Shayon's Labyrinth!

So, 3G finally gets launched by all the mobile operators around the country! And I must say, I have been looking to use 3G for over 2 years now, and had been tempted to buy a 3G enabled phone for almost as long. So, once the 3G spectrum started to get auctioned off, I just had to buy a compatible phone. And thus enters Blackberry 9870 in my life (screenshot above).

Well, I have been hooked onto mobile Internet right since the time I was in college. One of the major reasons being, I had no computer in college, and the mobile was my only gateway to the world of the web. But then, the ease with which I could stay connected with the world got me hooked onto the habit. I could never let it go. With time came better bandwidth, more complicated phones, and more functions on-the-go.

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3G, blogging, Delhi

For the last couple of days, a few of my friends and I have been trying to organize a fund raiser where we could raise around Rs 1,50,000 as donations in our effort to distribute quilts/blankets to the destitutes residing on the Delhi streets. We named it Blanket of Relief.

For the same cause, we had been on the lookout to partner with a couple of NGOs who would help us reach the last mile. That is, we needed someone who had the experience to distribute the blankets to ones who need them. On top of that, we also needed a NGO to handle the donations that came in, to keep the system transparent and instill faith in the hearts of the donors.

On one such conversation, I managed to come across a NGO who showed a lot of interest in partnering with us, and furthering our cause. But, there was a twist. Apparently, the cause we were fighting for, was not the cause they were interested in. They were the ones who looked after solving administration and water problems for the poor. And hence, in their bid to help us, the Director of the NGO suggested us to present a fake invoice for water pumps, and also furnish fake images of new water pumps being installed, so that he could show it in his books that the money that got collected were used in installing water pumps in water ridden areas.

No, we weren’t ready to negotiate with the truth, even if that meant our quest stayed unfinished. We decided to look elsewhere. But this particular incident made me wonder the quality of NGOs who operate in this country, who are ready to bend the rules just so that they could show more “activity” within their organisation, in their attempt to win some self-initiated competition with other NGOs in the vicinity. And mind you, these are his words. I could have easily recorded the audio and shared it as a podcast with this blog post. But, it is not a sting operation. It’s an effort to be a better human. It’s an effort to improve the society in general, and live a healthy life. While I understand that bending that piece of principle would have immensely helped our cause. But what hurt me was the ease with which the guy was ready to bend. Maybe my impressions are misplaced. Maybe I am too uptight. But I ain’t sorry for not following up on that “partnership”.

How about you? How would you have reacted in my shoes? Would you have taken up the offer?

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blanket, blanket of relief, destitute, disgust, NGO, poor

It was just a few days back when I did my last meme tag, Who Am I? And now I have been tagged again. This time, it’s by my dearest Cathy Rochelle O’Brien, and it’s called the 3×7 Tag.

The idea is simple. You gotta write your top 3 preferences on 7 things about yourself. And well, here goes mine -

3 places I would pack my travel bag for

I must admit, I love traveling. But somehow, it hasn’t really happened much in my life. Somehow, me and my parents (haven’t visited many places with friends. Wasn’t allowed.) have always gone to the cliched places just for the sake of putting a marker on that part of Geography. And since the time I have been working on my own, with no parents to shove their cane up my ass, I somehow miss home so much that that is where I always end up going, every time a chance to travel lands in.

1. Mumbai - Understandably, Mumbai ranks the top most in my traveling destination. After all, that is where my heart is.
2. Kanyakumari - I am a devout of Swami Vivekananda. Yes, that’s true. And I have always been wanting to visit the Vivekananda Temple in Kanyakumari, all my life. Somehow, never managed to do it.
3. Leh & Ladakh - It’s been a per dream of mine. To drive to Leh & Ladakh. And now that I am planning to buy a new car, I think I am gonna make it happen real quick.

3 on-screen characters I love to watch

1. Spiderman - I am a huge comic book heroes fan. And no one can ever beat Spiderman in that department.
2. Batman (in The Dark Knight) - I had missed an express train once, because I was watching this movie in the theater. Best superhero movie ever. PERIOD.
3. Byomkesh Bakshi - This amazing Sharadindu Bandopadhyay character has been immortalized by Rajit Kapur.

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Meme Tag, Myself, Shayon

It was just yesterday that Sakshi was mentioning about answering to a few legal queries on Yahoo! Answers, when I realized it’s been a while since I had visited the forum myself. So, in a bid to do some social service today, here are a few really interesting questions that cropped up. Do let me what would you you replied to a couple of these?

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Answers, Bloopers, Stupid, Yahoo

I guess it’s been quite a while since I last blogged here. So, just wanted to break the silence with this meme tag I picked up from the blog The Amiable Drifters.

1. If you married the last person you texted, what would your last name be?
   Pal. (Guys normally don’t change their surnames after they get married, do they? Or am I being a sexist here?)
2. Were you happy when you woke up today?
   Not exactly.
3. What’s something that can always make you feel better? When did you need it last?
   A session of WarCraft with my mates. I have needed it quite a few times. But haven’t gotten a chance to play for a while now.
4. What are you excited for?
   New job, maybe. Maybe I’ll get married soon. Maybe I won’t. Not sure.
5. What were you doing yesterday?
   New home. So lots of carpentry job. Had to administer most of it. Then met up with Sakshi and a friend of hers. It was her birthday, yesterday.
6. What’s the last thing you put in your mouth?
   Coffee.
7. Have a best friend(s)?
   A couple, yeah.
8. Are you scared to fall in love?
   I am scared I fall in love too often.

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meme, Tags

sor·ry  [sor-ee, sawr-ee]

–adjective, -ri·er, -ri·est.

1. Feeling regret, compunction, sympathy, pity, etc.: to besorry to leave one’s friends; to be sorry for a remark; to be sorry for someone in trouble.
2. Regrettable or deplorable; unfortunate; tragic: a sorry situation; to come to a sorry end.
3. sorrowful, grieved, or sad: Was she sorry when her brother died?
4. Associated with sorrow; suggestive of grief or suffering; melancholy; dismal.
5. wretched, poor, useless, or pitiful: a sorry horse.
6. (used interjectionally as a conventional apology or expression of regret): Sorry, you’re misinformed. Did I bump you? Sorry.

Apologies are never easy, it doesn’t matter whether we have wronged, or whether we are perceived to have wronged. You would find innumerable people in your life who get choked when it’s their turn to be/say sorry. While expression of both gratitude and repentance is important, not many seem to realize that. And then there’s the other extreme kind who are ready to say ‘sorry’ at the drop of your hat. And then there are some who are not really sorry for what they did, but are sorry for the fact that they got busted.

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Apology, Bitch, Foolish, Sorry, Upset