The sun has started to fade now. People are reverting back to not smiling and everyone is starting to look that lil' more miserable! It was fun while it lasted.
My sister walked into my room last night just as I was about to fall asleep saying that there was a car on fire in the alleyway behind our house. Cue my brother, mum and I rushing to the back house windows to see what was going on. "Call the fire brigade!" says Amma. I do as she says and am told that they've already been informed and the fire brigade are on their way. 10 minutes later and still no sign or sound of fire engines. The fire has now caught onto the wooden fence of a house 4 doors away from ours. "Oh shit - it might spread to our fence! Thambi (lil' brother), go and get the hose ready!" my sister says. Me and brother stare at her thinking probably the same thing: How are we supposed to tackle a fire?! With our hosepipe? The water barely trickles out!
I put on some jogging bottoms and go outside the front of the house to warn the neighbour - an elderly gentleman whose wife has not been very well of late. No one is answering and in our lil' cul-de-sac there is a small amount of panic. "Where is he?" I hear someone ask. "I think he is away" another voice replies. Inwardly, I breathe a sigh of relief but don't want to imagine him coming home to find his back fence burnt out.
After what seems an age, I hear the sirens getting closer - another neighbour directing the fire fighters towards the alleyway and the fire which is now spreading slightly (albeit a slowly!). I see residents from the opposite side of the alleyway - windows open and heads hanging out.
The crackling and popping of the car burning scare the life out of me - unexpected each time.
I hear the firefighters trying to contain the fire - and the sprinkle of drops from the backlash of the hose. Slowly but surely the fire is being extinguished and dark smoke billows into the already dark sky.
Everyone returns to what they were doing - the show over.
"A lil' late for that now!" I hear my brother say as the sound of falling rain takes over the sound of burning metal.
Ticket for India which I thought was booked may now have flopped and I may have to rebook and pay a more extortionate price. But it's all for a friend's wedding - and 4 weeks away from work has got to be worth it
Hen party at the weekend was interesting. Quickest way to learn about people is to play drinking games - especially "I have never" which always seems to get sexual!
Have guys lost the ability to chat up girls? Not wanting to stereotype or tar everyone with the same brush because I know this is a small minority. Walking home after a night out - a car drives past. It's passengers - young South Asian guys. "Yo, yo, yo, yo" - no one from the group answers. "Yo man - you in the pink. The girl in the pink. Yoooooooooooooooooooooooo" And yet despite this clear display of chivalry(!), still no one answers. And how do they deal with their somewhat bruised ego? Throw a bottle of water at said group of girls and then drive off (I'm pretty sure that I will get (anonymous) comments saying that it was probably deserved for coming across so stuck up but so be it!)! Further along I see the same thing - a group of guys hanging outside the windows of their car. "Yo yo yo" and girls giggling despite themselves and entertaining these chavs! Seriously?!
And I need to sort out my bloody visa to India!
