I ‘woke’ up, and continued not sleeping, and walking into my living room feeling tired. Not an unusual start to many mornings for insomniac me.

What was different was how quickly I turned smiley-happy. One of the buds of the orchid plant, yes orchird plant, was opening up. It was beginning to bloom. I forgot about my sleep deprivation. That one deep purple bud blossoming brightened up my morning.

As an aside, this year I told my husband I didn’t want fresh flowers for Valentine’s Day and our wedding anniversary, both in February. He listened for Valentine’s but didn’t for the anniversary. He gave me an orchid plant because I had said many moons ago that I liked the ones sold at one of our frequently visited shopping centres.

To be fair to him, it was a wonderful gift of life. Unlike fresh cut flowers that wither and die despite the plant food and watering care afforded to them, this one is thriving and giving me cheer. Seriously, yes. I didn’t know nor realise how a plant could uplift me.

The light and dark purple orchid flowers were already a sight to behold. The 12 buds, my husband was informed, would bloom over the course of the week. Not all but a few of them, and the plant itself would live for about two to three weeks. A lot longer than cut-flowers. In terms of care, it needed to be watered, only the soil, once a week. And, kept away from direct sunlight and air-conditioning.

I didn’t hold out too much hope for the buds to bloom. I thought it was a marketing spiel. But what a lovely surprise when five of the orchid buds flowered. This was while the rest of the orchid family stayed alive and well. Yay.

Checking on them in the morning, despite the type of night I’ve had, and during the day, for any changes is still giving me smiley-happy moments.  

I also have similar smiley-happy moments with my fledgling collection of Molly, the arty toy with the cutest-obstinate pout. She made me smile the first time I saw her, and I smile every time I see her or talk about her. Of all the cutesy toys, and there are many in the Pop Mart universe, she’s the one I’m drawn to.

I already have many plush toys sitting on ladders and a rocking chair to keep me company in my home office. They’ve been with me for a long time, and they make me smiley-happy especially Joy and Amni. So, the plan was look but no buying. No more toys. That plan didn’t hold.

Last Christmas, nieces’ number 4 and 5 presented me with Baby Molly. I had shared with them how pouty Molly makes me smiley-happy. At the time, I only knew Mega Space Molly. I didn’t know that there were series or themes of the Mega Space Molly. I also didn’t know about Baby Molly, who also has her own series/themes. Hmm. And, the lifestyle/theme Molly that includes Molly X Zootopia. I know, I know. Money spinning marketing machines, all of them.

That said, I still like Molly. What to do😊. I now have six Mollys in total. The balance five, courtesy of my husband. We agreed that he would buy me one Molly per special occasion. Why? Because the unboxing of the blind box and discovering which Molly I’m about to get is exciting. I kid you not. There’s so much enjoyment in the process. Maybe … because I like Molly, it makes me feel like an excited kid, at every unveiling.   

For sure, I don’t want the whole of the Molly series. And, not all at once. I like the suspense. Not knowing which Molly I’d be adding to my collection makes it all the more fun. Also, in the instant gratification world that ‘we’ live in, it’s actually quite nice to have a gradual built-up to my trove. No rush.

I also like the name, which is one-third of my blog site, Golly Molly Aiyoh. By the way, niece number 4 is a fan of Winnie the Pooh and HaciPupu while niece number 5 collects Cinnamoroll, not cinnamon roll.

It was after Molly, and more recently the orchids that I wondered about my other smiley-happy moments. My down-turned mouth (age-related😊) lifts up when I see birds, and hear melodious chirping. Most animals from pups, kittens, cows to peacocks have a similar effect on me.

Plus, a host of things like yum desserts, natural scenery, memorable photographs, movies with clever plots and banter; Crazy Frog, Shrek, Graham Norton’s talk shows, curious-enthusiastic very young children (yes, really); elderly parent/s with their children and grandchildren, good deeds I see or read about, page-turning novels, songs, and writing/finishing my stories.

Smiley-happy moments, albeit transient, add up. Yay.