Holidays on Earth

Today, I went with my family to experience an Earthling trip. We were taking the bus over to Malaysia. It was quite a big bus and easily fitted us in. Well, we saw the customs as Earthlings called it, and we had to let those people see our passports, a process we would have to go through only when visiting other planets.

We even had a tour guide but I did not really listen because I was inputting this data into my PDA. Well, he asked if there were any vegetarians (those who ate only vegetables) on board, at least I found out one more thing about Earthlings.

Our first destination was the coffee shop. It had a bad smell, but luckily, it was not that strong. Many people ordered drinks, mainly iced drinks. It was a typical coffee shop with signs all over to indicate the different stores. In the corner, they sold magazines and CDs.

Right next to the coffee shop, there was a shop selling cuttlefish and other snacks, most of my family went there after a while because it is air conditioned, the displays were put on shelves and hooks near the walls. Others were put in carts in rows in the shop, better still, there was no bad smell.

And here we are again in the bus for another two hour marathon of sitting down, listening to the tour guide talking about the ostrich farm we were to visit later and our lunch and dinner arrangements. After that, he stopped talking and I could talk to my cousins and other people.

And now we reached the ostrich farm, we had to walk in but it appeared to be a great experience. We were allowed to touch those birds and feed them, they had long necks and heads, which made them, look very large, luckily they were gentle creatures. After we have seen them, we went to another part where we could eat ostrich meat, watch the young ostriches hatch and buy ostrich products.

After visiting the ostrich farm, we went for lunch. Yes I did say we did not need to eat but we can eat. Lunch took very long to come, and my relatives were getting impatient. Oh well, it finally came. It was supposed to be a seafood lunch but there was a full vegetable dish, i’m not really complaining though, there was crayfish and crab, and those were eaten up pretty quickly. They certainly knew which of the foods were good; did they really read the book [be a gourmet on Earth]?

We are now off to the fruit farm. We are sitting in the bus waiting for all the passengers to come up so it can move off. The fruit farm was, in my opinion, quite boring, not to mention hot, it was only when we went to the mini zoo that it became very interesting, they had goats and rabbits and we could feed the goats. There was a monkey that liked to chew on anything it got its hands on and even went to bite the microphone that the tour guide had. After that, we went to see the shops and buy some fruits, but there was no air conditioning. I hope that the next spot is cooler.

Shopping centres was the next destination. It was a big shopping centre all right, and it was cooler then staying out in the sun, but we were sitting at the fast food centre for most of the time after finding nothing to see, maybe it is just me. I saw many people walking around the place, and I was quite happy to see the bus that has come to take us to dinner.

Ok, it would have been a nice restaurant if it had not been for the crowd. They served us very late but they had chicken, fish and the usual vegetable, the same type as shown above. We had a hasty meal and left the place right after we had eaten.

The next destination was fireflies. I was very surprised to hear about it at first. On my planet, living things do not glow. And I was looking forward to seeing glowing creatures. We had to take the life jackets first before we could take the boat, the boat was long and there were seats at the side where we had to squeeze. There was still light when the boat moved off and I was wondering how we could see glowing creatures in the light. It got dark soon and I understood that Earthlings understood their conditions better. Yes, we did see the fireflies among the bushes and despite the warnings; I could not resist reaching out and trying to hold it. Yes, I got one eventually, but I opened my hand and it flew out. On some trees, they made the trees look like it had special shiny stuff hung on it.

And we had to go back to the country we came from. It would look strange if we had just teleported to my planet, and we took up almost half the bus. So we had to take the bus back to the customs and then teleport.

I think that this trip was very interesting, and it shows that there are a lot of mysteries on Earth that needs to be unravelled.

Looking like Earthlings

I had a comment in my c-box recently that made me feel that I should put in this post not only to allow the Earthling readers to have some knowledge of how I can walk among you yet not exposed but it is also crucial to my report, so that I may include a chapter on how Earthlings look like.

Well, for starters, I do not have to take any pills to change my appearance. I already look something like Earthlings, and it is the same with the people on my planet. I do not know why that is so, but it may have something to do with similiar atmospheric conditions and gravity, but whatever the reason, I think that it is good that I don't have to disguise myself all the time.

But don't think that I am scary. I am actually quite friendly.

Surviving on Earth

Well, surving on Earth is relatively easy after I brought the book [Earth and how to survive] with me from my planet and did whatever was written on it. First, I had to walk around and explore the places on Earth where I would frequent and then I had to know how to get there and stuff so as not to seem so unreal to the Earthlings.

The interesting thing was talking to the Earthlings, and also the most difficult to get right. The book said "show them that you know as much about Earth as they do", and I did just that and they keep telling me 'I know, I know'.

I should have known enough to flip the page, they explained there that I should not have told them that I know, just beheave naturally as if I were from Earth and know everything, the author should not have put down "show them you know a lot about Earth". Luckily the Earthling I was talking to did not suspect anything, I sometimes think that Earthlings do not really think we even exist, oh well, I think I do not have to behave just like the Earthlings anymore if they won't suspect anything.

I will talk about more of this in my next post.

Computers, Earthling toys

Today, I did a research on the computer and more importantly, the Internet. And I plan to base most of my research on the Internet, as it is the most important thing known to mankind.

The Internet is famous for being able to connect with people all around the world. You can buy things, discuss your interests and find out the latest happenings by a click of the mouse.

Many people like to use the chat room and discussion boards, and it is there where Earthlings are warned against scams and trickery. People can be lured by sweet words and be conned by con-Earthlings, and that is why the younger Earthlings must be strictly monitored, or so they say.

In the book [how to understand Earthling technology], there is a passage, loosely translated "the internet can be considered a planet by itself in terms of the amount of people there, and like a planet, there are both good and bad inhabitants", and it also warns us to be careful if using the internet.

On the bright side, the Internet is full of good inhabitants as well and that the good outweighs the bad.

In my opinion, the Internet makes things very convenient and I think that it is something worth having on our planet as well.

Earthlings and teachers

One thing I find out about Earthling teachers are that they are all Earthlings, so each of them is unique, unlike the robots we have. But because of that, the quality of the teachers are totally different. Some teachers teach the class and run away, some teach the class halfway and wait for the students to ask them questions. By reading the minds of the students, I figure that quite a lot of them have questions, but they still leave. There are some who like to teach till the very end of their classes, but many people complain of not having learnt a thing.

On the other hand, I can't believe that there is actually something on planet Earth that is not easy to learn. Namely maths. Ok i'm not complaining. I think I can handle it.

The class is quite friendly now, although a bit noisy. I still have to find out more for my report. The experts were not kidding when they said that Earthling minds are very difficult to understand.

Project research of Earthling schools

The first thing that went through my mind after looking at the school was "it looks just like any other building on Earth". I walked right in, following the directory and the location on my timetable. And of course I had to walk around the whole place twice before actually finding the right place. I stood right outside the door waiting for someone to open it for a while before realizing that my entire class was sitting right there, along the corridor near the currently empty classroom.

I randomly selected someone to ask if I had come to the right class, I closed my eyes and opened them; the first one I spotted would be the one whom I asked the questions. And after all that talk, yes I was at the correct class. "Now, all we have to do is wait for the teacher", I thought. I was proved right when the teacher came by and opened the door for us, and I choose a seat near the front, and yes there were people around me too. Halfway through the lesson, someone asked me something about what the teacher said. I decided that the teacher was not saying anything important, so I did not mind helping out.

From the example I quoted above, I decided that Earthlings were more willing to interact in a classroom setting. But I did not know the reason yet.

And no, I have not been talking to many of them yet. Maybe I will when I have settled down in this school.

But a few things I have learnt about Earthlings.

1. Most of them will approach you cautiously at first, as if you are some crazy person who will jump out at them and shout at them the moment they say something.

2. Teachers who talk a lot are more popular than those who don't talk at all. Those who don't talk at all look very fierce.

3. Earthling teachers like to talk about the rules and regulations on Earth, I know a lot by reading the book, roughly translated “how to make Earthlings think that you are normal”, but they insist on repeating it over and over again.

A summary. My Earth Project

As the title says, I am here to talk about my project, the write-up on earth. I have already seen possibly quite a lot on your planet, and I think that I have got the report on Earth and its surroundings, buildings, toilets and food centres done.

And now, what is left for me to explore is Earthling psychology. The way humans react to pain or attention, something like that. The people on my planet say that Earthling psychology is the most difficult part of the entire project. I don’t see how different they can be from us, but it would be interesting I hope. Besides, I will not be able to explore Earthlings emotional behaviours until I go to school, almost a week later.

My teachers back on my planet say that I should not use any “special abilities” that Earthlings do not have, but it is not a rule or anything. If it helps with my research, I will most certainly use them to assist me.

If there is anything more to write about Earth’s surroundings, I will post again. But if there is no more of them that I see, I will come back to tell you about how the first day of school is like.

Earthling toliets

I have to use the toliet too you know? Well, I had to find one and it was not a very good experience.

As soon as I stepped in, there was a strong and terrible smell. The floor was black and wet, and the sinks were filled with toliet paper. The smell of cigarette smoke was all over the air.

Oh well, I just went in and out quickly, telling myself that it was just an experiment and all that.

Earthlings and their need for language

I was walking through the newly opened shopping mall (as usual, I did not like the heat) and I was getting a lot of stares. I was getting suspicious, so I tuned in to their minds and tried to listen to their thoughts. I did not expect to read their thoughts so easily.

Ok let me explain, back on my planet, we could read minds, but we started to block our minds against intrusion, and so we invented our language. But as children, we used this ability when he wanted only a specific person to hear us, so this skill never got rusty. But we still guarded our minds when we did not wish it to be read, and I never thought that Earthlings never guarded their minds, and it was so easy to read.

Well, I think it was my clothes. I did not know what was wrong, and everyone's clothes looked different from each other anyway. When I first came to Earth, they gave me a few types of Earthling clothing, and this one gave me the most stares. They called it something like 'the wedding suit'. And I did not know what it was for, but now, I know from the people's thoughts what it is, and quickly went to change it.

When I go to the Earthling school, I should be safer. But until then, I can just keep exploring, and hope that Earthlings are as forgetful as the rumors say.

Earthlings and their music

I heard a scream as I entered an earthling shop, but I was surprised as it did not stop, but continued, moving on to higher pitch and volume. That was when I first discovered Earthling music.

I had thought that someone was not very happy with the shop assistants when I heard the music from the speaker, or at least, that's what I think you call it. But to come back to the point, I did get a shock at first, and surprised to hear that this was called 'great music' as said by the people talking behind me.

I was not able to see how people screaming are called music, I was getting irritated by the senseless blasting and decided to leave, but I knew that I would have to get used to it to survive on Earth.

Perhaps I should leave a page for Earthling music in my project.

Earthling and decision making

Today, I turned invisible in a supermarket, those places that sell almost everything imaginable, and tried to catch Earthlings in a discussion. I wanted to find out how they discuss about non-formal objects. Well you Earthlings really have little need for talking I see, it took a while of waiting and sighing before I finally found someone deciding between a bottle of some drink.

There was two of the almost exact types of drink. But they were of different brands. Probably thats how the debate started. But still, they were arguing against themselves. I heard that they have tried neither bottle, and the bottles were taken off the shelves and put back frequently. After a while, they tried a coin toss, but they forgot which side of the coin represents the bottle, so the put away the coin. After that, they tried to take the two bottles to the counter to ask which one is better. But they decided against that for whatever reason. But when they got back, they realised that one of the bottles was only one of its kind on the rack, and they decided that it was the better one.

From today's exprience, I had an idea of how Earthling make decisions.

1. They toss a coin and decide.

2. The item of choice would be the one that is the only one or lesser in comparision on the shelf because the better item would be more popular and more people will purchase it.

Human Food

I stopped past a fast food place on my exploration of Earth, and it was filled with many different wonderful smelling things called food.I read in one of my textbooks that food is one of Earthling's lifeforce. Which means that they can't live without it.

And I of course, stepped in and ordered some of those things called food. When they came, the smells became even stronger. I grabbed a spoon and began to eat. And if you must know, my lifeforce is air, and your food is so tempting.

After I had finished, I took a look at the reciept. Ok, so Earthling food is not that cheap, and I decided that I could do without it.

I have heard about fatness, the condition that comes with too much food, and I thought that it was another reason to stay away from it, or at least, too much of it.

The country I am in

I have found out that the country that I am suppose to be in is called singapore. I am told that most of the countries are quite similiar.

Maybe I should also post about online games on Earth, or else this post would be too short. I have been downloading a kind of 2D RPG game or something like that, it is called MapleStory. I think that it is much better than the games on my planet, which is all puzzle games of different types. I have only got infomation about computer games cause I was only given a laptop. Maybe I could a research on television next time.

Taxis today, should you ride them?

Today i rode on a taxi, and I think I should start from the beginning.

I was itching for a ride and I know that I told myself that I would try it one day, and when was a better time to try it out then now when I was still itching to do so? So I went to the side of the road and raised my hand. Like magic, the taxi stopped right in front of me, and I hopped into the back seat. It was like a kiddy ride back on my planet. The sights outside the window were changing constantly and cars flashed past. In the end, I asked him to stop at a shopping center.

It was when I went off that the shocks came. The taxi driver asked me to pay him three dollars. That was a short ride ok? Well, I asked for a reciept, which I was quite entitled to do so. Hopefully that would make the ride worthwhile. How much did reciepts cost?

I think I should wrap the whole taxi thing. Without traffic jams, they move faster than almost any other Earthling transport I have heard of. But they don't come cheap.

Earthling public transport

A few things I noticed about Earthling public transportation. There are three modes. Taxis, buses and trains. And for them all, there is a certain waiting time. On taxis, you have to wait by the side of the road and wave at the drivers. For the trains and buses, you have to wait for them to come and then board, stopping at every station until you reach your own stop.

 I myself had my first trip on the earthling main mode of transportation, the train. And it was  crowded. I hardly had space to move. I had to stand very still, hitting someone whenever the train jerked and I caught myself thinking of the teleporting machine back home on my planet. No long minutes of waiting, no bumps and no payment either. 

There was also a lot of noise in the trains. People, seemingly asleep with headphones cranked up to full volume was audible even a few meters away from themselves. So many functions, like a device to talk to the driver was available too. But since nobody was using it, I decided that I would not either. Besides, a bold "2000" was printed there and I decided that it was safer to just leave it be. 

One thing I learnt from my ride in the train, is to use my teleportation device if I had to travel. Earthling public transport was too troublesome. 

But maybe, I would try the taxi next time. I would be alone in it and it should be much more comfortable than taking the trains and buses.

The first day on Earth

It was before school starts, but I was allowed to come to Earth to familiarise myself with the place and customs, and I arrived feeling excited and happy. It feels great exploring an unknown place and I had been looking forward to it quite a while. Clutching my laptop, which was my teleportation device back to my planet, I was ready to have a look around.

I went walking around aimlessly to see the differences between Earth and my planet. And there was a lot of differences. All of the structures on Earth were built on the ground very much unlike the abundance of floating buildings on our planet.

There were some Earthlings walking around giving out sheets of paper. Most people avoided it. But I took as many of it as possible, hoping to understand more of Earth's customs. But after reading through them, I found that it was not really guides about Earth. Maybe I should have brought the [Essential guide to Earth and its citizens] back on my planet.

After walking around for a while, I took out my laptop, pressed in a few keys and was instantly teleported back to my home in my planet.

The first introduction

I will be on your planet for a while to study Earthling behavourial traits. It was a school project and I had chosen this particular topic to do [Earthlings and their daily lives]. So I will be on Earth to interact and study the way you earthlings do things. I will be appointed to a school where I will be given a chance to learn about the ways of your planet. By the end of it, I will be expected to give comments and answer any question about your species.