Guan Le Jiu Hao

There is a common chinese saying that parts the darkest clouds and make rainbows appear on the dreariest and weariest of days. I love people who answer me with a "guan le jiu hao". It means "it's ok when you're used to it". A load seems to lift off my shoulders and and my whole body relaxes. When I have to clean every tile in the house of dog shit and tears are hovering I cheer myself up by saying "guan le jiu hao". When Coco pisses a pool for the third time after I've mopped the floor I tell myself "guan le jiu hao" and I can even smile and stroke her head and tell her it's ok. When you've lost an arm, a leg or a loved one -- just say "guan le jiu hao" and then you will be able to shrug it off your shoulders and carry on with (a hint of) a smile.

Mr. Big Bully

This is Mr. Big Bully, a stray male who will always reach the food first and snarls off all the other dogs. Everyone has to wait until he has had his fill. I shooed him off after he had swallowed two thirds of the food so he is looking at me and wondering why I won't let him eat. However, he has his endearing side. He is the bravest among all the strays, coming near me, whining softly, wagging his tail and lately touching my hand for an instance with his nose. Signs of appreciation. He seems to have put on a little bit of weight and I haven't seen him scratching his back that much. He used to scratch so hard with his teeth until he bled. I tried pouring calamine lotion but he didn't like that at all. Village folks say coffee powder is good for drying up wounds quickly - must remember to try that on him.

The Magic Cooker

Cooked a whole pot of chicken legs and innards for the stray dogs last night. The thermal cooker left behind by my sister is not called Magic Cooker for nothing. It saves energy and time and is a great blessing for busy people. Bring pot of soup to the boil, take it off the stove and leave it in the thermal cooker overnight. It is still hot the next day and the chicken legs are so soft the dogs swallow even the bones.

Best Friends

We're best friends, mother and child, brother and sister --- when we're not fighting.

Please Give Us Some!

This is the kind of pressure I get each time I sit down to eat. 2 dogs with great expectations. Wawa will jump in and out of the crate, Coco's paws will be at the edge of the table and there will be a symphony of whines from both.

My Crate

I got this crate for free when I bought Coco and almost wanted to give it away. Lucky I didn't because now Wawa uses it. He will jump into the crate for 2 things - food and toilet needs. What a good little puppy. Never had to train him. Once he jumped off my lap and ran into his crate. I thought he wanted to piss - he ran inside to puke instead. Good dog!

Bliss

The dogs are sleeping blissfully at my feet while I watch tv after a delicious breakfast which will last me till dinner. What a beautiful Satuday. Thank God for Saturdays.

Beautiful Saturday

Today is a beautiful day -- all golden sunshine, blue sky, cotton clouds and green, green grass. As I prepare breakfast someone is cleaning the blue, blue pool (sigh..not mine). Everything is so w-o-n-d-e-r-f--u-l-l-y peaceful.

Dog Vs People 5

Dog runs far, far away when I look upset. So do people.

Dog Vs People 4

People won't do this to my couch. Dog does - constantly.

Dog Vs People 3

Dog stays by your side, regardless. People leave you, regardless.

Dog Vs People 2

Dog : When will you be home? I miss you (and I'm hungry).
People : I'm leaving home now cos I got my own life to live....bye and oh by the way, thanks for the free food, free rides, free accomodation, free cash. What, parents have to be repaid? You gave birth to me!

Dog Vs People

Dogs don't lie or deceive -- people do.

More Goodies

A client asked her granddaughter to send us some Hari Raya cookies yesterday - what an extremely nice gesture. And she seemed to have given us the best. Nowadays traditional delicacies have been largely replaced by cookies so Hari Raya delicacies are nothing more than just cookies in different shapes, sizes and colors. I was given two tips for melt-in-the-mouth cookies. One, don't use egg whites, just the yolk. And two, don't use a roller for the dough. Just press it briefly with your fingers before shaping them. Apparently, too much rolling toughens the dough and hardens the cookies. I don't know if an extra post about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive will bring an extra bag of food for homeless dogs but there, I've mentioned it, so I hope it works! Can't just be me having good food, the poor homeless dogs must have their goodies too!

Not Too Late

Thank goodness I didn't miss this opportunity to feed a homeless dog - thanks to the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive. Ah well, this poor puppy will never get to eat Pedigree's Healthy Longevity Food For Dogs but some poor homeless puppy will at least get a full bowl of it.

Snoozing Together

Will Coco miss Wawa when he leaves? I sure will..... :(

Wawa's Sleeping Positions - 3

Snoozing among Coco's possessions....zzzzz

Not Again??!!

Another cd wrecked....... :( :( :(

Coco's Suitors

The vet said Coco must be having some kind of hormonal imbalance because she shouldn't be bleeding again after 3 months. A dog has its period once in 6 months. She has been attracting a couple of suitors which didn't pose any major problem until yesterday when we went for our morning stroll. We were mauled by an over amorous dog. I know he didn't mean any harm but I had to lift Coco away from him and he had his paws on me instead. The guy who jogged with him daily wasn't the owner and the dog was unleashed and I suspect no one actually owns that dog. I was so annoyed I had visions of poisoning him, have him shot or run over with my car. All my sympathies for strays flew out the window because he almost pulled my pants down trying to get at Coco and when I reached home my attire was stained with mud and there were scratch marks on my thigh. While the tussle went on I noticed Wawa hiding under the bush in fear and watching us. If it wasn't so horrible I could've laughed at his expression. I had to leave him behind while I ran into the house with Coco in my arms and the lustful dog howling behind. I deposited Coco in the house, went at the mad dog with my fly swatter (he left in a hurry) and rescued Wawa all in one breath. No more strolls for the time being!

Sayonara....

A day after the little puppy reappeared at my workplace, a young couple asked me about its adoption. I was reluctant and told them it wasn't feeling well, how about waiting a week? I wanted to spend more time with it, see it get well and transform into its old sprightly self before saying goodbye but the couple seemed pretty adamant. I showed them where the puppy was and that was that. At least you came to say sayonara before leaving for your new home. I hope you will be well looked after and showered with lots of love.

Are You The....King?

When I told a friend that a stray dog had given birth to 9 puppies she said among the 9 there will be a "king" and it will be very good to own that one. How to identify, I don't know and I think neither does she. Perhaps it will be outstanding physically or mentally? Maybe exceptionally faithful? More loyal? No idea but I managed to get Wawa, the sickest and tiniest of the lot and compared to his siblings who have died or been abandoned he sure is living like a KING in my house!

Where Have You Been?

When I went to my workplace to feed the dogs I was shocked to see a little puppy in the vicinity. It was Wawa's brother, skinny, miserable and unrecognisable after missing for 6 days! I thought some kind soul had adopted it?? I wish it could tell me what happened. I suspect that someone had taken it home and decided against adopting it and brought it back to my workplace. I am so, so sad to see it with it's tail between its legs. I don't believe in just weeping when bad things happen so I am cooking more food in the kitchen now. Just wait, I'll feed you nice and proper in an hour's time.........

Kuih Sapit

These kuih sapit are so deliciously crunchy!!

Moon Cake Festival

Before Hari Raya (month long celebration) is over, the Chinese will celebrate Moon Cake Day on September 22nd. My friend visited me 2 days ago with her dear Mom and very lovely daughter. And they brought these beautifully packaged mooncakes for me........thank you! Mooncakes are too sweet to be enjoyed (at least by me) so we buy for 3 reasons -- tradition, beautiful packaging and it's everywhere.

Hari Raya Delicacies

Today is the 3rd day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Something I like about this festival is the sweet delicacies served in every home. My workmate gave me some that she made and I topped up some more from the supermarket. A long time traditional favorite is "kuih makmur", the round white ones which melt in the mouth. The long ones are called "batang buruk" which means rotten logs. Coco and Wawa will sit at my feet and drool when I so much as open the lid.

Life's Ok

This is supposed to be a hamster blog but I didn't know that dogs will be a part of my life when I started blogging! My 3 hamsters are living very contented (albeit boring) lives and they are also putting on a bit of weight. An An eating and falling asleep........

Pain In The Neck

Coco has been in a very bad mood since she gotten ill. She lost her patience with Wawa's rough playing more than once and looked ready to snap. Wawa must be a pain in the neck for Coco - he grabs her toys and food (especially) and jumps on her, biting her paws, her jaws, her whiskers, her ears, her tail.....anything. He also gets to sleep on my lap while Coco has to lie on the cold floor. She gets leashed up when it's time to go outside while Wawa is free as a bird (can't find a leash that small) and sometimes he goes out more often than she does - reason being he shits more often. But Coco doesn't understand that so she yelps at the highest pitch when she sees us going out.

Cyber Home

Brought Wawa to the clinic today for his first vaccination. On his first visit he weighed a mere 500g. Today his weight has gone up to 1 kg! I only come to my "cyber home" on weekends to blog and to do other online things because weekdays I stay 25km away by the seaside (nearer my workplace) where there is virtually no internet connection. So Wawa had a great time exploring "cyber home" and not heeding when I call but when it came time to nap, he sweetly did so at my feet. So endearing - how can I send you away in 9 weeks' time? After 9 weeks and 2 more vaccinations, he will be ready to board the plane and fly off to his new home and owner (my sis).

Sad Happenings

My adopt-the-puppies effort has paid off. These 2 puppies are missing from my workplace and I assume someone has brought them home. At least, that's what I hope. I fed them a very good meal on Sunday evening and when I went to work early the next morning they were gone. I whistled for them but no hungry, yelping puppies came running. I am happy that someone is caring for them but goodbyes are always painful. The head says one thing but the heart feels another....I'll be okay after 2 days. This morning when I took Coco for a walk an elderly lady greeted me and smiled at Coco. She was sitting alone in the carpark and I thought she was waiting for someone. Without much hesitation she told me that her "bad son-in-law" has turned her out of her home (or his home more likely) and I thought oh-oh. Like I said, Hari Raya is just a day away and this poor old (Muslim) lady has such a tragic tale to tell. And most likely no place or family to celebrate this important Muslim holiday. Perhaps she's senile and making up stories or perhaps she's telling the truth but I thought what the heck - if I can feed stray dogs, a needy human is even more important so that was one reason why I took a day off from work. She didn't ask much from me anyway, just to drive her to the nearby shops to look for more help. I hope she finds some relatives who will take her in.

Get Well Soon

2 jabs later.....no more her usual self. Get well soon because I miss the old active you!

No More Sweet Indulgence!

Coco hasn't been well since Sunday (vomiting and diarrhoea) so I brought her to the vet today. No infection, no fever, just a case of overeating. Hari Raya is just round the corner so we had been indulging in cookies and sweet things........by the way these oatmeal cookies are really good.

Bring Me Home Please

Meanwhile, Wawa's 2 brothers are still roaming around my workplace and growing bigger and stronger each day. Wawa is only half their size. I have put up a sign for their adoption and hope some good samaritan will bring them home to love. Before they get run over by a car. They are no longer sleeping quietly in their little corner but exploring the grounds happily, usually in the car park. Mama leaves them on their own most of the time but will come near protectively when they nibble my shoes and yelp for food.

Coco! Let Me Out!

A book I bought says confining a dog to a crate is one of the kindest things you can do for it (afterall, wouldn't you confine a baby to a crib for safety etc etc) but these 2 dogs have conspired to do this unkind thing to me. Perhaps Coco couldn't endure Wawa's cries for help and decided to take matters into her own hands.

Good Friends

Wawa giving Coco an ear massage.

Wawa's Sleeping Positions - 2

His favorite sleeping place is my lap - he will curl up and sleep instantly.

Wawa's Sleeping Positions - 1

Another favorite sleeping style.......

I Am Exhausted

He can sleep anywhere after a meal. Coco and I left the house very, very quietly for our evening walk to avoid waking him up. We shouldn't have worried because when we came back, he was still in the same position.

You're My Mummy Now

I found him dozing ever so comfortably on Coco's rump one night......

Life Of Luxury

This little puppy sleeps a lot and he knows where the best place is......in Coco's toy basket.