Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Phind the Phone Number |
Here's a little game we'll play today. It's called phind the phone number.
The aim is to find the phone number of the Southern Province office of the UDA (Urban Development Authority). If anyone can do this faster than me they can have my job, which I assure you pays very well.
This is how you go.
Step 01
Get the directory. Look for the UDA listings. Find the listed number for the UDA's Southern Province office in Matara (+94 41 222 2920). When you call that there's a grumpy man who says it's not the UDA office anymore and asks you to bugger off. When you ask him if he has a number for the new UDA office then he says no and asks you to bugger off even more aggressively.
Step 02
Look for Galle sub-office, to see if someone there can give me a number. (+94 91 222 2935). No one answers.
Step 03
Look for Hambantota sub-office to see if someone there can give me a number. (+94 47 222 2069). No one answers.
Step 04
Call up UDA HQ in Sethsiripaya in Colombo. There are too many listed numbers for me to put them all here, but all of them are engaged all the time. But I did get through after about 15 minutes of hammering away. And then I spoke to some woman there.
Me: Can I have the number for the Southern Province office of the UDA?
She: Hmm...wait..it's 09 41370
Me: But those are the old numbers. The new ones have lots of 2s in them.
She: Hmm...no but this one works. There's another one 09 41370.
Me: But that's the same one you gave me earlier.
She: Oh yeah (giggles) You're right. Here's another one. 09 34830
Me: But this one doesn't have any 2s in it either.
She: Try it. It works.
Me: So what's the name of the guy in charge there?
She: I don't know.
Me: Thanks. Bye.
Step 05
Call the numbers she gives you. An annoying SLT voice tells you that the numbers have been changed. When you dial 09 41370 first a voice tells you to add 22 before the phone number. I do that and dial 09 2241370. Then another annoying SLT voice informs me that number too has been changed and asks me to add a 1 after the area code. So I do it and dial 091 2241370.
Step 06
A cranky old woman answers the phone.
Me: Is this the Southern Province UDA office?
She: ThisisnotthebloodyUDAofficeanymoreanddon'tcallagain.
Me: Do you have a number for their new office?
(click)
Play the game boys and girls! Phind the Phone number!
I did find it in the end but the game was much more fun. Met a lot of very interesting people on the way there. For a moment I was starting to think my name was Alice and the phone number was a white rabbit.
The aim is to find the phone number of the Southern Province office of the UDA (Urban Development Authority). If anyone can do this faster than me they can have my job, which I assure you pays very well.
This is how you go.
Step 01
Get the directory. Look for the UDA listings. Find the listed number for the UDA's Southern Province office in Matara (+94 41 222 2920). When you call that there's a grumpy man who says it's not the UDA office anymore and asks you to bugger off. When you ask him if he has a number for the new UDA office then he says no and asks you to bugger off even more aggressively.
Step 02
Look for Galle sub-office, to see if someone there can give me a number. (+94 91 222 2935). No one answers.
Step 03
Look for Hambantota sub-office to see if someone there can give me a number. (+94 47 222 2069). No one answers.
Step 04
Call up UDA HQ in Sethsiripaya in Colombo. There are too many listed numbers for me to put them all here, but all of them are engaged all the time. But I did get through after about 15 minutes of hammering away. And then I spoke to some woman there.
Me: Can I have the number for the Southern Province office of the UDA?
She: Hmm...wait..it's 09 41370
Me: But those are the old numbers. The new ones have lots of 2s in them.
She: Hmm...no but this one works. There's another one 09 41370.
Me: But that's the same one you gave me earlier.
She: Oh yeah (giggles) You're right. Here's another one. 09 34830
Me: But this one doesn't have any 2s in it either.
She: Try it. It works.
Me: So what's the name of the guy in charge there?
She: I don't know.
Me: Thanks. Bye.
Step 05
Call the numbers she gives you. An annoying SLT voice tells you that the numbers have been changed. When you dial 09 41370 first a voice tells you to add 22 before the phone number. I do that and dial 09 2241370. Then another annoying SLT voice informs me that number too has been changed and asks me to add a 1 after the area code. So I do it and dial 091 2241370.
Step 06
A cranky old woman answers the phone.
Me: Is this the Southern Province UDA office?
She: ThisisnotthebloodyUDAofficeanymoreanddon'tcallagain.
Me: Do you have a number for their new office?
(click)
Play the game boys and girls! Phind the Phone number!
I did find it in the end but the game was much more fun. Met a lot of very interesting people on the way there. For a moment I was starting to think my name was Alice and the phone number was a white rabbit.
