My sleeping partners!

It can be lonely in a strange country at times. When I first came to Singapore, I longed for my family. I cried quietly each time after speaking to my mum. While on the phone, I assured her that all is well and I am enjoying my stay here. But once I hung up, my tears starts to flow. It gets better with time and once you get used to it. And it helps to have company too.

When I first came to Singapore, a friend who was leaving the place where I stayed left me her soft toy duck. I used it to "occupy" my bed in the day (so nobody will sleep or lie on my bed and mess it up!) and as a bolster at night. While I do not sleep with a bolster at home in China, I began to get used to hugging something at night when I sleep. This felt especially nice during my early days here when I would often sob myself to sleep thinking how I got myself into staying in a room with 7 others!

So who keeps me company, in the lonely nights in Singapore these days? Well, it's not what you think!

Like most girls, we like soft toys! In fact, I'm not even sure why? However, they do give you a feeling of safety and security, especially at night. When I first came to Singapore, I collected a few soft toys which were thrown away by my landlord after I went home in May 2010. Some were "adopted" by other tenants!

Now that I am back, I bought myself a soft toy dog to keep me company at night. It's feels good and cozy when the bed is full of pillows and other soft toys. And in the day, it keeps my bed filled up, so that nobody goes and mess it up. Kind of like marking my territory, much like a cat or dog does... except in a different way!

Back home in China, I have this huge bear which was given to me since I was in school. It's so big and cuddly that I have kept it ever since. I doubt you can get something as big as this in Singapore! At least I have not seen it but you can see how big it is, in the pictures above. It is as big or bigger than I am!

And I've told my mother never ever to throw it away. I want to be sure it is there when I return home... ha ha! It can get really, really cold in my home in China!