Thought I'd better exercise my writing department since I've really been feeling the rust. It's been months since the last one. So here's some (nice) stuff that's happened of late especially since the bad news of 2020 just keeps one-upping each other.
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armbrella
The vicinity of my workplace, despite its bountiful offerings, isn't the best place to find yourself when it rains. Particularly if you find yourself in lack of an umbrella with curtains of rain covering every possible exit. Just for illustration, there was once an attempt to Grab back to office from a distance of about 400m away which unfortunately was thwarted by surge pricing. But hey, if it really came to it I could still run.
So some things really help with perspective. There are people with disabilities who regularly make their way across the area. Some of them rely on movement aids that require the use of both hands (e.g. wheelchairs, walking frames). This means that they wouldn't be able to shelter themselves and make haste out of the rain even if there was an umbrella present, without something like a third arm. The good thing is that this third arm can come from someone else. I happened to be around on two such rainy occasions (once involved, once in vicinity), and I think all parties involved got out significantly less wet than they could've been.
With everything that's happening, kindness is a particularly nice thing not just to receive, but to witness and play a part in.
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sighting
Earlier this year, I'd had the luxury of saying yes to some random jios, one of which led me to taking part in a rather special amazing race. Amazing Raise organised by the SAVH to be exact, where sighted and visually impaired participants race together. With the generous timings and unique sensory games (pretty fun actually) it felt more like a chill morning exploration albeit with a very different range of companions. My team even had the benefit of having a tour guide as one of the participants, so safe to say we got to our destinations all right (all key cultural locations) with added storyline benefits.
The thing I was most surprised by was how closely intertwined sight and intuition really are. From giving my blindfolded partner jolts of fright during training by forgetting to mention slight changes in gradient/terrain to trying to indicate the presence of obstacles by pointing them out to my visually handicapped team mates. The problem I guess wasn't a lack of understanding (in 2 different senses), but the fact that sighted people really can be so very unused to the extent of the implications of visual impairments. The thing about "sighting" for others is that, more than just "seeing", it's a package that includes touch, verbalisation, situational awareness etc. Which is why the training session was important and even after that I found myself lapsing into saying things like "over there... oh wait".
Something of a realisation that I thought was good to have. Aside from having a fun time, I now know the proper way of guiding a VH person around now (no more tugging, as I've been guilty of previously oops). One more thing that I was glad for is that I'm old enough to know the feel of First Series coins. Serious.
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the giant smartphone
We got a new Android TV, since the old (unsmart) one decided to go liney. Short of saying it's been life-changing, it's the first time the large screen in the living room has gotten so much attention in a while. Ok fine, lately everyone's been watching the nightly news thanks to covid and all sorts of international excitements, but that aside... Pardon the excitement, coz this was one of those things that, for me, went from dunno-what-the-fuss-it to never-knew-I-needed. Apps! Cool remote with qwerty keyboard on the back! Internet access! Coloured backlights! Simply put, in an age where channels 5 and 8 just don't cut it anymore, the TV essentially needed to become a giant tablet/smartphone of sorts to grab its share of attention.
Anyway, the whole family got bored with Netflix (yes yes I know) so the subscription got canned after one paid month. While the wait for Disney+ is on I'm trying to avoid visiting dubious streaming sites coz of a niggling concern that the TV might not be built to withstand viruses. So in the meantime, just appreciating having Youtube on an extra-large screen along with the upgraded sound system. One of the simple pleasures in life is to loop playlists of old Jay Chou MVs on the TV :)
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crossing paths
A cat and I once met at right angles. Thanks to a nonchalant bush, neither saw the other until toes were in nigh danger of a mutual stepping-upon. After a stunned second, in which human and cat mirrored the other's expression, we each performed a dainty sidestep and went our separate ways.
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| Today's sunset, featuring some interesting blending. Not quite a silver lining but a reddish-purple one--going for a stronger look perhaps. |
