Rabbits working overtime

Been sick at home nursing a fever and cold. It was dreadfully boring and the animals had to work overtime to keep me entertained. The rabbits' nap was interrupted every two hours or so with me offering them new types of food - dandelion leaves, xiao bai cai, and bok choy. In the end, they got so fed up (literally) that they hid in the loft of their home and refused to respond to me anymore.

"Go away, we want to sleep. Shouldn't you be at work?"



Lost

Darn! Blogspot revamped the dashboard and I seem to have lost all my drafts! Thanks a lot, blogspot.

Mulling a second property

It is either a sign of an unusually wealthy middle class, or a dangerous bubble in the making.

Suddenly, my peers are all looking into buying a second property for rental income. I can't deny that it is my aspiration one day too. A spare home pulls in passive income, and helps to preserve the value of your savings in these days of heady inflation. Who could have thought that such a time would come for our little nation, when we salaried working folks can hope to join the formerly exclusive club of property investors? No wonder property prices defy gravity despite all of our government's cooling measures.

But somehow for me, the Math isn't adding up favourably. Don't forget that interest rates never remain static, and a typical mortgage loan is likely to stretch through times of higher financing costs. This means having to save up a huge sum for refinancing, does it not?

Besides, if everyone is looking for tenants, who is going to be the tenant? Our country's population is already exploding. What are the chances of further significant increases to soak up the spare housing capacity that is frantic construction now?

Yet maybe human nature is such. These considerations aren't stopping me from lingering fondly over lavish condo advertisments, and worse, checking out condo prices every week. Hm...it is such a struggle to keep a cool head in a hot market. Luckily I'm held back by a lack of resources anyway, hahaha.

Mulling Rabbit Food

Now you know how we always joke that vegetables and such are rabbit food? That's just shows how little we know about rabbits' tastebuds. Evidently, looking at my rabbits' behaviour, there are differences between even the various kinds of lettuce. They reject coral lettuce, but romaine lettuce is a favourite. What is the difference? Frankly, I find all kinds of lettuce bland and clammy, but these are the true connoisseurs.  Funny little things.

Whitty likes it so much that she grabbed a huge mouthful and ran off to eat on her own in peace, so that Blackie can't harass her for it.

Ok ok, I get the message. No to coral, yes to romaine. Some lettuce are just more equal. Don't even try to understand why.

Picky rabbits

Hey, the two of you, do you really have to behave like this?

Alas, my new purchase - coral lettuce - evidently isn't tasty enough for the picky rabbits. Blackie and Whitty are showing me how little they like my offering. Blackie is sitting far away, refusing to touch the lettuce, and Whitty turns her back to it and hides in the hay cave.

You can guess what happened to the remaining leaves - the humans had a very healthy dinner the next day.

What the rabbits refuse to eat, they refuse to eat. There is no coaxing or scolding them. As neither V nor I like lettuce, he begs me to stop trying out new vegetables on the rabbits and just stick to what they like.

Mrt breakdown: An Amazing Race adventure

Suddenly, through my headphones, I hear muffled announcements. The train I am on is stopping for a suspiciously long time. Then it dawns on us - there is a train delay, just when we are all hurrying to work. How long is it going to be? Then, there comes a disquieting thought that I had drunk too much water in the morning. Uh oh...

The train crawls to Marymount Mrt station, and announcements tell us that service would be delayed for (only) 15 minutes. But I look at all the people disgorging unto the station platforms, milling up the escalators, and pouring out into the open, and tell myself, there is no way I am going to continue my journey on the Circle Line.

It is time to call for a cab. Oh, there is none available. Everyone is trying to do the same.

I walk to the nearest bus stop, which is growing crowded. No direct bus service to office. Never mind, I have to leave the vicinity, so I take a bus going to Little India. A few bus stops later, a bus stands empty, broken down. The stranded passengers try to push into my packed bus. *SCREAM!* Is it apocalyse? If there isn't space, there isn't space!

Then I get off at Little India Mrt where the NEL line is still functioning. It takes me to Outram, and another train finally brings me to office. My word, it is like taking part in Amazing Race, connecting many dots to reach the destination.

Vacancy at home

I'm not used to it yet. Every time I feed the Squeaks, I'm struck again by the empty space that was occupied by PipSqueak's cage :( Our home now has a vacancy for one pet :( I am thinking of a dog, actually, but V has declared that the vacancy is to be reserved for a future human offspring.

Uncle Blackie

I have almost forgotten how mischievous Blackie used to be, seeing that he has now become a staid, mature gentleman who is always patient with his bunbride. While Whitty is busy investigating around her, Blackie would just lounge nearby, watching her indulgently.

Goodbye, PipSqueak, our very first pet. Thank God it was quick and peaceful. I can tell myself I had given her everything that was good.

Whitty in action

Whitty trying to figure out a way to go into the bathroom. As prey animals, rabbits are supposed to be very timid, but oddly enough, they are also full of curiosity. They are always poking their noses around the door, and occasionally kick hard at it with their back feet. 

I always think the rabbits look so cute when they yawn, as they stretched themselves after their sleep, ready to begin their evening of mischief. Was delighted to have caught this in action. Pity it is blurred. They move too fast.

Ageing Population at Home

Alas, I have always known that this day would come :(

I love hamsters, but it is heartbreaking to see they run through their short life cycle :( It seems only yesterday when I brought them home - tiny and mischievous and full of energy. And now, we have an colony of geriatric hamsters, which mean frequent vet visits, and constant medication! I have finished feeding PipSqueak's month-long fungal medicine, and now, it is time to start Friendly's medicine regime. *sigh* I am more familiar with Baytril (hamster antibiotics) than I would like to be :(

Three weeks later, we are going to have to trim Ninja's teeth, and get Friendly's skin lump followed up. It could mean surgery, but I pray not.  *Sob* Granny PipSqueak is balding and skinny. Well, at least she is still walking (not running anymore) on her wheel.

This is the very, very hardest part of pet-owning. And I don't even dare to tot up the vet's bills :(

Busy Pet Owner

I hope that this is not an omen of what life would be like as a mother in future :(

Every morning before I go to work, there are five adorable furkids begging for attention. Whitty is standing by the pet barrier waiting for pats, Blackie is nibbling the barrier to emphasize the point. Ninja is in the balcony of her cage looking for my hand, and sometimes falls off when she stretches out too far into the hand-less empty. Poor silly thing. Yet this pet owner would be hurrying through feeding tasks and then rush off to work, promising myself that I would spend more time with them in the evening.

After work, I am cooking dinner and doing housework and once again, rushing through the feeds. The animals get the best of food and toys. As rabbits and hamsters go, they are incredibly affectionate and responsive but sadly, I always seem to find myself walking away from them more than playing with them.

Alas, the curse of a busy life! What is the point if you can't even spend time with those you love?

Open kitchen day

I decided to conduct a "kitchen basics" session for Boon One to encourage her to cook more. After all, home cooked food is so much healthier. So I first showed off my set of Happy call pots and pans, brewed corn soup and stewed Sakura chicken.

Then Boon one tried some super easy dishes - grilled asparagus, steamed fish and pork omelette. With simple substitution of different ingredients, she can easily produce a variety of meals.

Yumyum to think that not too long ago I was struggling to figure out how to cook. I have come a long way! It wasn't too bad after all.

Rabbit defending her litter box

Whitty doesn't like us to touch her litter box and precious hay, even if the hay is just lying around stained in pee, and uneaten. Here she is, firmly sitting in her litter box when we want to clear it, and refusing to budge. Sometimes when a gentle push doesn't work, we have to lift up the box and tip out the feisty girl in order to clean the box.

Leave my hay and litter box alone...or else...



Well, she has bitten me before and drew blood, when I was doing rabbit housekeeping. Now I am pretty wary about it whenever I have to do this.

Hougang Resident v. Government

An Hougang Resident is suing the Government in a bid to get an earlier by-election to replace our currently M.I.A representative. I don't have strong preference regarding the outcome, but this lady is working as a part-time cleaner. Can't help wondering who is going to pay her legal fees.

Stubborn rabbit

Blackie!

Do you have to be such a picky eater? I gave you lovely wheatgrass and you turned your face away. You used to like baby salad leaves and now you don't anymore. What can I do to make you eat your greens? Which self-respecting rabbit chooses to eat newspaper instead of tasty vegetables?

I am doing an exceedingly ridiculous thing - chasing the rabbit around, waving bits of vegetables at his mouth. Arh!!! The neighbours would think I'm mad.

I don't like greens. It is nasty and wet.

Say No to an Easter Bunny

Easter is not a good reason to buy a bunny.

Especially if you are not prepared to clear up all the poop and pee (and rabbits produce an amazing amount of it), take care to feed it correctly, bring it to the vet and pet groomers regularly, and give it space to run (not a cage)!

So many people asking me to adopt their rabbits lately. My home has no space, ok, though my heart aches for the poor unwanted critters. We have a full house - 20 little furry feet pitter-pattering about is jolly well enough.

So basically, just don't do it. Like rabbits? Go oogle at a petshop. No commitment needed.

Fit for rabbits' consumption

I guess, it is my fault. I'm the one who spoilt these two things so thoroughly that now they would only eat the finest food :P Like this organic wheatgrass - delicate and fresh.

I tried out a new hay on the rabbits - camomile-scented mountain hay. To my dismay, the naughty things refused to eat it. In fact, they showed me how much they disliked it by...eating their poop instead. Rabbits! Is this how I brought you up? SCREAM!