Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Bought my new "eye"
This past weekend i bought my new toy, the Canon IXUS 105. I am a fan of Canon camera, more so because they have a very efficient after sales network in India. I have experienced their after sales support twice, and both times i was a very satisfied customer.
This one costed me Rs 10495. I wanted a very compact version with above 12 megapixel and in the budget of 10K.
I wanted a camera which could effectively fit in a baby bag, as my main use of it these days is to click as many "growing up " moments of Ranbeer.
So henceforth, bye bye Canon Powershot 4.2 megapixel, and hello new toy...
You shall hopefully see the difference in quality of pictures as we go along......
This one costed me Rs 10495. I wanted a very compact version with above 12 megapixel and in the budget of 10K.
I wanted a camera which could effectively fit in a baby bag, as my main use of it these days is to click as many "growing up " moments of Ranbeer.
So henceforth, bye bye Canon Powershot 4.2 megapixel, and hello new toy...
You shall hopefully see the difference in quality of pictures as we go along......
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A traveller's fuck up
You wouldn’t believe what happened to me yesterday?
I was due to travel to Bangalore for work with my boss. We were to take the 9:40 AM Indigo flight (www.indigo.in)
I reached the airport in time, and got my boarding pass.
Hung around to grab a cup of coffee and checked my watch. It said 9:15 AM
We started to move to the boarding gate slowly. You can only imagine that this is peak time at the airport with people jostling for space with all the carry-on luggage.
At 9:20 AM, I stood at the gate no 19, actually in a pool of people between Gate no 19 and 20.
We suddenly heard the announcement of a Vadodara flight boarding.
Wondering we overtook the cue and went towards the boarding desk.
Then came the shocker!. Sorry Ma’am you are 3-4 minutes late than the boarding time. Our strict policy is that we shut the boarding gates 20 minutes before take off.Therefore you can’t be allowed on the aircraft.
WTF WTF….we are being denied boarding, AFTER having a boarding card…no way.
No amount of arguments with the airlines staff yielded any result.
Clearly they bumped us off ! There was no last call announcement of either of our names…and in the end, after all the WTF arguments, we missed our flight and cancelled the trip.
This doesn’t happen to normal people. I have never been “stood up” to a flight!
I am a cautious traveller who comes in time, is careful with baggage and even keeps photocopies of the tickets in different bags.
How the fuck then, can someone deny me boarding AT the boarding gate when I HAVE the boarding pass….
So pissed and stunned since yesterday, but this was so blog material, so had to write….
FUCK you Indigo….FUCK the Costa Coffee….this is sure a traveller FUCK UP that I will remember forever…Grrrrrr..it clearly wasn’t my day....
I was due to travel to Bangalore for work with my boss. We were to take the 9:40 AM Indigo flight (www.indigo.in)
I reached the airport in time, and got my boarding pass.
Hung around to grab a cup of coffee and checked my watch. It said 9:15 AM
We started to move to the boarding gate slowly. You can only imagine that this is peak time at the airport with people jostling for space with all the carry-on luggage.
At 9:20 AM, I stood at the gate no 19, actually in a pool of people between Gate no 19 and 20.
We suddenly heard the announcement of a Vadodara flight boarding.
Wondering we overtook the cue and went towards the boarding desk.
Then came the shocker!. Sorry Ma’am you are 3-4 minutes late than the boarding time. Our strict policy is that we shut the boarding gates 20 minutes before take off.Therefore you can’t be allowed on the aircraft.
WTF WTF….we are being denied boarding, AFTER having a boarding card…no way.
No amount of arguments with the airlines staff yielded any result.
Clearly they bumped us off ! There was no last call announcement of either of our names…and in the end, after all the WTF arguments, we missed our flight and cancelled the trip.
This doesn’t happen to normal people. I have never been “stood up” to a flight!
I am a cautious traveller who comes in time, is careful with baggage and even keeps photocopies of the tickets in different bags.
How the fuck then, can someone deny me boarding AT the boarding gate when I HAVE the boarding pass….
So pissed and stunned since yesterday, but this was so blog material, so had to write….
FUCK you Indigo….FUCK the Costa Coffee….this is sure a traveller FUCK UP that I will remember forever…Grrrrrr..it clearly wasn’t my day....
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Trying again
I gave it a try again, getting my passport application through, that is. I know you are wondering that after the last frustrating Friday, why I didn’t take up my sister’s suggestion to hire the services of an agent. That’s becoz I take pride in my own efforts, I don’t like to pay 6000 bucks to a shit head who will bribe all the channels, because somewhere in me I believe in the “system” and I think, if I do it right, I will get it all right.
So passport application forms, all filled out again, I took an appointment for Friday, stood in a line that waits for the Passport office to open at 10 AM.
I walked to the counter and this time I made sure I went to the other line, and not the one that had the great PSG.
This gentleman was wearing a green check shirt (GCS). I was the 2nd one in queue and my number came very very quickly ( quickly by passport office standards is 5-7 minutes)
GCS : Yes madam
SBC : Good morning. Here are my papers. I need a change of name, change of address and spouse name to be added.
GCS : You have a valid passport? Please show me.
SBC : Here please.
GCS is checking out all the papers and details and originals.
GCS : Please take this passport to counter no 7 where there is a PRO. Please get this cancelled and come back to me.
SBC : Sure thanks…err…do I stand in the ( growing every minute behind me) line again?
GCS : No, your papers are okay. Just come out of the line towards the end of the counter and hand me the passport.
I run to the no 7 counter. The PRO looks at my passport and me, takes his bit of 5 minutes and stamps cancelled across all pages.
I run back again to the application counter, hand over my passport and wait…
Its only been 15 minutes that I have entered the passport office and this is looking too good to be true.
GCS : Here madam, please pay Rs 1000.
SBC ( with the growing dumbness in voice) : Sir, are you sure you don’t need anything else.
GCS : Nahin madam, all papers are complete . You will get your passport in 15-20 days.
SBC ( the OMG look) : Will it have all details, change of name, change of address and spouse name?
GCS ( can you believe that he was not getting irritated) : yes maam, all that you said.
SBC ( now really I was asking for trouble) ( Suffocating a nervous laugh) ( blurted the think-aloud) : I cant believe that there are people like you in this office, I mean, you actually smile !
GCS : Looks up, stops punching at his computer….
SBC ( Someone stop me !) : I have actually not come across someone so polite, helpful and smiling..
GCS : Thank you. Actually, we have a tough job too. We meet 200 people everyday….everyone is stressed out all the time…actually all my colleagues are patients of hypertension. They have to spend the minimum no of minutes with everyone. And on top of it, there isn’t much time to explain to people that they have the wrong documentation……all are good people madam, just the pressure of a job…
SBC : (Stumped Yes, I know…..thank you very much ( any more sweetness if I had shown, it could be mistaken for lust)
GCS: Have a good day.
I have several i-don’t-believe-it moments when I collect my papers and walk out of the passport office. I don’t know what I was more overwhelmed with. Was it because I finally submitted my error-free application, or that I wound up in 20 odd minutes, or I met a “gentleman of sorts” or that there is a truth about everyone’s job…
n the end, this realization will all but be become a writing in this post, on this blog, when I have Ranbeer’s and my passport in my hands…..
So passport application forms, all filled out again, I took an appointment for Friday, stood in a line that waits for the Passport office to open at 10 AM.
I walked to the counter and this time I made sure I went to the other line, and not the one that had the great PSG.
This gentleman was wearing a green check shirt (GCS). I was the 2nd one in queue and my number came very very quickly ( quickly by passport office standards is 5-7 minutes)
GCS : Yes madam
SBC : Good morning. Here are my papers. I need a change of name, change of address and spouse name to be added.
GCS : You have a valid passport? Please show me.
SBC : Here please.
GCS is checking out all the papers and details and originals.
GCS : Please take this passport to counter no 7 where there is a PRO. Please get this cancelled and come back to me.
SBC : Sure thanks…err…do I stand in the ( growing every minute behind me) line again?
GCS : No, your papers are okay. Just come out of the line towards the end of the counter and hand me the passport.
I run to the no 7 counter. The PRO looks at my passport and me, takes his bit of 5 minutes and stamps cancelled across all pages.
I run back again to the application counter, hand over my passport and wait…
Its only been 15 minutes that I have entered the passport office and this is looking too good to be true.
GCS : Here madam, please pay Rs 1000.
SBC ( with the growing dumbness in voice) : Sir, are you sure you don’t need anything else.
GCS : Nahin madam, all papers are complete . You will get your passport in 15-20 days.
SBC ( the OMG look) : Will it have all details, change of name, change of address and spouse name?
GCS ( can you believe that he was not getting irritated) : yes maam, all that you said.
SBC ( now really I was asking for trouble) ( Suffocating a nervous laugh) ( blurted the think-aloud) : I cant believe that there are people like you in this office, I mean, you actually smile !
GCS : Looks up, stops punching at his computer….
SBC ( Someone stop me !) : I have actually not come across someone so polite, helpful and smiling..
GCS : Thank you. Actually, we have a tough job too. We meet 200 people everyday….everyone is stressed out all the time…actually all my colleagues are patients of hypertension. They have to spend the minimum no of minutes with everyone. And on top of it, there isn’t much time to explain to people that they have the wrong documentation……all are good people madam, just the pressure of a job…
SBC : (Stumped Yes, I know…..thank you very much ( any more sweetness if I had shown, it could be mistaken for lust)
GCS: Have a good day.
I have several i-don’t-believe-it moments when I collect my papers and walk out of the passport office. I don’t know what I was more overwhelmed with. Was it because I finally submitted my error-free application, or that I wound up in 20 odd minutes, or I met a “gentleman of sorts” or that there is a truth about everyone’s job…
n the end, this realization will all but be become a writing in this post, on this blog, when I have Ranbeer’s and my passport in my hands…..