A Moment In Time

The past 4 weeks have been a roller-coaster ride. So many hopes, so much happiness (although short-lived), so much heartbreak. More about that later. 

A week after I moved into the Wee Green Flat with my Rowdies, my old friend Katie returned to Malaysia on a 2-week work visit, and of course I offered her a place to stay, even though the Flat was still a work-in-progress. The guest room and guest bathroom were ready for use, however, and Katie was cheerful and accommodating as ever. 

I took her out to eat really good vegetarian food, at Raku-Raku and Vegelife. Katie plans to propose to this mango pudding the next time she visits and patronises Raku-Raku again. 

And the curry rice at Vegelife was rated the best vegan curry Katie has ever tasted. 

As is my new tradition when friends from out of town visit KL, I took Katie to the KL Heli Lounge for excellent views of the city. The drinks were good. Just stay away from the overpriced, insipid and uninspiring food. 

On Thursday, we attended the memorial service for the victims of the Mount Kinabalu Earthquake at the MBPJ Square. We wanted to do Homeless Hairwash after the memorial service but it started to rain, and the hairwash had to be called off. 

As agreed, we went to the SPCA on Saturday. Our friend Mazrul joined us and we bathed and tickwashed the shelter dogs. I had procured a bar of Taharah soap for Mazrul so he could perform ritual cleansing after helping out with the dogs. At the time these photos were taken (13th June), the SPCA was still operating out of the rented bungalow on the hill, and the new eco-shelter was in its final stages of completion. 

 

We walked around the new shelter, trying to remember what had been located where the new kennels, therapy pond, benches and adoption areas now stand. I wanted to capture these images because the shelter will never look this way again. 

A month ago, when we were helping them plant grass in the water-permeable paved yard, the shelter was still under construction and the buildings were just empty shells in various stages of completion. Paint, cement, wheelbarrows and cables lay in small piles under each structure as the workers tried to complete the shelter before the deadline. 

And now right before the staff and animals are to move back into their upgraded and updated shelter, everything looks so clean and new and shiny and different. It can never look this way again. 

Rows of kennels, facing each other, just waiting for their new inhabitants to move in. 

 I like it that sections of plumbing pipes are used to protect the taps from the boisterous gnawing of bored dogs. I hope the dogs receive lots of toys and environmental enrichment instead. They don't gnaw because they are destructive, they do it because they need mental stimulation. 

I love it that they have preserved the old rain trees and erected seats around the trees. I think this is where Kennels A and B used to be. 

The reception area, with a charming mural of a tree. 

Star-shaped plaques with the names of donors and the feline and canine children the donors wish to honour and immortalise. We found this to be touching and tasteful. 

Katie and I spent one week together but never had a photo taken together, so I got Mazrul to capture this little moment in time. 

This photo was taken last weekend and is a collage of the murals painted on our shelter office walls by a talented team of artists, including Suzi Chua and Felicia. Aren't these adorable?

 It's these little things that we will look back on, in years to come, and say to ourselves: "Look at us then! Look at us now! Look at the SPCA then! See how far we've come! Look how much we've all accomplished!"  

Little things, immortalised in grainy photographs.