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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The Return of the Genie King

It's good to be back!  Today I was reintroduced to the blogging world! I have not blogged for over 7 years after starting 10 years ago.

Looking at my old blog brought back great memories of a different time.  I had started blogging to document my trials as a first time father to my little daughter and her growing up.

Today my daughter was able to read an old post about her.  Seeing her smile as she read about her antics brought a smile to my face.  It was all worthwhile.

Also hooked up with a few old blogging buddies today and believe me it was good and I look forward to getting back in the groove.  Trust me I am so rusty at blogging that I couldn't even find my blog at first.

Will be interesting to start again.
Right now I'm using me trusty phone...and it seems ok. Would hate to use a laptop if it's not necessary... but it's hard to type like this I must add.   We'll just have to wait and see I suppose.

Times have changed so much and I do have a little to write about....so let the games begin.

Monday, September 13, 2010

It’s A Wonderful Life

It’s A Wonderful Life

That, my friends, is the title of my all time favorite Christmas movie that stars Jimmy Stewart. It’s been a Christmas tradition for me to try watching it each and every year at Christmas time (if they showed it on TV), until I managed to order the DVD (it’s not sold locally either) to ensure that I’d not miss it at Christmastime anymore. I hope that I can pass on the tradition to my little one but for now I don’t think the show will appeal to her much since it’s in black and white and she’s only five.

It’s a Wonderful Life is a touching story about a simple man, George Bailey, who faces adversity in his life and has to forego his dreams and aspirations due to circumstances. He is honest and hardworking and leads a clean life, while making ends meet. However, after everything he’s been through, he is down on his luck through no fault of his own and wishes he was never born. With the help of an unlikely angel in training called Clarence, he sees that he has made a significant difference to society and is really blessed.

Okay I know that it’s a little early for Christmas for most folks but for me it’s Christmas everyday LOL Actually, this year I can draw a little comparison to ol’ George Bailey. I’ve been facing some adversity and to tell you the truth the challenges have been literally piling on one after another, after another. While it hasn’t come to the stage of me challenging my existence it is really trying times for us. Thank goodness wifey is really understanding and helpful for I don’t think I’d be able to handle it on my own.

We’ll try to do the right thing for everyone but sometimes the right thing is not the best thing, however, therein lies the challenge. It’ll be a balancing act but hey what’s life without a little challenge, right? The trick is to try to see the good in every difficult situation you’re facing but trust me; it’s not easy and I’m sure most of you who’ve faced tough times will agree. Griping won’t get me anywhere. It’s ironical because I’m a perennial griper but on something like this I choose not to gripe, at least not yet!! LOL

Friday, May 7, 2010

FLUFFY FRIDAY …GrrRupert Report

Okay okay I bet you think I was gonna write about my mutt Rupert. We’ll yes and no…Rupert is slowly blending in with the family. His only problem is that he still hasn’t been toilet trained. It’s taking longer than I expected and I expected a miracle and hoped that he would follow commands like any good dog. Wake up…he’s just a puppy! He act like one and eats like one and relieves himself just like one!! Yup Rupert is a Rupest sometimes. I don’t know how long it is going to take but it better not take too long!

Another thing is as much as my little daughter loves him and adores him she is a little afraid that he’s gonna bite her. Again he’s just a puppy and his favorite pass time is biting stuff. His favorite toy is a pull rope and that had been chewed apart. She has played tug with him and but the minute she stops he’s at it again. To dodge his little nips…Ellie has mastered the art of chair hopping and leaps on with ease and aplomb. It’s hard explaining to her that all she has to do is just tell him to stop and walk away.

So until that fine day comes when the dog listens to us and peace reigns we’ll just have to wait and be patient. Remember I said that this story is not going to be about Rupert alone…well here is a picture I took of a little cat in the pet shop recently. The little guy was trying to make a break for it and it was hilarious! I was goading him on to make a break for it and there were others who soon were cheering him on until someone informed the staff and so ended the exploits of the little fellow…maybe next time!

Woof woof!! My master seems to think he can write for me…geez…thank goodness he walked away and let the computer unattended…after all it’s not called GrrRupert Re'paw't for nothing! Woof woof It’s about me and what I see and my new found family!! Woof woof…he did a pretty good job of summing up what happened at the pet shop. It’s difficult to type with paws…when are you humans going to make a paw friendly keyboard!! Woof Woof! Speaking of which why not make an iPAWD® when you’re at it too! Grr

I’m enjoying my second week at my new home!! My family is not home during the day and only let me out when they are back because I can’t seem to find the toilet! Not that it helps because I’m not going to “GO” where I sleep so I still wait for them to return woof woof They are an odd bunch…man master likes to rub my head when he watches the TV. Lady master feeds me and combs my hair….I overheard her say that she never had a dog…but she’s doing fine. The little lady master is a little afraid of me…

That’s because I like to bite…actually my teeth are itchy because they are new…I can’t help it…she likes me I’m sure by the way she sits outside my cage but until my teething stops she’s not going to let me near enough to her for me to sniff Grrr She does like to play pull with me though…but that’s cause I like pulling so much I forget about everything else woof woof Biting on a rope is so much fun…you should try it sometime! I’ll ask master to lend you my rope sometime…but you have to give me a bone, OK! Woof

Owwww my paws hurt…this keyboard is killing me! I better go now…but before I do I’d like to ask master’s friend to bring along that hot looking bitch….hey that’s what female dogs are called okay you filthy minded humans…how would you like it if I called female dogs “woman”!! Not so nice eh Grrrr Anyway her name was Pebbles and she was a little shy this time around…may next time she’ll wanna play catch…if you know what I mean…woof woof

Err about the picture master wanted to post of that intrepid feline err...well it was supposed to be uploaded but I think I messed it up when I took over the keyboard...but no worries master will surely put it up when he has a chance. Let me end my first post with a little brain teaser… I’m a Schnauzer so I’m German, right? Well how do German dogs bark? Stumped, like my docked tail…well the answer is simple…

WOOFEN WOOFEN…see I told you it was a teaser for little brains!! GrrRupert Signing Off

Monday, May 3, 2010

How much is that doggie in the window?

We recently got a puppy for our little daughter as her pet. Wifey and me have been at odds these past few years on what type of size the dog should be. Wifey wanted a large breed to guard the house and I wanted a cute little animal to pet. I think I have a phobia for large dogs because of an incident long ago whaen I was a young boy where a huge dog lunged at me as I was walking by. I think I saw my life flash past me because if it weren’t for the fence that kept us apart I’d have been a goner.

Anyway, we’ve been going to pet shops at random to look at puppies and could never agree. This year though we decided that it was time. The little one was getting older and could do with the responsibility and the company too. It was meant to be her birthday gift but because we were going to be away we had to delay it a little. In the meantime, we visited an uncle’s place and she really liked their poodle. Now I’m no poodle lover but the dog was really well behaved and playful.

To compromise we asked the little one to choose, and she decided that she wanted a poodle type dog just like Spike, my uncle’s dog. So as soon as our scheduled permitted we went pup hunting. I had a Schnauzer in mind from the beginning and even contacted a few breeders. Unfortunately because we were a little busy we didn’t get a chance to go take a peek. Last Sunday however, for some strange reason I just said lets go look for Rupert…okay I had named the dog before picking it…hey I was going to get a male regardless.

We had been to most of the malls to look at their pets so we decided to look at the smaller petshops and on our second try we found this tiny little grey furball that was to be Rupert. Ellie liked him too. To be fair to her we also showed her a poodle and other breeds but she was unfazed. I was happy because we were getting a dog that both of us liked. Importantly, wifey liked him too. A smaller dog would be a little easier to handle for Ellie.

We were surprised though when we got home and she seemed to develop a little fear of the dog biting her feet. No matter what we said and did, she was still fearful and would take flying leaps on the chairs whenever the puppy got too close to her feet. She is however, slowly getting over the initial fears. She does love him and whenever he’s in his cage she’ll sit by him and stare at his eyes. A Kodak moment!! We’re happy that we got him too and happy to see that the little one is gradually being taken in by him.

Well the story would normally end there but yesterday when we went out we popped into another petshop to look for a bed for our little fellow. We didn’t find what we were looking for but what we found was a two-year old Siberian Husky sitting there with his owner. I must admit that in our pet hunting I have seen Husky puppies and they looked cute with their lovely eyes. If we ever were to get a big dog this would be it I told wifey too.

Anyway, there were a few people crowding around the Husky and he lay quiet but as we got near he suddenly got up and went to wifey and stood up to her with his paws on her chest and gave her a lick on the face. Wifey is not the type of person who likes the doggies smooches so it was a sight. But I was not over because he sniffed our little girl and then came to me and put his paws on my chest too. Okay flashbacks of my big dog phobia were intertwined with amazement at this big dog’s behavior.

I was not going to let the big fellow anywhere near my face but I did give him a nice back rub. I don’t know why he came up to us but we’re thinking that it either because we smell real bad or he could get the scent of Rupert off us. He only came to us too. His name was Milo…odd name for a dog but so is Rupert LOL Either way he was friendly and had lovely eyes. I told wifey again that she could get a Husky if she wanted and I would have no objections. Who knows?? Her birthday is coming up soon too LOL

Friday, April 30, 2010

Introducing....




I’d like to introduce the newest member of our family Rupert. He arrived on Sunday…and he’s a wee little fellow. He’s small in size and has darkish hair. He loves to eat and always wants more. Whenever he drinks he dribbles down his chin. He also loves to sleep too and will catch a little shut-eye any chance he can. His favorite toy is a little blue ball which he tries to hide when he’s not playing with it.


The only problem is I don’t think he likes his cage. But that’s only temporary until we get him a proper bed. We’re trying to get him house trained first so he doesn’t poop and pee all over the place. Which, I must add, he’s still managing to do even during the short periods of “freedom” he has. He’s not a bad boy just a baby really and it’ll take time. My little girl is a little afraid of him right now…but she’ll get used to him eventually…err I hope…

More to come...

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Star

My old Angel tree topper...still nice...

My new Star Tree topper...
The Star...up close...

My Star and Angel!!

I've been looking for a long time for a star to replace the angel on top of my tree...and after my long searc I found this one ...hard to explain but it's so hard to find a really nice star to top the tree here...or should I say it was really hard for me to find a star to meet my specifications here ho ho ho

A walk down memory lane...


One of the uncle's taking a break...he walked all the way with us
At the old folks home with the man that got me started on leading the caroling 1983
The group I led back then...no costumes...just candles and kids...before I donned the Santa suit
At the same home 26 years later...with one of my carollers...he made me smile when he called me the original...Santa that is...Ho Ho Ho
The carollers at my home last night
In the spirit of Christmas this year I decided to let my little girl go caroling. Be managed to make it for one practice session only but that was okay. My daughter knew most of the songs. Being a Christmas fan...I listen to carols months ahead and have a wide collection of Christmas CDs...although there is one Johnny Mathis CD stuck...I mean literally in my cars CD player Ho Ho Ho

I must say that things have changed a lot since the last time I went caroling. back then we did everything old school...I mean we had no guitarist so it was bells and tamborines. I guess for those who continued witht the tradition may have wanted to try something new this year and maybe inject some life into the songs. For me and my good buddy whom I convinced to join us though we were was just happy the way things used to be.

The groups previous leader proudly allowed his teenage daughter to conduct and lead. She did have the energy and some know how to her credit but she wanted to make most songs NEW and bring her schoolgirl style to the carols....a cross between a high school musical wannabe and Hannah Montana meets Christmas. Anyway to cut along story short, I was a little disappointed with the whole business but I can't complain because I didn't step up now did I...not that I am the greatest singer but I know how to preserve traditions. Enuf said I guess but the rest of the carollers were a diverse group and families in the area usually joined in the caroling too.

Overall it was fun to visit homes like I used to 25 years ago with my merry bunch of carolers. I saw so many familiar faces and it brought back memories. On the second day of carolling we visited the person who had asked me to lead the carollers back then. He was in an old folks home as he was confined to a wheelchair and had difficulty speaking. I was really taken aback as I have not seen him in ages. Memories came flooding back as his wife and my mother used to be the best of friends. My mother is now gone and his wife had just undergone surgery and could not take care of herself too. I was really teary-eyed and choked with emotion...it was sad.

As we went to more houses we used to visit on our caroling rounds I saw that more and more people had passed on. Many people were still alive though and the young ones were all grown up with families of their own. It made going caroling a lot more special to me at least. For my daughter...she didn't sing much since she is such a quiet person among strangers and even after three hard days of singing it was not enough to bring a peep out of her. It was okay...she's only four and it was her first time besides I know she can sing...so next year I hope she'll be ready Ho ho ho

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Santa's Galore

While in Bali recently we really didn't get to do much shopping. We choose to relax and spend time at the pool rather than go on tours and sightseeing. However, on the third day we thought that we should see a little more of Bali and not just be confined to the hotel and its surroundings.


So after an early breakfast at the hotel we went for a tour to Kintamani and a few other areas. Our first stop was to Tanjong Benoa. Over here the famed attractions are watersports and other sea activities. With two kids in two we were a little reluctant to try anything. The one thing I wanted to do was go for a submarine ride which I had read about. Alas, the guide said that the operation had gone "bangkrut" or belly up. Doh!!!


We did take a look at some great loking hotels in anticipation of our next visit. On this side of the island it's a little less hectic than Kuta and can be more relaxing but less fun. All depends what you're looking for I guess.


We headed up to the volcano next and the journey was long and the kids were of course not amused. Not wantign to eat when we ahd a food stop and wantign to eat as soon as we started our journey LOL Well we survived. We saw loads and load of shops selling all kinds of handcrafted goods. From shrines, to animals, to people to anything you could imagine.


As we headed up to the mountain the road was lined with shops selling more and more of the same handcrafted goods. We didn't stop as I was overwhelmed. Besides I was looking for more Santa's to add to my collection Ho Ho Ho


I did see a few places but the driver said we could go there ont he way down from Kintamani. So I ahd to patiently wait. Argh...Truth be told when we reached the point to view the volcano we were a little disappointed with the view...okay so it was a real volcano but I did really prefer the Grand Canyon because we were quite a distance away. Doh!


On the way down we saw the rice paddie filed on the mountain slope of Tengglung which are in pictured in my previous post (along with most of my pictures of Bali). The view there was excellent but the natives were trying very hard to push their wares. I would have mined but they were kinda desparate and I know I should ahve bought sommething because it was really very cheap but I would have no real use for it apart from gathering dust besides I already have a vacuum for that LOL

After that we stopped at some of the shops selling Christmas stuff. Unfortunately they didn't have many Santa's and the one thing else that I wanted was in short supply. Doh!! Anyway, we evenually stopped at a Christmas shop and I had a field day. Wifey was in the car with the resting kids and I was on my own in a shop full of Sant's holding millions of rupiah LOL I practically grabbed everything I could. I left behind those that were of lower quality or too big to handle.

I managed to fill up a box full and serriously had I know I was underweight instead of thinking I had exceed my baggage allowance I'd have got even more DOH!!! Anyway, there is always a next time LOL SO you can see my booty at teh bottom of the post. Some old looking some new looking but all Santa's. Even have duplicates which I had wanted to give to my brother and sister....alas they have not made it there yet muahahahah

To give perspective...the small round Santa in the middle is about 3 inches high




In the end, we finally caved in to the kids and let them have adip int he pool as soon as we got to the hotel. ALl their tiredness and complaining disappeared. We stayed in the pool until dark and it was excellent as the pool area was quiet as it was less crowded. There was an office function held on the pool beach and parts of it were cordoned off...but it was okay as we didn't need that much space anyway. We actually went around the whole pool in stalth mode...believe me it took a long time to get around the immense pool.

I love Bali!!!!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Rockin' Getaway

Woo hoo I'm so glad that we went fot the vacation. The body may be tired but the mind is refreshed. What is it with holidays that it somehow drains the body so. Mind you we were mostly lazing around the pool and only went on a tour on one of the days. Anyway I'll just let the pictures do the talking!