The people in general seem to be of helping nature and not hostile to foreigners, especially the dark skinned ones like us. But one aspect that I found a little annoying was the obsession with the language – well, they almost seem to believe that there is no need for any other language while there is French! With everything right from the labels on the home appliances to all the TV channels to the un-pronounceable street names, it does get inconvenient and tedious for outsiders who don’t happen to know French. As one Parisian colleague was heard saying – some French guys can be really snotty and obnoxious in their behaviour towards tourists, considering that Paris is such a favourite and most sought after tourist destination in the world. I guess it doesn’t help that they get all the attention and the tourist influx without having to really work hard for it.
On that note, I leave you with some pics from my first actual evening out in Paris – spent watching the spectacle of the breath-taking lighting display at the magnifique Eiffel tower!
The Eiffel Tower spectacle
I actually began writing this post about a couple of weeks ago – about how we got our landline telephone connection so quickly that I was was maha-thrilled about it – the feeling matched that of the good old days when telephone was still considered a luxury that few could afford. But then, thanks to some muddles among the BSNL staff departments themselves, our phone went dead the very next day and also came back to life equally quickly too – thanks to hubby’s PR skills (as usual!). Well, somewhere along the way my excitement about writing that particular post just petered away.
Now the situation is that we have obtained a landline telephone and the broadband connection from no less than Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited – in less than three weeks. If that is not an achievement, then tell me what is?! It just goes to prove two things – there is still hope for the likes that depend on Government related agencies/ PSUs – all is not lost, and also good PR always pays! 
As you can guess, I have suddenly become more active on the social networking sites and feel much less handicapped while at home. Internet is like an extra limb, don’t you think? It is just so comforting to know that it is just a hand’s reach away and one doesn’t have to wait for another time and opportunity to be able to access it. Gosh! Sometimes just the thought of how much it has brought the world’s people closer together, overwhelms me!
Of course, with me logged onto the net many evenings, the hubby isn’t too happy, but I’m now thrilled that I have a thirumantra to counter all his TV-watching-hours which irks me no end! Sigh! It’s only good for argument sake I know – me in front of the laptop and he in front of the TV, is not the happy us-time I want to visualize!
Getting back to the original intent of this post – I was reminded of the time when we first got the landline connection at home – it was nothing less than a milestone in our lives. The fact that we could call people – friends, relatives, acquaintances and speak to them whenever we felt like – we were so excited. Especially me, I was in high school I think – I could exchange numbers with my friends – we could call up and discuss homework and doubts and syllabus before exams! Wow! Once the instrument was installed and the connection to the neighborhood telephone pole made I was waiting for the moment when the phone would ring and we would be given our number. I can still remember that very first ringing tone of our phone! I was the privileged one as it was the school vacations and I had excitedly called up my dad at office to tell him the good news!
Sigh! Whatever happened to the days when such simple accomplishments brought so many pleasures?!
ಹೊಸ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಆಚರಿಸಿದ ಹೊಸ ಬಗೆಯ, ಬಣ್ಣದ ರಂಗಿನ ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಹೊಳಪಿನ ದೀಪಾವಳಿಯ ಒಂದು ಕಿರುನೋಟ!
ಈ ಹಬ್ಬವು ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಬಾಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಖ, ಶಾಂತಿ, ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ಹೊಸ ಬೆಳಕನ್ನು ಚೆಲ್ಲಲಿ ಎಂದು ಆಶಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ…
