#I keep coming back to Timor Leste

[northwest-by-a-train]

Today, one of the leading cable news hosts just asked the French justice minister about reopening penal colonies in French Guyane and New Caledonia. Today, as the USA announced a deal that would see El Salvador become a penal colony. Later that day, Trump, next to genocidaire Netanyahu, announced his plan to turn Gaza into a U.S. protectorate. Italy is sending its unwanted migrants to Albania. Russia is using shock troops from Siberia and North Korea and causing government crises all across the Caucasus. The U.K. had plans to send its migrants to Rwanda and paid good money to do so. Rwanda's Kagame is using Western money and arms to wage a genocidal war on Congo. The EAU are the ones fueling death in Sudan. The BJP is doing mass ethnic cleansings and massacres based on religious and ethnic criteria. To say nothing of the blight that is Israel.

This is fascism, yes, but it's also the resurgence of Victorian Era politics. Colonialism, "spheres of influence" geopolitics, protectionism and trade wars. This tells us this about our enemy: their politics were defeated at every single turn. This is not about the arc of the moral universe bending towards us, this is about the enemy being spectacularly weak and exposing itself to ruin. The past century is a record of those defeats. Yes, the enemy is resurgent, but it has learned nothing, and we have 150 years of learning accessible to us.

These are grim times. Yet the past victories of the oppressed peoples of the earth tell us it is not only possible to defeat our enemy, it is the safest bet you're ever going to make in this lifetime.

[renaissanceclassics]

The Pilgrim's Progress: Part 19

Listen to: Book 2, 5th stage, at Renaissance Classics Podcast.

Now when they had eaten and drank, and had chatted a little longer, their guide said to them, "The day wears away; if you think good, let us prepare to be going." So they got up to go, and the little boys went before; but CHRISTIANA forgot to take her bottle of spirits with her, so she sent her little boy back to fetch it. Then said MERCY, "I think this is a losing place. Here CHRISTIAN lost his roll; and here CHRISTIANA left her bottle behind her: Sir, what is the cause of this?" So their guide made answer and said, "The cause is sleep or forgetfulness: some sleep when they should keep awake; and some forget when they should remember; and this is the very cause why often, at the resting places, some pilgrims in some things come off losers. Pilgrims should watch, and remember what they have already received under their greatest enjoyments; but for want of doing so, oft times their rejoicing ends in tears, and their sunshine in a cloud: witness the story of CHRISTIAN at this place."

When they were come to the place where MISTRUST and TIMOROUS met CHRISTIAN to persuade him to go back for fear of the lions, they perceived as it were a stage; and before it, towards the road, a broad plate, with a copy of verses written thereon, and underneath, the reason of raising up of that stage in that place rendered. The verses were these:

"Let him that sees this stage take heed Unto his heart and tongue; Lest, if he do not, here he speed As some have long agone."

The words underneath the verses were, "This stage was built to punish such upon, who, through timorousness or mistrust, shall be afraid to go farther on pilgrimage. Also on this stage both MISTRUST and TIMOROUS were burned through the tongue with a hot iron, for endeavouring to hinder CHRISTIAN in his journey." Then said MERCY, "This is much like to the saying of the Beloved, 'What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper'".

"What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper." ~ Psalms 120:4 ~

Grim So they went on till they came within sight of the lions. Now Mr. GREAT-HEART was a strong man, so he was not afraid of a lion; but yet when they were come up to the place where the lions were, the boys that went before were glad to cringe behind, for they were afraid of the lions: so they stepped back and went behind. At this their guide smiled, and said, "How now, my boys, do you love to go before when no danger doth approach; and love to come behind as soon as the lions appear?" Now as they went up, Mr. GREAT-HEART drew his sword, with intent to make a way for the pilgrims in spite of the lions. Then there appeared one that it seems had taken upon him to back the lions. And he said to the pilgrim's guide. "What is the cause of your coming hither?" Now the name of that man was GRIM, or BLOODY-MAN, because of his slaying of pilgrims; and he was of the race of the giants. Great-heart. Then said the pilgrims' guide, "These women and children are going on pilgrimage; and this is the way they must go: and go it they shall, in spite of thee and the lions ." Grim. This is not their way; neither shall they go therein. I am come forth to withstand them; and to that end will back the lions. Now to say truth, by reason of the fierceness of the lions, and of the grim carriage of him that did back them, this way had of late lain much unoccupied, and was almost all grown over with grass. Christiana: Then said CHRISTIANA, "Though the highways have been unoccupied heretofore, and though the travellers have been made in time past to walk through bypaths, it must not be so now I am risen: 'Now I am risen a mother in Israel'".

"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel." ~ Judges 5:6, 7 ~

Grim. Then he swore by the lions but it should; and therefore bade them turn aside, for they should not have passage there. But GREAT-HEART their guide made first his approach unto GRIM; and laid so heavily at him with his sword, that he forced him to a retreat. Grim. Then said he that attempted to back the lions, "Will you slay me upon mine own ground?" Great-heart. "'Tis the King's highway that we are in, and in his way it is that thou hast placed thy lions; but these women and these children, though weak, shall hold on their way in spite of thy lions." And with that he gave him again a downright blow, and brought him upon his knees. With this blow he also broke his helmet; and with the next he cut off an arm. Then did the giant roar so hideously, that his voice frightened the women; and yet they were glad to see him lie sprawling upon the ground. Now the lions were chained, and so of themselves could do nothing. Wherefore, when old GRIM that intended to back them was dead, Mr. GREAT-HEART said to the pilgrims, "Come now, and follow me, and no hurt shall happen to you from the lions." They therefore went on; but the women trembled as they passed by them, the boys also looked as if they would die; but they all got by without further hurt. Welcomed to the House Called "Beautiful" Now then, they were within sight of the porter's lodge, and they soon came up unto it; but they made the more haste after this to go thither, because 'tis dangerous travelling there in the night. So, when they were come to the gate, the guide knocked; and the porter cried, "Who is there?" But as soon as the guide had said, "It is I," he knew his voice, and came down; for the guide had oft before that come thither as a conductor of pilgrims. When he was come down, he opened the gate, and seeing the guide standing just before it (for he saw not the women, for they were behind him), he said unto him, "How now, Mr. GREAT-HEART; what is your business here so late tonight?" "I have brought," said he, "some pilgrims hither, where, by my Lord's commandment, they must lodge. I had been here some time ago, and I had not been opposed by the giant that did use to back the lions. But I, after a long and tedious combat with him, have cut him off, and have brought the pilgrims hither in safety." Porter. Will you not go in, and stay till morning? Great-heart. No, I will return to my Lord tonight. Christiana: Oh, sir, I know not how to be willing you should leave us in our pilgrimage: you have been so faithful and so loving to us; you have fought so stoutly for us; you have been so hearty in counselling of us--that I shall never forget your favour toward us. Mercy. Then said MERCY, "Oh that we might have thy company to our journey's end! How can such poor women as we hold out in a way so full of troubles as this way is without a friend and defender?" James. Then said JAMES, the youngest of the boys, "Pray, sir, be persuaded to go with us, and help us; because we are so weak, and the way so dangerous as it is." Great-heart. I am at my Lord's commandment. If he shall allot me to be your guide quite through, I will willingly wait upon you: but here you failed at first; for when he bade me come thus far with you, then you should have begged me of him to have gone quite through with you; and he would have granted your request. However, at present I must withdraw; and so, good CHRISTIANA, MERCY, and my brave children, adieu! Then the porter, Mr. WATCHFUL, asked CHRISTIANA of her country and of her kindred; and she said, "I came from the city of Destruction; I am a widow woman; and my husband is dead; his name was CHRISTIAN the pilgrim." "How?" said the porter, "was he your husband?" "Yes," said she, "and these are his children; and this" (pointing to MERCY) "is one of my townswomen." Then the porter rang the bell, as at such times he is wont; and there came to the door one of the damsels, whose name was HUMBLE-MIND. And to her the porter said, "Go, tell it within that CHRISTIANA, the wife of CHRISTIAN, and her children, are come hither on pilgrimage." She went in, therefore, and told it. But oh, what a noise for gladness was there within when the damsel did but drop that word out of her mouth ! So they came with haste to the porter; for CHRISTIANA stood still at the door. Then some of the most grave said unto her, "Come in, CHRISTIANA: come in, thou wife of that good man; come in, thou blessed woman; come in, with all who are with thee." So she went in; and they followed her that were her children and her companions. Now when they were gone in, they were had into a very large room, where they were bidden to sit down; so they sat down, and the chief of the house was called to see and welcome the guests. Then they came in; and, understanding who they were, did salute each other with a kiss, and said, "Welcome, ye vessels of the grace of God; welcome to us your friends!"

Now, because it was somewhat late, and because the pilgrims were weary with their journey, and also made faint with the sight of the fight and of the terrible lions, therefore they desired, as soon as might be, to prepare to go to rest. "Nay," said those of the family, "refresh yourselves first with a morsel of meat." For they had prepared for them a lamb, with the accustomed sauce belonging thereto;

"Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:" ~ Exodus 12:3 ~ "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." ~ John 1:29 ~

for the porter had heard before of their coming, and had told it to them within. So when they had supped, and ended their prayer with a psalm, they desired they might go to rest. "But let us," said CHRISTIANA, "if we may be so bold as to choose, be in that chamber that was my husband's when he was here." So they had them up thither, and they lay all in a room. When they were at rest, CHRISTIANA and MERCY entered into discourse about things that were convenient. Christiana: Little did I think once, that when my husband went on pilgrimage, I should ever have followed. Mercy. And you as little thought of lying in his bed, and in his chamber to rest, as you do now. Christiana: And much less did I ever think of seeing his face with comfort, and of worshipping the Lord the King with him; and yet now I believe I shall. Mercy. Hark, don't you hear a noise? Christiana: Yes, 'tis, as I believe a noise of music, for joy that we are here. Mercy. Wonderful! Music in the house; music in the heart; and music also in heaven--for joy that we are here. Mercy's Dream Thus they talked awhile, and then betook themselves to sleep. So in the morning, when they were awake, CHRISTIANA said to MERCY, Christiana: What was the matter, that you did laugh in your sleep tonight? I suppose you were in a dream. Mercy. So I was, and a sweet dream it was: but are you sure I laughed? Christiana: Yes, you laughed heartily; but prithee, MERCY, tell me thy dream. Mercy. I was a dreaming that I sat all alone in a solitary place, and was bemoaning the hardness of my heart. Now I had not sat there long, but methought many were gathered about me to see me, and to hear what it was that I said. So they hearkened; and I went on bemoaning the hardness of my heart. At this, some of them laughed at me; some called me fool; and some began to thrust me about. With that methought I looked up, and saw one coming with wings towards me. So he came directly to me, and said, "MERCY, what aileth thee?" Now when he had heard me make my complaint, he said, "Peace be to thee!" He also wiped mine eyes with his handkerchief, and clad me in silver and gold; he put a chain about my neck; and earrings in mine ears; and a beautiful crown upon my head.

"Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck." ~ Ezekiel 16:8-11 ~

Then he took me by the hand, and said, "MERCY, come after me." So he went up, and I followed, till we came at a golden gate. Then he knocked; and when they within had opened, the man went in, and I followed him up to a throne, upon which One sat, and he said to me, "Welcome, daughter!" The place looked bright and twinkling like the stars, or rather like the sun; and I thought that I saw your husband there. So I awoke from my dream: but did I laugh? Christiana: Laugh! Aye, and well you might, to see yourself so well. For you must give me leave to tell you, that I believe it was a good dream, and that as you have begun to find the first part true, so you shall find the second at last. "God speaks once, yea, twice; yet man perceives it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumbering upon the bed".

"For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;" ~ Job 33:14, 15 ~

We need not when a-bed lie awake to talk with God; he can visit us while we sleep, and cause us then to hear his voice. Our heart oft times wakes when we sleep; and God can speak to that, either by words, by proverbs, by signs and similitudes, as well as if one were awake. Mercy. Well, I am glad of my dream; for I hope ere long to see it fulfilled to the making of me laugh again. Christiana: I think it is now high time to rise, and to know what we must do. Mercy. Pray, if they invite us to stay awhile, let us willingly accept of the proffer. I am the more willing to stay awhile here, to grow better acquainted with these maids; methinks PRUDENCE, PIETY, and CHARITY, have very comely and sober countenances. Christiana: We shall see what they will do. So when they were up and ready, they came down. And they asked one another of their rest; and if it was comfortable or not. Mercy. "Very good," said MERCY; "it was one of the best night's lodging that ever I had in my life." Prudence Catechises the Boys Then said Prudence and Piety, "If you will be persuaded to stay here awhile, you shall have what the house will afford." Charity. "Aye, and that with a very good will," said CHARITY. So they consented, and stayed there about a month or above, and became very profitable one to another. And because PRUDENCE would see how CHRISTIANA had brought up her children, she asked leave of her to catechise them. So she gave her free consent. Then she began at the youngest, whose name was JAMES. Pru. And she said, "Come, JAMES, canst thou tell who made thee?" James. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Pru. Good boy. And canst thou tell who saves thee? James. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Pru. Good boy, still. But how doth God the Father save thee? James. By his grace. Pru. How doth God the Son save thee? James. By his righteousness, death, and blood, and life. Pru. And how doth God the Holy Ghost save thee? James. By his illumination; by his renovation; and by his preservation. Then said PRUDENCE to CHRISTIANA, "You are to commended for thus bringing up your children. I suppose I need not ask the rest these questions, since the youngest of them can answer them so well. I will therefore now apply myself to the youngest next." Pru. Then said she, "Come, JOSEPH" (for his name was Joseph), "will you let me catechise you?" Joseph. With all my heart. Pru. What is man? Jos. A reasonable creature, so saved by God, as my brother said. Pru. What is supposed by this word "saved?" Jos. That man by sin has brought himself into a state of captivity and misery. Pru. What is supposed by his being saved by the Trinity? Jos. That sin is so great and mighty a tyrant that none can pull us out of its clutches but God; and that God is so good and loving to man as to pull him indeed out of this miserable state. Pru. What is God's design in saving of poor men? Jos. The glorifying of his name, of his grace and justice, etc.; and the everlasting happiness of his creatures. Pru. Who are they that must be saved? Jos. Those that accept of his salvation. Pru. Good boy, JOSEPH; thy mother has taught thee well, and thou hast hearkened to what she has said unto thee. Then said PRUDENCE to SAMUEL, who was the eldest but one: Pru. Come, SAMUEL, are you willing that I should catechise you also? Samuel. Yes, forsooth, if you please. Pru. What is heaven? Sam. A place and state most blessed, because God dwells there. Pru. What is hell? Sam. A place and state most woeful; because it is the dwelling place of sin, the devil, and death. Pru. Why wouldest thou go to heaven? Sam. That I may see God, and serve him without weariness; that I may see Christ, and love him everlastingly; that I may have that fulness of the Holy Spirit in me, that I can by no means here enjoy. Pru. "A very good boy also, and one that has learned well." Then she addressed herself to the eldest, whose name was MATTHEW; and she said to him, "Come, MATTHEW, shall I also catechise you?" Matthew. With a very good will. Pru. I ask, then, if there was ever anything that had a being antecedent to, or before God? Mat. No, for God is eternal; nor is there anything, excepting himself, that had a being until the beginning of the first day: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." Pru. What do you think of the Bible? Mat. It is the holy Word of God. Pru. Is there nothing written therein but what you understand? Mat. Yes, a great deal. Pru. What do you do when you meet with such places therein that you do not understand? Mat. I think God is wiser than I. I pray also that he will please to let me know all therein that he knows will be for my good. Pru. How believe you as touching the resurrection of the dead? Mat. I believe they shall rise the same that was buried; the same in nature, though not in corruption. And I believe this upon a double account: first, because God has promised it; secondly, because he is able to perform it. Then said PRUDENCE to the boys, "You must still hearken to your mother; for she can learn you more. You must also diligently give ear to what good talk you shall hear from others; for, for your sakes do they speak good things. Observe also, and that with carefulness, what the heavens and the earth do teach you; but especially be much in the meditation of that Book that was the cause of your father's becoming a pilgrim. I, for my part, my children, will teach you what I can while you are here; and shall be glad if you will ask me questions that tend to godly edifying." Mercy, Mr. Brisk and Husbands Now by that these pilgrims had been at this place a week, MERCY had a visitor that pretended some good will unto her, and his name was Mr. BRISK: a man of some breeding, and that pretended to religion; but a man that stuck very close to the world. So he came once or twice, or more, to MERCY, and offered love unto her. Now MERCY was of a fair countenance, and therefore the more alluring. Her mind also was, to be always busying of herself in doing; for when she had nothing to do for herself, she would be making of hose and garments for others, and would bestow them upon them that had need. And Mr. BRISK, not knowing where or how she disposed of what she made, seemed to be greatly taken for that he found her never idle. "I will warrant her a good housewife," quoth he to himself. MERCY then revealed the business to the maidens that were of the house, and inquired of them concerning him; for they did know him better than she. So they told her that he was a very busy young man, and one that pretended to religion; but was, as they feared, a stranger to the power of that which was good. "Nay, then," said MERCY, "I will look no more on him; for I purpose never to have a clog to my soul." PRUDENCE then replied, "That there needed no great matter of discouragement to be given to him; her continuing so as she had begun to do for the poor would quickly cool his courage." So the next time he came he found her at her old work, a-making of things for the poor. Then said he, "What, always at it?" "Yes," said she, "either for myself or for others." "And what canst thee earn a day?" quoth he. "I do these things," said she, "that I may be rich in good works; laying up in store a good foundation against the time to come, that I may lay hold on eternal life".

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." ~ 1 Timothy 6:17-19 ~

"Why, prithee, what dost thou with them?" "Clothe the naked," said she. With that his countenance fell. So he forbore to come at her again. And when he was asked the reason why, he said, "That MERCY was a pretty lass, but troubled with ill conditions." When he had left her, PRUDENCE said, "Did I not tell thee that Mr. BRISK would soon forsake thee? yea, he will raise up an ill report of thee; for notwithstanding his pretence to religion, and his seeming love to MERCY, yet MERCY and he are of tempers so different, that I believe they will never come together." Mercy. I might have had husbands afore now, though I spake not of it to any; but they were such as did not like my conditions, though never did any of them find fault with my person: so they and I could not agree. Pru. Mercy in our days is little set by, any further than as to its name; the practice which is set forth by thy conditions there are but few that can abide. Mercy. "Well," said MERCY, "if nobody will have me, I will die a maid; or my conditions shall be to me as a husband. For I cannot change my nature; and to have one that lies cross to me in this, that I purpose never to admit of as long as I live. I had a sister named BOUNTIFUL that was married to one of these churls; but he and she could never agree: but because my sister was resolved to do as she had begun, that is, to show kindness to the poor, therefore her husband first cried her down at the cross, and then turned her out of his doors." Pru. And yet he was a professor, I warrant you. Mercy. Yes, such a one as he was; and of such as he the world is now full: but I am for none of them all. Matthew's Sickness Now MATTHEW, the eldest son of CHRISTIANA, fell sick, and his sickness was sore upon him; for he was much pained in his bowels, so that he was with it at times pulled as 'twere both ends together. There dwelt also not far from thence one Mr. SKILL, an ancient and well approved physician. So CHRISTIANA desired it, and they sent for him and he came. When he was entered the room and had a little observed the boy, he concluded that he was sick of the gripes. Then he said to his mother, "What diet has MATTHEW of late fed upon?" "Diet!" said CHRISTIANA, "nothing but that which is wholesome." The physician answered, "This boy has been tampering with something that lies in his maw undigested; and that will not away without means. And I tell you he must be purged, or else he will die." Sam. Then said SAMUEL, "Mother, mother, what was that which my brother did gather up and eat so soon as we were come from the gate that is at the head of this way? You know that there was an orchard on the left hand, on the other side of the wall, and some of the trees hung over the wall, and my brother did pluck and did eat." Christiana: "True, my child," said CHRISTIANA, "he did take thereof and did eat, naughty boy, as he was; I did chide him, and yet he would eat thereof." Skill. I knew he had eaten something that was not wholesome food. And that food, to wit, that fruit, is even the most hurtful of all. It is the fruit of Beelzebub's orchard. I do marvel that none did warn you of it; many have died thereof. Christiana: Then CHRISTIANA began to cry, and she said, "Oh, naughty boy; and oh, careless mother: what shall I do for my son?" Skill. Come, do not be too much dejected; the boy may do well again; but he must purge and vomit. Christiana: Pray, sir, try the utmost of your skill with him, whatever it costs. Skill. "Nay, I hope I shall be reasonable." So he made him a purge, but it was too weak. 'Twas said it was made of the blood of a goat, the ashes of an heifer, and with some of the juice of hyssop, etc.

"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." ~ Hebrews 10:1-4 ~

When Mr. SKILL had seen that that purge was too weak, he made him one to the purpose. 'Twas made ex Carne et Sanguine Christi (you know physicians give strange medicines to their patients); and it was made up into pills with a promise or two, and a proportionable quantity of salt.

"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." ~ John 6:54-57 ~ "For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." ~ Mark 9:49 ~

Now he was to take them three at a time, fasting, in half a quarter of a pint of the tears of repentance.

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" ~ Hebrews 9:14 ~ "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." ~ Zechariah 12:10 ~

When this potion was prepared and brought to the boy, he was loath to take it, though torn with the gripes as if he should be pulled in pieces. "Come, come," said the physician, "you must take it." "It goes against my stomach," said the boy. "I must have you take it," said his mother. "I shall vomit it up again," said the boy, "Pray, sir," said CHRISTIANA to Mr. SKILL, "how does it taste?" "It has no ill taste," said the doctor; and with that she touched one of the pills with the tip of her tongue. "Oh, MATTHEW!" said she, "this potion is sweeter than honey. If thou lovest thy mother, if thou lovest thy brothers, if thou lovest MERCY, if thou lovest thy life--take it." So with much ado, after a short prayer for the blessing of God upon it, he took it; and it wrought kindly with him. It caused him to purge; it caused him to sleep, and rest quietly; it put him into a fine heat and breathing sweat; and did quite rid him of his gripes. So in a little time he got up and walked about with a staff; and would go from room to room, and talk with PRUDENCE, PIETY, and CHARITY, of his distemper and how he was healed. Physic So when the boy was healed, CHRISTIANA asked Mr. SKILL, saying, "Sir, what will content you for your pains and care to and of my child?" And he said, "You must pay the master of the college of physicians, according to rules made in that case and provided.

"For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." ~ Hebrews 13:11-15 ~

Christiana: "But, sir," said she, "what else is this pill good for?" Skill. It is an universal pill: 'tis good against all the diseases that pilgrims are incident to; and when it is well prepared, it will keep good time out of mind. Christiana: Pray, sir, make me up twelve boxes of them; for if I can get these, I will never take other physic. Skill. "These pills are good to prevent diseases, as well as to cure when one is sick. Yea, I dare say it, and stand to it, that if a man will but use this physic as he should, it will make him live for ever.

"This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die." ~ John 6:50 ~

But, good CHRISTIANA, thou must give these pills no other way but as I have prescribed; for if you do, they will do no good." So he gave unto CHRISTIANA physic for herself, and her boys, and for MERCY; and bade MATTHEW take heed how he ate any more green plums, and kissed them, and went his way. Questions for Prudence It was told you before that PRUDENCE bade the boys that if at any time they would, they should ask her some questions that might be profitable; and she would say something to them. Mat. Then MATTHEW, who had been sick, asked her, "Why, for the most part, physic should be bitter to our palates ?" Pru. To show how unwelcome the Word of God and the effects thereof are to a carnal heart. Mat. Why does physic, if it does good, purge and cause that we vomit? Pru. To show that the Word, when it works effectually, cleanses the heart and mind. For look, what the one doth to the body, the other doth to the soul. Mat. What should we learn by seeing the flame of our fire go upwards? and by seeing the beams and sweet influences of the sun strike downwards? Pru. By the going up of the fire we are taught to ascend to heaven by fervent and hot desires. And by the sun, his sending his heat, beams, and sweet influences downwards, we are taught that the Saviour of the world, though high, reaches down with his grace and love to us below. Mat. Where have the clouds their water? Pru. Out of the sea. Mat. What may we learn from that? Pru. That ministers should fetch their doctrine from God. Mat. Why do they empty themselves upon the earth? Pru. To show that ministers should give out what they know of God to the world. Mat. Why is the rainbow caused by the sun? Pru. To show that the covenant of God's grace is confirmed to us in Christ. Mat. Why do the springs come from the sea to us through the earth? Pru. To show that the grace of God comes to us through the body of Christ. Mat. Why do some of the springs rise out of the tops of high hills? Pru. To show that the spirit of grace shall spring up in some that are great and mighty, as well as in many that are poor and low. Mat. Why doth the fire fasten upon the candlewick? Pru. To show that unless grace doth kindle upon the heart, there will be no true light of life in us. Mat. Why is the wick and tallow, and all, spent to maintain the light of the candle? Pru. To show that body, and soul, and all, should be at the service of, and spend themselves to maintain in good condition, that grace of God that is in us. Mat. Why doth the pelican pierce her own breast with her bill? Pru. To nourish her young ones with her blood; and thereby to show that Christ the blessed so loves his young, his people, as to save them from death by his blood. Mat. What may one learn by hearing the cock crow? Pru. Learn to remember Peter's sin and Peter's repentance. The cock's crowing shows also that day is coming on; let, then, the crowing of the cock put thee in mind of that last and terrible day of Judgment. Departure Now about this time their month was out; wherefore they signified to those of the house that 'twas convenient for them to up and be going. Then said JOSEPH to his mother, "It is convenient that you forget not to send to the house of Mr. INTERPRETER, to pray him to grant that Mr. GREAT-HEART should be sent unto us, that he may be our conductor the rest of our way." "Good boy," said she; "I had almost forgot." So she drew up a petition, and prayed Mr. WATCHFUL, the porter, to send it by some fit man to her good friend, Mr. INTERPRETER; who when it was come, and he had seen the contents of the petition, said to the messenger, "Go, tell them that I will send him.

When the family where CHRISTIANA was, saw that they had a purpose to go forward, they called the whole house together to give thanks to their King for sending to them such profitable guests as these. Which done, they said to CHRISTIANA, "And shall we not show thee something, according as our custom is to do to pilgrims, on which thou mayest meditate when thou art upon the way?" So they took CHRISTIANA, her children, and MERCY, into the closet, and showed them one of the apples that Eve did eat of, and that she also did give to her husband, and that for the eating of which they both were turned out of Paradise: and asked her what she thought that was. Then CHRISTIANA said, "'Tis food or poison--I know not which." So they opened the matter to her; and she held up her hands, and wondered.

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." ~ Genesis 3:6 ~ "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" ~ Romans 7:24 ~

Then they had her to a place and showed her Jacob's ladder. Now at that time there were some angels ascending upon it. So CHRISTIANA looked and looked to see the angels go up; and so did the rest of the company. Then they were going into another place to show them something else; but JAMES said to his mother, "Pray bid them stay here a little longer; for this is a curious sight." So they turned again, and stood feeding their eyes with this so pleasant a prospect.

"And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." ~ Genesis 28:12 ~

After this they had them into a place where did hang up a golden anchor; so they bade CHRISTIANA take it down. "For," said they, "you shall have it with you; for 'tis of absolute necessity that you should, that you may lay hold of that within the veil, and stand steadfast, in case you should meet with turbulent weather"; so they were glad thereof.

"The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." ~ Joel 3:16 ~ "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" ~ Hebrews 6:19 ~

Then they took them, and had them to the mount upon which Abraham our father had offered up Isaac his son; and showed them the altar, the wood, the fire, and the knife: for they remain to be seen to this very day.

"And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood." ~ Genesis 22:9 ~

When they had seen it, they held up their hands and blessed themselves, and said, "Oh, what a man for love to his Master and for denial to himself was Abraham!" After they had showed them all these things, PRUDENCE took them into the dining room, where stood a pair of excellent virginals: so she played upon them, and turned what she had showed them into this excellent song, saying:

"Eve's apple we have showed you-- Of that be you aware: You have seen Jacob's ladder too, Upon which angel's are. An anchor you received have; But let not these suffice, Until with Abraham you have gave Your best a sacrifice."

Now about this time one knocked at the door. So the porter opened, and behold, Mr. GREAT-HEART was there; but when he was come in, what joy was there! For it came now fresh again into their minds how, but awhile ago, he had slain old GRIM BLOODY-MAN, the Giant, and had delivered them from the lions. Then said Mr. GREAT-HEART to CHRISTIANA and to MERCY, "My Lord hath sent each of you a bottle of wine, and also some parched corn, together with a couple of pomegranates. He has also sent the boys some figs and raisins to refresh you in your way." Then they addressed themselves to their journey; and PRUDENCE and PIETY went along with them. When they came at the gate, CHRISTIANA asked the porter if any of late went by. He said, "No, only one some time since, who also told me that of late there had been a great robbery committed on the King's highway, as you go; but he saith the thieves are taken, and will shortly be tried for their lives." Then CHRISTIANA and MERCY were afraid; but MATTHEW said, "Mother, fear nothing as long as Mr. GREAT-HEART is to go with us and to be our conductor." Then said CHRISTIANA to the porter, "Sir, I am much obliged to you for all the kindnesses you have showed me since I came hither; and also for that you have been so loving and kind to my children. I know not how to gratify your kindness, wherefore pray, as a token of my respects to you, accept of this small mite." So she put a gold angel (an ancient coin) in his hand; and he made her a low obeisance, and said, "Let thy garments be always white, and let thy head want no ointment. Let MERCY live and not die; and let not her works be few." And to the boys he said, "Do you flee youthful lusts, and follow after godliness with them that are grave and wise; so shall you put gladness into your mother's heart, and obtain praise of all that are sober minded." So they thanked the porter and departed.

[riearchivistfornow]

Momentum 2016

Momentum 2016 2016.05.01

The purpose of love Singapore – Ps Lawrence Khong.

Network of care for the aged in Singapore. Resources pulled together for the nation to meet needs.

Destiny to a nation. The blessing between Timor Leste and Singapore.

Defend the family. Family consists of 1 man and 1 woman and their children. Proverbs 14:32 Society is changing Culture is evolving Values are shifting

Increase in promiscuity. Easy access to porn online Curiosity about sex Be seen as sexually experienced

Promiscuity on the rise among Christians Matthew 5:13 Three prominent cases of moral failure.

Promiscuity is on the rise through a calculated strategy. If left unchecked, it will destroy our nation.

Dr Ravi Zacharias

"Free love", love is not meant to be free. It is the nature of love to bind itself. You pay a human the highest compliment when you hear him say "I do."

"What kind of culture are we living in?" Are we living in a culture that the laws of God are made to be the foundation? Are we living in a culture that the top few dictate and control the laws? Are we living in a culture that is autonomous?

A conscience is what holds you. The least we ought to except is a culture that gives a voice to what the sacred marriage is about, that it is not a man-made constitution. It was given with the boundary lines. Whenever you remove any fence, always ask why it was put there in the first place.

Genesis 24 Abraham wants a wife for his son Isaac. Abraham did not want a wife that is of a contrary belief, so he sent his servant to his homeland to find a wife that God has in mind for Abraham's son. The servant prays to have the woman that God intends, to serve him water and to serve his camels as well.

Genesis 24:10-21 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. Then he prayed, “ Lord , God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my Lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

If you do not know God, you are liable to choosing the wrong partner for your children.

You have to have both the willingness and the romance in a marriage. Marriage has to have the component of the will and the emotion. You are saying "I do" to one and "I don't " to others. Marriage at it's core is a promise. It is a sacred giving of your word.

It is a privilege to keep your word, but it is also a challenge every day. It is a commitment of your will to keep your promise. Kindness has ought to be in our hearts always. Kindess is the change you pay through life.

If you have been rude to your spouse, ask for forgiveness.

Young men, if you have made a mistake, God will forgive you; but do not continue in that mistake. Young women, beware of anyone who wants you without any commitment to you.

Sexuality is a sacred thing. Do not violate it. Do not use people.

Make your life a matter of prayer. Choose the sacred. This is what is lost in our culture today. We have talked about the right and the left but we forgot about the up and the down. Our body is the temple of God, and it cannot be profane. Marriage is a sacred commitment and it is something that if given to us by God; it is not meant to be a vote. Romance can be there before in your heart, love will remain as a commitment.

Marital love is the only love that pulls the four main categories of love together.

Do your duty before God. Marriage is a sacred thing, to build a family in which the spirit dwells in; so that the world may see how it should be.

Marriage is an act of worship, surrendering to one another and surrendering to God.

02052016

Dr Ravi Zacharias

Raised to Run - rzim.com

How does the church respond to the cultural crisis? If you do not understand the context, you will imagine a pretext; you bring to the table a preconcieved idea that makes sense. How does a church live at a time such as this?

There was only one prohibition in Eden. In violating that prohibition, we now redefine everything; that's why we need thousands of laws. We need people watching us because we violated the one prohibition.

Pslam 11:3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

What are the pillars of foundation that God wants us to build our lives on?

1) Eternity

Deep within our hearts, we have a yearning of the eternal. God has put eternity in our hearts, yet we know not about anything of the beginning and the end. eternity is the keyhole in which you see the whole gallery, time is your canvas. One wrong choice gets you on a wrong road and the U-turn becomes more difficult.

Immersed in wealth, it is a hollow idea to think that wealth will give you happiness.

When you live for the moment, you find that it will betray you. When you live for the eternity, you will live for the everlasting Creator that is in eternity.

We are so shocked by the transit of time, yet it is always constant. – C.S. Lewis

We are not meant to live merely in time, but to live in eternity.

What you have now in your body is the temple of God. You are in full communion of the living God, build that temple with eternity in mind.

2) Morality

Defines your essence.

Moral reasoning is still important. If you lose your moral reasoning you will lose reasoning itself. Being moral is a good thing but being moral is not good enough.

Redemption precedes righteousness; which precedes worship.

Laws do not emerge in a vacuum.

3) Accountability

It deals with conscience.

It is important to define what sin is clearly, or else there will be a justified reason to do everything.

Why are we living the way we are? We have lost the purpose.

When he slams the door in your face, do not push it; he has opened another one for you.

You can find all kind of answers but none will work, until you find that it is the gospel that will change the world.

There is no point speaking loudly if he does not understand the language.

The problem is that we are dead to God.

4) Charity

If a person does not see that you love them, he will see you purely as theoretical.

When we are born, the first thing we do is cry. Smiling comes with comfort and security, that is why you will only be able to smile in the arms of God.

At the end of the days journey, you will always remember those who hugged you and lightened your bag. Jesus died for us, while we are still sinners. As a church, we are called to love and to preach. Glorify your Father in Heaven. The world is dark and it needs the light of Jesus. We are the ambassadors and we should run the race with patience for God.

Dr Zhao Xiao

How can we look at marriage and the family from the traditional Chinese perspective?

The economists don't just think about their finance and wealth, but how to maximise the human welfare. Focus on human behaviours and choices. Behind civilisation is the institution.

Civilisation is very different from culture. Civilisation is the essence of culture.

There are 26 civilisations in human history, but only a few remain and are dynamic. Jewish civilisation: only about 0.03% of world population, but 21% of Nobel prize winners. Christian Chinese civilisation The civilisations are focused on the heavenly way, believing in one God. Above the way is heaven, and heaven is the one who prescribed the principles. There are many applications for marriage and for he family. You must know the way for marriage and family to do well. When we don't believe in heaven/God, we will not have the heart to respect God and man's way will prevail and earth will be destroyed.

We need to come back to the eastern culture. Western culture is a lot on democracy and human rights.

Sin is when the self is too big and there is too much self-centredness. There will be a lot of pain and bitterness.

You can look for any woman, but if God doesn't bless you, it is useless. The relationship between husband and wife is a covenantal relationship. When the household does not prosper, the country will not prosper.

Greek empire was destroyed because they allowed lust and selfish desire to overtake them. This also happened in the Roman Empire.

The gay movement is premeditated and it's destructive. They are out to replace the position of marriage, making a mockery of it.

Love those who are homosexuals.

Homosexuality is a sin.

Gay movement is an evil movement.

When light is manifested, it will dispel darkness. Asia will arise to protect the traditional understanding of marriage and family.

Dr Zhao Xiao (Session 2)

Ecclesiastes 3:1

This is a time for China's transformation.

Ps Lawrence Khong (Session 2)

The local church, a powerful platform of public persuasion.

Why is the pink dot allowed to promote something that is against the law?

A message to the government that the traditional family unit is the basic building block of society.

A message to the body of Christ to arise and make a stand together.

A message to the community and the press regarding the church's stand on heterosexual marriage and family.

A message to LGBT activists that there is a conservative majority in Singapore who will push back.

Daniel Foo

Rebuilding the family wall.

1) Understand the times that we are living in. Times of lawlessness where darkness is increasing

What is marriage? What is family? "Freedom to love" it is wrong when it is against justice.

The root source is the spirit of lawlessness that seeks to destroy.

Get rid of the sodomy law; allow civil unions; legislation of same sex marriage; legal ground for adopting of children; ban discrimination; normalization of gay lifestyle.

This is the time that we are in. Know the difference between the common and the holy.

2) Principles and laws

Jeremiah 9:24

God declared that he is loving and kind, but he is simultaneously just and righteous. He will not violate His laws.

In God's sovereignty, amongst other things, He has given to man a free will and laws and principles of life.

We must know that things will happen according to the laws and principles of life. We reap positive outcomes/blessings when we obey laws and principles of life. We reap megative outcomes/curses when we violate laws and principles of life.

There are courts in heaven.

Daniel 7:9-10

Jeremiah 18:7-10

Jeremiah 23:18

Jeremiah 25:13

God always wants to lovr and bless people. He does so legally. This is because He is a just and righteous God.

Principle 1: Prayer Altar Prayer altar - covering people provides legal basis on which God can act.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Exodus 17:8-12

Principle 2: Nehemiah Construction The spade to build, sword to defend, shovel to build and spear to defend.

To build strong believers, strong families and strong marriages. The evil seeks to steal, kill and destroy so we need to continue to build the family wall.

Rebuikding the family wall: - Be intentional - Pray and find people with a kindred spirit.

Education. Direct hearts back to God, build strong believers. Strong Marriages. Strong Families, directing the hearts of the children to the fathers and the hearts of the father to their children.

Ministry. Luke 4:18 ministry

Advocacy. Form groups to write to ministers, MPs etc. We.Wear.White. 4-5th of June

Esther 4:13-14 John 2:13-16

Daniel Khong

Social Media and the Culture War.

We live in a time where everyone is commenting about ideologies and opinions.

We need to know how to respond to this as Christians.

Social Media: Web-based communication tools or platform to share ideas and information.

Social media is fast, it is instant. The things that you send can be done in an instant. Social media has a much bigger audience. What you say can be viewed anywhere around the world. Social media keeps us more up-to-date but less informed. We often just read the summaries instead of the entire story.

"A lie can travel half way around the world before the truth can even get it's boots on."

Information literacy. Information literacy is key. It is about how to find and use information effectively and responsibly.

S.U.R.E. Source. Is this source have reliable or trustworthy?

The questions we ask should be, "Who wrote it? What's the angle? Is it credible?"

Understand Know what it says.

Did you read the article? Did you really read the article? Did you really really read the article?

Look for facts rather than opinions.

Investigate thoroughly before making a conclusion by conducting cross references.

Research Research will help us to determine what is true and what is not.

Knowledge is power, we must be responsible in the dissemination of information.

Is it responsible to pass this information along? Before you share, think. True Helpful Inspiring Necessary Kind (T.H.I.N.K.)

Evaluate

Confirmation bias. Because we are disciples of Christ, this is important.

Proverbs 29:6

Romans 9:1-3

We should be strong and courageous in declaring the truth. More than that, we need to be soft-hearted and compassionate in demonstrating the truth.

[poelliottpovey]

Exotic and endangered birds

All screenshots and bird info from: https://www.ifaw.org/uk/journal/18-most-endangered-birds

Why is the yellow-crested cockatoo endangered? The yellow-crested cockatoo, a medium sized white parrot native to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, is critically endangered. There are an estimated 1200-2000 individuals remaining in the wild, and their population is sadly still decreasing. The yellow-crested cockatoo’s decline is primarily due to cage-bird trade and trafficking, which effectively became illegal in 1994 after being included in Appendix I of CITES; however, illegal trapping of these birds continues in many areas. Because they breed in large tree hollows, logging and agriculture also indirectly threaten their survival.

Are Amazon parrots endangered? Out of 36 species of Amazon parrots assessed by the IUCN, five are endangered and four are critically endangered, namely the imperial Amazon, lilacine Amazon, Puerto Rican Amazon, and yellow-naped Amazon. Two species have gone extinct—the Guadeloupe Amazon and the Martinique Amazon.

What is a nuthatch? Nuthatches are a genus of birds with large heads, short tails, and strong, pointed beaks. Most species are blue-grey with black eyebrows. Bahama nuthatches have brown heads and white underbellies.

What is the mangrove finch? The mangrove finch is a species in Darwin’s finch group, part of the tanager family, with dull brown, olive-toned, and white plumage. It’s native to the Galápagos.

What is a bunting? Buntings are a family of passerine (perching) birds from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Related to finches, they eat seeds and are commonly recognised by their typically brown, streaked feathers and bold markings on their heads.

What is the New Zealand storm petrel? Native to the waters between New Zealand’s North Island and eastern Australia, the New Zealand storm petrel is a small seabird. Similar to the more common Wilson’s storm petrel, it has a black head, wings, and tail and a bright white stripe around its back. This bird only comes to land to breed and spends the rest of its life at sea.

There are a lot more birds and information on the website i listed and it makes me really upset that so many birds have gotten to this point of near extinction and a lot of it is because of humans. deforestation leads to birds loss of habitat. even environmental factors, if a species environment is no longer a liveable space for that animal a person could make the point that if an animal cant live in the place they live in then its the animals 'fault' for not adapting to their environment, but due to humans effect on the planet a lot of the time that changes the environment to quickly for the species to keep up.

i wanted to make my world somewhat realistic so i wanted to have a look at endangered birds to find one i could use as the one that 'bird man' is protecting but after looking through the pictures and info i have decided to change him up a bit, he's not just protecting one bird, he's protecting as many endangered birds on his giant ship as he can. i think that would be a lot mor interesting and fit his character better, as he's meant to be a strong but kind man.

[kaimaciel]

Hello, love ♥ We keep coming up with all sort of fun brarg "Dinner with the in-laws" takes, but I'd like to know if you have any hcs about Port and his relationship with Arthur's former colonies

Hi Oxi!

Hmm, I think Port tried to keep a distance between himself and Arthur's former colonies in the beginning. Arthur already had a lot on his plate with Francis and Antonio, so he kept himself out of their drama and preserved his marriage.

After that, I think Afonso gets along well with Matthew, he understands what's like to be the underappreciated twin and would tell Arthur to show him more love and appreciation. He thinks Matt is cute and sweet, saw a bit of himself in him.

His relationship with Alfred is a bit more complicated. Out of all of Arthur's former colonies, Afonso is closest to Alfred, but they're not particulary close (if that makes sense).

In general, Afonso likes Alfred. He thinks he's a good kid who means well and they can work together quite well. They've worked together in WW2 and later with his military base in the Azores, but, like most people, he does not like when he messes in Afonso's affairs. Nor does he think he's a good boyfriend for Luciano, their relationship was too one sided in his opinion.

He's a bit jealous of how close Alfred is to Arthur though, to be honest. Alfred might seem self-centered and obnoxious, but he loves Arthur and shows it by coming to his place to annoy him, shows interest about Arthur's news and politics, still reads English classics and as taken Arthur's side on basically all conflicts. If someone hurts Arthur, Alfred would destroy them, that's a given. Makes Port wish he had a bond like that with Brazil.

India is even more complicated because he used to be his colony too. They very recently began to make amends and are now business partners, so I hc that they talk a lot in meetings and Port frequently asks about Goa. Do not tell Brazil this, but Port gave India back his gold artifacts.

The other former British colonies, Afonso knows but isn't close, so he's cordial. He's polite obviously to New Zealand and Australia, and he's grateful Australia helped Timor-Leste. Hong Kong makes him feel guilty that he failed to make Macau more important in the Asian trade, but he has no problems with him.

[cutesilyo]

i know your eyes in the morning sun — an indophil fanfic

When a homesick Indonesia is unexpectedly taken out of his meeting for a day trip in Rome with Philippines, he isn't expecting much more than exhaustion ahead of him. Instead, what happens is a whirlwind of food, fun, and a surprising amount of reflection on their histories and differences as nations. And as he looks deeper and deeper in the other nation's bright eyes, he learns to come to terms with the feelings he's been ignoring for far, far too long.

Alternatively: a nation who's too attached to the past goes on a date with a nation whose entire philosophy is built on trying to live in the moment. Yes, there is kissing involved.

Also available on AO3, FF.net

—

“Tell me why we’re here again,” Indonesia groused.

“Unofficially, it’s because I’m busting you out of that damn meeting.” Philippines grinned, his purple eyes glinting mischievously under Rome’s bright sun. “Officially, it’s because we’re on a date.”

All Indonesia could do was sigh. He had arrived in Italy two days ago for a G20 summit, and all the meetings he’s had to attend since then had left him tired and restless. It would have been easier if it was like a normal ASEAN meeting, where he was at least familiar and friendly with all the members. But in the G20, he was the sole Southeast Asian nation there, and he found it difficult to get a word in everyone else’s chaos. Most of the time, he simply preferred to keep his head down and daydream about going back home.

It was during his third-favorite daydream (a peaceful afternoon at Borobudur, dressed in gold just like the old days) that Philippines had burst through the doors with his perpetually bright eyes and cheeky smile. Before he could even process what was happening, Philippines was happily dragging him out of the room while everybody else waved them goodbye.

And that’s how Indonesia found himself in his current predicament. Outside some random pizzeria in a foreign country, dazed out of his wits, and with the one nation who got under his nerves the easiest.

He really wanted to go home.

“Oh, don’t give me that look!” Philippines patted him on the shoulder with a laugh, and Indonesia couldn’t help but tense uncomfortably. “It's not like this is a real date, I just made up some lame excuse to get them off my back. Besides, you were bored out of your mind there, weren’t you? I bet you weren’t even listening. You were probably thinking about your temples.”

“No,” he denied, but the other nation simply smirked knowingly. He felt his face go red in embarrassment. “Well, can you blame me? I don’t feel right around all those Westerners . . .”

Philippines just laughed at him as they walked in.

There wasn’t much to walk into. It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, but just a small family-owned business that only had two round tables to the side. Other than them, there didn’t seem to be any other customers. Different flavors of pizza were behind glass, oddly rectangular in shape rather than the circular pizzas he was used to seeing in advertisements, but their names and prices went unlabeled. Even if they were, he doubted that it would help him much; while he was steadily getting used to English, the Romance languages were an entirely different matter.

“Buonasera,” the middle-aged woman behind the counter greeted them.

Indonesia could only nod awkwardly in response, but Philippines grinned cheerily. “Buonasera! Ciao bella, come stai?”

The two struck up a light conversation while he tried to decide what kind of pizza to get. He was used to thick-crusted, American-style pizzas, and he really didn’t see the point of eating something so expensive when a good terang bulan was always available. Besides, even if he didn’t particularly like pizza, he could see that the ones available here were an entirely different beast from the ones Pizza Hut sold at home. Much more greens and vegetables, for one.

Indonesia hoped he didn’t look too clueless when Philippines finally turned to ask him what kind of pizza he wanted. He just pointed at a random one and prayed for the best.

The other nation looked amused, but he didn’t comment any further. He just turned back to the woman and presumably rattled off their order in rapid-fire Italian that he could barely catch. They continued their conversation from where they left off, and whatever it was that Philippines was saying, it made the woman blush like a maiden. Suddenly, for a reason that he refused to name, he felt consumed by irritation.

His stony silence continued until the woman had given them their pizza, warm and each slice served in a small tray, and bid them goodbye. He’d barely given them a glance until they sat down on a bench just outside the pizzeria.

“So, what do you think?” Philippines asked him. He seemed more excited than he was. “This is your first, right?”

“I’ve eaten pizza before,” he grumbled.

“But this is different,” the other nation insisted. “This is pizza al taglio, Rome’s specialty! Come on, just start eating it already. I could hear your stomach grumbling since we left the meeting room.”

Indonesia stared at the pizza dubiously, ignoring how quickly Philippines was eating his own slice just beside him, before giving it a bite.

It was . . . good.

Not that he was going to tell the other nation that. He couldn’t bear the smug smirk that would be thrown his way.

Instead, he said, “It’s folded. It’s like a sandwich.”

“Boo,” Philippines stuck his tongue out at him. “If you must know, it’s called panino and it’s a lot better than eating it unfolded.”

“Unfolded,” Indonesia repeated. “You mean, like normal?”

Philippines gasped overdramatically. “I can’t believe you just said that! No, pizza al taglio is supposed to be eaten panino! Just ask Romano, he’ll say it's the best.”

“And I imagine if you ask Italy Veneziano, he’d say the opposite.” He took another bite, careful not to let any of the grease on his hands, and hummed appreciatively. “I think I ordered something different though.”

Philippines just laughed, a bit sheepishly. "I . . . may have taken the liberty of changing your order. The one you pointed at back there had pork sausage slices on it, so I got you something more halal. That one has arugula and mozzarella, and I know you like things a bit spicy, so I asked the lady to give you something more piccante. This slice has pepper flakes baked in the dough."

"Oh," he blinked, a bit stunned. Indonesia felt warmer than the pizza in his hands. "Terima kasih."

"Hey, as long as you're here with me, ako bahala sa'yo." Philippines stood up and grinned at him, eyes bright and his half-eaten pizza in his hand. "You know, the best thing about pizza panino is that you can eat them while we're on the go! How about we walk around the city, and I'll take you out on a real date?"

------

This was a mistake.

He and Philippines have never really hung out together much; either they only met for formal occasions or they were always joined by at least one other ASEAN member, so the chances they had to be alone were usually few and far in between. If he was being honest, it was probably better for his heart that way.

Still, he probably should've known better than to let Philippines take charge, because his definition of walking around and the other nation's idea of walking around were vastly different things. For one, he'd definitely rather be driving rather than walking anyway. It didn't help that he was still stuck in his stuffy formal suit and dress shoes, while Philippines was both comfy and stylish in his boots, jeans, and a fashionable overcoat. And though he preferred to get to his destinations as quickly and efficiently as possible, Philippines loved making stops at every little statue or shop that interested him. What's worse is that he couldn't just leave the other nation behind — between the two of them, Philippines was the only one who actually knew how to speak Italian and knew how to get around the city. His only choices were to suffer alone in a foreign land or to slowly murder his feet following Philippines around, and just this once, he'd rather swallow his pride.

"If only my motorcycle was here . . ." Indonesia sighed. "How long are you going to take?"

"Just a bit longer!" He heard Philippines shout from the back of the souvenir shop. "My neighbors would never forgive me if I didn't get them anything, you know!"

He was idly inspecting a small plastic replica of the Coliseum when the other nation emerged a few minutes later, proudly carrying about a dozen silver keychains in his hands. Indonesia couldn't stop himself from grimacing at them; in rupiahs, that was probably the cost of a plane ticket.

"You aren't going to buy anything?" Philippines said. He was fiddling around his pockets for spare coins. He seemed to have forgotten that his wallet was probably in the small leather bag he was carrying, and Indonesia didn't feel like telling him.

"Pass," he said. "I'll wait outside, if you don't mind."

Philippines shrugged, turning back to the cashier. "Suit yourself."

As soon as he stepped out into the cobblestone streets, he immediately felt restless for a smoke. The architecture, the weather, the people . . . it all just reminded him how far away from home he was. It was autumn in Italy, colder than it would ever get at his house, and with a sharp pang of his heart he realized how much he missed everyone.

He started worrying about whether Singapore had gotten enough sleep last night, because often the young nation would look at data until the sun rose, looking for where he could make himself stronger. And Malaysia got dehydrated too easily for someone with his water resources, so he always had to remind him about refilling his water dispensers every once and a while. Brunei had always been quiet, but he'd been too reclusive than was healthy these days; and even though Timor-Leste couldn't face him sometimes, he still hoped she was doing alright. He trusted Thailand and Vietnam could handle everything over at the mainland, but he couldn't help but be concerned about them anyway.

Then there was the nation he was with right now.

All of a sudden, he felt a warm breath on his neck and a whispered: "You're scaring the other tourists, mahal."

Indonesia barely held back a scream, furiously turning to face a mirthful Philippines that was clearly having the time of his life teasing him. "Would you stop scaring me like that? And don't call me mahal!"

Philippines just waved him off with a laugh. "Please, that was barely a scare. And you deserve it! I thought the way you kept staring at my bag was weird, but you meant to tell me my money was in it, right? Silly Indonesia, I can't know things if you don't actually say it."

"Don't blame me for your denseness," he shot back. "Besides, your idea of a date must be really sloppy if all you do is take me to tourist shops. Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Are you saying you wanted something more romantic? Oh Indonesia, how bold of you!" Philippines looked at him slyly.

He was suddenly reminded of how difficult it could be to talk to Philippines sometimes. "I just thought you'd take me to actual places, like the Coliseum. Or maybe a castle, I don't know."

They walked together in amiable silence towards a nearby bus stop. He almost cried in relief when they finally sat down after what felt like hours of walking. Maybe Indonesia was just feeling his age, but he was not nearly as full of energy as the nation beside him.

"I know you've been to the Coliseum before, so taking you there isn't nearly as exciting," said Philippines, absentmindedly scrolling on his phone. "Just so you know."

"Everything always has to be exciting for you," said Indonesia, with a huff.

The other nation winked at him. "What can I say? I love a little thrill."

He couldn't help but be amused at that. Whether it was thrill rides or thriller horror movies, Philippines was always raring to go. Still, though he was grateful, he was starting to feel a bit guilty about all the trouble he put the other nation through. He knew Philippines could be impulsive, but he didn't think he was the kind of person to drop everything and fly to Europe just to rescue him from another boring meeting. "I've been meaning to ask, but how did you end up in Italy anyway? I'd hate to think that you spent so much money just to go here."

"Don't worry! I didn't come to Europe for you," Philippines grinned brightly. "You're just a stop on the destination. I'm actually headed to Munich."

Ah. For some reason, that only made Indonesia feel worse.

"See, when I'm in Europe, I like to start by visiting the Vatican," the other nation continued. "Then Germany said that he had a meeting in Rome too, so we were planning to catch the train together. Didn't you notice that he was rushing to end your meetings as quickly as possible? It's Oktoberfest, you know."

Indonesia nodded slowly. "I guess September does end next week . . . ?"

"Dios mio," Philippines laughed. "I mean the beer festival, not the month. I'd invite you to join us but I know you don't drink."

"Even if I did, I don't think I could keep up with you and Germany," he admitted, which made the other nation's eyes twinkle with pride. "That still doesn't explain why you decided to crash the meeting."

"That's just because you weren't checking WhatsApp, which I'm grateful for." Philippines handed him his phone, which was opened to the group conversation they had with the rest of the ASEAN nations. "Here, I bet you left your phone at the hotel or something."

He did, but that was beside the point. Indonesia took the phone.

The first thing he saw was a selfie of Philippines at the airplane, snuggled up under the airline's provided blanket. Just boarded from Dubai! Be arriving at Fiumicino by morning, anything you guys want?

Abang is in Rome too, isn't he? Malaysia had asked. In that case, the both of you should bring back gifts! I need the best cheese for my sea cucumbers. Also, remember the keychains.

Singapore had sent one of his custom stickers. The merlion was sticking its tongue out.

Stop being so mean to him, or else he'll end up crying to me again, Thailand replied.

Not my problem he's a crybaby, Singapore said. Then he sent another merlion sticker.

Vietnam sent a laughing emoji, and then: You should visit Indo while you're there. You know how sad he gets when he has to go abroad alone.

Malaysia sent a GIF of a crying scene from some old movie.

Eh? But if I'm going to visit him, I want it to be a surprise! Philippines had whined. If he goes online soon, he'll already know. No fun in that.

It should be okay. He's probably asleep now anyway. And he doesn't check his phone during meetings, unlike you, Thailand pointed out.

It will be good for him to see a friendly face, Vietnam added.

Take care of him lah, Singapore had said. Make sure he enjoys himself this time.

PIRI WAIT I HAVE A GREAT IDEA, chatted Malaysia. I'll DM you just in case, so abang can't find out. He'll love it, trust me!

Oh no, said Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore in separate, individual messages, to which Malaysia simply replied with another GIF. Brunei even mustered the energy to send a worried-looking emoji.

The last message, sent earlier this afternoon, was a selfie of Philippines with a cheeky grin. He was standing just outside the meeting room, and he had sent it with the caption: He won't know what hit him! <3

Indonesia sat there in stunned silence for a few minutes, until he was nudged gently.

"Come on, the bus is here," Philippines stood, putting his hands on his hips. Then he frowned at him. "Hey, Indonesia, is there anything wrong? You look a bit shaken."

"No, everything's fine, I just," he stammered. There was such a powerful feeling in his heart that he didn't have the capacity to explain. "Um, I don't have my phone with me, so. Please thank everyone for keeping me in their thoughts. Tell them I'm doing my best to make all of you proud."

The other nation stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

If Indonesia let a few tears drop while they were on the bus, Philippines was kind enough not to say a word.

-----

Their stop was on top of a hill. There was an impressively large monument of a man on a horse, but Philippines dragged him to the nearby café as soon as they got off the bus, and Indonesia realized that he was probably better off with a nice snack than looking at some old statue anyway. To be fair, he had been waiting for dessert all day long, and the crepes were warm and delicious and more than enough to satisfy his sweet tooth. He finished his in record time, and bought another one right after.

"Ah, there's that smile," Philippines teased, once Indonesia had returned to their spot. "I was wondering where it went."

He was too engrossed with his enjoying his food to respond, but he motioned go on.

"It's just—I've seen you with tourists, you know." Philippines delicately sipped on his drink, slow and careful like an old cat. "Remember when we had that ASEAN hang-out at Bali? The restaurant near our hotel was full of foreign customers, and the staff was overwhelmed, so you decided to help the staff serve tables and entertain the guests. You seemed really friendly there."

"You knew about that?" Indonesia flushed with embarrassment. He thought he managed to sneak out successfully; it was at the point that Vietnam and Laos got crazy drunk, after all. "Well, it's very different dealing with foreigners at my home and actually being in a foreign place."

Philippines hummed contemplatively. "I think I get it. You feel more in control when it's them coming to you, rather than the other way around."

"Yeah, I suppose so." He crumpled the wrapping paper in his hands. "It's different for you though, right? I think you're more used to foreigners than I am."

The other nation laughed nervously. "I'm not sure Boracay and El Nido can even compare—"

"I'm not talking about tourists."

He knew, of course, that Philippines met with many nations as part of his duties, but he had always taken to this role so naturally that Indonesia could only assume that his history had given him a leg up. Spain was stricter on imposing his culture on the other nation than Netherlands ever was with him, or England with Malaysia and Singapore. America was just as obnoxiously stubborn when he colonized him right after. And although he never forgot his roots as part of Southeast Asia, Philippines also kept much less of his pre-colonial culture and history than the rest of them. Anything before Spain took him away was hazy and, as far as his memory was concerned, he had spent his youth growing up with the Americas and Europe — and with his mannerisms and how close he was with the Western nations, he certainly acted like it.

When Philippines arrived at the meeting earlier, everyone was accepting him with open arms. Spain had fondly ruffled his hair and America invited him to a party at his place next week. France had cooed adoringly at how much he had grown since his youth and England reminded him that he was due to visit London's hospitals in the next month. Germany's cheeks were pink as he asked how he was doing and Italy immediately began talking his ear off about food recipes and restaurants. Mexico began crying with joy at the sight of him, while Argentina and Brazil embraced him like family. It was a miracle that the both of them were able to leave as quickly as they did; he was sure that they'd make Philippines stay for at least another hour, if they could.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's own presence was always forgotten. The only time he was talked to the entire meeting was when Australia made an awkward half-joke, half-apology about the spying issue again.

"I guess it's easier for me to relate to them," Philippines admitted, a melancholy look in his eyes. He was looking down at his still half-eaten crepe with an oddly bittersweet smile on his lips; the sun, only just beginning to set, cast a dark shadow on his face. "And for them to relate to me. But I would be lying if I said I don't feel out of place with them too, sometimes. Despite everything, we're still very different. Besides, all the cultural similarities in the world can't make up for the fact that I'm so far away from them all. There just isn't enough opportunity for me to talk to them as much as they can talk to each other."

Indonesia didn't know what to say to that. He settled for a neutral, "I'm sorry I brought it up."

The other nation waved it off. "I'll forgive you if you take a selfie with me later."

He didn't have any choice but to accept.

As he waited for Philippines to finish his food, Indonesia took the time to observe the other people around. Many of them were trying to take a picture with the huge statue, but there were also families walking around with their happily enthusiastic children. If he looked farther, he could see busts of what he assumed were various historical figures lining the pathways. Going by the number of cars that had been parked just across them, it seemed like the park was of good interest for both tourists and locals alike. There were enough people to suggest that the place was well-loved, but there were nowhere near the crowds he'd see when he passed by the other popular tourist destinations. The statue of the man with a horse was large and grand, but he didn't recognize it; he was sure that, whatever this place was, it wasn't featured on the usual travel brochures.

"I'm curious," he said slowly, "as to why you're so familiar with Rome."

Philippines gave him a wry twitch of the lips, sitting his chin on the palm of his hands. "I thought we were done talking about me and the West?"

"This is different," he defended. "I'm just asking why you know about this place. Italy never took us anywhere like this for the G20 formalities."

"Well, of course he wouldn't," he said, idly swirling his drink around. "Just think: if you have a nice and peaceful park that's meant more for relaxation and you also have more famous and historically significant places available, then you would rather take your visiting diplomats to the latter, right? So Italy takes you to Palatino and Campidoglio instead of here. If it were you hosting the meeting, you'd take them to Monas instead of Taman Surapati."

Indonesia thought about that for a moment, but no matter how much he wanted to argue, he was forced to accept that Philippines was right. Then he frowned. "But you just take everyone to Luneta."

The other nation winked. "It's to my benefit that Luneta just happens to be both historical, relaxing, and beautiful. Makes my life a lot easier."

"You're not actually answering my question," he pointed out.

Philippines simply hummed, leaning back on his chair. His hair was blowing in the cold autumn breeze. "There's not much to say. I've had to visit a lot recently, since Italy is full of my migrant workers, more so than anywhere else in Europe. But when we were younger, Romano used to take me here often. The things he'd say — well, now that I think about it, I think you could relate."

He almost choked on his spit. Indonesia had never been in much contact with Romano, especially as his younger brother was always the one who represented Italy in their meetings, but he couldn't see any similarity between him and that foul-mouthed, angry brat. At the very least, he liked to think he was much more friendly and polite.

Uncharacteristically, the other nation didn't take the opportunity to laugh at him this time. Instead there was only a faraway look on his face, pensive as he stared out into somewhere unknown.

After a moment, Philippines finally said: "Do you still remember being with your old empires?"

Indonesia stilled.

"I know I don't, but you were old enough to remember living with the other maritime nations together as Nusantara," the other nation continued. "There was a glory that you could remember living before Portugal and Netherlands came to your shores. You weren't Majapahit, but you carried his legacy and his blood; just like you carried Srivijaya's.

"Romano lived at Spain's like I did, you know. He liked me for some reason, probably because I used to get sick all the time and couldn't really annoy him as much as the others. One day, he took me to Rome for the first time. I was so amazed at finally seeing all the old ruins I used to read about in books, and then when I looked back at him, he was crying. He told me it was like he could never escape the shadow of his grandfather."

Philippines' smile was terribly bittersweet. "I remember thinking that, for the first time, I was grateful I couldn't remember who I was before Spain came. And ever since I met you again, I kept wondering if you ever felt like Romano did. Maybe you had all that burden on you and you never told us. Maybe you felt lonely too."

He remembered.

Back when all of them were just children, back when he had never seen fair skin except for when he traded with the Eastern Asian nations up north. China and India, of course, were always present. Vietnam was older, and despite all the fighting she did, it never looked like she was ever frazzled by it. Myanmar was the same, but because he was so distant and preoccupied with his own kingdoms, Indonesia saw him the least. He would see Khmer more often when she had to pick up her sons, cheerful Thailand, friendly Laos, and belligerent Cambodia, from whenever they decided to come by. In their household, Malaysia was already energetic, but he was always doubly so whenever Singapore was around; those were the days that the smaller nation still admired his brother. Timor Leste was still sweet and shy, hiding behind him at every hint of danger. Brunei, quiet as ever, spent his time diligently picking flowers for a young Philippines across the sea. Steady, dependable Majapahit had welcomed them all with a smile, and taught him to do the same.

Indonesia grew up without ever really knowing what loneliness was. Even after Majapahit had already faded away, Netherlands had visited him much more often than was necessary or appropriate for a normal colonial relationship. And though he was separated from the rest of them, his siblings were never too far from him either.

So he had to take care of them too, when he could. He had to, because he was the one who remembered the most about what life was like, before. He had to, because he was the oldest. He had to, because that was what Majapahit taught him. Whether he began to feel more and more weary as the centuries passed by and his own territory expanded didn't matter, because being able to take care of as many people as he could — that was the greatest power any nation could ever have.

Of course he remembered. He never let himself forget.

A gentle nudge from Philippines shook him out of his silence. Softly, he said, "You don't have to answer that if it makes you uncomfortable. Believe it or not, even I know when to back off."

"Sorry, you just caught me off-guard," he said, taking a moment to compose himself. Then Indonesia sighed. "You're not normally so serious. I was completely unprepared."

Philippines pouted. "Is it really all that surprising? I just thought, since you asked me a pretty personal question just now, it's only fair that I do the same to you. Answering that made me feel sad, so you needed to think of something that made you sad too! At least the both of us can feel sad together, instead of just me being sad all on my own."

Indonesia felt his eye twitch. "Your logic is really something."

The other nation just laughed, as if nothing happened at all. Then he stood, his grin wide and his hand reaching out to him, and said, "Come on, it's a complete waste for us to come here if all we're going to do is sit around! You can see all of Rome from Gianicolo, you know."

They watched the sunset from the hill's peak, and seeing the yellows and oranges being reflected in Philippines' purple eyes made for a pretty sight. As the sun shone its last light on the ancient ruins of the Roman Empire, Indonesia felt strangely at peace for the first time since he arrived. Maybe he'd even ask Philippines to properly introduce him to Romano one day.

-----

The Eternal City was beautiful even at night, but Indonesia just felt tired. He could sense that Philippines still wanted to go around with him — he mentioned something about taking him to a turtle fountain? — so they settled for slowly walking down the hill. They chatted about mundane things like food, gaming, and the merits of motorcycles over bikes, and it was unexpectedly nice. For some reason, Indonesia felt as light as air. He still wanted to go home as soon as he could, but he slowly realized that he wasn't all that opposed to just spending time with the other nation either.

"Say, Indonesia," Philippines suddenly said. "Do you know how to get back to your hotel?"

Indonesia took that back. He wanted to go home immediately.

The other nation giggled. "Don't tell me that you don't even remember which hotel you're staying at?"

He quickly turned his head away. He willed himself to look anywhere but the other nation, but he could still feel how Philippines was staring at him.

"Ah! I get it now," Philippines said, delightedly. Indonesia internally cursed himself. "Let me guess. You didn't have any plans of going anywhere but the meeting, the hotel, and the airport, so you thought it was fine if you left your phone behind and if you didn't care to remember your hotel's name. And, you kept falling asleep at the hotel shuttle that takes you to the meetings, so you can't even tell me about the nearby landmarks! My, how careless of you, Indonesia!"

"Why are you so smart," Indonesia grumbled, "for the most stupid of things?"

"I don't hear any denial," Philippines sang. "Well, whatever, that works out for me. Unless you're game for scouring through the dozens of hotels around the city, I guess I have no choice but to take you back to my place, huh?"

He faced Philippines, who was scrolling through his phone again, and said, "You don't have to do that. You can probably just ask Italy which hotel he arranged for me. I can take a taxi."

The other nation hummed. "Going from his Instagram stories, he looks like he's too busy partying with the others. Looks like France even brought out his special wine for the occasion. Hey, would you want to party with them? The bar they went to is just a few stations away by metro."

The last time he went to a G20 party, he and Germany were made to strip so that everyone could stare at their pecs. The expression he made must have been grim, as Philippines immediately backtracked. "I'm going to take that as a no."

Indonesia sighed. "Well, I don't want to disturb Italy and I don't want to waste any money trying to find another hotel. If you're really fine with me staying with you for the night, then I guess I have no problem with it either."

Philippines stopped in his tracks. "Eh? You're not going to make a fuss about it?"

Indonesia tilted his head, quizzically. "And you are?"

For some odd reason, the other nation seemed flustered. He was gripping the strap of his bag tightly and his cheeks were pink. "Well, you know, you're normally so averse to any of my ideas, and you always seem so annoyed with me. I thought, for sure, that you were just going to argue against me again . . ."

"Do you really think so lowly of me?" Indonesia frowned. "I wouldn't have been with you all day if I hated you."

That seemed to perk Philippines back up. He could practically see the sparkles in the other nation's eyes as he faced him and gleefully said, "Ha! You've admitted it! So if you don't hate me, does that mean that you actually like me, Indonesia?"

He couldn't hold back a smirk. "Don't get too ahead of yourself."

Philippines just laughed, cheery and bright.

When they stepped down from the bus, Indonesia was surprised to be faced with a block full of old apartment buildings rather than a fancy hotel. Evidently, the other nation was familiar to the residents; one old lady had grasped him firmly by the hand with a gummy smile as she engaged them in small talk. Philippines then took him to the second building on the right and led him through a few flights of stairs to a dark, wooden door.

The apartment was small but clean. Two bedrooms and a bathroom, then some communal space with a worn sofa and a dated television. There was a kitchen with a countertop, rice cooker unplugged, and more than a few succulents sitting by the window. The other nation's usual travel bag was still on the floor, a duffel bag easily recognizable by the numerous flag patches stitched by the sides as a memento for all the countries he had visited. A small corner was developed into a personal home altar, figures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary surrounded by flowers and golden crosses. Even though it was emptier than Philippines' own home back in Manila, it was still undeniably his in its coziness and warmth. All in all, it was modest and good; certainly more than what Indonesia expected for an apartment that the other nation probably only visited a few times a year.

"It's cute. It fits you," he said politely.

"Aw, you think I'm cute," Philippines teased. He was hanging his overcoat on the coat rack, which was a bit too tall for him — a sliver of skin showed only for a moment before being covered again by his turtleneck top. Indonesia pretended he didn't see. "Please go ahead and sit down, make yourself comfortable. Oh, won’t you take off your suit and place it somewhere? The good thing about Europe is that it’s a lot cooler here, so you can still wear it tomorrow without worrying about sweat and stuff."

“I knew that, at least.” He placed his suit on a nearby chair and sat down on the sofa. Philippines set a saucer full of biscuits at the table and gave him a glass of water, which he gratefully drank. As the other nation sat down beside him, Indonesia couldn’t help but ask, “Is this place really yours?”

“My government didn’t buy it for me like all our other properties, if that’s what you’re asking,” Philippines said, reaching out for the biscuits. There was an audible crunch as he bit into one of them. “One of the Filipinos living here bought it for her son, but he decided to move in with his girlfriend. She thought it would be a waste of money to abandon it, so she gave it to me. When I’m not here, it gets rented as an Airbnb. We share the profits. It’s actually pretty good passive income, you know.”

Indonesia gave him a wry smile. “You always find an opportunity to make money, somehow. I’d say it’s America’s influence, but I know for a fact you’ve been this way since we were kids.”

"My skill is all mine, thank you very much," the other nation boasted, leaning back into the sofa with a self-assured smirk. “I don't suppose there's anything else you remember about me from those days? I assure you, if you thought I inherited my charm from Spain, you'd be dead wrong.”

Your hair used to be so long, he immediately thought. He had taken care of it meticulously, washing it with several oils so it was always smooth and wonderfully scented. Gold adorned almost every inch of his body, painstakingly crafted with the tiniest details, contrasting beautifully with the vibrant textiles used for his clothes. Even as a child, Philippines was already used to traveling often — Tondo and Seludong would take him up north, Butuan and Sulu down south, Sugbu and Panay at the center, and a dozen more kingdoms in between. He loved his boats the most, and Majapahit would patiently humor him by letting the younger nation talk his ear off about the latest developments his different kingdoms had with their boatmaking.

Not that he had ever tried to listen in, or attempted to make prolonged conversation with the other nation. At the time, Indonesia was too busy trying to handle Malaysia and Singapore’s chaos to pay much attention to anyone else. He hadn’t gotten to know Philippines all that well until they met again centuries later; older and more jaded, irrevocably shaped by the circumstances their colonizers had placed them in.

Sometimes he wondered what life would have been like if things had turned out differently. But he didn’t have the energy to waste his time despairing over it all again, not when Philippines was still looking at him so expectantly.

“Your eyes haven’t changed,” Indonesia decided to say. “And as for everything else I remember, there’s nothing I haven’t already told you about before.”

Philippines smiled at him fondly, “You’re as terribly succinct as ever.”

Indonesia smiled back, “And as always, you’re just as annoyingly persistent.”

For a long moment, they just sat there on the sofa in silence — easy and comfortable and bathed in the apartment’s warm, golden light. The windows were open, and guitar music from the neighbors was softly permeating the room with its slow, relaxed melody. It was during these kinds of moments that Indonesia's heart felt full; that all he's been through in the past few centuries were worth it, if it meant he could enjoy more days like this. The mood was right and he felt good; perhaps if he was braver, he would have had the confidence to make the most out of it.

Eventually, the moment passed, and the other nation stood. "It's so late already! I should probably get to preparing our dinner. You can freshen up before we eat, if you want."

"Right," Indonesia said, hastily standing up as well. "Ah, may I borrow your phone? I just need to check on something."

Philippines didn't really answer, but he heartily belted out the lyrics to some old love song as he brought out a pot and a chopping board from the kitchen cabinets, so he took it as a yes. Ignoring how the photo for the lock screen looked suspiciously like the sunrise at Bali, he put in the PIN code — 8862, how sentimental of him — and was immediately bombarded by the number of notifications he got. There were messages from everywhere: SMS, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram . . . it's really no wonder that Philippines was named both the texting and social media capital of the world. Indonesia had no interest in intruding on the other nation's privacy though. As he ducked into the bathroom to wash his face, hands, and feet, he did a quick Google search for sholat times rome.

If he was home, he wouldn't have needed to Google such a thing; the mosques would have already blared adzan through the loudspeakers, reminding everyone in close vicinity that it was time for prayer. His overseas workers would sometimes complain to him about how difficult it could be to pray once they were abroad, that strangers would sometimes gawk at them in public or their employers wouldn't give them the time or space to do it properly in the office. Indonesia often had nothing to offer them but his sympathies. Tonight, he decided, he would pray for them.

"Are you going to pray?" Philippines called out. He was placing a tray in the oven. "Head to the back, go in the room on the right. It should be peaceful there."

"Thank you," he said, and when he opened the door, he was greeted with a welcome surprise.

Though the room was otherwise plain, a vibrantly orange prayer mat stood out — Malaysia's picking, no doubt. Indonesia raised his hands facing kiblat, slow and reverent, and made the mental note to thank his brother later. Thanks to this, he felt significantly less alone.

-----

Philippines made a quick sign of the cross as he sat down on the table. He grinned, "Let's eat!"

It was a modest meal: baked fish with lemons, Filipino-style chop suey, white rice, and a bowl of what was unmistakably Indomie Mi Goreng. While Philippines had poured out a glass of white wine for himself, Indonesia had a glass of orange juice. The other nation was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meal, though Indonesia chalked that up to hunger; Philippines ate quickly and ravenously, shoving spoonfuls of rice and noodles into his mouth without pausing for so much as a single breath. Indonesia felt tired just watching him.

Once they were finished, Philippines patted his stomach with a satisfied sigh. "Ah, that's the good stuff."

"My compliments to the chef," Indonesia said, which made the other nation giggle. "Though I have to say, I would have cooked it differently."

"I know, but then it'd take longer and I was already so hungry — I'd even go as far to say that I was absolutely famished." Philippines groaned, slumping in his seat. "I mean, I know we could've just eaten at some trattoria down the road, but I needed rice. And I wasn't going to settle for some dumb risotto, no matter how delicious it would be. You get me, don't you?"

"It isn't a full meal without rice," Indonesia agreed.

The other nation nodded seriously. "I always felt like something was missing while I was growing up. It wasn't until I was allowed to go back to Manila that I figured out that it was rice. I haven't looked back since."

Indonesia had always known that Philippines had lived in Europe during the centuries that he was a Spanish colony, but hadn't thought any deeper about the smaller implications that had on him. Some things were obvious — his devout Catholicism for one, and the conspicuously Hispanic human name he used in his daily life — but little things like this caught him off-guard. He said, "I'm sincerely very sorry to hear that."

Philippines did nothing but take a long sip of his wine. "No need to pity me so much, it's in the past now. I don't really think about it."

"I'm not pitying you," he muttered, though he wasn't able to look Philippines in the eyes as he said it. Then, louder: "I'm just realizing that there's still so much I don't know about you. I'm your neighbor, and I don't even know what your childhood was like."

Philippines smiled at him, but it was strained. His face was saying I don't want to talk about it even as he softly confessed, "I don't know all about your history either, Indonesia. Not enough. The sentiment goes both ways. And as for my time with Spain . . . well, what is there to say, really? He said he would take care of me, and he didn't. Not in the same way he took care of the others. Whether that's a blessing or a curse, I don't think I'll ever really know. I just know that it's over now, and I'm grateful.

"I bet your experience was different though." The gaze the other nation leveled on him was nothing less than dangerously curious. His purple eyes were filled with strong contempt, but contempt for what, Indonesia didn't know. "Like I said, I don't know the specifics. But I've been told your relationship with Netherlands was something else entirely."

"He and I weren't—" he stammered, more of a knee-jerk reaction than anything else.

But the way Philippines was looking at him made him stop. He took a deep breath and calmed himself; the other nation deserved something more honest than that.

He still remembered how tightly Netherlands had gripped at his arm, decades and decades ago, his scarf flapping helplessly in the wind. Despite all the things that had gone unsaid between them and the years that they spent together, the blond was still unbearably silent. He used to admire that stoic demeanor; tried to emulate it when he was feeling overwhelmed, always so determined not to embarrass himself or the empire. Back when Netherlands had declared him the emerald of the equator, the crown jewel of his power as a nation . . . it had taken all he had to choke back his pride. It had taken all he had to keep his secret, that budding idea that he was meant to be more than just somebody else's precious colony.

Indië, Netherlands had pleaded, and suddenly the great Dutch Empire had seemed so small.

"It was different," he finally said. "But I don't think it was any better, in the end."

With a bittersweet smile, Philippines simply raised a toast. "To tomorrow."

In answer, Indonesia downed the rest of his orange juice in one go. This time, Philippines' laugh was more genuine, and he couldn't help but stare.

He had noticed this before, of course, but now — with the other nation elegantly sitting across him, his purple eyes glittering bright, and the wine glass so tantalizingly close to his lips — Indonesia was stricken by how right at home the other nation looked. Even Singapore, who probably had the most business with the Western countries out of them all, was more guarded whenever he stepped foot on European soil. Yet Philippines wasn't out of place here in the same way that Indonesia felt, and had instead carried the same easygoing attitude he had during their own ASEAN meetings. As much as the other nation's energy and eccentricities irked him sometimes, he also found himself in awe of him as well.

The others were right. If Philippines hadn't come, he would've spent all his free time wallowing around in his hotel room just feeling sorry for himself. But instead, he was enjoying himself more than he thought he would. Hesitant as he was to admit it, he almost found himself wanting to stay in Rome a little bit longer, if it meant the both of them could spend more time together.

"You're not leaving for Munich anytime soon, are you?" Indonesia said, daring to be hopeful.

Philippines rested his cheek on his hand. "If I remember right, the tickets Prussia bought for us were for tomorrow morning? He gets way too excited about Oktoberfest, you know."

Why do I even try to be happy, Indonesia thought darkly.

"Ah, don't look so glum! You have me all to yourself for the rest of the night," Philippines winked. "But I have to warn you, Pien is having his precious beauty sleep in my bedroom, so if you have any special requests we're going to have to be very quiet about it."

"Nothing like that," Indonesia quickly said, his face hot. "I just thought, I might as well treat you to somewhere nice. As a thank you for, uh, taking care of me today. But my flight back home is tomorrow night, and you're catching the morning train with Germany, and now I'm starting to think that we don't exactly have the time . . ."

The other nation waved it off. "We're nations, mahal. We have all the time in the world. Besides, we'll be meeting again for the APEC conference coming up in November, right? I don't mind waiting until then."

"But I do," he grumbled. "And again, don't call me mahal."

Philippines finished his drink and set his glass delicately on the table. "You can promise me that you'll let me sing half the songs when we go karaoke with the others. Or that you'll pay for my food the next time we have a group dinner. Oh! When Thailand makes a mean comment to me in the next meeting, you have to defend me. Say something like Filipino BL series are better than Thai BL series, that'll really get him going."

He was suddenly reminded of how frivolous the other nation could be sometimes. Either that, or worryingly low-maintenance. Indonesia built up the courage and forced out, "I'd rather make it up to you when the two of us are alone."

This time, it was Philippines who was staring. Flustered, Indonesia rambled on. "I just mean—you know, you spent all this time with me even though you didn't have to. So it's only right that I spend more time with you too, just the both of us. It's not good enough if the others are there too."

Philippines offered, "We could watch a movie before we sleep?"

"I'll probably just pass out in the middle."

"Maybe you can make breakfast for us tomorrow?"

"You gave me snacks, dinner, and a place to sleep, there's no way just a breakfast is fair."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to spend a night over at your place?"

"It's not about you, not really. It's just, I want to do something for you. Something you want."

"I've been telling you what I want, but you keep saying it's not good enough, I don't understand—"

"It needs to be special, okay? Is it so bad that I want to do something nice for you—"

"It's not bad, I just don't get why you're being so picky about it. Like, isn't doing me a favor enough for you? Isn't this just about paying me back? What is it that you want to do with me exactly?"

"No," Indonesia stressed, feeling like he was about to lose his mind. "I want—"

He paused.

What did he want, exactly?

Philippines just smiled at him, patient and knowing and just the slightest bit sad, and stood. He was carrying his plate, and as he passed by Indonesia he gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. When Indonesia looked up to face him, the other nation's eyes were soft. "I know I've said this to you before, but I'll say it again. I can't know things if you don't actually say it. Alright?"

Then he walked away to the kitchen sink, absentmindedly humming to himself, leaving Indonesia all alone at the table. The words I think I want you died on his lips.

-----

Later, after reflecting during his night bath, Indonesia found himself in a panic.

He wasn't a complete idiot. He's known for a while that Philippines was the only one who could fluster him like no other, but he often chalked that up to the other nation's cheeky character rather than anything else. His attraction to Philippines wasn't surprising either; it was no secret that he liked looking pretty, and to be honest, Indonesia has had worse crushes. But he was also steadily coming to the conclusion that his feelings went deeper than mere infatuation, and he couldn't help but wonder: why fall for the other nation in particular?

Philippines was an ally, someone he had founded and managed ASEAN with in a show of regional strength. Philippines was a friend, someone he had spent countless days with over the years along with all the other people he treasured in his life. Philippines was a stranger, someone who still felt so foreign to him despite everything. He could trace out the curve of his smile in an instant, and at the same time, he didn't have the faintest idea what the other nation was doing in the 1920s. He knew that watching a cheesy romcom was the surest way of brightening up his day, but not the exact nature of what Spain had done to him as a colony. And, for the life of him, he still didn’t understand the slightest bit of how verb conjugation in Tagalog worked — which felt especially embarrassing the day he found out that Philippines had been putting in the effort to learn both Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu so he could communicate with the rest of the maritime nations better. He'd understand his own heart easier if he fell for Malaysia or even Netherlands — people who he had shared a deep and culturally signifcant history with in his extremely long life as a nation — but Philippines was, to put it sadly, not like that to him.

And yet, as Indonesia stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, all he could think about was how much happier he looked now compared to his bleak and boring morning.

He changed into the clothes that Philippines had laid out for him on the bed and had a brief thought of just going to sleep for the night. Pramoedya, if he were still alive, would chide him for such cowardice. Indonesia ended up at the other nation's door, nervously trying to build up the courage to knock. But Philippines must have heard his footsteps, as he called out: "I know you're out there! Just come in!"

Just like him, Philippines had already bathed and changed to more casual sleepwear; he was wearing a loose sweater and shorts that showed off his legs. He was sitting upright on his bed, looking amused at whatever he was staring at on his phone screen, and his face broke out into a warm smile when he saw Indonesia hesitantly trudge inside his bedroom. Pien was already sound asleep in a little makeshift bed on the desk.

"Sit here," said Philippines, while he scooted over to give him space. Indonesia gave him a look. "I'm being serious. Just move your arms a bit and—yeah, that's it. Aren't we cozy?"

Now they were both sitting on the bed, with Philippines between his legs and his arms around Philippines' waist. Cozy was certainly a word for it.

"Now you're just teasing me," Indonesia grumbled, but he didn't move away either.

"Me? Tease you?" Philippines fluttered his eyelashes at him. "Why, I'm just a poor tropical nation made to suffer through the unbearably cold Autumn months in the Northern Hemisphere! I'm severely in need of some aid and assistance, but I'm sure you and all your hundred active volcanoes can keep me warm for tonight."

"You're horrible, you know that?" he said, though he was unable to keep the laughter out of his voice. Philippines laughed with him, giddy and gleeful. "You don't know how anxious I was before this. It's not fair that you can just make all that go away so easily."

Philippines leaned back on his chest, smug as a cat. "Call it a gift. By the way, our neighbors want to know how you're doing. Anything you want to say?"

Now that he was right behind the other nation, he could see that his phone was opened to the ASEAN group chat. It seemed like everyone was spamming the chat with pictures of their pets again. Indonesia rested his chin on Philippines' shoulder and said, "I'm doing just fine. Tell them I mean it this time."

If the other nation was flustered, he betrayed no signs of it. He had now moved on to chatting with the other ex-Spanish colonies; they were all talking in Spanish and Indonesia couldn't understand a thing. "I'll tell them when I'm sure it won't get buried by everything else. But, you know, that's really good to hear. My influence, I hope."

Indonesia buried his face in Philippines' neck as an answer.

"So needy," Philippines murmured, who had put his phone down to pat his head. "Perhaps you really were lonely?"

"Not as lonely as you used to be, I think." At this, Philippines stilled. Indonesia tightened his hold on the other nation's slim waist even further, almost afraid that he would drift away. "About that question you asked, earlier at the cafe . . . I don't feel burdened by how great my old empires were. I've felt the pressure to make them proud, but I've never felt like it was a burden. Their legacy is my life and my connections to all of you, you know? I've certainly never felt like it made me lonely.

"And then there's you, and I know it's not the same for you, because you can't even remember — and that's fine, Singapore doesn't really remember much either. But Malaysia remembers enough for the both of them, and then there's me, and I remember the most, but then there's you, and you don't have that."

Here, Indonesia exhales a shaky breath. "Spain took you, and America took you, and Japan took you, and that's four centuries of you just being gone from me. We're neighbors yet we're so different, to the point where we don't share the same language, the same religion, the same food, the same history . . . and you have friends all over the world and you seem so happy all the time, but I don't think I've ever realized how lonely you must feel."

All Philippines did was sigh. "I told you not to pity me."

"I'm not pitying you," said Indonesia. "I'm just sorry."

All this time, he had been so in awe of how Philippines found it so easy to adjust to Westerners and Western culture when he himself found it so difficult. But now, with the realization that the same ability to connect with others may have also translated to an inability to connect with him and the rest of ASEAN, that same awe felt so bitter. How many times had Philippines stood awkwardly to the side when he spoke to Malaysia and Brunei in his native language? Kept worryingly quiet when they were wistfully reminiscing their pre-colonial pasts? Tried to tell a joke to lighten up the mood during a meeting, but because of differences in culture and history, it just fell flat?

Indonesia was startled out of his thoughts with a painful pinch of his cheek.

"Of course you're going to be sorry if you make me sound so depressing," Philippines pouted at him, annoyed.

He sputtered, "What? I mean, I just thought—"

"Do you take me for an idiot, Indonesia?" He pinched Indonesia harder, which made him yelp. "Don't you think I'd be well aware by now of where I stand with all of you? That after sixty years together, I would've realized that I wasn't as involved in your history as everyone else is in maritime, or everyone else with each other in the mainland?"

With a huff, Philippines let him go. Indonesia tried to soothe the sting of it by putting his hand on his cheek. He almost didn't hear the other nation murmur, "Do I seem that pitiful to you?"

"Not pitiful at all," Indonesia scrambled to reassure. Philippines leaned back on his chest, still looking a bit miffed. "I don't know. I just had this sudden thought that maybe we're just a bad reminder of how much Spain and America took away from you. Maybe you're actually uncomfortable with us."

Maybe you're actually uncomfortable with me, he thought, though he kept that to himself.

Philippines simply stared up at him, eyes bright, and said, "Well, if you only realized it today, then maybe you should've considered that it isn't actually a problem."

"You could just be very good at acting like nothing's wrong," Indonesia pointed out.

"Or you can think about this: maybe there really is nothing wrong in the first place," Philippines said, a wry smile growing on his face. "I founded the association with you, you know. Maybe the rest of you were there because of old ties or whatever, but I joined precisely because I wanted to build new ones. I don't really care if I feel awkward sometimes. I'd certainly find it boring if all of you were exactly like me anyway."

The other nation was so carefree about it, but Indonesia still felt conflicted. He admitted, "Maybe the problem is just that I feel awkward. I have no idea how to approach you as a nation."

"So don't approach me as a nation. Approach me as a friend," Philippines said, not unkindly. To get the point across, he put his hands over Indonesia's in a show of comfort. "You're allowed to act outside the interests of who you represent, you know. We're people too."

Indonesia kept quiet. There had been times when he privately felt like Philippines was his exact opposite — a lively, energetic person that focused more on his human side rather than the nation side, and someone whose duties were considerably more worldly than his own: having to regularly travel to dozens of countries to check on the millions of Filipino citizens that were working abroad. Meanwhile, as such a large and diverse country, Indonesia tried his best to ensure that every single one of the people that lived within his borders felt heard. It was difficult sometimes, but it always felt meaningful to him — his people were his essence, and he couldn't let politics force him to forsake them again. Acting for his personal interests felt as foreign to him as leaving his house sometimes. Not that he never took time for himself; he tried, but a lot of the time he had to be convinced to do so. Sometimes Singapore would invite him for another tour around his house, or Malaysia would drag him into some new restaurant where they would inevitably fight over the food. But more often than not, it would be Philippines pushing him and the other Southeast Asian nations out of their shells and setting up parties, taking them to his fiestas, and prodding and annoying all of them until they would finally agree to ASEAN hang-outs like the one at Bali. Indonesia could admit harboring a deep suspicion for the other nation before, thinking that he was more in line with American interests rather than his own, but over the decades that suspicion had faded. Despite all his efforts to the contrary, he had grown on him, and now Indonesia couldn't imagine his life without him anymore.

He didn't know much about the Philippines as a nation, not much more than he needed to be aware of for the sake of diplomacy and the association. Yet as the years went by and he got to know more and become friends with Philippines the person, he discovered someone who was equal parts obnoxious and endearing, foolhardy and clever, petty and proud and unbelievably kind. And as he looked at him now, there was something in the curve of his smile and the light in his eyes that told him that things would be alright if he took things a step further — something that told him that the other nation had been anticipating this for a long, long time. Heart over head and heart over country, it emboldened him to take the leap.

"I don't want to approach you as a friend either," Indonesia murmured, and because he couldn't help himself, he leaned down and kissed him.

Philippines sighed happily into his mouth as he kissed back, warm and blooming under his touch. Their kiss was relatively chaste — Indonesia had seen the other nation make out with others for a drunk dare with more passion than this — yet he couldn't complain. It was sweet and soft and lasted only for a moment, and more than anything, it was a promise: that they can take things slow, and that they had all the time in the world to get to know each other better.

Their foreheads touched, quiet and tender, and Philippines laughed softly. "It's so ridiculous," he said, his eyes filled with mirth, "that I've been waiting for so long for you to realize your feelings, and when the time finally comes that you do, you managed to confess without really confessing at all. Only you, Indonesia."

"I'm shy," he said dryly, and the other nation burst into laughter. "If you wanted a real confession, you probably could've done so yourself."

"Ah, but there's no fun in that! I like the thrill of being chased, you know," Philippines preened, wagging his finger in mock admonishment. Then, more shyly, he admitted, "Besides, if I made a move on you before you were ready, you might've just pushed me away or feel forced to return my feelings even if you didn't. If I waited, at least I could be sure you wanted me too."

"So all those jokes you made before were supposed to be you holding back? How subtle," Indonesia teased, his eyes crinkling. He held the other nation closer, smothering him with small kisses all over until what little sadness on his face disappeared and was replaced with giggles and brightness. He turned Philippines' head to face him properly and said, "I'm scared that I won't know how to balance my duties and my personal life as well as you do, and I'm scared that we'll be too dissimilar to really work out. But until the day that our differences force us apart, I'd be happy to spend my time with you."

Philippines pulled away from him slightly, an oddly vulnerable look in his eyes. "You're sure you really want something with me? That this isn't too far out of your comfort zone?"

"Oh, it's very out of my comfort zone," Indonesia said. "But recently, I've been learning that maybe it isn't so bad, you know. As long as I'm with you."

"As long as I'm with you," Philippines repeated, with a growing smile. "I like the sound of that."

They continued talking well past midnight, at some points laughing so hard and arguing so loud that poor Pien was startled awake by all the noise. And as the other nation reached out and pulled him under the covers so they could hold each other until the morning, he found himself reaching back. They kissed until their lips were red and they got so tangled up in each other until they couldn't distinguish between their own bodies anymore; despite how differently the day turned out from how his usual trips to Europe went, Indonesia swore that the unfamiliar city never felt so much like coming home until that night.

-----

"Where the hell is my sweater," Philippines groused.

"You threw it on the floor last night, it should be under your bedside drawer." Indonesia kissed his forehead and, keenly aware that he was not a morning person, gave him a cup of his precious coffee. He could tell his efforts were appreciated when Philippines greedily gulped down the scalding liquid. "Selamat pagi, sayang."

The other nation only pouted at him. "Don't call me sayang."

"After all the stupid things you've called me through the years? I'll call you however I like, thank you very much," he shrugged. "Besides, I'm not the one who has to leave in a few hours."

Philippines groaned as he pulled his clothes over himself. "This is so stupid. We finally get together and now we have to be separated like this? I mean, I'm really glad and I like you a lot and all, but I really wish you had a better sense of timing right now."

"I think you'll live." Indonesia hid his smile behind his cup. "I mean, you were the one that said you don't mind waiting until November to see me again."

"You just keep making fun of me," Philippines whined, cuddling up to him. Pien had even jumped up to nuzzle his neck, evidently just as clingy as his owner. "Where's the romance, Indonesia? The sweet nothings in my ear? The poems and songs you surely must've written while you pined for my presence? Am I to despair forever, having only been loved by a phantom version of yourself that will never return?"

"You've been watching too many telenovelas," Indonesia said, quickly setting both of their cups somewhere else before they had any accidents. At this, the other nation gasped dramatically and collapsed across his lap. Despite himself, he started chuckling at how ridiculous Philippines was being — really, how could he not find him so endearing?

Then Philippines suddenly turned serious. He stared up at him, his gaze piercing. "If you don't want me to go, I can just make up dumb some excuse again, you know. Just say the word."

Indonesia humored him. "And why wouldn't I want you to go?"

"Because I can't be there for you if you feel alone again," he muttered, expression tense and his mouth downturned in an angry frown. "I just feel bad that I'm leaving you so soon."

Yesterday, he would've been right to be worried. Indonesia probably would've found some roundabout way to say that he'd much rather for Philippines to stay just until he could see him off at the airport later that evening, if only to stave off that achingly empty feeling of waiting to go home and resenting time for moving so slowly. Philippines would have laughed and teased and inevitably posted about the day's events on his Instagram, to which Indonesia would look increasingly more exhausted with each new update, but he nevertheless would have allowed Indonesia to get away with delaying his plans to make him more comfortable.

But as it was, now Indonesia only remembered the way the other nation's eyes had twinkled in excitement when he mentioned Munich, so it was little trouble for him to simply smooth back Philippines' bangs and lightly say, "Actually, I was planning of sightseeing on my own today."

"Oh?" Philippines looked surprised — and pleased. "You are?"

Indonesia couldn't stop himself from flushing in embarrassment. Really, it had only been a passing thought he had after finishing his morning prayers, but . . . "All of you are always going on about how I can't enjoy myself abroad, so. I figured it was time I gave it a try."

Though Philippines probably knew he was still rather uncertain about it, he smiled anyway. "Well, as long as bring your phone this time, alright? I'm always just a text away if you need it."

"And here I thought you'd say some cheesy line about me never truly being alone since you'll always in my heart," Indonesia said, and Philippines was startled into laughter as he sat back up. "Don't worry. I've survived a long, long time without you by my side. I can take a little longer."

Philippines pecked him on the cheek, sweet and domestic. "Not too long, I hope. I can't wait to see the look on Thailand's face when we walk into November's meeting hand in hand. Maybe I should make a vlog about everyone else's surprised reactions."

"Whatever you like, sayang." Indonesia smiled as he stood, his hand reaching out. He pulled Philippines into a kiss — a deep one this time, slow and sensuous and full of all the things he felt too strongly to properly express in words — that left them both breathing heavily by the time they pulled away. Feeling uncharacteristically suave, he whispered, "Though I would prefer it if, in the short time that you're still here, you keep all your focus on me."

"Always, mahal." Philippines smiled back, eyes as bright as ever. "Always."

-----

Notes:

Title comes from the lyrics of How Deep Is Your Love, but specifically, it's a reference to the Christian Bautista cover. Bautista is a Filipino singer, and his cover was very popular in Indonesia a few years ago.

There are a lot of things I've had to simplify and outright ignore for the sake of story, most egregious being the fact that Indonesia actually wouldn't be the sole Southeast Asian nation in a G20 meeting. The chair of ASEAN is a permanent guest invitee, and since the current chair is the Sultan of Brunei, Brunei would probably in the meeting as well. Alas, Brunei isn't canon yet as of this writing. Sorry, Brunei!

Mahal and sayang are both terms of endearment in Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia respectively, but with a catch! Mahal is a word that also exists in Bahasa Indonesia, but the meaning is "expensive" rather than "love" — in Tagalog you can use the word both ways. Sayang is a word that also exists in Tagalog, but the meaning is "What a waste" or "What a pity" rather than "love" — in Bahasa Indonesia, you can use the word both ways. So essentially, you have Philippines and Indonesia trying to be sweet to each other, but the other interprets it as a weird insult instead. It's really funny and really cute.

More detailed notes and references on my previous Tumblr post here!

[kingdomsaurushearts]

My Only Sunshine

She woke much later than she usually would have. It was getting harder to get out of bed these days. Knowing that the light of her life was still gone, still without a word. Leaving a void of grey clouds.

He had returned once, only to beam his smile at her, tell her it was important, and set off again. At least he said goodbye that time.

It did nothing for when he still hadn't returned. The look on his friend's faces spoke louder than words. But she smiled sadly, and merely held them as they wept their tears.

Wishing she could do the same, but they wouldn't come. She could only dream of the day the sky would beam and grin his sunshine smile, and let her comb her fingers through his wild forest of hair.

Tossing over to face the window, the sun was setting, she really did oversleep. She might as well stay in bed through the night. Irregardless of the hunger pangs her stomach induced in protest. 

As if to answer her seemingly sentient belly, a wonderful, delicious aroma wafted under her nose. She could just picture a characterized steamy scent luring her with a beckoning finger gesture.

Relenting, sitting herself up and made to dress herself appropriately for the kindhearted guest in her kitchen, pondering which of her son's friends had decided to dote on her this time. 

Mentally she went down the list.

Aqua had been here the week prior, and filled her home with the scent of a refined bakery. She's still whittling away at her very full cookie jar. 

And Terra, what a fine gentleman, a bit headstrong, but coming into himself as a wise young man. He fixed her leaking roof, and tended to her garden. Wouldn't know he had such a green thumb just by looking at him.

Sweet, sweet Ven, much like her boy, it was almost hard to be around him. But oh, did she relish and melt into his hugs, and her lips couldn't help but be pulled into a near permanent smile while he was around.

 Even when she could sense a haunting shadow lurking around him, like a memory begging and pleading to be replayed whenever the tiny creature, Chirithy joined the visits. While she enjoyed its company, it was definitely withholding something important. But it wasn't her place to pry.

The four of them wouldn't be back so soon, would they?

Roxas, and Xion bless their hearts, and may the powers that be have mercy on their teeth as the threat of sugary addiction tempt cavities, filled her fridge with a very unnecessary amount of ice cream. At least she didn't need to stock up for when the Twilight Gang came for visits.

How very difficult it was to let the two youngest leave every time. But she held the utmost trust in the duo who cared for them, the spitfire, Axel… Lea..? who was really a gentle ember,  and the cool headed Isa, who kept them all grounded, and made the children brush their teeth. (He even helped her with her taxes!)

They were still supposed to be in school, and coming way out to Destiny Islands on a school night just would not do.

Then there were the two, very brave individuals who had been traversing the worlds with her son. Donald and Goofy. Raising him to be the young man she didn't get the chance to know, teaching him, keeping him safe.

 They had an annual brunch, where they would recount their adventures, appraising his grand achievements and victories. Bringing trophies, and other such trinkets for her to adorn her home with pride. And with their Gummiphone, she now had photos of her baby boy, growing up on film, with people from all around. Holding the same unrelenting adoration for him. 

The next get together wasn't for a few more days, lest it was also very late. 

Namine was such a shy girl, visiting only when Roxas and Xion, did and rarely so even then. A look of guilt and regret lingered in her eyes, even if she never would relay why. Still, she adored the young lady, regardless of her hesitations to let herself be loved. 

It couldn't be Riku, much to her disappointment. He had up and vanished without so much a trace not long after her son had, breaking all their hearts further. 

The small Mouse King, Mickey, was practically glued to Riku's side if he wasn't home, attending to his royal duties. Much to her chagrin. 

She highly doubted either one of them.

The sounds of the kitchen amplified mildly as she descended the stairs. Almost as if they were being careful not to make too much of a ruckus, but also with a rhythmic ease that was natural. Delectable smells roused her appetite. 

She thought of Kairi, who ran off to her old home world, swearing she won't sit around and wait for them to reappear. She'd traverse all the worlds if she had to. But she was kind enough to at least call. Perhaps she finally came home to rest, and recollect. 

Yet, her skills in the kitchen left much to be desired. 

Truly stumped, and giving up on her silly guessing game, groggily adjusted her hair into a manageable braid just before turning the corner into the aromatic kitchen.

Though as her eyes landed on the figure by the stove, nothing else surrounding her registered. The smells, the table assortment for two, an array of different cuisines. 

Nothing, but the bobbing of hair, and gentle, familiar hum in a voice deeper than memory provides, but is absolutely unmistakable. 

Clenching the fabric over her bosom in poor attempt to still her beating heart, a hitch of breath escapes in the form of an almost whimper, catching the attention of the aforementioned chef.

A surprised gasp as he turns his head, shining sapphire eyes smiling before the corners of his mouth can reach them. Setting aside his utensils, and facing her fully. 

Eyes brimming with tears, and her other hand covering her mouth, holding her breath, almost as if waiting to be woken from such a dream.

Suddenly feeling timorous, he carefully closed the distance between them until an arms length apart, be scratched the side of his cheek sheepishly grinning crookedly. 

Finding her voice, though shaken with unshed tears.

"Sora…"

"Hi mom… I was about to call you down, dinner is ready." 

She was stunned silent, frozen, hearing his voice sending her mind in hyperdrive, thinking of how he could possibly be back, and so sudden. The hows and whys, the possibilities crowding together-

"Mom?"

Tossing her rampant thoughts aside, only one thing left to think about, and she wrapped her arms around it, holding him close as if he could disappear again. Burrowing her face into his shoulder that now reached her chin. 

No longer a small boy, who spent his days lazing about on the small islet, but a young man, who had to grow up far too quickly. 

Strong, lean arms wrapped around her in response, wetness dampened her own shoulder as they shared a moment of sorrow for the lost time, and the relief of gaining back what was missing. 

The clouds in her world dissipated, and her sun shined brightly again. 

[harry-leroy]

So because @suits-of-woe has sent me some fic prompts that I have taken 5ever to get to, and because we love our Gloucester boys, here’s a fic I wrote for the earlier prompt you send me. - I lost the ask, so here we are!

Going to leave it under a cut because it’s long and angsty :’) Hope this is alright- I explored some of the headcanons you were talking about with Edmund because I love them so much.

“Edmund...” Edgar’s voice trailed off as his younger brother made an attempt to rush upstairs without being seen. He had been sitting in the dark, the firelight the only thing that could distinguish that it was him sitting there on the floor and not someone else.

Despite wishing to be unseen, the voice of his brother made Edmund stop and notice him, sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest, staring blankly into the fire. He should have been in bed; they both should have been in bed hours ago.

“Where have you been?” Edgar asked softly, still looking into the fire.

A moment of hesitation.

“I was out,” Edmund replied, even softer still.

“Where?” The boy by the fire asked. He appeared to be nothing more than a boy, despite being nineteen years of age. The pants of his pyjamas were slightly too short for his legs. His hair looked as if it hadn’t been brushed in days. His voice was flat, though there was a flicker of timorousness to it.

“Nowhere,” Edmund said, hesitation in his answer. His head was pounding. There was a soreness in his neck. He could still feel her lips on his skin and it gave him a momentary rush of being somewhere completely different. A loud nightclub maybe, or perhaps the back seat of a car they had broken into, stumbling as they kissed one another wherever they could, trying desperately to drink the other in. He couldn’t even remember her name. It didn’t matter much.

There was a moment between the brothers now. Edmund began to study his brother more closely, stepping cautiously away from the stairs and towards the completely still figure hugging his knees. Edgar hadn’t taken his eyes away from the flames. He couldn’t.

“You okay?” Edmund asked, almost out of social obligation rather than a genuine care. He was too tired to care, too drunk, too stubborn. It was the one thing he had inherited from his father, or perhaps had learned from his father: lack of empathy. It was the only way to survive. Dog eats dog.

“Can’t sleep,” Edgar mumbled. Empathy was the kind of thing that was eating him alive. The closer Edmund got, he realized that Edgar was not still at all. He couldn’t remember the last time his brother had been still.

“Oh,” Edmund said, unsure of what else to say. He knew that it was not the first night this had happened this week, but it was the first time he had seen Edgar like this. Not older than him, but childlike, almost as if Edgar were years younger than him instead of it always being a close call. It was the first time Edmund saw his brother, not as weak, but as fragile. He swallowed, nausea hitting him, though he forced it down.

“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” Edgar asked, his voice clear now, louder than before.

Edmund said nothing, knowing that whatever he said would hurt his brother’s feelings.

“Where were you?” Edgar asked again, his voice quieter now, the hesitation returning.

“I said I was out,” Edmund said finally. He sighed. “Why are you so worried about me?”

There was another moment of silence. Edgar’s eyes had gone blank. It was as if his entire brain had been shrouded in a thick, though unsettled mist.

“Edgar?” Edmund called, trying to reach him without touching him, lest he break.

Edgar finally blinked a few times, and for the first time turned his head to his brother.

“What?” He asked, his voice small and quiet. It was as though he had forgotten the entire conversation.

“Let’s go to bed now,” Edmund said, trying to help his brother up to his feet and away from where their father could hear them. “You need to sleep,”

Edgar took a sharp breath, shakily exhaling as he tried to fight Edmund off, though to no avail. Instead, Edmund swung him around to face him, holding onto his upper arms to keep him from running away. Even drunk, Edmund had the upper hand.

“Don’t touch me,” Edgar’s voice was loud now, threatened. “Get your hands off of me, you animal!”

“What’s happened to you, Edgar?” Edmund asked, still able to keep his brother in place despite the near-frenzied movements against him. “What’s wrong? Come on, talk to me. Please, just talk to me,”

“Let go of me!” Edgar shouted. Edmund released him upon hearing the sharp contrast of the decibel level, worried that their father might hear them from down the long corridor. “Let go of me, or I swear to God-“

“Done!” Edmund cried, not that God had done anything make him fearful. “Done! Edgar, no one’s touching you, now will you please calm down?”

Edgar instead began to cry, nearly falling into his brother’s arms. Edmund caught him, though his own world started spinning, a consequence of the drink no doubt. Awkwardly, he tried to shush him, his brother’s head buried in an odd angle against his chest.

“I don’t know what anything is anymore,” Edgar said, his voice weak again. “None of it makes any sense, and it’s all falling apart, and I don’t know what to do... what is anything?”

Edmund pulled him closer, as if to muffle his sobs so they would be quieter. He was surprised that their father had not heard them by now. It had been a moderate fear of his, getting caught. It had been months ago, but Edmund still remembered it vividly.

It had been the morning after he had stumbled in from a club and their father had found drugs in his pocket. At the breakfast table, none of them had spoken. Edmund took a hand to cover up a bruise he felt forming on his neck while he shoveled cereal into his mouth with the other hand, chewing quickly and not caring much for manners. Edgar sat across from him, eyes blank and bloodshot. One hand was holding onto the spoon, though it appeared without any conviction, as if he might let go at any second. The other hand was at his side, as if he were molded to the manners he had learned despite looking dead on his feet. He didn’t eat, but instead watched his cereal get soggy without much interest in any of it. Edmund only looked him over briefly, sure he would snap out of it eventually.

Their father sat at the head of the table, a row of seats between them, reading a newspaper. Suddenly, Edmund had knocked over his bowl with his elbow, spilling some of the milk before he recovered it. The noise caused the newspaper to be flung down. Edmund shrunk back into himself like he did when he was little. Edgar didn’t seem to notice.

“Edmund!” Their father snapped. “Have some damn manners, why don’t you? Edgar, eat,”

Edgar did nothing, but looked as if he were about to fall out of the chair. Edmund went back to eating quickly, wanting to leave the table as soon as he could.

“Edmund!” Their father barked again, causing him to briefly stop. He sighed. “For God’s sake, look at you both! My sons of eighteen and nineteen years. Proper young men you should be! Instead you’re going out and spending your allowance on drugs and women, and you’re not spending any of yours because you don’t leave the bloody house,”

He sighed again. Somewhere in that speech, Edgar flinched, though it was delayed. He dropped his spoon, hand dangling over it.

“You’re too young to hate the world. The pair of you. I’m going to enroll you both in the military. That’ll teach you something about what it’s really like to live!” Their father growled, taking the newspaper back up. Edmund quickly got up and left, leaving his deadened brother at the table, though he didn’t seem to notice him leaving.

Edmund blinked the memory away. If they hated the world then, they hated it even more now. Both of them had lived in a state of anxiety, Edmund in a state of addiction, Edgar in apathy.

“Let’s go, Edgar,” Edmund said cautiously, aware now that his brother was not only fragile, but unstable. Any sudden movement might throw him down a course with no reparation. “We’ll go to bed. You can sleep with me if you‘d like,”

It was something they used to do as boys. Although then, it was Edmund who would crawl into Edgar’s bed after a nightmare. Now it was the least Edmund thought he could do to return the favor.

“Okay,” was the muffled response into his shirt.

They walked up the stairs, holding onto one another, just as they had always done, and would do so long as they could be brothers.

[softgotheory]

Kuch kuch hota hai tina

The film is a poignant story of two friends, a guy and a girl, who understand they actually love each other perhaps too late. The film introduces Johar's famous statement that the first step towards love is friendship and does it in a slightly cheesy yet rather convincing way. This is an enjoyable and charming picture which can make you laugh, cry, at times even cringe with annoyance, but then it will keep you consistently entertained. It is one of those beautiful Hindi romantic comedies that actually form the unique cultural and artistic style of Bollywood's most famous mainstream flicks. In spite of being a bit of a fairy tale, it works very well within its limitations. I asked him (through gestures) to look back and clicked the button on my camera.Karan Johar's directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is one of those films you can always watch and enjoy with your family and friends. He went on chattering gleefully while changing radio stations. He wasn’t disappointed when I told him (through gestures) that I didn’t know his language. ‘Ten Dollars.’ I tried to talk to him through gestures, but failed. I got in and soon realised those were the only two English words he could speak. I stretched my arms wide like Christ the Redeemer and exclaimed, “I want to meet Jesus. I told the driver that I wanted to go to Cristo Rei. I saw this rickety yellow cab outside my hotel and waved. At first, I thought I could cover the 11 km distance by foot, but then I decided to experience a Timorese cab ride. On a tropical Timorese weekend afternoon, I got some ‘me time’ to venture out alone. One of my most memorable days in the country was the visit to Cristo Rei of Dili, which had been modelled on the iconic Christ the Redeemer of Rio de Janeiro. I have written numerous reports about the mission in Timor-Leste, therefore I wouldn’t go into the professional aspects of the visit. It was my first international exposure while working in the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) sector.

I was in East Timor for a project commissioned to my previous employers. More than 75% of the country’s infrastructure was destroyed by Indonesian armed forces before they left in 1999. When Kuch Kuch Hota Hai released in India, East Timor was under Indonesian occupation which saw brutal incidences of human rights violations. It was amazing to see the popularity of Bollywood films in the second youngest democracy which got its independence in 2000. “Wow! So nice meaning…Indian movies most romantic.” I struggled for a romantic translation of the title and trying not to sound awkward I said, “Something, Something Happens…in Love.” Once a young Timorese guy in a Superman T-shirt asked me during a workshop, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I have beautiful memories of East Timor and the number of times I was asked a variety of questions about ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. He stamped on my passport and pushed it back through the tiny window with a smile, “Welcome to Timor-Leste!” Of course, I couldn’t tell the visa official all of that. I never saw him again, and that was perfectly okay, because the chapter of ‘Mayuri and the Series of Crushes’ had begun. Soon, I experienced my first crush on an unknown guy with a dimpled smile and the songs from the movie played inside my head. I was coming to terms with puberty and this film happened. The songs played everywhere and chiffon sarees were a rage during the festive season. When it released, I was 11 years old and everyone in school either tried to dress up like Kajol’s Anjali or Rani Mukherjee’s Tina. Yes, yes I’ve watched! I LOVE that movie. “Oh, India… Kuch Kuch Hota Hai! You watched? You like?” he exclaimed with wild delight. I clearly remember facing the serious official behind the visa-on-arrival desk and pushing my passport through the tiny window.

[dancemotionusa]

Dance as Mutual Understanding

by: Sarah Horne, DMUSA Project Director

It’s difficult to reflect back on my time with DanceMotion USA℠ because I’m still processing that the program is really coming to a close. When I was first introduced to the concept of cultural diplomacy in 2014, it seemed a vehicle for political gain. When I actually experienced cultural diplomacy as the tour manager of the Mark Morris Dance Group’s DanceMotion USA℠ residency in Cambodia, Timor Leste, Taiwan, and China, I understood that it was a vehicle for change; a tool to be used to connect individuals through something as simple yet powerful as dance. I can honestly say that partaking in that residency changed my life.

Small town Massachusetts girl, never in my wildest dreams could I have foreseen travel to destinations like Cambodia; and Timor Leste, I had never even heard of it. Yet, the people I met in these destinations became my family for the 5 weeks we were abroad. We moved together, ate, laughed, shared highs and lows, connected on intimate and personal levels, and all expressed the same desire to live a happy, healthy life; to provide for our families; to take pride in our work. The world really is small and humans all need and want the same basic necessities. Whether we’re in South East Asia or America, we’re inevitably the same, this program allowed me to fully understand that.

Mark Morris and Sarah Horne at the closing ceremony of the Special Olympics in Timor Leste with a young participant

Almost a year after that residency experience, I had the opportunity to become a part of the DanceMotion USA℠ team; working to bring to fruition these residencies for other American dancers and dance companies. With the program having had such an impact on me personally, I wanted to work toward building experiences for others that would allow them the same opportunities I had. As the Project Manager for DanceMotion USA℠, I worked with embassies and cultural partners in Africa, Asia, South America, and Eurasia to build residency tours that connected American dancers with individuals who may never have met an American, or who may never have been given the opportunity to dance and move due to physical limitations and/or access to dance and dance education. Some of the vulnerable populations we worked with had caretakers who didn’t believe those in their care could dance perhaps because they were wheelchair bound or had other physical limitations. Yet, when the American residency companies were on the ground, the palpable energy of joy in the room radiated because dance really is for everyone. Those caretakers not only saw those in their care dance but they saw them light up with a happiness that comes from inclusion and the belief that we can achieve anything our hearts set out to do.

Sarah Horne being interviewed in Taiwan following a residency activity

I had the privilege to travel to Vientiane, Laos with Dance Heginbotham in 2016 and watching this company teach and exchange with individuals on the ground brought joy to my heart and tears of happiness to my eyes. I saw them experience the same transformation I had during my Mark Morris residency and I knew then that this program was more than about achieving foreign policy goals, it was about individual, person-to-person exchange; it was about the universal language of dance; it was about empowerment and joy.

John Heginbotham with Sarah Horne in Luang Prabang, Laos

In 2017, as the Project Director for the program, I traveled to Mongolia, Korea and Russia to meet with Embassy staff and cultural partners in advance of the seventh and final season of programming. Explaining the program and discussing how dance can be used as a way to connect is often harder than one would think. More often than not, those we work with expect us to want to work with professional dancers, dance students, companies, etc. and to put on performances. Yet, the power of what we do lies in the exact opposite; connecting individually with those new to dance and/or exchanging with local, traditional groups in an effort to absorb and appreciate the culture, history, and heritage of the countries we travel to.

These advance trips held an extra special meaning for me, not only did I know they would establish the residencies for the last season of DanceMotion USA℠ programming, but I was near the end of my first trimester of pregnancy, carrying with me my daughter. In her, I hope to instill not only an appreciation and love for travel but also the respect and admiration for other cultures and societies that has grown within me since my involvement with DanceMotion USA℠ began. As the world continues to grow, preserving and respecting culture and traditions is all the more important. Cultural exchange programs do that, not only by sending Americans abroad, but by bringing international artists and curators to the United States. The connections fostered through these exchanges help create space for dialogue and discussion, demonstrate shared values, and increase cross-cultural understanding.

Sarah Horne in Moscow, Russia during an advance trip

Now as the program end looms in site, I have the weight and responsibility of keeping the legacy of these residency exchanges alive for years to come so that others may understand the powerful impact of cultural diplomacy.  In bidding goodbye to this chapter of dance diplomacy, I reflect back on how dance diplomacy began during the Cold War. It was President Dwight D. Eisenhower who created the means for the State Department to facilitate cultural exchange as a way to “stimulate the presentation abroad by private firms and groups of the best American industrial and cultural achievements, in order to demonstrate the dedication of the United States to peace and human well-being [and] to offset worldwide Communist propaganda charges that the United States has no culture.” Since then, dance diplomacy has ebbed and flowed as foreign policy goals and objectives have changed. Today, dance is used as a means to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding and to establish relationships between individuals. As we look at the next chapter of cultural diplomacy, I hope the State Department maintains these goals which I hold near and dear to my heart and continues to encourage individuals to connect through the arts because they represent a universal language equal to none. It has been a privilege and an honor to be both a participant and administrator of this program; for what it has taught me and instilled within me, I am eternally changed and grateful.

[anotherbadboy]

Albanese Could Bring an End to Coalition’s Political Prosecutions

The ongoing authoritarian creep witnessed under the Morrison government was ultimately rejected at the polling booths last weekend.

Indeed, the shift away from both major parties has made it clear that the trajectory the nation was on isn’t the favoured one.

The mounting surveillance state laws that have been passed over the close to a decade of Coalition rule have been a bipartisan project, so it’s somewhat doubtful that a shift from Liberal to Labor is going to result in a recommended winding back of the ongoing national security framework.

The Albanese government, however, might be expected to pull back on some of the other excesses of the Morrison years, especially in terms of lack of action on climate, the crackdown on press freedoms and the utter refusal to consider a substantial anticorruption body.

There are distinct signs that change is coming under Albanese. New foreign affairs minister Penny Wong has pledged a respectful relationship with Pacific nations, particularly in terms of climate, while a federal ICAC seems destined, especially with the Greens and independents demanding so.

But then there are other less sureties. Morrison and Dutton were pressing for war with China, and Albanese’s first step in office has been to join a meeting of the Beijing-focused Quad alliance, while there are still questions remaining as to whether some the political prosecutions might end.

A death in the family?

“Enough is enough,” then federal opposition leader Albanese responded in February 2021 to a question about the ongoing incarceration of Julian Assange in the UK. “I don’t have sympathy for many of his actions but essentially I can’t see what is served by keeping him incarcerated.”

Right now, the WikiLeaks founder’s future is hanging by a thread, after he’s been remanded for three years in London’s Belmarsh Prison awaiting a final decision on whether the UK will hand him over to the US to face espionage charges carrying up to 175 years behind bars.

The White House is pursuing the Australian journalist over his 2010-11 publishing of the details of classified documents revealing US war crimes leaked to him and exposed whilst he was in a foreign jurisdiction, at the same time that other major publications globally revealed the same information.

The UK and the US are Australia’s closest allies. Over the last decade, no Australian PM has ever spoken out in Julian’s favour until Albanese did so prior to taking office. And it’s understood that now he’s in office he could at least discuss the Australian citizen’s releasee with Biden or Johnson.

Currently, the UK court system has greenlighted Assange’s extradition to the US, and the final decision is set to be made by UK home secretary Priti Patel within days. It’s also readily understood that the extreme prison conditions Assange could be subjected to in the US would likely kill him.

Settling old scores

Former shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus is expected to be appointed the next federal chief lawmaker after the new prime minister returns back from his Quad discussions in Japan, which will place the prosecutions of certain other Australian whistleblowers in the new AG’s lap.

Dreyfus told the Guardian on Tuesday that if given the nod, he’ll be seeking an early briefing on a number of matters, which will include the prosecution of Bernard Collaery for his alleged part in exposing the Australian government’s illegal bugging of the Timor-Leste cabinet offices in 2004.

The decision to prosecute former ASIS agent Witness K and barrister Bernard Collaery over revealing the illegal spying operation carried out by the Howard government was taken in mid-2018 by then AG Christian Porter, five years after the pair had been raided in relation to the matter.

While Witness K decided to plead guilty to conspiracy to reveal classified information and received a suspended sentence last year, former ACT attorney general Collaery has vowed to fight his charges and the circumstances of his case have consistently become more Kafkaesque as it proceeds.

There are ongoing disputes over the prosecution wanting to present “court-only evidence” that can’t be viewed by Collaery or his lawyers. This had been on the proviso that a special counsel be appointed to examine it on his behalf, but the government now wants to renege on this condition.

Support for dropping the Collaery case is strong in the community, and the constant calls from government for further secrecy around the case are only heightening his cause, with institutions, such as the ACT Bar Association, having called for the case to be brought to an end.

Punishing the messenger

The final recommendation of last May’s Senate Inquiry Into Press Freedoms report was that the prosecution of former ADF lawyer David McBride, in relation to his having exposed Australian war crimes in Afghanistan, be urgently reconsidered “on strong public interest grounds”.

McBride’s prosecution is yet another score the Coalition wanted to settle, despite the fact that the lawyer had followed the correct procedures set out in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth), before going to the press.

The PID Act stipulates that a whistleblower can go public after internal disclosure channels have been exhausted or proven unsuccessful.

Although, Dreyfus is yet to comment on whether McBride’s case will be one of the matters he’ll be calling for an urgent briefing in relation to.

The Brereton report was published by the Coalition in December 2020. It uncovered Afghan war crimes similar to those revealed by McBride. The inquiry identified 36 matters to be considered for criminal investigation, yet the ex-military lawyer continues to be the only one charged.

Greater protections likely

During a brief stint as federal attorney general in 2013, Dreyfus drafted and oversaw the passing of the PID Act, which failed to protect McBride, as well as former ATO officer Richard Boyle, who publicly exposed questionable tax office practices after his internal disclosures proved unfruitful.

The public interest disclosure laws have been known to be lacking since the statutorily required Philip Moss inquiry released its 2016 report, which made 33 recommendations, on which the Coalition failed to act upon, even waiting until December 2020 to respond to the report.

Soon-to-be reappointed attorney general Dreyfus, however, did promise last October that an elected Labor government would act upon the Moss recommendations, as he’d always understood that the PID regime would need honing after it had been assessed.

So, while there’s a real chance that the Collaery case, and potentially those of McBride and Boyle, could dramatically change with the appointment of Dreyfus to the position of AG, it’s yet to be seen whether Albanese has the guts to speak up and save the life of Julian Assange.

[5llowance]

It's been a year since I left China (as a Software Engineer) via /r/China

It's been a year since I left China (as a Software Engineer)

Hey there all,

I've posted my China experience here .

I just wanted to explain how my life changed and I also would like to inspire some of you who are looking for an exit strategy.

What I did after leaving China?

I traveled. I honestly needed some time to relax and cleanse my mind. I mostly traveled in Asia. Pretty much all the East Asia + South East Asia (with exception of some remote countries like Timor Leste; but I've even been to Brunei). I'd also say this, after traveling in Asia; I had to go back to China to de-register my residence permit and collect my social insurance money. Instead of waiting for that in Shenzhen, I "illegally" checked out from my hotel and took a flight to Shanghai with my passport being held in Shenzhen Police.

My insurance money was worth about 1.5 months of my salary (after working for about a little longer than a year). So if you're working in a decent company, where you're contributing to Social insurance. Do not forget to claim your money back! Unfortunately it comes with a delay, so you need to claim it at least a month later than your last payslip; otherwise you won't be able to get your last salary's social insurance contribution.

Anyway, I visited Shanghai with no passport, aside from one hotel refusing to accept my official Passport Receipt as a valid ID (which is what I used to travel in a plane + train); I had no problems. I liked Shanghai, I think it's the best city in China. They even this system where you can put your name on some sort of "foreigner list" and they allow free flowing vodka + bourbon all night long (although they say it's fake *cough cough*). Regardless, I found their taxis dirtier and more expensive; accommodation is even more expensive, but quality of life seemed higher than Shenzhen. The food is definitely much better. I remember buying a beef BBQ skewer for 10 RMB and for the first time it felt like a tender juicy beef. When I went back to Shenzhen to collect my passport and leave China for good I've met with a friend and she told me maybe if I stayed in Shanghai, I would've liked China more and still stayed. Maybe... Who knows, but hey; keep this in mind. If you're definitely moving to China, make sure it's Shanghai, not Shenzhen! Do read the letters carefully and don't mix them up!

​

Moving on, after some travel. I decided that the easiest option would be to try US out. This time I knew for sure what I was going to do. First travel in the US, go to the cities based on my research, and how likely that I'd like them. I was also hunting jobs on LinkedIn. I basically changed my location on LinkedIn and ticked "let recruiters know that I'm looking for an opportunity" button somewhere.

I traveled to NYC area (inc NJ side); Texas state and California state. I already knew Washington state and didn't really like there that much. Totally I've been to 5 tech cities (NYC, Austin, SF Bay Area, LA and San Diego). I liked NYC and LA the most. The others not so much. But when I was in those cities I'd change my location on LinkedIn and see how many messages I'd receive. SF Bay area, was exceptionally the winner. Some days I'd just get 5-6 messages, and most of them would at least want to schedule a phone interview. Funnily, even before arrival to SF, I've changed my location to SF and got a recruiter contacting me. I've scheduled the phone interview a week prior my arrival to SF and they wanted to see me in person. I've met with them when I was in SF and the next day they handed me an offer! Paying USD 150k per year + %20 annual bonus, in total $180k Total Comp.

I've still had LA and SD to visit at the time. But It got me thinking, I was able to get $15k USD a month job by interviewing only for 2 weeks; comparing to China where I could only get 35k RMB a month job from Alibaba by interviewing for...ever(seriously i think it took like 4 months).

Anyway, at the end of my trip; I decided SF Bay Area. I actually still arranged an interview for NJ area (Hoboken was a nice area). Because the company was nice, and the salary was comparable to the Bay Area; but without an offer it meant nothing. The reason why I chose the Bay Area was, because it'd be easier to get a good offer in a quick time, so that I wouldn't spend more time on other cities trying to look for a job. The next thing was, despite reading all the negative stuff about the Bay area, it wasn't too bad. Coming from Shenzhen, I knew what truly meant an expensive housing was (relative to your salary). The food was expensive, but not as expensive as Hong Kong. Still groceries were relatively similar pricing to other US states (well to be frank Texas was really cheap; I'd say it's much cheaper to live in Austin than Shenzhen). Plus if I get a good paying job it'd be easier for me to negotiate higher salary on cheaper cities.

So I decided to stay in Airbnb on 10-15 day basis; while interviewing like crazy. Yes, my LinkedIn was full of messages. Everyday I'd arrange phone interviews. In 2 weeks time, I scheduled all of my phone interviews and some days I'd literally be on the phone interviewing 9 to 5. I also took a 5 hour flight to NJ too to interview.

Here I want to add this, I've actually found that living in China somewhat made me a "cool person" during my interviews. Most companies I've interviewed had at least one Chinese person interviewing me and wanting to know more about my experience (some also found it weird, worded it like; I left my country for a better life; but you went there for a worse life?). Also non Chinese people also found it interesting, it's not like the other dude who lived in the UK. Some wanted to hear "terrifying" stories, some wanted to hear "positive" stories; but regardless of all. No-one really said "meh, just another guy who came from China". So I cannot stress the fact that, you living in China was indeed an invaluable experience, and you can definitely sell this in the US.

At the end it was around thanksgiving and I was receiving my offers. I think I've got about 6 offers at the end. I won't be listing all of the offers but I'll just post two of them that I was seriously considering of.

​

One of them was in the Bay Area, paying approximately $275k with stock options and paying another $85k signing bonus. I repeat this again $85k signing bonus is 600k RMB. This amount is paid to me just signing my employment contract. In China I couldn't even get a job paying 600k RMB, yet here; I am getting $85k for just signing a contract.

The other one was in NJ, nice Hoboken area. I really liked the area; it was cheaper place to live, much better lifestyle. I mean you could get a metro ride to Manhattan in 10 minutes. It was paying $225k with stock options; and paying another $20k signing bonus. They actually offered that, they're willing to increase the numbers when I told them I'm going with the other company. So I'd say they could easily go $240k with stock options and increase signing to $40k.

​

So here I am, sitting with an offer paying me $30k USD per month in the US; yet my worthiness was only 35k RMB per month in China.

Sure thing, I pay more taxes here but remember 1 USD is 7 RMB. Here I can buy a mango for 1 USD, unlike in China for 5-6 RMB. Here I can buy half a kilo of bananas for 40-50 cents. In China they're 4 RMB. So from fruit&vegetables; they cost similar. Beef, milk, cheese and yogurt is definitely cheaper here.

Eating out is more expensive here for the dollar value. That's for sure. But comparing that with your purchasing power, here is definitely cheaper. In China, I'd think twice to eat that Xibei franchise beef with bones, cause it'd cost me 120-130 RMB to eat. Here I can just go to some random Mexican restaurant and order beef bistec, or carne asada plate for $14-15; add taxes and tips that's $20 final bill. If I'd go to SF I could always go to some Vietnamese restaurant and eat some nice filling real beef salad with tips+taxes for $17-18. Sure these are the lower end stuff. I've also tried a bit fancier stuff for $40-50. Like once I went on a date and we paid around $50 per head.

I think the limit here is, or the like for like comparison is; going to a random Western restaurant on Friday night in China would be equivalent to going to a Michelin star restaurant here. Which I did and it cost me $220 for a 7-8 course meal (including sprinkled gold flaked wagyu beef).

​

Here I pay $2500/month for the rent, that's my biggest expense. After bills it's around $2800 per month. I'd say the location is much better here than Shenzhen, at least I'm 15 minutes drive away from my office. In Shenzhen, if I wanted 15 minute commute I'd pay around 7500 for the rent + extras 8000 RMB per month.

So aside from the rent difference (1150 USD vs 2800 USD approx 2.5 times more) I barely spend anything that significantly different on regular basis.

​

I also want to say my quality of life has drastically increased. I feel like I leveled up in life. I never worry about what I'm spending money to and can still save more money than my whole salary in China.

​

I know that we have a recession within a following month or two; but once the US recovers, I think it wouldn't harm to give it a go and get an offer here.

​

The worst case for me was to take that $180k offer (which only took me 2 weeks to get it); which is half of my salary. It still offers much better lifestyle than what I've got in China.

I hope I can inspire some of you who are stuck in China and unsure about the exit strategy.

Peace out& stay safe.

Submitted May 03, 2020 at 02:55AM by sarp_kaya via reddit https://ift.tt/3bUy1vo

[isharestories-blog]

Trainerpreneur #47 - The Great Eight

Heyho, fellas!

Well... It has been awhile, TWO YEARS to be exact, since I left Tumblr for some reasons. One of them was focusing on my own personal blog, aditriasmara.com. But now, I’m trying to bring my Tumblr back alive! Here I go again! Yay ~

As you probably notice that different from my blog, which I use to talk more about English (my mastery), Public Speaking (my passion), and the world of writing (my hobby), I just use my Tumblr to SHARE STORIES with you, becoming a Storyteller.

Here, in this post, I’ll share a story about my recent activity, called Trainerpreneur, a workshop on how you can be a trainer and also an entrepreneur at the same time. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

October 2017 - I LOVE THE WORLD OF PUBLIC SPEAKING. That’s the simplest reason why I finally decided to join the class. Also, I was aware that I’d be learning from a master in the world of Public Speaking in Indonesia, Mr. OngkyHojanto. The 3-day-workshop started! And in short, everything went very well. I got soooooo many wonderful things from that event. One of those wonderful things is the one I’ll be focusing on this article: NETWORK.

Registering myself to the event make me realized that I’d be meeting new friends whose background are different. And there they are! 7 people with 7 different interests, focus, and mastery. Awesome!  

I’d love to introduce them to you. Just loook at that photo I use as the main picture from the blog. I’ll start from the ones standing up. Mmm... Anyway, you do know where I am in the picture, don’t you? FYI, I am the one standing up wearing blue batik. Yeah, that’s me :D

The one standing on my left side is Bang Aldi, a good guy whose background is journalism. He works in one of the biggest TV stations in Indonesia. He has interesting experiences to share with the rest of us. He takes LEADERSHIP as the topic of his public speaking.  

Now that I’m talking about the ones on my right side, KakBerto, Pak Umar, and Pak Willy.

KakBerto, the one standing just on my right side, is from Timor Leste but lives in Bali. He has already started his career as a trainer in the last nine years. That’s interesting! He takes PARENTING as his focus. WIthin the 3-day-workshop he’s always right beside me, literally! I mean, he’s my chairmate!

Next to Kak Berto is Pak Umar, a man from which the story Laskar Pelangi takes place. You know where it is? Yes, exactly! Bangka Belitung. Pak Umar focuses himself on CHARACTER EDUCATION. The one standing next to Pak Umar is Pak Willy who takes CUSTOMER SERVICE as his focus in Public Speaking.

Now, let’s talk about those four people sitting down. One of them is my mentor, Mr. OngkyHojanto. He is the second from the left.

Now that you can see him very clearly, right? ^^

Oh! In this picture, each of us brings a book. I’m holding Mr. Ongky’s book titled TRAINERPRENEUR and Mr. Ongky is holding my book titled SIMPLE & EASY ENGLISH. Getting back to the squad now.

The one wearing glasses next to Mr. Ongky is Bro Helmi, a young entrepreneur from Purwokerto. Helmi and I shared lots of things since we actually come from two close areas in the central of Java: Purwokerto and Cilacap. He is really into the world of entrepreneurship. The next person I’d like to introduce is Bro Ozy, the one wearing red long-sleeved batik. Ozy’s brother is one of the most famous young Indonesian motivators. So, following his brother’s step, Ozy also focuses himself on Public Speaking.

And... Finally we’ve come to the last person I’d love to tell you: Mba Aliyah Natasya, whom I call Mba Al – a very nice and intelligent person.

Mba Al, who initiates investashe.com – a website that provides Indonesian women guides and all information about investment, is a Financial Educator. She shared many interesting stories in which I can learn from. One of the best things I can learn from her is about BERLAKU SADIS philosophy which she believes is the key to success. BERLAKU SADIS stands for Belajar, Latihan, Fokus, Sabar, dan Disiplin. That is such a great thing to keep in mind, isn’t it?

Anyway, during the workshop, Mba Al focuses on the thing she’s really into and good at: INVESTMENT. Well, I suggest you to follow @investashe_ if you, especially girls, wanna learn more about finance and investment.

So, there they are: 7 people with 7 different interests, focus, and mastery. By having me in the team, then we have 8 people with 8 different interests, focus, and mastery since I focus on WRITING. It was nice having great moment with them. I somehow feel like I need more days to be with and to learn from them. But here we are, whatever happens, life must continue.

I feel so grateful to be in the team with good people. I just remember one of life advises I received from Razy Thalib, the founder of setipe.com, that says: “FIND GOOD PEOPLE & START HANG OUT WITH THEM.”    

[mrgreenguy145-blog]

The Government And Green Energy: What They Are Doing To Promote It

What You Can Do To Save The Earth

What do solar energy, tidal power, and wind power all have in common? They're all forms of green energy; natural energy sources that cause minimal pollution. If we want to take care of this planet, it's important that we take the steps to use more green energy. Keep reading this article to find out how.

Buying energy-efficient light bulbs is a great way to save money and use green energy in your home. These light bulbs take a couple minutes to use their maximum brightness. This delay allows less energy to be used when turning on the lights in your home, which is a great way to save energy!

If you are thinking of installing a solar power system in your home, you need to calculate the amount of power the system can produce using winter sunshine hours. This can prevent any nasty surprises during winter, and it can leave you ahead in the summer. If your plan is contingent on net usage, you will even get money back from your utility company because of the excess energy you are creating!

Contact your current energy provider and see if they offer an option for you to use renewable-energy sources. Many providers harness renewable energy through solar or wind power and therefore, have this option available for their clients. However, you should keep in mind that this may cost a little bit extra.

For green energy use in your home, you should change all your incandescent bulbs to the new energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. Not only will you save a bundle on your energy bill, but you will help conserve energy for future generations and reduce your own impact on the power grid in your city.

Make small changes if you do not have a lot of money to invest or do not have access to the kind of resources you need. Get a small solar power installation to provide power for one room only, and get a few solar cells to charge your cell phone and other devices, for instance.

If you are not sure about making improvements to your home, hire professionals that can look over your systems and offer you ideas of what you can do to make your home more green. They should be able to inform you about extra expenses you are paying for inefficient appliances, as well as the amount it would cost to upgrade to newer, energy-efficient models.

To incorporate green energy into your life, heat your home using biofuel instead of traditional fuels. This way, you can heat your home using renewable, biodegradable and generally, more environmentally friendly energy fairly easily. A wood or pellet stove is a great way to heat your home using biofuel products.

If you are seeking to save energy, try not to drive too fast. When a person drives fast, they use too much gasoline, which in turn, wastes energy. Furthermore, when you drive fast and waste too much gasoline, you are going to end up spending way too much money on gas.

Now you should be well prepared to set about the task of turning your home into a green energy machine! Try some of the tips featured in this article today, to start saving money and feeling better about yourself and how you are preserving the resources of the planet,as well as, keeping it cleaner!

Alternative Browsing - See What Other Things We Encountered

PT SEI unveils renewable energy-based smart lights

Renewable energy-based lighting manufacturer PT Santinilestari Energi Indonesia (SEI) has started operations of its newest factory in Pasuruan, East Java, becoming the first company of its kind to produce energy-saving lamps using the smart lighting system (SLS).

According to PT SEI president director Lukito Wanandi, the company’s LED lamps are equipped with SLS devices that can be controlled and monitored through a smartphone application.

“The SLS application can be easily downloaded via Android [Play Store] or iOS [Apple Store], so even if users are not at home, they can still turn on and off every lamp in their house through their smartphone,” he said after the soft opening of the factory on Thursday.

Production director Sandy Hartono said on the same occasion that each lamp produced by the factory would be equipped with a barcode registered at PT SEI’s data bank so that after consumers bought the lamps, they could independently activate the barcodes through their respective mobile applications.

“After the barcode is activated, the complete data of the lamps will be accessible. The owners can monitor the lamps, their history and current condition,” he said.

Sandy said that in addition to helping meet domestic demand for both houses and street lamps, the factory would reduce the country’s dependence on imports of similar products produced in China.

The company currently has 150 employees and its factory, which cost US$10 million to construct, has the capacity to produce up to 150,000 LED light bulbs per month and 30,000 LED street lamps per year.

“We use 70 percent local components in our lamps. We hope regulators can provide more space for local products to be marketed in the domestic market,” said PT SEI marketing and operational director Ricky Sudito Pontoh, adding that the company was targeting to export 10 percent of its products to Southeast Asian countries.

He said that the factory was currently in the process of fulfilling orders of SLS - equipped lamps, valued at Rp 110 billion ($7.8 million), from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. The company plans to market the products to the public next year.

Luki added that he hoped PT SEI’s factory would benefit the Indonesian people, especially those living in Eastern Indonesia who did not have sufficient access to lighting.

In addition, he said, PT SEI planned to produce its own solar power panels for the purpose of charging its street lamps. At the moment, he added, PT SEI was seeking to join hands with the Timor Leste government in constructing a solar power plant.

However, Sandy said, as a new local producer, the factory still faced several obstacles, such as a lack of supporting upstream industries such as producers of integrated circuit (IC), a vital component of the smart system.

“Indonesia does not have manufacturers specializing in IC production that can help us establish the system. We are still relying on IC products imported from Taiwan, the United States and China,” he said. (syk)

Find Out https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/07/26/pt-sei-unveils-renewable-energy-based-smart-lights.html

Do you appreciate reading up on Free Energy Generation? Try leaving a short review below. We would be happy to find out your opinion about this piece. Hoping that you come back again in the future. Are you aware of another person who is excited by the topic? Why not share it. I love reading our article about Energy From The Sun.

[phgq]

UN chief urges leaders to avoid 'new coal' after 2020

#PHnews: UN chief urges leaders to avoid 'new coal' after 2020

ISTANBUL -- Tensions ran high at the UN Climate Summit in New York when United Nations Secretary (UN) General Antonio Guterres challenged leaders to no longer invest in new coal projects after 2020, followed by young climate activist Greta Thunberg’s impassioned speech on how these same leaders have failed her and her generation in taking climate action.

However, the summit did witness many leaders announcing concrete climate action plans by 2020, 2030 and 2050.

One of the most important developments at the summit was that Russia ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, leaving Turkey the only remaining G20 country not to do so.

Countries including France, the U.K., Argentina, Costa Rica, Finland, New Zealand, and Sweden announced a new Climate Ambition Alliance bringing the number of nations to 59 which also promised to submit a stronger action plan in 2020.

Another 11 countries, including India, China, and some European Union countries, signed up to start exploring national commitments towards climate plans while Austria, Chile, Italy, Japan and Timor-Leste declared membership to the Carbon Neutrality Coalition.

The coalition helps countries develop plans to move towards net zero emissions by 2050.

Another 66 countries started to work on net zero-emission targets.

A remarkable announcement came from Greece, which committed to ending coal use by 2028, with a plan to start dismantling coal plants in 2020.

Coal plants account for around a quarter of the country's total installed capacity.

Germany’s performance was considered disappointing at the summit as German Chancellor Angela Merkel repeated the country's current plans to phase out coal plants by 2038 without further concrete plans.

Above all the declarations and determination plans, the angry but touching voice of sixteen-year-old Thurnberg during her speech at the opening summit will be remembered for berating those assembled.

"My message is that we will be watching you. This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean," she said.

"You have come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my childhood with empty words.

Yet, I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering, people are dying. All you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear," she said.

U.S. President Donald Trump who already decided to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement left the summit after he listened to Thunberg's speech and later tweeted in a mocking tone “She seems very happy!”

The question "How dare you?" began to trend on Twitter during the day while cameras captured Thunberg's angry stare at Trump just before the summit started.

Guterres's closing remarks at the summit concluded that the world has a long way to go to keep the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, echoing Thurnberg's message.

Funding for climate action increases

Several institutions and banks announced commitments to aligning to 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold.

Qatar pledged USD100 million to fund climate action and resilience in small island states and least developed countries.

The Green Climate Fund reached USD7.4 billion with eight countries, including Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, and South Korea pledging to the fund.

The target for the fund in support of climate action in developing countries is to reach USD10 billion.

100 banks to set corporate-level business

One hundred banks, worth USD35 trillion, committed to setting corporate-level business targets.

Eighty-seven companies with a total value ofUSD$2.3 trillion, and annual climate impact equivalent to 73 coal-fired power plants agreed to reduce emissions.

Following this announcement, the UN-convened Asset Owner Alliance committed to transitioning to carbon-neutral investment portfolios by 2050.

The alliance, a group of the world’s largest pension funds and insurers, is responsible for directing more than USD2 trillion in investments. (Anadolu)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "UN chief urges leaders to avoid 'new coal' after 2020." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1081362 (accessed September 25, 2019 at 05:31AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "UN chief urges leaders to avoid 'new coal' after 2020." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1081362 (archived).

[charllieeldridge]

Life Update: Travel Plans and What’s Next?

Last year, we were completely exhausted from almost a decade of moving around the world from place to place. Once we both came to the difficult realization that it was time for a base and that being “nomadic” wasn’t for us anymore, we basically just stayed put for almost an entire year!

It was as if the years of hard travel and running an online business while on the road caught up with us. We basically had no desire to pack our bags and go on a trip  — which is unheard of. 

That was 2018. Fast forward to this year and we’re much more eager to get back on the road — we just needed a little bit of R&R and some downtime, we’re not in our 20’s anymore!

Earlier this year, we spent 2.5 months in Ecuador and Peru, two weeks in Nova Scotia and enjoyed a few staycations here in Grenada.

Ecuador was exactly the trip we were ready for!

After being back from Nova Scotia for almost 8 weeks now, we’re feeling ready to take off again — the travel itch is full-on this year.

︎ Big Travel Announcement:

We’re travelling to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan!

While these won’t be new countries for us, we’re visiting islands and towns that we haven’t explored yet. It’ll be a mix of work and pleasure and we’re looking forward to sharing our beach, food, diving and cultural findings with you!

We went live on Facebook announcing this trip. Check it out here (or continue reading below):

Why Asia?

This part of the world is one of our favourites and we find ourselves returning here again and again — either to travel or to put down some temporary roots.

The interesting cultures, the tasty cuisine, and the overall beauty have stolen our hearts over the years. Most of our travels have been spent in Asia (including Central, East, South, West, and Southeast) and in fact, we have just one country left before we’ve seen all of Southeast Asia (Timor-Leste/East Timor). 

There’s just something special about this part of the world that keeps us coming back. 

The street food in SE Asia is some of the best anywhere!

This time around, we’re heading to the Philippines to attend our friend’s wedding. He’s American, she’s Filipina and we can’t wait to experience a traditional ceremony and celebration!

Plus, other friends of ours will be there as well — this is going to be a fun reunion. We’ve rented a villa right on the beach and will be exploring the island, partaking in wedding shenanigans, and enjoying the company of our friends. 

When we were discussing the wedding itinerary and details, we simultaneously received an offer from Lotus Hotels to visit Indonesia and experience their stunning accommodations, which are all PADI 5* dive resorts. 

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect and we decided to incorporate Indonesia into our Philippines travels. 

A couple of weeks after accepting the offer in Indonesia, we were approached by a PR company in Japan who represents numerous tourism boards there. 

She invited us to experience lesser-travelled parts of Japan and share our findings with our audience.  

The company wanted us to visit in October/November, which lined up perfectly — everything seemed to fall into place. And, when that happens, we go with it.

We feel so humbled and grateful to be at a level where brands and tourism boards recognize our value and want to work with us. We started blogging for family and friends back in 2011, and since making the conscious decision that we were going to turn travel blogging into our full-time career, it has blossomed into something far bigger than we ever imagined.

And that’s all thanks to you and your support!

Us with the press trip crew in Chicago. Influencers from Mexico, Brazil, Australia and ourselves. Plus the PR reps for the hotel we stayed at.

While press trips aren’t our main income stream or blogging model, when we’re invited on campaigns that suit our ethos and travel style, we happily accept them.

This is a fun way to travel, as we’re either doing something completely unique (like plotting hiking routes in Kyrgyzstan), road tripping around and exploring on our own (like in Argentina and Nova Scotia), or scuba diving in remote locations (as Nick did with the Indonesian tourism board).

Since we take time to vet the offers and consider whether or not they fit with our interests and brand, we’ve had nothing but positive experiences in the past and I’m sure it’ll be the same for our trip with Lotus Hotels and Japan tourism.

First up, Indonesia

In 2009, we backpacked around Indonesia for 2 months, while travelling to the islands of Bali, Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Sumbawa, Java, Flores, Rinca, and Sumatra.

We slept on mattresses on the floor, endured some seriously dodgy accommodations, and actually bargained one particular room down from $3 to $2.50 / night! We took whichever transportation was the cheapest (we even rode on top of a bus), we typically ate street food, and we didn’t care about comforts — we just wanted to stay on the road for as long as possible.

The travel bug and the sense of freedom were overwhelming.

We were on an extreme budget that year abroad. In fact, we travelled Indonesia for around $35 CAD/day, for both of us.

Us in Indonesia during our first trip in 2009!

Our encounters with the people, the natural surroundings, the unique culture, the experiences we had, and the overall adventure of travelling around this part of the world made Indonesia top our list of favourite countries during that year in Asia. 

We loved it so much that in 2017 we decided to return to Indonesia to live in Canggu Bali for 3 months.

Here we are, 10 years since our first trip as budget backpackers, revisiting Indonesia in a completely different way — a way that reflects our current lifestyle and 35-year-old selves. It’s very surreal to think back on how far we’ve come and how we’ve evolved since 2009. 

While we’re happy we backpacked when we did, our tight budget at the time definitely limited some of the things we wanted to experience, which included scuba diving. This time around, Nick will get his diving fix! 

Living in Canggu Bali

Our Upcoming Route in Indonesia

Grenada -> New York -> Taiwan -> Bali -> North Sulawesi -> Raja Ampat -> Bali -> Gili Trawangan -> Bali

After a long, 25-hour travel journey we’ll arrive in Bali — jetlagged I’m sure but ready for the adventure. We’ve booked a nice villa on Airbnb in the beach town of Sanur. Even though we’ve spent lots of time in Bali we’ve never been here, but from what I’ve heard, Sanur has been dubbed as “snore” because it’s quieter than most of South Bali — which is fine by me! 

After 3 nights spent chilling out, exploring by scooter and stretching our legs after the long flight, we’ll fly to North Sulawesi to the small island of Gangga. This area is known for having spectacular scuba diving and snorkelling opportunities. We’ve never been to Sulawesi and are excited to see what Gangga Island and the surrounding Bunaken National Marine Park have to offer.

This is where we’ll be staying, Gangga Island Resort and Spa. It looks amazing! (Photo credit: Lotus Hotels)

From North Sulawesi, we move on to our next island paradise, Raja Ampat. This once-secret group of 1500 islands is becoming more popular but is still considered off-track due to the effort it takes to get here. Nothing this good comes easy!

Idyllic islands, palm-fringed shorelines, crystal clear water, and some of the best diving anywhere in the world can all be found in Raja Ampat. The underwater world is teeming with life, which Nick knows first hand because he went on a diving trip here in 2017 during our stay in Canggu. I was so envious of that trip, and now I get a chance to see it with my own eyes. 

We’ll be staying at the Papua Paradise Eco Resort for 5 nights in overwater bungalows. This type of accommodation has been a dream of ours for many years, and it’s finally coming true. Watching marine life swim by, and snorkelling right offshore will be pretty incredible.

Overwater bungalows! We’re looking forward to snorkelling right offshore. (Photo Credit: Lotus Hotels)

From the far east of Indonesia, we’re returning to Bali to visit another town that we’ve yet to see, Candidasa. A trip to a nearby village, scuba diving and relaxing by the pool are all on the agenda here. After what I’m sure will be a great 3 nights in Candidasa, we’re taking a boat over to nearby Gili Trawangan. 

During 2009, we spent about a week on Gili T and really enjoyed the slow pace of the island. I remember renting bicycles with a plan to ride around the circumference of the island, only to find out that just 1/4 of it was paved, and the rest was sand!

It’ll be interesting to see how Gili Trawangan has changed over the past 10 years. The plan here is to do some scuba diving and snorkelling (of course), indulge in some relaxing spa treatments and explore the island. 

The dining and pool area of Villa Almarik on Gili T. (Photo credit: Lotus Hotels)

In total, we’ll be travelling around Indonesia for 20 days and can’t wait!

A Wedding in the Philippines

During our 10 years of travel, we’ve attended numerous weddings abroad. Most of those weddings were for people we didn’t actually know! When we found out our good friend was getting married, we figured it would be held in the Philippines (where he lives), and knew we had to make an effort to get there — especially considering Nick was named best man!

We’re flying into the town of Dumaguete and taking a boat over to the island of Siquijor, which is where the festivities will take place. 

The last time we were in the Philippines was back in 2012 when we travelled around the islands of Luzon and Palawan. There are over 7,000 islands in the archipelago and, not surprisingly, we haven’t explored Siquijor in the past.

Known for its interesting witchcraft healers, awesome scuba diving, pristine beaches, and gorgeous waterfalls, we’re very much looking forward to experiencing this island — through the eyes of a local. 

Exploring a deserted island in the Philippines back in 2012.

A Quick Trip to Japan

In 2018, we decided to fly from Bali to Tokyo and celebrate Nick’s birthday in Japan. He’s a sushi fiend. Landing in Tokyo and having sushi that day for lunch was probably the best birthday he could’ve dreamed of!

We spent around two weeks travelling to Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama, and some surrounding villages. I think you could spend years in Japan and continuously learn about the history and culture of this unique destination. 

On a walking tour in Kyoto. Tatsuya was a great guide, and friend!

This diverse country has a little something for everyone — mountains, beaches, history, lakes, cities, food, and culture. There are just so many things to do in Japan. 

This time around, we’re starting off in Tokyo (sushi!) and heading to the northeast region of the country, Tohoku — which is known as being a hidden traveller’s gem. This part of Japan is filled with hot springs, mountains, villages, crater lakes, and of course, regional food specialities.  

From the north, we’re heading south to the Okayama area to explore castles, museums, gardens and shrines, before making our way back to Tokyo where we’ll complete our journey by soaking in an onsen (public bath). 

This whirlwind trip will give us a taste of some parts of Japan we’ve never been, and from what I’ve seen and heard, I’m pretty sure we’re going to want to return.

Tohoku region of Japan (image courtesy of Shutterstock).

Returning Home

This trip is all about the islands, and after hopping around 7+ islands in Asia for 2 months, I think we’ll be ready to return to our home base (which is also an island!).  

Having a base to return to really makes our travels a lot easier. These days, we don’t have to pack up literally everything we own and bring it with us. Plus, having a home allows us to actually accumulate a few possessions and to get some work done.

Once we return home it’ll be all about catching up with work, visiting with friends, enjoying some downtime and getting ready for our next adventure…which is happening around mid-January!

Have you been to any of the destinations I mentioned in this article? If so, please give us your must-sees, eats and dos in the comments below!

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