#tanm

There is something aesthetic about landforms that has not been fully transformed into confined urban spaces where wild organisms are allowed to roam free while limiting the movement of human beings to change the space. It feels strange when emotions comes into contact with our definition and meaning of place as it can change in an instant. I realised that the reality of space and place becomes complicated because of the multiple experiences that we have accumulated in our lives that shapes our beliefs and the way we connect them altogether in a certain space becomes such that we may become repulsed or attracted to it whether it is by subconscious or unconscious means. It is really subjective when we try to include emotions and personal experiences when trying to find a definition that would summarize all sorts of idea and meaning into the place. Sometimes we can try to live in the space peacefully but it also means that a city is a space that is constantly undergoing changes to adjust the population growth that has been increasing rather than just with it being static.

The space on UTSC never let me feel a connection to it but after doing the writing space exercise. I have started to collectively gather my experience into something that is a result of the things that I have done as an undergraduate student. The emotions I relate to about a place is usually very complicated but there is something unique about me that I have come to accept is that I am a very random person and do things on a spur but I do plan out every movement that I make but will spice things up in my life once in awhile. Hence, I came to an understanding that this is who I am as a person and the need for me to further improve upon my potential would benefit people whom I have made a connection with. As a geography student the need for me to make connections to the different experiences that I have in life and particularly the events that happened in specific places become a guideline for how I should live as a person and what could be done to sharpen my skills and eventually become comfortable living  and surviving as a human being.

It was on a tangy Thursday, I was trying to focus on observing interactions that occurs in those spaces around the SY intersection corridor around 4 pm in the afternoon and sat down to observe people. However, it was really cold and snowy so the corridor was full of slush and dirty footprints. There is this machine and the janitor drives it to clean it away and it disrupts the lecture usually because the sound is just deafening. So I was observing the boundaries and exits of the research center in SY wing because it is useful in understanding the reason why the building was planned in such a way where the objects were found in subjective and exclusive places. The students look angry and tired and sick of the weather changing suddenly and causing all these disruption in commute and being late for lectures. Although, some students still remain somewhat happy for whatever reason, possibly the sign of free food by UTSC that is technically not free since we pay for their services in the school fees. There is random stickers and posters, also there is like the UTSC promotion for voting and saying how there will be free bubble tea is a few of the colourful advertisements. This is a major intersection between SW and SY.

So it gets very quiet at the beginning of the hour because that’s when classes usually start and that not many people would come to SY except for the labs at the basement or the ones doing their masters in the sciences like biology and psychology, they are usually T.As’ and I actually saw one of my T.A by coincidence as I haven’t seen him for a year. The only times it gets loud are the people finding spaces to eat at SY and SW and sit there chatting with their friends if they are not loners. When it gets really quiet you can hear the heaters trying desperately to warm up the air whenever a student open the door to enter the building or leave it. There is also the occasional resonance with door opening from the lecture hall and offices. We have now cross the fifteen minute mark and there is no sign of anything special or entertaining, just observing a few students. There were really nothing exciting that could occur but little did I know an unforeseeable event was about to happen.

All of a sudden, there are four deers grazing at the grass patch amongst the SY parking lot! I would describe them to have a brown body with a white tail. They just appeared. It was such a magical experience to me. However, no one seems to have noticed them. I don’t get it why are the students so unobservant, even if I was just passing by I would have seen those deers. I have then started to observe the movement of the deers from a distance. There’s always one or two that seems to be on the lookout for moving objects as they pick up sounds from their sensitive ears as the rest continue to graze. The people doing their work and they are not even observing their surroundings. Looking back at it now I am just so glad to have taken photos and videos of it. Unfortunately, one deer had their head up and it seems aware of some mysterious being and then it seems to start backing away, the others start to look up and follow in suit. A few seconds later a car arrived and it seems as if the deer had become aware of their surrounding from the sounds they picked up on their radius. The car came by which chased them away back into the highland creek. Alas, the special event has gone away. I guess it pays to be the outcast from the norm and to follow your instincts. The deers has gone and there is nothing special and the 30mins is almost finished.