Thursday, February 24, 2011

My Canaries

I can't believe my eyes when I look at the two canary chicks that just hatched about two weeks ago. They are almost as big as their mother. They are all feathered up and probably will jump out of their nest at the end of this week.

What surprises me more is the mother canary is mating again! She's trying to build another nest. She keeps on setting strings at the corner above the current nest, but they wouldn't stay. I guess she no longer wants to stay in the same nest. It's probably because there's a lot of poop from the chicks.

So, last night, I placed two more nests in there. But, she didn't seem to like them. Maybe, they are not big enough for her. I read that canaries like open nests, not the enclosed nest with a small opening. The one that she used is an enclosed one, but I guess she had no choice at the moment.

My mission for today is to go buy her an open nest. I hope she'll like it. It's so annoying watching her picking up the strings and putting them at a corner that does not hold them. She repeats the motion over and over again throughout the day without acknowledging the outcome. I'm just afraid that while she's so busy doing that, she'd forget to feed her chicks and feed herself.

I'm going to give her a good nest and hope she'll take it.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Jim, You Are in Trouble!

Jim, you are in trouble! Oh, sure you are!

It's been extremely difficult teaching my one-word talking cockateil. All she can say is "hello"...not so good for my plan!

Well, I've done extensive searches online and found out that the African Greys can talk REALLY well...

Ha ha...I also found out that sometimes people sell their African Greys for a much cheaper price on Craigslist.

It will be my mission to get one and teach it to talk, to tell Jim to do things for me...REPEATEDLY!!!...

Jim, watch out! I will get the best talking bird...

Well, my mom told me just now that the African Greys are actually the second-best talking bird.
She doesn't think these birds can top me...Grrrrrrr.

Anyway, the first thing I will teach it will be: "JIM, stop growing too many onions. Rub T.'s feet, por favor!"

:)))

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Happy Valentines

3/30/2008 first meeting with Jim, at Chili's; Jim asked if he could kiss me--our first kiss
3/31 Jim texted his pic to me saying he dreamed about making love to me in the garden
4/1 Jim upgraded his phone so he could text me unlimitedly
4/2 he said he was my bf and family--first "I love you" to me. We met again at 9pm
4/3 he told K he loved me
4/4 he visited my home for the first time and went to dinner
4/5 I visited his home for the first time. We made eggrolls. I got food poisoning and vomited
4/6 he said, "You've made my world new and exciting. I want to explore it with you."
4/7 planned for him to come over for my BD
4/8 chatted online until 11pm
4/9 he bragged to his neighbor about me. K read the texts he sent to me
4/10 he told me he had a dream about me the night before. Lunch with Jim and K
4/11 had a good time
4/12 upset for the first time because he didn't call to say good night
4/13 went to Lowes with Jim and K to pick out some flowers to plant in front of their house.
4/14 Jim talked to his counselor and showed my picture...
.
.
.
Jim went back and forth with his guilt, his confusion, his wanting to save his marriage...MANY times. I helped him dump me at least five times because he was too chicken to tell me.
.
.
.
4/2010 Jim knew if he dumped me again, I would vanish...
.
.
.
He has shown that he loves me very much.
I love Jim very much.
Happy Valentines, Jim

Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Talking Cockateil

I bought some birds recently...two cockateils, some canaries, some gouldian finches, some cordon bleu finches, and some society finches...I know; I know...My sisters know, and I know... it's my OCD. But, these birds are so beautiful and cute.

The red factor (the red canary...I don't know why it's called red factor) just hatched two tiny chicks...so cute with their tiny chirps. A couple of the other finches are incubating also. I am so excited. My parents love that, too. Even my sisters, who only love dogs, keep on telling me not to bother the mother birds.

Well, I am even more excited about the talking cockateil. She says "hello" and, sometimes, "I love you." The "I love you" is not so clear, though. She now has learned some new words. She can say "Jim". Today, after my mom and I cleaned the cages, she learned to say "clean". She is so intelligent that she was able to connect the words. She now can say, "Hello, Jim, clean."

So, all I have to do is to teach her two more words, "my" and "cage".

:D

Just kidding...she only says "hello" and "I love you." But, I WILL train her! Just you wait!

:)))

P.S. OK, I'll teach her to say "please", also.

P.S. again, tonight, Jim brought me some soup he made...I'm happy :)

Friday, February 4, 2011

A Veteran in My Life

The local veteran chapter (of my own people...from my country) has requested me to sing two songs for their fund-raising banquet, which is tomorrow night. I used to sing a lot for different events in our community. But, now, I tend to limit my singing for more meaningful causes, such as for fund-raising events for veterans, the elderly, or the poor.

Well, this time, I am not prepared. I first chose two sad songs, one really sad...extremely sad. The lyric is very meaningful though. However, since this banquet falls on our New Year celebration, I don't think it's a good idea to sing that song. I kept justifying myself to sing it, but I won't. So, now, I have to switch to another song. I like this song also, but I still have to memorize the lyrics. Damn, I keep on messing up! Grrr...I have till tomorrow night only. And then, there's the second song...maybe, I should just sing one. I know the lyrics to both, but if I am distracted by something while singing, I'll mess up...

Anyway, the point of this blog is I love to sing for the veterans. I am very thankful for these people who have been sacrificing part or all of their youth, their lives to protect us, to give us a sense of peace, to...,sometimes, just to do things that the goverments want them to do...Regardless, they sacrifice. And I love them for that.

But, the real point of this blog was that the veterans remind me of a veteran, a specific veteran, who escaped with my family from our country. After three days on the sea, after having been caught and let go by the communists, after having been robbed and let go by the Thai pirates, we finally reached the Maylaysia shore. That night, I felt the meaning of breathing fresh air. I felt safe. Maybe, it was because we got away from the communists and the pirates. Maybe, it was because we no longer had to cramp ourselves like sardines in a tiny boat. Maybe, the thought of dying in the middle of the ocean vanished. Maybe, it was because of many things. But, I remember one thing very vividly. This veteran, a man in his early thirties, pulled me over to lay on his shoulder right on that beach looking up to the sky with numerous stars. We said nothing; we breathed in the salty air...we knew that we could never see our country again. We were sad, but we were happy. I don't know how he felt. But, to me, the moment was special. I felt natural in his arm; I felt safe; I had no sexual thoughts. I was almost thirteen at that time, but I was very innocent. I started selling candies, bananas, and stuff to help my family since I was eight, when the communist took over. I was not stupid. But, I was very innocent at the same time.

I felt right in the arm of a man even though I knew nothing about being gay. He didn't take advantage of me either. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have had the same feeling if it had been a woman. I don't think so.

I miss my Veteran...

:)

P.S. But I love Jim...:)))

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Sigh...

I am so upset today. I should be happy but, instead, upset.

One of my staff is a Burmese that I hired about a year ago. Though he has not been living in this country for a long time, probably two years, his English is very good, considerably. His duties are mainly interpreting and filing. He's the slowest learner of all my staff. But, I have been giving him raises just like anyone else. I raised him a total of $2.25 within a year. This is a lot for clerical work, especially for someone who repeatedly makes mistakes. He has been misfiling a lot as well as making a lot of other mistakes. It's been a year, and he's stilling making the same mistakes. Every time I or other people showed him his mistakes and tried to help him fix it, he would say: "OK, Ok...I'm sorry." But it seems like he never listened. Everyone had been wondering why I still kept him.

Well, I have a lot of patience. He's in a new country, and his wife doesn't have a job. I've been hoping that he would pay more attention to what he's doing. I really don't want to fire him. Today, he made more mistakes which were so obvious. And, when I pointed it out to him, he got upset and accused me of not being appreciative of his work. I work in the medical field. It is an absolute must that things are filed correctly. He stood up angrily. I told him maybe he should find other things to do. He left.

I felt very bad and still feel bad. I know I should be glad that I don't have to deal with his mistakes any more. But I still don't feel good. I know it's the right thing for him to leave. I had given him a year of chances. And, he still didn't get it that noone else would.

Sigh...