Happy New Year, Here's to Friendship

The new year dawned a while ago but it's only now that I begin to dust the cobwebs and get started. ( Do not pay attention to the dateline !!!!)My apologies to all my friends who must think me inconsiderate and least thoughful.After all, no one got a call or a wish from me, right? The New Year SMSs had begun two days before the date (veterans realize the New Year's eve will see clogged inboxes and heavy traffic) ranging from straight n simple to clever n complicated .I'm still trying to figure out some of them! But everytime there's a message beep, I am clueless about the sender and have to promptly message back; ''Thank you for your wishes but you'll have to enlighten me as to who you are as I have had a mobile mishap and hence lost all my contacts" Folks are kind enough to SMS their names. They understand that I am hopeless at numbers. These cell phones have really spoilt us numerophobics. I do not know my bette half's cell number or office number without scrolling down the contact list. Sometimes I'm stricken with a Aamir-like memory loss that I can't even recall my own number!

For those of you curious about the mobile mishap- relax ,I haven't lost my nth cell phone . The phone I had been using had been a very old, worn out( yes literally the nos were worn out , some of them) one and even if I were to misplace it like on many previous occassions, the most desperate of thiefs would leave it alone. But it worked ,was uncomplicated and what is more the battery never died on me like other fancy phones. I knew this was a tough guy who would stay with me forever.
But all things must come to a pass and under a strange circumstance it fell off my jeans pocket and into a toilet! A hotel toilet at that . I dunno if it's a consolation to hearfor those of you with delicate sensibilities but it fell only when the flush had almost finished its work! I didn't have much time to contemplate as we were checking out and our cab was waiting. I gingerly picked up the phone, washed it for whatever it was worth and walked out.
Miracle of miracles , the phone worked all of that day and almost half of the next when it finally couldn't take the trauma anymore. It just died and with it took all my contacts. So the only friends I can be in touch with now, are those who called and those who I knew ages ago before the mobile revolution came about. The Address Book of old to the rescue!
In a way I'm glad.Atleast I'll know those who want to really get in touch can call. Which brings us to this "friends" issue in this day and age. I have observed people on FB with some 300 odd friends and counting...Do folks really have that many pals for real ? Or is it another status symbol ? Me, I have only an unimpressive 30 odd. Truth is that I don't even network.. As for some of my very dear friends, they refuse to get on FB..But seriously, do we need a Face Book to keep in touch? We have a telephone, we have an email ID and don't we have a minute to spare for one person alone? I can't afford to pontify becoz I simply haven't called anyone of late. Have written to some but not to all..And to those I apologise..as we grow older , our list of friends grow longer, there are some who we grow up with, some we meet along the way, sometimes it's a connection we make when we least expect it ( looking back I've made the unlikeliest of friends some times, read-people not like Me) but yet in thier own unique way , they leave a footprint alongside your way. Don't they deserve a solo hearing? Here's to all my dear fellow travellers ( most of them don't even know this blog exists) , this one is for you....