Faces

As the bus comes to a halt, you scamper and hurry to get in. The peak hour traffic is building and the bus gets crowded with every approaching stop as people scurry and squeeze in. Sandwiched between people, as you struggle to maintain your backpack, wallet, ticket and the change given back by the TC, you spot the Face.

The same aquiline nose, the same brows, the same hairstyle, the same eyes. A sudden smile of recognition lights up your face, and on an impulse you call out,"Hi Dd! It's so good to see you again!" Imagine your embarrassment when the Face looks back blank, without a trace of recognition - only to make you realize that it's not the friend you thought it was! (and in a crowded bus caught in traffic, where people have nothing better to do than hang on and balance themselves, you have provided some comic relief :-| ) You try to salvage the situation by smiling impishly, and mumbling an apology. The Face is someone else...and when you think of it, it does make sense. Your friend, Dd, is nowhere near town, in fact she's not even in the country! Then how the hell did the Face trick you into believing it was her, and making a fool out of yourself? 

How many times does it happen to you that you 'think' you spotted Faces you know in the most unlikeliest of places? How many times do Faces, Noses, Eyes and Hairstyles trick you - almost till you call out the person! Your Professor from Powai in the lane next to your home, your friend (who's in Pune) at a bus stop near Kurla? The friendly clerk from your Chembur college in a lift at your Bangalore office? Your Manager (from Bangalore) at a temple near Dadar? Most of these 'oh-i-thought-its-someone-i-know' moments span geographies, time zones and (yes) logic! :-P

What is it with Faces and associations that make you jump to conclusions? Remember the email that was doing the rounds some time back, about being able to read words even if they were misspelled (but the first and last letter were kept intact)?
Wonder if that's the sort of thing which our brain does with Faces as well? If the eyes/nose/hairstyle/features look familiar, we decide the Face is the person we know - without taking into account the location, the time, the context or (yes again) logic! :-P