Twenty- five Seven

Personally speaking

Recent Posts

  • The Case of the Reluctant Masseuse or why it is impossible to get an appointment at Rewa Escapes

    It was the month of November and I was looking kind of tired (strange for me) when  I happened to bump into a young neighbour who was looking particularly spritely (strange for her).

    “What’s up?” I asked her unused to seeing her so fresh and rarin’ to go.

    “I’ve just come back from the most wonderful foot massage. In fact I’ve gifted my mom and my mom-in-law a massage too!” And she went on to tell me about this most wonderful massage place called Rewa Spa which was right by the sea side and made you feel you were in Langkawi…

    Since Langkawi was far out my orbit and Rewa Spa wasn’t, I immediately began making plans of visiting the place, picturing myself in this frond kissed spa, my feet splashing about in an tub with rose petals, my frazzled nerves being soothed by music playing in the background, scented candles lighting up the room and  soft hands gently massaging away my aches and pains.

    I immediately rang up Rewa Escapes, the spa by the bay situated in a bungalow by the sea just at the bottom of the hill and was told to call later when the manager came in. I called again and was told that I could go in by 11.15 since the spa opened at 11 and they needed time to get everything in place.

    At 10.50 when I was about to turn into the lane to the Spa, I got a phone call informing me that the appointment had to be shifted or cancelled because the ‘people’ hadn’t come. So I changed it to three in the afternoon. Once again at 2.45 I got a call saying that the people still hadn’t come so I had to cancel the appointment for the day.

    I was disappointed to say the least but soon forgot about it I quite forgot about the spa and till this Thursday when I found an unexpected free afternoon looming ahead of me. Once again I called the spa and was told that there were no free spots since it was Valentine’s day.

    By this time I was beginning to doubt the spa existed at all (even though it had a website) so this evening, much like Nancy Drew, I thought I’d check out the place to see if it really exists and was shocked to find that it does! I went down a lane towards the sea and found myself in front of Rewa House. With no signage for the Spa, I followed my instinct and went to the back ( towards the coconut trees) and found myself inside the spa. It was empty save for two attendants who looked ready to close up and I asked if anyone was around.

    “Yes, do you want some service?”

    No I wanted to tell her, I want to conduct an IT raid.

    “Yes. I there anyone I can talk to?”

    “Yes, the manager. She is having lunch now and using the wash room.She will be out soon.”

    I was kept waiting for five minutes at the very least before the manager showed up. Without so much as a smile or greeting, she came inside and asked me what I wanted.

    “I want an appointment.”

    “You will have to call up.”

    “But I am here now. Can’t I make an appointment?”

    “No you will have to call up on the day you want an appointment and then we will see.”

    By this time someone had called up and she told the person, ” Sorry sir, we have no availability today” and she put the phone down. She didn’t even offer to fit him in  another time on  another day. I told her that her approach was horrible and didn’t she care about getting new clients ? She said, ” well that’s the way we operate. If you want an appointment , you will have to call.”

    Foolishly I asked her if they had gift coupons. She said yes but didn’t even bother to show me the coupons. Nor did she bother to tell me about the different treatments they had etc etc. When I asked her if how the gift coupon could be redeemed she said they’d have to make an appointment and if they had a slot they’d fit them in.

    In fact it was the worst sales pitch ever. It wasn’t even an attempt at a sale. I was trying to ask her if they could suggest free slots, if they could describe the treatments on offer, if they could improve their attitude towards potential clients and she just shrugged her shoulders and said quite predictably ” You will have to call and make an appointment”

    Was this the wonderful luxurious spa that would leave me refreshed and rejuvenated? I wonder .


    Should I make another attempt at trying to get an appointment or should I just abandon the idea of a relaxing foot massage in the spa by the bay?

     

  • Those who can do, those who can’t give up!

    So Arvind Kejriwal has quit?

    What’s so surprising about that?

    I’ve always felt that Arvind Kejriwal was making the same mistake as the political party he loves to bait – the Indian National Congress. The Congress as it is commonly referred to was established to obtain self-rule or Independence and once this goal was attained, it should have been disbanded.

    Similarly, once Arvind Kejriwal managed to shake the government out of its stupor with a tremendous fan following as shown at his sit-ins, he should have continued to be the tantrum throwing child of politics rather than turning law-maker. Stirring the collective conscience requires a different skill set from actually becoming a politician. While both require strategy, cunning and guile, a politician also requires a certain amount of flexibility, adaptability and the ability to lead. Once part of the government, the rabble rouser becomes part of the establishment so how can he protest effectively against his own kind?

    In passing I heard one of AAP’s supporters say that they were revolutionaries – well if this is the case, they should know that Revolutionaries do not necessarily make good Government officials. Time and again history has shown us that revolutionaries make a mess of government – take the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution  and very recently the Arab Spring and the revolution at Tahrir Square.

    This does not mean that Revolution is counter productive – Society needs to have a shake up if the people are unhappy. Corruption, poor governance, ineffective laws and the ills of society have to be changed but those who demand change are not necessarily those who can effect the change.

    So let’s not be hard on Arvind Kejriwal – he has a job to do that is to waken our collective conscience. He has to stir us into a future where the “mind is without fear and the head is held high “and if we don’t allow him to do so, we will continue to languish in “the dreary desert sand of dead habit.“

  • Is red the colour of love?

    Today is Valentine’s Day and I’m already seeing red :

    • The TIMES OF INDIA has a red heart in place of M in its masthead
    • The club is having a special Valentine’s Day dinner and the poster is red, red and more red
    • There are more heart shaped or rather bum-shaped balloons being sold at traffic lights today
    • You can only see red roses everywhere
    Moreover I am really seeing red because this is the second time I wanted to make an appointment at Rewa Spa only to be told that they are all full and that  today is a busy day being Valentine’s and all that so a walk-in or near walk-in is definitely a no no. I have been wanting to visit this Spa for almost three months now and I find it impossible to get an appointment. 

    I had an unexpected free afternoon and thought I’d use this time to get a hair cut but obviously my hairdresser is not free!!  Valentine’s Day is a busy day for beauty parlours  too! At the rate I’m going my hair will reach my knees before the hairdresser’s free slot coincides with mine. 

    What is it with Valentine’s Day that makes everyone suddenly want to beautify themselves? Why can’t they be beautiful all year long? And why should you use only this day to tell your sweetheart that you love him/her? And why can’t you go to a special dinner on any other day? Why can’t you gift flowers/chocolates/perfumes on any other day ? In fact, why do you need a special day to tell someone that you love them?

    And above all why does love have to be red? The heart may be red but if you cut your finger, it will be red too!

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