Posts Tagged ‘real’
Then I woke up
After quite a while, I had a bad dream last night. Funnily enough, I remember quite a few details of it. With those details in mind, I try to understand the reason behind the dream.
I have not been in a great spirits last few weeks with a lot of things bothering me, and I guess this dream might be connected to it.
The setting was in a neighborhood that I have lived in long back. But it was O! So drastically changing. It was not completely changed, mind you. But huge infrastructural change was going on in front of me. I was there discussing with an unknown young fellow about landmarks which were no longer there.
Then there was a murder case which that guy told me about. A murder that took place in the same neighborhood recently, but in a house that was not there during my time. It was a two story house overlooking a lake. But there was no lake when I lived there. A guy killed a girl and then shot himself. They were both students who lived on rent there. Then there was a tale of the ‘girl that lived’. Apparently this guy open fired, one girl died on the stop and the other girl remain unscathed.
I found myself talking to that dead girl. Séance of some kind. She was telling me how that guy entered her room, told her he has already killed two others and shot her dead. She didn’t know anything else. There was no reference of two others killed anywhere in my dream.
I found myself crying for some reason with all the sadness around. Then I woke up.
Phishing call: True Story
Friends, I got the below call yesterday.
Phone: Am I talking to Arpit Garg? a feminine voice enquired.
Me: Yes, speaking.
Phone: Sir, This is Rachna calling from ICICI bank. Your credit card is being replaced by a new Red Alert Credit Card, which preempts fraudulent transactions. I need to verify your existing card details to issue the new card.
Me: Is there any charge involved? I asked cautiously.
Phone: No Sir. This is card is absolutely free with no annual charges.
Me: No onetime or hidden charges? I asked again, having burnt my fingers a few times before.
Phone: No Sir. This is a free replacement. Can you tell me your date of birth for verification?
Me: ******
Phone: Thanks Sir. Can you confirm the expiry date of the card?
It started sounding fishy. No one from the bank has ever asked me for expiry date for verification.
Me: Can you please tell me the last four digits if my credit card. I want to check if you are from the bank after all.
Phone: Arpit Sir, I can’t tell you this till I verify your details. Please confirm me the expiry date of your card.
Me: **** I was reeled in for a min.
Phone: Thanks Sir. Can you confirm the issue date?
That did it for me.
Me: Sorry I am not carrying the card today.
Phone: Try and remember Sir. The new card can’t be issued without this verification.
Me: Sorry, I don’t recall the issue date.
Phone: Okay, when can I call you then?
Me: Call me tomorrow, same time. I hung up.
I called the bank in a hurry, afraid to have revealed the DOB and Expiry date of the card. The lady was quite convincing, I was deceived.
ICICI Bank: Hello Sir, This is Rajesh from ICICI bank, your wealth management officer. Thank you for calling from your registered mobile number. How can I help you?
Post initial verification. I told him the whole story.
ICICI Bank: Sir, it’s good that you didn’t divulge any details. We don’t have any such product.
As a precaution I got my card blocked. The next day, I got the call at the designated time. I was ready.
Phone: Hello Arpit sir, this is Rachna from ICICI bank. We talked yesterday. I need to verify your card details. Hope you are carrying your card today.
Me: Lady, I called ICICI bank and I know that you are a fraud. Where are you calling from?
“Beep…beep…beep”, she hung up.
I sent a mail to antiphising@icicibank.com reporting the incident and mentioning the two mobile numbers I got the call from. Incidentally one of them showed up as ICICI Bank on TrueCaller. Such was the attention to detail.
Beware from such calls and don’t reveal your details under any circumstance.
Update Sep 10: I have been receiving similar calls continuously from different numbers from Delhi claiming to be from ICICI Delhi office. Have forwarded details to ICICI bank. They have informed me that they are investigating it and also urged me to get in touch with Cyber Crime Police Cell. I told them I don’t have luxury of this much time.
Is it really the change?
“Post marriage everything changes. People change. Things which were once liked become irritating. The childishness which used to be kinky turns into advice of getting matured. Promises get broken, love dissipates. Pillows which were used for fights start defining the boundaries. Relationship becomes sour.”
We all would have heard such lines, haven’t we? What’s the story behind? I don’t believe that core of a person can change after a certain age. During the formative years yes, but not post that. So what’s this change that people talk about?
Sometimes expectations on which a relationship is built are not met post marriage leading to the issues. Broadly speaking there are two types of love. Based on Thrust and Based on Trust. Let’s take them one by one.
Love Based on Thrust
When we meet somebody, find the person attractive, we try to woo him/her. Boys would laugh at girls’ jokes, no matter how pathetic they are. They would go all out to make her believe they are they for her no matter what. The gifts, the roses, the promises are all thrusted in to design a make believe world of dreams. Never was the laughter real, never was the care from the heart, never did the gifts hold any meaning, never were the promises made to be kept.
Girls would meet boys all dressed up, looking attractive. Would portray that she likes him just the way he is, with all the goods and ills. Possessiveness is considered to be endless love. When he spends loads of money, she likes it. Later the dressing up stops. She starts to dislike the ills which she never liked in the first place. The possessiveness becomes engulfing and unbearable. The guy is just a spendthrift now.
Love Based on Trust
Love based on trust is a bit tricky. Mostly this is without any explicit proposal. It takes time. Often there was no great initial kick. Never was a need to impress, no pressure to be presentable. No pretentions, nothing. There were no promises made under false pretext to be broken. All gifts had some meaning. The laughter was real, the zeal was real. Everything was shared without fear. Neither of them pretended and hence no change perceived later.
Basically it’s not the change; it’s just that the real person comes to fore, which is never rosy. Be true to one and to each other. Remove that extra ‘h’ from thrust and have some trust.
A Mad Kitten
Bigg Boss: The Truman Show
For those who have watched Jim Carrey’s, “The Truman Show”, the Bigg Boss house too symbolizes the real world. Let’s see how.
Bigg Boss: He is the God, the almighty, the supreme. Members consider the decision of Bigg Boss their fate. They pray to their God to give them more food (budget) the coming week. They ask his forgiveness for any fault of theirs. They cry in the confession room. They get angry with him at times and as his children want him to be loving and caring.
Housemates: In this world we play various roles. Similarly the house mates take over different roles. Rahul becomes the toilet cleaner. Ketaki becomes the cook. Elina becomes the maid. Raja becomes the king. These roles are not allotted but are assumed.
Tasks: We all work to earn money, to get food. In the house too members perform a particular task to earn food for the coming week. If they fail, they don’t get paid that well and have to live with limited resources. This creates friction. ‘Coz scarcity of resources is the root cause of discontent and disruption. The work may not be what they wish to do. Still need to do it for living anyway.
Nominations: In real world we have friends and foes. We wish well for some and not so well for others. The nomination brings out the dark side. They want a person not be a part of their life anymore. They want the person they don’t like to leave the world. Simply they wish him to die. They pray to the God (Bigg Boss) to take their enemies away. They conspire to get rid of them.
Eliminations: The soul leaves the house. Bigg Boss decides to take a member away. A member goes out and only his memories remain. He is dead. The recurring elimination symbolizes that nothing is imperishable. Everyone has to die. Nature has to take its own course. The life continues.
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