Corner Coffee Shop

Just about time for people to head home from work. A slow stream of people move in. Occupying the empty tables. Some preferring the ground floor with the smell of coffee wafting all over and some the relative mass of people in the mezzanine. The one burly guy looking at every girl walking in. The one older lady, concentrating with all her scrunched eyes on her laptop and the work she was finishing up - day planner (she had a paper one!) open and stuff strewn around her. The two guys who probably work there part-time - they seemed to know one of the employees. A varied bunch.
Preferring the masses to the flow of people, ended up on the mezzanine too. Darn, all the window tables were taken. One person per table. The kids were busy poring over books; guess its that time of the year - exams. The guy with the ear phones tapping his folded foot to the tunes playing in his ears - oblivious to the crowd. The elegant lady, joined soon by a handsome guy, they were definitely discussing work. The lady at the window, on her phone waving to friends below, she must have been waiting for them - she left soon after. Coffee now cold. like the latte artwork they do - isn't it nice when you expect something and get that bit more than you expected?
And then I. Whiling time till when my yoga class would start. I wonder why I have not been to coffee shops more often...

Awe

Rambling through youtube as usual, today I happened to stumble upon this old video of Susan Boyle's performance from back then when she first made her public debut. All I can say is every time I see it, it never fails to be a hair raising experience. I mean just look at it. When she gets on stage you can see how people react to her presence. The dubious expressions, the rolling eyes, raised eyebrows. This video captures it all. Social conditioning.
And then she sings.

Looking forward to more experiences which shake me out of my perspective.

Resolution for the Year

Send out more snail mail to family/friends - always much more expressive/effective than an email/e-card.

Happiness and Pets

I grew up having a pet. Timmy - named after the dog in Famous Five :) Us siblings were major fans of the series. Actually the series is one of the reasons I ever got hooked onto reading. But that's a story for another time. He was with us for about 13 years. And one day he upped and left and never came back. The gate was left open by some moron who visited our house and we never saw him again. It wasn't the said persons fault really cos Timmy could always find his way back... but yeah, a moron left the gate open that day.

Loud barking nights when he found the odd rat running for cover into burrows he couldn't reach into. Crazy Timmy, never knew when to give up :) I remember how I used to come home from school earlier than the others once in a while to find the whole place locked up. Would jump over the wall, sit on the ledge in the portico waiting for others with keys to arrive. All the while with only Timmy for company. I would rub his thick fur till it was glossy black and my palms sticky black. He would lie his head trustingly in my lap and lap up the attention. I loved doing that. And he obviously loved it. I guess the reason I loved it was cos he did. I hated getting my hands dirty. Do to this day. But loved rubbing his fur and scratching behind his ears.


Miss having a pet.

Last Moments

Eight mile hike with the gang - they made me proud; view/location worth every minute of the drive and hike. Brunches on Sundays. Jazz in NYC - awesome! American Idiot - love Green Day.Dashing through snow. Getting cab rides and over tipping in view of the holidays. Last minute shopping. South Street Seaport - one of my fave spots of all time. Look of determination on a teeny tiny face as he struggles to stand up. Unconscious struggles/wiggles to find the spot in his crib. My darling darling nephew. Horror at my own impatience/irritation that one time. Missed Central Park again. Time with Sis and Cousin. Video chat with more cousins. Sweaters to coats to T-shirt in a matter of days - America you span long and wide! Text messages with New Year wishes. At home in bed on New Years eve :)

Best end to a good year. Looking forward to the new one.

Happy New Year everyone!!