Bedtime Stories (part 2)

 Continued from here.

…. but then, stars could only be as accurate as election results. So that still remains to be seen.

Anyway, as I was saying, our rose is drifting across the universe. You may not know much about the universe, but there are a lot of things drifting out there. Spoons, blankets, people, flags, all sorts of things. But there is one thing that caught our rose's interest… a bee.
We all know a rose is a flower and flowers like bees. And bees like flowers. So the bee made friends with our rose and this is how their conversation went in a restaurant at the other end of the universe called Yahoo Messenger.

Bee: Hello.
Rose: Hello Bumblebee.
Bee: i dunno what to talk about, but i like having you here
Rose: me too
Rose: even when there's really nothing to talk about.. yet
Bee: same here
Bee: sometimes i like to like.. do a questions round. like you ask me a quesiton about me, and then i ask you a question about you
Rose: ok, go
Rose: i remember you mentioned you know how to speak french..
Bee: yes
Rose: fluently, or survival french?
Bee: very fluently
Rose: how come?
Rose: so you know how to speak 3 languages all in all
Bee: we learn english, french and arabic here, trilingual culture
Rose: i know a little bahasa..
Bee: well, i know some turkish and persian.. spanish
Rose: your a linguist
Rose: coool
Bee: bits of italian, but.. mostly because of french
Bee: ooh, i love linguistics!
Rose: but why do you have to learn french?
Bee: lebanon was under french mandate around world war 2, so it stuck.. we're a francophone country, like switzerland or belgium or madagascar or the ivory coast etc
Rose: i don't even know what a francophone is
Bee: the lebanese dialect is a mixture of the three languages
Bee: francophone = french-speaking
Bee: like anglophone
Bee: english-speaking
Rose: oooooohhhh…
Rose: how is it now there? i sometimes read in the news that there's war there… how bad is it?
Bee: it's really hard to explain. it's an unstable country, crazy shit happens, but life goes on very normally
Bee: it makes me sad that my country is portrayed in such a negative light in the media
Bee: then again, media only portrays the negative
Bee: who's going to watch a report that says "and in other news, everything is going well in such and such place"?
Rose: philippines isn't exactly cute in media portrayal
Bee: true
Bee: but i know better
Bee: because my country's the same
Bee: you know what i mean?
Bee: i know that if i went to the philippines, i won't be greeted by.. jungles and people with machetes riding elephants and guerillas.
Bee: that's just stupid
Rose: HAHAHAHAHA!!
Rose: there aren't even elephants here!
Bee: seriously. i still get quesitons like.. "so you have a desert, right?" "is there still alot of people who live in tents?" "do you have air conditioning?"
Bee: yeah, and we don't have a desert
Rose: lebanon is mountainous and cold right? you have snow.
Bee: oh yes
Bee: mediterranean climate.. temperate
Bee: four round seasons
Bee: well, they're a bit fucked now with what's happening from global warming.. it's strange how much it's affecting us here
Bee: maybe because we have all four seasons, it's easy to notice a change
Rose: i hate war.
Bee: war.. heh
Bee: i grew up during a war
Rose: with what's going on in iraq and stuff..
Rose: yes, you underwent a civil war right?
Bee: yeah
Rose: i'd probably die of fright if i were in a war. i couldn't even stand it on TV.. much more if i were living it.
Bee: yeah.. i dunno. you get used to it
Rose: sometimes, i avoid the news altogether… it breaks my heart hearing and knowing these things are happening. that's why i'm always convinced innocence is bliss
Bee: you're correct in doing so
Bee: i try to keep myself out of the loop as much as i can, but it's difficult when you live in a place like here
Bee: when YOU are the news
Bee: when you hear the bomb that is reported about on CNN
Bee: you know?
Rose: sigh… do you ever plan to move to another country? like europe or somewhere?
Bee: emigration is huge here.. there are more lebanese abroad than there are in lebanon
Bee: when i was younger i always said i'd leave
Bee: but after what's been happening lately
Bee: like last year, the war in the summer
Bee: i don't know
Bee: it actually made me want to stay
Bee: at least to try
Bee: if everyone leaves, how will lebanon ever get up again?
Bee: i don't know
Rose: true…
Bee: a lot of us go abroad to work, and come back every once in a while, or invest in business in lebanon when they can
Rose: people here in the philippines think the same way… everyone's goal is to get out of the country as soon as possible.
Bee: to support the economy
Bee: yeah
Bee: same mentality here
Bee: would i leave? honestly, i don't know
Bee: because i don't know if it would be any better outside
Bee: in certain ways, life here is so much better than in europe or america
Rose: honestly, i want to leave… not because i don't want to be here. but because i love to travel… i wish i could travel around the world… if money wasnt an issue, i'd be country hopping
Bee: oh that, of course! i love travel
Bee: it's a passion of mine
Rose: i want to be an ambassador too… but it's silly of me to help people in another coutry if i couldn't help my own.
Bee: an ambassador?
Rose: like an ambassador of goodwill or something to another country
Rose: i know. i'm ambitious
Bee: that's so great
Rose: oh i have all these ambitions. i doubt if i could even make any one of them happen
Bee: it largely depends on you
Bee: ambitions, goals, dreams and plans
Bee: it all depends on when one takes it from the "someday" place to the "let's do it"
Rose: true.. but it sucks when you really do not have much of an option. you work to survive, or give it all up for your dreams…
Rose: if it were only for myself, i'd have given up my work already
Rose: but i help my family financially, and my dreams do not really bring food to the table
Bee: i think that's a great achievement
Rose: it's not bad on it's own..
Rose: ok… let's tak about something else
Rose: do you like music?
Bee: music i love music. my brother is a musician (among other things)
Bee: sharon, i'll brb okay?
Rose: no problem
Bee: i'll continue my answer when we talk next
Rose: okay
Rose: hey your back
Bee: hewwo
Rose: haroo!
Bee: my back? what about my back?
Rose: hahaha! sorry! i meant you're back! haha
Bee: i know, silly
Rose: hahaha! you have to understand that i am the kind of person that believes anything is possible. so sometimes, i take jokes seriously
Rose: still there?
Bee: hey
Bee: sorry about that
Bee: it happens a lot when i'm at work
Rose: no biggie
Bee: yay! thats my line
Bee: no biggie
Rose: hahahaha!! we have so much in common i see
Bee: are you going to sleep soon?
Rose: in an hour or so..
Bee: oh? at 11?
Rose: or a little later
Bee: what about your early bedtime?
Rose: hahaha!
Rose: we'll see. i know i have to sleep… but i'm still not sleepy
Bee: yeah, i know the feeling
Bee: well, i won't insist too much because i like having you here
Rose: hahaha!
Rose: me too
Bee: i love music.
Rose: i love music so much. i sometimes get lost in my own world when i listen to music
Bee:
Bee: what sort of music do you like?
Rose: i dig any genre. oldies to rock
Rose: i love the awesome 80's
Rose: new wave
Rose: jazz
Rose: blues
Rose: bossa
Rose: chill out
Bee: ching!
Rose: in fact i dont have any preference when it comes to music as long as i like the song
Bee: exactly same here
Bee: like.. i can't say "i don't like xyz genre"
Bee: even country
Bee: i like something from every genre
Rose: there are songs i love in country music too!
Rose: haha!
Rose: i really don't care what genre it belongs
Rose: recently, my listening mood is inclined to 80's new wave
Bee: but mostly, what i listen to most is.. chillout, ambient, and lounge
Bee: it's the perfect music for me
Rose: i have a lot of cafe del mar cds
Bee: yes!
Rose: i know
Rose: and starbucks chill out CDs
Bee: but i also tend to go a lot into spaced-out, ambient music.. which isn't even music for most people
Bee: anyway, my musical tastes aren't really mainstream
Bee: my favourite band for instance is Sigur Ros
Bee: i love buddha bar.. loreena mckennitt.. vangelis
Bee: the secret machines
Bee: i like dido a whole lot
Rose: my taste encompasses everything. i dont mind if a song i like is mainstream or otherwise
Bee: do you have a favourite instrument?
Rose: i even dig broadway musicals
Bee: oh.. that's kind of difficult for me, musicals
Rose: i have buddha bar cds too
Rose: and i love dido too
Bee: they very easily grate my nerves
Bee: hehe
Rose: hahahahah! you should listen to avenue Q. you'll laugh your arse off
Rose: it's a musical parody of sesame street
Bee: hahaaa
Bee:
Rose: my favorite musical instrument is bass guitar
Bee: nice!
Rose: and percussions
Rose: i love beat
Bee:
Bee: here, listen to this song from my favourite band.. i doubt you'll like it, but it'll give you an idea of my style
Bee: http://www.vortex.is/festival/mp3/sigur_ros-olsenolsen.mp3
Bee: this is what i call "dream music"
Bee: i could sleep to this
Rose: not found?
Rose: do you listen to enigma? i love enigma
Bee: oh yeah
Rose: it says not found on server
Bee: ooh
Bee: wait
Rose: sure
Bee: try this http://download.sigur-ros.co.uk/sigur_ros-staralfur.mp3
Rose: downloading
Rose: ei, what language is this?
Bee: icelandic
Rose: it really is very peaceful
Bee: also, the band have invented their own language, "hopelandic"
Bee: yes, it is..
Rose: do you understand it?
Bee: no, that's why i like it even more
Bee: it's just the sounds of the voices
Rose: no thought it's something i'd want to listen while im on top of a mountain or somewhere i could reflect… it;s beautiful
Bee: i don't listen to this all the time, only when i'm alone and i want to relax
Bee: this band
Bee: at night
Rose: it;s funny that you say that, because one of my favorite song is actually something i couldnt understadn as well… until i had someone translate it for me..
Bee: which one?
Rose: it's italian… it's a song from Raf called Due,
Rose: have you heard of it?
Bee: maybe i've heard it but i don't know the name
Rose:
Rose: i loved that song since more than 10 years ago
Bee: do you have it? i'd like to hear it
Rose: i have it here, but im not sure if i could send it to you as a file..
Rose: hold on
Bee: email
Rose: oh yeah, i keep forgetting that
Rose: im used to the quickest way around
Bee: yeah, you know, there's thing called email, see? and it lets you even attach files
Bee: it's pretty old but it works
Rose: hahahahaha
Bee: teenager: email is, lyk, sooo 1995.
Bee: teenager2: ya srsly.
Rose: hahaha
Bee: hey can u squirt me this song?
Bee: ya sure
Bee: yay ^_^
Bee: (squirting: sharing media on the Zune)
Bee: so yeah. know what i mean?
Rose: haha! i know!
Rose: in the office, we just say skype me the file!
Bee: yeah
Bee: it's actually interesting that email is considered outdated now
Bee: i've been reading it in the tech news lately
Bee: in Japan for instance, email is long gone with the younger generation
Bee: then again, so are computers, mostly.. they are more into superphones
Bee: anyway, i'm rambling
Rose: hahaha! im a gadget freak. you can tell me about it.
Bee: awesome!
Rose: one of my weaknesses
Rose: next week, im going to have my 3rd cellphone. go figure
Bee: what are you getting?
Rose: right now, i have an XDA IIs Pocket PC, ans a Motorola PEBL
Rose: i'm getting an LG something something phone. I can't always follow the model name with all these new phones popping up like crazy
Bee: yeah
Bee: you use your phone a lot eh?
Bee: i barely use my phone at all, that's why i don't bother to upgrade it.. still using an oldass phone. i could buy a new one easily, but i just don't need to
Bee: my phone is OOOOLD
Rose: This is the philippines. The highest SMS user country in the world. there are more cellphones here than there are landline phones and TV combined.
Bee: but it does everything i need from it, so
Bee: hehehe really?
Rose: yes.
Bee: i'd like to know more about you
Bee:
Rose: what is it that you want to know. go ahead and ask
Bee: i was going to ask you how you would describe yourself, but i've read the bit on your blog
Bee: which was very nice to read by the way you seem like a cool person
Rose: hahaha! the one on the right?
Bee: yes
Rose:
Rose: thanks
Rose: ur cool urself!
Bee: thanks
Bee: okay, so i'll ask you,
Bee: what do you and don't you like about yourself
Bee: ?
Rose: Hahahaha! that sounded like a job interview!
Bee: sorry
Bee: you don't have to answer anything
Rose: well, i don't like that i smoke.. ive been smoking for 10 years and i find it very hard to stop… ive tried, but i guess there's only one thing that can finlly stop me.
Bee: oh.. you're a smoker?
Rose: when and if i get pregnant. thats the only ting that could stop me.
Rose: yes, i smoke
Rose: not an entire pack a day though.. average around 6 or 7 on normal days.. more when i drink with friends
Bee: yeah
Rose: but in genral, i love myself.
Bee: ya i do get that impression, which is why you seem great
Rose: i like things that make me happy. i don't care much about what other people think
Bee: awesome
Rose: im pretty opinionated… and weird to some people.. i dont have anything against that… i agree in fact
Rose: my boss tells me that im a child trapped in a woman's body
Bee:
Rose: im good friends with my boss thats why we tease each other
Bee: weird.. weird is interesting
Bee: strange is interesting
Bee: unusual and eccentric is interesting
Bee: people just want everyone to be the same!
Rose: anything out of the norms is interesting.
Rose: interesting, but not always good.
Bee: of course
Rose: i dwell on extremes
Rose: i can be extremely sweet when im happy, but when im mad, i am an epitome of the saying "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
Bee: good
Rose: but im slow to anger
Bee: better
Rose: LOL
Rose: patience is not one of my virtues but i know when to make exceptions
Rose: im naturally curious
Bee: same here
Rose: that's why i love cats
Rose: they're like me
Bee: about being curious
Bee: yes!
Bee: kitties are curious
Rose: hahahaha!
Rose: i had a feeling you were going to say that
Bee: several people have compared me to cats
Bee: on different aspects
Rose: haha! same here
Bee: cool!
Rose: don't you just find it interesting that we should meet? or rather know each other
Rose: it's like we draw our own kind
Bee: i don't know how it happened, but i'm glad it did
Rose: i do too haha!
Bee: i liked how you were talking in that chatroom, that's why
Bee: and because you had a nickname to do with cats
Bee: and you seemed cheerful and friendly
Bee: and funny
Rose: i liked that you were witty and you made sense in that chatroom most of the rest are a bore and an annoyance
Bee: yay us!
Bee: hahahahha
Rose: yup! haha
Bee: so yeah
Rose: i don't understand what it is with other people…
Bee: you want to know what i really like about you? you're funny and cheery and all, but you also have depth
Rose: we like the same things in each other. i guess because we both see eye to eye
Bee: that makes sense
Rose: what's the most impotant thing in your life right now?
Rose: and you know what password she's talking about?
Bee: no, which?
Rose: the little prince
Bee:
Bee: my most important thing right now is my work. but i'm not that type of person.. my work doesn't define me, nor am i a workaholic.. but currently? yes, my work
Bee: i guess it falls under the category of bettering myself, which is the most important thing for me right now
Bee: that, and love
Rose: me, my family. they're my ultimate weaknesses. and love. the ultimate human weakness. you know how amusing and funny people who are in a complicated love situation to me is?
Rose: love is a funny funny thing
Bee: was it funny when it happened to you?
Rose: it never fails to amuse me
Rose: my feeling is not funny, but if it happened to someone else, and i see it, i'd be amused too
Rose: hahahahah
Rose: i have some sort of a dual personality.. it's like a have an alter-ego. i am amused looking at myself too
Bee: i know what you mean
Rose: i laugh at my old self and the old heartaches i had
Rose: but when it happened to me, that was NOT funny. At all
Rose: i dont know. i amuse myself
Bee: okay
Rose: sometimes when i start talking, i dont know when to stop… hehehe

to be continued…

~sj