I need to purchase a phone

My Samsung Note 9 has served me well over the last two years and I feel it is now time to upgrade as I have begun to face a few issues. Repairing phones is quite a costly proposition here in the UAE, and one is not sure of the outcome either, so I guess a new phone it will be. Went to see if I could have it repaired two days ago. The technician in the first shop had one look at the phone, smiled sarcastically, looked me in the eye and told me, in no uncertain terms & rather brazenly, to throw it out and purchase a new phone. The man in the adjoining shop also smiled, though in a gentler manner, and told me he could repair it for the tidy sum of seven hundred dirhams, but he could not give any guarantee as to how long it would last. I was more inclined to believe the first chap despite his brash demeanour. The second appeared a trifle slimy and I could tell he was lying. I walked out from both shops thanking them for their help. I am polite by nature and it takes a lot to ruffle me. Meanwhile, have also been asking around and while some say that I should stick with Samsung, which is very reliable, others are advising me to shift to Apple- supposedly a world class phone. The way they say ‘Apple’ almost makes me feel like a peasant. People who know me well also know that I hate to be rushed into anything & that I am prone to take my time with such purchases. (TM and SM, I hope you are taking note) And this is where I am in a bit of a quandary. I know there is a big ongoing debate on Samsung vs Apple, and both have their supporters and detractors. However, the jury still seems to be out on this one and Google just seems determined to confuse the world – especially me. I guess there are so many factors to be considered. There is first and foremost the cost factor, as I don’t want to go over the top because , while I won’t be asked details about the phone or the price , there may be remarks about ‘unnecessary expenditure’ when I return with the new phone. Then of course there is the issue of reliability, value for money, size, camera, storage space, looks and other specifications, some of which are a tad too technical for me. I know little and am not interested in Gpu, SoC, VOLTE, NFC, Ultra pixels , Amoled & Bezels – I just want a neat looking smartphone , hardy, large and with a good camera because of late I have begun to fancy myself as a bit of a photographer. Not attempting to win the The Pulitzer Prize for Photography or the Photo of the year or anything so dramatic, but I have clicked a few good snaps of flowers , people , buildings, sun sets and animals ( my cat )and many friends have appreciated the same. Maybe they are just being polite, but I feel encouraged! Unlike my spectacles which I often misplace, this does not happen with my phone, but frankly I will need to be more careful with my new instrument when I get it. Thinking about it, my poor Samsung has seen some rather rough treatment too and that has probably caused it to almost bow down its head and give up the spirit. I have dropped it, stamped on it, wet it, scratched it , almost boiled it , left it near a heat source ( read gas stove), over charged it ( probably time and time again )- everything but thrown it out of the window . And oh yes – I once almost dropped it three floors while attempting to take a photograph of a sandstorm! What is with these sandstorms! Last week I ventured out to look around and survey the ‘phone scene’ in a mall. There to my utter dismay I happened to bang into a ‘smartphone aficionado friend’ . Now what were the odds of that happening? Please don’t get me wrong – he is a nice affable chap , a little loud & a trifle over friendly but good hearted and simple . I made sure he did not hug me as he often does, what with Covid and social distancing and all that frightening stuff – so we banged fists and I half suspected he had become a gym freak, as my fingers hurt after that greeting and I recoiled back in pain but it seemed to have gone unnoticed as he was all jovial and brimming with energy thereafter ! Those ‘not a care in the world’ types I am sure you have met such people in your life too –they seem to be everywhere - big prints on the colourful shirt , jelled wavy hair , blue jeans , track shoes , wrist bands , stuff hanging around the neck, smelling of cologne, rather boisterous- they shake your hand and keep pumping well after you are ready to let go , seem so eager to have met you – shake hands again and smile from ear to ear . Like the good guy I think I am, I said ‘hi’, and smiled warmly although I do not know him that well. Then as a matter of small talk I mentioned that I was looking to buy a new phone. The moment I uttered that sentence I regretted it, and I am sure my face went pale, but it was too late – the deed was done. That did it. His eyes lit up - he took me aside and told me that he had just done a very detailed market analysis as he too wanted to buy a phone. He whipped out a Nokia and seeing it, I became nostalgic as that was the first brand I used. What followed was about forty-five minutes of questioning, information and data driven conversation. Actually it was not a conversation – it was more like a lecture on smartphones as he was the only one talking, while I nodded, yawned, looked around for help in any form , scratched my head in desperation , rolled my eyes , looked at my watch , looked surprised , looked interested , probably looked bored and what have you . All the above apparently had little effect on him as he was so wrapped up in his discourse and his expertise. I could swear I felt a fever coming on. He then asked for my phone which I handed to him meekly with the password to open it as well .He then gave it a quick authoritative ‘lookover’ and needless to add, as expected , he condemned it in no uncertain terms almost making me feel like trashing it there and then . He advised me to go for a Nokia and offered to shop along with me. You would have guessed my answer to that one. Forty-five minutes of my life wasted, and I am now more confused than ever. This morning when I looked at the phone it seemed to be blinking- almost begging me to retire it & put it out to pasture. This weekend the deed will be done.

I need to purchase a phone

My Samsung Note 9 has served me well over the last two years and I feel it is now time to upgrade as I have begun to face a few issues. Repairing phones is quite a costly proposition here in the UAE, and one is not sure of the outcome either, so I guess a new phone it will be. Went to see if I could have it repaired two days ago. The technician in the first shop had one look at the phone, smiled sarcastically, looked me in the eye and told me, in no uncertain terms & rather brazenly, to throw it out and purchase a new phone. The man in the adjoining shop also smiled, though in a gentler manner, and told me he could repair it for the tidy sum of seven hundred dirhams, but he could not give any guarantee as to how long it would last. I was more inclined to believe the first chap despite his brash demeanour. The second appeared a trifle slimy and I could tell he was lying. I walked out from both shops thanking them for their help. I am polite by nature and it takes a lot to ruffle me. Meanwhile, have also been asking around and while some say that I should stick with Samsung, which is very reliable, others are advising me to shift to Apple- supposedly a world class phone. The way they say ‘Apple’ almost makes me feel like a peasant. People who know me well also know that I hate to be rushed into anything & that I am prone to take my time with such purchases. (TM and SM, I hope you are taking note) And this is where I am in a bit of a quandary. I know there is a big ongoing debate on Samsung vs Apple, and both have their supporters and detractors. However, the jury still seems to be out on this one and Google just seems determined to confuse the world – especially me. I guess there are so many factors to be considered. There is first and foremost the cost factor, as I don’t want to go over the top because , while I won’t be asked details about the phone or the price , there may be remarks about ‘unnecessary expenditure’ when I return with the new phone. Then of course there is the issue of reliability, value for money, size, camera, storage space, looks and other specifications, some of which are a tad too technical for me. I know little and am not interested in Gpu, SoC, VOLTE, NFC, Ultra pixels , Amoled & Bezels – I just want a neat looking smartphone , hardy, large and with a good camera because of late I have begun to fancy myself as a bit of a photographer. Not attempting to win the The Pulitzer Prize for Photography or the Photo of the year or anything so dramatic, but I have clicked a few good snaps of flowers , people , buildings, sun sets and animals ( my cat )and many friends have appreciated the same. Maybe they are just being polite, but I feel encouraged! Unlike my spectacles which I often misplace, this does not happen with my phone, but frankly I will need to be more careful with my new instrument when I get it. Thinking about it, my poor Samsung has seen some rather rough treatment too and that has probably caused it to almost bow down its head and give up the spirit. I have dropped it, stamped on it, wet it, scratched it , almost boiled it , left it near a heat source ( read gas stove), over charged it ( probably time and time again )- everything but thrown it out of the window . And oh yes – I once almost dropped it three floors while attempting to take a photograph of a sandstorm! What is with these sandstorms! Last week I ventured out to look around and survey the ‘phone scene’ in a mall. There to my utter dismay I happened to bang into a ‘smartphone aficionado friend’ . Now what were the odds of that happening? Please don’t get me wrong – he is a nice affable chap , a little loud & a trifle over friendly but good hearted and simple . I made sure he did not hug me as he often does, what with Covid and social distancing and all that frightening stuff – so we banged fists and I half suspected he had become a gym freak, as my fingers hurt after that greeting and I recoiled back in pain but it seemed to have gone unnoticed as he was all jovial and brimming with energy thereafter ! Those ‘not a care in the world’ types I am sure you have met such people in your life too –they seem to be everywhere - big prints on the colourful shirt , jelled wavy hair , blue jeans , track shoes , wrist bands , stuff hanging around the neck, smelling of cologne, rather boisterous- they shake your hand and keep pumping well after you are ready to let go , seem so eager to have met you – shake hands again and smile from ear to ear . Like the good guy I think I am, I said ‘hi’, and smiled warmly although I do not know him that well. Then as a matter of small talk I mentioned that I was looking to buy a new phone. The moment I uttered that sentence I regretted it, and I am sure my face went pale, but it was too late – the deed was done. That did it. His eyes lit up - he took me aside and told me that he had just done a very detailed market analysis as he too wanted to buy a phone. He whipped out a Nokia and seeing it, I became nostalgic as that was the first brand I used. What followed was about forty-five minutes of questioning, information and data driven conversation. Actually it was not a conversation – it was more like a lecture on smartphones as he was the only one talking, while I nodded, yawned, looked around for help in any form , scratched my head in desperation , rolled my eyes , looked at my watch , looked surprised , looked interested , probably looked bored and what have you . All the above apparently had little effect on him as he was so wrapped up in his discourse and his expertise. I could swear I felt a fever coming on. He then asked for my phone which I handed to him meekly with the password to open it as well .He then gave it a quick authoritative ‘lookover’ and needless to add, as expected , he condemned it in no uncertain terms almost making me feel like trashing it there and then . He advised me to go for a Nokia and offered to shop along with me. You would have guessed my answer to that one. Forty-five minutes of my life wasted, and I am now more confused than ever. This morning when I looked at the phone it seemed to be blinking- almost begging me to retire it & put it out to pasture. This weekend the deed will be done.

Was I day dreaming?

Well , you know you are probaby day dreaming , have turned old, are preoccupied , going bonkers or all of the above , when you let the entire "BLUE CHRISTMAS" play on the car CD player and then just as its over , you smile to yourself and wonder how in heaven's name you let that happen! We are only in September for goodness sake. Well this just happened with me and now I am seriously worried. I am positive I was not day dreaming . I am old for sure but not doddering or ancient . I was very focused and alert as I had just come out of a good session at the gym . That only leaves 'going bonkers'! Could that be it ? Surely not. I wrote poetry this morning and was pleased at the outcome. I do fancy myself as an amateur poet of sorts. Just my opinion. To top it all, I then walked briskly into the house, picked up my guitar and started singing 'PLEASE RELEASE ME ' -:a rather old song by Englebert Humperdinck . You need to hear the lyrics if you don't know the song, if not this will probably fly over your head. I liked how I sounded so I played it again and sang even louder. My wife heard it, made a face which was not exactly a happy one, and walked into the next room muttering . Not too sure I will be getting dinner tonight ! What's with these stupid songs?

Was I day dreaming?

Well , you know you are probaby day dreaming , have turned old, are preoccupied , going bonkers or all of the above , when you let the entire "BLUE CHRISTMAS" play on the car CD player and then just as its over , you smile to yourself and wonder how in heaven's name you let that happen! We are only in September for goodness sake. Well this just happened with me and now I am seriously worried. I am positive I was not day dreaming . I am old for sure but not doddering or ancient . I was very focused and alert as I had just come out of a good session at the gym . That only leaves 'going bonkers'! Could that be it ? Surely not. I wrote poetry this morning and was pleased at the outcome. I do fancy myself as an amateur poet of sorts. Just my opinion. To top it all, I then walked briskly into the house, picked up my guitar and started singing 'PLEASE RELEASE ME ' -:a rather old song by Englebert Humperdinck . You need to hear the lyrics if you don't know the song, if not this will probably fly over your head. I liked how I sounded so I played it again and sang even louder. My wife heard it, made a face which was not exactly a happy one, and walked into the next room muttering . Not too sure I will be getting dinner tonight ! What's with these stupid songs?

It's another day

It is five am and I have already been up for some time Contemplating the morning as I often do It is another beautiful day and I am thankful So thankful for life And for all that comes with it – gently packaged With tender love and care The many blessings from above. And I rise to face another sunshine manfully Pondering over things to be done But…. The nights – oh these naughty nights They fly by in the blink of an eye And often leave me wondering why While these days- oh these long summer days Where work never ends Where I patiently, passionately, and positively Pursue productivity. To add value and make a difference Where I stand up and say “count me in” But like many others I miss the traffic jams and The chaos we call ‘’normal living” I miss the buzz associated with ‘’working at the workplace’’ Work there is – more than ever But the fizz, the froth and the foam Oh, where art thou? Where is the sparkle, the oomph and the buoyancy The pizzazz, the verve, and the dash? The resultant trepidation is palpable And these masks – the necessary evil Conceal the boredom, the apprehensions, and the fears And are a tad disconcerting to boot But courage is fire and hope holds up the world And we will survive And live to fight another day

It's another day

It is five am and I have already been up for some time Contemplating the morning as I often do It is another beautiful day and I am thankful So thankful for life And for all that comes with it – gently packaged With tender love and care The many blessings from above. And I rise to face another sunshine manfully Pondering over things to be done But…. The nights – oh these naughty nights They fly by in the blink of an eye And often leave me wondering why While these days- oh these long summer days Where work never ends Where I patiently, passionately, and positively Pursue productivity. To add value and make a difference Where I stand up and say “count me in” But like many others I miss the traffic jams and The chaos we call ‘’normal living” I miss the buzz associated with ‘’working at the workplace’’ Work there is – more than ever But the fizz, the froth and the foam Oh, where art thou? Where is the sparkle, the oomph and the buoyancy The pizzazz, the verve, and the dash? The resultant trepidation is palpable And these masks – the necessary evil Conceal the boredom, the apprehensions, and the fears And are a tad disconcerting to boot But courage is fire and hope holds up the world And we will survive And live to fight another day

It was only a sneeze

Just went for the Covid test which is mandated before getting back to school. It was a drive through testing facility - very systematic, good directional signs , no crowd , extremely clean and hygienic- so typical of this wonderful country . However there was a car with a family beside me( 2 meters away) who had just completed their test and were making the payment . Cute little kid jumping around on the back seat and looking at me being tested . Happy family and so well dressed ! As soon as the nurse extracted the swab after first gently pushing it up my nostril, I had a fit of involuntary sneezing and I sneeze pretty loud . For all intents and purposes I must state, that my sneeze has caused people to turn and stare in the past in the pre - Covid days, not to mention causing a certain degree of embarrassment to my family when they have been with me . I once sneezed in church in Pune . Even the priest had a moment and I can swear he smiled while the altar boys had a fit of giggling - it didn't help that we were seated in the first row and all noises in churches always seem to echo so loudly . I looked around sheepishly and a few friends sitting in the pew behind us were hysterical . So much for a simple sneeze, but it did cause a stir . Anyway back to today - The people in that car, hearing me sneeze , immediately put up their car window, had an exchange of words and peered at me with a rather incredulous look on their faces . The little kid seemed stunned . I could be wrong but the gentleman driving the car seemed to go white in the face . Then again it was rather sunny, so I am not too sure . Come on guys - it was only a sneeze I thought to myself ! For some obscure reason I suddenly felt so very guilty so I mouthed the word ' sorry' in their direction and smiled which I now feel must have looked pathetic . They probably saw me as they smiled back and waved almost apologetically . Probably they felt a bit guilty too, although I was actually the offending party ! Both cars went their separate ways . They were in animated discussion while driving off . Maybe they were discussing me and my sneeze ? Probably not . A sneeze is no big deal is it ? Actually in this day and age it is - only rivalled by a cough . Close encounters of the Covid kind ! That ends my little story .