The 'Lasts-Counter'

My latest OCD. I've been bitten by this weird bug. The "last-counter" bug. I see myself counting all the things I'm doing for the last time or probably one of the last times in VJTI, doesn't matter how trivial they may be...

"Here's one of the last time I'm listening to 'Carnival of Rust' at full blast in my room."

"Must be one of my last idlis at Idli House."

"Now then, how many more times will I be coming here and opening the mu-P lab?"

"Surely one of my last print-outs from Nirmal's printer."

"This was perhaps my last presentation in VJTI."

"Never again will I be sitting here on the first bench in ELR-7."

"My last 'inner-outer-contents-file' demand in VJTI Stores."

"The last staple-pin on my last assignment sheets."

"Is it the last time I'm looking into this mirror while brushing my teeth?"

"The last drop shot (going into the net, as always)."

"One of my last 12 am Rubik-cube practice solves in this bunk-bed."

"One of my last cups of tea at Citra."

"My last 1/2 kg packet of Surf-Excel."

"The last ManUtd match I'm seeing in the TV-room."

...the list is endless!

So, recently when sipping (one of my last) filter coffees at Cafe Mysore, my roomie who happens to get really irritated with my last-counts (which also happens to be one of the my prime motivations to come up with more of those ;) ) tried proving to me how naive it was to maintain this counter. "It's total rubbish if you say that you are doing something for the last time," he argued, trying to sound very logical and feigning a very mature demeanor. "Isn't it always possible to come back and do the same thing again, whenever you wish? Maintaining this last-counter is just a waste of time." But I had a diametrically opposite view. I'll never again be able to say "I'm drinking coffee at Cafe Mysore at 6:04 pm on April 25, 2009." In effect, considering how ephemeral everything is, anything I do is the last time I'm doing it.

Then the moment of realization - whichever point of view you take, it still doesn't really make sense in counting the lasts.

yathA kAshhThaM cha kAshhThaM cha sameyAtAM mahodadhau |
sametya cha vyapeyAtAM tadvat.h bhUtasamAgamaH ||

P.S. Probably one of my last blog posts from this computer in mu-P lab!