<p>Call it bizarre occurrences or quirky coincidences or queer happenings or preordained destiny or even freaky Murphy’s law, these are life’s paradoxes, making you plunge in a pool of profound perplexity. Recently, tramping on a tarmacked road, I was gauging a spot slightly ahead, where I was to cross the road. I was pretty glad to notice that no vehicles were plying vehicles at that particular time. </p>.<p>But as I approached the spot to cross, lo! It got packed chock-a-block with vehicles charging ahead in full pelt, just like goring bulls in bull-fighting arena. After frenetic waiting for eons, I decided to cross the road whatsoever; the vehicles whizzing past notwithstanding. </p>.<p>So, with all spunk, stretching my left arm and flapping like a single-winged bird, I signalled speeding vehicles to stop for few seconds, as I sprinted towards the side-walk on the opposite side. I gloated in great joy at my feat, which was nothing short of a tour-de-force! But the paradox was that within moments of all that meticulous manoeuvring and manipulated moves by me to cross the road, the massive vehicular traffic had mysteriously melted away!</p>.<p>Another typical paradox is when after seeing the power-cut announcement that day, you try pegging away at all power-related chores at home. Once accomplished, you throw a smile at yourself in the mirror, as if having trounced an opponent in a terrific boxing-game. But the smile doesn’t linger long, since you have unremitting power-supply the entire day! And just when you are piteously grappling with plenty of piled-up household chores, the power supply unpredictably goes pop! </p>.<p>It is exactly like seeing the scudding rain-bearing clouds in the sky and carrying your sleek umbrella to shield your noddle against the showers. Well, not a raindrop you would witness. But precisely the day you aren’t carrying an umbrella, you have pelting and pounding rains, pathetically soaking your head and making you look like a badly plucked chicken.</p>.<p>I still recollect the day I had called on an acquaintance when my son was a few summers old. As I saw my host, offering some Marie biscuits to my son, I brazenly told her that my little brat wouldn’t, with a barge-pole, touch those bland variety of biscuits. I even pointed out that the little fella feels the biscuits are too plebeian for his palate. Imagine my great mortification, when I saw my son going gaga over those biscuits, gobbling up every piece with gusto, leaving me grinning stupidly. That was the day I realised that indeed in life, we are often expected to expect the unexpected.</p>
<p>Call it bizarre occurrences or quirky coincidences or queer happenings or preordained destiny or even freaky Murphy’s law, these are life’s paradoxes, making you plunge in a pool of profound perplexity. Recently, tramping on a tarmacked road, I was gauging a spot slightly ahead, where I was to cross the road. I was pretty glad to notice that no vehicles were plying vehicles at that particular time. </p>.<p>But as I approached the spot to cross, lo! It got packed chock-a-block with vehicles charging ahead in full pelt, just like goring bulls in bull-fighting arena. After frenetic waiting for eons, I decided to cross the road whatsoever; the vehicles whizzing past notwithstanding. </p>.<p>So, with all spunk, stretching my left arm and flapping like a single-winged bird, I signalled speeding vehicles to stop for few seconds, as I sprinted towards the side-walk on the opposite side. I gloated in great joy at my feat, which was nothing short of a tour-de-force! But the paradox was that within moments of all that meticulous manoeuvring and manipulated moves by me to cross the road, the massive vehicular traffic had mysteriously melted away!</p>.<p>Another typical paradox is when after seeing the power-cut announcement that day, you try pegging away at all power-related chores at home. Once accomplished, you throw a smile at yourself in the mirror, as if having trounced an opponent in a terrific boxing-game. But the smile doesn’t linger long, since you have unremitting power-supply the entire day! And just when you are piteously grappling with plenty of piled-up household chores, the power supply unpredictably goes pop! </p>.<p>It is exactly like seeing the scudding rain-bearing clouds in the sky and carrying your sleek umbrella to shield your noddle against the showers. Well, not a raindrop you would witness. But precisely the day you aren’t carrying an umbrella, you have pelting and pounding rains, pathetically soaking your head and making you look like a badly plucked chicken.</p>.<p>I still recollect the day I had called on an acquaintance when my son was a few summers old. As I saw my host, offering some Marie biscuits to my son, I brazenly told her that my little brat wouldn’t, with a barge-pole, touch those bland variety of biscuits. I even pointed out that the little fella feels the biscuits are too plebeian for his palate. Imagine my great mortification, when I saw my son going gaga over those biscuits, gobbling up every piece with gusto, leaving me grinning stupidly. That was the day I realised that indeed in life, we are often expected to expect the unexpected.</p>