Rain as it has always been

1. The Rain Now

I look out from the window and take a sniff of the cool midnight drizzle - the smell that brings memories back to senses. Amidst the silent backdrop lies the sound of rainwater gushing down the drain culverts like nobody's business, and unperturbed by the ravages of disease. Regardless, it is apparent that the rain has now presented itself as a therapeutic medium and offers the troubled minds a sense of peace and calmness.

Much have changed since the last torrential rain in 2015 so it is not surprising that more changes would be observed in the coming months of post COVID period given that we are now living in a volatile and uncertain world.

The cooling breeze is unexpectedly soothing contrary to the restless mind reeling from emptiness and insecurity caused by the worrisome pandemic. While we are living in the new norm now, let us not forget that someday in the future the rain will bring us another set of bizarre sensation. That is when we are old enough to call today a history. 

2. The Rain Then...

I looked out from the bus window and realized that the torrential rain was perhaps unprecedented in this tiny tropical monsoon island. It came abruptly, like a child bursting into tears when he scratched his knees in the playground. Spattering droplets on the thin metal roof clearly amplified the uneasiness in one's mind caused by the inclement weather.

As I was pondering about, the magnitude of rainfall worried me - the fragile umbrellas, helpless pedestrians seeking for a proper shelter at the void decks. Nothing about the vulnerability of life that was more explicitly presented than this rainy landscape. Yet, the bus driver seemed indifferent to the changing scenes, perhaps he had embraced the resilience of mankind in the adverse environment, let alone a short downpour; and flash flood was definitely out of the question. To him, perhaps being vulnerable was an inevitable recipe of daily life

The bus slowly made a turn, signaled the indicator before it came to a halt at the bus stop. Some passengers were desperately fumbling their umbrellas, waiting anxiously to make an exit attempt without getting wet. Other than the muffled rain droplets, the silent dialogue between the driver and the passengers was obvious: His indifference was warranted by the quiet space in the bus whilst their insecurity stemmed from the need to mobilize themselves across different spaces to get home. I wondered, what kind of belief would we ascribe in our lives?

Moments later, carried away by the rhythmic rainfall as the sky fell pitch dark, I snugged myself in front of the flickering monitor, hoping to find similar traits of human beings in the sea of the virtual world.