what I saw on an early morning run

When I walked out my door this morning at 6:20, it was still dark. The first time I did that, I was a little nervous, until I saw primary school children sitting in their uniforms waiting for buses on every corner.

What you find in my neighborhood in the morning is an interesting mix of wealth and poverty, east and west. There are duplexes with Mercedes sitting in the driveways, a block away from buildings that have seen better decades. Many doors are open - looking in you may think you are peeking into a Buddhist temple. They are, in fact, simply peoples' homes with a wide variety of idols surrounded by candles. I saw one man stop and bow briefly toward an open door. Maybe he saw a friend in there, but I missed that.

The hawker center (read "open food court with many small shops selling good, cheap food) is already buzzing with Asians and Indians primarily. The basketball courts are dotted with people practicing Tai Chi, and other Chinese calesthenics. Just to make me smile, there are several old women slapping various parts of their bodies and twisting in odd ways. In contrast to China, there are other runners who are actually dressed in running atire (and, I have to admit, some of them were running much faster than me!).

Running in the morning here is really quite pleasant. Although humid, it feels like it's in the 70's and there's a good breeze. Next time I'm out that early I'll try to take some pictures to share.