Tag: dailyprompt

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 thoughts, Just writing

Readingship

nhpureandsimple

Which relationship has taught you the most about yourself?

So before starting this post, I’d like to announce that Readingship is my new addition to the English Vocabulary. Perhaps one day, it will be accepted and added to English dictionaries. If that happens, I hope I will  be credited with full rights for making up a new and special word that connects readers and books.

Now back to this post. 

Readingship is a wonderful sort of relationship. It not only opens the door wide to let you learn about different things, but it also helps you more than you can imagine. This Readingship can help you improve yourself, your life, and even your way of thinking. This readingship offers you the kind of good company that you have almost lost faith in finding through friendship. 

And you know what? Readingship makes wonderful company; pure, simple companionship that can be better than friends who may, out of the blue, disappear or give you the cold shoulder for no sensible reason or even an insensible one. But then Readingship comes not only to the rescue, but also with comfort, reassurance, and a sense of safety. 

If you believe in Readingship, why not come aboard?

It’s all about getting into the reading ship and pretending to be its sailor.

You will find a vast sea full of different books.

You may explore here and there, or a pick a story.

A book might make you laugh, cry, or scared.

It might give you a headache or soothe your troubled soul.

You might love it or hate it.

But as you engage in this Readingship journey, you will never feel the same as when you first stepped onto the ship.

You no longer feel lonely.

You feel more and more excited.

And you surely feel safe; remember you’re the sailor aboard the reading ship.

You stop worrying  about who gets on and who leaves.

You’re on your ship, sailing into many different worlds.

With readingship thoughts,

Nahla 

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

Just writing

Readers and Writers

nhpureandsimple

How do you write what people actually want to read?

Why would I write what people want to read?

The idea seems a bit out of place. 

Well… at least for me.

For academic or teaching or other scientific forms of writings, it certainly makes perfect sense to write what people want to read and what they want to investigate.

But for a personal blogger or an emerging writer, writing is all about inspiration, imagination, freedom of style, a unique voice, and perhaps an escape, or better put, a short break. 

If you choose to think this way, would you first think about what others want to read, or about what you want to write?

By the way, that doesn’t mean you don’t care about your readers. But of course, you do.

My point is that… different readers will find you, but you can’t satisfy all of them. 

Or, in other words, let readers continue on their journey of exploration until they find your piece.

Let them like it or not like it.

Perhaps they will feel it was written just for them.

Perhaps they will feel it wasn’t for them.

And you smile, happy, for at least your piece was read somewhere by someone.

With reader and writer 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 thoughts

Which Fictional Character?

nhpureandsimple

If you had to switch lives with a fictional character for a week, who would you choose?

I’ve read too many fictional books that it’s hard to think of a certain character to swap lives.

Some of those characters stayed with me, like Jane Eyre. 

By the way Jane Eyre was the first novel I read and studied for my English degree. I loved this book, and later I read more by Charlotte Bronte. 

I liked other fictional characters too: Anne Shirley, Judy Abbot, and others I can’t remember right now. 

But honestly, I can’t imagine swapping lives with any. My imagination can’t work on this idea. 

Perhaps it’s because these characters belong to someone else; their authors. 

I believe writers temporarily swap lives with their characters, to make them come alive on the page.

And as you read, you become an invisible guest hiding under a magical cloak; seeing things, but not seen. 

So perhaps the best option is to write a book and create your own story.

Hopefully, one day, I will.

With fiction–and–characters 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