Soundscape #42: "Tell Me You Feel This Fire"

Hughes Leglise. Part Of L'autre Passerelle, November 2006.

Why do we meet the people we meet? How much of it is design and how much is chance? For most of us, the most common places we meet new people is either school or work, no? You would probably start smiling at the uncle at the coffeeshop you frequent but that's still considered your comfort zone. In fact, as we get older, we'd practically go out of our way to not make any eye contact with strangers at all. We block out the external world with our earphones and sunglasses and we walk from Point A to B without seeing anything in between.

But for some reason, I let this wall down the other day and asked a backpacker if he needed help with directions as he looked mighty lost. I made a new friend and became the tour guide (people who know me will seriously laugh at this) for 2 days. And just like that, a connection is made and even as it's so new and fragile, it felt like something worth preserving somehow. In a big soul-less city—where people are self-absorbed, indifferent and disconnected from one another—a connection between 2 strangers is hard to come by. It feels a bit weird when you realise that when we were younger, we thought that connections would be many and easy to come by but as we get older we realise that we only get a few shots at it in life.

To me, these connections among strangers transcend language and all other superficial barriers. Yes, it'd probably be ideal if we understand what the other party is saying but I'm speaking of the moments where you are so comfortable sitting in silence with the person and you know he/she is feeling the same way.

And even, even if I'm imagining this whole thing up, I think I will have someone to show me around in France next year :D



Playlist:
1. (0:00) Norah Jones - Don't Know Why (Come Away With Me)
2. (3:04) Athlete - Chances (Tourist)
3. (7:55) Tegan & Sara - You Wouldn't Like Me (So Jealous)
4. (10:51) Bright Eyes - First Day Of My Life (I'm Wide Awake It's Morning)
5. (13:54) Gene - Your Love, It Lies (Olympian)
6. (17:12) Margot And The Nuclear So And Sos - Talking In Code (The Dust Of Retreat)
7. (20:57) Bloc Party - This Modern Love (Silent Alarm)
8. (25:23) Snow Patrol - Spitting Games (Final Straw)
9. (29:10) Spoon - Stay, Don't Go (Kill The Moonlight)
10. (32:42) Wheat - Don't I Hold You (Hope And Adams)
11. (36:30) Wilco - Say You Miss Me (Being There)
12. (40:38) Death Cab For Cutie - A Movie Script Ending (The Photo Album)