orange tulip

This photo was taken by a friend in the Tulip Festival, Spring 2004

I am taking this name, Orange Tulip because it reminds me of my very first "baby", an orange tulip I got from a flower shop one spring morning. Since I am still at odds between expressing my thoughts and feelings in this medium and keeping my privacy( I am a highly opinionated person with radical thoughts putting me to heaps of trouble at times) I am taking the pseudonym Orange Tulip for now.

Being away from home and loved ones, the cold, seemingly sunless winter finally took its toll - my days became dreary. The orange tulip has been a source of joy somehow in the early days of spring since I got it from the flower shop close to my old apartment, just a short walk from the uni. It has given me some excitement to wake up each new day to find out if another leaf or bloom has been added. In all my capacity, I took so much care of my first orange tulip. However, arriving from uni one afternoon, I noticed that its not as lovely as it has been. Although I tried my best to revive it, in a few days the once beautiful orange tulip wilted. I was sad about such loss but quietly convinced myself that I can do better next time. I moved on to the fun that summer brings-joining barbecue parties, walking in the park, taking long drives and camping with mummy hen and friends and the unforgettable feat of reaching a mountain peak for the first time.

The next spring I visited a tulip farm with friends. Going there for the first time was a great and wonderful experience! I loved the flowers of various colours, most of which are tulips. Spring is my favourite season because of the colourful hues coming with it, as well as the cool spring mornings and the brighter days and weather which as not as freezing as the winter mornings few weeks before.

I had various options but in the end, I got a couple of carefully chosen orange tulips to take with me back to the city. Although arguably, I have so much love to give, I admit that I am not really a good plant carer, botanist nor gifted with a green thumb. I considered doing an experiment- one would be given as a present to my "mummy hen" whom I have always looked up to be an excellent carer, in so many ways- (from people to pets and plants). On top of that, orange is her favourite colour and she was elated when I handed the tulip to her. I was hoping that even if I fail to "take good care" of my own orange tulip, I am sure the expert carer mummy hen can make it, as she lovingly placed her own orange tulip it in the window to catch the sunlight.

Despite all my efforts to take care of my own, its day came to an end. Compared with the first loss, this time I am more prepared. Now I rest in the thought that from day 1 it never failed to put a happy smile to my face everytime I wake up in my own apartment close to the beach and see its beauty. Besides, I can always visit mummy hen in her apartment close to the uni and say hello to her own orange tulip. Yes, mumhen's orange lasted for a couple of weeks longer than mine and I thought I am just a poor carer. But when spring ended, I was told that her own orange tulips died too.

The couple of orange tulips I had in two succeeding springs have taught me few lessons. First, it reminded me that as a plant,( a living thing just like humans), it has its own "time frame on earth". Botanists classify plants as annual, biennial and perennial as I remembered in my Biology class so probably it belongs to the classification where it can last for less than a year- maybe not even an "annual" at that! Second, tulips only grow in spring and not throughout the year and just like beauty, we have to take time enjoying and appreciating it while it lasts. Third, even if I cannot see them anymore, when I remember how they have given me joy, I still smile for the happy memories their "company" brought me. Fourth, tulips come in different colours- and not limited to orange- some are white, brown, pink, yellow, purple, red, blue and in excitingly mixed colours, probably I even missed the others. Most importantly, it has given me the chance to reflect that as humans, we also have our own "appointed time" on earth. Just like the spring season, and the tulips that wilt after wonderfully showing up in spring, life on earth is temporary- and as permanent as the wilting of the tulips when the spring season ends, people leave this earth too, when their "appointed time" ends. It is not a cliche then to say that we have to live our life the to the fullest, regardless of how we define the word "fullest".

And just like the tulips in spring that cheered me up and probably my friends and all those who trooped to the tulip farms during spring, I wish that somehow, in small ways, I can cheer people that I will be given the chance to meet each day, and vice versa. If I can appreciate a tulip in any colour, including the the mixed coloured ones, probably I can appreciate (and most importantly accept and tolerate) lots of people too- in their various colours, forms, characters and virtues. But that's another blog subject in the near future.

For now, I am happy to remember the orange tulips I had, and suddenly inspired, finally, summoned the courage to start blogging upon remembering the encouragements of a dear friend that I look up to so much for her beauty(inside and out), wit and capacity to love. I really miss her now as she has been a "tulip" in my life in many ways. This is my first attempt to blog after some prodding from her a couple of months ago.

Thanks very much my dear orange tulip and to the people who has been, in certain seasons- became a tulip in my life. Every smile, hug, kiss, pat on the back or simply saying "hello", "take care" and "God bless" have cheered me up in many ways, especially during those times when the sun does not seem to shine in my own world.