MORNING THOUGHTS. Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

News: “`'Influencer fatigue' is real and young people are getting tired of it.” What do we expect? They are all over the internet: Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, WeChat, Telegram, Snapchat, and many more. True, it’s a “legit” job for mostly the young. Seated 24/7. And “influencing” is bound to be The Job as A.I. implements a.k.a. robots accomplish most of the physical/manual duties. “Future shock” is an understatement. 🤖📱📲

Kiss had sold their catalog etcetera in a deal estimated to be over $300 million. That is not big news. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and Joni Mitchell are a few of huge names in music who sold their songs. Major reason: “Public domain.” Copyrights are forfeited after 70 years of the license. In most countries, the term expires 70 years after the death of the author. May as well sell them now. Also saves stress from A.I. freely stealing them, anyways. 🎼💲🎼

“NBA player misses free throws so Clippers fans get free chicken.” He is 7’4” Boban Marjanovic. Anyhow, the game was his team’s last for the season since Houston Rockets was already out of the playoffs. The Serbian giant is fun. More famous for his funny TV commercials, he was also in some movies. He is the assassin Ernest who quotes Dante's “Divine Comedy” in “John Wick 3,” who fought Mr Wick (Keanu Reeves) in the NY Public Library. 🍗⛹️🤣

We get older. And I think about my dad, who inherited properties. He could have allotted us, nine children, enough cushion to start the pursuit of life. But dad and mom were consumed with our present then over the future. They instead raised us as it was. Live life. Not perfect. But we evolve in a sense of independence in unity. Tight. Now I see my grown up children. Not perfect but they are individual energies, self-sufficient. What they gained, they worked for them. 🌬🌦☀️

CNN. “Biden unveils new plan to forgive student loan debt for up to 70 percent of borrowers.” Meanwhile, those who already paid their loans after years of 3-jobs toil and those who didn’t go to college will help cover for those billions$ via taxes–while they struggle with mortgage payments, credit card woes, and car dues. Gargantuan taxpayer money, for the meantime, is tossed to two ongoing wars as President Biden’s military aid to his favored side. 😵😵‍💫😵

I always read “Only in America!” and “Only in the Philippines!” and those are negative retorts. Seldom, people post good stuff about their country? Many post the bad to be cool? Really. Or because when people praise their home country, they’d be stereotyped as nationalists or conservatives? Influencers on this side of the political narrative would consign you as evil because you love your country? You see, our country is not necessarily the government. 😧😵😵‍💫

News: “Actress recalls Johnny Depp berating her on set for laughing.” Not that I am saying Johnny is some “good boy.” Yet this same bloated drama is common these days. Kids are told that being castigated by a teacher for undone homework or guilt from being late by 15 minutes to walk a dog means additional dosage of antidepressants. Ah. To think that I was trained by an editor whose famous temper and bad words would make Gordon Ramsay an altar boy. 😼😭😼

Unlike most who obviously enjoy them, I don't share hate memes or insulting GIFs that mostly pertain to partisan politics and religion or Christianity. I don’t also respond (to Facebook chats/posts) with a link to an article although reading stuff online (and offline) is a daily regimen. I don’t deepfake myself. I don't tweet/X or Tiktok. I don't share TMI family dramas or talk about my ex’es. Yet I obviously post a lot on a daily basis. Just being me. 😼😾😼

New York Times: “The Raunchy Christians Are Here.” Really? Although advocates of Christianity in America have dwindled to 210 million or 63 percent (from 90 percent in the 1970s), the global community sees the U.S. as a Christian nation. Yet I get the reasons why many give up the religion. But do we need to malign Christianity per se just because we hate some of the Faithful? Due to the overkill of insults, I see the evil in those who slur than the slurred. ✝️💖☮️

AFP: “`Real threat': Presidential long-shot RFK Jr. alarms Democrats.” Democratic Party hardcores or Joe Biden zealots should ease hate Trump fireballs and instead worry about Bobby Kennedy’s son. The Junior embodies ideals that the Old Left espoused and got lost in the New Left’s blurry paradigm. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s faithful stay solid as rock. And so as Joe loses the Blacks and the young, which he gained in 2020, RFK Jr. could gather those votes for him. 🏛🗽🏛

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And other quick jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

UNLIKE dogs that express their remorse and guilt, cats are wired to live in the moment. This means that they react to things happening to them in real-time. Cats simply don't have the ability to show remorse or guilt for shameful actions they've done in the past. Cats be Republican or Democrat, Left of Right. Conservative or liberal. Even progressive and radical (obvious?) I don’t know. 😺🙀😼

THERE is no significant evidence to suggest that we only use 10 percent of our brains. On the contrary, all existing data shows that we use 100 percent of our brains. Really?!? Yet some ask, “What is your name?” They’d google it. When they want to know today’s date, they’d google it. How many siblings do you have? They’d google it. Their brain is Google. That is why if that cellphone gets lost, they are a done deal. 🥹📱📲

CATS love catnip because it makes them feel good. As your cat licks and rubs on the herb, the release of nepetalactone sets off a euphoric reaction. Scientists aren't sure exactly why this happens, but many believe cats are responding to the nepetalactone as though it is a pheromone. The majick words: nepetalactone and pheromone. You may google those for exact definitions. Or simply ask your cat what nepetalactone and pheromone meant. 🐈🎋🐈

HERDING breeds of dogs were developed to gather, herd, and protect livestock such as sheep or cattle. That shared heritage means they all have the instinctive skill and drive to control the movement of other animals. To a herding dog, however, “other animals” means the humans in the house, too. In fact, Arrow herds me and Fizz and Ching to bed on naptime and sleeptime, and me at morning bathroom time, 1:15 PM sniff-sniff time, and 3:15 PM walk time. 🐏🐑🐕

WHAT tricks can we teach a cat? <>Come When Called. <>Shake Hands. <>High Five. <>Jump Through a Hoop. More. In return they can teach us ninja expertise such as “tai jutsu” or unarmed combat, “kenjutsu” or sword techniques, “bojutsu” or staff fighting, espionage, eavesdropping, interrogation dynamical systems approach to backrub spins + academics like optic flow, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, objectivist epistemology, control theory, cybernetics etcetera. 🐈🤹🐈

WHEN should kids stop getting bedtime stories? According to experts, there's no age you should stop reading together either! Keep bedtime stories going even once they start to read on their own, and your support can help develop a love of reading that will carry on into adulthood. Uh huh. Many parents still read bedtime stories to their 30+ year old kids. That is why when these “kids” turn 45, they still believe in Santa Claus, Dracula, and Super Jo Koy. 🥱📖😴

BORDER Collie, the smartest dog? Their intelligence, enthusiasm and willingness to work has seen them awarded the top spot in canine psychologist Stanley Coren's intelligence rankings. Smartest dog breeds. Oh well. “Fake news!” exclaims Fizz The Wiz, and says Stanley Coren is actually a border collie disguised as a hooman. And Fizz adds, based on her thorough research, hounds like Arrow The Good Doog are the smartest dogs ever with an IQ average of 130 to 145. 🐕🥸🐕

DOGS do think and can experience a wide variety of thoughts and emotions. Although it's not known exactly how dogs think—after all, they can't think in words like humans can—evidence suggests dogs can learn, understand, and even be creative. But don’t ever think about creating A.I. version of dogs (or cats or any other animal personage). Ever imagine a Friday The 13th Jumanji? 🐕🤔🐕

WHEN did we start saying “like” so much? The term gained popularity within beatnik culture of the '50s and then diffused into culture at large. The term was lampooned in the 1982 novelty hit "Valley Girl" by Frank Zappa. This led to a popularization of the Valley Girl stereotype in movies and TV. Similarly, these days, when you hear young girls “Meow!” saying they identify as cats. That’d be because of Taylor Swift’s million-dollar cat Olivia Benson. You know, like meow? 😏😒🤨

WHY do dogs and cats ruin couches? They're likely to target prominent areas: Carpets or sofas, or your favorite armchair. This is because scratching these areas will make them feel more secure and relieve stress by putting their scent on things, making them feel more like their home. So the more they smell unfamiliar scent on your leather couch, the more they’d scratch and chew it, mess it up. Weird? Well, they are dogs and cats. But hoomans do the same, too, in so many ways. 🐕🛋🐈

Compilation of my short MORNING THOUGHTS.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Manifestations of natural ignorance or passive racism is when people categorically label people this and that simply because they emanated from a “third world” country, they speak with thick accent, their English is incorrect, they go to Church, their shrimp is breaded, they listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, they dig Clint Eastwood movies, they watch “Naked and Afraid,” they eat too much white rice, or they walk straight instead of veering Left or Right. Forgivable. It’s okay. 👈👀👉

Why so much hate borne of political difference/s? Why unfriend longtime friends or close kin because they espouse contrary opinions? I was raised (Catholic) conservative: Sunday mass, no harsh words, family rules. But I evolved as a radical Leftist in my youth to adulthood. Yet I never had arguments with family about my politics or ideology; I still went to Church. No unfriending friends. But I was reminded that if a time comes that I’d seek help, they’d be around. 🗣👀✍️

Australian basketball star Liz Cambage is a talented athlete. But her career may have ended following a mutual split with Los Angeles Sparks. Burnout, non-renewal of contract, or injury contribute to retirement? Nope. Not anymore. Liz was a victim” of her passion that gets awfully translated to her mouth. Outspoken bombast. You don’t speak that much, especially vs the New Moralism. Unforgiven, banished, shamed. Ms Cambage was taken out by the Politics of Purity. ?⛹️‍♀️🏀

For a change, what about a “My Face Day” on Facebook? You I Me Mine the entire day! You see, I am so tired of Trump! Trump! Trump! all day. I want to know people who talk about people as well. Let people talk about them, themselves. Trump was 2016 to 2020. Or 15 seasons of “The Apprentice.” Done. Talk about Brandon! Or Brenda, if that is your name. Karen? I wanna know about you. My name is Pasckie. And meet Arrow, Ching and Fizz—the other people in my bedroom. 😒🦸‍♂️😲

Why do we facebook (verb). Reasons go beyond fishing for validation, declaration of political angst, and beautiful-me trip. Don’t judge, okay? LOL! Me: Mainly, facebooking is writing as a release. Exhale. Decompress. Especially in these days of my life, after I quit my relentless journey of nonstop activities. Second, Facebook is me telling my family oceans away that I am still alive and this is what I had for dinner. And my way of (re)connecting with longtime friends. 🗣👀✍️

The economic crisis in Dar es Salaam isn't the economic crisis in Seattle. Lisbon’s $5,35 gasoline isn’t $4.99 gasoline in Manila. A jobless single mom of 5 in Cerritos, California—ranting about politics on Facebook isn’t a single mom of 5 kids in Madras, India—laboring on 3 jobs, no time to rant. So when we issue our smart insight, bladed criticisms, and political trajectories on social media, consider that we don’t tread the same truths and toil around the same facts. 😒🦸‍♂️😲

Most favorite Left side meme: “Jail Trump!” January 6 and Mar-a-Lago come next. Left/Right caterwaul and legislative/bipartisan infighting light up TV network marquee, read profit. Beyond America? Leaderships got other stuff in mind: MBS is on fist-bump royale as Riyadh/OPEC+ regains mojo; Xi’s smile is as wide as Beijing’s BRI (Nancy in Taiwan went pfft); Putin devises another chess move per Brittney as he counts oil profit from “what sanction?” war. Oh well. 🗽👀🗽

I feel awkward and uncomfortable when I, a Filipino, is lumped in a geographical collective stereotype called Asian. Suddenly, I am Chinese. LOL! Although China has huge cultural influence all over the East, the continent could be the most diverse in the world. Filipinos are mixed Austronesian with a wide array of European bloodlines. Our culture is a universe of individual truths. To know people beyond the skin lessens ignorance. Less ignorance, less racism. 🧑‍🦰👲👳

The News “Pete Davidson Has Been in Trauma Therapy Due to Kanye West's Online Harassment” was meant as a snide per Hollywood drama. However, “trauma therapy” isn't a light jab to many. Serious stuff. The pandemic has pushed up the sale of antidepressants by 23 percent in 1 year. Zoloft is #1. Mental health is as imperative a concern as is physical health. But the manner how the media pitches the ailment heightens the pill over primal cure sans $ and chemicals. 💊💉💊

Dismiss me as a conspiracy theorist. No brainer, LOL! Why Christianity is demonized big time these days? A long time ago, in what I call Old Left years, “people power” emanate/d from convergences and collectives—or focused activism vs corporate status quo or erring leaderships. People talked face to face. Due to computer technology "disconnect," the Force has largely dwindled. So what sector mass as a voting bloc, voice of dissent, and uh huh populist strength? Churchgoers. ?✝️👊

About Dogs and Cats and their Buddies. And other quick jokes.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

I ASKED Fizz The Wiz: “Should I always lock the front door when I leave the house or sleep at night?” Fizz: “Forgetting to lock the door is an oversight humans make, but the majority of Americans make sure to turn the key when they leave. And it's a good thing they do–locked doors and a doorbell camera can deter a burglar looking for an easy-to-access home.” That’s according to Her Excellency The Koolcat Shinobi Royale in the house, Fizz The Wiz. Not according to Google. 😺🚪😼

SNAILS are slow because they carry their heavy shells on their backs and move using a single muscular foot. They also need to conserve energy and find shelter during hot days. Now you know. Stop worrying about it. It’s not about politics. 🐌🚦🐌

DO cats really need to be rescued from trees? Most cats might come down on their own, if given some time. Cats are very tough and hardy animals. If a cat had to spend the night in a tree it should be fine. Some cats may come down during the night after people calm down, cool out, and rest those cellphones. They are simply up there to spy on a new neighbor’s cat or dog. Or take a selfie on a different spot. That’s all. 🐈🌴🐈‍⬛

THERE are many kinds of coffee drinks. Latte. Espresso. Red Eye. Black Eye. Long Black. Macchiato. Cortado. Mocha. Americano. Cappuccino. Flat White. Cafe au Lait. Republicano. Democrato. Independiento. Greenero. Libertariano. Trumpero. Bideno. Filipino. Barako. Etc etcetera. And the Premium+Plus versions of those, of course. ☕🫖☕

SCRATCHING is a normal, instinctive cat behavior. Cats have a need to scratch. They do it to express emotions, like excitement or stress, to mark objects with their scent (they have scent glands in their paws), to remove the dead part of their nails and, often, just to get a good stretch. But if you provide your cat with enjoyable distractions like an iPhone, laptop, and their own TV screen with a remote, of course, they will stop scratching your expensive furniture. 🐈🐾🐈

CATS and dogs have a range of interactions. The natural instincts of each species lead towards antagonistic interactions, though individual animals can have non-aggressive relationships with each other. Fact is, the narrative that infers cats and dogs don’t get along is fake news. Such negativity came from partisans who use these animals as anchors for their Left vs Right or Liberal vs Conservative street fight. Uh huh. 🐈🥰🐕

AROUND the world, a child goes online for the first time every half second! This has created unprecedented opportunities for children and young people to communicate, learn, socialize, and play, exposing them to new ideas and more diverse sources of information. Major reason why the young today are a lot dumber than the young then, before there was internet or social media. 👧🧒📲

DOGS love their toys, but even so they manage to destroy them. But the behavior is perfectly natural, since your dogs don't really see toys as toys. For your pup, a brand new, perfectly intact toy is nothing other than a vessel for their primal instincts! Arrow The Good Doog is also a surgeon. So when I go out, I pass by Goodwill Outlet to get her stuffed toys to operate on–while Fizz takes notes and Ching video-documents the proceedings. 🐕🧸🐕

THE majority of cats can happily coexist with a dog if they are given time to comfortably get to know each other. If a puppy and kitten are raised together, they generally will learn right away to tolerate each other, and some cats and dogs grow to be real friends, even playing and napping together. Arrow gets along breezily with Ching and Fizz. They sleep side by side, they play Uno, they google stuff together, and they nicely discuss political stuff. 🐈☺️🐕

DO most people use Google Maps? Google Maps is used by 67 percent of all smartphone users. The other 33 percent simply figure directions out on sheer common sense. Or they seek the help of their cat for really accurate directions, and the fastest route. 🚗😒🚕

Compilation of my short MORNING THOUGHTS.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

News: “Liz Cheney Is Prepared to Lose Power, and It Shows.” The article adds: “The meaning, and cost, of going against Donald Trump.” Corporate America isn't pleased with how Donald handled foreign affairs. Point at the advent of China and Russia. The tag #1 rule. Geopolitical narcissism via economics. Fact: The world evolved, whoever Potus leads. But Liz Cheney is a device to slam the door on Trump. Done. Would that mean China and Russia “quiet down” as well? 🗽🏦🗽

Condolences to the family of basketball great Bill Russell. My childhood was cheered big time by Mr Russell. Talkin’ about NBA, I am with Laker legend Jerry West when he castigated recently retired JJ Redick for commenting that Bob Cousy got famous at a time when pro ball was played by “plumbers and firemen.” Disrespectful, indeed. In conversations on the subject of “then and now” with BFFs Cindyrella and Marta Nicer, we got lots to say. If you are our age, you too? Uh huh. ?⛹️🏀

Many in America don’t favor hyphenated ethnicity. Japanese-American, German-American etcetera. Not me. I favor hyphens in reference to an ethnicity and national/cultural origin of a person—especially those who were U.S. naturalized or raised in mom/dad’s native household. Or how we grew up, adapted, and evolved in society. To understand people, we need to zoom in on their background as a people, regardless of citizenship. It lessens racism. 😏😒🙂

Former Laker Slava Medvedenko auctions his championship rings to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. Admirable but not magnanimous. My thoughts point to: Would the proceeds go to military heft or to Slava’s fellow Ukrainians who are hit by war? Who knows, that’d be Volo and Olena or Kyiv’s leadership’s ball game. So far, Russia is winning, on and off the battlefield. If I were Slava and I’d have resources to help, I’d forward `em different ways. But I digress.⛹️‍♂️☮️⛹️‍♂️

A Facebook post is not News per se. Majority are (re)formulated numbers/thoughts that feed particular (economic, political) intents. Mostly, the Page “owner’s” thingy. My words unless I credit specific sources or quote lines per sentence. What I post could be fact or fake (that is if I type LOL!) Though I try not to share BS about serious stuff. Yet veracity of posts on FB depends on how we are reading, not really about the posts per se that are tossed at us, 24/7. 📱👇📲

Emotional support animals help their owners cope with the challenges associated with depression and anxiety. Admittedly, I never believed in “support animals,” never being attached to a pet until 2009 when I started living with 2 dogs and a cat—as I stayed more indoors from my long, relentlessly active “outside” life. I tell you now, I’d cave in without a pet dog and pet cat beside me, 24/7. Weird, right? No girlfriend, no wife—no prob. But no dog, no cat? Nope. LOL! 🐕💓🐈

Slowly sliding back to my Facebook “regular programming.” But I’d probably cut 1 hour or so online to resume painting. Will paint a larger canvas of Cyd (misses her so much!)—and Hershe, Chloe, and Georgia. We adopted two tiny cats yesterday (photos here) from Brother Wolf, where we got Arrow a year ago. Ching The Zing and Fuzz The Wiz, less than a year old sisters. The Majick Sisters. Ching is the nickname of my mother (from Conching, a popular Filipina nickname). 💞🐈💞

First morning in 14 years of my life without Elle Cyd The Koolcat. No meows that woke me up today; no stare that ushered me to start a day. Please bear with my pet cat drama… Slowly, I’d slide back to my “regular programming.” All night, all I did was scroll up and down Cyd’s photos. A new “furry friend” will join me and Arrow in our bedroom but it’ll take time to calm my quiet grief down. Cyd’s spirit stays within the rooms of my heart that she helped keep alive for years. 💞🐈💞

News: “At least 7 injured after shooting at Los Angeles park.” Again?!? Macabre. I was a police reporter as a young man; covered coup d’etats, narcos hits, and countryside wars. I had answers on why. But the (mass) shootings in America are confounding. The United States professes as The Model of/for anything sociopolitical good. But what’s happening? The carnage goes beyond guns, politics, and (social) media coax. I point at the hate divide. Yet wickedly puzzling. ☮️💝☯️

A voracious (streaming) TV series watcher as I am? Notice that quite a number these days are so dark? Literally dark as in lighting dark. WTH?!? I looked it up. Rationale: "To make it truly impactful..." Uh huh. For example, last night we started “The Terminal List.” PTSD is dark, I get it. Yet dark while brushing teeth? Come on! Same as my whine in the last season of “Goliath.” Hey, quit this nonsense! LOL! Give us entertainment. Not your self-serving “artistic masturbation.” 📺🥸📺