sense

My female owner can’t believe how quickly two weeks flew by. It seemed like just yesterday when she was eagerly counting the days/ hours to seeing Second Onli Fren again. A couple of hours ago, she hugged SOF goodbye. It was the end of her two-week holiday in Brisbane.

My female owner was left with a sense of “unfinished business”. She felt as if she did not spend enough time with SOF. No doubt, the amount of time they spent together was probably more than the total amount of time they spent together in 2008, but somehow, my female owner felt that the interaction was not deep enough. Not as intimate and heart-to-heart as she would like it to be. Sure thing. They spent time doing different things together but most of the time, there were other people around as well. She probably had about 6 hours of alone time with SOF.

And now that SOF is gone, my female owner is grappling with a sense of loss and void. She says it is like you have gotten used to life without something but when that something (or someone) comes back, you start to adapt yourself to that addition as previously before it left, but when that addition is once again taken away from you, you are left stranded, with a greater sense of helplessness as compared to previously when you had gotten used to life without it.

Hmm… if that makes sense. It was the same kind of feeling she had when she went for her Gold Coast escapade with Potahto in Mar 2008 and when they parted, it was painful for my female owner. She was almost in tears as she turned away from the train station after saying goodbye to Potahto.

Oh well, it’s never really goodbye but “till we meet again”, isn’t it? After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder..

surprise

My female owner finally came back from a two-day pseudo getaway with Second Onli Fren (SOF) and her boyfriend (SOF’B). She says it is pseudo because really, all they did was to go to Chinatown for lunch, Jindalee for cheap shopping, some girl-time at her house (without SOF’B of course), bible study in St Lucia (like ten mins from where my female owner lives), bubble tea at Sunnybank, weekend marketing at Rocklea, Aldi’s and Sunnybank (again), home-cooking at his house in Cooper Plains (once again, it’s the guy who did the yummy cooking. Shame on the gals!) and finally, back to her house for some chit-chat. So really, they did things that they might have normally done in Brisbane, just that now, SOF is around to experience their way of life firsthand.
Sometimes, looking at SOF, my female owner can’t believe that she is really next to her in flesh and blood. It’s such a surreal feeling for my female owner, to have her good friend sitting next to her, talking about random stuff. Just like the good old days…

Despite the years of friendship, there will always be things that would surprise you. My female owner learnt that SOF once didn’t really like her at first coz she felt that my female owner was aloof. This was exactly what Onli Fren felt about my female owner, before they became great friends. My female owner never knew that SOF felt that way too; she only found out because SOF was telling one of my female owner’s bible study friends how their friendship started.

Hmm… My female owner really puts in great efforts to make enemies eh.

visit

My female owner went to bed happy last night. Her Couple Frens and her Second Onli Fren separately confirmed that they would be coming over to visit her this year. Finally! In fact, Second Onli Fren is going over in two weeks’ time (pack us in the suitcase and bring us over too)! She promised to bring over some snowskin mooncakes. My female owner tried to entice her to go jogging with her (they used to jog together, despite living in different areas and not having private transport) but was outrightly rejected ("can we do less healthy things?").

Second Onli Fren used to be the sportier of the two while my female owner was more sedentary (i.e. nerd).

SOF: "you need to realise that i've changed a lot over the years"

FO: "oh dear, so have I. we are on divergent paths now"

Nonetheless, still Onli Frens.

ouch

And so, my female owner claims that she forgot to bring us to Onli Fren's house to be cooked. Hence, they had to settle for ABC soup comprising of sweet corn, tomato, carrot, potato and spare ribs.

Pork with red peppers and onion (ironically, the pork came from Kangarooland)
the anyhow put together egg tofu with prawns
And no, they didn't cook Baby. Thought that I should put the first human face ever on my Turtle Pad. Anyway, my female owner had this fleeting thought to borrow Baby to show her aikido friends... claiming that it is hers...

Onli Frens tell you the truth, even when it hurts:

My female owner was whining to Onli Fren last night that she had no clothes to wear in Singapore because she grew fatter ... and Onli Fren offered to lend my female owner her maternity clothes!

Second Onli Fren was talking about how Onli Fren had progress in life, as compared to her or my female owner. My female owner replied to Second Onli Fren "at least you are younger than me!" and Second Onli Fren said "yah, you are really far behind, cannot deny that".

Ouch.

Frens

The day started wrong for us turtles. My female owner had a big hand in it. She was supposed to spend the day at her Onli Fren’s house, cooking and baking (so auntie!). Clueless about what Asian dishes to cook, my female owner suggested brewing turtle soup as a joke. Somebody please tell her that things can never be joked about. It was ever more scary when she identified Nanook and myself as the main ingredients (coz we are not as smart as the boys, and we are her ex-bf’s pets).

Oh well… it was with a big sign of relief when she left the house, without us. She sounded so serious at one point in time, coz she said that I should be cooked, because I eat more than Dodo!

Anyway, it turned out to be a relaxing nua day for my female owner as she spent the time with her Onli Fren and Baby. The sweetener came when her Second Onli Fren came by. Ah, a rare chance to be surrounded with her Onli Frens!

The three gals had known one another for more than 10 years and Second Onli Fren (the youngest of the three) couldn’t help but compare where each of them were in terms of life stages. Onli Fren had progress the most in her life – graduated, worked, got attached, married, honeymoon-ed, pregnant, baby. Second Onli Fren: graduated, worked, attached. Female owner: graduated, back to studies.

Ah.. true to her second nature of being a turtle, my female owner was the slowest in life. As what Onli Fren said “you wasted your youth on him”. So true. 7 years of her life with a guy who personifies AGAB. No thanks to her indecisiveness, naivety and blind faith. There’s nothing she can do about the wasted years and dwelling about the lost years ain’t going to bring back her youth.

What does Jesus say about this? Perhaps Jeremiah 29:11? My female owner’s favourite verse.

birthday ops

My female owner had an impromptu pre-dinner meeting with Potahto. It was impromptu as my female owner had 1.5hrs to spare between appointments and Potahto was available and more importantly, willing to meet her at last minute's notice. Although it was only about an hour long (my female owner had to leave for a dinner appointment), my female owner enjoyed that short encounter with Potahto. It's not how long you spend with someone that matters, it's how that time is spent with someone that matters.

After dinner, my female owner received an impromptu supper jio by her Second Onli Fren. While driving to pick up Goat (whom my female owner actually met earlier in the day for lunch), they decided to perform a birthday ops on Onli Fren, as it was her birthday. Hence, the three Frens turned up at her doorstep at about 2330hr (with the help of Onli Fren’s husband, who let them into the house). And the four of them (who coincidentally went to Phuket together a few years ago around this time), managed to both celebrate Onli Fren’s birthday, and have a few games of bridge – something which Onli Fren had always wanted to do since my female owner came back to Singapore.

That warm and snuggly feeling, so hard to replace or let go.

Second Onli Fren

Been such a long time since my female owner chatted with her Second Onli Fren. The last time must have been more than a month ago, when my female owner needed her to help her settle her Singapore credit card bill.

Did you know that her Second Onli Fren was the one who bought her my brothers, Nana, Dona and Dodo? And that they were named after the two gals (like they used part of their names to form the names of my brothers). Second Onli Fren bought my brothers at the spur of the moment, complete with a round tank that comes with a bridge and coconut trees. She lived to regret it, when she realised how big they grew... coz we would always run towards her when we see her in the Balcony and she would be scared out of her wits. There's something about us that scares her... I wonder what. Without Second Onli Fren, there won't be Nanook and me. Coz my male owner bought us, as a way of getting closer to my female owner (you know, the concept of sharing similar interests?).

Although it has been more than a month since my female owner and Second Onli Fren last spoke, its one of those relationships that never loses its intimacy or bonding despite the long silence.

According to what I know, the friendship started about 10 years old, when they were both leaders serving in the youth ministry (but just acquaintances - not close at all). My female owner was feeling very discouraged about some church thing and believe it or not, God told Second Onli Fren to write a letter to my female owner. Second Onli Fren wrote a song for her too. That letter was life-changing for my female owner in many ways.

With a friendship built on God's love, it is no wonder that they become close friends so fast... and for so long! 10 years of friendship, with uncountable hours of companionship.. stayovers at each other's houses, diving trips, camping trips, travelling, late night chats at the sea, motorcycle rides, suppers, jogging even (before going for supper!), frog leg porridge, bridge sessions, praying together, leadership camps, bubble-teas, taidi, maybe one drinking to drunk session (over guys as usual, AGAB), watching DVDs, cooking sessions, playing pool, spontanteous meet-ups (just as long as both are available), making Christmas presents together, erm.. skipping church together too. The list goes on... Haha.

Yeah, and I remember now! Second Onli Fren said that she wanted to pick up the flute, so my female agreed to learn with her. She missed the first lesson, and quitted after the second! Now, her actions were the source of our 3-yr agony with my female owner's flute playing! Ah, looks like our lives are intertwined with Second Onli Fren too.

The difference one person makes to your life.