L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 58

Language Barrier

The last stop on my trip overseas was Paris. I stayed there for about a week. One of the issues with Paris is that Paris is in France. They speak French in France. My French is, to put it bluntly, somewhat less than good. Indeed, the word‘crappy’ comes to mind, followed shortly by the words‘extremely crappy’.

Nevertheless, I did try to use what French I knew when I was out and about. It wasn’t too horrible when I was buying something from a store (e.g., a croissant) since simply saying the na...

Short Stories In The Internet Age

I am a big fan of short stories. As much as I like novels, there are times when a short story is just better. Whether it is on something like a train ride or a bus trip, being able to start and finish a story in one quick sitting is a pleasure all of its own.

Thus I watched the decline of the short story format in the 1990s and 2000s with a mixture of sorrow and disbelief. How could a format that had stood the test of time for the better part of a century go into decline? How could something...

A Pox Upon Their Houses

A pox upon their houses!

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!

Lay wrath and ruin upon their doorstep!

Woe and suffering be upon them!

Today, I attempted to upgrade my macbook to the newest version of OS X. I will never, ever try that again.

El Capitan, or El Crapitan as many have come to call it, is one of the single most horrific pieces of software that Apple has ever put together, and that’s saying something considering how hideous some of their previous efforts have been. Zero stars c...

Some Advice For New And Returning Writers

I’ve received a few messages asking me what advice I would offer to new or returning writers.

Hmm…

The best advice I can give people is to just write. Writing is a lot like a muscle in that it needs regular exercise and care to improve. Too often, people don’t write because they’re afraid that what they write won’t be good. Of course, if you don’t practice, then it’s no surprise that it isn’t good.

I would also tell people to set achievable goals or milestones. Think of it this way: if you wa...

The Old Lady With The Shopping Trolley

I go for a walk everyday, mostly because the troubles I’ve had with my knees over the past few years have made it difficult (and perhaps unwise) to resume the sort of training regime that I used to put myself through. In any case, I walk the same route everyday, deviating only if construction work or some other unusual circumstance forces me to alter my routine. As a result, I am very familiar with the area and am generally quick to notice if anything unusual is occurring.

Yesterday, I did no...

The Best Sausage Roll In Britain

Sausage rolls are one of the staples of Australian junk food, along with fish and chips and the noble meat pie. As part of my holiday, I decided to try to find the best sausage roll in Britain. I tried a sausage roll at pretty much every place we stayed, and I was fully expecting to find the winner somewhere in England since it’s something they’re supposed to be good at.

As a matter of fact, I did find a winner, a sausage roll that crushed all of the competition in a blaze of tasty goodness....

How Not To Get Through Immigration

During my trip overseas, I had a one night stop over in South Korea (this was on the way to Europe). As such, I had to go through immigration. Now, the signs near immigration made it abundantly clear that you were not to use your phone or any other electronic device while going through immigration. I suspect that it’s not simply a matter of politeness and respect, it also helps things move more smoothly while maintaining the appropriate level of security.

Now, I stood in line behind a Korean...

Planes

I can’t sleep on planes.

Normally, that isn’t an issue since I don’t travel all that much. However, I have just arrived back in Australia from Europe. To get back, I flew out of France to South Korea and then from South Korea to Australia. The first flight was about twelve hours, and the second flight was about ten hours. That’s roughly twenty-two hours of flight time, which is an eternity when you can’t sleep on planes

By the middle of the first flight, I was quietly contemplating all the wa...

To Arthur’s Seat

I had the pleasure yesterday of climbing up to Arthur’s seat overlooking Edinburgh. I was told that it was, at worst, a fairly brisk walk. I have to say that it was substantially more than that.

The beginning and middle sections of the climb were not particularly difficult. Indeed, were it not for the ample amounts of mud present on account of all the rain that had fallen throughout the day, it would not have been unlike a stroll in the park although with far more impressive and imposing scen...

A Happy New Year To You All

I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year.

May 2016 be everything you hope for and more. May 2016 be the year when all your dreams come true. And may 2016 be the kind of year you can look bad on with warmth, fondness, and affection.