Freedom Moon

I have been an avid supporter of the Animals Asia Foundation for a couple of years now. I was so excited to get this book in the mail. The proceeds of the book will go directly to the moon bear funds.

It is thrilling and heart warming to see the bears thrive after so many years of being abused. Some more fortunate bears get to live out in the sanctuary, finally free, feeling the sun and grass, playing and getting proper nourishment and medical attention.

Some unfortunate bears never get to set foot on the grass, and have died after arrving briefly at the sanctuary. I was outraged to see the tortured images and it made me want to do more for them besides supporting the foundation. I want to spread the word, my righteous indignation at the humans who would torture animals for profit. I hope that more bears will be saved and this horrendous practice of bear farming will end once and for all.

Hooray to the team at Animals Asia for their tireless efforts in freeing the bears!!

Christmas Part IV

Dayee says "AHAHAH" Merry X'mas


Dayee's Christmas honey & seeds bar treat


Dayee attacking the honey treat with gusto


Last time I went to the bird store to get Dayee's food, I got a honey treat bar for her as her Christmas present. While I was unwrapping the plastic covering in the kitchen, she was already making her unique "cooing" sound when she knew we were getting her food or her peanuts.

Just one look at it and she began attacking the bar, all the time making her "cooing" sounds to let you know how much she appreciated the treat. Well, it wasn't a small bar, but she finished it in less than 5 minutes, with 1/5 on the floor though!!

Meantime, B Chan and the cats were looking up at her to say "It's not fair!!" :D

Christmas Part III

Maman et B Chan


Santa B Chan


Santa B Chan

Same old tree at KCC

Six years ago today on Christmas eve, I brought a fur ball home. My best friend Pascale named him B Chan and he is my "one true love". I am always joking that I don't need to find a significant other, coz I have found the love of my life already, and it's true.

After dinner with the humans, which I find is a chore, I came home and took Porky to our favorite cafe downstairs. I had some wine and an onion soup. As usual, Porky got his bread gratis. B Chan is one very satisfied Porky and he is snoring heavily now. Joyeux Noel!!

PETA

It's the holiday season and a time of giving. Personally, it's a time to donate to a charity I truly believe in. I have been a staunch supporter of Animals Asia for years, a worthy and noble cause in saving Moon Bears from bile farms.

This year, I plan to continue to pledge money to these beloved bears and do my part in helping to end this cruelty in abusing animals for human vanity.


The famous ad "I'd rather go naked than wear FUR!"

Another worthy cause I am considering is PETA.

In the December 22th, 2008's issue of Time Magazine, the co-founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, took 10 questions from readers.

Excerpts:

Is there a simple,everyday way people can help animals?

Absolutely, Give your dog or cat respect, patience, understanding and love. And if you just change to one vegetarian day a week, that's a wonderful step that will save animal lives. It means you have chosen something kind instead of something cruel.


Is PETA against the consumption of meat? Do you want us to be vegetarian?

I think if you're against cruelty and you look at what happens to farm animals in slaughterhouses and on factory farms, you have to be completely against eating meat. And we don't need animals. It's the 21st century. It's healthier for us, better for the environment and certainy kinder to be a vegetarian.

I have never worn fur in my life. A family member tried to give me a fur coat one year, and the smell of the coat is one I'll never foget, the smell of animal blood. It gave me the chills and I simply told her that I don't wear fur.

Gradually, I have turned from buying leather goods into buying canvas and fabric bags and shoes. I haven't taken red meat since I was 16, and that is 25 years now. I still take seafood and chicken, but I plan to quit that, too. I guess to some people, it's over the top or irrational. Hey, everyone can choose their own lifestyle.

The operative words that Ingrid has used in the excerpt above are kind and kinder and that means a lot to me.

Autumn Excursion

Mommy made me pose...


Again...



Maman et moi

Vanilla Milkshake

Kobe passed on a year ago and November 7th was the 1st anniversary. Time really just flew by, coz I couldn't believe he was gone that long. One of our favorite outings is going to the Peak. B chan and Kobe loved running on the grass, with ears flapping and tongues out.

We went to the Peak on the 7th. Seeing B chan run round and round the park made me miss Kobe all the more. He would have enjoyed the mild weather and the sun. Most of all, he would be rolling in the grass and then nap in the sunlight.

We even managed to catch the sunset when we went for refreshments at the Peak Lookout. I ordered a Vanilla Milkshake and a warm chocolate cake. The food was yummy and I just wished Kobe were here, coz he would have loved the vanilla ice cream.

B Chan's Birthday

This month is B Chan's birthday. I don't know the exact day, but when I brought him home 6 years ago on X'mas eve, he was 2 months old . So, I deduced that his birthday must be some time in October. We celebrated with his and our favorite, blueberry cheese cake from Jam's Bakery down the block.

This year, we are missing Kobe, the cheese cake is also his favorite. Kobe is very picky with his food, but this one is definitely a winner! Here are some pictures taken today, with B chan trying to stay still and not gobble the cake in fromt of him. Happy 6th!!


It's my Birthday, I just turned 6...


Huh, mommy, still can't eat yet?


I hope it's birthday every day, yummy, yummy.....

Cheese cake from Jam Bakery

Orphaned kitten

This is Camille, a kitten I adopted from the cat clinic I worked for a day back in June. She was left outside the clinic and she was tiny as a rat. She was just a few weeks old, and her eyes were still shut.

A nurse at the clinic became the foster mom and fed her formula. Her prospects were pretty dim coz she was so tiny when she was orphaned.

Now, she is a 3-month old, healthy, naughty and canon-ball kitten, running all over the place with bursts of energy. The amazing thing is, after some initial suspicions on all parts of the "zoo", B Chan, the pomeranian, Ashley the Scottish fold, and Dayee, the Major Mitchell cockatoo, have come to accept this little "mouse" of a cat.

Our family has one more loving member. By the way, Camille is pronounced as "ca-mill-e", not "camel". Geez, I don't hate her enough to call a cat, Camel.

What to name Fish?

A friend's younger son has finally got 2 pet fish of his own. With ownership of 2 cool goldfish comes big responsibility, that of naming them. The little boy is 10 years old, and my first thought was that he would name them after some cartoon hero. That's what I named mine when I was young. Guess I skipped a whole generation of evolution.

One of the fish is called Michael Phelps and the other is called Obama. Okay, not Obama directly, but Mr. President...The little boy told me that this is his 3rd Obama fish, the two previous fish had mysteriously gone belly up.

He is mighty worried what will happen to Obama III. So, I asked him what he'd do if this fish went belly up also. He thought for a while and said, "Maybe I wouldn't call the next one Mr. President anymore, maybe just Obama."

How's that for wisdom?

(image from http://www.illustrationsof.com/)

Carnation

I love fresh bouquets of flowers in the house, mostly because of the fragrance and how it brightens the room.

Ever since Kobe's passing, I have been getting little stems of flowers to put beside his urn as remembrance of my beloved yorkie.

There is a flower stall in an alley down the blcok, where an old man has been there forever, selling flowers and small gold fish. Mostly, I would get small carnations for Kobe, coz the stall carries the nicest pale yellow carnations. The owner is a really nice grandpa and he would remind me every time not to put too much water, as the stems will rot and the flowers won't last that long. I would tell him that I remember his advice very well, and the flowers could last for almost 10 days.

I have been racking my brains for a new floral motif for Pastel b. One night, I looked up the meaning of carnations. I discovered that carnations were known as "Jove's Flower" in ancient Rome as a tribute to beloved god. Carnation has the meaning of 'admiration', 'love', and 'gratitude'.

Today, carnations has become the flowers of choice for Mother's Day. Knowing the meaning now, the carnation is a really perfect tribute to Kobe, whom I admire for his personality, taught me the meaning of unconditional love, and grateful for his companionship.

The challenge now is how to best represent it on Pastel b. cards.

Close to Heart

Today marks the 8th month of Kobe's passing. It was midnight of Novemeber 7, 2007 that Kobe has left us. He was only three and it was really sudden. I guess it was the dying young part and not knowing what has happened that makes it hard to have closure.

Kobe is a mini Yorkie. When he was 3 months old, he started having black outs and seizures. After taking him to many vets, we found out that he has a shunt. He had 2 major operations when he was one. It was a dangerous procedure because the shunt is very close to his major arteries. Moreover, the vet warned that Kobe might not wake up from the anaesthetics, since they need to heavily sedate him, but he only weighs 1.2kg.

The operation was successful and Kobe started to put on weight. His maximum weight was 1.92kg and all of us, including the vets are so happy to see his bright eyes and his oh so shiny button nose.

As Kobe got stronger and healthier, his personality started to bloom. He was a very sick puppy up till the surgery and the aftermath of nursing him back to health. Kobe now assumes the role of patrol guard and alpha male at home, though he is the smallest in build.

When everybody is ready for bed, Kobe would patrol the house and go to each room to see if everyone is ok. He would do a few rounds of this, and you could hear his tiny steps pattering across the floor. When he is totally satisfied that everything is in order, he would go to his "cave", heave a mighty sigh, and sleep.

Since Kobe is the last to sleep, he is a late riser. Dayee, the cockatoo, will yell for her food at 6:30 every morning. It never fails, even on weekends. When we start to stir, Ashley would follow us and keep meowing to tell us that she is really hungry and more than ready for her breakfast.

B-chan would still be snoring behind my bed, but when he hears us opening the fridge and making toast, he would come running. Kobe would still be in his cave and he would look out and watch the din. If he feels like having breakfast, he would come out. Usually he would make a U-turn and sleep some more.

When he emerges from his cave, the hair on his face would be flat on one side and his expression would always be "what's going on?" Like a lot of toy breeds, Kobe is picky about his food. We would try to give him food that he likes and not force him. Soon, he took a liking to boiled chicken breast. We are all too happy to see him eat by himself, because we had to force feed him when he was ill.

When he was recovering, we had to make a porridge like nutrient pack recommended by his vet. We had to use the syringe to feed him and he hates it. We hated it, too, because looking at it, it must tastes like glue. But back then, it's the only thing he could eat.

Kobe likes going out. We took him to the Peak a couple times and he would be running on the grass and his big ears would be flapping with his pink tongue out. What a happy smile. When we take regular walks in the neighborhood, everyone would greet him and B-chan, and Kobe would give his head, head, yeah, not hand, hand, to everyone who pats him. He would just put his little head on your palm and let you scratch his head and neck. The boys are loved by everyone.

The morning after that dreaded night, I went to the vet down the block to tell him that Kobe had passed away. He was limp when we were rushing to emergency in the taxi. Since we have been taking Kobe for check ups with the two vets regularly, they know of his condition. However, they were still very surprised by the suddenness of this, because Kobe has grown healthy. Everyone at the clinic was sad.

When we walked home slowly with B-chan, everyone asks us where Kobe is, and why we are not walking him. We told them that Kobe is not with us anymore. Everyone was shocked and saddened. We retold the story for many weeks as we bump into neighbors asking why Kobe is not walking with B-chan.

I believe that that Kobe, who is mini in size, but big in personality, has captured the hearts of many people. We have kept some hair of Kobe's along with all his clothes and toys. I still feel very sad remembering today is the eighth month of his passing and there is no closure still. I still don't know why he has left and when this hole in my heart will be patched. One thing I know is that Kobe will be in my heart for always.

An Odd Bag of Friends

We have a wonderful vet in the nieghborhood. One of his favorite quotes is "it takes a dog to adore you and a cat to ignore you." Whenever he say that I would think of Garfield and Oldie. The cat with a snide and a dog who perpectually drools.

I always thought I was a dog person, coz I have always had doggies. Well, that is until Ashley came along. I have never had a cat before. I was expecting an aloof cat, who believes that "cats rule and dogs drool". Ashley is the youngest. My cockatoo Dayee is the eldest, then the Pom Pom B-chan, then Kobe the Yorkie and Ashley the Scottish Fold.

People would marvel at my odd mix of kids. Don't dogs and cats hate each other and cats and birds are mortal enemies? Well, except the first curiosity of checking each other out, they get along very well, no biting and no attacking each other.

Still, Ashley being a cat, she likes to "hunt". She would strategize ambushes to scare the dogs, especially Kobe, when he was still here. Kobe passed on last November and we all miss him terrribly. Surprisingly, it was Ashley who waited for him at the door and stayed close to his dog house for months.

After researching on the individual characteristics of my kids, I discovered why they can get along so well. One article described the Scottish Folds as calm, placid cats that enjoy staying indoors. They are playful, highly affectionate and gentle. Scottish Folds are highly adaptable and they do well in noisy houses full of people, even with friendly dogs. Ok there you go....

Cockatoos are very vocal and Dayee is no exception. Dayee has assumed the alpha role in the house. She would always comment on the things I say to the other kids. When I come home, I would say "hello" to each of them and ask them if they have been good boys and good girls. Dayee would then comment with a coo or a yell, depending on her version.

This is a mad house and a zoo, but everyone is at ease and relaxed. I never have to worry about them mauling each other when I am out. I guess the next time my vet quips that "it takes a dog to adore you and a cat to ignore you", I could add that "it takes a bird to boss you".

If only Kobe were here, our home will be whole. We really miss the mini Yorkie who is tiny in size, but has a whole lot of personality. More on Kobe next time.

A Christmas saved

I met this fur ball on Christmas eve five years ago. It was a dreaded family gathering, dreaded because I always come out disappointed. This one was all the more miserable because it happened to be Christmas, where there should be love abundant.

Dinner was over, but the gathering was not. It was suffocating and I had to get some air, to get out. I strolled along fuming, wondering why I decided to go in the first place and now my Christmas is totally ruined.

Down the block was this little pet store. I stood outside the window looking in and felt my anger slowly seeping away. I started to wave and make funny faces to the puppies and they began to look my way. The shop lady invited me in and told me that the two pomeranians in the play pen are brothers. They are fur balls all right, cute and adorable as all puppies are.

My spirit lifted as I looked into their innocent faces, their bright eyes full of hope. I cuddled them and one of them cooed in my arms. The shop lady being shop lady, said "oh look how he's attached to you," and things along that line. I was smiling and nodding but not responding to her sales line. But then the puppy squirmed and I held him up to look if he was all right. Our eyes met and it was love at first sight...

This little puppy is warm and soft and lovable and I can feel that he loves me right back. I made my decision right then and there that I would bring him home. I got all the puppy care and food and brought my puppy back to the gathering. Oh, they were surprised, but I did not care. I have all the love and warmth in my arms. This little pup has transformed my lonely Christmas into the most magnificent holiday.

This is B-chan now, almost six years old and still the mischevious little pup, though a lot rounder and bigger. He was my joy on that miserable night, and still is the joy of my life. He is my Christmas present to myself, a special gift and because of him, I had a joyeux noel.

There is a saying that we should not look into the future nor dwell in the past, because the present is a gift...I am lucky, I got both.

Pondering love

I had a chance to work at a cat clinic for a full day last weekend. The day went by in a buzz and I was exhausted after 10 hours of cleaning cages, learning the basics of animal handling, observing 4 surgeries and holding the cats still while they are being examined by the vet.

There were various ailments, from simple vaccinations, to neutering, a split paw, bad teeth, ear infections, eye ulcers, diabetes and kidney cancer. Although the cats came in for different reasons, there was one common thing threading them all, they are all loved.

The owner of the diabetic cat has to give insulin shots to her kitty 2 times daily. She missed one by 3 hours, that's why the cat was brought in coz he was very sick. The kitty is skin and bones, but the way the owner lovingly stroke her body, she is still the most adorable baby to her.

The kitty who is suffering from kidney cancer was brought in for his chemotherapy. After the injection, I brought the kitty out from the nurse's station to the owner. The vet explained to her that they'll have to use the left front leg for injections next time around, coz the right front leg's veins are too porous after so many injections. The owner thanked the vet profusely and told the kitty that they were going home now and kept telling the kitty that he was a good boy.

It's saturday and the clinic is closed on sundays, so all the cats have to be returned to their owners over the weekend. As I was cleaning the recovery cages after the owners picked up their cats, I felt a warm glow. The cats were to go home. When they were brought out in their travelling bags to their owners, you could see a big smile spread across the owner's face. They all greeted the kitties with "awe...are you ok? we are going home now..." As for the kitties, they would meow to complain and the owners would go, "oh, i know it hurts, yeah, i know....I am here now...."

Yes, it was an exhausting day, but also an exhilarating one. The vows that couples say when they wed rose before me, " for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us apart." Aside from romantic love, the love between the cats and their owners I witnessed that day certainly testify to this.