My rabbit is sick. Its right cheek had been swollen since the weekend and I took it to the vet this morning. Turns out it had an abscess caused by a cut in its mouth. So the vet had to shave its cheek, make an incision and squeeze the pus out. And as the nurse helpfully informed me, rabbits' pus is not liquid like ours, but it looks like gooey 'cheese fondue'. Plus, I have to clean the wound everyday and squeeze out any pus *shudder* - gross!! So poor Duke is suffering the indignation of having 1 botak cheek as well as being separated from his posse. I'll give the poor bloke extra carrots tonight...

Was reading about how Bhutan measures Gross National Happiness (GNH). Only 3% of its 700,000 people claim that they are 'not very happy'. Bhutan's Minister Jigmi Thinley observed that whilst people are more affluent and well-off, they are not necessarily happier. And I kinda agree. There's a lot of societal and peer pressure to conform to material measures of a perceived successful life, which usually involves much excessiveness in everything that we do. At the end of the day, there is no sense of inner peace or contentment. But to expect us to do an about-turn and change the way we have been living would take a miracle. I remember my time up in Nepal - no electricity, no mobile gadgets, no TV, no emails, no vehicles, no shopping malls - just the wonder of mother nature where the sky is so clear that you can see millions of stars adorning its velvety black cloak. I miss that time. Are we condemned to not being truly happy all our lives if we continue to aimlessly pursue what material comforts we think would make us happy? Coz honestly, not many people stop to think about intangible happiness.

Ok, no time for more philosophical romanticising...got to rush off for Jap class. Then home to nurse my Duke :)