Stressful modern conveniences

Within the last few days, three things broke down on us - the flush of both toilets in our home and, most annoyingly, my Blackberry. While many may find them merely small issues, they really are not if you're working within various constraints like time (baby is due anytime!), money and skill.

We first discovered that the toilet in our bathroom was leaking when we moved into our new place in December. We chose to ignore it as we were too tired to deal with it then. When our water bill came this month, we decided that we needed to fix it as it was not just leaking water but cash! So, three days ago, husband and I put both our wanting plumbing skills together to fix the leak. We found that the water pump was faulty. Motivated, we made our way to the nearest hardware store and purchased a generic pump which we hope will work. 

When we got home, we started taking the water tank apart only to find that we don't have the right tools to deal with it. So we called on some friends to see if they have the wrench we need. Finally one friend's brother owns one and we will pick it up tomorrow (sigh...delay = inconvenience=stress). But on the night we got home from the hardware store, I discovered that the guest toilet was also leaking! So now we have to see if we succeed in fixing the first one before we work on the second one...

A few evenings ago, my Blackberry went kaput. It wouldn't let me do anything except call the last person who calls me! While the handheld has served me well for over two years and due for an upgrade offer (by the telcom company), I decided end of last year to stick with it as it still functioned for what I needed it for. Unfortunately its demise was due. 

Finally got a new Blackberry at a decent price and was charging and setting it up last night when I discovered that it kept going into rebooting mode on its own! What a bummer! A search on Google confirms that it's pretty common problem with the model I bought. And worse, there hasn't been one solution for it - many users had to trouble-shoot and it's basically hit or miss. Some ended up returning the phone and some got a replacement that works. I spent most of today trying to figure out what's wrong with it and I MAY have solved the issue but it's still too early to tell. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

The point of this entry, I guess, is an ask-out-loud question of why things, specifically supposedly  modern conveniences, always break down at the wrong time and the solution is always highly stressful. Are these unnecessary hassle that we bring upon ourselves? For example, why do I need a Blackberry now when I didn't even own a cellphone for the first half of my adult life? And why do have fancy pumps nowadays when the first generation toilet flushes worked just as well? Are our lives really easier and simpler with these "progressive" gadgets? Hmm...  

Of iPods and airports

I'm on the road again - this time for a week. Unlike my last few trips to India, I have come equipped. My typical trip to India involves visits to a few cities and that means hours and hours of transit at various bleak Indian airports (the worst I've been so far has been Kolkata's).

Before, I would while away my hours by reading. But sometimes after a bumpy and winding 4-hour car ride, I am just too tired to read. C'mon, the lady just wants to vege!

Recollection of such distressing moments at airports compelled me to buy an iPod a few weeks ago. After all, isn't getting a MacBook the first step towards Apple addiction?
(Pix courtesy of http://wanderingdanny.com/hong-kong/markets-museums-temple.html)

With a whopping 80 Gb of space, I could have seasons and seasons of my favorite tv shows on it - 30 Rock, CSI, Will&Grace, etc. Last evening, while waiting for my connecting flight in New Delhi, I saw five episodes of CSI!!!

As resistant as I am to the impact of technology on our lives and relationships, I wonder how I have managed without my gadgets. Alas, I think I may have arrived at the dark side...

Old friends on Facebook

While I have always associated internet-networking sites like Friendster, MySpace and the like with young teenagers posting their babble and shameless pixs of themselves online, I changed my mind recently about a site that works on a similar principle - Facebook. When I was first "invited" by a friend to join the online network, I was skeptical but decided to take the plunge after I discovered that a good number of my more sensible friends are on it, too. (And no, this is NOT a paid or sponsored posting by Facebook in case you're wondering.)

After joining the network late last year, I have found old, old friends that I would otherwise not know where to look. As I've lived on several continents in the last 15 years, my friends are spread across the globe. Again, Facebook has been wonderful to connect me with friends all over. Friends from church when I was a barely a teenager came a knocking on my Facebook door asking if I were the I'Ching they knew way back when. Today, a couple we know who are not quite the computer savvy type, added me to their friends list. How cool is that! Such applications of technology has definitely enhanced the possibilities of our social life.

However, are such platforms really helping us connect better as gregarious creatures? Have our relationships improved with the advent of such messengers? I'm not sure they have. We may think that we are connecting better but what we are doing better is just the technique - the substance of our relationships has not gotten better, I believe. While one can send hugs over Facebook, nothing will ever take the place of a real hug - the warmth, the touch and the smell of a real person. Communicating in short text sentences will never ease the pain of a broken heart as powerfully as crying to a friend over a cup of tea.

Another lifetime conversion

I finally did it! After being faithful to the PC since I was introduced to computers, I finally converted to Macintosh today. This decision was largely fueled by my recent battles with viruses and the poor quality of my last PC laptop (Acer). I've only had it for a little over two years and it has crashed on me (last November due to a few strains of viruses despite having Norton anti-virus installed) and its space bar is kaput.

After doing some research online and talking to some friends who've made the conversion, I decided that the higher cost of a MacBook is probably worth it since I don't have to worry much about purchasing anti-virus programs. By the way, have you ever wondered if those anti-virus software guys are the ones who write all these new viruses so that they can stay in business? Hmmm... I wonder!

I'm still trying to get used to my new stylish little MacBook and feeling a little frustrated at times - it's like learning how to ride a bike all over again! - but I'm sure I'll soon enjoy it. As my friend, Sharon, remarked when I told her that I'm considering a conversion, "Welcome to the light-side!"