Father's Day

Celebrating our rock, rockstar and breadwinner !

Visiting family member

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Having the daughter at home, despite her penchant to annoy, has its advantages _ trying out different hairstyles, pulling out white hairs, the occasional selfie and the evening gossip walks. 

Our new CM

To my utter glee and happiness, VDSatheesan is taking over as the 13th CM of my home state after 10 days of wrangling between three contenders. As someone whose heart is always with the Congress, the UDF victory gives me hope. VD is educated, well read, principled and relatively young. He seems to have progressive ideas and a desire to take everyone along.

Dad would've been happy with the victory and CM choice.

Gymming

As a tribute to dad on his birthday on May 11, I have joined the gym again after six months of walking.

Winter is beating a retreat and the Peninsula is gearing for summer. Hence walking in the sweltering heat is not my kind of exercise.

Relief

As we say in Malayalam, what came like a mountain or landslide went away like a rat. Expecting a counteroffensive after Orange Man's latest deadline that smacked of a nuke, we told Ash he could sleep with us for the night and die together if the building came down 😱

Nothing happened and we woke up to news of a ceasefire. Hopefully the friction will fizzle out though Satan yahoo won't be the happiest person.

The other good news of the day is that Ash got his driver's license which is quite a feat here.

April is not the cruelest month after all.

Passion of the faithful

Good Friday is usually a day-long event for us Kerala Orthodox Christians; the mass runs from 7.30 am to about 3.30 pm. It is a bit longer in the main churches in the UAE since much of the burgeoning crowds of faithful have to do the kumbideel - or worshipping/kneeling before the cross covered in white cloth symbolic of Jesus' burial - and it takes about 2 hours in the second half of the day. To me, that looks like the most sacred part though the procession holding a small wooden cross -- thankfully not hefty like the one carried by Catholics on the same day -- seems just as holy. 

Much to Ash's relief, there was no mass braving crowds and the summer sun this year. Owing to the conflict, authorities directed the churches in the main emirates to hold the service online. Outdoor gathering was not permitted even on Palm Sunday, and we had to fit inside the church and auditorium. The two of us did a few token kumbideel while the father was away at work. I belted out the hymns for the day finding special meaning and satisfaction in the one that went "Jalathayezhum joothanmaraal..." (He was crucified by the arrogant/idiotic Jews - not sure if jalatha means idiocy or arrogance). It is more a feeling instituted by my granny whose narration of the crucifixion saga stressed on the Jewish insistence on having poor JC sentenced to death on the Cross.

The mass was over by 1.20 pm. We missed the kanji-payar-papadam combo at church after mass but I made the same for lunch. 

Like Dawkins, I like to call myself a cultural Christian. Happy Easter, folks!

Grim times

Obliterate must be the longest word in Trum*'s 200-word vocabulary. Whatever, he has been providing us much mirth in these grim times. Our lives continue to be uncertain though things are quiet here as of now. Will things change after Easter? Should I think of heading home before war reaches our doorsteps and the evacuation of 9 mn Indians in the Gulf becomes a Herculean task?

p.s. Back home, Brutus had to be neutered as he was becoming troublesome around his female caretaker.