Summer Dreaming

I'm choosing to blame the rain for this unquenchable urge to drop everything and fast forward one month and travel to summer. Perhaps in conjunction with the sleepy weather, the lulling sense the last month of school brings, it is quite certain to say that I am ready for summer. It appears that time is standing still, passing ever so slowly, at the pace at which it takes light to reach Earth. (Meaning, very, very slowly.) I have already begun to zone out, for my brain to shut off after a certain period of the day and focusing on nothing more than to sit down, relax, have a good book in hand, a delicious beverage in the other, and receiving a lot of sunlight. The idea sounds so wonderful, in fact, that I am already suffering from the summer dreaming syndrome--I want nothing more than for it to be summer. It's a dreadful diagnosis that when the weekend hits, I have absolutely no desire to do any homework. Especially if peering outside the window, you find a solemn and gloomy scene, with rain droplets falling, a deep gray sky, and a relatively gloomy mood, it doesn't help.

I find summer a mystifying and puzzling thing. On one hand, it has a tantalizing effect; we often find ourselves doing things that we otherwise wouldn't dream of doing. (There has to be a reason why the concept of a summer romance is so attractive and compelling.) The warm days, the shorter nights, and the lighter layers creates such an environmental aura that it produces a form of dream-like sequence. Pictures such as frolicking on the sand, sipping a nice cold drink in an appealing cup (fitting the summer aesthetic), and getting a couple shades darker is often what comes to mind. Wearing lighter clothes, longer and lighter hair, have an undetermined schedule that does not rely on assignment deadlines, and relishing under the sunlight is everything I wish I could do right now. And permit me to mention the prospect of travelling for a moment. The possibilities are endless...not to mention the sights I could see. Summer is such a blissful time of the year. Putting aside the wonderful warm weather, summertime can be a time that everything changes. 

Especially fashion. While I am aware what the magazines say, what the big brands tell you, and what Fashion Week remarks as the summer staple, I prefer to do my own thing, maintaining my own sense of style while adjusting it to adapt to the climate change. With summer virtually on the horizon, this translates to skirt, flowy tops, and sandals! While I am veering towards an influx of skirts this season, I am also impartial to light tops that demurely attract the right amount of attention to the skin, open-toed shoes that displays my (to-be) tanned toes and pedicure, and luscious body-hugging dresses. Oh, the endless possibilities! I, for one, cannot wait to dress in summer attire. 

Savour the Small Moments

Spring Break was over, I was returning to mountains and mountains of school work, there are 8 weeks left of the semester, time is quickly draining the remainder of time I have left to spend with my friends, and I was just barely getting over a cold. Needless to say, I was in no way excited for this last portion of the semester to start. To top it all off, I was feeling a tad under the weather, and so the conclusion to the week had been rather bleak.

Then, while sitting in my room, I suddenly hear a burst of music. At first, I thought it was loud music blaring from the room next door, as it natural for music to exceed the normal decibel level, particularly during late study hours. After listening intently, I deduced that it was not the neighbours next door nor was it my roommate playing her music loudly through her headphones. I peered through the window, asking myself where the origin of this music was coming from. I opened the windows, and to my astonishment, there was a band playing outside the dormitory doors, on a bench. A young man was singing beautifully on the guitar, while he had 3 accompanying violists and a percussionist. The young man was singing a rendition of Billie Jean with violins and drums filling the air, as the stars twinkled in the late evening sky. 

With the vocals growing louder, more and more windows began to open, with curious people peering out of the window, perching their necks to see where this beautiful music is coming from. Laughing quickly to myself, I noticed that some dangled their feet from their windows, while others chose to document this moment via instagram (no judgment, this includes myself). With the audience growing in size, the musicians continued playing. All playing spontaneously, without instruction or command, they desired to play out of the volition of their hearts, displaying their extraordinary talent, ranging from vocals to percussion to strings. With the quintet eerily in sync without ever having a single practice together, the music soared throughout the dorms, with the sound of windows being opened growing quickly ubiquitous. Transitioning in and out between acoustic versions of Thrift Shop, Boyfriend, and Don't You Worry Child, they also began to play instrumental pieces, all of which sprang spontaneously, in the heat of the moment. The pleasing sound of violins filling the air, the tranquil strumming of the guitar produced a sweet sound in the ears of those listening, as the drums kept the rhythm, akin to the constant beating of a heart. 

With a slight breeze blowing across my face as I continued listening to the wonderful music, it did not feel like I was school. The scene unfolding in front of my eyes reminded me so closely of summer, as if I was at an outdoor concert, with my feet perched laxly on the grass, with the summer heat radiating off my skin. I could close my eyes and I could envision myself sitting in the grass under the warm summer sun listening to music. It was one of those moments that did not feel as if I was living in the present moment, but rather felt transported through time. I could see myself lying in the grass, the smell of ocean water lingering in the air, the sun caressing my skin, and aroma of summer dancing in the atmosphere. I felt young and free. 

I do not go to a musics school by any means, but all the students in my midst are abnormally musical, playing several musical instruments. In that moment, I felt that I was a music school, with a group of music lovers gathering outside to play the song of their hearts. Still glancing out the window, I felt privileged to observe such a sweet but beautiful moment. It was a moment. As the music slowly producing a visceral decrescendo, the audience applauded, and I couldn't help but smile.