Keira Brigit Pauline

I watched The King's Speech yesterday. I was enthralled with Colin Firth's acting as King George VI.  I do believe he deserved the title of Best Actor.  I do think Colin Firth is one of Britain's best actors.  In the film, the king has a problem with stuttering.  He works with a language therapist to help him overcome his stutter. He improves a lot.  Later on it turns out that the therapist doesn't have a degree in linguistics or speech therapy. He just learned to work with WWI veterans that had speech problems as a result of shell shock.  I do think that one lesson learned from the film is that people don't always need credentials to do a good job at what they do.  Knowledge is essential of course, yet passion for what ones does is also important.  We don't always need a certificate to prove what we know.  Sometimes those without a degree may know as much as someone else with the degree, if not more.  Likewise someone with a bachelor's degree may not alw

My family lost Max on Monday morning.  We got a phone call from the vet and she said he took a turn for the worse. It turns out his bladder ruptured and his body became toxic.  It was a hard blow for us because we had thought he was going to be fine. We were hoping he could come home with us that day.  We arrived at the vet and poor Max couldn't lift his head up.  He was gasping for air and grunting.  We were so shocked and heartbroken.  We were with him for a while and talking and talking to different staff members. It was evident that nothing more could be done for him, yet none of us wanted to believe that. My aunt and I left the room when the vet tech put Max to sleep.  My mother was with him, petting him. Earlier she was singing to him the same song she always sings to him when she arrives home from work.  Max could recognize his Mama.  Max was brought out to us wrapped in a plastic bag and blanket.  We buried him in newspapers and a paper bag.  I planted two lilies and som

The vet called and said that Max's skin has been stitched up.  They had to stretch it a lot since the wound is large.  He did lose some skin during the accident.  It is sutured shut.  One toe had to be amputated. I did notice that one of his feet was hurt badly.  He did make one poo since arriving, yet they had to put a catheter in him to release some urine.  I do hope he does that on his own soon.  So far it looks like he's being one resilient little Maltese doggie.

Early this morning my mother and I went to a garden shop.  We got a blueberry bush that will have pink berries. I never saw such a thing before. I just had to get it since I like unusual plants, as well as blueberries.  I guess "blueberry" won't be such an appropriate name for them now, but I am not sure what else to use. So "pink  blueberry" even though it sounds silly.  We also got a gooseberry bush, which is more popular in Europe.  Our local expatriates from Europe have called the store to ask for them.  We got a raspberry bush and a kiwi plant. My mother also bought two pear trees (Bartlett and Asian pear) and an apple tree that will yield four types of apples. Since it's a grafted tree it can pollinate itself and not need another tree.  It will have Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Gravenstein apples.  It's a good idea, since it sells.  We left the trees to be delivered to our home later and took the bushes home in the car. My

Last week I got to spend a few days in New York City. I have wanted to spend the night in Manhattan for a long time. My mother and I spent two nights at Hotel Carter, a cheap hotel that's just over $100 a night.  It's not fancy at all, the couch was ripped and the water had to run for 10 minutes to get hot enough for a good shower. Yet, I can't complain. It's better than spending over $300 on a hotel for a night.  To me, a hotel is only good for sleeping, showering, and keeping my things.  I am willing to stay in a cheap place.  The hotel was in a great location because it was so close to Times Square. Let those other people break the bank on a hotel. I went to see Phantom of the Opera on the first night. It was good. I saw Phantom back in high school.  It brought back memories.  I was with the school's music department.  The seniors all had their names put in a hat and some names were drawn to get the better seats. I was one of the lucky ones that got to sit close