The fugitive caught

Dear friends, thank you for your concern. I'm very happy and relieved to announce that the fugitive mouse has been caught. Now I'm in the mood to tell the full story.

We woke up to find the remaining hamsters in a great state of excitement. Friendly was creating a lot of commotion, and when she finally got our attention, she ran and showed us a *gasp* gap in the cage! Ninja was gone! I was so worried for her.

Unbelievably, many hours later, we finally found her hiding inside a cupboard. I didn't even know that she could squeeze in. She was there all along I think, and never ventured out for food and water. Imagine my great relief when I opened the door and saw the little bundle of fur, looking perfectly miserable and ready to go home in my hands. The fugitive offered zero resistance. She ate and drank a lot, and slept the whole day. Don't think she would be wanting to run away again.

A ravenous hamster

Sleeping it off. Why run away when home is so cosy?

Where she hid. I shudder to think what would happen if I never opened the door. Who could have guessed?

Disappearing act

I'm fainting. This isn't a week for hamsters. Friendly and PipSqueak went to the vet. And Ninja...did a disappearing act! At the moment of writing, we still haven't found her. How ironic that she is called Ninja. Everything was closed but she somehow managed to use her teeth to undo the latch.

This is a shattered dream moment for me. I've quite come to the end of myself as a pet owner.

Another Vet outing

I conclude that whether it is Squeaks or children, it's really up to God and not man.

We can do our best for our children pets, but at the end of the day, who knows how they turn out, and no one can control what really happens to them. After doing all that we can, we can only turn them over into God's care, and hope for the best.

Until now, I still am not sure how BigSqueak died. One moment she was munching happily on carrots, and the next, it was all over. PipSqueak developed a terrific abscess in her foot. Despite a trip to the vet's, the pus came back. So we are going for a follow up treatment this weekend. Then, I was horrified when Friendly emerged from her house sporting a swollen eye! Friendly! Who boxed you?! She still seems active and greedy, so I am guessing that it is a superficial injury. But this means that instead of one Squeak, now two Squeaks are going to the vet's. Sigh...

You guys are going to think I'm maltreating my pets, the way they get hurt. But no! I buy the best Japanese made cages for them, change their feed and water faithfully, and pad their homes with tissue and bedding. They rest in a nice airy room in our home, and we don't even play much with them. Honestly, I don't know how life can be better for them.

Isn't it the same for children? Strange that within a family, siblings can turn out so differently. The most loving of parents don't always produce the most accomplished or even affectionate children. On the other hand, I have had students who turned out to be very responsible and mature despite having indifferent parents.

That is why I can only conclude that though we may plant the seed and water it, it is God who make things grow. It isn't quite about resignation, more like surrendering to His sovereignty. At least, we can trust that God knows even when a sparrow falls.

No Kidding

If you take a walk around Changi Airport T3 on weekends, you would never dream that Singapore has a problem with low birth rates. There are children everywhere - children in restaurants, children climbing on monuments, children drawing, children running, and children yelling.

And this is why, I am rather glad that some restaurants impose a 'no children' rule.

Many years ago, V and I, then dating, booked a candlelight dinner for Valentine's day. One couple brought along their infant for their special date. Frankly, for the rest of us, it felt like an ominous sign of what is to come if we carry our dating to its logical end.

What I mean is, there is a time and place for everything. Since we all know that children will be children, then let them be themselves in place that are suitable. If there should be child-friendly places, then to be fair, there should be romance-friendly places too.

Even parents out on a date need a break from other people's children too, right?

More 'best friends' pictures

I just feel like going 'awwww' whenever I see them together. The TwinSqueaks are really best friends, so different from BigSqueak and PipSqueak. We can finally differentiate them now - Friendly is the bigger and fatter one.

Now that she has her own cage, PipSqueak is thriving. The bald patches on her neck are gone. Poor thing, she must have been dreadfully stressed when she was living with BigSqueak.

In the kitchen

A rare sighting in the kitchen

A terrific mess! And this is a non stick pan mind you

The results of the great effort - two sunny side ups, with too much olive oil

Oops, one yolk was broken.

And this is why I'm the head chef at home.

The Squeaks

Gradually, the Squeaks developed more distinct personalities.

Friendly is a BIG girl. As she does nothing but eat and sleep, she has erm...put on a terrible lot of weight. Picking her up is like holding a wriggling potato. See, here she is, guzzling again. Have to let her run in the ball more.

PipSqueak is a ferocious little thing. She'd bite any finger that comes too near her. *CHOMP* Both V and I have scars from her aggression.

Ninja is super turbo. It's the first time I've seen hamsters doing flips, yes, flips on the wheel. She'd run so fast that she flies into the air and makes a perfect 360 degree turn. Terrifies me to see her do it, but apparently, this is repeated safely a hundred times every night.

New Year

This is yet another year to find God's direction for important decisions in my life.

There were times when I felt like Moses in the desert - wondering that's what life's all about. Just when it seemed like things would never change again, lo and behold, the burning bush!

But this isn't such a time. For now, I am following the cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, moving and not knowing where the next resting spot is. God! It would be nice to know soon, because there is nothing as unsettling as uncertainty. And this misanthrope has an almost autistic dislike for change.

I might just return to the North Pole, though as Heraclitus says, one can never step into the same river twice. You are not the same you, and the river is not the same river.

Squeaks Playing

This is how you know the TwinSqueaks are best friends.