Yesterday, Day 13 of this cruise, we sailed from Guatemala towards Costa Rica.  Dinner was at Savor, two courses of soup+salad. An Australian Shiraz. French Onion Soup and Caesar Salad. Parsnip Soup and Bean Salad.  First time I've ever had either. After dinner, on to other activities.  First, something called Lip Sync War in the Atrium, where competitors act out a song.  Then, on to the Theater for the Diva Extravaganza, Patty Dess. Patty's problem is that she tries to sing better than the divas.  The audience can't care less how well she sings.  They would rather nostalgicize with what is in their mind about the past so they can regain memories. Back to the Atrium for the Adda Band, where I had nachos and scotch. Didn't do much today, for I took only 2673 steps. We arrived for Day 14 in Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica. Has a resemblance to Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai, where the Norwegian Pride of America visits. Noticed that the beaches here have gray sand...

 There are  differences  worthy of mention between Japan and Singapore:  1.39 S$ to the U.S. $1. Virtually everyone in Singapore speaks English.  Not so in Japan. The shock of cold in Singapore reminds you that you are not using a warm Japanese washlet toilet.   Most of the 50 or so TV channels in Singapore are in English.  In Japan, perhaps half dozen. The one huge negative factor is World War II.  Travel throughout the Pacific Islands, Oceania, China and Southeast Asia, and you get the same understated, but emotionally wrought response about  Japanese occupation of their territory .  It has been more than 80 years, but feelings remain.  One reason: The   Kempeitai   (the Japanese   military police ), which was the dominant occupation unit in Singapore, committed numerous atrocities towards the common people. They introduced the system of " Sook Ching ", meaning "purging through purification" in   Chinese ,...

The UK went a different way on vaccinations.  They chose to inoculate as many people as possible rather than first immunize an individual with both shots, as the U.S. is doing for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.  The point is that you do gain, perhaps, 10 points in protection with both shots.  However, even one makes a big difference in affecting the community, and, further, this delay for the second injection seems to be essentially okay.  The graphic to the right from the New York Times . By now anyone who regularly reads this blog knows that I live in a seniors' community called 15 Craigside.  Today, I will clear my desktop by transferring these food photos into this posting. On Wednesday I had an international St. Pat's meal.  My green life began the day by walking on the Ala Wai Golf Course.  Did well, and my pulse rate remained below 100 pulses/minute because a group ahead of us played reasonably slowly. I might mention that I've seen hundreds o...