An anti-sharksfin thank you note to a newlywed

Dearest Angeline,

I could have sent this to you as a personal message, but my friends deserve to know what a bold and incredible person you are.

When I was on the way to your wedding dinner on the second day of Chinese New Year, I was, to be frank, sh*tting myself about the prospect of eating sharksfin soup at your event and insulting you in the process. (The last time I turned down a bowl at a friend's sister's wedding, my friend badmouthed and shunned me for months.) But I was taken by complete surprise when I examined the menu and saw no sign of such a dish - in its place, an equally delicious if not more nutritious double-boiled herbal chicken stew.

As your mother was making her rounds around the 28 tables in the ballroom, I stopped her to ask about the exclusion of sharksfin and she mentioned it was at your special request, for ethical reasons. My insides imploded! I knew I had to personally thank you when I had the chance, and I'm glad I did.

I know I made it quite clear to you that I share your sentiments, but I wish to applaud you again for supporting such an important cause. It would be a lie for me to say that I was not disappointed to discover that your new husband Richard doesn't see your point of view. I find it tragic that people still manage to attach this strange concept of luxury to 'exotic' food items. (My idea of luxury is having my future generations being able to witness the ocean in the same glory that I have had the privilege of being exposed to in my own lifetime.) But in this case, I must commend him for being obliging enough to let you have your way! So thank you Richard! You are awesome. :D

What I would also wish to stress on is the fact that the level of prestige at the dinner remained TOTALLY UNAFFECTED by your choice. Everyone STILL made it to the event looking like a million dollars, everything STILL went according to schedule, everyone STILL gorged themselves silly on the scrumptious 8(?)-course meal, everyone STILL 'yam-seng'ed til they lost their voices, the flamenco band STILL rocked the house (I LOVED them!), everyone STILL had an amazing time, and I'm sure the evening for the newlyweds was still, and always will be, one to be wholeheartedly cherished til the end of time. It is so important to know that people *can* contribute to change without creating disharmony.

It was also an encouraging experience to be sitting at the same table as you the evening after for Aunty Leng Leng & Uncle Welly's anniversary dinner. For once, it was nice to have someone to share disturbing glances with when the bowl of sharksfin was served. And the excuses people come up with to make themselves feel better about eating it AND make people like us look anal, presumptuous and uber-sensitive... no offense to the parties involved, but such arrogance never fails to amuse me. True, I'm sure there are incidences of caught sharks being used in their entirety. But if the frequency of such cases was prominent enough to debunk the cause, then why is the rebuttal so insufficiently publicized? If I really want to resort to playing such a game: if I don't see concrete evidence of the shark at my table being 100% utliilzed, AND being acquired through population-sustainable means, then I sure as heck am not touching it. Like I said, there is absolutely no compromise for a clear conscience!

For your reference, I think I have come across a link that is related to the information relayed to us last night (read the last comment):
http://siuyeh.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/say-no-to-sharks-fin-soup/

In a thank you note that has ended up WAY longer than originally intended, I just wanted to express my appreciation for your efforts. You have touched me in more ways imaginable, and I don't exaggerate when I say that you have contributed to my opinion of Chinese New Year 2010 being one of the best and most exciting ones in years!

It is an honor to be your cousin, Angeline. Congratulations once again to you and Richard, and wishing you both happiness, success, health, wealth, and all things that cultivate peace and love in your heart and everyone around you!

Yours,
Davina

URGENT: Seeking help for imbalanced kitten

UPDATE: We have found an adopter - within half an hour of posting this note up...!
Angels walk among us! Thank you so much for helping us spread the word, and to my dear friends Rosheen and Ashaari for your wonderful offers to help out. Will be checking up on the fella over the next couple of weeks to make sure that he turns out alright.
Thank you all once again - this is so amazing! *Gleams*

Hey Everyone,

My roomie Crystal and I are in a bit of a predicament.

Crystal's colleague found this little buddy in their office parking lot. He was stumbling over himself and mewing madly, alone and in distress. Crystal has taken him to a doctor and the kitten seems to be born with an imbalance problem that he will most likely not grow out of.

The kitten is 2 weeks old and still needs to be trained how to pee and poo on his own (his mother abandoned him before she could teach him herself). He also needs to be fed with a syringe because he doesn't know how to drink from a milk bottle yet. He kinda crawls in circles and tends to claw out at whatever he can grasp, perhaps out of frustration that he can't find his footing. Both Crystal and I are working full-time so it's difficult to take care of him.The situation is urgent because Crystal is moving out in 2 weeks and is doubtful that she'd be able to bring him to her new place.

So I'm considering 3 options:

1) That we look for someone to adopt him
2) That we look for a foster home to at least commit to nurturing him until he's a bit more independent
3) (last resort!) That I seek out someone who can offer a residence that is accessible by LRT and allows me to liberally visit so that I may travel to and fro from work to attend to the kitten during his feeding/potty times etc.

We will help out as much as we can, and I have no problem footing any medical bills in the meantime.

If anyone can offer either one of these 3 options, that would be fantastic and we will give you chocolate or its (dietary) equivalent.

Our contact numbers are below.

Please spread the word!
The blog link to this article is: http://bit.ly/cYtUYJ

Thanks heaps for your support,
Crystal (016-6009667)
Davina (016-2329122)

Cat for adoption: Tigerlily

Hey All,

A friend had alerted me of this. This cat is currently being looked after by a lady called Rena.

"Her name is Tigerlily and she has already been spayed. Tigerlily was rescued from a drain in Taipan USJ when she was about 2 months. She was very dehydrated and skinny then. Now she is about 9 months old and has a unique color. Tigerlily is in fact a very affectionate cat and she likes to be touched. She loves attention and craves for it constantly. She is very much of an indoor cat as she doesn’t like to roam around the neighbourhood.

I wish that someone can adopt her and have her indoors. Currently I have already got 3 dogs at the car porch and 1 pet in the house. It is unlikely I can have her in the house as she and my other pet cannot get along.

I hope you will help to forward this to your friends who would be keen to adopt her."





If you're interested in adopting, please contact Rena at +6 012 2030123 or renachang@hotmail.com.

Please spread the word!

Thanks a mill for supporting animal welfare in Malaysia.

Davina

Open selling of turtle eggs in Kelantan

I spent last weekend in my friend's hometown in the Malaysian state of Kelantan. It was a gorgeous place, with loads of places to go, things to do and food to eat. But if there was any type of food that I had come across there and was vehemently against eating, it was this.

Marine turtle eggs are openly sold in wet markets alongside regular fresh produce. 3 pieces can fetch up to 12 Ringgit.

I've been told that it is illegal to raid turtle nests; however, it is NOT illegal to sell or eat turtle eggs, a loophole that allows the trade to continually flourish.

I was freaking out in the wet market and was laughed at by the egg sellers, completely oblivious to their contribution towards the imminent extinction of marine turtles.

If anyone knows of any appropriate organization, Malaysian or otherwise, which I can express my dissent to, please let me know.

In the meantime, please do your future generations a favor and do not buy turtle eggs. It's up to us as consumers to stop supporting this ridiculous practice of seeking out exotic delicacies.

Libido my arse, you'd have better luck with a pack of Smarties.

Thanks for reading,
Davina

Supercute stray puppies up for adoption

Hello Everyone,

I just received this via email. Bless the old dude for opening his heart to the tykes, who just happen to be a omgsquee adorable.

If anyone is up for taking any one of them please contact Eching at 016-2093155, and please spread the word.

Thanks heaps for the support!
Davina

Dear Friends,

There are 5 beautiful healthy stray pups for adoption around 2.5mths old . They have been dumped near a Chinese temple in Klang and an old man in his 70's Mr Soh (who is unemployed) has been kind enough to feed these 5 pups on a daily by collecting scrap food from nearby eateries. He has apprached me for help in rehoming the puppies

He fears that the local council will come and take them away and is seeking assistance in gettting the pups find a good and responsble home

Please help them find good homes. For more details or for veiwing please contact 016 2093155.

PS if you know anyone who is interested in adopting please forward this email to them.

Thank you for helping our furry friends

Eching



Christy


Christy


Copper


Rusty


Sasha

The No Plastic Bag Bazaar 2009

Hey everyone,

My friend Janet is part of the organizing committee for this awesome event happening on Malaysia's National Day on August 31st. I unfortunately won't be able to attend this as I'll be organizing an event out of town that day, but to everyone else, this sure sounds like an awesome way to spend Merdeka Day - and it's all for a great cause!

The Recyclists are back!!

The No Plastic Bag Bazaar

"Shopaholics Go Green this National Day!!"

with ThreadsZoo

Aug 31, 2009
Venue - Noble Banquet, No 235, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Beneficiaries- Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) & Furry Friends Farm (FFF)

Enquiry: recyclists.malaysia@gmail.com

The Recyclists are back with the 2nd installment of the No Plastic Bag series of events! Our aim and greatest hope is educate and promote a greener lifestyle while raising funds in support of projects by the Furry Friends Farm (FFF) and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).

This one-of-a-kind National Day bazaar features activities such as:

* Pre-loved items up for grabs at a steal! (expect to find desirably affordable treasures form our very cool vendors)
* A variety of green products for you
* Celebrity-donated items for up for auction!
* Raffle draws

Let's celebrate a greener future this National Day in hope of a greener and more environmentally conscious humanity at Noble Banquet!

Our larger than life personalities and hosts for the day Nell Ng & TP Lim will bring down the house with their antics and performances by our celebrity friends!

Confirmed participation from our celebrity friends:

Amber Chia

Xandria ooi
Chelsia Ng
Edwin Sumun

Deborah Henry
Harith Iskander

Tony Loe

Yang Wei Han
Poesy Liang

Joyce Kirsten Wong
Junji Delfino

Niki Cheong

Ida Mariana

Elviral Arul

Zalina Lee

Sharizan Borhan

See you there!!

Links:

FaceBook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=90697473002&ref=mf

The Recyclists: http://therecyclists.blogspot.com/

ThreadsZoo: http://thethreadszoo.blogspot.com/

Furry Friends Farm: http://www.furryfriendsfarm2006.blogspot.com/

Malaysian Nature Societyhttp://www.mns.my/

On another note, Janet, the gorgeous nightingale she is, has just launched her portfolio website. Check it out here!

Love, peas & carrots.
Davina

One-eyed cat for adoption

Hi Everyone,

I came across this via email from a friend Angeline. This is a gorgeous cat who lost her eye to glaucoma. I would have snapped her up in a heartbeat if my dog wasn't so hostile.

Would anyone else be interested in adopting her? Email Kah Yein at chankahyein@gmail.com

Please spread the word!

Do browse through the rest of the AnimalCare website for adoption alerts and animal welfare updates:

Thanks loads for the support.

Davina
XOXOX

Dear Friends,

This is Angel, a female stray cat, estimated about less than two years old. AnimalCare just sponsored her glaucoma operation last week when her feeder approached us for help. Five days prior to that, the feeder had approached various animal welfare organisations, but none was willing to help her. Finally, she got my hp and called me. We quickly arranged for her operation and it was done the very next day. If we had waited any longer, the eye would have burst and that would have caused more complications. Please view here for history:

Only one eye, but still an Angel
Angel is up and about!
Angel's updates

Angel is a very mild-mannered and extremely gentle cat (just like a rabbit!). Her feeder cannot adopt her because she lives in an apartment and she already has one cat. The feeder plans to return her to the environment, but right now, Angel cannot seem to see very well. Her balance may also be handicapped due to the loss of one eye and this would affect her chances of survival if she is returned to the environment.

If you'd like to give Angel a home, please contact me at chankahyein@gmail.com

A cat is still a cat, whether Persian, Siamese, stray, two-eyed, one-eyed; it is still a living being with feelings and needs.

Please help Angel. Kindly forward this email.

Thank you.

Kind regards,
kahyein

2 female puppies up for adoption

Hey everyone,

My dear friend Annie was alerted by a friend about these puppies found at a park in Aman Suria, obviously abandoned. Do contact her if interested, otherwise please spread the word.

Thanks a mill for your support!

Davina

"Two young healthy female puppies were found on July 17, 9pm by a friend of mine.
I have pick them up the same night and currently being foster by an indonesia makcik that helps me to take care some of my strays in Damansara.

I am looking for a good home for these 2 lovely puppies. Will send them to the vet on Monday for deworming & full health checked. Please help me to spread words to get them adopted soon. They are already on puppy biscuit and naturally toilet trained! They will only cry if they need to pee or poo. Amazing puppies. So, get good people to love them. Call me 016-3719171. Thanks and God bless you all :)"

URGENT: Temporary home needed for dog + 3 pups

Hi Everyone,

I just received this via email and wondering if anyone can help out.

This is not an adoption notice: only temporary shelter is needed for this family of 4.

If you can offer a helping hand, please drop Shyam Priah a line at shyam@voize.my.

It would be great to spread the word too!

Thanks a mill,
Davina

"So here's the story. A stray dog was knocked over by a car so my dad's workers brought it back. I took it to the vet but the vet thought it was just a sprain and it will be ok soon with some antibiotics. Then before we could spay her, she got pregnant. But now her paw is so bad, she drags it on the ground when she walks. Another vet suspects the nerve could be severed, leaving her with no sensation (no pain) on her paw.

She's got 3 pups and she's weak and thin. I need a temp home for them for a month or a month and a half so she can gain some weight and nurse her pups better. I will provide a cage and will provide food and whatever necessary for the upkeep of the dogs for the said duration.

p/s - The mother and the pups have already been adopted."

Update: Puppies adopted!

Hi Guys,

Great news - all 3 puppies have been successfully adopted! It was an exhausting search but worthwhile to know that 3 more families are able to welcome a little more love into their lives from 3 new extraordinary friends. Thanks so much to everyone for supporting and helping out in our adoption campaign.

For those who missed out on the opportunity, my friend Natasha often rescues abandoned animals and is always on the lookout for loving homes for them. She's in fact currently looking for a home for a female black labrador. For more info you can visit her blog:

http://cleopatrathelabrador.blogspot.com

There's also another blog that regularly posts up pictures of abandoned animals up for adoption:

http://rescue2rehome.blogspot.com

Thanks for your support of animal welfare, every effort makes a huge difference :)

URGENT - Puppies for adoption!

Hi Everyone,

These puppies are up for urgent adoption!

- Three females, aged 6-7 weeks, all adorably floppy-eared.
- We're getting them vaccinated and de-wormed.

1. One is a rich chocolate colour with hints of caramel, legs are light brown. Docile and friendly.
2. One is white except for her head, which is black. She also has three large defined black spots on her back. Easygoing and playful, and she's just learning how to bark although right now it's just a squeak :P
3. The smallest one is an adventurer! Curious and gutsy, so gotta keep an eye out for her. Similiar fur pattern to 2, except that this one is oak brown and her spots are a bit more splotchy.

They were found abandoned in Bukit Damansara and are temporarily sheltered in my boyfriend Paul's house in Bangsar. Paul's leaving for Dubai next Thursday 16th August and won't be back til the end of the year, so we seriously hope we can find loving homes for them before he flies off.

Anyone who would like to welcome a little more sunshine into their lives, pls contact either Paul (016-6375161) or Davina (016-6650161).

Please spread the word! Thanks so much for your help & support.

Best regards,
Davina

duh-vana principle #5

Time will never change the fact that you are still you.

You may enter

Self portrait, Banyan Tree hotel, Bangkok.

duh-vana principle #4

To keep yourself in check, speak and see in third-person perspective.

Tuning up

Acoustic guitarist Az Samad preps up for his performance, Sunrise Jazz & Rhythm Fest 2005.

Religion: Is it vital for goodness?

I am a walking paradox. I live by principles that may suggest a relatively conservative mindset, yet I live whatever squeaky-clean life I lead in the most reckless way possible. I do things that make people question my gender, my age and my sanity (those who know me personally can testify without contest). It's hard for people to believe that I even abide by any rules of existence at all.

Whenever people find out that I don't drink, smoke, do drugs nor believe in premarital sex, AND am working towards being a vegetarian, the first reason they attribute such discipline to is religion. It's quite ironic, since I don't have a religion - in fact, I seem a lot more religious than a lot of friends I do know who do have a religion.

I do build my principles to a certain extent on the basis of the question, "What would God do at a time like this?" But religious context aside, I've also bred myself on instinct, common sense and universal law. That is how I also intend to bring up my future children, if any. I want to give them the privilege of choice when it comes to religion, but even if they decide against it, then at least they'd have a strong enough sense of moral values to fall back on.

I don't deny that religion helps people become the best they can be. I've seen it transform friends and family into amazing beings, full of mental and spiritual clarity. Some of the most remarkable people I've met in my life are the result of what their respective religions nurture them into. But it only happens when a religion is wholeheartedly allowed to influence one's way of living. There are others I've met whom have 'fallen from grace' - people who have turned their back on the religion they've been brought up to embrace. Not giving a rat's arse about going to hell, splashing about joyously inside the melting pot of sin.

But my question here is, aren't human beings built to be strong enough on their own to to understand and practice virtue, regardless of the belief in a God? Perhaps a simpler way of putting it is, do people really need a to have a religion in order to be good people?

Cat for adoption

This beautiful tortoiseshell cat was abandoned by my next door neighbors after they moved house. Looking for a new home for her ASAP. If interested, or know anyone else who might be, please leave me an email (click on my profile). Many thanks.

duh-vana principle #3

The best way to get even with a bad day is to keep on smiling.

Shy

The sex-kitten-in-denial, Ms. Kristin Ling, during filming of one of our friend Olivia's experimental short film.

duh-vana principle #2

If all else fails, blame it on the boogie.