Passion : Mobile Phones

#SWITCH

#SWITCH. Pretty familiar to those who constantly keep tabs with Nokia Corporation, its Official Website plus its social media pages. The strategic partnership with Microsoft Corporation in February 2011 saw Nokia shift much of its attention to the Microsoft molded operating systems and thus, the word #SWITCH was born. Perhaps the word was selected to ‘poke’ people to have a go at the Windows based OS, but how successful has it been? Has it really helped to impose that need for a change in the minds of the public and save Nokia’s ‘sinking ship’?

This post is just based on my feelings and what I have seen and experienced in day to day lives. My passion for gadgets, specially cell phones, has led me to know a lot of things about the phones that are ‘out of stock – coming soon’ in a mobile phones shop, phones that people do not bother to even have a look at, and in some cases, I have seen people judging others by the phones they’re using. If you use a high end smartphone with amazing specs, your class is reflected in the public. In contrast to it, if you use a low end phone with only the call and the reject buttons, your class is again reflected in the public, but, people look away from you. Here in Nepal, if you own an iPhone, you’re a superhero. A standout in the crowd. Because, the devices from Apple Inc. are too costly for the public, and only those with evergreen wallets can afford them. Nokia, Samsung, India-based brands like Micromax, Karbonn, Colours as well as HTC, LG are more dominant, and again, people often go for the no-nonsense low end phones instead of the high end devices, because of the fear of their wallets being emptied for a thing which doesn’t fill their hunger, or gives them shelter. I was going through an article on the recently held Mobile World Conference 2013, and happened to read this on the comments section :

            ‘’ I am not in the slightest bit interested in a 14 megapixel technicolour whizz-bang screen that holds 32GB of largely irrelevant data and to which I am attached with an umbilicus.  All I want is a phone that makes and receives calls, and on the very rare occasion I want to text someone it will do that too. ‘’

                      - ‘bogwart 02/26/2013’ on ‘’ Nokia unveils £13 phone‘’ by Telegraph.co.uk

THAT is what I was trying to tell you about. There are lots of people like Mr. bogwart, who think so and yes, the older generation doesn’t need such a device. So how all of this is related to #SWITCH thing that the topic mentions about? Follow me.

What Nokia has to decide is the type of audience that it is directing its brilliantly brilliant Lumia phones. In my opinion, #SWITCH word won’t help Nokia. From all of my experiences, people tend to chose a phone that befriends them in their first meeting with phones of any kind, low end or high end. I remember the first phone I owned, it was a Samsung device with 2.4’ screen, with a 1.2 megapixel camera and it was a slider phone. I didn’t like it. The first phone I saw was a Nokia 3310, my dad owned it, it didn’t have a camera nor the 2.4’ screen, but yet, I preferred the 3310 to the Samsung device. Why? Because it was the first phone I had seen, and I always had a ‘dream’ of owning a Nokia phone, better than my dad’s. I grew to be a Nokia fan. It is more like being a football fan. You stick to one football club as a fan and you’ll remain a fan forever. People with mentalities like mine don’t get affected by the #SWITCH, if they own an iPhone, they’ll stick to iPhones and Android users will love Android. Yes, they may own two different OS’, but they’ll vie for the OS or the Phone maker they trust first, if they happen to be in need of changing their devices. Another factor is the Ease of Use. If you feel easier to use Android OS’, you’ll be much more likely to go for another Android device after the device you own gets outdated. Because you won’t have to learn things from the grassroots, you’ll basically have to update yourself with the OS’ version.

#SWITCH won’t help Nokia if they aim their phones at people like us. We just won’t change. Nokia needs to aim their phones at the younger people, who are yet to own a smartphone of their own, instead of aiming at people who already own an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy SIII. Of course I am a Nokia fan and my next phone will probably be the Lumia 720. I wouldn’t even have cared about the Lumia 720 if I wasn’t a Nokia fan. As I mentioned earlier, people tend to be loyal to the things they like, and it’s inevitable. So, the #SWITCH must be aimed at the younger generation, and to captivate them with the elegancy of the devices, so that they’ll remain fans for their lifetimes, much like Mr. Bogwart.

Twenty-B

[  it is a blog cum diary. An Open-Diary. I use it to share my feelings, how or what I have experienced. ]


January One

  Well, I have been gone for a long long time. Yes, a pretty long time indeed. The last time I updated my blog was One plus years ago when i was preparing for my A-Levels exams. And if I remember that very moment clearly, I updated a post with the title, ' A- Levels exams, Y U SO Difficult '. And it was just the title, there was nothing written in the blog, it was completely Vacant, with no signs of black ink (letters), anywhere. And here I am, its the Eve of January 2nd, 21.40 on the clock. For some reason, I'm thinking how happy my blog might be right now, it finally has someone to fill it, and that someone has a determined feeling in his mind and has aimed to continue writing blogs, everyday , if not , at least twice a week. ( Long Gap, ain't it? )

     Welcome to Twenty-B everyone.

     Twenty-12 was a great year for me. 'Great' is just an understatement. Lots and lots of things happened in the past year. It made me go through so many experiences, and so many of them taught me important lessons in my life. It helped me grow mentally (physically too, yes), and I am cent-per-cent sure, in future, I'll be crediting the year of Twenty-12, as it is and will forever be one of the most revered periods of my life. 

     And now, if you're wondering what, let me take you to a ride , deep down MY memory lane. To begin with, I had a 'never-to-talk-again' conversation with a person I deeply admired. But that isn't something to be happy about, is it? For me it was. Every minute you spend missing someone/something you love, kills you from the inside, and if they/it aren't close to you or you just had to let go of them/it, is even more painful. I kept on going, forcefully keeping myself off from even trying to contact her and to some extent, was succeeding. Why care about someone if s/he doesn't care about you?

     People, please. 22 days is a very long time. 
     
     But , wait, no I am not gonna be sentimental. January of that month saw me completing my A-Level majors, and IELTS tests too. I got good scores, and my parents were briefly proud. Only briefly. ( In a matter of hours they started nagging about how my hair looked like , how my Get-Up was , how lean and thin I had become and so on...). I, then unsuccessfully applied to Finland, for higher studies, and trust me, for someone who never failed at achieving what he wanted, it was a tough time. It hurt me, and at the same time showed me a glimpse of what Life can offer, ups and downs, both. I had spent a lot of energy applying to Finland, as I desperately wanted to leave for abroad studies. Failure meant I had to stay back in my beloved country and studying what I didn't want. The same thing happened. Here I am. writing this blog from Kapan, Kathmandu. I didn't reach anywhere. A bit of Deutsch was what I learned then, for the next few months, 20% to be involved with something to keep me busy, and 80% to really learn something that I'll maybe need in the future.

     'Time flies by faster than we imagine'. Whoever said this didn't have to think much about it before using that phrase. Yes, it does fly by pretty quickly. Not sure if ''passes by'' or ''flies by'' is the right phrase to use in middle of THAT phrase, grammatically. Whatever the right thing is, it is rightly said, who am I to argue.

     Apart from those, as you might have read my User Description for the blog site, my beloved Chels won the second ever double in their history, our Mighty Roman Emperor's most waited and most wanted piece of Silverware , the title of 'Champions of Europe' and the Champions of the oldest football competition in England, the FA Cup. I still remember DD11's goal that triggered some wild celebrations in the Pub at Kings Way and his last kick of the ball in Chelsea colors that clinched our First ever Champions League title. We were watching the Finale together with some German tourists and some JEALOUS Liverpool fans(sorry Reds, but those people were definitely jealous) and as they were boo-ing and chanting against us throughout the night, the victory was even more sweeter. It was so much ecstatic, one of my friends bumped into my shoulder in sheer joy and i did the same, and we both ended up injured, his blood all over my Chelsea-Nepal Tee-shirt. I still have those stains. Trust me, it was worth it.      So many other things happened apart from what I wrote above, some not worth mentioning and some, well, sometimes, things are better off if not exposed. If you know what I mean.

     Whatever and However it might be, Twenty-12 will always go down as one of the most memorable years of my life. As for today, This is just the beginning of Twenty-B, and it has also started with a Bang. Now 'Bang' has a different meaning depending on what type of person you are. For some, 'Bang' means partying all night long, for some it resembles something else and I surely am not among those 'Bang'ers. I am one of those people who find pleasure in Touring and Traveling, and for my part of 'Bang', I had a Long Uphill walk to a Local but a famous Site in my city, and it was amazing. The cool air that hits your face when your legs are tired, the clear blue sky above you, the greenery, the serenity of the hills, the smiling sun above you, lifts your spirits up and urges your tired legs to move on. I then came back home tired, participated in an online strategy game versus teams which included my brother, lost, played a bit with my little Dog, and now trying to fill the first pages of my blog after one plus years.

     Good Night, 22.54 now. Sayonara.

[     *and to those who still won't get what Twenty-B means, its Twenty-13, 2013. You guys should work with your mind a bit. Thanks :)  ]


January Two


     Reporting in, its the second day of this brand new year, and what did I do? Nothing worth a mention. Woke up late, 11.00, read some apologetic messages in my cell and then had a phone call from her, felt happy, then went to swing the Cricket bat along with some kids, in the street, came back a bit tired, spent time playing Piano. In the evening, geared myself up to watch my beloved Blues play QPR, home, only to realize the game wasn't kicking off until late 1.30, midnight. Stayed up, but believe me, it wasn't worth it. It was like watching your love getting tortured and the only thing you could do was watch them suffer. That's all, a very disappointing day, a day I won't want to look back. But hang on, I do have something else in my mind, to write about.

     Last night before sleeping, I was thinking about certain factors that could affect my mood or day as a whole. Not just mine, of all the people in the world. For an instance, how happy would you be if you open your eyes early in the morning to see a huge package by your side, with a ribbon on the top, waiting for you to open it and peek whats inside? How delighted would you be if you meet a long lost friend of yours after an even long time? How amazing would it feel if someone you support achieves something in his life and credits you for it ( unless you're jealous ) ? Not just happiness, if you're sad, if you're disappointed at something, it affects your day negatively. The sadder fact is, sometimes, in fact most of the times, sadness lasts longer in a person's mind, than happiness does. And the consequences and take a darker look. Depression and frustration can haunt you and unless you corner them and think of the solutions with a cool mind, you aren't going to overcome it. So, I'll be writing a few sentences on how negative feelings like depression and disappointment can affect someone.

     People go through a lot of moments in their lives and not all of them can be blissful. Normally, we expect a lot of things from the people who surround us, our friends, families, counterparts etc etc. And when the things we are expecting of doesn't happen, we feel let down. Sometimes, things can get so bad and demoralizing, and people often find themselves in situations where they cant find the solution themselves. When everything they try seems to fail and they're losing hope, they become depressed. And trust me, I have seen some really depressed people, fed up with their lives or loved ones. Why do you think people commit suicides for? Have you ever seen someone so happy and free from all the problems in the world just hanging himself up or shooting himself in the head? No. If you say yes, then he/she must have probably been murdered. Life doesn't always go as planned. Your dreams and hopes can crash into the ground in a matter of days, leaving you frustrated, and worse can happen.

     Imagine yourself in these situations. Your family is in a desperate need of money. Your dad has just retired. You have applied for a well paid job, and you're pretty sure the benefits you get form the job will lift your problems off. But, against what you expected, someone else is handed the job and you aren't selected. What I am getting into is, how bad would you feel when you come to know you're not even considered able for the job? How would you sweep aside your financial problems now? Yes, there will always be other jobs available but, THAT job would have plummeted you out of your problems, and the new jobs you search for won't be providing you even 50% of your father's pension? How Would you feel? Scenario Two. You are a high school-er who's nearing his Finals but totally focused on being selected to play for your college. You have worked hard week in week out, bunking classes, missing lectures and lessons in order to practice for the selection day. And when the coach publishes the team lists, you aren't there. Now suddenly you begin to think of the Finals. You haven't studied hard enough even to pass the exams. You've lied so many lies to your parents and well wishers about how hard you've been studying in your college hours. You know you won't pass the finals and will have to spend another year , retrying. How would you feel?

      Regarding me, I have been into numerous disappointments and trust me, I've lost count of them. The ones I rated highly enough have been acting poorly. I have been ill-treated by the ones I adored the most and my faith and trusts on them have been broken, multiple times. I have mentioned in the blog above, of myself being let-down when I found out I had to drop my Finland missions. I had spent a lot of energy on it, visiting so many different places, meeting people, doing everything I needed to do from my side. Prior to applying, I had it in mind that I am short of a very important document and I might even have to cancel my application simply because of that piece of paper. I even mailed the University, reporting them of my problems, and they gave me their word that there would be help from their side. But what I didnt want to happen, happened. Three days after submitting all of my documents, I got an email saying I had a certificate missing and if I didn't submit it in time, I was out. I pleaded my case but they weren't ready to accept. What could I do? I cancelled it.

     Along with this case here, I ran into so many setbacks in my life yet. And what I couldn't ignore is the fact that most of the let downs started to appear as I grew older, mature, and begun to understand things. I guess this is the reason why they say that a person's childhood is the golden era of his life. No worries to worry about, nothing to care about, total carefree-ness, eat what you want, dress how you want, speak what and when you want, beg, plead, quarrel, etc. And the elders just laugh. Imagine doing that now. I may even be ready to bet on a fact that you might be behind prison bars in no time at all. Yes, you will.

    Well, time's passing by and now I'm feeling like quitting writing for today. Conclusion, you say? Don't worry, I've it lined it up right below.

    Eminem says, life is no Nintendo game.  How true can it be! Well said Em! This is why, for me, you are the best rapper alive! You won't get second chances in your life. What's done, is done, what's said is said. You can hide behind all your deeds and lies, but you will never see a green light to go back in time and fix what you did wrong. Life can only be lived forward. What happened today has happened and no one should be wasting time regretting what s/he's done. Disappointments, setbacks, broken dreams, smashed up hopes and wishes are a part of a river which we call life, and it only goes on, never to return. What we need to understand is we shouldn't be letting ourselves down by thinking about how we screwed ourselves up but by thinking about the possible solutions which can catapult us from our miseries. Life isn't Santa Claus, we don't always get gifts of our desires, gifts of happiness and bliss, what we want might not happen every time. Can I say that our life is like the two sides of a same coin, one side resembling happiness, the other resembling sadness? I guess I can. So, do not be disheartened by failures, as they say failures are the pillars of success and after a storm, comes a sunny day. Always expect the unexpected  and brace yourselves for the bad times you'll face in your long long life.

     I guess I just used three proverbs, all of them which give the same meaning. Nevermind.

     21.00 on the clock, a bit of homework left to do, so will update things tomorrow, have a nice day, or night.


January Seventeen


     If you have been reading the blog since the first line, you might have noticed the drastic change in the date on which the third post is published. I apologize  I have been through so much in between these days, and various factors kept me away from my blog. I always had a feeling that I wont be as regular as I expected and its happening. Something that I actually expected is happening , wow. On the negative note, though. Then again, I even used to think that I devoted myself on writing the blog on the wrong time. Why? I am having quite studious days, beginning of my Bachelor days being the main reason. I was jobless during whole of last year, after March, and didn't think about the blog one single time. Nothing to do, but always occupied with something.

     Okay, like I said, I have to manage my time, I'm learning to do so, so I'm only going to write about some major things that happened between January 3rd and January 16th. Just like 2012, the January of 20B also begun with a major disappointment and then a rather happy moment. To begin with? My dog died.

     I am a huge animal fan, Dogs specially, and I love to have a dog that I can look after, just like my siblings ( too young to say 'just like my children' ). And I had one too. I urged my family members many many times to get me a little puppy, of any kind so that I could raise it and look after it. Little Neeno was just 3.5 months old. She was with me since she was 28 days old. She was a cross breed, totally black, a little patch of white fur under her neck. She was the most humble and the most active little pup I'd ever saw and most importantly she was a part of my family, everyone loved her. I still clearly remember the moment when I first saw her, she was sleeping inside a cardboard box, and her cuteness had amazed me so much, I didn't wanna let go. I carried her in my arms and walked all the way home, gave her all the care I could give, but little did I know that she wasn't meant to be with me for a long time. She never showed signs of weakness in her acts, there were no symptoms or clues at all. It all happened in a blitz. When signs and symptoms begun to show up, we gave her  some vet-prescribed medicines but it was too late. Little Neeno left at 11.39 pm in the night, and in my arms, again, I was holding her, with a bit of wet eyes. You can imagine how I felt.

     I miss you Neeno.

     Shifting gears. The happy moment was when my College resumed. 'Begun' is the better word, I guess. New friends, new environment, new and a totally awesome College, amazing Lecturers, it was all so pleasing. I hope everything remains that way, up until 4 long years, we all will be together, under one roof, and even thinking about the times we are going to spend gives me goosebumps. Rather strangely, I had begun to miss studying, because of the 7-8 months break from books and pens, I wanted to go back to those days where my schedule was dominated by studying, that pressure, I missed everything. Well I'm back now, and once again, hoping that all will go well.

     Time to go. Will update later, much more exciting times ahead. Good Day Ya'll !

February 20, 2013

     '' continue writing blogs, everyday , if not , at least twice a week ''

     I lied.

     Well, I didn't mean to, out of all that excitement and that new sudden-found energy, I had hoped to continue writing as I mentioned earlier, and I had no idea that I would be so busy, I'd not get enough time ( or too lazy to use the free time ) for my blog. Well, unlike I mercilessly did to the two previous, well-managed and groomed blogs, I won't be deleting this one. And, believe me, I do not have much time right now, either. So, lets quickly jump in !

     What have I been doing these days ? Waking up early, running in the blistering early morning cold, catching a bus, studying for the next five or so hours, then walking for another twenty-thirty minutes, catching another micro-bus, getting back home, preparing something to eat, reading some books I got from the College library, football-ing, studying for a while, then sleeping. Yes, Everyday. So where's the time for the blog? Yeah, somewhere in between but I don't see it.

     The earlier day, I had a thought about blogging about something, much like acquiring some life-long skills like the ways to study, prepare for exams and how to make yourself an efficient reader. Boring ? Might be. But this is what I'm learning these days and I'm not kidding, these ways, if followed will help someone who has lost track of time management skills, due to a break in between study or something, and get him or her back in track. Boring ? Yeah , boring.

     Off now! Such tight schedule ! Football, here I come. Talking about footballs, my college signed in a three year deal with the current League Leaders of Nepalese League, the Three Star Club. As a football fan, I am happy. I practice almost everyday, and even though my odds are low, I'd love if I somehow get into the college team. Distant dream but, would definitely be an achievement. And yeah, I went to witness two International Friendlies, between the national teams of Nepal and Pakistan, and even though we Nepalese are ranked higher than the Pakistanis, we lost both games by the slightest of margins, 0-1 and 0-1. Setback, but nothing's more amazing than cheering for your nation, with your voices so loud, that a sore-throat the next day was inevitable.

     Ciao !