The Need to Run Away

Sometimes i run away. I know i am really too old to be running away but sometimes i still do it :) I am a free soul.

I ran away from home last Friday and spend the whole weekend walking around and round and taking pictures. Taking pictures always make me happy. The need to get out and about and to see things is one of the reasons why my life is such and the reason why i am still without another half by my side. I have not really searched for my other half through mountains and valleys and the great seas and i still have not found him yet. Ahh... oh woe is me. I might just end up old and crinkly with no one to hold my hands :(

After leaving some instructions on the white board for my dad to feed Dom his food and medicine, i told my Curly i am taking off. He tried to fit into my backpack but lately... he's kinda on the heavy side. He couldn't even fit one of his feet into my backpack. *LOL* I think i might just have to put him on a vegetarian diet soon.

Dommy: Who you calling FAT? I am just big boned you know. And its just all furry furs.

Dad sent me off in the morning to the railway station and he even packed my favourite egg tarts for me to eat just in case i got hungry on the way. What can i say... i am still daddy's little girl :D

These eggtarts are yummy fellas. My all time favourite... and you kind of have to queue to buy them. I guess my dad loves me quite a lot. Yes yes... i am gloating.

Since it was also my 50th birthday (i think its my 50th or was it 60th cos i stop counting after my 30th), my dad went to the bakery early in the morning and got me a white chocolate cake :) The bakery was just opening and they didn't have anyone to write my name on the cake.

My dad came home with the cake and insisted to put a letter N to spell my name. So he took out some red paper and tried to cut the letter N real fast as i have a train to catch in an hour's time. He cut a few times and finally got the letter N.

My beautiful cake. It was more beautiful with the letter N.

I said goodbye to my Curly... grabbed my bag and my dad sent me off to the railway station. I bet Dom was howling for quite a while after i left. He always howls sadly when i leave him. I didn't know about this until my sister told me about it. I went out for a while and left him in the house with my sister once. He just howled and howled. My sister was so scared and thought he was in pain. That was when we found out he howled when i am not with him.

I always choose to leave the ones that love me the most. But i always come back. I choose to run away on this birthday because i always run away from situations and things. I don't fight with anyone. I just walk away. I don't fight for what i want, because i believe that if it was mine to begin with, it will be with me in the end.

My journey on the train ended up in Kuala Lumpur. My friend picked me up and we went by car to another city. The historical city called Malacca.

I dragged.. practically dragged and forced one of my best buddies to take the day off work on Friday and spend the day with me :) She loves to be photographed and i love to photograph things and furries mostly. Don't tell her that. *LOL* I love to photograph doors, windows and buildings and she loves to have her photos taken.

She is one of my best buddies because she will always drop what she is doing and make time for friends like us. Even if we end up old and crinkly without a hand to hold one day, i know i will still have hands of family and friends to hold. It will be not quite the same but it will be okay. All you ever need is just a few good friends and family and a furry or two or three.. or maybe a lot of furries.

I believe some of us are always looking and looking for the other half to make us complete. I sure hope my other half is not sipping Tequila Sunrise in Timbaktu. It is a long way to Timbaktu :) I don't know if i know how to get there.

I am actually quite happy last weekend... my dad made my birthday most memorable. I am touched by his actions. Even though i am still getting nagged and nagged and nagged daily even though i am in my 50s now... i guess in his heart, i will always be his little girl.

Sunny Days with My Curly

We were just about to go to the hall and off the computers when we heard grandpa singing to the tune of his favourite show on tv. GAGS. He just love that show and could laugh really loud. The reason we are staying back here in the room is because we do not want to go deaf. When my dad watches the tv.. its really loud. He's a bit hard on hearing as one of his ears are a bit off. But when his show GAGS is on... the tv is even louder. I can even hear the whole show and i am at the back of the house :) His laughter is loudest. *LOL* Only 30mins of pure laughter for this old man.

Dommy is curly all over again. His fur grows very very fast. He'll be back to his unkempt self in maybe another week or so. He sure loves his curls. And the grass and the garden. He is no more looking like a schnauzer. He's all poodle wooly curly again.

We are just taking more photos of Dommy lately... and his feline friends in the garden too. We usually go out during lunch to seek out some cats for a quick shoot in the garden as the sun is very nice and bright.

We have built a small collection of his feline buddies over the years. I think cats are better models. They love to be photographed and they actually pose for you. They don't move a limb and they even tuck in their little tummies... they do they do.

Dommy however is very hard to be photographed. He is hardly still for a moment except when he is sleeping. He can be "treat" photographed but his tail can't stop moving and his busy curly self is usually all over the place. He is however a joy to be photographed as you end up laughing at his silly self more than anything else.

We are getting more shaky photos lately as the hands are not as steady as it used to. Its the age thing. Wait... i think my hands were never quite steady. I hate the tripods too. We do shoot blind occasionally. We get pleasant surprises sometimes.

Photography used to be a very expensive hobby when i was in college. I had to work part time to buy films and photographic paper. Not so much now. With everything going digital, you can take thousands of pictures and not worry a thing about cost. You just got to make sure you have a pretty good external drive to drop everything in. And back it up too :)

We are off to the vets tomorrow for Dommy's results. He doesn't know he's going again to be poked and prodded. Poor guy. He is actually looking much better and his appetite is good lately. As long as he is eating well, i am not too worried.

We are gonna go watch some tv now. We are on them computers for the whole day now. Time to let it rest. Catch you all again tomorrow. Have a great day today.

He is such a angel when he sleeps.

Fixed. I was Fixed.

Our special thanks to our fellow bloggers here who answered our last Fluffy Friday question correctly ;) Thank you so much for the funny comments :D

Last weekend was spoooooooOOOOOkey for little ole me. I got fixed. Its all a conspiracy i tell you. (oh.. i borrow this liner from Uncle Spiffy).

Mommy quietly took me out while the whooooooooooooooole household was asleep. She just said "let's go"... and i fell into her trap. I thought she was taking me for a car ride. Spending more time with me.. bonding time. I knew it. I just knew it. All car rides always end up at the vet or the groomers. Next time i won't budge and get into her car anymore. I'll even growl. They are afraid when i growl.

Before i knew what was happening, i was at this vet's place. And after a while... i was woozy. And if i can remember anything of that day... it was wooozy. My throat was dry and i was woozzzzzzzy.

Its all a conspiracy i tell you. They got me fixed without asking my permission. There was just a lot of buzz buzz around... and there goes the end of my bloodline. No more little Pipettes running around. Can you believe that.

At least i am treated like a king these few days :) Ahhh... i am sure they have their reasons. I shall not be mad at my humans.

Piper

Piper was fixed/neutered last Saturday. We deliberated for quite a while. Few years actually. *LOL* We were afraid that something might happen to him if we got him neutered. Or he might not be able to take the medicine because he's so tiny.

When he was little, we thought about having little Pipers when he was old enough to mate. But over the years, we never got around to finding him a girlfriend/wife/mate.

Shitzus are wonderful companions. Small and compact. You can even fit them into a bag and carry them around. They are hard-headed... stubborn but they are really very loving creatures.

Piper mixed with more humans than dogs... till Dom came along. The only friend he knew is Dom... and Brandy.. he was more afraid of Brandy as she was too big and fast.

We hardly let him go out to mix with other dogs as he's quite a fiesty little creature and always wanting to get into fights with other dogs... hahhahaaa. When a bigger dog barks at him, he barks back. Forgetting his size. The bigger dog could just jump on him and that will be the end of him. He keeps forgetting he's tiny.

He has an air about him.. he comes off as arrogant sometimes. They were the companion dogs of chinese royalty in ancient times.

Getting your dogs neutered / spayed is important if you do not intend to breed. It is your responsibility as a pet owner. This is to prevent unwanted litters and overpopulation. Just take a walk to the Furry Friends Farm, PAWS or the SPCA. You will see how overpopulated they are.

If you are looking for a dog/cat, give these places a chance. Get a rescued dog/cat. Rescued dogs/cats are more loving and can be re-trained when there is love in their new home.

Dom is a rescued dog. He is one of the most faithful and obedient dog i know. Even though he likes to bark quite suddenly sometimes, he has his reasons. He has very sharp ears. The slightest sound and it will send him in a frenzy to secure the house and the family *LOL*. He is most protective of us.

Got to take them out for their walks now :) Here's a picture of them walking together earlier :) Have a great evening ahead.

Our walks

To Duck Or Not to Duck

Yesterday saw both Emila and I looking for ducks and more ducks. *LOL* I categorise them all under "ducks" while they are ducks, goose, geese, swans... or mallards maybe. Or should be under "birds". Hmm.. Nevermind :)

I guess another fever of ducks would be coming up soon... hehehehe

Maybe my HDR friend Bain would be contributing to some of the duck fever too :)

And it all started from the metallic duck we saw from Yunus's flickr. His duck is brilliant. His work is brilliant.

Here's my ducky story. Now i am off for my coffee :) Enjoy!

The Fever Continues

Welcome back Bain and HDR Fever :) Our journey on HDR continues and the fever burns on... hahaha.. it is more fun when Bain is on the HDR train too.

This is the latest test on HDR after following a tutorial by a fellow blogger friend... Yunus Ismail. You can download his free tutorial on HDR but its in Bahasa Malaysia. Thanks again Yunus. Your tutorial is simply easy to follow. And the effects were more intense. I love it.

If you love photography, this is one of the very fun photo-editting effects with Photoshop. I have been having this fever for over a month now. Still burns on.

Have fun trying.

Dave Hills Effect

Testbed day :)

I've been wanting to test this Dave Hill's effect for a while. Never got around to doing it till now becos of the procastinator in me :D I first saw it on Emila's web last month.

anyways... here's my first attempt.

before

after

This is picture of a kiddo i took exactly 3 years ago in Janda Baik, Pahang. There were a bunch of kids spending their holidays at their grandma's Pondok Impian*. They were posing here and there for me. I had a great time taking a whole lot of pictures of them.

I took this picture on the 5th of March 2006.. kinda long time ago... many unprocessed pictures (thank god for digital cameras). Think this kiddo would already be grown up by now! Hmm... mebbe someone somewhere knows this kid. I could show him his pictures when i go there again one day. It is a lovely place.

I wonder if i got the DH effect correctly... it looks kinda grainy to me. hmmm

Anyways... here's a good tutorial to follow for the DH effect.

Have fun trying :)

*Pondok Impian means Dream Cottage.