So what was it? The idea of studying in the middle of a shopping center or a mall is what it was; hence, “studying with a twist.”[break]
Nothing new or impressive about this idea, right? I mean some of you may even be considering me a fool and an imbecile for being wondered by such a petty thought. But let me tell you, the process of actually sitting amidst a hustling, busting mall filled with vigor and excitement and yet trying to concentrate on the most important tasks is the biggest irony I’ve experienced so far.
And this irony is what gets me every time for it feels like I am attempting to create a positive association between studying and the mall, the idea of the mall seems less and less appealing to me now, making me question if I can ever see malls the same way again.
The idea is simple enough, for sure. You go to a shopping mall, find one of those name-branded coffee centers – Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, Auntie Anne – and study. I had on numerous occasions witnessed a lot of people engaged in such a queer activity before.
Sipping coffee, people in little or big groups would be engrossed in their computers or notes or whatever other material was that seemed completely unapt for a place like a coffee center. This is what was labeled as “studying” or “work.”
It can be hard to follow why I am making such a big fuss over studying out in the public with friends or study-buddies. But for someone like myself who considers studying to be a solitary activity, believe you me that this idea is absurd.
I never understood the art of balancing concentration with amusement in such places. But you know what they say about not being in a place to judge until you’ve tried the activity yourself. Well, I too headed out to garner such an experience and see what it was that was getting everyone so into the redefined study culture.
However, I didn’t intend on experiencing such an event myself. Let’s just say the circumstances were such that one day I found myself in one of the posh coffee centers in the middle of the city, in the middle of the mall, preparing for a major final exam with good friends. And for any of us who have attempted to work productively with close friends, I’m sure we realize that the average routine involved while working with friends includes more gossip than work. But still, there’s no
complaining.
Getting back to that day I was telling you about now: So there, we were in a tiny, crammed coffee shop and this was where we were supposed to study. I mean whatever happened to studying at home, or studying in libraries?
Now let me not strike you as such a conservative in my ways. I’m definitely open to studying with friends, albeit in crowded coffee centers. But my only concern is that the atmosphere should be solemn enough for studies.
With Justin Beiber’s “Boyfriend” – no pun intended – playing in the background, which would shift to a lot of other Beiber tracks as we attempted to study, my concentration was all but draining.
And to top it off, the coffee parlor was so busy – with other people who were also either studying or working – that we got stuck with uncomfortable wooden chairs while the cozy sofas filled up within seconds. I’m not exaggerating, no.
Everyone seemed to be eyeing the sofa even as everyone pretended to study. I could sense a certain competition in the air for it seemed everyone stuck on the wooden chairs were vying for the coveted sofas, not to mention the line of other customers who were also waiting to be seated.
Being a newbie at such an episode of studying at a mall, I voiced my opinion to my friends and told them of my discomfort –both mentally and physically – and all of them shushed me up and enlightened me on how lucky we were to actually get chairs in the first place.
Okay then – we were lucky. But I was, however, right about the sofa struggle as my friends too kept eying the sofas in the hope that we could occupy it next. I’m pretty sure the guys who were sitting on the sofa my friends were eyeing even felt a bit discomfited because of my friends’ unabashed stares. But the important point is that we got the sofa in the end.
In this entire competitive struggle, you be the judge of how much studying really got done. Not to mention, we had coffee, cakes, chocolates and conversation to sidetrack us constantly from our main “goal.”
Now, how the studying paid off, only our results will tell. But now that I reflect back on that incident, I recall a question I had asked one of the foremost female monks in Thailand – “Is it important to be a multitasker or be very good at only one task?”
Of course, I myself had attempted to find the answer to this question, and rather unsuccessfully at that. I was still searching for the right answer, and the monk answered my question without a second’s hesitation, within seconds.
She said, “It’s important to be a multitasker – oh yes! But it’s also important to devote your heart and soul to the activity you’re currently engaged in. So be involved in as many activities as possible, but while you’re engaging with one, be engaged with it heart and soul.”
So according to her, it might have been okay that I wanted to eat, talk, explore the mall and study in one day. But perhaps while I was studying, it would’ve been best if I had devoted myself to only studying.
Too bad I’m making a recollection of all these wise words after my attempt at “multitasking.” But time still remains to tell me how successful (or not) I was in my group-study session in the mall as I await my examination results: I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
The writer is a student of Political Science at Thammasat University who enjoys exploring life and all that it has to offer.
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