melancholic

perhaps it's the incessant rain. or the letdown after a month-long high of traipsing around china with dear friends. perhaps it's the return to a suffocating city after weeks of glorious open spaces and open skies. whatever the cause, i've been moving slower the past few days, lethargic in body, mind and spirit. today was my first day back at work, and though inundated with a gazillion things-to-do, i felt as if i were moving in slow motion, trying to synchronize swim in a pool of gelatin.

summers in shanghai are like a revolving door, and you never return to the same city. buildings that have stood as long as you can remember are suddenly demolished. dear friends who've become central to your social life and overall well-being move and leave the country. strangers who've just unpacked their suitcases, ready for whatever shanghai is ready to dish out, greet you with the same curiosity you possess as you size them up and down: will you be a friend this year?

such is life, and i've grown accustomed to it...i suppose.

trudging home in the rain, i rode the bus and stared out the window, engaging in one of my favorite pastimes: listening to my ipod while observing street scenes. it's like having a soundtrack to life. as i watched old couples shuffle down the sidewalks and young people huddle under umbrellas at the bus stops, death cab for cutie's simple, poignant and haunting "i will follow you into the dark" played through my earphones. it was a melancholic, pitch-perfect moment.

cups of coffee: 2

mood: oh so quiet...