age, travel, earphones

The driver who drove me to the bus station from the hotel was very chatty. Among other things, he asked me how old I was. He couldn't believe I was 30. He kept repeating, "You are 30! Are you sure? Wow." Then he said I looked very young, and nothing like what a 30 year should look like. I wonder how a 30 year old "should" look like. Finally he asked me the dreaded question, "How old do you think I am?" I am really bad at this game. I said, "I don't know, I am really bad at guessing ages. Maybe late 30s?" And he said, "I am 63." So, yes, I should never play this game. Though I should have been tipped off because earlier he mentioned he had a double bypass surgery. Late 30 year olds don't usually have double bypass surgeries. Anyway, when I was about to leave his cab, he said "and you smell really good too." I did not think under my many layers of clothing, my perfume still made way to the outside world. At the bus station, I waited for 45 minutes. It was frigid. The convention center doors were closed. Right after me in the line was an Indian guy, who came to Pittsburgh to interview for his medical residency. He is a doctor. We talked for a while. He flirted in a ridiculous sexist way quoting from antiquated Bollywood movies. I wanted to get away, but I thought that will be rude. So, when another Indian guy who was also at his interview joined him, I felt relieved to go back to my earphones. 

Brahma's Memory

Memory god vigorously nodded his head. Brahma[1] was bemusedly telling Memory that he is quite exhausted, the years have advanced, he is now inflicted with osteoporosis attacking his joints, especially his knees what with sitting in this ill-chosen yoga posture, what was it called again? Memory instantly answered, "ah the padma-asana (lotus-posture) grandfather!" Yes indeed, he should have guessed as much given that the tip of some of the pesky lotus petals he is sitting on still tickle him in some of his more intimate areas. To refrain from inadvertently giggling, he maintains his severe countenance. And his teeth, his once beautifully aligned teeth just like those little white houses of Wisteria Lane, those perfect teeth all now replaced by exorbitant, over-enameled, under-adherent denture. And for heaven's sake! One day his fake teeth involuntarily chattered, and detached from his gums and fell into his intricate, ever sprouting, lotus petalled seat at such an opportune moment, right when he was about to pronounce a well-chosen curse on one good-for-nothing heaven-inmate whom he wanted to relocate back to the pangs of earth. These mishaps shall not happen again, he vows. He is ready to take a hiatus, and consults with Memory if it will be too shaming if he should just rerun the yugas[2] again? "So you mean, after the Kali yuga, we'd revert back to the Satya, followed by Treta, Dwarpa, etc?" Brahma confirmed his idea and then worriedly asked Memory if it wouldn't be too much of a leap... from cruel demons of Kali yuga to take a giant leap to being angelic beings of Satya. Can the humans adjust? Memory, to Brahma's astonishment, nonchalantly told him that nobody would remember. Furious, Brahma admonished how lazy Memory is that people should forget these scores of years that Brahma so painstakingly created. Brahma demanded Memory to explain his behavior, because after all it is his responsibility, the upkeep and maintenance of humans’ memory! And then Memory explained to Brahma how memory works. "Ah grandfather, all will be remembered, and yet not remembered, like one trapped in a labyrinth of deja vu. The present sense impressions will reconnect humans to their former experiences, they will often reconstruct memories, and sometimes they will fiercely hold onto a moment so it wouldn't dilute to memories at all, and sometimes they will unthread the fiber of a particular moment and weave and unweave endlessly until its identity is completely distorted, and even further, some will quest at a lifelong adventure to discover the true nature of memory." Brahma wasn't too convinced of Memory's elaboration; the boy is just too lazy he decided. He took a long yawn. “In any event, wake me up in some hours, Memory, don't you dare leave me in some labyrinth or else once I am up I'll wake Shiva[3] up.” And with a threatening smirk Brahma added, “And wouldn't you much rather have me awake than him!” 

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[1] Brahma is the Hindu god of creation. He is depicted with a white beard, sitting in the yoga posture called the lotus-posture (padmasana), and he sits on lotus.

[2] Yuga in Hinduism is an epoch or era in a four-age cycle. Each yuga lasts for thousands of years. They are Satya yuga, Treta yuga, Dwarpa yuga, and Kali yuga. Our present yuga is the Kali yuga that started at the end of the great epic war of Mahabharata around 3102 BCE.

[3] Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction. He is often depicted in deep meditation with his eyes closed.