family

My female owner has a few friends who had studied in her current university and who attended her current church when they were there. They unanimously told her that the church is like your family. My female owner certainly agrees with them on this point, but I guess she has been finding it hard to let go of her “family” in Singapore.

Her “family” in Singapore would be her aikido kakis. The group is made up of people from diverse backgrounds – you have students, working adults, male, female, young and not-so-young, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Filipinos, varying levels of education, blue-collared workers, white-collared workers – but everyone gelled together. There was no elitism or discrimination.

They saw one another at least 2 times a week for practice and sometimes hang out together during the weekends, watching movies, karaoke, arcades and buffeting. Whenever grading approached, they would rally around the graders to help them polish up their techniques and would spend their Sunday in the grading hall, just to lend support and take photos. (They were the reason why sometimes we won’t get fed on Tuesdays or Thursdays – coz my female owner would come home about midnight, after practice and by then, she would be busy with other things).

When they found out that she was leaving, they were the first to arrange a coordinated goodbye party (that resembled, comically, a wedding dinner!). Over the past few months, they kept asking her when she would be coming back. Even when they found out that she was coming back, they asked if she would going back to train with them, coz they were afraid that she would not. The many things they did for her and with her had filled her life with many sweet memories...

Such warmth and care, no wonder they are irreplaceable in my female owner’s heart. She looks forward to seeing them again. 8th July.