For the past ten years that I have been teaching private tuition to secondary school kids, sometimes I have to learn to counsel them too. About feeling discouraged at school, about their relationship with their parents, about their friendships, about stress and anxiety. I use a mix of my own knowledge of psychology, the words of my psychiatrist, and my own experiences.
Lately because I have branched out into teaching pre-teen kids as well, something which is different, I find that counselling an eleven-year-old is rather different from counselling teenagers. One of my eleven-year-old students felt extremely discouraged over her maths exam, and even emailed me late at night to tell me about how she think she has disappointed me. The next day we were supposed to have a lesson, but I told her let's not have a lesson, instead, if she wants to chat and hang out we can do that. She came over and brought her teddy bear, her favourite comics. After telling me in person about how she left out a lot of questions in the exam, we then drifted to talking about other things, like her comics, her school life, her siblings. I chipped in my share of stories related to the topics she brought up. By the time she left my house to go home for dinner, she was cheered up. Her countenance changed from the sluggish slouch she came with to the chirpy little girl she ought to be.
In contrast, my teenage students when counselled, often involves tearing and silence. From both parties. Tearing because when I say something that aptly rings true to describe how they feel, they tear up. Tearing because when I share my own similar experience, I tear up. Silence when my student agrees with my advice and is processing it.
I don't think I can handle any kids younger than eleven years old. Beyond this age of students I can still be myself. With younger kids I tend to become someone else, to fit a teacherly persona. It is tiring to be someone you are not. Despite my having had taught kids of almost all ages before, I still feel that children are not me, for them I have to be a total act. Being inauthentic is tiring. And for me, tiring means a mental breakdown. I don't mind brief encounters with young kids, but they cannot be a large part of my work or life.
I have been re-thinking again about taking a counselling course. This has been a silent part of my aspirations for many years, but I always rejected the idea because of the cost. That and because I am an avid fan of self-learning over classroom-learning. I don't like the idea of signing up to pay for a course when I can easily learn whatever it is on my own; I have done so for years and it has saved me a lot of money since my interests are so vast. The good thing is that I soak information from all genres up like a sponge. The bad thing is that I am not paper-qualified for anything. The counselling course would definitely be invaluable to my career in future considering that I still want to do mission work or NGO-work when I recover. In the meantime it would help me with my teaching. Either way I can use it immediately and add it to my resume. Regardless, now is not the time. I am taking on more things that I can handle if I add any more to my plate.
So I will continue to use my mix of counselling experience, psychology knowledge, biblical truths, words from my own doctor, to counsel my students when they need it. Bring on the pop-psychology.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
peeved at adaptor
I am extremely furious, I had to take meds to calm down- I was screaming at cats and into the air. My computer's internet connection is broken and I absolutely hate hardware problems, to the core. I am so mad I wish I could just go out and buy another PC, like a $300 laptop or similar. So peeved, so pissed.
Now I have to use J's laptop which is low, the keys grimy, and the whole area surrounding it generally very dusty, which is partially my fault since I haven't really been cleaning up. Till then, sitting here using this laptop is making my nose itch and I have to remind myself to wash my hands after.
Now I have to use J's laptop which is low, the keys grimy, and the whole area surrounding it generally very dusty, which is partially my fault since I haven't really been cleaning up. Till then, sitting here using this laptop is making my nose itch and I have to remind myself to wash my hands after.
urgrh
Every single time lately when I want to write on worldsuponwords all I can think of is how tired I am. I have been slacking off in the housework department because of my teaching and my volunteer work. And every evening after I finish teaching I am always exhausted.
So exhausted am I right now that I am actually exhausted from being exhausted. I have imbibed all the possible sleep-inducing meds I have and have lavender oil diffusing the air in the room. I have sentimental tunes airing on my speakers. The light in the room is dimmed. I am still awake even though I desperately want to sleep.
I think I was - and still am - too tense for the medicines to tranquilise me to sleep. The pills only gave me enough tranquil to be less grumpy from tiredness. I feel placid now. Just not sleepy enough to fall totally asleep. How frustrating is that?
So exhausted am I right now that I am actually exhausted from being exhausted. I have imbibed all the possible sleep-inducing meds I have and have lavender oil diffusing the air in the room. I have sentimental tunes airing on my speakers. The light in the room is dimmed. I am still awake even though I desperately want to sleep.
I think I was - and still am - too tense for the medicines to tranquilise me to sleep. The pills only gave me enough tranquil to be less grumpy from tiredness. I feel placid now. Just not sleepy enough to fall totally asleep. How frustrating is that?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
is it too much for me?
I am not sure if I am biting off more than I can chew. In recent weeks things have become rather busy, and while I am still somewhat keeping up, more easily than before, it is still tiring. Come next week, I will likely be teaching at least four students if not five. Which is five days a week. Albeit half-days, but I am not sure I can keep up. It is the money I need, with the convenience of having that one new student also coming to my house instead of me having to tire from travel. But as it is I am already tired every day. I am scared of breaking down again like I did in Q3 of this year, when I couldn't get up to make phone calls and got panic attacks every time I had to go and teach. I have to keep telling myself to take things on measuredly and only if I will enjoy doing them; joy gives strength, a lack of it - an obligation - drains that strength away. I am still enjoying it amply, I only hope it will be sustainably so for the future.
My volunteer work - cat rescue and all that - is also becoming more hectic and more issues are arising because of the publicity we're getting from the press and in online forums. With publicity comes scrutiny. With publicity comes help and support, which means accountability. We have all along functioned as a fun group that loves animals and simply have been acting on our compassion. But now it is becoming more and more serious, both a blessing and a curse. Andy and I are often on the same page, but our friend who owns the pet shop from which we do our animal rescue and re-homing work is not only doing it out of his passion, he also needs to consider his business's survivability which is not something we have to struggle with on a daily basis like he does. And my having worked in an NGO setting before I know what financial accountability and transparency to the public is like. Everything from where the money comes from, where it goes and every single work-flow needs to be structured and transparent. It will take time. It will naturally fall on me to do it. My name is also at stake, and ultimately my career too because I want to pursue a life of helping others. Lots to do, and I know how to go about it, my mind naturally just knows how to organise everything so that it will work out, structurally. It will just be a continuous climb that is increasingly becoming an overhang rather than an upward slope.
I only hope I can keep up.
My volunteer work - cat rescue and all that - is also becoming more hectic and more issues are arising because of the publicity we're getting from the press and in online forums. With publicity comes scrutiny. With publicity comes help and support, which means accountability. We have all along functioned as a fun group that loves animals and simply have been acting on our compassion. But now it is becoming more and more serious, both a blessing and a curse. Andy and I are often on the same page, but our friend who owns the pet shop from which we do our animal rescue and re-homing work is not only doing it out of his passion, he also needs to consider his business's survivability which is not something we have to struggle with on a daily basis like he does. And my having worked in an NGO setting before I know what financial accountability and transparency to the public is like. Everything from where the money comes from, where it goes and every single work-flow needs to be structured and transparent. It will take time. It will naturally fall on me to do it. My name is also at stake, and ultimately my career too because I want to pursue a life of helping others. Lots to do, and I know how to go about it, my mind naturally just knows how to organise everything so that it will work out, structurally. It will just be a continuous climb that is increasingly becoming an overhang rather than an upward slope.
I only hope I can keep up.
Monday, October 26, 2009
6 a.m. and on edge
I suddenly woke up at six in the morning, from a technicolor dream, and heat, because somehow the air-con got turned off.
Yesterday was gruelling with that many things on my mind, and more. I finally paid my Singtel bills. And my handphone should be reinstated by the time I turn it on today. I shudder at the amount of SMSes I have to clear. I have to make the phone silent first I guess.
And having had to settle all my outstanding Singtel stuff, I postponed my teaching to Wednesday.
A lot of other things happened: I had to counsel one of my students over the phone. I had lots to blog on my cat blog. I went to help my friend at the pet shop. I had to write in to UOB regarding my credit card. I felt exhausted and on-edge, right from the times my house phone kept ringing off the hook, and thereafter, at Parkway when we went to Singtel which knn doesn't do billing, even though the person I spoke to on the phone said I had to go to a Singtel shop to do it.
After coming home J and I redid our finances and now I am agonising how to chip in my share of the family expenses. I need to work more but I don't know how my body will be able to take it, and let alone find the extra comfortable time to do it. I am already stressed as it is. On edge, on edge, on edge.
Yesterday was gruelling with that many things on my mind, and more. I finally paid my Singtel bills. And my handphone should be reinstated by the time I turn it on today. I shudder at the amount of SMSes I have to clear. I have to make the phone silent first I guess.
And having had to settle all my outstanding Singtel stuff, I postponed my teaching to Wednesday.
A lot of other things happened: I had to counsel one of my students over the phone. I had lots to blog on my cat blog. I went to help my friend at the pet shop. I had to write in to UOB regarding my credit card. I felt exhausted and on-edge, right from the times my house phone kept ringing off the hook, and thereafter, at Parkway when we went to Singtel which knn doesn't do billing, even though the person I spoke to on the phone said I had to go to a Singtel shop to do it.
After coming home J and I redid our finances and now I am agonising how to chip in my share of the family expenses. I need to work more but I don't know how my body will be able to take it, and let alone find the extra comfortable time to do it. I am already stressed as it is. On edge, on edge, on edge.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
sleep, tired, lots to do
Couldn't sleep last night; now extremely tired after waking.
Lots of things on my mind, including why-the-hell has Singtel been charging me subscription fee for a line that was suspended? Also, the crazy but extremely essential internet bill. And even the house telephone bill, since I mainly use the house phone now.
Also on my mind is fund-raising for Ubi Kuching Project's stray cat neutering programmes. Now I am at the stage of doing product-testing and costing to find out what merchandise can be produced viably and the costs and revenue projections.
And later I have to teach.
Eurgh, much to do. Just thinking about these make me want to go back to sleep
Lots of things on my mind, including why-the-hell has Singtel been charging me subscription fee for a line that was suspended? Also, the crazy but extremely essential internet bill. And even the house telephone bill, since I mainly use the house phone now.
Also on my mind is fund-raising for Ubi Kuching Project's stray cat neutering programmes. Now I am at the stage of doing product-testing and costing to find out what merchandise can be produced viably and the costs and revenue projections.
And later I have to teach.
Eurgh, much to do. Just thinking about these make me want to go back to sleep
Friday, October 23, 2009
and suddenly, awake
Having had yet another exhausting week I popped my meds early last night to get a good and timely sleep. Only to wake up suddenly at five thirty a.m. craving for milk tea and a cigarette. And suddenly, very awake. I can't get back to sleep, and there is nothing that I feel like doing at this time of morning. And nothing much to do either. No e-mails to reply, no blog posts to write, no quick housework to do. I guess I shall have to find something work-related to do to occupy my time till I finally fall back to sleep again.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
feeling better! in more ways than one
I have taken to going to bed right around 6 p.m. these past two evenings. Exhausted from teaching, and before that, exhausted from waking up. It could be because I hadn't been sleeping well.
I haven't been sleeping well because my headaches have been keeping me up, and consequent lack of rest probably made them worse. Also, Panadol Extra contains caffeine. And because I have been eating so much Panadol, I cut back on my anti-depressants, and was in a sullen, lacklustre, dull and tired mood for much of the week. I am now back on them properly, and am full of energy: today I spent much of my daytime helping a friend at his shop, and I apparently was caught in the act singing while I worked. I think that people who sing while they work are generally happier.
I was also very excited after my 6 p.m. 'nap' last night and instigated J to come with me for a walk around the neighbourhood at close to midnight. Then I went to Shop and Save in the middle of the night to buy groceries (hooray for 24-hour shopping) and even suggested us going to Mustafa just now at about 11pm. A little bit too much hyper, but I guess I ought to have had it coming for me since I skipped my meds for a few days; re-uptake inhibitor bull run.
A new challenge has come to me. Well, more than just one new challenge. Firstly, I need more money. My parents are wiping my debt-slate clean for me because they have come into some money. But after the slate is clean I am pretty much going to be on my own. Mine and J's income together don't make a lot, and while his career is progressing, I need to find more freelance work. Otherwise we will still always be skint. And I can never afford that Georg Jansen ring I want to buy for him. Or a new computer. Computers. Right now I would be happy enough to have enough money just to survive, and maybe allow me to re-stock on my skincare. Yes, I have been that skint.
Another challenge would be my volunteer work. Ever since The New Paper coined our cat blog as 'animal rescue group Ubi Kuching Project', (see picture below), we have become a tad more high-profile than just a bunch of animal lovers mucking around. To sustain our work, we need to sustain our resources. This in other words means fund-raising. Which is my forte in a way, and a step towards doing fund-raising and resource allocation for bigger charitable causes which is still my life's dream. I am taking this project in my stride.
But I proceed with caution. I do not want to over-tax myself by being the old over-ambitious-and-keep-to-myself Elaine. Everytime I did that I broke down and couldn't even get out of bed to make or answer a phone call. I already owe so many apologies to so many people I have let down, and though I still will in future, I will try my best to do it right. Remembering always, what my doctor advises, and that is the simple truth that 'the joy of the Lord is my strength.' It is not only a spiritual concept but a medical one; anything that you enjoy you will find strength to do, anything you abhor will tire you out.
To end off, I just want to say that I have come to like pop-psychology magazine O mag, the magazine by Oprah Winfrey. It is such a good read, full of stuff that inspires and yet with pretty things to look at. It is only $14 but it makes you think, a lot. Plus it has lots of good book reviews, excellent for those like me who love to read. My staple magazines are now O mag and Vogue US, which I still insist upon for the art, culture, people and fashion. Much more worthy than local magazines. Enjoy reading.
I haven't been sleeping well because my headaches have been keeping me up, and consequent lack of rest probably made them worse. Also, Panadol Extra contains caffeine. And because I have been eating so much Panadol, I cut back on my anti-depressants, and was in a sullen, lacklustre, dull and tired mood for much of the week. I am now back on them properly, and am full of energy: today I spent much of my daytime helping a friend at his shop, and I apparently was caught in the act singing while I worked. I think that people who sing while they work are generally happier.
I was also very excited after my 6 p.m. 'nap' last night and instigated J to come with me for a walk around the neighbourhood at close to midnight. Then I went to Shop and Save in the middle of the night to buy groceries (hooray for 24-hour shopping) and even suggested us going to Mustafa just now at about 11pm. A little bit too much hyper, but I guess I ought to have had it coming for me since I skipped my meds for a few days; re-uptake inhibitor bull run.
A new challenge has come to me. Well, more than just one new challenge. Firstly, I need more money. My parents are wiping my debt-slate clean for me because they have come into some money. But after the slate is clean I am pretty much going to be on my own. Mine and J's income together don't make a lot, and while his career is progressing, I need to find more freelance work. Otherwise we will still always be skint. And I can never afford that Georg Jansen ring I want to buy for him. Or a new computer. Computers. Right now I would be happy enough to have enough money just to survive, and maybe allow me to re-stock on my skincare. Yes, I have been that skint.
Another challenge would be my volunteer work. Ever since The New Paper coined our cat blog as 'animal rescue group Ubi Kuching Project', (see picture below), we have become a tad more high-profile than just a bunch of animal lovers mucking around. To sustain our work, we need to sustain our resources. This in other words means fund-raising. Which is my forte in a way, and a step towards doing fund-raising and resource allocation for bigger charitable causes which is still my life's dream. I am taking this project in my stride.
But I proceed with caution. I do not want to over-tax myself by being the old over-ambitious-and-keep-to-myself Elaine. Everytime I did that I broke down and couldn't even get out of bed to make or answer a phone call. I already owe so many apologies to so many people I have let down, and though I still will in future, I will try my best to do it right. Remembering always, what my doctor advises, and that is the simple truth that 'the joy of the Lord is my strength.' It is not only a spiritual concept but a medical one; anything that you enjoy you will find strength to do, anything you abhor will tire you out.To end off, I just want to say that I have come to like pop-psychology magazine O mag, the magazine by Oprah Winfrey. It is such a good read, full of stuff that inspires and yet with pretty things to look at. It is only $14 but it makes you think, a lot. Plus it has lots of good book reviews, excellent for those like me who love to read. My staple magazines are now O mag and Vogue US, which I still insist upon for the art, culture, people and fashion. Much more worthy than local magazines. Enjoy reading.
Monday, October 19, 2009
I have been having the most heinous row of headaches for the past week or so. The strongest Panadols won't cure it, merely keeping it bearable until each dosage wears off.
I am tired of having headaches. Headaches impede my ability to endure social settings and having to teach. I can stare at a computer screen while I am sick, but do little else.
I am tired of having headaches. Headaches impede my ability to endure social settings and having to teach. I can stare at a computer screen while I am sick, but do little else.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
I hate weekends. It is noisy, and I cannot rest properly. And tomorrow is already Monday, another start to another - in my terms - gruelling week. I need to rest. I need the whole world to shut up.
My own current way of dealing with the news is to turn up my Gareth Emery podcast loud and let the electronica fill up the noise in the whole house and cover it up. So that I can disappear in its un- noise.
I just want to rest.
My own current way of dealing with the news is to turn up my Gareth Emery podcast loud and let the electronica fill up the noise in the whole house and cover it up. So that I can disappear in its un- noise.
I just want to rest.
Friday, October 16, 2009
forums,1337speak, online communities and real life
It has been rather interesting to follow the thread on Hardwarezone forums regarding the dogs that went through the PRC boy's hands. The justice served by the public is way more lethal than that of the any legal system, as I have said before. Also, writing on the EDMW forum has revived the use of my written Singlish and general l33tspeak used in local online communication. Because I am not gaming anymore I haven't typed so much net-speak for a long time now.
Speaking of gaming, I don't think I can return to WoW anymore as Averlorn, because I cannot seem to ever be able to log into my account again. Plus it is becoming an endless cycle of expansion after expansion, I don't think I can keep up. Ever since J and I got busy with our lives we just never got the urge again to play WoW again either. I do miss being called Abba, and my guildies, a lot. In fact I miss a lot of my friends, I am just not really feeling that sociable yet - does it make sense?
I know my social circle right now is still small, be it real life or online, because I am still not ready to face my whole world again. I still hate Facebook and cannot find the energy to log onto MSN; I am also not motivated to reinstate my mobile phone yet. Yes I am still a hermit. It is not easy trying to regain old friends while trying to focus on healthy activities in life as well as solve daily problems. My current plate is rather full and I only hope I can sustain it, else I will break down again like I did in June all the way to August.
Like my doctor says, anything I enjoy doing I will find the energy to do. So you may see me everywhere sometimes, or not at all - I work based on what my natural enjoyment level takes me to do. Now you see me now you don't. I know it makes for frustration be it whether you are a friend or a blog reader. For now, it is working just fine, and hopefully, as it goes along this trajectory, I will be reducing my medication soon, at last.
Speaking of gaming, I don't think I can return to WoW anymore as Averlorn, because I cannot seem to ever be able to log into my account again. Plus it is becoming an endless cycle of expansion after expansion, I don't think I can keep up. Ever since J and I got busy with our lives we just never got the urge again to play WoW again either. I do miss being called Abba, and my guildies, a lot. In fact I miss a lot of my friends, I am just not really feeling that sociable yet - does it make sense?
I know my social circle right now is still small, be it real life or online, because I am still not ready to face my whole world again. I still hate Facebook and cannot find the energy to log onto MSN; I am also not motivated to reinstate my mobile phone yet. Yes I am still a hermit. It is not easy trying to regain old friends while trying to focus on healthy activities in life as well as solve daily problems. My current plate is rather full and I only hope I can sustain it, else I will break down again like I did in June all the way to August.
Like my doctor says, anything I enjoy doing I will find the energy to do. So you may see me everywhere sometimes, or not at all - I work based on what my natural enjoyment level takes me to do. Now you see me now you don't. I know it makes for frustration be it whether you are a friend or a blog reader. For now, it is working just fine, and hopefully, as it goes along this trajectory, I will be reducing my medication soon, at last.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
it is no longer just about Dane...
Jeff's mother claims that Jeff is psychologically unwell. This could explain why he impersonates a well-educated and financially able man - to be able to adopt a dog, and to then assume another persona to that of a con-man.
Here is what has happened to another dog that went into Jeff's hands:
Zanthe, who also lost a rescued dog - Xena, miniature bull terrier - through Jeff, together with her friends from a dog shelter, spoke to Jeff today. This is what she says:
Xena apparently changed hands not to a buyer who got conned but to Jeff's mother, because he went back to China for a while.
His mother passed Xena to her friend, and this friend left XENA IN THE RAIN OUTSIDE a printing factory for one night. Printing factory next day took her in and then she ran away after a while.
There are still dogs at his place the last time Zanthe went, Leo also told me Jeff told him the last time that there was a golden retriever at his place.
Not only Jeff, but the man (Mr Loh) who is his mom's friend clearly didn't care about the welfare of Xena because HE LEFT HER IN THE RAIN for one night only to be taken in by another kind soul. Jeff and his mother neglected Xena's condition because they didn't bother to check with the friend about Xena's welfare.
Jeff's mother subsequently called Zanthe up again to plead. Saying that Jeff is psychologically unwell and has along had suicidal thoughts. This is supposed to be an explanation of why he goes around acting the way he does - conning people and abusing animals. She is sorry for how she has brought up this son and hopes that we will have mercy on him. I have told Zanthe to tell Jeff's mom if she calls again to bring Jeff to the doctor as he clearly needs help.
Regardless, in order to take action against Jeff, we are going to the police to lodge a formal complaint - there are now at least 2 dogs officially involved - AVA will need a formal police complaint to be made in order for them to be able to take action, and likewise there is legislation to prevent cruelty to animals.
She is still looking for Xena, this is her picture according to their re-homing advert before Jeff took her away.
Here is what has happened to another dog that went into Jeff's hands:
Zanthe, who also lost a rescued dog - Xena, miniature bull terrier - through Jeff, together with her friends from a dog shelter, spoke to Jeff today. This is what she says:
Xena apparently changed hands not to a buyer who got conned but to Jeff's mother, because he went back to China for a while.
His mother passed Xena to her friend, and this friend left XENA IN THE RAIN OUTSIDE a printing factory for one night. Printing factory next day took her in and then she ran away after a while.
There are still dogs at his place the last time Zanthe went, Leo also told me Jeff told him the last time that there was a golden retriever at his place.
Not only Jeff, but the man (Mr Loh) who is his mom's friend clearly didn't care about the welfare of Xena because HE LEFT HER IN THE RAIN for one night only to be taken in by another kind soul. Jeff and his mother neglected Xena's condition because they didn't bother to check with the friend about Xena's welfare.
Jeff's mother subsequently called Zanthe up again to plead. Saying that Jeff is psychologically unwell and has along had suicidal thoughts. This is supposed to be an explanation of why he goes around acting the way he does - conning people and abusing animals. She is sorry for how she has brought up this son and hopes that we will have mercy on him. I have told Zanthe to tell Jeff's mom if she calls again to bring Jeff to the doctor as he clearly needs help.
Regardless, in order to take action against Jeff, we are going to the police to lodge a formal complaint - there are now at least 2 dogs officially involved - AVA will need a formal police complaint to be made in order for them to be able to take action, and likewise there is legislation to prevent cruelty to animals.
She is still looking for Xena, this is her picture according to their re-homing advert before Jeff took her away.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
more updates
We have been getting a lot of requests for answers on this case. Here are some updates.
Here are some pictures of Dane when he was with us.
As for how the alleged same puppy was treated when he was with Mr JH the P R C / ah tiong / FT (depending on which forum u found this link from), it was sad and whining and underweight, could see his ribs. Dane was not a fussy eater, he ate a lot while he was boarding at the shop. So the dog was clearly being underfed.
He has already been bought and collected by his new owner, the FT's 'customer' and is now in good hands - his new owner is caring, knowledgeable about dogs and has a good home. Money is not the issue here and his new owner is willing to pay the financial cost to rescue this dog. Much respect for him, /salute.
It is more about the fraudulent nature of the advertisment. In the FT's ad on 8 8 d b posted a few days after the adoption (since today it has been removed from the site):
He claims he paid $4k for the dog. This is misrepresentation. When the press called the FT to talk, he claimed that Dane chewed on his cables and his mother was upset and made him pay her back for the damages caused by Dane. But this is likely to be untrue as Dane is not his first adopt-then-sell-for-profit case. Surely it cannot be the case that all his previous adopted dogs chewed on cables and needed to be sold to pay back for the wires. Also, dogs chewing on wires means that they lack proper training and toys to sustain their interest - also the fault of the 'owner'.
The FT did indeed paid a price but it was an adoption fee (read right sidebar for reasons why there needs to be an adoption fee). The FT also got a free bag of dog food alongside the adoption. As to how the sum was calculated, I cannot comment as this is my friend's shop the dog was boarding at. Big, pedigree dogs usually require a higher adoption fee than say, local kittens because - they eat more, they need more cleaning up after, they need proper nutrition according to their pedigree, they need more space to run, they need more supervision. And the amount of $4,000 is indeed quite reflective of the price of a licensed and certified pedigree GD dog (in fact all the information on the 8 8 db website - Scooby Doo, pony-size etc. - is what we shared with adopters about this breed of dog).
Angels Pet Shop does NOT sell dogs and cats. We use the shop to foster some of the animals we rescue, and only re-home disadvantaged animals as part of our voluntary work, which costs money. Most of the time adoption fees hardly cover it as some animals need veterinary attention. We do not intentionally go around looking for animals to re-home for a profit; we are usually approached by customers or members of the public, or the animals are found dumped outside the shop when Aswat opens for business in the morning. We do not pick up strays either unless they are found to be sick or very young or are actually abandoned pets.
As to why we allow foreigners to adopt, we do not discriminate; expatriates have adopted from us before and they do not make better or worse owners; it is the individual adopter that makes the difference. We have diplomatically turned adopters away before. This particular FT 'adopter' seemed well-off, eager, educated, and had the financial means to take care of a large dog. Normally keen adopters call many times regarding the animal; so did this FT. We also have a log book of all the particulars of the adopters, as well as encourage family members to come along to view the animals before adopting. So, on our part, I believe we have exercised due caution, which will be further improved in future when we implement a black and white contract as well as bouncer-type volunteers to help us do inspections on adopters, perhaps. We are still discussing this, and because animal rescue and re-homing is not actually any of our day-jobs we have to do this during our non-working hours.
As for how this Mr JH looks like, works, where and how to find him, I do not know entirely except these: he is in cahoots with his girlfriend E von (whose number is the one posted in the 8 8 db ad), we cannot ascertain where he lives because he has previously given fake addresses to other rescuers. He is dressed in a very wayang fashion as most P R C people who try to act atas are, has red-highlighted hair and wears brown contact lenses. He speaks with a honkee accent and claims to work and study in Singapore as well as worked overseas in Germany before. We do not know if all this information he shared about himself is true and valid; it is said that the devil is the father of lies, so, /shrug.
This story has attracted a lot of ah tiong haters as well as animal lovers. To the tiong-hatesters: I understand where you are coming from and in fact, I totally agree with what some of you have said that some are good, but most are not. I have a few tiong neighbours, only one of them is terrible: their kids poured soya bean milk on the stray kittens outside (Snowy, Nosey and their sister) as well as on our neighbour's door. For the animal lovers, please learn a lesson from this case and do a written contract when you re-home a rescued animal, as well as spot-checks on the new homes, and trawl online classifieds to see if any of your beloveds are being re-sold fraudulently. We only knew about this ad because one of Angels customers told Aswat about it and then Andy and I checked it out.
And for those of you who feel that I ought to keep this under wraps - as lawyers do about ongoing trial cases - I understand where you are coming from, JH could be reading any of these stories about him right now. Yes, we are not law enforcers nor investigative journalists so we may not actually be totally diplomatic, politically excellent or give the alleged con-man the benefit of being innocent until proven guilty. Yet at the same time, had I not written and publicised this story a la viral marketing style, more would be kept in the dark about this, other people who cannot financially afford to be conned might be cheated by this scammer, and ultimately the animals suffer too. I reserve my right to be a citizen journalist.
Here are some pictures of Dane when he was with us.
As for how the alleged same puppy was treated when he was with Mr JH the P R C / ah tiong / FT (depending on which forum u found this link from), it was sad and whining and underweight, could see his ribs. Dane was not a fussy eater, he ate a lot while he was boarding at the shop. So the dog was clearly being underfed.
He has already been bought and collected by his new owner, the FT's 'customer' and is now in good hands - his new owner is caring, knowledgeable about dogs and has a good home. Money is not the issue here and his new owner is willing to pay the financial cost to rescue this dog. Much respect for him, /salute.
It is more about the fraudulent nature of the advertisment. In the FT's ad on 8 8 d b posted a few days after the adoption (since today it has been removed from the site):
He claims he paid $4k for the dog. This is misrepresentation. When the press called the FT to talk, he claimed that Dane chewed on his cables and his mother was upset and made him pay her back for the damages caused by Dane. But this is likely to be untrue as Dane is not his first adopt-then-sell-for-profit case. Surely it cannot be the case that all his previous adopted dogs chewed on cables and needed to be sold to pay back for the wires. Also, dogs chewing on wires means that they lack proper training and toys to sustain their interest - also the fault of the 'owner'.The FT did indeed paid a price but it was an adoption fee (read right sidebar for reasons why there needs to be an adoption fee). The FT also got a free bag of dog food alongside the adoption. As to how the sum was calculated, I cannot comment as this is my friend's shop the dog was boarding at. Big, pedigree dogs usually require a higher adoption fee than say, local kittens because - they eat more, they need more cleaning up after, they need proper nutrition according to their pedigree, they need more space to run, they need more supervision. And the amount of $4,000 is indeed quite reflective of the price of a licensed and certified pedigree GD dog (in fact all the information on the 8 8 db website - Scooby Doo, pony-size etc. - is what we shared with adopters about this breed of dog).
Angels Pet Shop does NOT sell dogs and cats. We use the shop to foster some of the animals we rescue, and only re-home disadvantaged animals as part of our voluntary work, which costs money. Most of the time adoption fees hardly cover it as some animals need veterinary attention. We do not intentionally go around looking for animals to re-home for a profit; we are usually approached by customers or members of the public, or the animals are found dumped outside the shop when Aswat opens for business in the morning. We do not pick up strays either unless they are found to be sick or very young or are actually abandoned pets.
As to why we allow foreigners to adopt, we do not discriminate; expatriates have adopted from us before and they do not make better or worse owners; it is the individual adopter that makes the difference. We have diplomatically turned adopters away before. This particular FT 'adopter' seemed well-off, eager, educated, and had the financial means to take care of a large dog. Normally keen adopters call many times regarding the animal; so did this FT. We also have a log book of all the particulars of the adopters, as well as encourage family members to come along to view the animals before adopting. So, on our part, I believe we have exercised due caution, which will be further improved in future when we implement a black and white contract as well as bouncer-type volunteers to help us do inspections on adopters, perhaps. We are still discussing this, and because animal rescue and re-homing is not actually any of our day-jobs we have to do this during our non-working hours.
As for how this Mr JH looks like, works, where and how to find him, I do not know entirely except these: he is in cahoots with his girlfriend E von (whose number is the one posted in the 8 8 db ad), we cannot ascertain where he lives because he has previously given fake addresses to other rescuers. He is dressed in a very wayang fashion as most P R C people who try to act atas are, has red-highlighted hair and wears brown contact lenses. He speaks with a honkee accent and claims to work and study in Singapore as well as worked overseas in Germany before. We do not know if all this information he shared about himself is true and valid; it is said that the devil is the father of lies, so, /shrug.
This story has attracted a lot of ah tiong haters as well as animal lovers. To the tiong-hatesters: I understand where you are coming from and in fact, I totally agree with what some of you have said that some are good, but most are not. I have a few tiong neighbours, only one of them is terrible: their kids poured soya bean milk on the stray kittens outside (Snowy, Nosey and their sister) as well as on our neighbour's door. For the animal lovers, please learn a lesson from this case and do a written contract when you re-home a rescued animal, as well as spot-checks on the new homes, and trawl online classifieds to see if any of your beloveds are being re-sold fraudulently. We only knew about this ad because one of Angels customers told Aswat about it and then Andy and I checked it out.
And for those of you who feel that I ought to keep this under wraps - as lawyers do about ongoing trial cases - I understand where you are coming from, JH could be reading any of these stories about him right now. Yes, we are not law enforcers nor investigative journalists so we may not actually be totally diplomatic, politically excellent or give the alleged con-man the benefit of being innocent until proven guilty. Yet at the same time, had I not written and publicised this story a la viral marketing style, more would be kept in the dark about this, other people who cannot financially afford to be conned might be cheated by this scammer, and ultimately the animals suffer too. I reserve my right to be a citizen journalist.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Dane's story on STOMP
STOMPer Elaine is appalled to find a puppy that they rescued from an Ubi factory being put up for sale at $2,000 by a PRC man who adopted it from them. This is apparently not the first time that the man is selling rescued dogs for exorbitant profits, says the STOMPer.
In the online classifieds ad, the man claims that he paid "almost $4,000" for the 2-month-old Great Dane puppy, and is willing to sell it for half the price "due to family matters". The STOMPer said the man only paid $350 in adoption fees to cover the puppy's food and boarding, and to deter adopters from abandoning it again.
In the STOMPer's email dated Oct 12:
"We recently rescued some puppies from potential culling at an Ubi factory, and after fostering them to proper health put them up for adoption.
"This person who adopted one of the dogs brought him home and subsequently posted this dog for sale online at a profit.
"After much trawling online I found out that this is not the first case of this same PRC male adopting rescued dogs and putting them up for exorbitant profits.
"We will likely be making a police report against this person once we confirm the dog is the same dog we re-homed."
In an online update dated Oct 10, the STOMPer reported that a man has paid a deposit of $200 to the PRC man and brought the dog home. The buyer later found out about the scam online and will be bring the puppy to the STOMPer for identification.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
pet profiteers and misrepresentation on adverts
This story also at Ubi Kuching Project.
Recently, we rescued 2 factory puppies from my neighbourhood and after taking care of them, we went about finding new loving homes for the pups. The little girl pup was adopted by a family with a big house, and had already bought bags of food for her even before their dad went to drive and pick her up to bring her home to the family.
The boy pup was adopted by a guy who's from PRC (working/studying in sg). He was so eager to adopt him that he waited for our friend outside his shop where the dogs were boarding, so that he could view and bring the puppy home.
We were so glad for both pups that they found new homes and were saved from potential removal or culling by the authorities. Our friend Aswat at Angels Pet Shop even gave the boy-pup's adopter a pack of free dog food - same brand as he was eating (Acana), as well as subsidised his transport fee for bringing Dane home.
But something horrible happened. We found on 88db.com that the same boy-pup, Dane, was being posted for SALE. This was not our intention - we do adoption and rescue work to find homes for the animals, not for profit.
Not only was the adopter not genuine, he even claims he paid $4k for the dog. This is NOT TRUE. He paid an adoption fee of $350. NB: We ask this of adopters for a few reasons: (1) to cover the animals boarding, food and potential medical costs while we foster them, (2) to prevent adopters from abandoning the animals again - this has happened before (3) to generate some income for our animal rescue and re-homing work. Usually the adopted animals' fees do not cover the food and boarding costs much, as we feed and care for them well, but we are doing this not for profit but for the welfare of these disadvantaged animals so the costs whether covered or not is not an issue to us.
We do record adopters' particulars when they adopt an animal from us. We also exercise our due diligence on advising owners on the care, licensing, sterilisation (if animals are young) of the animal. We made a follow up call to Dane the boy pup's owner yesterday to check if Dane was doing ok. He said yes, the dog is doing fine. We also asked if we could visit. He declined all available days and times we offered claiming he was busy. On the 88db add, he claimed that he cannot care for the dog due to family matters. This is also obviously already A LIE, as he claimed the dog was doing well at his home.
Although the number he left on our adopter's log book was different from the one posted on the add, I recognised his voice immediately when I made a mystery shopper's call this morning after the call yesterday to check on the dog. I made the mystery shopper's call using another number, and with a different voice (my morning hoarse and sad sounding voice), asking about the dog for sale. He said that there was somebody already interested in the dog but hasn't 'registered' yet (WTF does that mean? anyway) so the pup was still available. He asked me to tell him more about myself; I said I was interested in getting a dog because my dog just died. (Actually, my dog died about 10 years ago). I told him I will call back.
It is the SAME GUY. He spoke with the same funny PRC accent and had the same voice.
WTF? I am so cheesed off. Dane the pup looked so sad in the 88db pics, but he is so happy in our ubikuchingproject pics.
Addendum: A reader just emailed me saying that a PRC by the name of Jeff adopted a rescued miniature bull terrier called Xena from another pet shop which she fostered her at, from then on he disappeared as the particulars which he gave the pet shop was fake. This guy is a serial pet profiteer.
Related links: Hardwarezone here and here; Vr-zone here; Petschannel.com here
Edit: There had already been one interested party who contacted the PRC guy for the puppy. This guy paid a deposit of $200 and had already collected Dane home. He then found out about this scam online, and called our friend Aswat who fostered and did the re-homing for Dane. He will be bringing the puppy over for us to view to see if it is indeed Dane and if so, he is going to report to the police.
Recently, we rescued 2 factory puppies from my neighbourhood and after taking care of them, we went about finding new loving homes for the pups. The little girl pup was adopted by a family with a big house, and had already bought bags of food for her even before their dad went to drive and pick her up to bring her home to the family.
The boy pup was adopted by a guy who's from PRC (working/studying in sg). He was so eager to adopt him that he waited for our friend outside his shop where the dogs were boarding, so that he could view and bring the puppy home.
We were so glad for both pups that they found new homes and were saved from potential removal or culling by the authorities. Our friend Aswat at Angels Pet Shop even gave the boy-pup's adopter a pack of free dog food - same brand as he was eating (Acana), as well as subsidised his transport fee for bringing Dane home.
But something horrible happened. We found on 88db.com that the same boy-pup, Dane, was being posted for SALE. This was not our intention - we do adoption and rescue work to find homes for the animals, not for profit.
Not only was the adopter not genuine, he even claims he paid $4k for the dog. This is NOT TRUE. He paid an adoption fee of $350. NB: We ask this of adopters for a few reasons: (1) to cover the animals boarding, food and potential medical costs while we foster them, (2) to prevent adopters from abandoning the animals again - this has happened before (3) to generate some income for our animal rescue and re-homing work. Usually the adopted animals' fees do not cover the food and boarding costs much, as we feed and care for them well, but we are doing this not for profit but for the welfare of these disadvantaged animals so the costs whether covered or not is not an issue to us.
We do record adopters' particulars when they adopt an animal from us. We also exercise our due diligence on advising owners on the care, licensing, sterilisation (if animals are young) of the animal. We made a follow up call to Dane the boy pup's owner yesterday to check if Dane was doing ok. He said yes, the dog is doing fine. We also asked if we could visit. He declined all available days and times we offered claiming he was busy. On the 88db add, he claimed that he cannot care for the dog due to family matters. This is also obviously already A LIE, as he claimed the dog was doing well at his home.
Although the number he left on our adopter's log book was different from the one posted on the add, I recognised his voice immediately when I made a mystery shopper's call this morning after the call yesterday to check on the dog. I made the mystery shopper's call using another number, and with a different voice (my morning hoarse and sad sounding voice), asking about the dog for sale. He said that there was somebody already interested in the dog but hasn't 'registered' yet (WTF does that mean? anyway) so the pup was still available. He asked me to tell him more about myself; I said I was interested in getting a dog because my dog just died. (Actually, my dog died about 10 years ago). I told him I will call back.
It is the SAME GUY. He spoke with the same funny PRC accent and had the same voice.
WTF? I am so cheesed off. Dane the pup looked so sad in the 88db pics, but he is so happy in our ubikuchingproject pics.
Addendum: A reader just emailed me saying that a PRC by the name of Jeff adopted a rescued miniature bull terrier called Xena from another pet shop which she fostered her at, from then on he disappeared as the particulars which he gave the pet shop was fake. This guy is a serial pet profiteer.
Related links: Hardwarezone here and here; Vr-zone here; Petschannel.com here
Edit: There had already been one interested party who contacted the PRC guy for the puppy. This guy paid a deposit of $200 and had already collected Dane home. He then found out about this scam online, and called our friend Aswat who fostered and did the re-homing for Dane. He will be bringing the puppy over for us to view to see if it is indeed Dane and if so, he is going to report to the police.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
spent on still waters
I have been sleeping, a lot. Days and nights. Exhausted from having to teach, and even though I did only very little housework. I am really tired. I don't know how long I can keep up having things to do every day. It is normality but it is not mine. I remember that a half year ago or so whenever I taught for half a day I needed to rest for two days. Now I think I am better than that but I still feel spent.
Right now I am nursing a cup of Earl Grey tea hoping to awake soon. Despite having slept eleven hours I am still very tired. I think about having to go teach later and I feel already a little sluggish. I also feel mentally spent thinking about all my financial debts which I cannot pay all of even with some income right now.
I remember feeling free and happy in a dream I had two nights ago: I was playing with puppies and kittens and feeling really happy because they were all really happy. The main stars in the dream were the rescued pups and kitten - Dane, Diana and Kendra - at our neighbourhood pet shop. I am glad I have my own cats and the fostered pets to give me some joy in my life.
My Earl Grey tea cup is dry, I think it is time for a coffee. And then to call my students to check if our lessons today are confirmed. And then to try to think less and just do things step by step. Like trying to walk on water - thinking doesn't help too much - but then again, you never know when the still waters turn into a squall.
Right now I am nursing a cup of Earl Grey tea hoping to awake soon. Despite having slept eleven hours I am still very tired. I think about having to go teach later and I feel already a little sluggish. I also feel mentally spent thinking about all my financial debts which I cannot pay all of even with some income right now.
I remember feeling free and happy in a dream I had two nights ago: I was playing with puppies and kittens and feeling really happy because they were all really happy. The main stars in the dream were the rescued pups and kitten - Dane, Diana and Kendra - at our neighbourhood pet shop. I am glad I have my own cats and the fostered pets to give me some joy in my life.
My Earl Grey tea cup is dry, I think it is time for a coffee. And then to call my students to check if our lessons today are confirmed. And then to try to think less and just do things step by step. Like trying to walk on water - thinking doesn't help too much - but then again, you never know when the still waters turn into a squall.
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