Riots in the streets = Miday Treat

So was going about my daily, boring routine. Yoga in the morning, watch Grey's Anatomy, shower & dress. When all of a sudden Apoorva walks in (and scares the hell out of me because I was half naked and I thought it was some stranger, since he should have been at work). Turns out some guy that is head of the Indian mafia was arrested today, and everyone was rioting in the streets. And of course it wasn't some peaceful demonstration. By the pictures on the news there was plently of rock throwing and police brutality, along with some attacks on some innocent bi standards just trying to get home in their cars or taxis. Nice right? So apparently everyone in Bombay got to go home for the day. I guess a "Riot Day" is equivalent to the "Snow Day" of the northeast.

It's really lucky that I was blissfully unaware of what was going on until Apoorva came home and told me. I would have bee freaking out about him getting home. He said he didn't encounter any riots, but at some points on the highway there were lots of stones on the road where the police and the rioters had been already. I spent a few minutes calling up some of my expat friends to make sure they were home and safe. Everyone was home and bunkered down for the day.

Gotta love India and it's crazy people. What's so funny is that people are taking the day off from work because they want the excuse, not because this shocks or scares them, which makes me think it's a regular occurrence. Laws really mean nothing here. Their existence, along with the police, def. don't make me feel safe. Just the other day Apoorva read in the newspaper that a mob of coworkers beat their boss to death for making them work late. This mafia guy was arrested because he was breaking several laws (including stoning people and vandalism) in protest that another law (which he apparently liked better than the ones he was breaking) was not being followed or enforced. How nuts is that? They say that police cannot survive off the wages they are given so most of their income comes from bribes. They will turn their heads and ignore any offense as long as you give them 100 Rs., including serious traffic accidents, public urination, and I'm sure other more serious offenses.

Oh well... at least Apoorva got to come home early and we got to eat lunch together and hang out this afternoon. A nice treat for me because normally I would just be on my own, alone and bored.

Yesterday was fun. Went to a book store to pick up "Holy Cow", which is apparently a very funny book written by an expat who lived in New Delhi. Then I went over to Caryl's house for lunch. While there I helped her get into a Saree for the first time. Her husband's boss was making her attend a work party and of course assumed she would want to dress like an Indian woman so bought her this saree. I felt bad for poor Caryl, she really did seem miserable in that thing. Of course I understand, since whenever I have to wear one I'm miserable as well.

Well I'm off to enjoy a bit of reading until I have to make dinner... Oh yea, one more thing...

My Yoga instructor will not stop pointing out the fact that I'm a little fat (do people think that I'm unaware that I'm overweight?). She actually gave me a diet to follow which no nutritionist in the world would recommends. Two meals a day consisting of fruits and vegetables, no carbohydrates and no protein. Yea right! I find that Indians have no qualms about pointing out any extra weight you may be carrying. At first it kinda pissed me off, now I just blow it off. It actually may be helping my self esteem because I find myself thinking "I'm not that fat", "I'm ok the way I am". So instead of bashing myself I'm actually defending my body. Eh, it's annoying, but as long as it's not damaging my self esteem I'll just deal with it