Stress that's caused by stress

 Hi Natty!  How are you feeling today, Honey?  I hope that all is well with you.  When I asked you to please not panic, were you able to do so?  Sometimes stress can cause damage that generates more stress.  We are human beings not animals, and are capable of some effort of choice and we can choose not to panic.  Whether we may be a VIP who is responsible for many people or a simple housewife, there will be stress.  So please relax and enjoy your position and success, so you can enjoy it even more.

Lookie is a nervous cat.  Her mother was a bully, and she developed a nervous habit of over-grooming.  After years of training, she managed to get to the point of having an almost full coat of fur without having to wear the Collar of Shame, and even started to stand up to her mother.  Then recently, Floofy died and at the same time, Lookie went into heat.  Twice.  Now half her coat is gone and she looks like she had a really bad poodle cut.  I didn't think Lookie loved her mother as much as I did, so the reaction took me by surprise.  Then last night, she popped a blister on her right butt cheek while lying on my pillow.  Laundry Day was this morning, so the pus didn't bother me.  But guess who put that blister on her right butt cheek?  She did it to herself.  Then the irritation stressed out her tummy and gave her diarrhea.  Now she's back to wearing the Collar of Shame, and she's going to have to wear it until her coat grows back again.  Don't worry folks, I wash that collar everyday so she has a 5 minute window each day to clean herself up.  The good news is that she doesn't have the runs anymore.

Aaaah!  I forgot to check Mary Unknown7's ears!

Time to experiment

 Hi Natty!  How are you today, my love?  How's your tummy?  I hope you are keeping warm, happy and healthy, and not doing anything too naughty.  It's still cold and wet here, which doesn't bother me.  I prefer cold weather over hot weather.  God gave the night market a break yesterday, but nobody is taking any risks today, even though it's not raining right now.  So nobody but one guy set up shop at the side of the road today.  Instead of yard work, I decided to spend the evening in the kitchen.  I bought a pack of hot dogs the other day, so I went to the sundry shop to get hot dog buns (wow, I saw the one roadside stall that is open completely sold out!).  But hot dogs aren't on the menu today, I made chicken tenders.  Instead of using a plain old egg to make the tenders, I made a mix of egg, water, flour and salt, which is the basic batter for prawn croquettes, known here as "cucur udang".  They leave the skin on the prawns here so it cooks up crispy, so the smaller the prawns the better.  I don't even have small prawns:  what I had is a packet of shrimp the size of plankton which comes dried and is usually used as a condiment.  I was determined to make "cucur udang" with that stuff today, after a couple of failures before.

The chicken tenders were normal, my "cucur udang" was a success, and I even made a couple of sandwiches using the hot dog buns, a couple of prawn fritters, chicken tenders, and hot sauce.  That sandwiches were strange, but successful.  I had initially desired buffalo chicken sandwiches, but I didn't have lettuce, tomatoes, or blue cheese, so I used prawn fritters instead.  Oops, I forgot the sliced cheese!  Natty you don't have to eat my experiments, just have the chicken tenders which are nice and normal.  Artists need to experiment in order to remain creative.

Fried chicken

 Hi Natty!  How are you, my darling?  I hope you are bundled up nice and warm.  It's still cold and wet over here, and I love it.  I prefer cold weather, so alhamdulillah.  Cold as it is, I still sweated it out somewhat digging up stumps and saplings in the evening.  Monday evening is night market time over here, so I went and bought my dinner there.  When we are married inshaAllah, we will still have to go out and patronize other people's cooking.  Our own cooking may be cheaper, healthier or even better than others, but it is a responsibility for us to patronize other merchants.  I don't know how well you would accept local cuisine here, but there has to be something that catches your taste buds out of the cornucopia available.  I'm sure you like fried chicken, right?  I bought some fried chicken at the night market.  One thing I learned about fried chicken is that fried chicken is fried chicken that tastes like fried chicken.  Whether you buy it at a name brand restaurant or from a roadside stall, it still tastes like fried chicken.  At least you don't have to put in the labor or clean up the mess from cooking it yourself.  And fried chicken leaves a BIG mess to clean up.  Plus if it's piping hot, then it can't be that germy right?

I also got some fish sausage.  It's more like crunchy chewy fish bread shaped like sausage since it's made with a lot of flour.  I don't know if you would like this stuff, but it's great with hot sauce or by itself when hot.  It sucks when it's cold, though.  Then I also bought some fried flat noodles with cockles, a local favorite.  You can't get better than average with this particular cuisine, I suppose the goal is to make it average.  Portions have become increasingly meager over the years, most likely because this town has become inundated with outsiders.  This area can't be called the sticks anymore.  Too much traffic.  Seriously, there's a LOT of traffic here.

 

Cold?

 Hi Natty!  How are you feeling today?  Cold?  Yeah... it must be getting cold over there in Vancouver.  You must have some really frigid winters there.  I'm sure you are used to it, after all, it's ski weather?  Oh, you never get used to it?  Do you have central heating?  It must be a bitch to have to chop wood all the time, perhaps you should have a gas line hooked up.  I would love to keep you warm.  Yes cook for you, and keep you warm.  I generate a lot of body heat, so I actually prefer cold weather.  Of course I get planted in a hot humid country, so I suffer swelter most of the time.  It's been cold here lately though, and I like it.  Cold and grey.  My cats don't like it though, and I feel bad for them especially Lookie, who is a short haired cat with a nervous over-grooming habit.  But I found her a spot where she's happy: my laundry bin.

It's movie night!  Let's cuddle my darling, and keep each other warm.  I love you!  Tonight's movie is "Metropolis" (1927) and it's on YouTube, so it's free!  I have Oreos and a Snickers bar, and we can make some hot tea!

The grapes of wrath

 

Check out these grapes, Natty!  Aren't they huge?  I have fairly big hands, too.  I don't have any particular reason for calling them "the grapes of wrath" other than that they're awesomely big.  And juicy!  I suppose we could worry about the state of fresh fruits and veggies these pandemic days, after all, they can't be cooked.  But I suppose they are of less risk than breathing in the air that has been spewed out by some infected blowhard.  I think these are from China.  Want some?

Dinner was nice and simple.  The basil in my yard is looking really good again, so I wanted to cook some chicken breast.  I have a pot with a Pyrex glass lid, which I usually use to steam things in.  I put a little grease at the bottom then a huge handful of basil, covered that with a grille, then laid the chicken breast which had been seasoned with salt and pepper on the grill.  I put the lid on, set the fire to very low, then watched it cook.  The chicken was overcooked unfortunately: I should have pulled it out when I shut off the fire, instead of leaving it in there.  Otherwise, it was a success.  I poured the grease (which had turned into juice) and the basil leaves on the chicken and some steamed tofu, and ate it with steamed white rice.  Mild, but flavorful.  Want some?

Here's another nice snapshot from the How does your avatar look today ? thread:

Second Life was running maintenance today, so I don't know if anyone got to see Mary Unknown7 sing.  We were having login and outfit problems, but we managed to get her fully clothed right at the time she had to start singing.  The stream was working though, so alhamdulillah.

Wherever you go, there you are

 "Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after you." - Kurt Cobain

I recall discussing the case of Sharon Tate before, years ago perhaps, in this blog.  I didn't do too much research into the case.  What interested me is that Sharon Tate was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that's as far as I understand.  It is erroneous to simply assume that you're confronting a jealous stalker.  You are in this situation because God put you there, as a test of faith.  The scope is much larger than just one egotistical nobody like Charles Manson.  Your situation is nothing like that at all.  Ponder upon the trinity of Islam/Christianity/Judaism, and you will get a grasp on the scale of this affair.  So it doesn't matter where you are, be it Los Angeles, Vancouver or the sticks of Malaysia: wherever you go, there you are.

With all these people watching, don't get too trusting with the Public Eye.  There may be millions of people witnessing, but nearly all of them just want to watch and be entertained.  They won't even call the cops or ambulance for you.  Not everybody is like that, though.  Perhaps a couple of people in a million would warm your butt for you by embracing it with their arms and faces, just for the sake of keeping your butt warm.  There are still good people on this world, that's why Judgment Day isn't here already.  It's close, though.  

You are either: 1)  The wife of a Rock Star, or 2)  The wife of a Rock Star?

Either way, you can't escape God.  So give your emotions a break, and don't panic.  Pray.  Relax, and enjoy your position.  Read a book or something.

Here's another nice snapshot from the How does your avatar look today ? thread.

Cold and wet

 Hi Natty!  How are you today, my love?  It must be getting colder up there in Vancouver, or even snowy right now.  You get to go skiing!  I've never skied in my life, even when I had the chance.  It's cold and wet here, though.  It's been continually cold and wet for the past couple of days.  I like this weather.  I don't sweat, and I get a break from yard work.  I did go grocery shopping with my mother this morning.  I bought  half a fish head, but it was a big one.  So I spent the rainy evening cooking up and eating the fish head with a pot of steamed rice, after I made a batch of dough.  Would you like some?

Google sent me this video while I was waiting for dinner.  I think this version and the original by Alice DJ are about the same, but I like the story here better.

Here's another nice snapshot from the How does your avatar look today ? thread.

Great snapshots with Mary Unknown7 today too!  In green!