This is not a Tamil post. So non-Tamil folks can definitely dive in!
I love you!
Appadina enna mean panre?
Adellam enaku theriaadhu…aana I love you!
For the 22nd time I was absorbed by the simplicity and beauty of Manirathnam’s Alaipayude…. When suddenly…. Danny Elfman disturbed my concentration with his Mission impossible theme! Oops my cell phone was screaming. Should have had it in silent mode!
They always find the perfect time to call me, don’t they? It was my friend from the other room under the same roof! “Barath b@##@#! Reduce the god damn volume. I’m trying to read Indiaglitz!”…I thought I never had roomies!
Screen rolls back with background music: 1 year ago is typed on the screen letter by letter.
The same person was screaming at me, “Where the hell were you…! I was trying to reach you from the morning to tell something…get yourself a cell phone man! Anyways Raji is engaged!”
“Who is Raji?” I did not have a clue.
“Grrrr… I thought you knew her…ot@#... totally forgot. Anyways what were you doing?”
“I was watching Alaipayude” undisturbed!
Screen comes towards you with background music: This time Present day is typed on screen letter by letter.
I answered him with one of my infamous fingers!
WTH! Technology sucks! It was great then, when none had cell phones. It took me four and odd years to succumb to those network pressures that were increasing along the life progression! And now this is associated with the horrendous disadvantages such as people’s expectations to call-returns, their ability to track you down, development of hatred for answering calls in public etc. Gone are those days, when am not the one to check if it is my cell phone when someone else’s is ringing in a public place. Gone are those days, when I prefer to stay alone, I felt alone. I am not complaining. I love the advantages, but sometimes the disadvantages annoy me! And then the reasoning side puts the awaken dude inside me to sleep!
I love you!
Appadina enna mean panre?
Adellam enaku theriaadhu…aana I love you!
For the 22nd time I was absorbed by the simplicity and beauty of Manirathnam’s Alaipayude…. When suddenly…. Danny Elfman disturbed my concentration with his Mission impossible theme! Oops my cell phone was screaming. Should have had it in silent mode!
They always find the perfect time to call me, don’t they? It was my friend from the other room under the same roof! “Barath b@##@#! Reduce the god damn volume. I’m trying to read Indiaglitz!”…I thought I never had roomies!
Screen rolls back with background music: 1 year ago is typed on the screen letter by letter.
The same person was screaming at me, “Where the hell were you…! I was trying to reach you from the morning to tell something…get yourself a cell phone man! Anyways Raji is engaged!”
“Who is Raji?” I did not have a clue.
“Grrrr… I thought you knew her…ot@#... totally forgot. Anyways what were you doing?”
“I was watching Alaipayude” undisturbed!
Screen comes towards you with background music: This time Present day is typed on screen letter by letter.
I answered him with one of my infamous fingers!
WTH! Technology sucks! It was great then, when none had cell phones. It took me four and odd years to succumb to those network pressures that were increasing along the life progression! And now this is associated with the horrendous disadvantages such as people’s expectations to call-returns, their ability to track you down, development of hatred for answering calls in public etc. Gone are those days, when am not the one to check if it is my cell phone when someone else’s is ringing in a public place. Gone are those days, when I prefer to stay alone, I felt alone. I am not complaining. I love the advantages, but sometimes the disadvantages annoy me! And then the reasoning side puts the awaken dude inside me to sleep!
Cell phones are already on their way to be used as credit cards (Nytimes article needs subscription) , and now progressing towards digital wallets and none know what more to come!?
Well, what do I hate? Loud ring tones that have a wonderful way of embarrassing its owner in public and make a whole bunch look if it’s their fone. Patriots who answer even credit card calls during a personal conversation. Surfacial Satans who calls you from the visual level to check if they are seeing the one they think they are seeing. Supporters of the amazing fone-family development, where they do everything, except you know what! For some, it would be in their top 5 best birth control methods! And I haven’t even talked about its ability to be one of the top reasons for road accidents. The list goes on!
Public hatred
I do use it to call people and appreciate/annoy them. But I definitely would prefer to stay away from “let’s share some useless info” clan. Well, in a device, if you don’t have the control to stop doing something that you hate, you might as well disown it.
So, what do I love? The control that we have in the form of a digital command to avoid all the above. Commands like ignore, silent mode, power off etc. The way we can choose ourselves to be connected to people no matter where a situation pushes us to. For its ability to cause an accident as well as save you from dying. Well, you are welcome to add to this!
So, what do I love? The control that we have in the form of a digital command to avoid all the above. Commands like ignore, silent mode, power off etc. The way we can choose ourselves to be connected to people no matter where a situation pushes us to. For its ability to cause an accident as well as save you from dying. Well, you are welcome to add to this!
Really, What do we used to do?
Anyways, Cell phones are becoming like Gods. Some love it. Some hate it. Some save it. Some smash it. But only a few avoid it. Well, I am sorry to say that I am not one of the few. But at the same time, I am not sad to be part of the lot which has it! Sure it does feel nice to see that we are a part of the group that knows to use it sensibly!!
20 comments:
All this "cellular phone sensitivity" talk coming from a guy who gets 3+ calls an hour! ... BTW... If I am not mistaken you swore not to get one during your student years! ... Nice read tho' :)
@ Anon
3+ calls an hour...now you understand what motivated me to write this!? Yeaah...I did swore...but it also occured that it is neccesaary to have to cell to end the eternal student life!...so here I go!
You did it to end student life ??? I suspect you may have to change that cellphone of yours atleast once before your "student-years" ends... Do I see an end to the bleeding from my ears !!!???... The way we get work done, we need to redefine student life ! ... :)
@anon
Hell No!...You never know...I might finish my student life well ahead....! we always redefine stuff....student life is jus an example!
Great observation.
This cellphone has become a necessary evil. While you cannot dispute the advantages, you can neither wish away the perils of possessing one. stupid SMS at the wrong time is one thing i cannot stand.
but even these features you mentioned like silent mode and swtich it off arent helping either. These cellphone coys mint money and they can do it only when you talk and not when you avoid talking. So they have cleverly invented tech like sending u a missed call list when your phone was off and things like that. The implications are two...
firstly when u see a missed call u imdt tend to call back (this fear is always there that there could be something important even when my mind screams that if it was important, the call would come again).So ineffect, u havent avoided the call but only postponed it.
and when YOU call back, you end up paying too just to hear that it was indeed a stupid routine call.
and the cell phone companies are laughing their way to the bank.
so to avoid that i tend to attend calls and then the viscious circle begins once again:))
Great observation.
This cellphone has become a necessary evil. While you cannot dispute the advantages, you can neither wish away the perils of possessing one. stupid SMS at the wrong time is one thing i cannot stand.
but even these features you mentioned like silent mode and swtich it off arent helping either. These cellphone coys mint money and they can do it only when you talk and not when you avoid talking. So they have cleverly invented tech like sending u a missed call list when your phone was off and things like that. The implications are two...
firstly when u see a missed call u imdt tend to call back (this fear is always there that there could be something important even when my mind screams that if it was important, the call would come again).So ineffect, u havent avoided the call but only postponed it.
and when YOU call back, you end up paying too just to hear that it was indeed a stupid routine call.
and the cell phone companies are laughing their way to the bank.
so to avoid that i tend to attend calls and then the viscious circle begins once again:))
ha! Its becomes a difficult day for me ... if I dont carry my cell.
I was reminded of this incident when I forgot to take the cell and so unfortunately had to stay up late in office. At about 11, my parents started calling around ... friends/colleagues/boss, everybody to know where I was. By the time I was home, half the world thought I was missing!
Hey Barath,
Amazingly sensible post...wat has happened to u...there is a huge transformation to the person i knew at malai....this one is a lot older mature and different...
Great Article and loved reading it..I better bookmark u and balli and start reading u guys more often.
Wassup otherwise machchi ??D u know Ramani is getting married...mail me at seshvenk@yahoo.com for some gossip...
Yo
-Venks.
@ Karthik
Oh do they have this missed call list feature on a disconnected fone...oh man that sucks big time...good gods its not in the states yet...or may be it is I dont know....after all what are voice mails for..! I never return calls unless its with a voice mesg! and I dont expect people to do it...I know its harsh...but sometimes...to avoid horrendous fone calls u need to be like that!
@ Gaythri...
Oh yeah!...we are so damn addicted to tech...I literally will have nothing to do if my computer take a lil break!...first it was people...then it was television...then it was computer...then its cell fones..I still dont know whats to come...Write Sujatha...thinks...the next one is the substitute of all these in a single piece!...may be it is!
@Venki
Machi...transformation is a porcess of time's thiruvilyadals...!...You have to watch me batting...! :) ...on the gossip front...not a whole lot....but will mail you whatever I know...!
Ramani getting married? wow news man...who is the aunty!? :)...
btw when is urs!?
yeah ofcourse it is there. Earlier it was left to the subscriber to send an SMS to say 303 to find ab his missed calls. But better bussiness sense now, coys automatically send them as soon u switch on ur phone or come inside a coverage area!!
@Karthik thats neat...but do they have voice mail yet!
@ Guna
Machi...Iam jus addicted to it...Tried Indiana Jones, eye of the tiger... ething...jus cudnt beat this...desi ringtones kedaika matengudhu!! Nyways...mathatde udu..ida correcta pudi!
@ Viji...Oh yeah they annoy the hell out of everyone who's around...but sometimes...we are the part of that clan too...and henceforth cribbin and avoidin is the only soln!
"Well, in a device, if you don’t have the control to stop doing something that you hate, you might as well disown it." summa illa.. sooperaa sonnenga!!!
I too never wanted to get a cell phone till my student life .. but kattaangal..
two things v can learn out of it.
1. initially we will develop lllots of patience to being disturbed from our private life..
2.Later we learn to understand, manage and learn to say no for nonsense talk and use it reasonably..
@ Pulapaka...Oh yeah Alarm clocks..certainly helps a whole bunch...especially the bunch that we know! ...for me never used to artificial alarms...so my Sony isnt used for that too :)
@ Priya
Thanks :)
And yeah patience/tolerance is one of those things that we earn from it! ...look out for a post on tolerance limits soon! :)
I admire the tech innovations.. and i have gr8 passion for cell phones.. so .. I would never complain abt it ;)
take care
sukhanya
@ Sukhanya
Yeah I understand...but sometimes when we forget to enjoy simple things becos of these tech innovation...it hurts... adaan inda post :)
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