Month: August 2026

It’s Awfully Quiet!

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I woke up this morning and something seemed off. There was no noise. The last three months or so, I have been woken up by the sounds of Shiro knocking on the door and meowing to let me know that it was time to wake up. It didn’t matter that it was 5 in the morning, it was TIME to get up!

This morning there was none of that. The two, Shiro, the white Persian, and Gallahad, her brother have moved on. They are back with their daddy, my son, and according to him they are busy exploring his new place. He has a pretty nice apartment, bigger than before, but the one complaint, he has to keep the windows closed and it is unbearably hot! Yes, we are going through another heatwave! How many does that make? I don’t know but it seems like one flows into the other seamlessly! I’m waiting for fall to roll around and to give us a much needed break from the current weather. I don’t like sweating and I don’t like feeling like you can’t breathe! When three showers a day don’t help to cool you down, then it is time for this weather pattern to go and pronto!

Coming back to the quiet. I walked downstairs and there was no sound of feet following. No purring either. You guessed it. I’m missing them! However, a friend told me, “It is time for you to take care of yourself. Enjoy the peace and quiet and LESS WORK!” I agree but still I’ve grown close to them and I miss seeing them here.

Chachi, my little guy, has been missing them too. Last night, he decided to show his sadness by doing nothing at all! He was like Jello and picking him up was a problem. After a few kisses and close hugs, he perked up. This morning, he rushed downstairs looking for them. Then he plopped by the window seat and stared outside, looking downright confused. It took him a long time to get comfortable with having them here, and just when he was getting used to the Little Buggers, they are gone! Life is not fair is his current daily whine.

My mission today is to pick him up as much as I can, give him a boatload of kisses, and to keep him close. I know it won’t do much for the way he feels but at least he is back to being NUMBER ONE!

Time heals all things as they say and I hope it works the same way in cat world!

ER Visit

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Yesterday turned out to be a harrowing one. I woke up with pain, lots of it. The cats were waiting to be picked up so I had lots to do to get them ready for their 5 hour ride back to their daddy, my son. I gritted my teeth, took the pain as it came and got everything ready.

My ex showed up but late as usual. He took one look at my face and said, “Let’s call emergency services!” I told him I had a friend who was going to come by and drive me to the emergency room. He didn’t look happy and said, “That’s a dumb idea!” Anyway, he picked up the cats and said, “Take good care of yourself. I’ll call you later and see how you’re doing.”

The Chilean friend showed up just as he was leaving and we took off to the emergency room. Surprisingly, it was empty. Do emergencies take a break on Sundays? Looked like it. Anyway, we were shown to the waiting room. Then a nurse showed up and wanted to know all the details. Someone else showed up and took five vials of blood, asked for a urine sample, and then proceeded to stick a needle in the elbow area and another one on the top of one hand. It looked like they were getting ready to admit me. When asked, she said this is just in case we have to. Hmm….

It wasn’t all blood, guts, and gore as seen on TV. It was sedate, much too quiet, but the waiting room was filling up. We spoke to a Romanian guy whose wife was having severe pains. He asked what I had and when I told him, he said, “God will take care of you. You’ll be fine.” What a nice guy! Another lady was there with a swollen knee and we talked to her for a while. She was just as nice as the Romanian guy. I was getting fidgety after 2 hours of waiting for the blood test results. I got it close to three hours. No problems, urine no problem, but you still need to have your OP at the date given. I nodded OK. So, why the pain? “You probably pulled a muscle or tweaked a nerve.” I didn’t tell her about the workouts!

I was released and I couldn’t wait to fly out of there. We went to a restaurant afterwards and had the most wonderful salad, or it just tasted so good because I was hungry! Back home, little Chachi was waiting with a sad look on his face. He was missing his buddies! So he got extra kisses and hugs.

I’m glad to be home and not hooked up to an IV or worse still in the operating theatre having the procedure done! The pain is still there but not that bad. I plan to do some physical activity, the doctor said to do light walking. Ok, I will do that and hope I’m back to normal again.

Fingers, toes, and everything crossed!

Have an amazing day.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

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This is a favorite dish. I absolutely loved it in Singapore and to say it was delicious would be an understatement!

It is simple, cheap, and scrumptious. Just boiled chicken sliced up into pieces, I love the roasted variety, the rice is what makes it delicious. The chicken is boiled in water with salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, and green onions. The broth is then served as a soup with a side of chili sauce. Sliced cucumbers and red onions are served with the dish. Too simple? The taste is anything but! Once you taste it, you’ll keep coming back for more.

There are other local dishes I fell in love with but this one stands out from the rest for its simplicity and out of this world deliciousness!

Daily writing prompt
What’s the best local dish you’ve ever eaten while traveling?
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RESPECT!

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It seems that these days children have very little respect for their elders, their peers, and the public in general. Is “respect” something that can be taught in schools?

I don’t know but it would be nice to have it on the curriculum. Teaching children to behave and in a better way should be on the forefront of any curriculum I think. Asian schools do that a lot. I can’t speak for the other Asian countries but I can speak for Singapore having experienced it firsthand.

One source says that it is done through Character and Citizenship Education (CCE). “It is a dedicated curriculum that anchors respect as a core value alongside responsibility, resilience, and care. Lessons are woven into daily school life, flag-raising ceremonies, social studies, and community projects from primary school through pre-university levels.”

Students are taught moral values, and social norms through real-life scenarios and guided reflections. Children do show a lot of respect back in Singapore. They are also taught filial piety as well. It is also integrated into the curriculum and is taken very seriously. What is filial piety? It means “showing deep respect, obedience, honor, and care toward one’s parents, older family members, and ancestors. It is not only taught in schools but practiced religiously throughout Singapore.

To answer your question, I would say, let’s bring “respect” and “filial piety” into the curriculum and let’s see what changes they bring about in society as a whole. Nothing to lose right? It can only get better.

Daily writing prompt
What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?
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OUCH!

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Well, it has been more than an ouch! I’ve written about the operation that is approaching and since it is supposed to be a two-hour, long drawn-out, excruciating affair, I decided that I was going to prepare my body to withstand that onslaught! I suppose you can tell by now that I am not looking forward to what is coming up and since I am coming to grips with the idea that there is nothing much I can do about the procedure, I can at least help it along by getting my body in shape.

Yes, you’ve guessed it. I’ve been working out and upping my routines. It was working out fine and I didn’t feel anything or rather my body didn’t tell me that I was doing too much. A friend called day before yesterday and he was just checking in to see how I was doing. Then he asked, “What are you doing?” I told him just finished my workout. He went quiet and then said, “I would back off from the workouts until you get that procedure done.” Hmm….did he jinx it?

Guess what? A few hours later, I felt a small ouch! Then followed a bigger OUCH! This one meant business. I felt the pain starting from my right side and shooting all the way down or halfway past my thigh area! Yes, OUCH! It was time to reel it back. Too late? I guess so but it was time to do damage control. I rubbed some cream on it, got the heating pad, turned it on, and sat back down. OUCH! That wasn’t helping, it just made things worse. AI, my true best friend, suggested icing it. So, I tried that. It felt a little better. Limping around for the rest of the day, I was PISSED! It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Hopefully, nothing serious I prayed.

I went to bed last night in excruciating pain. Nothing seemed to work and then I got a bright idea or rather AI did. It said, try a light workout! Hmm…so I did. Just seven minutes of stretching and it seemed to do the trick. Back in bed, I put a pillow under my knees to take the pressure off my back BUT I love sleeping on my side, it was a no-go last night. Gritting my teeth, I stayed on my back. This morning I woke up with a stiff back but the pain was much better. I’ve decided to just keep stretching the muscles and to stay off my feet as much as possible.

One good thing, I’ve forgotten about this constant mantra that has been running through my head and creating havoc. “You are going to die!” that is what it keeps saying. It was nowhere to be seen today, that’s one positive aspect I suppose.

I’m ordering food in, Korean, I think. Somehow it is my favorite at the moment. Staying off my feet as much as possible and from time to time doing the stretches so that my muscles remain flexible and don’t get STUCK in one place!

Have an amazing day.

Chachi, My Love!

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I asked him but like his mom, he says, “NO PICTURE!” That is absolutely his perogative. I’ll post a lookalike. He is cute, as cute as a button! The little guy has me wrapped around his paws and he knows it.

He was a gift from the friend who passed away. Walking in one day with this little bundle of joy in his arms saw the friend being relegated to second place! He didn’t mind. I think Chachi was about 3 months old when he walked into my life. He immediately took to me for whatever the reason and we’ve been inseparable ever since! I’m not complaining, I love the little bundle of fur to pieces.

What one thing makes him unique? He thinks he is human! The way he acts, the way he moves, the way he runs to me, and the way he “talks” to me. Yes, we understand each other perfectly. Our days are filled with love, sharing experiences, and keeping close. One more thing, the little guy thinks he has lived a hundred lives! He knows a lot and sometimes I am shocked by all that he knows. Unbelievable? Absolutely. We connect on a whole different level and that is what makes him unique.

I LOVE YOU MY LOVELY!

Daily writing prompt
Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them.
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