Issue #3

Happy Deepavali
05 November 2010

Julia Roberts, the American actress, was quoted as saying that she thinks the whole world should celebrate the Hindu Festival of Light.
She said: "Diwali should be celebrated unanimously throughout the world as a gesture of goodwill. It not only belongs to Hinduism but is universal in nature and in its essence too. Diwali ignites the values of self-confidence, love for humanity, peace, prosperity and above all eternity which goes beyond all mortal factors."

It made me feel lucky to live in Singapore. Deepavali is one of the eleven major public holidays celebrated here. These holidays reflect the cultural and religious diversity of this country and include Chinese New Year, the Buddhist holiday Vesak Day, the Muslim holidays Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji, as well as the Christian holidays of Christmas Day and Good Friday.

As I mentioned in my first issue, many people think of Singapore as not truly Asian, "Asia-lite", as some put it. Trying to buy a semi-permanent hair colour in a lighter shade (golden brown) has assured me that I am truly in Asia. Not since living in Japan have I had difficulty with this fairly mundane task.

Thank you to Madan Rao for the photo of Deepavali in Bangalore.

 

Ms Laly is a hero!

Ms Laly, a volunteer with the Singapore SPCA, took Mama, Black & White, Small, Medium and Large home from The Animal Doctors. She saved their lives, she saved the SPCA from the burden of having to care for or euthanize them, and she saved me from the anguish of having to bring them in to the SPCA shelter knowing that I had failed to rescue them.

She is a hero!

I will ask her for photos and post them :-)

Getting Stronger & Healthier

It has been a week since I found four very little, very sick, stray kittens.  On Tuesday the 28th, I brought them and their mother in to the Animal Doctors http://www.theanimaldoctors.com.sg/ where they were examined by Dr. Leslie Hill.  She told me Mama is quite young (she could tell by how clean her teeth are) and she also told me that she thought the problem with the kittens eyes was Feline herpes (to learn more see http://www.peteyedoctor.com/620635.html ) Dr. Hill warned me that if the lesions ruptured then the eye could be permanently damaged.  She also told me that in cats a damaged eye often becomes cancerous so it is better in such a case to remove the damaged eye. 

Yesterday, I went to visit Mama, Black & White, Small, Medium and Large.  They were separated because someone has diarrhoea and the medical team at the Animal Doctors wants to find out who.  They are all in the same space and can hear each other.  Mama is in the cage on top.  The cage on the bottom has a divider with Small and Medium on the left, Black & White and Large on the right.  Everyone seemed very happy to see me and full of energy.  Denna, one of the veterinary nurses, commented to me on how much more energetic the kittens were already.

Small's eyes look so much better I have attached before and after photos (Small is on the right) so everyone can see what great work the team at The Animal Doctors is doing.