Chinese New Year & My Birthday

The whole of last week was really quite exciting. First we had Chinese New Year (CNY). Did you know that the CNY is actually celebrated for a full 15 days. But the most important days are of course the first and second day. This is the time when we go to our older relatives' homes to wish them Gong Xi Fa Cai, pay our respects with Mandarin oranges and to collect ang pow. What is ang pow you say. Well its a very quaint hooman custom that during the CNY, the married people give unmarried little red packets containing money!! Real cool this custom. Unfortunately both Toto and I didn't get any.

For our CNY we first visited Poh Poh's house in the morning. Mummy brought Mandarin oranges and we all said Gong Xi Fa Cai to Poh Poh. It was really quite fun. We raced up and down her house and poked our noses into every crook and crany. Very interesting.

After that we went to Mah Mah and Kong Kong's house. Once again Mummy brought Mandarin oranges and we all said Gong Xi Fa Cai. We love Mah Mah and Kong Kong's house. It has a huge garden and their neighbours had other furkids too. We raced up and down the garden and made friends with their neighbour's furkids.

Later in the afternoon, Daddy's aunties, uncles and many cousins all came over and paid respects as well. There were loads of kids around. The boy cousins also brought along a football and Toto and I played football with them in the garden. Meantime, Jie Jie and Kor Kor went around collecting ang pows from all the uncles and aunties and the married cousins. They seem to be pleased with their "takings" for the day. I sure hope they buy some pressies for us with their loot. After all they didn't do anything and they got money!!

Altogether it was a really exciting day. We went home in the evening and we were all real tired.

Did you know that during the CNY there is a special dish that is eaten by every one. My family had it during the Reunion dinner before the CNY. Its called Yu Sheng or Raw Fish. Its a dish filled with vegetable and pieces of raw fish that is mixed with crispy crullers and a dressing. While the dish is being prepared, good wishes and blessings are said over the dish so that whoever eats it also gets the wishes and blessings. However before its eaten everyone uses their chopsticks and tosses the salad really high into the air. Its to make wishes and blessings to all around the dinner table.

Yu Sheng being prepared before the BIG toss

Then my birthday came along. I was really surprised. You remember my Mummy asked if I wanted to celebrate on my birthday or have a belated one so that I can get a cake like Toto did last year. So on my birthday morning I didn't expect anything special. But I was really surprised. I got loads of presents. I got my favourite treats and a new squeaky toy. I love those squeaky toys.

See my birthday presents

Not only that Mummy made me a special dinner that day. I had beef steak. Wow! Yummy! I never had my own beef steak before.

Me gobbling down my steak dinner

Anyway all in all it was a wonderful birthday. And I still get to celebrate one more time this weekend when Mummy will get me my cake.

Eat your heart out Toto! I celebrate twice. You only celebrated once.

Chinese New Year

The Chinese Lunar New Year is tomorrow. Mummy says its going to be the year of the Rat. This year is the year of the Pig. There will be many celebrations and good things to eat over the new year.

It is also very important for Chinese to have a Reunion Dinner with all the family on the eve of the New Year. Its a time for everyone in the family to come home from near and far and sit down together for a huge slap up meal. Tonight we will be having our Reunion Dinner. Mummy normally cooks the Reunion Dinner at home and I get to eat all the good stuff that she will for sure pass to me surreptitiously. But this year, Mummy is not cooking. Its going to be at a restaurant and I DON'T GET TO GO!!!! Its not fair, I am family too!! Why can't I go? Sulk! Sulk!

Its my birthday coming up this Sunday. Mummy asked me if I wanted to celebrate it on that day or to have a belated celebration. The reason is that she wants to get me this yummy cake for my birthday with 2 candles. But the bakery is closed for the Chinese New Year until 12 February which is after my birthday. I am opting for the yummy cake!! I sure hope its worth the wait.

I would also like to update you on Toto's operation. He now has no boy bits. Ha! Ha! He weathered through the operation like it was nothing. When he came back, he was back to his greedy pigginess and had a whopping huge meal. The anaesthetic didn't affect him at all. He is running around like it never happened. That's my brother for you!!

I would like to wish all my furfriends and their hoomans

GONG XI FA CAI!!

May you all have a prosperous and happy new year of the Rat!!

Poor Toto

Guess what! Mummy tells me that this weekend Toto is having his boy bits taken out. I had mine done ages ago. And if I remember correctly, Toto will hate it.

First, he can't eat or drink from the night before. Mummy says this is because they will put Toto under general anaesthetic. This makes him go to sleep and not feel the pain.

Then he will wake up and feel really whoosy and sleepy for the rest of the day. And worst of all, the lampshade!! He will have to wear it at least 2 weeks.

Poor Toto! My heart goes out to him.

Silly Toto

Yesterday, our parents brought the whole family to Tanjong Beach. It was a very hot and muggy afternoon. I was panting and panting as it was really hot. When we finally got to the beach, I could hardly wait for my Kor Kor and Jie Jie to change so that they can take me to the sea. Finally into the cold cold sea - I leapt in.

Meanwhile Toto thought he was Superman and followed me jump in as well. This is where he became totally silly. That twit, he kept drinking the sea water. Lapping it up with his greedy tongue. Daddy told him not to do it and that he would get sick, but did he listen - no he did not. True enough, when we went to rest on the beach with Mummy, that silly brother of mine puked his guts out. Serves him right for not listening to Daddy.

But that's not the end of his silliness. When we got home, Toto suddenly started shivering and wouldn't stop. And horrors - he didn't want to eat his dinner. This is very very very unusual as we all know how greedy Toto is. Food is his first love. And sea water it seems!!

Mummy got real worried and kept holding him and covering him with a warm towel. I have to say I got rather jealous and wished I was sick too. Daddy said it was probably all the sea water he insisted on drinking and exhaustion. He is littler than I so he's not so used to hectic activity. Anyway, luckily after all the mothering Mummy gave him he felt better. After sleeping the whole night, today he is right as rain and gobbling down his breakfast like he always does. I sure hope he learnt his lesson and listen to Daddy next time. But I know my brother, he will forget and do exactly the same thing the next time we go. That silly boy!!

Pictures

Its now 2008. A brand new year. I thought that as a first post for the year, I would share some recent pictures which my Daddy took.

Here's one of my Mummy and I.

I love you Mummy! You are such a nice soft pillow.

Hark! Who goes there?

How do you like my bling bling collar? Mummy made it out of teeny weeny beads and crystals for me. I only wear it for special occasions.

So that Toto doesn't feel left out here's one of him.

Happy New Year!!!

Toto and I wish all our doggy friends and their hoomans a very happy and successful 2008. May the new year bring with it loads of treats for us furkids and their hoomans.

Today is the very last day of 2007. This year has been quite eventful for me. First off, I had my boy bits taken out this year. I was sorry to see them go but Mummy says she loves me with or without my boy bits so I guess that was OK.

I also gained a brother this year. I went from a single dog family to having to share my hoomans with a pesky little brother. I am still getting used to being a big brother.

And another very exciting event in my doggy world - I found Dogs With Blogs! I am so happy to have found such a happy and caring community out there in cyberspace. I am enjoying myself very much with all the friends that I have found.

I now look forward to 2008. I wonder what the year will bring for me.

Post Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my friends and their parents!

Its been ages since Mummy updated my blog for me. She has been deserting us and travelling all over the place in the last month. That is why I am so back dated. Anyway better late than never now that Mummy is home.

Well, Christmas has come and gone. I just love Christmas and I wish it came more than once a year. Loads of yummy things to eat and pressies. Lovely! We always have a lovely tree all decorated with glittery things and lights. And of course, loads of pressies under it. It was Toto's first Christmas with us so he was a bit confused in the beginning but he soon got the idea when the food came along.

With Mummy and our tree (and our pressies)

Christmas in our house is a time to be with family and this year was no exception. Mummy made a yummy dinner of roast beef and rack of lamb. We were given some for our Christmas dinner so I can tell you it was good. And we had Por Por (my maternal Grandmother), Mah Mah (my paternal Grandmother) and Qong Qong (my paternal Grandfather) over for dinner.

Jie Jie as usual clowning around at the dinner table

After dinner we opened all our presents and there were loads of presents to be opened. It was really quite exciting. Kor Kor and Jie Jie were squealing and jumping around with excitement. I had been smelling something really yummy around the tree the last couple of days. I've been wondering if its my present.

I was right. It was my present.Kor Kor in raptures over his Christmas present

All too soon, all the presents were opened. The very last bit of roast beef and lamb were gone. Its time to get back to our favourite pasttime - lazing around till next Christmas