As I am sitting here, waiting for a bus to Rey's place, a man in his prayers attire cycled passed me. And so my random wishful thinking on a Friday would be how much I wish I'd stayed in the suburbs so I could cycle everywhere I go, like how people commute in Europe, in China and in all pockets of suburbs in the world. Besides I think bicycles are neat, and people can look pretty chic on them! They don't need buses unless they want to head down to the city. And they can head to the nearest bakery and have a lovely morning chat with the baker and bring home some awesome croissants!

Oh who am I kidding? I wrote a post previously on the importance of mobility. But going further than that, it is the social encounters that make up the foundation of human experience living under this same canopy we call earth and sharing this home alongside others. To the first moment babies acquaint themselves with the world, having the first touch, hearing the sounds of a laughter, whimper, sigh, silent smile, and modelling on the external world to distinguish safety from danger, right from wrong, norms from exceptions. It is the everyday social experiences of walking out on the streets and seeing people doing their own thing - the mother reprimanding the child, the young man awkwardly fishing his pockets at the entrance of the bus, a fragile old woman taking her time to walk up the stairs, the sound of aggressive haggling at the market. And then there are those two close friends insisting they each want to pay the bill for the other, a group of boisterous teenagers disrupting your ...
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