WRIST WATCHES – Do we still need them?

WRIST WATCHES – Do we still need them?

I discovered (on google news) today new Chinese Quart watches are being launched!

I remember the time my dad got me a HMT watch. Initially I was very proud of it – it had to be wound by hand, it had two dials one for the time and another for day date.. quite large and heavy. But later on, when my school mates changed to newer kinetic models where no winding up of the watch was required, with more dials and flashy screens ,I was fed up. 

In fact the HMT watches kept on working and keeping the right time for decades. They never died! Dads loved them !

But over the past 2 decades, the watches seem to have changed for quartz watches which work on batteries, now the solar batteries are in fashion! Smart watches are’ in’ and the prices are more affordable.

But do we still need watches?  

Mobile phone is the most personal item that one carries. It has the function of phone calls. Messages, calculator, music player, movie player, still camera, video camera, gaming console and of course last but not the least - the clock, not to mention the timer, alarm and stop watch.

Looking at the wrist during a boring lecture is considered impolite. But a discrete look at the mobile will not only be polite, but also tell you how many minutes you have wasted!

A faulty battery in the quartz watch sends you worrying about getting a new one. It is not uncommon for people to change watches rather than batteries !!

Being a surgeon and a violinist, I find wrist watch cumbersome and it comes in the way of my profession and passion.

No worries about allergy to the watch strap

But is the wrist watch popular still? BBC survey in UK showed that 14 %  population felt no need for wrist watches as cell phone have taken over the function. So it is a growing trend to find your time on the mobile phone.

In fact the young people who grow up with technology find it easy to check time on the phone!

What do the wrist watch wears say?

These are a fashion statement, especially the expensive watches.  Some women still consider the watches as expensive pieces of jewelry! 

So if you are still wearing a wrist watch, relax…. You are with the 86 % of the population and you have the ‘time’ to look at your watch for the ‘time’!

Young guys like me (!) feel they are redundant.

Also no tell tale sun marks on wrists and no strap allergies !

MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIPS!

              MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIPS 

"Books like friends should be good and few"

Over the years, I have gained a lot of friends  from childhood, school, college, early work, recent work, associations and social groups.

One despite being busy with one's own professional or business activities, should learn to nurture, continue and grow these friendships. After all, that is the purpose of life; what makes us different from the animals!

If you draw circles around you, the various zones around will form friends of differing types. It is good to know which zone, close or far, each friend belongs to. The same person may shift to various zones depending on your (or his/ her) commitments too!

What are friends for?

( I feel that you should learn to be at peace within yourself even when no one is around! 

The motto should be 'My best company is me!')

In general, friends are needed to 

- maintain social activities with 

- to call up and chat any time

- to seek advice from as and when you need it

- to give advice whenever it is asked for

- to confide in when in trouble or sadness.

To maintain good and long friendships, some qualities matter

- honesty

- regular contacts ( not necessarily frequent)

- learn to say 'no' to friends if it against your better judgement.If they cannot take it, the friendship is not worth it.

- regular hang outs coffee, jogging,social meetings to name a few, if they are locally placed.

Facebook friends and Whats App are applications where 'friends' are easily available nowadays. But in cyberspace, one should realize that what you say not only goes to 'friends', but also to ' friends of friends' whom you do not know.  Facebook also suggests 'friends' for you, which is not how it is done in real life. Good to be aware of these facts.

Hence in cyberspace, (Facebook, Whats App)

- never share intimate moments

- never share when you are too angry, too sad or emotionally upset

- never pass comments about anyone which you will not say directly to his / her face

- never bad things about your last job ( you need the reference. Also when you sleep over it, things look better the next day!)

- avoid political or religious strong sentiments

- never confidential statements about  your finances or your holidays when you are away from home,

Coming back to real friendships,

- be supportive and non judgmental

- Having said that, good friends sometimes give solid advice which are difficult to swallow! True friends do not hesitate to be critical, when you are going astray and doing something really, really stupid!

- If you can give more than you take, then you are a good friend in a relationship. The converse is also true, if your friend gives more than he / she takes, that person is a good friend!

- spare time when needed by your friend on occasions.

Now for the cautions in friendships!

- Money, booze and moral issues will and always do sour a friendship very rapidly. Not worth it.

- Do not intrude into a friend's personal matters uninvited. You may be in the wrong zone. Respect the privacy of your friend.

- In a similar fashion, till you know the other personal well, best keep a distance, criticize less and be less judgmental. 
- Last of all, when friendship involves people of opposite sex, DO NOT confuse friendship with love. If the lady is ever in love with you, she is capable of expressing it; do not be carried away by what you see in movies! 

Remember,'the rich and the famous ( nowadays the powerful too) have loads of friends'! If you are poor and a nobody, you will be lucky to have even a single one!

A common saying in New York is, "If you need a friend, get a dog!" It is true dogs make excellent friends. Totally non-verbal and totally true!

But that's an entirely a different topic!