But what to do. The only loo they have. Happy World Toilet Day!

And you enter the loo. And it is small. And the light is dim. Most of the flow finds it way into the hole in the ground, rather than the porcelain cavity.

Elections

Never have I missed the opportunity to cast my vote. General Education Academy plays host on election day, be it central or state. And dry days begin a couple of days prior. Oft, I’ve run into neighbors at the polls. I met Dr. Akshay in 1999, the first time ever that I’d voted. “Hello, Geoffery, have you come to vote?”

Yesterday, I met the Gautam mother and daughter, strong supporters of the RSS. And Mr. Jay; a Congressman.

“Tomorrow is a dry day. Please do the needful.”

On certain festivals etc. the sale of liquor is prohibited. Such a phenomenon is slated in as a ‘Dry Day’. In India at least. I’m not sure if such an injustice is bestowed upon the citizens of other countries.

Ross is our assigned stockist. Or at least, he has taken this responsibility upon himself. So be it a popular Indian festival or Independence Day or Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, trust Ross to have enough beer for everybody. Alcohol starts pouring in from afternoon over board games and X-box.

Alcohol prices in Alibaug

I found this, the only bar close to the bus station at Alibaug. A good four minutes walk from it, in fact. And one other close to the bypass, some ten minutes away, by foot. It is interesting to compare liquor prices with Mumbai.

21 years hence.

Attention: this post is a Shaaaks commemorative.

Ashwin had always been this lad at school. Good at sports. Our school won every single inter-school hockey tournament whilst Ashwin &others participated. I hardly ever interacted with him whilst in school, except for the odd discussions about the Wednesday night porn telecast on the local cable television. We’d go to Mr. &Mrs Geoff for tutions in Math &Science in Std. X. I got to know him a little better then, or maybe not.

We’d join different juinor colleges. Come university, we found ourselves in the same institution. He’d graduate in Chemistry &I’d do Physics. It wasn’t academics, but alcohol that brought us under the same roof &at the same time.. whilst lectures &practicals were conducted a few blocks away, at the institution. Ashwin, myself &fifteen others discovered an institution of our own.. the bar(s).

Not only, but also

Master Jatashankar taught the boys Hindi, in school. Master Jatashankar spoke bad English, to say the least, and often cracked indecent jokes about Lilly, the sexy English teacher, who’d wear her skirts to school, exposing knee to ankle. Jatashankar’d be rude to his students at times, all dialogues in Hindi:

“Yes, second row, second last bench, if you want to laugh, laugh at home, in front of your lowlife mother, and lowlife father, and not in my class.”

Drug abuse, the humble beginnings

Growing up, Geoffery’d not known much, about drugs, except, for the fact, that, drugs, lead to a premature death. Archie comics confirmed, that, life is best, without drugs, Betty, Veronica, sluts, but, saying NO to drugs. Growing up, from infant, to juvenile, Geoffery’d been very sure, that, he’d never do drugs, alcohol or tobacco.

Benjaman, Ross and Duncan’d listen to, Ozzy Osbourne, and Megadeth, since, the immature age, of thirteen. Being among them, Geoffery, the youngest of the three, acquired an education in Heavy Metal Music. Soon, Geoffery’d listen to Rock, and Heavy Metal, only. Techno, and Dance Music’d disgust him. And all through these years, Benjaman, Ross, Duncan, and Geoffery were, convinced, that, never, they’d do any drugs.

I wasted Chivas Regal

I drink beer. Mild beer. Kingfisher, Carlsberg. I don’t like Budweiser, Fosters. Thursday, last, for the first time in Bombay, Tuborg, the beer I’d heard about aplenty, this, one from my first buy, of four:

“Baba, come, put your suit, poota! No running in the house. And don’t keep this here. And don’t keep this there!”

Christmas celebrations at a Goan family’s house in Bombay, India
Merry Christmas, everyone!

“Kevin! Don’t eat the Shankarpalis. We have to go to church! After church you eat!”

“But I want! I want!”

“Kevin! Behave yourself! I’ll tell dada to beat you with belt? I’ll tell him?”

“Bugger, he has found a miracle cure for alcoholism!”

“Shaaaks, bugger.. he should take baclofen!”

“What’s that?”