Coco and Storm

Last week, I was so sad to hear of our neighbour's chocolate labrador Coco's sudden death. I've always had a soft spot for gentle Coco. She was the same colour as my old dog Cookie, and she had the sweetest temperament. She was only 9 when she died, leaving behind her son Storm (below).

Several years ago, Coco escaped from her ground floor apartment and returned home pregnant. Subsequently, she gave birth to several black puppies. One, called Patches, is a gorgeous black dog with a white chest who lives nearby.

The other, called Pinkie, was given away to the owner's friend who recently wanted to give the dog up as she was about to deliver her own child. Nobody wanted to take in a big black dog, so she was contemplating putting Pinkie to sleep. How cruel!

Even Coco's owner couldn't adopt Pinkie for she already has 3 dogs and a cat in her small apartment!

I'm quite sure that Coco could sense what was happening and couldn't bear to see her own child being euthanised. So she did the ultimate sacrifice. Now that she is gone, Pinkie is coming to live with Storm.

Animals are like human beings. They have feelings too. Storm used to be a rascal. When his mother was around, he swaggered around like a bully. He growled and barked incessantly and often lunged at Rusty. We always kept our distance.

Something strange happened the day his mother died. He completely changed into a sweet dog. According to the maid, now he listens to instructions and has stopped barking at people. He must still be grieving for he walks around forlornly, sniffing here and there for his mother's scent.

For the first time yesterday, he was friendly with Rusty. Both dogs were sniffing each other, with tails wagging like good old friends.

We think Storm grew up the day his mother died.

YK is 19!

YK turns 19 today. I can hardly believe he is an adult now. I can still remember quite clearly the relief I felt when I delivered him after being in labour for an entire day! He was such a bundle of joy and very much loved by all around.

Now that he's all grown up, he's still a lucky boy. Just because he likes black forest cake, his good friend surprised him with a black forest ice cream cake from Swensons while I bought him the highly acclaimed one from Pine Garden. Tonight we had more than enough cake to eat!

Two times lucky

Last year, I won a stay at Yelverton Brook Eco Spa Retreat in Western Australia. This year, I won a beautiful piece of jewelry from My Sinfonia, a very talented lady based in Tasmania, Australia who sells her hand crafted pieces on line. I've never won anything in Singapore but I've been lucky in Australia!

I love her work not only for her creativity, but also because she uses good quality materials. I bought a bracelet (below) for my friend last year and have always wanted to get something for myself.

When she ran a competition recently, I joined and was surprised to be amongst the three winners. I was really lucky, considering she has more than 500 fans!

Guess what I found in my mailbox today? My prize, and two other items that I purchased at 20% discount. The pieces are so pretty, I can't wait to wear them!

A good move

Today marks the first day of work at our new office. I like how cheery and bright the place is.

Behind this Japanese curtain is our toilet.

We even have a large patio. These are some of the plants we selected from the nursery.

I like my new office. :-)

His best. My worst

We took part in Run 350 yesterday. While CH clocked his personal best timing, it was my worst run ever.

That's me doing stretches, and CH looking very smug.

It all began at the starting line. I had a bad tummyache during take off. I limped to the nearest toilet at Marina Bay Sands Mall, clutching my tummy. Nothing happened after 5 minutes, so I decided to get out and continue the run.

Maybe I was still recovering from flu, I became breathless very quickly. Could it be due to the lack of training or the old shoes I was wearing? I used to breeze through a 10K run without any difficulty but I couldn't even run 1k without panting yesterday. My feet were so sore too.

It was quite demoralising running/walking amongst the laggers. Since I wasn't doing well, I decided to focus on the scenic route instead. This is the first run where I could stop and take photos without getting in peoples' way.

I felt more like a tourist snapping pictures using my phone camera. Enjoy!

At last!

I'm so excited! YK will be touching down in less than an hour. Yes, it has been six long weeks! I'm heading to the airport now.

Eating strawberry

I like strawberry but the ones in Singapore are usually sour.

The best way to eat sour strawberries is to dip them in Balsamic Glaze Chocolate.

This is brilliant!

I'm filled with such happiness because I've just discovered a website by people who cook and draw.

It makes cooking more fun this way.

Beach Wedding

Sandrine and Stephane finally got married last Friday, after 12 years of courtship, and the birth of a baby. After a sedate ceremony at the French Embassy, the couple and guests adjourned to Palawan Beach at Sentosa for a night of partying.

We arrived at Bora Bora Beach Bar in the evening and helped ourselves to beer, cocktails and nibbles.

Everyone was given a lei.

There are many ways to wear a lei.

Here I am, carrying Alice, the couple's 4-month old baby.

It's great to have friends who love the outdoors. Two years ago, we attended a wedding in the park. This time, this French couple picked Sentosa. Luckily the weather was perfect for a beach party.


As we relaxed under the coconut trees, the bride and groom had their photos taken.

This kitten kept sneaking up on us.

I can see why they picked Sentosa. The sunset was gorgeous.

When the sun went down, the party really started. Fueled by beer and cocktails, we were all in high spirits.

Most of the guests, especially the bride and groom (below) danced the night away.

Raining cats and dogs

It was raining cats and dogs when we arrived at Petals and Leaves, a lovely restaurant in Kranji Countryside. We parked and made a quick dash to the porch, trying our best to stay dry.

We were not alone. Two pups were also scampering about, soaked to the skin. When lightning flashed in the sky, the smaller dog started shaking and cowered under our table.

Soon, both dogs were seeking solace below our table. The waiters, thinking we might not like it, tried to shoo them away. I told them I enjoy having them at my feet.


SK and I shared a platter of calamari and fish & chips.

Deep fried food - unhealthy but delicious.