Thursday, October 06, 2005

Sleeping with a stranger

Have you noticed how incredibly adorable some people look when they sleep?

Ever since I moved to the west, I have to take the train everywhere. It's a bit disorienting since I'm used to taking the bus where you don't sit facing other people. And so I have still not gotten used to looking at complete strangers for half an hour every morning.

A good tactic people use to get around this is to take a nap in the train. Now I am not the nap-on-the-move kinds. But lately, my lifestyle has become so odd. I get up at unearthly hours to reach office early and use my designer's Macintosh to do my design assignments. I rush to the uni in the evenings. After classes I get home late. And to top it off, on most days, I can't sleep unless I blog before going to bed.

In short, I run very low on sleep.


So if I'm not doing homework or office work in the train, I try and catch some sleep.

A few days ago, as I found a seat in the train and made myself comfortable to take a nap, I was about to close my eyes when I noticed him. Cute guy, sitting opposite me, with his eyes closed, taking a nap. Now he wasn't the drop dead gorgeous kind, but he was cute in a strange way, possibly because he was sleeping without a worry. Like a baby. So pure and so innocent.

I had two choices. I could either sacrifice my nap and look at this wonder of nature, or I could forget about him and do a favour to my sleepy self. I had 10 minutes to go before the train reached my station.

Shut eye or eye candy?

Drool or droop?

The decision had to be made fast.


And with a heavy heart and eyelids, I closed my eyes. And both of us slept.

Ten minutes later, I opened my eyes. It was time for me to alight.

I looked up, hoping to see him. He wasn't there anymore.

He had been replaced by a guy who had been watching me sleep! :O



48 comments:

Sahil said...

hey i'm first for a change!

ur title really took me by surprise man - my first reaction was "What is this chick thinking?!?!"

// He had been replaced by a guy who had been watching me sleep!

The predator becomes the prey.... hahahaha!

Anonymous said...

Sleep.getting a long sound sleep at a loud boys hostel full of shouting and bumbling guys is about as easy as brushing a Lion's teeth.I sleep around 4 hours in a day , thats it.and yeah , i agree upon the cute part.Even a sleeping osama bin laden would look cute.And im first for consecutive posts.Someone call the guiness book of records agency.

Kaala Kavva said...

haha
thats quite funny

he must'v been noticin u sleep like a baby..

Anonymous said...

Aww shucks.sahil man , you broke my heart by three minutes.Just when I was beginning to believe life is good , you killed the belief.

Sahil said...

Abhi dude. Kabhi kabhi hummein bhi toh mauka do. U can't hog the limelight ALL the time ;)

And yea, I know what its like to be in a hostel and deprived of sleep. That's what 'lectures' are for. A coupla my friends used to take pillows to lectures too. But I wasn't that besharam... thoda respect karte the professors ka..

Sayesha said...

#Sahil,
//ur title really took me by surprise man - my first reaction was "What is this chick thinking?!?!"

Says the guys who claims he always knows what I am thinking and even what I don't know I am thinking.

// The predator becomes the prey....

Predator?? What the..??!! It's called "appreciating beauty", my dear. (Though I did not quite appreciate the second guy appreciating this 'sleeping beauty'.) :s

#Abhi,
//I sleep around 4 hours in a day , thats it.

Oh man. Welcome to Sayesha's midnight pyjama party.

//And im first for consecutive posts.

Oops! Sahil beat you to it... koi baat nahin, let him have his moment today. He doesn't have too many 'moments' on this blog. ;)

#Sahil,
You know, sometimes, when I can't sleep on the train, I take out my lecture notes and look at them, And I instantly fall asleep. :)

Anonymous said...

I concede defeat ,sahil.You did it for this post.Abhinav hands over the "Mahrana Pratap memorial Running Trophy" for being the first one to comment on this post to Sahil.Im gearing up for the next post though.;)

And now I gotta go the class.So lemme search for my pillow , sleeping bag , sleeping cap , my favorite bedtime stories book and an alarm clock.

Anonymous said...

I concede defeat ,sahil.You did it for this post.Abhinav hands over the "Mahrana Pratap memorial Running Trophy" for being the first one to comment on this post to Sahil.Im gearing up for the next post though.;)

And now I gotta go the class.So lemme search for my pillow , sleeping bag , sleeping cap , my favorite bedtime stories book and an alarm clock.

Sahil said...

i heard u the first time my friend :)

Sahil said...

//let him have his moment today. He doesn't have too many 'moments' on this blog. ;)

I'm offended.

Anonymous said...

Some of the best features of your blog I enjoy are the titles, apart from the pics. They're all great teasers :)

Aur yeh kya ho raha hai? A tiff instead of twist in the S-S prem kahani?? Jaldi patch up karo, nahin toh Tarzan aa jayega!!!

Sayesha said...

#Hey hey Sahil, Abhi,

Don't do this to me, you guys. I can't have two of my favourite guys in the whole wide world not gettin' along :)

#Sumi,
Thanks! :)
ps: The S-S prem kahani is full of twists and turns, aage aage dekho hota hai kya! :)

Sayesha said...

#Ze chapaater,

Sorry I missed your comment in this whole halla-gulla!
Thanks, man! :)

oxymoron said...

the title surprised me...i must say! but as they say looks can be deceptive... another interesting blog! early morning commuters do catch up on sleep in the mrt... only if a seat is available! buses are more comfy to sit though!

Anonymous said...

Huh ? Was I responsible for some frowns here.I didnt mean that.I am sorry , sahil.I dint mean that.friends.now gimme a hug sahil buddy.Without being gay.;).kiddin man.sorry.:)

Sahil said...

Arre budhu (Sayesha),

Saying that me and Abhi would not get along, is like saying George W. Bush got the Nobel Prize for Astrophysics.

'Prem kahani' it seems!

Anonymous said...

word verification is gucci!
too cool! nice post, keep it up.

virdi said...

hahahaha... these 2 are having fun...

ok i am not joining them but yes i love to sleep on weekend afternoons..

V..

ritzkini said...

/*Jaldi patch up karo, nahin toh Tarzan aa jayega!!! */

Now, i am offended..gabbar aur tarzan mein itna toh farak rakho !!

Anonymous said...

unlike many ppl...the title din surprise me cuz i knew it was not going to be what it seemed to be ...hows that sayesha.. close enuf to bcome ur soulmate :)

Angelsera said...

Hey Sayesha,
I shd know abt the 'nappin on the move'.
The 10-20 mins I get to nap on my way to class after work feels so gd and keeps me awake thru class..Wat wud I do w/o it..

BP said...

Haha! Nice teaser and punchline :)

Devilish Angel said...

Nice post...

Anonymous said...

Hehe. Take care of yourself Sayesha and get some proper sleep or you'll fall apart like me.

ankur said...

Damn...!

anyways...another day...another 10 minutes...who knows...maybe him..maybe another...!

sleep...and keep sleep watching...!

~a

Anonymous said...

YAWN!

Abi said...

me thinks its better to be the watchee than the watcher!

Sayesha - see! your always in demand, even alseep on the train
:-)

Anonymous said...

//He had been replaced by a guy who had been watching me sleep! :O

so ? You only want to have all the fun of appreciating beauty kya? ;)
Okok ..... I'll throw a word of appreciation and a pat on ur back to make u happy :P =))

hey seriouslly it was soo moving to read it. I am grateful u talked about it :)
reminded me a sweet incident with my better half!! I slept on her office stairs waiting for her! She came in between her office hours to find me sound asleep and I was looking so cute to her that she went back kissing me instead of waking me !!!!!!

MeAwinner said...

Hi Sayesha,

I am a silent reader of your blogs,not for a long period but few months and read lots of blog new one and old one too.

I like "So-Confident-Sayesha" Confident but not over-confident, down to earth.. I can relate you very well.....as somewhere few thigs are common between us..
I love reading ur thoughts....
Take Care Dear !
Love,
Maneesha
(don't get surprize I am Rinku's friend she recommended me to read ur blogs.....
(I belong to India,right now in Tokyo)

Anonymous said...

hi there..
I been reading your blog for a while...

I normally try hard not to say.
Just read..

But I just had to say something about the sleep thing.

:) It kinda got a smile on my face..

I soo know what you are talkin abt..

I think its the peace in their face that gets me.. its like a childs face.. totally oblivious to the worries of the world. :)

Now, you never really get to see that on a living and moving person..

Kinda brings a new charm to the whole sleeping thing dont it :)

Wonder how many people have seen themselves asleep :) I mean you know a snap or somethnig..!!
wudnt that b cool.. u wud almost
fall in love with urself ;)

Ajay

Thanu said...

Great blog. I am a huge sleeper on the move. When we used to go school, I used to sleep in the bus all the time and my sister would wake me up, when we got home. So when she was off from school (her study holidays in 12th..) I missed my stop more than few times :( Now I have to drive everywhere so no luxury of sleeping on the move.

Rays Of Sun said...

Sayesha,

Nice write up! Like how MLTR puts it :
"Oh my sleeping child the world's so wild,but you've build your own paradise" ..Most innocent and cut off from the world..

Manish Kumar said...

hmmmm kisi ko train me sote huye observe karne ke kai waqye huye hain mere sath ! Aur kai baar to ghoor-2 kar kai logon ki neendein bhi kharab karne ka mauqa mila hai mujhe :) :)

Khair Kop Bhawan wali post bhi padhi! Bahudha koi haqeeqat apni roz ki routine se chip si jaati hai par achanak hi koi uski yaad dila de to .... man to anmana hoga hi!

Sayesha said...

#Oxymoron,
Yeah, I prefer buses too man!

#Abhi, Sahil,
Ok baba. Stop with the display of affection now! :)

#Anon,
Thanks :)

#Virdi,
You're nuts man!! The post is not even about sleeping on weekend afternoons! :D

#Kini,
Aao thakur! :)

#Spammy,
Didn't you get eliminated in round 1 - minimum height? ;)

#Angelsera,
I knew you'd identify with this! :P

#Banana,
Yeah, I realised that indulging in some lunchtime blogging is not a bad idea! ;)

#Vanathi,
Thanks :)

#Sushant,
Yeah I'm trying :)

#Ankur,
Life is all about hope, isn't it?

#J'adore,
No no no, being a 'watchee' sucks man!! Especially if the 'watcher' is not watching in the "right way". :O

#Ashish,
That's cute! :)

#Maneesha,
Hey, welcome to Sayeshaz! And thanks! :)

#Ajay,
Yeah, I think Abhi was right -- even Osama would look cute sleeping.
It's the serenity on the face. :)

#Thanu,
Sleeping on the bus isn't too bad, but I don't wanna ever do it on the train, especially after this incident! :P

#Rays of sun,
Thanks! :)
ps: Hey hey, someone decided to finally show her blog URL! ;)

#Manish,
Yeah, true... when someone reminds you of something you've either forgotten or tried to conceal somewhere in your heart, thoda dukhta hai, hai na? :)

Anonymous said...

I like your writing style... smooth and always interesting.

I'm not much of a sleeper on the move. When I do, it feels like my energy just got sucked out. But it's very interesting to see what people do when they have nothing to do :)

Rays Of Sun said...

Hey Sayesha!

Hmm!! I just moved:D
BTW, glad that you noticed:)

V said...

Hehe.
Niceeee.

(Though I would have personally choosen drool, if there was a beautiful girl sleeping!)

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha! what a great blog..have been a silent observer for some time,,

It gets bettr every month. Kewl comennts section :)))). funny crowd of friends U got sayesha...lollllzzz..

me and my college mates visit often. we'll spread teh word..take care & keep up the great work...we joined the blogging bandwagon tooo...would luv 2 have U on our space too. pls drop by sometime...

luv....neelu

Anonymous said...

Aieee!!! Sayesha's gonna spank the lot of you for corrupting her blog :-)

**Neelu, what's your blog's address?

PuNeEt said...

Lolzzzz Sayesha....
Good 1

He had been replaced by a guy who had been watching me sleep
He didnt missed the opportunity

Ye people look choo sweet n innocent wen they sleep...

enjoy ur cheeky naps...

Cheers

Sahil said...

Abhi, don't be silly man. No need to apologise at all, we're all having some harmless fun. Cheers man :)

Sayesha,

I have a feeling you would look like an angel sleeping. After all, u wouldn't be trying to Saboo me then, would u? ;)

Anonymous said...

Cool blog! One of the best in blogsphere is Sidin Vadukut's. Like the eye-friendly interface. Sayesha you seem to have an adoring fan following here as well, maybe a suitor or two by the looks of it :-D

~The Chosen One

Bonatellis said...

i must say that your last few posts have been fabulous ... i began to read this one with great intrigue and ........

Anonymous said...

Sayesha, I hope you meet him again
:-)

Btw, are you taking a design degree in the uni? What kinda designing? (if it's not too personal, i'd love to know)

Even I get kinda uncomfortable sitting where we have to face people :-) Usually, for me, reading (which I love to do anyway) comes in good use. But when my neck starts hurting from looking downwards, I have to make a decision whether checking out the ceiling next would make me look like a nut case :-) hahaa..

And it's great you wake up right before you need to alight? That's great! I could never trust myself falling asleep. I will surely miss my stop :-)

Take care Sayesha!

Sayesha said...

#Viv,
Thanks! :)
ps: Yes, pple indeed do strange things on the train (including talking to themselves).

#Rays of sun,
Cool! Now we're both bloggers! :)

#Tequila,
Sometimes the eyelids rule over the heart! ;)

#Neelu,
Thanks, girl! What's your blog URL?

//funny crowd of friends U got sayesha

Would you believe it if I said that I have never met 95% of them?? And yet, we banter on like bachpan ke dost! :O

#Sushant,
Thanks for the support yaar. Deleted all the spam comments.

#Puneet,
Thanks man! Hope there are plenty of pretty napping girls at your new workplace! ;)

#Sahil,

Sayesha blushes violently and then suddenly recovers.

Yeah yeah, it's only when I'm sleeping and you're watching that you will be spared of my sarcasm and saboing. And what are the chances of that happening? ;)

#Anon,
Thanks! :)
Suitor or two?? Hahaha! No man, it's all harmless fun! :)

#Bonatellis,
Uh oh! Disappointed with me, are you? Are you gonna retract that job offer if I move to India? :O
Arre yaar, my posts are my random thoughts. They are not and were never meant to be award-winning pieces of literature. Cut me some slack, will ya? :)

#Harshi,
Thanks, girl! :)
I am doing a Master of Mass Comm. degree. Design is just one of the modules.
ps: Yes, I can wake up just when the train reaches my station. Most of the time, at least! ;)

Prahalathan said...

good one....
how do u manage to wake up in ten minutes? I sleep for sometimes even an hour so I dont sleep in such short journeys lest I miss my destination

Sayesha said...

#Prahalathan,
Practice my friend, practice! :)

The Girl Who Sold The World said...

OMFG! What a post title! :))
//Shut eye or eye candy?
Drool or droop?//
HAHAHAHA!

So, in the end, you became the "eye candy", eh?:P
Hey, by the way, how do you sleep for just 10 minutes. I'm severely insomniac and it takes me atleast 45 minutes to go to sleep. Right now too, it's 3:48 am and I'm sitting here with my sleep dancing partying and gambling in Las Vegas. *Sigh* Any tips? (Other than watching cute guys, I mean. :P)