The Death of Xamia

This is not the first time that my zeal to upgrade my little garden turned the other way around. I very very seldom put fertilizer to the plants in pots or on the ground. After seeing that the organic greyish beads of about 3 mm in diameter had been in the clay container stashed under the garden bench for like more than six months, i decided to use it. My Xamia certainly hated the stuff. The leaves turned yellow and fell apart within four days. I have had the Xamia since baby at ca. 3 inches tall. That was at least four years ago. Like all living things, it's her time. So, I outlived her. I replaced her with one of the cacti with long, limp stems. Let's see how long this cactus survive in a bigger pot. No fertilizer anymore!

Stars of a New Curfew

I could not resist reading and finishing Ben Okri's short stories. It was gripping. Tragic. Violent. There was a time when I thought it would be nice to go to Nigeria and see the country for myself. I have never been to Africa. But the way Okri described Lagos - it is terrifying. It was so vivid, i am not sure if it was just creative writing or half-truths.I do know some nice people who, i must say, way different from any of the characters in any of the stories. Sure enough, the people I know have different vocation than any of those described. That is why the characters make into stories. None of the stories in the collection make you feel good. Everything is doomed. Exactly what is happening now. That makes it awfully sad. The effect on me is similar to the end of reading Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe. I actually bought Porterhouse from Amazon because Riotous Assembly was so hilarious. How wrong I was. Definitely stories for people without enough problems. Whatever the case, it gives me a glimpse of the culture. I don't think he made up everything. Everything you can imagine is real - Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973).