Last-minute reservation gets easier on western Railway

Instead of running after the Travelling Ticket Examiner for allotment of a confirmed ticket, the passengers can now buy a reserved ticket at no extra cost. WR has started counters at Mumbai Central, Bandra and Borivli to offer reserved tickets till about 15 minutes before a train’s departure. In all, WR has opened the current reserved ticket counter at 20 stations including Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vapi and Ujjain. 

Use your computer more efficiently Keyboard shortcuts

It’s life made easy with a computer. The machine that is supposed to ease things can make life miserable. In case you get stuck the tips given below would help you. It’s your catalogue of solutions. Stick it on your pin board.

hese shortcuts shall help you gain the best efficiency of your machine and will also help you if you are stuck, if your mouse doesn’t respond.

1) Windows Hotkeys

• Shift + F10 right-clicks.
• Win + L (XP Only): Locks keyboard. Similar to Lock Workstation.
• Win + F or F3: Open Find dialog. (All Files) F3 may not work in some applications which use F3 for their own find dialogs.
• Win + Control + F: Open Find dialog. (Computers)
• Win + U: Open Utility Manager.
• Win + F1: Open Windows help.
• Win + Pause: Open System Properties dialog.
• Win + Tab: Cycle through taskbar buttons. Enter clicks, AppsKey or Shift + F10 right-clicks.
• Win + Shift + Tab: Cycle through taskbar buttons in reverse.
• Alt + Tab: Display CoolSwitch. More commonly known as the AltTab dialog.
• Alt + Shift + Tab: Display CoolSwitch; go in reverse.
• Alt + Escape: Send active window to the bottom of the z-order.
• Alt + Shift + Escape: Activate the window at the bottom of the z-order.
• Alt + F4: Close active window; or, if all windows are closed, open shutdown dialog.
• Shift while a CD is loading: Bypass AutoPlay.
• Shift while login: Bypass startup folder. Only those applications will be ignored which are in the startup folder, not those started from the registry (Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\)
• Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Ctrl + Alt + NumpadDel (Both NumLock states): Invoke the Task Manager or NT Security dialog.
• Ctrl + Shift + Escape (2000/XP ) or (Ctrl + Alt + NumpadDot) : Invoke the task manager. On earlier OSes, acts like Ctrl + Escape.
• Printscreen: Copy screenshot of current screen to clipboard.
• Alt + Printscreen: Copy screenshot of current active window to clipboard.
• Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow: Invert screen. Untested on OSes other than XP.
• Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow: Undo inversion.
• Win + B : Move focus to systray icons.

2) Generic

• Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy.
• Ctrl + X or Shift + Delete: Cut.
• Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste/Move.
• Ctrl + N: New… File, Tab, Entry, etc.
• Ctrl + S: Save.
• Ctrl + O: Open…
• Ctrl + P: Print.
• Ctrl + Z: Undo.
• Ctrl + A: Select all.
• Ctrl + F: Find…
• Ctrl+W : to close the current window
• Ctrl + F4: Close tab or child window.
• F1: Open help.
• F11: Toggle full screen mode.
• Alt or F10: Activate menu bar.
• Alt + Space: Display system menu. Same as clicking the icon on the titlebar.
• Escape: Remove focus from current control/menu, or close dialog box.

3) Generic Navigation

• Tab: Forward one item.
• Shift + Tab: Backward one item.
• Ctrl + Tab: Cycle through tabs/child windows.
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Cycle backwards through tabs/child windows.
• Enter: If a button’s selected, click it, otherwise, click default button.
• Space: Toggle items such as radio buttons or checkboxes.
• Alt + (Letter): Activate item corresponding to (Letter). (Letter) is the underlined letter on the item’s name.
• Ctrl + Left: Move cursor to the beginning of previous word.
• Ctrl + Right: Move cursor to the beginning of next word.
• Ctrl + Up: Move cursor to beginning of previous paragraph. This and all subsequent Up/Down hotkeys in this section have only been known to work in RichEdit controls.
• Ctrl + Down: Move cursor to beginning of next paragraph.
• Shift + Left: Highlight one character to the left.
• Shift + Right: Highlight one character to the right.
• Shift + Up: Highlight from current cursor position, to one line up.
• Shift + Down: Highlight from current cursor position, to one line down.
• Ctrl + Shift + Left: Highlight to beginning of previous word.
• Ctrl + Shift + Right: Highlight to beginning of next word.
• Ctrl + Shift + Up: Highlight to beginning of previous paragraph.
• Ctrl + Shift + Down: Highlight to beginning of next paragraph.
• Home: Move cursor to top of a scrollable control.
• End: Move cursor to bottom of a scrollable control.  

4) Generic File Browser

• Arrow Keys: Navigate.
• Shift + Arrow Keys: Select multiple items.
• Ctrl + Arrow Keys: Change focus without changing selection. “Focus” is the object that will run on Enter. Space toggles selection of the focused item.
• (Letter): Select first found item that begins with (Letter).
• BackSpace: Go up one level to the parent directory.
• Alt + Left: Go back one folder.
• Alt + Right: Go forward one folder.
• Enter: Activate (Double-click) selected item(s).
• Alt + Enter: View properties for selected item.
• F2: Rename selected item(s).
• Ctrl + NumpadPlus: In a Details view, resizes all columns to fit the longest item in each one.
• Delete: Delete selected item(s).
• Shift + Delete: Delete selected item(s); bypass Recycle Bin.
• Ctrl while dragging item(s): Copy.
• Ctrl + Shift while dragging item(s): Create shortcut(s).
• In tree pane, if any:
• Left: Collapse the current selection if expanded, or select the parent folder.
• Right: Expand the current selection if collapsed, or select the first subfolder.
• NumpadAsterisk: Expand currently selected directory and all subdirectories. No undo.
• NumpadPlus: Expand currently selected directory.
• NumpadMinus: Collapse currently selected directory.

5) Accessibility

• Right Shift for eight seconds: Toggle FilterKeys on and off. FilterKeys must be enabled.
• Left Alt + Left Shift + PrintScreen: Toggle High Contrast on and off. High Contrast must be enabled.
• Left Alt + Left Shift + NumLock: Toggle MouseKeys on and off. MouseKeys must be enabled.
• NumLock for five seconds: Toggle ToggleKeys on and off. ToggleKeys must be enabled.
• Shift five times: Toggle StickyKeys on and off. StickyKeys must be enabled.

6.) Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType Software Installed

• Win + L: Log off Windows.
• Win + P: Open Print Manager.
• Win + C: Open control panel.
• Win + V: Open clipboard.
• Win + K: Open keyboard properties.
• Win + I: Open mouse properties.
• Win + A: Open Accessibility properties.
• Win + Space: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys.
• Win + S: Toggle CapsLock on and off.

7) Remote Desktop Connection Navigation

• Ctrl + Alt + End: Open the NT Security dialog.
• Alt + Page Up: Switch between programs.
• Alt + Page Down: Switch between programs in reverse.
• Alt + Insert: Cycle through the programs in most recently used order.
• Alt + Home: Display start menu.
• Ctrl + Alt + Break: Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen.
• Alt + Delete: Display the Windows menu.
• Ctrl + Alt + Numpad Minus: Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing Alt + Print Screen on a local computer.
• Ctrl + Alt + Numpad Plus: Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing Print Screen on a local computer.

8) Mozilla Firefox Shortcuts

• Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Page Down: Cycle through tabs.
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl + Page Up: Cycle through tabs in reverse.
• Ctrl + (1-9): Switch to tab corresponding to number.
• Ctrl + N: New window.
• Ctrl + T: New tab.
• Ctrl + L or Alt + D or F6: Switch focus to location bar.
• Ctrl + Enter: Open location in new tab.
• Shift + Enter: Open location in new window.
• Ctrl + K or Ctrl + E: Switch focus to search bar.
• Ctrl + O: Open a local file.
• Ctrl + W: Close tab, or window if there’s only one tab open.
• Ctrl + Shift + W: Close window.
• Ctrl + S: Save page as a local file.
• Ctrl + P: Print page.        
• Ctrl + F or F3: Open, find toolbar.
• Ctrl + G or F3: Find next…
• Ctrl + Shift + G or Shift + F3: Find previous…
• Ctrl + B or Ctrl + I: Open Bookmarks sidebar.
• Ctrl + H: Open History sidebar.
• Escape: Stop loading page.
• Ctrl + R or F5: Reload current page.
• Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5: Reload current page; bypass cache.
• Ctrl + U: View page source.
• Ctrl + D: Bookmark current page.
• Ctrl + Numpad Plus or Ctrl + Equals (+/=): Increase text size.
• Ctrl + Numpad Minus or Ctrl + Minus: Decrease text size.
• Ctrl + Numpad0 or Ctrl + 0: Set text size to default.
• Alt + Left or Backspace: Back.
• Alt + Right or Shift + Backspace: Forward.
• Alt + Home: Open home page.
• Ctrl + M: Open new message in integrated mail client.
• Ctrl + J: Open Downloads dialog.
• F6: Switch to next frame. You must have selected something on the page already, e.g. by use of Tab.
• Shift + F6: Switch to previous frame.
• Apostrophe (‘): Find link as you type.
• Slash (/): Find text as you type.

9) GMail

• Note: Must have “keyboard shortcuts” on in settings.
• C: Compose new message.
• Shift + C: Open new window to compose new message.
• Slash (/): Switch focus to search box.
• K: Switch focus to the next most recent email. Enter or “O” opens focused email.
• J: Switch focus to the next oldest email.
• N: Switch focus to the next message in the “conversation.” Enter or “O” expands/collapses messages.
• P: Switch focus to the previous message.
• U: Takes you back to the inbox and checks for new mail.
• Y: Various actions depending on current view:
• Has no effect in “Sent” and “All Mail” views.
• Inbox: Archive email or message.
• Starred: Unstar email or message.
• Spam: Unmark as spam and move back to “Inbox.”
• Trash: Move back to “Inbox.”
• Any label: Remove the label.
• X: “Check” an email. Various actions can be performed against all checked emails.
• S: “Star” an email. Identical to the more familiar term, “flagging.”
• R: Reply to the email.
• A: Reply to all recipients of the email.
• F: Forward an email.
• Shift + R: Reply to the email in a new window.
• Shift + A: Reply to all recipients of the email in a new window.
• Shift + F: Forward an email in a new window.
• Shift + 1 (!): Mark an email as spam and remove it from the inbox.
• G then I: Switch to “Inbox” view.
• G then S: Switch to “Starred” view.
• G then A: Switch to “All Mail” view.
• G then C: Switch to “Contacts” view.
• G then S: Switch to “Drafts” view.

10) List of F1-F9 Key Commands for the Command Prompt

• F1 / right arrow: Repeats the letters of the last command line, one by one.
• F2: Displays a dialog asking user to “enter the char to copy up to” of the last command line
• F3: Repeats the last command line
• F4: Displays a dialog asking user to “enter the char to delete up to” of the last command line
• F5: Goes back one command line
• F6: Enters the traditional CTRL+Z (^z)
• F7: Displays a menu with the command line history
• F8: Cycles back through previous command lines (beginning with most recent)
• F9: Displays a dialog-asking user to enter a command number, where 0 is for first command line entered.
• Alt+Enter: toggle full screen mode.
• up/down: scroll thru/repeat previous entries
• Esc: delete line

I am sure that these tips would help you work with greater ease, rather than be bogged down with sticky problems. If there are no solutions, it’s better to look for alternatives.

Dating, love affairs…and even pre-marital sex is no longer taboo

 

Dating, love affairs…and even pre-marital sex is no longer taboo amongst today’s teenagers. Not even in conservative cities. True, one may not see many boys and girls openly holding hands on the main roads or kissing in parked cars but many affairs are conducted on the sly…without the knowledge of parents. Parental disapproval and society’s contempt often drives friendship and romance with the opposite sex underground! Boys and girls from even traditional families may be dating but secrecy is the name of the game.

Rohit, 18, is having a secret love affair. He comes from a conservative Gujarati family as does his 16-year old girlfriend. ‘No one knows,’ he confesses, ‘but we think that’s exciting.’ They usually seek out deserted move halls or unknown cafes while both their parents’ are under the impression that they are out in a group. A group which covers for them. Love letters are exchanged through common friends, and calls made from cells.

If there are any guilt pangs for this elaborate deceit, they are suppressed by the overwhelming needs of these youngsters, needs which are no longer considered immoral. ‘I slept with my husband before marriage,’ admits Neelima, ‘we couldn’t stop ourselves.’ She even admits that she had to have an abortion once. ‘It was an accident and I don’t think I did anything wrong. There is no point bringing an unwanted baby into this world.’ Neelima’s attitude towards pre-marital sex does not reflect her background, as she was brought up in an extremely conservative Marwari family with plenty of restrictions. This perhaps alienated her from her parents. ‘I was not close to either of them,’ she says.

This lack of closeness, of belonging and warmth, often pushes teenagers into the warmth of sexual relationships. Dr. S.K. Som, psychiatrist, says, ‘First of all, there is nothing wrong or abnormal in teenagers having love affairs or going steady. In fact love is natural, given the circumstances.’ However, less time is devoted to children than before and in nuclear families there are often no substitute parents either. Further, there is a lot about sex in the media today. All this tempts teens to experiment. Sometimes it can go very wrong. ‘It is only when romantic relationships lead to problems like unwanted pregnancies, early marriages, eloping or emotional disturbances, that it can become problematic. Mostly I have seen parents worry far more than necessary,’ he says. Dr. Som has counseled both boys and girls disturbed by broken love affairs.
In contrast, Dr. Jayant Kumar Chakravarty, a child specialist, advocates greater restriction on free mixing. ‘Teenagers want to experiment without thinking of the consequences,’ he says.

If parents are worried about their kids, then they should make sure that the lines of communication with their child is kept open. Take the case of Mahesh. Sixteen years old and desperately in love with a girl, he completely changed his attitude after a chat with his girl-friend’s mother. She called him over and explained to him the futility of his love and the fact that there was no future in the relationship. What she did not do however was ridicule his desires which she felt were quite normal for his age. After a long chat with the broadminded lady, Mahesh decided to stop pressurising the girl to commit herself to him and he left the house a much happier person. He admits that he could never have had a talk with his own parents.

As far as teenage ethics go (at least amongst middle and upper classes) dating and being in love are acceptable, even desirable behavior. Holding hands, kissing, petting are accepted too. In fact teenagers with boyfriends and girl-friends are the butt of envy.

If a teenager does not have either romance or sex in his or her life, there could be many reasons for it – but it is certainly not peer pressure. He or she may be introverted, afraid of being caught, lack opportunity or maybe busy with studies.

It is also a mistake for parents to think that sexual maturing has not taken place – that teenagers are not ready physically. In fact girls are conscious of their sexuality from the age of 12. They inspect themselves intently in mirrors, taken pains over their appearance, and observe boys with interest. Boy look at girl’s bodies and become conscious of their own. We have to remember that in ancient times children married early. While this is not desirable, possible or practical now, we cannot halt the sexual rebellion amongst the young. No matter how much parents rave and rant about the evils of western influences, and the decline of Indian culture, the facts are that the desire to interact and romance the opposite sex is natural and has always existed in India! By denying the existence of such natural feelings parents are alienating their children.

(Article published in The Telegraph, Calcutta.)

Child abuse cases in city on the rise, A must read for working parents

  Child Abuse

 

Child neglect, child emotional abuse, child sexual abuse, and child physical abuse are happening right now as you read this paragraph. Report child abuse.

Child Abuse Facts

Recent statistics from child protective agencies report almost 1,000,000 children each year are victims of substantiated abuse or neglect.

• 58% of the victims were neglected
• 21% suffered physical abuse
• About 11% were sexually abused

An estimated 1,400 deaths resulted from abuse, with 86% of these fatalities in children under age 6.

 Parents take Care

If your child ever reports of any incident that is likely to trigger suspicion, you must not feel embarrassed to discuss about it and must raise your voice. Your child will appreciate that and it will enable him/her to trust you more often.”

Child Abuse in a rampant problem glaring in our faces. It is our children we happen to be talking about and we need to protect them. We need to make sure that the laws in our country are implemented and we mustn’t let the criminal walk away as this will only encourage him.   

• Listen to your child and believe him.
• Never scold your child if he approaches you with a problem
• Tell him to raise his voice if he feels uncomfortable around a stranger/relative/person
• Never leave your children with neighbors, friends, relatives, servants, and drivers
• Spend quality time with your children
• Remember that your child is your responsibility and any particular action can destroy or build the faith
• Never make the child feel guilty for something he/she is not responsible for
• If your child behaves strangely due to some reason discuss it with him
• If your child suddenly stops socializing, talk to him
• If he/she refuses to go near a specific person, do not force him

Child abuse can destroy a life. The person may go away but the scars are left behind forever. It is impossible to erase them from the victim’s memory. It often becomes a lifelong saga.

Recognize the Warning Signs:The behavior of children may signal abuse or neglect long before any change in physical appearance. Some of the signs may include:
-Nervousness around adults
-Aggression toward adults or other children
-Inability to stay awake or to concentrate for extended periods -Sudden, dramatic changes in personality or activities
-Unnatural interest in sex
-Frequent or unexplained bruises or injuries
-Low self-esteem
-Poor hygiene

None of us would want our precious little ones to grow up troubled and unable to trust anyone.

Why Life Without A Girlfriend Rules!

By Kalyani Prasher Published in

 

“I don’t have to spend money on her.”
Ashish, Patna One lesson all of us learn very early in life-money is important. You can do a lot more useful things with your pocket-money than buying I-love-you-more-than-cards-can-say cards or some such stuff, which benefits no-one except the card-shop guy. So, no girlfriend=more money!

“I won’t get boring results in my board papers.”
Varun Mulwani, New Delhi

You skip tv, pool, the Net, friends, drag yourself to the desk and finally get to your books… and what goes? Out pops the face of a girl, making a horrible face at you for not paying enough attention to her. It is an unsaid universal rule-‘If you have a girlfriend, she shall pop out of textbooks.’ The choice is yours.

“If I don’t have a girlfriend, she can’t dump me!”
Pramod, Bangalore

It’s simple. If there is no-one to say ‘I love you’, there is no-one to say ‘I don’t love you any more’. If there are no promises, no-one can break them. Why suspect, be unsure, insecure, get hurt, cry, take ten thousand years to get over her, when all you need to do is say a crisp and quick ‘no, thanks’ when she asks you the dreaded question?!

“I won’t have to tolerate someone else defining ‘wrong’ and ‘right’ for me.”
Rohit Mistry, Mumbai

We spend all our lives being told by our folks what to do, how much to do, for how long… and then where we went wrong, why we went wrong, to what extent, and why we are just incapable of doing anything right. Do you really need another person (read gf) to do the same thing to you, all over again, in a much more horrifying and threatening fashion?!

“We can stare at any girl without being glared at by another.”
Ananya Vetal, Bhopal

A thing of beauty is a joy forever… Yeah? Ha! You wish, baby, you wish. Once you acquire the tag of ‘boyfriend’, this line takes a slight twist.
A thing of beauty is your girlfriend, and no-one else. And if you make the mistake of finding another, then… A thing of beauty is banned forever.

“No girlfriend, no emotional blackmail. Simple.”
Kiran, Bangalore

If a friend asks you to go out with her when you have to be somewhere else, what do you do? Simply tell her, right? Right. Now, take this simple test. Ask her to be your girlfriend, and give her the same answer in the same sitch. Then, watch. When instead of, ‘Oh, ok, cool,’ you hear a dissection of your feelings for her in about 4,500 words, you’ll know why this article was written.

“Because having a gf is hot, not having one is automatically cool! And I’d love to be a cool guy!”
Bhaskar Dutta, Kolkata

Bet you never thought about that, didja?! If you wanna be cool, stay away, far, far away from what is, or supposed to be, hot. Simple. So, the next time you look at a hot thing (girl, yaar), and get all ready to chase her, think again. And again.

“Going around really takes you round and round in circles, you never know where you are.”
Rushil Chaudhary, Bangalore

If you expect her to be there for you, you want to own her. If you are not around when she wants, you’re a creep. If she hurt you, you’re touchy. If you hurt her by human error, you’re a creep. When she thinks it gets heavy, she asks you to cool off. If you wanna cool off a bit, you are, yes, a creep.

“There can be more to life than just waiting for the bloody phone to ring.”
Karan Misra, Kolkata

Life is full of waiting. You wait for the school bus, then for your fave period, then for school to get over, then for the evening and then for Saturday and then… for this list to end. Get a gf and one of the most painful waits joins the list-for the phone to ring. Believe me, this one, you don’t want.

“Girlfriends can get so possessive that you can’t do anything according to your wishes anymore.”
Anuj Miglani, Jalandhar

If you look at a girl for a second longer than she thinks is right, you are over. If you talk to your mates for a minute more than you talk to her, you don’t care about her. Girlfriends can get so possessive that you can get psycho nightmares in which she is the prehistoric dragon lady out to swallow you. Whole.

“I won’t have to waste paper writing love letters.”
Joshua Vimal, Coimbatore

Gfs expect you to write letters declaring your love. And, to write that letter, which must be at least six pages long, you waste not only the pages but thrice that number trying to get it right. Gfs are environmentally unfriendly.

“I won’t have to see boring love stories instead of action thrillers.”
Amit Chaddha, Chandigarh

Guys just wanna have fun. And what better way to have fun than to go and watch some good dishoom-dishaam, yeah! So what’s the prob? It is called ‘girlfriend’. Somebody has told this species that watching romantic together makes your heart grow fonder. And if you refuse… hahaha-try it. Just you try it.

“I can have a good night’s sleep-no need to dream about her.”
Nishant Achrekar, Mumbai

Need to dream? Find that a bit, uh, weird? You are obviously living in the bliss which comes with not having a gf. You’ll know what we mean when someone asks you sweetly at 6:30 every morning, ‘Did you dream of me?’ Whatever you do, don’t say no. Trust us.

“I can buy gifts for mom, dad, sis or grandpa instead of a girlfriend and have a happier family life.”
Kevin Patel, Mumbai

You get two bucks in the name of pocket-money, you save it for the whole year, till it is time again (her birthday, man) to spend all of it on something you think is the most special thing you’ve ever bought and what does she say? ‘What made you think I would want that?!’ Not worth it, man, save yourself first!

“No more endless waiting for your date to arrive at some weird shop/place.”
Faizal Khan, Bangalore

Seen that guy waiting for his gf to arrive in a hushed-up corner, so that no-one even remotely related to her can see them? Seen every passerby give him a dodgy look as if he is a criminal waiting to strike? Are you that guy?

“I can have more guy friends as I will have more time for them.”
Abhinav Kaushik, Aligarh

A boyfriend’s day starts with his gf and ends with her. She’s the timer. Get up, call her. Think of her all day. God help him if you both are in the same school, but if luckily you are not, then, come back and call her. Come the evening… call her or meet her until it’s night and you know all about the dreaming thing. Imagine a life without the gf! With all that time on your hands, even the introvertest of introverts will have a life.

“I won’t have to lie to anybody and, therefore, I’ll sin less.”
Rachit Arora, Varanasi

Right since conception we are threatened with the paap-ka-ghara-bhar-raha-hai talk. We go through life in constant fear of overfilling the paap ka ghara, always sneaking in a good deed here and there to maintain the level. Let’s face it-you have a girl friend, you gotta lie. And we all know what lying does to the ghara.

“I won’t lose a good friend over a little fight or something.”
Muanpuia, Chennai

Making real friends is tough. And making real friends of the oppo-sex is tougher. You risk getting slapped, take pains to understand her, stress yourself with her girl-talk and finally become good friends. Then you fall in love. You hide stuff you used to wait to tell her, and soon you can’t recognise your friend at all. The choice is between a pal for life and a few months of torture. Choose life.

“We get to give more flowers on Rose Day.”
Chirag Bansal, Meerut

Can’t ignore this-flowers spread joy. Spreading joy adds to your good deeds, which means a smooth road to heaven! So what’s that got to do with a gf? Ever tried to give flowers, forget roses, to another girl in front of your gf? Did someone say joy?

“I won’t have to fight over having a ‘special’ friend with my folks!”
Anurag Chaturvedi

Let’s face it-the parents give you the green stuff. Offending them means no money, no smiles-and piercing looks every half-an-hour. So, when they ask you, ‘Why does Ritu call you so often?’ you know you are in deep you-know-what. The pain of having the girlfriend + the pain of offending your parents = no-no.

“No nonstop nonsense.”
Hitesh Moolchandani, Mumbai

Girls love to talk. Good for them. But, when it comes to gfs, you can’t brush it off so easily. Only a guy who has suffered knows what we mean. Go up to a guy who has a gf and say ‘I want to talk to you’. Horror mixed with a ‘what did I do now?’ look will tell you all. No gf, no need to ‘talk’.

“I won’t drown in the pool of her tears!”
Aurojeet Ghosh, Bhubaneshwar

Whoever said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend doesn’t know squat. Tears, buddy, tears. Whenever you say anything that is even slightly hurtful (according to her), the tap runneth over. If you keep talking, you’re heartless. If you don’t… well, she got her way, didn’t she?!

“No tension.”
Sharad Sikka, Jammu

Worrying about how you look, what you say, where you go, what you spend, who you meet, for how long… all this comes in an undetachable package with a gf. Then comes stressing about what you say to her (not to mention your folks), what not to say, remembering to compliment her-always, recounting every ‘significant’ date in your relationship. Why take all this tension, man? We mean, how would you look with grey hair sticking out of your head at 16?

“I can be myself.”
Joshua Vimal, Coimbatore

Humans strive hard for perfection. Boyfriends should just give up. You are always either indifferent or too possessive, stonehearted or too senti, stuck-up or a flirt, spendthrift or stingy. Bfs can never be just right, and the first job that a gf takes on is to completely re-do you and turn you into a Perfect Human Being. And you’re not even sure what species you are!

“I won’t have to hide the telephone bills!”
Rohan Firdausi, Pune

The phone bill is a deadly thing. It’s the only bill you need to worry about, whatever you age, sex or creed. The minute you are old enough to talk, you are ready to worry about the phone bill. Not because you’ve to pay it, but worse, because you’ve to explain it. The answer? Talk less. With a gf, that can’t be. You know what to do.