SHADOW, TIME, AND ROTI CHANAI

POST # 49

Success! I am writing this blog from the comfort of my housesit compared to the last one when I tackled it at the library. I discovered in the meantime that I can accomplish this by using a different browser on the net than internet explorer, which saves me the time of riding to the library and back. And since I have returned to Vancouver the weather hasn't been exactly the best for riding, with plenty of grey wet days.

Shadow the cat is happy about the weather, as it has kept the housesitter for the most part, indoors. This has allowed the two of us to bond in a very short time and whereas before he would usually find another spot in the house to camp out while I was doing whatever, that is no longer the case.

The day begins with a Shadow wake up call, meoowww!!!!! It might be a wake up call for me, but from his point of view, it's a "get your lazy butt out of bed and feed me now, please." So right from the get go, I am being "shadowed" by Mr. Furball.

We sleep on the upstairs level of the house, so once I'm up and dressed it's time to head to the main level where the cat food is located in the kitchen. Shadow easily wins the race down the stairs. My leg continues to improve and as a result, stairs are no longer the challenge that they once posed not so very long ago, however I am not to the point of being able to run down them, especially as fast as a cat. I doubt if I will ever run down stairs again, and if I would have been as focused back in March climbing down a hill, as I now am anytime I descend a staircase, I wouldn't now be in the position I am, but maybe that's another one of the lessons to take away from my fall, that being, to be more aware of my present moment in time. So it's all good, and within a few moments I have arrived by the special cupboard which houses the cat food, with a meowing, purring Shadow cat rubbing up against my leg in anticipation of breakfast. With his food dispensed into his dish I am free to go about my morning routine which includes stretches, etc. while I wait for the water to boil for the morning coffee.

Now, I've been here for a week and in that short amount of time, Shadow has lived up to his name, because he shadows me now, wherever I go. The house has three levels, and whatever level the housesitter is on, the cat can be found close by. That's nice, because one of the reasons that I like to pet sit, is so that I can spend time with the animals that I am caring for. Also, because I don't have a "regular" job to go to each day the animals have me around more hours of the day probably than even some of their owners would be around. This certainly helps with the bonding process and keeps the animals and the housesitter very happy indeed.

Speaking of being here a week. I am amazed at just how fast the time has gone by. It seems like only yesterday that I arrived, and in another week I will be leaving. Time is a strange thing. At least I think so. For me, when I am looking forward, it seems like whatever date I am looking forward to, can feel like it's a long way off in the future, however when it arrives, and I look back, I can't believe just how fast that portion of time has gone by. This always happens to me, and I imagine that it is the same for others. In fact, I just got off the phone talking to my next housesit owner, and I commented to her how I couldn't believe that it was already November and that I would soon be back there housesitting. I have known about this upcoming housesit for many months, and back in the summer time it seemed like November was a million years away, and now here we are, and soon it will be goodbye to 2012. As I don't subscribe to the Mayan calendar premise, that everything comes to an end on December 21st, I expect to be around when we turn the calendar page over to January 2013. Yes, I've learnt, especially this year, that there are no guarantees of being around for a future moment in time, but the odds are pretty good. And maybe it all comes down to odds and good timing.

Finally, a comment about the two words in the title, "Roti Chanai." Prior to yesterday this wouldn't have made it into the blog today, however as I returned from my daily bike ride yesterday, I stopped at one of the markets close by, located on Victoria Ave. The area I am currently living in has a very big Asian feel to it, and the markets are always interesting places to wander around in. Afterwards, I decided to ride slowly south on Victoria Ave., to see what other shops were in my area. I came across a restaurant which unfortunately is closed until November 20th, but as I looked over the menu in the window, I discovered that they had Roti Chanai on the menu. As I stood there in the afternoon drizzle, my mouth, literally began to water, just thinking about this dish which I haven't tasted since I was in Malaysia in 1979. The Roti is a simple bread, which is sort of flaky yet chewy, which is kind of hard to describe, but delicious all the same, and it is accompanied with the Chanai, which is just a curry flavoured sauce. You simply tear off a chunk of the Roti, and dip it in the Chanai, and then pop the whole thing into ones mouth. Just the thought of that, was what caused my mouth to be watering. As I am here until November 22nd, I plan to sneak over there and try some out. By the time I write next weeks entry, I will hopefully be able to report back as to whether my mouth watering yesterday was justified or not.

Now, as I look at my list of things to do today, I find that it is rather long, which is not usually the case. The weather appears to be on the drier side of things, and so it's time to get on to my bike and head out to get some exercise as well as to continue to check things off of my list.

Back again in one week's time.

cheers,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer