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My dog is a mystic “pack leader”

By weliveinaflat

On July 4, 2013

In Archive

human: You know Donna, you should really pick up your toys sometimes.

dog: At home the Aries Ox can be rather untidy usually as they are busy people who find domestic chores tedious.

human: And pray tell, what you were busy with?

dog: Arian Oxen are generally happier in the garden than the house as these personalities love the great outdoors.

human: But you were not in the garden, I didn’t take you there.

dog: An Aries Ox may think cleaning and tidying incredibly boring but they are hardworking in any other task. They enjoy work that involves challenges and where there is the opportunity of progressing based on effort.

human: Oh no my dear, if I was busy sweeping the floor, doing laundry and going out to interviews and driving lesson, we could not be doing any sort of training at the same time.

dog: The Arian Ox must be ‘sitting’ and ‘waiting’ for you to come home. Now gimme my treat!

human: But I didn’t ask you to sit and wait for me to come home. I just asked you to behave yourself when I am not around.

dog: Same thing. The probability of the Arian Ox getting into mischief is high when it is not “sitting” and “waiting”.

human: I see. Well if you don’t mind me saying, its quite ridiculous for a dog to keep referring to itself as the Arian Ox when it is clearly a dog.

dog: The Arian Ox will refer to herself however she likes as befits the pack leader of this household. This matter is not up for debate.

human: Mr P do you hear that? Your dog thinks she’s a pack leader.

Mr P: Bwahahahahahaha. Look at her, just look at her.

human: Nope, we don’t think you are the pack leader around here my dear.

dog: We shall not entertain further discussion of this matter. *snorts loudly* The Arian OX will now go poke her blog friends Ruby the Black Labrador and Simba. Being a Leo and a Sagittarius, they get along best with an Arian dog. Not like some humans…

human: Just behave yourself so they don’t feel forced to chew your tail to take you down a peg or two.

dog: *has changed into costume of a mystic* The Arian Ox intends to read to them their sun signs so they may better know themselves and know that I am the one true pack leader among us all!

human: Baby, I think they already read their sun signs here and here on their human’s blog.

dog: *snotty snort snort* I am the pack leader, they will listen to me!

human: You’re hopeless. Go fetch! *throws hippo; mystic costume slips off dog as dog gives chase*

dog: *snort snort* You will not be rid of the pack leader so easy! Now throw again!

human: But I thought you are going visiting?

dog: I suppose I should visit Angel and Chaos first since their human gave me the WordPress Family Award. That makes me their pack leader too! And since I’m starting a pack, I think we should have lofty ideals. I think we should take over the world! And that means I need wise dogs, big dogs, dogs who can gobble up to world to join the pack. So these dogs and humans should all get the WordPress Family Award and join my pack: –

Nominees

Angel and Chaos and Yashie,
Ruby the Black Labrador,
Sonel and Simba,
Kuruk and Victoria Julianne,
Linda Arthur Tejera,
Lens and Pens by Sally,
Linda Trunell,
Artscottnet,
Artinstructor and
Completely Disappear.

Aren’t I doing a good job as pack leader already? :3

human: *has wisely left dog alone to her piped dreams*

I was never really into Sun Signs. Even until now, the only things in the sky I can effectively point out are – the sun, the moon, the clouds, Orion’s belt and Mars. That’s about it. So isn’t it lucky that Donna the local mongrel’s sun sign just happened to be Aries (Mar 21-Apr 20), because hey, at least I can pick out an Arian’s ruling planet – Mars – in the night sky. Nevermind that I can’t pick out the actual Aries constellation :P

I was influenced by Sonel and Ruby the Black Labrador’s recent posts on Dog Sun Signs and couldn’t resist checking out what Donna’s will say. I thought the Arian in a nutshell could describe most local mongrels – Loyalty, Trust, Heart breaker, Forgets past failures, Active, Energetic. :) I also thought it would be interesting to see what the Chinese horoscope says, that’s why Donna is above referencing to herself as the Aries Ox. :P

This comes a little late, but I would like to thank The Thriving Pessimist, Angel and Chaos’ human, for nominating this blog the WordPress Family Award. :)

I was on WordPress many, many years back in my youth :P and there wasn’t such a great community back then compared to what I found now. I am very thankful for that. I’ve enjoyed all the fun dog and other posts from various bloggers and also the idle chit chat in the comments now and then when we happen to be online simultaneously. Besides individual blogs, I also think that photo challenges such as those being hosted by Lens and Pens by Sally and Sonel also help to fuel the community towards a common endeavour and engendering very positive interaction within the participating bloggers. It takes time and commitment not just to host but to foster continued interest and active participation in such blog hops and these awesome people are making the time and effort to host and keep it going.

But mostly I would like to give the WordPress Family Award to these people because they have thought it worth their time to interact with me and commented so often it feels like we’re just having an on-going conversation day by day. They took the time to write advice in detail when it comes to training Donna or when I experienced difficulties or just when they think I may be doing something not so advisable. I have only named the more interactive bloggers/commentors, but I do have to say that I really appreciate the readers who regularly came by, and also the little things like liking a post or saying good day because it all adds to that sense of being part of the community as well. :)

So thank you :3

If you would like to pass on the award to somebody else whom you feel have made an impact on your WordPress experience and family, visit Shaun’s page on the WordPress Family Award for more details.

p/s: “Mugshots are ugly” has recently been reblogged on the Versatile Blogger Award (VBA) site. Thank you so much House Full of Dogs for the nomination again :3

Sun sign references:
– http://www.astrologyweekly.com/sun-signs/dog-horoscopes.php
– http://dogingtonpost.com/your-dogs-horoscope-aries/#.UcvkWTudiSo
– http://www.gotohoroscope.com/chinese-astrology/aries-ox.html

Otherworldly Bridges

By weliveinaflat

On July 2, 2013

In Photography

#1, #2 Lorong Halus Bridge – gateway to the Lorong Halus Wetlands.
#3, #4 A small bridge in the World of Plants, Gardens by the Bay
#5, #6 OCBC Skywalk in Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay

Out of the set, the OCBC Skywalk in the Supertree Grove looks the most otherworldly to me. Do you agree?

But I do find that stripped out of colour, black and white images can sometimes take on an otherworldly quality.

It only requires imagination to see the Lorong Halus bridge as a structure in an alien mining terrain for example. But in real life it is but a foot bridge with steel bars that zig-zag along its overall wavy frame across the river to a wetlands park. We visited quite a while back so you can see from the bridge the construction still taking place in its environs. Previously this area was a landfill site for close to 30 years.

#3 and #4 can perhaps depict an alien forest where strange creatures lurk unseen. But perhaps I am pushing my luck with this :P

Now here’s a not so otherworldly image populated by humans :P

OCBC Skywalk (picture above, foreground) and the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark (background) – These integral connecting links between the Supertrees and the three towers of the Marina Bay Sands respectively afford birds’ eye view of the Gardens by the Bay.

Anyway, we are lucky the air quality returned to good levels in the last week so we can be out and about more carefree-ly. The Skywalk looked solid, but once I got my feet on it, I do still feel quite obvious trembling and there were times that my hands feel weak gripping my iPhone tightly, haha!

Dogs are allowed in the open areas of park land belonging to NParks, but I suspect not the Skywalk since this requires ticket admission. As required by the law, all dogs need to be leashed. We couldn’t bring Donna along yesterday since we were intending to take our parents to the Cloud Forest, one of the two domed conservatories that require ticket admission for humans only. So poor Donna had to stay at home.

We are expecting the haze to return end of the month, since Aug-Sep is typically the haze season. It is not inconceivable for the PSI to go to as high as Malaysia has experienced in the past since it’s really highly dependent on where the winds have a mind to take the haze to. So yes, if you are in Singapore, make the best out of the improved air this month!! You know what they say, make hay while the sun shines. How’s that for being optimistic! :P

Note: All photos taken with my iPhone, except for #7 which is a poor quality capture using Mr P’s Samsung Galaxy phone. So it is highly edited to death! :P So you’ll understand why it looks kind of artificial. :P Bwahahahaha!

Phoneography Weekly: Not exactly timber

By weliveinaflat

On July 1, 2013

In Photography

Somehow the image of an woodcutter chopping up a tree and yelling “timber!” as the tree fell is ingrained in my memory, even if there is no woodcutting culture or industry here. Hah! That’s the power of the media for you.

Anyway, the tree cutting has started. Here’s the guy who will take the tree apart, limb by limb.

Phoneography Monday Challenge: Nature – I seem to be making a habit to take pictures of man and/vs nature nowadays.
Apps: GorillaCam, Snapseed, Camera+ (Cyanotype and Toy Camera filters)

S7F5XFJMWQHA

The fall of leaves

By weliveinaflat

On June 30, 2013

In Photography

It is sunny here all year round and the town council maintenance guy didn’t get to this tree soon enough.

The fall of leaves

Walking the dog has made me notice more the outdoor environment around me. In general the weather here is hot and wet but there wasn’t any rain in the last couple of weeks, and when it finally poured some areas in Jurong experienced hailstones… in the tropics! Go figure~

It starts the moment you return

By weliveinaflat

On June 29, 2013

In Behaviour

One hasty shot. Sorry,
photobombed by the bowl.

Local mongrel cheerleader
waving your pom-pom pup.

You’re a natural at it –
the welcome home dance.

That fat cat spying behind that thin tree

By weliveinaflat

On June 27, 2013

In Dog & You

Telling a story takes skill. Telling a funny story that makes people laugh, that’s an art. We’re actually pretty boring people with an ordinary dog, so you will understand if sometimes a post may just sink like a stone. :P

Anyway, I am terrible at reading long form, even if some of the posts here are pretty wordy, so I do try to put in at least a picture or two to liven things up. And then sometimes, when the mood strikes, I give my dog her “imagined” voice.

It could go like this:

Human: “Hey Donna, do you see a movement over there?”

Dog: “What? What movement?”

Human: “Behind you….
…No, no! Don’t turn your head around. It’s obvious you are looking!”

Dog: “Oops, sorry… … but what’s that behind me?”

Human: “I don’t know.”

*puts on night goggles*

Human: “I think it’s that cat from the other day.”

Human: “OMG, I think its winking at us.”

Dog: “That means it’s friendly isn’t it? Can I turn around and look now”

Human: You think?”

Dog: “I think it’s creeping me out.”

Cat: “…”

Storytelling on this blog I hope is an art that will continue to be polished with each post and show that I am getting better at both the words and the pictures used. And I do hope that you will take something of value away with you from here when you click on to the next blog, otherwise I fear I may be wasting your time. :P

With regards to art-art, Mr P recently showed me the painting Beijing 2008 with its accompanying analysis.

Art I find, throughout the ages, almost always take on a greater significance for me when I know the story behind it – the artist, his history, his influences, and the political/cultural climate which caused him to draw what he drew. Of course, a lot of art was not significant at the time they were produced simply because they were commissioned by clients and produced for pleasure. Time was necessary to show them up as representative of an age and more than a thing of beauty or a drunkard or mad man’s creation. But I am rambling.

What I was trying to say was that I probably would not appreciate Beijing 2008, without the text it came with it to explain the context. Much the same as this blog cannot function with text or photos working by themselves. But who am I to compare to an artist :P So I’II spare you the ramblings of an abysmal student of art for now.

Here you go to see the artwork (some nudity) and the analysis, if you are interested.

Note: I tried to find who wrote the analysis originally but failed. But I did learn – both the painting and the interpretation were [said to be] published in 2005. So that’s 6-years worth of hindsight for you. The painting sold for over $3.14m in 2012 which is within the normal range for works by artists of the same generation.

References
– http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog2.php/2011/11/11/an-erotic-oil-painting-with-a-profound-worldview
– http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/748644.shtml
– http://www.zonaeuropa.com/culture/c20060507_1.htm

Share the lift with my dog please?

By weliveinaflat

On June 26, 2013

In Training

Donna has learnt to “parallel park” herself by the side of the wall and stay quietly in her little corner while travelling up and down on the lift. She would still pop her head out to stare at neighbours. Please don’t mind her. She’s just being a dog, a curious one.

Our flat is more than 20 storeys high so taking the lift is an everyday experience for Donna. With approximately 138 households sharing two lifts that take us down and up to and from home and the outside world, there are plenty of opportunities to bump into any one of our neighbours (which logically would number at least 300 people).

We sometimes take the stairs going down, but I don’t think any of the three of us can make it going up. We are obliged to wait for the next lift, should a neighbour be afraid of dogs or be averse to ride in the same lift with a dog for religious reasons. But with at least 300 people sharing two small lifts, which if I may add are particularly prone to breakdowns and lift faults, it sometimes feels like it takes forever just to get on a lift to get home.

So we thought, hey let’s make our scary-looking dog (to some people) look less scary so people are not so averse to sharing the lift with Donna. Obviously, Donna is too heavy for us to carry around like owners with small dogs do when they take the lift. So we practiced with her standing quietly behind us while waiting for the lift, regardless of whether there are people waiting with us for the lift or not. We agree with all the dog-training advice out there that consistency is really the key to making it work.

There were times I tied a piece of frilly fabric around her so she looks more silly than scary. That worked well. I’ve met neighbourhood aunties who went “Oh, is it a girl dog?”

That’s Donna taking up 1/4 of the available floor space in the tiny lift. Doesn’t the frilly thing around her back look silly :P

Lately, I realised that Donna particularly likes to sit right in the middle of the lift. Or when she’s tired, she’ll just spread out like the lift belongs to her grandfather. And she always stares at neighbours with her open mouth grin. I imagine it may be unnerving for some neighbours to have an unfamiliar dog staring unblinkingly at you and grinning at the same time. God knows, sometimes even I think my dog looks like a maniac the way she stares at me (probably thinking about food).

So we started to consistently guide her to “parallel park” by the wall and “stay”. She has started to do that pretty well, though she does need reminders now and then. And we still plant our two legs right in front of her after she has parked herself, not because she is dangerous but just to reassure any neighbours, particularly ladies and families with kids and babies, that they are super safe with our dog.

It’s early days, but most people are kind and do not mind her.

But you know what, if the lift is half-packed with people, sometimes it is just more relaxing to wait for an empty lift. :P

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Abandoned, but for the sun and moon above

By weliveinaflat

On June 25, 2013

In Photography

This is a shot of the neighbourhood childrens’ playground that I took last week. On any other day, the picture will be clear and sharp, the buildings in the background would not look as faded simply because we are generally a hot, sunny island with very clear visibility. And yes, there might be a child or two about the slide, ladder or climbing wall.

We have been beset by smoke haze from hot spot fires in Sumatra, Indonesia from last week and the PSI index reached as high as 401 (air quality is described as hazardous when it climbs above 300). Over the weekend, things seemed to have improved, and air quality seemed to have stayed more or less moderate so that’s good.

On another day, I noticed the sun reflecting off the windows of a building.

I turned around searching for the sun and there it was.

I was telling Mr P how without the haze shrouding the sun, the picture above would have been impossible for me to shoot. And then he shared with me his own photo that he took coming back from work at 3a.m. The picture was shot from the carpark downstairs.

Mr P doesn’t take pictures very often, but the moon, red from the haze is something neither of us has seen before.

While I may whine and gripe about the haze like everyone else, I also have to concur with Wiley who was wise to say,

… poop happens in our lives every now and then. Are we going to ignore it…(or just whine about it)? Or are we going to face it head on and pay it forward…

Not sure how to pay it forward in this case :P Mostly, we are just thankful Donna and I have the option to hole up in our tiny air-conditioned study when necessary. Although I expect the electricity bills will climb.

Dogs lick themselves when they are relaxing, bored or stressed it seems.

Note:

Haze is a yearly occurrence in Singapore normally in the months August-September. We’ve been lucky to escape the worse of it in the last few years and one barely notices it if one is stuck at work in the office all day. This year’s haze is so unexpected and it’s not until I experienced how severe it can be in our own backyard so to speak that one starts to empathise with those who have to live with it daily.

Haze health tips for pet owners, read this previous post.

This post is a companion post to Weekly Phoneography: Population, in capturing our already very urbanised neighbourhood at a point where:

we have started to see physical changes in the landscape, growth of buildings around 3 times the height of existing flats
the interplay of the elements of nature in an urbanised environment – air, trees, sun, moon

Weekly Phoneography: Population

By weliveinaflat

On June 24, 2013

In Photography

new vs old flats
Phoneography Monday Challenge: Architecture (challenger’s choice)

New flats less than 2 years old on the left; old flats easily more than 20, 30 years old on the right.

As buildings grow taller, trees are growing shorter.

news infographic on roadside trees in Singapore
Excerpt from The Sunday Times, May 19, 2013

I have written before about the impending removal of some tall Angsana trees downstairs to make way for three new blocks of flats.

Change is inevitable, but I do like trees that stand as tall as 12 to 13 storey flats. When walking the dog, they provide welcome shade in our hot, bright climate although yes, they also harbour poop-dropping birds and life-threatening falling branches when it storms.

roadside trees

Wherever they stand, trees and the oxygen they produce enable life.

This is the main road junction of our neighbourhood. Look how well the trees obscure the blocks of flats behind them, and then scroll back to the first picture. How hard and stark the buildings are with the small trees. And then I think about the haze and know that I will always still prefer the big trees of life that cleanse the air around us faithfully.

Note: Copyright of the newspaper belong to SPH, I will be obliged to remove the clipping if requested.