One one things

And finally we have moved. I spent the better part of last weekend shifting my life from North London to a more central area. A new flat where hot water runs from taps, where the raditors emit heat, where boilers work. Gone are the days of kettle heated baths, of pissing icicles and of standing near the fridge whose 4 degrees is an oasis of warmth. The electric heaters brought some solace, but they didn’t have a chance against the freezing conditions outside. It’s been a tough term. Had someone told me that I had to live in a house without heating or hot water through January and February, I would have asked him what he’s smoking. And I’d have asked him to give me some of that shit if I really had to go through with it. But looking back, it wasn’t all that bad. I mean, it wasn’t fun by any stretch, but we got used to it. It’s amazing how well human beings adapt to situations and learn to make the best of what is available. You just got to bite the bullet and get on with life.

Living with two girls is fun. For one there’s an endless supply of Cosmo and other magazines which provide a perfectly legitimate excuse to look at girls in lingerie, and learn other useful things like “10 ways to make her scream” (and there I was expecting some appropriately scary pranks). That said, it has its disadvantages. I had to do the bulk of the heavy-duty lifting when it came to suitcases, desks, cupboards etc. during the shifting process. Whilst I was carrying a massive desk up the stairs I quietly cursed everyone who was working out at the time. They ought to be helping me, not lifting weights for the fun of it, bloody time eating devils. Don’t join a gym, help somebody shift house, now there’s a business.

On Saturday the moving van came home and we finally packed away the last bits of our life. The journey was uneventful until we came towards Hyde park where there was a massive traffic block bc of some parade. The driver and I didn’t exchange much conversation all this time, mainly bc I was too tired to say anything. He then received a phone call and said, “434?! Is it a one day game?? Faaarking hell.” Shit shit, I thought, our record. I asked him to clarify and he said that Aussie had scored 434-4 against South Africa, a new world record team score. We spent the next 40 mins or so talking about cricket, it’s very rare to see an Englishman so fascinated by the game. His knowledge was very impressive too, he knew about the Sri Lankan team and even about the not so prominent guys like Malinga Bandara. It was amusing to find that he had the same problem as I when it came to bowling leg breaks, we both end up producing only googlies and toppies. With an average male in India, Sri Lanka or Pakistan such a conversation would be expected, but in England with a young white Englishman, it was truly surprising. He took my phone number and invited me to play for his club up in Mill hill. We ended the day comparing our bowling actions on the main road, run-up and all.

We didn’t move all the furniture so more DIY was in order. My early attempts at DIY were an utter failure. I fixed a toilet seat in our previous flat which towards the end of its tenure wobbled like an octopus on skates. At least I learned to shake that booty. My flatmate’s bedside table ended up with half its drawers collapsed and the legs of her table clearly had the hibbery jibberies. So I wasn’t looking forward to doing the same again, specially after all that lifting. After much fuss we set about it, and fixed up a TV stand, 2 desks and a couple of storage boxes. Not a bad effort at all, they all seem in pretty good condition. DIY isn’t all bad once you get the hang of it. But that’s what I said last time. As my wobbly ass reminds me.

Half way through the DIY process I get a text from the moving van dude (I never quite caught his name, though moving van dude would be a good name for a dutch baby) saying that South Africa was 270 odd for 3 in under 30 overs, and that they had a chance of winning. I scoffed and went back to work with the hammer. A couple of hours later I get another text saying they won it off the last ball. I was in a state of shock, I had just missed the greatest ODI ever. The next day I went and watched the highlights at a friend’s place and came off in a stupor. So many of our inhibitions and constraints are in our mind. Almost anything is possible if you put your mind to it and if you want it bad enough or if you really really have to. We lived through an English winter without heating or hot water, South Africa chased 434 in 50 overs. Common sense would suggest both are near impossible, and that entertaining such thoughts would be stupid. But the human will is something that is insurmountable. Well done RSA, take a bow. Well done us.