Rainy days are happy days December 8, 2008

How I love cold drippy days. The clarity of the air is intoxicating. December is good like this. With a pot of hot earl grey, and stew bubbling away on the kitchen stove. Raeann sleeps snug in her crib, after a long conversation of ahhhs and oooos with Mommy and Missy Reindeer from Ikea. I laughed so much I forgot I was hungry.

Yesterday, after the low dark clouds drifted away in the evening, we had a most rejuvenating long walk with Latte, Armani and his lovely owners. It was one of those perfect December days – light breeze with dancing leaves, pink hues in the evening sky, joggers with dogs and toddlers, and a lot of laughter. Raeann was lulled to sleep by the motion of her stroller, and again, just waking up long enough for me to tell her “Hey you sleepyhead! Fancy a run with the doggies?” Latte was contented to sleep the rest of the evening away in the corner of the hall, smelling sweet of mango and chamomile, a bath long overdue. As I tucked Raeann in to bed with a bedtime story, she flashed me her toothless grin. I almost teared, you know?

Beautiful, these days.

Latte and Armani again! December 1, 2008

After all the playdates for Missy Raeann, Latte finally got his own playdate with Armani (who might well be a distant cousin from down under, as we have earlier suspected!). Within the hour, he got cornered, snapped at, and his treat taken from under his nose. All by Armani who is merely half his size. And still, he was full of smiles, full of charm. Even when he had to stay outside the kitchen while Armani took a leisurely tour and temporary respite from Latte’s relentless herding. He’s such a gracious host. We’re ready to bring more dog pals into the homeland for more playdates! Any dog keen to be herded by our tireless boy?

We are proud pa{w}rents.

Latte boy, you’re turning two soon. Mommy’s baking you pupcakes!

A tale of Mari and her three pups August 17, 2008

I knew I would cry, but I didn’t know I would be this touched. It’s apparently based on a real life story about a family that was caught in an earthquake in Japan, 2004. What a marvel, this little actress. The Japanese really have a penchant for producing heart-wrenching tear-jerker animal stories. So I watched and sobbed and sank my tear-soaked face into my pillow and hugged my Latte boy until 3 am in the morning. Now my eyes are swollen. Latte boy, mommy loves you.

sweetie shelties May 4, 2008

We had the wonderful-est weekend. The furry boys met up for a late afternoon walk, Armani tottering his way around (limping for two months, that poor chap!), and Latte relentlessly herding him around. The merciless sun showed its prowess, so we succumbed and it was back to the homeland for ice cold tea and more doggy frolicking. We’ve never had another dog at the homeland, and Latte proved himself to be a most delightful host. Armani had free access to Latte’s buffet of toys on the floor, his treats, and even his favourite spot in the homeland – under the white wicker bench. Our ditsy boy just wanted to groom and herd his little friend. Nothing else mattered.

As dusk gathered, Armani fell asleep under the wicker bench, while Latte simply watched him sleep. Like his guardian angel. So we passed more than three hours of laid-back Saturday fun with the Sheltie boys and our neighbour from across the street. I can’t think of a better way to spend the blistering day. He’s happy, we’re happy.

I so adore Armani. I want another Sheltie. But two Shelties and a baby, it really can’t be. For now, I’ll keep it to Latte, baby, thee and me.

Picnic Party February 24, 2008

friends are worth celebrating, cyn says. so here we are, cyn’s and my combined birthday picnic on the green green grass of botanic gardens!

 

we couldn’t have asked for a better day. i’m tinted a little brown by the sun, teased a little by the breeze. it was gorgeous.

we haven’t seen the band juniors for some ten years, and nothing has changed. i feel sixteen all over again. my montage of memories turned from sepia to colour today, and looks like it will not go away. the group grew bigger, the laughter grew louder. and fei ji qi is fun. even more fun when i win. so there must be a momentous picture taken after my superpower aeroplanes have flown into base, four at a go. my four jumbo airbuses! and i’m loving how the checks on the picnic mat add a pop of pattern to the retro-looking game sheet. pretty picnic paraphernalia.

latte amused himself with dogs, with leaves, with picnic-ers, with us. really, this boy is ditsy. he knows no size, no breed. just play, just love. he was all over girl girl the retriever, attempted his first adult male dog natural behaviour (gasps!), got growled at (unrequited love once again), and made friends with at least ten other dogs, including a gentle saint bernard thrice his size.

never mind about the disastrous ginger-reeking birthday cake the three of us baked last night (carrot cake turned carrot kueh. just awful. we are so blaming it on the recipe – we followed it religiously, it really shouldn’t turn out this way. the orange cream frosting was amazing enough though.) never mind about the awful singing of some taiwanese indie group, soda green on the stage far far away (they sounded so bad i felt embarrassed for them. they are apparently popular – how is that ever possible?) never mind about the fruits that plop down like droppings, purple and gooey. it really doesn’t matter.

because today, i celebrated birthdays, friendship, love. everything worth celebrating many times over.

 

i love. February 15, 2008

i celebrated love.

• we got latte a new plushy last night. i watched him leap in joy, and my heart just melted into nothingness once again. he’s beautiful, this boy. he loves life, he loves me, he makes me love my life.
• latte met armani again. my boy is so besotted with the fellow sheltie he took almost zero interest in the two other dogs at the void deck. it was another one pleasant hour with two other members of the lovely family.  i never thought i would make friends out of neighbours this way – just amazing. we stayed up to bake cookies for the doggies. we were both beat, but somehow, we just wanted to bake for the boys. and this text message in my inbox today made me smile: Dear aunty yuling, i like your yummy cookies very much. Thank you and sweet dreams. from: armani.
  cutest.
• we sat on a stone bench with gideon and dodi. casey is much missed. the never-ending conversations have to end. and we’re glad we stayed to chat. some friends, some dogs, you just miss.
• dinner was at food for thought, with the huddy and best goblins by my side. the food just wasn’t fab, but the company, as usual, was. cyn wrote a letter to me, and it made me want to tear. my friends, i so love. love love love.
• adrian and collin won the race. i jumped in ecstasy, so did latte. on me. so now i’ve a 10 cm red bulging scratch on my thigh. very unsightly. i hugged my boy and told him, it’s ok, i still love you, we’ll file your nails soon.
• and the small moments of couplehood. of forehead kisses. of his longan-deseeding for me. of holding my hand tightly when we cross the road. of loving me even when i’m angsty and nasty.

so that’s love this valentine’s day. and everyday.

cousins maybe? January 23, 2008

latte has a new friend, armani! the six-month old sheltie pup is a petite mini one (smaller than latte when we first got him at three months!), having just recovered from parvo (gulps gulps gulps), pneumonia and diarrhoea. like latte, armani came back sick from his pet shop, only even more severe. the owners said he was on drip and hospitalised for one week for the deadly parvo, then another couple of weeks sick at home with pneumonia. it pains us so, even as acquaintances. i can feel my heart unrumpling to reveal a spot stained with harrowing memories of my oh-so-sick latte then. stinky pet shops.

the chance encounter resulted in more than an hour of sheltie talk and exchange of mobile numbers and restrained herding and promises of more latte-armani-play. latte always has great fun with other canine mates, but this time, it’s the epitome of puppy merrymaking. he came back whining at the door, and then made an eventual howl next to us before falling asleep on his side. never has he howled, but an “awwww” is a sign of surety he misses his pal. he really knows his kind when he meets one.

i’m partial to shelties. i can’t wait to meet armani again.

they call it puppy love December 1, 2007

adrian and angela sealed their ten-year romance with a sweet wedding in a flower-sprigged room. tomorrow, i may go all teary-eyed again seeing lili and kenneth dance their first dance, toast the first toast. i get goosebumps just thinking about it. the splendour of the thing called love.

 

it came a little too early, but i think my boy’s in love too. we walked an hour to huier and jeeteng’s for some homey dinner and canine cuddling. four small fleecy maltese snowballs like miniature baa baa white sheep running around him and from him, he was a tireless herder who amazed us with his instinctive sheepdog qualities. halfway through the night, he has made his choice. lollipops, it is. latte’s so smitten with her he stalked her the whole night, herding her under the bed, through the table legs, down the hallway. i never thought i would see the boy so moonstruck, so besotted he became a jumbo shadow of the bright white lass. it’s almost embarrassing because it seems like unrequited love at this point. lollipops apparently, already has her eyes on a-tai, the great dane. latte boy, your charm didn’t work this time. better luck next time.

 

love knows no size.

 

love is patient.

 

and love is to leave the girl’s mama alone.

it helps to know you’re no longer in pain November 26, 2007

 

 

 

she was probably only six then. she licked my hand gently for the first time, and i remembered how i told andy, we’ll never find a dog as sweet as casey.

 

we keep a photo folder of her. one day, we tell ourselves, our latte boy will sit right next to her, smiling widely. big sister and little brother.

 

tonight, i let the tears flow and the memories spill. how else do you remember, i don’t know.

 

i ask andy if she can hear me. if there’s a heaven, will she be happy?

 

he says she will. gideon says it’s the best for her. it’s just time to let go. and i know it’s true.

 

so goodbye casey. you’ll be happy up there, won’t you?

gone with the wind June 12, 2007

latte’s been given the all-clear! no more raspiness, no more breathlessness. he’s allowed outdoors in ten days’ time. edmund warned us of permanent demage to his lungs and immunity due to his serious illness, and already, his growth might have been inhibited by that nasty pneumonia. latte’s almost six months, but is, in edmund’s opinion, more like a four-month with his baby teeth mostly intact and slow coat regrowth. still, the boy’s growing steadily, and it’s enough reason to rejoice. we’ll soon hear him say howdy to dodi, casey, bubble, kaizer, kaja and his many more canine friends. the friendly lad made two new friends at the vet – bailey the king charles and feifei, the biggest corgi i have ever seen in my life. huge as a boar, but sweeter than sweet. 21 kg for a corgi ought to be breaking a record of some kind.

feifei’s gregarious owner and us bade a silent goodbye to a pooch who was put to sleep. the owner walked out of edmund’s room with an empty crate. she stood by the counter, eventually breaking down. i so wanted to give her a hug, to share that grief. i dont know what stopped me. i wish i had done something for her besides sitting misty-eyed on the bench.

it’s going to be an early night for us. we are off… March 7, 2007

it’s going to be an early night for us. we are off to touch some clouds tomorrow at the highlands with my folks. it’s been more than a decade. changes must be many, and hopefully a much prettified place than i remember it to be. i know it’ll be fun, and i cant wait to tell him how i walked through the clouds some 15 years ago pretending i’m in a faraway land known to none up on the faraway tree. it was then i realised clouds feel like…nothing. but the nothing feels full, and i like that. a full poetic passion.

imaginary auyong dog is now renamed latte. i like how it sounds, and he likes how it tastes. so the auyong pooch will be latte. for now at least. till we get ours, we ogle at gideon’s oh-so-lovely ones. he shoots pets so beautifully. no clothes please, he says. we couldnt agree more. enjoy!

we havent seen another blue merle as pretty as her. which makes the sheltie search such a long arduous one.

this dodi montage tickles me so. the boy who is always a boy.

the fine pair. dodi and casey. we want two too!

i cant wait to go home to smell the flowers left … September 8, 2006

i cant wait to go home to smell the flowers left out in the good old sunshine. they bloomed two days ago, and are now in full lilac glory. i want to see the setting sun colour the baby breaths pink as cotton candy. this morning, i danced a little dance of congratulations to myself as i saw the blossoms shy towards the sun, and the sweet little corn reveal itself amidst the grassy leaves. the air is mint-scented, with a slight slight tinge of basil sweetness that could perhaps just be part of my imagination. our babies they are. so i have lilac petals to start the day, provence lunch as a pleasant distraction, sweet chats with the dear ones at work to pepper the fine slowness, and a visit to the sheltie and cavaliar king charles at the village to end this work week. it’s good, really. only i have this little headache from eating too much chips. shan’t whine shan’t cry. it’s a lovely friday, i say.

the sheltie search continues. we were told by this… September 4, 2006

the sheltie search continues. we were told by this chatty lady that we have just missed the season, and would have to wait another year if we want a pup. a tad bit disappointing, though in the very first place, we agreed that we were to only window-shop. olio is slowing making her presence felt at the au yongs. that is where we have to place her basket and line it with papers. that is how she will leap up to do her quiet happy dance when we come home. that is what she will do when the bothersome window lock salesman comes knocking again. and these are your poochy friends, dodi and casey. casey is just like you, olio, only a little bigger and a little greyer. and no, dodi, she’s not reached puberty yet. go catch bear bear.

this little game is getting addictive – we cant stop imagining she’s there. it gives you that certain elevation of spirit that makes you want to smile to even that grouchy boy next door. someday, we’ll be out there in bishan park, skipping and playing, sunkissed and all highy. and when those beads of happy perspiration come trickling down, the clouds will come out to play. picture perfect.

this is fun. somehow i cant get the sheltie by m… August 20, 2006

this is fun. somehow i cant get the sheltie by my side. it’s time to get a real one. yakult.

the one with dodi & kasie January 5, 2006

our potential photographer charmed us with two pretty pooches at his plush place. alliteration intended. i cant even begin to describe how right it feels. i have never gone to a house, and experienced the ‘dang’ that shows the dear one in his nike tee and 81 berms and proudly showing off his cement wall with our wedding photo montage. very right. his works convinced us, his mannerism won us, his house awed us, his dogs wowed us. photographer search is likely to end sooner than i thought. wham bam bam.

this endearing sheltie called kasie is a precious gem. she sheds seasonally, and is as docile as a lamb. this manja one called dodi is one affectionate pooch. i’ll run my finger down the oblique line of his body, and he’ll stay by my hand, warming it.

and when you have a soft spot for all things called shelties, you just cant get her off your mind. when we get one, we’ll have a room for her. i’ll fill her basket with purple cushions for a warm snuggle. the dear one says he’ll allow her to roam freely in our cove. the au yongs’ bed is out of bounds, he says. but when she’s naughty and decides to warm our bed, i’ll pass her hair off as mine. because on good days, the dear one will just pat us both on our small heads and laugh like a king.

good things happened altogether yesterday. and it wasnt even a friday.