Humour Or Timing?

 The universe has a sense of humour. Good or bad is merely a matter of perspective, so this sentence is very much open to debate. The next sentence won't be open to debate, though. The universe has a fantastic sense of timing. You know that's true, so don't try denying it. 

Think of the most 'whoops' kind of moments in your life. Like the time you were dancing and entered the classroom singing a terrifically off-key rendition of the latest Bollywood song, thinking it was empty. Firstly, it wasn't empty. Secondly, the teacher was sitting right at her desk and looking at you as you froze mid-note, mid-stride and mid-euphoria. Whoopsie number three, (and this is applicable to those of you who studied in a co-ed school) your crush was sitting there looking at you with the most bewildered expression on his/her face. I've done the first two, so I know what the solution is to such a situation.

As gracefully as possible, slowly lower your arms to your sides. Give the teacher your most goofy smile, wish him/her a good morning/afternoon, and then just turn around and go to your seat if you had already passed it. In case you sit in the front row, keep smiling and quietly sit down. For the next month, do not, under any circumstances, make a sound louder than a mouse's squeak. You don't need the teacher telling the entire faculty about your Indian Idol moment.

In case you're in the third situation, do nothing. You're not going to get anyone's attention by one stupid stunt, unless you're the certified troublemaker in the class. In that case, you're a menace. But I digress; back to the timing of the universe.

Think of the time you were watching a movie. Or a funny movie. Or a serial(not a daily soap, I'm talking about something along the lines of Brooklyn 99 or The Big Bang Theory). The dialogue is witty, it's fun, it's engaging. Maybe you're watching an action movie. You don't remember it scene for scene, but it's a good movie nonetheless. Something like The Matrix, maybe.

Now, you've been watching this for close to half an hour. Nothing weird or creepy has happened at any point. In fact, it's on the verge of becoming a little bit boring. All of a sudden, your parent will enter the room, and that is precisely when a kissing scene is initiated, without rhyme or reason. And not just a minor kiss, oh no. This is the type of scene which is bound to get you into trouble for watching. 

You know what I mean. There are very few people who haven't been in this predicament before, and I envy your luck. My sibling and I have been the victim of this meticulous piece of timing too many times to count. All of a sudden, while you are enjoying your movie and waiting for the next action sequence, you'll hear someone exclaim, "What's going on?"

It's then that you notice that the protagonists in the movie have started kissing, while you were daydreaming about the next action scene. Now that's timing. If Sachin Tendulkar had had this kind of timing, he would've scored a thousand more runs. Regrettably, he didn't, so now the universe makes us run our lives like it's a 100-metre sprint against Usain Bolt.

In spite of all this, it's true that the universe could time some things better. Things like problems, or obstacles. They could've appeared at a different time, but no. They just had to appear when you couldn't deal with them at all. At the exact moment when you just couldn't bring yourself to deal with it. Or that's what you thought, because you dealt with that problem surprisingly well. Whether this is cruel irony or impeccable timing, no one knows. All you know is that you dealt with it. 

Having said that, I believe it's time I stopped for today. Here's to hoping your timing is spot-on. Adios!