lunch overload

lately i've been meeting a lot of interesting new people. i guess that's one of the perks working for an international organization. everybody seems so much more interesting than me. haha..

one of those people i've come to really be good friends with is my co-worker hibo:

she's canadian, but with roots taking her back to somalia. she graduated with a degree in political science, and she's been keeping me updated with everything that's going on in the world. i've been so out of the loop lately that i'm grateful she's in-the-know. she's very outspoken, and her opinions have made her one of those strong characters in my book. she just moved to ny too when she started working for the UN. i sometimes catch her comparing the US with canada, and it's amusing how she's torn. she loves ny and the energy it brings (much like me), but she recognizes the stupidity of certain parts in its system. she's muslim, which means she doesn't drink and she doesn't eat pork. how she can live in the city that never sleeps without alcohol, i have no idea. hahaha..

with her stories about her religion and growing up with her background, as well as random facts about the latest buzz in politics and the world, lunch has been so much more interesting with her around.

speaking of lunch, today we decided to take food out from cafe metro and sit at a bench at this park on 43rd. we've been taking advantage of what lil is left of the summer by sitting out under the sun (as it's starting to get really cold out lately).

i've always been curious about what goes through other people's minds or what other people's conversations are about. today, there's this guy sitting right across us (the man on the far right in the photo) who was reading a book while twirling a king of hearts card in his right hand (not sure if you can see it in the photo). sometimes i try to make up stories about how people make their decisions--what led to picking the book, why they'd pick a playing card as a bookmark, whether the king of hearts is a randomly-picked suit or it was chosen on purpose, etc.

now look at the guy sitting on the left facing us. he looks a little lost. when this photo was taken, he'd been spacing out that way for a while (partly why i decided to take the shot, i had a feeling he wouldn't notice). i wonder what's occupying his thoughts--trouble at home or work, what to do this long weekend, which chick he should call first (lol), etc.

i can think of so many stories to write with just this photo. and yet, all i can do right now is make observations. and i "observe" the fact that i haven't written anything decent in a long while.. which is sad. i should get back into it. hopefully these random thoughts will help.