MY ANGEL'S BIRTHDAY

Dearest Bheemar,

It is your birthday today.
You've turned one my darling.
And what a beautiful year it has been!
As your Dad puts it, we are truly blessed to have you in our lives.

You have so much goodness and so much love to give.
Life seems so simple and wonderful with you by my side.
You are and will always be the most beautiful part of my life.
Happy birthday my precious little one.
Have a blessed, healthy and happy life.

Love,Your Mum

TOPSY TURVY

Life for me has turned topsy turvy!

Balaraam has brought about so much changes.

I had forgotten all the downs I had gone through when training Bheemar in the beginning. I forgot finding chewed up telephone wires, ripped cushions, pee & poop on the carpets and etc. I forgot hating myself for having to be so strict with Bheemar and repeating "No" to everything. I forgot struggling to get him to walk calmly next to me during our walks. Forgot so much!

Balaraam has brought back the downs of training a dog or having an untrained dog. Broke down yesterday. Yes! I know! Weak!!!! But I was so heartbroken!

Went out for abt 3 hrs and came back home to find Bheemar's favourite soft toy ripped, two books - one a gift from Mohan & one that belonged to a friend - ripped into pieces!!!!!! He had to choose one that didn't belong to me and one that had more sentimental value to destroy.

Think I forgot what doggies are capable of as Bheemz is such an angel. The only things Bheemz rip are the mail that I'm gonna throw away and egg cartons that we give him specifically to chew on. Sigh!!!!! Furthermore, Bheemar knows how to play with his soft toys. He chews on them but never rip them up. He still has his 1st soft toy in pretty good condition.

I jus hate training because u have to be firm, strict & keep saying no to this and that! No peeing here. No pooping there. No jumping on me. No rough play. No biting this. No chewing that.

Both Mohan & I are struggling emotionally as Balaraam is such a timid dog. He's obviously been abused and quite frankly, the guy is just dying to please us. The problem is he doesn't know how to as yet. Feel like we are bullying the poor fella.

Well it's been about 3 days now. Only 3 days....I believe things will get better with time... At least for Balaraam's sake....

BALARAAM'S HOMECOMING!!!

He's home!!! Finally!!!

Mohan managed to take time-off and we drove to Doggie Rescue with Bheemar. We reached the shelter by half past 4 in the afternoon and had to wait a short while before Balaraam was brought out.

While waiting we couldn't help but notice some of the other dogs in the shelter. Although they were in a shelter, I couldn't help but notice how lucky they were. They had ample space to run around, toys to play with and kennels to sleep in. To think these dogs may have been put down if not for this shelter...

Barking quite happily at anything that moves!

I fell in love with this dog. If we had bought a house instead of a
townhouse, I would have probably grabbed him too!!!

Yet another adorable fella!

It must take so much effort, time and absolute dedication from volunteers and workers to keep the place the way it is. Can you imagine the loads of washing that piles up every morning, especially during the cold season? The dogs need to be walked, food needs to be prepared, kennels need to be cleaned, dogs need to be transported for medical treatment, food supplies need to be collected....oh goodness, I'm feeling exhausted just thinking about some of the work that needs to be done there.

I applaud the effort and respect the dedication of all those helping to keep this shelter running. This shelter runs entirely on funds from well-wishers and isn't government funded. I wish I'll be able to do my part for this shelter some day in the near future...... Actually...no.... I wish that the Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill gets passed, people stop buying/abandoning dog/cats and eventually there comes a day when Monika's Doggie Rescue will have no more doggies to rescue. Now, that'll be perfect! Yes, that's what I wish for.

Coming back to Balaraam, Monika brought him out and we settled some last minute stuff pertaining to the adoption. We also got the boys sweaters for our early morning walks. The colours were a little terrible but the proceeds from the sale goes to the shelter. Plus they were far more affordable than those found in pet shops. In all, still a good buy :)

We bid farewell to Monika and left the shelter. Clad in his new sweater, Balaraam took his first steps towards his forever home...with us & Bheemar close by his side :)

The drive was a little torturous for Balaraam. We were stuck in a peak hour jam and the journey took a little more than an hour. Plus Bheemar couldn't keep his paws off Balaraam. I had to hold Bheemar down for most part of the journey so that he doesn't smother Balaraam.

The best part was watching Balaraam take his first sniff of his new home. All my anxiety about him missing the shelter vanished as he very excitedly checked out the whole house. It truly looked like he knew the difference between a shelter and a home. He looked happy with this home. Most importantly, he really seemed pleased with his new family.

I am so thankful!!!

PREPARING FOR THE ARRIVAL

I've been so excited the past few days. I thought of the doggie and missed him everyday since we left Doggie Rescue last Friday. I've been diligently shopping and preparing for his arrival.

The first task was to find him a name. Homer was a big no-no! At least for me! Mohan was quite tempted to keep the name the same since he dearly idolizes Homer from The Simpsons. Anyway it took us a couple of hours to find him a suitable name but the decision was unanimous.

• He is about a week or two older than Bheemar.
  
• He is super strong - managed to pull Mohan so hard that Mohan had to run behind him.
• He got Bheemar to play a little gentler within minutes.

Considering what little we know of him, we regard him as the the strong and powerful elder brother who'll keep Bheemar out of mischief. Hence, we couldn't think of a more suitable name than Balaraam for our new arrival :) BALARAAM BALARAAM BALARAAM

Balaraam & Krishna

Once the name was settled, the shopping followed. I got lots of food, biscuits, treats, harness for Balaraam, food bowls, retractable leads and a bed. I've even got new collar tags for both doggies with their names and our numbers engraved. The tags arrived via mail in separate envelopes addressed to them. Their first official mail! Gonna keep the envelopes!

The Engraved Collar Tag

A Very Grumpy and Sleepy Model with the New Collar Tag
(He's wearing my favourite collar. Need to find one more for Balaraam.)

The 3m Retractable Leads

I've been eying those leads for some time now and have finally gotten my hands on them. I bought identical leads for both of them, just like the bowls and the collar tags. Haven't been able to find similar collars yet but I'm sure I'll hunt them down soon.

Ceramic Bowls

My favourite Model with Bowls (He volunteered to pose for this pic)

The bed is big enough for the two of them to cuddle in or stretch and snooze. It is definitely of good quality and I believe, it is pretty durable. The mattress can be used both sides - one for winter and one for summer.

Mattress with Summer side up

I've also been reading up quite a bit about keeping and training two dogs. I've praying real hard that both my boys will get along and be happy always. I hope that the new guy adopts well to us and doesn't miss the Doggie Rescue. I've been sending all my positive thoughts and prayers to the Universe. Hope my genie out there is listening....

OUR CHOICE

Looks like Mohan & I have finally found our home...well, it's not ours yet but it could well be if everything turns out good.

You know how it is sometimes...there are those choices that you make with little doubts naggin at the back of your mind...and then there are those that you jus know with your heart & mind that you've got make. Well, this choice was something like that.

We weren't hopin for much when we drove to view this property initially. We hadn't even liked the pictures of the property posted on the real estate website. We were also not too happy with the fact that it was in Blacktown - a suburb that we've avoided even when looking for rental home, thanks to its notorious reputation for crime. Another issue was the fact that it was a townhouse and not a house - meaning we'll incur strata costs, restrictions on pets and probably a smaller yard space. The only reason I even considered this property was the the price tag - $349k. That was about all the good it had going for it.

So there we were, driving to the place quite reluctantly until we noticed that as we got closer to the place, the quality of houses got better (an indication of safer neighbourhood). As we turned into our street, we were greeted by pretty huge beautiful houses with cars parked along the street. We had just entered a section of Blacktown that we didn't know existed. An area with more affluent people. Almost no vandalism and streets safe enough for cars to be parked. We were pleasantly surprised and definitely relieved.


The townhouse was in a complex located slightly uphill at the end of the street. The 12 townhouses in the complex were in good condition regardless of the fact that they were about 8 years old. We met the agent, Mel (a migrant from Hong Kong) who took us into the house.


The house sat well with both of us almost immediately. Small cosy living and dining area that leads to the courtyard. The kitchen was on the right, next to the dining area and was also pretty tiny. A door in the kichen led to the garage. So if I don't have space to store stuff in the kitchen, I may have to resort to putting them in the garage. A mini laundry and toilet were located right at the end of the kitchen.

We liked the courtyard altho the size was a kinda small. A small yard is good for Mohan & I coz it means less mowing but poor Bheemar may not exactly have tat much space to run about with his buddy.



The 2nd level led us to 3 rooms. Master bed room was a good sized room but the other two were a small. There was a separate toilet and a bathroom, both clean and in good condition too. The view from the master bed room and study room was nice since the townhouse was on higher ground.

My only issue was that the whole house was carpeted! Even the staircase! Think of the vacuuming!!!!! With two dogs that'll be happily moutling everday! Just thinking of it makes me exhausted. Currently, we have parquet flooring in our rental place and I vacuum almost everyday. Scary!!! However, the carpets are in gd condition and I have no heart to rip up something that is perfectly fine right now and spend 10k for another flooring.

Oh and one more thing....the carpet is blue. Yes, didn't look so blue in the pics but yup, it is defintely blue.

Over the next few days, we drove around the neighbourhood a couple of times. There is a very nice park between the main road and the back of the townhouse. One of our favourite feature is the tennis court right at the back. It is less than a min walk away. Finally! Been wanting to regularly play tennis for ages.

The neighbourhood is perfect for taking our dogs for a walk. A 5 minutes walk down the hill brings us to a lovely park with a lake. Can spend time watching the swans, ducks, geese & more swimmin or jus sun bathin.

Two problems tho - VANDALISM!!!!! Grrrrr..... So much! On the floor, the seats etc etc. Wish I could just paint over the mess and make it all beautiful again! The other problem was the lake....a bit filthy at one corner. Hope the council cleans it up regularly.

However, the other side of the park, away from the lake, is very beautiful, quiet and green. It was clean too. Perfect for nice long walks!

As for the other amenties, Woolies (supermarket) is a min drive away. Can walk too but must walk uphill on way home - mite a bit too challengin carrying groceries. Two bus stops abt 3 min walk away each. Buses go to Westpoint Blacktown. This shopping centre is huge. The train station and bus interchange are next to it. Very much like Jurong Pt wid all the essentials and more. No cinema tho. I can walk to Westpoint if I want. It should be a 15 to 20 min walk. It's near and yet not too near. The distance is just right.

There is a drive thru cinema close to the townhouse too. Can drive there wid de doggies if dun feel like leaving them at home. Motorways as well as highways close by.

The more time we spent checkin out the house and neighbourhood, the more we began to favour it. We didn't even bargain hard coz we tot the place was worth every penny and agreed on $340k. Mohan's parents & bro's family came to check out the townhouse too. Besides the comment that the kitchen may be too small, it was the general consensus that it was a good buy.

However, we faced some issues with the Strata getting approval to keep dogs in the property. Took forever to settle the stuff. I know people take it easy in OZ but sometimes, it seems like they take it a bit too easy. It seems like if you want something done, you have to chase for it yourself...and you REALLY need to chase. It is definitely getting to both of us.

Well, after so much chasing of so many people for so many different things, we are close to seeing the end of the process. We are still awaiting loan approval as well as letter from Strata stating that we are allowed to keep dogs. The best part about the letter is that it can be done in a day and we've been waiting for it since the 21st of July. A good ten days now. Once these two comes thru, the townhouse will be ours...well mostly it belongs to the bank....but yeah, still ours.

A choice both of us made together without any doubts - just like the car, Bheemar, Balaraam & their names :) I can't wait to get my hands on it!

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

We went to Monika's Doggie Rescue today to meet the short-listed dogs. It was so nerve wrecking for both of us. How do you choose one dog out of a few? How can you reject any dog? We knew that the process was not going to be easy for the two of us.

Monika brought out Gorgeous first - a gentle, timid little gal. She told us to bring Bheemar and Gorgeous for a short walk. It is supposed to help us see if the doggies warm up and get along with each other.

:) It was a disaster from the start. As usual Bheemar got excited and tried to play with Gorgeous. She did not enjoy the bouncy bubbly Bheemar at all. He was too much a pain for her and she was too dainty for him. She snapped at him almost immediately and they kept their distance from each other for the rest of the walk. Sigh!

Monika listened carefully to our observation and suggested another doggie called Homer. Homer? Why Homer? All I could think of was the very annoying and disgusting Homer Simpson.

Anyway, Monika left with Gorgeous and returned with a scruffy brown doggie with bright brown eyes and a tail that wagged non-stop. He was a little timid initially but Bheemar and Homer hit it off almost instantly! Yippee!!!!!

By the time we were back from the walk, we knew he was the one and we were ready to settle the paperwork and whisk him home. We paid up and completed the paperwork but unfortunately, Monika told us that we'll have to wait to take him home. We had to first obtain a written permission from the Strata of the townhouse that we'll be moving to. How sad!!!!

Oh well! It was just our luck that the Strata has been taking it's own sweet time to provide us with that letter. It was requested for on the 21st of July and it has almost been about two weeks now! The take it EZ policy in OZ! Grrrr.....

So we left the place, leaving the fella behind. I'm still not sure when we'll be able to bring him home and he's already being missed very much by us...

Oh and...I'm definitely changing his name! Anyway, he doesn't exactly respond to Homer. He's been at Doggie Rescue for about two months now and it must be a new name that he's not used to yet. So....what should the new name be........

SHIOK COMPANY

Since coming to OZ, I've often reflected on how I should have spent more quality time with my family and friends in S'pore. I was always too busy working or too tired to make time for those very important people. It was only when I no longer had the luxury of catching up with them as and when I wish did I realize that my priorities were a little screwed.

Thanks to the lessons taught by months of separation, I no longer take such time with loved ones for granted. Hence it is no wonder that when Krishna & Ranjini decided to visit us for a couple of days, I was so over the moon! Hehehe!

Krishna is Mohan's friend from SP and is living with his wife Ranjini in Wollongong about a 2-hour drive away from our place. Although I've known both of them only for a few months now, I've grown pretty close to them. A lovely couple who are calm, sincere, well-spoken and very helpful. It is just so nice to have such people in the world.

Of course, there is yet another added bonus - this couple likes dogs! Hahaha! They put up with Bheemar and treat him real good.....well, like a baby too.

As I was saying, they came over on Thursday. Just having them around to chit chat and laugh with was such a blessing. It was also good to see Mohan having some fun besides work and TV. Ranjini & I stayed up all of Thursday night talking while the boys slept...well, in different rooms.
Having a girlfriend close by is an absolute bliss =)

Saturday night was spent playing mindless hangman games. Honestly, mindless...the boys came up with 'International Slogan' such as Malaysia boleh and names of actresses such as Disco Shanti. Sigh! Yet, it was a night of laughter. It was definitely a night to remember.

Krishna & Ranjini - Such shiok company! Thanks guys!

EXPANDING THE FAMILY

Now that the search for a home has almost come to an end, Mohan & I have decided that it is time for a new addition to the family. Yes! It is the perfect time to get us another doggie!
I should be starting on courses mid-September and Bheemar will be left all alone in the house for hours on weekdays. He's the sort to require company and will wither if we leave him alone for so long. Although we have been training him to stay alone at home for a few hours each day & his separation anxiety has gotten better over time, we believe he doesn't deserve to be left alone. Hence, we have agreed that a new doggie to keep him company and for us to love is exactly what we need at this stage of our lives.

Monika's Doggie Rescue was our first choice when it came to adopting a dog. I've read about this organisation and am honestly impressed with their work. They give neglected, abused and abandoned dogs waiting to be put down in Sydney pounds a second chance. They rescue these dogs from death row and try to find them a loving, forever home.

We contacted them and filled in their adoption form - prety long & detailed, I must say. Based on our needs and concerns, Monika will be short listing a few dogs for us to meet soon.

We desperately want Bheemar and the dog we adopt to get along. Bheemar loves dogs and can be a little boisterous when playing with them. Most dogs, especially the smaller sized ones, don't like such play. He has tamed down a little recently but still needs a lot more work.

Also being the kiasu parents that we are, we want a dog that would not try to dominate Bheemar. It probably sounds silly but he has been the baby in the house and it'll break our hearts to see anyone or any dog try to bully or dominate him. Knowing Bheemar, despite his boisterous play, he'll never bully another dog. All he'd want to do is to lick non-stop or play catch, not to dominate.

Lastly, the dog must be small sized and have no barking problem as we are moving to a townhouse.

We'll be going down to Doggie Rescue soon to meet the short-listed few dogs and adopt one of them. Of course Mohan and I have no say in this matter. It is entirely up to Bheemar to choose his best buddy.

Honestly, I'm nervous. Training a dog can be so much work, especially one that is older. Life will change...but I choose to believe that it'll be for the better :)

BLESSED :)

Living miles away from your loved ones, your family and friends, is no easy feat. There are times when the heart aches for their hugs, their laughter, their silly antics and even their annoying foibles. There are times when you just feel so far away from them, so cut off from everything that means so much to you and so alone. And there are times when you can do nothing but to curl up and cry...

Recently, faced with the probability of losing our rental home, I had mailed my closest family and friends what I was going thru emotionally as well as my decision to buy a property. It was simply to keep them updated on the more significant events in my life. I totally didn't expect the response that came over the next few days.

Msgs, emails and calls flooded in with so much empathy, encouragement, support and love. My, am I blessed!!!!! Love is and shd be da most impt thing in life. And I have such an abundance of it.

To all the wonderful people in my life:
Thank you for your advice, your encouragement, your thoughts, your prayers and most of all, your love. You really are my strength. No doubt I'm missin you more than ever but I know u'll always be there for me. There's no distance that can't be bridged by love.

TYPES OF PROPERTIES

Ok...choices of properties available here in Australia are different from S'pore. I've been learning slowly over the past two weeks and here is a brief description of the four types that we are looking into. Of coz, there are way more than the following 4 types of dwelling available in this huge country.

House

• Stands alone.
• Doesn’t share any wall with any other house.
• Can extend part of the house if you want.
• Can tear down the house & rebuilt if you want coz the land basically belongs to you.
• However, if anything goes wrong in the house (eg. termites attack, roof tile need repair, plumbing problems), you will have to deal with it & pay for it yourselves.
• Probably the best resale value.

Duplex

• 2 houses are built on one piece of land
  
• If you like the design and condition of the duplex, it is a good buy.
• Otherwise it may not be such a gd buy coz u can’t tear down the house or rebuild your part of the house.
• Anything major change you want to do with your house must be approved by your neighbour leaving in the 2^nd house.

Townhouse

• Is similar to a condo concept
  
• A cluster of 2 or 3 storey houses built in a compound
• Number of houses in compound varies
• Sometimes will come with security gate, pool, gym and tennis courts
• Must pay Strata quarterly – range between $250 to $750 – for upkeep of the place. Hence any repairs required to be made will be Strata’s responsibility.

Villa

• Similar to townhouse in everyway except that it is single storey.
• May stand alone or share one or two walls with another villa

DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS!

Been thinking a lot... as usual...

We have decided to scrap the idea of spending $410k on any place for now. We have agreed that one of our main concerns is the loan and we want it to be as little as possible.

We have also concluded that this property we buy is going to be an investment property, meaning we should be able to purchase another home to live in later and rent out this property. The rent should be sufficient to service the 1st loan for a couple of years and eventually, provide us with some passive income.

In order for the property to yield good rental returns, it must meet the following requirements:

• Must be safe
• Must be near transport
• Must require little work to upkeep
• Must be near amenities such as supermarket etc.
• Must be in a suburb that has high demand for rental properties

In case selling it in the future becomes a better option, we also need to study the resale potential of the property. If property boom had already hit the suburb in which we purchase our property, not only will we be buying at a higher price but we also may not be able to make much money by selling the property seven years later since prices may not rise much.

Thank god for the following websites that provide invaluable advice and information about suburbs, growth and crime statistics for free:

http://www.investsmart.com.au/property/search.asp
http://www.homepriceguide.com.au/snapshot/
http://money.ninemsn.com.au/property/
http://myboot.com.au/

Since the property we are looking for is a short term home, a stepping stone to another property & we are looking to make money out of it, we don't have to worry too much about whether the design of the house is ideal or perfect for us. A property that is in good condition which we can move into without spending a cent on renovation will be perfect.

The search continues.....

OFFICIALLY FOR SALE

We just saw our rental home put up for sale in one of the major real estate websites. A little heart pain, I must say....

Here's da pic of our current rental place. Check out the advert on the website by clicking here.

The pics were taken b4 we moved in. The excellent tenants mentioned in the description refer to da 3 of us! Hahaha!

WE BIT THE BULLET

Yes! We've looked into loans! We've accepted that it is part & parcel of an adult life and what matters is that we handle it right. We r finally growing up!

Since we are a lil wet behind the ears when it comes to the loans, interests and the whole system, we decided to consult an agent from Mortgage Choice.

The agent, Bianca, came over to our place in the evening and very patiently explained the various types of mortgages, pitfalls, pros, cons and much more to both of us. She made the whole lot of information pretty digestible and answered every one of our questions. She was GOOD!!!!!

The best part however, was that she was completely in love with Bheemar & he was in her. Hehehe! Her doggie, Missy, is also a Pug cross. Saw her pic and she looked so much like Bheemar :)

Bianca let Bheemar do whatever he wanted - hug, jump, kiss & even sniff the contents of her handbag. It is no wonder that he got pretty attached to her in minutes, right? Quite a bit of the time was spent discussing dogs. Well, beta dogs than loans!

THE SEARCH BEGINS

We've began viewing properties whenever we get the time. I must say, it's quite a tedious process.

Much time is spent searching for properties for sale on both www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au. Trust me - it is no easy feat considering the size of sydney and the range of properties available.

Once we've identified properties that seem to meet our requirements, I've to call up the agents, make appointments and inspect the property personally with Mohan & Bheemar.

Recently, we saw this house for $340k at Glendenning. I was so happy it was cheap. Number was 6. 3 bedder. However, it was quite far from Mohan's work place and from the city. Abt 40 min away. That means if there is a jam (which is very common), he could be driving for 1.5 hours easily. (Yes, hav I told u traffic in Sydney can be a killer?!) Plus, it wasn't very safe. The pple living there belong to the lower income bracket and are quite the 'rough' crowd.

We have also seen something we like in Prospect (pic below). House number is 41, so it adds up to 5. 3 bedder. 23 min drive to Mohan's office. Right beside the motorway (expressway). So dun hav to worry so much abt jam. Supermarket within walking distance. Yes! WALKING distance!!!!!! That such a rarity! Abt 15 min away from Mohan's bro's place.

The land space is about 550sq metres. Quite a small lawn actually. So our 2nd dog cannot be big...I was hoping to get a huge scary dog like a Rottweiler or a Mastiff so that I'll feel safer during evening walks or when home alone. But there's no way I wanna put a huge dog in a tiny lawn. Jus not fair. So...I'll have to get a teeny weeny one.

As for safety...it gets a lil tricky...50% of the suburb is surrounded by unsafe suburbs. I think even half the suburb may not be so safe. Rougher crowd. But the part that we are looking at has more beautiful houses (which is usually an indication of safe suburbs). The pple look more educated, wealthy and basically 'safe'. The two parts are separated by a huge park and a busy road leading to the motorway. Hopefully, we'll be safe if we get the house.

The house we are looking at was built in the 70s. So it's kinda old. But the current owners have done a lot of work on it so it looks alright. However, we will have to hire someone to do some foundation, plumbing, wiring and termites check .

We r thinking of making a bid for the house. Once the checks r finished and the reports come out fine, the house will be ours. However, if anyone else makes a higher bid, then we'll have to look for another coz I'm jus not willing to offer anymore for the house.

It’ll cost us a bomb tho. $410k. And we'll be abt $350,000 in loan aft making a deposit of $64,000!!!!! Grrr.....$350,000!!!!!! We r so uncomfy wid de idea. As mentioned earlier, it is jus so scary to take a loan for that much! We didn’t even buy anything in installment since moving here. Honestly, the feeling of being loan free is absolutely blissful and ADDICTIVE.

A part of me wishes that the deal won't get thru so that I can look for houses at lower costs. At the same time, I'm also hoping for it to be settled asap so that I'll have a place to move to in case my current owner finds a buyer. I'm jus so tired of looking for a place! And it's only been abt two weeks.....