Gurgaon Watch

Artemis hospital cares more for its money than it cares for you

I always had the idea that Artemis is a little more professionally run than some of the other healthcare facilities in Gurgaon. I have even written some good things about it in the past. The past week has however taught me that such is not the case. At the bottom of it all, they are just trying to make a sale and will do anything to get a customer, even though it may not be in the best interest of a customer.

Two incidents happened which has almost ensured that I am never going back to Artemis.

Kids in Gurgaon are getting together to celebrate Earth Day

A lot of us in India have a tendency to be sarcastic about initiatives such as the Earth Day (here’s one rant about this very issue). We tend to think that with all the shortage of water, electricity, etc., we already have a very low impact on the Environment.

This is wrong of course. Every global citizen on the planet carries the responsibility of conserving the planet for future generations. We need ensure that we don’t pollute the planet; we don’t overuse it’s resources; we don’t destroy its natural abundance and wildlife. And as with almost every large problem, the solution lies in baby steps. We need to start small and at home.

KidsForGurgaon, is an initiative by IamGurgaon (a citizen’s group hell bent on improving Gurgaon). And they are putting together a drive to spread awareness on Earth Day.

Our bad experience with Pentacle Services

Pentacle Services is a service provider for providing plumbing, electrician, computer repair, air-conditioning and other services at a low cost. Although they are Delhi based, but they also have Gurgaon operations.

Somehow, they managed to get hold of our phone number and called us with their offer. Their sales pitch was good, and so we were interested. Here is what they offered:

They would take Rs. 500 and provide 15 free service calls where they will send an electrician or a plumber (based on what you need) throughout the year. There is no labor charge for these services, and you will only have to pay the charges for actual material used.

In addition they will also do 2 free services for the air conditioners.

And they promised a visit in the next 24 hours.

Well, this was the pitch. And we liked it. So, what went wrong? Everything.

Get fresh beer at Ambi Mall in Gurgaon

A friend of mine who runs the awesome cartoon blog Brainstuck, was in town a couple of weeks ago and we decided to catch a movie at the Ambience mall. After the movie, we pondered on some place to go and eat. He wanted to try out the brand new joint called Rockmans’s Beer Island (located on the top floor of Ambi mall).

Here follows a review of the place.

Ultrasound in Gurgaon

Till a few years ago, there were not too many options in Gurgaon when one needed to get an Ultrasound done. Today, that has changed; in fact there are too many options available now. So, here’s a quick guide to some of the ultrasound centers that we (me and my wife) have visited personally, and our impression of it.

Good Tex-Mex at Ambi Mall

Whenever we are thinking of Mexican food, we think of Rodeo’s as destination. And that is not really a  bad thought. But since diversity is the spice of life, we need to know what other options are out there. So, I introduce to you IndiJoe – this is a “tex-mex” style restaurant, which also serves other styles of cuisine. We ate there a couple of weeks ago, and let me tell you up front – the conclusion is that we will definitely go back to it. But, here’s a little more detail about our experience:

You can’t miss this if you are a Dog Lover

Gurgaon is hosting its very own International Dog Show (a first of its kind in Gurgaon). If you are a dog lover then you had better reserve your weekend for this. The dates are Dec 20 and 21, 2008 (yes day after tomorrow).

All night dining in Gurgaon

Everybody gets midnight hunger pangs, and no one likes to cook up anything at night. But you don’t need to, because there are so many places in Gurgaon where you can go to get your midnight snack fix.

I put together a list of the ones I know. I have included those that are relatively safe to get to, and are in or near Gurgaon. Typically, you can get to any of them in less than 15-20 minutes from anywhere in Gurgaon (after midnight only).

Here’s the list:

Care for some Biryani at midnight?

If you are one of those people who get hungry as the clock strikes 12 in the night, then here’s a treat for you. There are many places in Gurgaon which serve food in the middle of the night, and this post describes just one of them (one of the better ones for sure).

Early Learning for your kids

Science and Psychology has long argued and proven that the earlier you stimulate your children the faster they learn, speak, walk, run, etc. However, how do you know what to say to your 6 month old, and what type of physical activities to engage in. You can either read and increase your knowledge, or trust the doctors (whose theories also differ from person to person), or listen to your mom or grand mom, whose ideas sometimes feel too arcane.

Here’s where an Early Learning Center such as Intellitots comes in. One of the readers of this blog left a comment about Intellitots and how happy she was after visiting them (thanks Anika for pointing them out). Because of her feedback, I decided to get in touch with Intellitots and get some more information about them.