Coffee Shop Revolution

Explore the experience that is poetry with Billy Collins. Love this poem…Enjoy!

Introduction to Poetry

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

by Billy Collins

I was fifteen or sixteen when I first read this quote by Buddha: “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” I think I haven’t been the same since. With the risk of sounding cliche, I can say I have since more consciously observed and enjoyed the magic present everywhere in our surrounding world.

Below is an excerpt from Yann Martel’s new book, “Beatrice and Virgil,” (he also wrote Life of Pi). His words paint the miracle of not a single flower, but a fruit. A pear actually. An incredible, scrumptious, juicy pear. A pear worthy of comparison with Buddha’s flower. Experience it for yourself, can you taste it?

(…Virgil and Beatrice are sitting at the foot of the tree.
They are looking out blankly.
Silence.)

VIRGIL: What I’d give for a pear.

BEATRICE: A pear?

VIRGIL: Yes. A ripe and juicy one.

(Pause.)

BEATRICE: I’ve never had a pear.

VIRGIL: What?

BEATRICE: In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever set eyes on one.

VIRGIL: How is that possible? It’s a common fruit.

BEATRICE: My parents were always eating apples and carrots. I
guess they didn’t like pears.

VIRGIL: But pears are so good! I bet you there’s a pear tree
right around here. (He looks about.)

…

BEATRICE: What does a pear taste like?

VIRGIL: Wait. You must smell it first. A ripe pear breathes a
fragrance that is watery and subtle, its power lying
in the lightness of its impression upon the olfactory
sense. Can you imagine the smell of nutmeg or
cinnamon?

BEATRICE: I can.

VIRGIL: The smell of a ripe pear has the same effect on the
mind as these aromatic spices. The mind is arrested,
spellbound, and a thousand and one memories and
associations are thrown up as the mind burrows deep
to understand the allure of this beguiling smell—
which it never comes to understand, by the way.

BEATRICE: But how does it taste? I can’t wait any longer.

VIRGIL: A ripe pear overflows with sweet juiciness.

BEATRICE: Oh, that sounds good.

VIRGIL: Slice a pear and you will find that its flesh is
incandescent white. It glows with inner light. Those
who carry a knife and a pear are never afraid of the
dark.

BEATRICE: I must have one.

VIRGIL: The texture of a pear, its consistency, is yet another
difficult matter to put into words. Some pears are a
little crunchy.

BEATRICE: Like an apple?

VIRGIL: No, not at all like an apple! An apple resists being
eaten. An apple is not eaten, it is conquered. The
crunchiness of a pear is far more appealing. It is
giving and fragile. To eat a pear is akin to . . .
kissing.

BEATRICE: Oh, my. It sounds so good.

VIRGIL: The flesh of a pear can be slightly gritty. And yet it
melts in the mouth.

BEATRICE: Is such a thing possible?

VIRGIL: With every pear. And that is only the look, the feel,
the smell, the texture. I have not even told you of
the taste.

BEATRICE: My God!

VIRGIL: The taste of a good pear is such that when you eat
one, when your teeth sink into the bliss of one, it
becomes a wholly engrossing activity. You want to
do nothing else but eat your pear. You would rather
sit than stand. You would rather be alone than in
company. You would rather have silence than music.
All your senses but taste fall inactive. You see
nothing, you hear nothing, you feel nothing—or
only as it helps you to appreciate the divine taste of
your pear.

BEATRICE: But what does it actually taste like?

VIRGIL: A pear tastes like, it tastes like . . . (He struggles. He
gives up with a shrug.) I don’t know. I can’t put it into
words. A pear tastes like itself.

BEATRICE: (sadly) I wish you had a pear.

VIRGIL: And if I had one, I would give it to you.

Keep your head up and feet moving. Here is a poem, brought to light by recent movie Invictus, to fire you up. I hope it gives you motivation and strength to conquer whatever exciting endeavor you are dedicating your days, nights and idle thoughts to.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

by William Ernest Henley

Are you trying to decide between a matte and glossy screen on a new laptop? I think this picture speaks for itself. The laptop on the bottom is glossy (our new "backup" laptop at BloomSpot), the monitor on top is matte. Both are displaying a fully black terminal.

Conclusion: You could already have guessed this, but Glossy is the wrong choice, especially for developers and really in general people who spend time in bright offices working directly on their laptop. Go with Matte!

During my trip Mumbai this year, I flew Emirates and was able to get exit row seats on all my flights. It was wonderful. You could do the same…here are some tips to help you:

1. Emirates only assigns exit row seats at the airport, so the day before your flight, do a web checkin and pick your next favorite seat as a backup in case you don’t get a exit row.
2. On the day of your trip, arrive to the airport as early as possible. I had an international flight, and I arrived 4.5 hours early. Exit rows are given first come first serve basis, so the earlier the better.
3. Do not use the auto-checkin kiosks, they cannot assign exit row seats here.
4. When checking in, request an upgrade to business class. Be nice. Tell them you find economy very uncomfortable for long flights and it would be nice if they could upgrade you if there are seats available. If this works, then great
5. Most likely they will say no, in that case, request nicely again for an exit row seat. If they say something like, “How about an aisle seat?” Insist that you are uncomfortable in economy and would really appreciate an exit row. I was usually granted one on the 2nd request.
   • Do not make up any medical excuse for being uncomfortable in economy. Exit rows are only granted to healthy, physically able adults.
6. They can only give you exit rows for the very next leg of your flight (originating from that airport). You will have to repeat this process at your layover airports.
7. At your layover airport, rush directly to your next flight’s gate as soon as you land and repeat above process. Do not pass go, Do not go to the bathroom, go directly to the gate. Remember, first come first serve!
8. That’s it…enjoy exit row comfort!

That’s it. It sounds long, but it’s not bad for securing 18+ hours of comfort (depending on your flight). I was flying Mumbai to Dubai to San Francisco.

If you are flying other airlines, this technique can still work (it worked with my cousin). You may also refer to Mahalo’s guide on How to get an exit row which is also helpful for more tips.