Sure You Want A Dog For A Pet?

It's beginning to be supremely difficult getting Wawa into his enclosure every morning. It used to be easy - just put doggie titbits and in he'll go. Not anymore. If the temptation proves too great he will enter but only with his front paws. The minute I go near the door he will scoot off and then we'll be going round the couch until I am late for work. It's not a small enclosure, mind you. 55 square feet with a bird's eye view of the green, green park and the sky-blue beach. Plus stray dogs, buffaloes, birds, cats, swimmers and joggers to break that monotony. I gave up trying and decided to leave them inside the house - he won. Afterall, my house is so bare there's nothing that he can possibly chew on except my couch. Or my dining table/chairs. Leather couch won't tear easily (surely?) and I made sure I bought tables and chairs with metal legs. Now, try chewng that!

How about the wallpaper???

Poor Babies!

An An gave Momo a nasty bite on the nose for intruding into her home. They also bit each other's left paw and it is heart-breaking to see both limping and barely able to climb onto their wheels. I wish I can take them in my palm and soothe away the pain........ :(

Pisang Goreng (Version 2)

Besides frying bananas whole or split, you can also mash it up before mixing it with the batter. I prefer it that way actually but it requires a bit more work. Between the 3 of us we finished the whole plate. Coco, Wawa, we cannot eat this everyday or even every week, ok? It's bad for our arteries.

Shut Up, Coco!

"Here Mom, I've put an end to Coco's squeaking."

Wawa has his endearing points. He never bugs me when I am busy with my computer. He sleeps quietly at my feet. I decided to appease Coco by playing a game of "gei wo". That's "give me" in Chinese. To Coco, "gei wo" means she'll rush for her squeaky toy and run off at top speed so I can't get it from her. Wawa will always grab it from her and bring it to me. Then we will "gei wo" all over again until Coco shuts up. I can then blog in peace.

Rainy Saturday

I woke up to a beautiful rainy morning. And it's Saturday! I can laze about, cuddle my dogs, blog. And make pisang goreng and eat it with steaming kopi-o......bliss! No joggers today but egrets were landing gracefully in the water puddles, probably looking for frogs or tadpoles. And a few stray dogs playing in the rain. There's only one blight. Momo escaped from his tank again and this time he landed in AnAn's home. Both are bleeding but Momo seems to have been bitten badly. When will he ever learn?? Coco has been squeaking her orang utan incessantly behind my back. She HATES my computer. It's a yellow monster that prevents Mommy from cuddling her, feeding her and giving her (new) toys.

What's That??

I've never seen anything like it before!

A butterfly? A bird? Why am I not down there?

It's somebody's colorful kite caught in the lamp post.
Not to worry, Mr. Security Guard to the rescue.....

I Hate Getting Wet!

Come and get your bath!
(Over my dead body.)

I'll smack you!
(You can't reach me under this table.)

Come here, I'll give you something nice to eat...
(Always the same lies - I only get wet!)

I've had a long day, Wawa. Don't try my patience.
(Let's see whose patience last longer....zzzzz....stop chasing me around the house....it's too exhausting.)

I Miss My Mommy!

A penny for your thoughts....
Poor LeLe looks like he's missing somebody.

Pisang Goreng

When I was small my mother used to make pisang goreng (banana fritters) for afternoon tea. Her pisang goreng was sweet, greasy, a bit burnt and limp. Pisang goreng sold these days are very, very thin, hard and slightly salty with no sweet taste. Unscrupulous traders fry it with straw (yes, plastic) to make it firm. This low down and despicable trend has spread to my country. These days it is common to eat it with a spicy sauce - an Indonesian culture. Unheard of in Sabah in the olden days. I wanted my mother's thick, sweet pisang goreng today and since nobody sells that kind I just had to fry my own. It goes well with kopi-o. Sweet, black coffee. And it is especially delicious on a cool, rainy afternoon.....

You Will Be Judged

Just last week a colleague of mine was delightfully telling me about his cats. There were 4 of them and one weighed 7 kg. I told him that's almost as heavy as my dog! He also had 2 dogs but I could tell that he really loved his cats. Yesterday he told me that his dogs have died and all his cats too except for one. He also told me that he wept. A grown man in his 50s, weeping for his beloved pets. Someone had given them poisoned eggs and to make their death even more painful, the fellow had inserted needles inside the hard-boiled eggs. Just how despicable can humans be? I am so, so sorry for my colleague. I can imagine the pain that he and his family must be going through. Whoever you are, you will be judged for your cruel act!

Send Me The Pillow

Mmmm....so comfortable.....

One Of Those Days

I am coping better with the incessant work that comes with caring for 2 dogs and 6 hamsters (on top of a full time job) but today is one of those days when I felt like kicking the dogs. As I was mopping the floor (for the 100th time) I was wondering what is the best way to live in this world. Natural disasters have a way of making us contemplate. I thought all the way to the bathroom and as I was soaping myself I decided that the best way to live is to do so with love. I have often asked myself what I'd do if I could live my life all over again. I would do so with more love. Well, I can do that even if I'm 88. I am a firm believer that love turns things around, including a troubled earth. I believe in a God of Love so that is my priority in life -- to be like Him. Not easy at all. Didn't I say I felt like kicking the dogs??!!

Little Chok Si Wawa

I was looking through some old photos and saw this one. Little Wawa has been bullying Coco since he was little.

See how he got away with Coco's pink squeaky porcupine. We have a term for dogs like that. It is called "chok si". It can be applied to humans as well. It is used when someone gets out of line, like an employee showing disrespect for an employer or a little child gets cheeky with his elders. Wawa was very "chok si", grabbing big sister Coco's porcupine right out of her mouth! When a small fry gets "chok si" he/she is "chim si" (looking for death).

SHMILY Coco!

Wawa was tantalising Coco with this little cushion, carrying it around with his mouth, shoving it in her face when she loses interest and sprinting off when she wants it. Or pressing down on it with his paws so she can't get it. He sure knows how to piss Coco off. When Coco leaves the house without him he will HOWL. When I leave with Coco he goes BESERK. When it's just me leaving he whines.

Safe For Now

Thank God nothing happened after all the tsunami threats. The waves are still lapping gently like old times. My heart goes out to all who are suffering in Japan. Just moving 2 dogs to another home is trouble enough. All the familiar gadgets that made life easier are missing and then you realise just how much harder it is to clean up the mess. I had to get my car vacuumed twice at the car wash centre and there is still dog hair sticking to the seats. So, can you imagine what people in Japan are going through? Wawa gave me so much trouble that I swore I would leave him behind if my apartment is going to get swamped by the sea. Then I think of his woeful expression and the way he howled and scratched the door when I carried Coco to the car without him and my heart melted. He is a big baby - totally lost without his beloved Coco and Mummy..........

Tsunami?

Just as I was ready to go home after a long day at work, my colleague received a text message about the massive earthquake in Japan. Sabah was one of the countries warned and I stay very, very near the sea! Do I leave without my dogs or don't? I went back for the dogs and the sight of leash had them super excited and Wawa was panting and drooling even before I could leash him up. That dog is so excitable. We're in our town home - a dull shop house in the middle of cars and noise and the dogs are not happy. Wawa has been pacing restlessly almost the whole night and he refused to relieve himself without his cage. I know he is suffering. Coco is whining for her toys but there aren't any here. My hamsters have been left behind and they must've been looking for their wheels all night. In darkness too. I managed to warn one neighbor but everyone was still walking about innocently and as I was driving to town I saw people bathing in the sea (!) and sitting along the beach taking shots of the beautiful sunset.

I'll Wear Diapers

Yes, you have every reason to hide your face and be ashamed of yourself. Wawa has developed an unpleasant habit of peeing ALL over the house when someone new visits. Yesterday I had a little reunion dinner with 2 classmates and Wawa reacted by wetting himself. My poor guests stepped on his urine and had to stand around while I mopped the floor. What a welcome!

A Riddle

What is it? It makes a beautiful sound.........

It's my wind chime! Yesterday the breeze was strong enough to make it tinkle.

Doggie Pictures

I spotted these kiddie drawings when I was buying my "Walk In The Rain" picture and thought they looked cute. It's got a sunny, cheerful feel to it.

Um...I decided to add some personal touches to this one.... :)

Time To Sleep

I don't think I can jog anymore.........I"m exhausted......poor papa Momo!

Yes, I have worked hard all night and it's time to sleep - says Le Le.

Momokuai has already curled up like an onigiri.

Brother Ping Ping has also called it a night and settled down for the day.

But! An An is still eating! When I check on my hamsters, 8 times out of 10, An An is eating. She is by far the roundest of them all. It has taken me about 40 minutes to shoot and edit these pictures and post this blog. I checked on her and yes, she is still eating, with her eyes closed.

Coco The Loser

New toys always go to Coco first.

Not because of favoritism and don't be deceived by Wawa's look of apparent misery while Coco chews her new toy. Eventually he will grab it from her and guard it until he gets thoroughly bored with it. Poor Coco is ALWAYS the loser!

A Walk In The Rain

I decided that my bare wall needed a picture so I went hunting for a (dirt) cheap one. This caught my eye and there was no second thoughts about it. So lovely, gives me such a nice, pleasantly sad, nostalgic feeling. I love the rain.

Intruder!

I thought I saw a rat a couple of days ago so I decided to set the trap. Ha! A very black rat was caught! Coco is helping me keep watch over it. As well as her toys inside the dryer. (When are you going to get my orang utan out of that dryer? And my octopus? And my bed?) I left the rat alone for half a day because I didn't quite know how to dispose of it. My sister would've taken it far, far away and release it. For its last meal I fed it a whole chestnut. That must've given it a lot of energy because when I returned to take a peek, it had disappeared! How it escaped is a mystery because there's no way it can push the very, very stiff door open. Coco, you have been sleeping on the job! Mom, that was a supernaturally smart rat!

Avaricious Wawa

Why is Coco sleeping on the cold, hard floor???

Because THIS avaricious dog has taken her bed to rest his bottom half. He has also stolen Coco's orange squeaky orang utan to rest his cheeks. Poor Coco.

Another Happy Birthday!

When I come home from work each day the whole house is filled with a sweet fragrance. My birthday lilies have opened up. A colleague insisted on buying me lunch today and when she had paid the bill she told me it is her birthday today. I should've been the one buying her lunch! Lesser beings like us have to slog even on our birthdays so to make her day special I stole out of the office and bought her a cake from the nearest cake shop. The woman at the counter did a horrible job writing "Happy Birthday". I told her in not so many words that the cake would be a hit at cakewrecks.blogspot.com. She offered to erase it and later returned asking if I'd like to choose another cake. Since most of the cakes were shocking pink, electric blue or bright yellow I had to choose the palest looking one to avoid getting poisoned but the decorater had made a smudge at the side. There are times when we can't have everything we want so I bought it. Anyhow, the birthday girl was happy and everyone else who could eat the cake was happy. At least it tasted good.