Chili without beans?

I really needed to go out and get some groceries.  It had been raining 24/7 lately, and I could barely make it to the mosque for Friday prayers (which is mandatory for all Muslim males) and back.  As it was, I slipped on my motorcycle on the wet trail on the way back from the mosque and hurt my knee.  So going to the supermarket for food was out of the question.  But this morning the sun finally came out alhamdulillah, even though the rain beat down all last night.  After sleeping in to enjoy the cold weather (I managed to get my blankie dusted off.  Ah... simple pleasures), I finally went to the supermarket after doing the morning chores.

I don't have much money left, so it's time to make chili.  However, the price of baked beans (in the USA, you would commonly find them as pork and beans) has gone up.  Not that that is a problem, because there's none to be found, other than the tiny little half cup sized cans.  It's almost as if... EVERYBODY HERE HAS STARTED TO MAKE CHILI.  I can't find plain old pinto beans in a can around here, the other option is to cook up raw red beans, but that is expensive.  So I'm making chili tonight out of lentils.  Yeah, lentils.  For some reason, the price of lentils has gone down to RM2 a kilo.  That's cheap, and filling.  But how will it work for chili?  I couldn't even afford tomatoes or tomato puree/paste.  So tonight's chili will have no beans nor tomatoes.  I have the lentils soaking right now.  Please pray for my success.

Oh Natty, you must be super busy right now.  Well go get them, and do your best, and have lots of fun doing it.  Make sure you get plenty of rest, and drink lots of water.  Keep that tummy cool and hydrated!  I forgot to mention how much I loved those boots of yours.  Once upon a time long ago, I was able to afford a pair of Doc Martens.  They were great looking, and very comfortable.  But then I wore them to work at the pizza joint, so they eventually disintegrated.  I shouldn't have done that.  From then on, I only wore US jungle boots at the restaurant, which were cheap at the army surplus store, so I could just chuck them and replace them without much financial effort.  I wish I hadn't destroyed my Doc Martens, though.  But c'est la vie.  I wouldn't have been able to wear them anyway after my feet grew 2 sizes bigger.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, the rain

Hi Honey!  How are you?  I hope all is excellent going.  It's Friday morning here for me, and I'm writing earlier than usual before I have to head out to the mosque for the Friday prayer.  It rained quite heavily overnight, and it's still raining right now.  I was so pleased because it was a nice cool morning, and that means I get to snuggle up in my blankie.  But I was not pleased because my blankie was covered in dust for not being used, and it made me itch too much to sleep in.  Always something getting in the way of having a good time, huh?  Seems like it.  My Mom said she'd give me some rice, so I at least I don't have to cook lunch but I am hungry so I'm snacking on peanuts right now.  Good peanuts.  Alhamdulillah.  Want some?

Oh your poor umbrella, Natty!  I'm sure you're wealthy enough by now to get yourself a nice new umbrella.  Or is it raining money on you, and there's nothing you can do to stop it!  Save your money for later, Natty.  It's all yours, you earned it.  By the way, did you notice that you can answer everything that Carlos guy says to you with one expression: "It's because you're so CREEPY!!!"  Oh, what drama.

 

 

 

 

Hi

Hi Honey, how are you feeling?  I'm sorry I didn't take the time to say hello yesterday, but I had an important presentation to make, so I hope you understand.  I wanted to say hi, but it didn't seem appropriate.  I love you though, I have loved you for a long time already, and I will always love you.  I hope you are feeling great, and everything is running smoothly.  Yes, Sia is a sweetheart, isn't she?  I never met any celebrities, they never met me, and I suppose they will never meet me.  But I would love to meet Sia.  I hear she's a real sweetheart.

Natty, you beautiful creature you!  You are on a roll!  You've become a brand name girl Natty, so hang on to yourself.  Always know that in this crazy business that you have people who love you no matter what.  Enjoy your career Sweetie, make tons of money and save it, don't waste it.  Keep it for your future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rohingya

General Matsui Iwane was a devout Buddhist.  He was the commanding officer of the Japanese forces that annexed Shanghai and Nanking in 1937, which infamously became known as "The Rape of Nanking" due to the atrocities committed there.  Where or not he directly gave the order for massacre, he certainly got the blame for it and was executed by the War Crimes Tribunal on 1948.  He maintained that he ordered a humane conquest, and that it was his inferiors that defied the order.  And it WAS the subordinates that did the pillaging and raping.  Whether or not he was guilty of the massacre, he certainly was a weak leader.



What does Wikipedia say about Buddhism?

Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of various teachings and scriptures, and especially their respective practices. Practices of Buddhism include taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, study of scriptures, observance of moral precepts, renunciation of craving and attachment, the practice of meditation (including calm and insight), the cultivation of wisdom, loving-kindness and compassion, the Mahayana practice of bodhicitta and the Vajrayana practices of generation stage and completion stage.
In Theravada the ultimate goal is the cessation of the kleshas and the attainment of the sublime state of Nirvana, achieved by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path (also known as the Middle Way), thus escaping what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth.

"Wisdom, loving-kindness and compassion" certainly are not prerequisites of oppression.  So whoever commits oppression is a traitor to Buddhism?  Well, in every religion there are those who follow the rules and those who don't.  Those who don't follow the rules are usually the inferior and the subordinates.  The other option is that the leader doesn't follow the rules.  Either way, this is a case of WEAK LEADERSHIP.

Qur'an 20170913

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

39.  God it is that has made you inheritors in the earth.  If then, any do reject, their rejection is against themselves.  Their rejection but adds to the odium for the unbelievers in the sight of their Lord.  Their rejection but adds to undoing.

40.  Say, "Have you seen 'partners' of yours whom you call besides Allah?  Show me what it is they have created in the earth.  Or have they a share in the heavens?  Or has God given them a Book from which they refer?  No!  The wrongdoers promise each other nothing but delusions."

The Originator of Creation 

35:39-40
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Pure mud smells awful

Hi Erin!  Looking good, my darling.  I remember now who it was that snapshot you took of yourself reminded me of- you looked like Pamela Anderson!  But not skanky.  Pamela Anderson was hot once, but became skanky over the years.  Do you remember when Kid Rock fought Tommy Lee over her at the VMA's?  It lasted less than a second, but generated a generation's supply of humor.  Having people fight over you is not something to desire or be proud of.  Seriously.  You don't want it.

Natty, you beautiful creature!  That's what showbiz is for the most part, we just wait around a lot.  You should get yourself a hobby, something to do while you pass the time waiting for the next event.  Perhaps something to do on your computer or cell phone.  Who knows, it might turn out to be something quite profitable.  Oh and that Carlos guy is not only creepy, but a liar.  He hits on almost every model on Instagram.  Right, Erin?

Country air is reputed to be nice and clean, but they're ploughing up the rice paddy in front of my house right now and it smells like poop.  There has been much rain lately, and the paddies are washed clean.  Myriad plants and fishes live in them, and they look so clean.  The mud in them is probably very pure and washed, you could put your hand in the mud and feel how smooth it is.  But when the tractors dig up the mud, the smell is putrid.  I wouldn't want to sling that mud.  It smells awful.

 

 

 

Oh dilemma

We all share the light here on planet Earth.  It comes from the sun, it lights up your face, and we see how beautiful you are.  And you are very beautiful.  But in Second Life, the regional lighting is God awful.  The shadows are unflattering, and the artificial sunlight too harsh.  So I use a custom light to create the pretty pictures of my avatar that you see below.  I just ignore and assume that the regional light is good enough for everyone else to look at my avatar.  But there's a snag.  I recently acquired a pair of mesh feet, so I am able to wear the best shoes.  And mesh shoes are undoubtedly the best shoes.  Mesh items are more realistic looking than painted on clothes.  But my feet don't react to light the same as the rest of my body.  If I use custom light then it's OK, but only I can see that my avatar looks OK.  Everyone else would see white feet with a body blackened by shadow!  Why should I care what other people see?  Oh my God, I'm more competitive than I thought I was...  Oh my God, it's driving me ape shit...  If I had a mesh body then the feet would blend smoothly with the body, but I wouldn't be able to use my old clothes!  No wait, I don't have any money, so that's not an option.  I'll just have to make do with what I got.

Natty, that's very glamorous.  What is that, an upside down urinal?  I'm just kidding!  Is there a shortage of hair dryers or something?  Oh what a hectic life, huh...

And Pina, it's nice to see you again!  That's it honey, sleepwalk just like everyone else.  But I do know what you are really feeling inside.  You love this crazy big business even though you are scared of it.  And it's making you aroused!  Whatever you do, make sure you marry the right guy for you OK?