On Sarongs & Throws

Or How to hide your mess when under-the-bed is no longer an option.

I have always been mystified by sarongs.  These Indonesian/Malaysian traditional wrap-around skirts are so colourful more than anything else, that I’ve always felt they would serve better as wall pieces or displayed as materials of art rather than a piece of clothing. My feeling came true recently when some friends announced their intent of visiting me at very short notice.  Delighted as I was to be seeing them, chaos reigned supreme in my room, and in my mind too upon receiving the news of their imminent arrival.  My mind went into auto-pilot mode and before I knew it, I was working at amazing speed, efficiently bundling clothing and books away into the closet and the book case respectively.  Narrow longitudinal gaps between the closet and the wall can be efficiently used to squeeze in things such as overcoats and the laundry basket.  At this moment I remembered my sarongs.  I quickly dug them out from the closet and threw them over the piles of things that were seen from the in-between gaps that had been used as storage space. Open cupboards could also be covered by draping their front with a sarong.  I immediately regretting having discarded a rug that I had bought years ago from a shop called South Of The Border Imports.  It was a Mexican style rug woven in bright colours, rugged and huge as a rug should be.  Not only would it have adequately done the job of covering up things, but it would have made a bean-bag if wrapped carefully around a pile of winter woollies and pillows.

              Sarongs http://flic.kr/p/adGKTK                                     Mexican rugs  http://flic.kr/p/fLQoe