Monday, January 22, 2007

The Time-Table man

"Oh shit."
Those were the first words uttered by Mohan Joshi on Monday at 7.10 AM. May Sharone Stone go to hell. They say that it is inauspicious to begin your day by saying something unholy and Mohan unwillingly had done the same. Now you may wonder that why should one make such a huge hue and cry for waking up at a somewhat-early-morning hours? Because Mohan is the Time Table Man.

Mohan does his activities by the book and by the hour. Its been a month since he has arrived in US, but his near time perfection has even impressed his clients and colleagues. He wakes up at 630, finishes morning activities including shower by 715, has breakfast by 730, dresses up and packs by 750, arrives at the park and ride by 805 and catches the 810 bus. His Tea Break timings are at 1030 and 330 PM with lunch in between at 1245. He catches his evening 530 bus and arrives home at 620, checks mails, finishes dinner with his Land Lord at 830 and after watching some TV he is back in the bed by 1100 PM.

Yesterday on Sunday night Sharon Stone just broke his routine with her sultry beauty in Basic Instinct and by the time Mohan leaped in the bed it was 1210 AM. He finished his shower early and almost ran to the Park and ride to catch the 810 Bus which he missed by a few leaps and minutes. Cursing himself he caught the next bus and then remembered that he had forgotten his mobile at home. It was not the start that Mohan loved for his day. Office was no better as he forgot to send a document to his manager and he called and lectured him instead. Mohan couldn't wait for the day to end.

Half asleep and somber he ran and caught the last bus and saw a lady seated on his usual window seat on the 2nd row in the left hand corner. No good. Unwillingly he sat in a seat he had never sat before and after some time he fell asleep. He was not sure when he woke up, but as soon as he did he got down sensing his stop. Oh hell, why does this place have to get pitch dark at 600 PM? Wait a minute, this is not the stop. Seems that the day was far from over.

Now if he had been in India he should have had no problem as there would be people walking around or a tea shop around and he could get back on track. But this was the US where at 6 PM only ghosts and lunatics who wish to freeze to death roam around on roads apart from the vehicles. This place was devoid of all the three. Goddamn you US. Mohan having being used to the only route from Park and Ride to home, couldn't figure out where he was. Goddamn you Mohan. This is the trouble of carrying out life on a set pattern every other day. One gets used to it and when the routine breaks, all hell breaks loose. Without a mobile to call and ask Directions and in a neighborhood where he knew no one, Mohan Joshi felt as if he was stranded on Sahara desert.

"Uncle Mohan. What are you doing here?" asked a familiar voice. It was Jesse, Mohan's land lord's son. Mohan then realized that he was just crossing the backyard of the house where he lived. He had never set foot on the back yard in that whole month.
"Well...I was just roaming around" lied Mohan.
"Hmmm....Uncle, my friend gave me a book called Who Moved My Cheese? My friend says that it is a nice book about changes in life and adapting to it. Have you read this book?"
"Well..Jesse..Mind if I borrow it from you and read and return it in a week?" asked Mohan.
Mohan realized that he needed that book more badly than this 8 year old kid.

52 comments:

G3 said...

Yup... That was a nice one.. Pointing out that in our daily routine life we miss a lot of external world.. Not even knowing the backyard of his house clearly pictured how systematic he was :) Cool writing flow yaar :))

ramya said...

//Mohan Joshi felt as if he was stranded on Sahara desert. //

idhu madiri ellam nadakaracha really seri kadiya ayidum..

life will turn a hell wen the day is upside down from the normal routine...

the pace n flow was maintained thru out..gud going harish.

Nithya said...

Now that was different....Great job :)

I haven't come across ne time table man in my life...

The bottomline : Changes are inevitable...People ought to get used to changes too !!!

Neat write-up that was :)

Sat said...

hmmm....time table man...interesting topic! yeah it's so monotonous. life-la ennikume oru suspense element irukanum, oru chinna twist, anti climax-la kooda mudiyalam, but what the heck :)
naa patukku sivane-nu office-la ukkandhu irupen. sayandaram veetuku pora time vandha udana andha pakkam poga pidikadhu, tap-nu bag-a thookittu pidi train-a, kelambu edhadhu oru mall-ku. anga poi lo lo-nu suthittu veetuku vandhu arakka parakka ara vekkada edhayadhu kotti kittu thoongu. next morning get up late, turn up to office late, marupadiyum wait for evening. the whole day is one big sprint. kodumai!...at times i think i should get organised, but then i get sick of even trying and am back to square one. guess we all like life this way, unpredictable, thrilling to the finish!
P.S: the weekend got a tad bit too unpredictable for me, i found myself sitting in a large library in the british museum and reading! :-O

Heidi Kris said...

wonderful post and was worth the wait :)

Ganesh Ranganathan said...

nice story...you write well...

KK said...

Inga suthi anga suthi yen New year resolution'liye kaiya vechutiya pa.... :)
I am totally opposite to Mohan... I do what ever I feel like and whatever time... totally un organized life :)
Just like what Sat told but no mall visits :)
So this year only I thot I will get a bit organized at least :) Itha padichathuku appuram.. avasiyam pannanumanu yosikuren :)

P.S - Actually appurama vanthu padikurenu than poda vanthen... Appuram Sharon Stone peru paartha odane control panna mudiyala... pulla padichuten :) Semma bulb :(

KK said...

@Sat - Naan nikartha neenga yenakku munnadiye poi comment potudreenga :) naanum yella blog'layum poi ditto potutu iruken :) Pesama I will outsource my commenting to you, what say? :)

Anonymous said...

Idhu kadhiaya? or your oneday out of schdule anubavama?
But asusual your story flow is very interesting.My dad is 90%timetable man.But yet to come across one like this.your imagination is unbound Harish.Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Good one :)

Sat said...

kk;
Aaaaha!
but idhu nalla idea-va irukku...i am thinking at what rate to bill you :P

and about ur PS, it was a nice move by Harish, appa thaan unga maari aatkal verumane attndance kodukaama padikavum seivaanga...kudos!
(adhu en attendance koduknum, orediya aparam vandhu padichikalamla...naangalum busy-nu kamichikava? :P )

Sat said...

hey harish
wait a minute...indha mohan joshi-ku harish-nu innoru per irukka?
thirunthura pervazhinu nee thaan indha maari maritiya?

Gayathri said...

Pretty nice. BTW, have you read I moved your cheese?

Syam said...

@KK,

//Appuram Sharon Stone peru paartha odane control panna mudiyala//

same here...as I was doing a quick scanning saw something about sharon stone... :-)

Syam said...

indha time table matter India la irundhaalum pannanum but there we can do it in our own phase...like cell phone marandhuta corner ku corner STD booths...we are missing a lot here... :-)

Dreamzz said...

wow! a nice one this is! tells how we are caught in the mec. wheel of life in here :(

Dreamzz said...

and the book is one among the best i have read!

KC! said...

:)) nice one!! Idhukudhan yaarum perfect-a irukakoodadhu :))

Arunkumar said...

same blood with kk and sat. i am trying to get to an organized life style... but neenga ippo bayamuruthitenga. so...

Well written post harish :)

Harish said...

@G3
Infact in big cities people hardly even know their neighbours names. Love Thy Neighbour ngarada verum vayasu pasanga mattum daan follow panraanga :-)

@ramya
That is the problem with a constant routine. If we all were able to adapt maybe these books wont sell

@Nithya
I have seen people who wont even trade their seats in the buses here as they are used to them only. Changes are inevitable but as they say that we are all creatures of habit.

Harish said...

@Sat
I love that unpredictability on events. It spices up life like anything and makes me feel fresh. Sometimes it turns disastrous..but what the heck

@Heidi
Thanks yaar :-)

@Ganesh
I try my best ;)

KK said...

Sat: Oru comment'ku oru lolipop :) neengalum appadiye antha lolipop'a mic maathiri vechu Madonna maathiri paadalam... ungalukku yenna useful'a irukumnu yosicha ithan thonuchu :D

//.naangalum busy-nu kamichikava? :P//
Yellam college pazhakam... utkaarntha bench'la yellam yenga peru engrave pannuvom... KK inga irunthan :) appadinu podura maathiri than :) Ithellam public'a ketkapadathu... :)

KK said...

Harsih vanakkam... online irukeenga pola irukku :)

Harish said...

@KK
Nanba...Sharon Stone a inda maadhri Item number girl aakitiyae? Btw...naanum inda maadhiri daan irundaen (ippo kooda konjam konjam) but thing is it leads to chaos. So I have plans for only 8 hours of work life. I love my personal life being unpredictable and non-time table. I do whatever that makes me feel happy.

@SKM
Truly speaking I asked release form my project bcoz it got highly predictable and boring. It was like I was keyed on Monday morning and it stopped doing it on Friday evening. I love my life dearly and monotony is the last thing on cards.

Harish said...

@Aparna
Thanks yaar ;)

@Sat
Inda vilayaatukku naan varala. Enakku appo appo IT velai melai idunaala daan veruppu varum. Bcoz after a certain point we know that we are going through the motions. Enna aaga pogudo :-(

@Gayatri
I remember seeing the book in Landmark and smiling at the cover. I read Who moved my cheese long back..but this one...nope. How good it it?

Harish said...

@Syam
Correct Naatamai. Inda kadai setting India la vekka mudiaadu. Edaavdu Annachchi kadai layo tea kadailayo ketttu escape aairulaam. Ingae tin daan.

@Dreamzz
I guess we IT ppl will find it very close to our life ;)

Harish said...

@Usha
Oru vagai la correct daan. But adukkunu oreediya messy a vum irukka mudiyaadu :-(

@Arun
Nanba...naanum adae case daan. Lets not be time tablish in our presonal life ;)

Harish said...

@KK
Nanba...ennai office ku joot vittutiya :-)

Priya said...

Too much perfection hmmm. You did a good job in your writeup.

Raz said...

need a change from the routine! nicely said.. all of us need it

Sat said...

kk;
//KK inga irunthan :)//
foot prints huh...sari sari
lollypop-a...idhu enna chinna pulla thanama irukku
at least oru ben and jerry's ice cream-adhu thantha parava illa!

Sat said...

harish;
mmm...enna panradhu
IT mela veruppu...totally with you there....sila neram sollama kollama odi poidalam pola irukum, but ippadi yosichu paaren....ippa indha field-la irukura maari cut throat competetion vera edhukum illa....also no place else reeks of so much mediocrity than here

Unknown said...

konjam lateah vandhuten! :(

Unknown said...

as usual sooper kalakkals! last minute thiruppams! greatu! :)

Unknown said...

nice! :)

KK said...

Sat - Ben and Jerry's yenna vaangita pochu :)

Sat said...

kk;
OH!...romba koraichala ketuteno..pattunu othukiteenga?....wait wait...vera edhadhu yosikiren :P

Aditi said...

very interesting story... its one of the hardest things for ppl to deal with.. change...

Has to be me said...

Kewl one there!
Is this outta some personal experience?! ;)

golmaalgopal said...

yup dude....many r caught in a life-style like dis...they miss a lot of fun around them...

howmuch ever i try to follo a set timetable...somehow it never happens....oops time for dinner now.... hee hee :))[idhukkellam onnum korachal illa]

Anonymous said...

Nice one,its true that no one wants to come out of their status quo.But guess what,we are destiny's children!

Gayathri said...

Konjam comedy a start pannunanga.. But, I lost interest as I read by.. They were trying to ridicule the original one more than conveying the msg that they wanted to.

brute said...

good job bro!

D LordLabak said...

Good one. Who moved my cheese is a mst read for everyone, I feel.

Ponnarasi Kothandaraman said...

Tht was really a nice post... :)

And yeap..being imperfect shudnt b a practice :D

Krithika said...

nice post..yes life cant always be time-table perfect

Hell's Angel said...

How many times ive framed timetables but haven't even adhered to it once in my life.. btw u have indirectly promoted tht book..:-P

Harish said...

@Priya
I try my best :-)

@Raz
Exactly yes.

@Sat
You forgot the best part. They also give a fat paycheck. :-)

Harish said...

@BSK
Thanks nanba

@Aditi
Exactly yes. Something that not everyone can manage.

@HTBM
Partly yes. I was inspired from an elderly gentleman I saw on my bus where he used to occupy the same seat everyday.

Harish said...

@Gopal
Saapdu la ellam koocha pada koodadu. But matta vishayatukku time table poda koodadu.

@Bhargavi
Lets break the rules :-)

@gayatri
I am afraid that I am not best with my sense of humor. But yes, I promise to write one in Tamil. Ungalukku thamizh padikka teriyum illa?

Harish said...

@Brute
Tried my best Bro

@Deepa
It is.

@Ponnarasi
Thanks yaar

Harish said...

@Krithika
Infact it shouldnt be

@Brinda
Oops. I guess I am entitled for some royalty here :-)