abbadham no.2

Hope you read and enjoyed my first post on 'abbadhangal'..

so here's the second one....

#2                              

Prologue

Ever since we bought a home PC we devoted more time in repairing or replacing the hardware parts, than actually using it...so after the replacement of the SMPS(switched mode power supply) twice and also the internal modems thrice , it was time for the fourth modem to blow up...and so it did.....i was sooo happy....i was sure that my parents are going to kill me this time...just imagine 2 SMPSs and 3 Modems within about one and a half years..All these happenings because of my carelessness...

modem nos 1,2 & 3 

reason: lightning , because i forgot, every time to remove the pin from the socket; my mistake.

But honestly the SMPSs didn't blow up coz of me in the first two cases..the reason was voltage fluctuations and blame the electricity dept for that , not poor divya...that my parents know..

but in the third case...i really donno who to blame....after the third one was damaged, the technician who is an old friend of my father wo assembled the system for us...he came and asked 'again?' 

i explained my innocence to him in front of my parents so that they might understand my helplessness...He took out the SMPS box and opened it..OH i cannot express the magnitude of my embarrassment..a small mouse fell out of the box, dead.He looked at the box, and then at the mouse and the me and then back at the box...we knew we were 'growing' mice at our home...coz an entire family had perished when my mother and myself attacked them a month before....but i was sure that one or two had escaped the massacre...and it looked like he had come to take revenge and sacrificed his life in the act...

after all vengeance is sweet... 

 so, it was time to replace the SMPS for the third time and the internal modem for the fourth time...and it was done in time..thanks to my loving parents...hugs and kisses to them..

Office of the sub-divisional engineer, BSNL               November 2007

it was our third semester study holidays...so i was at home most of my time eating and watching TV or sleeping and browsing....we had then very recently changed our LL phone no. It meant that we need to register the new number with the ISP(Internet service provider)  and ours is BSNL..so i tried it.. and it didn't work coz the website for registration wasn't working properly..then i learned that prepaid Internet cards are available with which we can use the service just like using mobile prepaid cards....so it was my turn to visit the BSNL office for the first time.

One fine morning my mother dropped me in front of a beauty parlour where i went to have my hair cut short (well it isn't that long) and then to the office which was near by.. it was already 11 am when i climbed the stairs to the office...i went in and saw a small row of counters, one for each, bills, mobile cards, IT cards and so...there wasn't a counter which said 'Internet cards here'...so i had no idea which counter to visit....i saw a small queue in front of one counter and went and took the place at the end....when it was my turn, the man at the counter held out his hand for what i donno...i said i wanted prepaid Internet card..he looked at me and took a deep breath only to tell me to go to the last counter..at the last counter i was asked to fill up a form...i filled it up on my mothers behalf since it was her phone...and i put her signature too ;)

while i was filling up the form i saw one somewhat familiar face among the people waiting in front of the counters. this girl was my junior at school but don't know her well...she is the friend of a neighbour...i pretended to be unaware of her presence..but she noticed me I'm sure...i was asked to pay Rs.167 towards the cost of the card while the form was handed fill up...i had so many doubts while filling in the details like whose name i should use? is it safe to give this much details?is it right signing with my mothers name and so..i got up at least twice to clear my doubts and I'm sure the man at the counter lost his patience..and finally i submitted the completed application at the counter and had a look at the office while the guy was checking for correctness..the office was a rectangular room which was partitioned into several sub-rooms for the staff and the officers..there were glass separations between the counters and the room where the staff were sitting, so that everything happening at one side is seen at the other and heard too coz the door is always ajar...

My mind was streaming through a million things when suddenly when i was tapped at the hand by the counter-man to give me the card...i was happy and said thank you..and stuffed the card inside my bag-which was to my disappointment a long piece of ordinary paper..i checked my phone for any calls or messages...

i have got this habit of walking fast and furious like going to hit someone...i took the same style and was about to reach the door when i heard shouts from behind...i turned back, bewildered...i didn't understand anything for a moment for more than one persons were shouting...but it was at me everyone was shouting..it took a while for my ears to register the fact that every mouth was shouting the same...

'kashu kodithittu poku molea'

i had forgotten to pay the cash-Rs.167..

i froze..oh crap!!!

then the man at the counter smirked and said '167 rupa'

okay..okay...i'm a joke now...i went back to the counter...keeping my head down took out the cash...i knew every pair of eyes at the office was focused on me..even the staff were interested in me than their work..i was sweating heavily considering it was raining throughout the morning....i felt like a thief in trouble..oh no..it was sooo embarrassing...

You know one of my greatest characteristic feature is that i easily come out of such situations..give me a minute and I'm back to normal again...But still i didn't lift my head even half a degree until i was out of the building...i have tried in earnest not to set foot there again..but the more i try the more I'm forced to go...for one reason or the other...

PS: It gives me immense pleasure in informing you that while i was halfway through composing this particular post, my SMPS got damaged for the third time....had finished the prologue one night and it suddenly happened... spend a whole boring week without my PC..thank God there was no need to replace it this time. It is repaired and is now back in action...