Happenstance

So, my story of the day is this: I looked at the clock, and it flipped to the next minute.

Sometimes I get amazed and the many ways we can find reminders about the many wonders and blessings in life. What were the odds of the flicker of my eyes toward the digital clock at to read the time just when it decides to switch right before my eyes in the very millisecond my glance lasted?

I also spent a lot of time outside walking, got the requisite tans (even more pronounced), and provided business to the Muslim restaurant on the way of my walks, where the guy gave me an extra samosa, which I didn't know was in the bag until I reached it.

Ramadan Mubarak to those celebrating. :)

08

Well, it's in. The "worst" (best according to moi) snowstorm we've had in 5 years. I do not know what people have been making a big melodrama about - this was normal until global warming made everyone forget and they started taking the global warming bit for granted.

No sirree, not me. Just two days ago, I was standing on the dry pavement at the bus stop thinking how I recalled days where winter was numbing bitter cold. When I'd be stomping and pacing to and fro just to keep some semblance of feeling in my limbs. I was thinking to myself, where have those good old snow-upto-my-knees winters gone?

And what do you know - a few days later, the skies decide to shower me with a dream come true. Yesterday my coworker asked me if I was coming in tomorrow. I was taken aback. 'Uh. Yeaaaaaaaaaah?' Was there some holiday I didn't know about? But no, he told me, there's a big storm coming our way and was suddenly forecasted. Oh.

Really.

Anyways, today's storm was amazing and magnificent. Upended bucketfuls of snow that went on forever. I went out in the quiet world and the snow was up to my knees. Oh my God. And no snow plows were even to be seen (on that note, throughout the day I hadn't seen one. More on this later.) and the snow was virgin. Untouched. Until me in my boots came trudging through. Overall, the morning was beautiful. I felt so amazingly happy and excited and exuberant and gleeful.

Then, well let's just say the balloon sort of popped. But it was bound to with how afill with glee I was. Anyways, then the reverse. Coming back home from work. Not so good.

It's like the world finally woke up and then they all decided to make things complicated, to make everything slower, and to inject a stream of negativity by constantly thinking of all the bad things that this 'storm' was supposed to bring on. Humans, pah!

So, the trains didn't work. The light-rail transit didn't work, mobs were wreaking havoc at the train stations, police enforcement yelling this way and that, crowds of people shoving at each other without care regardless of the old and feeble people who were shoved down into the snow.

I can say that I'm glad this storm happened. It somehow restored a sense of calm to me. That familiar sense of just accepting whatever because no matter how much you complain, fuss, grumble, or decide to hate what you are going through, first, it could always be worse, and second, you cannot do anything else regardless- but to accept it and go forward.

07

It's a Thursday that's constantly felt like a Friday. Throughout the day, from the moment of awakening to the moment of leaving work in the evening, I've had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't - isn't - Friday. The week has already been long enough, and there is that bit of melancholy tinged with some unknown anxiety floating in the air, like the continuum of falling snow.

This is a mood that wants me to shut down and shut off from everything and everyone.

There's an impeding snowstorm forecasted for tomorrow. It's already started if the weather out the window of the bus I'm seated at is any indication. The winter weather warning is telling us to stay within, keep ourselves shut away and to be careful of venturing out into the chaotic and dangerous world outside.

That's already what I'm feeling, emotionally.

We'll see.

06

28

Today I woke up to a world blanketed with white. Snow! Okay, yeah not such a big deal now, after all the weather hitting sub polar temperatures and the continuous snow that's been floating down upon us. However, this was serious snow. Like, the usual white-Christmas snow that's typical of winter.

So then I went outside. And I was happy, because it was actually not cold at all. That's what I love about this kind of snow, all the moisture in the air has to surrender its heat to get cold enough to turn into snow, so it's actually sort of warm.

Anyways, next thing I knew I was on my bum on my driveway. The snow had sneakily hid away the layer of ice that was coating the pavement. Yay, fun. Trust me, it is always best to land on your butt when you're falling. That's what bums are for. I once had the misfortune of landing on my arm. Not good. Not good at all. Broken arm.

So yeah. I'm kind of used to falling on my bum and just sitting there for a second or two, blinking or laughing at myself. This was first thing in the morning anyways, so I just shook my head bemusedly then got myself up and wacked my clothes a few times to get the snow off and went on my merry way.

It's actually warm today. 2 degrees C. Yes, that's warm! Oh, the wonders of relativity.

25

Hi guys. It's Friday night (yipeee!) and anyways, I thought since I missed a day and whatnot that I shouldn't get in the habit of being blog-lazy.

So today, while walking out in the morning heading to work, I passed the usual park all covered down with snow, and yes it was a wonderfully resplendant winter morning, although bereft of that sunshine that might have made it just oh so perfect, however, what did add to my glee was spotting the flutter of wings and...dun dun dun...recognizing that shape of the head....it was a bluejay! Yayyy!

 I LOVE birds, and spotting the odd and rare sightings of such birds (I mean, compared to always seeing sparrows, crows, ravens, doves, geese and seagulls) is such a thrill. And not only that, there were two of them. Yayyy a bluejay couple! Okay so that made my day. Thank you very much, have a great weekend!

23

Ok so today's thought of the day before I forget. So, there's this girl/woman I see almost every evening on the bus going home from work. For awhile I sort of didn't like the 'vibe' I got from her - a sort of snobby type. Can't explain. Anyways, we usually sit in the same area on the bus, and yesterday she was two seats to my left, with noone between us, and she was yapping away on her phone so hyperly and excitedly, you could just FEEL the happiness oozing off her.

Tonight. I actually see her coming onto the train where I am seated when the train stops at her station, and I automatically get black vibes from her. Anxiety, worry, sorrow. This all while she's still some distance away from me, with a whole crowd between us. When we finally get on the final bus home, she's sitting right beside me. She's not talking on the phone. I'm reading, as I usually do, and my eyes flit 2 cms to the left, and right there is her iphone, and she's texting someone back.

Now, before you think I'm a total creep or stalker, let me tell you that I'm a fast reader, as in, I can take in a whole sentence at a glance, in a way. Again, hard to explain. But yeah I...ahem...absorbed some of what her conversation was and it just made me feel an amazing feeling. All of a sudden, I didn't not like her. In fact, I felt a deep sense of empathy and almost felt like hugging her and casting my eyes sideways, I saw the familiar gleam of unshed tears. A bit filmy, but yeah.

It's probably already wrong to have invaded her private space, and probably more to share what her private conversation was here. But thing is, you don't know her. And secondly, the amazement that came over me was that her private conversation was one almost anyone could relate to in some way - it was the same old script found in every other love story.

Other person (apparently the 'he'): "I don't know what is happening but I don't want us to fall for each other, the way we are already falling.... I'm feeling like a teenager again...But... I don't want to hurt and to get hurt :)"

She's writing as my eyes absorb: "I was thinking how to tell you this all day, but it seems as if I was meant to get hurt afterall."

TELL ME that's so not something we've already heard? It's so cliche, and totally the usual desi dialogue. But it's just so strange the way this emotion of heartbreak is so universal, and so familiar. It just removes all barriers to previous prejudice and creates imaginary bridges of empathy and understanding between strangers. I don't know her, but I found myself saying a quiet prayer for some sort of strength and patience to be and stay with her.

365?

One thing I`ve noticed some of my friends doing is a 365 day of the year kind of journal. Not really a journal, but they just list or post one thing to mark that day. I`ve gotten "blog-lazy" and have sort of retreated in my own shell, and haven't been writing really (no duh, Einstein). And just now I was thinking to myself, dude why don't you just write one thing and keep it simple?

Yes, I realize I'm not literally a dude, for anyone who's scratching their head about that. Anyways, so I think this is what I'm going to do. I've raised my bar on my blog so high with all the write-ups, stories, and I don't know what, that everytime I fail to write something AMAZING or think of something to write that would be AMAZING, I just don't. Hence, an empty and quiet blog.

No, no no. Not good. Quiet blog, and IQ? Nuh uh. *Heaves a really big sigh right about now* Yeah, so that was like you know, just a summoning my superpowers sort of sigh. K, so I'm here. And today's great news is that it's hit -22C, has kept snowing alll day long and only stopped when the sun went down, leaving that amazingly cloudless blue sky typical of a stark winter day behind, and I've worn sweatpants and hoodie to work and couldn't care less how casual that is, and the cold is making my lovely skin feel so dry and ehh, and yup, that's pretty much it for today.