I promise

If mei-mei can come back, I promise……

I won’t grumble when I have to clear your pee

I won’t nag at what a hassle it is to bath you

I will bring you to Macdonalds every Sunday that I’m in Singapore

I will bring you to Vivocity every 2 weeks

To feed you breakfast every weekend

Never to say you are smelly

Never to tell you to go away or not to disturb me, no matter how busy I am

Never to joke about putting you to sleep or abandoning you (that was so tasteless of us sigh)

Mei-mei's jie-jie

The best relationship

Without doubt, the best relationship I had was with Domin.

It was a relationship where there were minimal demands made of me, where there was no expectations, where I was totally free to be who I really was all the time.

It was a most amazing relationship, with so many different facets to it!

She was my most understanding growing-up pal, my faithful study mate, my sticky sidekick, my adorable little pet, my verbal punching bag, my best friend, my happiness-index-raiser, my beloved little sister and the solid rock which anchored my heart.

When she came into my life, she completed it, unknown to both of us. When she departed, she took away a part of me. No matter what I do now, nothing feels quite the same as before because I no longer have the relationship closest to my heart.

Domin's jie-jie

To dear Dodo 4: Happy V-Day

Hellos mei-mei,

How have you been? Did you have a good day? Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and jie-jie wants to wish you Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hope mei-mei has made lots of friends at Rainbow Bridge and will have a special Valentine’s day playing with them.

Mei-mei is my little Valentine and always will be. Hope to meet mei-mei in my dreams soon =)

You look sooo cute in the orange M&M tee-shirt!

Love always,
Jie-jie

25 random things about Dodo

1. She snores

2. She bullies animals smaller than she is. The kitten I rescued from the roadside and my pet ducklings were all her victims

3. She does not like soft toys

4. Her favourite Cesar flavour is the lamb in purple packing.

5. A few times, she sneaked illegally into shopping malls, right under the nose of the security guards. We were her accomplice. *smug look*

6. She absolutely loves durians!

7. She licks “pi pa gao” off my fingers

8. Her farts are smelly!

9. She does not really like to exercise. She will always ask to go back to her pram after a short walk.

10. She prefers indoors to outdoors, cool weather to warm weather

11. Without fail, she will pee after her weekly ear wash

12. She will do a “lion dance” when excited.

13. She can play hide-and-seek. We will hide and she will seek.

14. She prefers to pee at home rather than outside. Guess it’s all about privacy.

15. She does not play “fetch-the-ball”. If you throw the ball, she MAY go and get it but chances are she will run off with it and not drop it at your feet.

16. She will sit, lie down or stay when she wants to, not when she’s told.

17. She has tailored clothes (altered from children’s clothings).

18. She enjoys pork ribs. A substantial part of the pork rib and minced pork from our soup or porridge would usually go to her

19. She scratches the floor (or sofa or cupboard) when she’s had a good meal, when she’s happy, and also when she’s angry or pissed.

20. She enjoys her daily half-tablet dose of Arthrix plus (glucosamine supplement which smells like liver).

21. She loves to sleep on our comforters.

22. When she sleeps, her eyes are sometimes not fully closed and they twitch (we think she could be dreaming)

23. She’s such a good girl when having her eyes cleaned by her Mummy. She would sit absolutely still and tilt her head.

24. She struggles when I try to cut her nails. I gave up after the first couple of years and she would have her nails trimmed only when she went for grooming.

25. She has bad breath in the last couple of years (I subsequently read that it was a sign of renal failure)

Dodo's jie-jie

Dodo...

I pride myself to be rather pragmatic and rational. A month has passed since my friend left and I still feel sad. I do cry sometimes but other times, I try to swallow the tears down.

However, I feel a little crazy, irrational, mad and unreasonable now because all I want to do is shout out... Dodo, Please Come Back...

Min

Dog-friendly pub

Last night, I went to a pub for a hen’s party. It was a most ordinary pub – one of those countless places where you sit around, choose your song and sing karaoke with friends.

Yet I noticed something very special about the pub almost immediately – I saw 2 dogs with a group of people at our next table. The 2 shih-tzus walking around on the seats. I shall not mention the pub’s name as I do not wish to get them into trouble of any sort (knowing how some people are adverse to places which are dog-friendly and determined to eliminate the already-limited places that our canine friends can go to).

When one of them walked close over to our side, I patted him. It was the first time I have touched any dog in almost a month since Dodo left. He was well-groomed and well-behaved. There was not a sound from him the entire time we were there.

This is the first time I have come across a dog-friendly pub in Singapore. To be honest, Singapore is not the most friendly place for our canine friends. There are so many places at which they are not allowed and just too many restrictions.

When I was in Europe, I see people taking their dogs almost everywhere with them. Mind you, the dogs are not small breeds. I have seen bull dog on train, Labrador under the table in pubs etc. In cafes in Australia, I have seen dogs sitting on chairs just beside the owners. It appears that most people in Europe and Australia did not seem to think it was wrong to bring dogs on public transport or that it was 'unhygienic' for dogs to be at food places. Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think they have higher rates of rabies or other dog-related diseases than we do.

I was shocked the first time I saw a man with his bull dog (leashed of course) on the train in England. It was something I could not imagine happening in Singapore. What a big hoo-haa there will be if a person brings his dog on the MRT – even if it was a small dog, even if it was on a leash (or in its own pram), even if it was way more well-behaved than those screaming children making a nuisance of themselves.

Then the shock turned to envy.

In this aspect, I think our society is still very much behind the western civilizations. Just like everywhere else, I am sure there are people in Europe and Australia who do not like dogs. And yet, they are able to show tolerance for those who do. They are able to accept dog-lovers and their canine friends as part of their society.

I so wish we could have this level of tolerance and acceptance in Singapore. So many times, we have been turned away from alfresco dining areas, even though Dodo was in her own pram and did not need to sit on their chairs. So many places we could not bring her, because of all the so-called regulations and “cannots”. While we talk about building a harmonious society in Singapore, shouldn't tolerance and acceptance be the first step?

If only I had discovered this pub a little earlier. I am sure Dodo would have an enjoyed a late night out with her family members – decked out in her prettiest, chilling out and listening to them sing karaoke, in particular Deng Lijun’s songs. Deng was her favourite singer according to her Mummy, who used to play her songs for Dodo before bedtime.

Dodo’s jie-jie

Happy Meal

I used to cook “Happy Meal” (known as ‘kai xin can’ in Mandarin) for my mei-mei.

A typical “Happy Meal” would usually consist of potatoes, carrots, green vegetables and meat (usually chicken or pork). It was a balanced diet consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. I had planned it that way.

I would wash and peel the potatoes and then dice them carefully to ensure they are of equal sizes. I would do the same to the carrots. The vegetables and the meat would also be washed and cut accordingly. I would then arrange all the uncooked ingredients on a plate. Thereafter, I would boil them – potatoes and carrots first, followed by the meat and green vegetables.

I would always watch with pride as she polishes up her bowl.

As the years go by, I grew lazier. In the last year, I don’t recall cooking even 1 single “Happy Meal” for her. I found it a hassle to wash and cut the ingredients and to cook (or rather, boil) them. I just wanted an easy way out, a way that would be the least time-consuming and allow me more time in front of the TV.

For her dinner, we would usually just microwave the chicken or pork and mix them with rice. Gone are the carrots and the green veggies of yesteryears. Gone are the ideals of a balanced diet.

For that, I am sorry, my little mei-mei.

Besides mei-mei, I honestly don’t think there will be someone else who relishes my cooking as much. There is also no one else that I feel like cooking for.

Jie-jie

The Thief

It was many years ago that I had to write a compostion titled 'The Thief'.

I wrote about her. I wrote about my little friend. I wrote about how she stole our hearts. It was my sis who suggested it for me and it scored me high marks.

Years later, we are still writing about her. About how she stole part of our souls when she left. This time round, it was I who suggested it and high marks became the fondest of memories.
Ahh, life and her ironies. My mei mei was indeed a thief throughout her life and even now; as she frolicks on Rainbow Bridge.

Min

Dog eating

I am Chinese and proud of it. I love the Chinese language, Chinese history, Chinese culture, Chinese cuisine. But there is one thing I am unable to relate to and which I vehemently condemn – dog eating.

I updated my Facebook status to reflect my sentiments today. A colleague made a comment to the effect that eating dogs is no different from eating chicken and why is it that nobody ever says anything about eating chicken. That surely is something I cannot agree with.

I have kept chicks and ducklings as pets more than once during my childhood days. I do love them. I fed them, cleared up their soiled newspapers and enjoyed playing with them. When it was time to say goodbye, my heart always felt very heavy and I have also cried over them.

And yet, they are not quite in the same league as dogs. Chicks and ducklings, however cute they are, just can’t be compared with dogs in the same breath. Dogs, are everything chicks and ducklings can ever be, and so much more. I think anyone who has ever loved a dog and been loved by one would understand exactly what I mean.

I have listed down 5 reasons as to why I think dogs are in a league of their own and eating them is really not quite the same as eating chicken:

1) You do not take chickens for walks (as aptly said by a colleague)

2) You do not sleep with chickens (pardon the pun)

3) You and/or your children do not grow up with chicken

4) No one ever says “Chicken are man’s best friends” (pardon the pun, again)

5) There is an international best-seller called “Marley & me” and Marley is dog (a huge Labrador to be exact). To the best of my knowledge and understanding, there is no “Chickee & me”.

Domin's jie-jie

For one more day

I so wish for one more day with Domin.

I know exactly what we will do during that one special day.

I will wake up, say "morning Dodo" to her and kiss her little black nose. She will, as usual, collect kisses from all of us, all the time ‘nua-ing’ in her bed.

Then all of us will take turns to bath so we can go to her favourite place – Vivocity! While waiting for us to get ready, she will get all excited and start barking. Gosh… what a pain to her ears… all these loud and sharp yelps. She will scratch the doors if they are locked and will run from room to room to check on our progress - an impatient little one she is.

We will be in our family “M&M” tee-shirts. Mine in blue, Witch in yellow, Nana in red, Alice in red, Connie in purple, her mummy in orange, hers in orange too (exactly the same as her Mummy).

At Vicocity, we will push her around in her pram. She will sit ever so prettily inside her pram. Her eyes will be big, sparkly and happy. We will go to Toastbox at the basement and have our tea while she has her pork floss bread.

We will walk around some more. All this time, she will be looking out of the pram, always curious about what is going on. At the top floor of Vivocity (which is open air), we will let her out of the pram and all of us will have a run around. She will be young and absolutely healthy again – such a good sprinter and none of us can outrun her!

We will have her favourite Carls Junior for dinner. As usual, she will have 1 beef patty with mushroom and cheese. She’s certainly a big fan of Carls Junior Portobello burger!

When we reach home, her mummy will clean her paws and her body. All children need to have a wash after an entire day out and playing. After she has her last pee of the day, she will walk to her bed and plonk down – tired but oh, so happy and contented.

She will close her eyes and start to doze off. I think we can almost detect a smile.

We will stay by her bedside until the end of the day. Until the end of this extraordinary day.

Just for one more day…

Domin's jie-jie