The Evolution of Jelly's Many Faces

"Woof! that's tiny me when I first arrived at mommy's house. Aint I cute?"

"I was feeling lazy and a bit cold when mommy took this close-up head portrait of me.."

"I think I am about half-a-year old then, wearing the new scarf mommy bought me for CNY" 

"Woof! Woof! That's moi now - before grooming but I think mommy wants to grow my fur long" 

Jojo - Mommy's Dog

Having completed the 10-week course (but took longer due to rainy season) Jojo passed his test with me and obtained his Canine Good Citizen medal!

With a new toy to play in mommy's room 

Looking happy in mommy's bathroom 

How Can This Be??

I am shocked and saddened. That `experiment' just now has proven one thing that is quite unbelievable...

Jojo is my dad's dog - not mine!!

I know Jojo has been very close with dad and listens to him a lot. But I always have no doubt that I am still the closest person to him.. after all, I am his `mommy'!

However, I was proven wrong and I still couldn't believe it!

We were having our cheese and wine - dad and I - at the balcony after dinner and the two Js were hovering around. Then suddenly dad suggested that why not we do an `experiment' to see who Jojo likes more.

You see, for some time, he had been boasting that Jojo is now his dog and I always refuted that. So, confident that I will no doubt win, I agreed. The experiment was quite simple: we each would bring our chair to either corner of the balcony and sit there. And we will call out to Jojo and see who he will go to.

When I called him first, he walked steadily towards me and I let out a winsome smile. Then dad called him and immediately he walked towards him!

From then on, it was just disastrous for me.. When I called Jojo, he just ignored me and stayed with dad. I had to call him for so many times before he decided to entertain me and walk to me again, slowly and somehow reluctantly.

But, everytime when dad called him, he immediately went to him!

Still in denial that I have lost, I said that maybe he liked my dad's corner so we swapped seats. Jojo and Jelly were looking at something over the banister and when I called him, there was no response.

I called for almost a minute and he just ignored me. Then my dad said, with a smirk on his face that if he called Jojo, Jojo would go to him.

And surely, he demonstrated it! He just called: `Jojo' gently, and the dog turned and walked to my dad.

I was incredulous.. How could he ignore me, his mommy like this? But heed my dad's call?

So my dad started it again, telling me that he has proven once and for all that Jojo is indeed His dog (while Jelly is mine).

I felt like crying (but of course I didn't) How could Jojo betray me like this? It was me who bought him home, took him to the vet to do all the health precaution, bought him his meals, snacks and loads of toy, played with him, took him to Obedience Class (he graduated), bathe him once a week and get rid of the ticks on his body.. generally, taking good care of him. In other words, I am his mommy who has been responsible in bringing him up!

As for dad, yes, no doubt he has spent much time with Jojo whenever he is at home, bringing him for walks and playing with him, but that's about it.

So why is Jojo taking to him more than me?

But then when I think again, I must admit that I have not been spending so much time with Jojo lately. Comparing to Jelly, indeed you can say Jojo was sort of being neglected. Mainly due to the problem that when Jojo comes to my room, he can be so destructive! (ie. turning my bin upside down, chewing stuff in the toilet)

Like the MKA Obedience Class' chief trainer said, every dog has a pack leader. And now it seems Jojo's is my dad. Maybe it is not a bad thing also.. at least he obeys dad and behaves better when dad is around..

Just hope it doesn't mean he loves me less though.. :(

What Age Do You Act?

I have always known that I'm young at heart.. ;) And the result of this little test proves it. Yep, 24 is a good age, aint it? ;)

You Are 24 Years Old

24 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Japanese Doll

Isn't Miu Miu sweet? Just like a Japanese doll! Yeah, she really does look like a Jap - so much so that my sis said there had been instances that strangers started talking Japanese to her!

`Little Cinderalla'? 

Cutie pie 

An Improved `Owl' and a `Squash-Proof' Jelly

With reference to yesterday's post. .. glad to say that I have made a little progress and have been less `owl-like' since (but it's only one day! LOL).

Since this morning I had an early assignment, I actually got up at 8:40am! I had planned to go to bed by 1am but my mental schedule got delayed and then I was hooked on the more exciting development of HP6 so finally I only snoozed away at about 2:10am.

Still that's an improvement. :)

Tomorrow I have a movie preview (yes, watching movie is part of my job ;)) at 10:30am at GSC 1 Utama, which is almost 30km from my house! So I will be getting up at 9am and aim to go to bed around 1am or slightly later...

Enough of boring sleep-talk... back to the Js.

I had a shock yesterday.. Jelly almost got squashed!! Ok, of course she didn't. But how she escaped unscatched still puzzled me.

You see, when I reached home last nite, I could not see either Jojo and Jelly and thought that they were inside the house. So I pressed the remote to open the gate.

But as the gate was opening, I saw the two Js rushing towards my car! It was still quite early in the night and it was definitely a bad idea to let the two dogs roam without leash on the street. So I quickly pressed the remote to close the gate again.

However, Jelly was so fast that she just reached it as there was still a gap and she tried to squeeze through!

I couldn't do anything at that split second and as Jelly looked getting squash, suddenly, the gate opened by itself. I don't know whether there was a sensor installed? The two Js then dashed out but thankfully returned in less than a minute to greet their `mommy'. ;)

When I related the incident to my mom, she sounded genuine worried and said Jelly could have been injured internally. And then she said that Jelly seemed so tired (or may be in pain) and not as playful as normal

I was getting concerned myself. So for the whole night, I was observing her but much to my relief, she appeared perfectly normal.

Today it is certain that she is ok. But I am still puzzled though how her body could withstand the weight of the automatic gate? Or could it be I saw wrongly? She didn't really squeeze through the gate.. and how the gate open by itself again?

It really beats me. But whatever it is, I am so thankful that Jelly is alright.

Kill The Owl

I have a confession. My owl-like hours are taking a toll on me..

For the last four days, I had been getting up in the range of between 11:30am to 12:30pm. Yes, whether it's weekday or weekend...

The reason? I have been sleeping between 3:30am and 4:30am every night. So I had made Harry Potter as my bed-time reading but the problem was I only get to bed and started reading it around 2am or later!

So what did I do before that? Hmmm.. in front of my P.C.? Tidying emails, downloading photos, blogging..? Not exactly very vital stuff..

Although I can't claim I don't have enough sleep (coz the fact is I did sleep at least 8 hours) I can feel that my head was always heavy when I woke up. And that feeling extended throughout the day. I also feel physically and emotionally tired..

Trust me, I am not proud of this owl-like lifestyle..It makes me feel grumpy and a feeling that I've wasted lots of time..

Suddenly, I long for the early-rising freshness once again.

Ok, today is Monday July 25. I can't wait till August 1. I have to kill the owl, if not totally, at least gradually, one step at a time.

Shall let u know how it progress...

Enthusiastic Bone Chewer...

"Mmmm.. I love chewing this bone, and the other one, and anyone that Jojo is chewing..."

Jelly the Greedy Hogger

Yes, Jelly is a perfect example of someone who is greedy and is never contented with what he/she has.

As she is the one whose teeth is probably still growing and `itchy', I purposely bought her a yummy nylon bone (with flavour), and also bought a pack of cheaper rawhide bones for both her and Jojo.

Just now, when I took out the nylon bone, she was already totally excited and was jumping for it. And when I threw it on the floor, she went for it and bit in a most enthusiastic, hungry manner you can see.

Then, I remembered Jojo and thought I would also give him a treat although he is not so into chewing such bones (as oppose of eating real ones) as Jelly.

I took a rawhide bone out and opened the back door and was about to give the bone to Jojo. Then, Jelly suddenly dashed from no where and reached for that bone first!

As mentioned, Jojo, although bigger in size and more ferocious (supposedly), could never win Jelly in grabbing anything. So poor him turn and looked disappointingly at me after losing his bone to Jelly.

After some chasing, I succeeded in getting that bone out from Jelly's mouth and gave back to Jojo, and quickly closed the kitchen door. Jelly looked kinda dazed and after a while found her first (better quality) bone but dropped it aside, and squeezed her nose at the door gap still hoping to go out and grab Jojo's bone.

I took her bone and walked out into the living room. This time, she quickly ran after me and jumped and showed much enthusiasm at her bone again. I went upstairs and she followed me and the bone into my room.

And for the next hour or two, she was happily chewing her new good bone, and at last, forgot about the rawhide bone she so wanted to grab from brother Jojo.

That's the greedy hogger for you... but a cute one. ;)

A Night Looking For `Lasting Treasure'

It's finally over. The event is over but the work is not we know. Praise God that the CCF Gospel Nite went smoothly although the number of people who came was quite small. We had expected more guests to turn up but somehow many friends couldn't come due to various reasons.

I was personally quite disappointed. Out of about 15 or so friends I have invited, fianally only one came. As of yesterday, four had confirmed. But a colleague couldn't make it due to work that she has to attend to. What upset me was this friend who had promised she would come just a couple of days ago and was no where to be contacted today. I called, sms-ed several times, left messages but no news from her.... I still wonder what happened..

Anyway, praise God for those who did come, and I still believe the words that have been spoken would not be void. The message was straight-forward and powerful, and challening. Seeds would have been planted even though we do not see results immediately. There's follow-up work to be done.

A big thank-you to all who have helped in one way or another. It's great to see the younger people rising to the occasion with their talents by putting up a skit and songs presentation. And many behind the scenes in ushering, manning the book store, PA and sounds etc.. and earlier in publicity and promotions.. and other areas which I've failed to name at this late hour.

And thank God for our faithful chairman and `first-lady', for their steadfast dedication, hard-work (yeah, Mrs L. despite being pregnant had laboured much for this) and faithfulness. Although I was the so-called coordinator, I could never have done it without them and the team effort.

Anyway.. so it was not as `big' as we have hoped, but I believe it is a first step towards something bigger. By allowing God to use us to reach out to other people, I also pray that He would place burdens in the hearts of His people to press on and continue to carry out the Great Commission.

Like what the speaker said: `Life is worth some serious thinking over...' and as per our theme `Looking For Lasting Treasure..', indeed there is something more to this life that I hope all my friends and loved ones would discover and embrace..

Jasor in His New Home (read: Prison Cell)

This is Jasor's new house. It's quite huge, built up in a corner of the garden. Since i am on MC today, before going to the doctor, i drove to my neighbour's house to take the photo. There was no one in, except the maids but poor Jasor was just kept in there. It's really depressing..looks like Jasor would never have a chance to be out of that house..!

A closer look at Jasor in his permanent `home'... he had some trouble standing up when I went closer just now. He really lacks exercise for goodness sake!! And there was no water in his tiny bowls!!

`The Prisoner in a New Cell'

Took the two Js for a walk just now after dinner, and we walked the way to Jasor's home.

Jasor was inside the new dog house, now completed. When he saw us, he jumped up and excited wagged his tail, looking happy to see us. Maybe I was imagining but I thought I saw a spark of hope lit up in his dull eyes.

The people of the house are inside, probably enjoying dinner or having after dinner gathering. The main gates (big and small) were locked. I peered into Jasor's new home. The two tiny water bowls (bought when he was a puppy) were dried up. A pile of excretion on the ground.

This was no more surprises me but still, a feeling of anger and injustice was boiling inside.

I looked at the happy Js, who seem to be missing their friend and took turns to `greet' him. I then looked at Jasor. I really pity him and my heart goes out to him. But I couldn't do anything to help him.

Maybe the people of the house think that by giving him a `home', they are being kind to their dog. At least he is no longer chained up to the Jeep.... but the truth is, what's the difference? Jasor is still a prisoner, day and night. :(

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Jojo and Jelly are making their presence felt at the moment. The reason? I have hung bells on to their collars. Well, I have done this a few times in the past but very fast, the bells either got missing and eaten up by them. So I couldn't be bothered any more.

But just now, when I was looking for Jelly's new collar, I discovered some old collars that belonged to the Js. And on them were still some bells which are working.

So, now the two have their own `ling-ling'. Kinda cute.. Oh, but I can see they are playing with each other's bells and probably compete to see who can take down the other's!

I give these bells' a `life-span' till tomorrow..

Messy looking Jelly with two tiny bells which she couldn't wait to bite off.

Jojo's bell is still intact in the morning

Jojo biting on the bells on Jelly's collar.. finally Jelly herself bit them off!

A `Sociable' Week That Was

While I regretted not having time to take my two Js for walks last week (I came home almost late every night) I had a rather eventful week socially, considering my social life is not exactly happening.

In the course of four days, I met up with an old friend, an old acquaintance and even bumped into my cousin and had a drink.

It was great catching up with people whom you haven't seen for some time, just to catch up with each other's life and happenings. Although many things might have changed but you're in touch once again.

Like my cousin whom I used to play with when young but in recent years only met up at those rare family reunions; or another old family friend (as in we knew each other when we were in primary school) whom we were quite close in school days. I had not had lunch with her for almost two years. More interestingly I also caught up with a friend I met from a junkard (working holiday-trip). She has loads of intersting stories to tell from her vast travelling experiences.

Then on Friday evening, we had a great combined CCF fellowship. Dad came home the next day and together we went to support mom at a concert she was singing in. There was some nice surprise in the program which was quite dreary. I just returned now long ago from a dinner gathering to celebrate a good friend's birthday.

Looks like it would be an even busier week ahead culminating to a weekend that we have been working hard towards - the CCF Gospel Nite. Over the last few weeks I have been inviting quite a number of people and it is at this week that I need to follow up witih them and hopefully at least some could make it.

But I will have one more leisure/social event - movie tomorrow night. After that, it's really time to quiet down - to pray, to call up friends and to prepare for Saturday.

Rainy Days, Stinky Js.

It was barely a few days after Jojo and Jelly got their bath but they began to smell, thanks to the rainy days.

Since the heavy down pour last Thursday night, the sky had not really cleared up. And I don't know what the Js have been doing during these days but they were getting more stinky by the days.

When it was raining, we let Jojo go into his house and Jelly into our house. But somehow, they still managed to get damped and because of their long fur, they didn't get dried up easily.

The smells varied though and they were less smelly when the sun came out the next day (just for a brief while).

I have been busy for the last few days but bathing them had been on my mind. Today after I came back from church and had a quick lunch, I showered Jelly and was happy with how clean she became.

Jojo had been waiting impatiently for his turn. Unfortunately it started drizzling just as I wanted to bathe him. Argh! That means if I washed him, it would be so hard for him to get dried and instead, he get stinky again by the rain! Even my maid think it was futile to bathe him and told me to do so when the sun is out again.

Hopefully the sun will be up tomorrow morning so Jojo won't stink anymore!

Adorable Alexis

This is Alexis Yau Miu Ching - my ever-so-cute niece in Hong Kong. Isn't she adorable? Yeah, she has grown and so has her hair. And look at those expressions! Can't wait to see her in less than a month's time! :D

Another series of photos taken a month or so back.. Miu Miu (Alexis' Chinese name) has so many different expressions! I was told she laughs the most when eating her snack. ;)

Jojo - Mom's Mean Menace

Jojo can be such a dear darling but his behaviour especially towards mom is just terrible! Jojo why can't you be a bit better disciplined? Is it our fault? :(

The Jojo Menace Strikes Again!

Poor mom is crying foul! She has had enough of Jojo the menace!

When both dad and myself are not at home, mom always becames the target of Jojo's menacing behaviour. Tonight was just another infamous and unforgettable night.

As I had something to cover and had to take a long journey home, mom incidentally reached home about 20 minutes earlier than me from her dancing class and had the misfortune of suffering his misbehaviour.

When mom's car reached the gate, Jojo was not in sight. So she opened the gate and drove in, but the naughty dog sneaked out when the gate was closing. Well, as expected, he always dashes out when mom comes back. So she just left the small gate opened for him to come back.

A few minutes later, she saw Jojo came back so she went out to close the gate. But when she was about to close it, Jojo dashed out again! And this repeated itself three times after finally Jojo decided not to play chasing game.

And when mom finally succeeded to lock the gate without Jojo going out, he dashed into the house instead. And he decided to torture mom further by taking her remote control and keys!

When mom saw what Jojo got in his mouth, she let out a sharp scream. That shocked Jojo and made him drop the remote and key. Mom quickly grabbed it but Jojo also managed to bit onto a key. So there was a tug of war for a while and with her mighty strength, mom managed to save the key.

Knowing that it was impossible for her to shoo Jojo out of the house, she went upstairs to change and left the dog alone. Little did she know that Jojo was in an avenging mood it seems. He jumped and grabbed a new roll of toilet paper that was accidentally left at a level he could reach, and proceeded to chew up the whole roll. However, that was not fun enough.

When I returned home, I saw something big and solid (definitely not his toy) in the garden. It was a cat stone figurine which dad and mom bought back from Egypt! And I had to threatened Jojo before I got it back. Then, when I entered the house, another deer figurine souvenir from New Zealand was lying next to the big pile toilet paper!

Needless to say, mom was so mad and upset when she found out what Jojo did.

I was mad too. It was no point hitting him now but I still needed to punish him so I chained him at the back kitchen area when mom and I went out for supper. But it was only about 40 minutes or so before I untie him but sternly scolded him again.

Yes, what he did was totally inexcusable. However, on my part, I could control Jojo although at times he still go for certain items in my bathroom. He is best behaved when dad is around.

It is strange that he always become a menace when he is with mom, who seems to have the uncanny ability to bring out the worst behaviour in him somehow.

Sigh.. and I don't really know what to do..

Scary Thoughts..

I know that day will come. And I shouldn't be thinking about it now. But lately I have started thinking of that dreary day in the future and wonder how I will face it....

I am so so scared of the time when Jojo and Jelly will no longer be with me anymore.

Yes, they are dogs. That means they have the lifespan of between 10-15 years. For a big dog such as the Golden Retriever, about 12 years of age is consider good. Whereas for a smaller dog, maybe he or she could live up to 15..

Whatever it is, looks like I will outlive my two Js unless there's an unexpected twist in fate.

I remember a friend telling me that's why she doesn't want to have a dog. Because a dog will die before she does..

Right now, Jojo and Jelly are like my most loyal best friends. They're there for me day and night. And I love them so so much. I really can't imagine losing them..

I know this seems like a silly thought. After all, Jojo has just turned two and Jelly is only one year old! They still have many good years ahead of them.

But the mere thought of the inevitable that will happen one day will send chills in my heart. I can already feel a cold knife that is ready to cut through me...

Oh Gosh!! :( I know, I tell myself to not think of it. Rather I should concentrate of giving them a good live in their living years...

I shall try my best to curb this thinking...

The Chewing Js

I bought this nylon bone for Jelly to chew and she likes it. But she always hides it somewhere and it will reappear again a few days later!

Jojo was really enthusiastic about this new toy when it first arrived. He would fight with Jelly to play with it.. But now, many days later, he isn't even bothered anymore.. the toy lies untouched at the porch area where he sleeps. Hmmm..

Diet - Mission Impossible?

It's my fault.

Looks like the diet plan for Jelly won't go as smoothly as I hope it would. Reason being that the only way for the past months or so to get her to enter her crate to sleep was by using food! Yes, I had not very wisely used dog snack as a bait to lure her into her crate.

Well, if I don't do that, I would have to carry her and use quite a lot of strength (she is quite heavy after all!) to shove her into her `bedroom'. Somehow I have never trained her go inside there voluntarily at night.

Ironically, she would happily enter her crate to catch her noon nap during the day when I am leaving the house.

Yeah, Jelly is very much an `owl-dog' now, taking after her mommy... :p

However, Jelly and I are not only similar in our sleeping pattern but also in our eating habits. My mom has commented that both Jelly and me love to eat so much that it is equally hard for both of us to go on a diet!

She is quite right. ;)

With that in mind, she even passed me a Chinese newspaper cutting on how the owner and the dog could go on a diet together. Maybe both Jelly and me can use a bit of the tips offered there.

Fatty Jelly!

Bird-eye view of Jelly - No, she is not pregnant but is getting quite fat!! Think I better put her on a diet to minimise health problem in the future. This pic was taken shorly after her shower just now.

Shocking Find During Shower Time

I decided to shower Jojo and Jelly at night today :p

Well, I was bringing them out for a walk after dinner and they already looked pretty dirty, especially Jelly. Am afraid time would be a bit rush tomorrow morning as I do have an assignment in town around noon (remember I am an owl :D)

Anyway, luckily I gave them their bath tonight!!

I didn't know that in just one week, both my doggies have been plagued by ticks!! Yeah, i found loads of dead and alive ones on their body. :-o

I washed Jelly first and when I turned her around, saw many of the ticks stuck on her tummy and underarm areas... Luckily they were dead so I just painstakingly pulled them out one by one. All in, more than a dozen.

If you think that was bad, wait till you hear Jojo's case.

I have never seen so many ticks on my Goldie before :( They varied from the real big one, almost the size of a pea to the smaller ones found on Jelly. Most were found in his armpits and underbody as well. Due to his long dense hair, they were not easily visible. So I had to slowly combed through his hair to take out those bloodsucking creatures while squatting on the floor (my poor knees were numbed)

It was quite a yucky task.. I felt my hair standing as many of them, especially the big ones, were full of blood in their stomach. I think many were not dead, just sleeping after sucking blood from my Jojo!

No mercy!! I terminated them all. But I think some managed to escape as it was hard to detech them all. I didn't count but I guess I have removed at least more than 30 big and small ones from Jojo!

Argghhh!!

That reminds me to apply anti-ticks medication on my dogs properly this week. Maybe not enough the week before thus some were still alive.

By the way, speaking of shower time, my dogs, especially Jojo really savour his weekly bathtime. He would just lie on the floor and enjoy the water and shampoo and mommy's massage. Jelly is still a bit apprehensive but getting to get used to it.

In fact, both are always so excited that ehy just could not wait to dash into the shower room when I pick up their towels and toilettries!

Moi - More Than a Dog Fanatic?

Somehow the topic of my doggie blog became the topic over supper tonight, and everyone seemed to have fun making fun (not in a bad way lah) of my `obsession' with my dogs.

And somehow, me devoting a blog to my two Js, and registering them on `Dogsters' are just something that these guys found so amazing, let alone something they could comprehend.

Well, I sometimes amaze myself too with my passion on my Js. ;)

But.. am I `more than' a dog fanatic as how ML describes me? Well, I don't really dare to take the `honour'.. No doubt I love dogs and I am crazy over my two Js, but I have come across people who are even more `fanatic' about dogs. Not just about their own dogs but the canine species in general.

To these dogs lovers (the term `lovers' is an understatement), dogs welfare mean even more to them than human's. They probably feel more pain seeing a suffering dog than a suffering human being. I guess mostly because dogs can't speak up for themselves and hey are so susceptible to abuse..

Anyway, I have no problem being labelled a `dog fanatic', if they want to call me that. I am proud of my two Js and proud of this blog. Although now it is not exactly 100 per cent about them.. I still feel I got lots to share about the Js and dogs.

So, you can expect more dog tales from this dog fanatic.. ;)

Side By Side With Each Other

Playing rough - Jelly nibbling Jojo's leg and the latter showing annoyance with his teeth!

Snuggling up to each other while catching a nap in mommy's room 

The Js' House - Jojo and Jelly are sometime caged up (for a short while) in this house originally built for Jojo.