LIFE IS SHORT, BE KIND

 Our lives run in cycles of unending change. I sometimes ask myself, “Did anything change in my life at all?”

Am I still the bashful slightly insecure child that got ‘trampled’ on occasionally? Did I really become tougher and erased the shadows in my mind? No one does erase ALL the shadows in their minds. When we erase too much, we are left with just an imperfect memory of our past. 

We just need to always look at life from different angles.This pandemic brought out the best in people, Lions feed the hungry project and Food Aid, 

and  people like Lee Shu Lin 

 Image Credit: The Star Newspaper.

who wakes up at 4am every weekend to prepare breakfast and lunch for 35 senior citizens in a nursing home. 

But, when our National Vaccination Programme started, I saw the opposite in some. People who just  moaned and whined. Nothing pleased them. When Pfizer opened for registration, 

many DID NOT register as they chose to believe fake news. We who registered, were on a long wait list. Thus, when registration for Astrazeneca opened on a first-come-first-serve basis, we grabbed it. Gizmo Man, Savvy K and myself were successful together with another 268,800 Malaysians and foreigners. 

"I want Pfizer or Sinovac, Cheap vaccine-lah that one!! Got blood clot one, Don't want take lah." These were some of the reasons.

The “anti-vaxxers” sat back as they worried about blood clot side effects and they wanted vaccines OF THEIR CHOICE. Unfortunately, Malaysia plunged into the 3^rd wave and our positive cases peaked at 8,000-plus daily. 

"Faster go book. Ya lo, don't care what vaccine-lah, just take! Wah very serious now."

Suddenly, these ‘anti-Asreazenecans’ changed their tune, "Why non-Malaysians given the vaccine before Malaysians." " Not fair! Citizens first." Please, please, …. you were the very ones who rejected the vaccine. Then, some who went for their vaccinations complained about the crowd, 

not getting the appointments at the exact time, not getting the correct dosage? YES, there was confusion and hiccups at the beginning, BUT 

Come on, with 7000 vaccinations per day in ONE centre, give the staff some slack. They even complained of having to walk too far from arrival point to vaccination booth. People, people THINK! How do you keep social distancing of 1 metre with hundreds of people, and yet not be expected to walk.

Constructive criticism is more effective than calling out names and lashing out. I MYSELF am guilty of  whining without doing anything. At 6,239 positive cases yesterday, are WE doing our part? NOT EVERYONE. They are Malaysians who book rooms in hotels to hold private parties away from detection, Malaysians who return to their home towns (and bring the virus home) as soon as lockdown is announced and Malaysians who gather at pubs behind close doors. And yet we complain why the government isn't doing enough to control transmission.

Some folks are QUICK to complain, yet SLOW to shower praise.   

It appears to be their life mission to apply to others the frost of criticism. WHY? 

WHEN ONE WORD CAN BRING SATISFACTION.  

This quote from a Zimbabwe ex-President may sound crude but it sure makes SENSE:

“Treat every part of your towel nicely, because the part that wipes your buttocks today will wipe your face tomorrow.” 

A video by Savvy K on her hassle-free vaccination.

We live 21km from the vaccination centre. It only took less than 2h to complete the process and she was home, safe in bed. 

For this effort, WELL DONE MALAYSIA.

KON'NICHIWA JAPAN

HELLO JAPAN.  

This country has been on my bucket list for ages, but I never had the opportunity to visit. That is, until Boey invited me on a trip with her Buddhist group in 2019. We toured the Kanto Prefecture in Honshu, the main island of Japan. 

Landed in Chiba, and out next eight days was a road trip through Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama and Kanagawa. Our first night was in Ryokan Inn surrounded by onsen. It was a real traditional setting with tatami mat flooring and sliding doors

"We have NO BEDS," I wailed.

Well, when we returned from dinner, Japanese futons were laid out for us. 

Pardon the Ignoramus Me.

 These are pages from my travel-log. I lost much of my photographs when Thory pulled my laptop and sent it crashing to the floor. CRASH, went my software too! You know the phrase, "God SAVES," but Sassy Jam DID NOT. I lost over 10 years of data and pictures. 

LUCKY, you are one cute boy Thory or I would have given you away pronto.

 We visited Nikko Toshogu shrine deep in the cedar forests. Built in 1672 to enshrine Tokugawa leyasu, 1st Shogan of the Tokugawa shogunate.

I can imagine the samurai silently slithering along the roofs and corridors.

Sky berry picking was fun. We were allowed to eat as much as we wanted. Did you know that too many strawberries gives you diarrhoea? And this is NOT GOOD on a road trip!!

What is Japan without the sakura blossoms? We were lucky enough to be on time to catch the first blooms. 

A week earlier and we would have only seen sakura buds. 

Sayonara for now.

Malaysia's NOT doing well, 

STAY HOME, THE POLIS ARE  👀WATCHING 👀YOU.

WHY WOULD A LIZARD GO GROCERY SHOPPING?

 I guess with lockdown and partial lock down, we all need to stock up. This monitor lizard in Thailand decided it has had enough of catching prey for food.What can be easier than getting meals in a supermarket? Or dropping into homes for comfort food?Now this is one animal that knew what to do during lockdown - eat and slumber along.Sighted at Raymond Island, Victoria, Australia.

Coco lives in an animal rescue sanctuary for lost, unwanted or abandoned animals. It was  apprehensive when the Wees went for their monthly visits. Coco came out quickly from its cubby hole when it saw the sweet corn and sunflower seed treats. Coco stayed with the Wees for 10 years enjoying eggs and bread with peanut butter. But Coco was a real diva with its repertoire of screeches and screams for attention. 

Sharon now runs Animal Rescue.

A thirsty macaw gets his own drink of coconut water. Macaws have walnut-size brains but they are the second most intelligent parrots. 

So here is a clever macaw taking its bath in the kitchen sink. My my, why do I still have to yell at Savvy K to take her bath? A macaw's intelligence has been reported to be  comparable to primates. Absolutely true!

My neighbourhood receives plenty of visitors who do not believe in social distancing. 

Baby monkeys saying "Hello" just outside window.

This frog came and stuck itself right on the glass door. 

Snakes are very popular where I live. 

We get about one catch of snakes every month.  But the monitor lizards really love it here. These bulky creatures can actually scale walls and fences. This one gave me a good scare when I came face-to-face with it during my morning walk. I screamed,

  it scrambled over the fence. Another one climbed into my garden. Thory went ballistic, I think I almost "pengsan" (fainted)! I had to handle a monster lizard and a rabid dog that was going for a KILL. The monster would have killed Thory instead, so I had no alternative but used a bamboo pole and push it back into my neighbour's yard. 

Sorry Neighbour!!

But, scientists in Mahidol University, Thailand are investigating the medicinal properties in the blood of these monitor lizards. They reckon that their immune system which allows them to inhabit in polluted waters and devour rotted meat (Yikes!, in the wild)  holds a key to tackle cancer, bacteria and viruses.  

Amazingly, preliminary results showed proteins in their blood samples stop cancer cell growth. Ah ha, their future research concentrates on these proteins against Covid-19.  Monitor lizards may be the key to unlock this pandemic. 

Sorry my friends, I treated you so unwelcomingly. Next time I will let you roam freely but, please don't eat my Thory.