Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Evolution by numbers.


Exhibit A


When we migrated to Canada Loku Mammah gave Thathi a pair of flannel pyjamas (which of course he refuses to get rid of and have now become a sort of family heirloom. Don't ask. Apparently this is how we honour the the memory of our loved ones, with flannel intimates). I've only ever seen him wear them once, and that was after major dental surgery. Not overly sure what dental surgery and pj's have in common, but whatevs. It was weird. Like bizzaro weird. Thathi quite simply should not wear pyjamas. Ever. It's wrong.

For as long as I could fit, I used to sit in the folds of his sarong like it was a swing, this was made easier due to the copious amount of time Thathi sat in front of the TV watching sports. I was like Roo and would quite happily while away my time pretending to understand what was going on on the TV or reading a Bernstein Bears book. Thathi's sarong and my childhood go hand in hand together.

Aiya never started wearing a sarong until he went back to Sri Lanka for the first time at 19, the heat was too much for him to handle. Now, like Thathi, in the dead of winter he still prefers a stripped cotton sarong to a pair of flannel pyjamas.

Of course the Sri Lankan sarong wearing male has had to undergo an evolution of sorts in order to survive Canada's harsh winters. They have learned to adapt.

1. The double chin
This extra layer of flub is important to maintain warmth, a type of insulation if you will. Thathi has had this along with the beard for as long as I've known him.

Aiya fortunately has always been a fat ass.

2. The '80s sweater
It is absolutely necessary that a sweater or sweatshirt from an incorrect era is worn in conjunction with the sarong. The more it clashes the better. Thathi gravitates towards off the rack Sears sweaters, but that's just a personal preference of his.

3. The remote control
When watching any type of sporting event at home, it is an abomination to do so in anything other than a sarong. Okay, maybe just at our house. But still.

4. The annoying family member
Nowadays Oliver is the only family member that can actually safely sit in the folds of Thathi's or Aiya's sarong. When Ollie was a puppy he used to flip over on his back and play with toys. Now he's an old lazy ass who just curls up and goes to sleeps in there.

5. The threadbare sarong
By all accounts a worn sarong is better than a new one. The crispness of the cotton makes it uncomfortable to sit in, and from what I've gathered it's no fun to wear either. However to achieve that worn feeling quickly, tossing said sarong into the dryer a few bajillion times would not hurt.

6. The white socks
The feet need to be insulated. 'Nuff said.

7. Gap of hilarity
This just may well be grasping, because I mean, this entire get-up is pretty absurd on its own. I feel like the sock gap between the bottom of the sarong and the top of the tube sock just pushes it over the edge though.

7 comments:

Darwin said...

That is so true. I wish there was an equivalent for girls, it just looks so darn comfy. Short of sleeping in the nude, I don't know of any comfier sleeping attire.

rasti said...

While sleeping in the nude has its perks, but unless you've got a companion, it's not the smartest move in the middle of a Canadian winter ;)

Curious Yellow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Curious Yellow said...

Weee are the Berenstein Bears
Mama Papa Sister and Me
Blah blah something something...

Anonymous said...

I'm feeling the sweater...never been fond of sarongs cos when one sleeps in one, one tends to wake up with it in a totally different hemisphere...which causes some awkward reactions on the part of people who walk into your room.

I'm too fond of my old, threadbare, arrack stained shorts to be honest...though with one of those planters chairs I might be tempted to slip into a sarong and shoot the breeze...so to speak

Chamendra Wimalasena said...

Hmmm... You do realize we're all probably going to end up wearing the same things as we get older?

rasti said...

CY: *sigh* those were the days.

N: the same reason why i prefer boxers and a tank to a "night dress" *shudder*

And also always knocking on the door before opening it. Lesson learned the hard way.

Evil: yes, but until that time I'm compelled to make fun :D