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Accidents are part and parcel of life itself and to say that you have
never had a silly accident in your life would be like saying, "I'm a green-faced alien from Pluto." Well, I have certainly had my share of
ridiculous accidents. Not all of them have changed my life, but they
have certainly made me more aware of my limitations. Yet, sometimes,
remembering those times, I think, "I can't believe I actually did that!"
There was this incident about five years back. I was at a piano
recital. Actually, it was my debut, and I was shaking with nerves.
Finally, the dreaded moment arrived. I sat at the piano and started
playing. Halfway through the first movement, I felt a tickle in my nose.
My fingers were needed on the piano keys so I could not reach tip to
rub my nose. I tried holding my breath... to no avail. I exploded in a
huge, sloppy sneeze that blasted my music sheets right off the piano.
Absolutely humiliated, I dashed off the stage. Nothing could get me out
there to face the amused audience.
Then, there was this skating incident which occurred only a year
ago. My father had bought me my first pair of in-line skates. Actually,
they were my first pair of skates. I had never skated before. Well, I
confidently put them on and fastened them, not knowing what was
ahead. Standing up, I shoved off. Then, for the first time in years, I lost
all control of my bodily movements. I was waving my arms around, like
a drowning chicken trying to fly out of the water. My legs had no sense
of direction, with my left leg heading north and my right heading south-east. Finally managing to get upright, I found myself staring the gate
right in its metal grille. There was a loud Crash! Boom! and Bang!
Fortunately, all that was injured was my self-confidence, thanks to my
protective pads.
Another accident occurred right in the safety of my home, in the
kitchen, actually. My mother had just bought a microwave oven. On
that fateful day, my mother had left me a plate of fried rice to be
reheated for my lunch. On the plate were the usual accompaniments to
the coconut-flavored rice: vegetables, groundnuts, chillied prawns and
a whole hard-boiled egg. I was, of course, still considered a user with
"L" (Learner) plates as far as this oven was concerned. However,
warming up food was not complicated ... or so I thought. Carefully, I
placed the plate of food in the microwave oven, turned the dial to "high"
and pressed the lever to start the oven. It started smoothly. Gleefully, I
watched my dish of food turn graceful circles in the oven. After a few
rounds, I opened the oven to take out my warmed-up food. At that very
second, the egg exploded. Boom! It was "Egg yolk keeps falling on my
head". My clothes, my hair, the whole kitchen was covered with egg-yolk and rice that the force of the explosion threw. There was no lunch
for me that day either.
Well, there you have them, some of the grimace-inspiring details of
my life. So, am I clumsy or just low in luck? A little of both, I think. |
