Category: daily prompt

daily prompt

Have you Ever Heard of Humans?

nhpureandsimple

If aliens arrived tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d ask them?

Well… Mr. Alien, I think you’ve just landed on the wrong planet.

But… i just wonder whether you have ever heard of human beings in the first place?

This is a very critical question, and I assume you seem in the blue about what we are. I mean, we human beings.

And poor you, you’ve landed in the most crucial moment in the entire history of human civilisation.

Have you any idea what civilisation is?

Don’t look that confused. We humans are good at using big words in broad, vague ways.

Now, back to my first question, and please, you have to answer it with absolute honesty and sincerity. 

WordPress has assigned me this critical task, and they also granted me full permission to ask you any question; technically one question.

Oh, poor you, I’ve already asked more than one.

So let’s go back to the first question.

Do you remember it?

Don’t look that confused again.

I’ve warned you, you’ve landed on the wrong planet.

Have you heard of Mars or Jupiter or Neptune? 

I can guarantee you’d enjoy a wonderful vacation there.

I assume you’re planning a short break?

Is Mercury your home?

Why that confused look again?

Oh my, I’m asking too many questions again.

So here it is, my question clear and simple:

Have you ever heard of humans?

No reply, just that confused look.

Well, apparently you’ve never heard of humans.  

So… simply, humans are a unique version of aliens living on a different planet, one that has reached its full capacity for what you can call… many categories of aliens. And you know what? Our human alien categories have been multiplying like weeds all over the globe. Some of them will even try to make a human out of you.

Now, if you were, by any chance, trying to squeeze in, you would be disappointed.

And don’t worry, I will let WordPress know that you were confused, shocked, and, I will add, scared too, just for some dramatic effect.

And since it seems to me that you fathom nothing of this interview, I will respect and protect your privacy rights, and won’t take any pictures of you.

Anyway, I wish you a safe return to your home.

And now, it’s time to edit your interview for publishing.

With alien-and-human thoughts,

Nahla

P.s. As a memorable souvenir, I offered my alien interviewee a sunset photo of our beautiful Earth . 

Sorry this was a sunrise photo 🙃, but anyway Mr Alien wouldn’t mind😊

daily prompt

Reading: The Underrated Skill

nhpureandsimple

What’s the most underrated life skill?

Yes, reading is one of the most underrated skill.

Sometimes, I wonder whether people actually consider reading as a skill. But of course it is a skill.

They say that if you know how to read a text, you will know how to form and answer questions. 

That’s why, in schools, students always have comprehension texts in their language exams. You can say that these are tests of their reading skills. 

But the problem is that there’s a big difference between reading as a hobby and reading as a skill. Comprehension exercises in exams need good reading skills so that students can understand how to answer the questions. That’s why students are taught certain techniques as they practice comprehension texts before their exams.

One of these techniques is to quickly scan the text. The second is to read with good concentration. The third is to focus on the main points in the text. 

Now, reading as a hobby is a wonderful companion. It offers knowledge, enrich speaking, and, of course improve writing.

Reading as a hobby also creates a good, solid foundation for practising and understanding all reading techniques without the pressure of tests. 

If you read about different topics, you will surely have some knowledge of different genres of books, and that will automatically offer you different reading techniques.

Reading fiction, for example, is not like reading a philosophical book.

Fiction techniques are based on imagination, wordplay, imagery and senses.

Philosophy techniques are mainly based on deep thinking, concepts, and long threads of complex, entangled words.

Have you noticed anything of what I have just mentioned in this post in your reading?

I hope you have.

Because if you have, then you agree that reading is a skill that has been underrated for so long.

With reading thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt, holidays, memories

The Best Advice for Exploring a New City

nhpureandsimple

What’s the best way to explore a new city?

Last summer, me and my family went on holiday to Malaysia. I already wrote some bits and pieces about it in my summer holiday posts, but I totally forgot to talk about this piece of advice from a taxi driver.

He said: “Use the public transport to get to know Malaysia better. You won’t know us, the local people, until you communicate with us. Malaysians are good people.”

This advice is one of the best memories I will always remember from Malaysia.

And I totally agree with the taxi driver. 

Yes, the best way to explore a city is to use public transport, to communicate with local people, to taste their food, to listen to their stories, and, of course, to learn a little of their language. 

Did we follow that advice?

To some extend, we did.

So, in case you’re thinking to explore a new city on your next holiday, remember that piece of advice from the Malaysian taxi driver.

With summer-holiday-thoughts,

Nahla

A Sound, a Lizard, and a Big Laugh

Thanks, Malaysia

daily prompt, Just writing

My First Encounter With Karma

nhpureandsimple

Do you believe in karma?

My first acquaintance with the word Karma was through a Drama lecturer whose name was Karma. Back then, this name was not as popular as it is today. I was so occupied with my studies that I didn’t care much about its meaning or origin.

But, of course, a few years later, everyone seemed to be an expert on the word, including myself. We have been repeating it quite a lot.

Now, back to the real concept of karma.

It is not about whether we believe in it or not.

I think its meaning just … echoes a universal belief.

If you hurt someone out of cruelty, one day someone else will hurt you for the same reason.

What you do will come back to you. 

Does the word retribution fit into this context?

Or does justice fit better?

I’ll go with justice, because the gate of justice is open to mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

And karma is more open to kindness than punishment 

But the gate of retribution is different. It opens when there is a hopeless case that calls for urgent, unmistakable punishment.

So, I believe in justice, which may also be called karma

With karma thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Spontaneous Moments

nhpureandsimple

What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?

You know, the most spontaneous moments are the funniest.

True.

Imagine yourself, or perhaps that happened to you too, when out of nowhere you remember something funny and burst out laughing. Things would be okay if you were by yourself, but when you’re walking along the road and suddenly start laughing, things turn from a spontaneous moment to an embarrassing moment.

But no worries, there’s always a solution.

Grab your phone and pretend you’re on a funny call.

Things could happen in social gatherings too, and your laughter would make sense if it followed a funny comment, joke, or story. But when there’s a fight, not that violent one, but those childlike adult arguments, some people fall into this spontaneous laugher.

But again, don’t sorry, you’ll always find supporters

And, there’s this spontaneous laugher that comes when one of your children is deeply emotional, angry, or sad. You sit or stand still, waiting for the storm to pass or clam down, and when that precious moment arrives, your spontaneous laughter makes this quick, bouncy landing that wipes away the weight of those last long, hard moments.

With spontaneous thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Would You Live in Your Parents’ Garment?

nhpureandsimple

What’s something you do completely differently from how you were raised?

In Arabic, there’s a saying or perhaps an old adage says: I’m not going to live in my father’s garment. 

Actually, this saying became the title of a famous TV drama in the nineties.

Anyway, parents, in most cases, want their children to live a far better than life than they did. That’s why they often work hard, save money, and build big dreams for the future of their children.

And, sometimes, parents believe that their children will always follow their footsteps. 

But the thing is, life is unexpected.

And this garment whatever it may be; a profession, a business, or even certain traites, won’t always fit the size of their children.

So…even though you and your siblings may have been raised in the same way, your lives don’t have to be the same. 

It’s not only about choices, whether to follow this path or that, but it’s also about how life changes, and how it changes you along the way.

With parents’-garment thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

Manchester Oxford Road

nhpureandsimple

What’s the best thing you’ve ever found randomly on the street?

On familiar roads, streets, and cities, memories are often the first things to rise and flow one after another as you walk along and through them.

Have you ever experienced that quiet feeling of nostalgia?

I have.

As you walk along a familiar street, a memory of an old friend, a joke, or even a phone call might pop up into your head without any warning.

Those moments are actually the best gifts you may find along the road, and they may be the most precious too.

Whenever I visit Manchester and walk along Oxford road, where Manchester University is, the memories of our first days in the UK rush back into my mind as if it was yesterday.

Things have changed, though; with new shops, new buildings, and of course new faces, but I don’t mind. My first memories of this city always come back fresh and strong. 

There, in the university accommodation which still has its unique name, Horniman House, we lived for quite a few years.

On this road, I walked with new friends from different countries. 

On this road, I heard the Manchester accent that was so different from the English I learned throughout my entire education.

On this road, I knew how it felt like to be soaked by the British heavy showers.

On this road, I got my first sunburn under the British glaring, bossy sun.

And there are more and more memories, I find along this road whenever I go there, but that’s enough for now.

With memories-along- the-road thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

My First Cooking Book

nhpureandsimple

What’s a book you never finished but still think about?

Years ago, during the final steps of my wedding preparations, my mother insisted that I should have one of those well- known cooking books in my new home. She had already bought me one before I had even thought about it. 

Before getting married, I used to help in the kitchen, but I had never been in charge of making full meals or anything complicated.

So my mother (may God bless her soul) believed that a cooking book would be a good help.

Honestly, I never used it, and I have no idea where I left it.

I might have had a look at it, though, but that was all.

Since then, whenever a booking book, with its colourful, mouth watering pictures and recipes, fell into my hands, I would give it a quick scan and put it back where I found it.

This doesn’t mean I don’t like cooking, because I do.

The thing is, perfection, consistency, exact measurements, are not on every woman’s cooking agenda.

By the way, would you really pause one day to think about a book that you never finished?

If the book was really of any interest to you, then you would have finished it. 

Otherwise, you’d ruffle through its pages and quietly set it aside without anyone noticing.

With a-book-never-finished thoughts,

Nahla 

P.S. the falafel in the photo are not home-made.

daily prompt

Can it be a book?

nhpureandsimple

What’s the last movie that made you cry?

I didn’t watch movies much but I used to, though.

The recent movie I watched was Toy Story 5  which of course doesn’t make anyone cry. 

Me and my daughter watched it just for a change, something different to do during the summer holiday.

But that’s all.

I love reading more.

So, instead of a movie, my recent reading book is really what can make a reader weep. 

It’s such a book that stirs tendre emotions; fear, horror, sadness, compassion, mercy, love, hate, injustice, and even moments of happiness.

But… honestly, I didn’t technically cry. 

It just made me feel like crying.

This is the book; Before We Were Yours

With no-movies thoughts,

Nahla

daily prompt

The Conspiracy Theory of Seagulls 

nhpureandsimple

What’s a conspiracy theory you actually find believable?

I used to believe seagulls were fish eaters.

Really.

And I never imagined they could be that big until I moved to 

the UK many years ago

But they’re not only getting bigger, they’re multiplying. 

And… they don’t seem interested in fish anymore.

They have changed their diet to human food, any kind of food, even the discarded leftovers in the food waste bins.

Apparently they have changed  their own conspiracy theory about food hunting over the years. Everything changes, so why shouldn’t they?

So, according to my humble observation, their updated theory now consists of two components.

First: the secret agents, the ones positioned on the rooftops, cars, buses, and those who walk side by side next to humans along the streets. They try to look cool and cute and well-behaved which is the most important part of the plan to support the second half of the theory.

Then comes the critical part, the job reserved for their professional leaders. When the right moment arrives, the gull commanders launch into one of their marvellous scuba-dive shows. But neither the dive nor the show has anything to do with marine life. Those big commanders plunge from the high sky, straight, strong, committed, towards their target: human hands. They snatch a poor human’s long-awaited meal. 

Yes, they snatch, gulp, swallow any kind of food, you, human, might be enjoying at that very moment.

And you, poor human, are totally oblivious to those gulls’ conspiracy theory. 

But recently, It seems that humans finally decided to form their own conspiracy theory against the gulls.

Yes, some old men in a public park were joking about having roasted gulls for dinner.

I only wish they would consider the difference between the wild gulls and the trash-eating ones.

Otherwise, their conspiracy theory does them no good.

The gulls will multiply, and those funny old men will be extinguished. 

With seagulls- conspiracy thoughts,

Nahla