I raised my eyebrows upon reading this challenge. Really? Just "someone"? Tough, this is tough.
I'll just pick someone at random, then.
I wish I could meet Adachi Mitsuru.
I want to observe him create an illustration or a manga. I want to discuss his preference in telling a story. I want to learn a lot from him, and of course, I'd like to yell at him several times for creating that kind of ending for the manga Q and A.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Day 8: My Favorite Internet Friends
Several of my internet friends are my "friends", if you know what I mean.
Some have them have become true friends, they have stood by me through thick or thin.
My best friend, for instance, was once an internet friend, but our friendship blossomed and we've become great buds.
Most of my internet friends and I have several things in common: we love books and pets (mostly cats and dogs, though several prefer birds); we enjoy a variety of things, and we are open to new things.
So who are my favorites? All of them are. Because they give different insights, different ideas. I once conversed with a person from Israel, and she showed me how it feels to be an Israeli. My internet friend from Azerbaijan shared how rich and diverse their culture is. (I am ashamed to say that before that, I knew next to nothing about this country!) My internet friends from UK and the States taught me the joy of the changing of season, and how beautiful their spring and summer flowers are. My internet friends in Singapore and Malaysia and Philippines showed me that our cultures are similar but not that similar. My internet friend from Vietnam gave me a new perspective on how it feels to be a Vietnamese, during modern times. My internet friend from The Netherlands always manages to bring a smile, thanks to her sunny nature and lovely rendition of her country.
The list might go on and on.
Through their eyes, I have traveled a lot. Through their experiences and perspective, I have gained more understanding about human nature.
I believe the more we travel or converse with others, the more we realize that basically we are all the same.
Some have them have become true friends, they have stood by me through thick or thin.
My best friend, for instance, was once an internet friend, but our friendship blossomed and we've become great buds.
Most of my internet friends and I have several things in common: we love books and pets (mostly cats and dogs, though several prefer birds); we enjoy a variety of things, and we are open to new things.
So who are my favorites? All of them are. Because they give different insights, different ideas. I once conversed with a person from Israel, and she showed me how it feels to be an Israeli. My internet friend from Azerbaijan shared how rich and diverse their culture is. (I am ashamed to say that before that, I knew next to nothing about this country!) My internet friends from UK and the States taught me the joy of the changing of season, and how beautiful their spring and summer flowers are. My internet friends in Singapore and Malaysia and Philippines showed me that our cultures are similar but not that similar. My internet friend from Vietnam gave me a new perspective on how it feels to be a Vietnamese, during modern times. My internet friend from The Netherlands always manages to bring a smile, thanks to her sunny nature and lovely rendition of her country.
The list might go on and on.
Through their eyes, I have traveled a lot. Through their experiences and perspective, I have gained more understanding about human nature.
I believe the more we travel or converse with others, the more we realize that basically we are all the same.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Day 7: My Ex
In order to avoid sounding bitter, I will make it brief.
My ex is an ex for a reason. For many reasons, actually.
Suffice to say that with him in my life, I'd never be a published writer. He did not believe in my writing, and that made me lose my faith (thankfully, not entirely).
Oh my, I still sound bitter. ^_^
My ex is an ex for a reason. For many reasons, actually.
Suffice to say that with him in my life, I'd never be a published writer. He did not believe in my writing, and that made me lose my faith (thankfully, not entirely).
Oh my, I still sound bitter. ^_^
Day 6: A Stranger
Let me tell you a story about a stranger I met in Singapore, many, many years ago. About 20 years ago, I think, my family and I visited Singapore. As always, we went to our separate ways. My Papa would want to see electronics and gadgets. My Mama would prefer to go to the supermarkets or food courts. My younger brother would follow Papa or Mama, or he would see some toys. My youngest bro would either follow Papa or Mama, or browse the collection of musical instruments and games. And I, of course, as always was drawn to books and stationery.
We went to our separate ways and chose to meet near a food court. I went to the assigned place on the dot, but nobody was there yet. I bought some roasted chestnuts and sat on a bench, waiting.
Soon, a lady approached me and sat next to me. Maybe she was sixty or seventy, a teenager that I was thought everybody over 30 as ancient (oh, the shallowness of youth!). Maybe she was a worker there, I noticed her sweeping the floor or something. She was probably on her lunch break. She pointed at the roasted chestnuts I was holding, grinning then nodding. I nodded and smiled back. She asked me a question in Chinese, probably Hokkien dialect, I am not sure. I answered back in Mandarin, the standard sentence of "I am sorry, I do not speak Mandarin/Hokkien." She said, "Ah," as if meaning to say, "Too bad", but she just shrugged and smiled.
She then began chatting in her own dialect. I answered in English. I don't think she really understood, but I kept talking in English. And she, in her dialect. I offered her some chestnuts, and she took one. She offered me something from her lunch box, and I ate some. We continued to converse in different languages. At that time, I thought we understood each other. Don't ask me why. It just happened.
When my family came, I told her I had to go, and waved. She waved back with a big, big smile, her wrinkles deepened, her eyes bright. I saw the light danced on her white hair, and I felt a pang of loss.
My parents asked me, "Who was she? What were you talking about? You seemed to have a lively chat with her."
I told the truth, and my parents just shook their heads in disbelief.
I never knew her name. But I learned something from her that day. I learned that a stranger could become a friend, even though only for a short time. I learned that no matter where you go, no matter what happens, you could always find a friendly face.
We went to our separate ways and chose to meet near a food court. I went to the assigned place on the dot, but nobody was there yet. I bought some roasted chestnuts and sat on a bench, waiting.
Soon, a lady approached me and sat next to me. Maybe she was sixty or seventy, a teenager that I was thought everybody over 30 as ancient (oh, the shallowness of youth!). Maybe she was a worker there, I noticed her sweeping the floor or something. She was probably on her lunch break. She pointed at the roasted chestnuts I was holding, grinning then nodding. I nodded and smiled back. She asked me a question in Chinese, probably Hokkien dialect, I am not sure. I answered back in Mandarin, the standard sentence of "I am sorry, I do not speak Mandarin/Hokkien." She said, "Ah," as if meaning to say, "Too bad", but she just shrugged and smiled.
She then began chatting in her own dialect. I answered in English. I don't think she really understood, but I kept talking in English. And she, in her dialect. I offered her some chestnuts, and she took one. She offered me something from her lunch box, and I ate some. We continued to converse in different languages. At that time, I thought we understood each other. Don't ask me why. It just happened.
When my family came, I told her I had to go, and waved. She waved back with a big, big smile, her wrinkles deepened, her eyes bright. I saw the light danced on her white hair, and I felt a pang of loss.
My parents asked me, "Who was she? What were you talking about? You seemed to have a lively chat with her."
I told the truth, and my parents just shook their heads in disbelief.
I never knew her name. But I learned something from her that day. I learned that a stranger could become a friend, even though only for a short time. I learned that no matter where you go, no matter what happens, you could always find a friendly face.
Day 5: My Dreams
One thing for sure, I have oh-so-many dreams.
Some will never, ever come true. As a fanciful person I have way too many impossible dreams. Some are downright silly, like dreaming one day I'd be able to fly without a gadget to help me. Or being able to teleport wherever I want. Or inventing some kind of device that would enable me to create dishes seemingly out of thin air. (I probably have watched too many Star Trek episodes.)
I have always dreamed of becoming a writer. It started with my love of reading. When I was a child, I read many books from Gramedia Pustaka Utama. "One day, I have to work here. Or publish my books here." Many years later, both wishes came true...
I have other dreams, but I am not too comfortable sharing all of them with the world. I believe that big dreams should be kept deep inside, and shared with selected few. If you blabber all of them to the world, it might seem as if you were bragging or exaggerating. The act would cheapen the dreams.
Sooo... I'll share only two of them here: one, to write and publish a book for children, and two, to write and publish a recipe book.
So mote it be, amen.
Some will never, ever come true. As a fanciful person I have way too many impossible dreams. Some are downright silly, like dreaming one day I'd be able to fly without a gadget to help me. Or being able to teleport wherever I want. Or inventing some kind of device that would enable me to create dishes seemingly out of thin air. (I probably have watched too many Star Trek episodes.)
I have always dreamed of becoming a writer. It started with my love of reading. When I was a child, I read many books from Gramedia Pustaka Utama. "One day, I have to work here. Or publish my books here." Many years later, both wishes came true...
I have other dreams, but I am not too comfortable sharing all of them with the world. I believe that big dreams should be kept deep inside, and shared with selected few. If you blabber all of them to the world, it might seem as if you were bragging or exaggerating. The act would cheapen the dreams.
Sooo... I'll share only two of them here: one, to write and publish a book for children, and two, to write and publish a recipe book.
So mote it be, amen.
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