Do you look like yourself?

So I was at the bus terminal after my class, talking to a friend, when a girl walked up to me and said, "Excuse me, are you Sayesha?"

Shock. Horror. Jaw drops to floor. Sayesha fumbles around. Proceeds to completely lose her voice for a few seconds.

"Errr...."

"Sayesha... blog?" She tried.

I finally picked up my jaw from the floor, fitted it back and found my voice.

"OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod..." I proceed to repeat this thirteen times over in my head.

"All right, stop it! Say something sensible now!" says the voice in my head.

"Yes! Yes I am Sayesha. How... how... how did you recognise me?"

"Duh! Hopscotch!" Said the voice in my head.

"Duh! Hopscotch!" Said the girl.

(Actually, she was polite enough to omit the 'duh' part. But I'm sure the voice in her head had included it.)

"So you recognised me from my photos on Hopscotch?" I was still gaping at her.

"Yeah! The Cambodia pictures."

We had an ultra-mini conversation. Did not get a chance to talk to her properly because she was headed for the train station, but I still could not get over it, long after she'd gone.

I felt like Aamir Khan in RDB, who just could not get over a Hindi-spouting Sue.

She recognised me from my photos on Hopscotch?? How??????????

Now don't get me wrong. Or think that I am a crazy weirdo. (Actually I am, but that's another story.)

I just happen to believe in the theory that we don't look like our photos.

Don't believe me?

1. Dig out your passport.
2. Flip to the page with your photo.
3. Stand in front of a mirror.
4. Hold the passport such that the page with the photo is right next to your face.
5. Observe.

Notice any similarities?? I don't! I never thought that it was possible to recognise someone from their photo. If you've met someone and then you see their photo, you can tell, but to see the photo first and then the person, and be able to link the two? It's probably a gift. That I don't have.

Last year, when my Dad's friend was here on a business trip, I was supposed to receive him at the airport. Dad emailed me his photo so I could identify him at the airport.

I must have gone to at least three very surprised people at the airport and asked, "Hi, are you Mr. Banerji?"

Mr. Banerji had my photo too, but even he could not spot me. (See see??) Finally, I waited for all passengers of that flight to disperse, and it was only when I saw this utterly lost-looking guy that I guessed (guessed!) that he must be Mr. Banerji!

When I shortlist a candidate for my team, almost every single time, I am in for a surprise when I actually interview him or her. The photo on the application form just does not match the person!

It just reinforces my belief that 2D is very different from 3D.

But the girl at the bus terminal had recognised me from my photos! Freaky.

So I really look like myself, huh?