21 months

It's been 21 months since my adogtion day and since it's the season of giving, I decided to give godpa a surprise. It's just a small token of appreciation, a baby lizard's tail presented at the entrance to his bed room.

I think he liked it as he curiously looked at it, photographed it, and carefully picked it up with tissue paper before disappearing into the kitchen. Did he add seasoning? He must be wondering where the lizard went but I prefer to keep its location a secret so I can get more tails next time. In return for my labour of love (I had to coax the little thing to give up its tail all over the house), I got a nice belly rub.

Bleah! Salty Christmas

Yep, sea water still tastes the same since my last water venture on Sentosa. This time round we were at East Coast Park on Christmas Day. Godpa was trying to trick me into the water, but eventually I planted my butt firmly on the wet sand.

It was great to have a sunny day out after a long spell of rain. The beach was really packed with people, some came with their dogs too. Overall a satisfying tiring day for me.

Poor godpa actually was nursing a sore throat for the past week, and after the beach romp he got feverish with body aches. So I'll just stick by him as he rests at home for the weekend.

Sawadee

Godpa returned from Chiang Mai recently with a healthy tan even though it was cool weather there. It was his first time there so he was rather surprised to see many toy dogs owned by locals with the majority being white poodles. Local breeds were also common and much welcomed at temples. He spotted one sunbathing at Wat Chedi Luang which is a famous historical site. Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy the warm sunshine with cool breeze blowing.

Other than the weather I think the food would appeal to me too judging from what godpa showed me on how the locals enjoy funky food like rice mixed with pig's blood and condiments.

While godpa's away I had been "abused". Look at the horrible haircut I got from godpa's dad! My cute round face has been replaced with a sharp pointy look and badly trimmed fur.

Back in Singapore, godpa's been feasting a bit. He'd been invited to a Christmas gathering where the hostess prepared all the food. It was a unique gastronomic experience as she came from Britain and made traditional stuff like apple pies and icing coated chocolate cakes. There was also coconut ice cream cake, chocolate ice cream cake, beef meatballs, and a variety of cheeses. Wish I were there too, unfortunately she has cats in the house so I gave it a miss. There are four more days to Christmas so maybe I can get myself invited to other feasts.

Stay!

Godpa's going away for a short vacation, and I'll miss him lots. Yeah, Christmas season's great with all the colourful trees and lights adorning the shopping belt, yet I've not had a chance to see them. Godpa came across some dogs in the Orchard Road region so he's thinking of bringing me out one day, maybe a week day when the shopping crowd's lesser.

Ever since I complained about shopping malls not welcoming dogs, it seems someone heard my wishes, well sort of. The new NEX shopping mall will include a dog run area and it's very close to Uncle Leon's place! 2,000 sq ft is quite a big space for me but still I can't do window shopping with godpa and family.

Failure is a single path?

Thankfully the weather has been sunnier and godpa brought me to the dogrun one morning last week. It was a public holiday so he could have slept in late but he must've felt guilty for not giving me time to play with other dogs. We met a twelve year old senior dog that day who was rather interested in smelling me but I warned him to back off. Unfortunately I didn't notice he was blind, my bad. Anyway it was an honest mistake because he behaved pretty normal even though his eyes looked whitish.

Just earlier I smelled some goodies and jumped about as godpa brought out muffins. As usual the tasty human treats never make it to my tummy. I was told the muffins came from the Assumption Pathway School which provides a variety of vocation options for students who repeatedly do not pass this human examination called the PSLE. I wonder did I flunk some dog exam causing me to be abandoned? It seems the human world has so many man-made criteria for survival. A dog's world perspective is much more human friendly.

Sweet Dear

Looking at the kind of sweet treats that I get I guess getting sick isn't too bad. It was a mix of treats topped with sweet syrupy medicine. A tablet had also been crushed and stuffed into the strange combo. I eagerly waited for it every night though eating it often made me thirsty.

Godpa had his own share of sweet stuff too though it's pricier and tastier than mine. It was a celebratory treat he said. Wish I could have been there to smell it at least.

Godpa also wanted to share a sweet image with me. While driving around in Simei one afternoon, he spotted a guide dog and his blind human. Godpa had seen such dogs in movies but it's a rare occasion to see one on the streets of Singapore.

With Christmas in the air now, I wonder what other sweet things will come my way. I believe Rocky, the chinchilla is wondering too.

Flashy 11 Nov 2009

Godpa made this special Shockwave Flash show for me. It's a bit early for Christmas and my birthday but it's a nice gesture, especially since I'm being forced to have my ear cleaned to stop the recent infection. Unfortunately it's a huge file because of all my cute photos so it will take a while to load.

Bad ear, good outcome

It's been a weird week for me ever since my grooming. Everyone noticed I was behaving funny - head tilting to one side when sitting and shaking my head less vigorously than usual. Godpa was much more sensitive to my problem as he noticed I squealed a few times when scratching my head and raised my paw each time he reached for my left ear. Godpa did not think I was whacked by the groomer but still he believes I must be in pain and hiding it. He read about how animals hide their injuries very well for the sake of survival.

The dreaded thing had to happen, we went to the vet on Saturday. It was a terrible experience compared to previous visits because it was crowded with dogs. That was the first time I planted my butt at the corridor and refused to go in. Poor godpa had to carry me in like a spoilt girl. All the dogs and humans were friendly but I was shivering and growling sometimes. Godpa's arm received some scratches from my front paws as I tried to push away, lucky for him he had thick skin.

Thankfully it was soon my turn and I was found to have a left ear infection, possibly due to liquids left in the ear during grooming. It could have been shampoo or ear cleaning solution. Godpa and uncle Leon helped to hold me down as the vet flushed my ears with a variety of medicated solutions. Godpa was relieved to see all the pus and brown stuff float out of my ear, and I was relieved the whole visit was over and done with in less than half an hour.

Here comes the good part. In order to feed me my medicine godpa has been combining it with treats for me. So it'll be daily treats at least for a week.

Z Z Zen

I think godpa's really into Zen stuff, he even got me new treats called Peace from Zen Puppy. It's semi-moist and rather tasty, quite a good choice. As for godpa, he gets treats more often I think. Recently a new mall opened (yes, another one), and he tried some Thai food at the food court there. The mall looks rather nice and spacious and is supposed to be eco-friendly. To be real eco-friendly they should let me in so I can accompany godpa.

Food wise I'll give Thai food a miss, not too keen on the chilli and spice. Another Zen thing godpa gave me is my very own terry cotton mat so I can laze around comfortably on the cold hard floor. Furthermore I get to use it as a blanket during bed time and it doubles up as a mat for car rides and sitting on the sofa to accompany godpa during TV time.

The tramp, the lady

No more high tech celebrity makeover, this is the real thing. Today the whole family brought me out for grooming. They had a great time shopping while I spent two hours stuck at the groomer's. Godpa will be giving me treats to compensate for the "abuse". I was trembling when godpa came to fetch me so he thinks I'm still very much fearful, or could it just be the cold air conditioning?

I look more rugged having long fur and more refined in the short coat. Anyone who doesn't know me would've thought there were two different dogs of different breeds. Of course dogs would have no problem as we recognize by scent.

The grooming experience wasn't that bad actually as godpa saw me quietly let my nails be clipped just before he left. I probably would be fearful if godpa didn't pick a good groomer, especially after he told me of the poor boy who died after the groomer rained blows on his head. Junior was a three year old Maltese, quite close to my age.

Brave Bold Pink

Tomorrow marks my 1 year 7 months with godpa and I was told I'm going for grooming the day after that. With the aid of modern technology (which I think is still very crude), godpa pictured how I might look with a glamour cut.

Pink looks like a good colour for me but I prefer natural tones and wearing a more traditional style recognizable by the general dog population.

Instant me

Modernization is a human invention that has made life more convenient but not always a more rich experience. Like the new brand of instant noodles that godpa tried, it smelled and tasted great with an "XO" flavoured sauce but it lacked much nutrition.

Speaking of life, godpa's been reading a little about Zen. And it seems humans suffer because they are too smart and think too much. "Life is suffering" as a famous human said. Sounds kind of pessimistic but it's realistic too. Godpa thinks the life of animals are blissful. It's true, I never worry about tomorrow or fret over losing my toys. When I need to pee I just inform a human, when I'm hungry I'll look greedily at any food on the table, when I feel bored I just sleep, when godpa comes home I just run up to greet him.

When my belly gets a rub, I willingly roll over. Live life as it comes.

Another hot season

Poor godpa, his flu subsided for a while but worsened. He says it's due to his sinus getting infected, which happens quite often when a flu hits him. He's now on a course of antibiotics and the tablets are not only big, they're costly at S$3.95 a piece! Some people say he's weak, but actually the sinus is part of natural bone structure so what could he do about it?

Can't imagine myself having a sinus problem as I'm as fit as a fiddle, taking no supplements except a healthy diet of raw meaty bones, though contaminated by rice and cooked food from godpa's parents during dinner. They've grown to be more doting on me which is a huge difference from the displeasure godpa's mum had when I was first carried into the house. Godpa says I've done a good job of building a fine reputation about the house, and listed the following:

• I have learnt not to soil the house by asking people to bring me downstairs when I need to pee or poo
• I don't bark unnecessarily, only to warn of strangers moving about outside the front door
• I'm low maintenance and not picky on food or dressing up
  
• I am courteous and welcome all visitors to our house. I don't pounce on them and neither do I hump their legs
• I don't ruin furniture in the house (well, except scratching the door post a few times because I wanted to join godpa in his bedroom)
• I sleep all day and play when anyone's interested
• And best of all, who can ignore my cute floppy ears and graceful manoeuvres such as flipping over for a belly rub.
  

Above, Below, In-between

Looking up the sky is blue, and looking below my nail's been cut! I think godpa's a bit delirious the way he's writing my blog today. Probably it's the flu that he's caught over the weekend, which explains why he's home today resting.

Godpa's dad bathed me and then godpa gave me a good comb down as I got blown dry. Next came the nail cutting part which I abhor. I whimpered and then licked the guillotine nail clipper, thinking it would go away if I rained enough kisses on it. Sadly I lost all my fine long claws on the front paws. No nail art for me.

I think the flu made godpa more "courageous" in clipping nails today, he used to be squeamish once I put on my charm looking like a frightful damsel when the clipper came close. The good thing about short nails is that I can now walk gracefully around the house without an annoying clickety clack.

Diversity Unity

The weather has been bad these days and it's not just about the heat in Singapore. There are typhoons and earthquakes going all around this region, that's what godpa told me. In tough times, many step forward to help and even dogs have lent their noses for a good cause. Look at that handsome german shepherd, wish I could be like him.

Adversity unites diversity, well most of the time. In the human world, some adversities reveal cracks in their society. Hmm, I can imagine myself feeling betrayed and dejected if another dog joins our family and replaces my privileged position as first dog of the household, like eating first before I do or getting into the car before me. I'll probably pick a fight to reclaim my position.

The fact is, nothing's really fair in this world. As a dog, life is simpler without troubling over too many choices. Poor humans have to choose their husbands, wives, school, employer, government, etc. I can only hope that godpa treats me well.

Kawaii or 乖?

I get baths twice to thrice a week which godpa thinks is too much but his parents think otherwise. Why should I complain when I can cool off in cherry scented lather and be treated like a fashion model getting her hair blown. I do miss my stylist though because I look like a puffy furball now. I hope to get a cute cut for Christmas at least.


I'm proud that I was better behaved during this evening's walk. No heel command was given but I walked nicely beside godpa, and I hardly got agitated by strangers. Godpa believes it's mainly because he brought out his 法宝 (ultimate magical treasure). Yep, he spent time revising obedience training notes, especially the one about recalling under distractions. Fortunately for me I can remember the lessons even without the notes. The sound and scent of the 法宝 was enough to remind me to pay attention to godpa.

While godpa is happy about my good manners, he's also happy in getting a good deal on a camera accessory. His old flash had conked out and with rising costs and his humble pay, he got himself a second hand flash that was hardly used except for a wedding event. I've asked him not to use it on me as I look horrid under the harsh flash light.

One and a half

Godpa's feeling dejected by what I did to him, like a parent who had a teenage child rebel against him. It was just our usual walk in the estate under twilight skies and we had our usual encounters with strangers walking or jogging past us. I got very agitated and accidentally bit godpa on two separate occasions. His right leg got scratched but his left received worse damage.

Maybe it's the terribly hot weather that made me hot headed. Or perhaps because I got an ugly hair cut from godpa's dad. Godpa ignored me for a while after the incident but relented, knowing that it's just another unfortunate accident. Furthermore tomorrow's a special day reminding both of us how we came to be together.

Tomorrow will mark 18 months under godpa's care. Even after one and a half years, that wolf side of me pops up now and then to swallow Red Riding Hood.

Vamoose

Godpa left hurriedly early on Friday morning for a retreat. He came back late at night tired and tanned. Well it's puzzling why humans need to work so hard for a retreat or go away to another country to do it. It would just be good to rest at home for a day doing nothing except eat, play, and sleep. A good day at home with me would have been great therapy for both of us.

Anyway he shared that he visited a fruit farm in Desaru, went kite flying at a beach, and saw fireflies on a river boat tour. I suppose seeing fireflies is fascinating as godpa described how hundreds could be found twinkling on each tree as if they were Christmas fairy lights. Too bad he couldn't record the lights as they could only be appreciated by the naked eye.

Another fascinating thing he saw was a monkey born in captivity who thinks rabbits are his relatives. He was rather rough with them but all in the name of play, just like how I play with godpa sometimes.

Now let me show you how a real retreat is done. No hassle at all.

Vanishing act

Nah, I didn't get lost like Bruno but godpa not updating my blog sure made me feel virtually lost. In addition, he'd gone off for a short holiday in Penang. A rather nice place, especially when godpa showed me how dogs are a common sight there.

Some faith-ful dogs lived by the temples, and some lived on church grounds. All looked content and healthy. Godpa even met two friendly bitches coming up to greet him; it just makes me jealous.

The other aspect I'm jealous of is the gastronomic delights of Penang that godpa got to enjoy. The most emblematic of Penang is of course its famous Penang laksa. often with a generous topping of prawn paste that will probably appeal to my tastes too. Can you see me salivating already?