A New Chapter

Hello, it has been a while since I last updated my blog.  I've been up to quite a bit in the past 1.5 months. 

On the work front, there was a spate of projects which wrapped up in mid June.  I tendered my resignation and will commence work at the new place next week.  While serving notice and clearing my leave, Grimlock and I headed to Japan for a 10-day vacation.  We covered Osaka, Kyoto, Mount Fuji, Hakone and Tokyo.  I'm in the midst of sorting out the photos (423) and video clips (53).  Hopefully, I can get down to uploading them and journaling the memories. 

This post-vacation break has been a productive one so far.  I weeded out quite a bit of "rubbish" I've accumulated over the years from two bookcases, and my wardrobe.  I caught the two semi-final World Cup matches on TV.  In Japan, ALL matches are screened FREE on national TV.  I'll be staying up to watch the FINAL match.  I'm having a good time chilling out with the girls :)  I just need to run a few errands and I should be all set for my new job.

I got this as a 'goodbye' gift when I moved on from one of my previous workplaces.  I like it a lot; a reminder to reach for my 'star', to achieve my potential.  It is one of my collectibles taking centrestage in the bookcase.

Yesterday, we dropped by our pet supplies shop to pick up a packet of Royal Canin kibbles for Braun and Mikki.  It was our first time visiting the shop since it moved from the previous location.  We were so happy to see Shadow, the shop's resident cat after such a long time.  He is handsome and robust as ever, and he responded to the calling of his name.

I found this fridge magnet in the washing machine today when I was going to bring out the laundry for hanging.  Without a doubt, this has got to be Skoda's doing!!  I left the cover of the washing machine open yesterday night.  This fridge magnet is mounted on the lower door of the fridge.  It is amazing how Skoda got the magnet off the fridge and brought it all the way to the washing machine, and what prompted her to do so.  She is no cat :)  When I turn on the washing machine and leave the cover open (top loading) and go take detergent, she'll make her way there if she is nearby, sit on the side and observe the motion.  Her head will be moving to the swerve of the washing machine.  I'll try to record and upload a clip someday.

btw, it is our 7th wedding anniversary today :)  We usually go away in July to take a breather from work and to spend time with each other (our way of celebrating the milestone), and so our recent Japan vacation was it.  There is nothing more I should ask for.  I'm blessed and thankful.

Food Therapy

Our yummy dinner this evening, prepared by Chef Grimlock:

Old cucumber with pork ribs soup:

Steamed pork with rice and egg:

She

On April 30, this tortoiseshell 'found' her way to our doorstep.  I suspect she was delibrately left on our doorstep (someone knows we've cats at home?).  She is about 1.5-2 years old and trusting in nature.  Her coat pattern is quite exotic and she has a long straight tail.  Her ear was tipped; the fur on her belly has not grown back yet and from the stitch marking, we think she just might be recently sterilised.

We walked her to the lift and brought her to the ground floor.  It did cross our minds whether to take her in.  Well, we're not looking at adding another cat to our family.  We're not sure whether we'd be able to rehome her.  We fed her (she ate heartily) and left.  The next morning, I went downstairs to look for her, I found her and fed her.  We didn't see of her until earlier this week when Grimlock spotted her and he fed her.  We've named her Brownie.  Grimlock has posted her photos on his Facebook account in a bid to find her a home, and asked his colleagues.  I'd also like to ask here: anyone with a home to offer Brownie?

We've been sighting cats at our void deck more frequently of late; most of them are unsterilised. Urrgggghhhh...

The Makings of a Tabby

I hear the tabby classification ever so often.  What makes a tabby?  I came across these definitions on my cat calendar:

Dark stripes on a lighter background...

Triple lines along the spine...

A butterfly shape over the shoulders...

And evenly spaced dark rings on the legs and tail...

Conclusion:

Skoda and Mikki are tabbies...

Braun is a partial tabby; she has no coat markings but she has some dark rings on her front legs...

Tabby cats whose stripes have broken into spots are known as spotted tabbies. So, Mikki is a spotted tabby.

Food Therapy

Our dinner on last Sunday 2 May:

The breaded chicken with mushroom sauce was of restaurant standard.  Good job, Chef Grimlock!

豁达的女人最可爱

Lianhe Zaobao, 2 May 2010

The 'Pom Pom' Tale of Two Monsters

Here is a sequel to the "pom pom" (bathing) coverage, this time of Skoda the Alpha and Mighty Mikki.

It took Grimlock 14 minutes to bathe Skoda (uploaded clip has been condensed to 8:12 minutes), and it took him 10:03 minutes to bathe Mikki (uploaded clip has been condensed to 4:56 minutes). Braun's bath clocked about 16 minutes. Now the duration tells a lot about the girls' tolerance towards bathing - Braun is the "pom pom" darling; Skoda does not too badly (maybe she is Grimlock's favourite so he tends to spend a longer session with her). As for Mikki, it has got to be guerilla style; target to complete within the shortest time possible. Grimlock will start with Mikki, go on to Skoda and then finish with Braun - this is also telling of the difficult level (start with the most challenging one first).

Skoda's style is that she likes to pace around the toilet, hence the bean gets a good workout too. She and Mikki are on par when it comes to noise and pitch levels. Skoda strongly dislikes the shower head and the toweling-dry part. She may make a lot of noise and looks fierce but the bean at most sustains a minor scratch. As for Mikki, she too makes a lot, if not the most noise and her stamina at this is simply amazing. This girl resists all forms of restraints so she completely loathes the toweling-dry part. The bean may end up getting one of her deadly bites (you'll get to witness this in the clip).

You just might want to put on your ear plugs before watching the clips :) ...

Braun the Great Conqueror

Here was what Grimlock saw this morning:

(Grimlock took this photo with his mobile phone)

Braun on the top tier of the cat tree!  Skoda has kept to the first tier and Mikki doesn't even get close to the tree.  It was a pleasant surprise to discover this adventurous side of Braun.  And so, I'm very proud of her - applause applause!!!

One-Eye Jack

I'm on medical leave today because I've an infection in my right eye.  It started to itch yesterday night and this morning, it became swollen.  The doctor was 45minutes late and I waited another 1.5hours for my turn.   

It was very sunny earlier today, and then it started to pour at about 4pm at this part of the island, and thunders could be heard.  I checked my work emails, did the laundry, watched a movie DVD we bought a long time back (lousy show), snooped on my girls (their ever enthusiastic photographer) and now I get to update my blog (while I wait for Grimlock to come home with our dinner).  The girls had wet food for their dinner.  After applying the ointment prescribed by the doctor, the swelling has subsided slightly.

Braun did her favourite thing to me, ie pester me for treats. Here, she was dispensing her deadly stares...

I refused to yield, and Braun persisted in her deadly stares - yet from a distance...

And when that too failed to work, Braun went on to join Skoda in the study for some siesta time...

For a cat, we think Mikki sleeps very little.  She has been keeping herself busy by following me around the house.  This girl still is My Puppy.  I've lost count of the number of times I had to escort her to the kibbles bowl (and I gotta stroke her before she would eat).

And when the heavy rain came, Braun went straight for her favourite corner,

while Mikki lost no time in taking cover under the sofa.

And Skoda remained unfazed but she was attention-seeking though (it was her turn to stalk me).

Soup Therapy

Many of us grew up with homemade Chinese soups at our dinner table. We recently bought a thermal pot (Gourmet Cook brand, 5-litre) to continue enjoying such soups, the health benefits/nourishment and comfort - minus the hassle of having to watch over the fire and having to keep a look-out for the girls (we've an open kitchen). This cooking method allows for a full release of flavour by slowly cooking the ingredients while still ensuring the meats and vegetables retain their shape and texture. Due to a shorter actual heating time, less gas is used as well. And it can be quite a chore having to think of what to have for dinner on weekdays (kinda end up eating almost the same stuff), so taking soup as a main meal is a much welcomed alternative and also for weight management (a reduced intake of the last meal of the day).

We have commenced on taking Chinese soups for dinner on 2-3 weekdays. These are pre-cooked by Grimlock during the weekends using the thermal pot. He stores them away in small pots in the fridge and we heat up the soup when we want to have it. It may really be healthier because we would scrap off the hardened oil molecules before heating up the soup.

Grimlock scouts the Internet for the recipes and from his mom. He does the planning, marketing and preparations :) .

Whelk (the white slices on the left) with mushrooms, dried scallops and chicken thigh:

ABC soup with macroni:

A1 Bak kut teh (pork ribs soup) - Grimlock followed an Internet recipe and added mushrooms:

One of my all-time favourites, watercress with pork ribs soup:

Watch this space - I shall upload photos of other Chinese soups whipped up by Grimlock.

Offshore Fishing

Back in February, Grimlock and I got on our maiden offshore fishing trip with one of his friends (together with the wife and their friends).  Each person chipped in $80 for the vessel rental;  total of 6 pax.  The expedition stretched from about 8.30am to 6.30pm.

The embarkation point was somewhere in the west of Singapore.  We set off in one of these vessels.

First stop was to a kelong to buy the bait, ie fresh prawns.  This was also the first time we step foot onto a kelong.

Taking in the view around the kelong...

Done with the 'shopping' and off we go...

Sun and tranquility all abound...

Grimlock's catch (none for me)...

The all-in haul...

I had my cap and shades on.  The sun was very hot, so my face turned a lobster-red at the end of the trip.  The area around my eyes (within the shades) was my original skin tone.  And I didn't put enough sunblock on my face.  I donned this comical, two-tone look for a few days.  Fortunately, my tan didn't last :)  Recently i bought a special fishing hat; it resembles a 女侠 hat，就等派上用场！(I'm just waiting to put it to use).

Easter Joy

This free greeting made with Smilebox

Sweetie, Happy 4th Anniversary!

18 March marks Braun's anniversary with us.  We brought her for her annual review and vaccination last month which turned out to be alright.  She now weighs 3.6kg - I had thought she is in the 4kg+ range.  Mikki had her annual review and vaccination earlier this month.  She weighs the same as Braun!  This came as a surprise because I do think Mikki looks smaller in size (don't tell me my eyes are playing tricks on me - ?!?!).  btw, Skoda weighs 6.5kg :)

It has been a pleasure having Braun.  She is lovely when she is not pestering me for treats :p  We think she is one who would do fine in a single-cat household.  She is a simple girl with simple needs; food and treats mean the world to her.  At times, her mischievous side come out to the surface.  Braun had a short-lived neurotic outburst two days ago.  We're glad to see the igloo in the cat tree doing her good (she is the only one so far to put the cat tree to some use).  Dr K said some cats are "like that" (ie sensitive, jittery, "emo" behaviour).

The TV console is one of Braun's favourite hide-outs.  Sometimes, she'll stand up on her hinds and scratch away on the console door, asking to be let in (with claws retracted so no damage done to the door lah).  She loves to snuggle up tight and close to the DVD player.  It gets real comfy for her with the heat emitted from the player while we catch our Hong Kong TV serials.  Here is a slideshow on her having a good time with her dear "pal"...

    

"Your Attention, Please!"

When a cat wants your attention, and wants it now, here is what happens....

So, what do you do? 
Quit reading and stroke Her Royal Highness lor...

Where is the Girl? (X) - the S version

One should never under-estimate Skoda's contour abilities and her determination...