Blue-sky

Today in the blue-sky morning of the 2nd of July of 2022, walking back from a Lulu Island corner convenience store, I saw Michael the Dane-French. He said that he was fighting nicotine. Then, he said that it struck him to find out that I have been a great traveller of this world. "I've seen everything!" I boasted. Michael said that the best thing is "great literature whilst travelling." As a musician, Michael himself has travelled across North America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. He said that he has never been to Europe. "It's a whole different planet!" I said.

I saw blue-shirt-wearing bearded Michael, the Dane-French, this sunny, blue-sky morning of the 24th of June of 2022, along a neighbourhood alleyway on Lulu Island. We talked about American politics and the pervasive ignorance in humanity. I irksomely mentioned, "Most of humanity is not good quality." We talked about travelling around this world, as I said that I have journeyed through Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and Latin America. A striking part of our conversation was about my Egyptian excursion. My early objective in life was to see the Great Pyramids, which I managed to do in my twenties. Egypt was like a different planet, with old French colonial buildings and multimillennial ruins. The sky was a deep blue over the desert. Michael mentioned, "That's why it's called the Dark Continent..."

In the sunny blue-sky morning of the 13th of April of 2023, I was sitting in the teahouse drinking my iced black tea. Lizbeth the Mexican came through the door, and we greeted each other, she still teaching Dance Fitness and Zumba at several schools here on Lulu Island. I suppose some people at the teahouse miss the noisy patois of Taglish of Greg and me. I was just reading my Japanese-language fantasy book Tabi no Nakama, or The Fellowship of the Ring, of the famous J.R.R. Tolkien. Walking back to my house, I saw Nikki the Cypriot Greek and her Korean neighbour, as they continued their six rounds around the neighbourhood block.

Happy Zamenhof Day! Today is the birthday of Dr. L.L. Zamenhof, the Jew who invented Esperanto in 1887 in Russian-occupied Poland. I am an Esperantist. It is a sunny blue-sky morning. I walked to Yummy Slice pizzeria. Rose the Filipina vendor was there. I was drinking a red-can Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. (I ought to mention that I ate a slice of green pesto pizza. And I was exercising with my hand grip strengthener at my table.) A Japanese likens my situation to a vast deserted café in Chiangmai, Thailand. But here on Lulu Island, homebound, I stopped by Kin's Farm fruteria. Leo, the Cantonese vendor who speaks also Mandarin, exclaimed, "Dà míng!" There were longans, kumquats, and jujubes in plastic bags at the front. Today is the 15th of December of 2024.

After 9 in the sunny, blue-sky morning, I walked to Starbucks café, there to drink Passion Tango iced tea, which contained hibiscus, lemongrass, cinnamon, passion fruit, pineapple, and so forth. Mark, Pepe, and Jason dropped by, and I greeted them. Mark is a second-generation Japanese-Canadian. Pepe is from Chile. And Jason is an Anglo whom I call "Mr. Sci-fi." In fact, we call each other "Mr. Sci-fi," despite that he claims that I am more "sci-fi" than he is. I mentioned today the book, The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien, but it is really more of a fantasy-genre book. Homebound, I wandered through Dunoon Drive to view the big pink magnolia blossoms. Later in the day, I will venture again to St. Albans Road to wander through the bloom-fall of sakura, the pink cherry-blossom trees.

It's the 26th of April of 2025. Before 14:00, a sunny blue-sky afternoon, I went to my neighbourhood's cul-de-sac to meditatively walk around and around there. I admired the gardens. They reminded me of Daoism: how the microcosm reflects the macrocosm: The puffs of sakura would be a nebula afar. One need not really travel too far. Barb my white neighbour was at her driveway. She and her husband Ken would be going out to buy eggs. They eat many eggs.

I went walking to Tim Hortons café, twice this sunny morning of the 24th of May of 2025: Firstly, I drank an Iced Classic Lemonade. Secondly, I enjoyed a Sausage English Muffin and an Earl Grey Tea with oat milk. Then, 'twas a lunch of Sinospheric dishes at home, thanks to my cousin Eve who brought them from Yaohan Centre: gai lan, brown rice, fried fish, fried shrimps, and fried squid. At that centre, there was once a big Japanese bookstore on the second level, where I sometimes browsed Japanese books. After lunch with cousin and Mama, around 13:00, I decided on this blue-sky day to venture to the Roman Catholic church on St. Albans Road. It's Saturday today, so I wasn't expecting anything, but lo and behold, there was a wonderful prelude to a Filipino wedding! There were people in their finest attire. As I stepped out, I saw in the sunshine the bride in full white-gown glory. Another young lady was helping her lay out the fancy dress. 'Twas good that it wasn't raining! The scene reminded me of the "maiko-san" or geisha apprentice in Kyōto, when I was there. Then, I spent a few minutes in the Adoration Temple. It might be my 17th trip to that church this spring. The big Empress Tree near Bowcock Road still has a few purple flowers, but most of them have fallen off already. I saw my Greek Cypriot neighbour Nikki doing her daily routine of walking around the block several times. I waved at the religious Filipino family at the street corner.

"Macau-Macau!" exclaimed Michael, the Guǎngzhōu Man, when we were thinking about Tagalog and the Philippines, as we were sitting at Lulu Island's Tim Hortons café, after 10:00, June 15, 2025. "Malaki?" I wondered if he was referring to the word for "big." I asserted: "'Lalaki' is for a man or boy, a male. 'Babae' is for a woman or girl, a female." It was déjà vu: I remembered that conversation with him from years ago. I was explaining that Tagalog words for gender alluded to size or stature. To Michael, the Philippines seems like a big Macau, the Portuguese ex-colony in the PRC, except that the Philippines is ex-Spanish. After we talked more about other subjects, Michael had to leave to pick up his kids at Sunday ESL class at posh Aberdeen Centre. At the café, Alex, my Filipino friend, reminded me about Mass times: Well before 15:00, I ventured walking in the blue-sky sunshine to the "Clam Temple," the Roman Catholic church on St. Albans Road. In the great worship hall, there were just a Filipina nun in her nun outfit and two women church co-workers at the front. I was sitting way back. Feeling the void was all that was necessary, except that one of the ladies started using a handheld vacuum cleaner to clean underneath the votive candle stands, where some candles were lit. I exited to the nice sunshine, as I sat on a bench. I'm Buddhoanimist as many Asians. The "Clam Temple" is a good ersatz for me. It was likely my 44th visit this year for me there. Ah, the void...

It's a sunny blue-sky 19th of June of 2025, here on Lulu Island. The couple of days have passed with my visiting the "Clam Temple," the Roman Catholic church at St. Albans Road, for likely the 47th and 48th times this year. I'm really Dharmoanimistic, a Syncretist in a wider view. Near Robinson Road, I notice the little charming green bamboo grove. Near Bowcock Road, the grand Empress Tree, "Kiri" for Japanese, is now completely devoid of its springtime purple blooms. I visit Tim Hortons café quite frequently: Bacon Farmer's Wrap, buttered Cinnamon Raisin Bagel, Iced Coffee with oat milk, and Iced Classic Lemonade.

In the afternoon of the 29th of June of 2025, I ate Filipino purplish ube pancakes on the blue-sky sunny verandah. I walked to Tim Hortons café to enjoy an Earl Grey tea with oat milk and a Turkey Bacon Club Artisan Sandwich. There was a handsome Filipino mestizo with his family. There was an Eastern girl in an elegant white dress. There was a First Nations man. On my walk, I saw my ufologist Dane-French friend Michael in a hurry to get home, so that his ice cream in his knapsack wouldn't melt.