool post. In few days I will come to know what you eat, when you sleep, when you go to office, whats your salary...blah ...blah....blah.

I'mm loving it.

Thanu said...

I used to brag abt remembering all the phone number I needed. Thanks to cell phone all I know is didi is speed dial three, parents are speed dial 2

R said...

I'm here before The Girl :O

:D

There are many many such numbers. Like my Dad's car's registration number, considering I keep getting challaned. :D Or the bus route I should take. Some of them are so bloody similar.

Abhi said...

Man , number ki to baat matt kar .Abhi calcutta se delhi shift hua hun , to still carry around dad's cellphone sometimes.A couple of proactive female friends of mine have noted down dad's number and call him thinking the cell would be with me.Yesterday some lady buddy of mine called up dad and started with 'Kya be gadhe , naukri lag gayi to baat nahi karega ab ?'.Dad was like 'Hello ? ..Beta naukri to 27 saal se lagi hui hai meri'.

Unknown said...

Hey Sayesha...

Don't worry, everyone goes thru this phase at least once in life :p

But great yaar.. how could you remember soooo many things whose number you remember and ones you don't & ones you don't care about etc etc etc.. Baap re.. I just realised.. am worse.. I don't even remember the categories :P:P

Nice one :-) You write really well..

Keep 'em on...

Take care,
Aarti

Just Jane said...

Was never a fan of math, much less numbers. Remembering them is a sheer waste of precious memory. The digital era had brought in that many more numbers and its ruling our lives! Grrrr....
*gets off soapbox*

Sayesha, what is (your) mobile number? :-)

The Girl Who Sold The World said...

Hahaha! What a post! I suck at remembering numbers...and MANY times, I've told a wrong house number to people. I'm pathetic. And the only phone numbers that I can remember well are my parents' office numbers and my home phone number...taaki agar gum ho jaoon, toh atleast milne ki umeed toh ho. :P

@Rohit: Bas, bas, itna khush hone ki zaroorat nahin hai...I'm studying hard these days, remember? *puts on a nerdy look*

Girl next door said...

Hi! I enjoy reading your blog; I stumbled by after a google search on "boyzillian." =) Anyway, I think there are too many numbers to remember in life. My first experience was coming to the U.S. as a student: id #, passport #, ss#, addresses, phone #s, etc. My memory isn't great but I try to remember the important ones.

HOTWINTER said...

I think, one should forget all the numbers and try to remember good things. Why pressurise your brain unnecessarily? ;-)

I dont remember any numbers, to tell the truth and have everything written in a pocket diary, which I lookup when in need.

Nirwa Mehta said...

You remember your own cell number?? Thats great - I have actually stored my own number as - Princess! :P in my phonebook..

But other numbers, I am pretty good at remembering.. I also remember the number of times I sneeze in a day, though I forget it the next day! :D

And isn't it strange that all these numbers are made up of just 10 numbers! 0 to 9! :D

Keep blogging!

Nirwa

Sayesha said...

#Raam Pyari bahin,
Badam? Yuck. Doodh malai? Yuck! Kouno achha adbhais nahin hai?? :/

#Abhishek Upadhyay,
Hahaha! Thanks! :)
I think you can just read my archives. All these other questions would be answered too! :P

#Thanu,
Hahahaha! Speed dial? I won't even remember that! :D

#Rohit,
Hehehe... I have no clue about Dad's car license plate number either! :P But I know my bus numbers! ;)

#Hitler's Soul,
Hahahahaha! Your Dad rocks! Is he funnier than you? :P

#Aarti,
//Baap re.. I just realised.. am worse.. I don't even remember the categories :P:P

Hahahahaa! Arre yaar, categories yaad rakhke kya faayda, are they of any use? :P

#The Chosen One,
//The digital era had brought in that many more numbers and its ruling our lives! Grrrr....

I couldn't agree more! ;)

//Sayesha, what is (your) mobile number? :-)

I'd have given it to you if you were a tall hunky guy... lekin you're a chick yaar! No point! Heh heh :P

#World Girl,
//and MANY times, I've told a wrong house number to people.

Hahahaha! Kisko kahan se kahan pahuncha deti hai re tu? :D

#Girl next door,
Welcome to Sayeshaz! :)

//I stumbled by after a google search on "boyzillian." =)

Sheesh, that's not good at all for my blog's reputation! Hehehe! ;)

#Hotwinter,
Some day when you'll lose that pocket diary na, then you'll know! :D

#Nirwa,
Hahahaha! Yes, I remember my own cell number. But I have my own office number saved in my cell! ;)

R said...

arri bahin,
hamar fotu ki jagah chappalwa ki fotu lagah diya re...
mann kara apani hata doon, aise bhi humar sakhi -sakha logon ne toh dekh liya tha humar shakalwa koh..toh socha remove hi karr diyein...
raam pyari bahin

Dev said...

Cooool... me, I jus cant remember numbers... However I have a friend who does.
The only number I remember is hers... so if I need anyone's number, I can call her up and ask. :P

tcr_79 said...

I liked this article...

I like the way you take a simple thing out of life and give such a cute analysis out of it...

In short I am impressed by your creativity and the best thing I like is how you "simplistically put your creativity"

Keep up the good work

Just Jane said...

Goodness...a 'noob' steps into blogspace and already the identity is at risk at being discovered! You are quick at research being a veteran of blogspace aren't ya! :P

Sayesha said...

#Raam Pyari bahin,
Tu shaher aakar bahut disoriented ho gayi hai re. Tere blog par poochhe hue sawaal ka jawab mere blog par deti hai! Toh mere blog par poochhe hue sawaal ka jawaab kahan degi? Apne blog par?

#Dev,
Hahaha! I can totally understand. I have a friend like that too! :)

#TCR,
Wow, honoured :) Thanks! :)

#The Chosen One,
Muahahaha! The 'bhai' has connections... abhi apun teri sari history geography kaise nikalta hai dekh! :D

HOTWINTER said...

#Hotwinter,
Some day when you'll lose that pocket diary na, then you'll know! :D


Ha Ha. Thats a good answer, Sayesha. But I have a backup of that diary at my home safely locked inside my steel almirah.

Me. Quite disghusting! Na?

Sayesha said...

#Hotwinter,
Sheesh is all I have to say :/