Starting The New Year With A Splash

It was a lovely weekend evening for a stroll along the sea, and we thought it would be exciting to start off the New Year with a new experience for Lil’ Miss Maple. Boy, did she ever have the time of her life frolicking in the sand and surf… so much so that this fearless munchkin jumped into the waves without a second of hesitation. *Oh My Dog!* (cue David Hasselhoff beach rescue operation)

Like any anxious Momsy, I had a momentary panic-attack. Thankfully, Popsy remained calm and coached Miss Maple to swim back to shore. Well, not that she needed much coaching—her instincts kicked in (this little tyke is a water Poodle after all).  But what an adrenaline-rushing adventure! The next time around, we’ll be prepared with a life-jacket for Miss Maple and beachwear for the both of us so that we can both wade in the water with her 😀

Here’s hoping that you, too, have started your New Year with a BIG splash!

Happy 2013!

Monkey Business

During our time abroad, MM and I have experienced close encounters with koala bears, raccoons, squirrels, deer, and the odd black bear wandering through our backyards. So, it is no surprise that out here in this neck-of-the-woods we would eventually be visited by MONKEYS! This morning a family of monkeys dropped into our neighbourhood. In fact, they’re not strangers at all—they have become regular celebrities. We get star-struck every time the monkeys make an appearance.

But, that being said, it is also alarming when a wild animal treads across your doorstep. It makes you realize just how fast and furiously we are encroaching into nature as we urbanize and suburbanize the landscape—we’re practically squeezing the wildlife out of their homes. The monkeys that have made our neighbourhood their new foraging grounds face an uncertain future because their natural habitat (a forested area near where we live) will soon be cleared to make way for a condominium development in the impending months to come. *sigh*

If the monkeys that we observed this morning could speak, I think their conversation would go something like this…

Telok Ayer Time Warp

Lately, our weekends have been pre-occupied with work as we spend, what should be cherished leisure time, slogging away from behind our paper-laden desk at home. Lil’ Miss Maple was anxious to find an escape route from the bunker that we had been slowly building in the comfort of our abode. It was time to take a break from the monotony and re-introduce ourselves to civilization. So, off we went one weekend in search of a little urban adventure.

Often times, we plan our daytrips according to our food cravings. That particular weekend, I was craving for a local dish called “Char Kway Teow” (fried rice noodles). But, no, it couldn’t be just any old Char Kway Teow from any ordinary hawker stall—it had to be the Char Kway Teow from the Amoy food centre in Chinatown! The last time I had Char Kway Teow from the Amoy food centre was eons ago when I used to work in the vicinity and would “tar pau” (takeaway) a packet for lunch in the office. Would we be able to find that same Char Kway Teow on a quiet weekend? There was only one way to find out.

As the photo above shows, our tummies were indeed lucky that day. We tar pau-ed the Char Kway Teow, which was neatly packed in paper, and brought our loot to the nearby Telok Ayer Green—a little urban pocket park tucked in the middle of a block of historic shophouses dating back to the early 19th century.

We  found ourselves a spacious bench under the shade where we chowed down until our appetites were completely satiated to the point of eschewing Char Kway Teow for several months. Lil’ Miss Maple, however, found something of greater interest at Telok Ayer Green. Dotted around the park are life-like sculptures that remind us of a time in Singapore’s history when work was labour-intensive, gruelling, and under-valued.

All it took was a day trip to Telok Ayer and a time warp to put things into perspective for us. There will always be unfinished work that will carry over to the To-Do list for the following day. Most of this work provides for our livelihood and I suppose it would be inadvisable to neglect it altogether (lol), while other tasks are self-imposed and tend to be given an exaggerated declaration of importance (for example: I should, no, I must clean/wax/polish the tile floors next week, no, make it today, even though I have a looming deadline for a job application).

In writing this, I am reminded of the “80/20 Rule” which is adapted from Vilfredo Pareto’s concept of efficiency. The poster below transfers the 80/20 Rule to small business development, but I can imagine how the 80/20 Rule can be applied to other aspects of life such as time management. So, there’s no excuse now for you not to have a super productive week… just be sure to reward yourself at the end of it!

Source: www.contactme.com

Procrastination With A Capital “P”

Signs that your blog has been neglected:

1.) You have forgotten your WordPress account password.

2.) Because you have forgotten your WordPress account password, you have not been able to access your inbox where comments contributed by dear fellow bloggers have been pending approval for weeks.

3.) And because you have not had access to your inbox, the amount of spam has now reached a whopping count of 889 futile messages… all of which need to be manually deleted (oh joy).

4.) There is a backlog of digital photos “temporarily” stored in your camera’s memory card. They are desperately waiting to be uploaded and integrated into a full-fledged post… if only you can recall the accounts of that actual day when the photos were first taken.

5.) You have (unknowingly) revised your writing commitment to one post per month.

6.) You have (knowingly) fallen into the procrastination trap.

We wish to thank our readers for showing us patience as we try to regain the blogging momentum once more. There is so much to catch up on, and we hope to share with you some interesting snippets in the days to come. Stay tuned!

A Place To Call Home

July-23-2012. What is so special about this date? Today, dog bloggers around the world will be uniting to promote dog adoption. There will be stories about adoptions, rescues, fostering, animal welfare, responsible pet ownership, and the list goes on. We first learnt about this meaningful event from our blogging buddy, Dakota @ Dakota’s Den. It didn’t take long for us to decide that we would jump on the bandwagon.

Source: Blue Cross of India (Madras)

And so, to do our part, we will be sharing our favourite clips from around the world: USA, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, and Singapore. These moving and captivating videos all share a common theme—HOME. Whether they be shelter dogs, abandoned dogs, breeding dogs, stray dogs, or neglected dogs, all of these canines deserve a safe haven and nurturing environment in which they can call a forever ‘home’. We hope you find these videos insightful, intriguing, and inspiring. While some of the videos may be hard to watch, they speak volumes of the reality that exists. Through public awareness and advocacy, we can help to save lives—one dog at a time.

“Foster Dogs in NYC” (USA)

The topic of fostering is an often forgotten one. Sometimes we assume that all rescued dogs will find a temporary place in a shelter. But what happens when shelters are running at full capacities? What happens when a frail and ill shelter dog requires 24/7 care and supervision? What happens when an abused dog needs to learn how to trust humans again? This is where foster pawrents step in to lend a helping hand. Thanks to all the dedicated foster pawrents who have helped to rehome countless numbers of dogs.

“Awaiting Home” (Spain)

Animal welfare service providers that offer shelters for abandoned and abused dogs are, sadly, a growing phenomenon. It seems like there can never be enough shelters to accommodate the increasing number of homeless dogs. As these shelters continue to fill at their brims, the workload and operating costs simultaneously expand as well. It is no wonder that volunteer recruitment and donation drives are constant issues faced by shelters. Why not consider volunteering at a shelter or making a financial contribution. In return for your generosity, you’ll be sure to receive lots of licks and wags (from the dogs, of course!).

“Pothound” (Trinidad & Tobago)

Mongrels are individually unique, with no two looking exactly alike. So, it’s not surprising that each society has developed an affectionate nickname for the mongrels living in-amidst their communities: in North America they are referred to as ‘Mutts’, in Singapore they are the ‘Singapore Specials’, and in Trinidad & Tobago they are ‘Pothounds’. Set in Trinidad & Tobago, this short film packs a punch—not only does it address the issue of adoption but also tackles a number of social stigmas and stereotypes in a narrative that will open your eyes and tug at your heartstrings.

“Born to Breed” (Singapore)

Irresponsible dog breeding is a vicious cycle that is exacerbated when potential dog owners, either knowingly or unknowingly, purchase puppies from puppy mills, pet shops, and backyard breeders. The inhumane conditions and ill-treatment endured by the canine victims of irresponsible breeders cannot be described in nice terms (no matter how hard one tries) because there is nothing ‘nice’ about it at all. Let’s work together to put an end to this injustice. Adopt, don’t shop.

Thank you for watching. If you are an animal lover or dog blogger, please feel free to share the links to these videos or contribute to the discussion with your own post on this topic. July-23-2012 will come and go, but that does not mean our cause ends here!