Lomography in the form of Diana f+ limited edition sahara set

I have just received the coolest present in a long time. A toy camera in the form of Diana f+!

Comes in a super cute giant bag

OMG! OMG! check this out!

 I got a limited edition Sahara set that come with:

1x           Diana F+ analog toy camera in the limited edition Sahara leather wrap
              (this is really nice cos toy cameras come with the cheap plastic feel and really don't
              cost that much last time so a limited edition case with a leather wrap seem like a treat)

1x           Lens cap
               (also in line with the Sahara theme with with the motif of two camels and in a sandy colour)

1x           Diana flash
               (in the sandy colour of the Sahara range as well)

2x           Flash adapter to allow the the Diana flash to be used on other cameras
               & other flash to be used on the Diana

1x           Full leather camera bag
              (the leather pouches must be my favourite and you can still use it with the 35mm back)

1x           Full leather flash pouch 

1x           Diana F+ book with the Sahara cover
              (all contents of the books in the Diana range are the same except for the covers,
              the limited edition sets have covers in line with their specific theme)

Love the explorer or Indiana Jones feel of it

It is fully analog and comes with so many functions and possibilites I can't wait to try them all out. I finished my first roll of negatives in the first day and went back to the shop to get it developed as I don't know which other shops in Singapore develop these special 120 medium films that the Diana use. To my dismay, it takes 18 days to get it developed because they got to send it to Taiwan?!? to get the films developed. That kinda sucks because I was so excited to find out how my first roll of films turned out. I have heard horror stories of nothing showing up on the first roll and I do not dare to load another film until I get my results. The film is quite expensive and until I know I am doing it right, I am not going to go spending the next 18 days shooting like crazy on these expensive films.

To make things easier, I also got the 35mm back that allows my Diana to use the normal films we can buy at most stores. I checked and I can get the films for $15 for a pack of 3 and $4 to develop them. So that's cool and until I get my hang on the camera, I going on a learning trip with the much cheaper film option. I heard that most high-end home printers come with software to convert my developed negatives into picture that I can further manipulate in photoshop. I do have a high-end printer so we shall see how that goes. The printing shop wants to charge me $6 bucks to convert negetives into a CD. Not too expensive but the expenses will add up.

All in all I'm super excited with my present and I have been shooting my cats non-stop. I expect many over-exposed shots since I keep forgetting I need to manually roll the film forward. I think there are frames in my first roll of film where I took 6 shots in the same frame. Oh-oh, we shall see what happens.

I love How To Train Your Dragon

For the first time in a long while, we made it home at like 5pm. After sending our laundry in, we set out to plan for a quite night at home with out fluffies. So it was that we went to hunt for some DVD to spend the evening with. We ended up home with a blu-ray How To Train Your Dragon and fell in love with it all over again. The first time we watched it was in the cinema and we were so stuck in traffic we missed a good 15 minutes of the movie. Now with out new Phillip 42inch LED TV, also new sound system and the blu-ray, we were set to go.

After dinner, we set out some snacks and drinks and to honour us with their presence tonight, we invited Shernie, Tolgrie and our new kitty Shadow that looks exactly ( and with as much attitude) like Toothless to join us. We can never have all the cats grace us at the same time in the living area because they will cause such a riot we will regret ever deciding to stay in. We are currently living in a rented house for one and a half years or so. It's a great place except the kitchen doesn't come with a sliding door.

Any hoo, after many minutes of chasing around we finally got the kitties clam enough to enjoy our movie while they plot their next moves. I don't know for sure but I'm pretty certain anyone who has had a cat before will agree with me that the dragons in this movie were definitely inspired by cats. Watch and count how many parallels you see with your kitty in Toothless's behaviour. Below is my list:

1) CATNIP: In the movie, there is a grass that the dragon go absolutely go gaga for. Give your kitty some catnip and watch his reaction. Now tell me if it's not exactly like what the dragon are doing in the movie.


2) EAR LANGUAGE: That what I call the particular sign language where your kitties communicate with you through the different positions of their ears. The perk up, the droop etc.


3) NECK SCRATCH: Dragons in the movie practically drop and fall asleep when someone scratches then under their chins. While not so dramatic, most kitties will start their purr engine and start to drift off to dreamland when scratched at the same spot.


4) ATTITUDE: Oh they can be very stubborn and insistent if they want to be.


5) TOOTHLESS: Remember the scene when Hiccup introduced Toothless and he opened his mouth and all the teeth sprung out? Well it reminds me of cats and their cute fat furry paws until they decide to show their claws on your furniture.

6) CHASING SHINY THINGS: Get a torchlight, switch off the lights and see your kitty go crazy.

That's all I remember at the moment. What else do you see? Are your cats afraid of eels?

Been a while

The lack of blogging about my cats have been due to an incident. Tolgrie has found another victim this time in Jummy. The wound is so bad I gag when I look at it. It was too upsetting for me to blog about anything. I spent everyday for about 3 weeks diligently cleaning Jummy's wound twice a day. Looking at her suffer broke my heart. They have been kept in separate rooms ever since. Now that Jummy is on the mend ( her wound has patched naturally and her fur is growing back) I am in the mood to blog again! Yay!

That the irritating thing about being a cat parent: You get so angry and fed up you wonder if you will ever want to keep another cat but then the incident pass and you are filled with love again. They give you that look, a look only a pet parent will understand, and you are hooked again. Willingly! Oh well. The joys of them. I shall be posting Jummy's gag worthy journey soon. Till then. Out.

Today's skratch

meow

Too pissed off for titles

On a good day, I live in a urinal. On a bad day, it's in a shit hole. Living with even one cat that has an elimination issue is tiring. Cats are very sensitive to smell and if some other cat has sone it out of the box, it's not long before the others start to associate that spot with a toilet. Nothing really works to get rid of the smell. Bleach, vinegar, lemon, baking soda, off the shelf formulas. Coming home after a tiring day of work to an assault to the nose sucks! Enough said. Out.

Where did all the money go?

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The cost of having a cat or a few can really add up. Here is a list of things that I spend on and you might end up spending on as well.

 


1.  The most obvious: CAT FOOD.

 I may scrimp on many things but food and healthcare are not one   of them. I will be absolutely guilt ridden if I don’t provide my cats the best nutrition I can get for them. The commercial pet food industry still has a long way to go. Though there are better commercial cat food  out there, they are expensive. For example, a 2.6kg pack of Wellness core dry cat food is S$60+ at my local store. 



2. -->  Kitties do not know how to use a toilet bowl.  At least not mine, so they need LITTER.

Funny litter commercial

A pack of good clumping sand is about S$10 and will probably last a cat about 2 weeks before you need to change the whole thing. I live with 4 cats and one pack of clamping litter last less than a week! Then, there is a whole host of litter box accessories: litter box, litter scoop, bleach and spray bottle to keep box clean in between changes, litter box liners (optional) etc etc.



3. --> TOYS. 

While this may not seem absolutely necessary, I believe that it is necessary for all living things to have some sort of stimulation through play. Also, those things are so darn cute! Each on their own is pretty affordable but boy do they add up. So far I’ve bought cat trees, cat cusions, made my own cat cusion project, various toys, pet outfits, stretching posts and load of other things I can’t even remember buying.



4. --> Every cat needs a VET at some point of time.

As a new pet, a cat needs check up and vaccination which will be S$100+. After become an adult, sterrilisatoin which cost between S$40 + to S$ 90+ depending on sex. Also keep in mind regular check ups and booster shots.  And pets do fall ill. They may not be able to speak but if you have been a consistent pet parent you will notice any abnormal behaiviour. These can be really expensive. Case in point: Shernie’s lastest episode cost me nearly a thousand bucks!



5.  I love holidays and also travel for work, so this is a frequent necessity for me. PET BOARDING and PET SITTING.  IF you have family and friends that can help you look after you cat while you are not around, yay for you.

They can't camp out at the park while you are gone.

6. --> ACCESSORIES like cat carriers, collars, harnesses, food containers and bowls cost money too.
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                                                                  Finally
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                        Something many pet-owners-to-be fail to anticipate.
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7. -->Cost from DEMAGE.

It is not a gurantee that your new pet will not have elimination issues or scratching habits. I have lost furniture, breakable photo frames, ornaments, bowls, landscaping, my favourite clothes etc etc. One of my cats has an elimination problem and while living with my parents her habit badly demaged the wooden lamination flooring. It now looks cracked and bloated. I feel really bad for my parents but I can't afford to change their wooden flooring for them. Do not bet on trainings and sprays, they may not work. Count your possible demage first and see if you can take the pinch.

Doesn't she look like an angel when she's not shredding stuff?

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So before you go buy that cute fur ball at the pet shop, consider if you can really afford to have one. Having to give up your cat because you can no longer afford it sucks; for both you and your cat! On the other hand, if you know that the expenses are within your budget and you are prepared to spend all these or more, having a cat as a pet can be one of the most satisfying things in the world. While we are on this topic, may I suggest a shelter cat if you do intend to get one?

What's up, Tolgrie?

Happy Kitties and a Skratch

Shernie is back home! Yay. Total bill is around $1000 but the worries did not end at the vet. Nothing conclusive come out of it and Shernie was allowed to discharge because she started to eat and the vet was able to press pee out of her bladder. I have been told to monitor her at home to ensure she eats, pees and poos. My only choice was to separate her in another room. How else will I tell if she is peeing and pooing? Shernie was not happy. She was so excited to be finally home and I did not let her play with friends. 36 hours after coming home, Shernie finally pooed and was set free upon her friends. She's now back to her playful, greedy self.

Ultrasound and drip left Shernie with a pretty bad fur cut though

 

 

 

 

While we are at it, we might as well give Shernie a lion cut. It'll cool her down and she can cut down on three quarters of the cleaning time. She will probably look like this --->

This is not Shernie but a random cat with a lion cut

 Taffy has also recovered with her blue eyes back to their full glory. Oh happy day!

I now leave you with a skratch I did.

Self fulfilling prophecy fail

Sketch by Sarah Sakowski

The title says it all. Either this method of willing Shernie back home doesn't work or my ability to perform it sucked! Shernie is still at the hospital this very moment.

The vet called late morning to say Shernie is still not eating/peeing/pooing. With her drip, the bladder is obviously very full so the next step of the investigation was ultrasound. That revealed only more questions than answers. There were snowflake looking particle floating all over in Shernie's bladder. When allowed to settle a few lumps of about 3mm (big for a kitty bladder) were seen. However, whether they are bladder stones is inconclusive as the 3mm lumps could just be smaller sediments clamping together when settled. They also noticed possible fluid filled cysts on her pancreas. They are undecided if it could be pancreatitis. But the treatment for pancreatitis is fluid therapy which Shernie is already undergoing right now so there will be no further investigation along this route for now.

Conclusion: Shernie has to stay ANOTHER night at the hospital to undergo fluid therapy by drip and to monitor if she pees. Her bladder is very full now and if she hasn't peed by tomorrow they might open her up. ( What if Shernie is not peeing cos it's not her litter in the hospital?; she is my most littered trained kitty)


Agrr.. Shernie's current bill is now S$500, add that too the previous S$260 and the continued hospitalisation tonight. OMG! Crazy crazy bill awaits me. As if the heartache of seeing my dear Shernie sick is not enough.

At times like these morbid thoughts enter my mind. Perhaps all in life is equilibrium and for the awesome joy and happiness you receive, you will have to pay back in the same intensity of sorrow. Crappy day!

Counting Sheeps, Seeing Shernies

Trying very hard to sleep but too much on my mind. Mostly my thoughts keep going back to Shernie. I've been trying to do work to keep my mind off her and it's not working. Obviously the reason for my blogging at this hour. Writing, drawing, painting, creating etc. have always been therapeutic to me, calming down the tempest in my mind. Writing is usually the fastest as it is fuss-free and require the least set up and planning. Just switch on laptop and type type away...

Well, since Shernie is already occupying my mind, I shall do a self fulfilling prophecy by thinking of my relief when the vet calls me later to tell me Shernie is fine and I can bring her home with mild medication and monitoring. Now that will be a happy day!