Breaking news!!! Agent Orange is back!!!

So there I was cycling on my pink bicycle, doing my fourth round when suddenly, one of the walkers excitedly waved at me and pointed towards an orange object at the playground which looked suspiciously like a....cat!

The walker, Mukda, was so excited so I cycled faster towards her and then I saw the orange object....

"Is this the cat?? Is this the cat??", Mukda asked.

Oh my gosh....!!!

YES!!!

Luckily I did not fall off my bike....I raced into the house, grabbed my phone (for the camera), a can of Monge, a spoon, a bowl and raced out....yes, faster than lightning, I dare say.

Tadahhh!!!!

It's Willy!!  He's back!!!

Makan, makan, makan!! It's Hari Raya!

Aww...Vincent, his old friend, followed me closely and accompanied him as he ate.

Rosie was excited too and had come over.

(Sorry folks, my camera is still in the workshop, so this phone would have to do!)

Grandma Heidi was already on someone's car, right behind me.

Down, girl, down!

I couldn't believe what I am seeing, folks!

Willy is back and looks like our Hari Raya theory is also wrong.

Willy, where were you during the last 4 days??

Were you on a secret mission, somewhere?

Everyone was here to welcome Willy back.

Willy didn't dare cross over to his breakfast spot, so I brought breakfast over for him.

Yes, it looks like Mr G is spending Hari Raya with us. His owner did not come to collect him.

Only Timmy didn't come over as he was busy....guarding his food arsenal.

Duty calls, you know. Timmy is a conscientious staff of the food arsenal. Employee of the Year, you know.

But soon, our joyous and happy homecoming celebration was interrupted when Willy suddenly tensed up...

Uh-oh...it was Mr Zurik.

He must have heard the news from the shrews and he appeared out of nowhere. I thought he had already gone home...

Don't be afraid, Willy. He won't harm you.

Mr Zurik wasted no time in crossing the road over to where Willy was.

Willy thought he should go off to safer grounds.

I shoo-ed Mr Zurik back and Heidi helped by accompanying him over. It reminds of those military escort fighter jets, you know. When they want to force another plane to land, they do this, right?

They are all trained in the military. Mr Zurik is KGB-trained, Heidi is BND (that's German intelligence), and Willy....I am not sure yet. But he could be from MI-6. Hence, the tension between the two (KGB and MI-6). I mean, who is the villain in almost all the James Bond movies, right?

Anyway, I managed to deflect Mr Zurik from his mission.

Willy heads back. Back where?

I was going to tail him this time....to see where his house is.

Shh....

The BND Agent Heidi followed me...

Willy knew he was being followed, so he stopped for a scratch.

And he decided to go no further than the pavilion.

But Mr Zurik was hot on his trail...not "hot" as in hurriedly hot, but sinisterly hot.

Willy still has a problem here.

These is faeces stuck in his anus.

My first thought was...I know this is going to sound crazy, but I had scheduled Willy for his first vaccination on Monday, and he coincidentally disappeared on Sunday. I think Willy knows he should not be vaccinated for some reason?

Maybe he knows he is not fit enough to be vaccinated yet?

I just learnt this word yesterday - "empath". I learnt it from the episode "Inner Child" in Fringe (a serial about fringe science and the mysterious stuff that our science cannot explain yet). So, this boy in the show was an "empath" (from the word "empathy"). He has a super strong ability to sense anyone's feelings within miles. So he knows what you are up to, at any time. He was able to read a murderer's feelings, so a murder was prevented from happening.

I think cats are empaths. Well, maybe their ability doesn't stretch across miles, but certainly within a reasonable radius.

So Willy knew I well-intentionally wanted to get him vaccinated and I was too dumb to know he's not fit for it yet, so he had to disappear, see? And he comes back on a public holiday so that I cannot haul him to the vet's to be vaccinated because the vet is closed!

Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Just how smart is a cat, you tell me?

So my Hari Raya theory was wrong. It's this "empath"-vaccination theory now.

You're an empath, aren't you, Willy?

This is the first time I see Willy doing Happy Days!

The Russian was still near.

But our feisty German agent kept him in check.

Are you from MI-6, Willy?

I guess he's not telling...

Soon, the Russian had crept so near, he was just behind the wall.

No worries, because Heidi is on full alert.

уходи, Mr Zurik, уходи!

Good girl, Heidi! I mean, Agent Heidi.

And welcome home, Agent Orange.

We hope your mission had been successful!

I didn't know this - Heidi and Willy are friends and they play!

Well yes, even secret agents get a day off, what's more when it is Hari Raya, right?

I decided there was no way I would know where Willy's headquarters is, so I started heading back home.

And which secret agency are you from, Mr G?

Whatever it is, you've got to give Timmy full marks for doing his duty - guarding the food arsenal!

I do believe my pink bicycle brought me luck!

By the way, the pink bicycle is my birthday present. I turned 50 yesterday! And Willy's return is also a great birthday present for me, though it is one day late. (He got the dates wrong because his mission was in another time zone.)

I also believe Willy spotted me cycling, so he came out from hiding to tell me he is safe! It's the "empath" in him, I'm sure of that.

We humans are just not there yet. So, for me, it's the pink bicycle, folks...don't leave home without it. Pink bicycles make things right.

And a million thanks to everyone who had offered words of comfort when our Agent Orange disappeared into thin air and thanks for praying for his safe return from his "secret mission"!

Selamat Hari Raya!

Repainting Pole's condo

The bottom half of Pole's condo is quite badly rusted - thanks to Indy, Bunny and Cow's constant spraying.

I've been wanting to remove the rust and repaint it so that it would at least last a bit longer.

Today seems as good a day as any to do it, what with the reasonably strong sun and all.

I'd already scraped off some of the rust two days ago. But guess I did not do such a good job.

Quality control supervisors kept a keen eye on the job in progress.

What's happening to my condo? 

Thanks to the good sun, it dried well.

But of course we know there is a possibility that the new smell would deter Pole from going in at least for a few days.

I'll only move back in when I'm ready.

It's all ready, actually, but cats' sense of smell is so good, of course they would be able to detect the new smell. And I'm sure the smell of paint isn't exactly inviting! Not even for us.

I purposely did not wash the mat or the towel used to cover the condo. Not even Tab's pillow case. At least there's some old scent left. But so far, no one has gone in yet...

Travelling light in life

Long, long ago, I had this bicycle...

That's Bobby with me, way back in the old neighbourhood...many, many, many years ago

It was a mountain bike. One day, my son cycled on it to play basketball, left my bike in the court and walked back after that. So that was the end of the bike! (So yes, as Chen commented, luckily he flies a plane these days...less chances of him leaving the plane and walking back home!)

So I have been bikeless for 7 years since then.

But yesterday, I decided it's time to cycle again. I had just read from somewhere that Parkinson's patients were cured after they were made to cycle.

What's there to lose? Moreover, cycling is fun.

So, we went to the bike shop yesterday, and chose the simplest bicycle. The old fashioned type with a basket in front and a carrier at the back. Yes, a utility bike which can double-up as an exercise vehicle. I can go buy veggies with it too, and collect AnimalCare application mails.

It has no gears at all as I wanted something as basic as possible. But, it's made of alloy (to withstand rust from cat spraying...ha ha). And it was reasonably priced. Made in China, I think.

I cycled back from the shop!

(Photos taken by my husband from the car.)

The construction you see in the photo above is the LRT that they are building, claiming that it would be useful for the residents (though I doubt it very much). Gone are our lovely and mature green trees. The most beautiful and serene road in Subang Jaya has now been turned into a nightmare, but never mind, let's just hope the monstrosity they are building will actually benefit some people.

After not cycling for 7 years, it took some time to get used to it, especially so when a mountain bike requires you to bend forward whereas with a normal bike, you need to keep an almost vertical back.

 Fun, fun, fun!

It's pink!

http://news.discovery.com/adventure/the-top-7-health-benefits-of-cycling.htm

By the way, shortly after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, they issued a report which said that if we want to help brake global warming, there are three essential things which we must embrace in our daily lives:

(1)  Don’t eat meat,

(2)  Ride a bike,

(3)  Be a frugal shopper.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuTV0E3b3GI

Now, can you spot these 8 at the patio?

Ha ha...Tiger made himself "invisible" in the previous photo!!

Now, about this? Can you spot all 8 in this photo below?

If you can't, you need MORE than a pair of spectacles!!

ANSWERS:

The grey tabbies: Heidi, Vincent, Mr Zurik.

The Orange Family: Daffodil, Rosie, Ginger and Timmy.

 The super guest star: Mr G!

By the way, his owner did not pick him up yesterday, so it looks like Mr G is spending Hari Raya with us!

And dear Willy, Selamat Hari Raya to you too! Have a great holiday in your kampung!

Can you spot all 7 of them?

They are all in this photo with me.

 Find Indy, Pole, Cleo, Bunny, Tabs, Cow and Tiger!

The Hari Raya connection to.....Willy???

HOW could I be so dumb!!!

Willy went "missing"  on Sunday morning, this week is school holidays for Hari Raya, so....

Willy's owner must have taken him along to "balik kampung" for Hari Raya!!!

Isn't this absolutely possible???

And how did I guess it? My friend from Ipoh, who reads my blog, called up to ask about Willy (she's really kind) and we got talking and she told me not to give up as they will come back and suddenly....suddenly out of the blue, that possibility dawned on me!!

And to strengthen this possibility, Mr G's owner called me just now asking me if I've seen "Jelly" (that is his real name).  She wants to board all her cats for Hari Raya and she was looking for Mr G.  I told her Mr G is almost always in my house (in fact, INSIDE my house) so if she doesn't mind, Mr G can stay in my house for Hari Raya. But then she told me some of her cats (those not boarded) will get stolen during Hari Raya. I told her I could not guarantee Mr G's safety as he sometimes roams too, so she says she will come over and take him for boarding before she leaves for her kampung.

But back to the possibility that Willy could now be holidaying in his kampung for Hari Raya!!! Or maybe, like Mr G, is being boarded somewhere for the holidays?

Isn't this totally possible?

I'm so exhilarated and actually, for the first time since Sunday, I can now smile again and yes, enjoy a new CD that I bought for myself - the Beach Boys' Surfin' USA!

Selamat Hari Raya, Willy!

Alternatively, here's Kettenkard's hypothesis:

Maybe Komrad Zurik sent him to a cat boot-camp. To man him up a little bit.

Yes, now, that's possible too, but Komrad Zurik just looked when I asked him the other day! However, I could have sworn I heard him say: разве вы не хотели бы знать!

Patchwork blankets in progress

I stopped by my parent's house after work today, and my mum showed me how much she has done on the next blanket. For those who missed the earlier posts, this is our latest merchandise for fundraising - handsewn patchwork blankets, done by my mother who is 80 years old (but has better eyesight than me!).

I like doing patchwork too, but not as a hobby, though, so since I was already there, I might as well make myself useful.

Needle and thread, mum?

My mum insists on using the finest (and I mean, the FINEST...so fine that you can barely see the needle) needle to sew the pieces together. I could barely make out the eye of that needle, let alone thread it! So there was no way I could manage that needle.

Don't you have a bigger one?

Ah, this I can manage. But threading the needle took some time too.

My mum says the hardest part is threading the needle (well of course, because she is using the finest needle, that's why).

She showed me all her designs, done on an exercise book. It was all very mathematical, something I could definitely appreciate. Mathematics, after all, is the science of patterns. I keep telling my students that, but they always fail to see it. Once you discern the patterns, you'll have solved half the problem. They think mathematics is all about punching buttons on the calculator. Now, that's really sad....

Anyway, I started sewing.

It instantly reminded me of primary school days where towards the end of the year, we would spend the last few weeks doing needlework in class. Did you do that in your time? We did. We would knit, crochet or simply sewed. Our teacher (if female) would do the same too! I remember in Year 6, we all helped our teacher sew a big hexagonal patchwork blanket, complete with manila card pieces and all.

School was fun in those days....

No ipads, you know.

My mum brought out all the cloth for me to see and match. She's buying cloth to make these blankets now.

Hmm...colour-matching...that's physics. Primary colours, secondary colours, pigments, you know...

I've reminded mum that she must rest her eyes.

She assured me she does.

 We already have a first bid for this blanket, from Jasmine Ong in Melaka.

Jasmine's opening bid is RM150!

Ahem...I helped sew it too!

Also, this post is also specially posted for Hasanah Wan Abd Rahman, one of our readers. You wont believe how small the world is....

Read this email from Hasanah, which I received this morning:

Dear Dr. Chan,

I'm Hasanah, I wrote to you before regarding the cats for adoption but this time I'm not writting for animals!

As I read your articles about the lost dog in TTDI and you did mention that the owner is your dad's friend, and you talked about kuala kangsar.

So may I asked you about you because I came from Kuala Kangsar, perak.  Long before when I was still small my brother had a friend by their name Mr. and Mrs Chan. That time was in Kampar. Very nice couple and all in our family knows them.

Then during my school time, this couple were in Kuala Kangsar.  Im not sure but I think Mr.Chan was an engineer with JKR I think while Mrs. Chan is a teacher.  They have one son and a daughter.

I'm just wondering if this could be the same Chan's family that we knew?

I'm so sorry Dr. Chan because I'm writting something personal and not about the animals care...

I really admire you works towards the animals care, thank you so much.

Thank you Dr. Chan for your time.

I had goose bumps when I read Hasanah's email and I replied immediately. While "Chan" is such a common surname in Kampar, being a town populated largely by Cantonese Chinese, that has to be my family that she described because she's got every detail right (spot on!). And her brother must be Uncle Wan Radzi, a close personal friend of ours, who was the ADO (Assistant District Officer) of Kampar, who, incidentally, watched me grow up since I was 3 years old!

A long story cut short, yes, it's all correct! My mum remembers Hasanah as my mum taught her in school and my father remembers Uncle Wan Radzi most fondly too.

Isn't it a small world?

AnimalCare connects!

Hasanah, here's my mum's photos for you! She remembers you fondly!