Floppy as ’sacrifice’

Floppy thought it would be better for him to have a nap in papa’s Taoist alter than his own pen! Lol

3rd Wisdom Tooth Surgery

I’m on long medical break from Christmas Eve till 30 December 2009. Two years ago, I had to have my left upper molar (also wisdom tooth) extracted and the left lower molar surgically removed. This time around, it was my right lower molar and the surgery was longer (1 hour); more stitches were also required.

You can see the displaced tooth in the x-ray and how swollen my right cheek is at the moment.

Just for fun, I thought I’d ask the dentist for my broken molar. Perhaps if I keep it this bloody, I could use it for the next Halloween. LOL.

I’m craving for french fries but my Mama just wouldn’t allow it but she bought me vegan sausages and thin crackers instead. Christmas is a little inconvenient and a tad more painful this year but I’d rather have it this way then to delay a time bomb in my mouth.

The Face Shop haul

During my short stay in Melbourne, I saw the condition of my face worsened before my very eyes. It was not just the weather, I knew my face care regime was poor as well. Even before I flew back to sunny Singapore, I decided I’ll start taking better care of my face.

And that’s how I found The Face Shop! It started with the masks that marvelled me and I realised that TFS does not test on animals! That’s when I couldn’t stop. I spent the last two weeks stepping into TFS every single day and buying something. I’m now a member, lol.

The most important thing is… I like what I’ve bought so far. They’re all suitable for my sensitive skin! (:

I took shots of some products I bought (see below).

The Face Shop – masks

The Face Shop sells masks that are not tested on animals! I bought three this morning; sure I will be trying them out very soon.

Back in Singapore

I arrived safely in Singapore on Tuesday midnight.

My two BFFs plotted to surprise me by turning up when they said they weren’t going to. They thought they got themselves well camouflaged behind the wall but they were wrong. I saw them while I was at the bag carousel and went straight to ‘foil’ their plan. Haha, I guess it was more fun that way, actually.

It was really nice of them to come; they had to work early next morning. I was very touched.

I found myself having to reply to 200 emails when I returned to office on Thursday. Boy, was that difficult. That was on top of quite a few deadlines too. These really got my adrenaline pumping. I like to feel useful and I felt it. Lol.

And now I’m sleepy, I’ll blog again soon.

Gd’day, Mate!

It seems kinda corny to have that title, but I have heard of people greeting one another this way here in Australia. It’s perfectly fine. In Singapore, we hardly greet each other. Maybe we’ll even find “hi” laughable. Ha. Oops.

I’ve settled in but realised I’ll soon be out of this country too. It’s always the case, isn’t it? A little frustrating but it’s fine. I miss my papa, mama, bro, friends and my pets! The stressful life is all coming back at me soon. LOL.

Shopping’s pretty fun here. Things are not really that expensive considering many are of good quality materials. There’s sale everywhere! I spent my weekend (and moolah) at DFO and just loitering about the city area. Phew. If I really am loaded, I think I’ll never end. Unlike in Singapore, here I just dash straight for the smallest sizes and they fit me to a T! I’m a giant back in my own hometown, hmm.

I’ve also been gorging myself silly with the foods here. Tons of vegan yum-yums and affordable too! My favourites would be Lord of the Fries and Boost juices. -drools- Come this weekend, Jaipal and I will be eating out at cafes and bars because all of cooking ware will be sold off!

All righty. I gotta bed. Good night!

Animals, animals, animals!

It’s pets galore day today! Wherever there are happy animals, there will be happy times!

I had a chance to hug every single one of them and it just reminds me so much of my pets back in Singapore. I miss my Chaplin, Floppy, Miranda, Boy, Girl and the kitties downstairs.

Leave you with pictures of these cutie pies!

Down Under Part II!

I’ve adjusted to the time difference but still not the cold weather. It’s pretty pathetic actually. The temperature is average high of 24deg Celsius and a low of about 17deg Celsius which shouldn’t be really cold but I just cannot take it. Everytime I head out, I don three layers of clothing – t-shirt, cardigan, sweater.

Melbourne is a nice place. So far only one girl looked like she didn’t like her job very much; the rest of the population I’ve met are friendly people. The air is fresh, surrounding is quiet and most people are conscientious. Now I do understand why so many Singaporeans choose to move over to Australia permanently.

Because I’m here only for 2.5 weeks for work, I don’t really have a chance to establish and sustain friendships… I actually miss familiar faces very much, especially my family, pets and close friends. Singapore is stressful, fast-paced, noisy and all, but that is where my home is. I think this is the first time I actually miss them so much. I’m thankful though, that they really make an effort to stay in touch with me. It’s very heart-warming and necessary for me.

I gotta go to bed soon. Over here, travelling to and fro work take up three hours of my time each day. To be in office by 9am, I need to wake up by 6am. I try to hit the bed by 10pm so I get sufficient rest.

Leave you with some shots from Day Two to Day Five (today).

Blogging from Down Under!

Today’s the second day I’ve arrived in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The weather has been wet, wet, wet except for the brief moment when I touched down and arrived at Jaipal’s apartment (my ex-colleague and soon-to-be colleague). Praise God.

I’m still adjusting to the very slight time difference (three hours ahead of Singapore), ample quietness around the neighbourhood and the fluctuating weather. Being a Sun Bear, I do very poorly when the air gets chilly.

I hardly see any living soul around this neighourhood throughout the day. Yesterday, I counted only three and a quarter. Huh, what do you mean? Oh well, I saw a pair of hands winding the windows open so I can’t possibly count that as a full person! Keke.

Tomorrow will be my first day of attachment at RSPCA Victoria and I’m absolutely looking forward to it. Travelling time is about 90 minutes not including the waiting, so to report for work at 9am we need to wake up at 6.15am. Jaipal told me RSPCA Victoria is humongous and gorgeous and the office is just slick – it would be so thrilling to see!

Oh, I must say I love the food here! There’s tons of vegan stuff in Jaipal’s apartment and he got them all readily and conveniently from the supermarkets here! And we visited Vegie Bar yesterday and they actually serve cheesy stuff for vegans! It was an amazing dinner for me, really. Vegan pizza, risotto, chocolate cake and even ice cream!

Gotta go do some work I brought over from Singapore. Leave you with some shots of Melbourne for now.

PsychologyToday.com – Animals Feelings and Fur: Who (Not What) We Wear is An Ethical Choice

If one doubts that animals have deep feelings consider what they endure as they become unnecessary clothing. It’s easy to say that animals used for fur coats and fur trim (and leather) don’t like how they’re treated. As sentient mammals they have deep and enduring feelings just like our favorite companion animals, dogs and cats. And we would never subject our companions to the reprehensible treatment to which fur-farmed animals are subjected. But in some countries dogs and cats do wind up as clothing. 

We don’t need to wear animals to be warm or to feel comfortable. Fur farms and the people who trap and use animals for clothing are purveyors of the most unspeakable horrors. In the process of becoming a coat the bones of a fox, chinchilla, or mink go snap, crackle, and pop as they are tortured unrelentingly and unnecessarily. The number of animal skins needed to make a 40-inch fur coat may surprise you — 60 mink, 50 muskrats, 42 red foxes, 40 raccoons, 20 badgers, 18 lynx, 16 coyotes, and 15 beavers. According to animal activist Camilla Fox (Founder of Project Coyote), globally, more than 50 million animals a year continue to be killed for their fur. Although the number of wild animals trapped in the United States has decreased from nearly 14 million in 1987 to fewer than 4 million in 2005, increasing overseas fur markets and the growing popularity of fur trim could reverse this trend. (It’s interesting to note that many former fur trappers, unable to profit from their trade, have switched to “nuisance” or “damage control” trapping, a fast-growing, highly unregulated industry capitalizing on increased urban/suburban conflicts with wildlife and employing the same body-gripping traps used in fur trapping.)

Fox has also disclosed that there are extensive negative effects of trapping that significantly compromise the well-being and behavior of many different species who are used for fur. Clearly, ethical concerns abound. Many animals used for fur also suffer out of our view beneath the surface of lakes and rivers. Consider what Fox wrote in my Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior about trapping aquatic animals: “Leghold and submarine traps act by restraining the animals underwater until they drown. Most semi-aquatic animals, including mink, muskrat, and beaver, are adapted to diving by means of special oxygen conservation mechanisms.”

The experience of drowning in a trap is extremely terrifying. Imagine what a dog or cat might feel. Biologists Frederick Gilbert and Norman Gofton discovered that animals display intense and violent struggling and were found to take up to four minutes for mink to die, nine minutes for muskrats to die, and ten to thirteen minutes for beavers to die. Mink have been shown to struggle frantically prior to loss of consciousness, an indication of extreme trauma. Most animals caught in aquatic traps struggle for more than three minutes before losing consciousness.

The suffering of these sentient beings goes unnoticed because the water in which they live shrouds it. What is simply unacceptable is that there isn’t any legislation that is concerned with this hidden problem. Because most animals trapped in aquatic sets struggle for more than three minutes before losing consciousness, wildlife biologists have argued that they did not meet basic trap standards and therefore can’t be considered humane. Fox concluded, “For an activity that affects millions of wild animals each year, it is astounding that so little is known about the full impact of trapping on individual animals, wildlife populations and ecosystem health.”

Some claim that fur is green. Fur surely isn’t green despite the claims of the Fur Council of Canada. They claim, “buying a fur coat is the ecologically correct thing to do because fox stoles and mink coats are natural, renewable and sustainable. By contrast, synthetic furs are no more than by-products of the petro-chemical industry. Making a single faux fur coat can chew up 19 litres of petroleum, a non-renewable resource, says the council. Ergo, buying a fur coat is good for the planet.” Of course they don’t consider the horrible lives of the animals they torture.

We can all make more compassionate choices – to expand our compassion footprint  - in who we wear – not what we wear – for animals used for fur are sentient beings not unfeeling objects. Among the easiest things we can do is to stop buying clothing that is made from animals. Doing more for animals is actually pretty simple. For example, an eight year-old boy humbly reminded me that when we buy something we’re essentially saying “It’s okay for the store to carry it” and “It’s okay for the manufacturer to make whatever it is we buy.” Everything we purchase is a vote to make more of it. Let’s stop the use of animals for clothing but refusing to buy and to wear the skins of abused sentient beings. Thanks to the clothing manufacturers and stores who have stopped offering fur products. And I’m sure the animals who are saved from unnecessary suffering and death would thank us for making more compassionate and ethical choices if they could.