.... and I Will Be Flying On a Broomstick

            One time, I went to a zoo all alone.             It was in Tokyo.             I remember the date: 14 th of February.             The zoo was huge and it was like being lost at sea. There were endless waves of happy people, with matching smiles and love-struck eyes. I understood what being a boat without an anchor must be like. Floating yet drifting away. But it was kind of nice to explore the zoo by myself. I felt more connected to the animals.        Anyway, so, there I was, walking around the zoo and gawking at the animals. Suddenly, I locked eyes with this crane alone in his cage. He was staring at me skeptically. “Hey you! What cha looking at?” he seemed to say. He looked like one of those punk-rockers, the plumage on his head sticking out in all directions. The body was white but the lower part just above his legs and the tip of his tail were as black as the night sky. He was pretty badass. He narrowed his eyes and we had a silent staring contest for several

            Have you ever met the right person at the wrong time?             Or the wrong person at the right time?             That’s why they say timing is important.             He met the right person at the right place.             But the timing.             It was just wrong from the beginning.             They were like two lines that were travelling in opposite directions in the space-time continuum. Their lives just happened to intersect at a certain point along their journey. But the sad part was that there was only one such point of encounter. Later on, they would continue to move away from each other, growing further apart and never to meet again.             If you know that there’ll be no happy ending, would you still fall in love with someone?             He knew there would be no happy ending but he still fell in love with her.             He was brave.             He was a fool.             He was a brave fool.             The days they had togeth

            Airports.             Arrivals, transits and departures.             Isn’t that what life is all about?             Pause. Rewind. Go back to 2 years ago. I could see myself standing in front of the airport security check, dragging a luggage and a heavy heart. The first time I was going to be away from home for a long time. Starting a new life isn’t easy but leaving your old life is harder. People say it’s a new chapter in life. Yet, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to turn the page on the chapter I was at because my hands were trembling. Whether out of excitement or nervousness, I was not sure. It was a mixture of both I guess.             Months of preparation and packing. Documents to be signed, things to be bought, goodbyes to be said. Time passed in a whirlwind of activity and out of my control. In the end, it all came down to this point. The final goodbye. And it hit me like a freight train coming out of nowhere.             Once I passed the security ch