Weather

It rained today. ~
Weather has always affected my mood. ~ On sunny days, I suck up vitamin D and gain a boost of positive energy that charges me right up and keeps me bouncing along happily for the day. ~ Blue skies especially brighten my mood, the endless, pure shade of azure always bringing a smile to my face. ~
Snow calms me and sets me in a pensive state, often causing me to muse about life as I walk through the gentle speckle of snowflakes. I also think snow sets a picturesque scene, purifying the world by blanketing everything in a gentle dusting of white. ~ Mind you, blizzards are another affair. They conjure up images of horrifying white, blinding and cutting wind, and freezing to death. ~
Fog is a typical bringer of mystery. ~ Who hasn't had thoughts of Scotland Yard and British detectives roaming about with their magnifying glasses when walking through a thick early-morning fog, or shivered deliciously with wonder at what lay just out of sight, shrouded in a wispy layer of mist? ~
Then there are those drab, blah days of gray, when I know it's going to rain, but not just yet. ~ Clouds cover the sky and the sun, darkening everything, including my mood. ~ These days are just puke-worthy. If the sky isn't making an effort to appear happy, then why should I? ~ On these days, staying inside irritates me and going out chills me. There's no interesting sense of mystery or daring that comes with a fog, or that calming, appreciative feeling that comes with snow, but instead only a depressed, feeling-sorry-for-myself spark that flickers without kindling anything. ~ I can't stand these days. ~
Yet when the rain starts to fall, everything changes. ~ The sky is still gray, yet the gentle rain that slowly strengthens from drizzle to downpour livens the atmosphere. ~ When I'm inside, the soft pitter-patter of the rain on the roof plays a gentle tune that lends the house a cozy, warm beat, perfectly complimenting the soft glow of the lights turned on with the anticipated arrival of rain. ~ Gazing out the window, I see rivulets of water racing each other down the pane, with me secretly cheering my favourite one on. ~
Sometimes, when it rains lightly, I can't even tell unless I find a puddle pockmarked with drops falling in. ~ Then there are those times when bombarding sheets of rain drop like waves from the sky. Giants seem to be dancing on the roofs when this happens, muting all other sounds and causing an excited rush to the window to watch as the sky opens its contents to the land. ~ I can practically feel the plants and grass drinking and bathing in this wonderful excess of precious water. ~
The rain has stopped. ~ I step out, taking a deep breath. The smell of wet grass fills my nose, along with that earthy smell always present after rain. ~ This is the best part. ~ I love knowing how much the rain has helped the world to grow. ~ Maybe the rain will help my soul grow, washing away the bad thoughts brought on during the drab day. ~ "Après la pluie, le beau temps," they say, but why not enjoy the miracle of rain itself? ~

Gustation

Gustation. ~ What an awesome word. Saying it aloud resembles eating something meaty and full. The word fills up my mouth, leaving a whisper of a smile on my lips. ~
Taste is seemingly one of the most useless senses. ~ We (should) eat because we need to, not because we want to. Yet to satisfy our taste buds, we will often stuff our gluttonous mouths with any of the huge assortment of foods available to us privileged North Americans. ~
Indeed, maybe taste was a curse for some of us. Obesity has become a rising problem... Are our taste buds maybe guilty in some way? ~
Sourness, detection of acidity, or concentration of hydronium ions, within a substance. ~ Often sourness is associated with a recoiling, face-pinching image. ~ Yet many love the strong, face-pulling taste of lemons, sour candy, or vinegar. ~
Bitterness. ~ An unpleasant taste, at least to me. ~ Again, though, I know more than one friend who loves the taste of bitter melon. ~ A horrendous thought, but then, to each his own. ~
Saltiness, detection of sodium ions and other alkali metals. ~ Enjoyable in moderate amounts, overpowering in large doses. ~ Salt, I've noticed, seems to accentuate and empathize the true flavours of some otherwise bland dishes, such as egg soup, bok choy, or even meat. ~ No other condiment can replace salt. As long as you have some of these crystals of white sodium chloride, any dish will become edible. ~
Sweetness. ~ Smile, we've reached the most pleasant of all tastes. ~ Indeed, tasting something sweet oftentimes will make my lips naturally curve up. ~ As usual, though, too much of something can harm. Ever seen someone on a sugar rush? It's its own caffeine. ~
I've only touched on four tastes, yet there are so many more. Indeed, the most interesting tastes are those that are hard to describe, mixes of different standard flavours. ~ Take sweet and sour soup, for instance. A sweet soup seems tasty, as does a mildly sour one, but this excellent combination is truly a breakthrough. Food that's interesting! Now that's innovation. ~ I have wished more than once to become a culinary master, chef of some famous five-star restaurant, possessing a mental flavour palette of all kinds of food, both common and unheard of. ~ If taste can reduce us to couch potatoes, why not take advantage and market to it? ~
By the way, credits to Lucy Chu for this crazy-cool medley of pics! So many of my friends have such wonderful Photoshopping skills... I bow down to your mastery of technology! ~

Touch

I've taken a break from blogging recently because I've been in another rut of writer's block. But perhaps the easiest to climb out is by clicking away on my trusty keyboard? ~

Our sense of touch. ~ The most tangible of all. We see, we naturally want to reach out and touch. ~ Touching an object with our own two hands means truly knowing this object, learning its texture, size, the feel of it in our hands, how it tickles our skin as we lightly brush our fingertips across its surface... ~

Why do babies have blankies? Why do people have precious objects, such as necklaces, which they keep on themselves at all times? ~ Simply because touch gives us a sense of concreteness that is otherwise unattainable. It reassures us, grounds us. ~

My friend mentioned an interesting point the other day when I asked her about her favourite sense. ~ Her simple yet direct reasoning made me smile: "Because with the sense of touch, you don't need eyes! Like blind people learning to read and such with just their fingers." ~ I concur. Touch saves us many a time when our eyes aren't useful. ~ How many times have you felt your way around your dark house at night, doing your best not to bang into furniture? Touch remains our ever-present guide, the sense that never disappoints, is never restricted by our surroundings. ~ Though our eyes offer one way of perception, our fingers can touch and learn in their own unique way. Truly, touching is so instinctive it's no wonder we've put so much value to feeling. Silk, velvet and lace are all easily soiled, yet ladies of old and young have still invested much money for these prized fabrics. All for the luxury of touch. ~

Man, touch is a hard sense to write about. I wonder why? ~

Olfaction

How ironic that I'm writing this post with a sadly stuffy nose preventing me from enjoying the refreshing scents of summer. ~ But I haven't forgotten the sweet sensation of delicious smells tickling my nose, so I'll go from there. ~

Scents have always intrigued and enticed me. The sweet perfume of a lady whooshing by me, the rich aroma of coffee in the morning, the musky and vaguely papery odour of the library... Each smell is distinct, yet reminiscent of something just beyond my grasp. ~ When I catch a whiff of a familiar scent, it's like greeting an old, nearly forgotten friend, for smells strike a bright image in my mind that, like a burst of light, does not last, leaving instead a vague impression of itself. ~
Smells add flavour and mood to any setting. ~ Roses for romance, freshly baked bread for homeliness, newly mowed lawn for summer. ~ Perhaps sniffing a particular scent can rush you back to a moment, a jolt into the past. It's certainly happened to me before, and I admit that I've kept scent-souvenirs more than once, though in the end, smells always fade, much to my dismay. ~
A scent is also a very personal belonging. ~ Each individual has his or her own distinct smell that sets him or her apart. More than once, I've fallen in love with a friend's smell. ~ It's just another facet of a person, yet it's distinctly different because it's so very unique and hard to describe, almost like trying to explain colour to someone who was born blind. ~ Maybe that's why people exchange personal belongings - to give a little bit of one's smell away, a token that is fingerprint-like in its particularity. ~
This ties into an interesting bit of knowledge I've stumbled across throughout my various readings. Basically, it boils down to this: humans are attracted to the opposite gender's smell based on compatibility. ~ Indeed, this means that one should thoroughly sniff out one's partner before making any rash decisions. I always knew I could trust my nose. ~
Smell is also an instinct. We naturally trust some smells that convey a sense of security while shying away from others that scream danger to our delicate noses. ~ Non-smokers are repulsed by the odour of smoke, for example, because it is harmful to their lungs. Smokers, on the other hand, crave this scent because it has become their drug. ~ So even the nose adapts. I love the human body's flexibility. ~
Personally, I am particularly sensitive to smells, which can either make me very happy or else induce mild migraines. Perhaps that is why I value olfaction so very much, though secretly, I like to think that it's because my large and rather unsightly nose must have some beneficial function to it. ~

Sight

Ah, sight. The sense that stands out the most. ~
Sight is the sense we use to detect light, brightness, and depth. With it, the world is thrown against us in all its glorious colour. ~
Eyes have often been described as windows into the soul. However, it is just as true to say that eyes are the windows we peek through to see into the souls of others. ~ Through these openings, we look to receive. ~ Yet compared to the eyes of a hawk, or those of an owl, our eyes are very pitiful indeed. ~
Another aspect to consider is how much trust we put into our vision. ~ To see is to believe, some say. But what of all the technological marvels our world is now conceiving? Can we really take for granted that everything our eyes see is real? ~ Furthermore, what of perception? How do we know that what our eyes capture is what is seen by everyone else as well? ~ Ever thought about how much verbal communication can hinder our true message? What we truly want to express might be an image. How can we convey that through simple words? ~
Light. A myriad of all the colours imaginable, all rolled into one bundle to produce pure white light. ~ How we see colour is another miracle. The colours that strike our eyes are actually those that are reflected off of an object. All other colours are absorbed into the object. ~ Take a red clip, for example. The clip absorbs white light, keeping every colour except for red, which it rejects. How ironic that the colour the object seems to dislike the most is what ends up qualifying it. ~ Then again, who's to say that the object isn't reflecting its favourite colour because of its selflessness, wanting to show the world the beauty of that one shade? ~
Black. ~ When something appears as black, it means that object has absorbed every single colour and is not reflecting back anything. ~ How selfish of that object, wanting to keep all of the colours of the rainbow to itself. ~ In the end, black remains a mature, mysterious shade because it is hiding its true colours. ~
So vision, in the end, is a trickster. Perhaps, we see what we want to see. Maybe our eyes shield us from the worst? Or is it our minds who are not accepting the images our brave little windows are shining at us? ~ Another mystery, best left unsolved. ~

Audition

Human beings have been blessed with five senses. I wish to address each sense in the following five posts. ~
Hearing. ~ Our ears detect vibrations that are then sent as impulses to our brain. ~ Just one marvel among so many others in the human body. ~ Yet hearing is so very vital to our perceptions of the world. ~

As a musician and an appreciator of all types of music, I know sound is vital to me. Music can convey my deepest emotions yet leave space for thought, being personal enough to touch while remaining anonymous enough to keep a veil of individuality. ~

When we think back to memories, we are assaulted by noise. Snatches of conversation, music, and the hustle-bustle of everyday life. ~ The city especially is a nest of sound. There never is true silence. And that soothes some of us. ~

Our internal voices. Everyone thinks; after all, I think, therefore I am. The voice that each of us uses to think is what distinguishes us from one another. ~ That mental consciousness that so often guides us, advises us, reprimands us. ~ It is also the voice we use to read. Our special, one-of-a-kind system that never rests. Even in sleep, we dream, and that voice presides over all. Our comforting blanket, the one voice we will always trust. ~

Our minds register sounds and can often be led astray. Hearing touches a deep part within us that sight alone could never reach. ~ Why else would we have invented cell phones, portable radios and later on iPods, and keep on enhancing our sound systems? ~ Music and sound lend personality to the world, letting us enjoy the purest harmony and the most sorrowful cries. ~

And remember, hearing is always last to go. ~