I use a Nokia 6680 mobile phone – the only phone that has lasted for more than a year with me. I am a self-confessed gadget freak and thrive on the cutting edge of technology . Okay … I will tone down the flamboyance of that statement and say that I have a very keen interest in the latest happenings and developments in this space. And this interest has also taken its toll on me a lot of times.

I remember the time when I had bought the Nokia 6680. I had got my first credit card post employment and I was itching to spend it somewhere. A chance trip to InOrbit Mall at Malad ended up with the purchase – only after making sure that there are three interest free EMIs that the card provides me with. Sporting a flourish in luxuriance, it has always pinched me to spend nearly 30,000 bucks on a phone. The trend seemed to go strong until the 6680. Before that every cell phone had lasted less than six months for me.

But the bucks has not stopped here. Now I am again hooked on getting a new phone – a smartphone this time. I am considering O2 Xda Exec and HP iPAQ 6965. What would finally click is to be decided in time.

A moderate independence, quietly and honestly procured, is certainly every way preferable even to immense possessions achieved by the wear and tear of mind and body so necessary to procure them.

From – The Little Frenchman And His Water Lots by GEORGE POPE MORRIS

Today was Diwali – the festival of lights. Another year has passed, and once again the routine of dressing up in traditional regalia ensued and the festival was given a great start.

I wanted to go home on Diwali eve, but the plan took shape too late to get the tickets booked. And in the end, the tickets were insanley priced on the Low Cost Airlines as well. And so I ended up alone at home – with my roomie happily gone to his native place to hit two birds with one stone – firstly, to be with his parents for the celebrations and secondly, to meet a prospective girl for marriage. Poor guy … he was so tensed before leaving … but then che sara sara.

My day started very early for a Saturday. I had woken up at 9am and watched three movies since then. The sound of fire crackers woke me up from my movie slumber and I went out to get some fresh air. Just a walk to the nearest grocer to pick up a pack of bread. Now I am sitting on my laptop writing this post and thinking how much fun it would have been to be back home. And ruminating over the festive eve gone by – sans happiness, sans joy and sans celebration.

The cleanliness bug often brings with it some needless committments and interesting discoveries. A case in point is that of the cleaning lady, who has been working in our flat since the last six months. The initial employment interview was equally hilarious – wherein we were trying to negotiate a suitable salary. The bais seem to have formed a union everywhere – wherein it is always pre-decided that this is the minimum threshold, no matter what the work entails. We regularly have dinner outside the house, and our wake up timings do not leave us much chance to cook breakfast. And for the lunch, we are usually mulling in office over what to eat. So that hardly leaves any chance for dirty utensils, except for occassional glasses smeared with juice left overs and alike.

So that is how it started. After some tough negotiation, we agreed to a salary that was mutually comfortable. And her first day at work must have been a flabbergasting discovery. There were two small rooms to be mopped and two glasses to be cleaned. And no clothes – most of our clothes are sent out for washing (read dry cleaning … hic .. hic). And this has been the usual case most of the days.

But the best part of the bai experience has been the language problem. She does not understand hindi but speaks fluent marathi. And most of the instructions to her elicit a response that sounds like YES. Bai … could you clean under the table … HAWO … but then when you return to the room … the corners of the table are still dirty. However, her most remarkable thing is the 15-minute rapid dash.

The moment she enters the house to the time she leaves with all work done, the total time taken is 15 minutes. In 15 minutes, floors are swept and cleaned, utensils are washed, and a few clothes are cleaned. It is amazing to see the super-efficient Mumbai bais . However, you can love them or hate them … but they are a necessity.

No matter the salary or the superefficiencies or the language problem for that matter. The bai is the lifeline of Mumbai. Without her, I do not know how our house will look like for sure. Thank you Mumbai bai.

I took a day off from work just like that. There was nothing important that I needed to do, but the fact that I had slept at 4am and woken up at 12pm did not make me feel too good about myself. I thought that rather than going in late, why not go at all. So this is how my day began with angst and disgust. But then I had the full day to myself. So I HAD to do something.

My roomie was off to work early morning – the steadfastly sincere guy that he is. As for me, I started with checking my office mailbox, which usually runs into large numbers especially on the days when I am not in office. After shooting replies and feeling tired after working, it was time for TV and the usual crappy bunch of serials and movies. My viewing was constantly interrupted by this butterfly that had found its way in through the open window. I do not know what butterflies have against tubelights. It was constantly fluttering around the light like a guy checking out a girl for the first time. From one end to the other. And then it nose-dived directly into my pack of chips – it must have been as hungry as me – but too lazy to order food. Well, another fifteen minutes were spent driving the poor thing out of the window so that it can return to more refined surroundings than the mess in my room.

Not that I am unclean guy with an unkept room. My room is fairly well organized and clean. The worst is when you spot an occassional lizard zooming from one end of the roof to the window – a dash for life unless my roomie spots it and sends the sandals as missiles hoping for a bulls eye. Gawd, he hates lizards so much so that it is making a killer out of him.

Well, coming back to the day, it is evening now. And I am waiting for my roomie to return so that we can go out this Friday night for a few drinks (hic … hic) and dinner. Work done whole day – 0. Energy spent is already crossing the threshold limit. I feel like sleeping again.