April 2017 In Pictures

APRIL 2017 PHOTODUMP

 

 

 

1st April: Clinic work at the SPCA on a ridiculously rainy Saturday.

 

 

 

2nd April: It's a burgers-and-beers kinda night at The Daily Grind with a couple of friends. I had the Portobello Mozza Stack -- hold the cheese! -- with a side of sweet potato crisps. All kinds of awesome.

 

 

 

5th April: So 'Luna' here gave us all a big surprise today. While being prepped and shaven for 'spaying', it was discovered that 'she' was, in fact, a tomcat. Don't ask -- maybe his dingle-dangle was too small to be visible, maybe he was just so black and furry down there that nobody could see a thing, maybe i just never checked properly. Anyway, his new name is Logan.

 

 

 

8th April: Reached home at 1.30 a.m. but still managed to get up in time to do the Chow Kit Run. 6km for a good cause.

 

 

 

8th April: Productive day at the SPCA. Some of the teen volunteers helped to exercise, train and bathe the dogs, and a scout troop from the neighbouring school helped to upgrade the dog playground as part of their Eagle Scout Project. Mama Brenda and her puppies, Clifford and Marilyn, are finally adopted -- together! -- and so we celebrated with cakes and champagne.

 

 

 

9th April: Logan rocking the bananas to help them go beddy-bye.

 

 

 

15th April: Another busy Saturday at the SPCA. Managed to bathe and tickwash the dogs before the rain. The Eagle Scouts have completed their habitat improvement project. Had the pleasure of the company of a 13-year-old volunteer, Liam, for lunch and we ended up discussing the implications of Brexit.

 

 

 

16th April: Annual Feline Easter Egg Hunt at the Wee Green Flat.

 

 

 

16th April: The Little One's first Easter egg hunt.  It has been raining so heavily all day, we had to hide the eggs in the porch and not the lawn.

 

 

 

17th April: My friend Farida came over to play congkak with the cats and me. Katniss here looks deeply concerned over her imminent defeat to Farida.

 

 

 

18th April: Time to put my jars and cloth carrier bags to good use at The Hive Bulk Foods. I love packaging-free shopping.

 

 

 

19th April: So this kinda sorta happened during an 8-minute phone call. I may or may not have gotten ink on my desk. I ran out of space for Raphael's sai.

 

 

 

19th April: Earth Day themed tuition class at the Beacon of Hope community tuition centre. I got my teens to work in pairs and gave each team one of my Green Living articles on energy and water conservation, fuel economy and the 3Rs, among others. They had to understand, summarise and interpret the articles, create a poster on the assigned topic and do a 5-minute presentation in front of the class. I am so very impressed with how far my teens have come. At the start of the academic year, they were so self-conscious that they would not even answer questions when spoken to. I am very proud of them for trying, learning and growing, and for their genuine interest in environmental responsibility.

 

 

 

22nd April: Earth Day cleanup at the Urban Community Forest, Malaysian Nature Society.

 

 

 

 

22nd April: Gasp -- so it's true, after all: I am pro-science! I believe in technological and engineering solutions to environmental problems! I believe in big-picture solutions and not merely reusing paper clips and making baking soda toothpaste! I don't think microwaved water kills plants or that Coke is used to clean bloodstains off highways or that shampoo will give me brain tumours! Time to sacrifice me at the altar of those rubbish natural living coconut-oil-and-deep-breathing-will-cure-cancer David Fraudocado Wolfe-type sites and stab me with my own compostable bamboo toothbrush!

 

 

 

23rd April: Bathing and tickwashing dogs at the PAWS shelter on a scorcher of a Sunday afternoon. So. Many. Ticks. Ugh! The Itchy and Scratchy Show!

 

 

 

 24th April: Hauled 7 bags of trash out of the forest reserve and park. Bloody macaques made a mess of the place and emptied the bins.

 

 

 

25th April: More than delighted with the quality and beauty of the original woodcut prints I ordered from social justice and art activist collective Pangrok Sulap. I purchased these during their fundraiser for Bro Oliver, one of the artists in medical need. Very proud to be supporting such brave local talents, and proud to be supporting freedom of artistic expression.

 

 

 

25th April: Just a random Batman bento because I wanted to store nuts and soybeans in the Batman container. I love Batman. He is the archetypal Byronic protagonist -- dark, brooding and badass. Also, because Batman is human and mortal (yes, I know he is a fictional character), he represents the ultimate in human potential and ability to me, and is therefore the Ubermensch.

 

 

 

29th April: Carrying heavy bits of wood and construction materials up a forest trail is way harder than I thought it would be. Clearly I need to work out. Photo credits: Justine Vaz.

 

 

 

29th April: A fun group photo, courtesy of Justine's helpers.

 

 

 

9th April: Rewarding myself after the morning's forest school construction and trail cleaning. So very glad I found this place. Food that nourishes both the body and conscience at Sala KL -- you have to try it to believe it's not vegan! I had the Nasi Lemak and Chili Bowl, hot tea and a brownie . Service is incredible and I am made to feel very welcome. The ambience is lovely and food is just delicious and lovingly made and served. This happy herbivore will definitely be back very soon.

 

 

 

29th April: Received a gift of Star Wars adhesive bandages from my friend Mun Yee in Singapore.

 

 

 

30th April: Early birthday celebration for Nic. This is just the first of our 2-3 desserts -- Raindrop 'Cake'. Ordered this for the sake of novelty, but seriously guys, I make waaaaay better agar-agar and konyakku jelly. Raindrop cake -- not worth the hype.

 

 

 

30th April: Ice cream sandwiches with Nic to end April 2017 with a bang!