Hello! Guess who??

Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Time: 12:15 pm
Date: August 14, 2006
Place: My living room

The phone rings. I pick it up.
Voice: Arre, Ricky?
Me: Haan...(hesitation) kaun bol rahe hain?

And all hell needed no further invitation to break loose.

Let me explain: it was actually my beloved uncle calling, back to India after a lengthy foreign stint. I think I'll also take the liberty of saying that he is fond of me, and keeps himself updated on how I'm doing. It might justify the heartburn I caused him.

"Ab tum humari aawaz bhi nahin pehchante? Itni jaldi bhool gaye!!"

I tried to blame the running taps, the screwed up telephone lines, MTV etc. for the lapse, but to no avail.

Why I'm telling you this is because it happens way too often to me for my comfort. On my birthday, I ended up asking 7 or 8 people who called me up their good names. It offends to no end the considerate soul who is spending money and time wishing you. As far as I am concerned, if I don't tell people who I am when I call up, then I feel that I get my just desserts if they need to ask. But most other people don't. To make matters worse, they're usually the same people who DON'T ask me my name when I call.

Ouch.

Well, I had the option once of developing a better auditory perception or growing a thicker epidermis. You can see which fork in the road I chose.

See you around!