I am currently a children’s book author. I love giving voices to animals and especially Chachi, the cat. He will be the main guy in my next book. The little fur ball makes for a cute addition and the book is filled with some interesting animal characters. The next book will be out sometime this year, it is in the final stages of production and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it gets out there before Christmas.
Other than that, I am also working on a romance novel. It is taking forever because I get to a certain point and can’t seem to move forward. It happens now and then and sometimes I am just too lazy and that is a big problem. Productivity and creativity is suffering currently because I want to spend my days sitting out in the garden and whiling away time! It is just too nice to stay indoors at the moment.
I am already thinking about a sequel to the current children’s book but I’m stuck. Nothing new there. Some days I can’t stop writing and at other times nothing there at all which is frustrating. However, I like this new version of me. No more hectic and no more pressure. It is working out just fine.
Oh well, back to the garden to see what the bees are doing!
Asia is steeped in folklore, superstition and the paranormal. I think the belief in such entities brings about more of the same. The Kuntilanak is a female ghost from Indonesia and she is often seen wearing a long, white dress and has a frightening expression on her face. Another variant of the same is the Pontianak. This one is depicted as a bloodthirsty and sinister entity. Then there is the Langsuyar, it is an undead which has the ability to take the form of a woman. Add to that the Seventh Month Ghost Festival which is also known as the Hungry Ghost Month where it is believed that the gates of the underworld open and spirits come to roam the earth and it is no wonder that spirits are present everywhere!
I came face to face with mine on a dark and rainy night. I was making my way back from a meeting and it was almost midnight. The wind was picking up speed and the roll of thunder and flashes of lightning was spooky to say the least! I was dropped off at the main road and had a short distance to go to get to where I was staying.
Little did I know that it would turn out to be the scariest experience of my life! The rain was falling steadily now and I was getting wet so I started walking faster. It was dark and the one street light at the corner was out for some reason. Just then, I saw something white go into a drain nearby. I told myself it was a cat. As I approached the corner where I needed to make a turn, right where a fire hydrant stood, a slight rustling sound caught my attention and I quickly turned my head towards it. There sitting on the fire hydrant was something dark, it had a shape and it moved back and forth whispering something! I didn’t wait to find out what it was saying, I took off running and believe it or not, the crickets were chirping alongside and keeping pace with me!
I got to the foyer wheezing and as I turned around to look at the entrance and there it was. It was about 7 feet tall and draped in white from top to bottom. There were no visible features and it was standing absolutely still! I let out a scream, loud enough to wake the dead so that people came running. They did a check of the surroundings but they found nothing!
It has been many many years since that horrific experience but that night has remained etched in my memory. Recently, I found out what it or that spooky entity could have been. It is called a “pocong” meaning ghost in Javanese. The belief is that “a pocong is the soul of someone who has not been properly released from their shroud due to incomplete burial rites or unresolved issues in life.” However, a “pocong” is wrapped in a white shroud with visible features. What I saw that night had none. Whatever it was, it “scared the bejesus out of me!”
Are ghosts real? I think they are. What I saw that night didn’t come out of an overactive imagination although I do have one! I would go on to experience several more experiences of the spooky variety in Asia but that’s for another time!
I can’t remember! I recall that I was in the front row and my blond beauty of a friend had a total crush on the guy but I can’t remember his name! I only know that she was screaming so loudly that I felt my ears go numb! Plus, I had a headache the day after.
My son is into rock concerts and going to live performances is all the rage. He loves the head-banging variety. I can’t understand why he would want to be there amidst the huge crowd bopping along but I guess “music” is different to every generation. The concerts he goes to are usually loud and since I am a “recluse” now, noise is not to my liking. I love the peace and quiet so I am glad that those days of tagging along to see whoever we had a crush on are over with.
I wouldn’t mind going to a stand-up comedy show. It’s something I am into now. When I need some cheering up, I turn to the funny variety to bump my mood up. It usually works.
Nothing fascinating to talk about but that’s the way it is when your world revolves around nature, meditation and the like. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Three guys are having a relaxing day of fishing. Out of the blue, they catch a mermaid–who begs to be set free, in return for granting each of them a wish. One of the guys just doesn’t believe it, and says, “Okay, if you can really grant wishes, then double my I.Q.” The mermaid says, “Done.” Suddenly, the guy starts reciting Shakespeare flawlessly, and analyzing what he’s recited with great insight.
The second guy is so amazed, he says to the mermaid, “Triple my I.Q.” The mermaid says, “Done.” The guy starts to spout solutions to problems that have been stumping all the great scientists of the world: the mathematicians, physicists, chemists, and so on.
The last guy is so enthralled with the changes in his friends that he says to the mermaid, “Quintuple my I.Q.” The mermaid looks at him and says, “You know, I normally don’t try to change people’s minds when they make a wish, but I really think you should reconsider. The guy says, “Nope, I want you to multiply my I.Q. times five and if you don’t do it, I won’t set you free.”
“Please,” the mermaid says, “you don’t know what you’re asking! It’ll change your entire view of the universe. Won’t you ask for something else, a million dollars, anything?” But no matter what the mermaid says, the guy insists on having his I.Q. increased to five times its usual power. Finally, the mermaid sighs and says, “Done.”
And he turns into a woman.
I absolutely LOVED this one! My ex is a physicist by the way, I wonder what he thought about this one. I’ve been looking for that frog that grants wishes but I guess this mermaid will do just fine!
Looks like it is going to take place, the parade that is. The estimated cost could be as high as $45 million. Trump says, it is, “Peanuts compared to the value of doing it.” Why?
“We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”
There you have it, right out of the horse’s mouth!
It’s not enough that he has tanked the economy and blown up the WTO system of global growth and stability. The man who loves jumping at anything he sees as a money making scheme is off and running to another debacle, one which is more to his liking.
Rumor has it that he wants a military parade for his birthday. Nothing new here, he has been hinting at it ever since he attended one in Paris for Bastille Day in 2017. If it takes place at all, it would fall on his birthday which is Saturday, June 14 and coincidentally it just so happens to be the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It is rumored that the Trump administration is “reportedly looking to add a parade that would stretch nearly four miles, from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River, into D.C. How about Hegseth leading the charge, bare-chested and flaunting his tattoos and wearing the Amerian flag? Patriotic enough? Let’s not forget Musk doing the Nazi salute and Trump grinning from ear to ear.
The cost of such a parade would be phenomenal but didn’t he say they’ve got 2 billion coming in each day from tariffs alone? Should be enough to cover the cost don’t you think?
Global economies are hanging in the balance and a full-blown Trade War is looming and hissing at the fringes so what’s missing? Let’s add a military parade to the mix why don’t we? One that proclaims America’s might as a superpower with a message that says, “Don’t fool with us!” Remind you of anything?
Quotes have the ability to boost up your mood, they can also help you out of the doldrums and just a dose can put a pep in your step and get you going. Here are a few of my favorites to put a positive spin on your day. Enjoy!
“The pages of yesterday cannot be revised. But the pages of tomorrow are blank – and you hold the pen. Make it an inspiring story.” NotSalmon.com
“Don’t worry. Just when you think your life is over, a new story line falls from the sky and lands right in your lap.” Rebekah Crane
Here’s the problem. I don’t want a new story line, I want the old one with a view to the finish line! Doable?
“To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will.” Sugar Ray Robinson
“Problems are like washing machines. They twist, they spin and knock us around. But in the end, we come out cleaner, brighter and better than before.” Unknown
Fingers and toes crossed and hoping!
“I love it when the coffee kicks in and I realize what an adorable badass I’m going to be today.” Unknown
Coffee does the trick every time!
“Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” Marilyn vos Savant
Never ever give UP!
“Every morning starts a new page in your story. Make it a good one today.” Doe Zantamata
What are you writing in yours today?
“The most courageous decision that you can make each day is to be in a good mood.” Voltaire
This is a hard one but I start with a smile on my face.
Look at the stars……
“It won’t fix the economy. It won’t stop wars. It won’t give you flat abs, or better sex or even help you figure out your relationship and what you want to do with your life. But it’s important. It helps you remember that you and your problem are both infinitesimally small and conversely, that you are a piece of an amazing and vast universe.” Kate Bartolotta
How amazing is that?
AND FINALLY:
“Life is short. SMILE while you still have teeth.” Unknown
Not much at all. This is a tiny village that time forgot. There is nothing exciting going on here and everything seems to be on an even keel. There is virtually no crime to speak of and even the volunteer firefighters have nothing at all to do! Once in a while the siren goes off just to let the villagers know that they are still there and waiting for anything unforeseen.
The streets are clean, the gardens well-kept and the people, well, they are hard-working and since it is an aging population, much time is spent outdoors in summer keeping everything spotless and like it should be. There are no soup kitchens. Most people get by well enough with what they have and on an afternoon like today where the sun is shining, there is no noise out there. Even the birds have gone silent and are enjoying their afternoon siesta. I call it paradise.
I can’t think of anything that I am involved in except once in a while I bring flowers to some of the older ladies living alone. It’s just a nice gesture and the twinkle in their eyes and their smiles is reward enough. Other than that, when help is needed I volunteer. Not much is expected of you here except to be a good neighbor, to smile and wave and to say “good day” when we pass each other on the street. Come evening and the streets are deserted and so is the main road. Everything has an eerie quietness but I LOVE it!
I wrote this piece in 2024 and since then the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made it to the 7th year of marital bliss, against all odds I might add. If the haters could have their way, it would be done and dusted by now. They want to believe that it’s all a sham and they couldn’t possibly be happy. The latest tirade against the couple is nothing short of horrific. This time it is not just coming from across the pond but from this side of the pond and the charge is being led by right-wing pundit Meghan Kelly. Her recent attack on her podcast bordered on the unthinkable. It was like she had venom oozing out of her every pore! She called the Duchess of Sussex a “malignant narcissist,” among other insults and accusations which begs the question, “What is your problem Meghan Kelly?” Envy? Jealousy? An all out mean streak? Most of these attacks have racist undertones as are those aimed at the couple from all directions. It is cruel, it is nasty and racism is well and doing just fine!
“Racism is abhorrent and ugly, and it plaques our world.
We must reject and condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification, every time and everywhere.” Antonio Guterres
Once there was a boy and a girl who fell in love and got married. The boy happened to be a prince and the girl, well, she was of mixed-race.
The beginning was fairytale-like. Cinderella got her prince so to speak BUT then the evil forces gathered and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to rip asunder what could only be described as a beautiful love story.
Soon the girl was talking about taking her own life so the prince decided to give up his kingdom for the love of the girl. They moved faraway to quiet the storm and to get away from the evil clutches of the ugly people. Race mattered and the boy and girl had broken the sacred code. Mixed race was a no go as far as the kingdom was concerned. Blue blood was the only way to go as far as the racists were concerned.
They gathered forces and screamed out with all their might. Within this circle were the press corp, TV personalities, members of the Royal family and those that hid within their bedrooms equipped with a TV and a microphone. They spewed their message of hate for no other reason than pure hatred. The girl was portrayed as the ‘witch’ who stole the prince. Nothing she did could quiet the rage she had unknowingly unleashed simply because she had dared to cross the line and had fallen in love with the young prince. Love, in this case, didn’t matter.
The boy and girl were faraway across the pond by now but the ugliness followed them. Every move was met with furore of the worst kind. They had two children, a beautiful boy and a girl, but nothing could stop the storm of hate. The beautiful girl was now a symbol of hatred. If they could have, they would have screamed, “Off with her head!” as in the old days and watched with glee as their symbol of hate was put to rest mercilessly.
Racism and hate go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. However, racism is not a thing of the past. It is doing well with the haters stoking its fires to keep it burning brightly. How potent is it? In this case, it is enough to destroy a beautiful love story, enough to bring a beautiful girl to her knees and maybe even enough to destroy a marriage all done in the name of racism, nothing more, nothing less.
This is a sad story. Rumors are that the boy and girl are having a hard time and the racists are beating their drums with glee and thumping their chests at their handiwork. I hope the Duke and Duchess of Sussex survive the ordeal they have been put through and go on to live a long and happy life. Racism is ugly beyond words but the fact that it is thriving so blatantly speaks volumes.
“Sometimes racism takes the form of ugly words and actions. Other times it remains unspoken, communicated by hostile looks and secret snickers. But the most corrosive form, and often the hardest to address, is not being seen at all.” Kwame Onwuachi
A new group of male applicants had just arrived in heaven. Peter looked them over and ordered, “All men who were henpecked on earth, please step to the left, all those who were bosses in their own homes, step to the right.”
The line quickly formed on the left. Only one man stepped to the right. Peter looked at the frail little man standing by himself and inquired, “What makes you think you belong on that side?” Without hesitation, the meek little man explained, “Because this is where my wife told me to stand.”
A man told his doctor that he wasn’t able to do all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination was complete, he said, “Now, Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what is wrong with me.”
“Well, in plain English,” the doctor replied, “you’re just lazy.”
“Okay,” said the man. “Now give me the medical term so I can tell my wife.”
I think I would like to be a fly on the wall in the White House! Not sure if I would get paid for doing that but who cares! It would be interesting to listen in on all the top-level and secretive meetings going on there.
It would definitely be interesting and perhaps even mind-boggling because of how this administration works. What are they going to cut next? Probably anything they consider as WOKE and pertaining to DEI programs. They are calling it by another name, projects that don’t deserve funding, but it is blatant racism and they are not fooling anyone.
The fly on the wall would listen in and then make its way to where that information could be put to good use! If only wishes could come true!
Where is that frog?!! The one that doles out wishes!
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