5 am, The quiet before the storm.

Birds wake early here, calling to one another from the rooftops. Cawing and cheeping loudly as if to preempt the noise of the day.

Homeless are ambling in blankets to their daytime haunts, while strays streak to hideouts close to dustbins where they might find scraps left behind on the street.

Buses begin carrying bleary-eyed workers to shifts; they wish they could get out of going to.

Inside the high-rise Apartments, dads and mums are beginning their morning routines of waking the young ones, making their lunch boxes breakfast and washing faces all at once.

Bakeries open doors to let the hot air escape and send clouds of sweet-smelling bread to waft upon the cold morning air - just above the street.

In my pyjamas, with a hot cup of coffee and my tablet, I hear the hum of the busy city below. The hustle and bustle begins and won't end until around midnight tonight.

Frantic

Groping

Needy

Insatiable

Astute

Grey

This is the busy metropolis that feeds from within.