Yep, Thursday was unproductive, but yesterday kind of made up for it. Here’s a brief rundown of why it was a good day yesterday:
Blue Skies
It was another splendid spring day…clear blue skies, warm sunshine, and a brisk little breeze. I’d had this thought a few years ago, but I just thought it again yesterday and this time the poignancy goes even deeper because these blue skies have since become even dearer to me. When I return to Singapore for good next year, I’m really going to miss the blue skies of Toronto.
Income Tax
I filed my income tax return. Had almost forgotten about it, the deadline is this Sunday! Spent an hour and a half in chinatown listening to Vietnamese Pop music while reading the one book I had with me (Gifts Differing) until it was my turn. 15 mins later I was done. Glad it’s over! 90 mins of ‘wasted time’ in return for $200+…worth it right? :P
An interesting license plate on D’Arcy St. “To Work”
Comprehensives
I was done with taxes at noon and after grabbing my laptop and swimming gear from home, I headed to Gerstein where Li Ning had saved me a seat. Three hours later, I finally completed my last comps essay. Over the next few days I will still have to re-read all four papers and make corrections/edit before I will hand them in to my Comprehensives Committee. But the bulk of the work for this milestone…especially all that reading I have had to do, is done! *yay*
First Hot-Dog of Spring!
From Gerstein, I was supposed to meet Wanting at Starbucks on College & Beverley. I hadn’t had lunch (and it was already 3:30p.m. but I had a nice brunch so was still ok). Initial plan was to buy something to snack on from Starbucks/Bagel Stop before my swim…but on my way there I was ‘accosted’ by the hot-dog vendor in front of Wahlberg. I ended up munching on a chicken hot-dog and sipping a can of Nestea while basking on one of those benches along College St watching cars and pedestrains zip by. By the time Wanting joined me on the bench I was already feeling pretty blissful. My first hot-dog of spring…couldn’t have picked a better day for it!
Swim & Ting
Maybe the hot-dog energized me, but yesterday’s swim was great (in case anyone was wondering I did not swim immediately after eating, ok? We detoured to Koffler and ran a couple of errands first)…one of those full energy level days when I could keep going at a moderately brisk pace without stopping or tiring. While getting ready for and showering after the swim, it was more chatting and catching up with Ting. It’s quite interesting actually…Wanting and I don’t get many opportunities to spend big blocks of time together, but when we do, there never seems to be silence. Animated chattering fills the air, whether we’re in OPL, on the streets walking, or in adjacent shower cubicles in the Hart House locker room.
As we were talking, we realized that her current swimsuit was one that she bought together with me in her freshman year, when we first started swimming together. Amazing how time flies…it’s been four years! Even without knowing yet whether or not she’ll be here next fall, I’m already starting to miss her. Am really hoping for her sake, Calvin’s sake, and mine, that she’ll be able to find a job in Toronto. Hey, if anyone of you reading my blog has any lobang, must tell ah!
Crepes & Company
I had arranged to meet Li Ning after my swim to go for dinner with her and Melissa. And yesterday, for some reason, I had a sudden craving for crepes…and I had to wait to hear from Li Ning if we could go (depending on who else was going and if they wanted to have crepes etc). Li Ning found me and Wanting huddled on the front steps of Hart House (photo) and told me the good news that we *were* going to have crepes! And, to make dinner nicer than it was already shaping up to be, I found out that HJ & HM were joining us as well. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen those busy “妹”s of mine, so that was a really sweet way of capping off an already good day for me. Perhaps that was why I seemed ‘Mrs Bennet’-like by somebody’s observation. Though I kind of wished I wasn’t called out in quite such an unflattering fashion *wry smile*.
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Sidenotes:
Congrats to Serena for passing her driving test!
Check out a new page on my blog-A semi-Hegelian response to “unfinished-ness”
Journey of the Heart 