Marriage preparation and PHDs
The stage of life you are in is obvious by the topic that most dominates your conversation with your peers. At one time, all we talked about was how cute Nick Carter was and who had a crush on whom. Then all we talked about was rock, who was doing dope and who was doing whom. Now we're all working and we have supposedly grown up and are 'responsible, mature people'. Having hit the quarter century number, the predominant topic of conversation I find among my peers is marriage. One by one, members of the 'gang' do more than talk about it, and we all find ourselves dressed in sarees and formal suits, being marked as the next juicy prey to old matchmaking aunties at the reception.
You'll know the symptoms of this stage by the following situations you will come across:
1) You meet an old schoolmate and the first thing she will ask you is "So, you married?"
2) Your e-group from college keeps you posted at regular intervals who has tied the knot with whom. Also that the professor you NEVER thought would get married did marry the lecturer you NEVER EVER EVER thought would suit him.
3) You come home from work to see a wedding invitation propped up on the dining table almost every second day.
4) Your parents start making comments like, "Oh, when you get married, we can do this". hold on. stop right there!
5) Your grandmother decides that she is waiting for you to get married and then she can die in peace. (so actually by not getting married youre doing her a favour?)
6) Shaadi.com produces a lot of entertaining anecdotes
7) Arranged marriage meetings by well-meaning traditional parents bring out the middle parting, oiled hair, dont drink, dont smoke, will never leave my mother boys.
8) Dynamics for group trips suddenly become a problem. The 'gang' is now a bunch of lovey dovey couples, and you have to make sure you have enough singles to prevent it from becoming a love-bird convention.
A lot more such subtle instances indicate that marriage is the flavour of the season, the NBT (next big thing) in your life and every one else's. Its scary, but iminent. Its something you want but youre not quite sure you want. Its too many people's opinions on whether marriage is good or an unnatural state imposed on us by society to force us to conform and to regulate our natural instincts. (yes I'm being euphemistic). And then you have conversations with your girlfriends about guys and guys have conversations with their guyfriends about girls. And then you have deep discussions with your significant other about what your ideas of marriage are. Suddenly everywhere you go, its marriage and everything you can hear is marriage.
Oh heck. Toss back a few beers, go on a couple of trips, have a few parties, and life goes on. Everyone will bite the dust eventually. Its definately more intelligent than talking about Nick Carter.
And most definately not as scary as the predominant topic of conversation among my grandmother and her peers, who as she says, are all studying their PHD . Preparing for a Happy Death.
You'll know the symptoms of this stage by the following situations you will come across:
1) You meet an old schoolmate and the first thing she will ask you is "So, you married?"
2) Your e-group from college keeps you posted at regular intervals who has tied the knot with whom. Also that the professor you NEVER thought would get married did marry the lecturer you NEVER EVER EVER thought would suit him.
3) You come home from work to see a wedding invitation propped up on the dining table almost every second day.
4) Your parents start making comments like, "Oh, when you get married, we can do this". hold on. stop right there!
5) Your grandmother decides that she is waiting for you to get married and then she can die in peace. (so actually by not getting married youre doing her a favour?)
6) Shaadi.com produces a lot of entertaining anecdotes
7) Arranged marriage meetings by well-meaning traditional parents bring out the middle parting, oiled hair, dont drink, dont smoke, will never leave my mother boys.
8) Dynamics for group trips suddenly become a problem. The 'gang' is now a bunch of lovey dovey couples, and you have to make sure you have enough singles to prevent it from becoming a love-bird convention.
A lot more such subtle instances indicate that marriage is the flavour of the season, the NBT (next big thing) in your life and every one else's. Its scary, but iminent. Its something you want but youre not quite sure you want. Its too many people's opinions on whether marriage is good or an unnatural state imposed on us by society to force us to conform and to regulate our natural instincts. (yes I'm being euphemistic). And then you have conversations with your girlfriends about guys and guys have conversations with their guyfriends about girls. And then you have deep discussions with your significant other about what your ideas of marriage are. Suddenly everywhere you go, its marriage and everything you can hear is marriage.
Oh heck. Toss back a few beers, go on a couple of trips, have a few parties, and life goes on. Everyone will bite the dust eventually. Its definately more intelligent than talking about Nick Carter.
And most definately not as scary as the predominant topic of conversation among my grandmother and her peers, who as she says, are all studying their PHD . Preparing for a Happy Death.
posted by misanthrope | 4:08 AM
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