HDFC standard life insurance sucks again

Can't imagine any policy as pathetic as this. Contacting customer care is the worst. You call them and wait for them to pick your call for minutes and then, they can't mail you the details you requested for and they can only tell over phone!!!
 

Missed FunNFood

There used to be this nice small restaurant called "Fun N Food" in BTM second stage and Rupesh and I were big fans of it. So, this time, when we went to Bangalore, that was on our top agenda to go there and have nice sattu parathas. We went to the place at 9pm and made sure not to eat much any where else so that we can indulge in those nice sattu parathas. But, when we went there, we realized that the restaurant is no more. I was thinking, BTM is already developed somuch that I won't find any changes. But, to my surprise, we could see lot of changes. However, certain things like Ganesha Fruit juice center, cuppa are still there. We passed our car slowly from the place where we were living and felt all nostalgic. Man, I loved that place and still loves it. I could see fruit vendors selling fresh fruits here and there which I miss here for sure and the place is still very lively!! We had parathas in laddoos and as an ice on cake, we celebrated my sis-in-law's b'day and Amey's 11th month b'day by cutting a sweet chariot cake at 11 in the night with my nephews and niece awake at that late night!!

Yesterday, I was in a temple and after taking prasad, I was looking around to sit and then found a place where I can sit. At the same time, there was other lady (who haven't observed me) occupied the place by putting her bag and in few seconds, she realized that I am also trying to sit there. As she saw me as pregnant, she said "Please sit" and then took one fruit from her bag and gave it to me. When I said Thanks to her offer, she blessed saying "You will have a baby boy". I said "I don't mind who ever it is (boy/girl)". May be, she haven't expected this reply and so said "I don't know. It just came out of my heart".

Some one was saying that one of her daughter wanted daughter when she was pregnant but when son is born, after hearing the people's response, they were happy that it is a boy. Some how, I still don't understand why is this discrimination even in this generation. For me, it doesn't matter.

My dad never treated us separately from my brother. We got same options in education that my brother got. So, I never felt any such difference. And if I see people preferring boy for this simple reason that other people are also preferring, I just tried to act opposite and say I want a baby girl. :) Surprising is that many ladies prefer boys over girls!!! And, then I saw this image in FB and felt how true it is

You need mom, wife,sister then why don't you want a girl?

Update: Finally, what that lady said on that day became true. It's a boy. Grown up now. :)

My experience with marks re-evaluation

Ok. The story goes back to long long ago (Yeah, I know. I am getting older). I was in +2 ( also called intermediate second year). I knew it was the day the results (only pass/fail) will be out in news paper. I wasn't very much concerned as I was damn sure that I anyway will pass the examination. All, I was concerned was how many marks I would be getting. There was a father of our classmate who came to drop his daughter and had a paper with him. It still has time for the first bell to ring. So, there were few people in class room and the uncle was looking for our results in paper. So, when my turn came, he asked my number and I gave my number though, I am not much interested (I had very huge confidence that I will pass :) ). He looked at my number and said "oh! you are failed!". That was a shock for me (Given the state I was in earlier :P ). I rechecked and it's confirmed, I was failed. All I can think the reason to fail was "May be, I haven't tied additional papers well with thread and that might have got lost". But, you know, at the end, you are failed. So, I started feeling sad and the classes were taken. Each and every lecturer try to console and say, "you have September and you can get it done. Focus well on studies". I was in no mood to hear all those things and tears used to drop from my eyes when ever I hear these consolations and am in no mood to accept my failure. Some neighbors and some acquaintance consolations/sarcastic statements were working wrongly. Whenever, they remind (If at all, I forgot) this and I start feeling sad and tears used to drop. So, things weren't going as smooth as it was earlier. Though, my parents supported very much and never brought that topic at all in front of me as they know me :)

Finally, thru some contacts, our college principal got to know marks of mine(before state board sent to college) and called me into his room to discuss the same. He told me "Be brave to hear the results and don't get shocked". So, he asked me to note down each subject's marks and I started noting down. Almost every subject, I passed with distinction except one. And, that is Maths, Paper-1 (Yeah, there were two maths papers and I don't remember the reason why now?). And the marks were out. The marks are "3". After listening this, I couldn't control my laughter. My principal was wondering why am I laughing. My theory for my failure in a subject was "the additional papers might have missed while tying to main sheet). So, even if additional papers are lost, it is impossible for me to get 3 marks for main sheet. And that too, it is maths. You can't write one full main sheet for one question that can give 3 marks!!". So, excluding this paper, I got 350+ out of 470/475 (Don't remember this number exactly now). Now, I am very sure that something went wrong and I asked for re-evaluation.

When my dad heard this story, he said "It's ok. You have betterment in September and it's maths paper and you can score very good marks in it. Even, in worse case, if you get 50+. you will cross 400 (yeah, those days, it was treated as very good score). So, it's ok". I was adamant. I said "Why should I be called as one subject failed person at all. I want to go for re-evaluation and want to get more marks in other subject where I can get". So, he, along with a person, who have some contacts in state board went to Hyderabad. So, the person in state board asked for a bribe of Rs6k, just to show the paper. So, My dad and other person decided to sue a case against the marks in Court. So, there was a case filed. Mean while, I started preparing for betterment. Just, one day before the betterment exams start, the news is out that our lawyer won the case against the marks and the re-evaluation of the paper showed marks as "72" out of 75. Aah. That was a big relief to me and I can't forget my lifetime of those moments (The pain and the happiness at the end). And, as an ice on the cake, I topped in town for First year results!

So, moral of the story: Don't rank yourself based on what some one said and don't worry even if you have failed. It's not the end of the story. :)

Again on Education System

Have been observing these school ads. Every one says the same. One says, next stop is Stanford. And other try to impress one category of people with terms like "IIT Coaching from LKG!". Look into any school ad, they will have "IIT, AIEEE, Medical". They want to start educating people keeping these in mind!!!! Please, Please, give kids an education which will be useful for their life time. Not just to crack IIT or other. That is secondary and will follow if you teach proper education. Rather telling them to cram something, improve their questioning power and make them think why it has to be in this way? Teach them, how to work as a team. What each subject says and why? Not because, just it is in books and so we have to follow them.

I really got irritated by these ads and get irritated when ever I see them. But, you know, all at the end is business. No one damn care about other. They want to make money so, they want more people to join and they can attract majority of the people by using those *words*.

I don't understand why sports is not part of education. At least, do something good for kids.

My current favorite song going in infinite loop

Mann yeh sahib ji
Jane hai sab ji
Phir bhi banaye bahane

Naina nawabi ji
Dekhe hai sab ji
Phir bhi na samjhe ishare

Mann yeh sahib ji
Haan karta bahane
Naina nawabi ji
Na samjhe ishare

Samjhe ishare
Dheere dheere
Naino ko dheere dheere
Jiya ko dheere dheere
Bhayo re saibo

Dheere dheere
Naino ko dheere dheere
Apna sa dheere dheere
Lage re saibo

Surkhiyan hai hawaon mein
Do dilon ke milne ki
Ha haan arziya hai nazaron mein
Lamha yeh tham jane ki

O kaise hazuri ji
Yeh lab dikhaye
Chupi laga ke bhi
Gazab hai yeh dhaaye

Dheere dheere
Naino ko dheere dheere
Jiya ko dheere dheere
Bhayo re saibo

Dheere dheere
Begana dheere dheere
Apna sa dheere dheere
Lage re saibo

Saibo, saibo…

Dheere,

Dheere (Aa….)

Dheere, dheere

Saibo

Dheere

Education System - At its worst ( in my opinion )

Recently, my five year old niece went for some entrance exams for getting an admission to two schools. In one school, the time management is so bad that they called kids at 11:30 or 12 and made them to wait for hours and finally my niece came out at 3:30pm!! Come on guys, they are kids. Can't you have some time sense at least for them?

And, there is this another school called New Horizon in Bangalore. And, just see the kind of questions they are asking for Class-I entrance exam. Kids have been asked to copy an English para and also asked to copy a Hindi para (!!!, they are still learning A,B,C s of Hindi and these people are asking for copying Hindi paragraphs). I don't understand what are they going to teach in 1st class now? Also, I heard that they had some questions on English grammar. I don't know. I feel these kind of entrance exams should be banned and the school administration should be punished for it. Come on, it is such an young age for kids. Why the hell you need an entrance exam!!! Wish Govt take these kind of thing seriously. This is not right way of education.

My Saga of cooking

Ok. my current work environment has provided(or forced :D) me to sharpen my cooking skill. One day, I fedup with the canteen food (yeah. haven't seen this pathetic food earlier) and feel I can prepare better than this. Sometimes, I succeeds and that gives me motivation and sometimes, I fail (Yeah, it actually happened oneday that I beat my canteen food :(, can't imagine but happened in reality ). Then, I feel, why to torture my husband too with this food and give up cooking. But one day, I again feel that I can prepare better and start cooking and the story continues in infinite loop. :)