I started this blog many years ago as a way to share my thoughts on life in Beijing. It was a way for me to remember the ups and downs of life in a country where I barely understood the language, and I a lot of time on my own. Yes Chinese is the common language but I was woefully unprepared. Twelve years of Chinese classes in Singapore wasn't much help when I couldn't figure out what a bus, taxi or market was called. And I mean the proper Chinese words for these things. Not the Singaporean Chinese translation of a Malay or English word.
So that's what this blog started as. It was a place to share recommendations for restaurants that I enjoyed; a place to stay connected with friends and share with them stories of places I get to visit in the course of my work and hopefully entice them to visit me in Beijing.
The blogging stopped when we got home. I guess there's a sense of inertia being home, and there's so many commitments to keep. Slowly but surely we stopped going out to explore new places. It was either too hot, too far ( ironically, we would take 2hrs to get to the Great Wall for dinner) or too expensive to go out. Without seeing the world, what experiences are there to share? Singapore is also such a very small place; anywhere you go and write about, chances are someone else in your circle of friends has already been there. More importantly, all your friends are right there in the same city as you. Isn't it just easier to try out a new restaurant together rather than blog about it for them to try later on?
That's partially why the blog has been forgotten in 2 years.I would like to try writing something occasionally, even if it's ever going to be for my eyes only. I would like to be able to scroll through the blog years later and remind myself of the people I've met, places I've seen and odd situations I may get myself into.
Pisase the grumpy cat has got arthritis. It's fairly severe arthritis in her front legs.
The vet showed me the X-ray and you can see how calcification around the joint creates painful looking spikes that cause her pain when walking. Just imagine having a porcupine or sea urchin wedged between your elbow joints. That was how it looked.
There's nothing I can do about it except give her painkillers and glucousamine, and hope that it doesn't worsen. According to the vet, even if I had all the money in the world to do bone replacement surgery, there is no replacement for that particular joint because it's got too many complex moving parts.
Pisase is now on medication and she's confined in one of the bathrooms to keep Ody from stressing her out. She seems to like being in there. Every now and then, I pick up her and let her perch in her favourite spots around the house which are probably too hard for her to get to now - higher spots which she'll have difficulty jumping down from.
It breaks my heart to see my kitty in pain. She's the first cat I ever had so even if she sometimes behaves like the scary cat that everyone thinks she is, she's still MY pet. It's a special relationship we have too. She is clearly my cat because she's only ever nice to me. Even when she's upset, I get away with carrying her, rubbing her head or trying to hug her.
Everyone celebrates the coming of a new year. I guess it represents a fresh start, renewed hope, anticipation of a brighter tomorrow.
Last night, new year's eve, I went to sleep before midnight. I was just too tired - nothing to do with work. Just tired from an evening run. And I realised this morning, Dan and I haven't gone out carousing on NY eve for sometime now. I think the last time was in 2008 when we went for drinks with The Qoo familiy! We're such old people! And I have to admit that I like huddling at home at night.
So anyway, partying the night away on NY eve seems a little over rated. I think I would rather eat well, sleep well and wake up refreshed to face the new year.
