Category Archives: Random

Pictures from France – Lourdes

The final batch of my France pics that I’ve decided to share with you is here. Many more exist but this is a good representation of the gorgeousness of Lourdes.

Enjoy.

Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO

Steve Jobs has just submitted his resignation as head of the world’s most lucrative company, Apple.

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

For any Apple-fan, this is a sad day indeed. Steve Jobs has been responsible for making Apple what it is today: one of the world’s leading companies with its introduction of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, OS X, Macbook, etc…

Steve Jobs will remain as chairman on the Apple board.

The Holy Orb (Short Story) – Part 7

Continued from Part 6.

“Indeed, I am Veronica…”
“So you know where the cloth is!”
She smiled.
“Let us continue the story… the Church got hold of my cloth around the eighth century. I wasn’t dead as people thought. I was merely in hiding. So I gave up the cloth, though they did not notice that its upper left corner was missing. That corner had blood from Christ’s forehead. And I kept it with me all along. It’s the reason I remained alive for such a long period of time.
“David, listen carefully. The reason Eric is searching for the orb has something to do with that piece of the cloth. I placed it in the orb and wrote the riddle, constructed the mechanism of the sequence and created this enchanted and protected place just to make sure the only person with the necklace you are wearing can actually get to it. You are the only one, besides me, who can see the pedestal, who can read the riddle and who can construct the sequence that makes the code. You see, David, they used you to crack my protections because they couldn’t.
“The necklace around your neck has a rather intriguing story itself… it is called the Scroll of Life. It‟s what will allow you to swim to the orb and get it”
“So that orb contains a cloth that‟s covered with Christ‟s blood?” he asked, just to be sure he was hearing correctly.
“Indeed…”
“And why do they want it? Why does – err – Eric need it?”
The woman smiled.
“Eric is not the head of the Dark Order… he is second. The man who is first died a few months ago”
“Oh, you mean Thomas Conundrum?”
She nodded.

“Thomas Conundrum was killed a few months ago, leaving his followers in a hectic pursuit of a way to bring him back. The only way they thought of was a rather bloody and murderous trail. I‟m sure you noticed how many people have been killed in the last few months in ways that were unexplainable…”

David nodded.
“Those fourteen people, to be exact, were killed by an artifact called the Scroll that was manufactured by an Alchemist whose name is Alessandro Del Ialuna. The Scroll kills people and traps their soul inside it. Seven souls are enough to bring someone back from the dead!”
“But they killed fourteen! Were they just having fun?” said David, outraged.
The woman shook her head.
“Think about it David, if two souls were centered in one body, what would that make of the person?”
“Immortal… the Dicruxol effect!” he breathed.
“Exactly, having two souls in one body produced immortality. And that‟s precisely what those followers were attempting…”
“And the Scroll, David, gave rise to your own necklace. Just as your necklace protects your life, its predecessor takes it away. Just as a tyrant is bound to face opposition right from the people he is oppressing, the Scroll gave rise to the Scroll of Life. Death gave rise to Life…”
David nodded.
“So why do they need the cloth?” he asked, not knowing how the cloth fit into all this.
“The cloth, David, and the blood have been made part of a bold experiment by the Alchemist of Esquiline to extract the Divine entities inside them. It‟s only enough to make one draught, and the drinker would become nearly a god… you see, immortality just didn’t cut it to them. They also wanted to give him powers beyond imagination. And it‟s up to you not to let them succeed in their quest!”
David sighed.
He closed his eyes for a second, only to open them and find himself alone, again.

He knelt besides Elodie‟s body and wept.
And then the water-level of the lake began to rise.
It slowly reached David and surprisingly, as he sat there, the water did not feel like water. It was far less dense, more transparent, far lighter.
Elodie‟s body shone with a bright yellow light…
David looked at her in amazement.
And then her body disappeared.
He looked ahead.
There was the orb in front of him, and even though the water was now well beyond his nose, he could still breathe easily.
He swam towards the red-glowing sphere. He got to it and touched it with the tips of his hand, and warmth spread all over him.
Then, from the orb, a bubble erupted, moving water away from itself and David.
He smiled, knowing what to do next.
He opened the sphere, took the cloth with his hands and placed it inside the Scroll of Life. Then, he took out his wand and cut a piece of his shirt. Then, he neared it to his face and let it get soaked with blood from his cut.
He placed it inside the sphere, closed it and went back to the shore.
The Scroll of Life shone intently…

A few seconds later, he was inside his house, sitting on his favorite couch, his face neat and woundless, his soul whole, divine.

The Holy Orb (Short Story) – Part 6

Continued from Part 5.

“David… the man that took you to Our Lady of the Spirits is Durance in disguise. Durance is the main follower of the snake man. He is the person you shouldn‟t have trusted on your journey to the orb!
“Elodie, on the other hand, did not trust him. And she decided, when you left that she should follow you and that‟s what she did!”
David felt something choking him in his throat. It’s because of me, he thought, that Elodie is now on

the grass, lifeless.

“Elodie’s death was just meant to be! Don‟t dwell on it. Don‟t ever dwell on things that are fated. You cannot control, nor will you ever be able to control, fate…”

He nodded.
“What‟s your name?” he asked timidly.
The woman smiled.
“You will know in a few… I‟m just curious though. Did someone tell you what‟s in that orb?” David shook his head.
“I thought so,” she whispered. “The importance of this orb, David, is what rests inside it. Let me take you back to the origin of it all… let me take you back!”
She moved her hands again in the air and David was standing in a rather busy tight street.
He looked around and noticed the place was not medieval. It was far earlier than that. There was a huge rush of excited people. He thought they were having some sort of parade. He was mistaken. He saw Roman soldiers leading a crowd of people, at the beginning of which a Man was holding an enormous piece of wood.
He was walking weakly as the soldiers hit Him on His back. He did not, however, express pain. He just moved onwards.
And then He fell to the ground. And He was hit even harder to get up.
The march continued.
They were now going up a hill.
David looked in amazement at the single event in history everyone would die to see: Via Dolorosa. And then as He gasped for air, a woman appeared out of nowhere, with a cloth in her hands.
She wiped His face, shaking, fearing for His life.
David noticed as some thorns, from the bunch He had on His head, caught hold of the cloth. And then he was back besides the lake, the orb shining brighter than ever.
“You were there?” asked David amazed… “You – you are that woman, Saint Veronica!”
The woman smiled.

The Holy Orb (Short Story) – Part 5

Continued from Part 4.

David looked at Elodie’s body in shock. He felt his soul ache as the idea that he‟ll never be able to talk to her sank in. There was a flash of red light and David felt an immense pain across his face. There was a big cut across his face.

Feeling powerless, he knew he couldn‟t do anything.
He grabbed Elodie‟s hand and looked up.
A snake was slithering towards him, spitting poison as it got nearer.
A few feet away, it became a man again and that man pointed his wand directly at David‟s face. “Any last words, Parker?” he asked shrilly.

David did not reply.
There was another jet of yellow light…
An inch away from David, but it vanished.
The necklace around his neck was shining brightly, making him feel secure and warm. He got to his feet, and looked at the snake-man who seemed to cower from the rays that emanated from it. David grabbed Elodie‟s body… the rays grew stronger… he focused on his destination… and the next thing he was standing next to a crystal-clear lake, as a red orb shone right in its center.

David looked around and noticed the place was deserted. He laid Elodie‟s body on the ground and took a gasp of fresh air. He was appreciating the loneliness.
But it didn‟t last long.
A moment later, the woman who helped him solve the riddle appeared. He turned around, looked angrily at her, hoisted his wand and lunged forward.

“Wait!” she said calmly.
“You –” he breathed, his voice quivering. “You – you killed her!”
“David, please! It wasn‟t my fault! Something happened! Please trust me!”
There was something about her that told David she wasn‟t lying and that he could trust her. Nonetheless, he pressed it onwards.
“No… I can‟t trust you! You led me straight to that snake man!”
“You faced Eric and survived?” she asked.
“I don‟t care! You led me to him… you caused the death of my Elodie!”
The woman looked unfazed. She drew a sigh and moved her hands across the air.

The snake man was looking at David through the portal he opened with his nail. As bright blue eyes shone on him, he felt disgusted. How can people be happy when they are around others? He thought.
David was caressing the blond girl’s hair. They were laughing. And then a man came.
His mouth twisted into a smile as his followers tried to move away fearfully. The man grabbed David by his arm and they both disappeared…
“Durance has just taken David Parker to the church. We have to set up a trap there! Quickly!” he said slowly.
His followers looked at him questionably.
He gave them a dull look.
“Do I have to explain every single thing for you?” he said threateningly, and as they tried to move away he whispered: “use portals to get him to me!”

David looked at the woman intently.
Why was she showing him this?