De-lurk: Tell me what brings you here

Dear silent reader,

I would be happy, if you comment below and tell me what brings you to my blog regularly. You can comment anonymously or not, whatever you choose, it's fine to me. Just tell me what is it that makes you return here either daily or occasionally, I'm just curious about it. I've noticed that I have some regular daily visitors coming to my blog from Taiwan, USA, Canada, Russia, Malaysia, Germany and Slovenia. Of course there are many occasional visitors from countries like Singapore, Philippines, France, UK, Australia, Mauritius and Japan. And I'm sure also from elsewhere, I just can't track everybody, because I have on average about 500 visits a day, sometimes even more.

I'm very happy about everybody, who loves to frequent here, that's something that keeps me going. I'm sorry that lately I'm not very productive on this blog, but that's because I'm busy with many things. But wait till I come to Taiwan, I'll have a lot to blog about for sure. Hopefully you won't get tired of me.

So, once again, I ask you: What brings you here regularly? What do you like to read? Is it because of me or is it my content? Whatever you write or reveal about yourself and your reasons, I'll be happy to read, because I'm very curious. And remember: You can comment anonymously, if you want, you can comment in German, Slovenian, Chinese, I'm fine with it.

I'll work hard to provide good posts in the future,

all the best in 2011 to all of us.

Your MKL

Jaws

Photo by Lily.

The LOLCat competition 2010

Because there is only place for one LOLCat in this town

It was a while ago, when I teased my Mauritian friend Jaimie by saying my cat Mica was a bigger LOLCat than her cat Elle. She of course rejected my statement and said she has the bigger LOLCat. So I proposed a LOLCat competition with the rule of posting 5 funny photos of our cats with funny captions in the style of I Can Haz Cheezburger? website, that made the those funny cats popular and then letting you guys decide which is the biggest LOLCat among these two: Mica or Elle. Easy, right? Just look at the photos here and then hop to Jaimie's LOLCat post and check her photos of Elle and then vote on the poll, either here under my post or there on hers.

Mica

Mica (pronounced Meetsa) is born this year in April, so that makes her only 3 months old. She's very lively and active. Most of the day she's running around and attacking everything that's moving. She's very playful, but she also likes to scratch and bite. And many times she would have her tongue sticking out like a dog, which is pretty funny. She has a very long tail and she's very fluffy. I'm sure you'd love her, if you had her at home. She's adorable. Vote for Mica! :-)

My photos (shot with Nokia E66 cam, hence the bad quality):

Check Jamie's LOLCat Elle here>>

[All photos by MKL, 2010]

My LOLcat is hot

My family has a new cat named Mica (pronounced Meetsa). It's so hot here these days, but we don't have an aircon, so she sometimes lifts up her long tail to get some fresh air to her bottom area (or so I assume). She's really funny. And only 3 months old, but so noisy and playful and always making funny noises. Not meowing, but more like murmuring. I think she'll give me many LOLcat moments. I'll post some more pics in the future, in case I capture a funny one. I think Mica looks a bit like Jaimie Tse's Iris, but she's less fluffy. Who's the biggest LOLcat? I say it's Mica. What say you, Jaimie?

[photo by MKL, 2010]

What I'll miss in Taiwan

And what I'm looking forward to in Taiwan

Image: Where would you rather be now? At my home or in Taipei?

My departure to Taiwan is closer day by day and you can imagine that I have many things on my mind. Some of the most essential questions are how will I like it there and what will I miss from here. And by here I mean my home in Slovenia. It's hard to say, really, but since this is not a scientific blog, I'll try to speculate a little. It's my 5th big trip to Asia, so by now I pretty much know what to expect. On the other hand, it's my first trip to Taiwan, so I can only assume some things. So far everybody says it's a great country and that I will have a lot of fun. But we'll see.

Let me tell you first about the things I will definitely miss while going to Taiwan:

1 My mum and my sisters: I'll definitely miss my family, which is small, but we only have each other. I know they'll miss me, too. They're used to me being in Asia, so it's not a new things to them, but it's still not easy to them and to me. I'm happy that my mum just recently got a new boyfriend and I know he'll take good care of her. My sisters are busy with their boyfriends, so they already don't have time for me. I'm totally fine being so far, if everything here is alright.

2 My cat Miša: This little kitty is 5 years old and ever since she was born, I claimed her as my own. I gave her the name and I was the only one who liked her first. She didn't like to cuddle with others, only with me. At that time, we had 5 cats and my mum and sisters had their own favourites. 5 years later we only have 2 cats and my Miša has become everyone's darling. Now she cuddles with everyone, but I must say we have a special bond and she knows that. I know I will break her small heart: Sorry Miša, but there's a girl waiting for me. I need to leave and I know my mum will take good care of you. Soon there will be spring and you can catch mice and birds and enjoy the warm sun. I will think of you and miss you and I know, you will miss me, too.

3 Some food: I generally love Asian food, especially Chinese specialties, so I won't really miss anything from home. Maybe some of my mum's dishes she makes so well. The pizza is better here, the chocolates, too. And we have different kinds of juices here, but well, I miss so many Asian things like soy drink and all kinds of noodles, that's a real compensation for everything I might not be able to eat or drink in Taiwan.

4 German TV: I'm used to watch German TV since I was a little boy (we didn't and still don't have Slovenian TV, because of the weak signal). I know all the things that are going on in Germany, be it politics, sports or entertainment, so I'm used to watch some of those channels daily. Switching to Taiwanese TV won't be so easy. I've watched Taiwanese channels while staying in Malaysia, so I know what they're all about: Drama, talk shows and music shows. Not bad, but I need to improve my Mandarin significantly to be able to enjoy them.

5 My mum's coffee: I almost forgot about the coffee I drink here sometimes three times a day. We cook Turkish coffee at home in Slovenia, which may not taste good to most of you, who are used to Starbucks or Italian coffee with all its variations. So I really need to find a good coffee place in Taipei. If I don't, I'm gonna make my own at home.

6 My car: I inherited my car from my grandpa, who [by the way] died exactly today one year ago. I know how he loved his car, he always washed it and took good care of it. I didn't really use this car a lot, but I really cherish it. It's a Renault Clio 2002. It's small, but cosy and reliable. Recently my little sister is using it much more than me, because she rides to school every day. I think I'm gonna leave it to her, if I really manage to stay in Taiwan permanently. I don't have the heart to sell it, she really needs it and it would be unfair. I hope she keeps it well.

That's about it when it comes to things I may most definitely miss when I'm away. Now let's see some things I definitely look forward to in my upcoming trip to Taiwan:

1 My dear girl: She's really one of a kind. I haven't blogged about her much, so let me tell you few things about her. She's everything I always wanted in a girlfriend: She's intelligent, hardworking, kind, polite, beautiful, funny and sweet. She's flexible and adaptable, open to new things. And she always keeps her word. That's what impressed me most. Ever since we realized that we like each other, which is quite a long while ago, she chatted and still chats with me every day at the same time. Imagine that! If she couldn't make it, she'd apologize. I'm same like her in this regard, so I also always kept my word and always talked with her at the same time, too. And we grew closer and closer, as close as two people can be by meeting only online and living in two different continents. I must say, it wasn't always easy. We had our ups and downs and days, where we were lost. But we faced all our challenges and we always sorted things out. And the past two months were some of the happiest for me in a long time. We're so close now and we're strong and excited. All we can do now is to wait. But luckily time flies. And so will I, soon. And I know that she's really worth every penny I invest in this trip and every second I spend chatting with her. It's a pity that I won't be flying to her on Valentine's day, because then it would be the most romantic thing a guy could ever do on that day, don't you think? ^_~

2 People: I really look forward to meet many awesome people in Taiwan. I hope I can make a lot of friends, be it locals or foreigners. I will be there with an open mind and with the valuable experience of my previous trips. I may need some time to understand all the local customs and rules, but I have my girl to help me out with that. I hope that major blunders won't happen. Oh, and I might add you in this group of 'people'. Yes, I'm talking about so many of you dear bloggers/readers, who said you'll come to Taiwan this year. If I'm there and you have spare time, I'd definitely be happy to meet you. We'll keep in touch and discuss the meetings before you come. Looking forward to that.

3 Food: Everytime I say I will go to Taiwan, people tell me: Oh, you'll love the food! The food is amazing! We'll see, hehe. I wonder how the stinky tofu will taste and other Taiwanese specialties. I wonder, if the food is really that different than what I ate among the Chinese Malaysians in Penang and Batu Pahat. We shall see. But all this food talk makes me very excited, hehe.

4 Nature: Taiwan is a beautiful island with a breathtaking landscape. Ok, lets be romantic and forget the typhoons and earthquakes and focus on the beautiful mountains and beaches. I hope to make some unforgettable memories with my girl there.

5 Climate: Taiwan is hot most of the year. They have a winter now, but there's no snow and it doesn't go below zero Celsius. That's enough for me to make me happy already, hehe. And I expect not to have that horrible hay fever I have here every spring. It will be so much better for my health to skip another spring here, which would have been yet another unpleasant time of sneezing and itchy red eyes.

6 Mandarin: I love Mandarin and I hope I can learn it well. I need to be around Taiwanese and then I'm sure I'll be speaking it well by the end of year. It's my dream to speak Mandarin (besides Slovenian, German, English and a bit of Swedish, Italian, Croatian and Malay), because I'm awesome like that ^_~

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Ok, I'm gonna wrap it up here. I could go on with much more things, but it's ok for now, these are the most important ones and the post is too long already. Before you leave, please check the short video of me and my kitty Miša. You'll see how close we are and how she likes me.

Ok, one last thing before I go. My dear friend Wenny wrote such a touching post about me, if you have some spare time, please check that post, she wrote a brilliant piece about me and my love story with the name: My Bubble: Where is Slovenia? Thank you so much, sis! ^_^

• How do you like my things I'll miss and look forward to?
• What things would you miss or look forward to?

[Photo on top: by MKL 2009, Lily 2009, Miša photo: MKL 2010]

About followers and followers

Do I have the Twitter blues? Because sometimes I wonder why some people communicate on Twitter with me, yet find it hard to follow me. Are my tweets so annoying? I've seen worse ;-)

I have this policy on Twitter: Unless it's a news source or celebrity, I would follow people who communicate with me at least sometimes. I mostly add bloggers, because it's the easiest way to connect outside the blogosphere. You can exchange links, ideas, thoughts. It's fun. :-)

I guess everybody has a group of people (twiens, friends) to chat with daily and a bunch of news sources and random people to chat with occasionally. I try to keep my number low, because I want to connect with those who I want to follow. But I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to adding people. Just talk to me, I'm nice. I would always reply back [*unless you're a spam bot] and I would follow you back, if you seem friendly and really interested in getting to know me. I delete spammers immediately, but sometimes some random [*real] people follow me, but never @me. I don't block them, but I don't follow back either.

But recently I decided to unfollow some people who silently unfollowed me and I deemed them as twiens. That's no biggie. It's a free #tworld ;-) Like in real life, people come and go, so that's nothing special. Same goes for blogging. Followers come and go... So may I: I may come, I may go. In the blogosphere I usually give more than I recieve, but now I need to focus on those who give me the same attention that I give to them (be it on Twitter or blogs). Some people could be more appreciative, I guess, but then again, I live by my standards and they live by theirs. So..., whatever. To each his own [*my favorite saying for online issues].

[*Don't we all have some complaints about twitteres and bloggers? Hehe...]

Ok, a serious question: What are your blog or Twitter policies regarding following and commenting?

[Photo: My cat on my bed while I'm tweeting. She doesn't really care about Twitter]

Guest blogger: Misha

Hello fellow friends and readers of My Kafkaesque Life. It's Misha, MKL's cat. I am writing instead of MKL today. Thank you, MKL, for giving me the chance to be the 2nd guest blogger on your respectful site.

I must add, I have hired a human, who translates my cat language to English. I want to share a little about my life and the current events. First I have to give a warm meeyow to all new MKL readers. I was told that there's so many new ones who come here and comment. Sometimes when I sleep near MKL, I see how he's blogging hard and he's always happy to get some appreciation for his effort by your comments. Many times he takes a small break and comes to me and rubs my belly. I really enjoy that. But I don't like when he kisses me. I don't understand the concept of kissing. Sniffing, yes. But kissing? It just makes my fur wet. Eew. Anyway, so MKL told me that lately there's so many awsome bloggers out there. So he asked me to be a guest blogger and now that I had the chance to check the blogosphere, I know that he was right. He said I should send some warm meeyow-wishes to all the awsome bloggers out there. Meeyow, my friends! I hope you keep coming on this blog, so that my master MKL will always be happy, ok? ^^
It's so hot these days. So I love to sneak into MKL's room, because it's cold and I can sleep there and nobody bothers me... Except MKL. But I like it. Sometimes I also snuggle with him... Oh, it's so nice to be a cat! And I have to tell you, a week ago, he bought Whiskas for me! Can you imagine? A small tin that cost 1,30€. Whiskas is the Mercedes among cat food. It had the salmon flavor. Me and my mummy were eating it like there's no tomorrow, but MKL's sister complained that the whole house smelled like salmon. I don't know why the big fuss. I love salmon. MKL didn't smell anything either. Some humans are so sensitive. I also have a very sensitive nose, but I never complain about human smells, but I could! Hmph! I think I'm gonna end this now. I heard something in the bush outside. It might be a mouse! Yummilicious!

Was nice to be a guest blogger today. Who knows I might become a regular writer here.

A long sweet meeyow from Misha

[NOTE by MKL: I don't think so.]

This is me after blogging. That noise in the bush was my mummy.
I didn't catch any mice today :( So I went to rest on bed and purr.

[Photo by MKL]

Kidnapping and murder near my house!

It was a sad sad day today. Willy was kidnapped and murdered. The suspect is unknown, but according to my investigation, he is a tom-cat between 2-10 years, sneaky, fast and merciless. He must have surprised our cat Pacha, while she was not paying attention to her newborn: Willy. [See photos below]

My sister managed to snap few pics of Willy today. Let me tell Willy's life story. Willy was 2 days old. All of his life he spent in a box. He was a single child. Because we gave his mum, Pacha, hormonal pills that prevent pregnancy, she probably lost the ability to get 4 or 5 kittens like usually. That's why she only had one kid: Willy. We wanted a cat few months ago, so mum skipped the pills for her. Soon a lot of tom-cats from neighbouring houses started to come and made her pregnant within a week. 3 months later Willy was born. That was on this Monday. We were so happy, because we wanted a male cat and Willy was male. And he looked so cool. The fur was unique: Dark brown on top, then striped on the belly with the color changing to light grey. I imagined how I will raise Willy, play with him, spoil him and cuddle with him... I love cats. We have two females, so another male would be perfect. Willy seemed perfect. But...
...kidnapping and murder occured near my house! Tonight! It started with gusty winds, then lightning and heavy rain. Suddenly I heard a scream through that heavy rain noise. I asked my mum what it was. I checked outside, it was the cats. OMG! First I thought it's our two cats fighting, but that seemed very odd. I had to check. I took a torchlight and went out. It was scary, because it was lightning near by and just a week ago a lightning struck near my house and shut my internet down for 1 week. I was brave. I was bold. I was stupid. But I had to check.
The crime scene was following: Pacha in distress and confused, Misha came around the corner in a sneaky pose. I shone some light in the box where Willy used to lay: It was empty! OMG, Willy is gone! I told my mum and sister. We went to check around the box and around the house. Willy was gone. I went further to the main road: No sign of Willy! When I came back, we started to blame each other about whose fault was it that Willy was gone. Our argument was pointless. Willy was gone and so were our hopes and dreams we put in the little guy. I told my mum that there is no real safety for a young cat here. Our cats are outside at night, danger is present all the time. I really don't know how Pacha couldn't secure and protect Willy. That sneaky little bastard who took Willy, I hope he's happy now. Mum said that tom-cats sometimes kill the babies so that the female would mate again. Well, you made a bad move, buddy. I think mum will put pacha back on the pills and you won't be able to empty your bean can in her bowl. And if I spot you sneaking around our house tomorrow, you can bet I will chase you like there is no tomorrow. You killed Willy! You escaped today, but there's always a tomorrow. I'll getcha, you betcha!

R.I.P. Willy. We didn't have enough time to become close, but you grew on me, Willy. I dedicated a whole post to you. Who does that, Willy? Who does that for a cat who was only 2 days old? I do. I do because I am a good person. And you will always and forever be rememebered, Willy! [Unless Blogger goes into bankrupcy and it's taken down.]

Humdrum life

My life is something like this now...

...and it used to be something like this!

I wanna break out of this humdrum life!

[Photos by MKL, 2009]

Hail, hail...

A few minutes back we were surprised by heavy hail. Lucky for us, it was fairly small, so our cars were ok. But it was scary. Here's how it happened: Suddenly there was this crazy wind that made all the trees wave like it'll rip them off soon, the clouds became dark grey, it started lightning. Soon after it started rain and one moment later, it looked like it was snowing: It was hail. It was plenty of small lumps hitting the roofs of our house and cars and other buildings. It sounded like someone was throwing pebbles on them. Here's some pics I took:

Water all over in streams on our main yard

Hail that bounced from the roof on the lawn
Hail from close, looks like snow (in summer!)
My poor kitty hid under the car. She was scared and got all wet.

This is a photo (source) taken 2 weeks ago in another part of
Slovenia. If the hail's that big, your car is done. It'll be full of craters.

I hope that was enough hail for this year. I can't always be on stand by to cover my car with something. We don't have a garage, so we depend on pure luck. Keeping my fingers crossed that we wont have those huge lumps this year. Yep, it was a nerve-wracking afternoon.

[Photos by MKL, 2009]

Life is beautiful, if you're my cat

When I see my cat sleeping like that, I can forget all the hardships in my life for a moment and realize that not everything is bad. I know good times will come back again and my life will be full of joy and happiness. And maybe I will be sleeping as peacefully as my kitty.

Her name is Miša (pronounced [misha], same as the actress Misha Barton. But the word doesn't come from her, it comes from the word miš [meesh], which means 'mouse' in Slovenian. Miša therefore means 'mousy'. Cute, ain't it? Her second name is Buša (pronounced [boosha], which has no meaning, just sounds cute). Miša (or Buša) is born in april 2005.

Snake encounter! Don't worry, my cat and I are fine!

Today I was working outside like on every sunny day. I'm doing a pavement around the house and we have a stack of these concrete cobblestones, where I always take them out bit by bit. So today when taking one out to my surprise there was quite a big snake squeezed inbetween those stones. I backed off first, then decided to get my cat. Once she killed a snake and I thought maybe she can help me out with this one. I wanted to get the snake out of there. Below you can see the whole story in photos:

1 The snake tried to hide deeper inbetween the stones, so I removed more of them.

2, 3 My cat was observing the situation from above. What was she scheming?

4, 5 I decided to get it out with the hay rake. My cat tried to snatch or slap the snake.

6, 7 There it is! Finally out! My cat sniffing at it. I was startled a bit when I saw she was drooling out of her mouth, so I decided to fling it away from me as far as I could.

I can say it was over in 5min. It was nerve-racking. It was dangerous. But me and my cat had everything under control. Pheeew. For now we prevailed. What will happen the next time?

[All pics by MKL, 2009]

Play him off, keyboard cat.

Apparently after the 'Rickroll' phenomenon on You-Tube, there's a brand new thing of a simillar kind: 'The keyboard cat'. This video is hillarious! Both parts blend it together perfectly. I couldn't stop laughing when I first saw it. It's also another proof of the so (in)famous Christian 'tolerance.'

My cat's ugly yawn, part II

Yesterday I put up a photo of her mum yawning.
That was ugly. Her daughter is more like
funny. Yawning is their favourite pass time.

My cat's ugly yawn, part I

This is a photo I took today. It's our cat yawning
outside in our garden. Don't you think she's ugly?
She just doesn't care about her image :)