Why I do not have a Thinkpad...

It is 32% possible that I might be a deviant…an outlier more than 2 standard deviations from the mean. The statistics class was OK for the 1st 2 days after which I fell behind since I didn’t have a laptop; desperately wanted a IBM (now Lenovo) with a track point, but found it so so difficult to pick up one for the following reasons…
1. None of the big retailers (Best Buy/ Circuit City etc) have stock of Lenovo models.
2. I didn’t want to splurge on my Indian debit card; so was thinking of asking some American if they could pay up and I could give them cash. By the time I made up my mind, it was 2 days.
3. Lenovo’s online payment mechanism is certified by “Thawte” HQd out of S.Africa. None of my American friends were too keen to trust this entity, given the kind of online credit fraud and phishing that happens here.
4. I almost decided to swipe my international credit card and buy one; but when I called up their customer care, was told that delivery would take at least 18 days…this in an era of “same day delivery” and I was badly falling behind in stats because I didn’t have a notebook…so I gave up. I had to drown my sexy black IBM dreams and pick up a sleek HP machine.

For someone aspiring to be #3 in the world, you would think these guys could have had at least a decent Verisign or Paypal certification. In all fairness, a classmate got someone to lend him an American c.card and pre-ordered a Lenovo machine before he landed up…he got it in less than a week. This was one of those “Why me?“ experiences which should be quickly covered up with beer and forgotten.