Life without a top-up ...

For the last five years the cell which I carried was post-paid, with the bill being sent home. [sounds good na???] But then I landed in London, had to get a set for myself, got a 'pay-as-you-go' connection, [its really funny that this term is used for anything and everything; oyster; bus; and even income tax]. Too happy that the 10 pound credit lasts more than a month, I was calling one-and-all and then suddenly I am left with "this number is barred from your phone." I am like wtf???

I am in the middle of no-where with a meeting planned with my friend to meet there. How do I tell him I am coming or not coming? Well thank God that he himself called and I could tell him where I was (and to keep him telling the directions when he is still holding up and we finally meet after 15 minutes, he still connected by them).

You are taking a bath when parents call you from home. You can't call back because your 'low-balance-recharge-please' phone does not allow you to and you are really embarrassed asking you mates to borrow their phone because its an international call and its 'peak-time'.

Your class-mate gives you a missed-call (which she is used to) to you to inform after a preponed class, which ofcourse which I find out later, but since you are 'low-balance-recharge-please', you miss it, having lunch and showing up at the old time, finding out that the class has already taken place.

You try to send sms to your friend (who is not so online-types) to tell him that you can't call and then, 'low-balance-recharge-please' doesn't allow you as well. You receive a letter for interview and are asked to confirm whether you will be able to make it at the time, but your 'low-balance-recharge-please' tells you that you got to borrow a phone to call them up. And you start to identify someone who wouldn't mind lending the phone and you find the would is a huge mess of ignorant and selfish people, who are also 'low-balance-recharge-please'.

Then I got a Carphone-Warehouse to get my 'low-balance-recharge-please' topped up, because the online thing would not recognise my Debit card which is apparently a 16-digit-number-card where the space is only for a 12-digit-number-card.

And so I get a top-up and get a 10 pound credit again. Rejoice. Hurray. But what next? Should I send an sms to all that I can call them now??? Sounds silly? Plus waste of credit, unless I want to hear 'low-balance-recharge-please' again.

Oh what a mess... These cells and top-ups. But guess life won't be the same without them. So I call my pals and home. Waiting for another 'low-balance-recharge-please' ...