Snakes & Spiders
And these signs shall follow them that believe...They shall take up serpents... - Mark 16:17~18
Living in Penang has certainly been interesting for me, not least in respect of my 'visitors'.
So far, there have been 4 spiders and a snake.
2 of the spiders were huge, hairy ones - both had a short stay in my shower. The 2nd hung around for a few days, neither the maid nor I daring to go near it. One morning, bleary-eyed, I went in to shower. I inspected the bathroom - goody! The spider was gone! I could finally have my shower in peace!!! Halfway through washing the shampoo off my hair, I felt something go plop! onto the floor near my right foot. I opened my eyes, grabbed my glasses - and there it was! The monstrous spider!!!
It was the worst experience ever. I can only thank God that it didn't fall onto me. I don't know what I would've done if it did. Taught me a valuable lesson, this did - always make sure the top of the water heater is clear as well. (I'm short, sue me.)
The 3rd spider was tiny, but equally hairy. It scurried across the floor of my room. Thank God my roommate was there. She squashed it.
The 4th spider, well...it was less hairy, but rivalled the first two in size. It was hanging calmly on the wall directly above my bed. Needless to say, I yelped. My roommate - true heroine, she! - tried to chase it away, but succeeded instead in getting it behind my closet, which is right beside my bed. I messaged Joy, KT, Alisha and Oliver for urgent prayer requests that the spider be gone. I slept far, far away from my closet that night...as far as a single bed's space would allow, anyway. In the morning, I checked the floor before getting off my bed.
My roommate has been living in that same room, using the same bathroom, for many years now. And she tells me that she has never had any encounters whatsoever with any spider. What luck that I managed to attract four!
You could say I have a love-hate relationship with spiders. They love me, but I hate them.
And not only Penang spiders, either. An Alor Star spider - big, hairy one - snuck into my room in the wee hours of the morning when I was living in Alor Star. Trust me, you want to be awake and alert to study in the middle of the night? Try having a fat spider larger than your palm hanging on the wall. Till today, I have no idea where it came from. Here I understand - my uncle's house is the last, neighboring the forest. But in Alor Star, no bushy, forest-y area within a few km!!!
And the maid told me that she was changing the bedsheets when she saw a tiny snake around 20cm long by her foot on the floor beside my bed! Just imagine, it must've been there for quite some time and I was blissfully unaware.
Also, if it were that tiny, it must've hatched recently. Snakes do not lay single eggs. So where are its siblings? Where are its parents?!
But I am confident in the LORD. He shall protect me, my fortress, shelter, and deliverer. My life is in His hands. They shall take up serpents...
I only hope it covers spiders as well!
p/s: If you're wondering what happened to the spider which plopped onto the floor, I killed it. But honestly, it was out of self-defense - a combination of sheer fright and desperation. I hosed it down with warm water to get it far away from me. In the end, it lay on the drain cover, curled up and quite dead.
Living in Penang has certainly been interesting for me, not least in respect of my 'visitors'.
So far, there have been 4 spiders and a snake.
2 of the spiders were huge, hairy ones - both had a short stay in my shower. The 2nd hung around for a few days, neither the maid nor I daring to go near it. One morning, bleary-eyed, I went in to shower. I inspected the bathroom - goody! The spider was gone! I could finally have my shower in peace!!! Halfway through washing the shampoo off my hair, I felt something go plop! onto the floor near my right foot. I opened my eyes, grabbed my glasses - and there it was! The monstrous spider!!!
It was the worst experience ever. I can only thank God that it didn't fall onto me. I don't know what I would've done if it did. Taught me a valuable lesson, this did - always make sure the top of the water heater is clear as well. (I'm short, sue me.)
The 3rd spider was tiny, but equally hairy. It scurried across the floor of my room. Thank God my roommate was there. She squashed it.
The 4th spider, well...it was less hairy, but rivalled the first two in size. It was hanging calmly on the wall directly above my bed. Needless to say, I yelped. My roommate - true heroine, she! - tried to chase it away, but succeeded instead in getting it behind my closet, which is right beside my bed. I messaged Joy, KT, Alisha and Oliver for urgent prayer requests that the spider be gone. I slept far, far away from my closet that night...as far as a single bed's space would allow, anyway. In the morning, I checked the floor before getting off my bed.
My roommate has been living in that same room, using the same bathroom, for many years now. And she tells me that she has never had any encounters whatsoever with any spider. What luck that I managed to attract four!
You could say I have a love-hate relationship with spiders. They love me, but I hate them.
And not only Penang spiders, either. An Alor Star spider - big, hairy one - snuck into my room in the wee hours of the morning when I was living in Alor Star. Trust me, you want to be awake and alert to study in the middle of the night? Try having a fat spider larger than your palm hanging on the wall. Till today, I have no idea where it came from. Here I understand - my uncle's house is the last, neighboring the forest. But in Alor Star, no bushy, forest-y area within a few km!!!
And the maid told me that she was changing the bedsheets when she saw a tiny snake around 20cm long by her foot on the floor beside my bed! Just imagine, it must've been there for quite some time and I was blissfully unaware.
Also, if it were that tiny, it must've hatched recently. Snakes do not lay single eggs. So where are its siblings? Where are its parents?!
But I am confident in the LORD. He shall protect me, my fortress, shelter, and deliverer. My life is in His hands. They shall take up serpents...
I only hope it covers spiders as well!
p/s: If you're wondering what happened to the spider which plopped onto the floor, I killed it. But honestly, it was out of self-defense - a combination of sheer fright and desperation. I hosed it down with warm water to get it far away from me. In the end, it lay on the drain cover, curled up and quite dead.
posted by sleepypurplepiglet at 6:00 PM
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