Mountain of light

A boy’s night out. Discussion veered from food, politics, Islam, relationships, women, work and finally to how there should be a balance in life. So much different and yet so much remains the same. First came the excellent food in the form of a good old tandoor serving excellent kebabs. Topped up with a wonderful lassi and the stage was set for a wonderful evening.

Next a long walk to nowhere discussing earth-shaking stuff. On how Muslims for all their rantings that they are being mistreated by the world don’t stand up for themselves. On how there is no one uniting leader to come out of their ‘kaum’. On how Turkey is a shinning example of Muslim secularism and why the EU is not allowing Turkey to enter. Walking through a particularly punk infested part and Billy Idol blaring out from some window and the discussion turned to on how Asian women are different from their Western counterparts. They certainly can’t carry the punk outfits as well. 

Next, we enter a club and find ourselves a quite place to sit and continue trying to change the world. The music is very retro. I like retro. Except the music gets louder and louder and we decide to move inside for a quieter corner. Except that place turns out to be a waiting place for some cross-dressers, alternatively dressed as a man or a woman, before they go into a basement for a show. They first go in dressed as airhostesses, next they come in dressed as Darth Vader in their hoods. That’s when they take a shine to us, to me particularly and invite me downstairs for the show. I manage to wriggle out except I have to promise a same place, same time next week.  We look at their show and they are doing a horribly bad version of cha-cha and tap dancing. Imagine Darth Vader doing tap dancing and slowly taking off his robe and you discover he has boobs. That is when you realize that you are not drunk enough.

My friend introduces me to the bouncers so I can jump the queue next time. Outside is somehow full of a tour group of Japanese tourists at their photo a second best and in some fantastic poses. They sure know how to take their cameras to the limit. No wonder some of the best camera companies are Japanese.

As I make my way home some music buzzes in my head. I can’t place my finger on it and it changes the moment I try to catch it. I think it is Verdi one minute, Bob Dylan the other. I decide that is me.