Twenty- five Seven

Virtually in your lonely world

July 18, 2012

Like many people of my generation technology is something that has gone beyond the automatic pop up toaster and the remote controlled television to something quite unimaginable. At the click of a switch or a touch of a button you can access the information of anyone at the other end of the world. With Facebook, Twitter , Yahoo, Messenger and so many other social media websites Big Brother or Nosy Mother have it really easy to keep tabs on what is happening where.

But what really amazes me is the time that people have these days to updated their life minute by minute on the virtual world. With detailed updates, I wonder what kind of life are they leading at all? And are they comfortable with everyone knowing exactly what they are up to?

The young generation seems to be born tech savvy and genetically know which button to press. Going out with them is quite a nightmare because each one of them has one eye on their Blackberry ( or some other hand-held), half their mind on the present and the other half in sync with the other world. Gone are the days of pleasant conversations or meaningful interactions – Instead we have to relearn our social skills and figure out that LOL doesn’t mean Lots of Love but Laugh out Loud. What does that mean by the way? Can you laugh any other way?

Incidentally this anti social behaviour is quite catching and Michiel found me glancing at the flat screen LED perched atop the bar and he told me that very soon TVs themselves would be outmoded! Now that would be quite something. I remember the olden days when TVs occupied pride of place in the living room and all interaction was geared around the TV and there was absolutely no choice but to watch what was being shown. Gradually we moved the TV out of the living room to the bedroom which in turn translated into individual rooms having individual TVs. With Cable TV came the option of a hundred other channels to watch from and then even more mind-boggling combinations – recording programs, watching a screen within a screen and the list goes on and on.

Good God! To think that those big ugly,clunky conversation killers with snowy pictures have metamorphosed into thin and thinner beauties only to gradually vanish?

While I’m not exactly a fan of the television, I will definitely mourn its demise.

So while the rest of the world is Twittering away, I will continue to imagine my keyboard is my trusty old typewrite and bang away on keys that don’t stick and hope that I’m not condemned to a life of loneliness in a virtual world.
Planning a holiday

July 17, 2012

One of the joys of planning a holiday is actually planning. With so much information readily available on the net, browsing through sites for hotels and planning itineraries is so much fun. I also takes a lot of time and I when I finally visit a place, it’s often a sense of deja vu.

Choose your hotel wisely

I always believe life looks better in photographs. Very often that cute, family- run hotel can turn out to be a crummy little place run by an equally run down mom & pop whose home like themselves had seen better days.

While planning our trip to Paris, I was co-ordinating hotel bookings with Betty in Amsterdam. We were both on the same site almost ready to confirm a hotel when suddenly her page went off screen! When she came back, we had both lost the name of the hotel.I actually wanted to stay in Hotel la Bourdonnais a three star place close to the Eiffel Tower, highly recommended by my friend who had stayed there earlier in the year. But once we lost our page on Booking .com, we quickly agreed on a hotel that was more or less similar . Eventually, we chose the Pavillon St. Augustin on Rue de la Pepiniere which turned out so wrong! Firstly, it was hard to find and when we did step into the lobby, it was far from the bright happy place I’d seen on the net.The beds were squeaky and the additional bed we’d asked for was far too small to be comfortable. The large bathroom flooded easily, the air conditioning just didn’t work and the buffet breakfast was pathetic!

And when I walked passed the Bourdonnais, I gazed at it wistfully. If it wasn’t for a dodgy internet connection, I could have stayed there!

Hotel Abalu in Madrid turned out to be another instance of not getting what you see. Touted as a boutique hotel for the ultimate experience, I was extremely disappointed to find it one little dingy hole in the wall. The buffet breakfast was managed by the a retired policeman and father of the owner who positively scowled his welcome at every guest. But what was worse was the bathroom which was actually just a shower cubicle on one side of the room!

So what about a homestay?

Old European cities have charming houses which turn out not so charming when you actually inhabit them. For instance the steps in Dutch homes are treacherously steep and what would seem like a quick jaunt to the floor above can actually be a good aerobic workout. So may be a homestay is not always the best option.

Conclusion

Always spend time while choosing a hotel. Quite often you don’t get what you expected.

But then surprise makes life more interesting isn’t it?
Life Beyond Cancer

July 16, 2012

Dr. A and Dr. P were both eminent oncologists of Mumbai. Dr. P is still an oncologist but unfortunately Dr. A is no longer there. In fact I just returned from a brief prayer meeting at the hospital where he breathed his last.

Dr. A and Dr. P were doctors whose interest went beyond the ward. They were both involved in organisations that improved the lives of their patients beyond the disease. It was in this connection that I knew Dr. P – the charity where we both volunteer our time.

Their enthusiasm and dedication gave them very little time to spare but they did manage to find time to build and nurture their own little family. This afternoon as Dr. P stoically accepted condolences, her young daughter another generation of doctor stood calmly by. Over the last few months she was away from the family busy as she was in her own training program thousands of miles away. Her father performed his very last surgery on Thursday and breathed his last a few days later.

Many people will miss this gentle man whose life touched so many millions and for the next few days accolades and praise will come his way. But none can match those words I heard his daughter say

He treated me like a princess

Blessed indeed is he who can be acknowledged thus by his child. Dr. A you will surely rest in peace.

Virtually in your lonely world

Planning a holiday

Choose your hotel wisely

So what about a homestay?

Conclusion

Life Beyond Cancer