Privileged

Dehong visited me last evening with a bag full of gifts. I only opened it this morning. I got an emoticon freshly baked bun - a stress reliever......am I so stressed? O.K. I admit, yes, easily so too, an Illusion Science kit......interesting, and a box of bird's nest..... I am touched. This is one brother who thinks I need bird's nest and goes ahead to pamper me with it. I feel old and privileged.
Privileges were given to us when we signed up for NLB Project Deliver Me - a programme whereby NLB volunteers would deliver library materials to those who have difficulty visiting the library themselves. I was one of those privileged under MDAS to take part in its pilot. Project Deliver Me kicked off this year. NLB volunteers delivered our library books this morning and took away the dued items. I didn't managed to finish reading the book, "Winter World" by Bernd Heinrich. I put it down in the list of books to borrow the next round.
Gan's rather surprise visit gave me another reason to feel privileged and keep smiling. He popped in at 2 plus with a tank containing Leopard Lacewing caterpillars. Leopard Lacewing is a bright colourful butterfly that is becoming more common in Singapore. The larva feeds on the passionfruit plant. Gan gave me one of the three caterpillars in the box. He put some of its foodplant into my box too. We had two passionfruit plants growing on the fence behind the boys' rooms. However when I take Gan to the plants, I realised the plants were no longer there. They had been uprooted by the contractors recently to make way for the new fencing. The old Community Club next door had been brought over by the Anglicans and is now undergoing construction to turn it into a family service centre. While I worry and fret over the caterpillar's food, Gan, in his experience, assured me that there is nothing much to worry about. The caterpillar was near pupaton.

Story of the Ramps

Last night, for the first time, we actually enter their house. James and Elaine were delighted. I am glad the wooden ramps finally found its use.
Mary and I spent money constructing the ramps several years ago. The constructor made it with good heavy wood. It was too heavy and impracticle to cart around and was a white elephant from day one. Until now.
James was overjoyed to adopt the two planes of wood for their house. For a long time, James and Elaine had wanted to invite us into their house. Peng Mun and I have surprised them a couple of times by appearing in front of their gate. But we had never been in their house because there's two steps leading up to their front porch from inside the gate.
James and Elaine resolved to get us into the house in the coming CNY. James collected some material and began work hammering away last week, much to the curiosty of his neighbours. "What is James up to?" they asked Elaine.
"I don't know, you go and ask him" was Elaine's reply. She and her son, Justine were...erm... rather horrified. They were greatly relieved when the acquiring of our wooden ramps spelled an end for James's construction. I had no idea why so. "It's crude," said Elaine. But still I hadn't the slightest idea of what James was constructing. Last night, we see for ourselves.
James was putting up a rather complex structure of wooden blocks and planks that require nothing short of a manual to put it together. He was so very funny, trying to remember how the pieces of wood fit together, I couldn't help laughing. But here's truly a friend I can appreciate. He put in all his effort. God bless him. But no, no, I wouldn't even dare try out his construction.
However, James was pleased, proud and comforted when we did made use of three pieces of board from his trove to lessen the gradient of the ramps. And for the first time, we could go inside and admire their dwelling place. The ramps have found the right home.

The cold North wind slackened

My room has always been the stuffiest room. Its windows face east and its door faces west. The winds seldom blow in these two direction. A shelter built for the horticulture behind the room kept out the rain but at the same time blocked off any light breeze that might come in through the windows. But for now, the strong north winds blows steadily and sends its coldness throughout the building.
"Don't know where to sit. Go to the hall also cold, sit in the room also cold, lie down with blanket on the bed also cold!" said Emily, one of the residents. Exactly so. In the night, it is so cold, my toes felt like ice under the coverings.
Today, however, the sun shone harder and the velocity of the wind had slackened a little. It felt good to be out in the sun with the wind blowing. The same feeling I get being outdoor in the summer of 1997 in England. I took the route through the courtyard each time I went to and fro my room.
My roommate said it is a day to laze. As it turned out, I couldn't do much work on the computer. I spent the morning spring-cleaning my room with help from a student volunteer. In the afternoon I was not seated properly and tired out quickly trying to use both hands to type. I spent the evening writing out my CNY greeting cards with Lan Mui helping me and confiding in me. I prayed with her before she turn to bed. After that, Elaine called to say she is coming over with James to pick up two pieces of wooden ramps.

Hitch, hike, help and home is Home

Having confirmed that my room-mate Lan Mui can walk far and not tire easily, we went out together yesterday and spent a whole day at Ang Mo Kio Hub. I thought of taking the bus to the Hub in the morning to save energy, time and battery power. (Peng Mun's motorised chair battery was starting to wear out after two years.) I would rather we hit the pavement in the evening as the buses coming back from the MRT Station are, needless to say, fully packed. We arrived at the bus stop and checked the panel. It was a long wait for the next WAB (Wheelchair Accessible Bus). We hit the road on pavement.
Before the morning gone by, Lan Mui was complaining about a pain in her leg. We rested and walked some more. Along the way, as we shopped and lunched, we stopped and rested in between. I was getting concerned if Lan Mui can make it back, for her complaints came in shorter interrvals. Eventually I asked her to specify where the pain was. It was in her left foot. I suggested she took off her track shoes to relax it for a while. Guess what? The moment she loosen her shoelaces, she felt a tremedous relief. I can't believe she tied her shoes up so tied, it hurts! Well, I was relieved too; she could walk happily after that. It was Peng Mun who didn't have enough power to move in the evening. We had no choice but to join the evening crowd in boarding a bus. Bus 268 with two wheelchair seatings came quickly. We gestured to the driver with three extended fingers. He nodded. We were all aware of the crowd jostling for places. The driver did what he had to do. He opened the front door to let the able-bodied passengers board the bus. They swarmed in. The bus was nearly full when the driver tried to close the door. The people further away got the message and stopped rushing while the last few people were let into the bus. It was a crowd in the bus but we managed to board it. Three stops later, the bus was empty except for us. We dropped at the fourth bus-stop near the industrial park, thanked the kind driver and walked the distance home through Tavistok with Lan Mui helping Peng Mun along. Neared Saint Peter's Church, Peng Mun summoned Attendant Julie out with a phonecall for help. We raced the short distance home.
Today, visitors donated to the Home cartons of Milo, Anleen Milk powder, Maggie Mee, instance coffee packets, et cetera, while the Home cleared out and gave away cartons of Quacker products and packs of unpolished rice. There were simply too much, we couldn't finish them in time. Thanks to our many kind-hearted donors.

The trouble with the Balloons

Volunteer Christina organized and got many of her friends (and her sister Daisy as well) to sing us a delightful medley of songs yesterday in celebration of the Lunar new year. There were lucky draw of prizes and ang baos and colourful balloon sculpture, all to bring on a festive mood. After the celebration, the playful staff let go some of the balloons. I found one strayed balloon sculpture in the carpark before I went to bed. Lugging it back, I met Jason, my brother-in-law, half-way and got him to pluck out the blue, foiled, star-shaped, helium-filled balloon. Night staff Kumari came to put me to bed. I handed her the balloon and a problem: what to do with a floating balloon without a string? We looked around and eventually jammed the balloon in the gap between the window blinds and the wall cupboard. That was brilliant idea, we thought.
At 12.30a.m., I woke up to a series of 'bangs'. Someone was opening fire. That’s my first thought. Haha, look what reading too much mystery thrillers had done to me. The balloon was free and was banging into the rotating ceiling fan. I triggered the call bell for help. Kumari caught the balloon, feign annoyance and brought the balloon out of my room. I laughed. Kumari is one of the kind, gentle, soft-hearted girl around here. I woke up in the morning, and there, tied to an empty wheelchair is two star-shaped foiled balloons green and orange in colour.

The Palm King eclosed

Amathusia phidippus phidippus (Palm King)

=) My first time looking at this in real life. And wow, it's a big butterfly compare to the many medium and small butterflies I've ever kept. This one, with its wings folded, could just about cover the surface area of my palm. (Hmm? That puts a new meaning to its name.) It had climbed higher above the exuvia (the empty chrysalis case) to allow itself wing expansion space. So much for my worrying through the night whether I should have prop the thing higher. I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleeping excited to see the eclosure in process. But all I could do was lie and wonder about it on the bed until the morning shift staff came to put me out of bed at 6.45 a.m. The Palm King was out before I was up. Its bands of chocolate milo, creamy white and coffee milk colours conjured a delicious image of tiramisu cake in my mind. Once again, I give thanks to our Creator for delighting us with the creation of these beautiful insects. He created a myriad of creatures and took great care to put in the finest detail, down to every scale, down to every cell.

How many are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures. --Psalm 104:24

A Palm King 'ripens' and brought back at last

Here's a picture of us.
That's me with Peng Mun beside me and his brother, Joseph Loke, who had came to visit. Joseph had brought along his camera and is keen to get some shots taken. Here's my opportunity to get a Palm King pupa shot in its natural surrounding. I led him outside the Home where the underpass is.

A big green caterpillar had pupated on the ceiling of the underpass near our Home. When I found out that it was a pupa of a big Palm King butterfly, I was determined to get it. In my enthusiasm, I had failed to take into account that the chrysalis is filmly attached to the cement ceiling by the caterpillar's strong silk. In the process of collecting, I regretfully caused the demise of the to-be-butterfly. What followed was a half hour spent mournfully in Chong Boon Park with Peng Mun trying his best to console me to no avail. Enroute home, I looked around and, to my consolation, found another chrysalis on the palm tree near the underpass. This time, I left it where it was but returned everyday to check on it. This morning, when I go to check on it, I took note of the colour change. The part of it where its compact folded wings are is begining to show up with a distinct colour from the rest of the body, a clear sign that the butterfly is ready to eclose the next day. If I don't bring the chrysalis home with me, I'd never be able to catch the butterfly itself. Up till today I have only seen pictures of this butterfly and have yet to see one in real life.

After some pictures are taken, Joseph readily returned with a container and a pair of scissors. The object of my attention was snipped from the tree and brought to my room. Now then, begins my eager wait for the morning.