Shadowing Practice: I CAN'T CLOSE MY BANK ACCOUNT | Gautham Govindan | Stand-Up Comedy - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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I've reached a point where I'm not worried about my screen time anymore, let me be honest.
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I've made peace of the fact that half my brain belongs to Meta
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or Google or whoever can hook me with a toing sound.
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My bigger concern is that because I'm spending so much time on screens, I'm losing a lot of skills that I gained in the past, right?
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One of the things I've lost is my handwriting, guys.
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Oh my, it's gone.
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In my defense, I never had it, okay?
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Because I write with my left hand, I'm a left-hander, and I don't write like this, I write like this.
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Left arm around the wicket.
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And as if this is not awkward enough, every time I write, my tongue also comes around.
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Nip of the mind.
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If you're a left-hander, if you're knowing left-handers, you always see, they always hold the pen little weirdly.
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Like most of them hold it like me, like doggy style, they hold it.
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They hold it like chopsticks.
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Some people, their whole body goes to cursive.
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And it's not because we want to please the pen or anything, okay?
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It's because if we write like how you right-handers write, right?
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Whatever, you know, missionary.
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All the ink ends up coming here.
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Right?
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Because when you write, before the ink dries, this Gillette Mark III aloe vera gel strip You're writing and erasing at the same time.
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This becomes an encryption software.
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End-to-end encryption.
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So strong, even you don't know what you wrote.
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So I have to write like this.
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It looks awkward.
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People think I'm showing off when I write like this.
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They look at me, they're like, wow!
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Oh!
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Watham, you can ride with your left also?
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Actually, I can ride with my right hand as well, because if you're in school, and you ride like you're possessed by an evil spirit,
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they try to convert you. And you know what?
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They could just told me, hey, just ride with your right hand.
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You know how they try to convert me?
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They sat a girl over here. Do you get it?
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For me to go like this, my elbow would have reached places that would lead to other elbows coming to my face.
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So I wrote with right hand, one year I wrote with my right hand.
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Bad handwriting there also by the way.
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Yeah, the school concluded that my thoughts have bad handwriting.
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I can write with both hands, but I'm not ambidextrous.
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Ambidextrous is when you can write well with both hands.
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I can write shit with both hands.
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I'm ambi-illiterate.
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All my appendages are dumb.
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But now, guys, my current handwriting, you should, I mean, I hope you don't see it, because my current handwriting should be acceptable only on the walls of a cave.
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Next to some dinosaur bones or something.
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If you see my handwriting, you will guess I'm a lefty, but you will guess left leg. Or left nostril.
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Because I saw my handwriting recently because I had to close an old bank account of mine.
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I had a 10 year old bank account which had 7 rupees in it and with the power of compound interest
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It's now 9 rupees guys If you want any more financial advice please give me also
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Sir, I'm filling up that form Oh my god Every bone in my arm is paining.
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I'm losing hope in between a sentence.
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I'm writing my address like 73, second floor.
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Etcetera.
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No two words look the same.
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All different fonts.
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One is Times New Roman.
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One is Comic Sans.
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One is Devanagri.
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Script essay.
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I finished the form.
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You know what my form looked like?
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It looked like a ransom note, a kidnapper's hands.
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You know what I'm talking about?
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The note they send the police, send this much money or we'll kill you.
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They cut words from different places and they stick it together.
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Isn't that hilarious, guys?
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That in an intense situation of a kidnapping, one bastard is doing art and crafts over there.
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Everybody's like, oh, oh, this guy's like, mm-mm-mm.
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Oh, oh, oh, oh.
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Hmm.
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Kill.
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By the way, scissors is also, it's a right-handed instrument.
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I don't know if you know that, right?
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If you cut it, the left-hand paper doesn't cut.
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It just folds, like, why you...
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Why are you cutting?
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That's my biggest nightmare.
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If I get called to inaugurate a store or something.
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Oh man, so embarrassing it will be.
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I'll end up opening the store like I open a lace packet.
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I finished the form, next obstacle came.
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I forgot my signature.
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Guys, let me ask you one thing.
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Why have we moved away from thumbprint?
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Right?
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If we use a thumbprint as a sign of illiteracy, right?
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But when Apple puts on the phone, you're like, Oh wow, genius!
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Security!
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Imagine every time you had to unlock your phone, you had to sign.
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Your phone will forever be locked.
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You take your phone like,
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Ahhhh And now your phone is locked for 3 minutes because of so many incorrect tries.
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Oh, okay.
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Now you forgot what you wanted to lock and lock your phone for.
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Oh, ambulance.
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Yeah, hello?
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I'm telling you dude, like, it's better.
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The thumbprint is better, right?
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Everybody has their own, you don't have to learn it.
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You can't forge a thumbprint.
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Right?
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I mean, it'll be pretty obvious when you carry a separate thumb in your pocket.
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What is mine only?
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I'm Hrithik.
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See, I'm team thumbprint.
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Okay?
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Because see, if I do a thumbprint, people will be like, oh, he might be illiterate.
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But if I sign, people will be like, he is illiterate.
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Because I don't have a sign.
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Because when I was a kid, I was so good at copying my mom and dad's signature that I forgot to work on my own.
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So now every sign is different.
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The G is there.
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Gautam's G is there.
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But after that, guys, it's wherever the pen takes me.
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Before signing, I look at the other person like, are you ready?
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Because the journey we both embark on together.
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Right?
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It can be anything.
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It can be Gautam, it can be Gautam, go and then, if I'm feeling like a loser that day, Gautam Gambhir also comes out.
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I'm telling you.
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It's mostly a jazz signature. But I signed.
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Whatever I thought my signature was, I signed over there.
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Right?
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And this bang guy, he looked at his monitor which had my sign from 10 years back.
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And he was like, Oh, the signs don't match.
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And I was like, of course.
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It's been 10 years.
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Aren't you happy that I've changed as a person?
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He's like, no, no, no. The signs have to match.
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What if you're a fraud? for 9 rupees?
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Even if you think I'm a fraud, what kind of low ambition crime do you think I'm doing?
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He's like, no, no, no, no. Signs have to match.
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I was like, give me another paper.
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I signed over there.
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He was like, signs don't match.
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I was like, bro, just show me the monitor.
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I can copy really well.
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No, I can't show you the monitor, but I can give you a clue.
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You.
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He was like, before, you didn't have two dots below your signature.
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Now you have.
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Why?
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Why do I have two dots?
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For extended pleasure, I have two dots.
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I don't know why I have it.
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I just like doing it.
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That's my real sign and I sign whatever, I do, and I'm like, check it out.
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Signature of a real jerk.
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I'll tell you what, I copied it, I'll be honest.
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I copied it from Amitabh Bachchan.
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Amitabh Bachchan is a convert.
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He's a left-hander, he converted a right-hand.
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And if you see in KBC, he signs all these checks like, he bounces his pen.
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In my case, the check also bounces, but like, how much can you copy?
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Everything is going, man.
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Handwriting is gone.
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Signature is gone.
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Attention is gone.
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Don't you guys think so?
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No. No?
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Who said no?
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You.
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You have good attention.
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You meditate and all.
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That's nice man.
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Why am I shitting on someone who's doing life well?
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Oh, you have a good life or what?
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No, no, I get so easily distracted, man.
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Dude, I get distracted by the sound my phone makes when it's on silent mode.
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My ears are tuned to
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that The sweet sound of a mouthful of paan You know,
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and you know what, it's worse than loud mode, okay?
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Because at least in loud mode, every notification sounds different So you know what you're getting Here, everything, same sound Your girlfriend sends you a disappearing image?
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Your relative passed away?
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Both very different feelings!
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Both went away too soon, but very different!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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Shit!
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It's just so bad man, But you know, I am such a hypocrite you know, Because I get so easily distracted,
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But I expect 100 percent attention from people in front of me It's so bad, And it's not even a show setting right?
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Like recently I was talking to a friend outside on the road and while I was talking to him, he looked at his watch.
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A part of me dies.
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I got angry at him.
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I was like, why did I ask you the time?
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Even if I asked, look at the sun and tell me.
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Because no one looks at their watch when they're having fun, right?
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No one is like, How much more fun can I have?
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but I get it man, nobody like we all know the very fidgety we are like you look at your watch, check your food and all this
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because you can't have a dull moment in your life anymore you just know
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that there's a meme there
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that can heal you that's how much content is there right now there's
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so much content out there these days that
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if you watch a reel right and you like it but you forget to like it It's gone, forever, never to be seen again.
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It happened to me recently, I was watching a reel, hilarious reel.
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It was two dogs were twerking and one turned back and winked at Neil.
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I was about to like it but I got a phone call, I picked it up, came back, gone, reel is gone.
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Now like a psycho, I'm searching for it on Google.
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Have you seen the reel where there are two dogs twerking?
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And one looks back and winks at me and Google is like, what a mental health professional is near me.
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I'm like, no!
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There's so much lack of attention these days, a lot of people think they have ADHD now.
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Right?
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ADHD, if you don't know, it is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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It's a mental condition where you can't pay attention to things, you lose focus very quickly.
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It's also the mental condition that's in fashion right now.
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Everybody likes to have it.
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they watch a couple of freezes and they self-diagnose.
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They're like, oh, me also?
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I also start things and don't finish.
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They're like, yeah, yeah.
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That's a different disease.
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That's not ADHD.
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That's LAZY.
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Relax.
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But I don't know if you've noticed, every couple of years, a new mental condition comes in fashion.
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Like, remember two years back when everybody, the whole world had OCD, remember that?
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Everybody was like, oh, so much OCD.
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Here I have OCD.
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Every morning, I have to brush my teeth, I have OCD.
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Dude, it became so fashionable that people started asking other people, What's your OCD?
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What's your obsessive compulsive disorder?
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It's like going to a cancer hospital and being like, Oh, which flavor cancer can...
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You get it?
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But mental conditions are coming in fashion, man.
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The reason why it comes in fashion is very simple, right? because it's not physically, you can't spot it.
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It's very easy to fake it.
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If someone tells you that they have ADHD, you can be like, oh, where?
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Oh, turn around.
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Aha, there.
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This is my ADHD.
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So they take one symptom and they extrapolate that they have ADHD.
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That's why you'll never see physical conditions come in fashion.
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You'll never hear anybody going like, oh, I think I have rabies.
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Why?
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I'm thirsty, that's why.
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But the biggest reason why You know, mental conditions come in fashion is because it's a very easy way for people to excuse their bad behavior.
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You'll hear a lot of that.
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You'll hear like, Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to return your call.
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I have ADHD.
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Like, ha ha ha.
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Which D stands for dick in that?
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No, I'm very passionate about ADHD because my girlfriend has ADHD.
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She has the premium version, the good one.
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Horrible condition to have.
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I see her struggle with attention and focus every day.
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Amazing condition to be in a relationship with.
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Because I have the power to distract her at will.
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We don't fight.
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Any time a fight starts, I'm like, Aaaaah!
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Just runs away like a cat.
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I mean, it's a bug for her.
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It's a feature for me.
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Having a positive mindset.
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I'll tell you, I'll give you another example.
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Especially people with ADHD, they can't stop doomsdaying.
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Any event, they always think of how many ways it can go wrong.
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For example, if she helps me pack for a trip or something, even if it's a one-day trip, she'll pack as if on my way to the destination,
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North Korea launches a nuclear strike and I have to be underground for two months.
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I'm not even kidding, recently I had a one-day trip to Hyderabad and then I had a show over there.
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I called her, I was like, you know, I have a headache, I have to go to the pharmacy.
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And like a magician, she was like, check your bag, left pocket.
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That's what them all is there.
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And I was like, oh wow.
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Actually, anyway, I have to go to the pharmacy, I had to buy a nail cutter.
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Check your bag, right pocket.
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Fifth army knife is there.
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Actually, I had a bad show, I don't want to go back home.
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Check your laptop compartment, rope and stool is there.
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You have planned everything.
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No, and it's good because I don't like packing.
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Okay, I'm not a big fan of packing.
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I hate it actually.
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And not the physical act of it, the mathematics of packing I hate.
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Like I'll give you an example.
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Here one day in Mumbai I am, right?
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For the last one week I was thinking how many underwear I should carry.
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Simple, right?
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One day trip means one underwear.
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But now the overthinking starts, what if it starts raining?
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Two underwear.
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What if I decide to do the first ever split in my life?
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Three underwear?
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What if a friend asked me, Hey, can I have your underwear?
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Four underwear?
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Dude, if she's not in my life, I would have packed a bag with ten jockeys and a toothbrush and come like I'm a distributor.
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They would have stopped me at the airport.
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The bag would have gone through the X-Ray machine and come out to the other side.
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I'd be like, what happened, sir?
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They're like, you tell me what happened.
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Explain the toothbrush actually actually
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you'll engage with a humorous stand-up comedy routine by Gautham Govindan, focusing on the quirks of being left-handed and the challenges of writing. Through light-hearted storytelling, you'll practice your listening comprehension and enhance your ability to express personal anecdotes in English. This lesson is perfect for English learners seeking to improve their pronunciation, vocabulary, and confidence when speaking. Utilizing this content allows you to learn English with YouTube while benefiting from the comedic tone that makes the practice enjoyable and memorable.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Handwriting - The style or manner of writing done by hand.
- Left-handed - Referring to a person who primarily uses their left hand for tasks such as writing.
- Awkward - Something that is uncomfortable or clumsy.
- Ambidextrous - The ability to use both hands equally well.
- Financial advice - Guidance regarding money management or investments.
- Compound interest - Interest calculated on the initial principal, which also includes all of the accumulated interest from previous periods.
- Encryption - The process of converting information or data into a code to prevent unauthorized access.
- Acceptable - Being satisfactory or permissible.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning from this comedy routine, consider employing shadowing techniques using the shadowspeaks method. The speaker’s delivery is conversational and approachable, allowing you to practice effectively. Here’s how you can approach this:
- Listen carefully: Play the video and pay attention to the nuances of pronunciation and intonation. Notice the rhythm and pacing of Gautham's speech, which is generally relaxed and humorous.
- Shadow the speaker: As you listen, try to repeat what is being said simultaneously. Imitate not just the words, but the emotion and timing. This will help you improve English pronunciation and develop a more natural speaking rhythm.
- Break it down: If you find the speed challenging, pause after each sentence or segment to repeat it. Focus on the vocabulary words listed above, particularly those that pertain to everyday experiences.
- Record yourself: After shadowing, record your own voice saying some of the funny lines from the routine. This will allow you to identify areas for improvement in your pronunciation and delivery.
- Engage with the content: Discuss the themes or humorous elements of the video with peers or language partners. This reinforces vocabulary retention and builds conversational skills.
By consistently practicing with humorist content like this, you'll develop an engaging way to enhance your English abilities while enjoying the process of learning.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.