Gift from the cats

A dead lizard

Rainy Saturday

After a long night out with my girlfriends on Friday, it was nice to sleep on a rainy Saturday. Like the nature know what you need and provide.

Rain keep the grass green

A friend told me to get an air-conditioning unit for my house, but it is not the same. The rain sound is like a lullaby that help with the snoozing.

The banana seems to be on agreement and ripe just in time.

I am going to eat that yellowish one today

Birthday

This lovely cakes was made by Fairuz. Want to order?

The hamster is dead

I went out to the pet shop to get a few things for the hamster. Food, bedding and a brand new pink cage full with all kind of hamster gadget.


While I was away, the hamster manage to cut it way out of the cat carrier that was it temporary home for the last few days.


I got home very happy with the hamster new cage and cannot find the hamster. I looked around the house looking for the hamster and I found the tell tale sign of blood under the dinning table. Further search around the house, I found some tiny pieces of hamster and a skull. It was sad and disgusting.

I am pretty sure the hamster now inside one of these killer cats. My bet is on Nownim (the thin one) as the eater as Nowmok (the fat one) is more the player.

Poor little hamster. I hope it is well in hamster heaven.

Now, what should I do with the brand new cage?

A hamster in hand?

Nowmok the cat got a new catch today. An orange and white hamster.

I have to chased Nowmok in my pyjama, from my house across the road in front of my house and back to my house to get the hamster. When he dropped the hamster from his mouth, the hamster was bleeding and was not moving.

I took the hamster and put it inside a cat carrier with some water. After a while, the hamster started groggily moving around. Thanks god, its still alive.

The hamster safe in the cat carrier

I don't know what hamster eat. I thought about giving it the cat food. After checking in the net, I fed the hamster with some old dates from my fridge. It started eating, so I guest its feeling ok.

Nowmok was livid that I took his play things away. He is at this moment meowing like a mad cat in front of the closed door of the room where I kept the hamster. Kind of asking Why? Why? Why?

Nowmok - not a happy cat

Tomorrow I am going to ask my neighbours if anyone missing a hamster. If no one own it and the hamster is still alive, I guess the hamster is mine.

Love Buffalo

Been There : Bunaken, Indonesia

My latest diving spot was in Bunaken located at the North of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Mun Yee and I touched down in the Sam Ratulangi airport, Manado on March 13, 2009. It was a raining Friday afternoon after 4 hours of flight from Kuala Lumpur.

Sam Ratulangi Airport

The first thing that amazed me in Manado was the Chevrolet taxis waiting for customers at the airport. Bad taxi in KL, that is why this amazed me :D . But we did not take this taxi.

Celebrity taxi

We were driven in slow motion from the airport through Manado town to the Jetty by Mr Sannor (not sure if I spelt them right). I asked Mr Sannor why people drive slowly in Manado. He said 'why we need to drive fast when there is no reason to drive fast and we can take the time to enjoy the view'. Wise man, but his 1/2 hour driving giving me a headache - too slow.

Traffic in Manado 1

Traffic in Manado 2

The Jetty

Market next to the jetty

The mouth of the jetty with Lokon mountain at the back ground

From the jetty, we took another 1 hour travel by boat to the Bunaken Island. It was still raining and the strong wave hit us sideway that sometime I thought the boat going to roll upside down. Fortunately that did not happen and we arrived safely at Pantai Liang (Liang Beach) in the Island of Bunaken.

Jetty Pantai Liang

We stay with the Froggies Divers which provide a good services, clean and nice little bungalow and good food. The diving services are great too. Thanks Hence.

Froggies Divers under all the green with the ditched boat. Someone forgot to take the boat out during high tide.

We stay here

The only complain I have is the beach was litter with rubbish and sea grass. This is due to the storm, so said the people in the resort. They try to clean it up, but the sea kept on bringing more back to the beach.

Views around the island:

Cloudy moment

Manado from Bunaken with Lokon vocanic mountain at the back (the tall one)

The cloud ;)

The cave door

Pantai Liang from the other end

Mysterious looking Manado Tua
Manado Tua

Village at the foot of Manado Tua

Sunset

More sunset

Sunset - last one

The diving was nice and we saw some new things like the ghost pipe fish, the hairy (orang utan) crab, a lot of anemone crabs, a lot of fishes and a sea snake. I did not own an underwater camera, so no underwater wildlife pictures. Need to be rectified soon.

Here some above water wildlife instead:

Jetty's crab

Some kind of bug

Hermit crabs

Sand crab
fishes from the jetty

Not so wild dog

After 5 days of diving, reading and resting, it is time to leave. On the way back, the sea is calmer and we saw a lot of fisherman fishing on the sea.

Traditional fisherman

Modern fisherman with full face helmet

Mr Sannor picked us up from the jetty and drove us back to the airport. A little bit faster this time around. He told us the about Dr Sam Ratulangi and his famous saying - Sitou Timou Tumou Tumou Tou - which translated as 'Man lives to educate others', but I like Mr Sannor translation - Manusia Memanusiakan Manusia (Human Humanise Human).
Dr Sam Ratulangi famous saying in front of the airport

All in all it was a nice holiday, but could be nicer with a better weather.
I should not complain so much ;)
Wish you were there...

Banana is back

New bananas New bananas

About A Movie : The Secret Life of Bees

I am unable to sleep tonight after a dinner of crabs, crabs and more crabs. With all the rerun on tv and crappy network access (thanks s*****x), my best option was in bed with a good movie.

I had this The Secret Life of Bees movie for more than a month and did not know much about the it. After watching it, I think it might be a good idea to look for the adapted book. Not because the movie is bad. The movie is good. Just to see if the movie adapted fully from the book or with modification.

To me, this movie can only be better if they cast a few good looking guy :D

Nowmok said what?

Say No to Farting

Passing gas is a no no in a Bangkok's taxi.

A fish in hand?

I have a small pond in my garden and some fishes in them. Cheap fish (15 for RM2) - local Koi - just to keep the mosquito larvae off the water. Sometime this local Koi can live long, sometime they just die.

A dead fish in hand

In the wake of a dead fish recently, I cannot find any proverb about a fish in hand (or a dead fish in hand) or any other animal in hand. Bird must be loved sometime ago by some people. I did found a Chinese proverb about fish.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time.

Fish is loved by the Chinese.

I love fish too.

A Bird In Hand

As the proverb said 'A bird in hand worth two in the bush'.

A bird in hand

I did get a bird in hand during the Chinese New Year holiday which I spent sleeping for 4 days on and off - lovely.

Nownim, the one using Nowmok as pillow

My beloved cat, Nownim, like to bring back gift now and then. Gift such as lizards, bugs and frogs. She decided to bring a gift of bird on the first day of the Chinese New Year. I took the bird from her. She was not really happy with me because she was not done playing.

The bird was bleeding at it back from Nownim bite and in shock (based on Dr. Fauziah diagnosis). I cleaned up the blood, gave the bird a drink and hold the bird in my hand for awhile. When I tried to release the bird, it did not seem to have the strength to fly. So I kept the bird in a box for half an hour.

After half an hour, I took the bird out from the box and it seems to be stronger. I took it to the back of the house and when I opened my hand, it flew out immediately and left me with two.

True enough as the proverb said that 'A bird in hand worth two in the bush' because the two left by the bird are:

Bird Shit and Bird Blood.

I hope the bird is ok (because Dr. Fauziah think that the bird lost a lot of blood for such a small thing) and ..... please please no SARS :(

Update [Jan 30, 2009]: When I said SARS, I meant Bird Flu. Pig and Bird look the same to me - one haram and one halal ;)

Happy Maal Hijrah 1430

Today is the 1 Muharram 1430 Hijrah in accordance to the Islamic Calendar. The first day of the year. Happy New Year.

To celebrate the new year, I hired our local gardener Mr Kris to spruce up my little garden. Mr Kris came with Mrs Kris and Kris Junior and spruced up the garden.

Before - early this year

While - the spruce up taking place

After