Next time you see a human floating around at Bishan swimming complex, say hi to us!

One of the key features that impressed me pretty much was that I am able to personalise my home screen with customised applications or online feeds. Think of iGoogle. Another impressive feature will be it’s internal memory of 32GB and a memory card slot up to 16GB. This means that the phone can double up as a mini-netbook which you can use it for work documents, music, videos, surfing, gaming, etc. The phone is also packed with pretty good features such as a sliding qwerty keyboard, 3.5″ wide screen, GPS and a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics.

The only disadvantage is that it doesn’t come with a good office editing suite and the applications in Ovi Store doesn’t seem to be as cheap as those for iPhone. Otherwise, this phone is a pretty good deal and I’m looking forward to the new features and applications that Nokia plans to roll out in the second half of the year.

It looks just like wild grass. Dull colors, messy and uninteresting lines. Wu Guanzhong wrote, “I envy wild grass because they want nothing and live in freedom. They are oblivious to the elements and change of seasons.”

I looked at it again. This time, I saw the beauty that shone behind those words. The power of perception.

Wu Guanzhong’s donation of 113 works is at Singapore Art Museum from 9th April to 16th August 2009.

Being at home for two days gives me the luxury of thinking what I gonna do for work and personal in the next two quarters. I think there’s a lot more I want to do with this blog. The recent work shift and hype on social media has given me new perspectives in writing for this blog. I just need to take the first step.

Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.

I know I’ll be back again. Someday.

Changing trains. Tide waits for no one and the first quarter past like a breeze.

The next train arrives. Where do I go from here?

Baby: I want McFlurry only.
Me: Not worth paying for the delivery charges la.
Baby: We order 4 lor. Ok?

She just cracks me up sometimes.

So you. Yes you, you know who you are. Come out of your closet and tell me who you are. By the way, you can stalk my dog here.

p/s: Why would someone google eating shit underwater? That’s such a weird fetish!

MARCH 2009

Top 20 of 47 Total Search Strings

# Hits Search String

1 4 6.67% japanese dining
2 4 6.67% terry peh
3 2 3.33% flowerpod forum pet clinic
4 2 3.33% fullerton chocolate buffet price
5 2 3.33% joy doggy
6 2 3.33% joy doggy pet shop
7 2 3.33% marley
8 2 3.33% marley and me
9 2 3.33% number of pet shop licensing in singapore
10 1 1.67% 1 d kukup one day tour
11 1 1.67% anf dog food customers opinions
12 1 1.67% chatuchak markets small puppies
13 1 1.67% chocolate buffet
14 1 1.67% chocolate fondue at fullerton
15 1 1.67% colonoscopy
16 1 1.67% dinner at suntec city
17 1 1.67% eating shit underwater
18 1 1.67% fullerton chocolate buffet
19 1 1.67% funny conversations
20 1 1.67% getaway malaysia kukup

FEBRUARY 2009
Top 20 of 66 Total Search Strings

# Hits Search String

1 34 25.76% joy doggy
2 9 6.82% terry peh
3 5 3.79% joy doggy singapore
4 4 3.03% funny conversations
5 4 3.03% joy doggie
6 3 2.27% joy doggy pet shop
7 3 2.27% pepper lunch
8 3 2.27% problems in newlyweds
9 3 2.27% terryaki
10 2 1.52% alkaff man-
11 2 1.52% fullerton chocolate buffet price
12 2 1.52% joaquim buffet restaurant suntec city
13 2 1.52% kukp
14 2 1.52% kukup trip
15 2 1.52% winterwear in vivo city
16 2 1.52% xinity wenxin
17 1 0.76% 1827 thai wedding photos
18 1 0.76% 1997 tennessee vols football roster
19 1 0.76% about terryaki
20 1 0.76% agendas mind

JANUARY 2009
Top 20 of 81 Total Search Strings

# Hits Search String

1 14 10.85% joy doggy pet shop
2 7 5.43% joy doggy
3 7 5.43% terry peh
4 5 3.88% terryaki
5 4 3.10% fullerton chocolate buffet
6 3 2.33% pepper lunch
7 3 2.33% zhen fa live seafood
8 2 1.55% alexandra arch
9 2 1.55% fullerton chocolate buffet price
10 2 1.55% funny conversations
11 2 1.55% hp pavilion 2005
12 2 1.55% http://www.terryaki.net/toby
13 2 1.55% palau ubin resort
14 2 1.55% staunch christians
15 2 1.55% sun with moon japanese dining
16 2 1.55% suntec city steamboat
17 2 1.55% terryaki.net
18 2 1.55% wedding at-
19 2 1.55% why do people love apple
20 1 0.78% %22sun with moon%2-

DECEMBER 2008
Top 20 of 72 Total Search Strings

# Hits Search String

1 7 6.54% zhen fa seafood
2 4 3.74% terry peh
3 4 3.74% terryaki
4 4 3.74% why people love apple
5 4 3.74% zhen fa live seafood
6 3 2.80% terry and wenxin
7 3 2.80% why do people love apple so much
8 2 1.87% alkaff mansion abandoned
9 2 1.87% anilingus
10 2 1.87% cheeky chocolate
11 2 1.87% cute alaskan little gi-
12 2 1.87% http://terryaki.net/
13 2 1.87% japanese dining
14 2 1.87% kukup trip
15 2 1.87% pepper lunch
16 2 1.87% pulau ubin resort
17 2 1.87% robby the robot tin toy replica
18 2 1.87% staunch christians
19 2 1.87% sun with moon japanese dining
20 2 1.87% why do people love apple

I love rainy days. Those sudden torrential downpours and the smell of fresh cut grass. People gather spontaneously under shelters and everything turns grey except umbrellas. But today was a little different. The sky was a little yellow and the rays of the late afternoon sun shone generously on the field outside.

I decided to take a nap. 2 hours later, Stephanie texted me, “Check out the darn rainbow before it disappears!” I didn’t catch the previous one and I was very determined not to miss it again. I woke up from the bed grouchily, armed myself with the camera again and looked out of the window.

No rainbows.

Just when I was about to reply Stephanie’s message, something at the corner of my eye caught my attention.

It’s just as beautiful.

Day 1: We noticed there were some red patches and balding on the top of Toby’s ears and we suspected that the balding could be be due to skin allergy. Friends whom have seen Toby’s pictures suspected he could have been suffering from infection because his inner ears appeared to be red.

Day 2: We approached Joy Doggy and asked for confirmation if Toby is healthy and not suffering from any skin allergies. Peggy, the lady whom we purchased the dog from replied and confirmed that it is normal for Schnauzers to have dandruff and the flakes will go off after a few washes. Peggy offered to examine Toby’s skin if the problem persists after a few wash.

Day 4: We noticed that Toby has been licking, cleaning and scratching the back of his ears, limbs and rear body more often the last 3 days.

Day 5: Red patches appear to be more visible on the neck and limbs. Small round patches of balding have been noticed on his body and the balding on the ear since Day 1 worsened.

Day 6: We brought Toby to Pet Clinic at Serangoon Gardens and the vet has confirmed that Toby is suffering Dermatophytosis (Ringworm) and it is likely that he had contracted it before we got him one week ago. On the same day, we brought Toby to Joy Doggy after the diagnosis and we did not plan to let Joy Doggy know that we had brought Toby for a medical examination.

We asked Peggy to examine Toby and confirmed again if he is not suffering from any skin diseases. Peggy offered to give him a wash and assured that the flakes will be gotten rid of after the wash. I declined the offer and requested a confirmation again if Toby is not suffering from any skin disease. Peggy replied that she do not think that Toby is suffering from any skin disease.

I decided to tell them about Toby’s visit to the vet and his diagnosis of Dermatophytosis (Ringworm). Peggy insisted that it does not look like ringworm and it could be just dust mites. She offered to apply the affected with a cream which has proven to be very effective on her dogs. I declined her request and she suggested to seek a second opinion. I agreed and asked if it would be possible to get a reimbursement of the medical bill incurred.

George (husband/business partner of Peggy) interrupted and offered to check with his breeder if he is able to get a replacement. If his breeder is agreeable, he would gladly offer a replacement to us. I declined his offer politely. I insisted that Toby will be treated and if the treatment has to be on a long-term basis, a reimbursement of the medical bill will be appreciated. I made it very clear that replacement is not an option for us and we are not interested to know about his negotiation outcomes with the breeder. George replied that a full reimbursement would not be possible and I could give him an estimate of the medical bill so that a solution can be worked out.

I questioned if Joy Doggy knows that Toby was infected with Ringworms before we took him back last Sunday. George insisted again that the symptoms do not look like Ringworms and questioned the credibility of the vet. He asked rudely, in exact words, “How do you want me to trust your vet??” He offered a replacement again and re-emphasized if the breeder is agreeable. I was really annoyed this time and agreed in seeking a second opinion if the medical bills can be reimbursed.

He became impatient and said this rudely, “This is Singapore leh and I’m doing sales in Singapore. If you’re buying a defected product, of course I can only replace with another product la.” I told him that it is a dog that I’m getting and not a PRODUCT. I do not care the about negotiation outcomes with his breeder. I paid for the puppy and if there were medical conditions not highlighted before the purchase, the pet shop needs to be responsible for the treatment.

George challenged usto get a lawyer and sue them. He said he will not pay a single cent for Toby’s medical fees because we are are just plain greedy. He was just downright rude and I insisted that I would only to talk to Peggy. George said in sarcasm, “You want to talk to her?? She also has to go through me ok!!”

We had a good talk with Peggy. She offered to give Toby a good wash and take care of Toby until he is completely healed. Being honest with her, I told her that we have no intentions in leaving Toby under their care after the horrible experience we had with George.

The purpose of this post is to share the experience we had with George Tan from Joy Doggy and how important it is to do research before you get your puppy from sources which you may not be familiar with. We also found out from Peggy that their resident Schnauzer, Buffy contracted Dermatophytosis (Ringworm) 3 weeks ago and it is not completely healed yet. If this is true, I assume Toby was infected before we got him because Buffy was not isolated from other puppies. There was an occasion when Buffy was unleashed and was in contact with Toby.

Here are some discouraging facts that we have found out today.

1. We were quoted $1,680 for Toby, a 3 months old black & white Mini Schnauzer (without pedigree cert) and was told by several dog owners / pet shop owners that it was an exorbitant price. We managed to bring down to $1,380 with two vaccinations and microchip included (purchased but not inserted).

2. We were told that Toby was fed with ANF Holistic (Fish) since birth and it is best to continue with the same brand. The food was self-packed by the shop and the packaging is a transparent plastic bag with no original packaging, ingredients breakdown and indication of expiry date. After doing some research with pet shop owners as well as on the internet, to our dismay we realised that ANF Holistic is generally not recommended for dogs. First of all, chicken fat and beet pulp are used in the food. Beet pulp is a by-product that has been noted to cause problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. Synthetic vitamin K is also found in the food, a substance linked to liver problems and that is progressively being removed from better quality dog food products. The above information is extracted from DogFoodAnalysis, a part of BoxerWorld.com, one of the largest and longest running dog forum communities on the internet.

Below are some of the AVA’s regulations which I believed that they have breached.

Under Pet Shop Best Practices, Animal Care and Management:
12. Animals are acquired from known sources that are reliable and consistent in producing healthy animals that are of good quality.

Pet Shop License Condition (1), Display and Sale of Dogs and Cats
8. Only healthy animals in good condition are to be displayed for sale. The animals must not be suffering from intestinal parasites (such as roundworm and hookworm), external parasites (such as fleas, ticks and ear mites) and ringworm. Sick, diseased and injured animals must be removed from display and treated by a licensed practising veterinarian. The veterinarian must certify that the animal is recovered before it can again be displayed for sale.

15. When a dog is sold, the shop must apply for the dog licence for the buyer and lodge the microchip number of the dog with AVA. (needs to be confirmed if the dog has to be microchipped before being sold to buyers)

Below are some reviews on Joy Doggy that we have gathered from users on the net.

Pup’s death due to canine disease (Case 1) and Virus kills 3 pups (Case 2): http://www.vipaws.com/Pages/articles.htm
Virus kills 3 pups: http://www.petschannel.com/forum/?page=topic&topicID=1413&start=1
Worst shop I’ve ever come across: http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/lounge/615-worst-shop-i-ever-come-across.html
Unreputable shops (I): http://www.shoppinglifestyle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1412&PN=0&TPN=4
Unreputable shops (II): http://flowerpod.com.sg/forums/Places-Dogs-Grooming-Services-t29875.html&st=20&p=1211639#entry1211639
Sale of sick puppy (I): http://flowerpod.com.sg/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=44843&view=findpost&p=1588900
Sale of sick puppy (II): http://flowerpod.com.sg/forums/Dishonest-Unethical-Pet-Shop-t44843.html&p=1599535#entry1599535
Others: http://www.petschannel.com/forum/?page=topic&topicID=6839&start=1

I just hope that Toby will be healed of his ringworms soon and now, I am contemplating to write an official complaint to AVA after our next review with the vet.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed or implied on this post are for informational purposes and are solely those of the owner, Terry Peh, and as such are not meant to intentionally or unintentionally offend, berate, slander, or annoy, any individual, group, or organisation. Quoted and posted statements, views and opinions presented on this site are those of its respective authors and are not endorsed by, nor do they necessarily reflect, the opinions of the owner, Terry Peh.