Climb

It was quite a rush decision to climb the hill once more. Seamonkey and I booked the Grassland's promotion for Genting highland. It was quite a bargain for $93 per pax. Mengkwang was the salesman and if there was any reason not to book Grassland again, it has to be him. I shall not elaborate.

The coach was expectedly dusty because of the non-leathered cushion seats. Luckily, they have a pretty strong air-con which I used to form an air curtain to direct the dust to ... a direction. Throughout the journey, it was iPod, National Geo Magazine and stoning, for me.

The weather up there was delightfully cool with showers lasting an hour or so before developing into drizzle. Then the clouds came in throngs, which just make the cool weather cooler.

Some highlights of the trip:

- basketball machines

- 1900 tickets unexpectedly vomited out of a machine and we took it

- met three Thai ladies at the theme park

- Burger King for the first 2 days

- lousy KFC breakfast

- greasy water jug in hotel room

For some reasons, I thoroughly enjoyed walking up and down the slopes, be it from Genting Hotel to First World, or from First World to the Mushroom Farm. Tiring, but satisfying. I guess, I belong to the mountains.

More pictures in a few days time.

What's remained of Apple?

In case anyone out there is planning to cremate your beloved dead pets with the hope of keeping the ashes, please do not be a moron like me and send them to SPCA. You will end up with NOTHING. Neither should you visit somewhere along the lines of James Tan, unless you want your pets to be grilled over slow fire until well done.

Apple was cremated at SPCA, together with others. No ash for me.I was intending to put some of her remains in a pouch and bring her along when I go on holidays, now I could not. I force myself to think that she is going have many friends she can skip around playing with on the way to the other world. I am extremely grateful to myself that I'd ask Hazel to help me keep Apple's collar.

What I am not going to see again:

- Apple licking me while I am not alert

- Apple skipping on 2 legs when I brought food

- Apple tapping me with her front leg

- Apple torque launching when I walk her

- Apple eating the most and being the thinnest

- Apple chasing Or-or the bird

- Apple attacking houseflies, and getting them

- Apple barking at stranger (human and dogs) and blackies

- Apple and Nini-the-cat sharing their food and water

- Apple, Apple, Apple

Rest in peace, My Apple

APPLE 

(Passed away: 16th March 2009 13:29pm)

當天於你共度歡樂時光

當晚陪你捱過失眠夜晚

失去的時光無從尋回

開口一汪 喚回所有於你的美好回憶

講不出聲 講不出聲

任由自己 於淚共枕

不忍心送別你 但卻無奈送走你

誰能怪我 曾經真心 愛過你

In case anyone thinks that this is a pun involving my macbook and my dog, I am really talking about the latter.

My heart drips blood as I type. Apple passed away yesterday morning. Now, I could no longer type "Rose, Apple & Daisy, and Nini the cat". Apple contracted a rare virus that invaded her nervous system(not yet the neuro for she still looks at me with emotions), causing paralysis and locked jaw. I hate myself for being angry at her 2 days ago when she refused to eat the meat that I brought to her front, I hate myself for scolding her "HOW TO GET WELL IF YOU DO NOT EAT?!". All the more I hate myself, when I recalled Apple waving her tail at me 2 days ago and yesterday morning, despite her paralysis.

I vividly remember bathing her feverish body 2 days ago because she got stuck under a forklift and got herself dirty. I shall remember the final meal of glucose porridge, that I cooked for her before sending her on the Pet Taxi, to her death at the hospital.

My hands are trembling as I typed till here.

Apple, please forgive me, I still and will forever love you.

p.s. Fiddle died yesterday evening. May your spirit find peace too.

Restless me

I am extremely restless.

Apple's feet is almost healed. But her feverish condition is going from bad to worse. Today, I attempted to feed her with some chicken, which she expressed no interest in. I had to force it into her mouth, which didn't yield any success, for she spat them out. Later, she made her into the drain, twice. I had to relocate her, after cleaning her.

I drove to the mart to get a tub of glucose, in hope to energise her abit. She licked up 2 shots of them in an instant, to my slight relief.

Hazel is picking her up tomorrow for the clinic again.

Other than worrying, I can only hope, for now.

Get Well Soon

A day after I am torn between laughing or crying at Apple's Elizabeth Collar, I have decided that I should be bleeding from the core of my heart. I wish there were language classes for Dog'ish. Apple has been reduced to bones and skin. The Doxycycline is working out in Apple's tummy, causing her to vomit transparent foam. I have trouble feeding her as she do not seem to be interested in any foodstuff. The swell on her legs seems to be improving, and I hope the comforting trend carries on.

Apple, get well soon.

Sick Apple

It started a week ago when I realised Apple limping. Thinking it could be someone who injured her, I cursed and swore into the thin air. Then, the injury developed into pain at the sole. But it healed within 3 days, after which, a sore came up at the top of the paws. Apple licked at the paws occasionally.

Yesterday, I saw that Apple's eyes became teary and almost sunken. I became worried and arrange for her to be taxied to a vet. The vet instructed that Apple should be fasted.

Just now, she returned, with 3 bags of pills, a bottle of cleaning solution and a canister of cream, and, an Elizabeth's Collar. I do not know whether to laugh or to cry.

Youth Nowadays

Heard over local radios:

"現在的青年，哪裡像我們以前 ..."

"以前老師講什麼，我們那裡敢 ..."

"現在的學生，不懂尊師重道 ..."

"As teachers, they have certain honour in them and should be respected ..."

"Kids nowadays are ..."

A foreign student studying at a local university stabbed his lecturer and committed suicide afterwards. Local media spare no efforts to 'angelise' the lecturer and diagnosed all sorts of mental illnesses and intellectual problems on the dead student. The chinese saying "死無對證" could not be better demonstrated.

Many call-in programmes on the local radios wasted no time in opening the lines for callers to discuss circling the topic of "Youth Nowadays". And I have guessed it right that most callers are the middle-aged housewives or their male counterparts. The boring theme coupled with the equally repetitive response from the callers could not bore me further. Like the blame shifted wholesale onto the dead student, the middle aged shifted the blames for the dysfunctions of youths in the current time to the youth's internal dispositions. A handful went a step further by blaming them on the teachers, the school and the society as a whole. 

However, when one points the accusing finger outside, he fails to realise that three other fingers are pointed at himself. Have they forgotten - Who brought up the youths? Who sent the kids to tuitions, ballet class and shop for all the supplementary workbooks? Who built the society we live in today?

Such is the characteristics of our middle-aged - talk, whine and no action, complain-criticise-condemn.