Click to Unwrap My Birthday Gift!
Because what’s a birthday without surprise?
{Can you guess what’s in my astronaut bag?}
For a few weeks now I’ve been trying pretty hard to hide what you are about to find out, that is my early birthday gift as a secret, because I’d prefer revealing this delightful news on a meaningful day, such as my Big 3-0 celebration. Seriously, it is really hard to resist sharing something so cute on social media.
As É proposed to me with this unique ring on my birthday last year, I thought it’d be quite hard for him or just anyone to beat that. I also always thought that the best gift for me is an experience to discover another new country. Little did I know that there is something else I’d love so much . . .
It is the most special and precious gift I’ve ever received because it is alive.
{It is a gift of life!}
{The first day we got her she was so little she looked like a pile of dust}
Before we moved to Cingapore, talks of having a cat spurred between our conversations. Every time without fail, I find my hands stretched out in front of my face, carrying an imaginary kitten in the air, squealing with delight.
After we moved to Cingapore, one afternoon at a phony French café, É said sternly that it might not be a good idea to get a pet after all. My heart turned inside out and and my smile upside down. Looking at me like someone destroyed his master plan, he said:
“Oueahhh . . . I wanted to get it for your birthday! There you have it.”
I hated myself. “WHY did you tell me?”
“Because I love you and I can’t stand seeing you sad!”
And so there goes the story of how I got my birthday gift early. Ruined surprises usually suck but mine turned out to be a blessing because it was also a game of time – there was another buyer who wanted the same kitten.
{Cinga the cashmere rag-coon}
What I love about having a pet for my 30th birthday is how this gift presents me with the delightful responsibilities of caring for a small furry ball that is alive, has moods, feelings and love, which surprisingly opened my eyes to kinda see the type of mother I would become one day. Besides, reading many Enid Blyton’s books growing up, I had always dreamed of getting a pet as a child.
Origin of the name Cinga
We named our kitty Cinga (pronounced [Cin-nya]) after the word ‘singa’, which means ‘lion’ because she is so tiny. The sound ‘-inya’ is used in Portuguese to represent something small. Another obvious reason is because I got my first pet ever in Cingapore. We changed the ‘S’ to a ‘C’ because that’s what Cindy annoyingly does best.
The new addition of Cinga to our small family inspires a new weekend series alternating with 5 Cinspirations. Every week or fortnight, I will be sharing Cinga’s Picture of The Week accompanied by playful discoveries from our daily life together as best friends and family.
I sure hope you like cats!
