My inner voice and me

I have this strange habit of challenging my "inner voice" quite often.

I got up at 9:00am today, which is very early by my standards after i have started working in this staggered shift (supposed to be from 2pm to 11pm). I went to bed at around 4:00am in the morning after standing in the terrace of my house for sometime, enjoying the unusually cool breeze that was blowing last night.

After finishing my breakfast, i was happy to realise that there was still so much time left to start to office. Took the "prodigal daughter" i had borrowed from shalini long time back and started reading from the page i had left. I was bored after sometime.

Closed the book and switched on the TV. Fortunately, i stay in shoinganallur and do not require an STB to watch all the channels. But, it was the wrong time of the day to watch TV. They were showing only serials and some waste movies in every channel. I kept browsing through the same channels again and again. Got bored of this too.

Switched off the TV and put "Radio Mirchi". They were playing my all-time-favourite song. i slowly closed my eyes and started listening to the song. The next song, next song, next...all were my favourite melodies. I do not know when i fell asleep.

I was in a deep sleep, when something suddenly struck me and i got up startled. It was 1:21pm. "My god. I got to be there in office at 2'O clock". As if waiting for an oppurtunity, my inner voice started talking now - "Ha ha. you got only 40 minutes. There is no way you are going to make it". I got angry. I knew that i got to take bath, press my dress, walk for 5 minutes to reach Shols checkpost, have my lunch and then take a maxi-cab to reach office. Probably i can not make it by 2'O clock. But then, i can not have my inner voice have its way. Never.

"I am going to make it", I said. Then my inner voice started laughing in its typical sarcastic way and said, "Let us see". The next second, i found myself in my bathroom. Set a new record for taking bath. Then i tactfully displayed the art of multi-tasking and got ready like a lightening. When i locked the house and stared walking, it was 1:42pm. I can still make it.

Surprisingly, the day was not that hot. I walked as fast as i can and went to Akshaya hotel and had just a curd rice and a vada. When i came back to the check-post, i saw a maxi-cab about to move. It was 1:54pm. I knew that i will miss my last chance to win the challenge if i miss that maxi-cab. I stared running towards it.

Finally, i had made it to the cab as the conductor (???) shouted "hold on" on seeing me running towards it. I smiled at him thankfully. The vehicle started moving. I found myself a corner of a seat. With much struggle, i took out the cell-phone from my pocket and saw the time. It was 1:56pm and i knew that it will hardly take 2 minutes to reach office. I was jubilant. I am going to make that stupid innner voice eat its words.

Suddenly the conductor shouted "hold on" again. But, i could see no one running towards the max-cab this time. After shouting "kelambakkam" for nearly 200 times and "hold on" for some 30 times, he shouted "polaam right". The driver, who looked far younger to be eligible for a driver's licence, seemed to be playing with the accelerator till that time. He got the "Secret code" from the conductor and was kind enough to start the vehicle.

Throughout this time, i did not dare to look at the time. I reached office, entered into the main gate, which was incidentally the victory line i had to reach and saw the time. 2:03pm. I had lost to my inner voice again. "You idiot. I will see you next time", i said disappointedly. My inner voice started laughing loudly.