On A Wing And A Prayer

13th-15th March 2009: On A Wing And A Prayer

The 10th annual Raptor Watch Weekend , organised and coordinated by the Malaysian Nature Society , took place on the second weekend of March, as it does every year, due to the fact that the seasonal migration of birds of prey back to their breeding grounds in the North can be witnessed almost exclusively in the months of March and April in the southern states of Peninsular Malaysia, chiefly in Tanjung Tuan, Melaka.

Tanjung Tuan is important to the migrating raptors as it forms the narrowest point between Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia and is therefore the most ideal stopover point for the exhausted birds. The coastal and mangrove forests of Tanjung Tuan are also important wildlife habitats, and the Malaysian Nature Society is proud to have been instrumental in the conservation and gazetting of the forest reserve.

However, Raptor Watch this year was fraught with its own problems and conflicts. In addition, due to unfavourable weather conditions (windy weather, cloudy skies, frequent rain), the bird count for that particular weekend was far lower than that of last year (Over 46,000 in 2008, only 16,000+ as at 15th March 2009).

A few of the recommendations we made following Raptor Watch 2008 (see my 2008 entry ) had been adopted, including that of providing catered food in a dining hall rather than packaged food that had resulted in excessive disposable packaging and food wastage the previous years. They had also eliminated the practice of distributing bottled water. However, as with all undertakings, there is always room for improvement.





















The Green Living Special Interest Group placed emphasis on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) this year. Our very creative and resourceful subcommittee member, Mee Hong, made the "Waste Not!" t-shirt banner for our booth and many crafts using old t-shirts. Siew Hua brought a sample of fruit and vegetable waste enzymes that can be used as a household cleaning solution. I prepared the signage, literature, recycling bins and everything else. I am grateful to have the assistance of dedicated, helpful and capable volunteers such as Joo Wee and Horng Yih as well. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.



















The happy Green Living crew, from left: Zawalan, me, Mee Hong, Siew Hua and Joo Wee. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.






















Some of the items displayed at our Green Living booth, including the Battery Collection Bin. Photo courtesy of Wan Yeng.


























Batteries collected in the bin to be brought to the scheduled waste recyclers. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.



























11-year-old Clarissa trying her hand at making crafts from old t-shirts at the Green Living booth. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.


















Birders posing for posterity in front of their booth. They had worked very hard all weekend-- recording resident and migratory bird data, answering natural history queries, promoting birdwatching and the Malaysian Nature Society and coordinating the making of bird crafts. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.


















This little Common Bronzeback visited the Green Living booth on Sunday afternoon and then sought refuge in one of my book baskets. Hurnain took the little snake away to be released in the forest, away from all the noise and people. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.




















Me, all ready for the Lighthouse Run. I didn't win it this year, though, not that it matters. It was all in the spirit of participation and fun. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.















Amazing shot of a low-flying Oriental Honey Buzzard by Horng Yih.

















Oriental Honey Buzzards coming in riding on thermals on Sunday afternoon. Photo courtesy of Horng Yih.



























Liverpool FC trashed Manchester Retarded 4-1 on Saturday night. We had watched the game at the Saloon at Eagle Ranch and it was a raucous and joyful affair. Poor Patricia Zahara was kept busy all of Sunday painting Liverpool crests on the faces of exuberant fans. Photo courtesy of Wan Yeng.






















Patricia Zahara giving Hurnain a Liverpool crest to celebrate Liverpool’s big victory. Photo courtesy of Wan Yeng.





















Melissa giving Vegan Eugene an energy-saving CFL lightbulb, courtesy of Phillips, in exchange for an incandescent one. Photo taken by Horng Yih.





























The photographer gets photographed – Horng Yih looking for a Barbet he had spotted up the tree earlier. Photo courtesy of Wan Yeng.

Feeling Brand New

My month of unstructured activity and unfettered freedom had been a most satisfactory one. I have had the opportunity to catch up on social commitments and had more time for rest and reflection than I ever had since I graduated ten years ago. I, who have never been not gainfully employed from the day after I completed my final exams, had found my unscheduled break from the workforce to be a blessing in disguise. I started my new job today, as a litigation associate in a big corporate firm, and I re-enter legal practice with greater ambitions than ever of productivity, success, job satisfaction and progress.

Saturday, 7th March 2009: A Musical Soiree

Drove over to Alicia’s condominium of a Saturday evening after having spent half of Friday and a good part of Saturday at the parental home, tending to Amber and Chocky’s needs and cleaning the parental home and garden. Alicia had invited about 20 of us over to her lovely home for an evening of good food and music. I brought her a bottle of red wine, remembering how she loves anything red, not least wine. It was fabulous to see Lynette and Alicia and their dear Mum again.

Halfway through my plateful of sushi and salad, Alicia announced that it was time for a musical interlude. She sang ‘La Ci Darem’, from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with her music teacher with such feeling and haunting beauty that we were mesmerised. This was followed by a solo, Gluck’s ‘Che Faro Senza Euridice’ (Microsoft Word keeps trying to ‘correct’ my spelling as ‘Eurydice’ – well, this is Italian, not UK English!), Schumman’s ‘Du Ring Ai Meinem Finger’ (my favourite: it’s simply exquisite!), Brahms’ ‘Wiegenlied’ (we all joined in this one) and a selection of songs in English, ‘Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall In Love’, and Chaplin’s ‘Smile’. One of Alicia’s sisters accompanied on piano for some of the songs. They really are a highly gifted bunch, and I was happy to see their mother beaming with pride as her daughters performed with confidence, class and aplomb.

Dessert was served after the music and we chatted heartily over cake, fruit, cheese, crackers and coffee. I was mindful to let Alicia know unequivocally what a privilege it had been for me to be among such talented friends, and how much I enjoyed their company.

Sunday, 8th March 2009: A Jaunt Down History Lane in Melaka.

One of my friend's differently-abled friend from the People’s Republic of China, Hawk, was in Malaysia for a week to attend to some business concerns, and through a friend who acted as an interpreter, had informed my friend that he would like to visit Melaka. I was invited along to act as an interpreter, and I was happy to be of service. I was able to provide Hawk with a lively and often mildly scandalous commentary on Malaysian history, the significance of Melaka, and Malaysian current affairs in my rather dubious Mandarin.



Hawk and I posing at the back of Fort A Famosa, constructed by the Portuguese in 1511. I informed Hawk in my dodgy Mandarin that the Dutch broke off part of the Fort, and the British wanted to break it too, but Stamford Raffles stopped them because he thought it was too pretty to be smashed up.

Hawk is born with deformed arms but is a successful businessman running a tour outfit in Kunming and commands a fleet of over 20 offroad vehicles. He can use chopsticks, operate a digital camera, drive a standard transmission vehicle and do pretty much everything on his own. I think he is awesome!



A view of Fort A Famosa and St. Paul’s Church, which I am sure isn’t the original name for it. The Church was constructed by the Portuguese, but the Dutch later used it to bury their dead. It’s like being a cuckoo, only in reverse -- you drop off your dead instead of lay your eggs in someone else's nest.



Hawk and I checking out the Royal Malaysian Police’s decommissioned armoured vehicles (used in the 1940s and 50s) at the town square.



Enjoying an after-lunch walk in front of the Stadhuys, constructed by the Dutch in 1641. Hawk wasn’t terribly impressed with its age – apparently a building constructed in the 1600s is small potatoes in China.




Hawk wanted to know what the skull and crossbones on this tombstone in St. Paul’s Church means. Sorry, buddy, but I don’t read Dutch either. It probably has nothing to do with pirates, though.

Hawk enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed his, but I could tell he wasn’t awfully impressed with the historical landmarks in Melaka, probably because China’s history goes back further and their buildings and historical landmarks are better preserved.

We did have a good lunch and dinner in Melaka, though, and I had enjoyed visiting the places of interest again. We would unanimously like to see better preservation of heritage buildings and better management of tourist spots in Malaysia to prevent things from degenerating to the point of tackiness.


Tuesday, 10th March 2009: SPCA Tuesday

It has been a very busy ‘final week of freedom’ for me, what with the upcoming Raptor Watch Weekend and all. I had gone back to the parental home at least 2 days a week to spring clean the house, keep the parents company and tend to the dogs.

I went over to my new workplace on Tuesday morning to sign my letter of offer and speak to the Office Manager about things like a parking space and my Bar Council Practice Cert.

After saying goodbye to my friends Clement and Mun Yee who work there, I left the office and made my way to the SPCA. I went up to the Bungalow to change into my ‘grunt work’ clothes and to visit the 5 new puppies who were being fostered at the Bungalow until they could be safely vaccinated and put up for adoption.

My dear friend Cindy, who lives close by, dropped by with some books for my team to sell at the Green Living booth during the Raptor Watch Weekend to raise funds for our environmental education projects.

It was a quiet day at the SPCA animal shelter, as it was a weekday. Thean asked me into the Surgery to see an adorable black puppy that had just been vaccinated. Her name was Bee Gee (for ‘Beautiful Girl’) and she was a roly-poly playful little thing with a tendency to squeal with alarm as soon as she realised we were going to put her back in her enclosure and leave.

It was fine weather for washing dogs and I washed a number from the Maternity Kennels, as there were new arrivals that may not have been given a tick wash yet. When the weather turned cooler, I put the dog-washing things and Tactik EC away and started cleaning the Shelter.

I swabbed the Front Reception/Admin area, Puppy Areas, Cattery, Maternity Kennels and Food Preparation Area with biodegradable soap and disinfectant and scrubbed the grubbier areas with a hard broom. A young female groomer had been helping out at the Shelter for the day and offered to help me wash the floors. We hit it off instantly and chatted companionably as we went about making the Shelter clean and healthy for our animal friends.

Muniandy, Thean, Joanne (the groomer) and I went to the warong for tea after completing our duties for the day. Tea and cakes was my treat. As each of them left for their respective homes after tea, I went up to the Bungalow to shower and change. Glyn and Nicole were hard at work mopping the Bungalow stairs (one of the dogs had probably decided it was a good idea to pee on the staircase). We chatted about work, the Shelter, euthanasia procedures, the WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) accreditation and our social lives over dinner at Studio 5.

I went back to the BOQ late in the evening to attend to the cats and the housework, and to make new signage for the Green Living booth. It has been another productive day.




Kitty making sure we know who owns the bed.

Carey Island and Jugra Day Trip

As I had no pressing obligations on Thursday, 5th March 2009, I decided to join a friend on a day trip to Carey Island, Selangor. The historical town of Jugra was later added to our itinerary. We had an enjoyable excursion despite the wet and chilly weather.



Taking five at a coastal road in Carey Island, Selangor, a plantation island that is better known for the indigenous community that lives there, the Mah Meri.



Young Mah Meri artisans at their workshop in Kampung Sungai Bumbun. Thanks to the efforts of UNESCO, UNDP and the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns, the Mah Meri culture is preserved and passed on to the younger generations.



Mah Meri woodcarvings, representing ‘moyang’ or deities/spirits (of plants, animals, and natural phenomena – they have a ‘Tornado Spirit’, a ‘Rice Spirit’, a ‘Shellfish Spirit’ and so on) are carved from a fast-disappearing hardwood known as Nyireh Batu. The carvings are of such high quality that they have been accorded the UNESCO Seal of Excellence. Each carving is made from a solid block of wood. The links in the chain these ‘spirits’ are holding are formed by chipping away at loops marked in the wood until the links separate into rings.



Black-shouldered Kite spotted at Carey Island, Selangor.



Changeable Hawk-Eagle spotted at Carey Island, Selangor.



The Royal Mausoleum in Jugra, situated in the Royal Town of Klang, Selangor, is the final resting place of Sultan Abdul Samad. Jake has written a fine feature story on Jugra, and you can read all about it here: Historical and Scenic Jugra



I trespassed an archaeological excavation site to have a closer look at this ancient well, which is estimated to be at least several hundred years old.


Checking out a bit of an ancient wall that remained standing within the fenced-in archaeological excavation site.



Pre-War shophouses in Banting.



At a paragliding site at Jugra Hill, waiting for the paragliding operator to arrive. Unfortunately, the outfit is open only on weekends or by reservation.



A great view of Klang town from the top of Jugra Hill. You can see the sea from here. It was a wet, foggy day.



The lighthouse at the top of Jugra Hill is now managed by the Maritime Department of Peninsular Malaysia.



At a small airfield about 2 km away from the foot of Jugra Hill. If I had the opportunity to do some gliding that day, this would have been the field where I was supposed to land.

Chances and Choices

“Doesn't have a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?”
- “Nowhere Man”, The Beatles.


There is no lack of opportunities for those who are willing to work honestly, hustle and produce results. I am immensely grateful to have been made 3 offers, the advantages and disadvantages of each which I am still weighing. I will, in all likelihood, accept the second offer as it will entail a mix of work that I am familiar with as well as more challenging work.

I am, in the meantime, making the most of what’s left of my days of leisure before I return to the blessed workforce. I am looking forward to donning my court whites again. Friends who know of my current situation have been remarkably helpful and unnecessarily sympathetic. I can live quite comfortably on my severance package for at least two or three months, guys. Although I appreciate being showered with dinner treats, organic soybeans, ice skating outings, potted ferns and whatever else I have been given, it really isn’t necessary. I’ve been keeping busy both in and outside the BOQ, and living life to the fullest. I can sleep in as long as I like after having spent the night catching up on my reading. By reading, I don’t mean improving books (to borrow from Jay Gatsby) like Walter Woon’s ‘Company Law’ or my admittedly lugubrious tome of Sartre’s essays. I’ve been losing myself in utterly self-indulgent baloney like Top Gear’s “Midlife Crisis Cars” and “The SAS Survival Guide”.

The political situation over here is still ghastly. At the rate we are going, we will still be in economic and political uncertainty when the Earth’s magnetic poles flip around again.

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1st March 2009: Thrice Bitten



SPCA Jumble Sale

Our SPCA had another mini jumble sale on Sunday to bring the donated items in our Charity Shop and storeroom (yes, the haunted one) to a more manageable level. Chelvy has decided to organise a mini jumble once every other month to generate income for the animal shelter and to promote the 3Rs (reducing, reusing and recycling), which will see greater acceptance due to the sluggish economy.

I arrived at the Shelter only at midmorning, having spent the night drafting a partnership agreement and deed of trust for someone as a personal favour. Also, I am aware that we now have regular school/college groups, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides coming in to volunteer for the Jumble, so my absence would not be felt. My services would only be critical around noon, after the Charity Van had picked up the unsold items and the young ‘uns have gone home.

Chelvy reported that the Shelter made over RM5,000.00 from the mini jumble, which isn’t too shabby by our standards. Our surrender rate currently stands at 868 animals, while the adoption rate remains encouraging at 309 animals. The Shelter is still operating at full to overcrowded capacity and we still need homes for all our animals.

The Charity Van arrived around lunchtime to remove the reusable items for resale or redistribution. We bagged up and carted away junk that could never be cleaned up, repaired or reused. The young volunteers, most of whom are students from INTI College, helped me remove rubbish and sweep the floor so I could wash and disinfect the Office, Charity Shop, Front Reception/Admin and Central Areas where the Jumble had been held.

Once the grunt work was done, Rose and I got the shampoo, Tactik EC solution and leashes ready and got to work washing the Pound dogs. These are strays and former strays that had been taken away for rehabilitation or euthanasia by the SPCA, and are generally aggressive and not very sociable. Wonder Boy (I don’t know his real name but he’s an affable chap about half my age who comes to help out sometimes and has managed to rehabilitate and tame Sparkle, an albino Spitz-cross with a churlish temper and jaws like a steel trap) joined us at the Pound and we managed to leash and wash 3 of the dogs.

One of the dogs bit me on the forearm and started shaking her head vigorously as though trying to break the neck of her prey. With much yelling and stamping of feet, we managed to get her to release my arm, which was thankfully protected by gloves and there was therefore only a closed wound. We finished washing her with much haste and then endeavoured to lasso another dog.

The other dog bit my hand and pulled my glove clean off. Wonder Boy had the good sense to hose the dog directly in the face to make him drop my glove. We had to run all over the Pound trying to corner him so we could wash him. It was like chasing chickens, only with a higher risk factor. I had purple rows of bite marks all over my hands and forearms when I was done.

Once we were done with the Pound dogs, we washed the new arrivals from the Maternity Kennel and Kennels E and F to prevent parasite infestation. Rose and I then called it at day and I rinsed out and put away the pails and things. I proceeded to clean and disinfect the Cattery and clean out all the cat baskets and litter trays.

Jane cleaned out the cages of the smaller dogs and let them out to play while I scrubbed out and washed the cages. I finished cleaning around 1640h and went up to the Bungalow to shower and change and have a powwow with The Glycol. They had visited the Singapore SPCA over the weekend and had bought me a gorgeous planner with photos of shelter animals on it as a gift (Thanks, guys!). We walked over to Studio 5 for an early dinner and discussed the recent shelter audit and the steps that could be taken to reduce the chances of animal deaths, infectious diseases and injuries.

I said goodbye to The Glycol after dinner, as I had to be at Mee Hong’s house for our t-shirt reusing and repurposing brainstorming session. We have only 2 weeks left until Raptor Watch Week and everything is still pretty chaotic right now. Siew Hua, Mee Hong and I ended up bickering over which ideas to keep and which to scrap.

Siew Hua raised a very valid point that many people do not have Mee Hong’s needlework skills, and the more complex projects, although interesting and impressive, would be too intimidating for beginners. We stopped for a dinner of dumplings and the puddings I brought for dessert, inspected Mee Hong’s homemade rice wine and fruit peel enzymes, and went back to the t-shirt scraps on the floor. It was an exhausting affair, trying out ideas that would work and finding out which wouldn’t. We finally settled on one simple project and I asked Mee Hong to bring her samples over anyway so we could make a 3R project display corner. I find projects for children to be a tiresome affair and would prefer dealing with adults over children any day. I just am very grateful to have the assistance of a few highly capable and intelligent volunteers.

Went back to the BOQ sometime around midnight, tidied the place up, checked the Battletank’s engine oil and radiator water levels and hit the sack with two rambunctious kittens.

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3rd March 2009: Local Agenda 21 Seminar

One of the best things about not having to go to work is that I could attend seminars and conferences on environmental issues on weekdays, the attendance of which I would otherwise have delegated to others as I would have wanted to concentrate on my work.

The MNS Secretariat had asked if I could attend a Local Agenda 21 Pilot Project Seminar organised by City Hall, and Vegan Eugene and I had accepted the challenge. The Seminar was attended mostly by government officials, industry players, business owners and some representatives from non-governmental organisations like us.

There was so much greenwash being dished out that I could repaint the BOQ with it. There were, of course, the obligatory PowerPoint presentations with disturbing photos of landfills and sewage pipes clogged with grease. I find it disgraceful that people would pour grease down the sewers. It shows a marked lack of disrespect for the Ninja Turtles and Master Splinter.

Bored out of my skull, I started sketching anti-heroes based on the attendees of the Seminar and scribbled notes on their anti-powers. Among them are:

Suspenders Man: Taking Cluelessness To New Heights!
”You just can’t improve stupidity!”

Greasetrap Man: Speaks at the Speed of One Word Per Minute!
“There’s just no substitute for dimness!”

Monolingual Man: Strives Not to Make Himself Universally Understood!
”If it’s good enough for Great-Grandmaw, it’s good enough for me!”

The Microphone Hogger: Says Nothing Of Any Consequence!
“I have no points to make but my presence!”

Pie Guy: Starts His Speech With A Prayer, and Says Nothing Worth Your Attention After!
“I take ten minutes of your time to speak to my God!”

Vegan Eugene posed questions on the Solid Waste Management Bill which made the City Hall officers and waste collection contractors shit their pants. Thankfully, they had brought spare pants with them. No, not really. That’s an outrageous lie. I don’t know why I am telling such whoppers in my blog. Vegan Eugene posed questions which made them very uncomfortable, so they made some sufficiently ingratiating and conciliatory response.

I was then asked to present the perspective of a non-governmental organisation, and I made some off-the-cuff astringent remarks about memorandums that went missing or unread, privileges extended to business concerns without the knowledge of citizens, misleading information on environmental issues, and the disenfranchisement of citizens and consumers.

I was mobbed by so many people (largely supportive) over my comments during the coffee break that I think it is best I remain incognito for the time being, before City Hall, the Federal Government, government contractors, manufacturers and the Malaysian Plastics Forum hunt me down, baying for blood.

The Seminar was over by 1645h, and Vegan Eugene and I made a dash for the train station as big, lazy raindrops started plopping on the sidewalks. We parted at the station as he had to go home, while I had another interview to attend. When it was finally over and I was ready to go back to the BOQ, I found out that the heavy rains and flash flood had caused the Light Rail Transit system to break down and commuters had been stranded at the KLCC station for the past hour or so.

I made the most of it by waiting it out in KLCC instead, and I spent 3 blissful hours browsing at Kinokuniya and Times Bookstore.



Flash flood in Kuala Lumpur, near Masjid Jamek, on 4th March 2009. What an irony that this happened right after a Seminar on making KL a safe, beautiful and clean city.

As it was a Tuesday, the rest of the week stretched ahead languorously, like an endless balmy beach lined with swaying coconut palms. Life is good if you are willing to convert adversity into better prospects.

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Adieu, Sweet Angel

Angel (200?-26th February 2009). Photo taken by SPCA volunteer photographer MingChien Ng.




Dearest Angel,

When you were first rescued by the SPCA Inspectorate, they didn’t see you as another battered but breathing body that had to be put out of its misery. The vets told us that after the brutal and senseless attack on you, you would never be able to regain your eyesight or the use of your hind leg. It would be better, they had advised us, to euthanise you. Euthanise. What a gentle-sounding euphemism for such a needless deed. Thankfully, the Inspectorate was adamant that their work was to save lives, not to terminate them.

The SPCA Inspectorate and Department of Veterinary Services tried to prosecute your assailant but failed to secure a conviction due to lack of evidence. Apparently, your broken leg didn’t count as evidence. Your missing left eye didn’t count as evidence. Your swollen and infected right eye didn’t count as evidence. The scars on your little body didn’t count as evidence.

We lost the court case, but we gained YOU. You were our little victory. Our prize. Our ray of sunshine. When you came to live with us in the SPCA Bungalow, you reinforced our determination to protect living beings and to end cruelty against animals. You had no voice and no suffrage, but you were so full of courage, love and trust in those of us who now looked after your needs that it filled us with resolve to improve animal welfare standards in this country.




You became a quick favourite among the Shelter and Bungalow regulars. Your ability to love and trust humans again was astounding, given the unspeakable violence that had been committed against you. You were attacked simply because you were there. You were an easy target. You were fair game. When you came to live with us, we realised instead how easy it is to love you and care for you, and how effortless it was for you to nurture the best in us. I find it hard to reconcile this with the fact that it is widely believed that it is us humans who are endowed with superior reasoning powers.

The SPCA Inspectorate and Marketing/Communications Team were wise enough to know that saving animals wasn’t an either-or situation: We didn’t have to either rehome animals or euthanise them. You weren’t just a rescuee or ward to them or to me. You were, and still are, a friend; a pal; an honorary family member. We derived so much pride from watching you navigate your way around the Bungalow, from the way you made friends with the other cats and dogs and the ecstasy with which you demolished each squeaky toy.

I took especial pride in showing you off to Shelter guests and volunteers. You provided more than a lesson in cruelty against animals. You taught us about unconditional love. You opened the hearts of visitors to animals that were physically less than perfect. During the Christmas Paw-ty that I organised, you may have caused our guests to shed tears of pity, but you had also brought us closer together and touched the hearts of many.

When Meem told me they found your lifeless body in the backyard this morning, I felt a curtain of darkness fall over me. There is now a hole in my heart the size of a little mongrel with sightless eyes. It was to me unfair that you died before we could do more for you. I had wanted to bring you to live with me as soon as I had acquired landed property of my own and made it secure and comfortable for you. We had wanted to bring you to the vets to see if something could be done for your right eye.

Your death left us with so many questions. Did we do enough for you? Could your death have been prevented? As they say, it is now too late for regrets. Angel dear, we hope to do better by you in another lifetime.

Angel, your time with us was too short, but not in vain. I hope that each person who has had the privilege of meeting you will join us in our fight to protect and help animals. I hope that each person you have endeared yourself to will help us spread the word about adopting shelter and rescued animals.

Little Angel, you are running free at last. Don’t forget to wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge. Until then, you will live on in our hearts.

Requiescat In Pace, our beloved Angel.

Silver Linings

I find that when you make an effort to look for silver linings in each unpleasant episode, you are bound to find them. The misfortune and injustice that had befallen me last week is not without its unique advantages. I have stopped trying to determine if I have been at fault in any way. I have come to terms with the fact that some things happen without any party being to blame for its occurrence, and that it would only be a matter of time before it happened, anyway.

I no longer think that the perpetrator of my misfortune owes me an explanation. When you expect nothing, you don’t get disappointed when people do not respond as common courtesy demands that they should. I have stopped expecting that when you treat someone with respect, loyalty and concern, you will be entitled to at least some semblance of fairness and consideration from them in return.

I count my blessings, and there are many. I find myself surrounded by incredibly caring, generous and supportive friends and family members. I find that I suddenly have time for walks in the park, days out with the SPCA inspectorate team, long lunches with good friends and weekends that seem to last forever. I remind myself that I am not yet in any grave financial need. I am grateful that new opportunities have presented themselves, and that the people I met and am to meet soon are not inquisitive about my misfortunes, only my qualifications and potential.

It is with good reason that one of my favourite sports is skateboarding: Skateboarding teaches you that you have to take a few hard falls before you can start improving your technique.

I have picked myself up. I’m not looking back.

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Wednesday, 18th February 2009: Day Out With The SPCA Inspectorate



SPCA Shelter Animals Up For Adoption This Week

My day as an SPCA Volunteer Animal Inspector began at the Bungalow at 1000h when I helped Cunera and Murugan load cages containing 2 stray cats and 2 formerly stray dogs, Girlie and Bubbie, into the Vanette so that we could bring them to the City Hall-SPCA Low-Cost Neutering Clinic in Setapak for spaying.

We arrived at the Low-Cost Neutering Clinic and began unloading our animals. There was a minor altercation between Murugan and one of the City Hall staff over the way City Hall was treating animals in their custody. There is so much that is wrong with the way the Animal Control Unit was conducting their affairs that it was good that everything became public a few weeks ago. Now those in power will have no choice but to implement more efficient monitoring and surveillance measures, and take action against those found to have committed any wrong, whether against animals or against public funds and trust.

We left the animals with our good vets so that they could get the surgery done, and went in search of a pet store in Setapak that had several reports lodged against it with the SPCA and Department of Veterinary Services for trading in sick or dying puppies. We finally located the elusive shop but it was locked from the outside. I went round to the bike shop next door to make inquiries and was informed that the pet store had not opened its doors for some time. I suggested to the others that we go round the back of the shop. We found the back of the shop guarded by a fierce mongrel and surrounded by CCTVs and barbed wire, an indication of guilt and wrongdoing, perhaps? We put on our jackets and caps and went rapping on the back door. A scared-looking employee appeared and then disappeared back inside. We waited for what seemed like an eternity before a lady came out to grudgingly open the door and let us in. The place was devoid of animals and was sterile, a fact which I could not reconcile with the number of CCTVs and all the precautions against intrusion and inspection. It was quite likely that the animals were kept somewhere else and only transported to the shop upon an order for a particular breed being placed. There was no action we could take against the managers of the shop, but we did make arrangements to take the aggressive watchdog away for rehabilitation and rehoming, as it had already bitten passersby.

Again, a case such as that of the pet store has only served to reinforce my view that there should be laws to severely restrict the retail sale of pets. Stores without vets and other health and safety measures should only be permitted to sell pet supplies and provide services such as grooming. If there were legislation in place to regulate animal breeders and to steer would-be pet owners to the premises of the breeders to see the pet-breeding operations for themselves, there would be fewer opportunities for animal abuse and neglect by animal breeders.




Our next case for investigation involved a small hotel within the city. A complainant reported that the hoteliers were keeping penguins in less than favourable conditions within their premises. The hotel staff and managers were cooperative and polite, and quite mystified by the complaint lodged against them. We inspected the penguin enclosure and found that although it was rather small, it was not in violation of any laws or guidelines. The hotel had all the necessary papers and licenses to keep wildlife in their premises. The animals were very well cared for, and were visited by one of the best veterinarians in the country 3 times a week. Perhaps the complainant didn’t like the fact that there were no icebergs for the penguins to sit on? We left the hotel after shaking hands all around. Until there is a ban against the export, displaying and keeping of wildlife by private individuals and commercial enterprises, there really isn’t any action for us to take against the hotel. Not liking having to witness wildlife being kept in captivity is still very much a matter of personal opinion and not an offence against animals that the SPCA can take action against. It is the duty of citizens’ action groups, non-profit organisations, the SPCA Humane Education arm and members of the public to lobby against the keeping of wildlife in captivity in resorts, amusement parks and shopping centres. Until a ban or certain guidelines have been given statutory footing, there really isn’t much the SPCA Inspectorate could do.

Our final case for the afternoon took us to a large pet store in a popular shopping mall. Someone had complained that the hamsters were kept in overcrowded enclosures and some had sustained injury from fighting. We inspected the enclosures and found them to be adequate. The hamsters had sufficient food, water and clean hay for bedding, and being nocturnal, were mostly slumbering peacefully. Again, there was no evidence of injury, illness, poor treatment or lack of care in this case and therefore nothing for the SPCA Inspectorate to act against. Until the breeding and sale of small animals becomes a regulated trade or activity, there are no laws to stop breeders from raising hamsters and pet stores from selling them.

While pushing the government for restrictions on the retail sale of pets is on the SPCA’s agenda, it is unlikely that such a law will ever be codified, as many people depend on the pet trade for their livelihood and the government will have their votes to consider. Banning pet stores and animal parks is hardly going to make the SPCA a very popular organisation, so right now our priorities will have to be on educating the public and working with people in the animal trade to come up with guidelines.

We returned to the Low-Cost Neutering Clinic to pick up our animals before the clinic closed for the day. We loaded the cages full of whimpering, disorientated cats and dogs into the Vanette. We arrived at the Bungalow, and Glyn and Meem came out to help us with our post-surgery ‘girls’. Glyn and I put clean food, water and bedding in a large cage in the Bungalow cattery for the two tabbies to recuperate in and I cleaned the cages and carriers. Meem prepared Girlie and Bubbies’ “rooms” for them so they could rest until they have recovered from the effects of general anaesthetic.

Zack, Tesco and Angel were beginning to smell rather ripe, and so I got shampoo, a leash and a towel from Meem so I could give them baths. I washed Zack and Angel but Tesco was baring his teeth at me so menacingly that I told him he could go on smelling of old gym socks for all I care.



Zack (foreground) and Tesco (back) taking five at the back of the Bungalow. Photo taken by SPCA volunteer photographer MingChien Ng.

Cu and I showered and got ready to leave the SPCA by 1745h, as Jacinta had invited the lot of us to her house for dinner. Cu and I were the first to arrive, and Meem, Glyn and Nicole arrived later with a huge raspberry cheesecake in tow. J.’s house is beautiful and perfectly kept and we were pleased to have been invited to dinner. We were supposed to watch a DVD together but we were more interested in playing with her furkiddos and going through her wedding photos. J. made a scrummy potato salad, vegan lasagne and vegan canapés and lots of veggies, but there was also store-bought roast chicken for the non-vegetarians in our group. For dessert, J. made glorious chocolate mousse which left us silent with ecstasy. All you could hear was the clinking of spoons against dessert glasses and soft sighs of pleasure.



J. and Moses’ adorable one-eyed rescuee, Wazoo, exploring their gaming station at home. Photo taken using J.’s cellular phone camera and reproduced with permission.

We left her house around 2300h although we would have loved to stay longer if not for it being a Wednesday night. I have expressed my willingness to come by and help J look after her animals when she needs to be away, so it might not be long before I get to see Gizmo, Angel, Wazoo, Bushy and gang again. I realise I am lucky indeed to be part of a circle of such good people and good friends.

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Saturday, 21st February 2009: Malaysian Nature Society Branch Annual Dinner

I realised sometime last year that the amount of effort we put into the MNS Branch Annual Dinner is always disproportionate to the duration of the dinner party itself. For instance, I had been cutting out perch fishes and sea turtles out of once-used paper and card since the Lunar New Year vacation to decorate the dinner venue with, only to have everything removed and disposed of after the 4-hour long dinner.

In addition, I recalled being very hungry after the dinner last year, as I was the Games Master and did not have the time or opportunity to eat. Not wanting a repeat of the same this year, I had a sandwich and a glass of milk at 1730h before leaving the BOQ to decorate the dinner venue and get the games and prizes ready. However, things were no different as I was again so hungry by 2300h that I could eat the steel rims off the Battletank when it was time to go home.

A thunderstorm was in full force when we started the dinner party at 1900h. Name tags that I had painstakingly embellished with dolphins (in line with the dinner theme of “Under the Sea”) were given out to each guest before they entered the hall that I had covered with paper fish and turtles.

Lillian was our very capable and engaging Master of Ceremonies, as she has been for years. The Chairman and President were invited to give speeches and then Honorary Memberships were given out to certain deserving individuals. The first round of food was gone before I had the chance to even smell it, and by the time the second round of food arrived, I had to go up on stage to conduct the games because Lillian had already completed the first round of Lucky Draw and the guests were impatient for the party to really get started.

I started with an icebreaker game, People Bingo, which required the guests to meet new people in order to cross out categories on their bingo scorecards. It was a noisy and boisterous game which lasted hardly 3 minutes. Lillian announced the 3 winners because I was all out of breath by then, and we invited the Chairman to give out treasure chests full of chocolate gold coins to the winners.

Lill then had the President draw another 8 names from a bowl for the Lucky Draw, and I was thrilled to find that I had won one of Carol’s highly sought after handmade tapir cell phone accessories. Carol is a talented artist who could make even polymer clay figurines have different facial expressions.

After the 8 lucky guests had received their prizes, it was time for another game. I had planned the “Under the Sea Observation Game” to come with a twist. I recruited Hui-Min as my stooge for the game and decked her out in marine-themed necklaces, stickers and accessories. Then I sent her out to each table with a tray of plastic sea creatures and an assortment of seashells. The guests naturally assumed that this was to be played according to the rules of Kim’s Game and they wasted no time trying to memorise all the items on the tray. Once Hui-Min had returned backstage to remove all the supplementary accessories, I quizzed the guests on Hui-Min’s necklace, pendant, button badge, wristwatch, earrings and so on, in addition to the items on the tray. Groans of dismay rose from the crowd when they realised that they had been so absorbed in looking at the tray that they had failed to notice they bearer of the tray! The women were better than the men at this game and prizes were given out amid much laughter and applause.

The last round of Lucky Draw was conducted, by which time all the food had been taken away and I was hungry enough to swallow the entire Pacific Ocean -- ocean liners, trawlers, aircraft carriers and all.

I went back to the BOQ to find my housemates contentedly watching TV and joined them on the couch with a large cheese sandwich and glass of milk. Next year, someone else can be the Games Master.

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Crisis Week

20th February 2009: Night Out with the Lads




Clockwise L-R: Luis, Lim, Wing, me, Zawalan and Max.

One of my mottos in life that has stood me in good stead is to never turn down an invitation for beer. And so when Luis invited a bunch of us for drinks at the Rainforest Bistro on Friday after work, there was no reason for me to decline.

Despite the fact that there was nothing sylvan or natural about the Rainforest Bistro, the 8 of us – Luis, Wing, Lim, Jeremy, Max, Doc, Zawalan and I – were happy to sit under the artificial plants and gaudy foam parrots and toucans and gaze affectionately at the beer tower on our table, the contents of which were depleted and replenished with astounding regularity. Curly fries, spicy wedges and other scraps of personal Kryptonite vanished off platters and baskets and threatened to send our respective blood pressure counts skyrocketing.

The conversation started off naturally enough in the universal male language of cars and football, but by our third beer tower we were drinking toasts to our friends who had passed away. We drank to Charlie, Thomas and Chris, who we lost in a 4x4 accident and to heart attacks respectively. You know you’ve reached the maudlin stage when you start drinking to all your departed friends. I suppose the ‘buzzed’ stage is when you are hitting on all the waitresses despite knowing that you are middle-aged, balding and beer-bellied.

Must be great to be a man. It would take a fair bit of work to deflate a man’s ego. With men, willful ignorance really is bliss.

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Saturday, 14th February 2009: SPCA & Steamboat Saturday

The SPCA Inspectorate Meeting had already started when I arrived at the Bungalow at noon, and I was asked in after a short wait so we could discuss the possibility of me going on inspections with the team as a supplementary or assistant Inspector if and when the need arises. Nothing has been confirmed so far and it isn’t anything very urgent in my book, but I will be there for the SPCA Inspectorate when they require my help.

I went down to the Shelter to help Rose and Thean wash the dogs. The place was in chaos. A group of students had come with their teachers to repaint the outside walls of the shelter. I wonder why people find it appropriate to repaint kindergartens, community centres and animal shelters in the most garish of colour combinations. When the Sai Baba Society repainted our walls on New Year’s Day 2008, they made it a violent shade of turquoise, and we ended up with turquoise dogs running around for the subsequent week. This time, this group did a neater job of it and had actually used traffic cones to warn people of wet paint, and plastic sheets to act as barriers. It was just the colour combination that was a bit iffy – it was bright orange with bold red, and it made the shelter look like a Chinese temple. Still, at least it won’t be a challenge for people who want to try to locate the Shelter in the dark now. They just have to look out for the ‘Taoist temple animal shelter’.




Jacinta and I went out to the stalls for lunch and met Rose, Jane and Erica there. There was a stray tomcat scavenging for food under our tables, and he seemed to have quite a bad cold. I picked up the cat, put him over my shoulder and brought him back to the Shelter clinic for treatment. Dr. Pushpa gave him an Ivermec injection and asked me to return the cat to the stalls, and reminded Jacinta to locate the cat and bring him back in ten days for a booster shot. There wasn’t much point in keeping him in our overcrowded shelter because he’s either going to catch something worse, or he might spread his ‘flu to the other cats. Found a heavily pregnant female cat on my way back after returning the sniffly cat, and picked the female cat up so she could give birth safely at the Cattery and be spayed after that. I brought the mother cat round the back to the Cattery and explained the circumstances to Mazni. I made a sign for the mother cat’s cage door, gave her fresh food, water and bedding, and instructed the vets to inform me of the cost after the surgery.




A shelter dog awaits adoption. Photo by SPCA volunteer photographer MingChien Ng.

Our adoption rates remain commendable, and since 1st January 2009 we have had 605 surrenders and 223 adoptions, which is pretty amazing by any standards. This is why it is so important for the Shelter to cooperate with the PR/Communications team: There is no point in asking people to come adopt from your Shelter when the place is filthy and the animals are in poor health. When we all work together to improve the living conditions of all animals, everyone wins.

I got the shampoo, Tactik EC and pails ready for washing the dogs after the cat rescues. Most of the other dogs had already been bathed and tick-washed the week before, so Rose and I only had to do the ones in the Sick Bay. Washing Sick Bay dogs are especially time-consuming because the dogs in Sick Bay, though not really sick, are less used to human contact and can be very skittish or aggressive, or both.

As I was washing my 5th dog, 3 boys on a volunteering stint from a nearby college asked me if they could help. Ah! Young ‘uns who are not afraid of hard work! I recruited them to wash the more mild-mannered dogs while I took the risk of washing the more belligerent ones so I could get some exercise prancing nimbly around the angry soapy beasts and dodging their snapping teeth.

The boys were another story. Each time they came anywhere near the male dogs’ nether regions, they would warn one another: “Don’t touch his thing!” “Why not?” Another boy would innocently ask. “Just don’t!” his two confederates would warn, in a near panic. I turned my head so they wouldn’t see my mouth twitch. Yes, why, pray tell? Washing a dog’s nether regions is not going to make you anything other than heterosexual, guys. The dog is not going to press charges against you for molesting him.

The boys stayed for an hour more and I have no complaints about the quality of their work. We finished washing all 22 dogs and I rinsed out the pails and put the shampoo bottles away. Thean, Dr. Lim and The Kindest Man In The World (I learned his real name is Roland) were in the Front Office, so I asked them if they would like to come out for tea. We had a quick tea break at the warong before I went back to the Shelter to resume work.

Reve and I soaped and disinfected the cages and kennels. I scrubbed and cleaned out the Cattery, the cages at the back of the office and the front Reception/Admin area. I finished cleaning the Shelter around 1930h and then showered and changed at the Bungalow before barrelling back to PJ.





Sunset over Sunway







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