Cell phones..

Call me jealous. I don't have a job that keeps me in demand 24 hours a day. I don't know how to look terribly important with a lap top in the airport lounge. I am too self conscious to want my phone ringing on the train. I don't have a huge circle of friends who loves to be on phone all the while. So I apologize in advance if one detects in the following rant a hint of sarcasm and bitterness. It's just: people who cannot leave their phone switched off or their lap tops closed in any situation and prefer to get on their fellow shoppers/ travellers/ workers nerves get on my nerves! I know, I know...you wear a trendy suit and tie, your shoes are polished to a perfect shine and you need to be in touch because you are such a VIP in your company. Deadlines to meet. New designs to forward. Ideas to share. If you want to be promoted, you need to be available, reachable, in touch. Be ready to jump at any time. I get it.And then you, Sir. I overheard this very important conversation between you and supposedly your wife. You were standing - if I recall correctly- at the mutton counter in the supermarket. Actually, this is precisely what you said: 'I am standing at the mutton counter. Which mutton shall I get? How many kg? And here is a special offer - lamb shoulder. Shall I get some?'

What happened to good old fashioned shopping lists and a little initiative and on-the-spot decision making ability? Do you ring your husband from the toilet upstairs and tell him you've run out of paper?And then you, young man! You sat opposite of me on the train . Your phone rang and at first you spoke in hushed tones. But very soon you forgot you were on a train with people around you who could hear every bit of cringe worthy schmaltz that came out of your mouth. Your girlfriend is such a lucky woman, by the sound of it! I feel I know you and her quite intimately already!There are few places one is safe from people in constant need of making themselves known.

Until very recently planes offered some respite, but now a few airlines have allowed the use of mobile phones during flights, apart from takeoff and landing. Can't wait for my next long haul flight. Not sure my nerves could stretch for 13 hours cross Atlantic if I had to sit next to TomCruise. The only forgivable situation in which I would personally allow phone use on a plane is if it was on heading down; nose first, at high speed. And that really would be the exception! How about a quiet crossword to occupy your time? A book? A magazine? Or just be with yourself for a while. That seems scary, I understand. The phone is off, you are out of touch. There are people who may have been trying to ring and you don't even know. There could be the most important message ever sitting in your inbox. The one that could have changed your life...

But sarcasm and humor aside, I am truly concerned that 'we', as people growing up with technology, have forgotten to just be by ourselves. To rest, to inhale, to feel the need to be alone, to revel in our own company at times. To see peace and quiet as a chance to replenish our energies just like sleep would. A constant need to be in touch and feeling lost without a constant technological connection is not healthy. Not for the person in constant, uninterrupted communication, nor for those who have no choice but listen. Just turn the damn thing off for a while!!

Btw, I am given a new phone for myself - a gift from my Love...Lots of features tapi tak tahu guna :p