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So I have a cell phone, and a snazzy laptop. Does that make me an impatient, compulsive, intolerant freak?

I guess it does. Because I hate waiting. I hate it when I call someone and the person does not pick up immediately or forgets to call back. I go livid when I don’t get a reply message. I write ‘WAKE UP!!’ ‘ARE U THERE??’ In bold on gtalk to scream the other person out of their slumber when he or she does not reply in a nano second. Its like the tag line of the new Airtel broadband ad ‘Impatience is the new life’.

But hey, wasn’t there a time when internet connection was used only when it was absolutely necessary? With my mum flashing me warnings if I exceed the allotted 5 minutes on the exorbitantly charged dial-up connection for checking emails. Wasn’t there a time when I did not have a cell phone and messaging was hence out of question. All long land line calls made only when mum and pa had gone out or at least were busy enough not to notice.

Yeah, the time when I was in high school. I used to go to my tuitions on my rickety two-wheeler, with my friend on the pillion, making an ear-splitting noise under our combined weight. When getting off near Shahpura lake for an ice-cream with friends was a real treat. When I used to fight with my sister for my turn on our shared home pc. When listening to music was a family affair and one set of speaker sang to the entire house (oh ya bhajans and hindi film songs, Yeshudas and Backstreet Boys all given their due respect with appropriate timings).

Then came the time when my sister started her college. The Ambanis decided to give away cell phones for a mere Rs.500. Even our sweeper decided to get one then why not us?? So my sister got her first cell phone. And behold I was introduced to this strange concept of privacy (with my sister?). Yes. I may never see her dialed list or her messages. So she would have friends and complications in her life I was to be ignorant about.

Hmm. Okay.

During my second year at college, my sister graduated. She got a job and moved to a new city. After 19 years of living and growing up together we were to get on with our lives separately.

Oh… getting back to the original point of my ramblings… That was when I got my first cell phone.
My sister’s cell phone was passed on to me. Did that change my life radically? Not really, me being me I would just shove it in my college bag and forget about the poor thing. Its battery charged if mummy remembered to. Put on silent mode before lectures, when I was lucky enough to remember to. Basically, just used for forwarding stupid messages among friends and wishing people on their birthdays and festivals.

But it served one very important purpose: it was my mum’s ‘assurance’, that I could call and inform her anytime if I’m in a perilous situation. This by the way never happened. I mean I never found myself in any life threatening situations.

Next I go to Delhi for my MBA. I got my first brand-new phone. In a new city, in a hostel, away from home, I would get at least five calls a day from my mother, just to make sure that I’m alright, have eaten well, had a decent day at college, was safe and generally missed and remembered by her. (By the way I still get these calls from my mum and would be deeply worried if I don’t). But as always my cell phone was hardly ever charged…. If charged left at home…. If carried along, shoved somewhere where I won’t notice the ring or the vibration. So my mum would call my friend and ask her if I’m around so she could talk to me (yeah yeah vai you can smirk…)

Few months into living away I learned to carry and use my cell phone. (Finally!!!)

So I would carry it around, keep it charged, all in all use it well. But my cell phone became my lifeline for a different reason all together. I would spend hours messaging this boy… the love of my life. Waiting impatiently for a reply message with a silly smile stuck on my face all the time, top it up with long phone calls almost 3am into the night. Food …. I’m not hungry…will have it later…. Exams tomorrow… I’ll pass ray… Mummy’s SEVEN missed calls!!!.... Oops m screwed.
But every phase passes. So did this. But I have been educated in the use of cell phones none the less. Right now I’m impatiently waiting for my first salary. Debating whether I should buy an expensive cell phone or settle for something which if lost won’t give me heartburn.

My firm has given me a brand new laptop (ahem…with a web cam). Which, after using 12 hrs daily is a real pain in the eye. Wish we had system of shared laptops in office so you could chill out while u wait for yr turn on it. I have my music which I can listen to whenever I want with my ear phones plugged in. But I don’t have anyone to share that music with.

Sometimes exclusive sucks!!!