I woke up on New Year’s Eve to the sight of an owl perching on top of my air-conditioner condenser unit outside.
Now, I’m used to seeing all kinds of wild lives in the backyard of my Canberra home, but a visit from the Wise in my Singapore apartment, which is a stone’s throw away from the CBD, is a pleasant surprise.
Some friends think this is the same barn owl that has visited Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong twice in the last two years, most recently on 5 Oct 2015. I can’t tell, but here are two front shots for people who can.
(Free advertising for Panasonic.)
We know it’s a barn owl for sure from the love-shaped face, which I understand is unique to barn owls.
As is natural, one can’t help but to try and seek meaning in such a visit. There are many interpretations on-line, some good some bad. I found the best interpretation on the Facebook page where PM Lee shared his sighting. A reader commented thus:
- To the supporters: An auspicious sign.
- To the non-supporters: An ominous sign.
- To the owl: I smelled a rat.
While I’m sure glad the Wise Owl decided to pay us a visit on this last day we are staying in the apartment, the only wisdom I took away from the visit is not to be fooled by randomness. 🙂
Mental Models 4 Life 