Stuff
HEAPS of this and that's have happened in the past fortnight.. I've worked 6 shifts at my new job in this period & it's pretty awesome:D Free food, drink and 30 minute breaks! My workmates rock and the food's pretty healthy too. The only downer is that my skin reacts to the cleaning detergents and is now all dry and itchy *eww* but i'm learning to take some precautionary measures so it should be all good:) I've closed shop a few times and got to take any leftover sandwiches, salads, etc home which the value in itself, overpays me about 10 times.
I've caught up with a few buddies, namely Jan, Ellen and May, in that order. The movie marathon with Jan was a disaster -the movies x and y turned out to be bombs so we had to rent Madagascar to make up for it! But catching up with her is always great. I haven't seen Ellen for about half a year so more catchups are in order, and May? well, a day with her is always a day well spent. I don't know how she does it but she never seems to age- even when tiredness clamps to her & pretty much knocks her out; no wonder ppl think we're sisters rather than the aunt-niece duo we're meant to be:P She took me shopping around QVB and made some nifty purchases -considering it's jingle season and all^^
Crookshanks is looking good. A vet trip is lined up for Friday and i've introduced him to most of the fellowship. The kids love him so much that part of the reason I'm keeping him is for them. But he's pretty spoilt *guilty look* and i'm trying hard to discipline him -sometimes it looks like it's working- most of the time it's hopeless-_-'
So my holidays have been pretty busy so far and this week is full to bursting. Work again tmrw, pancakes with Smee on Wed, work again Thur and the vet thing Friday. I'm not entirely sure what Saturday is for -maybe a massage? hehe, and Sunday is fellowship! Not to mention I have under a month to plan where I want to go for my precious 3 week christmas break,, May wants to go up north to Brissy but nothing's researched at this point and it's driving me loopy! then right after
that road trip with her, Barbara is planning to take me down to Kosciusko ~nice.. I've always fancied mountain climbing.. and road trips never lose their appeal:) Anyway, it looks to be a nicely hectic summer.
And Harry Potter is out in 3 days! & Narnia soon after!! Yesterday is also a day worth recording. I've officially tagged it 'gift day' - by virtue of the fact that so many gifts were exchanged here and there. I gave some gifts as well as receiving one. The happy feelings that accompanied both phases were pretty much the same and I still can't get over how this person reacted this way to x present or how great it felt to receive a wonderful pressie out of the blue. God being the master of gift exchange, must wonder why we deny ourselves such a healthy practice so often.
Totally Crookshanks
I've decided to adopt the furball. Funny really, how things turn out. There I was last Tuesday; finished my first exam and waiting in a fit of angst over the next one when.. 1) a turtle hurtles into my life 2) a kitten hurtles into my life 3) having owned neither before I felt a cross between a) chucking my exams out the window, nevermind failing the lot & b) unceremoniously shooing the animals away>_> Now, less than a week later, the turtle's gone - John took it back coz it just didn't belong. The kitten stays - & so much for thinking its all docile and gentle -which it is around (and only around) strangers. It's already figured out what it can get away with; it seems to think that the only function of my legs serves as either a scratching post or a rubbing post *hmph* It's also fussy. It would rather hold its stools in than let it out anywhere other than a proper cat litter, where it can bury it and be true to its catness. But despite all the odds, I love taking care of it. And one reason for that is because I find it easier to relate to God in many ways thru taking care of Crooks.
Before Crooks, everything outside food, gifts and the odd outing was an expense. Over the years, yes I've learnt to save really well. But I wasn't very good at spending, nor did I want to. And initially, I thought of the kit as a minimum 15 years worth of expense; yet reluctant as i was with all these thoughts + many others, the next few days wrought a huge change in my mindset. I started picking up on its ways of feeding and cleaning, etc etc. I constantly thought about ways to improve its health (mentally, physically -i think it stops here actually).. I worried that it might get hurt .. i wanted to follow its growth, enforce rules (for everyone's sake!) and make it feel completely loved.
Well that's pretty much how God wants to be with us isn't it? And slowly -yet quickly- it's informing us of its comfort zones. When i took it outside on the veranda, it jumped off and sniffed the door like it wanted to go back in. It's begun marking everything with its scent (by dabbing its paws onto objects) -in fact, it hates it when i go into the shower coz i'm washing its scent off and the moment i get out, it would dab its paws on me several times to 'scent' me again. It loves little hidey holes and prefers obstacles courses to toys.. so say i take it to the living room: rather than play with a toy or whatever, it would run around the piano, behind the couch, brush under the curtains, and explore like anything!
But having the cat has surfaced a trait in me that nobody likes: the control freak. I don't like people picking up kit too often coz its so young and has to be handled carefully. And when I mean people I really mean children. They can be so rough if you let them get away with it, and many a time I have caught myself losing it with Nathaniel for doing that to kit every 5 seconds. Of course nobody but mature cat lovers can sympathise with me on this point, of which I'm the only one in this house:O I feel so bad when i rebuke Nathaniel for handling the cat too often, I know he's just a kid and its part of their inquisitive nature to pick up anything and everything that's cute. But he's also a choleric -which means about 99% of the time, he thinks he knows best. How am I supposed to get my point across eh?? But then I think *well, no matter how bad my day gets, it can't possibly be worse than God's, who has to deal with over 6 billion souls, each with their endless problems, their pains to heal*.. and then i realise that God takes pleasure in healing his saints and that our problems become his testimonies.. so I loosen up and see the situation in its positive sphere.. see how kit has actually brought God and me closer? There are many other parallels i can draw here but I think i've written enough right now..
The key things I've learn is that.. 1) God knows what you're capable of even when you don't and sometimes He will throw you into the thick of it to prove just that -i didn't realise i could take care of a kitten and actually enjoy it, with no prior experience, during my exams!!! 2) "It's easier to resist at the beginning than at the end" -Leonardo Da Vinci 3) There are traits you don't realise you have that God might want you to fix or work on, example: *bad point* control freak *good point* mothering nature -
that i thought was non existant 4) kittens can bring a smile to just about anyone. Which can only be, a good thing:)
kit and turtle day
Right now a bemused turtle swims in our laundry sink while a frightened kitten is curled up on the bathroom floor. John found 2 of my favourite pet types in one day ~ talk about craziness!! Now, well.. - I don't have a clue what to do with them! I don't remember praying for one before, only that I wanted one. And I've voiced that opinion everytime i saw an animal that looked anti-aggro, i.e. a tiger, a dolphin, a lamb, a polar bear, etc.. I wonder which one of them will turn up next :)
I've owned pets before but never the SOLE owner. Such a feat of responsiblity has never trialled me and i feel pretty uncomfortable. The kitten did not come to us begging for adoption. It has a mother and looks healthy, but it doesn't seem to have an owner. We really just don't want it becoming one of those wild cats that terrorise the neighbourhood at night with their insane modes of screeching. Cats can be a huge problem when they go wild and aren't desexed. And there's the vet fees. Expensive creatures they are. I'll be paying more to maintain the kit than I do myself! I'm torn. On the one hand I figure it's cruel to let it go back to the vagabond life and breed another generation of ghetto cats (hey what else can i term them?).. on the other, it's cruel to tear it away from its mother, siblings, etc~ wild or not. Ack, I can feel a headache coming. What do i do??? somebody give me a problem solving tablet.
This is also an unexpectedly bad time to be distracted by important issues of this sort as I still have 3 exams left! argh!! So for now, we're giving this adoption thing a week.. maybe a fortnight. It's called the trial period. If the kit doesn't like us by then we'll let it go to the Cat Protection Society or some other cat-friendly place. If it warms up, I'll be it's official owner. As for the turtle, well, we're still thinking. But we're probably going to keep it. John found it in Dural and Barbara really likes it. It's not a hassle to us, the problem is finding a proper place to put it. Being the finicky water creature that it is, it likes plenty of water, but also plenty of grass -to roam. But how do we fence it? How do we begin building one? *chums* Problems, problems. So aside from issues of foster parentship, all is fine. One exam down, 3 to go. Chem next *cries*
10.09pm - I've decided to call it (the kitten) Willow. It's sitting on my lap as i speak, sleeping really. It doesn't mind me stroking or playing with its fur. Indeed it looks perfectly at home. *bliss*
7.01pm [Wed] - right now, my kitten is sleeping inside a shoebox, on my bedroom desk, smiling contentedly.. I took it to the RSPCA earlier this avo and got it a multi-flea/worm/creepy crawly zapper that left me $37.45 lighter - for 3 miniscule tubes! - that only lasts a month each!! *sigh* It's just a tiny spot on dab behind the neck and looked really dubious, but kit has settled quite a bit and more fleas are dropping off (i know that sounds gross but i still love him). That's right - it's a him. Great detectives aren't we?:P So it's name is now Crookshanks. Tho I'm just goin to call it whatever pet name pops into my head. It has about 10 already i.e. pumpkin, sweetie, tibbles, kit.. just your average emo names. He's more named for reference purposes than anything. I still have a fortnight to think about whether or not i want him. So far it's a yes. Mind you, if wasn't such a calm, peaceful, playful little bundle of gorgeous black 'n' white fluff I'd be having second thoughts; but he knows his mummy:) RIGHT. Study on - chem!
Recap
Work was good yesterday. Spent most of my 6 hours dodging spills, drips and all manner of flying crumbs. In other words, making juices, smoothies and humungo sandwiche/rolls>.> I was in health haven, but it was pretty full-on and by the time i got home, was drained of energy even to smile. There's something serially wrong with my sleeping patterns coz my 'doze' -after a quick shower- turned into a 12+ hour zomby slumber. Not amused.
Today was calm and peaceful, just how i like it best. I spent the better portion of it compiling a NY/christmas/birthday pressie list for all my beloveds. I'm happy with what I've come up with. Thanks to the health conscious nature of this family, indoor plants dominate the list. According to the EPA many years ago, indoor air pollution was rated among the top 4 environmental health risks -and i have no reason to stop believing that. As such, I went on a plant searching rampage and narrowed it down to a plant per person: (1) Peace lily (2) Dendrobium orchid (3) Madagascar Dragon tree (4) Chinese Evergreen (5) Bamboo plant.. personally i reckon that plants will perenially rule the gift wish-list of any organic person. I dream of that day when the living room becomes a mini-forest...
Miscellaneous stuff fills the rest of the list. I'm not bothering with Christmas cards coz letters/memos rock so much more.
Gee whiz the year has flown.. time for your classic highlights vs lowlights recap:
Highlights:*becoming more sure of my faith, my values, my priorities *quitting old job *finding new job *being introduced to the Morgans' *passing first semester *Joining Civic and being able to rent for $1 a day (Wed only but still!) *discovering the delights of contact lenses *realizing the hidden abilities of yours truly in a 14-stanza poem dedicated to Barbara & co. for mother's day *finding the love of my life [who incidentally doesn't know about it despite everyone else knowing about it] *my trip to China in July (absolute pricelessness) *meeting my stepmother for the first time *youth fellowship!!
Lowlights:*Stan's behaviour *being a stubborn chimp & causing tear shed *issues at old job - that i quit hurray!! *Not really knowing whether he actually is the one -and not likely to any time soon coz we both so shy ~hrmph *certain revelations
It warms me to see the (+)'s outstripping the (-)'s. There are so many more from both sides, yet these particulars stood out. As i read over it later, probably others that seem obvious but didn't enter my head then will find itself duly inserted. But for now as it is, let it stand.
