133- Tales from the City: Ramen and Books During My Commute

Today I had ramen with two friends in the city. As I walked to the ramen house from Farringdon, it dawned upon me that winter was indeed ready to knock the proverbial door down. My coat and thermal shirt felt useless. My face was slowly frosted by unrelenting wind.

One of my friends had told me about a 5 pound ramen offer on Mondays. Sadly, the establishment decided to go with buy one, take one buns for this Monday. Sad. No cheap ramen. The company was engaging, the ramen was delicious, regardless of how much it cost. All in all, the sojourn was worth it.

One thing I'll miss about London once I leave it will be the ease at which it takes to commute around the city. Back home, I drive a lot, and because traffic in Manila is terrible, you're basically paralyzed, with only conversation with a fellow passenger, and/or music from a car stereo, to keep you occupied as you turn into granite in the middle of the freeway. In London, I get to read books on my phone as I whizz through Underground tunnels, or park my fanny on long bus rides from the city to Wood Green.

Today, I continued reading a book by Donald Ritchie on Tokyo. I've read a few chapters. I am far from finished with it. I've noticed that the author has a penchant for emphasizing Tokyo's layout being a mish-mash of narrow streets, roadside vendors, and housing that seems destined to be purposefully temporary, put forth around an imperial palace that lies watch over a metropolis that has seen itself transform from medieval enclave to ultra modern urban centre. I also read something about the importance of private space to the Japanese. I am constantly amazed by the Japanese's attention to detail and the amount of value they place on the sanctity of space.

Before I could go any further, my bus had reached Wood Green. From one dimension, I found myself back in the cold London night. Soon, the heat I encountered as I devoured my ramen dinner will envelop my body at every waking moment. In short, I am saying that I'll be taking yet another trip not too long from now- back to a home that is my home, yet will not feel like home until I realize that home is where I say it is, and feel it is.

MC