I was on the bus, from Richmond to downtown Vancouver. A very pretty old lady, I'd guess she was about 70 years old sat besides me, most of the way. Now I don't remember how the conversation started, but we talked for a good half hour. She told me about her family, about where she lived in Vancouver in the 1950s. We spoke about the numerous 'FOR SALE' signs outside houses all along the way. I told her about my family, what I was doing in Vancouver. And then we spoke about the future of aviation in Canada and India. Then she told me how she would get off a stop after the one she should, because that would give her a better chance to find a place to sit on her connecting bus. I don't know what it was, but I felt so nice to be able to talk to a complete stranger and not feel awkward about it. Maybe it was because she was a very sweet, warm hearted person. She really was. I wished her, and hoped to have her blessings, as she disembarked.

It's so strange. We can meet somebody for the fist time, and have an instant bonding. It wasn't that either person wanted that. But it happens. Just like that. For no explainable reason. And yet, I believe that there is always a reason for everything. Maybe we're just so lost in our own world, in our busy everyday lives, that we don't recognise the importance of the little incidents that take place with us, around us. And it's not everyday that I will write about such incidents. It was just one of those days when I felt so strongly.

Anyways. So I went downtown, and the stupid things that I can do sometimes, I forgot to take my camera. So no pictures! Sorry about that. Now I've learnt my lesson. About downtown Vancouver. It's nice, pretty here and there, I believe the ocean front is the most exciting part of downtown. But otherwise it's not nearly as magnificient as New York, romantic as Ottawa, powerfully attractive as Washington DC or glittery as Tokyo. And don't start frowning at me just yet. I know this is a rather restrictive set of places to compare Vancouver with, but that's about all the big cities I've been to.

Flying is going great. I've started to fly solo and that's great. I've gotton more comfortable with flying itself. I think I'll come out of this just fine.

Another serious line of though that's been tickling my neurons recently, is marriage. It's been a point of contention back home, about my getting married. I'm almost 29, and it's only now that I've matured enough to realise that life is so short, and 29 years have already gone by. I'm not going to have enough time to do all the things that I want to do, not in this one short life. And marriage is something I'm not in a hurry for. With all that brewing in my head, a dear friend MK emailed me, asking if I had any new girlfriends. Here's the quote from my reply to him:

MK, I keep looking around, but I've run into some trouble. I'm so busy with studies, so no time to look around and do some hanky panky - the only friends I've made are at school. Then I'm a little confused about what I should be looking for in a girlfriend. You know, it is quite a bit tricky for me, being the kind of person I am and my crazy past. I mean, so far I wasn't even considering anything, but now I keep my eyes and ears open, but then, when I get the chance to ponder over it, it gets so bloody muddled up. I'll gradually figure it out. Of course, you guys will know. Who else will I share my little insipid life with. Also, 'girlfriend' is not the word my family would like to hear at this time

Now that's a situation when one would actually want the bonding with a stranger phenomenon to take place. But how often do you get what you want? And something this obscure! Very rarely I'd say. But life plays games, it tickles you, it teases you. It's only about ..... can you play back?

Cheers
Mayur Poddar