Being PIN-less!

So two days back my Blackberry decided to show its black side and went ahead to hang itself forever. Helpless, handicapped and with a feeling like someone had asked me for my ancestral property I gave it to the Happy to Help Mobile Store lady. “I want it back in two days”, I told her with a sinister gleam in my eyes. “Else.. Urghh.. Seriously, 2 days max!”

 So the sinister expression didn’t work and she wasn’t too happy to help me either. It’s been 2 days and I am sitting pale white, without a hint of black in my life. But living without it I couldn’t help but notice that how much time I have spent with my family due to its absence. They say, a phone brings you closer to those sitting away, but takes you farther from those sitting near you.  Boy!  They are right! I not only could sit and talk to my family but finish so many pending issues which could have taken me eons to complete. Courtesy BBM, Whatsapp and Whatnot.

I am all in favour of androids and apps and push mail and push to die or whatever, but till a year ago when all these things were alien to our ears, work was still done. Our parents complained that they had no options, we complain that we have too many. But didn’t they very efficiently do all their work even in times of a landline. Forget working, wasn’t dating much simpler then! Now you give a guy your BB pin, Facebook name, Google Plus Id (did I miss something, Oh yes, sorry, your phone number!) and if he doesn’t reply see how doomed you are. Earlier rejection was only when he didn’t call you back. Now it’s “Atleast he could have added me on BB, or maybe just poked me on Facebook. Oh my God is my profile picture so bad and blaaaaaaaaaahh!” Seriously being rejected by a call was easier than being rejected by a zillion other technologies!

Trust me work will happen. That mail will reach your client, even if you just go home have coffee and then type it out. No one will run away.  And people would think of you more as a psycho than cool if you are hooked to your Blackberry 24/7.

So keep the black thing aside, or whatever the colour your virtual life is for a while and de-clutter these numerous tabs open on your browser. Life is simpler without the constant nagging and “Hey wassups”. Seriously let the term retain its meaning “That I am just a call away.”No pokes or pings or buzzes should take away its meaning!

Anyway that’s my opinion, you figure out your own

Smile if you like it, laugh if you don’t! :) 

The (Un) Social Network

“Oh so you have all the time in the world to like your cousin’s facebook status and no time to like our pic together” I accused my boyfriend for such a hideous crime he committed last evening. He, looking at me as if I had caught him assaulting someone, very calmly replied. I didn’t like our pic together coz I don’t like that pic of ours together.  And how does it matter if I liked that pic or not. I like us together. So I like the real version. Not your facebook virtual version of us.” As much as he made sense, angered at being defeated, I slammed the phone down saying “Stop giving excuses. Just simply say you are embarrassed of me and our relationship. Period.” And a lot of mothers and sisters followed (from my side of course) and I decided not to talk to him forever! (Read the next 3-4 hours or so)

It’s been 2 hours and 40 minutes and I can’t help but think, “Didn’t I just act like the world’s most stupid girlfriend and shouted at the poor guy for nothing at all” “Didn’t I just ‘to be famous’ or ‘cool’ in the virtual world put something so real to a test.” We all live 2 lives, I understand. One where you are a bespectacled girl carrying a jhola and putting real make up and no lights or Photoshop to look good. And one being a sexy seductress looking hot-hotter-hottest with every passing picture in your facebook albums. I don’t understand which is more real now. I don’t understand why one of the pre-requisites to date a guy is to see his number of friends on Facebook “Ohh they are lesser than mine, boo him”. I don’t understand why is it so important even between best friends to ‘like’ each other’s statuses and comment on each other’s pics to avoid fights.

There were times when insecurity for me meant if my boyfriend ‘really’ complemented a girl. Now insecurity means if he just goes and likes her facebook status. The case is the same from both sides “Why did you chat with him?” “Why did that guy comment on your status?” And now with that stupid video chat that Zuckerberg introduced the insecurity is at its peak. Bamm!

Even as I write this blog I am sitting brain dead with tabs of Facebook, Gtok, Yahoo messenger, Google Plus, LinkedIn and I don’t know what else on. So much so that a blog which could have taken me 2 hours at the max took 4 days to complete.

I love social media. I see it as the greatest platform for anything I do. But what off late I have been scared of is the “social media clutter”. I cannot do anything as someone pinged me; I cannot work on anything as someone just wants to video chat. I know I can avoid it, but it’s highly addictive!! There are times when I feel a lot of fights between a lot of relationships can be avoided if we stop this “Oh so you are ashamed of being ‘in a relationship’ with me” or “Ohh so you like each and every post of his and not mine. Is he more important or me?”

Seriously I agree I cannot live without facebook, but perhaps a lot of time and energy will be saved if we just stop whiling away our time on facebook and invite issues out of nothing. Trust me the more people talk the more they know they about each other, the more judgmental they get and the more relations break. Whoever has to stay in touch would stay in touch. These widgets and apps notwithstanding.

So I have said too much, I can rant about it forever. So the nest few posts will be about that. But I guess people who have to understand will understand!

Anyways I was sad and depressed, hence the tone

Smile if you like it, laugh if you don’t ;)