familiar strangers

there's a tiny little 'cafe' that i visit that serves indian food. it's a cute little spot with delicious food. it has an incredibly informal and fun atmosphere. folks on the go stop in for a friendly, tasty quick bite and are off in no time. the 'chai tea' is delicious (knowing that 'chai' is the word for tea, but somehow that's what it's called), so it's sweet to take a moment to sip a warm cup of chai and just be... alone or with friends.

yesterday i spoke a bit with y. who was granted asylum here in the states as he is from tibet. we spoke about his children, the time he spent in india, as well as some of his experiences here in the states. it didn't just happen like that. our little friendship has been brewing for quite a while. over time, when i stop in for a nice warm meal we trade smiles, and then hellos, and then 'how are you's,' and when i don't come for a while 'where you been and how have you been...' yesterday as we got to talking about new york culture, the high price of rents, and his wife and children who are coming soon from india... it dawned on me that these are the makings of relationships, how a person or persons go from being strangers to sharing our thoughts and experiences. it's a nice flowering to our days and our lives...

the flowers are coming...

new york is a funny town in the sense that there are sooooo many people, yet we are pretty good at keeping our distance. people who i know who come from small towns say that they like living in new york because it offers anonymity (sp?). i think that is one of the reasons why celebrities like living here as well. i have a neighbor who just seems incredibly interesting to me. i met her one time while she was tending to the flowers outside our apartment building. the flower pots in spring and summer outside our door are really full of gorgeous flowers, but i had no idea how they got there... was it magic. so one sunny summer day i caught her out there with her gardening tools and water buckets and i introduced myself and complimented her on how pretty the flowers always are, and i thanked her for sharing such beauty. she explained to me how while growing up she always helped her mother in their garden, so she has been doing this a long time.

though it's a small apartment building, it's relatively quiet and we as neighbors in general don't really run into eachother. since meeting the gardening neighbor last summer, without exageration i have seen her one other time, but there are traces of her existence. though i know nothing about gardening, it looks like she is 'preparing the soil' for spring flowers. when i walk outside now i can see where she has watered down the dry soil. these days the soil now is soaking wet, when during the winter it was hard and dry. i think she's getting things ready for the spring flowers that are coming.

i really love them and i told her so. she said that it's really nice to know that someone takes notice and appreciates them. i do. in a city where everyone is so busy being busy, her flowers are a sweet treat when i step outside my door or coming in from a day out on the town... bless her heart.

hope your holiday time is eggselent!

as an easter surprise, a particular russian tsar surprised his wife maria with a decorated egg made by faberge. eggs are symbols of renewed life and hope. the outside of the eggs are made of gold enamel while the insides open up to reveal a series of surprises. she loved this gift so, a different one was commissioned especially for her for years to come, each extravagant in it's own way, revealing new surprises each easter and spring.

have a beautiful weekend!

perfumes are the feelings of flowers...

have a wonderful springtime!

'irish i were drunk'

this weekend will be the celebration of st. patrick's day, with a parade on monday. i been told that there is no parade like it in the world. i'm tempted to believe it. a good friend of mine here from the states married an irish man. i believe he is from outside of cork. they live here now in new york with 5 children. i thought who has 5 children anymore. they do, and really they are gorgeous children. the beauty gods have been kind to them.

well, i find this funny. my friend called me up one day a bit upset. she had already handled the 'situation' but she just needed to let off some steam. one st. patrick's day weekend her husband asked her if she could drive into the city saturday night. it would be late and he wondered if she could come and pick him up.

now mind you, she would be at home with the 5 kids, not as free to hang out and party for the st. pat's weekend, and he would be out drunk with his friends...

she said to me 'he's the one out partying, why do i have to drive into the city at 3 in the morning to pick him up?' she told him 'take the subway!' (subway not metro, and runs 24 hours here in new york). my friend's husband, kevin, looked at her in all seriousness as said 'i am going to be soooo drunk, i won't even be able to make it to the subway.'

love that story, needless to say my friend did not think it was funny.

hope u have a wonderful weekend!

be kind and rewind...

i had an incident which reminded me of the first time audrey hepburn and carey grant met, though the outcome was not as lovely. yesterday while reading in a cafe i accidently spilled my beverage onto a stranger's off white suede jacket! can you believe it? it was one of those moments that seemed to happen in slow motion. i saw my drink slide off the table, suspend mid-air for a moment, before settling on said stranger's jacket before finding its way onto the floor. i wish i could take back that moment, rewind and have a different outcome. but i guess it just doesn't work that way. i jumped from my seat to apologise to mr. stranger but i felt as if words could not fix this moment, though i wanted to so badly. i did apologise sincerely, searched nearby for napkins to wipe up the mess. since we were strangers and i had obviously pissed him off i did not dare try to touch his jacket. i was stunned and could hardly speak. mostly and sincerely i was sorry this had happened, and i said so. he was deeply angry. he was steaming, his eyes and body language reeked of anger. but mostly i could tell because he completely ignored me. he did not look at me at all, nor respond to my words. he completely ignored my existence. i supposed at this moment he thought i was the scum of the earth and he treated me so. there was no communication, and i did not know what i could do to try to make it better. it occured to me later that night while still obsessed with the situation that maybe we could have traded contact information and i could have paid for the cleaning bill. i didn't know what to do.

i told m. about what had happened. i needed to talk about it. m. said 'forget him if he does not want to acknowledge your presence, then there is no opportunity for communication. what are you supposed to do then??? these things happen. life happens...'

breathe... i had to let this one go. i could not undo it no matter how sorry i was.

this reminded me of the time when audrey hepburn and carey grant met for the first time. they agreed to meet at a certain cafe in paris, it was just before they were to make the film charade together. audrey, while waiting for carey to arrive ordered a glass of red wine.

shortly after, carey arrived wearing a white suit.

well he is carey grant, and what else would you wear when meeting audrey hepburn for the first time in a paris cafe? well, she was so nervous to meet him that when she stood to greet him she tipped the glass of red wine that was on her table all over his suit. without missing a beat, he removed his jacket, folded it across the back of his chair, and continued with their meeting. grace is in abundance probably more often than we think. i would like to remember that.

speaking of grace, i sense the wintertime is giving way to springtime. this is the natural order of things, no... funny how we, or least i am reluctant to let go of summertime as autumn presents itself. but when spring is emerging i am excited and eager... spring is on the way and i must admit i am waiting with an open heart. normally i walk around the house in my socks...

for some reason i don't care for house slippers. i feel more free with nothing on my feet in the house. but baby when it's cold outside i am forced to at least where socks when i'm inside at home. i've learned to know the seasons are changing because unconsciously i'll start to walk around in my bare feet...

like i did this weekend. we had heavy rain storms and i snuggled in on friday and saturday. still i roamed around bare foot unconsciously. when i noticed and counted the days 'til spring, only 10 remain. sweet. the flowers are pushing their way up as we speak...

indeed it has been an interesting weekend. hope you and yours are well.

a moment in time

while spending some time with my french studies i read a petite article about the venus de milo. it brought back a lovely moment for me. once while standing there in the louvre, looking and lost in the moment at the venus de milo. i was entranced, just trying to take in this world famous historical work of art. a little girl was standing near as well with her mother. her mother was trying to explain to her daughter the significance of seeing such a beautiful statue. the little girl stood quiet for a moment and then she said 'but mommy, it's all broken...' i smiled to myself and thought, it is isn't it.