A crying soul

It is lunch time now; but my mind keeps going back to this morning.

I was busy reading my book (Open by Agassi). Suddenly I hear this voice, "I want to sit". She is a lady. Neatly dressed in a hospital attire, may be a nurse or attendant or janitor I can't tell. African American. About fifty years young.

Being Friday there are plenty of empty seats in the train; but she seems lost and repeats, "I want to sit". A good soul across from me braves to help her, "Here", she says pointing to the seat next to her, "You can sit here". She takes the offered seat thanking her.

She starts a conversation, "I am tired you know. Kind of giddy. I worked all night!" The good soul acknowledges her with her "mhm"s and "ahang"s.

Then suddenly she asks, as if waking up from her sleep, "What time is it anyway? Is it morning or evening?"

"Morning! Almost nine!", comes the response.Good soul gets down in the next station.

As the train starts to move she is getting panicked, "Is this train going Uptown or Downtown?"

Someone answers, "Downtown"

Moments later she asks, "Which station is this?" I answer, "14th Street". She asks me to repeat. "14th Street!" She thanks me.

And then suddenly she starts to cry. It is audible in spite of the noise of the train. I take a side way glance at her. She is searching frantically in her bag, tears rolling down, crying - audibly.

"What is it? Are you okay? You lost something? Are you lost?" I think of different ways I could reach out to her; but I remain silent like the rest of the New Yorkers.

The train comes to a halt. It's my stop. 8th Street. I get down. Walk away.

She lingers on... still crying...

Thumbelina and family

Had a rare sighting of Thumbelina and her adorable family this afternoon and couldn't resist sharing the pictures with you...

When was it?

Where was it?



Israel, Sharon, Rachel & Joshua!



Who was it?

Them all!

Now freeze that smile! It looks great on you!

Window

It's hailing outside with peeling thunder and lightening. From my tenth story office it looks pretty amazing. The sky scrapers look so dim as if in a dream of sort. Yes, this time I tried my hand at the black berry camera so that I can share it with you.

I have been extremely busy at work and almost exhausted at home which explains why I haven't been writing as much as I would like to. To tell you the truth a lot of "writing" has been happening in my mind but then either the subjects are out of date (such as the Quebec trip) or I myself have lost interest and scrubbed it off. Is that someone's sigh of relief I hear? Oh well!

It is only 4:19 PM and I have few minutes left in the day that I decided to write to you folks... Sorry it took me a few days to post this though.
 
Hope all is well at your end. Take care!
 
~ NRIGirl

Pride came tumbling down

Remember my boastful posts on how I was the "only one" out there when it came to lending a hand to the less fortunate in NY trains and streets? Not any more! Let me explain.

Not too long ago something unique happened. In my morning rush I encountered this voice, "Can someone buy me breakfast?" No, I could not ignore that.

First someone was hungry. Next I was hungry myself, so I knew exactly what it felt like. (I was hungry because they had promised us breakfast at office that morning).

So, I stopped on my track and said, "Sure, what can I get for you?" He said, "Anything". We were right in front of a deli/donut shop. It was a breeze I thought. Give some money and move on. Unfortunately though when I fetched for cash didn't find anything! Just that morning I had switched bags and had only grabbed my cards and no cash. Alas!

What am I to do?! Can I possibly walk away? I looked at him again, he really truly seemed hungry and I couldn't excuse myself. The only way out was to go and buy the breakfast myself paying by credit card - which I did. Thankful him and relieved me went different ways.

The same evening on my return I saw a police man giving a ticket to a very pregnant beggar who was claiming she had lost her job. Since then I see her in different locations with the same hand written board.

These incidents caused a stir in me. First my pride came tumbling down! Second, I have learnt to walk past most of these pleas - just like most. When I did that I can see so many other hands reaching out; I was not the "only one" out there after all... 

Missed Connections

Knowing my interest in people watching it shouldn't surprise you why I looked up Sophie Blackall as soon as I got off the Subway this evening. Turns out she was one of two artists selected for Subway themed illustrations for the year 2012!

I have always felt that mere words are not adequate to thoroughly explain the New york City Subway experience to someone who has never been on one. Well, Sophie has done an amazing job illustrating what she sees around and I can't resist sharing it with my readers and fellow bloggers with whom I have shared a lot of my Subway experiences - in words that is.

To begin with you'll notice the seating arrangement inside the new Subway cars that gives you plenty of leg room and ample bars at varying heights for the straphangers.

Next you'll notice the diverse mix of people riding the trains each of them unique in their own way, each having a story to tell. There are kids, elderly, musicians, artists, you name it. Each minding their own business reading or drawing or chatting or anything but avoiding eye contacts. On the occasional moments the eyes meet there is no smile or nod or any other recognition of it. We look away as quickly as we "met".

Then you'll notice the ample windows that give you something else to stare about at each station.

Sophie has done a tremendous job capturing the scene as it unrolls in front of her eyes. I understand she has also authored a book based on her Subway encounters, called Missed Connections. I am sure to find one for my reading. Apparently most characters in this piece of art is drawn from the book. So I just can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

Before I wrap up, here's an etsy video I came across on the making of the art in Sophie's own words. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

P.S: You may also visit her blog to find the portions of the picture upclose.

Until next time,
~ NRIGirl

Taste above all else?

Traveling East these days is a bit annoying, as the Sun pops up out of the New York skyline, glaring with its powerful rays. It is almost audible in the silence of the hour making it impossible to sleep. But I pretend to anyways, lest my hands will fetch the handheld to stay connected to the outside world. I wish to hold off on that till the evening.

On return however, I doze off nicely, waking up startled to the reality. As I near home I can see the moon shining so bright refreshing my soul. Yesterday it appeared a little crooked but today it is almost full. Night sky these days has plenty of stars and the cool breeze only makes it more mesmerizing. I just stand there in the open air a little while longer!

I have been trying to write a poem in vain. I have scribbled off tons of paper in my mind already, most of them started along the lines of "Dear Moon", "Hello Moon" etc. Dear Moon? Then what? That's where I got stuck and had to leave it at that... Then it went on about stars for a while, like "scattered jewels", "shattered dreams", "sequined vail" etc and it didn't quite sound like me nor the stars; it was obvious I was desperately trying to come up with a poem, so called it quits. Poem has to be spontaneous, with no effort, right? Yep, that's what I thought.

Today in Subway I had seen some ads which I wanted to share with you. Now please don't think I am running an ad campaign for the product or the brand. Far from it! Just thought this was a smart and interesting idea... and couldn't resist sharing with you. I especially liked their catch phrase: Taste above all else! But is it? Have they tasted plain cold fresh water?!

Can't believe that alone made in to a nice post!

So, what are you waiting for? Anything interesting you see along, read along, hear along or think along bring it on! It has been so long hearing from some of you... Hope all is well.

Friend always,
~ NRIGirl

Elbow wars

Hi there! How have you been? I am writing this post while riding the bus on my way home from work. It is 5:50 pm on Wednesday, Feb 8th.

The day was good - before I knew it it was time to leave for home. I like days like this. On the other hand I would prefer the nights to take to a slower pace, but it hurries by only faster. It would seem like I just closed my eyes but soon the alarm goes off. But then it is really a blessing considering horror stories of sleepless nights tossing and turning.

I have come to like my bus rides better than the train. It is faster and I board it right by my house. Also I get an extra hour of sleep in the morning. Evenings too I could sleep if I wanted to, but I normally don't.

Mostly I get the first row seating on the passenger side which gives me ample view of the passing scenes. Oh! The New York skyline is a sight to see from these panoramic windows. The bus has an advantage of height over the cars which gives you a theater feel, if you will, of things around. And the car dashboards look so sophisticated from the bus and every single car seems to run by smoothly as if in a commercial.

There is one issue though. There is no elbow rests in the middle of the seats which means that unless you get a window seat you can't rest your elbows. More importantly you have to watch it from straying out of your "territory" into your neighbor's space. Even as I type this post in my blackberry I am elbow rubbed by my neighbor's jacket which is spilling into "my space". I often recall my days in the outskirts of Trichy where I have witnessed some very interesting elbow fights in the local buses...

Okiedokie, let's call it a day. It was nice sharing with you. Few other thoughts that have lined up in my mind for possible posting are: Fly away hair, chimney smoke, conversations in the air etc. The problem is I can't quiet put my thoughts into words; at least not yet. Hopefully I'll overcome the shortage soon.

My stop is just a few yards away, so let me click Publish! You all have a good night or good day depending on where your sun is! See you!

New York so far

I know I know I know, some of you are bored of my New York ramblings; but then there are those who say bring it on, so please bear with me...

You haven't seen New York if you haven't ridden (now,is that the right verb? I need to check!) the Subway. It has a whole lot to offer. First it feels kind of suffocating to know you are underground, but soon you tend to forget that, taking in the scenes around, of people, people and more people.

Subway entertainers always excite me. Yes, entertainers they are; they don't beg, they entertain. Be it the woman recovering from "XY&Z" or the blind man with the best singing voice ever, they would make you pause for a minute and think - about yourself, about these people, or of similar incidents elsewhere...

Then there are those who make music with just one piece of instrument which fills the whole place with such melody. Of course my favorite is the man singing worship songs every morning in the tunnel walkway between Port Authority and Time Square. There is no music, no choir, just him - singing and worshipping the Lord as New York wakes up. How beautiful! It sets you in the mood for the rest of the day.

My fondest wish these days is to get to meet these people up close and share on my blog. But how should I approach? "Hi! Can I write about you on my blog?" No; that sounds awkward, a little invading. Let them live their life in peace while we move on... Oh! if you can spare some change please do; it would make neither of you rich but would make both happy.

Okay folks, hope you are all doing well, holding up on your resolutions for 2012. Good. I am too. 28 days have passed without any shopping expeditions. Not even one! Not that I am cautiously avoiding it. It's just that I haven't had the time. Today I did; but decided to chat with you instead, which feels good, much better than shopping; trust me!

Take care friends! You are constantly in my thoughts. Anything I see around I want to share with you; anything I hear about I want to tell you; anything that goes on in my life I wish to write about. But then I believe life at your end is as cherishing, people as interesting and scenes as compelling if not better, so I spare you some details.

Let's keep our eyes and ears open to take in the beauty of life around us; and more importantly our hearts!

P.S: Check! 'Ridden' is the right verb to use. For all other possible tenses for the verb ride, check out the About.com page here. It's quite interesting how many they have thought of on that...

Parallel trains

One thing that absolutely fascinates me in my New York subway ride is the passing of trains parallel to mine in any one direction. I always look for it and have encountered as much as three parallel trains at a time in a four track subway system. I try to look through the trains to the people standing on the far end of the opposite platform.

Someone yawns moving in one direction and someone fondly cuddles her child in another direction and someone is on the phone waiting at the platform for their respective trains and here I am looking at all of them from a passing train! It is quite interesting if you can imagine what I am trying to express here...

This made me relate our lives to these trains running in parallel. We have all taken up on this journey, bound to 'somewhere', some to the North, some to the West, some wherever... Some we travel with, some we only glance at briefly, some we meet at the stations, some we get acquainted by, some we travel along with and some we would never meet. All sharing in the same scene, breath, space and even time and yet many oblivious to the existence of the other; isn't that something?

So many things happen around you that you can't possibly observe every little detail. From the woman who cries out "Good morning New York! Here's your copy of AM New York!" to the guy in front of you who swipes his Metro card for the nth time trying to get access to the station, to the vendors, the homeless, the posh, the not so, the police, the florist, I can go on and on and on and on listing the kind of people I see around. Every one lives a life, has found love, has a story to tell, is on a journey, destination who knows, or even cares...

Now where am I headed? Good question! Actually I have to think about it... I am kind of lost in my surroundings for now. Please excuse me if this post doesn't make much sense to you, I am just thinking out loud, that's all!

This is NRIGirl reporting from New York Penn Station!

Here I am in New York wishing I could capture all the scenes around me for you all. Looking around NY Penn Station I notice that almost every one of them is connected - either to their blackberries or iPhone or ipods or plain old newspapers or books or magazines - something!

Since my train is arriving only at 2:35 PM and the time now is 1:59 PM I decided to people watch. Let me first set the stage: The ceiling is fairly tall with huge beams for support. To my left is entrance to tracks 5 & 6 and to my right to 7 & 8. Suspended LED monitors announce train schedules. It is interesting that only when the train pulls into the station you would know which track it is on. As far as I can see there are 21 tracks!

Imagine the rush when they announce which track your train is on. Waves of people would rush to the track without any pushing or pulling. You are always at an elbow's distance from your next person from all sides. OK, elbow's length may be a little exaggeration, I would say touchable distance but not touching.

Now that I have given you a rough overview, let us get back to people watching. People of all sizes and colors and races and styles yet one common thread that connects them all, which is that they are all hard working. Sure you can tell that just from looking at them. No idling or loitering which we might see in a typical city station in India. The voices are kept to a minimum except for the occasional loud speaker announcements to keep watch of our surroundings and report any suspicious activities around.

I see a gentleman with his wife both with golden hair and red coats and gold rimmed glasses. I recall our Carl & Ellie though these look much taller. Opposite to me I see a man resembling Charlie Sheen with a bigger attitude of exasperated animations and hand gestures over his phone conversation. I smile at that as the person on the other end is missing out on the rest of the conversation that is going on.

I see a little girl - probably around 7 years of age - with her parents, or are they grand parents, crying for something in suppressed voices and her guardians bending down to her level and explaining things to her.

Lots of red I see. Coats, sweaters, shawls, scarfs, pullovers, a whole lot of red things. The reason of course is the season. We Americans love to wear colors coordinated around the season. In the fall you will see a lot of different shades of brown and orange and in the winter leading up to Christmas a lot of red and after Christmas navy and green and purple and camel and the like. In Spring of course pastel shades and in the summer barely anything - mostly shorts and tanks with flip flops and pedicured toes.

The beautiful girl (African American) sitting next to me just puts away her navy blue Bible she was reading for quite sometime. I try to recall what I read this morning. My mind skips to connect and then it dawns that it was Song of Songs Chapter 7.

There are a couple of sweepers dressed in crisp uniforms with keen interest on keeping the area clean. Few are lined up in the 'How can we help you?' booth. Someone just opened his water bottle and emptied all it's content - wow he sure was thirsty! Couple of uniformed police officers are on rounds constantly talking in their walkie talkies.

Loads of other people around but none quite interesting as the few I have mentioned here. These 'uninteresting people' I notice are wearing black and connected to an electronic device. Does it say something? May be; but let's move on. The time is 2:16 pm and my train is the next in row only next to the 2:31 train bound to Jersey Ave, North East Corridor.

I haven't been feeling well since morning. Woke up with a sore throat but forced myself to come in. Now I have a mild headache and feel a little feverish too. I am sorry I forgot to tell you why I am here in the first place. I came in for an interview. Traveling to NYC is not something I look forward to on a daily basis but my friends tell me I will sure enjoy the ride if I wind up in NYC. Let's see.

The round trip ticket was $28, the cab was $15 and now the rice bowl from the Mexican place I picked up for lunch was $10.42. Sharon has been asking for chocolate cup cakes and bought some from Bread and Basket which was $17 so you can do the Math as to the cost of my visit. I don't mind spending as long as it is something we enjoy. But to be honest the rice bowl was yucky and the cakes I can only hope it won't go wasted.

Oops! I just looked up at the screen and my train has come on Track 2! I get up and rush with the wave that is moving towards Track 2 entrance. I have made it on time to settle down nice and square in a three seater. I force myself to eat my lunch, couple of scoops later I call it quits. If you can do me a favor please remind me never to pick up rice bowl from a Mexican place next time around. Please...

The train driver just announced the route of the train and lists a whole lot of stations where it will stop - which only means I am in for a longer ride than I'd hoped for and that only means I am going to write more.

I am writing on the reverse side of my resume and notice that it is already three pages long. How am I going to type it all in - worries my mind. We'll see. Yesterday I was helping Sharon typing her History fair project on Adolf Hitler. Why of all the people did she pick him?? It was quite informative though the typing was a little tedious.

It is exactly 2:35 PM and the train is pulling off the station. I too decide to wind down here to rest my eyes. However, few things make it impossible to do that. First thing, this morning I yelled at Sharon for getting late and she didn't answer me back, which was strange for Sharon. This bothers me. Next, as I was walking to the train station there was this lady preaching the Gospel at the street corners, giving out tracts.

Only after I passed a few blocks I got the urge to go and give her something. But I didn't feel like walking all the way back and so continued to walk towards the station. This bothers me. Next I am thinking of the interview and see how I could have given better answers for a few questions. This bothers me. But then that doesn't mean I can go on writing taking advantage of your listening ears. So, I put the papers away and close down the pen...

Thanks to cousin Jacinth for the picture, which was taken last Friday when I was in the City for the first round of interview.