"I guess it's because we all want to believe that what we do is very important, that people hang on to our every word, that they care what we think.
The truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone - anyone - feel a little better.
After that, it's all about the people that you've let into your life." - J.D. , "My Finale", Scrubs

Friday, February 18, 2011

My own private dream land...


First off... Sorry for the huge delay in replying to all the wonderful comments for my wedding post. By the time I could get access to a decent net, there were already 20 odd comments and after that, I was just...well, lost on where to start. Anyway, be it ever so late, I did finally get rid of the lazy-bug gene in me and reply to all the comments.

It, however, brings me to today's post. As I mentioned in the last post, me and my wife are diametric opposites and that often leads to hilarious discussions and arguments. Case in point : We were watching a movie on Tv one night. Everytime an ad break arrived, she'd turn to me and demand I start a conversation, using the centuries old "Don't you love me? Then why don't you have anything to talk to me ?" sentence to emotionally blackmail me. Attempts to discuss the movie, world politics, music, family and the weather ( Gimme a break ! I was desperate ok, guys !! ) all just added to the frown on her face. Soon, it reached a stage where I was spending the whole movie thinking of suitable topics to discuss before the next ad break arrived !!

But it made me realise something about myself. I'm so used to being with my own thoughts and enjoying 'my own private time' whereas this concept was totally alien to my wife who is so used to something or the other going on around her. She finally got fed up of the silent pauses between the ad breaks and  knighted me with the dubious title of "AWARD MOVIE." I, of course, refrained from calling her what was in my mind ( ‘Cartoon Network’ ) for fear of ending up on the couch.

It reminded me of an incident that occurred nearly 10 years ago. It was in a biochemistry lab and after drawing the required diagrams, we had to go and get it signed by the madam sitting in front. As my friend, H, went with his book to get the sign, he noticed that the madam was barely glancing at the pages as she ticked them but kept looking up and smiling shyly. She was even blushing, he told me later. Unable to understand, H followed her gaze... and struck his head. His roommate was staring unblinking back at the madam; his face resting on his arms and sporting a silly smile in his face. She kept looking down at the book, then looking up again to see him still staring back at her with that obvious schoolboy crush expression.

H realised what was going on and on his way back to his table, deliberately stamped on his roommate's feet, thus breaking the spell. His roommate, as he had guessed, had no idea what was going on. You see, he was lost in his own dream world and 'unfortunately' happened to be facing madam at the time. He had no clue that the happy thoughts in his bored mind were being deciphered as a teacher-student love story by the teacher !!

The final piece of this drama unfolded the next day, of course. By some weird coincidence, H and his roommate again had to go meet the same madam the next day at her staff room. On entering, the teacher's face lit up and she called them in. She then introduced them to her teenage son who 'just' happened to be there. She then went on a lengthy monologue, totally unrelated to the subject and dealing more on a very peculiar topic - how we were all 'like her children' and how difficult it must be for us being away from our parents and likely to 'have complicated feelings because of this new loneliness.' After an excruciatingly long 15 minutes, both students excused themselves and escaped from the chambers.

It took all of H's self-restraint to stop himself from killing his roommate that day for making him a part of such an embarrassing conversation. He would eventually get used to that familiar sight over the next 5 years of seeing his roommate simply staring into space, lost in his own world, oblivious to his surroundings and smiling like a doped dodo. 
I should know. That day-dreaming 'romeo' was and still is, of course, me.   

17 comments:

Magnolia said...

My husband and I have been together for nearly 14 years and we still aren't always in synch when it comes to quiet contemplation time vs. active conversation time. It's always an adventure! By the way, I'm back blogging again under a new title: http://northernmagnolia.blogspot.com/

Belated congrats on your marriage!

Ratzzz said...

u know, it takes all my restraint to just pack my bags and come over to kannur??

sorry abt not turning up at the wedding or reception.. i emailed u abt my mishap... anyways, regds to nandita...

P.S: Freshly out of hospital... hahaha.. i am such a piece, i know.. you shud be my doc, u ll make millions :D My doc is building a new house just using my fees :D

Rohan said...

Niiice!!! Award movie!!!
And yea staring at distant spot thinking of something else can be a real problem..
When i was in 1st year in anatomy dissection hall i thought a girl was looking at me and smiling.. Later on i realized even she had that same habit!!

Johnnie Francis Xavier MacIntyre said...

You need a PVR doc. Then you can forward through the commercial breaks :).

Pythoroshan said...

magnolia, will update my links... And 14 yrs on, eh ? Oh ,man.. I really better think of topics before sitting for the next Tv movie !!

Ratzzz, ya i know... How u doing now ? And hey, we docs dont build our houses from our private patients !!! We build our yachts and private jets :)

Rohan, hehe... Sounds like my long lost twin sister !!

JFXM... Dude, u have a point.. No more tv movies.. Only big screen shows from now on !! Will unsubscribe from all movie channels too :)

Illeen said...

I know the doped dodo look...

My geography teacher once caught me looking into space and smiling... He asked who am I having romantic thoughts about.. The whole class laughed, not to mention the teasing that followed.It was embarrassing...god!

Award movie, nice title..suits you.

Aathira said...

I think its kinda unfair if you expect the other person to be around when you wish to talk, but not willing to be around when the other person wishes to speak.

PS: I am just having a weird silent fight with my husband, and maybe that might contribute some sense to the above statement.

Ankita Ghosh said...

You can make your readers laugh :)!!! :)

Nisha said...

i hope ur wife has started reading ur blog! if not, she's really missing something so much fun :)

Moushmi said...

my hubby never watches movies with me on TV...He states he hates the advertisements... but now i know the truth !!!!!
ur wifey should probably narrate some incident just in case u dont have anything to talk and later quiz u in the next ad break to ensure u r listening...hahahaha ( my plan for the next forced TV movie)
u can listen i hope..:)

Meety said...

Ah ha... good post.. and better start finding out topics to discuss over ad breaks.. else u might really end up in the couch :-)

Pythoroshan said...

Illeen, thanks.. dont encourage her pls !! she was so happy to see people supporting the "award movie" tag :)

Aathira, i can see your point but dont u think it gets a bit tough when its in between watching a movie for EVERY AD BREAK..

Ankita, Nisha.. no, she's not likely to be a regular reader.. i have to 'spoon feed' her these articles so she'll read it.

Moushmi, traitor !! gimme ur hubby's number.. poor guy's gonna be ambushed and he has no idea !!

Meety, any help will be greatly appreciated ... it was ok when ad breaks were mins... now the ad breaks are 15 minutes ya !!! thats a lot of conversation for a single movie !!

suruchi said...

lol...i burst out laughing so hard at the CARTOON NETWORK bit Rosh, that I almost woke up my sleeping daughter...

my god, sense of humour super duper intact even post marriage...kamaal hain:-)
and awww for the day dreaming romeo...wish u were in my class;-)

Varsha said...

Glad your wife does not have "blog fever"....cartoon network!! hah hah

Even I pester my husband at times to start "some" conversation and then chide him for not talking enough with me...guess its a difficult thing indeed!

Ankita Ghosh said...

Love the new "headboard" of your blog :) and the scribble font too :)

Pythoroshan said...

Suruchi... if i were in ur class, I'd be the most maskifying teachers pet, na !!! :D

Varsha, you have no idea how tough it is for us award movies !!

Ankita, thanks... still not happy with it... keep wanting to change it

Ankita Ghosh said...

That is how it is supposed to be. After all, change is the only constant :D

But for now, I like the jazz :)