little things

 It could be that I'm trying to make up for my morning slovenliness or the fact that there is no more bread in the house that I am going to launch myself full-tilt into the depths of domesticity today.

Once I'm finished with this cup of weak coffee and finished with transferring the last couple images into my hard drive I shall enter my kitchen and start heavily with the pottering about.

Not before 4 at the very least, because heavens I need a moment's breather.

Right, an update regarding my cat.

I need to get the little one neutered.

My conversation with a doctor went as follows. 

Me: "I don't know if I should get him neutered, he's still very young"

Doctor: can you see his balls?

Me:"umm..uh..well, yes"

Doctor: he's old enough. get him neutered. 

Me: "okay"

so yeah that went well.

irks and ire

I'm not the one to complain, absolutely not, but there is a slight annoyance that's growing into major irritation and it's got to do with my neighbours downstairs.
They have a dog whom they often leave on a leash long enough to circle this entire city of Shanghai and he's tied outside for the most part of the day leaving him free to go about as he pleases and bark at unsuspecting cats to the point of chasing and even fighting with them and this poses a bit of a problem, well quite a few problems.

A shorter leash would limit his capabilities and keep him from coming under cars that frequent that area since there's also a parking space, not two feet from where he sits and it's difficult to manoeuvre a car while that dog is around because it's easy for him to prance about and come under the tyres.

Moreover, his long leash renders him capable of running around the entrance area of this building right up to the stairs that are inside the building and maul cats who use those stairs to come home, and this is a growing concern vis-a-vis my cat.

I was in the bath today when I heard faint noises of a madly barking dog followed by faint screaming sounds of a terrorized cat which made me run out of the bathroom in a bathrobe to hear the ruckus better and looking out of the window I saw only the green leash of the dog and the way it curved inwards was enough to indicate that the dog had come inside the building.
Donning my clothes while still dripping I saw my darling cat Gogi engaged in a serious confrontation with the dog right at the entrance of the building.
The cat wanted to come in and the dog wouldn't let him by way of steadily barking and trying to pounce my cat which infuriated me no ends.

To leap in the midst of the tussle and grab my feline was for me the work of moments and I bared my teeth at the dog who now barked and I made back to the house.
My cat was lightly scratched with no injuries but looked shaken and that I cursed the dog and his owners freely would be an understatement.

I don't know how to rectify this situation since the neighbours downstairs are my very dear friends' good friends and I don't want to be in that circus.
Perhaps if I keep the entrance door of this building locked this situation wouldn't arise or possible it may get even worse.

There is another concern regarding the road outside of their house which they've encroached upon to dump their useless junk.
Things that didn't fit into their house like a very long workman table, old air conditioning units and a very long tarp rolled into a thick roll. All this scrap has been laying outside eating dust for the past year, through the winters and every rain.
For sure it's reduced to detritus and it eats up the huge space on the road which earlier allowed two cars to park and now that garbage keeps cars from getting parked in that space.
And in fact, it poses such a problem each time one needs to reverse a car from the parking space because people park their cars at odd angles because of the detritus which in turn blocks other cars and it's most vexatious.

There is a strict policy of 'let's not bother others' that people here follow and the small annoyances are usually ignored and I am a huge subscriber to the policy but only when it's followed by everyone in turn.
This issue is now aggravating me to the point that I might just go downstairs and knock on their door.
But if the building management isn't saying anything regarding their trash on the roads than how can I?
But surely I can discuss the whole dog issue with them, right?

Ugh!!
I'm upset and angry.

the cat of living

Today's agenda includes facepalming at my own idiocies.

There's work as usual and I look at my siesta loving cat living his life so unlike mine and it makes me want to do the exact same things as him except I don't feel sleepy in afternoons and naps are an anathema but wouldn't I absolutely love to curl around myself with a book and blank thoughts instead of going about some rather insipid work?
I think I would, but there's work afoot and maybe once I'm done (which is never) I can echo my cat's activities.

snack love

I gave a kid some cat snacks so that he could offer them to my cat and make friends, except, and I say this with max bewilderment at my disposal the kid popped them in his mouth and proceeded to chew on them and swallow before I could say what the goddamit!

cat-atonic

Say one thing about the changing weather, say it affects animals most oddly.
Case in point my dearly beloved cat, who had donned a cloak most saintly during winters only to shed it and turn into something wholeheartedly demonic.
I slept mostly fitfully during those crisp winter months when the feline darling didn't dare venture out nor fling his person from the cottony hillocks of my thick duvet about the house in nocturnal rampage as cats are usually wont to. Instead, he silently munched his meal before folding into a furry mound of slumbering pussy, tucking seamlessly between the warmth of my body and the covering of fat blanket, and now that the weather is all sorts of pleasant with sunshine and cool breeze, the little bastard sleeps in a coma throughout the day, perched in odd places about the architecture and turns into an entity most cutely beguiling at night. Sleep is as far away from his mind as the sun from this planet and he derives some sadistic pleasure from torturing me throughout the night by waking me up at odd hours for food, even though he's been fed and not once but in intervals of every couple hours, completely disregarding the fact that his bowl still has some food.
If not that then waking me up to play with him, to run after him in a grotesque fashion of nightly hide and seek, where I, a zombie, try to chase him out of the house while he, a goddamn asshole, runs about ducking under couches and beds, evading me and when in a final vexation of anger and exasperation I lock him out of the bedroom to get some sleep, he meows in a voice most pitiful, resounding with a need to be loved and so dismal are his meows that even though I kow I'm going to get fooled into his tricks I open the door only to have him scurry away in an invitation to play his games.
When finally I catch him and throw him out of the house, he looks up at me in that similar touching, almost hurt eyes that I begin feeling like a monster and knowing full well that he's only going to annoy me once back in the house I let him, to have the entire night repeat itself and did I tell you the clock reads 2:30 am, and this continues till nearly five when I finally fling the fucker out with nary a remorse and fall back into deep deep sleep because by the heavens my body almost feels like it's breaking in places.

I just don't get it. It's been two nights and I'm functioning on fumes.
There has to be a way out of this and I will find it.

More updates on this soon.

cat mews

The cat just got sick all over my rug.
No food for him today.
The devil overeats and eats and barfs it all out.
This changing weather is hard on all of us. 

to the gallows of today

Say one thing about sleep, say I had a bellyful of it.

Awake again at 3:30 am to an overactive hungry cat whose choice method of waking me up is by scratching the bed post to create enough noises that would rouse a comatose patient out of irritation and I am one of those light sleepers that can be woken by a loud wink in the vicinity.

Did I mention how playful the furry ball of satanic seed was? After a repast of the most lavish kinds, he thought it'd be so much fun to jump over my person and treat my curves as his own personal Autobahn.

Now how does one sleep when sleep is already broken and redistributed all over the bed in razor shards wide-awake with broken dreams and a hint of annoyance?
No sleep was to be had and the little demon kept leaping and jumping about the house running hither and thither, scratching carpets, playing with his food bowl, playing hide and seek with my blanket that I wore like a shroud and when enough was enough I realized it was almost 5:00 am.

Throwing aside my covers and steadying like a zombie I gurgled out sentences that were a collection of curses most colourful and made my way towards the kitchen whereupon I rage cooked food.
Imagine fixing breakfast and packing lunch at 5:00 instead of the usual time and I was in no mood for niceties.

A full on meal of protein packed spiced fried rice, fruit salad, and a small dessert for lunch and a bowl of porridge and sliced fruits for breakfast; only to look at the watch and realize it was only just 6:00 am.

The maniacal feline by now had had another go at his food and now seemed in lazier spirits.
Of course, when everyone has been roused awake by his pittering paws of diabolical activity it's only natural for the devil to call it a day and count forty winks for the next eight hours or so.

What doth I do?
My sleep lay broken, wasted amidst pillows, my body cried with anguish at not having more than 3 hours of sleep and my head hurt.
I was done with morning activities and there was only one way this day could go, viz., to the bed and that's exactly what I did.

Lying on the bed wondering how to get on with today I slept and slept some more until it was well, I'm ashamed to admit but until it was 10:00 am.
There wasn't a singular shade of worry cast upon my features, there was no guilt to speak of and looking around with a refreshed pair of eyes I saw the cat curled up into an impossibly cute ball of soft fur, lying next to me and there was only so much I could do from gushing into a hopeless ball of mush.
He eyed me sleepily, gave my arms a little head bump to acknowledge and express his affection and sleeps still on my bed.
As for me, I ran a couple errands went out for a bit and now sit nursing thoughts of coffee.

timings

How is it that the cat comes to my house everyday at exactly the same time?
he doesn't wear a watch nor can he tell time, but each day at ten minutes to four I will hear a meow outside and lo! he's inside.

Without fail, he sticks to this schedule and when I'm not home and the door is locked, I'm informed by neighbours how the cat came calling and kept meowing outside.

This is indeed a mystery to me. Is it his body clock that is so accurate? or does he tell time according to his understanding of the setting sun time.
Whatever it is, it's bloody damn accurate.

kat

There's a cat in my room.
Fat, furry, feckless, uninterested, unperturbed, unsympathetic, callous, heedless, self-centred, sleepy, autarchical, self contained, soft, selfish, unregimented, unallied.. adorably wooly, cutely whiskered.

petite gymnast, feline fantastical.

Feed the felines

Word gets around pretty quick here..the feline connection is strong 

Delicioso

I don't know the name of this cat, or where it comes from, but has started showing up on the doorstep pretty often. A little scared and extremely cautious, but waits outside the door, or greets downstairs with a soft purr and a quick leg rub. 

More on tea and morning

It's difficult to find something to cheer you, when the throat you've been carrying so cocksure since forever, decides to turn sadistically sore and irritatingly inflamed. 

Faces annoy you, especially ones that're trying their best to comfort you. A low voiced murmur mouthing the words 'fuck off' is the best I could do..and I did. 

Opening my door to this, however 

cheered me immensely. Sitting at the entrance of the door, next to a couple potted plants, patiently waiting for me to let him in, warmed the cockles of my frozen heart. 

So I let him in and went about pottering for tea..

Talking of tea:

Here's my recipe:-

200mls of water (3/4cup) 

1 tsp tea leaves

1.5-2 tsp sugar

20mls milk 

Bring water to a scalding temperature (where bubbles start forming at the edge) and add tea. 

Cover and bring to a boil ( covering helps, since water comes to a boil faster)  

Once boiling, add sugar and proceed to add milk. 

I don't use much milk, courtesy lactose intolerance and also because milky tea is an abomination in my book. 

But if you feel the need to make it milky increase the milk amount to 30-40mls. 

Cover and let it boil rapidly for a couple minutes, until the colour has changed to a liquid bronze. 

Strain through sieve and serve hot. 

Alternatively for masala tea, if you're suffering from a sick throat: 

Add 1 inch stick of grated ginger, 4-5 peppercorns, 3-4 cloves along with the tea leaves. Cook as usual. Strain and serve hot. 

I could click step by step pictures next time. In fact I think I will. 

Night cat

Late night guests. 

They purr their way into your heart, into your home and your nighttime bed. 

I could do with a furry bedmate, one that makes space in the small nook between your head and a careless pillow, with absolutely no consideration for you. 

I can feel his deep purrs vibrating through my elbow and into my arm.

He's a content cat, and why not? Burrowed in a soft cloud of clean sheets with an ever eager buddy to carress him at his every whim. 

Cataclysmic

Imma purrrr

I'm a cat. Lovely cat. Cute cat. Cat pictures. Cat poem..cat cat cat. Yes I'm a cat. Get over it.

look at me stretch 

lick and scratch

a bowl of food, 

a drink of water 

open the door and let me out 

only I won't go

I will rub my furry self against your bare leg 

and let you think that I need something, only I don't 

or perhaps I do, but you'll never know 

for if you're fickle, then I'm ficklest 

soft little fur ball of meowing tempest

are these clean sheets? 

I need to claw them into frayed knots

what's a 600 thread count? 

I'm shedding, let me fur ball all over you

Yes, I might have been scratching outside of our window

For the past hour 

because I wanted to come in 

and yes, it's been only 30 seconds

and I want to be let out 

but I can hear lightening 

it's about to rain 

there's an ugly cat peeing in my terrain 

out or in? I haven't decided

maybe a nibble more 

and then I'll see what I really want

are these wooden floors? 

I liked the ones made of mud far better

I'm sleepy

go away, no wait 

Come back..or go away

Ok pet a little 

let me sleep..see you later 

Kitty and dreamscapes; Monday morn laze

Monday mornings come with the promise of warmth, sunshine and an omnipotent kitty, who manages to enter your house not through the front door anymore, but via balcony, whenever it wants. 

Imagine stepping out of your cool sleeping quarters into the ruthless sunlit living room, half yawning, eyes still shut from sleep, contemplating what ughs might this day bring, when suddenly you spy a cat stretched out on the floor, half asleep, and you wonder 'where on earth did he get in from' ? The doors haven't been opened yet, and suddenly an uncalled for epiphany. 

You remember, how lazily you were reluctant to shut the door to balcony entirely last night, risking the march of cicada's into your house. The door was left slightly ajar, and this is how and where the cat comes in. 

--

I had a whole lotta dreams, many in succession. It's like when you fall asleep again after waking up momentarily, not only do you get the sweetest sleep but also a bundle of such odd dreams that they stick to parts of your waking moments. 

I remember them in bits but they were so unbelievably real. 

Dreams: I'm living with a man, and apparently I can't get enough of him (now we know this IS a dream). Seems like I'm madly in love with that person and he eats maggots. There's something wrong with him, like he's a demonic entity or something, and since his arrival my beautiful tidy house has turned into a screaming mess of unreal things. 

Not only are the clothes and furniture in disarray but my kitchen looks and smells like a dumpster, and he keeps finding maggots to eat in there. 

In my next dream my mom and I decide to play bongos the entire day? We make a timetable about who's to play when, but I'm sleepy. So my mom tells me to sleep while she plays percussions but also tells me to wear shoes or at least socks, cuz the weather is chilly today. 

In my final dream I am hounding my cousin to take a bath, but she's so reluctant. So I decide to hide in a bathroom and call her on some pretext and when she does, I'll pull her into the bath and throw her under a shower. 

This proves futile because when I'm hiding in the bathroom and calling her. She refuses to step inside and keeps standing out. And I realize I'm taking a shower now. 

-of course there's a lot more that went on in these dreams, but this is just all I can remember, and I'd probably forget this by the time I'm breakfasting. 

Ah, this post is so long, I didn't realize..I'm sipping on goji berries infused hot water, and feel kinda sleepy still. 

Catfusion

When I think I've had enough of this day, and decidedly call it a night, a meow outside, soft as fur, late night purr..and lo behold, the cat comes calling, for no apparent reason except that it's a cat, and will do just as he pleases. 

Squatting on my pristine auburn floors, shedding a trail of white fur, or breadcrumbs if you please. 

Full blown gymnastics de vulgar, and a tender rub against my thighs to show he cares and that calls to be fed. 

So here I am, in my lacy night things, feeding a cat, and watching him pirouette, and he indulges in a practice most absurd, sneaks into the toilet and endeavors to climb all things tall. The washing sink, the bathtub, the shower, the shower curtain. 

What is it Gogi dearest?  

Cat cryptogram

This cat knows of vacuous blanks left from the sudden absence of ephemeral moments; thoughts of which, imprinted in indelible ink, stay forever imperishable.

Physically unsustainable, but mentally illimitable..these thoughts that scab over congnizant wounds offer such sweet pain, when constantly agitated. 

I digress..talking of this cat, who knows when exactly to come over and keep me company, is a mystery to me, and currently my only friend in this city. 

Sprawled on a bed, eagerly listening, while I read out aloud. 

Distracted by cicada music

Saw a bird perched on the window. 

Just my luck..to lose the cat to natural instincts. 

Baggage battles in nighttime twinkles

You'd think he's sad that I'm leaving, but really he doesn't even know if he cares. 

Cuddling up to me at night, he starts meowing his lovely lungs out to open the locked door, while moi is in the middle of a dream, where I'm almost about to 'epic' something..and suddenly a taxi screeches in the background and continues screeching until I open my eyes, realize that my dream was sabotaged by a miserable feline, and let furry lucifer out into the carbon night.

Nights aren't much to write about either.       They'd probably form dark matter of the darkest part of our universe. 

Not a shooting star in sight nor single stardust from galaxy afar.