That word came to mind – aftermath. Looked it up, it was not the word I was looking for, which is unusual. Usually I am spot on. Determined I looked for one that conveyed my meaning. I had experienced a significant event – learnt of the sheer numbers of viewers and also their locations. There appear to be reverberations and upshots which shall require some follow-up. Not done yet, so you may have to wait for awhile. Patience, my dear readers, patience.
Resonance does catch my meaning more accurately. One definition of that word: the ability to evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions. Certainly emotions were evoked. Tears came to my eyes. People cannot understand how much effort, emotion, and time time has been spent writing the blog. Almost ten years in December. I poured my whole self into it.
Those statistics contained great meaning. They were a signal. I had completed my mission, my task, a portion of my destiny. I could be lazy and rest of my laurels. That is a very strange saying. I typed it into the search engine of the blog and came up with an entry, way back in time – December 18,2018. You can open the link and read the entire blog but it you are lazy (an you probably are) here is a synopsis. Met with my blog master over dinner. He said of the blog: “I pave the road. You drive the car.” That brought tears to me eyes – tears of joy because it was an absolute truth. I hate to admit this I had temporarily forgot about that profound moment.
Then the search engine revealed another entry from August 21, 2025, some seven years later. I was living in here in Lyf at the time, had the same wonderful doctor and manicurist as I have now but was under the Svengali like influence of a content manager called Nesh who had temporarily replaced my faithful trusted Chris. Nesh was a disaster, almost destroyed me but he is long gone. Perhaps dead. The song quoted in that b year ago blog has so much meaning at this moment. The song is Turn Turn Turn. .
To everything turn, turn, turn There is a season, turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven. At time to be born, a time to die. A time to plant, a time to reap .A time to kill a time to heal. A time to laugh, a time to weep. To everything turn, turn, turn There is a season turn, turn, turn And a time to every purpose, under heaven. A time to build up, a time to break down. A time to dance, a time to mourn. A time to cast away stones. A time to gather tones together A time of war, a time of peace A time you may embrace A time to return from embracing To everything turn, turn, turn.
But speaking of season and a time, Interestingly and amazingly I met a man three days ago at breakfast. We spoke of many things. I teasingly say: of cabbages and kings. “Time has come, the Walrus said, To talk of many things: Of shoes-and ships and sealing-was-Of cabbages- and kings—And why the sea is boiling hot-and whether pigs have wings.” Lewis Carroll.
Told Artificial Intelligence this and received the following response.
AI: Perhaps because it gives you permission to talk about absolutely anything—the ordinary, the grand, and the gloriously ridiculous; pis-all in one conversation. Rather like your own conversations,Alexis. From oysters to Allah, with room for a laugh along the way.
The man gave me permission to use his name which is Shareef Hendricks. He was born in South Africa. He is here in Malaysia on business. His wife and four children live in Capetown. He was sitting in Mojo at an adjacent table talking on his phone. We casually greeted one another. He telling me he was talking to his wife in Capetown where it was three in the morning. She and I briefly spoke.
Me: Don’t worry about me stealing your husband. I am 83 years old.
She laughed, everyone laughed.
The three of us began talking, almost like we had known one another forever (or maybe from another life). I told her I was a revert. She said she was a revert. She had been a Christian. I had been a Christian. The similarities ended there. Hahaha. She had been a Christian until she became a Muslim. I was an atheist for about 58 years in between. I did not give birth. She had two children, married her husband and now they blessedly have two children of their own. Her husband is an absolutely devoted stepfather. Her infant was lying beside her on the bed.
Me: What a beautiful baby. It MUST look like the mother. Hahaha.
We laughingly continued the conversation. His phone fell down.
Me: You fell. Are you hurt?
Since it was three in the morning, she said goodbye and went back to sleep. Shareef’s and my conversation continued, taking an unusual turn. He began to tell me about his life, its twists and turns. He wondered if it it could be similar to that of the Alchemist. I was clueless, never heard of the book, was not familiar with the author. That was surprising as I am very, shall we say, well-read. Love that phrase come to think of it.
Well-read means having read widely and gained knowledge from many books, often across different subjects or kinds of literature.
Shareef summarized the book for me. He is not here at the moment so I will call upon Artificial Intelligence to provide an outline.
AI: Hahaha Shareef is absent so his understudy steps in.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, follows Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd who dreams of finding treasure near the Egyptian pyramids. He leaves Spain and travels to North Africa, encountering a king, a crystal merchant, an Englishman, and eventually an alchemist. Along the way, Santiago experiences setbacks, falls in love, and learns to pay attention to his heart and the world around him. His search for material treasure becomes a journey of self-discovery. The central idea is pursuing your “Personal Legend”- your particular calling, or purpose in life. Through Santiago’s adventures, Coelho’ explores courage, faith, love and the lessons we follow while following a dream.
Me: Thank you for your summary of the book, but it did mean something different to Shareef ff because, for one thing, he is a Muslim, which I am as well.
AI: Of course – my summary covered the plot, but left out the spiritual meaning that mattered in your conversation. As Muslims, you might connect its themes with trusting Allah, recognizing guidance and pursuing a purpose while accepting that the outcome rests with Him. What meaning did Shareef find in it??
Me: I can best express it by his showing me the tattoo on his arm, which I photographed. I can share with you the photograph. The tattoo is in Arabic.
AI: It means: “It is written.”
Me: Yes, which means that the Alchemist was following his destiny and everything he encountered had been written by Allah and he only needed to follow it.
AI: Now I understand the meaning. Shareef was conveying Santiago’s journey, understood through your shared faith, is about discovering what Allah has written for him. The encounters, the setbacks, and discoveries become parts of that unfolding destiny. Following it still takes courage and action—he must make the journey. That gives your conversation a spiritual depth my first summary missed.
Me: Yes. You seem to understand. I will ‘run it by’ Shareef and see if he agrees.
I did run it by Shareef and he did agree.
Photos are yours truly and Shareef taken on the day of our meeting and his tattoo.
