Happy Earth Day

And so to celebrate Earth Day, I cut the grass over at your house inshaAllah.  Here it's not a matter of growing more trees, it's more a case of controlling the growth here.  The weeds here are the size of trees, well because they are trees.  And the vines, you can swing on them like Tarzan.  I took down some jackfruit and gave it to the neighbor, and I harvested some young coconut for my Mom.  It's been a while since I rode a bicycle, but I used to back in the mountains of Utah.  Instead I rode my motorcycle to town to get gasoline.  It's not a car, at least.  I do so much gardening and yard work, I must be giving back to the earth.

Just the usual today for me

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is say a prayer.  It's an "after difficulty, there is relief" prayer.  It's in the Qur'an.  Then I feed Floofy and her daughters.  I had already done extra worship earlier on, so all I had to do this morning was the dawn prayer.  Then I fed the outdoor cats, and watched Chee Cheah eat, while keeping a watch for the Cat Bully.  Chee Cheah eats so slowly.  I was about to clean the cat room and water the plants, then my Mom wanted to go to the downtown market and get a kilo of hot peppers, her breakfast, and my Dad's newspaper.  So I did that, and when I got home after eating breakfast (which was glutenous rice with salted fish and fresh tomatoes) and cleaning up after the cats, I planted another mango tree.  Then I watered the plants, then my Mom wanted me to hang up some curtains.  By the time I got done with that, it was time for a nap.  I was tired, but I didn't really sleep well.  I made my lunch, which was a chunk of sirloin steak.  Just the steak, ma'am.  It was awesome.  Alhamdulillah.  It was also the most convenient.  Then it was time for the noon prayer followed by voice training.  After that I tidied up my Mom's kitchen, then after the Asr prayer I had to go back downtown to do more shopping.  It was raining, so I took the car.  I had to go to the supermarket, the pharmacy, and the furniture supply store.  I stopped by Ina's for a quick dinner.  Then when I got back, I had to fix the my parents' cutlery drawer.  It's almost sunset now, and I'm writing a love letter.  I love you.

Natty you generous little sweetheart, are you giving your buddies another treat?  I want you to save up your money for yourself, so you can have wealth that's all your own.  OK?

There are two types of jackfruit trees growing on the compound.  I don't particularly like either one, and I mostly give the fruit away to the locals.  This type is the not-so-sickly-sweet kind.

To brood or to gloat

Let's face it- public speaking can be a tremendous strain on the heart.  Whether your heart be young or old, you get your emotions boiling in the heat of battle, and you go home still seething and thinking about the fight as you toss and turn in bed.  It's impossible to say the right thing all the time.  It's easier to look back and think to yourself, "Oh I should have said this, and I should have answered that, etc etc".  Well you have to calm your heart down somehow, and if you're going to be thinking about it anyway, then you might as well write down what you should have done, so you can use the wisdom you've learned the next time the situation comes up.  And it will too, because people are repetitive.  But pour your heart out then let it go, and get some rest.  Nurture your precious heart that I love so much.

Gloating is a different matter, because you're so pleased with yourself that you want to live the moment over and over.  Our own ego keeps the gloating going, and it never ends even years later.  May I ask you to be humble, please?  Give thanks to God, and do a kind deed.  Hug and kiss your kitty.  Then get some rest.

You are above me in this matter

I told you a while ago that you were me, because you are my wife inshaAllah.  So people look upon you as an extension of me.  But I'm not there with you to distract them when they talk to you, so you will have to talk for us.  I don't expect you to protect me, I am more concerned with protecting you.  I am difficult to talk to.  I have a psychic wall made of steel, and I take pleasure in yanking out souls by the scruff of the neck and shaking it about for the world to see.  But you are easy to approach, because you are kind and sweet.  This puts you above me in this matter.  But that also means that people prefer to pick on you instead of me.  That's why I have been urging you to express yourself more, and practice practice practice.  I'm sorry I'm not with you to take the shots as I should be.  It's time for you to become a strong talker.  The only advice I can give you is that in an argument, seek emotional weaknesses not intellectual weaknesses.

You Natty, are too kind.  Too generous beyond your means.  You need to make your fortune first, before you give things away.  Yeah I know I have no money but I give things away too, but you don't copy me.  I want you to be safe and pampered.  I want you to be treated like a princess.  Please remember to eat only what you feel like eating.  Don't eat something just to be polite.  And drink lots of water.

Pina, are you hungry?  Today for lunch, I made spaghetti with eggplant sauce.  It was great, but it would have been perfect if I had added sliced steak or chicken breast.

Chee Cheah is so terrified of the Cat Bully, that she didn't eat for 3 days.  Here's a snapshot of her finally getting some food, along with my other outdoor cats Emma and Bat Cat.

Hello, how are you feeling?

Erin, are you able to express yourself better?  Have you been practicing writing, in a journal perhaps?  Oh, you probably are too busy, you don't have time.  This is important though, so you have to make time to express your feelings, even if it is only a few words.  You don't have to show it to anybody.  It's for your heart.  Your precious heart.  If you "don't have time" to write it down, then speak into your cell phone, talk about your feelings.  Try to use the most beautiful words you can.

Natty, did you eat a lot yesterday?  You were probably trying to be polite, and people want you to taste their cooking, and the like.  You have to learn to turn people away.  We may love them, but some people just can't cook.  If you don't feel like eating something, just say "Sorry, but I don't feel like eating."  And please remember to drink lots of water.  You need lots of water.  You have a nervous tummy, and you need to drink lots of water.

Pina, now that your Mom is in town you're finally eating well.  Go home, Pina.  Maintain your beauty and chastity.  Learn how to cook well.

The Shopping Experience

So is your schedule loosening up a little my dearest?  Or are you still busy as ever?  Well, you are beautiful to me, and I love you, so please make sure you take the time to take good care of yourself.  Make sure you get plenty of sleep and eat properly.

By now, we are all familiar with online shopping, and the pages and pages of items we peruse then decide which to add to our cart, then pay for electronically, then wait for delivery.  In the virtual world Second Life, that too can be done, especially for digital products that can be packaged as objects then downloaded and saved, like one would save a snapshot.  But it could also provide another means of browsing and shopping for real products.  For example, let's consider shopping for apparel.  Online, one would typically browse for products on pages like this:

On Second Life, one would browse for products like this:

The difference is that on Second Life, we get to shop with friends: we don't have to shop alone.  We can chat in real time with our shopping buddies, get their opinions on our purchase, preview our purchase in 3D, etc etc.  There are so many ways of presenting products in virtual reality, plus there is also the option of combining 3D and the usual page perusing method.  All within the same program.  And if your avatar is true to your real life appearance, then you get to see what you look like, front and back!  No, I don't look like this in real life.  Next life, inshaAllah.

Prince Charming and the Mob

Hey Erin, sweetheart!  Still busy, I assume?  I hope you're taking time to relax, and getting enough sleep.  What did you have for dinner?  I had hot dogs and home made sauerkraut on crispy tortillas for dinner.  The tortillas were a bit greasy, but it was good.  Who's looking after your kitty while you're busy working?  Have you ever thought of taking him along with you?  My Floofy now lives on a diet of rice, canned cat food and crunchy anchovies.  At first, she had little interest in the rice and cat food.  Then I added the anchovies, and now she finishes the whole thing.  Finicky eaters, huh?

Natty, that guy sitting on the overpass is a guy!  Where do you get these photos?  That messes with a man's head.  I haven't had any chocolate all weekend, then my Mom gave me some just now.  Chocolate covered toffees.  Natty, make sure you drink lots of water OK?  Don't slack off on that.

Pina, you look like your mother.  I can read that expression on her face, I think I know what it means.  You found a Prince Charming and he led you to a land of promises called New York.  As for me, if I am able to afford a third wife, you are welcome to the position if you are willing to do the work.  I can't afford even one wife right now, so it's a long wait.  There's no blame on you if you want to snag Prince Charming, if that's who it actually is.  I would rather you go home and live as easily as possible, and protect your beauty and chastity.

The Mob was present at NCI Kuula when I was there last.  I tried to warn them, but they weren't listening.  I guess it's hard to listen to people when you're busy flooding the chat.  I guess the Mob can smell the money.  I can smell the money too, even though Linden Labs can't.  But my priority is to please Allah, so I can't give in to greed no matter where the money comes from.  I can however, tell them what direction to steer their business where it be most profitable inshaAllah.  This is a conflict of interest to me, because they seek to please everybody while I seek to please Allah.  Will they listen to me?  I am a servant of Allah, and they should give thanks to God for my contribution.

I said, THEY SHOULD GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR MY CONTRIBUTION.

Second Life should be made more accessible, by making the software run on Android, smart phones and tablets.  Of course they must lower the resolution of the graphics.  Plus they must make the "game" easier to play.  Options are the worst obstacles to a noob.  They must make a software version that has no options, except to communicate, travel, spend money, and pick up objects.  If they wish to work on their appearance, or build, or whatever, then they must upgrade their software AND hardware.  At a price!  There is no getting around the perspective of a noob that Second Life is a game, so let it be a game.  The purpose of the game is to find out what the game is about.