first outburst

My female owner is frustrated. Super frustrated. Must be her first outburst since she reached the land of tranquility and peace and slow-moving life (hey! that sounds like the name of my turtle pad!). Could hear her voice raising in frustration and irritation, as she tried to communciate with her mother on some logistical matters.

My little ears overheard that she needed some original documents urgently and along the way, there were so many hiccups that if she could, she would have just thrown in the towel and packed for home. Ok, that's an exaggeration on my part but, yay, the emotions ran high just now as mother and daughter tried to sort out the necessary details.

My female owner was so exhausted after the sorting out session that she simply left an angry face emoicon on her MSN tagline. Guess what was heartening is that some of her friends asked her about it. Though she may not be able to tell the full story (too long I suppose), at least she knows that she is not alone.

karma

Sometimes it's hard not to believe in karma... my female owner has been saying that I'm really fat and needs to lose weight. Everytime she talks to her parents about us, she would remind them not to feed us too much, or else we will get fat. Her nagging will end with "especially the fat yellow one (aka me!)"

My female owner webcamed her part-time cleaning lady today (she probably last saw her about a month ago) and one of the first few things the cleaning lady said was... "you put on weight! a lot of weight! now your face is very round"

Wahaha. Some things cannot be hidden, even if it's only the face, on a camera.

no longer a dream

My female owner has been video conferencing her parents every night since her mother left to go back to Singapore. I noticed that she's looking less and less cheerful. Guess that her extended holiday (since November last year) has ended and it's time for her to return to a "normal" life, ie to study hard. Unlike the past where she tells people that she is going to pursue her dream, now her dream has come true and she realised that she needs to work really hard in order to fulfill her dream.

Like the exchange between my female owner (F) and her Second Onli Fren (S):

F: This is real. I really gotta study! It's no longer a dream.
S: Wahaha. Of coz you've to study. You went there to STUDY!
F: I mean... study hard
S: That's why you're not in a company. You are in a UNIVERSITY! It's ok, it's not too late to grasp that little concept. LOL
F: Repeat that again for me!
S: You are there to STUDY.... that's why you're in a UNIVERSITY and not a company. Another favourite phrase I've learnt from someone: 'You'd better not fuck up!'
F: What?!

jump

If I could Jump, I would Jump to where my female owner is. Then, I would never Jump again.

wonder

It's Saturday. My female owner has been alone for a week. I wonder how she is coping. I just realised that while this is the longest time we turtles have been separated from her, it is also the first time she is alone in a foreign country for such a long time.

I wonder.

How does she settle her meals? The only meals I've ever seen her cook are instant noodle, instant noodle, instant noodle... and once in a lifetime, pasta.
How does she fill her days since she's no longer with her friends? Despite her round, friendly face, my female owner takes an average of a year before she overcomes her shyness with new people, breaks the ice and feel comfortable with her. I bet you, she takes after us!
Does she miss us? Will she keep another pet (NO!)?
Has she changed, even in such a short span of time (besides gaining 2kg in 2 weeks)?

Dodo is still the same, excitable and friendly. He says that we need to greet our female owner's parents whenever they are near, so that they will feel happy taking care of us. Otherwise, we may end up being abandoned.

Nanook is trying to lose weight. That's probably her new year's resolution and welcome back gift for my female owner. Wish her success.

Dona? That skinny brother of mine is still obsessed with Nanook.

As for me... Still patiently waiting for my female owner to come back. She will be back, definitely.

one night in Brisbane

My female owner was walking past Hilton Hotel in Brisbane City this evening when she saw a crew of SIA stewards/ stewardesses exiting the hotel, presumably to report to work. She couldn't help but scream in her head "bring me home with you!"

Oh well.. that's our heart's cry too. We have never been separated from her for so long.

Then she went to check out the Treasury Casino in the city and as expected, the security asked for her ID to make sure that she is above 18 years old. The last time someone checked her for her age was 4 years ago, in Melbourne, also when she was trying to enter a casino.

She headed for the live band and couldn't help but reminisce about the good times she had, chilling out with her friends while listening to live music. She realised then, that those times may never come back, especially since her friends are generally at turning points of their lives, where they develop different priorities and goals in life.

Wish I could crawl in bed with my female owner now... and be with her always.

daunted

My female owner has stopped asking about us in her nightly calls to her parents!

Oh well, not really. Just today, she didn't ask about us.

Guess she must be feeling stressed out by her course. She met her coursemates today and were daunted by all that she had to do/ should have done but didn't do.

For the first time, she finally realised why many of her friends said that she was so brave to pursue her studies.

outburst

My female owner achieved something which she probably never did before. Within a span of 5 days, she exercised on 4 days! Three times, she went jogging around her estate and once, for a powerpacked aikido session with big-sized ang mohs. Save for the aikido session which she attended alone, she had running friends to push her along (this is essential as she hates jogging).

You see, she said she gained 2kg within 2 weeks and felt paranoid about the future... of her weight/ figure/ clothes/ self-esteem/ health.

Hence, the outburst of exercise. Wonder how long it would last.

labelled

I just found out that my female owner made arrangements with her parents regarding our meals. Before she left, she bought 5 bottles of turtle food and labelled them by month (from Feb to Jun). She then instructed her parents to follow the labelled bottle as a guide to how much (and how often) to feed us.

Hey! That means that my female owner has to come back by June or we will all starve!

Celine Dion - Goodbye's (The Saddest World) (Music Video)

Dedicated to my female owner's mother, for all the things she had done to bring her up. Because of her mother, we turtles have a good life too.

Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)

Mamma
You gave life to me
Turned a baby into a lady

Mamma
All you had to offer
Was the promise of a lifetime of love

Now I know
There is no other
Love like a mother's love for her child

And I know
A love so complete
Someday must leave
Must say goodbye

Goodbye's the saddest word I'll ever hear
Goodbye's the last time I will hold you near
Someday you'll say that word and I will cry
It'll break my heart to hear you say goodbye

Mamma
You gave love to me
Turned a young one into a woman

Mamma
All I ever needed
Was a guarantee of you loving me

'Cause I know
There is no other
Love like a mother's love for her child

And it hurts so
That something so strong
Someday will be gone, must say goodbye

Goodbye's the saddest word I'll ever hear
Goodbye's the last time I will hold you near
Someday you'll say that word and I will cry
It'll break my heart to hear you say goodbye

But the love you gave me will always live
You'll always be there every time I fall
You offered me the greatest love of all
You take my weakness and you make me strong
And I will always love you 'til forever comes

And when you need me
I'll be there for you always
I'll be there your whole life through
I'll be there this I promise you, Mamma

Mamma, I'll be
I'll be there through the darkest nights
I'll be the wings that guide your broken flight
I'll be your shelter through the raging storm
And I will love you 'till forever comes

Goodbye's the saddest word I'll ever hear
Goodbye's the last time I will hold you near
Someday you'll say that word and I will cry
It'll break my heart to hear you say goodbye

'Till we meet again...
Until then...
Goodbye

changes

Today is significant for my female owner as she is standing at a crossroad of her life - where she crosses over from being a civil servant to being a student. 18 Feb, it is her official last day at her workplace and the first day of school. She likend it to someone who crosses over from death to life.

By the time she completes her studies, so many things would have changed.

Confirmed changes
i) P would have finished serving her 6 years bond and be free!
ii) Q would have completed her A levels
iii) U would have a house to call his home
iv) E and B would be almost on par with her for aikido
v) Her couple frens aka badminton kakis would be married and have houses to call their own
vi) J would be back in Singapore, working

Unconfirmed changes
i) Maybe her Onli fren would be a mother by then?
ii) Maybe Eggplant too?
iii) Maybe her couple frens would be parents too?
iv) Maybe EC would be doing missionary work by then?
v) Maybe my female owner would be a better drinker by then?

new place

My female owner's mother came home last night... without my female owner of course. She brought along with her, stories of the happenings over the past two weeks and a somewhat satisfied spirit. She was most pleased with the accomodation which my female owner laid her hands on. According to her, finding the place was a miracle, achieved through a complication network of my female owner's maternal auntie's friend's friend's colleague's friend.

So it's like this, the auntie used to work in the household of an English family when she was 18 years old (they maintained contact even when the family moved back to England after 1.5 years). 40 years on, the English daughter took up postgrad studies in Brisbane and become firm friends with another lady. This lady played host to my female owner and her mother, even though she did not know them. She housed them and brought them around. On the first night they arrvied in Brisbane, the friend's colleague called her to say that her friend is looking for a housemate. So there you have it, a super long connection. It was pretty international too, from a Singaporean to an English to a Malaysian to a Singaporean to a Bruenian.

Here are some photos of the place my female owner will call home for the next year.

The surroundings

The block of apartments she's living in. Count three levels up from the centre of the signboard. That's my female owner's room.

The street just outside the apartment, supposedly good for jogging, cycling, skating etc.

Close-up of the entrance. Note that there are no security guards or ugly gates!

The room she will occupy.

The room is a regular rectangle but due to the angle, it was difficult to take a good shot. So use your imagination to piece together the whole room. This is her study table, taken from the door. As with her previous office, she's occupying a corner room.

Taken from the study table/ window, these are the built-in cupboard and bed.

Her bed, made up with sheets and pillows. The study table is in front of the black chair. See, she brought Nanook the Husky and even clothed him.

View from her window. Don't ask me why she didn't open her windows! It's so windy at night that she leave a mere 10cm gap for ventilation.

Rest of the apartment
The super big living room. It's so spacious, visitors can bunk in here overnight (hint hint!) There's a spare bed behind the standing fan and a ready supply of movies and a keyboard even.

Walk straight through the living room to the balcony, and this is the view which greets you. The Brisbane River. Tenants pay a premium for the area because of this. My female owner said that we would be very happy to stay here because the balcony is much bigger than our current Balcony

The kitchen which comes with an oven and dishwasher. The balcony actually connects to the kitchen in a L-shaped fashion. My female owner was standing at the intersection between the balcony and this long corridor leading to the kitchen (there's another entrance at the top left hand corner of the photo).

So, you can see why my female owner's mother is very pleased with the house. Even my female owner says that its an upgrade of her flat in Singapore. Wish we can go over too.

love

It's 4am and my female owner is still awake. Her mother is asleep in her room, snoring away, resting before her flight home to Singapore. All of a sudden, the realisation hits her. This would be the last time she hears her mother snoring until my female owner returns to Singapore (unspecific date).

My female owner spent the last 2 weeks with her mother, almost 24/7. It was probably the most intensive and intimate time she ever had with her mother since she reached adulthood. At 58, her mother would be close to retirement, but yet, her mother is still working so hard, just to see my female owner through her postgraduate dreams.

This period had been a refreshing and enriching time for both mother and daughter I suppose. To experience her mother's selfless acts of love, through the various things she did; to be able to settle the things she needs to, knowing that her mother is fully behind her (sometimes literally, coz her mother would follow her wherever she went, even though she can't walk fast); to see the persevering and fighting spirit in her mother, for she simply wanted the best for my female owner and to spend more time with her.

There's nothing greater than a mother's love. There's nothing more hurtful than a child's indifference to a mother's love.

....

saw

I saw my female owner today! Really. I wasn't hallucinating. She was having her nightly chat with her father when she requested to "see her turtles". Her father, ever full of love, obliged. Out of four of us, he picked me up from my usual haunt under the Trolley and brought me in front of the video camera to greet my female owner.

I was so happy to see her. My female owner still looks the same. Just a little rounder around the face (hmm... she must have been eating well) and darker too (never saw her so brown before, what has she been doing?!).

Anyway, she squeaked in delight to see me and pointed excitedly at me "yes! This is the fat turtle!" So much for a warm greeting.

Nanook was a tad upset that she was not chosen to see my female owner. Dodo had to explain to her gently that she was probably too heavy and chunky (must he use that word?) for my female owner's father to pick up with one hand and be brought to the video camera. She felt indignant and argued that he could have used both hands to carry her, the way my female owner used to do.

Oh well... gloomy weather in the Balcony.

denial

Nanook is in denial that my female owner is gone, and will most likely be gone for a long time. She thinks that my female owner is only a long vacation and would turn up in the Balcony by the end of the week. In a way, I don't really blame her, coz my female owner has a penchant for travelling and would disappear for days, before announcing her grand arrival in her booming voice (like how she disappeared to the United States this period last year for 2 weeks and left my male owner hopping mad).

Dodo has been trying to knock some sense into her but to no avail. Think she will accept reality one day, when days pass into weeks, and weeks into months... and months into... oh well, I should stop here, otherwise it would be too depressing even for me.

Nanook's turn

Its has been a week since my female owner left. The house is really quieter without her. Nanook has kinda fallen ill. Maybe she misses her, coz Nanook has not been eating and has been keeping to herself.

I hope she will be ok. Even my female owner's father is worried for her.

call

My female owner called home today! Her father managed to activate the MSN voice call function so they could talk for free. So happy to hear her voice. Think she is settling in well. She got an apartment which she said was an upgrade from this house in Singapore (even the balcony is so much bigger!). Apparently the apartment overlooks the Brisbane river and is very near to her school. In the evenings, you can see many people jogging, cycling or skate-boarding in the area (the surroundings is crying out to her to keep fit, exercise regularly and forget about being a couch po-tah-to).

not the same

It's Chinese New Year! We are left alone in Singapore with our female owner's father. The house is really quiet, but I suppose this is something we need to get used to. It's really strange. In the past, our female owner was rarely at home and even if she was home, she hardly spent more than 10 minutes with us at any one time. Now that she is gone, we should be able to adjust to her absence fairly quickly. Somehow, it's just different, knowing that she's not going to pop into the Balcony at random times to pat us on our heads or to stroke our necks. It's just not the same anymore.

Within 8 months, we lose our closest human relationships. It's like a family where the parents undergo a divorce and the children are called for by the mum, only to lose her a few months later and be sent to an adoptive home.

farewell

It has been two days since my female owner left us. A number of her friends from different segments of her life took time to send her off at the airport. The cheeky ones from aikido bet if my female owner would cry. Of course, some won and some lost. For some reasons, the non-aikido friends started teasing her about her aikido instructor. Coz he came and once introduction was completed, headed straight towards the table where my female owner's father (and family) sat to talk to him (like what a boyfriend would do). Must clarify that the aikido instructor is a natural social butterfly, that's why he went to the family to speak to them (same age group, he said). My female owner's Second Onli Fren aka Donkey, came in classic diva manner, like 5 minutes before she had to go in. Her Onli Fren came, and despite so many farewell treats and organising the farewell party, blessed her again with a cutesy turtle Swatch watch. Now she has two watches (L also gave her one) to see her through her studies. Her JC friends claimed (after she went in and they started an sms exhange) that they were headed off to Terminal 3 - the actual highlight of the day. They are certainly not the most emotional of friends. P must have been so traumatised by my female owner's leaving that she misplaced her handphone and forgot to bring the card which she had painstakenly wrote. L, in her usual sentimental fashion, wrote a note in an organiser and gave it to her. Her hubby was also there, giving support. SC came smiling as usual and handed her a super long letter and jelly beans (which my female owner managed to bring over). There were also several smses, MSNs and calls that came in during the day, wishing my female owner all the best, bon voyages etc. So sweet of her friends. I don't think my female owner ever bothered to send anyone off in any manner in the past...

big head

My female owner connected home today! Her father managed to learn to use MSN and through it, my female owner asked about us.. or sort of.

FO: Don't feed my turtles too much.

Father: Fed them this morning.

FO: Ok, feed them again on Friday (note, this morning is Tuesday!)

Father: Ok

FO: Be careful of the big head turtle (aka me). Isolate her if necessary. She cannot eat too much.

Father: I will tape up her mouth.

FO: Be careful, she may scratch you.

Father: Then you will come back to turtle soup.

regards

After a long hectic day... my female owner sent us her regards and kisses. She didn't have time to tell us more.

Are we losing her?

last supper

My female owner had her "last supper" in Singapore with her group of badminton friends. As usual, it's all about her (sounds so spoilt!). So the group obliged her durian cravings and headed to Seletar Dam for some yummy durian supper. Really sweet of them. One of them did not even enjoy eating durians and ended up having two seeds.

So many things would have changed, if and when my female owner returns. For one, the two couples in the group would have gotten married.

Life stages may change, but hopefully, the friendship never ends.

babies and us

For the third Friday running, my female owner visited St James Bellini Room. This time, she went with her ex-colleagues who took time to have a farewell nightout with her. As usual, my female owner enjoyed herself very much, largely because she was with people whom she really love and appreciate and secondarily, because she got high on champagne, without the usual fainting part. That's a first, coz she usually knocks out whenever she goes drinking with her potato friend. Her tolerance leverl has reached a new height!

Last night, my female owner tried to find an adoptive parent for us and started asking around the table. K said no animals in his house, potato rejected her flat. So did eggplant. My female owner then asked her clever friend (the one who drove her to visit me in hospital last year and who told her the meaning of nookie) if he was willing to adopt me since he had seen me before. (She also decided to change her strategy coz asking people to take care of one turtle would probably be easier than asking people to take care of all four of us.)

Upon hearing her request, her clever friend laughed and said, "I don't think Nooki would want me, even if I want her".

....................

So sad. It is like people who think that babies are cute, only if they don't have to look after the baby. So people read about us on this blog and enjoy the stories... but don't want to look after us!

We miss

We miss our female owner. She's always rushing out of the house soon after waking up and coming home late at night. There's nothing we can do, but to wait patiently for her to return from her various appointments and hope that she has energy to spare to spend time with us. Alas, when she reaches home, she would log onto MSN to see who's available to talk to her. Sometimes, these people are the ones who she has just met in the day. She would chat until she becomes tired and heads to bed.

We miss our female owner. We wish that she would stop by the Balcony and play with us, rather than rushing by everyday for a cursory hi-bye. She will be gone real soon and we don't know when we will see her again, or whether we will even get to see her again.

We miss our female owner. 5/7 years with her passed by so fast. We took her for granted and now she will be gone for a long time.