Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012......

It has been more than two months since I last visited my own blog, let alone type a few lines. 2011 has not been a good year for me. I shall always remember 2011 as the year that took my beloved mum from me. 


For the first time in my life I can no longer go to my mum and tell her what I did, ate, or what I saw. Last night I cried myself to sleep as memories of my mum washed over me. Were she still alive, she would have been amused to see Yin dressed up in the party hat and mask I brought home from the new year eve dinner we had earlier.


But enough of that....I know I should move on....and on that note, happy new year to everyone!

Yin wearing the party hat and mask from Jarrod & Rawlins

Fireworks viewed from our balcony

OWC - Obedient Wives Club OR Orgy Wives Club??

I can't believe someone, and a club at that, would provide me with so much entertainment and amusement that I am now writing a fourth installment on the same social issue. To refresh our memories, here's my third and second write-up.

OWC, a controversial women's club, has just released a book that is probably the most outrageous ever written by a Malaysian. The book encourages a Muslim husband to have sex simultaneously with all his wives. 

First, a good wife should be like a high class prostitute. Now, a good wife should team up with her husband's other wives for orgy sessions. Wow! 

I don't really care what they do behind closed doors, but really, don't they think they are degrading themselves by seeing themselves as sex workers rather than a wife? The status of a wife and sex worker is as different as night from day, so why would they want to sink to the level of a prostitute, and encourage other wives to do that, too??  

Could it be because they have no brains, no personality, no character whatsoever that would hold the interest of their husbands, and sex is the only way they could sustain their husband's interest? 

Check out this report in The Star today.

Yin Is 6!!

Happy birthday, my dearest Yin.

We're having a little kitties party to celebrate Yin's birthday......tuna, dried salmon, Greenies and crab sticks, for both Blackie & Yin.   :)

When Euthanasia Is Merciful......

Ever since mum showed me a sudden appearance of a lump the size of a golf ball in her left breast in May this year, her cancer has been advancing  aggressively. 


In early August, every single night without fail, she felt intense tearing pain at her back, where the rib cage bones are located. She could not sleep and started taking Panadol for pain relief. The pain accelerated quickly, and by the middle of August, she was in pain more often than not. I had to give her 600mg of Ibuprofen twice a day plus rubbed her back with Counterpain, an analgesic cream.


By September, none of those helped relieve her pain and she finally agreed to see the oncologist for pain management. At the hospital, mum asked if she could be put to sleep painlessly (euthanasia), which, of course, is against the law in Malaysia. Needless to say, the specialist declined to help her along that path.


I had thought that stronger drugs like Tramadol or morphine would effectively mask mum's pain, but apparently, those narcotic drugs only take the edge off the pain, not mask it completely. 


With mum opting for no treatment, we suddenly found that there are many people who chose not to be treated, too. Her church friends started to share about their own family members who opted for no treatment while my cousin shared about her friend in US who did not want treatment and opted for palliative care instead. Why did mum and those people chose to have no treatment, preferring to eventually die from their disease or condition?


Mum had invasive ductal carcinoma stage IIIB in 1999. She had mastectomy plus chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy. She completed the treatment but it traumatized her greatly. 


Those who has had treatment for life-threatening diseases or conditions, or knew someone who has had those treatments, are very aware of the pain and suffering the treatments bring. 


My late father-in-law was a diabetic and when the time came for him to have dialysis, he chose not to do it. He had seen his brother, also a diabetic, who went for dialysis three times a week, and he knew of the pain his brother went through. Needless to say, my late father-in-law died in his sleep four years ago, but he did not suffer.


And so, comes the point of this post. It got me thinking of animals that are sick and suffering. Is it kinder to put them through invasive treatment or to put them out of their misery? Many of my friends, animal lovers and rescuers, are against euthanasia. Just mention the word and you'd be flamed. 


But, if our pets could speak, what would they choose for themselves? Would they want invasive treatment, or would they choose euthanasia? Are we being selfish, reluctant to let our pet go when we choose to hold on to them by prolonging their life and thus, suffering? Euthanasia is after all, the most painful decision a pet owner has ever had to make. 


I had to make such a decision once. And it wasn't easy. Up to 10 o'clock at night, the vet from UPM was still calling me, telling me I had to make a decision, whether to put Brownie out of his misery or to let him continue to suffer. The vet assured me that Brownie would definitely be in pain, and that it was more merciful to let him go peacefully. It was the most heartbreaking decision I had ever made and I hope no pet owner has to ever make that decision.

It's Mo-Cats Day!!

What is Mo-cats' day? It's a day when all the cats raise their paws for more cats, in response to someone who declared 09.09 as a No-cats day. Below is a lovely poster made by Momoandco. Do visit them and raise your paws for more cats. 

Good morning, everyone!

Ms Sunshine and Mr Grumpy

The Four Don'ts at Nirvana Memorial Centre

I was at Nirvana Memorial Centre to pay my last respects to a good friend's late father last night. Despite the sad event, it was a great time of fellowship, with lots of laughter, some at my expense. I was teased about being an ugly girl with a magnifying glass on her nose by friends who had not seen me in my myopic glasses before. (I wear contact lens during the day.) It was all good-natured teasing, of course. Like all good friends, we could never resist poking fun at each other.


Oh yeah, and there was lots of food....the most incredible spread I had ever seen at a funeral parlour. And in the midst of chatting, laughing and enjoying the food, something caught hubby's and my eye......a sign with four don'ts....

1) No food allowed.....huh??!!.....the food galore was part of the package, ain't it??
2) Silence....oops, guilty
3) No smoking....ok, checked. Nobody smoked here.
4) No camera.....that, too, was OK, until I saw that sign and had to fish my camera out of my bag and commit the final blunder.....

A "Cure" For Catty Black Moods

Blackie is moody this morning. A typical morning sees him jumping onto tables, chairs, bed and dashing from one end of the apartment to the other end, much like a mini horse in a horse race. But this morning he just sits there glaring at anyone who passes by. None of the games and toys interest him. 


He was in a black mood since yesterday evening, too. Usually, he is rather docile around Yin, although he does like to play rough with her. But when Yin has enough and hisses at him, he would stop. Yesterday, he didn't. Instead, he continued to whap her with his paw. And this morning, he pounced on her shoulder and pulled another large tuff of fur from the back of her neck. Gosh....I'm beginning to see a small, tiny bald patch there....I first noticed it -- less fur at the back of her neck, just between the shoulder blades -- when I got back from my holiday in Cherating. So, how to bring him out of the black mood?


A catnip pillow! It's supposed to be cat ecstasy, right?  And it worked! Blackie picked up the pillow and ran off with it. The only thing he has shown interest in this morning.

When Yin tried to grab it from him, he whapped her hard. I could hear the loud thud as paw landed on skull. Ouch. Poor Yin, she isn't used to being whacked by Blackie, or having Blackie fight with her over anything. Blackie has always let her grab toys or food right off his paws. 

I'll have to get another catnip pillow from sillylupie so they'll have one each. Anything to keep them happy and out of black moods.

Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

The first time I heard of Homer's Odyssey was in July 2009, when Random House contacted me to write a review on it. 

Random House, its publisher, had come across my review on Dewey The Library Cat and offered me a free advance copy of Homer's Odyssey, with the view that I would read and write a review on it. All I was told was that it's a true story about a remarkable blind cat. I was very glad to accept the offer, but after I gave them my address in Malaysia, Random House found that they "could not send to an international address due to distribution restriction policy" whatever that meant. 

I was disappointed, but after some time, forgot all about it. Yup, I forgot entirely about Homer's Odyssey even though I promised myself that when the book is available in local bookshops, I would buy a copy and read it.

It was not until last week, when I was browsing around the Kindle ebooks that I saw Homer's Odyssey. The title rang a bell, and I was pretty sure that this was the book I had promised myself that I would read when it's made available. I immediately looked through my emails (thanks to gmail's easy search feature), and yes, it was Homer's Odyssey alright.

Homer was found and taken to a vet when he was merely two weeks old, with eye infection so bad that the vet had to remove both his eyes. The couple who found him asked Patty, the vet, to euthanize him. Unwilling to do that, Patty tried to find a home for him but no one would take a young, blind kitten, even when it was obvious that he would pull through. The author, Gwen Cooper, was the last one on Patty's list.

photo taken from Gwen Cooper's photo gallery --> http://www.gwencooper.com/photo.php

Despite his visual handicap, Homer is a furry bundle of affection and action. He's as active as 5 cats put together, and can leap as high as 5 feet in the air to catch flies in midair, and to climb and jump like a normal, seeing cat. The author attributed his skills to Scarlett, the oldest feline in the house. Homer would try to keep up with Scarlett, and however high Scarlett could jump or climb, Homer figured he could do so, too. 

His antics are truly amusing, although those who met him for the first time without any warning are usually nonplussed. This was one of my favourite image.....

"Homer, in those days, was particularly enamored of playing with tampons. Having encountered one by chance, he was fascinated by the way they'd roll around, and by the string at the end. He liked them so much, he figured out where I kept them stored in the cabinet below the bathroom sink and - with unerring 

Last  night, in bed, hubby said, "So, your dream came true." He was referring to my dream and wish that Adam Lambert would come to Malaysia and perform. Ever since Adam Lambert auditioned for the American Idol season 8 competition with a rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody", I had hoped that he would one day go on a world concert tour. (Simon Cowell, I have more foresight than you, LOL!!) He has such an amazing vocal range and is so energetic that all other contestants fell short. Very, very short.

 and accuracy - mastered the task of forcing open the cabinet door and raiding the tampon box.

When I walked in with my date, Homer ran to greet me at the door. And there, hanging from his mouth was a tampon. The whiteness of it stood out against his black fur in vivid, mortifying rellief. He scampered around in gleeful triumph for a moment, then promptly ran over and sat expectantly on his haunches in front of me, tampon clutched between his jaws like a dog with a rawhide bone."

But Homer is more than just pure entertainment. He saved the author from an intruder at 4am one morning, but more than that, he taught the author that she should not live her life in fear. Homer had no fear. 

"Every leap from a chair back or table-top is taken on faith, a potential leap into the abyss. Every ball chased down a hallway is an act of implicit bravery. Every curtain or counter top climbed, every overture of friendship to a new person, every step forward taken without guidance into the dark void of the world around him is a miracle of courage. He has no guide dog, no cane, no language in which he can be reassured or made to understand the shape and nature of the hurdles he encounters."

It is a heart-warming book that makes you laugh and cry. Every pet owner would be able to relate to the author when for a few days she was prevented from returning to her apartment near the World Trade Centre during 9/11, and how she feared for the survival and safety of her cats, especially Homer, who is blind.

The author's success is, in a large part, owed to Homer. She was a struggling 24-year-old with two cats and squatting in a friend's spare bedroom when she took Homer. Realising she can't afford to get her own place and keep Homer was what spurred her on to find a more lucrative career.

This book, like Dewey, is a must-read for all ailurophiles. It can be downloaded at Amazon UK, or purchased from  MPH Online, although I would recommend downloading it from Amazon UK, as it would only cost you RM25, as opposed to downloading it at Amazon dot com, which would cost you RM33, or RM60 from MPH Online. 

Random House, if you are reading this, you ought to do something about your distribution restriction policy and reward me for this post.....LOL!!!

Ghost Festival and World Cat Day

Yesterday was World Cat Day and I did the unforgivable. It passed without my being aware of it. I mean, I know 7 August was World Cat Day, but yesterday was an extremely busy day for me. Mum was in pain the whole morning, and up to 12:15pm, she still couldn't get up to have her breakfast. Then, hubby and I had to go to Kwong Tong Cemetery & Columbarium, where my father-in-law's urn was kept, for the ghost festival. When I returned, mum was still in pain. And so I forgot all about World Cat Day until this evening, when I went online. I'd have to make it up to my kitties.


The ghost festival began on 31 July 2011 and would last till 14 August 2011. Growing up, I was a curious child. I would ask my late grandmother about the Taoist rites that I saw our neighbours along the road performed. One of them was the ghost festival. 


The Taoists believe that when a person dies, Ox-Head and Horse-Face (Goo-Tau Beh-Bin in Hokkien), two fearsome guardians of hades, would escort the departed soul to the king of hades (Giam Loh Ong in Hokkien) for judgement. If they had been good, they would be in a midway 'house', a place in between heaven and earth. If they had been bad, they would be punished and tortured in purgatory (picture their hands and feet bound in chains, being whipped, and locked up in cells). 


According to Taoist mythology, once a year, on the first day of the seventh lunar month, the gates of hell would be opened and that is when the ghosts utilise their 15 days' annual leave. That said, there seems to be a conflict of whether the ghosts' holiday is 15 days or 30 days long. Perhaps the ghosts are now entitled to 15 days' medical leave, taken together with their annual leave??!


Anyway, if you'd like to read more about this mythology, at the bottom of the page are a few links.


At the columbarium yesterday, there was a big paper ship. I was told that the dead will be taken on a holiday to China. 

The ticket for the voyage

Effigy of the King of Hades...I wonder if he'll be going to China, too?

Related post:

Hungry Ghost Festival (Pesta Hantu Lapar) --blogged in 2008

Links:

Ox-Head and Horse-Face

The King of Hades, or Giam Loh Ong

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I've never felt inclined to read any of Neil Gaiman's works before. But after reading a review of The Graveyard Book by my friend, Bookface, I was sold. 


From what she wrote, it sounded like something right up my alley. That said, I've tried reading some of the books she reviewed, and have personally found that she is a far better writer than some of the award-winning authors themselves. There were some books where the characters and plot were far more interesting in her own words than in the books themselves. 


So I approached the book somewhat hesitantly, trying not to have too high an expectation of it. Imagine my delight when I was hooked right away at the first sentence. It was one of those can't put down books, and I finished it within twenty-four hours. I started it on a Sunday afternoon at a hotel in Cherating, and finished it by the next afternoon. Had I not gone out on any activities, I would have finished it even sooner! 


That may not mean much to others, but it meant that I had enjoyed the book so thoroughly that my nose was buried in it every available second that I had to spare.


What's the book about, you ask. The Graveyard Book is about a boy called Nobody Owens (Bod for short) raised by ghosts and neither dead nor alive creatures in a cemetery. Think "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling and you'd be dead on. Since I could never write half as well as my friend, please check out her review for a little snippet on The Graveyard Book. 

8TV Ramadan Racist Commercials -- Updated on 6/8/11

8TV, one of our terrestrial TV, recently screened some questionable commercials that caused some strong feelings in the Chinese community. While I understand that 8TV was trying to remind the public that the Ramadan is a Muslim holy month and that we should all respect it, the commercials were in rather poor taste.

The same message could have been conveyed in a better, and more sensitive manner. Instead, 8TV projected the message that the Chinese community is rude, loud, greedy and immoral. Great, thanks, TV8, you have just shown us what a bigoted racist you are.

The video can be viewed at --> http://youtu.be/JJmIrlb7gLw

Updates:
Thanks to Ms Kay Poh who notified us on the removal of the above video. The video is also available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8NECjDoves and a follow-up news of its withdrawal of the ads at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke7p5rp-nbI.

Sunshine......

No, this is not a post on Sunshine, a sci-fi movie directed by Danny Boyle with Michelle Yeoh in the cast. Rather, it's an award from, Ellen, the owner of Katz and Other Tales. Thank you, Ellen! 


We have to answer the questions below and then pass it on.




1. My favourite colour: Pink and apple green
2. My favourite animal: Cats
3. My favourite number: 007
4. My favourite non-alcoholic drink: Ambra juice with sour plum
5. Social media: Facebook, blog
6. My passion: Reading, movies and cats
7. Getting or giving presents: It's probably not correct for me to say this, but what the heck....getting presents. But I do love giving gifts to people on occasions, too. There, I sound more correct now.... :D
8. My favourite pattern: Abstract
9. My favourite day of the week: Saturday
10. My favourite flower: Sunflower, the bigger, the better


We're passing this on to friends who epitomize sunshine in their personalities - brightness and cheerfulness:
1) A desperate reluctant housewife
2) Celena
3) CazzyCazz
4) The Fluffies and The Purrs
5) Bookface
6) The Chair Speaks
7) Life around with my mini zoo
8) Hot takes

Yellow Shirt on Saturdays

Oops...forgot it's Saturday. Time to put on my cyber yellow shirt.  :P

Suria Cherating, The Good and The Bad

The Bad.....

We had booked a deluxe sea view room with Suria Cherating but when we checked in, we were disappointed at the size and condition of the room. It was small, bare and run down. It felt like a prison cell. 

I felt exactly like how Yin felt when she was put inside a carrier....I started yowling and scratching at the bars on the windows.....well, maybe not, but you get the idea.

Without wasting a single second, we rushed back down to the reception. We asked for a room with a balcony or patio. We had thought the deluxe sea view came with a balcony, based on the hotel's photos, but apparently not. 

The Good.....

The staff were very helpful and friendly, and tried their best to make our stay a happy one by listening to what we want from a hotel room, and then offering to upgrade us to Terrace with Sea View for only RM20 per night.  

Do you see the lady sitting on one of the deck chairs? Our room is directly behind her. 

There, at last....a place where I could sit outside the room and read. So peaceful. I spent many hours outside on the patio, reading my Kindle and drinking cups of tea. The wi-fi signal was not strong though, and I could not get any access from my Kindle (the Kindle is an ebook reader with wi-fi capabilities).

The view from our room

Although the furnishings were minimal, we were comfortable and cozy. A place I would like to return to if I visit Cherating again.

Other topics on Cherating:

1. Turtle watching

2. Mangrove river tour

3. Payung Cafe

Mangrove River Tour @ Cherating

Besides turtle watching, another interesting activity in Cherating is the mangrove river tour. The boat leaves daily at 9am and 4pm, and the boat ride lasts 1-1/2 hours, for RM20 per person.


It is managed by the same person who runs the nightly fireflies boat tour. His name is Hafiz, and he can be reached at 017 - 978 9256. Hafiz is full of information on the mangrove trees, the animals and their habitat. His eyes are exceptionally sharp, and is able to spot the snakes and monitor lizards on the tree branches from afar.

The mangroves

Spot the monitor lizard

Spot the black snake with yellow rings....*hint: click on the photo for a larger view*

Makes me think of anacondas and Stephen King.....

Me: Are there any crocodiles in this river?

Hafiz: There are, but only at specific season, and this is not it.

The mounds beneath the tree stump are lobster mounds

Hafiz: Lobsters are dug from those mounds, but one has to be careful as there is usually a cobra inside if you dug in too deep.

Attap seed (or palm seed) plant

Back at Hafiz's shop, he showed us the attap seed plants that he's growing. Attap seeds are those sweet, white fleshy seeds added in ice kacang (shaved ice).

Hafiz's shop at Cherating Village

Other topics on Cherating:
1) Turtle-watching
2) Payung Cafe
3) Suria Cherating, The Good and The Bad

Let Us Help Protect Our Turtles

Turtle watching is an experience not to be missed. It's not the same as watching documentaries. Being up close and personal with a turtle (or a few) is a life-changing experience.


This is the first time we were in Cherating at the right season. You could be picked up at your hotel, for RM50 each, or you could find your own way to Pantai Teluk Mak Nik (D'Monica Bay) at Kemaman, Terengganu and pay only RM30 per person. We opted for the latter, since Teluk Pantai Mak Nik is only a fifteen-minute-drive from our hotel in Cherating.


For the fee, you get to watch the turtles laid their eggs (I was lucky as there were four turtles that came to nest on the beach that night) and helped to release the hatchlings into the sea. 

A turtle heading back to the sea after it has laid its eggs

78 eggs from turtle with tag no. 8991

I could hear the explosion of breath and quick inhalation as the turtle laboured and expelled its eggs. After the turtle has covered its eggs, the ranger removed them and took them to a sanctuary where they will hatch in 40 - 45 days' time. Once hatched, they would be released back to the sea. The turtles we were asked to help release that night was only a few hours old.

My hatchling

Hubby's hatchling

Some were going in the wrong direction....one even crawled towards me.

The odds are stacked against their survival. Out of one thousand hatchlings, only one or two survive to reach adulthood, at 25 years. They get caught in fishermen's nets, under a boat propeller, or preyed upon by fish, crabs, birds and humans  We can't control the other factors, but we can say NO to turtle eggs and soup. There are many other eggs and meat, why consume turtles and their eggs??!!


They eat mainly sea grass, seaweeds and jellyfish. When humans throw plastic bags which are washed into the sea, the turtles mistook them for jellyfish, ate them and died. So, please do not throw any plastic bags at the beach or riverbanks as they will be carried into the sea. Let us help protect our gentle, defenceless turtles.


Other topics on Cherating:
1) Mangrove river tour
2) Payung Cafe
3) Suria Cherating, The Good and The Bad

Mrs Potato Pigs Out is Blackie Bond's Alter Ego

I've been playing with the idea of having a separate blog for food, but have never taken the trouble to do so. But thanks to the hacker, I've stirred myself and created not only a replacement blog for the hacked ones, but a separate food blog, too.


From now, all restaurant reviews and home-made recipes will be posted in my other blog at mrspotatopigsout.blogspot.com. 


And to the hacker(s) of my blogs, when you also hacked into my email account, you left a trail of your ISP and where you logged in from..... you didn't know that, did you, that Google alerts the owner of the account of suspicious activities from an ISP that is different from the one that is normally used. Or you just didn't care........

Letter From Blackie the Cat to Muffin The Toy Gorila

The earlier letter referred to is at Letter from Blackie.

Blackie007 Is Now Blackie Bond

When my blog post titled July 9, 2011 - A Day To Be Remembered was hacked, I had thought it was just one post. I had checked all other posts filed under 'Politics' (not that there were many posts on that topic) and they were untouched. Little did I imagine that my two other blogs would be hacked later and stolen.

Yes, stolen. As in, I am no longer able to edit or have any control over those blogs. I only realised it today, when I was about to edit my blog profile. I saw with surprise that one blog was missing, while another one was renamed to Muffin with a different URL (muffingorilla.blogspot.com). The original name was Muffin The Toy Gorila, and my URL was muffinthetoygorila.blogspot.com. The other one was Muffin The Toy Gorilla with a double 'l', for those who might have typed gorila with a double 'l.

I tried to contact blogger support, but all the message I got was, 'you might have entered the wrong email address', 'you might have entered the wrong password', and 'fill out the form and an email message will be sent to you to verify that the blog belongs to you'.

Well, I did all that, and guess what? I never received that email associated to Muffin's blog. Why? Because it has been stolen from me and is no longer associated with my email. And there is no way I could contact Blogger support (no email contact, or other forms to fill out) to return the blog to me.

I apologise to those who had been following my blog, it isn't possible for me to contact each and everyone of you. I hope you'll stumble upon this new blog name and realise it's me......

Amazon Kindle 3: A Review

For the past one year, I've only been reading ebooks and have not bought a single copy of the print book. I read my ebooks on my computer, and there were some issues I had to bear with. For example, the glare of the screen. Reducing the brightness doesn't help as that means the text becomes less readable. My eyes got tired from the hours of reading, and the whites started to develop red 'lines'. 

Then there's the non-portability of the ebooks. I no longer had a book with me to read when I'm waiting for someone or for my turn at some place. And not to mention the computer getting hot from being left on for more than 12 hours a day.


Those became issues of the past when I got my Kindle. The Kindle uses the E-Ink technology which makes reading easy on the eyes. It is very light, and now I carry 300 ebooks (the storage capacity is 3500 ebooks) everywhere with me in my handbag so that I'll have a different book to read for different moods. I would not have been able to do that with print copies.


The Kindle lets you look up the definition of a word without leaving the page you're reading, and if you're feeling lazy and just want to close your eyes and let someone read to you, just activate the text-to-speech and let the Kindle read to you.


And if you like to listen to music while you read, all from the same device, just copy the MP3 files into the music folder in the Kindle. The Kindle is wifi enabled, and comes with a browser. I find the browsing experience extremely primitive though. 


The Kindle does best what it was designed for --- reading ebooks. It really delivers! 

Najib Meets Queen Bersih

Ladies and gentlemen, noble citizens of Malaysia, Her Majesty Queen Bersih meets Najib.

Her Majesty is in support of her secret service agent, Blackie007, who recently spoke out on Bersih Kitties.

Najib met the Queen at Buckingham Palace on July 14, 2011.

Bersih Kitties

Hello everyone, this is Blackie. I've tied my human slave up and taken over her computer. I think it's time we kitties are bersih (clean in the Malay language). Now listen up, and listen well.


Humans wear coverings on their two hind paws when they go out, don't they. So, why shouldn't we felines have the same privilege of having our four paws covered when we go out? Who died and made humans king that they should be different from us, huh? Imagine our paws tracking all the dirt humans leave behind, not to mention doggy pooh. Yeee-uck!! We want to be bersih, too.


On 9 July 2011 we held a rally for some bersih household rules reform. We ordered our human slaves to get us some paw-coverings so we can be bersih. The male told the female that they should just sit in front of the idiot box. You know, the one where some humans and animals are captured inside and they talk to you, but can't hear you. Yes, you got that right. Being the incompetent fools that they are, they misunderstood us. They thought we asked them to get us some Bersih news coverings. From 9am to 6pm, they were glued to the idiot box and the computer. And then the female blogged about it, which was hacked and tampered with the very next day. Tsk-tsk. But that's another story, to be covered by the female slave after she catches up with her 101 chores.

To cut a long story short (we felines are not chatter-boxes unlike our canine friends), the female finally understood what we want, and went out two days ago to get us some paw-coverings. I suspect she forgot to pee along the way to mark her trail and got lost. She spent the entire day away from her chores and returned with only......some cans of wet food, a tube of tuna-flavoured molasses (the slave said it's pronounced as laxatone) to help us eliminate our hairballs, a pair of sneakers and two pairs of socks. A pair of sneakers?? Are we supposed to share the sneakers????!!!  Hmmmp!! 

The female said they're called socks. Do you like my socks?

That's me with the female slave. I got her hands tied above her head with one of those square box that captures one of your souls when a button is pressed. Those white dots you see on the bottom of the socks provide a non-slippery grip when I walked. I could jump onto the dining table without slipping and falling.

Kitty sneakers

The slave said those are called sneakers. I'm not sure why or how paw-coverings sneak up on you? Anyway, she came home with only one pair. I hope she's not expecting Yin and I to share that pair and walk on only our two hind legs like them??


She said the socks and sneakers are available in various patterns and colours. She said there are plastic sandals, too, but she didn't get them. 

The top part and the bottom part with non-slippery grip'

She had meant Yin to have the red socks, but Yin's paws are too big to fit in. I'm not surprised. Yin's more like a cow than a lady to me. She's bigger than me, and when she walks, you think of a big elephant that somehow manages to stomp quietly. 

Socks - RM14.80

Sneakers - RM49.90

Tuna flavoured laxatone for elimination of hairballs - RM30

The above products could be purchased from:
Home Pet Food and Care
No. 41, Jalan 1/149J, Sri Petaling. 
Tel: (03) 9059 - 3191
URL: http://www.facebook.com/HomePetFoodandCare
Business hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 11am to 9pm


While you are there, perhaps you would like to take one of the many adorable rescued kitties home? Your house is not a home until you have a feline companion.  ;)


Warning:
For those who don't know cats well, cats sweat through their paws and wearing socks and shoes for more than a few minutes (short photoshoot only!) can lead to heat exhaustion and heart attacks, esp in this climate. (Thanks,  Ellen, for this timely warning!)

July 9, 2011 -- A Day To Be Remembered

July 9, 2011 is a day to be remembered when Malaysians of all races unite together for one cause....a clean and fair electoral reform. Hubby's office was closed for that fateful day and from the minute we woke up at 9am both our eyes were fixed on the TV screen and computer screen avidly watching those brave fearless Malaysians take a stand for a fair and clean election.

News, photos and videos came in from the public on the ground as well as the media covering the event. I wish I had saved or downloaded all of them on Saturday as it is a bit hard to keep track of everything when it is all over the internet.

The purpose of this blog is to record this for future generations down the road to see for themselves what really happened that day. Especially since the government of the day is denying police brutality or firing teargas and water cannons into a hospital premises.

It was organized by Bersih.org. 

Bersih means clean in Malay. It is the electoral watchdog comprised of sixty-two NGOs. One of the NGO is Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former premier Mahathir Mohammad. A permit was applied for a peaceful assembly to present an eight-point-memorandum to the King but the police turned down the application and declared the organization and rally illegal.

What is the eight-point-memorandum that Bersih wanted to submit to the King? 

1. Clean the electoral roll
2. Reform postal voting
3. Use of indelible ink
4. A minimum campaign period of 21 days
5. Free and fair access to mainstream media
6. Strengthen public institutions
7. Stop corruption
8. Stop dirty politics