Encounters

My stomach has this rather unfortunate and annoying monthly habit of waking me up very early in the morning, swirling and spinning with acid that has made it its mission in existence to claw its way up my food pipe and spew out of my throat into the waiting mouth of the proverbial porcelain god. That is, if I'm lucky enough to get to the bathroom in time. Sometimes, I leave a nasty mess on the floor, for which I'm thankful that we have household help. Hi, the name's Elea. I've been suffering from acid reflux on and off for - oh, all my life, it seems. I used to blame it on my father because...well, because daughters always do have daddy issues, though in my case, it was because my father always did have a rather unstable digestive system. But now, I suppose I realize that I have no-one to

Isis has quite a dry sense of humour, more Green Wing than Little Britain. She is petite, size 8 and am looking for somebody taller and slighly dominant secret dates in Stockport! Name: Isis Sign: Aquarius Hair (colour): Blonde Eyes: Brown Appearance: Gorgeous Attractive feature: Boobs and pussy Personality: Open Musical taste: Orchestral Favourite Film: Drama Hobby: Musical Theatre Sport: Rock Climbing Favourite course: Oysters Pet: Cat Isis is [...]

One of my favorite scenes is of the guys sitting out in the desert practically worshiping the aliens, who aren’t there, and singing the tune that we hear again at the end of the film. Something just occurred to me. I’ve never thought this before, but it seems to make sense. At the end [...]

There is a hidden society at the end of the world. One thousand men and women live together under unbelievably close quarters in Antarctica, risking their lives and sanity in search of cutting-edge science. Now, for the first time, an outsider has been admitted. In his first documentary since GRIZZLY MAN, Werner Herzog, accompanied only [...]

I'm the captain of my ship. Draw your life zones.Short from Tim & Eric. Check out their website at timanderic.com, shows Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! on Adult SwimPretty random stuff... but I like random.Now I am off to a heart moan session. Bye.

After we published Keoki's story about his encounter with a humpback whale mama and her baby in Hawaii, which had happened many years ago, we came across some more exciting humpback whale close encounters and incredible photos. Let's share with our blog visitors what we've found. Evelyn from Homespun Honolulu blog chose the whale motif as her theme for her '6th Carnival of Aloha' of Hawaii Blogs. Please, drop by and pay these blogs of our Hawaii blog ohana (family) a visit. You will be amazed by the huge variety of Hawaii themes and stories blog owners talked about plus by the incredible humpback whale photo.When I saw that photo my immediate thought was "This should have won a prize by National Geographic!". Well, pursuing the links back Evelyn provided for her humpback whale photo, I jus

You could argue that U Suxxors was in part built off the back of Larry Craig. His upper back, not … er, anyway, MSNBC is talking about him again today, because as many as eight men are claiming they had sexually related encounters with Craig at one point or another in his life, including a male prostitute named Mike Jones who’s allegations against Rev. Ted Haggard brought about his fall from the National Association of Evangelicals.

Babelgum lancia Encounters Channel.Encounters Short Film Festival attraverso la piattaforma Babelgum, darà la possibilità di uploadare i propri lavori."New talent, animators and established directors can showcase their work on the Encounters Short Film Festival channel"Qui la sezione upload.

The following is an excerpt from my paper titled: The ‘inter’ of Intercultural Encounters I interested to get my work out there and get people interested. Please feel free to comment. “By definition, intercultural communication involves contact, mostly through language, between two or more different, even opposing, cultures. On the one hand, this contact takes place [...]

What an amazing movie. It's easy to take things for granted, but Spielberg is able to brilliantly communicate the weight, wonder, and impact of something as incredible as meeting otherworldly beings.One of the most memorable scenes, for me, is when the people out in the desert are shown and heard chanting. It's like the aliens made such an impact on them in such a short amount of time that they created a whole new religion. To hear those people chanting the tune of the ship was like experiencing an attempt to interact with a higher level of reality. It was incredible.I wonder if "Close Encounters" made an impact on civilization as a whole? Are people more open to extraterrestrial life because of it? Or did it come about only after people began to believe in the possibility that we are not alone?

Apparently there isn’t enough hype over the upcoming Batman flick. Heath Ledgers Joker look isn’t really scaring anyone and the movie has lost hype. Well this is the general consensus of late but a tasty Plot tidbit has leaked, giving this project some necessary gusto. According to Kellvin Chavez at LatinoReview.com his anonymous source has leaked a fundamental plot point for the introduction of The Joker and Batman. “The Dark Knight begins with the Joker robbing a huge bank (we’ve seen photos of this everywhere). The bank is where the mob and all the gangs in Gotham keep all of their money. The Joker takes this money and holds it “ransom”. The Joker then says to the mob and the gangs of Gotham, “If you help me take down Batman, you’ll get your money back. If not, I’m going to burn it all.” This is how the Joker assembles his army to take down Batman.” I’m sold merely over the opportunity to see the Batpod rolling hard, but this does through an interesting kink

   Sharon and I spent a relaxing morning under a coconut palm. We’ve been on the go for nearly two weeks, making our way north from Singapore up the eastern coast of Malaysia. We arrived in Redang two days ago, looking forward to a few days of diving, hiking and sunbathing. (more…) Share This Article

What comes into your mind when you hear the word "random"? Perhaps you'll think about something happy-go-lucky, something easy-going or something having no definite outcome. Well, trust me on this one. . . The authors over at Random Encounters of We are not your regular bloggers. They're so fond of the word, they named their blogs after it! See Random Games and Random SuperHeroes. They have been blogging since last year and i have to tell you, they have come a long way. They earned a respectable PR 4 and Alexa Rank of 695,365 as of now. And guess what? Theyre not just going to stop there. Theyre employing contests, exchanges, and well, paid posts which i think are just some of the recipe for their success. On the other side of the coin, i have some notable contructive criticisms for this blog. The colors used is not that convenient for the eyes especially when its glaring; green background with black for fonts is not very efficient. Furthermore, there is no information about t

Random Encounters of We is a cute little blog.  Well, its not exactly little, its actually loaded with posts.  I love that name.  When I first saw the link I thought it was some new interactive video game or something, but discovered that it was indeed a blog.  Its got some 70’sish coloring in the template.   It looks to be a little over two years old and loaded with post and information. They have another blog called Random Games in which they have all of these little games posted on the blog.  You can just scroll through the games on each post and pick what ever you want to play.  Its actually pretty cool.  I really don’t have time to play online games, but thats really pretty cool.

Random Encounters of We is a new blog about everything, but most part of articles, for now, are personal thoughts and stories. I must admit that is not a boring blog...it's very simple to read and graphic is not heavy but simple (fortunately the author hasn't placed banner, flash or other boring stuff on the pages!). Perhaps some adjustment to the graphic (especially the theme) should be done...i don't like so much the right and left columns (i prefer evidenced columns) and some pictures... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Been a bit busy of late shooting a new film, as well as a camping trip in Dorset, but came back today to this great news. TREE has been selected to screen in competition at this years Encounters Short Film Festival. ‘The UK's most important short film festival’ The Guardian Encounters 2007… presenting a major celebration and leading competitive showcase of short film from around the globe. A unique forum for emerging talent and established industry alike designed to nurture creativity and innovation. 13th International Encounters Short Film Festival Wed 21 - Sun 25 November 2007 Watershed, BristolBig hugs to everyone!  Well Done. www.encounters-festival.org.uk/

Been a bit busy of late shooting a new film, as well as a camping trip in Dorset, but came back today to this great news. TREE has been selected to screen in competition at this years Encounters Short Film...

Earlier I mentioned talking about what makes a mob memorable. Of my top 5 list (fine, top 4, really) what makes those encounters so memorable? Is it the social/community aspect involved in taking down those mobs? Is it the challenge? How do you go about classifying what makes a good mob and what doesn’t? Considering, of course, that the aspect of socialization as it relates to various encounters (raiding with a guild/friends) isn’t something that one can specifically design for (aside from needing a certain number of people to actually beat it) we’ll focus on some other things that make it worthwhile. PvP is easier than PvE…to design. I think everyone can admit this. Let’s face it, a lot more work is involved with designing an encounter with specific AI, abilities, etc. than it is to say “here are some guidelines to follow, now fight.” PvE is perhaps more accurately PvD, player vs. Designer. It’s a lot more work, on the designers

Yep, this reads 112° F in the Badlands, SD! Of course, we managed to time our vacation during South Dakota's heat wave where it was close to 100 in the Black Hills where we did camp.WTF - Rattlesnakes??? Needless to say, between the heat and the rattlesnake warnings, we decided not to camp at the Badlands! Could you blame us?Here I am in Badlands National Park - I can't believe I'm not melting - though it was way too hot for our dog to walk around. We're baaaaaaackk! Whew, we just got back yesterday from our whirlwind camping trip through South Dakota, Wyoming and Northern Colorado. Our experience was one of highs and lows and in the end it was all good. We experienced extremes in temperature, moods and encounters with wild life!In South Dakota, it was HOT as hell, but well worth the trip. We ended up setting up camp the first night at Wind Cave National Park where we were but a handful of human souls. As city slickers, we were in awe of the wild life walking through our c

Yep, this reads 112° F in the Badlands, SD! Of course, we managed to time our vacation during South Dakota's heat wave where it was close to 100 in the Black Hills where we did camp.WTF - Rattlesnakes??? Needless to say, between the heat and the rattlesnake warnings, we decided not to camp at the Badlands! Could you blame us?Here I am in Badlands National Park - I can't believe I'm not melting - though it was way too hot for our dog to walk around. We're baaaaaaackk! Whew, we just got back yesterday from our whirlwind camping trip through South Dakota, Wyoming and Northern Colorado. Our experience was one of highs and lows and in the end it was all good. We experienced extremes in temperature, moods and encounters with wild life!In South Dakota, it was HOT as hell, but well worth the trip. We ended up setting up camp the first night at Wind Cave National Park where we were but a handful of human souls. As city slickers, we were in awe of the wild life walking through our c

Mantas are such fascinating creatures that most divers want to approach them closely. We all feel the urge to interact. Mantas too may seek the company of humans. Although you may be tempted to participate in the manta's play, repeately touching them may cause them harm.Some mantas will approach humans with much interest. Once they become familiar with divers, they will circle close for long periods (hour long encounters are not uncommon). They may approach the diver within arm's reach. Other manta with less human experience will be shy, show no interest and leave the area quickly.For the maximum enjoyment of you and the other divers in the water and to protect mantas from injury, here are a few simple rules for these lucky encounters.Do not chase them. Once they have had time to decide to stay and play, you can then get closer to them slowing always allowing them to keep you within their vision.Enter the water carefully as not to scare them away. Divers may choose to remain near th

Mantas are such fascinating creatures that most divers want to approach them closely. We all feel the urge to interact. Mantas too may seek the company of humans. Although you may be tempted to participate in the manta's play, repeately touching them may cause them harm.Some mantas will approach humans with much interest. Once they become familiar with divers, they will circle close for long periods (hour long encounters are not uncommon). They may approach the diver within arm's reach. Other manta with less human experience will be shy, show no interest and leave the area quickly.For the maximum enjoyment of you and the other divers in the water and to protect mantas from injury, here are a few simple rules for these lucky encounters.Do not chase them. Once they have had time to decide to stay and play, you can then get closer to them slowing always allowing them to keep you within their vision.Enter the water carefully as not to scare them away. Divers may choose to remain near th

It’s great to be special. Everyone wants to have a moment in their life where they get to do something that no one else is allowed to do.Like watching the city firework extravaganza from the roof of a 7 story commercial building less than a mile from the pyrotechnic barge. It was raining and we were safe and dry as we stood in the door way. We listened to the music from the Pop’s concert via the web. It was amazing.The 4th was AWESOME!!*****************************Last night a few friends and I went to dinner and then two of us had tickets to the Soul 2 Soul II concert (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill OMG!! TIM MCGRAW AND FAITH HILL!!) After dinner we had managed to convince our ticketless friend to try to get a seat close to us from a scalper – though we didn’t hold out much hope since we had floor seats.All she had to do was move her car because the lot she was in closed at 11pm. It is at this precise moment that the building fire alarm goes off. Did I mention that this was one of

Like most families returning from their first trip abroad, they wandered around the airport trying to figure out how to get outside without being slapped with huge duties. He was becoming increasingly exasperated with his parents’ behaviour. Maybe it was the ceaseless stream of questions in stereo… “Do you have all the bags?” “Did you take all the ketchup sachets?” “Where are the forks and spoons?” Maybe it was the knowledge that they didn’t buy anything the customs officers would be remotely interested in. All he knew was that he was ready to spend a year isolated from anybody related to him by blood. He looked around and became slack-jawed at the realisation that the plane seemed to have brought them more than just a few thousand miles because all around him, the world looked like it had regressed a couple of decades. To a time where the bottom two feet of all walls of the airport were painted a quintessentially government-approved shade of green and all entrance

It was a long drive to Sorsogon, the southernmost province of Luzon island. We left Manila at 10 p.m. and arrived at 9 a.m. the next day, just in time for the whale shark or butanding encounter. I was with Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, Ivan ManDy of Old Manila Walks and his friend Jenny Tan. The best time to interact with the whale sharks is in the morning, as much as possible, before 11 a.m.When you arrive in Donsol, there are directional signs which point you to the Butanding Visitors' Center of the Donsol Tourism Office in Barangay Dancalan. There you will need to register and pay the appropriate fees which include PHP100 per head for registration for locals, and PHP3500 per boat which can accommodate a maximum of seven people. You will also need to rent snorkeling equipment for P300, mask, snorkel and fins included. Make sure you have fins or else you'll regret it.There were just four of us and good thing we met a group (Isa, Meg and Raf) and decided to share the boat. Isa ac

Reprinted on tsard The question of life after death is one I enjoy delving into from time to time. All my life I have been fascinated by the possibility that ghosts do exist and through the years I have had enough personal experiences that I believe something does exist after death and it may be possible to communicate with it - maybe. The belief in ghosts for me is closely linked to believing in heaven - because if there are ghosts, then is there a heaven? What makes a ghost stick around or go on to heaven (if heaven does exist)? For this post I thought I’d tell the story of my first ghostly encounter. From 8th grade through 12th, I was in an all girls’ state run Catholic School where about 60 girls lived, attended school, etc. Like most teen girls back then we ended up holding séance’s (in secrete of course after the nuns had gone to bed) but nothing ever happened while we did them. We used to go hang out at the cemetery on the grounds where the family that had left the pr

Celebrity Encounters... Top left: Claudia SchifferBottom left: Starlets frolicking by yacht on the French Riviera, circa 2000.Right: "The always funny Fred Willard" (Ebert & Roeper) with The Formerly Brown Haired Photographer, Michael Landon Tennis Match, Reid Park, Tucson Arizona, June 1989.

A touch of levity..."Energizer Bunny encounters his father at the Louvre" French tradition states that the day before a man gets married, he is allowed to do something foolish. Hence, the above photo."Puppets riding in style" Can you name the two puppets? Email the editor now at interfusionbiz@yahoo.com.Photos (C) John I. Henry.

I had the best pizza while on Holiday in Napier. It wasn't the perfect crust, generous cheese or fresh seafood that made the best pizza I've ever tasted (eventhough it had all that), it was Tony, the dude who made the pizza (who owns Antonio's pizza in Napier). We got to Antonio's Pizza at 11p.m, right after watching Blood Diamonds. Hungry, slightly disturbed and resigned to having cholesterol with bread and lettuce (McD's) we were happy to see a pizza place still open (pizza is healthy, mind food). It looked like any pizza place, old fashioned red checkered table cloth, sample pizza trays so you could pick the right size. And then there was Tony. The first time I saw Tony I thought, haha what a dead ringer for Billy Connolly. Then he started speaking and he even sounded like Billy Connolly. We ordered, sat at the table, Tony came by, lit a candle then stood by our table and started chatting (we were the only ones there). It turns out Tony was from NZ, but lived overseas most of h

"It's only just now that I've begun to understand what is expected of me," he said while trying to find a comfortable but impressive looking resting spot for his elbow on the bar counter he was standing beside. That he needed to look impressive should have made it clear that he was talking to a woman, one he wanted to impress, and if that wasn't clear before we can assume that it is clear now. Men like him seldom feel the need to bow to the whims of heads of state, men of taste or people who have made nations tremble. Men like him are above all that simply because men like him are ghosts. To threaten an arms dealer with harm, physical, financial or mental is to threaten the average dictator's hold over his seat of power. The average dictator was smart, or paranoid, enough to know not to tread on such shaky ground. No, the average dictator was careful to avoid the obvious landmines, only to eventually be felled by the complacency that sets in when a poker player of long sta

In the world of online hookups, there are a lot of standards. There's the one night stand, the friends with benefits, the intense fling, the flaccid coffee date... Every once in a while, though, something creeps up behind me and throws a twist into the mix. I was recently contacted by an artist who's into erotic paintings. And was he looking for models to come to his studio for "modeling sessions"? That is, naturally, what I expected as I opened his email. But, no, he was looking for couples who would be willing to have sex for the camera so he could use the images for source material in his paintings. Well, damn, that's a new one on me! I'm something of a shy exhibitionist, and having my photo taken while fucking had never made it to my list, much less my "top ten" list, of things to try. But, hey, I'm game, and I have a lover who also has been known to enjoy a bit of exhibitionism, so I called him up, and we met the artist, and we thought, "Why, what the hell?" Okay, maybe we

I've had a lot of close encounters of the animal kind recently. Yesterday as I left for work I jumped off my verandah to find myself standing right beside two emu chicks and directly in front of mummy/daddy (I can't remember which cares for the chicks) emu, taller than me by a good way, staring straight over my head at my dog, who then began barking (thanks for warning me AFTER the fact, Lamby). I think I kind of flew back up onto the verandah and went out the back door, giving that cranky-looking monster of a bird a wide berth. I was kicking myself for not grabbing my camera. I haven't forgotten that I promised more photos of kangaroos either. In the morning there were 4 big reds in the picnic area at work looking for all the world like they were having a bbq but the damn camera took one super blurry photo after another. (I've established that isn't my fault, so far noone who has tried has been able to get a clear shot with that camera). I wished there was a cliff handy for me

Wesley Autry -the man who risked his own life to save that of another in the path of an oncoming train and whose young daughters live in my building - called me "Dimples" in passing at a crosswalk this evening.You're not somebody until you are defined by Wikipedia. It's a small world, especially when you live on the same block.One of my bosses lives in the same neighborhood as the Olsen Twins.