Episode 311 : Last man standing

So I asked him if others from our class keep in touch with him. What with almost half of Madras being in the USA, I surmised that the others would.

'I am not in touch with anyone here. Once in a while someone drops in a mail, and that is about it. Life has moved on for others, and their priorities will take precedence', he wrote back.

I could only smile to myself. The rest having settled down in life, tending to their families and their responsibilties for the future, we found ourselves to be the last men standing. First out of choice, and later out of circumstance.

I recalled a time when I was on one of my year-end motorcycle trips. I had met up with a couple of folks from Madras who had joined their friends on a car trip of their own. Their route co-incided with mine that day and we explored the temple at Belur together. A few hours later, they left and I found myself at the hotel, nursing a cold and fever.

Which is never a good idea because it almost always leads me to contemplate about my life and its decisions. And that day it made me realise something.

It was a cycle I had always seen with the friends that I had made at school, college or work. A group of singletons hang out together till their better halves come in, and later, their offspring. Somewhere along the line, the now-smaller group of singletons form their own clique, while the former-singletons form theirs- discussions on buying houses, family troubles, schools are not everybody's cup of tea.

One by one the number of single people whittles down.

And the last man standing has to start all over again.

* * * * *

Today what works in my favour is the realisation that it pays to be patient.

For everything.

Episode 282 : The travails of a single male

It is tough living the life of a single male.

Cooking recipes are for four or at the minimum for two. Whittling it down to serve one person is a course in experimentation that takes a few attempts to get it right the first time. Supermarkets sell stuff I want in large packs that would last an entire month. The kind of accommodation I want, are for families or couples. Single bedroom apartments like their double bedroom counterparts are hard to come by where I live. That brokers give me hope saying there are good ones but not in my budget, is not enough.

What really gets my goat, is the ongoing hunt for the right bedspread.

I found the perfect bedspread at many stores, but they were for double mattresses. I also found the bedspreads for single mattresses, but they were for children.

I prefer bedspreads with stripes, blocks, circles or squares. Or a single sober colour, not too bright or dark. White bedspreads are nice to have, but they remind me of hospital beds.

But the bedspread for a single adult mattress that I found, had designs I prefer to stay away from. Flowers, trees and leaves. Or patterns that looked like them. Teddy bears, deer or small elephants.

The ones at stores like Fab India are fine, but too dull in most cases or out of my budget. A Fab India bedspread for a single mattress is perfect when I have my own house by the sea, but not now.

In the last 4 years of bedspread hunting, I found only one set. I guess I will have to wait another 4 years before I stumble upon the next set that fits my criteria.

But it is also possible that I will get that house by the sea by then.

Episode 163 : In the house that Hyde builds...

Previously...

Place: My room-sized home, Bangalore.
Time: May 2006.

The room is dimly lit, the source of light being two. One, from the door that is left slightly open. And another from the window, partially covered by a curtain, the light streaming through a perforated sheet that keeps outs flies. I sit at the far end of the room, leaning against a wall that separates the hall-and-bedroom and the kitchen area. I stare at the curtain that sways slowly and smile to myself as the new speaker and DVD system croon out songs of Diana Krall and Norah Jones. I only need a person to waltz with.

The place feels complete. It feels like home.

Place: My apartment, Bangalore.
Time: June 2007.

Light streams into the hall, the source being the open windows by the balcony. I sit in the hall, leaning against a wall that separates the hall from the kitchen. I stare at the ceiling as the fan beats cool air on to me. And smile to myself as the laptop and speaker system plays songs of David Gray and Royksopp. I only need a person to waltz with, and this time there is plenty of space...

The home is incomplete, but is on its way to becoming the kind of place I always had in mind.

Episode 81 : Feels like home

Place : My room, Madras.
Time : April 2006.

The room is dimly lit, the source of light coming from a table lamp whose beam is pointed towards the ceiling. I sit at the far end of the room, lean against a wooden cupboard and stare at the opposite end of the room. I am lost in memories, as the computer speakers play the crooning voice of Norah Jones, Diana Krall or Dido. I only need a person to waltz with.

Place : My room-sized home, Bangalore.
Time : May 2006.

The room is dimly lit, the source of light being two. One, from the door that is left slightly open. And another from the window, partially covered by a curtain, the light streaming through a perforated sheet that keeps outs flies. I sit at the far end of the room, leaning against a wall that separates the hall-and-bedroom and the kitchen area. I stare at the curtain that sways slowly and smile to myself as the new speaker and DVD system croon out songs of Diana Krall and Norah Jones. I only need a person to waltz with.

The place feels complete. It feels like home.