Ok it's NY resolution time...

Ok, it's NY resolution time for 2007. I have decided to keep to 5 resolutions. It's not that there isn't any room for self improvements, trust me there is and lots of it. It's just that 5 seems more reasonable to keep track of then 10 or more.

Here goes,

1. Count to 20 before retorting to questions or remarks that I find redundant, silly, irritating, repetitive or rude. Counting to 10 just does not cut it for me anymore.

2. Start and finish a book every 2 weeks. I used to be a voracious reader, now it's difficult to finish a book in 3 weeks. That means 26 new books to be read in 2007. Ugh...ok stay calm, you can do it.

3. Do something kind for someone else, family or not, every day. It need not be a big thing, something small, a gesture, a thanks, a smile. I read "Pay It Forward" some years ago and liked the idea.

4. Play at least a game each of Music and Sports in Funtrivia on a weekly basis and improve my sparse (extremely sparse!) knowledge in these topics.

5. Enjoy myself! Too often bogged down by real life with few moments of great happiness. Life is too short to be burdened thus, so I am going to do things that make me happy. Nothing that is going to involve breaking the law though :) .

I actually have one more, but as this is an on-going resolution for every year of my life, I don't find it necessary to list as a NY resolution. I will state it though as it is important to me....to love Jesus Christ more.

Happy 2007 to everyone.

Christmas Wishes

Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas 2006!

Thinking about New Year resolutions

It is coming to the end of 2006. An OK year, had its ups and downs, but overall I will say it had more ups than downs. Very busy though. As the year end comes nearer, most newspapers and news websites will look back at the major events of 2006. I want to think ahead to the new year.

To me, resolutions are just aiming at certain targets, there is no rule that you have to achieve them, the FUN is in the trying. Of course the idea is not to set unrealistic targets, there is absolutely no FUN if you know you will not be able to meet any of them.

I make it 12 days to the new year. So I have 12 days to think of my resolutions. And I will be thinking hard...

And OOPs.....this is another 'Brandy non-related post' although one or more of my New Year resolutions may involve her. So I have enclosed a picture of Brandy instead. This picture of her was taken before we moved flats. She was investigating a cupboard.

What is it about thunder...

What is it about thunder that makes Brandy growl and bark? I read somewhere that dogs think it is some sort of threat to them or to their house or to their family (I forget) but come on.....we live in an area where thunder and lightning are common place, so she has been hearing it on and off for all of her 9 years. If its newish to her, I can understand the fear but she should be an old hand at it by now. Also I don't remember any of our other dogs barking at thunder, strangers yes, thunder no. Oh, I remember our old Pekingnese, Shandy, a darling dog who died a month or so before we got Brandy, she used to bark at night at strange new objects in the house. If we bought say an over toaster and left it at night in the dark in the living room in its boxed state, when Shandy was walking from the bedrooms to the living room and saw the dark shape of the box, she would bark until we came out to investigate. I remembered having to show her new big stuff that we left lying around the house and that seemed to work with preventing her from barking at them in the dark.

Back to Brandy and thunder, if I am home, I usually call her to my room and tell her to stop being silly, its only thunder. Its like she knows what I am saying, truly! She proceeds to curl up on her bed and ignores both me and the thunder. BUT sometimes, she comes in and forgets what frightened her a minute or so ago and goes out and barks again when it thunders more.

I love all my dogs and their quirks.

Brandy is fat

Yes, Brandy is officially fat. She's an Australian Silky Terrier and quite small. The vet has told me that she should be around 5.5kg max but on her latest trip to the vet for her yearly booster, she staggered in at an astounding 6.2kg. It does not sound like a lot for a person, but it's quite a lot for a little dog. She has got to lose some weight to lessen the load on her legs as well as on her heart. I want her to have a long healthy life.

I've read on the internet that nowadays, obesity is a growing problem amongst man's best friends especially in the developed nations. Ok, now its my problem to try and manage.

It's not easy putting the dog on a diet. She eats once a day, rice with pork or beef or liver and she also gets bits of dog biscuits throughout the day. It's not a lot that she is eating in the first place. We are trying to reduce the amount of rice she gets. We have also started buying low fat dog biscuits. Exercise is also what she needs but the only time she runs around is when someone rings the doorbell and there she goes barking and running to the main door. Otherwise, she slowly trots everywhere, well it is either a slow trot or a fast walk.

I hope she loses a little bit of weight, I am not hoping for too much. Just a reduction in the podge around her middle.

Long time no post - bath day for Brandy

Just realised that it has been a long long time since my last post here. Brandy is fine, just great. She had a bath yesterday. Everytime I bathe her, she gets all nice and clean smelling whilst I stink. It is like she transfers all the yukky smell over to me.....hmmm.

A bath is like such a traumatic event for her, when actually she does nothing. I carry her into the shower, spray her, shampoo her, spray her, re-shampoo her, spray her, quick towel dry her, carry her out, slow towel dry her, hair dry her, then clean her ears with ear cleaner and cotton wool. What does she have to do for herself? Yet on bath days, she falls asleep earlier and sleeps longer. Maybe it is because of the body massage I give her when I shampoo her....heheh, a dog's life isn't tooooooooooooo bad is it.

Before I bathe her, I normally trim her nails. Why do dog's nails have to be different from human's. I always have to be careful not to cut too short as there is a vein (called the 'quick') running close to the tip of the nail. I would really like to cut her nails as short as mine. Suppose it has something to do with the ancestry of dogs but it is sure a nuisance. It grows fast and I have to make sure I trim it every week. Brandy hates nail cutting and always tries to push my hand away from her paws, pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that in her entire life I have cut too deeply three times (yes only three times considering how many times I have cut her nails and the fact that she is now nine) and made her nails bleed for all of five seconds. (Hint: if you hold a piece of tissue to the nail for a while, the bleeding will stop). This dog has a memory of an elephant for such things but takes a whole year (this was when she was a brand new pup) to be toilet-trained.

I now leave you with a recent pic of Brandy. You have to understand that this was taken in a room with the air-con blowing and it was pretty late at night. And no, that was not bath day.

Moving Day

Moving day was a big hassle. I don't know how some people can move every few years. They must be great organisers, or else leave everything to the movers. I packed another 2 small boxes that early morning for the movers to shift, leaving several plastic bags, several 'plastic suit-covered' outfits and all my shoes for self carry.

Poor little Brandy had to be locked inside a bathroom to avoid being squashed by the movers. I made a trip to the new place in the late morning and rushed back to pick up some more self carry stuff and Brandy. I also realised that moving and movers can somehow cause a fairly clean white floor to become dusty and blackish with pieces of papers and tapes everywhere.

At the new house, I decided to leash Brandy up in my room to be out of the way of movers. First I tried her collar and a simple leash. She got out of that in a flash. I then tightened the collar and leashed her again. It did not work. I tightened the collar yet again. Did not work. I have decided that her neck and head size are the same. I then used a body leash that has loops for 2 front legs and head. Don't ask me how but she got herself out of that in two flashes. By this time, movers had arrived, stuff was coming in and Brandy was everywhere.

*Ugh*

Last try was to use the body leash and really loop it around her front legs and chest, tightened that and it WORKED.

At the end of the day, made another trip to old flat to get some more stuff (not all mine). When I got back, movers had left and my room was full of boxes. Could not get to window, or to table and bed was not set up. Lucky Brandy had been released from her leash earlier or I would have been worried that she had been buried by the boxes. Spent several hours doing rapid unpacking of boxes, squashing stuff into cupboard and shelves without arrangement, just to clear the boxes and get my bed set up. Poor Brandy looked lost as I had to shift her little bed around several times that night.

All in all an exhausting day. The few days after that were just as exhausting with more boxes to unpack and things to sort through. If I have any say in this matter, this is my last big move.

No photos. Too pooped to take any.

Goodbye Crocodile Hunter

Sidetracking away from Brandy. Had a shock at 12+ when I glanced through CNN on the web and saw the headlines that Steve Irwin had died. He was only 44 with 2 kids under the age of 10. I really really enjoy his shows, he was so open and so enthusiastic about sharing his love for crocodiles and all wildlife and his love for his family shows up everytime on his programmes. He died this morning 11am Queensland time, died of a stingray barb which pierced his chest and into his heart. I feel so sorry for his family, his wife Terri, his kids, his father (his mother died a few years ago in an automobile accident) and all his many friends.

So this is goodbye Steve, it was wonderful knowing you. See you sometime.

Countdown to moving day

Less than a month to go! Have been thinking a bit about how to move Brandy. With all the movers around, she's bound to be a nuisance, running everyway and maybe getting squashed in the process. I guess for everyone's peace of mind, she will have to be the last thing or one of the last things to be moved. Of course, she will be moved in some luxury, car with air-conditioning and a seat to herself and not in a box at the back of some truck (heh heh).

She has just spent almost 3 weeks enduring having her tail pulled, being petted quite strongly and being chased by a 2 year old (niece and her parents visited). All these in addition to having everyone's DIVIDED attention. I must say that she stayed cool and calm throughout even while keeping a wary eye out for escape routes. I normally let her out of my room in the early morning so that she can go to the loo and thereafter she usually stays outside. During the almost 3 weeks, after I let the dog out in the morning, I could sometimes hear desperate scratching on my bedroom door, and when I peep out to see what's going on, the dog is squashed against my door with a 2 year old looming over her.


No new pics of Brandy this time round. Sorry!

New flat and Brandy

Brandy has been to the new flat a total of 5 times to date. I want her to get used to the new place before we move in, especially where her toilet (newspaper) is going to be. She started off being quite good about her toilet, but the last 2 times, she did her no. 2 in the common bathroom and no. 1 in the kitchen. Ugh!

I hope she learns quickly, I have not forgotten that when we first brought her home, it took almost a full year to 'newspaper' toilet train her.

This is Brandy resting on the floor after being naughty.

She has not barked once at the new place, despite workmen ringing the doorbell and trooping in and out. I think it is because she does not realise that this is her new home and thinks she is only visiting. Otherwise she will be barking her head off whenever the doorbell rings. I have not confirmed where her bed will be put. We are only moving in at end September, so there is still ages to finalise her bed position. Whenever we bring her to the new place, she wanders around all the rooms, hall, dining, kitchen and even appears to look up at the walls as if trying to get a human's eye view of the whole place. Very cute. Once we move in the furniture etc, she will be more at home....I hope.

Brandy is a real people dog

Yesterday, the cable tv man came by to fix a problem. He came in and bent down to give Brandy a few pats on the head. That was it.....she loved him.

She followed him into the room and proceeded to sit as near to him as possible. When I ordered her out of the room, she would go out and come in almost immediately. And when he finished and was having a glass of coke outside, she sidled up close to his feet and lay down and rubbed her head against his legs.

And this is not a new behaviour. She loves the aircon maintenance guys 'cos one of them pets her. She specially loves kids visiting as they play with her (I have to step in sometimes 'cos they like to chase her round and round or have her chase them and she gets really really tired). Even those who ignore her will get an immediate welcome should they even say hello to her. A real people loving dog. But this can be a problem for those who are scared of her. She wants to get close to them and all she gets are squeals of fear. I then get orders to lock her up. I hate locking her up. If you don't like dogs, just ignore her (do NOT HIT or KICK her or any animals not harming you for that matter), she is fine with that. But once she hears squeals, she thinks its a game. If for health or religion, you have to avoid dogs, thats ok with me. I like people who have a fear of dogs because they have little experience with them but are willing to be introduced to Brandy. I think these people are brave.

Doesn't she look cute?

Its off, the bandage is OFF, yeh!

Brandy's bandage is off for good, finally. She went to the vet this evening and it was taken off :-)

The vet warned that she must avoid steps and running around like a mad thing and recommended confining her somewhere. She already has weak knees and she is getting old and is overweight. :-(

I guess we will continue to carry her up and down the steps, confine her, whenever possible, to the kitchen or my room and try and put her on a sensible diet. In just a few months, we will be in our new flat where there are NO steps inside. Its as if we planned to move specially for Brandy. :-)

And on the downside, which has absolutely nothing to do with Brandy, my room tv is down. Sigh, repairman coming on Monday. Its a good thing I have my computer, and lots of books to read.

I have just added a pic of Brandy on her oldest and 'favouritest' bed.

Its Brandy's birthday

Its officially a day late, sorry Brandy but thanks to the internet and time zones across the world, I am still able to post this on June the 12th, heheh. Brandy turned 9 yesterday, no today, better just make it on June 12th. I remember when my sister and I set out to go to various pet stores to find our new puppy. I know the exact date because when we were driving out of the compound, we heard on the radio that Princess Diana had died in a car crash, so that makes it August 31 1997. As to how I fixed June 12 as Brandy's official birthday, I calculated it backwards from shipment papers from the pet store.

As Dad and I were out most of yesterday, Brandy spent her birthday mostly locked up in the kitchen with the maid as company. It sounds horrible but really the kitchen is quite roomy.

9 for a dog is a senior citizen, but a senior citizen with a young heart and a loud voice. Happy belated birthday Brandy. My wish for you is to have a long and healthy life.

Brandy's bad leg AGAIN

Visit to the vet has come and gone, and Brandy's leg is newly bandaged. The vet lady says that the leg has healed some but not completely, and she recommends another week of bandage. Ugh!

Brandy now gets carried up and down the steps in the house and I usually put her in my room with the door closed to make sure she rests the bad leg. I really want the leg to get completely better by this week. Good thing we are moving to a one-level flat soon. All these stairs are not good for her especially since she is getting older.

Oh yes, Dad has now put pieces of wood across both the kitchen access so that we can put Brandy in there when we go out. She will have her loo and her water nearby. She does not like being locked up anywhere and makes her feelings known to all.

Brandy's bad leg

Brandy went to the vet with a bad leg. She returned with said leg in a bandage to keep it immobile and a big collar to keep her from biting the bandage. Haha. She looks weird. But she takes it all in her stride and goes up and down the stairs like a pro. Its now a week since the bandage was put on and the bandage has turned brown (from the original creamy colour) from accumulated dirt. We are going to the vet this afternoon to get it removed. Bet she cant wait, actually neither can I. She urgently needs a bathe (holds my nose)

Its Sunday

Brandy has done nothing much today, which is usual for her. Her life consists of lazing around her bed (soft flat cushiony thingy which cost way too much money) or lazing around my room. All this inaction is interspersed by begging for food from other family members, hanging around the kitchen when dinner time approaches and barking madly when the telephone or doorbell rings or when the wind blows and rattles my window blinds. Sunday is different for her, thats when everyone is mostly home and she gets more attention, to tie her over for the next 6 days.