the busy weekend

so it started like all the other weekends. went home on Friday, showered, changed and got ready to go out and then realized . . . there was no place to go! Wifey had a girly dinner at the new French restaurant that’s opened up in E-7 so I decided to chill with Mr. Walker and catch 'Groomsmen', the flick by Ed Burns.

Unchanged, pulled out the movie and the stogie (have quite smoking again for the umpteenth time so am killing the urge to inhale by lighting up a good Cuban). A so-so flick with a few moments where one can relate ones own relationships with the 'bros'crashed early (midnit-ish) cause had to head to a junkyard outside the city in the morning to hook myself up with an old 'WWII Triumph Tiger Cub'.

Landed at the lot and saw hundreds of bikes in an eerie sort of mechanical graveyard (complete with the dry thistle bush rolling on the soil with the cool breeze). surveying the expansive lot finally revealed the one and only triumph (totally junked, rusted and the works) supported by a make-shift brick pile bike-stand. I turned to the lot manager and asked him what the asking price for the triumph was and was told after a lengthy and detailed tirade of how Quaid-e-Azam rode this particular bike in the streets of Karachi after independence and this was the most amazing piece of history the country had ever possessed and had miraculously made it to the extensive collection of this 'well-known' and 'honest' lot managers antiques.

I tried not to choke when I asked what the price was (which he still had not revealed during this 7 and a half minute rant) and was told that the 'final-final' price was 150,000 rupees. (that’s approx USD 2500 for the not-familiar-with-exchange -rates friends of mine) for a hunk of metal that was being held together perhaps by the rust that had fused the bike into a big brown mass of immobile parts.negotiations failed miserably, perhaps because he knew I was keen on the bike and would have paid a premium price for the classic 'piece of Pakistani history'.

Needless to say I moved onto another collection of the not-so-famous bikes and ended up purchasing a 1973 (I think so because the registration papers haven’t arrived as yet) Honda 350 in army green. Popped the bike onto the truck and had it delivered to the bike doctor in a nearby workshop and am supposed to get the revived and hopefully running bike in 10 days time.rushed back into the city to eat delish laksa at Mehr's place and got a chance to chat with my cousin Zohare about careers and work-jazz.

Chilled after lunch with some melon sheesha (what? Sheesha isnt the same as cigarettes right??!) and then headed back home to change and get ready for the evening din-din at Ace's place. Nihari was the menu for the night so the weekend definitely added some extra pounds to the already expanding waist-line. Got back around 1 am and crashed cause I had another long day approaching.Sunday was spent supervising the laying of the garden at the residence (apparently planting season is here with all the rains etc).

Tthe gardener had his 'team of 10' working like little minions digging and weeding and planting and prodding the soil. The chaps worked through the course of the day till nightfall but I am glad to say the garden looks awesome…Wifey has some superb plants which are looking great in the rock garden. Am now excited for the grass to take root and another BBQ can be planned during the 'good season'Sunday ended with me starting the second season of Prison Break and then read “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell.Got into bed to start another week.

Boy, do I hate Mondays!!