Life's small pleasures

Not many might know this, but till date, I am thrilled while watching a plane land. More than the take off, I am somehow enchanted by the landing.

One of the best things I like about my drive to work, is that I get to go by the airport everyday. So invariably, I tend to see a lot of flights taking off or landing - that depends on the season or the way the wind blows. Around this time of the year, the planes land from east to west and take off from east to west. After a few months, they land from west to east and take off along that direction.

Anyways, during my return trip to home, I always look for a flight that is landing. Sometimes, if I can spot one in the air some distance away, I even slow down, move to the left lane and ensure that I somehow see it within the airport's boundaries.

But I am always not that lucky. The way Chennai airport works, it has a lot of flight movement during certain phases in the day. For that short period of say an hour or so, the number of flights that land and take off, its quite comparable to any foreign country.

Once again, with me having to spend quite a lot of time in the office these days, I am usually near the airport well after 9.30 PM. That usually means that the probability of me spotting a plane landing is very high. And for that fleeting minute or two when I watch the planes approach the runway and land, I forget all troubles that are in my life.

Last week, I was near the airport around 12.15 AM and got to see a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 land. Gave me immense satisfaction.

Ah, life's small pleasures....