Today was the first day of the Mount Mary Novena. In the Catholic Church, a Novena is basically a devotion consisting of prayers on nine consecutive days. It is usually done to obtain special graces. For me, it’s one of the rare moments in my depraved life where I get to chance to spend some quality time with God. This yearly tryst leaves me with a good feeling inside and more at peace with the demons in my head!!
To return to the lighter side of things…..masses are great places to observe people. It’s an explosion of clashing colours and conflicting perfumes!! I have my yearly favourites…..people I enjoy observing….seeing the changes in them over the years and generally going nuts with my imagination!!!
One is the dapper old couple that comes unfailingly every year. Elegantly clad, they ooze old-world charm and grace. I am a sucker for an ol’fashioned love story. More often than not, the gentleman makes some whispered comment and the lady smiles impishly. They must have been like this, twenty years back….and you can still the traces of age-old beauty etched into their softly wrinkled faces. All I need is Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World playing softly in the background…..and I would be honking noisily into my wad of tissues!!!
A regular fixture is the pack of teeny-boppers (mostly girls!), giggling uncontrollably. Clichés be damned…..you put two or more girls together and more often than not, they’ll be whispering, checking out the newest recruits and cackling wickedly……it’s a wonderfully awkward age…..and brings back so many sweet memories for me!!!
And last but not the least…(***drum roll please!!!***)…….Mr. Cool-Pilot-Dude!! He looks like a pilot…dresses like a pilot…….ergo…….the highly unimaginative nickname!! I have been seeing him for the past five years or so and envy his cool, confident style. He is totally devout and oblivious to all the flirty glances thrown his way. He has that indefinable quality……'Presence'. Somehow, like Moses and the Red Sea…the crowds part willingly for him. The seniors nod jovially….the guys look on in reluctant admiration and the girls sneak quick peeks at regular intervals.
When I feel the prongs of Satan’s trident poke my ribs……I snap out of my daze and switch back to devout mode. Somewhere, the angels are shaking their heads in despair and praying for the redemption of my rotting soul!!
To return to the lighter side of things…..masses are great places to observe people. It’s an explosion of clashing colours and conflicting perfumes!! I have my yearly favourites…..people I enjoy observing….seeing the changes in them over the years and generally going nuts with my imagination!!!
One is the dapper old couple that comes unfailingly every year. Elegantly clad, they ooze old-world charm and grace. I am a sucker for an ol’fashioned love story. More often than not, the gentleman makes some whispered comment and the lady smiles impishly. They must have been like this, twenty years back….and you can still the traces of age-old beauty etched into their softly wrinkled faces. All I need is Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World playing softly in the background…..and I would be honking noisily into my wad of tissues!!!
A regular fixture is the pack of teeny-boppers (mostly girls!), giggling uncontrollably. Clichés be damned…..you put two or more girls together and more often than not, they’ll be whispering, checking out the newest recruits and cackling wickedly……it’s a wonderfully awkward age…..and brings back so many sweet memories for me!!!
And last but not the least…(***drum roll please!!!***)…….Mr. Cool-Pilot-Dude!! He looks like a pilot…dresses like a pilot…….ergo…….the highly unimaginative nickname!! I have been seeing him for the past five years or so and envy his cool, confident style. He is totally devout and oblivious to all the flirty glances thrown his way. He has that indefinable quality……'Presence'. Somehow, like Moses and the Red Sea…the crowds part willingly for him. The seniors nod jovially….the guys look on in reluctant admiration and the girls sneak quick peeks at regular intervals.
When I feel the prongs of Satan’s trident poke my ribs……I snap out of my daze and switch back to devout mode. Somewhere, the angels are shaking their heads in despair and praying for the redemption of my rotting soul!!
2 comments:
Coming from the same home town as Namz K, I can so relate to what goes on during Novenas which in my younger days was an excuse to dress up and check-out the 'dudes' that were there for the same reasons, good stuff Namz, brings back old memories!
I got to hear this one before it makes it to the blog! :)
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