2017 so far

A lot has been going on and we have been busy. Though my intention had been to slow down this year, instead it seems to be busier than ever before.

I don't even know where to catch up on this blog. Some things the kids have been up to:

Jo sent in a resume to Kidzania to be congresskid. She made it past the interview, did a video of herself and campaigned at Kidzania. Unfortunately she didn't get in though personally I think she did great at her speeches. I guess, it's as they said, "if you wanna get in, try singing a song or something."
She didn't sing. Still it was a great life experience, all that public speaking, video making and interview was a worthwhile experience.

Both Jo and Nel are now part of ICC Words Alive group, a group committed to helping young people become better public speakers for a good purpose. Earlier this year the whole group visited Pulau Ketam as a chapter, and presented a drama. They also volunteered by playing games with the local kids and taught them English. For Nel, just being in this drama was a BIG deal!
She really struggled in her first rehearsals, not wanting to say her line because she was so conscious of people looking at her. In the end she did great! She had the role of a teacher, while Jo had the role of a busy body, which she played really well!

The first quarter of this year has also been memorable. Both girls auditioned to be in our church's Easter presentation and got in. Hubby and I decided to hang around their first few practices to observe, but what do you know, hubby got "sucked" in and ended up playing three roles, which he did amazingly well! I'm astounded, having discovered his hidden talent for acting! Proud of him.

Jo played a little child, as well as a seller at the market scene. Most of the time she was observing the director (Vince Chong)  and producers, being very curious about how a whole production is put together. I think she learnt a lot about theatre through this experience.

As for me, I accompanied Nel to her dance rehearsals to encourage her. My goal was to get her out of her comfort zone and try performing arts (dance with drama) to help her blossom out of her "shy"self. So I too hung around and joined in the warm ups. But guess what, I got roped in too, and ended up dancing! We had fun preparing our own costumes, which included ripping and smearing them with paint. Fun was also painting our own faces to look the part of occupants in hell.

The most beautiful part of it all was that, we were actually once, all together in a performance, serving our dear Lord together, as one unit, together with other like minded people. We enjoyed the weekly rehearsals, going together, rehearsing together, it was well worth our time!

Apart from that, there are our usual homeschool activities, too many to list. One memorable one perhaps was the camping trip we had in Perak in the month of March. The river was beautiful, we had great company of good friends and lovely food all cooked by the OAs.

Oh I forgot to mention, a new addition to the family. It was Chinese New Year, and I was preparing Heng Hua Mee Sua and making homemade pizza when hubby brought back a kitten!! We named him Blue. Hés turned out to be quite a tyrant...an alpha kinda male, but I've grown to love this lil fella.

 I'll conclude by saying 2017 has been a really fruitful memorable time so far. God is good!





@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2017

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I'm proud of my girls who rescued these abandoned babies...4 of them, from skinny scrawny (almost drowned) creatures, to these beautiful four kittens. They did well...stuck to their responsibility of feeding and cleaning regularly. Today, somebody came and adopted all four. It was with heavy heart we let them go. The older one cried all night, but was happy we found them a good home, and is joyful now, knowing we can still visit them. The little one is upset....but we knew it was best they went together so they'd grow up together. I'd say, animal rescue has taught my girls a lot of things, especially compassion, kindness and responsibility.

 @poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2014

Camel goes on a Holiday with us - Ruby's Resort

We've been traveling quite a bit this month.  I guess, it's kinda like making up for all the time lost when I had issues with health. Anyway, we just got back and I told my husband that I'd be blogging about Camel's holiday. My husband raised his eyebrows and asked "Not blogging about OUR holiday, but about our dog's holiday?" I replied "Yes, Camel's turn this time." So here, a short post bout Camel's vacation.

We adopted Camel about 5 years ago. He was an abused dog, rescued by a volunteer at PAWS. When we first adopted him, he was already debarked by his previous owner,  timid, scared of being carried, cowered whenever we walked towards him. It took us a while to gain his full trust, and today, he's such a confident, curious little pooch.

Well, when the children found out that Camel would be going on a holiday with us to Ruby's Resort, they went wild with excitement! To cut a long story short, Camel was spoilt with the constant attention he got at the resort from all the children.

As for Nel and Jo, they as usual had a great time with friends, spending most of the day by the beach swimming, playing with the waves (jumping over...hiding under ..swimming over and simply getting whacked by huge waves.) 

 Ruby's Resort where you get to holiday with your pets. Ruby herself has several stray dogs and cats which are really well taken care off.

 Camel's very first time at the beach.

 Nel taking Camel for a long run. They both loved it!

 Camel's first experience with waves. At first he kept barking as every wave crashed onto shore. Then being the curious dog he is, he approached it with a pounce. The wave smacked him, and he got a fright. Afterwards, he'd only try swimming when the water was calm.

Best friends taking a break

The waves at the Cherating beach are huge and strong. That created a lot of exciting play for the children.

 Trying a bit of boarding

 At Ruby's pets are to be kept on the leash, except when in the middle compound. Here Camel managed to escape from the compound and went wondering on his own.

 All the kids went running after him shouting "Camel come back!! Camel!!" (Camel is a fast runner!) Well they found him in someone's balcony. So one of them got him out.

 Camel watching his first sunrise at the beach. I think he really loved it.

On the second night, after  a long wonderful day by the beach the children knocked out very quickly. But we were awoken less than 10 minutes after. A turtle had chosen to land right by Ruby's gate. The few of us who were awake walked out to watch quietly from afar as the turtle dug her hole. As we watched we realized we weren't the only ones. Several strangers dressed in black stood nearby waiting for the turtle to lay her eggs. Sure enough as soon as she started laying, they came and took her eggs, claiming that they were conservationist. A few riders on bikes passed by, exchanged words, and rode away. I certainly hope her eggs are safe.  We stayed about 2 hours watching the whole tedious process. So much tough work. Poor turtle. The children walked quietly by her side as she returned to sea saying their goodbyes. What a lovely experience added to the lovely weekend. Truly God is good.

We plan to go back real soon with Camel again, and a few friends with their doggies. Camel aside, we truly enjoyed the trip because we got to catch up with friends, and the children got to bond better with their buddies. Indeed, it really doesn't matter where one spends the holidays, as long as there is good company. :)



@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2013

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Our Mice, and Special Art Project for a Special friend

Can't believe how fast time flies. It's now almost 2 months since I underwent surgery to remove a tumor found near my pituitary gland.  I've gone back to work, but am still cautious about my activities. Just last weekend, I thought it'd be safe to swim. What a huge mistake.

After the swim, I began developing a headache, and by night, the pain was so unbearable I thought I was surely going to end up in the ER again. It felt like there was a knife and electricity in my head. Since my husband was away, all I could do was just to pray and pray and pray. The horrendous pain lasted till about 3am, when suddenly I felt like ice cold water was being poured inside my head. Then somehow, I fell asleep. In the morning, the headache had reduced to a dull headache. Thank God that there is prayer and God to turn to in time of need.

Since I can't do much outdoors yet, we've been doing lots of reading, and little projects. Kids have made a huge variety of playground for their mice. Sadly, I didn't take pictures and playgrounds have been torn down. However, here's a few pictures of our mice. Not very good shots as it's been gloomy and rainy outside, and there was insufficient lighting. Nevertheless, here are some pictures.

First mouse to land on planet milk. :)

Our kids named this male Pipsqueak. Here he's trying to conquer the world in 80 seconds.

This is a blur picture of Lucy, she looks like she's guilty doesn't she? Plotting an escape perhaps? ;)

Another blur shot of Lucy. She was attempting to play this traditional instrument, but fell in instead. haha...

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Finally, today with all classes canceled, we decided to work on a special project for a special person who's not been well. We're just praying and trusting that he will be well. Nothing is impossible. These pieces will be mailed tomorrow.

Jo's art work  -ink and colour pencil.

Nel's art work - Ink, colour pencil and water colour

Mine done in watercolour. It's been sooo long since I picked up the brush. This was a third attempt after two failures. Get well C! Prayers with you.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2012

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With sadness, Mr. Choo from Save our Seahorses passed away in June 2013. An excerpt taken from their webpage.

    "9 Jun 2013, Save Our Seahorses Malaysia bade farewell to its Founder and Team Leader, Choo Chee Kuang after a long but incredibly brave struggle with cancer. Chee Kuang will fondly be remembered for his pioneering work on seahorses and the conservation of their precious seagrass home in Sungai Pulai, Johor."

Rest in peace my dear friend.

Dead Pets

I think I've mentioned before that as a child, I used to rescue strays, stray dogs and cats. I recall crawling through a half flooded monsoon once to rescue a litter of pups only to be chased by its aggresive mum. I recall bringing back a sack of 12 kittens which made my mother very mad. :)
I recall helping a stray mother cat give birth under my bed!

Then one day, my dad decided I deserved a personal pet, and we adopted a beautiful Papillon, which I named Lassie. Lassie was my best friend, closer than any human friend. Like me, she was an introvert. She was very protective, faithful, staying close to me and noone else. Whenever we went on vacation, whoever baby sat her would complain that Lassie would not eat or drink at all.

So I decided that she was to go with me on every vacation, and I would smuggle her into hotels in my backpack. But one sad day, in my college days, as I was about to go out to catch the 6am bus to school, I heard her whizzing. I sat with her, patted her gently, my heart heavy. I whispered to her "Lassie, I'll be home. Please be strong, I promise I'll be back early and get you to the vet."

When I came back, she was gone from this earth forever. Till today, I can recall the great sorrow I felt. I looked at her for the last time, stroked her, and cut off bits of her hair. Then I locked myself in the room and cried for hours, refusing to watch as my mother buried her in the garden. I snipped off locks of my hair and put it in a mini jar with Lassie's fur. For weeks I was angry at anyone who told me the words "I'm sorry for your lost." I always kept silent, but in my mind I would cry out "How can you say that when you don't even mean it, when you don't even know how it feels."

I determined then, that I would NEVER ever have another pet, for the pain of loss was too unbearable.

But they say, time heals, and it's true. It doesn't take away the fact that I miss Lassie, but it allowed space in my heart to adopt another dog when I was pregnant with Nel. Pronto was an amazing lil doggie. He was a mix between a Pomeranian and something else. People who saw him always told me "Your dog is fascinating, he has the expression of a human, as if he understood everything around him." They were right. Pronto was mischievous yet incredibly smart. He was my baby  monitor.

When Nel was born, he would lie around the outside of her room. Whenever she cried, Pronto would scratch the door gently to open it, then run to me with a gentle bark, head pointing towards the baby's room. But..(I hate buts), one day, we decided to leave Pronto in the garden for a run. He got stolen. A neighbor saw a man come by and took him away. We searched the whole town for days, shouting his name, but he was never found again. :(

Cats.....ahh....I had a very favourite pet cat too, named Dog. He was the bane in Lassie's life. This cat would wait on tables, outside doors just to pounce on the dog once. I imagine it grinning to every success. This cat of mine with the squirrel tail, dark brown body with a white belly and white cheeks would steal food, and I could always tell what it's stolen by the colour on its cheeks. Well...when I went abroad to study for a few years, apparently the fella refused to come home anymore and became a gangster out on the streets picking fights here and there. I never saw him again after I came back, but saw glimpses of him in kittens that resembled him.

Back from abroad, with no pets left at home,  one day I woke up to incessant mewing outside my window. I went out to find a very thin kitten mewing her heart out. I talked to it, and coaxed it till it trusted me. I brought milk and food for it, but it refused everything, except to sit contentedly in my lap. So I drove it to the vet, and I named my new kitten "Whisk." Whisk had the sweetest face and voice. I told the vet, please do whatever you can, it won't eat. Two days later, the vet called and said "Martha, Whisk has tangled intestines, it's best to put it down." The pain of losing Lassie came rushing back. I told the vet "put it down if you must...and please bury it." I cried all the way, driving home from work.

Rabbit.....
Just last week...without my knowledge, my children adopted an adult rabbit. I wasn't prepared for it, as we'd adopted a poodle 3 years back, and have decided that this would be the only pet I'll keep. I only adopted Camel because, I wanted my children to experience the wonderful gift of friendship a dog can bring.

Well...things were such that I didn't really have a choice, and the rabbit was dropped off at my house. The next day I noticed that it had watery stools which was unusual for a rabbit. I also noticed that it hardly ate, and wouldn't move. It was a very depressed rabbit. I guess, it really missed its owner who didn't want it anymore.

I brought it to the vet first free morning I had. The vet weighed it, tested its stools and told me it had bacteria in its gut. So we gave it medication and monitored it everyday. The runny stools stopped, but it still refused to eat. I read up like mad about rabbits and GI stasis.

I held it in my hands, rubbed it's tummy to ease the pain and wind. We pounded food to pulp and force fed it. I held it in my hands for hours.......just speaking to it.

and this morning when I woke...it was gone. Again...gone....and my heart aches. I have no conclusion to this post, except rest in peace rabbit.

Maybe just one note. If you cannot care for a pet long term, DON'T EVEN buy one. DON'T buy just because it's cute, and then give it away, just because it's become inconvenient to you. If you take a living being in, then care for it till it's last, or your last breath. Animals and humans hurt when they're moved around and given from place to place. It's heart breaking!



@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2012

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.Habits and Phobias

-I could never understand the phobia some people have towards animals, particularly towards cats and dogs, which I think are tremendously cute and wonderful creatures. My reaction has always been to prod, nudge, encourage and hope that the person with phobia, would take the first step towards "liberation" by touching just a bit of the animal's fur and perhaps eventually falling in love with these lovable creatures.

-I could never understand people's difficulty in breaking addiction in areas like smoking, gambling or computer gaming.

Well...all that's changed recently. When my daughter brought me that huge house lizard, stil wriggling and alive in her hand, I freaked out. She came nearer and nearer to me, and I tried to back away, but alas, she trapped me in a corner. She prodded me, nudged and encouraged me and hoped I'd take the first step by just touching the lizard's body. I totally refused, screamed, shrieked and determined that I would NEVER fall in love or touch such a creature. With that, I've come to realise that perhaps this is exactly how my friends who've a phobia towards furry kids feel.

In relation to addiction.. my hubby recently hinted that I perhaps might have a slight (although I'm sure he meant "great") addiction ...and that is being addicted to FB. I denied it at first..and realise that all people who are addicted to something probably live in denial too.

So there....for today, I've chosen to try and understand the phobias and addiction of others. It's not that they do not want to overcome that phobia, it's because the phobia is REAL! It's not because they do not want to break out of the addiction, it's because while they're in it, it feels good, and to cut it out is like cutting out some air.

Having said that... I will TRY my best,( IF and only IF my daughter catches another lizard), to try and slowly touch, just a bit of that lizard. And if I ever get to the point of carrying that darn squirmy thing in my hand, then I will continue nudging those with Cynophobia, Ailurophobia and other similar phobias to overcome theirs.

As for FB...by hook or by crook..I will surely find a way of cutting down time on it...with time...with time. (see it happening anytime soon??) ;)

In the mean time..I have other phobias...some which I think..are hard to overcome..such as the fear of heights. I'm not in a hurry to work on that one..in fact, i think I'll stay safe on the ground for the rest of my life.

my girl with her lizard

My doggie my hero

This little cutie, "fierce", protective guardian of our family, Camel, did it again. He most likely thwarted a robbery attempt at my house last night at 2am, when he started barking fiercely, crazily, protectively.

Since adopting him 3 years ago, I've  learnt to differentiate his barks.

He has several different barks (and posture) to tell me different things such as:
 - he wants to play/walk
-he wants to pee
- a family friend has come to visit
 -the squirrel or cat is irritating him again or stealing his food
- postman at the gate (I'm afraid the postman will throw a grenade at Cam one day for terrorising him daily.)
- recycle lorry passing by (he makes a very weird whining/dying sound for this that comes from his throat, stomach. Perhaps he cannot stand the music that comes with the lorry.)
- An intruder/stranger at the gate

At 2am last night I heard the bark that indicated an intruder. His barking woke me up, while the rest of my household remained asleep. I got up to my window, parted the curtains to look out, and saw a shadow of a man at my gate. I think the intruder saw me because he immediately ran behind the tree. Few seconds later, he got on a bike and quietly disappeared into the shadow of the night.

This is the second time Cam's saved us from intruders. (the first time was scary, coz it was a masked man who saw me and shone a red light into my eye before taking off.)

There was a time when the robbers actually broke in and ransacked my house (2 years back), and that was the night when Camel went to the groomers and boarded a night there. If he had been home, he probably would've been a champ 3 times now.

huh...so that little fella needs a special treat now. M thinking...a new toy? or special food today.   probably lotsa play and hugs too. :)