Hello Elmat, SARS JOURNAL 2004 & YEAR of the MONKEY VACATION DREAMING postings:
<<I bet you're going to a deflated country :-)>>
… Hmmn, no, not exactly. The currency of the place I am going to has appreciated against the USD by double digits within the past 12 months, and 12 months before that, and 12 months before that. In the scheme of global investoriate balloting, my destination has been, and will likely continue to go up in price when measuring with the USD.
I had thought that this year’s Chinese New Year’s holiday journey should be more of a pilgrimage for renewal and not so much a 'sightsee' trip.
The 33 hour passage must not lead me to banal historical artifact of whichever empire gone, and must not allow me to come into contact with infectious popular culture.
My crossing must allow me entry to a world onto itself, as our world must have been once, before the rise of the Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians, and in fact, before the age of political domains.
I want to come as close to the time as all of these creations crystalinks.com undoubtedly happened.
I want to seek out the original singularity, be embraced by the elemental world that was before civilization, and be caressed by the primordial water that was present at the beginning of time (this set of parameters knocks out my kitchen as a pilgrimage location :0)
In getting there, as in many of my investment zigs and zags, I must once again make my signature contrary trade. The destination weather is not the best by conventional definition. Perhaps we will luck out with the sun-to-cloud ratio, and in any case my book readings do not require good weather.
Besides, the supposedly bad weather should be fun also, just as a bear market is a hoot of a looting party and chaos is a gift.
I am familiar with 'bad weather' in tropical places, where sunshine alternates with rain, creating a rising steamy fog from the baked water, like so …
… Message 17638139
<<June 22nd, 2002
… I am just back from swim and lunch, and about to check into nap corner.
The atmosphere outside was interesting. Temperature around 38-ish (for US folks, around 90-something), humidity around 95%, alternately showering and sunshine, with the water vaporizing as steam from the asphalt, reflecting the sunshine.
The beach was devoid of people, except the lifeguards, the kiosk lady, her daughter, and Jay. The water was beautiful, warm for 2 feet depth, and cold below that. I swam, ate lunch, bantered with the daughter, and watched a game of chess between two lifeguards.
Now, nap>>
So, OK, I am going to what effectively is the edge of the world and the beginning of time, within the event horizon of rapture, at the epicenter of sanctuary, and I suppose while I am there, the rest of the world could undergo a transformation via the equation of nuclear calculus, become crazy over SARS, mad of cows, or arrive at TeoTwawKi by way of the traditional financial Armageddon.
After all, should any of the dire events occur, it is best that they occur while I am out of path of the main thrust of danger ;0)
Maurice had asked what he must have meant to be a rhetorical question, since I know his answer is, as always, as for every contingency, 'Q' …
Message 19619644
<<What should a time traveller carry?>>
I have been pondering on this very question for years, and on SI:
Message 19646483
I figure I must take into account this earlier and fanciful contingency plan Message 19512275
<<November 17th, 2003
… Once we are there, I do not think SARS will bother us, and I doubt we would even be fussed about global thermal nuclear conflict, although I hope there would still be some ATMs in operation ... hmmmn, I think I better take my geewhizbang platinum perpetual equation of time mechanism and some gold coins with me, just in case we have to start a new life :0) >>
The labour that went into making the platinum watch is denominated in Swiss labour, is unlikely to be replaced in any acceptable fashion by either Chinese or Indian work anytime soon, will not be easily replaced by Japanese robotics, and cannot be accomplished by American outsourcing to Mexico. Besides acting as emergency financial reserve, the watch will also enable me to tell the moon phase at the edge of the world, until the end of time.
I also must take to heart Maurice's advice regarding Q, however it may be contrary to my wife's wishes; I will bring along my GSM-conforming, GPRS-enabled and BlueTooth-linked command-and-control center, just in case a definitively opportune moment flashes on my CNBC channel, calling me to a looting :0)
I must have the tools close at hand so that even from within the embrace of time zero and in the lap of location naught, I can react to a call for looting, reach across the ether, carry out a pillage, and then abscond back to heaven on earth for a good day's respite and reading.
Speaking of reading, I will bring the book, "The Great Swindle" achamchen.com with me, to read, and if necessary, to use in teaching the Financial Cataclysm survivors of in my elemental world on the tragedy that is Maestro Greensputin and the evil that is Professor BurnAndKaput, so that their blunders are never repeated.
Chugs, Jay
SARS JOURNAL 2004 & YEAR of the MONKEY VACATION DREAMING postings:
Message 19632541
<<December 28th, 2003>> |
