RelianceIndiaCall customer/service goof up

Calling cards are generally like lottery tickets, sometimes the lines are clear, sometimes they are not, and sometimes you need to use the card in full. But with relianceindiacall, there is generally no problems whatsoever. They have a nice web ui, nice report of the calls you have made, the balance and stuff. They also have a nice customer service where you generally dont have to listen to some old desi lady.

The other problem with calling cards, are the pain that you have to take in entering the long 1800 number, then the long 11 digit account number then a four digit ping. Before you enter the number to call which itself will be another 12 digits. Thats a lot of numbers to type in.

So basically Reliance has this facility where, instead of the 11 digit number you can give the number which you generally make the call as your account number (1 followed by the 10 digit number). So from next time, you basically dont need to enter the account number and the pin. This basically is a good idea, works mostly if the phone number is your private number. Not if the number is a hotel number, and that too a hotel where heck a lot of IT desis stay. And Reliance might have mentioned about this in small letters some where or in bold in some policy page, but most hotel residing desi people do not read this, frankly who does. So what they do, give the hotel number as their account number, and merrily start talking. At the same time, another desi in another room, picks up the phone, dials the 1800 number, and waits for the operator to say "please enter your account number" instead to his fortune he hears "please enter the number, starting with 91". Damn, he enters the India number, damn another lucky message, "you have 350 mins of talktime available. Damn, why would somebody buy this much amount of talk time at one go? So finally the desi realizes this, passes the message to another desi. It reaches to another desi, and passes on till all the desis hear :).

The funny part is, one desi calls up the customer service, to let them know that something like this is happenning, and can they find out who has registered on the number and if they can intimate the person about the goof up. And all that the desi heard from the customer service rep was, "Sorry you need to send an email, we cannot do a damn thing, this is taken care by another dept, and we can not transfer you to that dept". Why would this desi, take the pains to email and not enjoy the free calls, free is good is it not?

Enjoying art

Tequila tasting

Oxymoron i thought, how do tequila and tasting, go hand in hand? I have never tasted tequila before, it was always with a lime, salt and boom toro tequila shots. Instant buzz. With this thought i went to the tequila tasting party with some of my project mates. By the end of hour I tasted some amazing tequila.

The host of the hour started us off with some tasty appetizers, to get us going. Then he went on to explain how tequila is made, how agave's are farmed. How long does each type of agave, take to grow. How they are hand distilled. How long they are kept in the barrel and stuff. And also how criminal it is to outsource tequila production. For more in formation about tequila, check out here.

We were served three different kinds of tequila, Blanco, Reposado and Anejo, distilled by Tezon. Each of these tequila have different smell, different "first" taste, and different "after effect" taste. Atlest that's what we felt after the host told us about it. All the three tequilas are aged differently.

A common myth about tequila, is that it contains a worm in it. But according to our host, the worm comes from the agave itself, and it denotes the fact that the plant is infested with worms. But to make the tequila more interesting, and as a marketing gimmick, some distillers do put the worm in the tequila. The host showed us one such bottle as well.

Go taste the tequila next time.

Back in States

You know you are in the States, when you see that weird red haired girl with mixed Hispanic, Black, Caucasian, Asian looks, ear phones, whacking her head right left centre, pierced, torn jeans.

What all can you take from the flight?

I have seen people taking sample liqour bottles, salt, sugar, pepper, the steamed towel. What's the maximum that somebody can take, before you can call him ghir gaya saala?

Does spoons, forks and knives come in the takeable items list?

Folding the newspaper given by the airlines into neat paper bags, wiping the spoons and forks clean and putting them into the bags. Does this constitute a gross act?

Banana joke in the flight

Two middle aged dudes with a pronounced Indian accent, one oriental air hostess (AH)with a pronounced Chinese accent

The dudes (TD) - one more butter please

AH - the butter is there sir

TD - no no, one more

AH - no no sir, no butter, one on the plate

TD (angry) - we want one more

AH - no no, one is on the plate

ME (laughing)

AH to ME - Tell them that there is a butter on the plate, and only one butter per person

TD to ME - Ask her to give us one more butter

The nada Junglee