8:00 am
<insert your alarm tone here> My left eyelid moves up for just that fractional bit, allowing me to search for that damn snooze button on the phone. And, to its vicinity, I notice the word 'stop' shimmering, oh-so-invitingly. Throwing caution to the wind and also the chance to get back early from office, I focus on enjoying the last hour or two of precious sleep.
9:20 am
Nah... Work does pay for the weekends that I enjoy so very much. Lets go. And so starts the well engineered process of getting ready for work. One look at the mirror to confirm I'm presentable enough, and I'm out of the door. Its a short walk to the main road, during which I'll probably put on some music and bob my head to the beats. I'm sure I look like a retard, but its feels so good! Anyway, I'm almost on the main road now, where I'm supposed to share a ride on an Autorickshaw to work.
10:00 am
AAAAAAaaaannnddd mindf*ck. Are those guys standing there quadruplets or something? And why do they have the exact same shirt (down to the same stripe-width) tucked in the exact same way? And why do those girls over there look like they are in purgatory? I pause to take in the spectacle, when I notice most of them staring at me. Shit, what did I do now? I look down. Black denims, long sleeved t-shirt, untuCKED, ANKLE SNEAKERS!!! Heaven forbid. I really am going to hell, aren't I? Anyway, I ignore those hellish stares and wait for an auto to come by.
10:20 am
I get down from the auto and pay the fare. I work for a company which has its office in an IT park. Its a two minute walk from the IT park entrance. And this is when my belief in humanity is shaken, throughout the duration of the walk. Silent, expressionless faces, on silent, expressionless, robotic bodies; all moving in sync, left, right, left, right... Some have their earphones on, sure, but I don't think its making a difference. Zombies. Undead yet dead. I am sorry if I'm being insensitive and all, that people have their share of problems on their mind, but everyone? Really? I mean, I don't notice a single smile or anything! I am not asking people to roll on the floor, laughing or come up to me grinning, and say "Why so serious?" All I ask is be cheerful enough so as not to scare the people in front of you. And worst of all, people don't have the time or energy to realize this. Everyone's doing it. This zombie thing.
Going up in the elevator is another sob story. I know that guy standing in front of me. We work on adjacent teams. I raise my hand half-way to say 'Hi' when I notice he's lost in his own sweet world. And then I'm left to deal with the embarrassment of an unacknowledged greeting. But I know for a fact that you high five people have had it way worse than me!
11:00 am to 8:00 pm
This is the comfort zone, where I know the people around me, and they talk (thank heavens). Gradually, I start to forget the horrors of the morning and concentrate on the work at hand. As the daylight dwindles, so does the patience of staying at work. I try to shoot off from office once it strikes eight, unless there's work remaining.
8:05 am
I'm on my way out and I notice the zombies just look plain tired now. There are a couple of groups, here and there, sitting around and chatting. So there's hope for humanity after all.
And thus, the day ends. Work is a part of life and the moment we let it screw with our happiness and peace of mind, we ought to know that a big change is in order. Sure, workplaces can't be fun all the time, but we can. So we might as well stop scaring the shit out of the non-zombies.
Until next <cough...cough..> time, <grr.. agghrr..>
Cheerrrrrgghhhh....
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