2009.09.02 13:00 - A taste of tastier retreat

The Guardian for this meeting was Fefonz Quan. The comments are by Fefonz Quan.

Yakuzza Lethecus: hey wol
Wol Euler: helllo yakuzza
Yakuzza Lethecus: how are you today ?
Yakuzza Lethecus: half of the workweek is behind us :)
Wol Euler: tired, low on energy somehow.
Wol Euler: and three quarters of the year.
Yakuzza Lethecus: i prefer the half of the week, i donֲ´t like to think that summer is over and we are going to see chrismas soon :D
Yakuzza Lethecus: christmas
Wol Euler: I don't mind winter, I look forward to the end of this heat and humidity.
Yakuzza Lethecus: itֲ´s over at least where i am
Yakuzza Lethecus: hey doug
--BELL--
Wol Euler: hello doug
doug Sosa: hi, i can only stay till first bell.
Yakuzza Lethecus: np
doug Sosa: thanks!
Yakuzza Lethecus: whatֲ´s up with your project to make people more aware about the environment in political thinking
Yakuzza Lethecus: or did i missunderstood you ?
Wol Euler: fefonz! hooray!!
Wol Euler: welcome home
Yakuzza Lethecus: i think thats what i remember from one of you conversations
Fefonz Quan: Hello friends :)
doug Sosa: well, slow..
Yakuzza Lethecus: wb fef :)
doug Sosa: hi:)
Fefonz Quan: Hey Wol, Doug, Yaku
Wol Euler: where are fef?
Fefonz Quan: ?
Wol Euler: already on this side of the Atlantic?
Fefonz Quan: Yes, landed yesterday
Wol Euler grins. And?
Fefonz Quan: getting used to it alowly :)
Fefonz Quan: slowly*
Wol Euler: :)
Yakuzza Lethecus: nabend bertram
Wol Euler: hello bert
Fefonz Quan: so many changes happenned in such short time
Fefonz Quan: Hi Bert
Bertram Jacobus: hello everybody :-)
Fefonz Quan: a week ago i was at the RL PaB retreat, and since then i flew 4 flights, left the retreat, left berkeley and californiya, left princeton and my office, and came here
Wol Euler smiles
Bertram Jacobus: whaow
Fefonz Quan: not to mention carying ~120 Kg to and from airports
Wol Euler: oooh
Bertram Jacobus: why so much ?
Fefonz Quan: that's what you do when you move to another continent i guess :)
Bertram Jacobus: uh. moving ? for a long time ? :-)
Bertram Jacobus: hello arch ... :-)
Wol Euler: un-moving, you might say. Moving back :)
Fefonz Quan: hello Arch
Wol Euler: hello arch
Yakuzza Lethecus: hello arch
Fefonz Quan: where is doug?
Wol Euler: he abandoned ship
Bertram Jacobus: he disappeared
Fefonz Quan: Oh, it's a shame.
Yakuzza Lethecus: he told us in the beginning that he will leave before the first bell
Yakuzza Lethecus: but that was really fast
Bertram Jacobus: ah. okay
Fefonz Quan: i see. so it's not my changing seats :)
Wol Euler: :)
Archmage Atlantis: Hi, Wol
Archmage Atlantis: Hi, Bertram
Archmage Atlantis: Hello, Fefonz
Bertram Jacobus: one never knows fef (?) ... ;-)
Yakuzza Lethecus: wb doug
Fefonz Quan: In a way we agreed it to be a 'mini-theme session'
Bertram Jacobus: ah. wb doug
Wol Euler: wb doug
Fefonz Quan: wb Doug :)
doug Sosa: system failure
Yakuzza Lethecus: hello pema
Bertram Jacobus: ui. pema. hello :-)
Fefonz Quan: where we speak a little about our RL retreat experience
Wol Euler: there's been a lot of that today, the datases crashed earlier on.
Wol Euler: hello pema
Fefonz Quan: Hello Pema!
Wol Euler: I'd love to hear what you thought, Fef.
Archmage Atlantis: Pema *nods*
Pema Pera: hi everybody (slow connection today)
Fefonz Quan: Yes, i thhought it is my new location causing me troubles
Bertram Jacobus: which location please ?
Fefonz Quan: just a temporal comuter till i organize things at my appartement
Fefonz Quan: computer
Bertram Jacobus: ah
--BELL--
Wol Euler: I'd love to hear what you thought of the retreat, Fef.
Archmage Atlantis: I also, Fef, first though, who else here attended if I may ask
Fefonz Quan: Doug and Pema
Fefonz Quan: (as far as i know :)
Archmage Atlantis: tu
Archmage Atlantis: ty
Wol Euler: wb pema
Pema Pera: :)
Fefonz Quan: well it was a new kind of experience, that's for sure
Fefonz Quan: first, i didn't need to bother about typoes :))
Wol Euler: :)
Archmage Atlantis: Interesting observation
Fefonz Quan: then, it was great to get to know the people in real life
Archmage Atlantis: Especially without blinking in and out of existence, no doubt
Pema Pera: :)
Fefonz Quan: well you'll be surprised that people did vanish and came back here and there :)
Wol Euler: :)
Fefonz Quan: and the atmosphere was like an extention of the SL one here
Fefonz Quan: along with more practice time, which made it very focused and intens in a good way for me.
Fefonz Quan: (surely not as focused as the sessions you run here Wol ;))
Wol Euler: :-PPPP
Wol Euler: what was your favourite practice/event/thing?
Archmage Atlantis: Fef, a question about the atmosphere
Fefonz Quan: well, it is hard to pick the best practice, because, for example, i really liked the structure of the last day with the 5 stages, yet in previous more looes meditations i felt i 'see' more or dive more into it
Fefonz Quan: loose*
Fefonz Quan: i would say the the whole experience, and maybe mainly the energy and communication between people was the tastier ingredient.
Archmage Atlantis: Nice phrase "tastier"
Fefonz Quan: which in some place a small demon inside me is a little judgmental of it.
Wol Euler: why?
Fefonz Quan: if i may quote him: "i wish i could tell you about some special session with a breakthrough experience and state. isn't that why we all came here?"
Yakuzza Lethecus: hey fox
Bertram Jacobus: hy fox ... :-)
Wol Euler: hello fox
Pema Pera: hi Fox!
Fefonz Quan: hello fo!
Fefonz Quan: x
Fox Monacular: Hi everyone
Archmage Atlantis: Most breakthroughs, to my experience, are the work of a lifetime
Wol Euler: true, but even those tend to have a single triggering eventt, don't you think?
Archmage Atlantis: At least as they involve individual entities
Fefonz Quan: Then, leaving the expectations behind, the total experience was wonderful, warm, exciting, surprising at times, and a great Finale for that year for me
Wol Euler: very good.
Wol Euler: I'm pleased for you, fef.
--BELL--
Fefonz Quan: thanks Wol :)
Archmage Atlantis: And, Fef, without the experience, would the year have been less of a life affecting time period for you? ...It sounds like it might have....One might call that a "breakthrough"
Fefonz Quan: so, i can't really say that Arch... My experience shows that 'life affecting' takes some time to measure
Pema Pera: :)
Bertram Jacobus: iֲ´m tired. iֲ´ll leave. have a good time all. ty and bye ...
Wol Euler: goodnight Bert, sleep well
Pema Pera: bye Bert!
Fefonz Quan: By Bert, see you soon i hope
Yakuzza Lethecus: nacht bert
Archmage Atlantis: Take care Bertram, Blessings
Yakuzza Lethecus: hey ara
Pema Pera: Hi Arabella!
Bertram Jacobus: ty all again !
Wol Euler: hello ara
Fox Monacular: Hello Ara
arabella Ella: Hiya everyone! Hiya Pema! wb!
Fefonz Quan: Hiya Ara!
arabella Ella: Hiya Fef wb too!
Archmage Atlantis: Hello Ara
Fefonz Quan: _/!\_
Pema Pera: thanks, Arabella!
Wol Euler: I was thinking about your demon, Fef, wanting trumpets and fireworks and a parade of elephants.
Pema Pera: :)
Wol Euler: why is "enough" so often not enough? ;)
Wol Euler: (not just you, I think most of us hve such a demon)
Fefonz Quan: i want to say he is a little shy demon, i can't say he pooped he party, not at all :)
Fefonz Quan: the party*
Wol Euler: :)
Pema Pera: watching and appreciating such little demons is a great practice -- fun too
Fefonz Quan: maye we are ambitious Wol?
Wol Euler: ambition -> desire -> suffering :)
Fefonz Quan: yes, i knew that :-P
Wol Euler chuckles
Pema Pera: just watching your ambition already makes it less sticky, and gives you more freedom; just the recognition of it all
Wol Euler: mmhmm
Fefonz Quan nods
Archmage Atlantis: suffering -> understanding -> enlightenment
Fefonz Quan: yeah1
Fefonz Quan: !
Fefonz Quan: i do feel that in a way i was given a stronger 'stance' in the PaB playground
Wol Euler: mmm?
Fefonz Quan: like 'got me back to the game', but more mild phrasing
Fefonz Quan: brought my attention back to our practice, with a new energy, freshness and vitality
Wol Euler smiles. Great.
Pema Pera: I, too, was surprised to see how complementary and mutually reinforcing RL PaB and SL Pab really was
Pema Pera: thanks to SL PaB, we started off better than any other retreat group I've ever seen
Pema Pera: rigth from hour 1.
Pema Pera: and I'm sure it will reinvigorate SL PaB in turn
Wol Euler nods
--BELL--
Fefonz Quan: i agree very strongly with that Pema. it was like a basketball team meeting for the first time, yet already knows all the drills :)
arabella Ella: sounds brilliant :)
arabella Ella: fantastic news
Pema Pera: yes, very much so, Fef!
arabella Ella: and a lovely way of describing it too Fef
Pema Pera: And this brings me to a crazy idea I got at the end of the retreat. . . .
Wol Euler grins
Pema Pera: we stop 4 x per day for 9 seconds
Archmage Atlantis: The oracle speaks
Pema Pera: I mean hour of course
Fefonz Quan: (4xper day?)
Pema Pera: and meet here 4 x a day
Pema Pera: (4x an hour we stop, sorry
Pema Pera: so why not have a retreat 4x a year?
Fefonz Quan: yes,sure np)
Pema Pera: of course some retreats may have only a few people
Pema Pera: but even three would be interesting
arabella Ella: what do you reckon the minimum no of ppl would be Pema?
Pema Pera: with three viewpoints and three types of interactions
Fefonz Quan: well, if one of them is Stim, i would consider it a dialogue mostly ;-)
Pema Pera: for four: 4 viewpoitns and 6 lines of interaction
Pema Pera: :)
Fefonz Quan: (one of the three i menat)
Pema Pera: the absolute minimum would be 2, Arabella
Fefonz Quan: meant
arabella Ella listens
Pema Pera: but I would guess that any retreat would attract at least three or four
Pema Pera: but we'll see -- the 4/hour idea was crazy, and so was the 4/day, so why not 4/year?
Fefonz Quan: (note: the issue is not the attraction, but the ability to manifest it )
Pema Pera: so here's the plan:
Archmage Atlantis: Too many years in the corporate world, I guess, but what about sustained funding for the retreats
Wol Euler: a grup that small would have a quite different dynamic. We might rent a house and cook for ourselves, rather tahn taking over a retreaty place.
Pema Pera: last week of January in Malta (thanks Arabella), last week of April in California again, last week of July somewhere cool
arabella Ella: :)
Fefonz Quan: try to do that in tel aviv, and you'll fincd it's cheaper to fly hehe
Pema Pera: yes, Wol
Pema Pera: funding would be great, indeed
Pema Pera: we can try and see
Fefonz Quan: (->Wol)
arabella Ella: January in Malta could be quite cool you know :)
Pema Pera: but not freezing!
Wol Euler: so january in Tel Aviv, and spring in Malta?
arabella Ella: no snow
Wol Euler: winter in Iceland :)
Wol Euler: *summer in Iceland, sorry.
Wol Euler: autumn in France or Germany
Fefonz Quan: No, i meant just that the rental prices in TA are sky rocketing...
Fox Monacular: summer in Montreal...
arabella Ella: maybe in Eilat Fef?
arabella Ella: in low season
Pema Pera: I think that it's nice to have a different continent each time, so after Malta a very different place, Wol
Fefonz Quan: i can hadle that, Ara :)
Pema Pera: yes, Fox, great idea!
Fefonz Quan: how cold is it in malta?
Fox Monacular: :)
Pema Pera: and how warm in July in Montreal?
arabella Ella: at the moment about 40 degrees
Wol Euler: eeeep
arabella Ella: in winter average 15 - 18 daytime
Fox Monacular: 25-30 in summer
Pema Pera: you call that cold, Arabella :-)
arabella Ella: yes
Pema Pera: sounds great, Fox!
Wol Euler: :)
Fefonz Quan: this is like San Francisco on August, Ara
Fox Monacular: you can practice your french too:)
Wol Euler: mais oui!
arabella Ella: i think the dynamics of geographical location should relate to accessibility for those who could be expected to attend
Pema Pera: naturallement
arabella Ella: well Fef ... as in your homeland ... our cold is a damp cold
Fefonz Quan: damp cold?
Archmage Atlantis: Isn't that the cart before the horse, Ara?
Wol Euler: oh, yes, it makes a difference. Canada at -30 is not as miserable as London at +1
arabella Ella: maybe Arch
Fox Monacular: I will be in Boston for next year, so anywhere not too far from there is good for me...
Fefonz Quan: well arch, we always begin at the end here :)
Fox Monacular: I agree with Wol:)
Wol Euler: newport RI :)
Wol Euler: lovely out of season, with no tourists, just hte atlantic ocean breaking on the rocks
arabella Ella: :)
Fox Monacular: sounds awesome
Fefonz Quan had enough of the east coast winter
Wol Euler laughs
Fefonz Quan: i would go for what you call spring there
Fefonz Quan: and bring my coat
arabella Ella: me too :)
Fox Monacular: bye everyone, I have to go
Pema Pera: bye Fox!
arabella Ella: bye Fox
Wol Euler: bye fox, take care
Archmage Atlantis: Actually, a shore house in any of the Atlantic states with a good ocean view makes for a wonderful experience, having done that before
Fefonz Quan: bye Fox
Archmage Atlantis: Especially in winter
Wol Euler: mmhmm
Archmage Atlantis: Fireplace, ocean view, .....huddled in discussion
Fefonz Quan: my vote will e malta for winter, but that is obvious
arabella Ella: :)
Fefonz Quan: be*
Pema Pera: well, I have to get going
Pema Pera: thanks Fefonz, for your thoughtful reflections and recollections!
Wol Euler: nice to see you again, Pema. Take care.
arabella Ella: the countryside here is lovely in winter, walking on cliffs, watching the sea ... it is so lovely all green and blue
arabella Ella: bye Pema
Pema Pera: I'm sold, Arabella :-)
Fefonz Quan: BYE pEMA
arabella Ella: cool
Pema Pera: bey everybody!
Archmage Atlantis: Adio, Mssr. Pera
Yakuzza Lethecus: bye pema
Archmage Atlantis: *Adios
arabella Ella: au revoir
--BELL--
Fefonz Quan: I can say in favor of SL, that after i moved here, the only place i can still visit as i did the lsat moths, is here :)
Wol Euler smiles
arabella Ella: :)
Fefonz Quan: last months
arabella Ella: one advantage with Malta is the short travelling distances
Fefonz Quan: (thought we'll keep it a secret Ara ;-)
arabella Ella: and Wol Malta in winter is similar to Germany in Spring
arabella Ella: ah
arabella Ella: ok secret then?
Archmage Atlantis: Fef, does that mean that the quality or nature of what you experience in other places has changed, or that you do not visit other places?
Fefonz Quan: I meant that now that i moved to another continent, none of the places i went to, the coffee shops, stores, etc. are out of reach for me now
Archmage Atlantis: Ah, and I thought it to be more philosophical *smile*
Fefonz Quan: we are practical philosophers here :)
Wol Euler grin
Wol Euler: +s
Yakuzza Lethecus: good night everyone, good evening arch
Wol Euler: goodnight yak, sleep well
Fefonz Quan: Bye Yaku
Archmage Atlantis: Nite Yak
arabella Ella: bye Yak
arabella Ella: nite
arabella Ella: so please say more Fef
arabella Ella: sounds intruiging
Fefonz Quan: more about what Ara?
arabella Ella: this
arabella Ella: 14:06] Fefonz Quan: I meant that now that i moved to another continent, none of the places i went to, the coffee shops, stores, etc. are out of reach for me now
Fefonz Quan: (Oh Lord, please don't let me be missunderstood)
Wol Euler: :)
arabella Ella: la la la
Wol Euler: speaking of which, have you heard Mr. Zimmerman's latest?
arabella Ella: no
arabella Ella listens
Fefonz Quan: there are many changes in my life now Ara, so in a way, the only 'place' i can visit now, which i could also visit one month ago, is SL.
arabella Ella: ah
arabella Ella: interesting
Fefonz Quan: have not Wol, should I?
arabella Ella: a constant
arabella Ella: in times of flux and change
arabella Ella: like the philosopher who had said
arabella Ella: you cannot step into the same river twice
Fefonz Quan: exactly. in fact, you cannot even seat in the same chair twice, the river is the easy example :)
arabella Ella: you really sound like a wise sage tonight Fef honestly :)
arabella Ella: makes a lot of sense
Wol Euler: :)
Wol Euler: it's the jetlag.
Fefonz Quan: right :)
Wol Euler: :)
arabella Ella: so jetlag makes once wise u think?
arabella Ella: he he
--BELL--
arabella Ella: makes one wise
Fefonz Quan: one twice :)
Wol Euler: it certainly makes one speak in koans.
arabella Ella: :)
Archmage Atlantis: I am certain Fef speaks truth, as I cannot even sit on my same personal seat twice.....fat content keeps changing, skin keeps renewing. etcetera, etcetera
Fefonz Quan: and the mind...
Wol Euler: cannot think the same thought twice :)
Fefonz Quan: i think you're right Wol. Well in second thought... :)
Archmage Atlantis: I must disagree Wol......I can't count the times I've thought, "Now where did I put my keys?"
Wol Euler: :)
Fefonz Quan: the question are always the same, though the answers go on changing
Fefonz Quan: questions*
arabella Ella: fraid i must go now ... nite all ... lovely to see u all here!
Archmage Atlantis: Nite ARa
Wol Euler: bye ara, take care.
Fefonz Quan: great seeing you here Ara! sleep well
Archmage Atlantis: Ok, this is going to be really hard core in a moment with just the 3 of us here......Time for supper I say *chuckle*
Archmage Atlantis: It's been a pleasure Fef
Wol Euler: :)
Wol Euler: bye arch, bon appetit
Fefonz Quan: for me too Arch
Archmage Atlantis: And always go to see you Wol
Fefonz Quan: enjoy you dinner
Archmage Atlantis: Tks, later.....Blessings
Fefonz Quan: _/!\_
Fefonz Quan: Think i'll call it a night too, it's half past midnight here and i have a job interview tomorrow
Wol Euler: good luck!
Fefonz Quan: it's reat to see you again here Wol,
Wol Euler: it's great to see you again, fef
Fefonz Quan: thought of your spirit sometimes during the retreat
Wol Euler: awww :)
Wol Euler: I wish I could have been there.
Fefonz Quan: hope some other time.
Wol Euler: definitely.
Fefonz Quan: Good night !
Wol Euler: 'night fef, take care.