Went over to my aunt's house in the late afternoon yesterday to play mahjong...although I must say I did spend more time on the xbox than I did at the mahjong table =) that bloody ninja game was so difficult it had me hooked...and my cousins were always beside me, supporting me, though they were really annoying when I made mistakes and ended up dying -.-"

"Oh, die. K.O. So fast die already? How come you always die one?" -_____-"

Oh well. On to the main topic.

My aunt's dog wasn't very lively yesterday, and that troubled me and my mum. I told her last night, sparky [the dog's name] wasn't very lively today...I think he's getting old. You think it's his time to go already?

"Yeah, maybe. He's just about at the end of his life already, unless he has the strength to live longer."

That just pulled at my heartstrings...sparky's nine, same age as russell, my eldest cousin. For a dog, nine years old means he's an old man already...senior canine! But even at this age, before yesterday, he was as lively as a puppy. Everytime we arrived at my aunt's house, we'd hear this clicking noise coming from inside [the sound of sparky's claws hitting the parquet floor as he was scurrying to the door to greet us] and we knew it was him. And when my aunt or her maid opened the door he's jump up against the gate, claw it it, wag his little tail and stick out his tongue to greet us.

And you should see him when we got in. He'd greet us with licks, scurry all around us, jump up and expect you to catch his paws and walk with him [I always do. it's so cute!] and when he was done, he'd scurry back into the living room and play with the kids. But there was one thing I noticed about him. He really liked me alot. serious! everytime he'd follow me around, and when I sat down on the chairs in the living room he'd either sit below them, or jump up and sit beside me. Sometime's he'd crawl onto my lap and *ask* me to pat him or something. When we were on the floor, he'd roll onto his back and wait for you to scratch his tummy, or shake his paws. He really was an ecstatic dog. Sometimes my uncle even had to shout at him to tell him to stay put. He didn't really like my uncle because of all the shoutings. But he really loved the rest of us. Sometimes when you're a little distance away, he'd point his head in another direction, but really, at the corner of his eye, he'd be looking at you. And when you give in and ask him to come over, he'd run right over and jump onto you. Yeah...great times with that dog.

Although he's only been with us for 1 year or so [my aunt bought him when he was 7 or 8 years old], he really was part of the family. Before he came there was my aunt, uncle, 3 cousins and our maid. And when he was around, we remembered my aunt's family as, aunt, uncle, 3 cousins, maid and the humblest little creature, sparky the dog. Most of the time I'd ask my mum to go over to my aunt's house to play mahjong, but my real motive was to get to see sparky. Man, you can really tell when he misses you. He likes to cuddle beside you and really make you feel like he loves you. Well, I can tell because he always spends the most time with me. In a room full of people, and my cousins, he'd always come sit beside me.

Ok, to the point. If it really is his time to go soon, well then, there's nothing anyone can do, is there? What pains me is to see his energy draining and all he wants to do is sit down, lie around. Of course he enjoys the patting and cuddling, but really not as much as before. You know, it's times like these I'd say, the smallest things can make the biggest differences.

I really don't know what I'd do if he's gone one fine day. I don't know.