ten downing street

By seven tonight, I was desperately in need of a break from work, if only for a couple of hours. I figured shopping would do the trick--I have nothing to buy here and everything that I do buy can be expensed, which somehow removes some of the satisfaction. I'm dangerously close to becoming 'the man' in the capitalist system, as I'm accruing capital without being able to 'waste' it on meals and movies with friends and appliances for my kitchen. So, I decided to go swipe some plastic at FabIndia, one of the top stores on the expats' list. FabIndia has some great stuff, both clothes and home decorations. I got two tops, several scarves/shawls (since it's freezing in the office on the days when the power doesn't go out), and two bathmats with a matching pair of slippers. The bathmats are great--they're peach and yellow, and they're reversible to suit my mood. I adore textiles of all kinds--I think that learning to weave and sew was one of mankind's great achievements, and I would much prefer to be artistic with fabric rather than paint. If I were serious about quilting, I would definitely pick up tons of fabric here, but I will have to content myself with the occasional bedding or bathroom purchase.

I thought that FabIndia was going to be my break, and so I came home at eight p.m. with the intention of eating a quick dinner, watching 'I Heart Huckabees', and working until I fell asleep. The best laid plans often go astray, as they say, and I ended up going out instead. But first, dinner--Ranjit made dim sum! Of course, it wasn't the Hong Kong Flower Lounge--his take on dim sum was just chicken or veg potstickers (with ketchup instead of sweet and sour sauce), another very tasty chicken dish, and some noodles. It was all very tasty, but there was nothing to rival (or even approach) the har gar or the deep fried shrimp in bean curd. I would have even taken some pigs' feet w/petrified egg in black vinegar sauce. Actually, that's going too far, the food here is good and I am definitely not missing meat so much that I would resign myself to the pigs' feet at this point in time.

After dinner, six of us went to 10 Downing Street, an English-style pub in downtown Hyderabad. Thursday is karaoke night at 10 Downing Street--and it's funny, because I realized that the only other time I've been to a karaoke bar was also in a foreign country (Berlin, two nights before the Love Parade). The bar was great--they served decent drinks, the decor was stellar, and the karaoke was fun. I took pictures, but I'm too lazy to upload them tonight, so you'll have to wait.

I didn't get anything done tonight as a result of all of the fun that I had, which means that I will have to work this weekend. Boo. I also have to go back to Meena Bazaar to get the blouse made for my sari and to get my lehnga stitched, since I'm going to a wedding on June 10. I'd like to start exploring the city a little more; I've already been here a month, and I feel like I don't know my way around at all, and I haven't seen anything other than the major stores and a couple of cricket fields. If I keep telling myself that I have plenty of time, the whole trip will slip through my fingers.

First, however, I am going to explore the mystical wonders of my bed!