Born in 1979 BC

Woke up with a start today when the 2nd alarm went off. I usually don't even hear the 1st. AG, poor guy, has to shut it off. He then lies in bed twisting and turning until the 2nd alarm rings which usually means "if-you-don't-get-off-that-damn-bed-now-u're-gonna-be-late!!" Silenced it as well and promptly went back to sleep.

And now am late!! Worse... have forgotten my cellphone at home :( It was only after boarding the bus to work that I realised it! By then I was left with 2 choices:
1) Beg the driver to stop the bus and let me go
2) Sit put
And so there I sat with dismay writ on my face and looking like I am going to get my tooth out!

After work today I have my Pilates class, so by the time I see my phone again it will be 8:30 in the evening and God alone knows how many calls I will miss until then.
To think that I got a cellphone just 4 years back and to think that I spend almost half my life without even a landline at home (We got our phone connection when I was 12!) ... and now I am going to spend a day in agony just because I forgot my phone at home!

We have indeed come a long way from the days of trunk call and MTNL (Mera Telephone Nahin Lagta) to cellphones which are phones and hand held computers and mp3 players and gameboys and digital cameras and video cameras all rolled in one. You can chat/sms/mms/buy n' sell/surf/check scores/read books/shoot movie clips/listen to music/check events and a hundred such activities which you wouldn't have dreamt of doing with your humble phone a few years back. Now only if it could cook too!

About 12 years ago getting a landline meant booking a phone connection and then unless you know someone influential or can dole out an astronomical bribe, waiting a couple of years until your turn comes up. And hey! even then thank your stars if your phone worked 10 days out of 20. Come monsoon with the slightest of drizzles and your ugly black phone would end up merely as an ornamental addition to your living room. Those days STD meant booking a trunk call and then waiting with bated breath for the better part of the day for the call to come through. And if your need was urgent you could try the lightning call which would burn a hole in your pocket.

In contrast, on my last visit to India I saw kids toting their brand new Motorola clamshells and Sony P900's to school. We have come a long way indeed and compared to these techie-wiz teenagers I have started to feel like a dinosaur! Come to think of it, for me BC is Before Christ and for them it is Before Cellphones!