Misty misses her mommy

We received a letter from Misty's breeder. Misty noticed the letter from home...


Misty, "Oh, this package smells like mommy!"


Misty, "Let me open it up~"


Misty, "What's in there?"


Misty, "Oh, mommy wrote to me. I miss you, too!!"


Misty, "I miss my mommy..meow meow...".
Scott, "Oh~ It's OK. You have us now..."
cuddle cuddle....

Misty Play

We desperately wanted to share videos of Misty with you, but there was a software problem with our movie editing software. We finally fixed the problem and get to edit movies again!

Here you go~ please enjoy Scott and Misty~~~

DIY BARF Cat Food

I mentioned in the post BARF diet that I want to make my own raw meat mix to feed to Misty. The actual implementation was modified to better fit the reality.

Instead of following a complicated feeding schedule, we decided to put out a small bowl of dry food for her 24/7, and feed a cube of raw food every other night. We also feed commercial wet food (Science Diet, Kitten Real Chicken Dinner) and raw chicken neck alternately in between the nights.

The response from Misty has been great! She loves all the tasty raw food for dinner, and still enjoys the dry food during the day.

So, the first batch of raw food I prepared for her contains the following:
- one peeled banana mushed
- half an apple, grated
- half a carrot, grated
- 3/4 cup finely diced broccoli
- half a yam, baked and mushed
- 2 hard boiled eggs, mushed
- 130g white fish, boiled and mushed
- 250g lean beef mince
- 500g roo mince
- 100g organic yogurt
- 100g cheddar cheese grated



All the ingredients are prepared and added to a big metal bowl for mixing.



After everything is well mixed in, mixture is cubed in ice trays.



Leave the tray in freezer for half a day, then pop them out. Store them in a well sealed box.



Before feeding, leave the frozen cube in the fridge for an hour to defrost... then, leave out for 10-15 minutes to warm up to room temperature.

Then~ watch Misty chewing it down in the blink of an eye! ....
[Update] We just timed it... she wolves down one cube in about 1 min and 20 seconds.... :D



So, the ingredients used add up to about $10. There was enough to make a total of 84 meat cubes. In average, each cube is only about 12 cents. It's way cheaper than canned wet food, plus it's made of real and solid ingredients plus Love!!!

Success!! ^___^v

Away

I was off blogging for almost 2 months. My mind was preoccupied by family, friends, life, and myself. I find that slacking off is sometimes therapeutic. It keeps your mind refreshed, and avoid you turning a hobby into an obligation. Anyways, I am ready to come back to share more updates on this blog now.

For friends and family who dropped in and made sure I am still alive. Thanks for your love! Hopefully, I will fill you in on what has happened in the past 2 months gradually. :)

xoxox

Misty in action

just want to share some of Misty's videos with you...

Week 3


Week 7


Week 11


Thanks for watching! :D

they belong...

I came across this random picture on the Internet. These two little babies look so cute and funny that they makes me giggle. They also looks so caring and comfortable with each other that it makes me feel warm from the inside of my heart. I got sucked right into the mood of this picture, and couldn't take my eyes away for awhile...

DIY cat dental chew toy

[period of obsession] 1.5 hours
[goal] effective and cheap cat dental cleaning aid
[item required]
- a natural vegetable sponge (loofah), $1 reject shop (preferably non-dyed)
- hot water
- steak knife for cutting
- scissor for trimming the edge

[idea] All natural loofah is safe for animals to chew on and is okay if loose fiber is accidentally ingested. (not chunks which might cause choking, so supervise the usage) According to websites, the tough loofah fiber cleans off cats' teeth while cats enjoy chewing on its unique texture.

[step 1] boil the loofah in pot for 20 min to soften the fiber and sterilize. I fail to find any non-dyed loofah, so I boiled mine for much longer in order to wash out the dye as much as I can.

[step 2] use the steak knife to slice off discs of loofah. I personally choose this shape because it seems to fit in cat's little mouth better. I imagine this can clean off the inner molars better. Also, any fiber which might come off is short. I am sure any shape works as long as it allows plenty of chewing surface area. Also, use a scissor to trim off obvious loose fiber along the edge.


[step 3] smudge a little treat on the loofah, stock treat crumbles in between the fiber, or even sprinkle catnip on it.... do whatever gets the interest of your cat to chew on it.


[step 4] I suggest supervision during the activity since swallowing a large chunk of loofah could cause choking/throat irritation. (same as no good to shallow anything too large) Also, after chewing is done, you can wash the loofah in warm water and dry it off easily . Or, even boil it again for further sanitation.

DIY cat toy box

[period of obsession] 20 min
[goal] DIY a peek-a-prize cat toy box, retail US$40


[items and tools]
- one empty cereal box (or any narrow cardboard box)
- some tape to seal ends, also to anchor the toy on the floor once finished
- blade to cut
- an empty toilet paper roll to draw shapes
- a pen to draw


[step 1] trace the shape on the box


[step 2] cut out the shapes


[step 3] drop cat toys into the box with holes


[done] It's my toy until Misty gets here! (cost - next to $0!) When given to cats, better to tape it down to the floor for better play. (Otherwise, the box is too light, it can fly across the room in one kick.)


[and...] thread a string through the circle cut-outs, and turned them into toys, too!

Misty (week 1 - 9)

[Name] Misty Carmichael
[Gender] Female
[Birthday] Nov 28th 2007, 3:20pm, Sagittarius
[Breed] Munchkin
[Colour] Lilac tabby and white
[Coat] Medium long
[Breeder] MyMunchies Cattery
[Parents] Creators Valentino (sire) x MyMunchies Betty Boo (dam) weight 2-3kg
Dad x Mom

Week 1 -- The mom, Misty (short legged) and her sister, Fantasy (long legged). It's a litter of two only.


Week 2 -- Misty's eyes were just opened.


Week 3 --She could walk around slowly now. Apparently, Munchkin kittens learn to walk quickly with their short but stable legs, unlike long legged kittens which get the "noodle leg" factor.


Week 4 -- Misty's sister, Fantasy, is also totally adorable!


Week 5 --becoming more and more active!


Week 6 -- isn't it just amazing how fast they grow!!


Week 7 -- (500g) check out the tabby marking on her forehead! "M" for Misty!


Week 8 -- such a little poser~


Week 9 -- (900g) She is going to be such an adorable cat! We can't wait to welcome her home!

Sister Cities 高雄 & 布里斯本

I didn't know before, but apparently Brisbane(布里斯本) and KaoHsiung(高雄) are sister cities! This stone display sits by the river in the beautiful river park in South Bank city. We discovered it when we went for a crazy 2 hours bike ride around the city.

KaoHsiung is the second biggest city in Taiwan. It started as a industrial district located in the south. In this city, it lives one of my best childhood best friends, Yiping, and her husband!

I have visited her there a couple times, so had Scott last December. They brought us to tour the city, traveled to the nearby islands, and had delicious local cuisines. We both enjoyed Yiping and her hubby's hospitality tremendously. (xox Yiping!)


Traveling to the nearby island city, QiJing 旗津, by scooter ferry!



This is the Taiwanese style 三貼(２人１狗)scooter riding in KaoHsuing city.

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"down" and "under" Aussy experiences

After a good friend of ours got racially harassed on Australia Day, I decided to list some unpleasantness we have experience here...

Chapter I: Public Transportation Service
I.1 Bus drivers do not need to know where bus tickets are sold.
I.2 Bus drivers do not need to learn their bus routes. When needed, use a map or ask passengers for direction, and stops may be missed.
I.3 Bus drivers may harass passengers.
I.4 Bus drivers may sell wrong tickets and refuse to correct mistakes.
I.5 Driver may refuse further pick-up when passengers standing decide to block the front half of the bus.
I.6 When passengers are lost, bus drivers may as well direct the passengers with further incorrect direction since they are already lost and they don't know you.

Chapter II: Government Immigration Service
II.1 Help line representative may give false directions.
II.2 Help line representatives may interpret regulations differently.
II.3 Help line representatives may leave out vital information/document needed.
II.4 Help line representatives hold no responsibility over what they say.
II.5 Reception assistants do not provide assistance besides refusing incorrect applications.

Chapter III: Rental Agent Service
III.1 Agents do not need to know what items are/are not included on the rental property.
III.2 Agents do not need to know if appliances are/are not in working condition.
III.3 Agents act as blocks instead of medians of communication between tenants and landlords.
III.4 Tenants ought to hold all responsibility over missed/delayed response to requests made during the period tenants have notified the office that they are away.

Chapter IV: Cell Phone Service
IV.1 Charges to unsubscribed services may be made to customers' bills repeatedly
IV.2 Customers ought to call and correct the incorrect billing on a charging customer service line
IV.3 Customer can not cancel services that are nonfunctional.
IV.4 Total bullshit and false advertisement is allowed under the table.

Chapter V: University Admission Service (Melbourne University)
V.1 No emails should be replied within 2 weeks.
V.2 No answer should be obtained within 2 follow-ups.
V.3 This school do not need to notify applicants on any missing documentations.
V.4 This school should only contact successful candidates and leave all the rest hanging.
V.5 This school holds no responsibility on delaying evaluation process due to school administration bureaucracy.
V.6 This school may delay application process indefinitely.
V.7 This school ought to charge 100.00 application fee while all the other schools are free of charge.

Chapter VI: Postal Service
VI.1 1 in 3 packages can be missed.
VI.2 Australia Post do not hold responsibility over missing registered mails/packages.

(Disclaimer: Personal experiences may vary. Readers discretion is advised on trusting information provided by any service industry.)

Two updates

(1) We got the permission from Misty's breeder to blog about Misty and her cattery, so I will start to post more about Misty soon.

(2) I think I infected Scott with my blog fever, so he wants to negotiate the possibility of joining me on building this blog. His enthusiasm currently is under evaluation.

de facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "in fact" or "in practice" but not spelled out by law.

Tomorrow morning is our interview with the Australian immigration to declare "de facto". We prepared stacks of documents. There are our (1) application forms, (2) shared lease contracts, (3) shared bank statements, (4) telephone, hydro, internet bills with both of our names on it, (5) synchronized travel itineraries (6) statements from the moms. (7) 60+ pictures taken in the last two years. I hope everything will go through smoothly ~

So far, I liked all the expressions that are Latin or Franch, like "fiancé", "reséme", and even "ad libitum". They sound so much more romantic and classy than "common-law", "CV", and "free-feeding". I still remember the first time I heard "common-law", I was so confused... law? what law? I hope you are not in trouble...

"Cloverfield" a concert of monster thrills

If you are looking for a reason to pay for a movie (instead watching it on your computer), this is it!! It is truly worth every penny and second you spend in front of a giant movie screen with a bucket of popcorn.

so, about this movie...the length was merely an hour and half. (short...) The picture was filmed in handy-cam style. (old trick...) The event was about monsters destroying New York city. (so did King Kong and Godzilla...) The plot is... absent! (what?!) That's right! No character development or anything beyonds "people try to run away from monsters".

As crazy as it sounds, this movie created a whole new level of "theater experience"! Let me try it with metaphor - if previous monster movies were music CD records, Cloverfield was a celebration of a live concert!

So you are easily scared? No worries, this movie is done with class and dignity. Nothing is meant to scare you with horror, startle you with sudden setups, or disgust you with unnecessary bloody meat on bones. Na'uh, relax! I am a big chicken-shit with horror movies, and I enjoyed the thrill from the start of the action until the very last second of this movie, literally!

After the movie was finished, I had to sit there to catch up with my breath first, and then walked out with a very complex expression on my face. It was the half overly-excited and half stupid laughing face I usually got after a big roller coaster ride.

I recommend this movie to everybody. However, for people who have weak semicircular canals, many have reported puking and dizziness just 20min into this movie. So, be prepared, take a motion-sickness pill and then watch it!