Saturday, April 15, 2006
"sunset soon forgotten"
studying for the exams is one of those things tt you always do 2 times a year, between 1 week and 3 weeks before what might be thought of as an armageddon of sorts rolls on by. studying for the exams in starbucks is also one of those things tt you might do on some days of those 2 times a year, no matter which part of the world you are in. there's nothing like reading through your notes while thoughtfully (or attemptedly thoughtfully) sipping your paper cup of grande caffe mocha (or java chip frappacino, depending on how the weather is).
but studying for the exams in starbucks in canada is different, somehow. as you watch the sun dip lower into the sky ever-so-slowly (it is spring, after all), through the window before you, listening to a slow drifting song and watching the world somehow pass you by as slowly as the music permeating your ears... cars roll by slower. as if they weren't in a rush to get to where they were going. people walk by slower, as if they had all the time in the world. lone figures, groups, couples strolling... it doesn't feel like exams are around.
it's just another day in canada. another beautiful spring day. after the rain has come and gone, and winter has come and gone, and we are appreciative for the sun and the longer days. we are grateful for the warmer, but still cool weather; where you can walk in the sun for hours on end and not feel uncomfortable or sweaty. where a real wind can rustle the leaves in the trees; small as they are re-growing from the cold winter before, and the cherry blossoms tt suddennly litter the roads around campus; where flowers are starting to bloom prettily again. you can see white, purple, red and pink... and you know tt as the days get slightly warmer the colours will accordingly increase and intensify. and the squirrels have come back again; they're starting to run around the grassy patches with their bushy tails, stopping to nibble on a fruit or an acorn, seemingly oblivious to the streams of human traffic all around.
there's something about studying in starbucks in canada. this mood of relaxation. how do you feel pressured, saddened, frustated or stressed, when the world around you just doesn't allow you to? not when the weather is perfect, the view is beautiful, and you're surrounded by those tt you love. jane says tt there's something about canada tt is different somehow, something tt makes the ordinary seemingly magical.
and sometimes, just watching the world go by, still when it moves slowly, i begin to understand what she means. it's not easy to blog without giving the game away, but i am incredibly happy. i wasn't really sure what i intended to gain from this exchange here in vancouver, but i guess i've gained quite a bit. i'm not saying tt my time here was utterly perfect, or tt i did not make any mistakes or done things tt i shouldn't have or experienced nothing negative, and yes, things haven't exactly gone as planned. for one, my mission to take advantage of the beautiful weather and to run and to get into shape in time for this year's ahm has completely gone to waste. but yet i feel so much enriched by this. i guess i might not have completely interacted with the locals as much as i should and could have, but i have learned much from my counterparts in the legal fraternity about the laws of canada and how divurgent they are from our own laws. i have asked so many more questions and i feel tt i have grown more aware.
and i have found something tt i never believed tt i might have found here. and i guess tt is probably why i am so appreciative right now of how lucky, and even blessed, tt i am.
everything seems almost inconsequential. troubles, worries, frustrations. just maybe, a figment of my imagination, just as confusion and restlessness might be a figment of yours. dinners at the chinese restaurant; suppers at mcdonald's; and attempts to study and koerner's and grande mochas at starbucks aside... sleeping in and lazy mornings; walking through the rain wearing your big black jacket; and evenings where i tap on your window ala the maroon 5 song...
be this sunset one for keeping.
.
.
.
sunset soon forgotten
- iron and wine
be this sunset soon forgotten
your brothers left here shaved and crazy
we’ve learned to hide our bottles in the well
and what's worth keeping, sun still sinking
down and down
once again
down and down
gone again
be this sunset one for keeping
this june bug street sings low and lovely
those band-aid children
chased your dog away
she runs, returning, sun still sinking
down and down
once again
down and down
gone again
now playing: hotel costes - cafe de flor
but studying for the exams in starbucks in canada is different, somehow. as you watch the sun dip lower into the sky ever-so-slowly (it is spring, after all), through the window before you, listening to a slow drifting song and watching the world somehow pass you by as slowly as the music permeating your ears... cars roll by slower. as if they weren't in a rush to get to where they were going. people walk by slower, as if they had all the time in the world. lone figures, groups, couples strolling... it doesn't feel like exams are around.
it's just another day in canada. another beautiful spring day. after the rain has come and gone, and winter has come and gone, and we are appreciative for the sun and the longer days. we are grateful for the warmer, but still cool weather; where you can walk in the sun for hours on end and not feel uncomfortable or sweaty. where a real wind can rustle the leaves in the trees; small as they are re-growing from the cold winter before, and the cherry blossoms tt suddennly litter the roads around campus; where flowers are starting to bloom prettily again. you can see white, purple, red and pink... and you know tt as the days get slightly warmer the colours will accordingly increase and intensify. and the squirrels have come back again; they're starting to run around the grassy patches with their bushy tails, stopping to nibble on a fruit or an acorn, seemingly oblivious to the streams of human traffic all around.
there's something about studying in starbucks in canada. this mood of relaxation. how do you feel pressured, saddened, frustated or stressed, when the world around you just doesn't allow you to? not when the weather is perfect, the view is beautiful, and you're surrounded by those tt you love. jane says tt there's something about canada tt is different somehow, something tt makes the ordinary seemingly magical.
and sometimes, just watching the world go by, still when it moves slowly, i begin to understand what she means. it's not easy to blog without giving the game away, but i am incredibly happy. i wasn't really sure what i intended to gain from this exchange here in vancouver, but i guess i've gained quite a bit. i'm not saying tt my time here was utterly perfect, or tt i did not make any mistakes or done things tt i shouldn't have or experienced nothing negative, and yes, things haven't exactly gone as planned. for one, my mission to take advantage of the beautiful weather and to run and to get into shape in time for this year's ahm has completely gone to waste. but yet i feel so much enriched by this. i guess i might not have completely interacted with the locals as much as i should and could have, but i have learned much from my counterparts in the legal fraternity about the laws of canada and how divurgent they are from our own laws. i have asked so many more questions and i feel tt i have grown more aware.
and i have found something tt i never believed tt i might have found here. and i guess tt is probably why i am so appreciative right now of how lucky, and even blessed, tt i am.
everything seems almost inconsequential. troubles, worries, frustrations. just maybe, a figment of my imagination, just as confusion and restlessness might be a figment of yours. dinners at the chinese restaurant; suppers at mcdonald's; and attempts to study and koerner's and grande mochas at starbucks aside... sleeping in and lazy mornings; walking through the rain wearing your big black jacket; and evenings where i tap on your window ala the maroon 5 song...
be this sunset one for keeping.
.
.
.
sunset soon forgotten
- iron and wine
be this sunset soon forgotten
your brothers left here shaved and crazy
we’ve learned to hide our bottles in the well
and what's worth keeping, sun still sinking
down and down
once again
down and down
gone again
be this sunset one for keeping
this june bug street sings low and lovely
those band-aid children
chased your dog away
she runs, returning, sun still sinking
down and down
once again
down and down
gone again
# posted by Kitana @ 4/15/2006 08:48:00 AM 
