Antisocial with Social Media

I decided that Social Media is not for me.  I am a kind of person who thinks about every post, every comment, who reads all the news that intrigues her even when She may not be ready, who watches all the enticing video clips.  I heard it once that checking Face Book in this time and era is like taking smoke breaks in the past.  It is a "break". Not for me, not anymore.  It was not a break but an invasion of unfiltered news and updates I was not always ready for.  As such, I left the Face Book for the second time with no regret so far.

The City

People talk to you in the city even at 6:45 AM! I mounted out of bart station to be greeted by a tall security guy. He was very eager for me to ask him a question. So I did and got some info with regards to my directions. At the top of the escalators a guy said hola to me. As I took my 9 minute walk to my destination I got whistled at, hello-ed, howdy-ed, and a few other murmurs I couldn't decipher. Such friendly people in the city!

Reminder

The smell of oil and the orange safety jackets reminded me of my first job more than a decade ago. I have an office job now, for a long time now. However, my first paying job even though office based needed me to take many field rides into industrial sites. Many rides entailed a trip, usually an early morning one or even sometimes a late night arrival for an early morning work. Staying in mediocre hotels, having meals in local restaurants of small towns. Feeling utterly lonely.

I am travelling to San Francisco this morning using the crappy public trabsport of the Bay Area. I'm going to stay at Merriott and will possibly get to eat well. However, this trip starting at 5am in the train has gotten me back to that time in my life.

My group, even though medical devices, is actually within a compel rely industrial company and the mindset pushes me back to the policies of my first paying job in Canada. I don't like thinking about money even though I marvel working within budget. I don't like frugality. I don't like the flood of past memories this morning.

Me and Umm ... Me

I surprised myself.

I like it when I surprise myself.

I am sitting in the plane, munching on the soy sauce tasting rice, and no chicken blah, watching the very movie I didn't want to watch on my flight out, and this time wanting to watch it!

Surprised?

Not really! I know me enough to know I don't know me and anticipate me to surprise me.

I know you, my dear reader, are curios to know which movie it is. And indeed it is not Cool Hand Luke. Which by the way, the older lady sitting diagonal to me, who has a nice 70s make up on, who as soon as sitting down took out her comb from her purse and brushed the end of her done hair, who is wearing red in her 60s, started watching just an hour ago. Made me smile.

Oops! I just decided to take a picture of her back watching the movie and the flash went on. Embarrassing!

Now, I am curious to know what the guy sitting behind her is watching. He is a few centimeters behind me on the other side of the isle and I can't tell what he is watching. Earlier he gave me his Wall Street Journal when the flight attendant went right past me to him and got occupied with his neighbor lady. He then asked for another newspaper for himself of course. I don't remember how he looked like. It's rude to turn around now and just look at him. Isn't it? I recall him being young, may be younger than me, lighter hair may be jaw length.  And glasses.

And oh yes. I am watching this teenagers' chick flick movie called The Fault in Our Stars.

I like the name Hazel, which is the name of the main character, I like the actress, whom is Shailene Woodley , and the actor is just ok, meh.

Now, let's try again:

Flash off

PS: that teenagers' chick flick made me cry.

PPS: how bored one can get in a long flight all by herself?!!

Sleepless in Kobe

People sitting calmly watching the sea, people walking, people jogging, kids practicing and exercising, people riding their bikes with no rush. These are my observations at 5:57am on a Friday morning in Kobe. People seem to have given themselves ample time in the morning to walk to work and school rather than rushing through traffic.

After all these years, after all the thousands of nights and early mornings I have watched the Moon, it still stops me on my tracks to watch it some more. May be it is the mystery.

Here is my breakfast; please join me!

 

Youth

Cool Hand Luke is the title that stops me as I'm browsing the movie selection in my 11 hour flight. Cast: Paul Newman. Well of course. Who wouldn't enjoy watching him?  God bless his soul! A family man. Handsome and stylish. Tanned and strong looking muscles when young and straight back and strong boned face when old. Indeed a thrill for the eyes.

However, the reason I paused in my browse was not this statue of manhood from the past. It was because the title reminded of my mother.

When A was born my mom came to visit and stay with me for about a month. It was great to have her around and live with her after a long while especially when I had just become a mom for the first time.

One afternoon I remember we watched this movie together. A two hour of relative peace was granted by the baby A and we gratefully took advantage of it. We watched the whole movie in one sitting. And I must say I don't remember much of it. What I do remember however, is my mom's face when the movie was over. A slight smile on her lips, brighter eyes, one raised eyebrow, relaxed face. She looked younger, much younger in that moment.  The sight surprised me I recall. I remember I thought to myself mischievously if she had a crush on Paul Newman growing up. After all he was a grown man and a movie star when she was a young teenager. I tried to imagine her on a Friday afternoon in high school and in university after watching a Paul Newman movie with her sisters or friends. I wondered if she thought about him before she went to bed in those nights. I wondered if she chose her husband based on this look. I wondered how she might have experienced youth way before my time.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/