Billing per second on mobile usage

As an everyday working girl, i usually and mostly and mainly communicate and live life via the magic of wireless devices: of which: my laptop and mobile phone play the lead roles.

Of course, the constant mantra of "being on the move" which in today's times translate into, "being in touch while on the move" add to the world's obsession with the latest telecom gadgets. Needless to say, with the obsession comes the pros and cons and also the - Bills.

The basic and most important rule of commerce is , "time is money". The invention of mobile technology and the constant increase in usage of the same match this age-old rule, with no bounds. As on a day like today, i can openly ""boast"" of how my work has made me a slave to technology. With my work mobile and personal mobile and my work laptop and personal laptop, i basically habitate in the new modern day's version of the 4 walls of a house. Yes, i can openly say that i live within these 4 gadgets, as does, any of my other counterparts in a busy metro.

I let my already wild imagination run wilder a few days ago...

I was in cab, passing a busy street & i kind of let my eyes wander around to see what was around me. My plain brown eyes fell upon an advert by Tata Docomo which publicized proudly their new gimmick in the world of telecom - Mobile phone usage billing per second.

Of course, majority of my peers and counterparts and enemies , foes and friends would be THRILLED to have this new theme in mobile phone billing. Any why not? Who would'nt want to save their bucks in any way possible?

Now, one of the hidden rules of commerce also doesnt let competition get in the way of retaining clients.
Which basically would mean that, Tata's new theme would soon be introduced by other mobile phone service providers, too! And why not? Who would want to loose their clients just like that to any other service provider?

That day, the day that was a few days ago... as i read the ad and thought about the chain reaction that would kick start thanks to Tata's head of product innovation using his brain, i wondered and imagined what the new world with the new 4 walls would turn into, in a few months , maybe just a meagre years from now.

I imagined a girl called "Moo" and a boy called "Doo", about 18 years of age, being in love. I imagined Moo and Doo talking endlessly on their mobile phones, endless meaning, non-stop to the core, day in and day out. And, why not? If they are in love and they get charged by their mobile phone service providers PER SECOND, why shouldnt they do the "coocheee coo" a normal couple in love is subjected to, over the phone?
I mean, there's nothing wrong with it and well, "Doo" will land up saving alot of money this way , anyway.

I imagined, "Moo" and "Doo" hardly meeting in person because it was cheaper and quicker to talk on their mobiles for hours on end.

I imagined tomorrow's couples not experiencing the lovely simplicity and natural magic of dates, watching movies together, going on a boat ride, together.
I imagined no long drives with the music playing and no road trips and no walking along the sea shore hand in hand.

And then, I looked at the "mobile billing per second" ad and thought of when my own service provider would add this theme too! And i thought of how i would probably waste more of my living hours, being on the phone.

My work cell phone rang at exactly the precise moment as did my own personal cell phone then. I looked at the 2 cell phones and started imagining a world where cell phones were actually living creatures.

I thought of how "Moo" and "Doo" could probably, in tomorrow's world, very well be 2 cell phones in love.

350 crore statue by the sea: Hail Shivaji!

Mumbai, 10-Sept-09:

It's been in the news for the last few recent months now. News about our local politicians being keen, very keen, mighty keen on building a 350 crore rupee statue by the sea off Mumbai. This staue of "Shivaji" (A famed Maratha king of the old days) is to follow the basic idea and pose, maybe poise of the renowned Statue of Liberty off the sea of New York City.

Don't our politicians and "leaders" think before acting? While India as a whole is still a developing country, needless to say, even major cities of the country like Mumbai lack basic good support systems & infrastructure to make life, on the whole, decent. Crowded trains. Over stuffed buses. Government staff on strike. Badly shaped taxis. Crimes. Pollution. Pot-holed and collapsing roads. Don't these "problems" need attention by our politician? No, but, they'd rather use public taxes (that includes some of my money too) to build a statue. And not just any other statue. A state of the art one. In fact, a statue that has a museum around it, library and restaurants too. All for 350 crore. Are they kidding?
It's always been known that our politicians, since the start, have wanted to match Mumbai city to international standards, however, what these unthinking people don't understand is that: matching Mumbai to an international standard and making it a "world class" city, would be an aim not so far-off if they only opened their eyes and targeted "REAL" issues.
Our sea: is dirty. It's filthy and grey.
Our trains, look like they'd fall apart anytime.
Our taxis and taxi drivers don't know the meaning of being a taxi driver that drives a taxi.
The city is over-crowded.
The buses need more routes.
The roads need better building.
The routes need to be re-developed.
There isn't any place to live. People live on the street.
The buildings here seem to collapse just suddenly.
The corruption level, rises every minute.
There's too much black money doing the rounds and no real work being done anywhere.
Yet, we want to build a statue in memory of someone who would would probably hate the present Mumbai in Maharashtra had he been alive.
Aren't there other ways to pay tribute to someone? Rather, couldn't our "leaders" fix the real problems Mumbai city residents face and then think of raising a statue?

It's simply unbelievable how our leaders seem to budget and think. It's remarkable how life just moves in this country with no real decent level of living or breathing. It's too large a problem to just slide by. But, when the people who seem to be at the top don't think, it's the rest of the masses that not only suffer, they live,barely living.

Vishal Dadlani, a well-known music composer started a petition against this idea of the statue. How much could it help though? Would anyone really listen?

Mumbai's "leaders" will go on doing what clearly benefits no real citizen. And why?

The Clutch

Fashion, news on fashion, latest trends, latest fashion accessories are what majority of the world lives by. Although i am officially part of the world, i don't think i'm a slave to this majority. I'm a banker, i tend to disect and look for things, with "value". With good "material". I must say, i do have a good fashion sense & this piece of prose by me is my first write-up on anything fashion-oriented. I just decided to traverse into an aspect of ponderings that iv'e never written about.
At 23 years and 10 months, fashion plays an important but not exclusive role in my life. I do not strictly follow trends, i mix & match what i like and what would look good and then i decide to wear or carry forward an attire. Simply said.
One of this years "latest trends" was the innocent "CLUTCH" bag. Bag? Well, ideally, it's an accessory formed to help one carry knick knacks in. So, it classifies as a bag for sure. It's called a "CLUTCH" simply because one can only carry it by "clutching" it. You may have seen us women carrying this CLUTCH around these past months. It looks like a rectangular shaped envelope type thing with a zip or clasp at the top. It comes in various colors and sizes. It was pictured in the hands of almost every young actress / wana be actress / retired actress this year, at least once.
I told you, i don't necessarily "follow" fashion's trends. I never intentionally went out and bought myself a Clutch bag. I happened to be given this accessory, as a gift. Good idea for a gift. But bad idea of a bag is what and how i'd sum up the Clutch. As in, a bag was meant to hold your belongings together, right? Well, no clutch seems to be able to or want to do that. They prefer just hanging around in their bearers palms, looking glossy and shiny in their specially made and coordinated color & shine. That's all. It could pass off as "a good looking" accessory to your outfit, it could pass of as a "pretty little bag" if needed. But, if you really had to step out for a party (formal or wild night out, either one), i don't believe for one single second that it would or could hold in all that you would need to carry with you. Let's get to the basics, women could'nt step out for a soiree empty handed. They have their basic needs and carry ons. These needs mostly include: 1) Own cell phone 2) Keys (car and,or house) 3) some basic make-up items 4)Tissue paper (maybe, maybe not)5)Money/Wallet/Card. Depending on individual minds, these needs could diversify, or simplify.
However, the Clutch, clutches not much of these items, it could perhaps hold you keys and phone whilst you find other interesting ways to carry the rest of your things with you. So, what was the point of the clutch again? Ah, yes, it's the new in fashion trends of course.
I took my newly gifted Clutch out with me the other night. It was a nice yellowish shiny piece of bag. Before leaving, i tried to pack in all that i'd need for the night out. I managed to stuff in my already miniature sized black wallet. My phone did'nt fit (the clasp of the clutch would'nt close if the phone was in, never mind. I decided to hold onto the phone in my other hand. Ideally, that was'nt necessarily a good idea. Holding onto a clutch in one hand and your phone in the other whilst trying to dance & enjoy yourself at a pub, is plain silly. Anyway, my eye pencil managed to fit into little miss yellow and so did some tissue. Keys... if i pushed and closed the clasp fast enough, then yes, it fit. Aaa, there. All done. All set, i stepped out, trying to flaunt the uncomfortable clutch. Not a good idea. Everytime i opened it (to remove or use anything), it would take a considerable amount of effort (and time)to get it to close again. That's cause, ideally, all that should have been put inside should have been some money, 1 key and that's all. No good.
This CLUTCH concept clearly, only works as an accessory. Most accessories are anyway silly and mindless jamble. So, it doesnt surprise me that there is nothing intelligent about a Clutch. Of course, people do fan their clutches. They collect them, pamper them, color coordinate them, maybe even make families of them. Or football teams. Love for anything in the world, be it fashion, cinema, music is lovely really.
The clutch, to me, is nothing. I would'nt use one again unless all my other real bags broke. I would'nt buy one. But if i got another one gifted to me, i'd keep it. In the corner, to look at and laugh it.

She-Wolf by Shakira

AAOOOO!
With this blog entry, i will be, simply, writing about a relatively new song by Shakira. Shakira firstly, is a colombian singer/dancer and wanna-be belly dancing act. And i would safely say that she's pretty good at the last one! Probably very good.
She professionally is known as a singer though and i have been coming across her tracks occasionally over the last couple of years. Some of her work, her songs, are decently good. In these, some of the lyrics in the songs are the sing-along kinds,

I'm not her "fan" and could never be designated as one. I listen to her music, if it happens to be playing. But i don't admire or like her in anyway.
Another point on her music is that, the beats are greatly influenced by belly dance music, probably so she can move to the beats that she's actually good at whilst trying to sell her music to the world. When it comes to her voice though: it's pretty ok. Nothing of the voice that i would or could admire anything about.
But yes, as is true and common amongst most music artists these days, she does exude a large sense of sexual ease in her videos. In that, she tries hard to be sexy-like.

I came across another of her songs just recently: She-wolf. If you have chanced upon the video, i don't know what you'd think about it, but i know what i feel about it.
Firstly it's a music video with not that much good music in it. In the sense, the lyrics & beats aren't great or good or nice. But, you ARE certainly free to have another opinion about it! When it comes to the portrayal of the song via it's video: Shakira has , like she always does, moved every single part of her human body in the aim of trying to make it as sexy and sexual to the audience in general.
But, if you were to look into the lyrics of the song, it's more of a woman's song to her man. A song wherein she wants to pass on a "real" point that's getting to her and eating her up. How does a girl moving her body like as though she's sexually turned on really pass on the meaning of the words of this song...? What happened to making good music videos or for that matter good music in the first place?
Of course, in this video, Shakira has conveniently tried to portray a she-wolf and has dressed somewhat like a wana-be lady, in a costume i dont understand, with large nails and expressions depecting a wolf. However, in some scenes, she wears a complete see- through outfit and moves in her "special-Shakira" way (this is not the belly-dance way). Her body moves in an obscene and cheap manner through this video, but, people at large i guess tend to appreciate that these days! However, i stick to the point about the video not matching the words of the song, rather meaning of the song. The point of the song gets lost amidst the wolf-acts and moves and sexual portrayal. The song is named She-Wolf and she enacts a she-wolf. But, what about the rest of the song.. what happened to that?

Anyhow, hats off to her, to be able to and want to move and sink and rise and fall with music she creates. I dont like her in this video.. although the song is just about OK. Maybe at some point in every woman's life, she would want to sing a song like this to her man. Just maybe.

Enjoy the music.

Why Rakhi Sawant's reality show on choosing a groom to marry was the 2nd most watched show on Indian Television

And here we have Rakhi Sawant doing it again.

Who is she really? Not a star kid. Not a heroin of any greatly acclaimed movie & not even an award winning actress. Neither an economist or academician. But still, a celebrity of sorts.

Rakhi Sawant was more of an item girl, the one who danced and gyrated to hindi music and maybe sometimes english too. She spoke and still speaks with a marathi based english accent, wears lots of make up and speaks her mind, freely.
She wasn't loved or adored by the media or fellow "actresses" alike.
However, her reality show in which she was to choose a groom amongst a prospective few turned out to be the 2nd most-watched tv series during the months of June/July '09 in India.
Why? No one even bothered to pay attention to the ramblings of this unknown before.
Well, the answer as to why she catapulted into a household name with fame is probably simple.
Marriage and a wedding and planning a wedding and having one in any family in typical India is not just a big thing, it's maybe,perhaps; the most-important scene a family "must" go through. Indian love weddings, are maybe even a tad bit obsessed with the concept of one.
One would have a father of a daughter start saving for his daughter's wedding from the time she was born!
However, in Rakhi Sawant's case & show, it was the dream of a girl, any girl , being shown live on real time TV.
As in, every girl, (it's quite a known fact), dreams of that perfect man, that perfect wedding, that perfect feeling of finally feeling like a well-loved princess.
Every girl, will open up to a fairy tale romance and whispered sweet nothings.

Cup the 2 points of this being any girl's dream + India being a country that loves weddings and marriages and you can somehow figure as to how & why the country gladly watched and paid "great" attention to her while she went through the series and spent time with each prospective groom before finally picking her Mr. Right.

Not only did the masses at large watch the show. They debated. Debated one prospective groom from the next. Debated about who Rakhi should and shouldn't choose and would and wouldn't choose.

The country gladly & unconsciously supported this girl's right to have a good match, her right to the near-perfect happy ending she so hoped & wished for, and morever, deserved.

Everyone deserves a chance at love.

On Sunday (August 2nd 2009), Rakhi Sawant, on live TV, in front of millions of indian viewers, smartly posed and chose who she thought best would fit into her Mr. Right concept. Eelesh, an NRI. I haven't researched on who he is and what he does for a living, i'd leave that alone, for now. This article is for Rakhi and her courage.
I don't and never did specifically admire her. Yes, she MAY be a tad bit pretty under all the make up she wears. Yes, agreed, she's just like another other girl out in the world looking for the same things you and i are. But, admiring someone takes alot more.
What i do know is that, according to me, a meagre writer, she's boldly and publicly hoped for a good life and has involved, unknowingly, every single one of us in her endeavour. She has, unknowingly MADE us care, MADE us watch and MADE us feel.

I would end this write-up by saying, her show has resulted in (most-probably) many young girls hoping that they too could, once, in some lifetime or some near day in their future, have a show wherein they starred with the aim of choosing the Right Prince for their fairy-tale journey.

p.s: I'm not one of them, i'm the by-stander who watches from a corner and writes about it all.

Flamboyante

I went for dinner to a restaurant the other day named Flamboyante (in Mumbai).

I live in the south of the city, i work somewhere in the south of the city too and i usually tend to choose places in & around the south to wine and dine within. No, that does surely not make me a pro on south-Mumbai city life, but it does give me the right to talk about goods and bads none the less!

Flamboyante, is a sweetly nestled asian/indian cuisine restaurant, rightly placed on the ground floors of one of the courtyards of the World Trade Center in Mumbai.

The first time i landed up dining there was probably in the middle of last year i.e. year:2008.
The ambience of the place was what drew me to it. It was one of the few open-air dining places in Mumbai, and it made me feel like as if i was sitting in one of those sweet open-air cafe's on a street in Paris.
I do believe that in order to review a place (eatery joint / lodging joint); one must visit the place a couple of times more than once. You can't have a good review or come out with a decently justified review with one visit. It's not right, it's not possible. It takes a series of experiences and visits to really understand, gauge & finally "feel" what the place is all about.
I've been to Flamboyante a few times more than once.
The asian food menu has a good mix to it. Mumbai boasts of alot of chineses and thai cuisine themed restos, but, an asian grill/bar is different and could work toward giving a guest a fair share of something new, something nice.
Flamboyante's Indian food menu is plentiful too; they offer the most famous north indian varieties of food. Their indian food menu, is quite entertainingly delicious, their chicken gravies of the indian variety have just the right mix of spice and flavor; where you won't feel too heavy after eating it.

However, the drawback that loomed out at me largely probably the 3rd or 4th time that i visited the place was in the service rather level or lack of service given.
Their staff aren't too friendly and helpful and further more, although the food offered is pretty yummy to eat, when served, they don't seem to care much about presentation of the dish.

The last and most recent time i visited Flamboyante, i found my indian chicken dish served on the table with the bowl overflowing. The gravy, the part that had probably dripped down, hadn't even been wiped clean by the server.
I'm not picky and choosy and didnt send it back, however, the writer in me decided to plainly take a picture of the "crime".

If you run a service joint, (restaurant / pub / boutique etc), you have to cater to a near 100% level of perfect service and after-service. Presentation of staff / of service is a key note and criteria that is often ignored by service oriented companies.

To sum it all up; a visit or 2 to Flamboyante is probably a good idea. The food is tasty. The ambience, pleasant.