So, what is it that women want, again?

on Posted by Rajesh J Advani
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When I was in my teens, my mom used to ask me "Why can't you be like other boys?"

Instead of playing Cricket in the parking lot of my apartment building, like the other boy kids - and some girl kids too - I'd be happy to sit at home with a book (preferably Isaac Asimov). If not with a book, you'd find me at my computer, attempting to write a computer game using QBasic. (And I finally did. Two. Naughts and Crosses, and a much simpler version of Space Invaders - Level 1)

And it wasn't just my mom. All the women in my life seemed to say the same thing. All four aunts. They expected me to have a girlfriend, "like all boys today have". Yeah, right. They expected me to workout, play sports, build muscles, and beat up other boys my age in the neighbourhood (No, they're not sadistic. This was considered a preferred alternative to being bullied by kids who played sports, built muscles, and beat up other people.)

The fact that I couldn't be bothered to remember the names of all eleven members of the Indian Cricket team and the twelfth man, and the waterboy and their families, or know what exact flavour and brand of bubble gum Sachin Tendulkar chewed, surprised a pretty large number of people.

Well, now I've grown up (or so I'd like to think). I play video games that involve blowing holes through 49 armed men at a time with a Kalashnikov Rifle. I prefer to keep my clothes in a pile beside my bed after I do the laundry instead of putting them away (Because I prefer to fold them before putting them away, and I'm too lazy to do that). I can spend 4 hours at an electronics store without buying anything (just like I can spend the same amount of time in a library without deciding which book I want to take home). And, I prefer waking up when the sun is directly above you, instead of when it rises.

And you know what women say now? They crinkle up their nose, give me a dirty look, and say "You men are all the same!"

I guess you can never win...

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I totally identify with the Asimov and the Qbasic and the video games :) My idea of a good time is kicking ass on my comp. BFG, here I come.

Vikram said...

heck when i read abt ur luck with women i thot i identified with it.. but coding games in qbasic in teenage and not goin out to play?! maan i soo associate with that! faak it's like me deja vu!

maaan that was so much fun. *sob

of course that laid the foundation for _the_geek_nice_guy_without_a_girlfriend phenomena. sad.

Vikram said...

what's more, damn, I even believed that being geek would be a woman attractor - I never saw into their phone calls in the late evening asking me why their windows was refusing to show them their favourite icons any longer...

Anonymous said...

Some men never grow up. :)