When I rang up my friend the other day,she seemed to be a little busy and so was a little cold in her reply.She then hung up quickly saying that she is going out and that I call up later.My good friend as she was,I did not mind at all.......BUT......this set me thinking.......There are certain unwritten rules one should follow while on phone.

1. Always diclose your identity when you have rung up

like..." hello,this is riya here.....may i speak to so and so...."

I get phone calls from strangers who straight away ask me "aap kahan se bol rahe hain?"( feel like saying muhn se aur kahan se?)

2.The person who recieves the call,if busy and has hung up should make it a point to call back.

3.Always have a "smiling voice" on phone just as you would do when you open the door for a guest.

4.When talking to strangers ,or for the first time,dont forget to add your p's and Q's.

I get phonecalls from my distant neighbours enquiring about our common maid.They would just outrightly say(without a hello or hi)

"aapke ghar mein kanti kaam karti hai?jara usko bulayiye"(all the anger upon the maid has come on me,it seems)

5. Disconnect the phone only after a formal goodbye or seeu etc.

I have a very good friend who would give me a sudden phone call at night and say"hi riya! In baingan bhaja ,do u use maida or besan?"and Dhummmmm.slams the phone down.

Lets see if we have any more of such rules pouring in........

Till then c ya.....

YES!!!!I am leading a "flat" life,......in a flat!!!!.No sunlight,no ventilation,no air.......

Oh how I yearn to live in our old independent house where there was a backyard,a courtyard,a kitchen garden and you could smile and say a hello to your friends who passed by...thus quenching your social appetite.Here,I can only lean on the balcony,and say a cold hello to the neighbour in the opposite flat.

Here------here you live in a matchbox,with no outlet!!!Hubby warns me to close the doors as he leaves for office cautioning me against any intruder posing as a courier man..And there,...there I could spot anyone coming from a distance,our gate made a charecteristic creak .

There I laughed loud,my emotions bloomed........I sang and even danced to my hearts content.Here my conversation is in a whisper......any increase in the decibel raises hubby"s eyebrows.."hey, talk softly...neighbours are listening...They may think we are fighting........" .....Sulk sulk sulk........

My 2 year old daughter who loves to make kitchen utensils her toys,bangs int on the floor and smiles at the rattling sounds they make....I enjoy her smile and dont have the heart to stop her....Enters the husband.......and snatches the "toy" "" My God we have someone living downstairs......It will be like hitting them on their heads..."and my poor daughter(and I)both give in...sulking......

Nights give my husband a real embarassment when my daughter starts her crying spells......merely to catch my attention,so that i cuddle her sing to her and lull her to sleep......All this hullaballoo of mother and daughter gets on hubyy's nerves and he gives a warning"neighbours neighbours...."

Oh my God why do we live in flats????Why not in independent houses?????what if they are small or deserted with no security staff or check posts?????