It's a (happy) dog's life

Santa Paws 2011

2011-12-11T22:45:00.006+08:00

The kids had a great time at the SPCA-organized meet up today.

You check me out...

We check you out...

Everybody was busy sniffing each other.

Syntea is also on tumblr.

Marathon Week 2

2011-11-05T22:49:00.009+08:00

I've been working from home quite a bit recently.

Usually, I'll send my boy for daycare after his nap at 3pm because he spends his quality time (walking) with his granddad in the evening So, he knows he needs to be at daycare for it. My girl will always follow me home after the send-off. Some nights, I was unable to pick the boy up (due to work)...so, he had spent two nights at daycare last week. In the evenings, granddad walks him over to my place and each time, my foster boy is around with us. I wonder whether Ruki figured he has been re-homed especially some nights, when it's time to leave, his grandma asks him to stay behind.

One thing's for sure, each time my boy comes home from his over-nights, he has been a little needier. He started to sit on the living room couch and on the bed.

Meanwhile, I figured my girl cannot be an only child ever. The few days when I was working from home and Ruki did not come home with us, she looked totally depressed. She just moped about. She didn't want to eat at all. One night, she vomited stomach acids and still, she didn't want to eat a single kibble (even by force). Also, she kept following me about the house like velcro dog.

When we finally went over to daycare, she was truly excited. She could not contain her happiness - leaping for joy and tail-wagging as she greeted her brother...as if she had not seen him for years. As predicted, she finally ate...like a horse!

This is how the kids are tonight. The boy had a very light dinner (a.k.a still hungry...and looking moody). So, the kids had a butter cookie each before bedtime.

Syntea is on Tumblr.

My sweet girl - Year 2 Report Card

2011-10-23T17:37:00.035+08:00

Mariko - baby then, still my baby now...

Still worships the ground her brother walks on.

Loves sitting in the car.. moving or stationary.

Had her period.

Then, gave up her ovaries because she wants to always be the baby in the family.

Still sleeps on the bed as she did the first time she came into the bedroom.

Still as mischievious as ever but has learnt that pink panties is not a toy. She has the ability to be sleeping soundly on the couch to barking at the gate in 10 seconds.

Always distracted at meal times.

Sometimes, she has to be forced to finish her meals before playtime.

She still hates bath time.

But loves going for her walks.

Syntea is also on Tumblr.

Marathon week

2011-10-22T11:09:00.013+08:00

I've been having crazy sessions at work and at home for the past weeks. This week, it has reached to "marathon" status. Every waking moment is about work.

In the home front, we've been having rainy nights the whole week. This has made the evenings super cool and relaxing. Well, it has super great especially for my boy. His normal walks typically takes about half hour....which is when he starts to "overheat" and would gladly head home to dip in his pool. However, with the extra cool nights, he has been extending his walk time.

Last Monday, he walked me for an hour and a bit. Every time I tried to "short-change" him with a shorter route, he will notice and steer me back to the long-cut. When he noticed that he's approaching home, he will quickly move to the opposite direction.

On Tuesday, he walked me for a record 1 hour 45 mins! During the walk, we had 3 stand-offs - the first and second times, we stood at the sidewalk refusing to budge unless we were going in our own preferred direction. Mid-way through our stalemate, he decided to sit and wait at the roadside until I give up. And, I did (give up) and followed him. So, he took me round his route. The third stalemate, I was so ready to tie him to the nearest tree, come home and get the car to take him home. Finally, when we were close to home, I dropped the leash and told him that I was going home. He got the message and slowly prodded home (with a few deviations to the nearby bushes) too.

On Wednesday, he stayed overnight at daycare because I was too tired for another marathon. Typically, when this happens, he'll be the first to jump in the car when it's time to go home. This time, he has also started to climb into bed with us. Something he never does even as a pup. The only times he's on the bed is in the morning, when he wants me to get up to feed him pronto.

Thursday, we were walking in the steady rain in the night. Friday, we were walking in drizzle in the night. The neighbors must be starting to wonder about that psycho-woman in hoodies wandering about in the night.

Rain - very good for him, not for me.

Syntea tries to be on Tumblr daily.

My baby girl turns 2 today

2011-10-20T18:55:00.001+08:00

Syntea is on Tumblr daily.

FOR GOD SAKE.....get a grip, lady!

2011-10-16T15:00:00.008+08:00

My girl got her neck bitten by a 7-year old Golden Retriever yesterday.

This is the second time this happened. I didn't blog about an earlier incident with my boy. The first time, my boy was off-leash at night at the park. Out of nowhere, the lady and her dog came by. Yes, being off-leash has its risks and my boy is totally bad on recall command. So, he goes running off to meet (confront) him. Next thing you know, the silly lady start screaming and her dog takes a bite at my boy's neck.

My boy wasn't even fighting back. The other dog just continued sinking his teeth of into my poor boy. That stupid lady kept screaming and yanking the leash from the other end. FOR GOD SAKE, GET A GRIP!!

I had to run over and pry her dog's jaws out of my boy (and he didn't want to let go) and that stupid woman just stood there.

The same thing happened yesterday. My girl ran out the gate to the same dog. The stupid woman started screaming. COME ON....this is not a ROTTWEILER....and she's not ATTACKING YOU or YOUR DOG!

I had to once again pry open the Goldie's jaws...and he really didn't want to let go. So, I had to coax him first. That didn't work. I stuck my fingers in his mouth to pry his jaws open. Nada. It became more urgent when I saw blood. So, I had to hit his head a few times until he let go. That woman just stood at the end of her leash the whole time.

I really don't blame the dog. There was so much anxiety caused by her screaming. She didn't even bother to come over to calm her own dog. STUPID WOMAN.

I bumped into her son taking out the dog (Max) after he bit Haruki. He told me that Max was a rescue and they took him in this year at the age of 7. His past wasn't good...and is poorly socialize. So, I can understand.

But, her mom really needs to stop screaming and come to calm her dog. I don't think she knows that it's her dog that bit mine in the end!

I really need to have a word with her. I know it's wrong to have my kids loose for a moment... but, if it happens, they are not the killing type...so, for God's sake, don't freak out!

My kids, especially my girl, doesn't know danger at all. She'll just run towards any dog she sees. Yesterday, she came out of it with neck scrapes and teeth marks. I wonder whether she's still traumatized.

Which reminds me, my boy had gotten loose one time when he was less than 1 year old. He ran towards the rottie down the road and got nipped. It's fair...he learned his lesson. Another time, a black lab that we used to bump in our morning rounds came out of the bushes and attacked (bit) Ruki. My poor boy was stunned...and he didn't fight back. At least those times, I didn't have any issues with the dogs or their owners.

Dogs are after all, dogs...

Syntea is on Tumblr daily.

Strange bedfellows

2011-10-08T11:51:00.007+08:00

This is one of Ruki's favourite sleeping position. Bent hind legs against the nearest wall. Few nights ago...

This morning...

The kids lounging around...last week.

My foster, last week. Positioned closest to my desk ... but lying low and undetected...not to be at risk of getting sent out.

Syntea is on Tumblr daily.

Look momma... POO!

2011-09-29T23:54:00.006+08:00

Last night, my girl was on a scenting streak (which is sometimes normal). Unfortunately, she got overly excited at one point and picked up some dried poo in the process. She looked up at me as if saying "Look momma...POO!". I must say she looked mighty proud of a feat. She dropped the "cat caviar" and licked her own mouth gleefully. I think it was cat poo....and I'm glad she spat it out (my boy would have gobbled it down without a thought). Needless to say, she was shocked by everything I tried to do for her. She stay hidden in the bushes for some time!

We headed straight home thereafter. I tried to clean her mouth with water but she refused to open her mouth. She ran straight to the bushes to hide from me because I was armed with the water hose. Finally, toothbrush-in-hand, I pried open her mouth and gave her a good cleaning with dog toothpaste.

Syntea is on Tumblr daily.

Taming the mongrel

2011-09-25T11:21:00.008+08:00

It now seems that Brownie spends his weekends at our place. He checks in every Friday night. After breakfast, everybody naps. When we go out, he goes off wandering until evening when he comes back to sleep.

At breakfast, I'm still training him to sit and wait for the command to eat. I think he's slowly getting it. At least, he has stopped lunging for his bowl or growling at my kids when they are near his bowl.

Last weekend

This weekend
I've decided to feed him at the porch now because he's getting the notion that there's food indoors and wants to get into the house any chance he can. One good thing so far is he has been polite...maybe too polite... having his meal sitting down! Well, that is not normal so I have to correct him once he starts eating.

Syntea is on Tumblr daily.

TICKS!!!!

2011-09-18T19:16:00.010+08:00

I noticed that there were tiny dots on the floor last Friday each time the girl get up. My worst fears returns....TICKS!!!! So, everybody (including Brownie) had a bath this morning. Everybody got a dose of Frontline (tick) serum. So, I hope it goes away fast.

Well actually, Mariko had a thorough wipe-down last night. She absolutely hates bathing (yet she smells great all the time). Once she gets the hints of this impending detestable act, she's the first to "side-step" slowly away from the scene to hide. Seriously.

She'll eventually (always) end up under the car. Yes, far enough to be "unreachable" and "safe from my hands" but close enough to watch in full view, her brother performing the detestable act.

Syntea is on Tumblr daily.

Bed and breakfast at 6 Haruki

2011-09-17T11:26:00.011+08:00

This is the second weekend that Brownie decided to stay overnight. Last night, we met him during our night walks. He was locked out of his house. Nobody seems to be at home. He followed us back. It rained during the night and so, there wasn't any point to send him home in the rain.

After last week's bad manners, he was fed at the porch every time he came over, while the kids were fed indoor. Aiyoo...his heart-wrenching stares from the windows...

So this morning, I decided to try feeding them indoors again. When the food was put down, he initially lunged forward. I held him back and I think he got the picture that he needed to behave himself at breakfast indoors. So, he sat down like the rest of the kids and waited. Then, I signaled to eat and he didn't move an inch. I tried a few times until he felt that the coast was clear to eat . At first, he ate sitting down! Poor kid...really like a street urchin.

So, now everybody has eaten and are sleeping again at 6 Haruki.

My boy was sent outside to keep him company. He is napping and occassionally swatting flies.

Our guest is sleeping too.

My girl is the most pampered. She prefers to nap indoors.

Syntea is on Tumblr daily.

The Big Breakfast

2011-09-10T11:24:00.012+08:00

So, the morning after, I served them all breakfast in the kitchen.

Brownie looks emancipated in broad daylight. He couldn't wait to have his food. Food comprised of premium dog kibbles, long-grain basmati rice, beef bits, chicken feet (from my lunch doggy bag yesterday) and two omelettes (which my kids didn't touch from their dinner last night). Meanwhile, my boy was waiting patiently on the side, despite being served his food an hour later than usual. After Brownie finished his breakfast, he started to growl and snarl at Ruki having his breakfast next to him. My boy was oblivious about what he was doing...courtesy of privileged upbringing, probably. The food guarding behaviour didn't stop. So, the house broom came out and Brownie was led outdoors.

After that, my kids were hanging around the kitchen looking rather "snooty bored". Riko decided to skip her breakfast. I guess she has never experienced food scarcity a day in her life. We still have to coax her to eat at every meal time! And my boy...well, my boy was "looking after her food". This meant when no one is looking, he'll steal a few bites from Riko's plate.

Syntea is now on Tumblr daily.

The night Brownie slept over

2011-09-10T01:23:00.013+08:00

Ever since Riko found out where her BF lived, she'd make sure we passed his street every time she goes for her night walk. The good trade-off for these visits is that we go round the block and come straight home. The kids will have their play date.

However, Riko got smart in our next visit. She decided that we first head for her BF's place. Pick Brownie up and walk home. Then, leave him at our front gate while she continues with her walk. Serious. She stays rooted to the ground unless we head in any direction except homewards:D

Tonight, we found him standing outside his home while another black lab-like dog was behind the gate. I did hear from my neighbour that Brownie was disfavoured after the owners got another dog. But, I never saw that other dog until today. Anyway, I didn't think much of it because I was happy that some nights he was found behind their gate and one night, he was having his (scrap) dinner. I was somewhat grateful that he's still has a home and being "fed".

Since I found out that he has an owner, I normally let him go home around midnight... so as not to be rude. It's customary that I feed him a cup of dog food just outside the gate (like giving him cookies and milk) before sending him off. He normally quite anxious to eat and go home.

Tonight, I served him his usual dog food outside. For the first time, he stayed firmly behind our gates. He refused to go home and is now sleeping on my (recently-destroyed) zen gravel garden.

It's as if the boy didn't want to go back to his (broken) home. Rather disheartening.

Syntea is now on Tumblr daily.

Back to basics

2011-09-05T00:09:00.019+08:00

My boy has been sleeping outdoors for most of August. For a while there, I thought he may have successfully influenced his sister to do the same. But luckily, Riko only lasted a few nights outdoors. That too... she slept mostly on the cushioned patio bench. One blessing for the new sleeping arrangement was I needn't get up at the crack of dawn to let them out to wee. However, my full privilege to sleep in was quickly revoked when my girl decided to whimper incessantly outside my bedroom window every morning like this.

Now one will think that Ruki will have a default comfortable sleeping place outside. Nope. Some nights, he'll plonk himself in the middle of the garden. Other nights, he'll sleep glued to the gate or randomly in driveway. But lately, I noticed that he had settled for my Japanese gravel pit...much to the destruction of the zen-look I tried to achieve in my garden.

After weeks of sleeping in the wilderness, my boy Ruki decided to spend tonight indoors. Why? Because it's a hot night....and he needed the air-con! And, I guess he was too sleepy to walk to his regular nook by the window, he just plonked himself right at the doorway.

Syntea is also on Tumblr : http://syntea.tumblr.com/

The night my girl took me to her boyfriend's house

2011-09-02T23:11:00.013+08:00

My girl and I have always taken the same walking route every night for the past few months. I found that this routine worked the best with the kids because I'd know where the cat zones were, the default Haruki poo plots and cat poo caviar buffet stretches were. For Riko, her route had less houses with dogs and street cats because she tends to react to them by jerking on the leash a lot.

Two things happened in the nights before tonight. For the past week, strangely her toy boy Brownie hasn't been around the block. Gone missing. Riko has been trying to sniff out scents on certain stretches of streets. The night before we had did an extended route which we passed by the house I suspected to be where Brownie lived. No Brownie. There we were standing right in front of a stranger's gate for the longest time because my girl refused to leave.

The next night, we headed out the gate as we always do for months. As usual,my girl zipped a few feet ahead up the road until we reached the first right turn.

There, my girl made an unscheduled right turn and charged forward. I stopped her and tugged her back to our usual direction. Her feet stood rooted to the ground. She refused to budge unless I was going where she wanted to go. So, I followed her ..... to her boyfriend's house.

When we arrived at his doorstep, we found Brownie tied to the gate. She was mighty glad to see him. Tail-wagging and all. Brownie's owner told us that he was in detention for biting someone. She was kind enough to release him and he followed us back home to play for a couple of hours. I think my girl was very happy that night. And I (in a way) meet my in-laws.

Images: "Walk the dog" from my 2011 Sketchbook called "Make mine a double"

Syntea is now on Tumblr daily.

After the nap

2011-09-01T01:00:00.011+08:00

It's the long Independence day holiday week...and I'm loving it. It's giving me the time to catch up on my work (unfortunately), my art, my inspirational resources and my kids.

Things are rather simple with the kids. After breakfast, they usually doze off for hours.

It's great because I get to enjoy most of the day peacefully until they wake up.

My boy is usually patient after waking up from his nap. He'll watch me intently until he thinks it's time to go to grandma's.

Notice he moves a couple of feet every couple of minutes until he reaches my feet to nudge me to go.

Romeo and Juliet ..... and the lamp post

2011-08-02T22:33:00.012+08:00

Things with the kids have been pretty much routine lately.

Wake up.
Hang around the garden while I water the plants.
Bark at neighbor's dogs.
Chase each other around the garden.
Wait for food. Eat food.
Get into car to daycare.
Say bye to momma.
Sleep. Wee. More sleep.
Wait. wait.wait.
Go for walk with Grand dad.
Eat dinner.
Wait for momma to come home.
Come home.
Go for scenting walk. Poo.
Dip in pool.
Roll on ground.
Momma turns on air-con in bedroom.
Wipe bodies and pep talk.
Sleep.

Only thing different these days is that we have a "Romeo meets Juliet" scene every night.

My uptown girl is rather smitten by her downtime boy, a scrawny mongrel with suspected flea issues. Despite this, I let them have their fun chasing around the garden and wrestling each other on the ground. Sometimes, my boy feels like a lamp post during these visits.

Yet another lazy (yellow) Saturday

2011-07-30T22:30:00.002+08:00

Yes, another lazy post from me.

Lazy (Yellow) Saturday

2011-07-16T11:00:00.010+08:00

We are waiting for the maid to finish cleaning our house.

An hour later, I look down at them. Seven little dots were on the floor near my boy.

FLEAS! They were on the floor, rapidly moving away from my boy. My boy wears a flea collar...maybe the fleas found out too late they were poisoned!

Soon, they became seven bloody dots on the floor. They were baby fleas or ticks. I can't tell. This means it is a recent contraction.

Emergency flea control ensued. Looks like we had too much of "brownie" this week.

My gay boy

2011-07-15T02:54:00.003+08:00

I was asked this week why my boy is still a virgin.

This is the answer.

Pied Piper of the neighbourhood

2011-07-05T00:48:00.020+08:00

Ever since we changed our walking route, we noticed that we were being followed.

...by something light brown with four legs. I'll call him "Brown", the neighborhood dog who decided that it was his duty to escort us around our circuit. Some nights, he'll turn up at our doorstep ready to walk with us. Other nights, he'll join us mid-circuit. Last weekend, he came by and started barking and whining at our front gate in the morning.

So, I decided to let him in (against my better judgement). I suppose my kids must understand how privileged they are...and they must learn to humble themselves towards mongrels. I am only joking.

My girl was thrilled to have someone to run about in the garden with. There was innocent playfulness all-round. Then, my boy, being desperate started to hump on him. Then, the girl wanted to hump him. Then, Brown wanted to hump the girl. It was a hot mess for a while.

Quite suddenly, the threesome will turn into innocent playfulness again.

* Drawing from "Make mine a double" Project Sketchbook 2010, currently on tour in the U.S.

Number 3

2011-06-28T23:33:00.026+08:00

Ever since meeting cousin Tango, I've been thinking about number 3. Wishful thinking...even though I know, it's gonna be a black boy. Name has already been picked for him. Don't panic. I'm not ready to walk 12 legs and pick up triple amount of poo.

..but, it does make the family complete. Hmmm... I'd better not wish too hard. That's how Mariko came about the last time.

I know my boy wants nothing to do with a new kid on the block. He was irritated by Tango's presence and went about snarling and nipping him.

My girl is definitely game for it because she's dying to have a playmate. Her brother only likes to eat and sleep most of the time. She might re-think it if she knew that she will no longer be the baby of the house....until number 3 grows to full-size.

I wonder what happened to my gentle boy. He was definitely smitten when my girl first came. He even let her chew on his cheeks. He's still very gentle and allow her to chew on his cheeks in the morning. But, I think he knows better than me that to add another one means less sleep, more annoyance and longer waiting time before food ...because the little ones can't get their acts together at dinner time.

Sunday photos - Let sleeping dogs lie

2011-06-26T12:38:00.038+08:00

One of my favourite things to do on weekends is to check on the kids when they are sleeping. They have the cutest and most serene expressions on their faces.

On rare days...they sleep close together. I'm waiting for the day my boy lets his sister cuddle with him while he's sleeping. Right now, he still thinks she's annoying.

My boy's position under the dinner table when guests come over.

Sleeping areas are often strategically chosen....like at the doorway, busy pathways, bottom of the stairs...

...to make sure, they don't miss out on anything while they take a nap.

Sleeping positions vary...

...sometimes, un-lady like.

Somehow, they find comfort in aligning themselves to the nearest wall.

This is my favourite sleeping torpedo boy.

The only time Riko didn't sleep well was when she had to be boarded at the vet for a night. When she came home, she just fell on the floor and slept for hours.

Needless to say, she had a spat of special treatment after spending a night in a dingy cell when her ovaries were removed.

I never intended for Riko to sleep on the bed. At 9 weeks, she climbed on the bed on the first day she was let into the bedroom. She never left.

My boy prefers the floor. Mother's guilt found me buying him a bed too...which he sleeps on for like 5 minutes. I think he treats it like a throne rather than a bed.

Back to school, my Terrible Two

2011-06-21T01:15:00.010+08:00

ok, don't laugh.

I'm going to do some serious disciplining with the kids. Their command-taking has never been good in the first place...yes, due to my poor reinforcement on them.

It has now come to a point when....
come = sit or stand still wherever they are with a "what?" look on their faces
sit = sitting for a second then sliding into down position
stay = follow me
fetch = stare at me with the "you get it" look
leave it = grab it, fling it in front of momma or run away with it

the only effective command is "down"....and that's because they are about to receive their treats or waiting for dinner.

So, I need to re-start tomorrow because if they behave, they will get to go for pet therapy gathering in 2 weeks. I don't want them behaving like total hooligans. I might end up needing some therapy myself!

Dreaming today

2011-06-15T14:06:00.007+08:00

If this was mine, I will have really happy kids.
Imagine watching the boy swim in the pool with such a spectacular view.
Imagine the off-leash running and scenting trails my kids will be doing everyday.
I won't see them until dinner time...and after dinner, they probably be knocked out cold. What a life!

But, imagine how much walking I have to do picking poo! Well, exercise is always good.

Introducing Do-Re-Mi

2011-06-13T14:32:00.016+08:00

My tri-color lab search is over with a four-month old labrarot boy. Well, too bad he's not mine too. It's cousin Tango who is such a sweetie. My terrible two at that age were always acting like monkeys. As usual, it was near impossible to get a great shot of all three being still and saying cheese to the camera.

This was what was happening behind the scenes. And, they are very good at doing this.

Mariko makes her stand

2011-06-04T15:48:00.024+08:00

And so, I'm back from my vacation and realized my sweet girl is all grown up. I swear she had grown a bit. :D

Mariko has never been an easy walker.

I can still remember her very first walk. She was all leashed-up and ready to go .... but no, she refused to budge. She just sat in the front of our gate. Unlike her brother, he was out the door with nose-to-ground the moment the gates opened for the first time. She didn't get the concept of the leash. She probably finds it undignified to be led around or that we should take the car instead.

In the early days, she stuck close to my legs. But, as she saw more and more of what was over the fence, she became more and more courageous.

Nowadays, she literally springs and gallops the whole way. It has been impossible to keep her at my heels because she speed walks. One would think that the walking difficulty is proportionate to the size of the dog. Nope, not here. My boy heels better because he's big and walks slower...well, that is when he's not tugging about the grass. My girl, on the other hand, is a springy lamb!

To make things worse, she gets excited at any moving objects - especially cats wondering around the neighbourhood. When it comes to dogs behind gates, she charges forward with her barky attitude.

She knows her walking trail by heart. So well, that when I changed routes, she knows and insists on take the "right" way. One good thing is she isn't picky with where I take her. Somehow, this week... something changed.

We walked our usual trail and were on our way home. We turned into our road and was heading towards home when she stopped dead on her tracks. All four paws rooted to the ground. You would think it's easier to get a 50-pounder up on her feet. Nope, she didn't budge. So, I thought she had a memory loss or something and forgot where she was. I dragged her back home the first time.

The next day, the same thing happened after we turned the corner into our street. What's with her? It turns out that she didn't have a memory loss. Rather, I had a light bulb moment. She didn't want to go home yet!

Since that fateful first time, she'd be happily trotting the first ten steps after the corner home. Then, stops dead on her tracks once she recognised that this is the road home. I still get amused by her doing this every night!

If I pulled her towards home, she will not budge an inch. If I pulled away from our gate, she continues to side-step away from our gate. So now, I have to put in an extra block or two for her.

(Must get a photo or video of her in action!)

Drill sergeant from hell

2011-05-20T08:32:00.017+08:00

When the kids are in full-board at day care, it's like boot camp. This means being outdoors more (camping!)and having more rules than normal. And, grand dad(Ah Kong) is like some kind of evil drill sergeant. My girl likes to be near people all the time. Unlike Ruki, she finds rules and boundaries hard to follow.

Then, yesterday...according to a boot camp report said that...
Ah Kong finally allowed her to lie in the living room after she gave him her POWER EMO stare

Ah Kong = grandfather

It has been a mopey week so far

2011-05-19T23:51:00.015+08:00

Mopey 1 can't go walking since it has been raining every evening.

Mopey 2 hasn't gone for a walk or car ride since last Friday.

This is their self-entertainment- ripping plastic flower pots apart!

Now, how can I ever go for more than a week's vacation?

on vacation

2011-05-15T23:06:00.009+08:00

I am on vacation in some island somewhere for a week...and the kids are on full ~~board~~ bored at day care.

Poor things!

note: si comot means dirty boy

Rainy days and Mondays.....to Sunday

2011-05-07T12:31:00.009+08:00

This is my personal trainer.

Without fail, rain or shine every night...he will be waiting patiently at the door and if that does work, he's nudging me persistently until I am up on my feet. It seems there are a list of things he needs to do before bedtime - like rush out to the public ~~toilet~~ bush to poo, pee-marking, smell every inch of the park and if lucky, gobble some cat poo! Once back, he dips in his bathtub and gets wiped down in his air-conditioned room.

Only after all this is done, he is ready for bed.

Food tasting of a different kind

2011-04-27T19:59:00.008+08:00

The kids' food bowls were on the dining table waiting to be served. I'm always saying that my kids diet is so much better than mine. Ever wondered what a 6-fish flavoured kibbles of the below, taste like? Well, it reads so healthy...so much that I could have replace my main meal with it and get my complete nutrient for a cup of this.

Fresh salmon (includes chinook. coho and sockeye species), salmon meal, russet potato, herring meal, fresh lake whitefish, sweet potato, fresh lake trout, fresh Northern walleye, freshwater cod, fresh herring, sunflower oil, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherals, a natural source of vitamin E), sun-cured alfalfa, dried sea vegetables (brown kelp, Irish moss, dulse and bladder wrack), leeks, psyllium, crab shell, rosemary, lecithin, apples, black currants..

TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS
Chicory root (FOS), licorice root, fennel seed, zea mays, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, rosehips.

ORGANIC MINERALS
Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS
Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product..

PREMIUM VITAMINS
Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, pyridoxine (source of vitamin B6).

So, we decided to take a nimble. One word - FISHY. It tasted like uncooked fish crackers. Well, two words - FISHY and SALTY. I'm surprised it was so darn salty. Sis pops 6 more into her mouth. Yeew...

This morning, I sampled the other mix-meat flavour kibble. Less salty. This is seriously making me think of going on b.a.C.f (bones and cooked food) diet a few days a week.

My baby girl is 18 months this week

2011-04-24T20:21:00.005+08:00

How time flies...

She's still very much a baby...but, I don't mind...as long as she's toilet-trained!

Uh-Oh we're in trouble

2011-04-23T12:05:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, Riko shredded some tissues along our driveway. As usual, when she heard "WHO DID THIS?"... she conveniently left the scene of the crime to god-knows-where. This morning, I found the tissues on the driveway... the same old bits that I swept into the outdoor dustbin. As usual, I said "WHO DID THIS?". Girl left the scene. Boy came over to begin his investigation. He picked up the bits and shaking about as if wondering who could have done this. Then, he got on to shredding them into smaller bits...perhaps, in an attempt to lose the evidence.

Normally, the girl will run out to the backyard to hide until the coast is clear. But, since I fenced of the back garden temporarily, she has made used of my baby frangipani tree as cover. That was until the tree grew taller and she had to find a new cover.

So, this is her new hiding place... at first, she kept very still...I didn't notice her camouflaged against the window.

until the boy came over to busy-body..

Sketchbook Project 2012 is on!

2011-04-20T14:21:00.034+08:00

I'm so excited that my annual sketchbook project is starting. Hope to crank up the old artsy engine and get my creative juices going.

So, those who are interested anywhere around the world, you can sign in here. This year's project will have planned stops in London and Melbourne in 2012. Must.really.plan.London.and.New York.2012.trip.now. Will.~~ask~~.force.friends.to.view.my.books.in.Melbourne.

Meanwhile, my current books are on tour in the U.S. Here are the books being packed up for their next destination. Let's see...they are in Washington D.C this week and in Seattle on June 10-11.

So far, four kind souls have borrowed my books to have a look. You see, we get an email notification each time the book is borrowed. So cool!

I didn't expect any views...so, I thought I have to go visit them myself next year. Look at the competition....

What are the chances of your books getting pick from the sea of books here?

Getting picked

Checking out the books for a closer look. Just look at some of the gorgeous covers.

The overwhelming creativity in one place sometimes makes me want to crawl into a hole and hide...but, I'm back this year to take up the challenge again.

hehehe...four views are definitely better than none!

Gunshot wounds, slash scars and bite marks

2011-04-16T18:06:00.019+08:00

The blog silence is killing me. My dearly beloved home modem had recently died and gone to heaven. The new modem has been acting up. So, pardon the dust on my blog.

Meanwhile, the kids are well...maybe, playing a little to hard lately.

I've been finding all kinds of injury on them. The first one from Mariko looked like someone's tooth sunk into it...and when the scab fell, it looked like a gunshot wound.

This is Riko's first gunshot wound.

Then, it was Ruki turn. The injury was difficult to detect due to his thick fur. I remember one night, there were blood stains on the floor where he laid. I did a full body check ... mainly on the paws because I thought he may have stepped on glass during our walk. Nothing. Then, a couple of days later, I noticed some fur at the top of his body was out of place. When I was combing it back, I found a loose Julienne slice of his furry scalp sticking out... like he was slashed by someone.

When that wound healed, Ruki developed a hardened skin on the tip of ear. Fears ranged from mites to some flesh-eating disease. So, off to the vet. It turned out to be bitten. Looks like my girl may have been chewing on his ear!!

Then again, the boy chews on her ear too!!

This week, I discover a julienne-sliced wound on Riko. Now, I'm totally cool about it and treating them as routine cuts-and-scrapes on my kids.

Return of the Magic Wand

2011-03-15T00:05:00.000+08:00

We have settled into a nice walk route since the start of the year. So, I thought.

I'll normally control his walk-sniff balance whereby, I will allow him to sniff on certain parts and strict walk on parts of the route. But, for the past 2 weeks, Ruki has been sniffing way to much while walking. It's to the extent that he's been walking zig-zag under some kind of trance. He'll want to double back on some interesting sections. When I direct him to certain parts of our usual route, he will turn around and face the direction he wants to go. So, we are pivoting around the same spot until he gets his way. Presumably, my route choice is way too boring.

So, this week...we saw the revival of the magic wand. I hope I will regain control of my boy...because we are starting to look embarrassingly comical on our walks in the neighbourhood.

P.S. My sketchbooks made it safely to New York. It will start its tour in Austin, Texas. The exhibition is at the Austin Museum of Art on Saturday, March 12 and the 29th St Ballroom at Spider House on Sunday, March 13 from noon until 6pm each day.

OMG! I almost killed my girl today

2011-03-11T20:51:00.013+08:00

I left my girl locked in my car at daycare while I left for work in a hurry. I didn't realize she was ~~hiding~~ at the backseat when I shut my car door and got into the taxi. I did find it strange that she did stand at the driveway to bid me goodbye. I thought she was up to some mischief somewhere in the garden. I didn't think much of it until I received a call from grandma. She was looking for my girl on her way out and couldn't find her anywhere....until she saw her bopping head in my car. Lucky for me that someone was at home...my car was parked in the garage (not in the sun)...and she was found within 10 minutes.

Scary to think that she could be left longer than she did in my car with the windows up. She loves to go into the car. I think she just wants to follow me around. One of these days she'll smuggle herself up the car again. If she stays really quiet, I wouldn't realize it until I reach the office.

Thank God it's Friday!

Scent of a woman (dog)

2011-03-09T23:43:00.013+08:00

I will not hesitate to say that my girl smells great all the time. I'll sniff her whenever I can .... just to spot-check. I have no idea how she does it... but I'm not complaining. Both kids eat the same foods, bathe the same frequency and do the same stuff. My girl smells equivalent to a baby. It's very distinctively like burnt sugar...like caramel. Perhaps, that's why she turned out to be brown in colour!

Meanwhile my Busuk* boy often smells like rotten fish...to be exact...dried fish...the Asian-style kind (a.k.a. ham yue). He has a thick coat and perhaps...in his past life or so...was a happy fish. He has to dip in his water pool every day ... rain or shine.

* Busuk = smelly in Malay

Poo patterns

2011-03-03T22:30:00.000+08:00

My boy loves public pooing and peeing. Our daily walk starts with him rushing from our gate like he has a stomach. He makes a beeline to the end of the road where there are public ~~bushes~~ stalls for him to make deposits.

My girl has NEVER done the number one or two outside EVER. I think she finds it undignified to squat in strange places. So, she prefers the privacy of her own home.

So, when it comes to the matter of pooing and peeing, my kids are polar opposites. But one thing's for sure...there's always "packages" to pick up every morning from the lawn.

Blast from the Past

2011-02-27T23:19:00.007+08:00

Haruki at 10 weeks

Mariko at 10 weeks

Wish my kids could live forever at this age (all potty-trained).

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day

2011-02-21T01:19:00.023+08:00

I often think how grateful I am that my kids get along. They always share some tender moments like this...

Then, moments later...it erupts to this. Believe it or not, my girl loves playing rough and being chased a lot.

To think that, it was only yesterday they spent their first V-Day... when Ruki found her cute but annoying (he still does).

Then, when she was in heat...my boy fell hard for her.

Nowadays, I would like to think they are great buddies. My boy is still so patient with her annoying antics. Riko idolizes her brother and often emulates him. It's amazing.

You know you have crossed the line

2011-02-13T13:43:00.008+08:00

when you shared the same toothbrush as your kids one sleepy night...and when you realized it...you kept on brushing.

It's not even Valentine's Day yet...

2011-02-07T14:34:00.010+08:00

Bowser and Mariko sitting in the garden
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First comes love,
then comes marriage,
luckily no pup in the baby carriage!

Momma caught someone kissing on Chinese New Year's Day

Full frontal khalwat* scene for Bowser's dad to see...

* khalwat is the malay term for close proximity for unwed parties.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-03T12:42:00.004+08:00

It's the time of the year for hong bau! The kids shall have red envelopes filled with treats..

My kids in January 2011

2011-02-01T19:44:00.003+08:00

In a rare ocassion when my girl looks larger than my boy...

Ruki goes to the salon

2011-01-30T20:33:00.008+08:00

It's been a long time (1.5 years) since our last visit to the groomers. So, when i stopped by the week before to make an appointment, I was surprised that the groomers remembered my boy. Haruki... the yellow lab? yeah...that's my boy alright.

We haven't been back often since Ruki cannot stay clean for long. But, I think he loves the attention and pampering. He loves his bath time a lot. He has no problems being left alone at the "spa" while I go for yoga.

Unfortunately, he still like to mark in public. He made sure that the few bags of Eukanuba dog food at the front of the pet store is his. Then, he said goodbye to the groomers by marking their front dog!

He managed to stay clean for a day. At least, he enjoyed himself at the spa and a visit to the pet store later that day.

If your dog was human, what would he/she do for a living or hobby?

2011-01-18T00:26:00.007+08:00

My dog forum posted the above question. Let me see...

Haruki would be a food tester or a spa owner.

Mariko would be a FBI agent or a mattress tester.

My natural snooze button

2011-01-14T21:42:00.006+08:00

For a long time now, I lived without an alarm clock in the house. My kids are up at the crack of dawn... and I let them out a crawl back to bed. They usually entertain themselves ...barking at everything and anything that moves and running up and down the yard. Somehow like clockwork, my boy will come into the room at 8.45am. At first, he'll sit quietly by the bedside. Then, the soft whines will start...followed by his high-pitched bark and foot nudges.

Today, my snooze-button boy rang four times and jumped on the bed twice to get me out of bed. That was even before my maid arrived.

You see, on Friday mornings, the maid comes at 8 sharp to clean the house. However, this morning...it rained so it really felt like 7 am. I was wondering why my boy was demanding I get up so early. When I finally got up, I found that it was already 9.30 and my maid had called in sick.

I suppose from now on I should not question my alarm clock!

Meet the Cousins

2011-01-09T22:18:00.018+08:00

Today, my kids met their cousin Bowzer for the first time. Riko took an instant liking for the four month old beagle. She kept the cutie pie under her legs as much as she could.

Ruki sniffed and frisked him well to make sure he was not the enemy. Ruki was happy just being a spectator and occasionally showing fearless Bowzer who's the boss. Otherwise, he was just rolling about the grass after making trips to his dipping pool.

The kids got along well. It shows that they could get along with a third pup...not to say that I want another. No, two is just enough!

Meanwhile, my boy has been looking and acting like a St. Bernard these days. He's been submerging himself in the pool any chance he gets...and of course, the best time is always when we are getting ready to go to daycare! He also needs to sleep in an air-conditioned room... otherwise, he can't sleep. I need to find some time to send him to the groomers to trim his fur a bit...so that he looks a bit more decent. Half the time now, he looks like a wet mess from spending too much time in his pool.

I need him to look like this all the time. My dream dog (after grooming) Look at his aerodynamic waist line just a year ago!

I almost had a heart attack when...

2011-01-02T21:07:00.016+08:00

...Grandpa told me he tried to let Mariko go off-leash outside.

Apparently, he took my girl out to the little green patch he uses with my boy. My girl was running up and down the patch off-leash. After two successful recall, Grand dad shouted "GO!"....and my girl LEFT the scene. She took off to the roads on her own!!!

This off-leash green zone connects our street with the next street. So, off she ran down the neighboring road .... looking back only to see when grandpa was frantically tailing her. She zipped right down to the end of the road. Luckily, she didn't cross the busy junction down the road to get to her usual walking circuit.

Thank goodness, grandpa caught up to her as she was trying to get to the next street. This is not the way I want to start my New Year!

Mariko Christmas and Haruki New Year!

2011-01-01T16:12:00.032+08:00

I've been super busy lately and hadn't the chance to make a post here. I've still got backlog work to complete, emails and text messages to reply...which I have to (unfortunately) carry forward to this year. It's been crazy month. We hosted Boxing Day dinner last weekend....serving Eurasian-styled Devil curry, ratta yogurt salad, minced beef with potatoes and rice...with Pineapple-upside down cake for dessert.

Here's Mariko looking pretty with her Princess Leia crown. It's once a year I subject my kids to this ridiculous act.

My boy did not want anything to do with his santa hat. Since he's been "off-leash", he thinks he's a big boy now.

Today, we hosted our New Year Brunch...which I had only confirmed to hold yesterday when I finally had a chance to do grocery shopping. How did I spend midnight as the fireworks were blasting away? Well, I spent it on all fours on my kitchen floor! I spilled some batter in my still-running oven which seeped through to the kitchen floor. Geez...I hope this "clean-up messes" is not indicative of the year ahead!! *touch wood*

This morning... of all mornings, my kids decided to let me sleep in...when I was supposed to be preparing for brunch! Luckily, I was awaken by my mobile phone ring at 9am. So, my kids had their New Year breakfast feast outside while I was cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Even in meals...they are in formation...right up to their tails. ;)

In the end, our New Year brunch turned out great...despite the last-minute shopping and using untested recipes I was admiring a few days back. I glad that I managed to make my quiche after talking about doing so for a whole year. Finally, last year's resolution crossed out this year!

Menu
Bacon-brie quiche (delish!)
Greek Baked pumpkin omelette
Breakfast sausages and portobello mushrooms sauteed with fresh herbs served with capsicum relish
Salad of romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cranberries and toasted almond flakes with Italian dressing
Oatmeal buttermilk pancakes with blueberries
Freshly-squeezed lemonade with mint and coffee

And when it was all over, we were all dog-tired.

It felt like only yesterday....

2010-12-24T22:46:00.013+08:00

...Little Mariko came home. I'm glad the kids get along swell. Riko idolizes her big brother. Ruki tolerates her being at his face and following his every move.

then...

now...my dogs in formation

Something smells

2010-12-15T21:43:00.018+08:00

For the past week, it seems there is some kind of windfall of soup bones at day care. It might well be due to Grandma striking a little win from a lottery. So, the kids have been having giant bones to gnaw on during the day. Mariko seem to have an obsession to them. She decided to take one back from daycare on Monday. As it turns out, most nights this week, she has been gnawing a bone on the ride home. The car ride had been blissful until the car started to reek like the meat section of the supermarket.

So yesterday, I threw the bones out of the dogmobile into the garden for her prolonged enjoyment. All was well again when I went to bed.

You see, my bedroom is temperature-controlled for my boy. He prefers to sleep in near artic conditions. Apparently, the kids smuggled a bone in the bedroom. By the time I went to bed, I thought I had walked into a meat-packaging factory!

..except...the only bodies lying around were my kids!

After a trilogy of fart, poo and reeky odours.... I am desparate to see green pastures, fluffy clouds and blue skies by year end.

The ugly truth about being off-leash

2010-12-11T17:19:00.012+08:00

Some weeks after my sprained ankle incident, I found out that grand dad has been taking my boy off-leash to a patch of grass next to the main road. I'm resolved to trying to stay positive about the whole idea. I'm also intrigued about knowing how it's done .... how you wake the boy from scent trance when it's time to go.

With my ankle still on recovery mode, I've mustered the courage to do some off-leash with the boy this week after dinner. On the first try-out, we went to the park down the road. Ruki went on his sniffing frenzy the moment he jumped out of the car. I was yelling at him every few minutes to stay close while walking my girl on leash. Now, every walk is not complete without a poo. So as Ruki started to squat down, I noticed his leash dangling at his behind. We rushed over to pull the leash from under but.. Too late...I got piping hot poo on my hand!! Yucks! We left the park hurriedly and I drove home with one hand on the steering wheel!

I had a feeling Ruki didn't get enough as it felt kind of rushed the first time. Like a pit (poo) stop. So, the next night...we were back again. This time, I'm trying to be calm about the whole thing...no dangling leash. Ruki was freely sniffing away. I was still calling him to stay close like every other second. When he reached the end of the path, he decided to climb up a hillside and disappeared into the darkness. Since I was in no condition to climb, Riko and I ran back to the car. As I was bundling the girl into the car, I heard running sounds coming from the darkness. It was Ruki racing down the road. Thank goodness! Immediately, I summoned him into the car. He did his last sniff and jumped up the car.

TOO SCARY...so far it's been sniff zombie, runaway boy, frantic "come here" shouts, zero recall and poo-in-the-hand.

One good thing is the prompt departure from daycare. They get harnessed-up before leaving daycare. So the dilly-dally Boy gets promptly into the car before he knows he's going off-leash in a while.

The not-so graceful side of Miss Riko

2010-12-06T10:53:00.008+08:00

Last night...like every other night, I have my usual pep talk with my girl to let her know how good and how naughty she has been during the day. She takes in my lectures with such grace, patience and understanding...she could sit with me the whole night listening. Well...I think she enjoys head-and-neck scratch and belly rub more than anything else. So as she was enjoying herself yesterday...there was a sudden **poot** sound midway through our session. It startled the poor girl to her feet staring at her bum with a "what-was-that?" look in her face.

Hmmm...looks like someone had a bit too much of ginger and vinegar-cured meat from the table last night.

The curious case of Mariko Leong

2010-12-04T11:05:00.013+08:00

For the past few weeks, Riko has been eating erratically again. On slow days, she spends breakfast hovering over her bowl trying swat flies, rather than eating. When she does eat, she's always chewing and looking at what's going on outside at the same time. On really slow days, we always end up having to hand-feed her. Sometimes she eats..sometimes, she doesn't even open her mouth for a kibble like a kid being forced to take some bitter medicine. As soon as you start to serve a lesser portion (to reduce wastage), she suddenly does a rare chomping down of her meal unassisted and going for second helpings. Hallelujah!

She likes her kibbles more than real meats. For that, I've attribute it to her not-so strong set of teeth. Then, I am proven wrong when I watch her take down a giant bone. She is weird.

Treasures found in our Dogmobile

2010-11-24T21:51:00.008+08:00

Today, grand dad took our dogmobile for a much-needed car wash. Besides his usual embarrassed looks while handing the car over to the car wash attendant, he reported that they found 2 half-bitten bones, a bottle and a ball at the back seat.

Haruki & Mariko - The Book

2010-11-17T13:05:00.033+08:00

I'm taking part in a Sketchbook Project. Last week, I completed my sketchbook!

My book will feature ..who else..but my kids. I hope to mail it out by end of this month. Yay!

My humble little book will take part in book tour in several cities in the U.S. next year. Hopefully, I'll get to view it myself in 2012 at the The Brooklyn Art Library, New York where it (along with thousands others..hahaha...) will become a part of their permanent collection after the tour.

Perhaps, I will give some sneak previews every now and then in my blog. But, if you are anywhere at these U.S. cities on the tour dates in 2011 or in New York in 2012 onwards...do visit my book (ID# 35070 and 31100)!!

Fairy Godmas come visiting

2010-11-15T22:38:00.017+08:00

My kids' godmothers came over for pie party yesterday. It's been a while since the kids have seen them. The last time Riko was still a cuddly tiny tot. Since her period and spaying operation, she must be thinking she's all grown up. Typically, she likes to come up to a family member and "demand" for free petting sessions. But yesterday, it was a different side of her that we saw. She'd rather hide in the backyard or sit outside on the wet grass. If you know her well, you will know that she'd rather not pee than get her dainty paws wet in the garden. She was even caught sitting in the bathtub in the dark, a few times last night!

I think it must be a bad case of the "grandma wanting to pinch your cheeks and you are not likin' it one bit".

* "Geli" means ticklish in Malay

Ruki goes to face the corner

2010-11-12T12:26:00.016+08:00

Mariko seems by default the first to be blamed for any naughtiness at home. Somehow, there is always an outpouring of guilt from her each time I say "WHOOO did this?". She usually side-steps out of the crime scene and hides behind some pots or goes to the backyard. Whilst, Ruki is always lurking around the aftermath investigating the scene with me. For some time now, I have been suspecting that Ruki is not all that innocent.

For the past 2 consecutive morning, I have woken up with the kids entertaining themselves at the foot of the bed. Yesterday, it was the coconut husk and today, it was a plastic flower pot. The moment I sat up on my bed, Ruki quickly grabs the "object of the day" into his "throne". It looks like the only time he gets on his dog bed is when he is holding something important and wants to get my attention.

SOMEBODY knocked down the coffee table this morning.

SOMEBODY moved the couch a few feet away from its normal position.

My boy and his bed

2010-11-06T11:08:00.013+08:00

Ever since he was a puppy, my boy been totally contented on the cool hard floors. So, it was a blessing that he's one that doesn't sleep on the couch, bed or carpet. But, over the years, the hard floors have been giving him ugly callus on his elbows and paws. These days, his legs look pretty bruised up and he's been starting to look like an abused boy!

So, my boy has a new bed this weekend.

After much coaxing with butter cookies, he got on the bed. As you can see from his expression, he's not exactly liking the whole experience. Hmm..... he got the largest size from the shop but it's looking rather cramped once he's on it.

For now a least, I think the bed is going to be his throne for having cookies. It seems that the only reason he'll get on it is for cookies! I will have to keep working on him....otherwise, the bed will become the next white elephant in the house.

The referee, the ring leader and the bait

2010-10-30T01:31:00.014+08:00

Of lately, I seem to be playing referee at home. My brown girl, the resident night owl, is always poking her brother while he's sleeping. So, he gets annoyed and starts growling. Soon, the situation erupts into a full-blown sumo wrestling match. At times, Ruki-san is not totally innocent too. Like tonight, he was up to his antics. He thought it would be fun to snitch my slipper from under my study table. He swings it around to get our attention. Luckily, I shoved Riko in the bedroom otherwise, there will be a crazy cat-and-mouse chase in the house.

Just 10 minutes earlier, I diffused another chasing situation outside. My brown girl went to grab the kong and started swinging it in front of the boy. Since she did not attract sufficient interest, she ran over to the dog pool and stuck her feet in. Usually, under no circumstance you will find Riko deliberately getting wet. For whatever strange reason, Ruki normally loves to chase a wet Riko. She was setting herself up as bait!.

I was lucky tonight because Ruki was tad lazy to give immediate chase. So I managed to shove Riko inside the house in the nick of time.

Mariko hosts her doghouse tour

2010-10-25T00:00:00.073+08:00

This weekend, my favourite furniture shop delivered my latest piece of indulgence. So I thought it was time to open my indoor lawns (carpets) again. Everyone at home is now toilet-train...so, it is fairly safe. Mariko roused from her nap with the commotion from movers and the carpet-laying...so, she decided to play hostess to her home.

Over to Riko....

This is my living room. The coffee table inherited from Grandma while the fern is just a prop for the photoshoot. It goes right back to the patio because Momma says we shouldn't kill anymore plants prematurely. Momma wanted to keep the original louvered folding doors and retro grills from this 1970 house. So, she had them all restored...which is a good thing for her but, it makes it impossible for me to escape outside.

Momma loves that everything is in order in this room... so, it's usually for guests. But, Ruki and I think it's ok to be here when we play toy-tugging. We usually end up jumping on the couch simultaneously ...which makes it skid a few inches just for fun. The Turkish patchwork rug is back as Ruki's primary indoor lawn.

Momma opened these rooms up to let in more light to the middle rooms. But, we know that she knocked the walls for us to run from room-to-room when we play indoor chase. Originally, the room on the left was the kitchen. The right was a bedroom. She didn't want to go totally "open concept", so the huge sliding doors can be drawn for privacy, if needed. This creates a problem for us when we want to chase each other in circles.

This is the couch where I sometimes sleep on while waiting for momma to finish her work. I'm lucky to sit on this cicim, a Turkish hand-embroidered rug because momma will only roll it out for special occasions...otherwise, Ruki will make this his secondary lawn.

Momma's study used to be here. It's now our napping cum reading room ..as you can see by the shelves of books. The little pencil-leg side table is one of Momma's favourite pieces.

Momma always wanted a smaller dining room. So, she decided to set one up after finding a charming high sideboard recently. This room doubles up as her study. Her desk usually covered by piles of books and papers...so, she decided to un-clutter and store some items under her canteen bench. She has to be careful what she stores down there because Ruki just snitched her writing pad and ripped it to pieces in the garden yesterday!

This is our favourite morning room. It's where we have breakfast and guests congregate while meals are prepared.

This sideboard stores Momma's rose pyrex, her hand-painted ceramics and Chinese cigarette girl posters from Shanghai. She gets a bit nostalgic over her small collection...but, we think that she's living her second childhood because there are more yet to be unpacked for a storage box. Recently, she unpacked some art pieces collected from her travels, to hang them near the living area. It's still a work-in-progress because momma still travelling and collecting.

She also hopes to perfect her Childcraft set one day...even though she knows we can't read. She looking for her favourite volumes 1, 2 and 11 for a start.

Now, Momma's taken to growing her cactus indoors! I wonder how long they will survive on the shelf. Hopefully, she'll remember to water them since they are right in front of the study table where she sits everyday.

The patio has the best short-cut for me to get to the backyard in a flash. This is the place where Grandma and Grandpa sit over coffee and dessert after dinner. The cushions hide a big hole I made a few months earlier. I do check the hole by pulling out some stuffing from time to time to make sure it's still there.

You asked me where I learn this mischief from? Ask my brother Haruki, who is seen running away from all the questioning. Our once intact chair looked like this when my brother wrecked the patio last year. But, that was before I was born.

Happy birthday Mariko!

2010-10-20T21:14:00.008+08:00

My baby girl is one today.

A year ago ...

This morning...

This evening, she leaped over a standing Ruki when we arrived home. I am now convinced of her destiny in the agility circuit.

First, she needs to attend Basic Obedience school.

Escape from Daycare

2010-10-13T21:42:00.010+08:00

Since my foot injury and her spaying operation, Riko has been house bound. She seems pretty much okay with watching her brother go for his walk every evening until today.

Apparently, dog-walker dad forgot to close the gate on their way out today. Riko tailed both of them down the road. Once she was spotted, she was safely escorted back home. Poor girl.

Hopefully, this week she'll get to go to the dog park.

Re-introducing.... Virgin Mari(ko)

2010-10-04T22:04:00.012+08:00

Riko's e-cone comes off today ....but, it was already (unofficially) out yesterday when I came to pick them up from daycare. My girl is going great..maybe a tinge too energetic. I'm so glad that it's over. She still needs to take it easy for another week. That would be tough since she's the chief wrestling and chasing instigator with my boy.

Mariko does a Houdini

2010-10-02T14:50:00.020+08:00

Riko was at the vet this morning to remove her stitches. Yeah! Still the internal sutures will take another 10 days to dissolve...so, mobility remains (supposedly) limited. Cone goes back on her for another 3 days and will come out for good this Monday. Surprisingly, she's gotten used to the cumbersome cone but ... I can't wait till it's out.

Meanwhile, Ruki had his bath when we got home. Poor boy had been much neglected since my ankle injury, then Riko's spaying. He hadn't a his proper bath in 2 weeks! Somehow, they love to chase one another when wet. So, Riko safely stayed indoors....or so I thought! Moments after I was done with Ruki's bath, out runs Super Conegirl from the back of the house. Apparently, she escaped through the back door grille (4.5 inch spacing) with her e-collar intact. This is the back door grill. Now, imagine that she escaped here with her cone on!

I.am.totally.amazed.

Lack of Bed(side) Manners

2010-09-30T00:07:00.019+08:00

Although I claim to own a king size bed, the truth is I'm usually allocated 2 feet from the edge of the bed to sleep on every night. Since her surgery, my girl has been conquering a lot more of bed space and moving up to the pillow section. Maybe, she thinks she deserves more now that she gave up her ovaries for me. Yikes!

One night, I found her sprawled diagonally on my side of the bed and I had to sleep on the opposite side. The following night, she decided to sleep where my feet were...so, I had to sleep with my legs curled up. Some nights, I have to sleep diagonally as she refused to re-position herself mid-sleep. Somehow, I always end up with her butt right up my face. But then... just the other night, I woke up nose-to-nose with her e-cone head!

Ok, which side should I sleep tonight?

Note: The blue sheet is her original zone.

Breaking News: Riko was kidnapped!

2010-09-22T18:43:00.022+08:00

I visited Riko again this afternoon. As you can see, Riko was still looking sad with her cone of shame. The vet said she was whining in the afternoon when the other dogs started barking. She was drinking but still not eating. So, I tried feeding some canned dog food. She chomped it down in seconds. Good sign.
After some long conversations with the vet, he asked whether I wanted to take her home overnight. Can I really? Since the first night, she was on anesthesia-high...so she may not remember a lot. But, today she's fully conscious....I think she will be more scared today...or rather I will be more frightened for her.

So, I took her home sooner than expected. I just needed to take precautions to reduce her mobility. The vet bandaged her sutures before we left.

Meanwhile, Ruki boy will full board at Daycare...while I care for Riko at home. When she came back, she did a long wee (like the kind you hold when you are out all day and didn't dare use the public toilet).

Then, she went in and drank a whole bowl of water. Then, she laid down and went to sleep.

When she woke up, she let out a bark..replying to some distant barking somewhere. She was then escorted outside to pee. She finished her plate of kibbles.

Now, the challenge is how to juggle both kids between homes. They cannot be together for another week. Yikes!

The Morning After

2010-09-22T12:23:00.010+08:00

Riko girl was fully coherent this morning. She was terribly timid in strange kennel environment. She didn't let out a sound (not even a whine) when she saw me...but her eyes showed that she was scared silent. The water bowl was empty this morning. She had peed during the night. Still not eating anything this morning. Took her for a walk in the back alley. She now dawns an e-collar...and will do so till next Friday or more.

More than an hour later, she wasn't happy to see me go. Neither was I. :(

BUT, I'm so glad she's alive and kicking... and that the surgery went well!

The Big Day

2010-09-21T23:05:00.013+08:00

Today, my baby went in for her surgery. I guess she didn't see it coming...though, she must have thought her momma was going nuts with all the petting and pep talks lately.

Somebody else didn't see it coming too...or did he...

Maybe, he knew something fishy was up again (last time was when momma and Riko secretly went for pet therapy without him). This time..he wants nothing to do with this fishy business.

I brought her in at 10.30am. She was really scared because the place and people were strange to her. She refused to enter the kennel area...partly because another patient dog was barking really loud. I brought in my overnight bag of goodies - yogurt, kibbles, chicken/liver/ gizzard chops, a few butter cookies and peanut butter (in case she wasn't into regular food and preferred some junk food). The vet laughed at the things I brought. Well, Riko is one fussy eater. I settled her in and had to go for a meeting.

Apparently, the vet put her in the kennel after pre-medication before the surgery. She refused to come out of the kennel for her operation. So, they had to carry her to the table. Poor girl ...man-handled. :(

The surgery went well. I came to see her at 6 o'clock. She was still groggy and couldn't move a lot. She didn't want to eat and only drank a bit. After a while, she wanted to stand up (as if wanting to leave with me). But, her legs were too weak to hold up for long. :((

She is spending the night at the vet. It's not the best of place to be. I hope she'll feel better tomorrow.

Photos on 21 Sept 2010

My Sweet Girl

2010-09-19T21:52:00.005+08:00

Mariko will go under the knife this week and I'm worried sick for her.
I hope she'll have a speedy recovery. Trying to find ways to stay positive. :(

A new kind of normal

2010-09-12T23:16:00.015+08:00

Miss Riko's period was finally over last week. Thank Godness! Ruki's obsession for her went away quite abruptly. Thank Godness! Life is back to normal...well, a new normal. They seem to be hungrier these days....even Riko...who before this was eating like bird. Nowadays...they are having seconds and thirds after their main meals. Their bowls are licked clean and shiny every time. Before her period, Riko used to have a spoon of yogurt as a snack before bedtime. Now, she has a giant spoon after her breakfast as well!

As for me, my foot is healing ever so slowly. Today, I cheated on my Western doctor by visiting a Chinese sinseh. The things I do for my kids...

Super bratty tonight

2010-09-06T23:18:00.007+08:00

It's a cool night...cool enough to enjoy a night's sleep with the windows open.
But, no..the boy insists that we turn on the aircon. o.O

He knows the whole routine - closing the windows, pointing the remote to the air con, hearing the tit sound to confirm that it's on. He doesn't buy the having the windows wide open and blasting the fan at full speed business. Nope. Either the air con is on or he'll sleep outside.

Keep calm and carry on

2010-09-04T15:59:00.009+08:00

Today, I was making the most of my lazy Saturday morning catching up with the final episodes of my Hong Kong series. I noticed that my girl was making a few trips into the guest bathroom and fiddling with something...which she never does. She was acting all suspicious as I watched her with one eye and the Chinese series with the other.

All the sudden, she dashed out of the guest bathroom into the master bedroom, across the corridor. Ahead of her was a small black creature. RAT!!!! Well, I instantly I jumped up my chair with my camera in hand (it was a blog-moment). This is the view from up there.

Needless to say, my boy ran into the room to investigate. Great...there's going to be a blood bath in my room! Strangely, it was all quiet in there. Both of them sat patiently next to the bed. I could see something black under my bed. Yeeewww!!!

Now, my bedroom windows have mosquito netting... so, there's no way out except through the room door. After a few minutes of silence, my kids came out very calm and sat in the living area...as if nothing happened. That's when I called for back-up.

Back-up arrived in about 10 minutes...with lunch too. Wah! so good service. It turned out to be a baby squirrel which came in during the night. It was let out through the window - all shaken up. My kids ran into the garden and gave chase. Ruki caught it in his mouth..then let it go..then, both of them chased it again. The poor soul must be totally exhausted by the ordeal. Finally, we called the kids to stand down...and our house guest escaped through the fence.

Good thing my kids was gently holding the squirrel. Both got their mouths thoroughly rinsed after that. Thank God it wasn't a rat!

Haruki's feeling love sick now

2010-08-30T23:22:00.004+08:00

Ever since my Riko became the most beautiful dog in the neighbourhood, Ruki has been suffering from a severe bad case of puppy love.

He didn't eat the whole of Sunday and on Saturday, he had a tiny dinner since he forgot to eat his breakfast. He won't listen to me. He won't come when being called. He won't wait at the door until I give the command to come in. Since he's panting quite a bit in the afternoon (due to the chase and heat), he's been dipping a lot from the outdoor tub. Worst of all, he's been charging through doors all wet to make sure he doesn't get left behind or locked out. I've been so mindful that my injured foot doesn't get stepped on in the process. For that matter, it might be wise to save my right foot (if I had to choose) since having one good foot is better than having none!

I've been trying to keep them indoors to avoid the embarrassment of public sex in my garden. So, he's just follows her around the house. Last Saturday, thinking they were asleep in the room (no panting, just silence), I found them romping on my bed! Well, Riko probably wanted some alone time on the bed....and my boy decided to join in. (Before this, he never gets on the bed unless to wake me up when I oversleep).

He has become so obsessed with Riko that he has been panting all the time now. So, last night, we decided to have him full board at day care just to make sure he had a good night's rest. I think he had a good rest because we sure did back at No.6 Haruki. It was reported that when we left, he was standing at the gate for a long time. Then coming into the house...only to return to the gate after a while. Poor boy.

He must have been so exhausted. I know he didn't nap well in the afternoon...and the night before because he's thinking of her. Total love sick - can't eat, can't sleep. Apparently, this morning he eat half his portion and he was sleeping quite a bit. When Grandma was out hanging the clothes, he found Riko's old panties (what?) frolicking in some pandanus bushes with it.

Photo on 29 August 2010

Mariko is a male magnet now

2010-08-28T20:04:00.026+08:00

Our morning (4 am, 6 am, 9am) started out with Ruki on her tail. He was trying to latch on her all morning. In his hot pursuit, he forgot to eat his breakfast!

I think my girl is finding it annoying that Ruki has suddenly gone all-velcro on her.

Afterall, on normal afternoons he usually naps in the master bathroom to get away from the pesky girl. But, now he's guarding his prized possession.

One good thing is the boy checks on her every time he wakes up and cleans up any messes.

The whole day, where ever she is...he is there. About 6 inches apart.

While Ruki is watching her like a frisky hawk, I'm watching both of them like a mother hawk with one good foot! My only break time is when they are both napping. I wonder how long more this will be. I already miss the days when he was just humping cushions.

One going on to Two

2010-08-21T14:41:00.048+08:00

Since my big puppy turned two this month, I put together some photos to see how his life has changed in the past year.

These days, my boy is never on the couch ... unless in hot pursuit of Miss Riko.

Moving objects do not excite him that much as he has handed the reigns over Miss Riko to give first chase or tackle.

He hardly ever snitches anything lying around because there are more adult things to do like go walking and humping.

He doesn't find it all that exciting to retrieve a ball for tiny treats. But, he'll fetch anything if the reward is to go walking.

He loves his girl(friend) enough to allow her to wrestle him down.

But, some things never change like sniffing around, chasing cats and marking his territory...and humping for that matter.

My boy's always a trooper at the vet, who doesn't own an animal scale. Each time, the vet carries my boy on the scale and deducts his weight to get my boy's weight. So, I always wonder whether he's really 80 pounds...maybe plus/minus 5 pounds.

When I get up in the morning, he's always waiting for me by the bathroom door like this. When we come home at night, he does the same because I always shower when I get home. He always rinses his face in the shower before bedtime.

Like momma, he still hates the heat. He's never out in the afternoons unless absolutely necessary

He thinks it's ok to lick his yogurt lying down.

He still loves the water!

and, he thinks it's great to still be able to do his frog pose at two!

Slow days ahead

2010-08-20T19:06:00.011+08:00

Ever since my sports doctor (yeah, I have one now) ordered full bed/ couch rest, things at home have come to a standstill. All previous routines disrupted.

Nowadays, mornings are threaded with caution. You don't see me walking pass the bookshelf where I keep the door keys or going near the front door. This is to avoid any notion of dog-walking in the boy's mind. Once we get up, breakfast is promptly served. After their meals, I will declare to them that it's morning nap time.

This week, the mornings have been cool. Here's the boy basking in the morning sun.

Poor kids lay in total boredom till late afternoon. Luckily, they are pretty laid back. My girl occasionally comes over to get her head patted. My boy usually naps in the master bathroom and I don't see him until he's done napping.

Then, at around 3 pm, my boy wakes up from his nap. He lounges on the floor waiting for the sun to cool or until he's good and ready to get up.

Like clockwork, he will come over to nudge me at 4.30pm because he is ready to go out. If I don't get up after a few nudges, he will start to lecture (bark) me. If that didn't work, he will start to clamber all over me on the coach. Then, Miss Riko will join in the fun until I finally get up. Then, my boy escorts me into the bathroom to get changed. He follows me around the house... right up to the car to make sure that I don't get distracted from doing other things.

When we get to daycare, he wants to go for his walk. And, he's one boy with a persistent face! Luckily, Granddad has been taking him out all week. Ever since I became is sole dog-walker, he hadn't been bugging my dad to take him out walking. Grand dad was wondering why he started to bug him on weekdays again. I think my boy thinks it's the weekend because I'm at home.

He's happy and contented because for the past week, everyday was a weekend to him!

The day has come

2010-08-16T22:57:00.013+08:00

My sister tells me over tea time yesterday that she dreamt that Riko got pregnant...wobbly tits and all. My girl was laying under the table. Sis looked down and said "Is that blood?". And suddenly, my baby's all grown up!

My boy stayed overnight at daycare. My girl came to visit this afternoon.

Here she is looking a bit moody and wondering what's with the ridiculous fashion momma is putting her through.

But, all moodiness was forgotten once we reached daycare. She felt too excited to see her brother. Thankfully, the boy did not get horny in any way. Grandma had to tie a sash to secure her panties because she was wagging her tail to hard.

After a long moody day, she slept like a log. I had to move the old sheets under her on the bed, she slept through the whole process... as if she was heavily sedated.

Occupational hazzards

2010-08-15T22:21:00.019+08:00

On weekdays, I may be bossing people around...but on weekends, I'm basically the dog walker....serving my kids hand-and-foot. Well, this weekend, I served my left foot.

I managed to sprain my ankle after losing my footing while holding off my boy from getting too close to a (silly) toy dog in the park. The good news is it will give me time to kick my leg up (recovery includes keeping my foot elevated at all times to reduce swelling).. and catch up on some leisure reading.

The bad news is saying "No" to my boy and feeling all guilty for not doing my weekend job well. Here is he waiting patiently to go for a walk after his sunday afternoon nap.

When patience runs thin, he moves closer to nudge me to go out.

Here's his still-hopeful face after I said "No walk-walk".

My poor boy...He's is the culprit and yet, he's the single most important reason driving me to full and permanent recovery right now. :D

Tiny terror strikes again!

2010-08-13T13:29:00.005+08:00

I purchased some pretty cactus last weekend in my constant attempt to rescue my terminally ill garden. I left them on the garden coffee table thinking their prickly thorns will keep the kids away.

But NOOOOO....Riko thought they looked rather like cute cupcakes in the basket and helped herself to a few pots while I was out for dinner.

When I got back, I immediately gave her a earful. She ran to hide at the back of the garden. Despite calling her back, she was just lurking at the side of the house. When she finally came into the house, she dashed straight into the bedroom and hid under the bed. She hid there until bedtime. At bedtime, we had a heart-to-heart talk about it in bed.

But, I guess the lesson learnt got erased during her sleep. The next day, she mouth-picked another batch of cactus pots from the basket on the table. I found them strewn on the lawn. Once again, she got a earful from me. She was put on her leash over breakfast and thereafter..

...until, she pulled the collar out of her neck on her own. I guess the lesson learnt will be erased again during her afternoon nap. So, the basket of cactus are safe on the top of the shoe rack for now.

Happy birthday!

2010-08-10T21:05:00.011+08:00

My Heart Boy turns two today. Big handsome boy already :D

They likey...

2010-08-07T23:31:00.015+08:00

Facing a rough patch with food, I'm trying out a new brand and rotating the flavours to curb boredom. The latest kibbles cost a bomb..and a half. Thank goodness, they liked it or else, I may have to finish the bag :O.

I seriously can't believe that my kids are eat healthier than me!

INGREDIENTS
Fresh deboned salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, russet potato, fresh deboned lake whitefish, sweet potato, peas, salmon oil (preserved with vitamin E), fresh deboned walleye, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, fresh deboned flounder, fresh deboned lake trout, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, choline chloride, psyllium, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, sea salt, vitamin supplements (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12), mineral supplements (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Food for thought

2010-08-05T22:52:00.009+08:00

Riko is one fussy eater.

Recently, she just wants to be served plain kibbles...without any cooked meats...do not sog the kibbles with meat broth. In the mornings, I have to allocate 5 to 10 minutes to stand by her to make sure she focuses on her food bowl. It's also impossible to feed her daily glucosamine and monthly heartworm pills. Despite breaking them to smaller pieces, her superb mouth control is able to filter out the pill bits. They automatically fall out of her mouth like unwanted seeds.

But, there are some things she just loves - yogurt and cheese. Perhaps, a reminisce from her past goat life. :D

If you have not seen a labrador that refuses food, come over to my place. Look how skinny she is! :(

The Chariot - Test of Courage Part 2

2010-07-31T21:38:00.027+08:00

We must live on the neighbourhood chariot route. When we got home from dinner today, there was some commotion on the street leading into the house. I thought maybe someone had died or a house break-in (so much for positive thoughts!). Well, we found out that the chariot is coming again.

This time around, my kids were as quiet as mice...nobody let out a single bark the whole time. They were watching the whole parade intently. Notice the line of retreat as the chariot made it down the junction in the below photo.

As the chariot passed upfront, Ruki thought it was best be sit by me at the front door. Funnily, Ruki had a long drool coming down the side of his mouth, which was shut as tight as a clam, the whole time.

The kids enjoyed the show from a safe distance. I think they were mesmerized :D.

When it finally passed, a small crowd followed. Ruki must have thought it wasn't quite a "safe distance" and retreated into the kitchen to wait for the coast to be clear again.

My boy can bark as fierce as a rottie at times...but at times like this, he can be such a scaredy cat!

Photo on 31 July 2010

Something about Mari(ko)

2010-07-26T21:23:00.041+08:00

I often make passing comments that my girl is more dog-like than my boy. But, as soon as I make such statement, I think I have to eat my words. This is her typical routine at our house:
1. In the morning, she licks any part of me that is outside the covers...to check if I am still asleep.
2. She sits in front of me the moment I am awake for her morning pet as I question her on what she has been up to for the past 2 hours since she got up.
3. She leaps into the car as soon as I open the car door to get the dog leash to go walking.
4. She watches Ruki and I leave the house for our morning walk from the back seat of the car.
5. She waits patiently by the gate for our return.
6. She gets way too excited that she could hard sit still to be leashed for her walk.
7. She automatically heads for the bathroom when we get back from our walk out of habit...although her wipe-down location has shifted to the kitchen.
8. She seldom waits in the kitchen as I'm preparing breakfast because it's more exciting being outside until meal time.
9. She takes her time eating. She eats like a cat, chewing every kibble before swallowing.
10. She eats slowly from one side of the plate to the other. She makes sure everyone waits for her to finish before we leave the kitchen. Otherwise, it's our fault she didn't clean her plate.
11. She excuses herself from the breakfast nook when duty calls for her to bark at something outside. (even if the shortest way out is crawling between the backdoor grills which is getting too narrow by the day for her).
12. She goes to investigate her brother's bowl when he's done. If there are leftovers, she has a taste before coming back to her bowl.
13. She is called at least twice to get back to her bowl to finish her food.
14. When breakfast is done, she always thinks it's time to play/ wrestle her brother down the ground.
15. She hangs out under the bathroom sink while I get ready for work.
16. She is first to jump into and out of the car to day care.
17. She jumps like a silly billy goat when I get home.
18. She waits at the kitchen to get her wipe-down and nightly yogurt snack.
19. She perches on my lap at least twice to see what I'm doing/ eating at my desk.
20. Twice a night, she sits attentively at my side and awaits to be petted.
21. She gets at least one belly rub with her nightly pep-talk.
22. She loves to check on her brother to make sure he is sleeping in the bedroom.
23. She sleeps on the coach with her chin rested on the arm rest until I go to bed.
24. But, she dashes outside at lightning speed, if she hears a pin dropped from outside.
25. She always thinks my side of the bed is the best place to sleep.
26. When she's scooted into her rightful place, she makes sure her bum is always facing my face when she sleeps.
27. She thinks anytime between 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. is good time to rub her nose on my toes to signal to be led outside to pee or stretch her legs.

I guess she has trained me well. o.O

Photo on 26 June 2010

Not-so-bravehearts

2010-07-25T00:04:00.011+08:00

I was watching Robin Hood with my earphones tonight. I could hear the kids barking in the background. Quite normal. But after a long while, it didn't stop...in fact, it got louder. So, I decided to investigate ...for the sake of my neighbours. I looked outside and saw this.

It must be for an Indian festival of some kind. As the chariot was coming down the road, the kids bark excitedly at the gate. My girl slowly retreated to the front door to watch it pass. She was rather scared...as she hasn't seen anything like this before.

When the chariot got to the front of the house gate, my boy made a dash for his life...to the back of the house! Sigh...there goes my hopes that he will one day save my life.

My Not-so-braveheart freaked out and ran for the hills. Only after a while, he came out of hiding...and moved to the side of the house to watch chariot pass by.

Photos on 24 July 2010

The spoilt of the spoilt

2010-07-21T23:18:00.006+08:00

So, I am at my desk doing stuff after sending the kids to bed. My boy comes out from the bedroom half an hour later to nudge me.

This can be two things - "it's time for me to go to bed" or "please check the air-con". Too early for my bedtime. So, I went to the bedroom to check. Sure enough, the room was stuffy. The temperature was adjusted and all is well again at sleepville.

July Birthdays

2010-07-20T10:29:00.008+08:00

AWWWW...my kids...all smiley and looking good with grandma..

They are seldom still enough to take photos together. So, this is just perfect:D
Yeah, these are the same kids who wrecked my flower bed 6 hours earlier. They are lucky they are cute ;)

Tsunami strikes again

2010-07-19T21:15:00.031+08:00

Black Monday. I realized that I left my car keys in the ignition and the battery was dead this morning.

So, the kids couldn't get to daycare since the only car they will climb into is mine.
So, they were (real) home alone until my car was restored.
So, they left to their own devices...hmmm.. my kids unsupervised. o.O

Now, I have left them at home before for a couple of hours - indoors and outdoors. The house was still intact when I returned. But today, the usual suspect decided to do some gardening in my one-month old flower bed at the garage. It was literally tsunami-ed!

When we got home, I put on my stern voice - who did that? As usual, the culprit was the first to flinch from the guilt. She had the same face and low head hanging like the earlier time ... like this.

As I was sweeping up the mess, they tried to hide behind the bushes. They didn't dare to step into the house until I was in the shower. When I came out, they were in the hall keeping a low profile like this.

Then, I called upon my girl to come to me. She hesitated a while before walking towards me. When I said "naughty girl", she circled back. So, I called again. When she finally came and sat down, I lectured her for a few seconds. She had a truly sorry almost-tearing face like this.

When I was done, she walked away and sat down. My dumb blonde came over and sat in front of me apologetically. Their normal routine was totally upset today. So, I decided not to punish them by sending them to bed without supper. So, they got wiped-down and my girl had her yogurt as usual. Usually, she will hang around in the hall and garden till midnight. But tonight, she gingerly walked straight to the bedroom after her yogurt at 9pm. :O

Hopefully, the lesson is learnt. I might just put a dead plant at the crime scene...as a warning to them.

All photos are from my collection except for second photo since my camera doesn't take good night photos.

Bath Time

2010-07-17T11:34:00.012+08:00

The weekend begins with bath time after their walk in the park. My kids are total opposites when it comes to bathing.

When the leash comes out, my boy's face lights up. YES! YES! YES!. My boy enjoys all scrubbing and the massage. It's probably the only time he listens attentively and follow instructions. Stand still - left-side scrub, turn right-side scrub, bum-tail, neck-ears, cheek-rubs, lie-on-the-back (legs up) tummy scrub, ..stand up RINSE. Shake-shake. Towel dry.

While the boy enjoys the attention and pampering, my girl has to be coaxed to the leash. When the water comes, she stands like a statute until the whole process is done.

I'm trying to ease her into any water-related activities. She's just not into them...yet. I hope one day she will be ready.

Photos on 17 July 2010

Dog traffic jam and pesky cat pedestrians

2010-07-03T11:57:00.025+08:00

Got to a late start this morning. The kids were already up and ready for the day over two hours ago. So, off I went walking with the boy. Hardly 10m out of the house, we approach our morning man-on-bike with his dog. Now, most of the time my boy is cool with bike man's dog. Ruki will normally slow down and whimper a bit because he wants to get closer for a sniff. Other times, he just goes all-barky...like the dog is a sworn enemy. Today, he was psycho-barky :(

So, we turned back immediately because I will have nothing to do with this bad behaviour. Ruki got an earful from me during his walk of shame home. I took my girl out instead. When we got back, he was calmer..with only his usual hints of excitement of being his turn to go out. I wonder whether he remembers his bad deeds from 15 minutes ago. Before we got leashed up to go out again, Heran, the black lab came walking with his owner and Ruki went territorial barky at the gate. It's NO GO again.

So, I went to do some weeding, while the kids doing some crazy chasing around the lawn. After 15 minutes, we got ready for our walk. Just as we open our gates, my neighour's maid was outside with their mongrel. Another NO GO. By the time we finally made out walk, we are faced with another challenge. It seems that the 10am slot is for cat traffic! So many cats...maybe because it was garbage collection day. I had to be on high alert because my boy is prone to sudden lunges to get close to them. I'm glad to make it back in one piece today.

Saturday is bath day...so, they are spanky clean today. While waiting for breakfast, they were play tugging, wrestling and chasing each other round the house. Crazy. Then,they gobbled down breakfast and went away fighting over the hump pillow. What's with all the energy today?? The worst thing is Ruki aggravated his paw injury. Slight bleed. :(

First, Riko got sleepy and konked out while holding to her tug rope.

Finally at noon, both were knocked out cold. What a morning!

Photos on 3 July 2007, messy bed coz it's laundry day

A Blast from the Past

2010-07-01T22:15:00.009+08:00

Last Christmas Day

Paw problems

2010-06-29T21:52:00.018+08:00

My boy cut his paw pad during his walk last weekend. It's a deep cut in his right hind leg. He seems to be fine - no limping, no whining. Such a trooper.

I was worried that he's in some pain..but NOPE. It's business as usual. This means no slacking on the morning walks, mama! ;)

The wound is being cleaned twice a day. I've tried wrapping it to keep out the dirt. He will patiently leave it on until it get in his way. Today, he wore an old sock but it stayed on for a minute before it fell out.

I need a nifty boot like this...not some make-shift red cloth.

I looked up my lab forum. Apparently, there's not much one can do because the vets does not stitch it even though it's deep (tho' one dog got his wound glued up by the vet). Just need to keep the wound clean and dry....which may be a challenge in rainy weather. Plus, I can't reason with my boy that it's not a good idea to walk with an injured paw.

Photos on 26 June 2010

Sometimes you wonder...

2010-06-27T23:19:00.023+08:00

...whether they have dreams when they grow up...maybe, achieve something in life....

Well...since early this year, Mariko has moved from under my study table to the bedroom floor, to the foot of my bed...and have inched herself closer to my pillow. I think she has now reached her sleep goal. o.O

Pink panties for breakfast

2010-06-25T11:46:00.020+08:00

So, today I decided to work from home and spend some time with my kids.

I was awaken at 7.45am by the sound of rummaging in the bathroom. I yelled out RIKO and sure enough, she scrambled out of the room. Sure enough, she handpicked my undies by climbing into the bathtub to get to the laundry pile. When I went outside, there was paper strewn all over the garden by the usual suspect, Riko...who decided to check out the rubbish bag by the gate this morning. By now, they were tugging my panties around the garden, chasing each other around the car...and I was fuming mad!

For an hour, I totally ignored them. By now, the stolen item laid surrendered in the garden. Ruki knew he was in deep trouble when I dumped the panties into his bowl. He nudged me every ten minutes to signal for his walk. Each time, he got NAUGHTY BOY...and he went away to his corner to feel sorry (normally, he will nudge incessantly until I got up my chair). The silly girl, on the other hand, probably cannot relate her wrongdoing to her cold shoulder punishment. She went about running oblivious of the trouble she was in.

At around 9am, she ran into the house with upturned ears looking silly. I burst out laughing at her cute face. Usually only one ear get upturned at a time....so she must have been running at top speed to achieve this look. ;)

Poor boy is often sucked into Riko's mischief. So, he got to go for his walk later that morning.

Photos on 25 June 2010

A little Kunta Kinte

2010-06-24T23:48:00.022+08:00

Now, Ruki is clearly a show bred Labrador - shorter on leg, has a heavier body, thicker tail and coat than a field bred Lab. Most show bred Labradors have a shorter muzzle and wider head than a field bred Lab.

This is an example the body of a show bred Lab.

Ruki Boy...

Field dogs tend to have a lighter body and longer legs. Their coats aren't as thick and their tails tend to be thinner.

This is an example the body of a field Lab.

Riko Girl

The field bred Labrador's head is generally not as wide as a show bred Lab and the muzzle tends to be longer.

Riko Girl's side profile

And, the different shades of brown in the sunlight...

So, I would say I have a field-bred "American" and show-bred "English" line of Labradors in my family.

Reference to American or English Labradors

Home Alone 2

2010-06-23T23:15:00.005+08:00

For the second time this year, the kids are home alone until Friday. I'm trying to take Friday off to study, sort out my taxes (double yucks!)and babysit my kids and maid as she cleans the house.

Meanwhile, I hope the kids get down my car tomorrow because I have a 10 o'clock meeting to attend.

Photo on 27 Dec 2009, my sweet girl was tiny then...