PVT SMA PLT FLIES WRONG TFC PATTERN IN A NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTION CLRNC.

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THIS INCIDENT CONSISTS OF MY ENTERING A R DOWNWIND PATTERN FOR LNDG WHEN DIRECTED BY ATC TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND PATTERN FOR THE SAME RWY. I LANDED ON THE CORRECT RWY; I JUST FLEW THE WRONG PATTERN TO GET THERE. IT IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF MY EXPECTING SO STRONGLY TO BE TOLD TO FLY A R-HAND PATTERN THAT EVEN WHEN ATC TOLD ME TO FLY A L-HAND PATTERN AND I CORRECTLY READ BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS I STILL 'HEARD' DIRECTIONS TO FLY A R-HAND PATTERN AND PROCEEDED TO DO SO. MANASSAS ARPT HAS 2 PARALLEL RWYS - 16L-34R AND 16R-34L. WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT WERE RPTED AT THE ARPT TO BE 140 DEGS AND 13 KTS GUSTING TO 17 KTS SO RWYS 16L AND 16R WERE IN USE. I WAS APCHING THE APART FROM THE SE ON AN APPROX HDG OF 310 DEGS. AT APPROX 10 MI I CALLED THE TWR AND RPTED INBOUND VFR FOR LNDG AND TOLD THE TWR WHERE ON THE ARPT MY FINAL DEST WAS TO BE. THIS DEST WAS CLOSEST TO RWY 16R; SO THE TWR CLRED ME FOR A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 16R. ANOTHER PRIVATE PLT WHO WAS RIDING WITH ME AS A PAX; TOLD ME LATER THAT I DID CORRECTLY READ BACK THE TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS. AS PUBLISHED IN THE ARPT/FACILITY DIRECTORY; HOWEVER; RWY 16R HAS A R-HAND PATTERN WHICH I HAD NOTED ON MY KNEEBOARD BEFORE BEGINNING THE FLT. VIRTUALLY ALL OF MY FLYING IS DONE AT UNCONTROLLED ARPTS WHERE I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT ALWAYS TO FLY THE PUBLISHED PATTERN FOR THAT ARPT. BY NOW; THIS HAS BECOME A SET HABIT FOR ME SO WHEN I CHKED THE ARPT/FACILITY BEFORE THE FLT AND NOTED THAT RWY 16R HAD A R-HAND PATTERN I ESTABLISHED IN MY MIND THAT; IF TOLD TO LAND ON RWY 16R; I WOULD BE EXPECTING TO FLY A R-HAND PATTERN. THIS EXPECTATION WAS SO STRONG THAT I 'HEARD' INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER A R DOWNWIND WHEN I WAS REALLY BEING TOLD TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND AND EVEN CORRECTLY READ BACK THE TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS. IN FACT; AS I WAS MANEUVERING TO ENTER A R DOWNWIND; MY PAX QUESTIONED ME ON IT AND I TOLD HER THEN THAT THE TWR HAD TOLD ME TO FLY A R-HAND PATTERN. IT WASN'T UNTIL I RPTED BEING ON A 45 FOR DOWNWIND ENTRY THAT IT FINALLY DAWNED ON ME THAT I WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE WHEN THE TWR LOCATED ME AND STERNLY TOLD ME THAT I WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RWY. BY THAT TIME IT WAS TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND I COMPLETED THE LNDG WITH NO CONFLICTS WITH OTHER ACFT. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THIS INCIDENT; I BELIEVE; WERE MY LACK OF EXPERIENCE WITH FLYING INTO TWR-CTLED ARPTS; MY LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE DEST ARPT; AND WIND CONDITIONS: SINCE I RARELY HAVE NEED TO TALK WITH ATC PERSONNEL; MY COM PROCS HAVE NOT BECOME SMOOTH AND INGRAINED AND REQUIRE A HIGHER LEVEL OF CONCENTRATION. I HAVE MADE FEW FLTS INTO MANASSAS AND IT HAS BEEN SEVERAL YRS SINCE I LAST LANDED AT THE ARPT. IN FACT; I HAVE MADE NO LNDGS AT THE ARPT SINCE THE TWR WAS BUILT. WHEN MANASSAS WAS AN UNCTLED ARPT; FLYING A L HAND PATTERN TO RWY 16R WOULD HAVE BEEN UNTHINKABLE AS THIS WOULD HAVE LED TO SERIOUS CONFLICTS WITH TFC LNDG ON RWY 16L. WIND CONDITIONS: WINDS WERE SOMEWHAT GUSTY AT THE TIME PRODUCING SOME MODERATE TURB WHICH DISTRACTED ME TO SOME EXTENT. I NEED TO CONDUCT MORE PRACTICE FLTS INTO TWR CTLED ARPTS TO GET MORE EXPERIENCE TALKING WITH ATC. IN GENERAL; PERHAPS INSTRUCTORS SHOULD EMPHASIZE FLT INTO CTLED AIRSPACE MORE DURING INITIAL STUDENT TRAINING TO GIVE STUDENTS MORE EXPERIENCE WITH TALKING WITH ATC. IN MY CASE; BEING TOLD TO FLY DOWNWIND OVER AN ACTIVE PARALLEL RWY THAT COULD QUITE POSSIBLY PLACE ME PROPELLER TO PROPELLER WITH ANOTHER PLANE ON FINAL FOR THAT RWY WAS NOT AN INSTRUCTION THAT I WAS PREPARED MENTALLY TO ACCEPT. PERHAPS ATC PERSONNEL SHOULD BE MORE SELECTIVE AT ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS WHICH DEVIATE FROM PUBLISHED PROCEDURE AT ARPTS THAT EXPERIENCE A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENT AND LOW-TIME PLT OPS.