mou ngan tai means no eye see (in cantonese)

Dommy's 8 now. Eight is wise old age to be for a dog. And at eight years old, he is definitely wiser and urmm.. older than me.

To determine a dog's age in human years, it is commonly believed that each year of their life is equivalent to seven human years. I just found out that it is not quite right. It depends on the breed and size. The first two years of their lives are a fast forward in human years for our furry friends. I found a dog age calculator on Pedigree's website. Head over there if you want to check it out. Here's the link http://www.pedigree.com/02All-Things-Dog/Dog-Age-Calculator/Default.aspx

Dommy is a standard poodle. According to the calculator, he's 61 years old.

Results:
In human years, your dog is 61 years old and is considered a senior dog

Gosh! If i go by the commonly believed calculation of 7 human years, he should only be 56. He sure don't look 61. He still runs like a horse and plays like a kid when his friend Lester drops by.

Curly taught me many things. He's pretty wise for a curly. Watching and being with him made me realise that there are things that my dog teaches me each day.
  1. Patience. Curly says, if you sit quite still with puppy sad eyes at your friend's side when he/she is eating, they are bound to feel guilty and finally share some of their food with you. But love doesn't mean that we can overfeed our dogs.
  2. Unconditional Love. Stay with your loved ones no matter what happens. Through sunny and rainy days, Curly stays by my side and never once abandon me. Even though i have abandon him and gone off on my own holidays for long periods of time, he will keep watch and wait for my return. He will be back to his joyful self and tag me like my own shadow when i am home. And only a dog will love you so.
  3. Have Fun.When its time to rest, take a rest. When its time to work, do work. When you are tired, take 40 winks. When the sun is shinning bright, run out to the garden and roll around :) When the days are too warm, roll on the floor and take a break.
  4. Walks. Have walks with your loved one. Have many walks and leave many mails along the way. Make friends and check out new places.
Some of it and more... to be continued on another day. Its getting a wee bit late.

Happy Birthday my dear Curly. Even though he does not read my blog, i am sure he knows i am writing about him :) He kept looking my way and asks me to go to sleep. *LOL*
A good scent it is. That's what i sniffed right from yesterday. The scent of my Eighth Birthday. Today i am Eight.




PitaPata Dog tickers


To be Eight...
  • I am an awfully old dog now. 
  • I sleep more and sometimes am lazy to check out the sounds at the outer gate. 
  • But i still guard my family here with my life. 
  • I still walk with a spring. 
  • I have more dots on my body.. old doggy marks.
  • My vet says i look like more like a dalmation wannabe when i am shaved bald.
  • I can run faster than anyone in this house. Grandpa says i don't run, i gallop almost like a horse.
Both Anny and i woke up real early in the morning today. Since it was my birthday, she took me for an early morning car ride. My eyes were not even open yet. A new place for walks. I checked out some new scents and left some doggy mails behind too.

my just woke up face

some funny scent there

an ole ex-tin mine pool

some wild flowers by the drains

a funny alien with two antenna and a spaceship on its back

leaving some doggy mails

my home is surrounded by mountains.. we are at a valley


i got a big brown bone for my birthday.. a mighty bone it was

the early morning walks and treat a treat is tiring me out

my birthday treat... i am 3/4 done with it


That's all for now. I am going off for my walks with grandpa. See ya soon!

*woof*
Dommy

*sniff sniff* I smell something. Its just right at the corner. Its getting near and nearer by the minute... yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.. its coming soon *wooooooooof*

Dommy
If you blink your eyes real fast... Friday comes faster :) It was just like yesterday when we did the Friday Twist. To be fair, i shall post the frontal view of last Friday's teaser picture. Not an llama in sight at the farm. It was a roo at Warrook Farm :D

Thank you to all of you who have guessed and for some who keep insisting that its an llama :D I had a fun time reading all your comments.

Have a wonderful weekend ahead and Happy Fluffy Friday with all your fluffies :)





Share your fluffy friends with us every Friday! Whether it's a favourite stuffed toy or an adorable pet - basically anything fluffy, we'd love to see your pictures & stories! Leave ONLY the POST URL here and grab the Fluffy Friday badge at Meow Diaries. Any unrelated links will be deleted.




We went for a car ride today. I was soooooooooo happy i just stood up and look out of the window for a long time. Its been a while since this woman took us for a car ride. Sometimes Dom gets to go for car rides when she goes out for short errands but she never takes me because she says i bark too much. Sometimes i bark at her ears too while she is driving. Maybe that's why she doesn't take me on car rides sometimes. Bummer.

But our car ride ended up at the groomers which is quite far away. I even slept in the car. Then i remembered i came to Karen's place before. Long time ago. My usual groomer is in Kuala Lumpur. Bet she misses me. Tiffany still does the best cut. She knows best on how to make me look cute with the puppy cut. I am always looking puppy cute. Sometimes some people think that i am just a puppy. I am almost going to be 6 years old come December.

That's me with my new collar. Don't i look hot? All the other doggies were checking me out

I just went for a wash and groom. They checked my ears and clip my nails. I tried to bite their nail cutters but Karen thought that was cute. She's quite a nice lady. A whole lot of people who came by the shop played with me too. Karen didn't want to let me go home. She still wanted to play with me.

I left 2 brown poop and some peepee behind before i left. That's all Karen and Anny's fault. They know i have to pee real bad but they kept talking. So i just did it there.

Today is my day. I am made to feel like a king and so loved at my Ipoh groomers here.

Dommy can sleep while he is sitting down. Cool ya? hehehehe.. that's his new Bambi look :)

Oh.. Curly is no more curly. He had a crew cut again and made to look like Bambi. Poor Curly. Anny says that its too warm in the afternoons here. So he's all trimmed down to less than an inch. Except his face. He still looks cute but he's too old to be looking cute. Now he has to wear his tee at night. Just in case he catch a cold.

We are all very tired now. All three of us woke up early today at 7am. And the trip to the groomers... we are poofed. Gotta sleep now. *woof*

love,
Piper

This little fella is too much.. too much i say. He's just waiting to be rolled over. He got himself neatly packed between the two wheels of my chair and went snoozing away and expect me not to even breathe or move an inch. Just because it rained and the winds were howling and there was lotta noise outside, he got real scared and decided to seek the two wheels of my chair for comfort.


Do you see the dangerous pattern. He's always have his face and nose near the wheels. His nose has to be near a dangerous about to move object. Either that or they love to sleep right behind a closed door. Sleeping and sniffing for outside activity.

When he is at home with his mommy and daddy, he is king. When they go out to work, he jumps on the nice cushion to snooze. Smart little guy eh :)

When i finally switch off the light to call it a night, he does sleep in his own bed. If the Curly is not in it.


And this is where Curly sleeps at night. Our old poang. I might need to get a new cover for the poang soon. Its all torn and old. If only i know how to sew or work the sewing machine... ^o^" Maybe i'll be able to find a book on Sewing for Dummies :)

The look very blissful when they sleep. Maybe burying bones or chasing cats in their dreams. Sometimes i hear a woof or two from Piper when he dreams. It is cute. Dom however just snores and snores away like a train :) They sleep almost the whole day when i am working and they still sleep earlier than i do at night. I think they sleep more than a koala.

They don't know it yet, but both of them are going for a car ride tomorrow. Both of them need to be groomed. Maybe a crew cut for Dom as its really warm in the afternoons. They do love car rides a lot. Both of them usually smile widely when they go for car rides.

I better call it a night now. Tomorrow i have some help in the morning and we have to be off to the groomers during lunch :) We had rain today. Our gardens are watered. The jacaranda is flowering :)

Goodnight everyone. Have a great week ahead.


Oh My Papa ~ The Everly Brothers

This song is one of my dad's favourite. He listens to this quite often on some afternoons. I am sure this song reminds him of his own father.

My grandfather is a well-respected man in the town of Lenggong, Perak. Even till today, when we go back to Lenggong for All Soul's Day, some old folks in the market or the old guys at the bus station still remembers him and his good deeds. He was well-liked and kind. Even though we never got to know him, his children, relatives and friends only have good words about him. Not an inch of bad bone in the good man. My grandfather passed away when my dad was in his early 20s.

My dad and his elder brother took care of the younger ones when their dad passed away. Grandma never remarried and remain loyal till her final days. With many younger brothers and sisters, both elder ones have to sacrifice their dreams and kept the family together.

My dad has always worked hard. He is a teacher. He used to cycle many miles to teach tuition at another side of town. That was before we had a car. When we moved in to our house... the same old house i am in now, we didn't have any furniture. Just some mattresses to put on the floor to sleep. Every single thing in this house is bought with his hard earned money. We sat on boxes for quite a while. But we were happy. I did have a wonderful childhood. I was never made to work. Only dad worked. Mom took care of us.

On occasions when my dad had a bit more extra money that month, he never failed to take us for ice-cream at Maxim's or Green Fern Coffee House. Green Fern was like some hoity toity restaurant with a live band back then. Now it has become a nightclub with a new name *LOL* At Maxim's or Green Fern, i'll always order the same one scoop chocolate ice-cream. I am quite faithful to my one scoop chocolate ice-cream. And it has to be chocolate :)

I remember that my mom and dad usually only drink the plain water while the four of us will have our ice-cream. It was always a treat for us and nothing for them. They will just enjoy the music while we the kids chatter away.

Every school term break, we went somewhere. My dad has a travelling bug. He loves to go places and see things. He still do. Local holidays which saw us moving up north and down south. We went to a lot of places and a lot of photo memories from when we were little.

My dad is now in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate Father's Day with his favourite grandson. He's been missing Boy each and everyday. He asks me if Boy has called almost everyday. Its hard for an old man to let go but he's doing better now.

It sure is lonely in Ipoh for him. I am always working. Piper and Dommy are always sleeping. My dad is bored. He scooted off to Kuala Lumpur first chance he had. Poor man. Its good that he gets to travel up and down and see all his children and grandkids. Its good to have a change of company sometimes.

Children are good for him. They pick his brains and he tutors them over the school holidays. When he was teaching maths to Nick, i could feel a flashback to my years as a teenager. My dad teaches maths and i am quite bad at it. Still am quite bad with maths. He used to tutor me with two other boys. Once he got so mad with us, he went into to the kitchen to bring out a potato. He ask one of the boys to hold the potato on his head for quite a while. I had to hold my laughter till after the tuition. Else my dad will probably bring out another potato to sit on my head. Those were the days.

Well.. that's quite a long winded story... which has no end. My father is a great man. In our eyes, he is enough. He gave us a wonderful childhood that other kids envy. A disiplinarian but he always let his guard down when it was time for bed. He checks for mosquitoes in our rooms every single night before we sleep... even till today.

Happy Father's Day to my dear old dad and to all fathers and grandfathers out there, Have a Happy Father's Day.

Here comes Fluffy Friday and here we are back to our Friday Twist :)

Can anyone guess what is that fluffy furry fella up there? If you are right, we'll give you a banner link wayyyyyyyyyyy on top before Dommy's pix for one whole month. How about that? This should be easy :)

Happy Guessing and Happy Fluffy Friday everyone.



Share your fluffy friends with us every Friday! Whether it's a favourite stuffed toy or an adorable pet - basically anything fluffy, we'd love to see your pictures & stories! Leave ONLY the POST URL here and grab the Fluffy Friday badge at Meow Diaries. Any unrelated links will be deleted.




How was your day today? Did you have a good day? Or a super super annoying day where everything went wrong and you just want to punch someone's face.

If you did have an annoying day... here's a video i want to share with you all. Stormy found it on youtube and we were kinda tickled crazy by this yellow waddle waddle.



This Song is by Bryant Oden and Animation By Forrest Whaley.
Courtesy from http://www.songdrops.com/

Do check out the expression on the lemonade stand man's face. Priceless.

If you find this annoying but kinda enjoyed it anyway, do go to YouTube and look for Part 2 and 3. The story continued from there.

Urmm... Hey.. Got any grapes?


The Old Songs ~ David Pomeranz

This old song is not from my past but i do love old songs. We listen to a lot of oldies when we were kids and the oldies got even older when we grew up but it never left us. Evergreen numbers. It just stays in your head and your memory bank and somehow pops up once in a while.

Some current songs are not my cup of tea but its still catchy when they keep asking you to go to rehab. *LOL* My type are kinda old skool. I love acoustics or unplugged.

Songs are wonderful to bring back memories of a yesteryear. Songs remind people of happy times.. or sometimes a soppy sad song could remind of a lost love. But music/songs are very much part of us.

If you like a more natural musical orchestra, pluck your ears.. be still and listen. In a garden, you'll hear the high and low notes of some happy birds or insects. At the beach, the waves spins their own musical score. In a desert, the haunting winds sound like music too if you stay still and listen sometimes.

For an elderly person, music is good for them. Music is therapy. Dogs.. pets are too. For people who suffered a stroke, a song from his/her past could help the person in recovery.

Are music/songs very much part of your life too? Mine is :)

I love this Old Song... if you want to sing along to it.. here's the lyrics below.

Lyrics to The Old Songs :
Candle's burnin', glasses are chilled
And soon she'll be by
Hope and pray she'll say that she's willing
To give us another try
And if all those plans I made
Don't melt the lady's heart
I'll put on the old forty-fives
And maybe the old songs
Will bring back the old times
Maybe the old lines will sound new
Maybe she'll lay her head on my shoulder
And maybe old feelings will come through
Maybe we'll start to cry
And wonder why we ever walked away
Maybe the old songs
Will bring back the old times
And make her wanna stay

It's been too long without seeing her face light up
When I come home
Been too many hours I've waited
Staring at the phone
Sweet old songs, I'm countin' on you
Bring her back to me
I'm tired of listening alone

Maybe the old songs
Will bring back the old times
Maybe the old lines will sound new
Maybe she'll lay her head on my shoulder
And maybe old feelings will come through
Maybe we'll start to cry
And wonder why we ever walked away
Maybe the old songs
Will bring back the old times
And make her wanna stay

And make her wanna stay
And make her wanna stay
Did you have a good night's sleep yesterday? Do you go to bed tossing and turning for a few hours before you fall asleep? Or are you so tired each night that the minute you lay your head on the pillow, you sleep immediately.

Few things that could help you get a good night's sleep each night (if you are having trouble sleeping)
  1. A good firm comfy bed
  2. Less caffeine in the late evening (but my sister can sleep very soundly even after a cup of coffee while i can't)
  3. A clear mind 
  4. Soothing music or a boring book..:p
  5. A foot massage
  6. A warm bath
Those are some of the things that could help you get a good night's sleep. Counting sheeps or cows jumping over some clouds helps too to a certain extent but a good ventilated room with a nice bed always helps.

I am going to do a review on some products soon. So come back here ya. I'll tell you more about it then.
This week's been a bit slow in the moving. My bosses are out of town *yahoooooo*... and my immediate head is out of town *double a yahooooooooo*. I am actually out of town too. My out of town means i am working "off-site". I have been working off-site for quite a long time.

A pretty pleasant week. A lot of browsing to find usable things and new blogs. Found quite a lot of wonderful blogs from Sue's Bandana Day. The list was huge :) And a lot of friendly happy faces from there. Thanks a lot for the effort Sue. Can't wait for the next Bandana Day.

At this time of the year, we usually have a lull when most businesses takes a break for summer and go off for a holiday. I had mine much earlier in mid-May :) I am contemplating running off for another holiday.. *LOL* but there's bills to pay and stuffs to do too.

When we have this lull, its a good time to catch up and try and learn as many things as possible. We never stop learning. We should never stop learning. I have never been much of the bookish type. I learn things hands-on better because i don't do quite well from books.

The other day my father suggested that i go get myself a degree. Since i am with more time now. I don't need to take care of my nephew. I don't cook much now too. Just the dogs and dear old papa at home. That got me thinking for a while. But a degree on what? hehehhehee.. My interests are too vast now. Definitely not a degree on Economics or Business. Maybe i'll go visit my old college and go see some of my lecturers. I know some of them are still around.

Is a degree or paper qualifications very important? Well.. it could be more about a personal achievement in life.

I think i haven't done all that bad all this while. I have a great job, a good family.. people who loves me and two furry friends that never cease to make me smile. I am not rich but i am happy. I think that should be enough for now. Don't you think so?

A certain curly needs a bath. I should probably get on with that.

Thank you Auntie Sue for posting my picture on Bandana Day on The Portuguese Water Blog.

Come and check out all of us in red :) There's 100 of us from 6 continents. We sure am a whole lot of furry red fellas. You can make some new friends too. See you there.

Here's the link.
The "s" went for a stroll on the beach all by itself and left them Hor es lost ^.^"

That's what i gathered from the signboard above :)

I have a weakness for signboards. Some people don't understand why i rather take pictures of signboards than taking a picture of them. *LOL* I still got a whole bunch of them which i have not posted. Saving some signboards for a rainy day perhaps.

Here are some of the signboards in my other playground.


Faithfully ~ Journey

Faithfully is by Journey and one of their songs on the Frontiers album. I personally love ballads.. and singing along to these power ballads just makes my day *LOL*

I can't sing very well but to sing off key when you have your headphones on is quite fun :) My neighbours have not complained about the noise around here yet but i guess soon :p

How do we remain faithful to one when both are miles and miles away? Of being faithful is very much a personal preference. Sometimes we do get swayed when the going gets tough. But faithful i am. Even to my shoes.. hehehehe. I am just too dumb to move on. Or probably lazy.

Anyways.. do enjoy the song. Its a wonderful ballad about two people.. away from each other but finding joy in rediscovering each other each time they meet again. Wonderfully soppy love song :) Happy happy Wednesday folks!
Its Bandana Day at the Portuguese Water Blog. This year's theme is red bandana.

Submit your doggie's photo to wilcoxhall@ymail.com by 10th June 2010 which is this Thursday. It would be fun to see a whole lot of doggies in red :)

Do check out Fudge and gang at Portuguese Water Blog. He has the cutest face.
Caught this on Bridge Road. When i looked up... i *gasp*.

This is one of the most complained about advertisement in 2009. It only ran in Victoria and it received 250 complaints :)

I on the other hand thinks that the advert works. I *gasped*. I am sure a lot of people did too when they looked up. *LOL* The jeans were pretty hot. I wouldn't mind a pair of them jeans.
My father is quite a lonely man now. Since Boy went off to college, part of my father's life became empty. Boy was his life. Everything he did was for Boy. They did spend quite a lot of time together last time. My dad drove him everywhere. He was his responsibility and he did a wonderful job. Grandfathers always love you more because they have all the time to love you and nothing else to worry about anymore in their winter years.

My mom passed away suddenly without sickness and without a goodbye. She just left in May 2007 without waiting for us to be home. Sometimes we all wished to have one more day with her to say our goodbyes. But that is not quite possible. Well.. maybe possible.. if you have read Mitch Albom's For One More Day. It is quite a touching story. I shall spare you the details.

I have been watching quite a lot of tv this past week. Yes yes.. tv numbs the brain and sometimes makes you stupid. *LOL* But Glee was on and it is my favourite show. After Glee, i was channel flipping and For One More Day movie was on Hallmark channel. It was a good movie. Quite emotional and sappy. At least he got to spend one more day with his mom.

Sometimes when loved ones leave suddenly, we get affected in a weird way. We get angry with the departed for leaving without a goodbye but sometimes it is for the better. It would be worse to watch a loved one breathe their last breath.

This morning, i woke up to find dad home from his morning walks with his friends from the park. He came up to me and whispered. "Guess what.. i think your mom came back yesterday. I smell her presence in Boy's room". I rolled my eyes and almost fell off laughing away. He said.. its trueeee... i can smell the ointment she uses. I can even smell it in my car.

Then i took him to Boy's room and showed him the air freshener that kinda smell like my mom's ointment. We both laughed about it. And i took him to his car and showed him the same freshener i hung in his car. Then he told me... he was actually spooked. *LOL* Poor dad.

In our culture, we do believe that the departed comes back sometimes for visits. My grandma used to tell us that when big celebrations are about in the house, our departed loved ones will come back sometimes as butterflies or moths. I believe my mom does come as a bird. She's usually in the garden chirping away. She used to tell Boy that when she is dead, she wants to be a bird. To be free and fly everywhere.

I made my dad watch the repeat of the movie For One More Day this morning on Hallmark. He did enjoy it :) He mentioned that if he had watched it with me yesterday, he would be more spooked this morning *LOL* I do have quite a funny dad.

The reason why we are given parents in this life is, we are given second chances to make things right. When we grow up and get caught up with our own lives, sometimes we forget about the ones at home who is old and waiting. A phone call brightens their day. A visit makes all the difference. I am one of the lucky ones who can work at home and spend my time with my old dad. Not everyday is sunny and bright. Yes.. we have some differences. And yes, i am not one with the most patience. But yes, we have good days too.

When i was little, i was quite a sickly child. Most of the time, my mom and dad would sit by my bedside when i was sick to see if i was still breathing. Sometimes, my dad will stay up and sit beside me the whole night till morning. He taught me the Kookaburra song and i guess i was the only one who sang it with my dad. I don't know if my sisters remember the song.

We are given second chances. So make it right. Don't have many regrets in life. When all is gone, don't hope For One More Day.

Wishful thinking... but it would be nice to see mom again.. even for one more day. Even though loved ones never do leave you and are with you in spirit and thoughts. It would still be nice for the one more day.
Today i am the receiver of someone's random acts of kindness :)

Someone left me a huge number of EC credits. If you are here beside me now Ness, you will see this huge grin on my face when i saw the email :) It spread from left ear to right ear. Thank you so much for your EC credits from the bottom of our hearts. Piper and Dom sends their woofy thanks too.

Nessa's been my blogger friend for quite a while... but we never met. Even though i wanted to meet up with a few blogger friends the last round i was in Kuala Lumpur, i never found the time. Or probably i am just socially quite shy. *LOL* This is the case of talking about it and never getting around to make it happen. Hopefully i'll make time next time i am down and see some of you. 

Do visit Nessa's blogs. She has three of them :) I especially love to go to her Recipes I Luv website as she has some pretty good tips and great recipes to share.

As with all things random and kind, i am passing on 1/2 of the EC credits from Nessa to one of my fellow bloggers on the list. I'll keep the other 1/2 to buy some doggie treats for Dommy and PP :)

Thanks again Ness. God Bless your kind heart. Here's a song for you.

12:16am... on a Tuesday morning :) It is nice to be home.

We came home finally (dad, Dommy, Piper and i) last monday. We have been away from home since Jaiboo left in March. It seems like quite a long time ago. We did make short trips back home for a day or two and left again for Kuala Lumpur.

Actually it was suppose to be just a 2 weeks stay at my sister's house while i help Boy settled in to college. But it became a 2 and a half months stay away from home. Good thing we have great relatives who have been looking out for this ole house.

During our 2 and a half months away,
  1. Boy went into Taylor's for further studies
  2. Piper got neutered and woozy for almost a week
  3. Dom went for 2 grooming sessions with Tiffany
  4. Boy got out from Taylors and went for matriculation
  5. Dom and Piper moved to the pet hotel for almost a week
  6. Dommy got sick
  7. Roadtrips to visit Boy in another state
  8. The three of us going for holiday
  9. Seeing many sleeping koalas
  10. ... some wallabies which i thought were kangaroos wannabes
  11. Being pecked by some birds
  12. People telling me that kangaroos cannot "gostan" 
  13. Fairy penguins can go blind if you flash your cameras at them
  14. Vietnamese takeaway food are nice
  15. Forgetting to put Frontline for Dommy and now he's itchy
  16. Jaiboo can dance now
  17. Water is expensive in Aus
  18. Mum getting less candles lit while we were away
  19. Homes become like a sandy beach if you leave them too long
  20. but Home is the most comfortable place on earth :)
Its kinda like a whirlwind 2 months being away. I have many thoughts in my head which i need to purge it out soon.. hehhehehee.. No good keeping too many things inside. My memory slips day by day. Time is always being selfish.

Hopefully this blog will be my memory keeper.

Ahhh... Aini coming to help me tomorrow. I have missed her. I better knock off now else i cannot be up in time for her.

More pictures of the Great Road Trip soon :)

*gostan means to reverse, in a backwards direction
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