count

My female owner said that her recent holiday to Singapore felt incomplete and truncated. Unlike the previous time when she worked and played at the same time, this time, she chose to spend time with family, friends and turtles. She lost interest in some usual activities such as badminton, aikido and even drinking with buddies (you can take it as she didn’t go drinking at all). She also did not meet up with some people whom she would normally meet up with and gave some parts of Singapore a complete miss. In fact, she also didn’t take us out for walks as often.

Rather than the usual activities, this time, she explored rural parts of Singapore, went to church a few times, probably overdosed on durians and nasi lemak. She even went on a short vacation with her parents. She saw a widening gap between herself and some friends, gaps that formed as a result of physical distance, shift of priorities and inertia. But at the same time, she saw her friendships with some friends become stronger, despite the physical distance her overseas exploits had wedged between them.

Falling sick because of stress was anti-climax for my female owner. Since then, she never really gained back her hearty appetite and scoffed at all things salty, sweet, buttery and carbohydrates. And she never got to eat her chilli crabs.

I suppose every holiday is different and there is no point comparing one to the other. People change, situations alter and priorities shuffle. What’s important is to make every holiday count.