Obsessive Compulsive Quirks

Well I am sure not suffering from any OCDs (Obsessive Compulsive Disorders). You know the kind which makes anxious people repeat a certain behaviour or have recurrent thoughts about them.A very common one being, the "checking if the door is locked" syndrome, where one comes back repeatedl y to the door to double , triple check if the door is locked after leaving the house.And the thought doesnt leave even once he is far away from his habitat.Comes back to haunt him..

Well, mine is the gentler kind..where I have developed certain , how do I call it, "quirks" ,along the way.These quirks mostly acquired , are a result of  "If you do this , something bad will happen" passed on from the previous generation. I am not questioning anybody's intellectual prowess or the ability to reason.There are certain things (in fact a lot of things) which were imbibed by our parents mutely from our grandparents..No questions asked.Why? If you question, you were considered to be utmost disrespectful.
I am sure many a bright eyed child's curiosity of the previous gen fizzed out due to the constant reprimand subjecting them to fit in and not stand out.

Well, I guess our generation is the confused lot, where we were not discouraged from questioning , but still expected to follow many a rule, just because..."thats how it has been for generations, and we never questioned our elders." So we still dont have many answers.

Some of the quirky things I do, mostly out of habit, ..(I am not superstitious..or am I? see the confusion..)..are harmless.Sometimes silly, and many a time, irritating
Some are subject to circumstances, and people around me..In Rome, be a Roman.

1.  I dont pass the salt to anybody's waiting hand. I leave it next to them on the table. (quirk picked up recently..) Why? Giving the salt directly , makes the person develop a lifelong dislike for you..and you also start hating that person.So..if you want to start a fight between two people, just make them handover the salt shaker! Its that simple.
2. I dont ask.."Where are you going?" when somebody is leaving the house ( without telling us where they are headed , of course) Why? You shouldnt ask..Its very very bad.Next time, just try asking, where will you be coming back from? Some nerve I have!!
3. I dont cut any body parts ( for eg: nails, hair) on Tuesdays and Fridays...and it is definitely a no-no after dusk.Why? Tuesdays and Fridays are very special days of the week..there are many a dos-donts for those two days..which can only be matched or exceeded by the other pair of special days..see next point.
4. I dont start anything new or buy anything or travel anywhere on the two horror days..Ashtami and Navami.Why? அது அப்படிதான். This particular quirk is quite a bone of contention between the star tv generation and the doordarshan generation.I am sure there must be a reason..but nobody is telling me :(
5. I really love this one - When my right eye flickers on its own, as it does sometimes..(It is not because some nerve has become excited)..I immediately tell someone, that my right eye is flickering...lest some evil befall.This has many a time, led me embarassing situations in airports or busses or in the office board room, when my right eye suddenly decides to do a jig...and I announce to nobody in particular, about the condition! Well you can do the imagination :)Aaah..and the corollary to the above is ofcourse the left eye flicker.Which is supposed to bring you good luck.So what do I do?Just shut up and dont tell anyone, about my secret..Why not?then the good luck charm becomes null and void..
6. I enter or exit only with my right foot first.When I enter the house,leave the house, get down /enter a car, bus..however crowded the bus may be..I take a sec and put only my best right foot forward..Its Right,Left,Right for me..Why?Well..guess where I picked this quirk from?From the masala saas bahu movies..Havent we heard scores of times "வலது கால எடுத்து உள்ள வெச்சு வா மா".
7. When I do something exceptionally well (thats a rarity) or during a family event like a house warming or a wedding, when you are looking like a happy family and numerous other good occasions ..there is bound to be drishti putting by lot of potential Drishti Putters.Who is a Drishti Putter? Eg: One who looks at your new saree and thinks..wow, that is such a beautiful saree..wish i had one like that..how does she always manage to get such stuff from her hubby? and other such numerous occ. There are many ways such Drishti can be removed...for the various ways in which it can be removed check here.
8. Well..whenever I make dosas, I always make a teeny weeny dosa first and discard it..and then start making the big round beauties..Why?Cos my grandma said so.முதல் தோசை சாப்பிட்ட படிப்பு வராது செல்லம்.
9. I reserved the quirkiest one for the last..why last?because 9 is such a cool number.I didnt want to end with the unlucky 8!(I sometimes feel so sorry for that poor number..) I never look at my refelction in a mirror after applying oil to my face and head..Why? No..not because I will be terrified at the reflection..but because,it will lead me to be born as a lion in my next birth! well..that, I dont mind actually!! ;)

Well there are many more, which I have not listed here,like "dont touch or look at your own shadow..you will lose weight" (If only all the diet watchers and gym hitters knew this simple secret)..If you have any favourite quirks please let me know..also, if you know the reason why you do what you are doing, please share it here.
போயிட்டு வரேன்..one should never bid adeu with போரேன்.