2009.12.25 07:00 - Between Present Opening and Breakfast

The Guardian for this meeting was Pema Pera. The comments are by Pema Pera.

For a while I was quietly enjoying the peaceful surroundings of the pavilion.  Then, after a quarter of an hour, I saw that Sophia came online.  We had a little IM chat, after which she dropped by at the pavilion.  With her permission, I'm starting with our IM exchange, given that that was the first part of our conversation.

Pema Pera: Hi Sophia!
sophia Placebo: hi :)
Pema Pera: Thanks for your email -- I will respond to it in a few days, after I give others a chance to respond first
Pema Pera: and btw, I read a really nice sentence from you, just now, in a session of six days ago, in response to a new visitor.  You wrote:
Pema Pera: "sophia Placebo: we try to be in the realm between what is relative and what is absolute and see what really is , kind of exploration of reality i guess"
Pema Pera: that's a brilliant summary!
sophia Placebo: that sentence actually was almost your words
sophia Placebo: i liked the image of us being on the shore and droplet of water coming to us on dry land
sophia Placebo: maybe some old session im not sure
Pema Pera: I don't remember saying something like that, but I may have -- but in any case, you have said it in your own words, which are definitely different from mine, and personal!
sophia Placebo: some session with maxine , mostly old one , but i liked the image , and the effect of the image on mind
sophia Placebo: well maybe
Pema Pera: Also, I think I have talked more about trying to do both, relative and absolute focus, while you mentioned a "realm between" which is a really nice touch
Pema Pera: so thank you!
Pema Pera: yes, the image of droplets and shore line is nice -- I also vaguely remember it.  There have been two thousands sessions so far, I think, so I certainly don't remember the details of all of them :)
sophia Placebo: hehe , true , thats why documentations help , we lose some of the finest insights sometimes

After this point in our IM Sophia popped up at the pavilion and we switched to regular chat.

Pema Pera: oh hi Sophia!
sophia Placebo: hi :)
Pema Pera: nice to see you in person, after our IMs!
sophia Placebo: everyone celebrating
Pema Pera: many I guess, for Christmas
sophia Placebo: yes hehe :) nice to see you too
Pema Pera: but not here in Japan, it has been a normal workday
sophia Placebo: i've been told so
Pema Pera: the real holidays start on January 1, and then for several days everything comes to a stand still
Pema Pera: and the sky is the most wonderful blue during those days, even in Tokyo, since most factories shut down as well
sophia Placebo: brilliant
sophia Placebo: i hope there is one international day for shutting factories for the sake of clean air
Pema Pera: that would be a great idea indeed!
sophia Placebo: how much one day can affect the enviromnet i wonder
Pema Pera: it can affect the awareness of people, that may be more important . . . .
Pema Pera: do you have noticeable air pollution where you live?
sophia Placebo: if it affected the invironment it would affect their awarness
sophia Placebo: yes pretty clear
sophia Placebo: the sky is not blue , sea was affected by wars and land was affected by less water and poor water mangement
sophia Placebo: higher cancer rates with younger ages than the international avarage
Pema Pera: that sounds pretty bad!
sophia Placebo: it is , and it is multi factorial , some are changable some k=like wars are best to be avoidable
--BELL--
Pema Pera: by the way, do you know much about the new university, KAUST ?
sophia Placebo: yes , not much though
Pema Pera: it does seem like a fascinating experiment
sophia Placebo: Hello Widget
Pema Pera: Hi Widget!
Widget Whiteberry: Good morning
Pema Pera: Hi Nymf!
sophia Placebo: it is socially and scientifically , hmm i read a blog for american student there
Pema Pera: Santa Nymf :)
sophia Placebo: Hi Nymf
Nymf Hathaway: Merry Christmas Pema, Sophia and Widget :)
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆
Pema Pera: what did the blog say, Sophia?
Pema Pera: Merry Christmas to you too, Nymf -- though here in Japan it is December 26 already :-)
Nymf Hathaway: Yes, I know :)

sophia Placebo: http://saudiaggie.blogspot.com/
sophia Placebo: merry xmass Nymf
sophia Placebo: just describing his life in saudi arabia
sophia Placebo: and the collage
sophia Placebo: but it is nice to see how the unfamiliar eyes would look to the familiar views , for me
Pema Pera: yes, there must be quite an influx of foreigners, all of a sudden!
Nymf Hathaway: Interesting blog Sophia
sophia Placebo: yes it is Nymf
sophia Placebo: not really Pema , at least not for me , we live near the oil wells , lots of forigeners here , but not really interacting with them except ocassionally
Pema Pera: yes, I guess it must be very different on a university campus, where everybody really mingles
Widget Whiteberry: 'everybody'?
Nymf Hathaway: May I ask why there is less interaction between both groups, Sophia? Or at least your vision on it.
sophia Placebo: because i dont live near them Nymf and i didnt work with many of them
sophia Placebo: yes Pema true , university is even better than work in social interaction i guess
Pema Pera: Well, I think I'll end my social interaction for now -- it is getting toward 1 am here
Widget Whiteberry: Sleep well, Pema
sophia Placebo: bye Pema
Nymf Hathaway: Have a good night Pema :)
Pema Pera: please enjoy the rest of the session, and of your day(s)!
--BELL--
Pema Pera: bfn

Widget Whiteberry: Sophia and Nymf, what time is it for each of you? For me it is nearly 8am.
Nymf Hathaway: 16.47 Netherlands here
sophia Placebo: 6 : 47 pm
Nymf Hathaway: Sophia is two hours ahead of us :)
Nymf Hathaway: us as in europe :)
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆
sophia Placebo: yes :)
Widget Whiteberry: we are all on different times .... I am just waking up
Nymf Hathaway: yes... USA?
Widget Whiteberry: I wonder how that effects our interactions around this pool
Widget Whiteberry: California, Nymf
Nymf Hathaway: oh it sure does
Widget Whiteberry: what have you noticed?
Nymf Hathaway: well I can only speak for me but when its late at night or early morning my contribution is low and listening is high... in between I am more active
Widget Whiteberry nods
Widget Whiteberry: I suppose something like that is so for me too
Nymf Hathaway: The brain needs time to awake... and slow down near bedtime :)
Widget Whiteberry: I am more likely to be here at 7am and 7pm
Widget Whiteberry: and more likely to have something to say at 7pm or 1pm if I manage to be here
Nymf Hathaway: for me it comes down to 4 in the afternoon and 11 at evening
Widget Whiteberry: and 4 in the morning and 11 in the morning
Widget Whiteberry: what about you, Sophia?
Widget Whiteberry waves to Wol
sophia Placebo: hello wol
Wol Euler: hello everyone
Nymf Hathaway: Merry Christmas Wol :))
Wol Euler: best holiday wishes to you, my dears
Wol Euler: I cant stay, just stealing a moment between present opening and breakfast
Widget Whiteberry: Nymf and I were just musing about our different time zones and how 'when we are' effect how we interact around the pond
Wol Euler: merry christmas, happy festivus, go∂ Yul
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆
Nymf Hathaway: You aren't at home, Wol?
sophia Placebo: im not sure , sure if i was sleepy or tired , 7 pm is early morning , too early to think , 7 am is when i just arrived from work , some time too tired or distracted , 1 pm is too late and sleepy 1 am at work
Wol Euler: at my parents' home in Toronto, with sister and her family
Nymf Hathaway: oooh nice.... have a great time :)
Widget Whiteberry: what do they think of your Second Life?
sophia Placebo: but i seem to have something to say always lol
Wol Euler: thank you, and the same to you all.
sophia Placebo: im talkative
Wol Euler smiles to Sophia
sophia Placebo: merry xmass wol , hope you get nice gifts
Wol Euler: oops, time to go breakfast is called
Widget Whiteberry: your mind is active, Sophia
Widget Whiteberry: enjoy, Wol!
Wol Euler: merry christmas, my dears, enjoy the holiday season
Widget Whiteberry: regards to your family
Wol Euler: will do!
Nymf Hathaway: Enjoy you time Wol :)
sophia Placebo: my mind or my toung for sure
Nymf Hathaway: My Islamic neighbours (wonderful people) always bring half of their christmas-gift-box to us because their employer still puts alcohol and pork in it :( I wish employers would change that!
sophia Placebo: lol lucky you
--BELL--
Nymf Hathaway: Wel its very sweet of them... but the employer misses the philosophy behind the gift box this way
Widget Whiteberry: Unmindful generosity misses the mark, feels impersonal
Nymf Hathaway: I agree fully
sophia Placebo nods , it is better to gift something that the other would like , not something you would like to have
Widget Whiteberry: that is a good thougth to hold, Sophia, thank you
Widget Whiteberry: thought*
Widget Whiteberry: Do you two have time to consider another question?
Nymf Hathaway: I have
sophia Placebo: i have 15 mint
Widget Whiteberry: Sometimes I can't get here at the beginning of a session
Widget Whiteberry: I almost always stay through to the end
Widget Whiteberry: what is the best way to enter when I am late?
Widget Whiteberry: or is it best not to come at all when I cannot come for the beginning?
sophia Placebo: hehe walking , dont fly over poeple and say quick hi
Widget Whiteberry: ☆smiles☆
Widget Whiteberry: when I enter and everyone says hello, I feel I've interrupted the flow of thought
Nymf Hathaway: The last I wouldn't agree upon Widget... and the first I think is personal... everyone brings him/herself.... and frankly I think thats the power of international groups... the differences between everyone
sophia Placebo: some sessions are short but some are really active and long so you never know
sophia Placebo: some starts after the second bell :)
Widget Whiteberry: so arriving late is not rude?
Widget Whiteberry: not disruptive?
Nymf Hathaway: Not to me
sophia Placebo: nop , not for me at least
Widget Whiteberry: thank you, this has been troubling to me
sophia Placebo: it is disruptive to the chat log to be honest
Nymf Hathaway: Than it is good you made it a topic!
Widget Whiteberry: Please say more about that, Sophia
sophia Placebo: specially if it was one of the great sessions , well the offline reader is not at the same mood as the online reader
Widget Whiteberry: because a productive conversation is disprupted?
Widget Whiteberry: disrupted*
sophia Placebo: we read alive chat , but offline readr would not care much who arrived and who left , he would care about what was said in regard to the main topic of that session
sophia Placebo: yes widget
Widget Whiteberry: I rarely read the logs. How would I know when there is a 'great one'?
sophia Placebo: the one that stay in memory , even after years
Widget Whiteberry: hmm, for me it is the opposite - in a log I can skip over the hello/goodbyes
Widget Whiteberry: in real time, my mind skips from following the thread to the ins and outs of greetings and fairwells
sophia Placebo: hmm intersting
Widget Whiteberry: so I try to enter quietly and greet everyone at once
sophia Placebo: maybe cuz im used to that in real life , lots of ins and outs but we keep same topic or resume it later
Widget Whiteberry nods
sophia Placebo: i g2g
Widget Whiteberry: something for me to focus on
Widget Whiteberry: thank you both
sophia Placebo: see you later !
Nymf Hathaway: Bye bye you two, sorry distracted in rl
Widget Whiteberry: bye!