A Stroke of Patience

忍

Translates into something like patience or perseverance. Always a source of amusement for me - since my mother wanted to purchase that particular word written on a scroll for my hotheaded brother and me. Seems we both fly off the handle quite easily.

Well, I'm certainly learning to keep my cool over here.

Fortunately I have paint swatches and window treatments to keep me relatively busy - or else I'd be obsessing over the creaky plumbing that came along with my new house. Seriously it's one blockage after the other. It might look pretty from the outside but it's steadily crumbling on the inside. You'd have imagined that the Rajah Brookes had the colonial bungalow erected back in the 1800s instead of our local government having it built just a couple of years back.

Maintenance. The workers here just don't have that word in their vocabulary.

Plumber : Easy enough to get water. Just call up the water department.

Few days later

Plumber : Oh, there's a lil leak outside. Not a problem. A few hours will solve it.

Few days later

Plumber : I think we might have to dig up the lawn. Maybe check the plumbing.

Few days later

Plumber : There's water going into the house but not to the second floor. We might have to go under the drain.

Few days later

Plumber : Umm. I think we might have to get an outside contractor.

By that time, I was already chewing on nails with nasty expletives spitting out every other moment. Think the panicked plumber wished he could crawl right into the pipes to hide. So much for keeping a sweet, peaceable reputation in the hospital.

Deep breaths. 忍!

Paint swatches. Kilim rugs. Window treatments.


We all need help with home improvement!
Thankfully I have my paint swatches. Took my inspiration from the mellow greens and browns of the local Starbucks franchise ( oh yes they have Starbucks here! ). Celadon green and a soft champagne! Thought it would go extremely well with the ethnic handicrafts that I purchased on my first weekend here. Even the carved tribal headmask I saw the other day.

After the thundering scold I gave to the workers on the leaky plumbing issue, they were all willing to capitulate to my other demands. An entire band of painters jumped to work almost immediately and it took them less than an hour to paint the entire living room.

Gotta admit though one of the junior house painters was kinda cute. Certainly a pleasure watching that boy work :) Pretty boys with sculpted biceps definitely help calm me down.

Now if I could only get him to practise his brushstrokes at midnight with me.