The last time I wrote about my stuffies was about a year or so ago.
Yes, it has been that long.
How is it that I have not written anything about them thus far in all these months, I don't know. Life, maybe. Life that caught up, gave me ups and downs, and, for most of the time, left me in a limbo where the mind simply existed and functioned, but never went any direction anywhere.
So it is with a thankful heart when I say that these little fellas have been my constant companions and friends in the morning when I wake and at night when I sleep.
There is nothing more pleasant than to come back from a day out and climb into bed with pillows and furry blankie and have two of my favorite stuffies propped up, one under each arm.
His blur face, squinted eyes peeking out under the blankie makes me smile.
His face, curious and pouty, gazing out from under the blankie right at me also makes me smile.
The teddy bear has been with me a good number of years. (Long may it be that way)
Schteppy, however, is young.
Very young.
Even so, there has never been a moment nor a day when I gaze at the charming face of this stuffie dog bought from Turtle and not smile.
Schteppy is squeezable.
So is the teddy bear.
Better yet, they serve another purpose- their butts make a very good prop for the phone whenever I watch ASMR spa videos on Youtube.
No, I haven't taken a picture of their butts.
But I've got many of their faces.
My album tells me that I have more pictures of Schetppy than I do of the teddy bear. The teddy bear is very shy and very private. And in any case, the stuffie dog, whom, by the way, is also named Tuatow and Tater Tot, charms people better than the bear.
I might not have a lot of pictures of the teddy bear I hug to sleep every night.
But I do have a fair bit of the little bear I received as a gift two years ago from a hotel in Bangkok.
Everyone, meet Lang Suan.
Lang Suan is a small bear.
A very small bear.
His length is about the same length of my palm which makes him a very suitable bear to carry around and about on the day to day.
Most of the pictures show him peeking out of a tote bag.
I had brought him downstairs with me nearly every morning as I headed out to nearby locations to do the daily morning call.
Seeing his little head peek out from my bag was a comfort.
Feeling the warmth of his short little fur in my hand made the necessity of the call feel more bearable.
I intend to get him a plastic case with a carabiner and hook him on all the bags that I carry.
But I haven't gotten down to it yet.
Hopefully soon.
Bringing a cute, furry stuffie around for emotional support makes a difference.
It gives you an identity.
It reveals your personality.
It makes the commute feel somewhat more personal, easier.
Gone are the days when people would laugh at another for hanging stuffie keychains on their bags, or themselves.
Labubu gave it a status, changed all that.
Of course, there will always be those who disagree and disdain.
But if there are VVIPs showing that they have little stuffies on their bags whilst disembarking their official transport, this trend is not going to go away.
By the way, if you're wondering why he's called Lang Suan, that's the name of the road in Bangkok where the hotel was.
It's a great road, this one.
Probably one of my favorites (if not the cheapest) in Bangkok, where on one side it is within walking distance to the shopping malls of Central Embassy, Central World, Big C, Siam Square and MBK, on the other side, it is also within walking distance to Lumpini Park.
But what makes this road really interesting is how quiet it is despite it being a main thoroughfare for drivers, motorcycles, tuk tuks and all vehicles alike both day and night.
It might be I've got a high floor every time I'm there but to date, I have not been bothered by the endless flow of traffic at all.
Lang Suan reminds me that Bangkok is still waiting.
You know, it really is a good thing to name a toy after the place you got it from.
That way you not only will never forget the place.
You also will never forget how and why you bought the stuffie toy.
If that was how it was for this little brown bear, it was too the same for Cable the Otter who came into my life in 2024.
Cable isn't the name of the place that I bought him from.
But there is a very memorable cable car ride over the beautiful green slopes of Ocean Park Hong Kong where I still can recall the breathtaking view.
Hence his name.
By the way, Cable wasn't an impulse buy.
I had been eyeing his otter brothers and sisters in the stores of the theme park throughout the entire day.
But as usual I had huffled and hesitated all the way to the end until eventually I decided I would leave Hong Kong with a stuffed otter from Ocean Park.
So I chose this one from one of the gift stores near the entrance.
Price played a factor.
So did his blur, charming, observant face.
And I left Hong Kong, and the theme park, with a new toy.
A small, medium-sized stuffed otter in hand.