Are you an Airtel Subscriber? Do you recharge with a booster pack every month that lets you send 100 free SMS? Which otherwise costs Rs 0.05/SMS? Well, do you experience this odd, annoying thing where you have to quit the free service notice reply every time you send an SMS before you receive another one? I’m a Vodaphone subscriber but I’ve seen messages getting clogged up in my friends’ phone if they forget to quit that service reply. And they keep wondering why they haven’t gotten any response yet, only to find that this service reply is bottling it. I hear that it really gets to you when you are flirting hard in the middle of a class. No, it’s not specific to any phone I guess. I’ve seen it in Sony Ericsson, Nokia models. My friends say it’s the Rs. 36 booster pack. Any call 49 ps, Airtel to Airtel 30 ps and 100 SMS free per day.

As usual, Ragha found someone to cheat. This time, Vasanth Christopher’s cousin, Sam who, by the way, was always found making multi million dollar deals on the phone, huddling in a corner at IIT Saarang yesterday. Of course, I was asked to come as an after thought, only a half an hour before. Adithya, Ragha and me drove to Saarang in Sam’s car at around noon. We wandered here and there a bit, watched people performing impromptu dance to some soundtracks on makeshift stages, people walking with their faces painted, dragons and flowers tattooed on their arms. It was what it should be. A cultural fest. Fortunately Sam knew where he was going and led us into Central Lecture hall or something. I think it was Decibals event. Or Acoustyx. I don’t remember seeing any poster. Bands played mostly with acoustic guitars, basses, drums and keyboards here. An A cappella group from Bangalore was there too. Watch here at Marc’s blog an A Cappella group performing. They were quite good. A decent performance. 3 boys and 4 girls, each adding a different sort of music. Needless to say, they were not engineering students. They sang Alien Ant Farm (or MJ?) ‘Smooth Criminal’, Rockapella ‘Zombie Jamboree’ and two other songs. They were meant to sing only three songs I guess but seeing the response they got, they asked the audience if one more can be sung. The audience drowned the IITian’s refusal who was compering the event and the poor chap had to allow it. We left after that shortly, after gulping some food bought at the stalls. You can bet we didn’t buy the food. Sam did.

And I think this is one of group’s video.

What? WHAT? WHAT??

Alright, how low will a national newspaper stoop to attract readership base?
“Get both sides of the story” one says and the other one says “Institute releases vital statistics”. And I’m on the look out for any other DC hoardings in the city with a more smuttier tag line.

6,07,446 copies of DC in circulation in Andhra Pradesh, it says. No surprise there…
I’m not that big fan of DC but I know some who are. I find DC extremely obsessed with page 3 celebrities. Who cares what parties they hit after sun-down? Every page you turn in the supplement, there’s a obscure celebrity staring back at you.

I’m not endorsing The Hindu either. Yes, it tends to get boring sometimes but at least it doesn’t put up hoardings all around the city claiming ‘Institute releases vital statistics’ on some model’s breasts. You get my drift.

Btw, I found this picture in this dude’s blog.

I had been to my college to get a bona fide certificate for passport application. It was nice riding the scooter, wearing the helmet and all without a driver’s license as the day was somewhat cloudy, although it never converted into a downpour. Anyway, I reached my college, had a light-hearted talk with one of the lecturers ( no, I’m perfectly sane) and went to the manager’s office to get the certificate. There, the bona fide was typed out and a print out was handed to me. They then asked me to fill up a requisition form for the bona fide ( how brilliant! after the bona fide is printed!) and get it attested from my new Vice Principal who was temporarily (or permanently?) alloted the Audio-Visual room which we haven’t found any particular use so far. I enter his room, give my bona fide first inadvertently because he has to put his signature in the bona fide too. He signs the bona fide and hands it over to me. I then remember my folly and ask him to sign the requisition form as well. Here’s what happened:

V P: What is this?

Me: Requisition form, sir. The manager wants you to sign that one too.

V P: I want a requisition letter not a form.

(You signed the bona fide anyway, dumbass. Does it matter?)

Me: It’s the one that we have to fill up for a bona fide, sir.

V P: Then ask your HOD to sign this form first or else I won’t give you the bona fide.

(The bona fide is in my hand, mind you)

Me: But, sir, she isn’t there in her office right now and I can’t come again tomorrow, sir.

(Which was quite stupid of me cause I had it anyway)

V P: I tell, you go (sic). Don’t waste my time.

The Manager was kind enough to let me have the bona fide even without his squiggly signature on the stupid form. I don’t know why people are such cretins, especially in my college. Engineering college.

I’m tired of explaining to people the meaning of beta. Each and every git goes like this, ‘Show me the money dude, I’ll sign up’. MGinger won’t start sending out SMS ads or cheques right away. The other day Mginger found a slot on CNN IBN where they met up with the CEO, MGinger based in Bangalore. He made it clear that the companies trying to get their products onto the market are trying out new mediums and this new venture, being the first in India is certainly catching on as their subscriber base has touched a 300,000 mark in just a month’s time. Once a strong subscriber base is established naturally companies will pour in. Why don’t you get it? What’s so hard in this to believe?

Companies paid TV channels to air their ads while you were denied your right to the share of the money. Now the ads come straight to your inbox and you’re paid for reading them. It’s a new medium that’s working out. So sign up here:

http://www.mginger.com/index.jsp?inviteId=99918

I can understand the concern of girls reluctant to part with their personal information online. I don’t know when they will start to get real (cause they are partly stupid) and stop being paranoid. But what’s with boys?! Stop being a sissy and get back your balls!

Adbux is another money making venture. You click websites, say 10 per day and get paid $0.01 for each website you click. First sign up for a free account in paypal.com for money transfers. Sign up here:

http://adbux.org/?r=fogdude

For proof that Adbux pays you check out Marc’s blog right here: link

Prepare to bid adieu to the movie going experience in Chennai come January 1st. Thanks to the Government fixing the rates which would only shunt the number of people going to movie halls in the city at least.

I’m very well convinced that Chennai is becoming some sort of test facility to evaluate particular schemes and services over the long run oblivious to the city’s populace. First the CAS, now this and other absurd ones that appeared sporadically through out and made it to the front page of newspapers. They all were implemented with least resistance from the people.

The plight of Mayajaal will be pathetic if this ticket price ceiling becomes effective. Since it comes under some village panchayat, the maximum price will be fixed at Rs 15 and minimum at Rs 5!! As Marc says they surely will hike prices right from parking to peeing. The CEO of Mayajaal Entertainment says there are no ‘immediate’ plans to hike prices.

The multiplexes will run at a loss. I wouldn’t be surprised if the walls of the screens are lined with betel yucky stains. This in turn will lead only to more piracy.

Well, we shouldn’t actually let that bother us. All we need to do is increase the frequency of burning DVDs manifold. The services of Ragha and brothers Shrey and Shitik for their exotic hobby of collecting movies will be applauded as never before.

Hail Ragha, hail Piracy!

Edit: The Govt. revised the plans for the multiplexes taking into account the facilities offered by them. Bugger that.