Ma men and their genes

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: , ,


I have always considered my son to be a relatively shrewd individual.  He is quite aware of his surroundings and of the people he interacts with. Or so I thought until today morning.

I have been growing my hair out for a while now. I donated 10 inches of it yesterday and converted from a long braid/ponytail to a bob. My hair does not even reach my shoulders now. So it is a big change if you get it. My dear son and husband came with me to the salon as they wanted to see how it was done, then when I got home with the new haircut, not a single reaction from him (V I mean). I took a shower, came down and asked if he noticed my hair cut. Zilch, nada and nothing! So I figured ok maybe kids don’t notice these things and then went about our usual routine. I fed him dinner, took him to bed. And woke him up today morning and again asked him about my hair. Nothing still. Oh well.

Then we had breakfast and I took him to daycare. I open the door hardly a crack to the Giraffes’ room and I hear in a loud voice.  

Seany* asks “ Heyyy..your hair is short! You cut it?”

And my son just walks oblivious to all this towards him and shows Seany* his Spiderman toy.

Sigh..why are all the men ONLY in my family like this???


*Seany is V's best friend and Spiderman buddy at daycare

0 comments

Ten Ways to Bring the Zing Back in your life

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,

Here is an article I wrote for this month's - Nov 2011 issue of Spark. Very often we find ourselves stuck in a rut, not sure of what we are doing, wondering if we are happy. Here are some ways that one can constantly find happiness, live tension free and enjoy every minute of a life that is so short!

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For the love of knives

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: , ,

When you see the words "Uma" do you say it "uma" or "Uuma"?
Do the names "Kill Bill", "Quentin Tarantino" and "Hattori Hanzo" ring a bell?

If you have no idea what I am talking about; then I am sorry that you have spent this much time of your life not knowing about this phenomenon. Please read this and this before you proceed.

I was introduced to QT and to Kill Bill not too long ago and though I normally don't watch gory, blood thirsty movies, somehow this was different. Somehow I could see myself rooting for The Bride and wanting her to taste revenge. And the build up for the Hattori Hanzo sword, I wanted to hold it in my hands as much as she did.




If on your journey you should encounter God, God will be cut.


I was looking for steel too, Japanese Steel. So, now let us not get carried away since I am no Uuma and not out to kill any vermin, the knife I was looking for was for my kitchen. And when I felt this knife for the first time and sliced it through that carrot, I knew my search had ended and I had found the knife of my dreams. I am talking about the Santoku.

I am sorry that I spent these many years not knowing the feel of this and not enjoying the way it slices through almost anything {yes, be careful of your fingers}. I have always enjoyed chopping but with this new find, it takes on a new meaning and I look forward to my cutting sessions every time. There are many brands out there (Wusthof Shun Henckels Chicago Cutlery Calphalon) and many stores that carry them (Amazon Cutco Williams-Sonoma Walmart Target)- go find your perfect match and don't delay any further. It will be love at first cut I assure you!



PS1. Do not use a glass cutting board, it will dull the knife and abruptly end your love affair.
PS2. Thank you Mayuravalli Mukunthan and Sangeetha Seshadri for showing me what I was missing all along.

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Band Baaja Baaraat

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,

March 29th 2011


Three words. Anushka Sharma. Ranveer Singh. Chemistry.


Now if you have not watched the movie..go watch it for the above three.

And then I will say a few more words. I enjoyed this movie and totally fell for pretty much everything in it J It is a wonderful entertainer. I loved Anushka, I liked here in Rab ne but she owned the screen here. And the costumes…sigh! Now to Mr. Bittoo Sharma. He was not bad either, especially for a newcomer, he did wonderful. The thing that really appealed to me was the crispness of the dialogues and the way these two oozed confidence. They totally were the characters they played. Very nice. And their chemistry…less said, more felt the better.

Another thing that I liked about this movie and Hindi cinema off late is the fact that they explore new settings; such as this movie set on the background of wedding planning. I thought it was a nice way to infuse a newness in the age old romance of Bollywood movies. And for me my career choice after retirement is set! 


2 comments

Women - Let's empower Women

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: , ,


Happy Women’s day to every wonderful woman I know!

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary for this women's day- What does it mean to celebrate women on one day in a year and not do much the other 364 days, not much I say! And when we as women don’t do much to empower other women, and are in fact the cause in most cases for how society treats us..well, I am not sure where to start, so many thoughts plague my mind and I’ll try to focus on a few.

Obsession with the Male and all things associated
It has never stopped bothering me how most of the society we live in still unabashedly prays/wishes and blesses a pregnant woman that she birth a male child. Not a healthy child first and foremost mind you, but a male child. I can understand why the male child was so coveted in the past – easy enough to understand. Earning member in the family, progeny, no expenses for weddings, claim to dowry, bearer of all family burdens. The son is considered the one who will take care of parents, especially as they age and succumb to needing help. But correct me if I am wrong, it is the daughter in law or the son who *actually* does the taking care part, the tending to the whims and fancies part, the raising the children part, and finally giving up her own family to accept the new family as her own from the day she steps into the house. And in today’s world, add to all of this the paycheck she also brings home. So why why why is the female child not the one who is coveted? Should she not be the one who is a boon to have and the one whom every mother prays for? And pray why is it that a lady – who is a female is the one who prays/wishes and blesses for a son and not a man doing it? Why is it a mid-wife who is again a woman again who kills the female child.  Maybe because she does not want another daughter to undergo what she underwent? Beats me.

Marriage, Dowry and the associated
It is sad that most of our society still looks up to a lady who has borne only sons. It is sadder that they look down upon women who only have girls. And what do these women who have sons do – demand a big fat wedding from these other women who have daughters..so it is a woman to woman dealing here?! And while the son will go to any length to procure that cell phone or the bike that he wants or the romance at college that he will lie to his parents about, he will not go against his parents’ wishes being the obedient boy when they ask the girl’s parents to bear the wedding expenses. How convenient. Really? If you have not watched the movie “Father of the Bride” please do and that is the kind of worry a father should have. About the kind of love his daughter will receive, about how he is going to share her, not how he is going to afford the wedding. And to be frank what bothers most parents our generation is not even the question of affordability but the fact that it is taken for granted or assumed that they foot the bill and the groom’s parents think it is their birthright to ask for the same. Worse even is when they don’t even realize that what they are doing is wrong and in fact laud themselves personally that they don’t ask for a dowry. Really?

So it is wrong to have a grand wedding one might ask? Most definitely not. Weddings are usually once a lifetime affair and who says you should not celebrate it when those memories are with you for all your life. But how you go about it, who foots the bill and what you request vs. demand vs. own yourself will make those memories even more pleasant and will set a precedent for every member who attends your D day too.

Women – our own enemy

“My husband absolutely needs variety, he will not eat what I cook for lunch at dinner, I need to make something new every time.”

“Yes I come from a very modern family, we both work. But I still do 80% of the household chores too. After all that is the least I can do when I am allowed to work.”

“My daughter already has a daughter, I pray that at least her next one is a son.”

“Yeah, she is a real hi-fi type. Always wears make up and jeans. I don’t think she is family oriented at all.”

“Stop it! Don’t keep crying like a girl. Buck up and be a man!”

If any of the above sound familiar to you, just think about how you as a woman are putting yourself down. How you are empowering the male all the more in our society. How you personally by judging other women, are your own enemy. And the sad reality is much as we think we belong to a generation that is no longer facing these issues, if we take a moment and pause and think, it might not be these but I am sure there are other similar ones that you would have experienced. It would not hurt to stop a moment and think if each of us are doing anything consciously to hinder the progress women are making or actually helping it. Are we treating our own friends, our own children and our own parents –male and female alike? A small change personally will go a long way to change the ways of the world.

 
PS1: I have had the good fortune to be associated with some men and women who are exceptional in putting to practice what they preach, what they want to have, being the change they want to see. This post talks about the problems that plague us in general even in this generation and these individuals through their small ways impact the world around them in more ways than they know. Hopefully we can all be one of them!

PS2: While these touch on some issues that come to my mind, the worst undoubtedly is child sexual abuse and there it is a boon to be born a female as they are the ones in demand for trafficking, in the most pitiful sense definitely. And in most of these brothels it is other women who are the matrons who break these young minds and hearts.

While we may not be able to change everything in a day, with our thoughts, words and deeds let us help create a better world for the women of tomorrow. It is a pledge that every woman must make so that in the next 100 years, discrimination against the fairer sex will only be seen/read in history texts. It should never be ok that women are meant to be beaten and broken and violated - be it physically or mentally. And all this in many cases by another woman. And for that to change, the women must first take note and come together.

Is it too much to hope and ask that the women in our world come together so that *female* and *girl* become synonymous for how our scriptures intended us to be - revered and respected.


Things that fueled this post:
  1. This link shared by Gayathri, and this one by Bhargavi on Facebook. 
  2. Krish Ashok in The Alternative - here.
  3. These books - Half the Sky and Three cups of Tea.
  4. March issue of Spark.
  6. Many a conversation and personal experiences.








3 comments

Overdue, Yet Again!

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,


It is not uncommon for a library to have more than one copy of the same item. In fact it is expected I would think. However when you start having more than one copy of the same book (3 to be precise) in your home, you surely have a problem.

Our son loves Spiderman. If you don’t already know that, sorry to have left you behind. So anyway, he loves Spider man and he looks books..in that order. So we visit the library like 5 times a week. Every day when Appa comes home, V opens the garage door lovingly, not to welcome dad home but to ask 1) If a book Appa had requested at the library is here and has he got it? 2) If that that did not happen, then please can we wear jacket and go immediately to library to see if they have any Spiderman book?  And with the rain we get here in Portland, this is an activity that we allow him to indulge in gladly. Between Amma and Appa, I agree he has made one too many visits there.

Ok Ok I am getting to the point. So on Wednesday last week I got a notice that some of the books were due and I remember checking and returning all 5. Friday I saw on overdue notice for a book called “Spiderman Saves the Day”. I was surprised because I thought I returned it but hey my memory is not too good anyway, so I searched his pile and I found it. So I took it and returned it tsk tsking myself and reminding self to be more lenient with the Mr when he forgot to return something the next time. And then again today I get another overdue notice for the same book. I was just shocked because I began to question my eyesight, my memory and also the fact that I could not rely on myself to do anything right. And just for the heck of it, I looked in his pile of books and there was yet another “Spiderman Saves the Day”.

And finally I got it. Our son has been grabbing multiple copies of the same book on each of his trips to the library ?? As a result I was returning the book but not THE ONE book that was due!

As I was chiding myself for not being more watchful, I see Mr.V sitting in the middle of the living room, with 2 books in front of him – Identical Winnie the Poohs. And he points to Pooh bear calling me loudly, “Amma, paaru adhiliyum idhiliyum”. [Amma, see Poooh bear both in this and that]. Sigh..what do I do with this kid J

2 comments

A Mom's World

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,


  1. Losing their night’s sleep for what seems like forever and still continuing to smile and love the *being* that causes it J
  2. Reading the same story for the nth time with the exact same intonations and still feeling joy every time it is read if only to see that smile and the eyes light up!
  3.  Giving up taking strategic projects and influential roles just so she can come home to focus on her child learning his colors and abcs.
  4. Not knowing which date/day of the week it is because her measure of morning and night are by the teeth brushed, the mouth fed and the snuggles felt.
  5. Only a parent can understand that *color TV* literally means coloring the TV for some and take pride in the fact that their child can think cognitively.
  6. Shopping now means buying diapers, toys, puzzles and clothes always for someone else.
  7. Going through every hour of every day imagining the joy in picking up their child from childcare, searching for eye contact, in spotting that little head bobbing amongst the many others in the playground.
  8. Anything that does not get done in the 1 hr nap time that her child takes can wait.
  9. Joy and Sorrow take new meaning now because they are experienced through another being, in his/her smiles or tears. Being a mom is allowing a part of you to walk out of you.
  10. Feeling more pride in the fact that her child is potty trained than in the fact that she helps Moore's law become a reality or that Obama is visiting her workplace.

 Yeah I know the last part got your attention, right :P

4 comments

Half the Sky

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: , ,

Dec 9th 2010

Content: Strictly "A" rated, not for children or under 18.

When I initially saw this video Sunitha's TED talk on facebook doing the rounds, I took a look at it, felt very violated that such violence could exist, and that man is capable of doing this to a child, and thinking that such people are not human but animals. And the thing that struck me the most about the whole video was that all these victims ask for is only acceptance after all they have been through, nothing more. This was more than a few months ago.

Our local public library displays books from current best selling lists at the entrance and also loans them out for 14 days with no renewals. I have gotten off late into the habit of picking up one book at a time from there; because otherwise I feel I get into a rut of reading the same author's books until I have read every one that he/she has written; because I don't want to experiment. But after I found The Millenium Series like that; reading Steig's book when it was on the best seller's list I have gotten bolder. And that is how I found "Half the Sky". And am I glad I did, because in a way it has changed everything in my world, in my mind, in how I comprehended "gender inequality", "being in pain" and "what mankind is capable of".



From their website;

" Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference."

I will say only this much. This is not a light read but that is precisely why you should read it. The suffering these women have undergone, and the spirit with which they emerge is truly inspirational and their courage is unbelievably commendable. It puts everything in perspective and one cannot walk away untouched.

If we each think; there are ways in how we live our everyday lives that affect how we think, how we proclaim what is important to us. Similarly the society we grow up in is hugely responsible for who we are as persons, who we are as individuals, what we accept as right or wrong.  Any which way you look at it, any which society we belong to, what happened to all these women who were brave enough to share their stories and to countless more is just gut wrenching.

So what can I/you do? No one can have all the answers. But creating awareness is a step in the right direction because if one is aware, and one starts pondering about it, you will think of ways in which a positive change can happen. All these organizations and individuals need monetary help, need government support, need our support to succeed.  I believe if we put our hearts into it, our minds will find a way to incorporate into our daily lives the lessons these women have shared with their indominatable spirit and find avenues to cheer them along!

4 comments

Naan Mahaan Alla ( I am not a saint)

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels:






Oct 31st 2010

I sat to watch this movie because my husband said it was good and I did not have a choice; without having a clue what it was about. The last movie I had seen of Karthik's was Paiyya and I was sorely disappointed. The movie I saw before that Paruthiveeran was so gross it made me throw up and not sleep for weeks together. So one can imagine the mind frame with which I would have started and how wrong I was.

I would classify this in the same genre as Anjathey , if you thought that was good, you would love this. And this movie again reinforced how much new talent Tamil cinema so proudly showcases. It is a dark thriller that keeps one glued to their seats from the first scene to the last. Nothing is what one would expect in this movie, no regular villains, no larger than life hero, however in the dumb heroine who cannot act to save her life department Kajal Agrawal is dead on! She looks cute so I let it pass. If you do not like dark movies, please skip this. If you are the kind that can watch it as a movie without getting affected then don't miss it! It exposes you to a kind of evil that you wish did not exist, that which you cannot control and that which you fear and hope you don't ever come across. 

Karthi is great in this role. He has a casual demeanor that suits very well and the comedy scenes come naturally to him. However all the scenes between him and Kajal Agrawal can easily be passed, that would be a good time to get a snack. The people in negative roles in this movie are so menacing and convey so much without much effort that I struggle to erase them from memory. The latter part of the movie is highly engrossing and very very well crafted.  Every scene is so real and the background so apt you have no trouble believing where you are. The devastating visuals of Tsunami ravaged areas are very desolate and chilling.

The climax is very apt and one thing I can assure you of - As calmly as the protagonist walks away, no viewer can walk away from this movie.

7 comments

Endhiran

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels:




  • Watch it NOT because you can BUT because you cannot not watch it :D
  •  Watch it NOT as a movie BUT for the experience of it
  • Watch it NOT because you are a Rajni fan BUT if you are not and you will know why you should be one
  •  Watch it NOT as a Shankar or a Rajni film BUT for the sheer magnus opum that it is. Something you have never seen before and anything you see after will only be an imitation
  •  Watch it NOT for Aishwarya’s acting BUT for how she looks. So breathtaking that if I were a machine I would fall nut over bolt in love with her too!
  •  Watch it NOT for ARR’s music BUT for his singing. He rocks Irumbile oru Iruthaiyum mulaithatho
  •  Watch it NOT for the mediocre second half BUT for the inimitable stupendous first half that makes you thirst for more
  •  Watch it NOT for the old age romance between the lead pair BUT for the techno age romance between Chitti and Sana
  •  Watch it NOT for the scenes between Chitti V2.0 and Dr.Vasi BUT for the scenes between Chithi V1 and Vasi that question the integrity of humans
  •  Watch it NOT NOT NOT for Santhanam and Karunas BUT so surely for Rajini’s trademark comic timing brought to life in his robot role (My favorites – Rangusky and Who’s that Chellaatha?)
  •  Watch it NOT for the exotic locales in the songs BUT for the technical perfection and seamless editing in every scene with more than one of the same character
  •  Watch it NOT for Machu Pichu BUT for the heaven showcased in Kadhal Annukal
  •  Watch it NOT for the choreography BUT for the grace that Aishwarya showcases so effortlessly
  •  Watch it NOT for Aishwarya’s costumes BUT for Chithi’s makeup
  •  Watch it NOT for Peter Heins and Resul Pookutty BUT for Cochin Hanifa and Sujatha - talents who are no more and are sorely missed
  •  Watch it NOT for Shankar’s famed picturization BUT for the spell bounding scenes once Chithi V2.0 is born
  •  Watch it NOT looking for a screenplay BUT for the genre of SCI-FI that Shankar has so absolutely successfully brought to Indian cinema
  •  Finally watch the movie to believe that there is such a thing called FATE. A movie that two stars in their own right refused only to be taken by one who with his larger than life image fits the role to a T and rocks it like no other!

9 comments

Why facebook still rocks my world

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: , ,

Sept 28th 2010

  1. For starters, you just have to press a button and like to stay in touch, you don't even have to type or say a word, it cannot get easier than that. C'mon lets get realistic here. I know the dislike button would complete it, but one of life's important lessons is to learn to be CONTENT:)
  2. You can really develop yourself as a person by having conversations from mutliple people from so many walks of life, all on your wall, just in one space. Where else can you do that without conflict?
  3. With the number of explict updates some people provide, it is very much like watching a real time reality show, only this time you know it is true :P
  4. You can find out what happened to your ex-girlfriend's ex-boyfriend too, without appearing nosy :)
  5. Someone for once asks you what is on your mind and really allows you to say what you want.
Let's admit it, what else is going on in your life/work that is more interesting or addictive :D

P.S. I am impatient to think of more 'cos I have to get back to fb :)

3 comments

S.M.I.L.E

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,

June 7th 2010

S.M.I.L.E - why? Because you can!

How many times has your day been cheered up by a really full smile that a stranger in the elevator gave you? Or by the co-worker that held the door open as you come running in? Or the store keeper that goes out of the way to find that one ingredient you are looking for? Or the totally cherubic smile and “Have a nice day!” by the person in the wheelchair?

And still do we smile at every person we see and return this same kindness?  And if we do, are we able to do it without expecting the smile to be returned? I often can’t and feel very let down when a greeting is not returned. But seriously, I don’t get how hard it can be to just smile back, even if you have not initiated it. And then again how do I know what is in the other person's head.

Having said that, I will continue to smile even if it rains all the time here, because I continue to be cheered on by the happiness and joy that strangers bring into my life by their open greetings and easy gestures. So I request you all to smile more and often too. This is another reason you need to brush your teeth twice now, seriously!

And when you SMILE real wide, you will make another person happy. And then when I smile at that person, maybe they will smile back, and it will come a full circle :)

"Smile, be considerate, have good manners – if that does not work, then you at least know you tried your best and you can then come to the realization that perhaps the other person is dealing with many of their own struggles. If nothing else, you brightened up that person’s day in some small way - unknown"

0 comments

Angaadi Theru - Market Street

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,

June 7th 2010

Aval apapdi ondrum azhagillai;
Avalukku yaarum yinai illai.
Aval appadi ondrum color illai;
Aanal athu oru kurai illai.

Translates to

“ She is not that very beautiful;
There is none equal to her.
She is not so very fair;
But there is nothing wrong with that.”

The lyrics of this song not only describe the heroine in my opinion but also the whole movie and the message it tells. In this wonderful movie Vasanth Balan takes on the challenge of telling the story and plight of the sales girls and boys working in the huge multiplex stores like Saravana that have changed the face of Chennai in a way.

I don’t mean for this post to be a review as first off it has been a long time since the movie originally released. Second off it has almost been a month since I have seen it but have been able to channel some time to pen my thoughts only now. What I do want to say is if you have not seen this movie, please do if you are able to and I guarantee you will look at shopping in these multiplexes and interacting with these workers in a whole new light.

There are many heart wrenching scenes and some that make you outright want to throw up at the plight of the poor; but it is a beautiful tale told in a way that reinforces the strength of the human spirit and that it will survive all odds.

“Pasi thaan miga perum mirugam” –“Hunger is the most terrible beast”; and “Kai Kaal illamal manushan undu aanal vaay um vayarum illamal manithan unda”- “There are people without hands and legs but is there anyone without a mouth to eat or a stomach to feel hunger?” These questions rankle the viewer.

I am very happy that Tamil cinema has such talented and conscious directors who bring these small stories to the forefront and highlight the plight of these nobodies. From each of us customers, a cheerful smile and a thoughtful word will do a lot to bring some respite into their otherwise prison lives. 

P.S. It does not hurt to think twice when we ask for another color or another shade of a saree or a kurta or a dress, whether we really will buy it and if it involves another useless trip to the godown for these poor workers.

4 comments

Indus Ladies Spl. for Mother's Day

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,


Indusladies.com wishes everyone a Happy Mother's Day! It provides all of us the opportunity to reflect back on the special relationship we have with our kids and/or our mothers (Also, see our Parenting & Kids Forum). 

For this Mother's Day, we are doing something special. 

We at Indusladies.com have been consistently amazed by the incredible talent of Mommy Bloggers. If you have read even a few of them, you would be awed by how they provide expression to the emotions and sentiments that exist in the unique relationship between a mom and her kids. 

We want this tribe to flourish. For this mother's day, we want to pay tribute to our mommy bloggers and provide them exposure to the 1 Lakh members and Facebook/Twitter fans of Indusladies.com. Even if each of thesebloggers pick up a few regular readers as a result of this, we would consider this initiative successful. 

The attached E-Bbook has a list of over 50+ Mommy Blogs and over 250+ Blog Posts. Please download, enjoy and share!  Pick it up here e-book. 

Thank you. 

Indusladies.com Team




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Customer Service - Part I

Author: Anu Karthik / Labels: ,

May 11th 2010


I guess we all have our customer service stories to tell. Some great and some frustrating. In the land of Uncle Sam that is renowned for the saying "Customers are always right" and with some stores having a six month return policy with or without a receipt , we as customers always expect fair treatment and satisfaction with a product. It is also not wrong to say that sometimes this system is abused and "customer satisfaction" sometimes becomes overrated. 

With the availability of 24 hour customer service and in-availability of people to work 24 hours, most of the call centers and customer service requests are routed to places in India where labor is available cheaply and smart brains and English speaking natives are an added plus. Unfortunately, all of that seems non-existent and useless when you are getting help from a human who feels more like a robot reading answers from a manual for questions that you ask. Sometimes you can even hear the sound of pages flipping, sigh!

Scenario 1

I am logged in with a customer service agent from HP trying to report an issue with a laptop I purchased less than a year ago.

Agent: Good morning Anu!
Me: Good morning and how are you?
Agent: Thanks for asking, how may I assist you?
Me: Well, my laptop is not functioning and the keys on the keyboard don't work and the battery is dead, does not get charged.
Agent: OK, so that I understand your issue , your laptop is not functioning and the keys on the keyboard don't work and the battery is dead, does not get charged.

After repeating more or less everything I said again and again, and me spending more than 3 hours troubleshooting with him,  I finally got that idiot on the other end to understand that I cannot login because I cannot type the password because the keys on the keyboard don't work. Yeah, and I would have repeated it only about 10 times.

Finally, success and I got him to take it in for repair.

A week passes and I get the laptop back. It turns on, does not beep and the battery seems to have been replaced. But no receipt or order form provided that actually tells you what has been done with the laptop. And there is a small dent on the case.

And so back I am, talking to another Agent. Trust me, they are out to kill you.

Agent: Good morning Anu!
Me: Good morning and how are you? [thinking to myself, please keep my morning good]
Agent: Thanks for asking, how may I assist you?
Me: I have gotten my laptop back, but there is a dent in the case, near the right corner and I am wondering how to get it fixed.
Agent: OK, so that I understand your issue , your laptop has a dent in the screen?

[???$$$$##%*****]

Me: What? DENT IN THE CASE OF THE LAPTOP
Agent: oh ok ok. So I understand your issue, you have a dent in your laptop case? Correct?
Me:  Yes! [Thank God for small mercies]. 
Agent: M'am we are the software dept. I have to transfer you to hardware.

After being transfered between hardware, software and technical support about 6 times,  I finally got to speak to one person and we were discussing how to get it fixed, finally!

Agent: So we can send you a pre-paid postage box and you can mail the laptop in and they we will fix it.
Me: Yes, but that will take a lot of time. Is there a local HP service agent that I can take this laptop to?
Agent: Yes, that can be done too, but there may be a charge.
Me: Why? The laptop is still under warranty, why would there be a charge?
Agent: Yes it is under warranty, so there will be no charge. But there could be, I am just saying.

I am almost dead by now.

Me: Fine. Can you tell me where I can find a local service agent here in Portland, OR?
Agent: How can I tell you where the agent is, how do I know who is available where you live? I don't know where you are!
Me: [in utter disbelief] Are you telling me there is no way you can look up who are authorized dealers here or a HP store that can fix this issue here when I am giving you a zip code? [Thinking to myself maybe the manual does not do the search for him]
Agent: I already told you m'am, How can I tell you where the agent is, how do I know who is available where you live?

And  I hung up.

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