'Aki'lles

So much so for what I have gained, but what I have lost in the bargain? Well, apart from the obvious i.e. friends, family and 'Yeh Jo Des hey mera....' part of it, there have been quite a few things such as: (more about each of them in follow up blogs)

1. Television: The perfect mode to kill time, take a break, relax, whatever. Been quite a nightmarish time without a T.V. So in case you are wondering what's stopping me from buying a T.V, take a guess. Is it the cost? Nope, that's not even the main criteria, assuming of course that I am not aspiring for a wall mounted flat screen plasma TV or the likes of any such fancy device. At the heart of the problem is a beautiful rule, unique to life in the U.K, it's called a 'T.V License'. Duh? people need license for vehicles, running businesses etc. but have you ever heard of a concept as ghastly as buying a license to watch TV. Nuts!! Well, assuming that I do go in for a TV license, what do I get in the bargain - BBC and a couple of other terrestrial channels at best. Man, just think of paying an annual subscription to watch Doordarshan !!! It's as painful as that.
2. English Premier League: Quite an irony given the fact that I am in England. I squarely attribute this to the first point. Hell I used to even watch bloody useless bottom of the table matches, Aston Villa matches etc. (yeah, you are getting the idea now), but now I don't have any means or access to watch it, well that's assuming I have the time to watch it in the first place. Argghhh!! painful. Well tried following the games live on the web, but heck it's not the same feeling.
3. Times of India: Can your morning ever be the same without knowing what Prasad Bidappa, Jackie Shetty and other page 3 characters think of the state of Indian economy, the cricket team, situation in Iraq etc. Sigh, I really miss the insightful reporting.
4. A spacious house: Well I am not talking about a bungalow here, mind you but something/anything that is better than the glorified 'studio' apartment that I live in. Back home, I have seen advertisements such as 'bedroom with attached bathroom'. Boy, the place I live in could be advertised as 'bedroom with attached kitchen' !!
5. Customer service: 'Saar, try this design, it is the lateshht', 'You want to alter this suit saar, no problem. Arree chottu...' , 'You want more information about the warranty? I will call the head office in M.G road, please wait' ....sigh sounds much better than 'Sorry mate, I don't know', 'We don't work on weekends, please come in next week'. Heck even call centers for banks don't operate beyond 8:00 P.M, beat that!!
6. Quality of life: Evaluating this would require a more holistic approach, considering a whole range of factors. However, a fellow Indian has summed it up amazingly in this video:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOTDhr3Psu4

Well, that's about enough for the time being. Will hopefully post more blogs frequently in the future.

# posted by Akshai @ 12:25 PM