Subtly staying true to nature's queue

"I really should work on my creative projects".
That's the thought that popped into my head while wondering what to do with my day. I don't have any classes at school on Wednesdays, so I have no rush to get up in the morning and scarf down some grok grub before I get going.

I mean, at least I get up now; earlier than 9 am, which is absolutely fantastic for me. I know I could get up even earlier if I found the right time: if I wake up too late, I feel tired. If I wake up too early, I feel exhausted. So it's about slowly pushing the clock backward and pushing against my urge to stay up late at night.

I don't know if I'm a night owl or not. Supposedly, some folk are more adept at getting up in the mornings and going about their day while others are more programmed for late night sessions and waking up later instead. The way I see it, if you live and breathe through electronics (like many of us do now), there's a good chance you'll go to bed later anyway and lose sleep in the process. Who hasn't wanted to keep binge watching one more tv show, or do just play one more round of Hearthstone before - WOOPS! - it's past midnight, and a new day has begun.

The fact that I'm relatively easy to talk to in the mornings, and that I don't need caffeine to get me going makes me think that I'm a morning bird. I definitely wasn't always great in the mornings. I think my Katimafriends can attest to that. But now that I'm older, I realize that mornings are when things get DONE. On the other hand, I have never had any problems staying up late into the early hours and going about, well, projects such as this blog. More often, it's playing video games or, preferably, having conversations with friends online who make me forget how long I've been up. Those friends are the best. Love you gaiz!

I think I'm probably somewhere in between being a night owl and being an early bird, to be honest. And that's an average place to be.

On average, I dislike averages more than twice a year.

Kalyra(scope)

See? Didn't I tell you I was perfecting my pen name?

I can see her again!

There was a time not long ago
where visions of singers in my head rowed
I jog my memory; singing in my ears
through headphones is all I could ever hear

I was doing some power walking back home from Keele and St. Clair. I had just gotten off the Keele bus after an evening spent with survivors of the unjust society in which we live in when suddenly... nothing happened. And that was the best part of my day.

With Iron Maiden starting my walk to my demeure, I knew I was in for a treat. Little did I know that I would be greeted by a still-powerful moon the size of a beach-ball in the heavens; and little did I know that she would be as bright as she was yesterday. Without cloud cover, the only thing that could have made my night even more satisfying was to have one of my favourite female vocalists start singing.

And so this song came on:

And I made it home safe and sound.

Signed by: Kalyrascope

Yeah, I am loving my new nom de plume.It's not quite perfect, but it'll get there.

Busy bees buzz blaringly

Wow, what a week it's been!

Maybe I could try a bulleted list.
What do you think, Lyra, my dearest muse? I'm just kind of exhausted here.
Go for it, obviously.

• I went to office hours for the third time ever in my post-secondary educational career. The two other profs that I've seen thus far (one last year, one the year before that), I've seen during times when I haven't felt too great. But in all three cases, I came out feeling more confident in my academic skills and intelligence.
• Joined the UofT badminton club! I'm officially a member again. Last I went there was... oh, two years ago. I'm definitely looking to improve my game this time around, especially since there are some really good players.
• Made... two new friends, and two new potential badminton partners! Let's see... the first one of four studies comp sci, the second one is a philosophy undergrad, the third studies physics, and the fourth is a philosophy grad student! And, it just so happens that I'm pursuing a minor in philosophy!
• Went to the Queer Orientiation meet n' greet! I wasn't feeling too well, so I didn't actually socialize or anything... but I did do some journaling and listen to music. And I came out feeling much better.
• Did some sprints, biking, yoga, and wore my five-toe shoes numerous times! Walking on grass was heavenly.
• Went to go see a movie! Here, I'll add a picture for once:

  

  It's a comedy, and it was really, really good! Highly recommended. Femme lead role(s).

  
  

I'm planning some great things in the coming weeks. And they will happen. As things already have. :)

Keep your dreams alive,
Lyra & Gabe

Whispers of the forsaken

I hear their whispers more than once a fortnight;
whispers of fright
whispers of angels delight

sorry... sorry... sorry... .. .
for what, I want to ask
for whom, I want to say
for what reason did you need to go away?

it's all hearsay
it's all they ever say
and it's all they ever made

echoes of the mire
threaten to overtake me
and painful jealousies
never fail to consume me

Oh, hey
it's you again
the demon from my dream
the nightmare from the beam
the ceaseless memories from my dream

Kal & Lyra 2015

A boulevard called horseshoe

So I biked today. It's not an uncommon thing to do in Toronto; but it is pretty uncommon for me to bike just for the sake of biking. Most of the time, I use my road bike to commute to and from school; sometimes to go to yoga studios, and other times to go to community centres to play badminton.

When you're biking and you don't have a set destination, the city opens up to you. You get to an intersection, and you have choices to make: "Do I turn right? Left? Keep going forward? Maybe I should do a U-Turn and find a street with fewer potholes". And the good thing about having to make these choices is that it makes the brain work; you're also not wasting gas whilst going for a joy ride.

So after my meeting at Accessibility Services (bless them!) @ UofT, I took it upon myself to head towards High Park to infuse myself with some nature. No, not literally. I mean, if I could shoot up some oak trees or some heron eggs, I probably... wouldn't. No, my intention was to bike in the sun all the way to High Park and de-stress after being caught up in the cycle of concrete that is the city Corporation of Toronto.

Instead of ending up in High Park, I took a twist at Dunda W. and biked along the West Toronto Railpath (which has been altered by the construction of a GO train service. Not a bad idea!). I got cut off at Ossington/Davenport by an impatient driver who thought it wise to dash behind the car in front of them, carelessly driving through the bike line to make a right. Totally illegal. Normally, I'm used to this, but it's about damn time I publicprivately say something about this. There have been far too many bikers injured by car drivers who think that their little shell of metal armour entitles them to break road laws.

I admit. I often dash past stop signs and I'm technically breaking the law as well. But I check who's behind me, who's coming in, and whether there are any children/idiot squirrels around. This makes me a good bicyclist.