Hello Jibber Jabber followers!
Just letting you know that I am not abandoning you! I have simply started a new blog called Next Stop Singapore that will be about my life abroad. I may post some general stories to Jibber Jabber here and there, but I’ll mostly be posting on the new site.
I certainly hope you will follow, read, like, comment and share!
Thank you for your time following my site(s)!
tmb
There is another character in my NYC neighborhood…
I’ll kind of miss the old dude.
I saw him a few days ago. In the middle of Park Avenue on the little kid bike he rides. The streamers flowing from the handle bars. And he in his pink striped bikini.
Yes. That’s what I said. Pink. Striped. Bikini.
Oh how I wish I had the real visual to share. 🙂
I have a good friend whose friend says that New York has a way of making you think you can’t live without it. Well that’s definitely true.
New York has brainwashed me. It’s been brainwashing me for the last nine years to think I can’t live without it: its hidden treasures, beauty and all it has to offer. The food and restaurants, the parks, the uniqueness of many places around the city. The running around Central Park and the relaxing to write blog posts in Bryant Park. Walking down a couple of blocks and having the option to eat any kind of food I want at practically any hour. How can I leave it?
Well, I can.
Yes I will miss it, but I will be okay without it. A new adventure awaits in another time zone and place, and I’m excited.
He had a name on his sign. So I called him by his name.
“Hi Matthew”, I said. “This is for you.” And I handed him a water, then a pretzel from the corner vendor.
“Thank you”, he responded. “Wow, thank you.” He wasn’t expecting the pretzel, only the water.
I liked Matthew.
I appreciated that Matthew’s sign represented honesty and truth. He’s right. Most people don’t give a shit, however there are many that do.
I think it was important that Matthew shared his name, making him more of a person to those passing by. Putting a name to his dirty face definitely makes passersby remember him; I am writing about him after all.
I appreciated the thanks I got from Matthew, and that he wanted to converse. He shared a little about his hardship, whether it’s true is another story. But I appreciate that he offered me some information in return for the food I had just given him.
As I walked away he said he thanked me again and said that he didn’t know what God had planned for him. Thinking back I could have responded that his situation really depended on what he has planned for himself.
But maybe it’s best I didn’t say anything.
He just wanted to be heard, so I listened.
theschoolmarm.com
Here she comes. She’s small and she’s a little hunched over. I’ve seen her before, but now it’s been three days in a row.
She shops at Whole Foods, and if she doesn’t have the Whole Foods bag, there’s another in its place.
I imagine she was a teacher. I think it’s because of her short, greyish bob, white blouse and mid-calf length brownish skirts. I wonder if she was mean and carried a ruler in her hand. Or maybe she was kind, and her students always loved her. It’s hard to say, but I find her interesting.
If this what you were thinking, think again…
682-02893583
© Masterfile Royalty Free
Model Release: Yes
Property Release: No
Shirtless Man Holding a Teddy Bear
Nope, not this either!
imgkid.com
Now picture a gentleman in his sixties, running along a busy sidewalk in midtown Manhattan during the peak of a Thursday happy hour. His pace is slowish, but moves with purpose and focus. Eyes are on him as he makes his way down the avenue. I haven’t seen him in quite some time… the gentleman that runs in the ladies’ teddy negligee. His fairly toned cheeks peek out from under his teddy as he scoots around the corner, leaving people smiling and whispering behind him.
She walks towards me, shiniest shades I’ve ever seen. I can see my reflection in those mirrored aviator lenses. I wonder where she got them.
Pushing her cart past me, she mumbles to herself, I think. I don’t take the time to hear if she was asking me for the Times. Or for a bottle of water. Or anything in fact.
The nerve, I think to myself. Wearing those shiny shades. Asking me for things.
But then, what do I know? Who am I to judge?
Maybe she found those glasses. Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she bought them with all the money she stashes in that cart. I don’t know. And honestly, it doesn’t really matter.
memegenerator.net
I thought it was dead. A goner. When I left home this morning it was fully charged and when I took it out of my laptop bag on the bus to check the time, it was off. I pressed the power button obsessively. Nothing. Held the home button. Nada. Held both together. The screen remained black. Crap!
How would I scan the QR code to know when my transfer bus was coming? Crap! I guess I would just keep turning around to check for the bus as I walked along 86th Street. As I walked, no bus approached. So I started walking through the park.
Now that I was making my way through the beautiful park, how would I capture all the beauty I was seeing? Well… I just looked at it with my eyes, instead of through a phone. Did I really need to capture every flower or tree bud on my phone and post to my Instagram? Of course not. As much as I love sharing photos, it was lovely to enjoy the experience alone.
As I exited the park, I knew I was nearing the school location but couldn’t remember the address. How was I going to confirm the location? Shoot! I crossed Central Park West and walked down 87th Street, where I thought the school was located… but I didn’t see it. Damn! Now what? How did we survive without Google maps? Thankfully there a dude walking toward me with his phone in his hand… so I asked him if he knew where the Dwight School was. He didn’t… Damn. So I asked if he minded checking the address for me… No problem! Turns out I was two blocks away, no big. I thanked him and was on my way.
As I arrived at the school I wondered: how would I tweet photos for EdCamp? Ok now this was getting to me… Once I signed in and found a place to sit in the common area, I plugged my phone into my computer, sure that it would vibrate as soon as I plugged it in. Nope. What the?
So again I obsessively pressed and held the power button. Nothing. I decided to try a wall plug. Nothing. And then another, nothing still. I was convinced my phone was, in fact, dead. So as I sat back at the table, I plugged my phone into my computer one last time, wondering why I’d even bother, but then… it buzzed.
It was alive! And 94% charged.
I finally read Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild.
For some reason I tend to resist reading a book that becomes a movie, but I’m glad I didn’t resist this one. In retrospect, I learned a lot from the book and I was reminded strongly about the power of setting your mind to something. Honestly, I hope anyone who reads the book comes away with this message.
Here are some of my leanings and reflections:
Do something that scares you. That means: do something you think you couldn’t do. Forget about others thinking you couldn’t do it. This is about you.
Prepare yourself for disappointment, but rise above it and move on.
Embrace meeting all types of people on your journey.
Trust yourself.
Open your eyes and ears, literally.
Be kind to others, wherever you are and no matter how you’re feeling.
Love nature, your emotions, experiences, people.
Savor every moment of the learning experience.
Be someone’s positive memory.
Accept who you are, but know that you can always become a better version of yourself.
Do.
Learn.
Share.
Live.
One measly post in March. That’s all I could spit out. April will be more lively, I promise.
Big thumbs down on my part.
Jibber Jabber & Happenstance 