Tag: internet Writing

simply six minutes—the magic briefcase adventure: Does love make one a fool or do only fools fall in love?

Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. How little does he know this will be the lesson he has to learn on his last mission. Guarding of the Four Wind on earth is only 50% of his mission. The other 50% is to study the most influential power source on earth and submit a full investigation report on completion of his four wind assignment. Because he is beyond earth time he is not subject to the chronological aging process on earth. His term on earth is a century and he has already served 70 earth years. He has been assigned to the other stations of the four wind. This snowland station is his last assignment. He is an elite “engineer” in earth term and the hardware (technical) part of his assignment is no issue to him. On the other hand, the “software” part is a real puzzle which he has little remaining time to crack.

What is exactly the most powerful power source on earth? Based on his last seven decades of interactions with earthlings, he knows, and has completed the bulk of the report, mostly in theory and concept. But now he is stuck. He has to do the practical empirical evidential based part of the report, and he has to find a live object to study and actually interact with first hand.

When he was transferred to this Snowland station he knew this would be his last chance. He has failed three times previously. This time he cannot afford to fail. Failure is just too costly to bear. Briefly, he will be compelled to extend his assignment contract for another century in another planet or realm. And he is looking for a retirement back to his home planet/realm.

Outwardly there is everything good about him for the last assignment: tall, slim, fit, smart, a chiseled facial look, deep-set eyes of a color that is most pleasant and acceptable to most earthlings, a default expression of a highly intelligent and elegant being. He has been trained to know many languages and cultures. People are naturally drawn to him because he is genuinely kind and selfless with the backdrop of the apparent show of good tase and a cut above others. He has been programmed to look thirties. No, he is not an AI robot or a clone. He was born to a normal earthling couple and had a normal childhood. His only difference from earthling is that his entire nurturing, education, and training were all done by a more advanced source beyond earth from his original realm. And he is in constant communication with them.

His remaining task is to find an earth woman and study what love is. Yes, ironically, love and hate are the most powerful influence on earth. This is the main obstacle for completing his report. He is not required to fall in love but he must find out what true love means and why it turns to hate with unimaginable destructive power. His report is aptly named: “The essence of love”. Why focus on love and not hate? Because, alas, the two words are interchangeable on earth.

This is what he finds out on the Snowland, his final station. (to continue)

Ka, 2021-03-31

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coming home to the rain and typing

Since returning to my more stable and familiar station, I have encountered two major issues: the weather and the internet.

I welcome the tropical weather. No more heavy clothing and encumbrances in terms of what to wear for jogging and walking in winter. Of course the rain is bothersome at times. This station has rain that does not stop except for brief intervals. It goes on for days and nights and weeks. It does not flood the land as I am on high ground with good drainage and least over-development. But it does mean that I don’t go out walking and neither can I walk or bath the dog. Another inconvenience is I don’t like driving in the rain too. So I am sort of grounded with the dog, watching the rain day in day out at the window.  The dog is fine as I have enough food and snacks readily stocked for her to last until the rain finally stops. As for me, I can hardly say that I am sensibly stocked enough for a month or so. All that I have done so far since returning was to visit the computer programmer and worked through an internet issue that stopped me from using my new MacBook Pro to access the internet using a local internet mobile USB broadband.

I have inadvertently left behind my other laptop charger in the foreign country across the pacific ocean. So I have no option but to keep working at solving the MacBook issue. I cannot get a replacement locally. None of the other charger fits. There is no stock in the market. Amazing. Even a charger can ground me.

Under such circumstances what does a traveler writer do? I started spring cleaning so that I perchance might locate a long forgotten laptop in good condition and is internet friendly. At first I thought I could perhaps borrow from someone who has similarly gone on her own long journey. I looked through the common cabinets and drawers and came upon a tiny laptop in a pretty wrapping. I thought it was one of her old discarded one. Behold, when I pulled it out I was in for a pleasant surprise -it is my own back up notebook from another foreign land, a third world poor country where I purchased it for a mere $100 in the second hand market. It is in perfect condition and immediately goes online without any trouble.

Well I have finally solved the internet and MacBook issues. Now I am back to my large print screen and beautiful pictures display. I suppose it is a matter of habits. During the days when I had to use the tiny laptop I actually became accustomed to its size and fonts. I once thought it was never meant to be of any serious typing. I thought I could not even look at its fonts. But when I started using it I hardly noticed any such weaknesses. I was giving thanks daily this last resort backup typing machine was hardy, reliable and faithful.

So in a way I learn a writer’s lesson. A writer uses a typewriter or something we call a notebook to write. The internet does not really matter. I was so obsessed with the lack of internet ease of accessing relevant information and good visibly large prints of what I type and display of the beautiful photographs I have taken that I have forgotten that it is the writing in texts and the originality of my contents that really matter. The rests are frills.

traveler’s mirror reflects: backyard home haiku

backyard home

Thriving lush green plants

in someone’s backyard transform

wilderness to home

—————–

Living in Paris in my lone studio many years ago, I used to keep a tiny potted African violet at my kitchen window to remind myself that it was my home.

It was a wonderful year for me, Spring, Summer, and Autumn.  (In Winter I waved goodbye to the flower and moved on to London).

African violet

Certainty in life is important to mental (as well as physical) health and we can overcome uncertainty in our mind by a deliberate change in the paradigm we are in at any particular time and place.

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