Fatigued Friday

Today was certainly not the best day of my life. A passerby friend, who was using my 2 bedroom flat as an inn, jolted me out of my peaceful sleep. I woke up with a start, only to realize she wanted to know where the iron was kept. Pointed out the useless object - wondered why people never shook off that extra water after washing clothes - that way the creases ease out, sparing us the use of the IRON. Fixed myself and her, 2 cups of steaming hot tea - an aphrodisiac. I hope some of you, tea drinkers will know what I mean, when I assign such an epithet to it. Soon enough, we exchanged goodbyes and I shut the door rather smugly.

Played my favorite CD - "Hey there Delilah" is a pleasant song, to start a day with - its not the lyrics of the song that matters as much, but the soul of it. As the tracks kept changing, I got down to my daily chores. Yea, I had a maid till about a week back - but she went on leave (funerals and weddings in their village, being the top two excuses) Did the dishes - using "Pril" frugally - not miserly, just making judicious use. I somehow like to smell the dishes after I have cleaned them - and only after I inhale a whiff of that lemony liquid, do I proceed to place them on the rack. Scrubbed the slabs - why does it happen that the day, you cant really afford to spend so much time paying attention to details, we end up doing it inevitably? Surveyed the kitchen - it looked neat - didn't sparkle though. Gave it only one star.

Swept the house, lay down flat on my belly, to sweep under the bed - found my missing Osho chappals and two 2-rupee coins. Wondered how the coins got there. Must have been my habit of folding my denims, with the pockets downwards. Soaked the clothes and the pulses - not together of course. Chopped onions and smiled to myself recollecting the poem - "Ode to an Onion". Prepared lunch - Woke up a hungry sister, who thought it was her prerogative to expect to be served in bed. Why are younger siblings so thoughtless? I skipped lunch on purpose. Don't ask why - being Indian and sedentary is a bane. Spruced up the kitchen one more time. The memory of those pretty white shirts, tarnished after having been soaked for way too long was haunting me all the while. Ran to the bathroom to rescue my clothes. Washed them - marveled at how wonderful an invention "The Detergent" is. And for once, believed in a TV commercial. The new Surf Excel quickwash removes stains 10/10 and saves 2 buckets of water. But I wish these detergents were nails-friendly. Two of my fingernails became brittle and by the time I hung the clothes to dry, they gave way! The demise of two also meant killing the other 9 (Yea, I have a double thumb, just in case you were thinking I didn't know basic counting).

Then, to create an illusion of relaxation, soaked my feet in a tub of hot water with a li'l shampoo and 2 drops of Dettol - wanted to just keep descending down till, I was immersed in it. But Delhi has severe scorching summers - just the tap water could have scalded me. Checked a coupla mails meanwhile , replied to a few and logged into my social lives. Btw, I don't quite like the contemporary rage - Facebook. The interface is also depressing ( Many of you may not agree, I know) . Plus, with the passage of time and countless privacy options, one goes about it very ritualistically. Don't get me wrong - I guard my privacy quite fiercely too. But I'm sure some of you'll agree that the fun about these social networking sites were the pre-privacy days, when you could indulge in mindless browsing - and laugh, smile, smirk while flipping through the "unguarded" pages.

Its almost 6. Tea time again. I'm hoping the night is not very predictable. Expecting surprises after 6 in the evening is foolish I know, for the courier boys must have retired a long time back - in fact much earlier today to try and have an extended weekend. But what the heck! Do only mails bear surprises! Waiting ...