We live in a flat

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Masked canine stalks local park

On May 23, 2013

Dogear6 wrote a post on Escaping in the City where she shared some amazing topiaries she found at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I enjoyed that, so I thought I share some pictures of Donna in one of Singapore’s biggest parks.

We visit it pretty often since we live around 1/2 hrs walk from it. The 62 hectare Bishan Park has been renovated last year and fairly suits the “escaping in the city” theme with its “naturalised” landscaping. Don’t tell the other dogs but this park now sports some pretty awesome landscape rocks, cross river stone paths, low walls and other relief that makes doggy parkour a pretty fun game to explore here.

Donna has started to respond to “up-up” and to climb up on rocks, park stools and public structures about 50-80% of the time. And you know what? Doggy parkour is a great skill for your dog if you love to take doggy pictures. Haha!

Masked canine contemplates swooping down Recycle Hill. These ragged rock steps that we stand on were made from the remains of an old canal which was removed to make way for a “naturalised” river, which basically means man-made. :P And we are enjoying the new river plains landscaping because now we can see some bird like herons and other water birds visiting, they who used to look down their long beaks at the old canal! :P

But really, the masked canine much prefers chilling out on her rock in the cool shade over here in the secluded water lily ponds.

And after all that jumping and running, there are sun deck loungers along the footpaths that one can lounge on and rest, if only the weather wasn’t so glaringly hot!

But if it’s so fun here? Where are the other dogs? Well, back in the fenced dog run of the park where we left them!

The last time we arranged to meet up with Dou Dou and her humans before we attempt to drive to the Nat Geo Free Pet Shop event together was a Saturday. We agreed to meet at the dog run but Donna was reluctant to approach once we were near to the vicinity of the dog run, having spied a large golden retriever. Perhaps it triggered memories of her bad experiences in the dog park. So instead, we met Doudou a distance away from the dog run.

I was keen to see if Donna has become fearful of the dog run in general, so after that day we continued to visit the park. The pleasure of consistently training Donna to walk beside me manifested itself then. We were finally able to walk the half hour to the park without having to stop more than a couple of times. When she was less good at walking by my side, we never did make it to the park much since time usually ran out and we had to turn back to go home.

On the few occasions we were there, Donna was able to walk back and forth in front of the dog run without the original resistance that she had displayed. She did not try to avoid the dog run like the last time. When led to the perimeter fence of the dog run, she sniffed intently despite the big dogs in the fenced enclosure. It is interesting how specific a dog’s reaction can be. Donna has encountered bigger dogs at other places without apprehension. It seems like only when the dog run and its vicinity is visited by big dogs that she displays the fear that had her tail tucked tightly between her legs. She has showed improvement. Her tail positions vary from half-mast to down but not curled tightly in between her legs. I did not observe any yawning or lip licking so if there was any fear, perhaps it was mild.

But really, once we left to explore the rest of the park and were some distance away from the dog run, her tail sprang to life!

So yes, this park is great for doggy parkour.

Source: wildsingapore

As for the dog run, I would be cautious. If we were to go in there again, I would make sure we move to a far corner to avoid dogs that charge in at the entrance. Otherwise, we’ve met some friendly people there and we didn’t have much trouble with the dogs yet, once they finished charging in of course. :P

If you are interested, Dr Sophia Yin has a great poster on Dog Park Etiquette that can be downloaded for free as well as tips how to train a dog to prevent him from being part of any unhappy situation that may escalate in a dog park in the dog park. Southslope.org has a nice Dog Park Etiquette Poster with lots of useful tips for adults and for parents with children on how we can help make the dog park an enjoyable place for all humans and dogs and also what to do, if a fight breaks out.

Not so much bitter-sweet, more frustration I think…

By weliveinaflat

On May 22, 2013

In Behaviour

Donna has a new toy. It was a gift she won at the Subaru booth at the Nat Geo Adopt a Free Dog event. I said gift, rather than prize because she didn’t really win it. She had to sit on the challenge mat for a full minute and she couldn’t stay that long! Not with all the excitement going on about her. But the judge told us to collect at the prize table anyway. So yes, I would say it was a gift. Haha. Donna doesn’t know to feel bitter sweet about it. :P

A toy is a toy and the toy is mine! Anything soft is to be chewed, even pull-string mechanized toy cars that move!

Now if only my black rat of a dog will make cookie monster noises when she does that!

What do you mean “leave it”?

Stop telling me to “take it” and “leave it”. I don’t want it anymore! There!

Are you happy now? *probably muttering to oneself… if a dog can mutter, that is.*

Yup, I have a talent for frustrating the dog. :D

Weekly iPhoneography: Seeing myVillage in black and white

By weliveinaflat

On May 21, 2013

In Photography

Today, the iPhone is a mysterious man that offers to sharpen your sense of sight and dull everything else, your taste, your hearing, your ability to touch and to smell. Right away, wouldn’t your world start to seem one dimensional?

What is food without scent and taste to colour it?

But hang on a minute, with sharpened sight, you start to notice details that you may have decided not to notice when you were dealing with all your senses at once.

You see light and shadow, pattern and movement. Little things that once escaped notice because they were insignificant, or in odd corners. Or because they helped form the part of the whole impression of a place, rather than demand your central attention. These little details enrich without calling attention to themselves.

But no, life is incomplete without all the senses at play. And even as you revel in your newly achieved clarity, your dulled senses start to return as the hypnotic iPhone runs out of battery. Slowly, you smell the Peking Duck and hear the buzz of chatter in the background. Sweet relief.

iPhoneography Monday
App: Gorillacam, Snapseed

Black and white photos can be so emotive even with its limited palette. It shows up the interplay of light and the dark in spaces, makes more pronounced the profile of people and things, removes the clutter that is colour and creates a moment of stillness that makes me anticipate the future that follows.

Pictures taken at myVillage, a little mall that we were visiting for porridge and some light dim sum.

To a dog, hands are for play

By weliveinaflat

On May 20, 2013

In Behaviour

Loves to tug…

… violently.

Loves to fetch…

… but doesn’t always bring it back.

Loves a tummy rub…

… she loves you back.

Rustic Colbar is Dog Friendly

By weliveinaflat

On May 19, 2013

In Explore

Colbar

Anyway, some years back, the three of us decided to escape to this “jungle hideout” for a long lunch because the bosses were not in office. Hah!

Colbar dog friendly

Colbar is a random kopitiam-esque eatery that serves the following menu:

Colbar Menu – courtesy of Cavin Teo

We ate simple fare that was more expensive than average. We talked about politics and race. We lapsed into companionable silence and generally hung out. That was 2010. We have walked different paths since then.

What the Colbar lacks in food and service it more than makes up for in ambiance though. Sitting amid the lush foliage with cicadas chirping in the background, Colbar is a wonderful rustic escape and a great stopover if you are in the Alexandra Road area.

Read untourtistsingapore’s longer review here.

Location:
9A Whitchurch Road
Wessex Estate
Open: Tues to Sun, 11am – 10pm (closed on Mondays)

Parking:
There is free parking along the road and in the Wessex Estate parking lot.

Click for more dog-friendly cafe and shops in Singapore!

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No, Donna doesn’t wanna come

By weliveinaflat

On May 18, 2013

In Behaviour

Much as we love our dog… she can sometimes have her four feet planted too firmly on the ground. Particularly when she smells tuna in the kitchen. But my dear, I can be stubborn too. The tuna went into the fridge to be dished out the next day instead.

Dogs in the city need to be adaptable and independent, especially if they are re-homed with families with working adults. We’re slowly working with Donna to get used to be alone in preparation for the day I find a job. Our dog survived 8 hours alone at home yesterday. That is the longest yet, with no accidents! We’re so proud of her.

Every picture is a memory

By weliveinaflat

On May 17, 2013

In Photography

I scrolled through my iPhone camera roll of thousands of crappy pictures and found a slew of memories I had forgotten. Most of them are random, repetitious and nonsensical when you look at them again months or years later. Then I found a set of pictures with a common thread in them.

Taro Gomi’s Daily Doodle Calendar was a birthday gift from my friend. I worked on it daily until August 2011. That was when we got really busy with work, the wedding and the new flat. On 17 May 2012, I was still grumbling about the many defects about the place, how we were kept awake by bright as day lightning flashes at night, the howling wind and worrying about leaking doors and windows. But I digress. Needless to say, the doodle that day was bleah~

But I was happy too. After endless tarrying with non-contactable contractors, we finally got 90% of our storage up that week. Yes the toilet cabinet was still missing doors but the relief of finally having storage brushes all that away!

Looking back at the previous posts and photos of every leaf of hand-drawn doodle captured into my phone brings back a linear trail of memories that is rather heartwarming. An event for every single day of the month, captured in the same silly format, crystalising a particular thought, a point in my own personal history. Together, it all becomes such a great gift that I still enjoy looking at two years later, even if they were memories largely captured in crappy pictures! :P

To think I would find a copy of this calendar in a garage sale far away from home on this make believe weekend road trip that Daily Prompt has cooked up! Wahahahahaha~

Anyway, here’s a small selection of doodles from my own copy of the calendar:

Jan 24: That’s my mom in the wheelchair. She fractured her knee.
Feb 19: I watched 127 hours.
Apr 19: Parliament is dissolved today.
Apr 24: Random boxing potato heads. Maybe I was watching Hajime no Ippo.
Apr 29: My girlfriend and I were holidaying in Australia when it happened.
May 08: The election results were only announced at 3am.

Daily Prompt: Memories for Sale

Donna is relaxed because I don’t have my phone in her face :O

By weliveinaflat

On May 16, 2013

In Photography

Instead I was pottering in my kitchen snapping macro-views of things with, I would like to say childlike wonder, except that from what I read that phrase is usually used to describe other people and never yourself. But I did get rather excited and shuffled around looking for more things in the kitchen to take macro pictures of.

But let’s start from the beginning shall we?

So I just started to pick up iPhoneography skills. This week’s topic was “macro”, a format that I was not familiar with. I failed in my first attempt. My dog ate my homework subject. Right. Some things are better done indoors, and with more research.

I knew macro pictures had to be taken with macro lenses so I was uncertain how I was to do that with a camera phone. Is there any specific macro photo app that I should download? Research ensued in which I was educated by a bunch of harebrained people to shoot through a magnifying glass, a water droplet (at the detriment of the phone!), etc, etc. Of course there are macro lens for iPhones on the market if you are so inclined. I’m not.

So anyway, let’s give those harebrained suggestions a shot. Why not, I’m as harebrained as the rest of them anyway. It seemed more prudent to place the drop of water on the lens at the front of the phone rather than the lens on the back of the phone. The front is all plastic covering over the lens, so I thought there would be less worry about the water seeping in there. So what conspired was, the phone was resting stably on a box in front of the window (so there is some indirect light), and the tiny toothpick drop of water sitting on the plastic covering the lens. The rest was just a matter of holding the object to be photographed over the drop of water and positioning it to get as sharp an image on the screen as possible before tapping the phone.

Note: Please understand that Apple does not provide warranty for water damage and iPhones are definitely not waterproof.

And since I was at the same time having an interesting time looking at Meg Greene’s multiple exposures, I thought to try that out. Searched and downloaded the first app Google threw up at me.

I narrowed down my selection to a set of four objects, each with one close-up and one macro snap of it. For each double exposure, I layered a close-up view of an object with the macro shot of another object. Made it into a four-tile collage and this is what I ended up with.

Can you match each close-up to its corresponding macro image?

Here are the answers:

Dust, scratches, detail and fibre. I was quite amazed by the degree of detail in the macro captures.

Then the light grew bad, so I stopped.

Hello sleepy.

iPhoneography Challenge: Macro
Apps used: Camera+, Instablend, Moldive

By the way, this is the exact size of an image saved from Instablend, so tiny!

I couldn’t find the settings to increase the resolution. The advertising was also very obtrusive and irritating. So I won’t really recommend it. Let me know if you have an awesome double or multiple exposure app to share, k?

By the way, you guys should check out echo/sight if you are interested in double exposures. Their work is amazing.
– http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1068932801/new-york-london
– http://instagram.com/echosight

References
– http://osxdaily.com/2012/10/07/tips-better-iphone-macro-photos/
– http://osxdaily.com/2012/07/07/take-an-iphone-photo-remotely-using-the-earbuds/

This dog wants a kitten

By weliveinaflat

On May 15, 2013

In Dog & You

Quite sometime back, I saw this documentary on TV – I love you, mummy. It basically documents an American family’s adoption of a child from China.

Now this was not a puppy or a shelter dog but an 8-year-old human child. Although she was abandoned as a baby, she had grown to view the Chinese foster family she lived with as her own. The foster mother was her mother and not the new adopted American mother. The foster siblings her real siblings and not her new siblings from her adopted family. Was it hard for the Chinese foster family to give up the child? I do not know the machinery of China’s fostering programs. But the Chinese foster family was on board for a reason I find hard to argue with. They explained that the international adoption was her best chance in life. She was born with clubfoot and dropped wrists and they feared she would have a hard time as an adult if she had stayed in China.

The documentary was emotionally hard to watch.

Puppies adopted and then returned to the shelter again when they are in their “terrible twos” may cry, may retreat into a corner as they struggle with their new circumstances. The child may be adopted by new parents but at the same time, wouldn’t she feel a conflicting sense of abandonment? What complex emotions does an 8-year-old child feel?

She struggled and she cried. She was the alien in a new country living among people who look not at all like her and who don’t speak her language. She can keep crying about how terrible she feels but no one can comfort her back in the language she understands.

It must have been difficult for the adoptive parents as well, taking a strange child (no matter how much they wanted her) who did not want them, who wanted to go home and who can’t communicate to them when she is hurting physically.

But as it is with life, people adjust when they are forced to it, no matter how difficult the circumstances. They make do. They adapt. And so the adopted child learnt to get along with the other children in the family and also a different set of expectations from her new parents. She learnt English. She gradually forgot her mother tongue.

The manifestations of love by man is manifold. Giving up a child with the hope that the child may have a chance at a better life even knowing that it would be very difficult for the child. Taking in a reluctant child that protests against being taken in and refuses to acknowledge you as family. Learning to be comfortable with and care for a strange new family that you have been forced into and had to depend on in order to survive.

The responsibility one takes on and the endurance and commitment the family, including the child, needed to put in to making the adoption work is perhaps hard to conceive unless one finds oneself in their shoes. Love alone is not enough. Now somebody tell this irrepressible dog please! :P