One of my favorite concepts that I have heard over here is the idea of ‘timepass’. This basically means killing time, having a mindless activity to occupy yourself to let time go by. It can have both negative or positive connotations. If you call a movie timepass it basically means it was stupid and not very good but it served its purpose in killing time. I think many Hollywood action movies would be best described as timepass. It can also be a good thing, playing cricket or sitting around drinking chai and chatting with a friend would be a good kinda timepass. My plane got delayed back from Goa so I needed to find a timepass. I met an elderly couple that were supposed to be on the same flight so we sat around and shot the breeze to timepass.
It’s especially true with my work, when people see me with my orange vest on the side of the road a crowd of unemployed or underemployed people inevitably gathers. I was intimidated at first but then I realized that they were just looking for a timepass. It’s also relevant for me with my project- I’m on call 24/7 and in between the excitement there is a lot of down time- you need a good timepass to stay sane, especially when you're basically trapped in one place waiting for a call. Anyways, I like the concept and I hope to bring it home with me, I think I’ve been timepassin with my friends for years and haven’t even know it!
Okay- this is embarrassing but I’m not too proud. We had a good timepass the other night doing kung fu moves- I have cropped this pic to protect the identities of my fellow timepassers…
I love the cultural differences in this. "Wasting time" is such a negative thing in the US. Passing time or finding a timepass has a much neutral connotation. I like the idea of a timepass.
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