Annoying

I have gotten a new phone to replace the one that was recently stolen. The new one has some setting on it that allows the mobile phone service advertisements to just pop up on the screen. A text message would wait for me to choose to view it, these just appear and light up the screen.
They are annoying.
Song quizzes where you fill in the blank.
What's famous so-and-so's sister's name?
Properties available somewhere.
And yesterday it was this one:
"hi my sweety sorry if i annoy you could you please call me back ########"
Yes, airtel, you annoy me. I will not call you back and I am not your sweety. Leave me be. And while you're at it: learn to use some punctuation.

Stolen and replaced...somewhat

My phone was stolen.
At least that's the best I can figure, because I can't imagine how it could have fallen out of my bag when nothing else had without my noticing.
In that same pocket were my business cards--also missing. So whoever has the phone, knows whom they should call to return it.

Bad thief person.

I called the mobile phone customer service to report the missing sim card. The experience was so unexpectedly positive that I almost didn't mind that my phone was missing.
Almost.

Last time my phone was stolen, I needed to go through a lengthy process of obtaining an affidavit.
This time?
Impressive...

My conversation with customer service went something like this:
Customer service guy: really-fast-Hindi-words-I-couldn't-follow
Me: I'm sorry, do you speak English?
Customer service guy: Of course, ma'am, how may I help you?
Me: I need to report that my phone was stolen.
Customer service guy: Oh, I am sorry to hear that. This is what we will do: We will immediately deactivate your current account number so no unauthorized calls can go through. Then we will courier to your billing address a new sim card. When you receive that, call the customer service center to activate it. This service will cost you 25 rupees, I am sorry for that. BUT, ma'am, I am most sorry to tell you that your data is lost and there is nothing we can do about that. I'm so sorry for the loss.
I was so taken aback by this immediate "fixing" of my problem, that I made him repeat it all, right down to the "your data is lost and I'm so sorry for this".
Yes, it was true: he said a new sim card would show up on it's own at my door by the end of the following day. No affidavit or police report needed. Wow.

And he was right! My new sim card was brought to my house this afternoon and the guy who delivered it offered to make the call to request that it be activated.
Nice.
I love good service.

Now to go about replacing all those phone numbers.
And, well, I guess I need a new phone, too.

Affidavit

I went into town today to replace my sim card. It was an interesting process.

First I had to get an affidavit reporting the stolen phone and sim card. To do that, I went to a tiny little hole-in-the-wall office where there were three men with typewriters clacking away incessantly. They typed out who I am, who my father is, where I live, where the phone was missing from, when it was missing, and that I would like a duplicate. When it was finished and stamped, it was very official looking, but you would have a hard time believing that if you'd seen where it came out of.

I wish I could show you pictures...sigh.

Then I took my official paper to the mobile phone place and they gave me a new sim in exchange for the paper and 75 rupees.

Now if only the phone, the numbers, the camera and photos were replaced so "simply".

I identify

I recently came across this quote from someone named George Herbert:
"I cried when I was born and every day shows why."
I'm identifying strongly with that sentiment.

My camera, my phone and 100 rupees are gone.
According to my best recollections, they were in my bag on a chair in the corner of the school room when we took our morning break. I'd used my phone just before school to make a call, the camera usually lives in my bag so that it's ready-at-a-moment's-notice for a picture opportunity, and the 100 rupees was so I could buy some vegetables on the way home.
I thought it was strange when I went to pay for the vegetables and couldn't find any money in my bag. When I got home, I dumped everything out on the bed. Nope, no rupee note. But I thought it was my own misplacing of the money. I looked for my phone to see if I had any missed calls, but it wasn't there. I didn't have a lot of time to worry over it --or anyone to call--so I didn't.
My phone didn't turn up by the end of the day, so I was hoping I'd left it at the school room.
It wasn't there this morning. Not in any of the places we searched, anyhow. And I also realized my camera wasn't in my bag.
Thinking about it now, there were a few other things out of place: my Bible was unwrapped from its cover; when I'd gathered up the bag to move it, it had been lying opened unlike the usual way I leave it slung over the chair arm.
Our break meant we were gone from the room hardly fifteen minutes. How sad that the thievin' whoever thought it would be worth it to rifle through my bag of unassuming appearance. :(

So there won't be any new pictures or videos to share with you. :(

I can't even begin to calculate the total value of the loss.
All my phone numbers from several countries and continents. :(
All of my 800+ photos taken since February. (What you see displayed here is all I've got left.) :(
The 100 rupees is nothing in comparison to the other two losses.
There aren't enough emoticons to type to display how sad I am.
:.(
:.(
:.(