Today I:

• learnt how to set up a bioplex bead array. It’s such a clever technology! Especially the coding of the beads, bead suspension and vacuum filtering.. Sheer genius.
• was introduced to this cool online radio that recommends a personalized library of non-stop tracks according to your taste in music. It even has Chinese songs, and all sorts of classical and instrumentals! Yay, no need to repeatedly youtube for new songs for me anymore! It’s a very refreshing switch from shuffling tracks on the Ipod.
• made a really nice new friend
• met someone I never thought I would ever see again. The first time I met him was on the 2nd of July, barely a few days since I moved over to Oxfordshire. Our conversation started with me asking him, in a most peculiar way, “What happened to your shoe?” I had ended work later than usual that day, and it was just the two of us sitting in the sheltered bus stop. The weather was scorching hot, the sun was glaring directly in my eyes, and I dropped my head down, avoiding the rays while waiting for the bus that never seemed to come. That was when I noticed his pair of mismatched shoes. His right foot was in a sock and awkwardly slotted into a bathroom slipper, while his left foot wore a formal leather shoe. I remember thinking that he must have dropped his shoe somewhere, and my mind was just running through all the different possibilities. The next moment, before I even realized it, I heard myself asking the question aloud. He smiled at me, and told me that he actually fractured his toe! Ouch.. We ended up chatting on our bus ride home, and I learnt a lot from this stranger. There was this kindness and peace within him that struck me, and above all, I felt a sense of respect for him. It was a very comforting encounter, and I thought I would never see him again, as he would usually cycle to work, and I don’t end work at the same time as him. Indeed, I never did see him again. Not until today. It’s funny because I took the bus home at a really weird time today, but there he was, on the same bus. My first instinct was to look down at his shoes, and it was really nice to see that his toe had recovered! If not for that curious encounter, if I had still bumped into him again, I would have long forgotten that he was the man with the mismatched shoes. To me, he would have just been another ordinary stranger, nothing more meaningful. And strangely enough, this thought reminded me of my friends, and of the many immaculate moments when our paths crossed for the very first time, precious moments that made a difference to my life.
• had a really interesting discussion on religion with my new friend in Sainsbury’s. Stationed in between the frozen meat section and the vegetables corner, with my hands clutching the grocery basket all the while, we stood and talked, for what must have been over 1.5 hours, about a very important topic - in a place that is no less essential in our lives.
• felt so lucky to be here after I found out from my landlady that I’m the first person they’ve rented this room out to
• was overjoyed to receive a £10 Tesco gift card!
• heard the Byousoku 5 cm piano theme playing on the online radio! Amazing! The radio really knows my favourite songs!
• am going to end my favourite day of the week with a good novel before sleeping - without setting alarms!