quiet

In contrast to the past two weeks where she had company over at her house every night she was home, this week had been quiet. Two of my female owner’s frequent drop-ins are out of the country for two weeks (along with their Whatsapp capability), forcing her to find other things to amuse herself. Not that she has been successful in meaningfully occupying herself.

Monday and Tuesday went ok, coz she had work. Then Wednesday, the start of her five day weekend, arrived. In her usual passive fashion, my female owner did not schedule any appointments. She argued that she wanted metime, listening to sermons and reading the bible. Fair enough. She made it to Sayang’s house in the afternoon and brought him out for a wander. With no activities at night (this is when someone would usually pop over for dinner/ jogging/ chillax), my female owner ended up dating her television, watching random but insightful documentaries and human interest programmes.

Thursday. Hmm… She’s supposed to have a lunch appointment with this random friend but he has not confirmed it. And at night, there would be a movie screening – Detective Dee – with dinner provided by Mr Nice Guy. Awesome! One day at a time. She will definitely be able to make it back on Christmas!

5

Ah, as usual, I am a little slow. It was my Turtle Pad’s 5th birthday on 23 Oct 10! Cheers to five years of writing. 1267 blog entries, 23206 views. I’ve been writing more than half my life! Hmmm…not sure how many faithful readers I have, especially since my female owner is so guarded about the existence of this website. I think in her 3 years in Brisbane, she only told 3 people about it (one for each year?). Maybe I’m wrong. As for her Singaporean friends, maybe 12 friends? Sometimes I wonder where all the random readers come from, coz I have hits from different continents and that is odd.

Cheers to more good years ahead!

第一次

My female owner had such a random but quirky conversation with Emo Sponge today. It all started when she said that she had given him her “第一次” twice. She meant it as a joke, with reference to her “first time” drinking alcohol at Sanctuary Cove (a joke that came up then coz they took a photo and the waiter commented that it must be her first time drinking) and her first time playing the pokie machine (he chose the machine for her and it was $3 per button).

Emo Sponge reciprocated that he had also given her many of his 第一次 and started listing them out.

1st iphone tutorial he ever given
1st drinking of white rabbit beer
1st eating of my female owner’s mango pudding (this doesn’t make sense)
1st sitting through 2 guys threatening them with axes (that’s a story by itself)
1st rental car rides
1st benz repair experience
1st cooking of Korean pancakes

Later on, my female owner also remembered that she had her first fishing trip with him and someone else on the same boat. And many more, if she bothers to recall.

My female owner then reasoned that it would be fun to track the kind of 第一次 you have with your close friends. Try it!

newbie

My female owner has a new housemate. She can tell that the newbie is a very nice person but my female owner, being her, is not particularly enthusiastic about having another person living in the house. That’s 4 girls altogether. Even more people in her living space than back here in Singapore. My female owner can be quite individualistic at times. Even though she is accommodating and obliging, she guards her personal space and freedom very fiercely. She wants to come and go as she pleases and three housemates is just too many. But I say, it is early days yet. Maybe things will turn out even better (although I know my female owner is not convinced). Best if she has enough money to move out, get her own place and her own means of transport.

trains

My female owner has confirmed that she hallucinated on Tuesday night at the sushi restaurant. She asked Mr S to go back to the restaurant to inquire about the number of trains on the sushi line. He did, by talking directly to the boss, thus confirming that all through dinner, she was seeing things.

My female owner said that throughout dinner, as the train(s)? were passing by, she noticed that they were not set at equidistance from each other (i.e. not directly opposite each other). That of course meant that one train was sort of trailing behind the other and both were short in lengths.

She didn’t know what happened that at the end, as if the scales fell from her eyes, and she suddenly saw a single, long train.

So freaky she said. An hour of illusion!

guys

My female owner doesn’t like OZ guys very much. She had a few bad experiences with local guys, in terms of their attitudes and values, that she thinks they make lousy partners. My female owner still prefers Asian guys. Top of her list – guys from Hongkong. This started last year, when she was having a random conversation with a 30+ Singaporean guy who asked her about what she was looking for a in a guy. He then recommended Hongkong guys (among the major Asian countries) coz they make good husbands.

My female owner was amused by his recommendation but at that time, she didn’t really know many Hongkong guys well enough to be convinced. One year later, my female owner agrees with his observation. Although she doesn’t know any HK “husbands”, the HK guys in her circle of friends have proven themselves to be reliable, sensitive and of sound character. These include Emo Sponge and Mr S, and two other guys who are in her church group.

Her girl friends think that Malaysian guys are the best. My female owner is half-skeptical coz these girl friends are, erm, from Malaysia. But so far, she has had good experiences with Malaysian guys too. Just not too close to any in particular. But she rather not, coz what if Malaysia and Singapore go to war?

hiatus

My female owner took an unplanned hiatus from Theseus , starting Thursday. Don’t worry, she plans to return to him tomorrow. It all started when she submitted her Main Introduction to her supervisor on Thursday and then, she realised that she had nothing more to do, until he reverted to her on Study 2, 3 and the Introduction. I mean, she can’t write the General Discussion if the studies are not confirmed right? So like a wandering spirit, my female owner had to look for other things to do. This were some of the randoms she got up to:

Thursday: Cooked dinner for friends plus Masterchef (second last episode)
Friday: Lunch with friend at a restaurant she never been to, afternoon of DVDs, church at night
Saturday: Early morning drive (2am) to Tweed Heads to wait for sunrise (really so ENG hoh), Taiwanese brekkie, Property inspection with friends in the arvo, Seafood dinner with other friends at night
Sunday: Church, KFC dinner with friends (see Thursday) and final episode of Masterchef

Intersperse these four days with heaps of food, snacks, chocolates, DVDs in free pockets of time, NO exercise, LOTSA sleep. My female owner knew that any of her high achieving friends would have packed more meaningful and goal-oriented activities if they had a hiatus like her. But really, my female owner ain’t feeling as if she is up to any achievement-driven endeavours. She did feel quite bad about being slothy, gluttony and nua but reckons all would be back to full swing starting tomorrow when she has to meet her professor and her supervisor who would most likely get her to butcher her write-ups.

housewife

My female owner says that she has become a full-time housewife with effective from yesterday.

Firstly, she successfully terminated flute with no drama. Congratulations on that. Everyone at her dinner party was happy and gleeful for her. So this means no more obligation to practice flute when she doesn’t feel like it and spending half a day travelling to and fro for lessons. And of course, saving about $43 each week (note to her: to redo budgeting again!)

Secondly, a bonus, there is no group therapy for the next four weeks. She cannot thank God enough for this, especially since her supervisor would be away for four sessions and my female owner is expected to take those sessions.

No more group therapy on Tues and Thurs. No more flute on Thurs. That means, no commitments for the next four weeks. So my female owner, can, in theory, stay home 5 days a week and be a full-time housewife. In theory, that is. (another note to her: to establish another routine so that she can complete Theseus asap)

space

Hmm… my female owner went out alone with Fated Guy today. Tis strange, how things unfolded she said.

It was meant to be just a dinner, which extended to tea, movie, dinner, dessert and telly at her house. He ended up leaving after midnight. My female owner’s friends have been teasing her about him and wondering (very) aloud if anything else is happening between them. My female owner’s answer has always been a firm no. And today, after being in close proximity for more than 9hr, my female owner knows there is nothing more than friendship between them. She sums up the relationship as "functional".

But yes, he was once again very gentlemanly (this trait always melts my female owner’s heart) and thoughtful. Giving her space to choose what she wants and insisting that she expresses what she wants, encouraging her to try new things, killing a cockroach even (dunno why insects and bugs always appear whenever they are together and he’s like the bug terminator) and other typical gentlemanly gestures. There was an emotive situation that arose which my female owner thought he handled well and in the process, reflected his thoughtfulness.

My female owner says for now, he is another rare counter-evidence for her previous mantra “all guys are bad”

randomly

Has it ever happened to you before?

You are updating your status on FB and immediately, someone comments on your status. The timing is so close, you wonder if this comment is for the very newly updated status or the previously latest status. I hope I make sense.

Well, it happened to my female owner today and the friend who FB-ed her at the same time she randomly updated her status was surprise surprise, Fated Guy.

Such coincidence. But given the extensive amount of time she spends on FB, it is really no surprise that something like that would happen sooner or later.

prawns

My female owner once had a conversation with her Jogging Kakis when she went camping with them, on a topic that once stirred the hearts of Singaporean men and women. The topic (*drum roll*) was whether guys should shell prawns for their partners and if they don’t, is it a sign of ungentlemanliness? Needless to say, the topic generated a fair amount of heated debate and controversy. And of course, my female owner had witnessed how some guys might shell prawns for only one girl, the girl of interest, making the atmosphere awkward for everyone.

Anyway, by fluke, my female owner succeeded in getting someone to shell a prawn for her. She was having Korean BBQ with 4 other people and there were 3 huge prawns on the BBQ. One guy said he didn’t want it, so did my female owner (coz she was too lazy to dirty her hands for one prawn). So that works out to be one per remaining person. However, someone else asked her if she wanted to share a prawn with him, coz he didn’t want the whole prawn (my female owner thinks he just didn’t want her to go without a crustacean). And she gleefully asked, “you peel ah?”

An impromptu trap, which he sportingly obliged. She actually felt bad immediately for putting him in a spot. Obviously he scored once more in the department of gentlemanliness (he’s already a high scorer). Highly recommended to single gals!

accounts

My female owner has problems asking for help. She rather suffer in silence than to ask for help. Could be pride, could be fear of rejection, could be a reluctance to impose on others. Could be all three mixed into one. She has gotten slightly better over the past year. At least now she feels more comfortable asking for lifts from people.

You may not believe this, but when my female owner was thinking of what programme to pursue in university, she did think of reading accountancy. She was quite a mathematical in her younger days, taking up normal maths and further maths, and enjoying the subjects. She loved numbers and certainty in her work. So anyway, her self-limiting thoughts came into play and she felt that she was “not good enough” to get in. So she didn’t apply for it.

Fast forward to 10 years later, the present now. My female owner struggles with keeping a proper balance sheet of expenses and income. For a few months now, she could not balance the figures and would end up with negative spending. Every month, she tries, but hits the brick wall each time. Perplexed, she shared this with Emo Sponge who is a high-flying accountant/ auditor/ assistant financial controller? and is also aware of her reluctance to receive help from people.

After suggesting some possible errors which were promptly shot down by my female owner, he finally said “u need a pro accountant to find out”. My female owner (refer to previous post) replied with “haha I NEED?”

ES: “Yup u need! Not want”
FO: “Okay u win. I NEED help”
ES: “Yay!! U finally conceded. Ok la.. help u out”

And help he did. At 2330hr on a Friday night when people’s brains are usually in a shut-down or party mode, he rectified her accounts and solved the mystery of her negative spending.

Wasn’t too bad to admit that she needs help.. and to receive it, right?

exclusive

Okies, don’t shoot me. I know I haven’t been updating this Turtle Pad. I’ve been lazy. My female owner had been floating around (or rather, zipping around) with her various work/social commitments that it had been difficult to catch her. And then, because of these various commitments that are not thesis-related, she gets cranky and irritable (maybe it’s almost THAT time of the month?) So, in times like this, you can’t blame me for not wanting to approach her for updates yah? You know, in case I lose my shell in the process?

Okay, so maybe I should update you on what she has been up to?

She went with some church friends to Mooloolah Valley (somewhere in the north) over the weekend. She took some basic photos but intended to take the rest from her friends (hence no photos this time). This trip created some controversy amongst some individuals who aired their displeasure at not being invited for the trip and who wondered aloud if the group had been exclusive. That kinda marred the trip for my female owner, but as what I-Fren says (and she agrees wholeheartedly): “friendship is exclusive”

At the same time, her research supervisor threw different kinds of bombs at her, bombs that she had to detonate, which obviously ate away time and resources that she could have otherwise spent on her thesis. Hence, she is not happy. Or rather, she is stressed and overwhelmed with the endless editing, proofreading and formatting of various papers.

There are other things pulling at her but I better end here, lest she gets suck into a downward spiral. Till we meet again, take care!

bubble

My female owner has regressed, she said. She remembered a time when she first starting work (this was post A-levels, in-between junior college and starting university). She gave tuition and worked as a clerk in a hospital. With money of her own, she started giving money to her parents and supporting herself. Although not extravagant, she came to a point where she had only $26 in her bank and almost had to think about skipping meals just to survive. Indignant, she rejected the notion of poverty and started to claim prosperity for herself as a child of God (something along the lines of, how could a child of God have to worry about food?) She never looked back since, she never lacked.

Just this past week, she realised that she only had $25 left in her wallet/ disposable bank account until the next pay day (which should be tomorrow). It’s hard to trace the exact series of events that led to this, but the overarching reason is that my female owner does not know how to budget properly. She finds it difficult, with unstable income, irregular big expenses and impromptu outings that challenge her resources.

Flashbacks of that distant past returned. Time to start praying for help in this area. She finds it extremely disturbing that someone of her age and experience has succeeded in getting herself into this state (don’t worry about her financial status, she has money in her other bank accounts for rainy days). Tsk tsk. She needs to grow up, get out of her bubble, and start planning properly!

comments

I wonder why people whom I don’t know are either leaving comments in Chinese on my Turtle Pad or have Chinese names. After a while, I get tired of deleting them. Please don’t leave any comments coz firstly, I don’t know who you are, and secondly, I don’t understand Chinese. So if I don’t know who you are, I can’t ask you to explain your comment. And even if you leave comments in English, I can’t read your Chinese name, so I still don’t know who you are.

Anyway, if I don’t make sense, just take it that I enjoy comments from my friends or my female owner’s friends. If you are in neither category, comments are welcome, if they make sense.

nonchalent

My female owner finally figured out what happened on Sunday when she had a mini emo outburst in church. She concluded that she was just being hormonal. Literally. Her monthly visitor arrived last night, perhaps a week early. She doesn’t know why, and thought it was a bit annoying since she is all prepped up for an extended weekend which starts like erm, today? But then, she has been in worse situations before, like when her visitor came during her diving weekend, or on the very day when she has a school camp. In recent times, it might have been when she was camping.

Anyway, my female owner also has gotten out of the habit of tracking her monthly cycle. She just knows vaguely when it is expected to start and yah, just react accordingly. How’s that for being nonchalent?

mountain

My female owner’s patience is running thin for certain groups of people. One such group is people who make a mountain out of a molehill.

My female owner recently had a lighthearted discussion with some people where most sated that they could not bring themselves to tell a friend if he/she has body odour. Hence, most of them would just put up with the discomfort. That discussion took place last week and my female owner thought it was over.

Just today, one of them broached the subject on MSN and immediately quoted a verse from the Bible about how the wounds of a friend are better that kisses of an enemy. That, to my female owner, was so off. Not wanting to waste time and energy engaging in a theological argument or pointing out how he had take the issue out of context (there are more to this episode, just that my female owner is skipping the in-between details), my female owner’s reply was “and your point being?”

That was enough for this person to back off with an “erm, never mind”.

Moral victory, so claims my female owner. In the past, she would have explained where she was coming from and her perspective on the issue. But now, she doesn’t want to waste time debating on matters which are unimportant to her. After all, as her Best Fern always says, "I've got limited time and resources".

maybe

My female owner is so positive that she is dysthymic that she went to check out her mental bible (aka DSM-IV-TR) to see if she met criteria for any mood disorders. Not major depression she says, not even dysthymia. Her presenting complaints? – poor sleep, loss of interest/ pleasure in things, irritable, social withdrawal, feelings of worthlessness/ helplessness, difficulty concentration, poor memory, sometimes undereating, sometimes overeating, easily tired (especially mentally and socially). No suicide ideation. Hmm.. maybe she is getting there?! Don’t think she has any familial history of mental or psychiatric illnesses though.

connected

My female owner met up with a random Singaporean for lunch today. Well, not very random but perhaps the way in which she got connected to him was.

A QUT student who was doing the same placement with her at the hospital told my female owner about a fellow Singaporean coursemate who is just completing his doctorate and asked if my female owner was interested in meeting up with him. My female owner said ok. So the two of them made contact via email and it turned out that the guy had interned at her former workplace in 2006, and still remembered my female owner. What a small world.

My female owner, of course, did not recall him at all. So anyway, they met today and my female owner realised that he was the guy that she thought looked like her cousin when she saw him in the past. Things started off a little awkward. Felt a little like a blind date sort-of thing apparently. But they eventually warmed up and started to share experiences and exchange views on various issues. Turns out also that his thesis is being marked by her research supervisor!

Ah, my female owner reckons that this is another person with whom she can have intense simulating intellectual psychological discussions. Someone who speaks her professional language.

ibliss

Ever since my female owner got her iphone (which she named as ibliss), her life changed.

For one, MSN has lost a bit of charm. WatApps is more intriguing for her. But certainly more exclusive since not everyone has an iphone. So she would still use MSN.

For seconds, iphone helped her get closer to someone (yes, within 2 days!) who speaks her language and shares similar views on different things (but please don’t misunderstand, there is no hidden meaning to what I just said). My female owner believes that just as MSN helped her build some meaningful friendships, the iphone can also be used in a similar fashion.

For thirds, she set up a Twitter account, but not like she would really use it, she reckons.

Did I also say that she shocked many people when they found out that she got an iphone? Some stared at her in disbelief, some said they didn’t expect her to get one. Others were thrilled. One person (from Singapore) actually said that she couldn’t believe that my female owner would get one but refused to elaborate when my female questioned her. And later on, my female owner mentioned in passing that she couldn’t get her DVD to play on her laptop and the person’s response was “now you know what I mean when I said I didn’t expect you to get an iphone?”

Sighz… still a tech-idiot..