Joy’s New Bed

Every now and then, we would drop by the pet shops to get something for Joy, our almost 4-month old Toy Poodle puppy. We got a dog repellent spray to stop her from biting the electrical cables and slippers but it was just a temporary solution (the smell wears off quickly).

We also saw that dog beds were quite costly, ranging from RM70 to RM150 while nicer beds could easily go above RM200. Fortunately, one of my friends told me that her sis bought a dog bed for just RM39, which was quite a reasonable price. So, we went to Ikea and bought Joy a bright red doggie bed.

Joy does not always lie down or sleep in it all the time but she likes to collect her toys in it sometimes.

Puppy Update

Joy, our Toy Poodle puppy, is almost 3 months old now. Since our last blog on her 2 weeks ago, she has grown from a skinny puppy into a little fat dog with a big tummy now... hehe (yes, we have overfed her to make up for her bony frame previously). However, this physical difference is not always visible as her body shape is easily covered by her soft furry hair.

Do I look fat... or just chubby?

Joy has also grown from being a sleepy and inactive puppy to one that is hyperactive now. When she runs out from under some furniture, she would sometimes get kicked as she was so small and it was hard to notice her when she ran out all of a sudden. So we got her a dog collar with a tinkle bell so that we can hear where she is.

Joy with her new "tinkle-bell" collar...

Joy uses the teddy bear for biting practice... hehe.

Joy standing tall with Eunice, who is sporting a new hair style...

With Joy going through the teething stage now, she likes to chew almost everything, including live electrical wires! She is still partially toilet-trained and does not always eliminate at the designated spots. We have thought of sending her for dog training but then, we read that obedience training (from a dog school) could make a dog Sit, Stay and Heel (obey commands)... but it would still chew wires (does not solve behavior problems).

We also plan to move Joy from our bedroom to the front yard of the house when she grows a little bigger in the future. The thing is, we have so many questions and we are not quite sure what to do. So Sze decided to buy Dr. Dog's Behavior Solutions book as we needed some expert guidance from an experienced dog professional and he also wanted to understand dog psychology better in order to train Joy more effectively.


The following is the Table of Contents from Dr. Dog's Behavior Solutions book - you decide if the topics listed below are what you would like to know as well...

1. TEACHING & LEARNING
WHAT ARE DOGS?
THE BIG FOUR
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR DOG
LIFE WITH YOUR NEW DOG
THE FEAR IMPRINT PERIOD
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU TEACH YOUR PUPPY
YOU CANNOT TEACH NOTHING
DOGS ARE IMITATORS
TRAINING YOUR PUPPY
MASSAGE FOR FIDO?
HOUSETRAINING
YOUR PUP’S FIRST COLLAR AND LEASH
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR DOG
WHO’S IN CHARGE?
CORRECTING YOUR DOG
CONTROLLING VS. ELIMINATING A BEHAVIOR
MEAN BUSINESS FROM THE START
HOW TO PUNISH
WHY IS YOUR DOG MISBEHAVING? FIND THE MOTIVE
PRAISE AND PUNISHMENT: TIMING IS CRUCIAL
INTRODUCING A NEW DOG
SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS
SUMMARY

2. HOUSETRAINING
HOUSE DOG VS. OUTSIDE DOG
HOUSTRAINING VS. PAPER-TRAINING
UNDERSTANDING DOGS’ ELIMINATION BEHAVIOR
WHAT IS A REWARD?
WHERE SHOULD YOU GET YOUR PET?
THE BIG FOUR REVISITED
DAILY SCHEDULE FOR HOUSETRAINING
FEEDING ROUTINE
ELIMINATING ON COMMAND
CLEANING A SOIL SPOT
MEDICATIONS CAN AFFECT ELIMINATION
EXCITABLE URINATION / SUBMISSIVE URINATION
IGNORING A PROBLEM AS “PUNISHMENT”
TWO DOGS: WHICH ONE IS SOILING?
NEUTERING AND HOUSETRAINING
THE CRATE: A HOUSETRAINER’S BEST FRIEND
SIMPLE, BUT NOT EASY
WHY DO HOUSETRAINED DOGS SOMETIMES REGRESS?
DOGS WON’T SOIL WHERE THEY EAT
CLUES FROM YOUR DOG’S STOOL
SUMMARY

3. CHEWING & DIGGING
WHY DOGS CHEW: TEETHING
WHY DOGS CHEW: TOO MANY TOYS
WHY DOGS CHEW: STRESS
WHY DOGS CHEW: THEY ARE REWARDED
WHY DOGS CHEW: PHYSICAL PROBLEM
WHY DOGS CHEW: TO GET ATTENTION
WHY DOGS CHEW: BREED SPECIFIC DRIVES
WHY DOGS CHEW: THEY ARE SPOILED
WHY DOGS CHEW: REACTIVE RESPONSE
WHY DOGS CHEW: ASSOCIATIVE
WHY DOGS CHEW: INADVERTENT LEARNING
WHY DOGS CHEW: LACK OF EXERCISE
WHY IS MY DOG CHEWING?
CHEWING REMEDIES
IMPLEMENT MANY CHEWING REMEDIES AT ONCE
WHY DO DOGS DIG?
WHY DOGS DIG: THEY’RE TOO HOT
WHY DOGS DIG: GET THAT SQUIRREL!
WHY DOGS DIG: FEMALE NESTING
WHY DOGS DIG: COPY CAT
WHY DOGS DIG: FREEDOM
WHY DOGS DIG: SMELLS AND TASTES
WHY DOGS DIG: BOREDOM
WHY DOGS DIG: STRESS
WHY DOGS DIG: DENS
WHY DOGS DIG: TETHERING
WHY DOGS DIG: REACTIVE RESPONSE
WHY DOGS DIG: ASSOCIATIVE DIGGING
WHY IS MY DOG DIGGING?
SOLVING DIGGING PROBLEMS
DIGGING MUST FAIL
RESOLVING BOREDOM IN YOUR YARD
MOTIVATING FIDO TO CHANGE

4. JUMPING & PULLING
JUMPING ON PEOPLE
JUMPING ONTO THINGS
PERSONAL CORRECTION FOR JUMPING
IMPERSONAL CORRECTION: THE COUCH CORRECTS GODZILLA
ELIMINATE THE REWARD FOR JUMPING; THEN MAKE JUMPING UNPLEASANT
PULLING
WHY DOGS PULL: OPPOSITION REFLEX
WHY DOGS PULL: LEARNED THROUGH GAMES
WHY DOGS PULL: FEAR OF FEET
WHY DOGS PULL: SUCCESS!
WHY DOGS PULL: USING A SHORT LEAD
PREVENTING/REVERSING PULLING
SOLUTIONS TO PULLING: FEAR OF FEET
SOLUTIONS TO PULLING: EQUIPMENT
MAGIC: PULLING FAILS; A SLACK LEAD SUCCEEDS!
NOT PULLING VS. HEELING
PULLING IN VERY LARGE DOGS

5. BARKING
WHY CURE BARKING?
ALL BARKING ISN’T BAD
SCAPEGOATING
DOES MY DOG BARK A LOT?
WHY DOGS BARK EXCESSIVELY WHEN THEY’RE ALONE
WHY DOGS BARK EXCESSIVELY WHEN THE FAMILY IS PRESENT
ASSOCIATION CAUSES BARKING
DEBARKING THE DOG
THE BARK MUZZLE
SILLY SOLUTIONS
ELECTRONIC TRAINING COLLAR
THE BARK COLLAR
BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
INDOOR DOGS BARK LESS
BARKING IS OKAY; EXCESSIVE BARKING IS BAD
THE “QUIET” COMMAND MEANS TO STOP BARKING

6. AGGRESSION
DOG BITES ARE SERIOUS!
FALSE AGGRESSION
INHERITED AGGRESSION
DEFENSIVE AGGRESSION
PAIN CAN CAUSE AGGRESSION
AGGRESSION CAUSED BY FEAR OR SELF-DEFENSE
TETHERING CAN CAUSE AGGRESSION
REACTIVE AGGRESSION
DOMINANCE AGGRESSION
CONDITIONED AGGRESSION
ASSOCIATIVE AGGRESSION
DISPLACEMENT AGGRESSION
TRAINED AGGRESSION
PHYSICAL CAUSES FOR AGGRESSION
TREATING AGGRESSION
ELIMINATE THE CAUSES OF AGGRESSION

7. FIGHTING
PREVENTING FIGHTS
DON’T TREAT DOGS EQUALLY
MORE DIFFERENCES EQUALS FEWER FIGHTS
HONOR THE DOGS’ HIERARCHY
DO THIS AND YOUR DOGS WILL GET ALONG GREAT!
IMPORTANCE OF BREED
THREE’S A CROWD
NEUTERING AFFECTS FIGHTING
HANDLING MEALS WITH TWO DOGS
PAIN CAN CAUSE FIGHTING
TERRITORIALITY AND FIGHTING
INTRODUCING A NEW DOG
ACCIDENTLY TRAINING DOGS TO FIGHT
BE THE BOSS
DOMINANCE CHALLENGES BETWEEN DOGS
CHANGING PACK ORDER
PREVENTING FIGHTS WITH VISITORS OR UNFAMILIAR DOGS
WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE’S A FIGHT
PROGESTINS FOR FIGHTERS
WHEN YOUR DOG IS THE ATTACKER
WHEN ONE DOG DIES OR LEAVES
STOPPING A DOGFIGHT

* Table of contents from Dr. Dog's Behavior Solutions.

Our New Puppy

On Sunday last week, Sze and I went to Klang to shop for a dog. I played around with several puppies there and saw one of them bully her puppy sibling. Immediately I thought to myself, “Ok, that’s my type of dog!”

And so we came home with our new puppy. She is a Toy Poodle breed and is expected to grow to no more than 10 inches in size upon reaching adulthood. She is only about 2 months old now and her very soft, furry hair is known as "super red" in color. We named her Joy as we hope that she will bring much joy and happiness to the family.

Joy's first day at home.

We have had Joy for a week already and she is adjusting much better to her new environment now than her first few days here. She has started to respond to her name being called and she is also improving in her toilet training (with her "newspaper loo").

Over the weekend, we brought Joy back to Sitiawan to visit my parents. With her "teddy bear" looks, she was of course, fussed over by everyone, especially by Naomi, my younger sis.

Joy and the teddy bear.

Joy's sock clothing design by Naomi, haha...

Godmom said Joy was very gentle and ladylike in her behavior while Mom said Joy's sleeping posture is like that of a baby.

And yes, Joy does sleep a lot!

Does Joy look like a hamster from behind?

Joy's pear-shaped body ;-)

To learn more about dog behavior, check out Dr. Dog's Behavior Solutions book.

Berklee Alumni Gathering

Recently, I attended a Berklee Alumni Gathering at Biba's Cafe in Mandarin Oriental Hotel. This get-together was held in conjunction with Berklee's visit to ICOM for its World Scholarship Tour auditions.

The alumni gathering was an unplanned event and many Berklee graduates were not able to attend due to the very late notice. Nevertheless, some of us managed to meet up for dinner that evening and caught up with each other.

From L to R, back row: Sze, Bob Pilkington, Gojko Damjanic.

Middle row: Farid Yahya, Farul, Ahmad Muriz, Stephanie Wong, Grace, Goh Wei Wei, Pearly Lee, Jason Camelio, Isabella Pek. 

Front row: Christine Fawson.

Job Vacancy - Audio Engineer

An ex-student of mine told me that her previous employer was looking to hire an Audio Engineer. But more than a month later, they still haven't found anyone yet. So I thought I'd try to help out by posting the job vacancy here:

McGirvanmedia (Asia) in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, is now recruiting a full time Audio Engineer to help run the studio in the company.

Job description is as follows:
1. Studio Maintenance
2. Recording and mixing of Messages On Hold & IVR production
3. Maintenance of company's IT infrastructure (not core but a little IT skill would be essential)
4. Managing of Voice Talents

Skills:
1. Basic knowledge in recording and mixing
2. Basic knowledge in utilizing Pro Tools

Working hours: Monday - Friday (8.30 am - 6 pm), working over weekends only where required.

Salary: To be discussed and based on experience. But definitely better than market standards + performance bonuses when targets are met.

For more info about the company, please go to:
www.mcgasia.com.my.

Anyone who is interested in applying for this Audio Engineer job can send their CV to either:
jobs@mcgasia.com.my or mary@mcgasia.com.my

Hat Yai Trip 2009

For this year’s Chinese New Year (CNY), my sis, Fiona, planned a trip for both Sze’s and my family to Hat Yai, Thailand. However, Sze’s parents were unable to make the trip in the end and had to pull out. So, together with a couple of my relatives, 11 of us drove into Thailand in 3 cars on the eve of CNY.

We arrived in Hat Yai at about noontime. After a quick lunch, we checked into the New Season Hotel.


Hat Yai this year was somewhat different from last year. There were much less people while festive decorations and activities were also less visible. This could possibly be due to the economic recession and the earlier timing of our trip (CNY eve).

Regardless, we were still going to do what Hat Yai is good for… shopping! On our 1st day there, a must do activity for us would be to go to the Old Market to buy some bags, shoes and clothing.




That evening, we went to the hilltop Bon Khao Restaurant. The view was spectacular and the food comprised of very authentic Thai dishes. Our photos here were too dark to be seen clearly but we had a really nice and enjoyable dinner.



After dinner, we dropped by the Lantern Festival at the Hat Yai Municipality Park at the foot of the hill. The lanterns were amazingly beautiful and very well done.




Another 27 photos of just the Lantern Festival alone can be viewed in our Photo Gallery.

On the 2nd day of our trip, we went to the Old Market again, followed by lunch and more shopping at the Odean department store. I also had a foot massage not far away from our hotel.

After a Chinese dinner that evening, we went to do some prayers at a Buddhist temple.


We then walked along a night market next to the temple where there was a Ferris wheel, a Chinese opera and a music concert.




The next morning, Sze and I were up earliest as everyone else overslept. We had a late breakfast and guess what? We went to the Old Market AGAIN! Ha ha…

We left Hat Yai after our shopping trip and stopped by some shops just before the Sadao Boundary Post for lunch and to buy more household goods. I also bought a garland of Jasmine flowers to hang in Sze’s car and some Pulut Ayam goreng (fried Glutinous Rice Chicken), which was very tasty.



May this Year of the Ox bring you lots of happiness, prosperity and good health.

More pictures of our recent Hat Yai trip can be viewed in our Photo Gallery.
More stories and pictures from last year’s Hat Yai trip can be viewed in our Blog and Photo Gallery.

The BrandLaureate Awards Gala Dinner

Recently, several colleagues and I were invited to a "black tie" event at the Shangri-La Hotel Grand Ballroom. It was The BrandLaureate - SMEs Chapter Awards 2008 Gala Dinner whereby ICOM was presented an award for Corporate Branding, Best Brand in Education - Music.

My invitation card from The Asia Pacific Brands Foundation

Me posing next to The BrandLaureate SMEs Best Brands logo

Me and Vinay in front of The BrandLaureate SMEs Best Brands backdrop

Has anyone ever seen Vinay smiling this widely before? :)

Me flanked by Irene and Frank

The ICOM team at our dinner table

Dubbed as "The Grammy Awards for Branding", the BrandLaureate awards and gala dinner was also graced by Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop and other famous personalities.

The ICOM team had fun as everyone had a turn in holding and posing with our BrandLaureate trophy.

Me posing with The BrandLaureate trophy

The ICOM team posing with The BrandLaureate trophy and certificate

More poses with our BrandLaureate trophy and certificate

The ICOM team with me and Freddie holding The BrandLaureate trophy and certificate respectively

The ICOM "Men In Black"

In the meantime, Eunice and I would like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous Year of the Ox over the next 12 months!

* Photos courtesy of Frank, Melisa, Freddie and myself.