Disclaimer – Page 38

Thoughts & Sayings (November 2012)

Here are some thoughts and sayings I posted on Twitter and/or Facebook in October. To my knowledge, I made these up (for better or for worse). Sit back, relax, and enjoy the write!

Encouraging Words

1. I keep pressing on, but nothing sticks.

2. I didn’t like the way the ball bounces, so I put up bumpers.

3. Five of my senses are keeping up with me, but the sixth one is lagging behind.

Twisted Words

4. Time is a spyce.

In Its Own Write

5. Many happy writeturns.

Holidays & Events

6. Sandy decided to be Sue Storm for Halloween.

7. Gaffer: A public figure who makes a gaffe.

8. “Gee, you candidates gotta play nice or you’re gonna get a time out!” — Big Bird

9. I wonder what Christopher Columbus did to celebrate Columbus Day.

Random Musings

10. Why do we make time by not doing something?

11. People change fast, but places evolve over time.

12. I debated with myself over whether to watch the debates. Myself won, and I lost. Me looked on.

13. I got my Outlook calendar, contacts, and tasks on iPad by synching Google Apps with Outlook, uploading the data to Google Cloud, and then synching it with a third-party app on iPad. It’s easy and only takes a week to set up.

Click here to visit the new Thoughts & Sayings page, or click here to read the previous batch of Thoughts & Sayings.

Images courtesy of Microsoft.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, a collection of short stories calledReal Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Storiesand Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. All characters and events appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author.

You’re the Adventurer–No Brazilian Visa

Welcome to an experiment. You’ve been a spectator reading my travelogues about life overseas from Korea to Zambia, but now it’s your turn to go on your own adventure! Immerse yourself in the story and make key decisions by choosing from among several options. Your selections could make the difference between a great trip or a travel disaster! Read and make your choice, and stay tuned as your story unfolds.

If you haven’t read the story from the beginning, stop reading this post! Click here to begin your journey.

You’re all set for your trip to Brazil. You can’t wait to experience the Amazon, Rio de Janeiro, the beaches, and the vibe of Latin America as the country gets ready for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. It’s going to be a great trip!

You arrive at the airport and check in with the airline. Presenting your travel documents, the agent flips through your passport and asks, “Where is your Brazilian visa?”

“What do you mean?” you ask, perplexed.

“You need a valid visa to travel to Brazil,” they explain.

The realization dawns on you that you should have applied for a visa before departure. You assumed that you either didn’t need one or could get it upon arrival, recalling that many countries let visitors apply at the port of entry. “I didn’t realize that I needed a visa before I traveled.”

“I’m sorry, but you must have a valid visa before I can issue the ticket,” the agent informs you. “Not only that, your passport has less than six months’ validity left, and you’ll need to renew your passport before the Brazilians will issue you a visa.”

“What?” you exclaim, surprised. “I can’t do that! My flight is in two hours.”

“Unfortunately, you can’t fly until you have a valid passport and visa to enter Brazil,” says the agent in a monotone voice. They’ve obviously confronted this situation before.

“Is there any way I can get one on short notice, like here at the airport?”

“No, I’m afraid not. You have to renew your passport online and then apply by mail for the visa through the Brazilian Embassy. It can take quite a while,” they tell you and hand back your passport and ticket.

You stand dumbfounded with your bag and travel documents as the ticket agent helps another customer.

Not only are you going to miss your flight, but you’ll have to postpone your trip until you update your travel documents. It could take weeks until you can head to Brazil. What a disastrous start to what could have been a great trip!

THE END

Images courtesy of Microsoft.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

You’re the Adventurer–No Chinese Visa

If you haven’t read the story from the beginning, stop reading this post! Click here to begin your journey.

You’re all set for your journey to China. You can’t wait to experience the Far East with more than one billion people and 5,000 years of history. It’s going to be a great trip!

You arrive at the airport and check in with the airline. Presenting your travel documents, the agent flips through your passport and asks, “Where is your Chinese visa?”

“What do you mean?” you ask, perplexed.

“You need a valid visa to travel to China,” they explain. The realization dawns on you that you should have applied for a Chinese visa before your departure. You assumed that you either didn’t need one or could get it when you arrived in the country, recalling that many countries let visitors apply at the port of entry. You respond sheepishly, “I didn’t realize that I needed to get a visa before I traveled.”

“I’m sorry, but you must have a valid visa before I can issue your ticket,” the agent informs you with a dismissive look and cool voice.

“How do I get one?” you ask, starting to worry that you can’t proceed as planned.

“You have to download the application online and apply through the Chinese Embassy.”

“What?” you exclaim, surprised. “I can’t do that! My flight is in less than two hours.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t fly until you have a valid Chinese visa,” they insist. They’ve obviously confronted this situation before. “If you entered China without a visa, you would be turned around immediately and sent home.”

“Isn’t there any way I can get one on short notice, like here at the airport?”

“No, I’m afraid not. I’m sorry, but you have to apply through the Chinese Embassy. Good day,” they tell you and hand back your passport and ticket before you can protest.

You stand dumbfounded with your bag and travel documents as the agent helps another customer.

You’re going to miss your flight and will have to wait for a few days until the Chinese Embassy processes your visa. What a disastrous start to what could have been a great trip!

THE END

Images courtesy of Microsoft.