Sunday, October 30, 2005
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(57) help, there's a b!tch in my home...
Ben's college mate found a chihuahua on the very long overhead bridge that spans across the PIE between CJC and the Police Academy! How on earth did the b!tch, yes it's a 'she', get onto the bridge? There was a bit of blood on her collar, a few scratches near an eye and she was shivering with fear. Doris didn't want to leave the dog on the bridge because practically no one, except the CJC students, uses it. But Doris couldn't take her home and knowing that Ben lives nearby, she rang him and the rest is history......Aiyoh, I have nothing against animals but I just don't like pets in my home! It's just too much work looking after them. I remembered we had tank after tank of fish before we finally gave up. Then there were the 2 baby terrapins which maternal grandpa gave Jon when he came in top 3 in Primary 1. They ate and ate and grew and grew till they were too big for their tank. Finally, after 6.5 years, I gave them up for adoption to BMM Fan No 1's mum since she had a bigger tank and 2 other terrapins. AND, I don't particularly fancy feeding animals when there are so many starving people in the world!!The lost dog aka 'The B!tch' looked pretty healthy and well-fed despite the few scratches and a broken toenail. She had a pretty pink collar but there was no ID tag or AVA licence tag on it. Meanwhile, Doris had gone to Caltex and bought a can of dog food but 'The B!tch' refused to touch it or drink any water. It just wanted to be carried as it was very frightened.Laogong called the SPCA and they took down his name and number. They said they could send a van over to pick "the B!tch' up. But Doris said that if after a few days an animal is brought in to SPCA and no one adopts it, it will be put to sleep. So Laogong did not call them back to give them our home address. Ohhhh, my head started throbbing... then I called the Mt Pleasant Animal Hospital and they said we could bring her in to be scanned for a microchip ID.As it was almost 12.30pm, the hospital's lunch hour, I told Ben and Doris to take their lunch first. Laogong and I dropped Jon off at school as he was on duty for the SJI Information Day to 'wow' as many boys as possible to opt for SJI as their No 1 choice of secondary school. Then we went off to check on the progress of the renovation and get an update from the contractor. When we got home, Emily, the dog-lover was already back. She was cuddling 'The B!tch' and was grinning ear to ear! She had managed to feed 'The B!tch' and get her to drink a few sips of water. My headache got worse...... I knew what was coming next!Ben, Emily, Doris and I went to the animal hospital at 2.30pm and spoke to the receptionist. After a while, we went into a room where the receptionist had her hand-held scanner. Unfortunately, the scanner did not capture any microchip implant on 'The B!tch'. Sigh...... my head pounded even more badly but Emily was grinning even more broadly. The receptionist then asked if we wanted the vet to check 'The B!tch' for any injuries. I hesitated but Ben asked me to. He and Emily said I could take it out from their allowances! Hah! The receptionist said that the consultation costs around $29.50 and that we had to wait about an hour. And that silly Emily asked why we had to wait so long and Ben told her 'Hello, it's like going to the doctor!'We didn't really have to wait that long. Anyway, it didn't matter because the animal hospital was airconditioned! When we finally got to see the vet, he asked us for the dog's name and was kind of shocked when we told him that we didn't know. The vet was nice. He did a rescan for a microchip implant and found it immediately. The vet said she looked healthy except for some bruising on one ear. He then clipped off her broken toenail and bandaged it. Total cost=$34 for consultation and procedure! Woah, more expensive than for a consultation at a GP! And that was after a 10% discount for a 'stray'. Oh yes, I also bought a can of 'supposedly' better quality dog food at the little store at the hospital ~ 'Science Diet' brand! Another hard-earned $3 down the drain......When we got home at 4.30pm and now armed with a microchip ID, I called the SPCA and AVA. I wanted to check if anyone had reported a dog missing. Then I called the Classified Section of the Straits Times because I heard that one can place an advertisement in the Classified Section under the Lost and Found Section. They will run an ad for 3 days and it is free of charge. Sheesh, I really hate the 5-day work week. I guess I have to made those calls on Monday!Later in the evening, Laogong and I drove along Dyson and Whitley Roads to check if anyone had put up a 'lost dog' poster. Sigh...... nothing! Wasted time and wasted petrol! Gosh, maybe we have to try Mt Pleasant Road? It's expensive having a dog around! Oh well, I'll have to check the Classified Section under Lost & Found tomorrow to see if anyone has posted a lost dog. AND should I make posters of 'The B!tch' and indicate the date and location where she was found, include my contact number and then put up the posters in the vicinity (1 km radius) where she was found? Aiyoh, more wasted time and printer ink! What if I get prank calls???
the pig oinked at
1:50 PM
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Thursday, October 20, 2005
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(56) teens...
A teenager is someone from the age of thirteen to nineteen ie. a person whose age is a number ending in '-teen'. This is the age where children begin to have more responsibilities and begin to want more respect as people. But it is also a very unstable area of development and emotional instability which may result in a troubled teen...A troubled teen appreciates nothing, disrespects his parents, refuses to take responsibility for his actions, blames others for his own poor choices, is academically unmotivated, but is motivated to do anything to gain acceptance by his peers.
To most, the troubled teen is a thug, a thief, a gangster, a criminal, violent, defiant toward all authority or any other description that describes someone with a mental disorder. But the troubled teen is actually a 'spoiled brat' - a child who has every possible resource available to make something out of himself, yet all he wants to do is hang out with negative friends and 'run his own show'. He is a child who is blessed, gifted and talented but is wasting his potential. He is only interested in how he is viewed by his friends and cares nothing of his parents and how they feel.Normally, about the age of 12, the child begins to change. He acts 8 and demands to be treated as if he were 30. The troubled teen does not need a therapist... he needs a sense of reality, he needs discipline and a sense of appreciation for the blessings he has. Such children suffer from 'entitlementitis'.Entitlementitis is a disease associated with prolonged exposure to unearned prosperity combined with numerous parental rescues. It comes from living in a society where everything is expected instantaneously, without effort. Entitlementitis can only persist in an environment where accountability is disregarded and blaming others is always the 'special of the day'.The main culprit behind entitlementitis is the parents. We work very hard to protect and provide for our children. We do such a good job that kids don't learn to struggle, to perservere or to fail. In trying so hard to give our children the best of everything, we end up rescuing them from the very thing that is supposed to bring about their growth and maturity. Then they turn on us. The bottom line is that teens lack nothing and do nothing to get it. When they struggle, we rescue them and bail them out.We are a society geared on entertainment. Children today demand to be entertained at all times and we give it to them. The children have it all - video players, x-boxes, playstations, computers, CDs, DVDs and MP3s. We give them dance lessons, take them to taekwondo and buy them anything they want.
Unfortunately by the time the children are 12, they have no idea what reality is. They are never satisfied and always demanding more. We are compelled to buy them happiness. If we think it will make them happy, we give it to them. We want our children to be happy so bad that we are willing to destroy them to make them happy. We are taking all the pain out of life, the kind of pain that we all need to go through in order to grow and mature.To make matters worse, teens are specifically targeted by businesses because they tend to maintain the preferences they develop at this age. Music, movies, tv programmes, computer games, video games, clothes and handphones are heavily marketed and often popular amongst teens.These children need a wake-up call. They need discipline and to learn to work hard for what they achieve. They need to stop making excuses, stop blaming others and take responsibility for the quality of their own life. They need a dose of reality and they need to grow up. They need to become considerate toward others, exercising compassion for those who are less fortunate and become thankful for all that they have. They need to learn to wait, to serve others and be trusted......
the pig oinked at
2:25 PM
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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
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(55) putting a face to big-mama...
I had never ever wanted to post my picture under 'Profile' because:
1. I do not look good in photos, except in my wedding ones of course
2. It is best to remain incognito as one never knows who comes a-visiting
3. Xiaxue's diehard fans may just switch alliance to......
Yes, yes, I know there is that neoprint picture somewhere in one of my posts. But who's really interested enough to scroll all the way down to read ancient history??
But after
Darlene tagged my blog, I decided it was about time I showed my face. I was flabbergasted that this grandmother in USA managed to stumble onto a Singapore blog! So the least I could do was to let her see what a harassed local mum looked like! AND just how many blogger-grandmums are there out in the World Wide Web???
After numerous tries and precious hours wasted in front of the computer, I finally managed to post the two pictures... without any help from the youngsters!
the pig oinked at
9:38 AM
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Sunday, October 09, 2005
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(54) shit...
It's really tough being a stay-at-home mum! I am perpetually on call 24/7 to perform all sorts of mundane tasks like exterminating cockroaches, changing blown light-bulbs, fixing leaking taps and the WORST one of all...... clearing a choked toilet bowl! Yah, I had to do that this afternoon because the maid did not know what to do! I almost puked!
EMILY & JON: the moral of this post is 'to flush the toilet after every use'! There is no need to help me conserve water. If you want to cut down on our utilities charges, just remember to switch off the lights, fans etc etc when you don't need them. And talking about the moral of the story and SH!T, here's a classic......
Once upon a time, there was a bird that was flying south for winter.
But winter came too soon and its wings froze.
It crash-landed into the barn of a farm, shivering in the cold.
A cow came by and noticed the shivering bird.
It pitied the bird and shat its dung on it.
The dung kept the bird warm.
The dung thawed its wings and saved it from a shivering death.
The bird was happy and started singing.
A cat heard the bird's chirping.
It pulled the bird out of the shit and ate it.
I always love a story with a moral to it but this one definitely takes the cake! Why? Because there are THREE (!!!) morals of the story......
1. Anyone who shits on you, may not necessarily be your enemy.
2. Anyone who pulls you out of the shit, may not necessarily be your friend.
3. If you are warm and happy in your pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.
the pig oinked at
12:25 PM
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Saturday, October 01, 2005
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(53) still on cars...
The MediaCorp Radio-Subaru Challenge is back! But this year, contestants will be competing in pairs and the winning team will walk away with two Subaru Imprezas, each worth $60,000 without COE of course!
The final 220 teams will have to stand hours on their feet, battling exhaustion, hunger and thirst. They will be given 5-minute breaks every six hours. Both members of the same team will be positioned just across each other, with both their palms on the same car. Each of the 10 cars will be accommodating 44 contestants!
I didn't win the Mazda6 in the Straits Times 160th Anniversary Car Hunt......Should I??????
the pig oinked at
8:50 AM
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