My female owner said that the best surprise that ever happened to her (not just during the Gold Coast getaway but in her entire life) was that, P, her ever constant confidante, travelling buddy, drinking kaki, wise counsel etc etc, had flown over to Brisbane to find her! It turned out that JW and P really conspired to surprise her and what she hoped for on Wed morning came true in such an unexpected way. She arrived at the Brisbane Airport expecting to receive JW, only to meet her Potahto fren. My female owner really couldn't believe her eyes coz P had always been adamant about not visiting Australia.
Oh, the reliving of the good old times - enjoying lazy holidays together, bearing the rain curse that P brings with her on EVERY holiday (can you believe that it was raining at Gold Coast? My female owner never got a tan!), sinful indulgence in fries (countless times), partying (somehow the chopstick sisters always manage to find someone to bring them to a local pub) and swearing off alcohol the next day (who would believe? disaster looms EVERYTIME they go drinking together), taking random photos of food, beach and scenery, shopping till they drop, listening to Chinese songs. The only holiday routine that they probably didnt get to do was to play cards. My female owner wanted to bring cards but thought that JW probably doesn't play them. Alas, the regret was overwhelming.... momentarily. Coz the chopstick sisters found other things to entertain themselves.
At night, they naturally lapsed into their lights out routine where they would talk incessantly about anything under the sun. They even tried to catch the sun rise. Woke up at 5am, dragged themselves out of bed in pitch darkness, walked to the beach which was 140 steps away from the gorgeous apartment they stayed in and waited patiently. They succeeded in seeing dawn turn to day, but not the morning sun. The sky was too cloudly apparently (remember the rain curse?)
My female owner and P also had the privilege of meeting some really amazing people through JW. Will talk more about them and the trip itself another day. Too many good things to say in one post.
As usual, saying goodbye at the end of 5 days of reunion (sound like lovers!) was painful for my female owner but guess she is slowly getting used to the idea that all good things must come to an (painful) end.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
back!
My female owner is back from her weekend getaway to Goldcoast. So many things happened over the last five days. Ah, can't wait to hear the updates from her. Alas, but she's too busy now to tell me the stories. Said she has to complete her assignment (due tomorrow), do her laundry, clear miscellaneous admin things and prepare for school. Something like she has school from 0900 to 2030hr! This is worse than working.
So, everyone, update you all another time about her adventures!
So, everyone, update you all another time about her adventures!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
visit
My female owner is off to Goldcoast today! Her ex-colleague is flying in from Melbourne to visit her, before he returns to Singapore for good.
He's one of the first few examples of how MSN was instrumental in bridging the gap between two people (actually, my female owner only started using MSN regularly less than a year ago). They had to use MSN, coz he had moved to Melbourne by then.
As a colleague from another department, he went out of his way to compile, in neat fashion, the various information she needed for her research (think her boss was really impressed with him). Not to mention those office chats they had which helped to break the monotonity of work. More importantly, he was her listening ear during the period when my owners were so dysfunctional. His support and encouragement validated her feelings and made it easier for her to move on. His humour was ticklish (can often hear my female owner laughing at the computer) and cheerfulness, uplifting.
Having said all these, the few times they went out together was for lunch during office hours, so it would be interesting to see how they spend the next few days together. Also, this time my female owner would not be travelling with her all-time travelling buddy, P. She's probably missing P already! P should have come too, since they are all good friends. They could have gone drinking (plus chicken winging) together! Cheers!
He's one of the first few examples of how MSN was instrumental in bridging the gap between two people (actually, my female owner only started using MSN regularly less than a year ago). They had to use MSN, coz he had moved to Melbourne by then.
As a colleague from another department, he went out of his way to compile, in neat fashion, the various information she needed for her research (think her boss was really impressed with him). Not to mention those office chats they had which helped to break the monotonity of work. More importantly, he was her listening ear during the period when my owners were so dysfunctional. His support and encouragement validated her feelings and made it easier for her to move on. His humour was ticklish (can often hear my female owner laughing at the computer) and cheerfulness, uplifting.
Having said all these, the few times they went out together was for lunch during office hours, so it would be interesting to see how they spend the next few days together. Also, this time my female owner would not be travelling with her all-time travelling buddy, P. She's probably missing P already! P should have come too, since they are all good friends. They could have gone drinking (plus chicken winging) together! Cheers!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
nannied
My female owner finally had a video conference with her parents today, after an absence of a few days. They would wait for her every night to talk to her but sometimes, due to the time difference, they would not be able to catch her. The joy on their faces when they see her is heart-warming.
I think that by being away from home and having to video conference, my female owner actually talks more to her parents. Otherwise, she's usually doing her own things at home (i.e. MSN) or out with friends till the wee hours of the morning, so much so that she may not really interact with them for a few days.
One thing that amazes me, as I listen to their conversation, is that despite being so far apart, my female owner cannot escape their nagging or babying! Of course that's how Asian parents express their undying love for their children. But knowing my female owner, she rather be left on her own, especially since she's already 18+++++ years old - too old to be nannied.
I think that by being away from home and having to video conference, my female owner actually talks more to her parents. Otherwise, she's usually doing her own things at home (i.e. MSN) or out with friends till the wee hours of the morning, so much so that she may not really interact with them for a few days.
One thing that amazes me, as I listen to their conversation, is that despite being so far apart, my female owner cannot escape their nagging or babying! Of course that's how Asian parents express their undying love for their children. But knowing my female owner, she rather be left on her own, especially since she's already 18+++++ years old - too old to be nannied.
two-way
In praying for my male owner this morning, my female owner realised that he was probably hurting/ hurt from her actions, words and even, non-actions. It's one of the first times she stepped back from the whole situation and took on his perspective. So she decided to stop focusing on what a **** (fill in the blank, coz I don't know what to write here) he was to her, coz she was probably as **** to him and to focus on praying for healing.
Monday, March 24, 2008
short fuse
My female owner had a short emotional outburst today when she was reminded (unintentionally) of the countless times my male owner promised to quit smoking but resumed it behind her back. He even went as far as smoking in front of her friends (after one badminton session) and telling them not to let her know (she was overseas at that time).
The emotional outburst was a "cyber" one, coz it was over MSN. It manifested itself as an extra long string of random text characters (poor friend who was on the receiving end) but yah, it shocked her at how quickly she reacted to the issue. Looks like while she has mentally put the past behind, she still needs to manage her emotional reactions to such peeves.
Speaking of smoking, she has not seen any of her Brisbane friends smoking (unless they are closet smokers). It's really a pleasant surprise and a fresh break (pun intended) from her friends who smoke.
The emotional outburst was a "cyber" one, coz it was over MSN. It manifested itself as an extra long string of random text characters (poor friend who was on the receiving end) but yah, it shocked her at how quickly she reacted to the issue. Looks like while she has mentally put the past behind, she still needs to manage her emotional reactions to such peeves.
Speaking of smoking, she has not seen any of her Brisbane friends smoking (unless they are closet smokers). It's really a pleasant surprise and a fresh break (pun intended) from her friends who smoke.
impressions
It’s the end of the 4-day convention. My female owner has been unusually quiet coz she has not been video conferencing home. Due to the long hours of the convention, she also has not been online very much. Despite this, she still managed to catch up with a few precious friends from homeland
i) SC – who came online just to find her and managed to, bringing testimonies of God’s grace and miraculous works
ii) KK – the guy portion of her closest couple fren, finally spoke to him online, although she could not stay for long
iii) ET – providing an update on aikido and grading matters (some office stuff too but my female owner is slowly learning not to care, yay!). Heard that they did well for grading. Congrats!
iv) JW – to discuss the holiday trip to Goldcoast (my female owner is going away for a few days and in her usual backpacking fashion *think Shanghai*, she has not settled the basics, like transport and itinerary. She's so apologetic about it. Sorry mate!)
v) QY – glad that she’s settling into school -> He has a wonderful plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). Believe it!
vi) P – as always, her partner in crime. P never fails to relate to my female owner in the most familiar and soothing manner. Chicken wings and beer soon babe!
vii) M – always radiating with warmth and God’s love, speaking a word of season
Ah, I’m digressing. I wanna talk about what my female owner learnt/ or set her heart to do, as a result of the convention (non-believers may not understand the following so if you feel uncomfortable, you can choose not to read. It’s important that I write these down coz my female owner has a poor memory and needs to be reminded of whatever she has learnt).
i) SC – who came online just to find her and managed to, bringing testimonies of God’s grace and miraculous works
ii) KK – the guy portion of her closest couple fren, finally spoke to him online, although she could not stay for long
iii) ET – providing an update on aikido and grading matters (some office stuff too but my female owner is slowly learning not to care, yay!). Heard that they did well for grading. Congrats!
iv) JW – to discuss the holiday trip to Goldcoast (my female owner is going away for a few days and in her usual backpacking fashion *think Shanghai*, she has not settled the basics, like transport and itinerary. She's so apologetic about it. Sorry mate!)
v) QY – glad that she’s settling into school -> He has a wonderful plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). Believe it!
vi) P – as always, her partner in crime. P never fails to relate to my female owner in the most familiar and soothing manner. Chicken wings and beer soon babe!
vii) M – always radiating with warmth and God’s love, speaking a word of season
Ah, I’m digressing. I wanna talk about what my female owner learnt/ or set her heart to do, as a result of the convention (non-believers may not understand the following so if you feel uncomfortable, you can choose not to read. It’s important that I write these down coz my female owner has a poor memory and needs to be reminded of whatever she has learnt).
- She has REALLY surrendered her past to God – decisions, mistakes, hurts, disappointments, cynicism etc. That conscious decision is really important for her to set her heart on, in order to move on. God told her to pray for my male owner as part of her healing process. Not something which my female owner is really earnest to do but she would try.
- She has surrendered her negative mindsets to God – her mistrust of people, “All guys are bad” mentality, better-not-to-depend-on-anyone attitude – and decided to be less anti-social. So she spoke to some strangers during the convention. Err… she survived.
- She has renewed her relationship with God – has gained a fresh perspective of spiritual gifts and prayer and wants to see herself growing in some of the gifts. She also wants to start each day with prayer and bible reading (might be a challenge, coz she tends to sleep late and hence, wake up just in time for school)
- She wants to hone herself musically – flute, keyboard and guitar (in that order) – so that she can be used in this area (that’s another major area to conquer, coz she has performance anxiety, so much so that she refused to play for her Onli Fren’s wedding. Something which she still regrets esp when they talk about it)
- She wants to be a blessing to others, with whatever she has (to be the light upon the hill). If not now, then when? But she has no concrete ideas yet.
- She wants to put God as the centre of her life and not stay in the lukewarm, let’s-see-how-things-go-stage anymore.
My female owner knows that there will be times when she will find some of the things above challenging as she juggles with the different aspects of her life. However, this would be the direction that she wants to head towards for this year.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
living a life of significance
Pastor Simon Eng
Numbers 14:4, Joshua 14:14
1) You can be someone of significance
- John Maxwell estimated that an average person impacts at least 10000 people in his lifetime
2) Have a goal in mind
- What do I want to BE/ DO? --> write it down
- Now, go for a bigger goal than this!
Focus on others -> help them get to where they want to go
Definition of signifiance
i) Help someone, or solve his needs/ problems
ii) Able to add worth and value to others
iii) What you accomplish breakthrough in projects
iv) When you help others achieve a higher goal
3) Prepare NOW
a) Fulfill the basics faithfully
- Do well in what you are doing now. Focus on what you have
b) Take more than just enough
- Learn more than waht you are learning now. Inspiration is not enough
- Evaluate yourself. Stop and take stock of where you are,
- Expand yourself by involving other people and working with others
c) Resist the spirit of the present generation
- E.g. the convenient spirit or the complacent spirit
4) Price of pursuing significance
a) Great heart - spirit - love -mind
- heart: "i will not give up/ turn away from challenges"
- spirit: never blame others
- love: cultivate great patience
- mind: mental toughness to persevere
b) Great attitude - character - skills
- attitude: circumstances will appear different when our attitude changes
- character: helps you maintain success for the long run (trustworthiness, loyalty, helpfulness, friendliness, courtesy, kindness, obeience, cheerfulness, thriftiness, clean, reverent)
- skills: need training, self-learning, invest
5) Characteristics of a non-significant life
a) no progress: "just want to survive"
b) negative: "it cannot be done"
c) fault-finding: don't be the problem, be the solution
d) slothful/ lazy
Numbers 14:4, Joshua 14:14
1) You can be someone of significance
- John Maxwell estimated that an average person impacts at least 10000 people in his lifetime
2) Have a goal in mind
- What do I want to BE/ DO? --> write it down
- Now, go for a bigger goal than this!
Focus on others -> help them get to where they want to go
Definition of signifiance
i) Help someone, or solve his needs/ problems
ii) Able to add worth and value to others
iii) What you accomplish breakthrough in projects
iv) When you help others achieve a higher goal
3) Prepare NOW
a) Fulfill the basics faithfully
- Do well in what you are doing now. Focus on what you have
b) Take more than just enough
- Learn more than waht you are learning now. Inspiration is not enough
- Evaluate yourself. Stop and take stock of where you are,
- Expand yourself by involving other people and working with others
c) Resist the spirit of the present generation
- E.g. the convenient spirit or the complacent spirit
4) Price of pursuing significance
a) Great heart - spirit - love -mind
- heart: "i will not give up/ turn away from challenges"
- spirit: never blame others
- love: cultivate great patience
- mind: mental toughness to persevere
b) Great attitude - character - skills
- attitude: circumstances will appear different when our attitude changes
- character: helps you maintain success for the long run (trustworthiness, loyalty, helpfulness, friendliness, courtesy, kindness, obeience, cheerfulness, thriftiness, clean, reverent)
- skills: need training, self-learning, invest
5) Characteristics of a non-significant life
a) no progress: "just want to survive"
b) negative: "it cannot be done"
c) fault-finding: don't be the problem, be the solution
d) slothful/ lazy
notes
My female owner used to take notes during sermons when she was much younger. She would then rewrite the notes into an exercise book, with some fanciful decorations/ headings to spice things up. One day, her Onli Fren requested to borrow it and somehow, her Onli Fren's mother threw the book away, thinking it was rubbish. That was the end of her nice notes-writing days.
At her church now, she cant help but notice that almost everyone would take sermon notes during service. In fact, the pastors encourage such a culture and even prepare powerpoint slides which are "notes-friendly". Not being one to conform easily to group practices (even though it makes good sense to take sermon notes), she refused to take any notes, even though her Singaporean friend (who told her to join this church) had given her a journal (for her spiritual journey as the friend puts it) partly for this use (sorry if you are reading this! My female owner did bring the book with her. She just hasnt started using it).
For this Christian convention, lecture-notes style sermon notes are given to all delegates (those fill in the blanks type). Hence, my female owner had no qualms taking notes. However, there was an elective seminar which she attended that did not provide notes. Somehow, she decided to write notes for it and was glad she did coz the message was thought-provoking. The brief outline is posted above, so that she wont forget it ever.
At her church now, she cant help but notice that almost everyone would take sermon notes during service. In fact, the pastors encourage such a culture and even prepare powerpoint slides which are "notes-friendly". Not being one to conform easily to group practices (even though it makes good sense to take sermon notes), she refused to take any notes, even though her Singaporean friend (who told her to join this church) had given her a journal (for her spiritual journey as the friend puts it) partly for this use (sorry if you are reading this! My female owner did bring the book with her. She just hasnt started using it).
For this Christian convention, lecture-notes style sermon notes are given to all delegates (those fill in the blanks type). Hence, my female owner had no qualms taking notes. However, there was an elective seminar which she attended that did not provide notes. Somehow, she decided to write notes for it and was glad she did coz the message was thought-provoking. The brief outline is posted above, so that she wont forget it ever.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
restoration
A full day of the Christian convention has gone by. My female owner kinda enjoyed herself being among Christian brothers and sisters, doing Christian stuff. For a long time, she did not have real Christian fellowship (for reasons not worth repeating here). It's not that her non-Christian friends are no good (so please! don't get me wrong! my female owner really values all her friends), it's just that she did not have the necessary balance in her life (so that means that having only Christian friends is also no good).
Slowly but surely, she's beginning to feel more at ease with this aspect of her life. Many things which she used to do, used to know, used to enjoy in church are coming back to her. It's like having her spiritual memory restored and having a fire re-ignited in her life.
Anyway, my female owner had a lot of free time today and she spent her time talking to this super young but lovable gal.... about us! Yes, US! I think she misses us badly. She went on and on like a broken record about how cute and human-fied we are.
Slowly but surely, she's beginning to feel more at ease with this aspect of her life. Many things which she used to do, used to know, used to enjoy in church are coming back to her. It's like having her spiritual memory restored and having a fire re-ignited in her life.
Anyway, my female owner had a lot of free time today and she spent her time talking to this super young but lovable gal.... about us! Yes, US! I think she misses us badly. She went on and on like a broken record about how cute and human-fied we are.
Friday, March 21, 2008
7 years
My female owner attended her first ever Christian convention today. It stretches over 4 days, all the way till Monday. The closest "convention" she even been to were to church camps. I suppose she won't be on MSN so often till Monday (MSN buddies, take note!).
The worship leader started the session with a well-known bible story about the woman who had a blood problem for 12 years (Mark 5:25-34). The woman was healed by Jesus in an instant, because of her faith. My female owner has heard this story explained many times but today, she gained a new perspective.
My female owner has always believed that she needed a lot of time to massage her way through the negative experiences she had been through in the past 7 years, both at work and in her personal life. The reason why she felt she needed a long time was because it had been 7 long years of repeated scarring.
Today, she realised that she could be healed, in an instant. Length of "illness" doesn't matter. Faith matters.
The worship leader started the session with a well-known bible story about the woman who had a blood problem for 12 years (Mark 5:25-34). The woman was healed by Jesus in an instant, because of her faith. My female owner has heard this story explained many times but today, she gained a new perspective.
My female owner has always believed that she needed a lot of time to massage her way through the negative experiences she had been through in the past 7 years, both at work and in her personal life. The reason why she felt she needed a long time was because it had been 7 long years of repeated scarring.
Today, she realised that she could be healed, in an instant. Length of "illness" doesn't matter. Faith matters.
song revisited
It's Good Friday! For some unknown reason, it comes really early this year. Hence, the mid-term break for students starts after only 4 weeks in school.
Anyway, my female owner is quite surprised that Good Friday appears to be a non-event in Australia. In Singapore, there would be nightly services in the week leading up to Good Friday (where of course, there would be morning service). Seems like Easter is more important. Commercially, the shelves are lined with all kinds of Easter goodies - mainly chocolate eggs in all sizes (but same shape!), some chocolates shaped like bunnies, soft-toys, cards. Families gather on Easter for a meal and organise Easter Egg Hunts for the kids.
This Good Friday, one song pops up as being very meaningful for my female owner - Who Am I? On the last day she had to leave Singapore, my female owner went back to her former church (which she left a few years ago) for the morning service. Her Onli Fren had invited her back (and she made it, despite being out late the night before). Coincidentally, her husband was leading worship and had chosen this song. At that time, this song was just another "nice to hear, good to sing" song. That's partly because my female owner was feeling emo at that time, especially when the phrase "here today and gone tomorrow" kept appearing on the screen before her eyes (ya, she's that literal at times).
But now, the lyrics make great sense to her.
Anyway, my female owner is quite surprised that Good Friday appears to be a non-event in Australia. In Singapore, there would be nightly services in the week leading up to Good Friday (where of course, there would be morning service). Seems like Easter is more important. Commercially, the shelves are lined with all kinds of Easter goodies - mainly chocolate eggs in all sizes (but same shape!), some chocolates shaped like bunnies, soft-toys, cards. Families gather on Easter for a meal and organise Easter Egg Hunts for the kids.
This Good Friday, one song pops up as being very meaningful for my female owner - Who Am I? On the last day she had to leave Singapore, my female owner went back to her former church (which she left a few years ago) for the morning service. Her Onli Fren had invited her back (and she made it, despite being out late the night before). Coincidentally, her husband was leading worship and had chosen this song. At that time, this song was just another "nice to hear, good to sing" song. That's partly because my female owner was feeling emo at that time, especially when the phrase "here today and gone tomorrow" kept appearing on the screen before her eyes (ya, she's that literal at times).
But now, the lyrics make great sense to her.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
expectancy
My female owner found out that her Onli Fren is expecting!
My female owner's first encounter with a pregnant woman (from conception to birth of the baby as opposed to a fleeting experience) was not a pleasant one. The woman, her immediate senior colleague, morphed from a reasonably chatty person into a highly demanding, noisy and somewhat unreasonable person. The office had to cater to her idiosyncrasies (or her baby's?). My female owner was somewhat traumatised by the transformation and withdrew even more into her shell. She was thankful when the colleague returned to her usual self after the delivery. Since then, she never quite liked pregnant women and tried to stay clear of them.
Her Onli Fren's pregnancy of course, marks the first one where she is genuinely interested. While their friendship spans more than half their life, the strength of their friendship is even more amazing. Apparently, they started off not liking each other. Onli Fren thought that my female owner was unfriendly (she still is!) while my female owner felt that she was annoying (for deliberately ignoring her at church). Oh well, like the Chinese saying goes, "if you don't cross paths, you won't know each other". So, the friendship developed after Onli Fren called my female owner to clear up a misunderstanding.
Over the years, there were times when they did not speak to each other often. However, any friendship, built upon God's leading, stays strong. The two of them have spent so many precious moments together - studying, celebrating birthdays/ Valentine's days, travelling, hair cuts, facials, praying, leading a cell-group, camping, shopping, eating, suppering, pooling, bridging, driving, lazing with us turtles!, bearing each other's burdens, cooking, MSNing (how can I miss that out?!). The list goes on. Without her Onli Fren's unconditional love, acceptance and patience (whom my female owner calls her affectionately as Cuppie-cake), my female owner won't be who she is today. The baby is blessed to have such a mother (and father of course!).
Such a warm feeling, to know that her Onli Fren is moving on to the next stage of her life. It's like when you make friends in your teenage years, you never really think ahead about your friends becoming mothers. Now that reality has hit home, you then realise that so many years have passed, so many things have changed, but the friendship still remains central in your life.
We are excited too!
My female owner's first encounter with a pregnant woman (from conception to birth of the baby as opposed to a fleeting experience) was not a pleasant one. The woman, her immediate senior colleague, morphed from a reasonably chatty person into a highly demanding, noisy and somewhat unreasonable person. The office had to cater to her idiosyncrasies (or her baby's?). My female owner was somewhat traumatised by the transformation and withdrew even more into her shell. She was thankful when the colleague returned to her usual self after the delivery. Since then, she never quite liked pregnant women and tried to stay clear of them.
Her Onli Fren's pregnancy of course, marks the first one where she is genuinely interested. While their friendship spans more than half their life, the strength of their friendship is even more amazing. Apparently, they started off not liking each other. Onli Fren thought that my female owner was unfriendly (she still is!) while my female owner felt that she was annoying (for deliberately ignoring her at church). Oh well, like the Chinese saying goes, "if you don't cross paths, you won't know each other". So, the friendship developed after Onli Fren called my female owner to clear up a misunderstanding.
Over the years, there were times when they did not speak to each other often. However, any friendship, built upon God's leading, stays strong. The two of them have spent so many precious moments together - studying, celebrating birthdays/ Valentine's days, travelling, hair cuts, facials, praying, leading a cell-group, camping, shopping, eating, suppering, pooling, bridging, driving, lazing with us turtles!, bearing each other's burdens, cooking, MSNing (how can I miss that out?!). The list goes on. Without her Onli Fren's unconditional love, acceptance and patience (whom my female owner calls her affectionately as Cuppie-cake), my female owner won't be who she is today. The baby is blessed to have such a mother (and father of course!).
Such a warm feeling, to know that her Onli Fren is moving on to the next stage of her life. It's like when you make friends in your teenage years, you never really think ahead about your friends becoming mothers. Now that reality has hit home, you then realise that so many years have passed, so many things have changed, but the friendship still remains central in your life.
We are excited too!
woken up
My female owner has been trying to sleep more these past three days, to no avail. Usually she would sleep about 7-8hrs, especially if she did not have any morning appointments.
On the first day, she woke up at 0615,hr after 6hrs of sleep, because the birds around her room was chirping with so much gusto.
On the second morning, she woke up, again after 6 hrs of sleep at about 0930hr, without knowing why.
On the third morning, she woke up after 4.5hrs of sleep, at 0800hr, because she received an SMS from a friend, asking for permission to use her school download quota. She was really annoyed at this untimely disturbance coz she couldn't go back to sleep again (the birds, which woke her up on the first day, were again chirping with gusto). Although the SMS alert is a simple, short 1/2-sec, 2-note tone, it was enough to wake her up. It must be a spillover from her previous job where she was on call 24/7 and had to sleep every night with her ears open, just in case she was activated for any crisis.
Time to be a student again! Just sleep in.
On the first day, she woke up at 0615,hr after 6hrs of sleep, because the birds around her room was chirping with so much gusto.
On the second morning, she woke up, again after 6 hrs of sleep at about 0930hr, without knowing why.
On the third morning, she woke up after 4.5hrs of sleep, at 0800hr, because she received an SMS from a friend, asking for permission to use her school download quota. She was really annoyed at this untimely disturbance coz she couldn't go back to sleep again (the birds, which woke her up on the first day, were again chirping with gusto). Although the SMS alert is a simple, short 1/2-sec, 2-note tone, it was enough to wake her up. It must be a spillover from her previous job where she was on call 24/7 and had to sleep every night with her ears open, just in case she was activated for any crisis.
Time to be a student again! Just sleep in.
hand-fed
I miss my female owner. She hasn't been video conferencing back these days. Her father is now looking after us on a full-time basis. He gives us fresh water everyday (although he won't feed us everyday!). But that's good too, coz we love splash around.
One thing though, I miss is being hand-fed (or rather, bottle-fed). My owners used to do that with us, as part of their attempts to nurture us.
Dodo, the not-so-Alpha Male (coz he's really gentle and non-aggressive)
Nanook, lumbering in (due to her massive size)
That's me in the tank and Dona climbing in. Dodo is looking on (he has a crush on Dona)
One thing though, I miss is being hand-fed (or rather, bottle-fed). My owners used to do that with us, as part of their attempts to nurture us.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
same name
Out of sheer bordom and denial of work to be done, my female owner decided to search for people with the same name as her on Facebook. To her pleasant surprise, there are about 60+ girls who has been bestowed with the same ill-fated name as her. As far as she knows, there's only one other person (in her 40s) with the same name in Singapore.
functional
Some friends are those type whom you still feel close to, even if you haven't spoken to them for ages. My female owner has a few of those kind of friends. Despite not being in contact for ages, they would still feel emotionally connected and the familiarity still remains. It's like nothing has changed for them since the last time they spoke.
Other friendships however, probably need more attention and nurturing. Having completed one of her assignments today, my female owner decided to chat with one of her frens today, the Functional Fren (had been a while since they last communicated). It could have been her state of mind, or his preoccupation with the recent events in his life, but my female owner felt that there are a slight distance between them.
They used to do quite a number of varied things together spontanteously and he taught her many random things (like how to get around Singapore roads and identify plants). He also imparted insightful counselling principles to her when she was faced with challenges. More significantly, he harvested the postgrad dream that she had been nursing for a few years and motivated her to apply for it.
Ah, the friendship would continue to be strong... even though they are no longer "functional" to each other.
Other friendships however, probably need more attention and nurturing. Having completed one of her assignments today, my female owner decided to chat with one of her frens today, the Functional Fren (had been a while since they last communicated). It could have been her state of mind, or his preoccupation with the recent events in his life, but my female owner felt that there are a slight distance between them.
They used to do quite a number of varied things together spontanteously and he taught her many random things (like how to get around Singapore roads and identify plants). He also imparted insightful counselling principles to her when she was faced with challenges. More significantly, he harvested the postgrad dream that she had been nursing for a few years and motivated her to apply for it.
Ah, the friendship would continue to be strong... even though they are no longer "functional" to each other.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
muscular relaxation
My female owner got this from class today. It was a presentation by her classmates on muscular relaxation for children. To sustain interest, children learn to tense and relax different muscle groups while listening to cheery stories. Here's one short segment, for the shoulder and neck. Try it! Or I can show it to you!
Now pretend you are a turtle. You're sitting out on a rock by a nice, peaceful pond, just relaxing in the warm sun. It feels nice and warm and safe here. Oh-oh! You sense danger. Pull your head into your house. Try to pull your shoulders up to your ears and push your head down into your shoulders. Hold in tight. It isn't easy to be a turtle in a shell. The danger is past now. You can come out into the warm sunshine, and, once again, you can relax and feel the warm sunshine. Watch out now! More danger. Hurry, pull your head hack into your house and hold it tight. You have to be closed in tight to protect yourself. Okay, you can relax now. Bring your head out and let your shoulders relax. Notice how much better it feels to be relaxed than to be all tight. One more time, now. Danger! Pull your head in. Push your shoulders way up to your ears and hold tight. Don't let even a tiny piece of your head show outside your shell. Hold it. Feel the tenseness in your neck and shoulders. Okay. You can come out now. It's safe again. Relax and feel comfortable in your safety. There's no more danger. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to be afraid of. You feel good.
Monday, March 17, 2008
plant
My female owner learnt a lesson about herself yesterday, through an innocuous discussion she had with some of her new friends regarding her plant. You see, she bought a green leafy indoor potted plant when she moved into her current apartment. She wanted to spice up her otherwise barren looking room. As she has no experience looking after plants (she spends all her energy on us!), her host gave her until mid April before the plant dies under her care.
The plant when she first bought it
This is the plant as of today (one month later)
A close-up shot
If you compare the "before" and "after" photos, you would notice that the plant looks barren now as many of the bigger leaves are now gone and some of the remaining leaves have spots of brown. (although there are also some baby leaves which sprouted out miraculously.) What happened was that my female owner would pluck away any leaf which had brown spots because she thought that i) the leaf was diseased (some green finger lady told her to remove the entire leaf if random brown spots appears) or ii) the leaf was withering and would die anyway.
Finally, she got tired to plucking away the leaves and decided to let the plant die a natural death. It was at this point when she sought the advice of her friends (as they seemed to be knowledgeable about plants). Upon hearing the above story, they unaminously told her not to pluck away any of the leaves and to allow the drying leaves to die naturally. Expressing her discomfort at the yellowing leaves, one of them asked "why can't some of the leaves be brown? they are also brown in the natural environment"
It was then that my female owner realised her obsession with perfection, that if any part of the plant did not fit her schema of a thriving plant, she would remove that part (by the way, her response to the comment went something along the lines of "but the leaves were all green when I bought it from the shop!"). It's akin to the times when she did manicure herself. If there is ever one slight blemish in the polish (which is probably naked to the all human eyes except hers, she would remove the paint and start all over again).
Anyway, besides the quick lesson on plants, my female owner realised that she has to re-evaluate her mindset towards certain things (especially those which cause her distress) and consider taking on more reasonable perspectives if possible.
Time to plant new ideas into her life!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
not so 18
Those close to my female owner (esp her long-suffering ex-colleagues) would know that she declares herself to be 18 years old. Her "18 years old" jokes will seep into their conversations at the most unexpected moments, resulting in varied responses such as tickled laughter (from her Librarian Fren), rolling of eyes (Potato) or quiet amusement (Eggplant).
It helps also, that she's the youngest in the above mentioned group. So, it was natural for them to entertain her juvenile aspirations.
Coming here, my female owner took a 180degree roundabout turn regarding her stated age. Now, she says that she is 18+++++ (the number of pluses is random). This is because, she realised all too soon that she's probably older than most of the people around her. It's like there was a bible study session where the question was, "what do you see yourself in 5 years' time?" One of the girls said that in 5 years' time, she would be X age and my female owner almost fainted, coz she was at least X+2 years already. The age gap is so stark, it's difficult to convince herself that she's 18, when she's in the company of so many young people who are closer to 18 than she is!
Anyway, my female owner shared this episode with her Librarian Fren (who is currently studying in London and actually once said that she misses the "18 years old" jokes). And the dear fren replied... "in our hearts, you will always be 18 years old"
Aww... so sweet.
It helps also, that she's the youngest in the above mentioned group. So, it was natural for them to entertain her juvenile aspirations.
Coming here, my female owner took a 180degree roundabout turn regarding her stated age. Now, she says that she is 18+++++ (the number of pluses is random). This is because, she realised all too soon that she's probably older than most of the people around her. It's like there was a bible study session where the question was, "what do you see yourself in 5 years' time?" One of the girls said that in 5 years' time, she would be X age and my female owner almost fainted, coz she was at least X+2 years already. The age gap is so stark, it's difficult to convince herself that she's 18, when she's in the company of so many young people who are closer to 18 than she is!
Anyway, my female owner shared this episode with her Librarian Fren (who is currently studying in London and actually once said that she misses the "18 years old" jokes). And the dear fren replied... "in our hearts, you will always be 18 years old"
Aww... so sweet.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
incongruence
Still on the topic of webcams cum mikes and strange behaviours. My female owner's Functional Fren once had a "silent movie" MSN video conference with her. This time, there was no audio because he did not switch on the mike (no reason offered).
It was really strange, because he would write about things and end off with a smiley face "=)", but his face (through the webcam) would look as if it was baptised in tomyam soup. The glum on his face was unmistakable. Such incongruence! A trait of the male species maybe?
Another one of my female owner's bestest MSN buddy, Potato (I mention her a lot of times in this TurtlePad because they spend a lot of time together. They are also referred to as a pair of chopsticks for their similar builds. However, both will unanimously insist that the other has a better figure), refused to get a webcam or mike for quite a long time. She was afraid that my female owner would be too busy to talk to her when school progresses, thus wasting her investment. Finally, she got herself a mike but not a webcam. Reason was that she felt that she lacked face-to-face communication skills and felt more comfortable with a mike. Then what about those times they travelled together or hang out till the wee hours of the morning etc? Weren't those face-to-face activities? Such incongruence too!
Two people, with unique preferences of communication (visual but written vs non-visual but spoken). And the person who wants a proper conversation (Onli Fren), cannot get her mike working. And oh, did I mention that my female owner's parents who are tech-idiots, are able to get the webcam cum mike working all the time?
Ironies of life!
It was really strange, because he would write about things and end off with a smiley face "=)", but his face (through the webcam) would look as if it was baptised in tomyam soup. The glum on his face was unmistakable. Such incongruence! A trait of the male species maybe?
Another one of my female owner's bestest MSN buddy, Potato (I mention her a lot of times in this TurtlePad because they spend a lot of time together. They are also referred to as a pair of chopsticks for their similar builds. However, both will unanimously insist that the other has a better figure), refused to get a webcam or mike for quite a long time. She was afraid that my female owner would be too busy to talk to her when school progresses, thus wasting her investment. Finally, she got herself a mike but not a webcam. Reason was that she felt that she lacked face-to-face communication skills and felt more comfortable with a mike. Then what about those times they travelled together or hang out till the wee hours of the morning etc? Weren't those face-to-face activities? Such incongruence too!
Two people, with unique preferences of communication (visual but written vs non-visual but spoken). And the person who wants a proper conversation (Onli Fren), cannot get her mike working. And oh, did I mention that my female owner's parents who are tech-idiots, are able to get the webcam cum mike working all the time?
Ironies of life!
Onli Fren
My female owner's Onli Fren (yes, the one who organised the church party and who had long discussions with her, agreeing that AGAB) recently bought a webcam cum mike so that she could have video conferencing with my female owner. Alas, despite several troubleshooting attempts, they could only get the webcam to work and not the mike. So the two of them have what I call, silent movie conversations. They typed out their thoughts furiously in the MSN dialogue boxes and wait for a visual response from the other party. For some reason, they feel contented doing that.
I think my female owner is really serious about this Onli Fren terminology. When her Onli Fren appeared at the airport to send her off, my female owner introduced her to the rest of the people as "this is my Onli Fren!" The response was instantaneous. The rest of her friends started to get up and move off in mock anger.
Her Onli Fren is also one of the few friends who would visit us turtles in the Balcony and spend some time with us. She would even bother to call us by name. Because of their long friendship, her Onli Fren also saw the previous turtles who lived in the Balcony before us. There were even photos taken of them in the Balcony, turtles in hand.
Now that my female owner is gone, will her Onli Fren still pop by to visit us? Just to check on us... be our ambassador!
I think my female owner is really serious about this Onli Fren terminology. When her Onli Fren appeared at the airport to send her off, my female owner introduced her to the rest of the people as "this is my Onli Fren!" The response was instantaneous. The rest of her friends started to get up and move off in mock anger.
Her Onli Fren is also one of the few friends who would visit us turtles in the Balcony and spend some time with us. She would even bother to call us by name. Because of their long friendship, her Onli Fren also saw the previous turtles who lived in the Balcony before us. There were even photos taken of them in the Balcony, turtles in hand.
Now that my female owner is gone, will her Onli Fren still pop by to visit us? Just to check on us... be our ambassador!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
wet weather
It has been raining everyday in Singapore! Thunderstorms in fact. When my female owner left, she must have brought away the sunshine as well. We like the wet weather, because the rain water will splash into the Balcony (there's no windows here) and we get to wade around. Otherwise, we usually live on dry land and get to play in water only once every 2-3 days when someone feeds us.
Keep the rain coming!
Keep the rain coming!
self-therapeutic dream
My female owner experienced what she called a self-therapeutic dream this morning. She went to bed relatively early at 0030hr as she had a meeting at 0830hr with her friend.
In the early morning, just before waking, she dreamt of my male owner and Nanook the husky (first time Nanook the husky entered her dreams). Nanook the husky was actually given to her by my male owner on the 100th day of their relationship. My female owner, having a penchant for cute things, would usually enter toy/ gift shops to browse. Several such shops carried TY Toys mechandise and that was when she first saw Nanook on the shelves. Since that time, she never failed to enter a toy shop to play with Nanook for a while. Hence, the joy when she received one from my male owner.
Along the years, Nanook became more and more important in her life (i know this sounds weird!) and she would sleep with him almost every night. Sometimes, Nanook the husky would slip off the bed and hit the ground on his nose with a loud impact. Hence, one of my female owner's fears was that one day, his nose would give way and drop out.
Okay, so that's the backdrop to her dream.
In the dream, my female owner dreamt that they were NOT together, but talking as per normal. The issue was surrounding Nanook the Husky as he had just broken his nose (hmmm...Freud will have something to say about this). However, the conversation was steering somewhat to a reconciliation (you know, how you can be angry with someone and through a normal conversation, resolve your anger without addressing the reason for the anger). Then my female owner felt a warning signal go off and realised that she had to do something about it.
Fortunately, she saw a picture of her friend on MSN (ah, now MSN comes in handy even in dreams) and it was a photo of her friend preparing for her wedding. So she took the opportunity to say that she had no intentions of getting married (which is true in real life, coz she decided that it's just not worthwhile upsetting her life for something so fragile). Of course that shocked my male owner, coz to be in a relationship without intending to get married is going against traditional Asian values. That was the cue for her to affirm that they were not going to reconcile.
Nanook's nose was patched up, they said their good-byes and my female owner woke up, earlier than she intended to.
Guess this dream, though set in a very matter-of-factly fashion (no, I dont think she woke up crying or feeling blue), was important in helping my female owner get some closure to this relationship. As far as I know, my owners didnt have a "proper" breakup (ie where they sat down to talk things through calmly). They basically had a mega-big quarrel, left each other in a huff, and spent the next couple of weeks waiting for each other to initiate a conversation. Some emails/ SMSes were exchanged, mostly cordial and still loving. The non-action probably sealed the nail in the coffin and that was that.
At times, my female owner even thought that perhaps they were just having a cool-off period and that someday, they would get back together again. This was until a time soon after when my male owner spoke to her on MSN (ah, here you go... MSN again!) and told her to move on coz he has already moved on (which she later found out, to a new girlfriend. Men!)
Ah, so there you go. A "proper" breakup in dreamland, to substitute for the lack of one in reality. Time to move on..
In the early morning, just before waking, she dreamt of my male owner and Nanook the husky (first time Nanook the husky entered her dreams). Nanook the husky was actually given to her by my male owner on the 100th day of their relationship. My female owner, having a penchant for cute things, would usually enter toy/ gift shops to browse. Several such shops carried TY Toys mechandise and that was when she first saw Nanook on the shelves. Since that time, she never failed to enter a toy shop to play with Nanook for a while. Hence, the joy when she received one from my male owner.
Along the years, Nanook became more and more important in her life (i know this sounds weird!) and she would sleep with him almost every night. Sometimes, Nanook the husky would slip off the bed and hit the ground on his nose with a loud impact. Hence, one of my female owner's fears was that one day, his nose would give way and drop out.
Okay, so that's the backdrop to her dream.
In the dream, my female owner dreamt that they were NOT together, but talking as per normal. The issue was surrounding Nanook the Husky as he had just broken his nose (hmmm...Freud will have something to say about this). However, the conversation was steering somewhat to a reconciliation (you know, how you can be angry with someone and through a normal conversation, resolve your anger without addressing the reason for the anger). Then my female owner felt a warning signal go off and realised that she had to do something about it.
Fortunately, she saw a picture of her friend on MSN (ah, now MSN comes in handy even in dreams) and it was a photo of her friend preparing for her wedding. So she took the opportunity to say that she had no intentions of getting married (which is true in real life, coz she decided that it's just not worthwhile upsetting her life for something so fragile). Of course that shocked my male owner, coz to be in a relationship without intending to get married is going against traditional Asian values. That was the cue for her to affirm that they were not going to reconcile.
Nanook's nose was patched up, they said their good-byes and my female owner woke up, earlier than she intended to.
Guess this dream, though set in a very matter-of-factly fashion (no, I dont think she woke up crying or feeling blue), was important in helping my female owner get some closure to this relationship. As far as I know, my owners didnt have a "proper" breakup (ie where they sat down to talk things through calmly). They basically had a mega-big quarrel, left each other in a huff, and spent the next couple of weeks waiting for each other to initiate a conversation. Some emails/ SMSes were exchanged, mostly cordial and still loving. The non-action probably sealed the nail in the coffin and that was that.
At times, my female owner even thought that perhaps they were just having a cool-off period and that someday, they would get back together again. This was until a time soon after when my male owner spoke to her on MSN (ah, here you go... MSN again!) and told her to move on coz he has already moved on (which she later found out, to a new girlfriend. Men!)
Ah, so there you go. A "proper" breakup in dreamland, to substitute for the lack of one in reality. Time to move on..
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
snacks
Been three days since my female owner started on her healthy living plan. That means no snacking on chips, cookies or other fatty foods more than 2 times a week. Since it has only been 3 days, it's not possible to say if she has kept to this plan.
My female owner hardly snacks in Singapore, as far as I can remember. Even when there were chocolates, ice-cream or chips lying all around the house (courtesy of her parents, neighbour or friends), she felt no affinity towards them. Her only indulgence was durian chips (which had to be bought from Thailand - she has earned a reputation for this. It's automatic that her friends would get some for her if they are holidaying in Thailand) and the occasional craving for certain snacks (like Calibee Hot and Spicy Potato Chips). Even in her workplace, she hardly stocks up on titbits.
Here, she comes up with wonderful reasons to justify her over-indulgence:
i) she's studying and needs brain food
ii) she needs to check out Aussie snacks to see if they live up to their reputation (and maybe bring back to Singapore?)
iii) she's stressed and needs happy food
iv) since she can't cook well, she should just stick to food that is guaranteed to taste good
v) the nearest supermarket is a bus ride away, so she should stock-up "just in case" she needs therapeutic food
vi) winter is coming, she needs the fats
vii) since she has given up on her "empty-calories" vice and the associated fried chicken wings an fries combo, she needs a substitute
viii) this is classic - some of her clothes are too baggy anyway, she needs to fill them up
On a side note, I wonder how it's like to dine on a variety of food everyday. My female owner has been feeding us the same food and we've grown to love it so much that fresh food such as cabbage and carrots taste yucky. Even when we were babies, my female owner did not feed us shrimps (as most people would recommend for baby turtles) coz she did not want us to grow too big too quickly.
My female owner hardly snacks in Singapore, as far as I can remember. Even when there were chocolates, ice-cream or chips lying all around the house (courtesy of her parents, neighbour or friends), she felt no affinity towards them. Her only indulgence was durian chips (which had to be bought from Thailand - she has earned a reputation for this. It's automatic that her friends would get some for her if they are holidaying in Thailand) and the occasional craving for certain snacks (like Calibee Hot and Spicy Potato Chips). Even in her workplace, she hardly stocks up on titbits.
Here, she comes up with wonderful reasons to justify her over-indulgence:
i) she's studying and needs brain food
ii) she needs to check out Aussie snacks to see if they live up to their reputation (and maybe bring back to Singapore?)
iii) she's stressed and needs happy food
iv) since she can't cook well, she should just stick to food that is guaranteed to taste good
v) the nearest supermarket is a bus ride away, so she should stock-up "just in case" she needs therapeutic food
vi) winter is coming, she needs the fats
vii) since she has given up on her "empty-calories" vice and the associated fried chicken wings an fries combo, she needs a substitute
viii) this is classic - some of her clothes are too baggy anyway, she needs to fill them up
On a side note, I wonder how it's like to dine on a variety of food everyday. My female owner has been feeding us the same food and we've grown to love it so much that fresh food such as cabbage and carrots taste yucky. Even when we were babies, my female owner did not feed us shrimps (as most people would recommend for baby turtles) coz she did not want us to grow too big too quickly.
light
My female owner slept really early last night, about 2100hr. She was tired of working in dim light (her lamps are not bright enough for her) and decided to try another strategy - to wake up early so that she can use the natural sunlight to do her multiple readings.
So she aimed to wake up at 0530hr, since Mr Autumn Sun is up and about around this time. Alas, while she can function with less sleep (i.e. sleep late and wake up early), she can't wake up early (i.e. sleep early and wake up early). She ended up waking up at the usual time - 0730hr. Even in Singapore, we turtles never really see her at dawn. She's usually up at 0730hr, when the Mr Singapore Sun is bright and cheery.
Another reason why she wanted to wake up as early as possible was because Mr Autumn Sun goes to bed early, about 1815hr. Hence, she is pressed for time to complete her readings before darkness falls.
So she aimed to wake up at 0530hr, since Mr Autumn Sun is up and about around this time. Alas, while she can function with less sleep (i.e. sleep late and wake up early), she can't wake up early (i.e. sleep early and wake up early). She ended up waking up at the usual time - 0730hr. Even in Singapore, we turtles never really see her at dawn. She's usually up at 0730hr, when the Mr Singapore Sun is bright and cheery.
Another reason why she wanted to wake up as early as possible was because Mr Autumn Sun goes to bed early, about 1815hr. Hence, she is pressed for time to complete her readings before darkness falls.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
fear
My female owner blasted her self-imposed MSN curfew again last night/ this morning. She intended to log off at the stroke of midnight (ya, right) but once she put herself as "online", the floodgates opened and she ended up catching up with some of her friends (you must understand that she had been abstaining from MSN for a few days, so while she's usually online, she's hardly chatting). She ended sleeping at 0300hr and somehow, pulled through a full day of lessons.
Something that was different besides the usual catching up was an exchange she had with a local friend (she calls him Intuitive Fren, because somehow, he pinpointed certain areas in her life which she has been pondering over). I'm not sure if I mentioned this before (but I know my female owner shared this with a few friends, Christian and non-Christians, before) but my female owner knew that one reason why God brought her to Brisbane was so that He could rebuild and restore her life - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, psycholoigcally and physically - in an environment where she would not be so easily distracted.
God started working even before she came over, by putting random people in her life to help her settle in fast (they are really random coz she actually doesn't know any of them beforehand). He led her to her current residence on the first day she reached Brisbane, into a household of Christians worshipping in the very church which she intended to join. Things happened so fast, she felt out of control. In fact, I think she felt unprepared for more of such "divine interventions" that she delayed attending cell-group, missed church and kept to herself. In the end, she even prayed to God, asking God to give her some time before she opened up her heart fully to Him.
I've never known my female owner when she was active in her home church. My older brothers, Dodo and Dona (who are 2 years older than me), caught a short glimpse of her deep involvement in church before she started to get distracted with my male owner and drifted away from God. It was spiritual and psychological downhill all the way.
Having been on the other side of the fence for so many years, I can imagine how scary it would be for my female owner to venture back into the Christian life she left behind so many years ago. I saw her trying so many times during the past 7 years to rebuild her spiritual life but after much struggling, she gave up attending cell group and settled for Sunday Services only. To add to that, she had workplace challenges which zapped up much of her energy. In the end, she developed several defense mechanisms to counteract the workplace. The choices she made...
Anyway, just as my female owner was starting to open her heart (cautiously) more to God, her Intuitive Fren came along to nudge her in the same direction and brought to consciousness, some of the issues which she had either been avoiding, procrastinating on or been oblivious about. I hope that my female owner will be able to resolve her issues and move on from the life (be it good or bad experiences) she was used to in Singapore.
Something that was different besides the usual catching up was an exchange she had with a local friend (she calls him Intuitive Fren, because somehow, he pinpointed certain areas in her life which she has been pondering over). I'm not sure if I mentioned this before (but I know my female owner shared this with a few friends, Christian and non-Christians, before) but my female owner knew that one reason why God brought her to Brisbane was so that He could rebuild and restore her life - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, psycholoigcally and physically - in an environment where she would not be so easily distracted.
God started working even before she came over, by putting random people in her life to help her settle in fast (they are really random coz she actually doesn't know any of them beforehand). He led her to her current residence on the first day she reached Brisbane, into a household of Christians worshipping in the very church which she intended to join. Things happened so fast, she felt out of control. In fact, I think she felt unprepared for more of such "divine interventions" that she delayed attending cell-group, missed church and kept to herself. In the end, she even prayed to God, asking God to give her some time before she opened up her heart fully to Him.
I've never known my female owner when she was active in her home church. My older brothers, Dodo and Dona (who are 2 years older than me), caught a short glimpse of her deep involvement in church before she started to get distracted with my male owner and drifted away from God. It was spiritual and psychological downhill all the way.
Having been on the other side of the fence for so many years, I can imagine how scary it would be for my female owner to venture back into the Christian life she left behind so many years ago. I saw her trying so many times during the past 7 years to rebuild her spiritual life but after much struggling, she gave up attending cell group and settled for Sunday Services only. To add to that, she had workplace challenges which zapped up much of her energy. In the end, she developed several defense mechanisms to counteract the workplace. The choices she made...
Anyway, just as my female owner was starting to open her heart (cautiously) more to God, her Intuitive Fren came along to nudge her in the same direction and brought to consciousness, some of the issues which she had either been avoiding, procrastinating on or been oblivious about. I hope that my female owner will be able to resolve her issues and move on from the life (be it good or bad experiences) she was used to in Singapore.
Monday, March 10, 2008
OCD
As usual, Mondays are bad for my female owner. It used to be that she would drag her feet to work. Now, she finds herself dreading Mondays coz she has lessons from 0900 to 1600hr. It's pretty much like working she said, coz she has a 1.5hr lunch-break in-between 1 marathon morning session and 1 marathon afternoon session.
Anyway, my female owner learnt about obsessive-compulsive disorders or OCDs today. While the material is somewhat familiar to her, she found out that animals such as dogs and cats can also suffer from OCD! Examples of OCD behaviour include pacing, chasing one's tail and pouncing at invisible prey.
Until now, she can't find any information on OCD in turtles but inhouse, Dodo probably qualifies as OCD. This is him.
Until now, she can't find any information on OCD in turtles but inhouse, Dodo probably qualifies as OCD. This is him.
As you can see, he's busy trying to scale over the brick. He does this to walls as well, even though it's very clear that there's no way he can be like Spiderman. AND, he would indulge in his scaling activities for hours at end. I betcha, he's the first turtle ever with OCD!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
change
Been five weeks since my female owner left us. I guess things are panning out nicely for her. She lives in an apartment with a river view; stone's throw from her school. Has a fully equipped kitchen, a full entertainment system (library of DVDs, Korean drama serials, and even Wii). Easy-going and fun housemates who can cook well (that's important for a Singaporean!). She has full parental support in this endeavour. She only needs to focus on doing well for her course.
Some changes she reported since her arrival: She arrived in summer and it's autumn now. The days are shorter and nights more chilly. She joined a church and a bible study group (finally after so many years!). She started jogging regularly (about 2-3 times a week, 3.5km each time) and this is surprising coz I know she absolutely hates jogging. She learnt to cook or at least, picked up new recipes. She stopped drinking but erm, she started snacking so much that she has put on weight (not sure why she bothers to go jogging). She started drinking coffee with fresh milk (rather than using satchets). She enjoys staying home to be by herself. She stopped wishing that she's back in Singapore (but that doesn't mean she's gotten used to being in a foreign land).
Some things remained the same: She still logs into MSN everyday to chat with her friends. She goes for aikido and practices the flute (sporadically!). Nanook the husky still sleeps with her. She doesn't watch television. She still loves us (this is very important). Her hair remains short, curly and golden. She holds on to her Singaporean accent quite strongly (and was badly thrashed by her local friend who insisted that she assimilates into the Aussie slang. My female owner tried to defend herself, saying that her potato friend had threatened to kill her if she ever returned with an Aussie slang. He wasn't quite convinced at her argument).
I wonder how the next 5 weeks would be like for her.
Some changes she reported since her arrival: She arrived in summer and it's autumn now. The days are shorter and nights more chilly. She joined a church and a bible study group (finally after so many years!). She started jogging regularly (about 2-3 times a week, 3.5km each time) and this is surprising coz I know she absolutely hates jogging. She learnt to cook or at least, picked up new recipes. She stopped drinking but erm, she started snacking so much that she has put on weight (not sure why she bothers to go jogging). She started drinking coffee with fresh milk (rather than using satchets). She enjoys staying home to be by herself. She stopped wishing that she's back in Singapore (but that doesn't mean she's gotten used to being in a foreign land).
Some things remained the same: She still logs into MSN everyday to chat with her friends. She goes for aikido and practices the flute (sporadically!). Nanook the husky still sleeps with her. She doesn't watch television. She still loves us (this is very important). Her hair remains short, curly and golden. She holds on to her Singaporean accent quite strongly (and was badly thrashed by her local friend who insisted that she assimilates into the Aussie slang. My female owner tried to defend herself, saying that her potato friend had threatened to kill her if she ever returned with an Aussie slang. He wasn't quite convinced at her argument).
I wonder how the next 5 weeks would be like for her.
left behind
We are left alone for the weekend! My female owner's parents are away in Malaysia for a short retreat. Before they left, they made sure they fed us really well (so considerate of them!)
Although we are solitary creatures, we've gotten used to the presence of humans and modern noises coming from electrical appliances like the television and radio, and human activities like cooking, cleaning and... people quarrelling? So this silence is really cutting to a certain extent. It makes me wonder if its the end of the world.... and we are the only creatures who are left behind.
Somebody talk to us soon!
Although we are solitary creatures, we've gotten used to the presence of humans and modern noises coming from electrical appliances like the television and radio, and human activities like cooking, cleaning and... people quarrelling? So this silence is really cutting to a certain extent. It makes me wonder if its the end of the world.... and we are the only creatures who are left behind.
Somebody talk to us soon!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
don't ask
My female owner talks to her parents almost every night but everytime she asks her mother about us, her mother refuses to tell her how we are. Rather, she expressed displeasure that my female owner is always asking about us!
Mother: "Why are you always asking about the turtles? Why you never ask if I'm okay?"
Female owner: "I can see you through the video and you are ok! So how's my turtles?"
Mother: "Aiyah, don't ask."
*background chuckles heard* - her father laughing at the exchange
Mother: "Why are you always asking about the turtles? Why you never ask if I'm okay?"
Female owner: "I can see you through the video and you are ok! So how's my turtles?"
Mother: "Aiyah, don't ask."
*background chuckles heard* - her father laughing at the exchange
Monday, March 03, 2008
one month
My female owner left Singapore exactly one month ago. It was painful letting her go. We were all in denial that day. In fact, I think we looked super unfriendly then.
Anyway, one month gone means one month closer to reuniting with her. We will be counting down.
Anyway, one month gone means one month closer to reuniting with her. We will be counting down.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
somewhere out there
My female owner attended a birthday party in the mountains. To get there, she had to navigate a long and windy road with no street lamps and overhanging trees. In the absence of light, the stars shone brightly and she was greeted with countless stars, twinkling in the sky. In light-polluted Singapore, the most she sees is Orion and a few other courtesy stars.
Here, she sees Orion shining so brightly and in closer proximity. What a wonder. And sentimental her started to think about the friends (and turtles!) she left behind in Singapore. Realising that they would also see Orion, she was reminded of the following song... yeah.. we are not so far away after all.
Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight
Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true
Here, she sees Orion shining so brightly and in closer proximity. What a wonder. And sentimental her started to think about the friends (and turtles!) she left behind in Singapore. Realising that they would also see Orion, she was reminded of the following song... yeah.. we are not so far away after all.
Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight
Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true
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My siblings and I
From top left: Dodo, Dona, me (Nooki) and Nanook