In the Time Between Xmas and New Year's Day--Playing Catch Up

Sunday, December 30, 2018
Bombay

In the Time Between Xmas and New Year's Day--Playing Catch Up

     Namaste from Bombay!
     I do love the days between Xmas and New Year's Day! The festive spirit continues, the world is still ablaze with light and color, in Bombay at least 'Xmas visits' continue and in Bombay at least, the weather is perfect. Also, today is a Sunday...which gives more pause to just relax and take it easy.
     Not that I did so...its one thing to think of relaxation in the abstract and a completely different thing altogether to actually give oneself the permission to vegetate. So I was up at 5.30 am and I did get down to blogging before the first glimmer of dawn light stained the eastern sky. In my building here on St. Monica's Road, the dawning of a new day is indicated not so much by light as by sound. I hear the woman who lives below me bellowing to the cats she feeds. Their mewling and her snarls herald the start of another noisy day.  In fact, if there is one peeve I have to deal with daily, it is noise-pollution. Although I live on a very quiet lane, tucked away from the incessant blaring of rickshaw and car horns and the glare of headlights, human beings (read my neighbors) are the causes of the irritating sounds with which I am compelled to live. My shrill next-door neighbor has (thankfully) moved out following her wedding (although her guest appearances to her 'Maike' do not go unnoticed!) but now it is her mother who has defeaning fights with her domestic maid. I actually had to go across yesterday and knock at their door while they were in the midst of one of their ghastly spats to request them to close their front door while sparring--because, get this, these folks live with their front door wide open the entire day--if you can believe it!!! Clearly, privacy is not one of their priorities.
     After blogging, I got started right way with the weekly cleaning of my flat.  I wanted to do this before having breakfast and going to Mass. I decided to start with sweeping and swabbing the floor and then turning to cleaning and dusting countertops and other surfaces--usually I do it the other way around and then feel too tired to do the floors. Chriselle had brought me Fantastic and Bounty--so I was completely equipped to deal with the grime and after a good cleaning of bedroom and bathroom, I was ready for a hot cup of coffee and two slices of toast with Nutella, peanut butter and salmon cream cheese (also brought courtesy of Chriselle) which formed my breakfast. It took me less than ten minutes to get ready for Mass and to leave.
     I was in church for the 9.15 am Mass when Morris, the sacristan, came up to ask if I would do the First Reading as the Lector was a no show. I raced into the sacristy and reviewed the Reading with just minutes to spare as Mass began. And so I ended up being the Lector today. I missed Fr. Lancy D'Souza whose Mass (and sermons) I have grown to enjoy.
     After Mass, a lady came up to me to ask if I was Russel's sister. When I replied in the affirmative, she told me that she had read my article in The Examiner and completely identified with it.  She said that she felt the same way each year about Christmas--she is all wrung out with fatigue by the time the day arrives and always wishes she could just withdraw from it all and pretend it wasn't happening! We chatted for a few minutes and then I went outside to pick up a vada pau for Russel while visiting with Queenie.
     Back home at Dad's, I gave Russel his snack, chatted for just a few minutes, discussed what they would like for lunch (I would be ordering from Bandra Gym) and then left for The Bagel Shop where I was supposed to meet Jonathan, a Master's student of Music Education at the Royal Conservatoire of Music in Glasgow, Scotland, who is down in Bombay for just ten days during his winter break. I thought it would make good sense to talk to him and find out what sort of factors had encouraged him during his childhood to take up Music (he plays piano and sings) and to go forward with it as a professional. Jonathan was already at the venue when I arrived. We spent the next 90 minutes chatting. He is extremely articulate and I had to interject only very occasionally as he spoke about his upbringing, exposure to music (classical came very late, he said), encouragement he received from his mother, recognition of his talent through church and zonal competitions, etc. It was indeed a pleasure speaking with him and I was glad he was able to spare the time for me.
     While there, I sipped a chocolate milk shake while he had a macchiato. While there,  I also called Samir at Bandra Gymkhana to phone in my order. He called me back in about 15 minutes to let me know that it was ready. That was when I said Bye to Jonathan and proceeded towards the Gym. I was lucky enough to spot a rickshaw and I hailed it, hoping he would take me there, wait while I picked up and paid for my order and then bring me back to Dad's.
     He did! I was lucky. Samir had my Chicken Lasagna and my Corn and Pasta Salad ready for pick-up and with Dad and Russel, I sat down and ate a very delicious lunch. It was a good time to sit and chill--Russel has started spending a lot of time in the living room at the dining table and much less time on the bed. However, he has now started to get anxious about what lies ahead with regards to his next hospital visit for a review of his situation.
     Back home after lunch, I had a short nap and then got down to work. I needed to transcribe the interview I had done at least two weeks ago with Bharat Dabholkar and that was exactly what I did. When my laptop ran out of juice (I had almost finished), I left it to recharge while I had a pot of tea with cake and cheese biscuits and chatted on the phone with my cousin Blossom who is still in Bangalore with her daughter Menaka.
     I left again for Dad's at about 8.00 pm and had just a touch of dinner with him--after my late tea, I wasn't in the slightest bit hungry. Back home, I had ice-cream for dessert and watched a new show called Republic of Doyle because it starred Irish actors and I thought it would be set in Ireland. It isn't. From the accents that the characters are using, it seems American; but the landscape looks decidedly Irish--so I am well and truly confused.  The plot was also moving at snail's place. I shall give one more episode a shot and then I'm done with it.  There is a lot of garbage on the box, let me tell you...
     Until tomorrow...