Is cuteness intrinsic?

One of the big differences between Panliang and I is that (if you haven't already noticed) I have a great love for all sorts of animals, with the exception of lizards, cockroaches and nasty bugs. When I was 5 or 6, I used to comb through encyclopedias and read up about pets and wildlife; I love animal documentaries; I'm happy to get up close and personal with animals like snakes and stray dogs that most people would keep a mile from; and I nearly became an animal show presenter at the zoo (but the pay would hardly sustain our mortgage) !

As for Panliang, if I may quote his best man Yunjian's speech at our wedding, "he basically doesn't like anything furrier than him." Not cats, dogs, hamsters, nothing. But somehow, Darcy managed to convert him. Just before we got together, Panliang came over one evening to watch a movie, and Darcy promptly snuggled up to him and fell asleep on his lap. That impressed me no end. Since then, Panliang has been a furry animal convert, but one mammal he still abhors is the rat, and he absolutely can't understand why I get excited and try to look closer whenever we see one.

I found this really cute picture of a mummy and baby otter. The picture always makes me laugh and recall a conversation with Panliang that has been etched it my memory ever since.


Serene: (clicking open the picture on the computer screen) Don't you think this is cute?

Panliang stares silently at the screen for some time.

Panliang: (suspiciously, with a hint of disgust, never taking his eyes of the screen) Is it a RAT?

Serene: Of course not! It's an otter!

Panliang: (greatly relieved) Oh ok. Then it's cute.

Serene: (incredulously) You mean if I said it was a rat, it wouldn't be cute?

Panliang: Yes.

Serene: Isn't cuteness intrinsic? If it's cute, it's cute, whether or not it's a rat!

Panliang: No. If it was it was a rat, it won't be cute. But it's not a rat, so it's cute.

* * * * *

Perhaps cuteness is psychologically determined and not intrinsic to the object. The Beijing Olympics little girl is cute until you find out she's a fake. Stray cats are cute until your parents tell you they're dirty. People are normal until they become your boyfriend or girlfriend, after which, they become cute. Should the relationship fail, they lose their Cute Status, and what was once cute now annoys.

Perhaps the same logic applies to parents and babies. Objectively speaking, newborn infants are not at their most attractive (this web link is not for the faint-hearted). They are often dark, wrinkly and have scrunched-up eyes, but somehow they awaken lots of little love hearts in their parents. To the casual observer, all baby ultrasound scans look the same, and perhaps some might say that all Chinese babies look the same at birth, but I have no doubt Panliang and I will find Baby the cutest creature we have ever seen, even if we don't feel the same way about other newborn babies. She'll be cute just because she's our baby.

Dog Saves Owner By Dialling 911

A dog whose owner was having a seizure saved his life by calling the emergency services and barking down the line to raise the alarm.

Joe Stalnaker adopted German shepherd Buddy as an eight-week-puppy and trained him to use the phone if he began to have an attack.

Mr Stalnaker, of Scottsdale, Arizona, has suffered seizures for ten years after suffering a head injury during a military training exercise.

So when he got into difficulties, Buddy knew exactly what to do - hit the speed-dial button on the phone for 911.

On the tape of his call, he can be heard whimpering and barking after the operator answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.

Police were sent to Mr Stalnaker's home, and after about three minutes Buddy can be heard barking loudly when the officers arrived.

Sergeant Mark Clark, of Scottsdale police, said Mr Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure.

"It's pretty incredible," Sgt Clark said.

"Even the veteran dispatchers - they haven't heard of anything like this."

Mr Stalnaker's address is flagged in the force's computer system with a notification that a trained dog might call 911 when the owner was incapacitated.

Sgt Clark said Buddy has made two other 911 calls when Mr Stalnaker was having seizures.

Source: Sky News

I wonder if we could train Darcy to change nappies and sing lullabies to baby? And if he has extra time, he could vacuum the floor too.

Goat News

At least there is justice in the world - the innocent captives are set free!

DR Congo frees goats from prison

A minister in DR Congo has ordered a Kinshasa jail to release a dozen goats, which he said they were being held there illegally.

Deputy Justice Minister Claude Nyamugabo said he found the goats just in time during a routine jail visit.

The beasts were due to appear in court, charged with being sold illegally by the roadside.

The minister said many police had serious gaps in their knowledge and they would be sent for retraining.

Mr Nyamugabo was conducting a routine visit to the prison when, he said, he was astonished to discover not only humans, but a herd of goats crammed into a prison cell in the capital.

He has blamed the police for the incident.

It is not clear what will happen to their owners of the goats, who have also been imprisoned.

BBC Africa analyst Mary Harper says that given the grim state of prisons in Congo, the goats will doubtless be relieved about being spared a trial.

There was no word on what their punishment would have been, had they been found guilty.

Source: BBC

Other goats in the news:

LA city officials hire goats

Sudan man forced to 'marry' goat

Sudan's famous goat 'wife' dies

Safari tour in Johannesburg

My colleagues took us to the safari today. It was a great trip.

Never before in my life have I had such a close encounter with lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs. It was an excellent trip.

For the lions and lioness, there were no fences or big drains (like those you find in the Singapore zoo) between you and the predators. It's only the car doors that provide security. We wound down the windows and took some great shots.

While all these were great and nice, how I wished Serene and my baby girl were here with me. I have a growing sense that I want to explain and teach things to my baby girl, holding her hand and Serene's, bringing them wherever I go.

I am so thankful that I have the phone, sms, skype, blog and email to keep in touch with Serene. Technology is wonderful! Most of all, I am thankful to God for bonding Serene and I with His Love and Spirit. The cord of 3 strands is indeed wonderful and amazing.

Here are some pics for you (Serene and Baby) and of course you buddies to enjoy:

Why Every Home needs a Jack Russell

Darcy came over to stay for a few days last week to keep me company while I was on sick leave. Besides functioning as a warm, furry pillow, he made himself useful in a dozen ways, doubling up as Doorbell Amplifier, Vacuum Cleaner for Spilt Food, and most significantly, Cockroach Terminator. It was during one of my 2am midnight snack times that I saw Panliang charging determinedly (but not without some trepidation!) after a huge, black thing scuttling across the room. I always believe in finding the best man for the job so I shouted for Darcy! The next few moments were a confusion of running, jumping, "There! There! Over there!", scuffling paws, snapping jaws and furious digging. Once Darcy was on the case, Panliang and I went off to have our snack, leaving our focused and dedicated assistant to play with his new toy till it collapsed from being patted to death by a over-friendly Jack Russell. Panliang had this self-satisfied and gleeful look on his face the whole time. I think he'll be more than happy to clear up dog poo for another 10 years.

Dognapped!

My doggy has been dognapped by my mum! When I miss him a lot, I watch videos of crazy Jack Russells on Youtube.

Parenthood

Mood Swings

I had a technically nice day today. Early morning, driving lesson, vacuuming the house, lunch at a restaurant at Great World City with mum, Theresa and Minghui, followed (yes, immediately) by lovely tea with scones and brownies at The Eclectic Attic @ Plaza Singapura, a bit of shopping, then dinner at Panliang's parents' place.

Now I just feel irritable , like the world owes me something big. I didn't sleep well despite being tired last night, I can't eat well despite being hungry, and I just feel tired and lethargic. I just want to curl up on the sofa with a book, but I figure that going out is probably good for me. New spots appearing on the face (due to hormones and beef cravings) doesn't improve one's mood either. Panliang's been a brick. Immeasurably patient, empathetic, sayanging me when I'm grouchy, pampering me, preparing food for me at strange hours of the day while I watch YouTube videos of Jack Russells hunting snakes and catching fish, playing his saxophone and jazz improvisations less (which is a major sacrifice), and keeping the house neat and tidy and up to my anal standards (like pressing the soap dispenser before wetting his hands so the water doesn't drip outside the sink). I must be quite a horror to live and dine with, but Panliang has risen above himself and pumped in enough strength and cheer for the both of us. I have renewed respect for him and I can see him becoming a more of a dad each day.

Thinking about this makes me thankful and I realise I have been blessed in many ways. This first trimester is no honeymoon (it's like a very very very long turbulent plane ride) but I wouldn't trade it for anything. They say the second trimester gets better and the nausea and appetite loss goes away. That would be nice.


Late night entertainment while having my midnight snacks

The Dog Who Loved to Sun Tan

One of the happiest feelings in the world is to watch Darcy sun tan on our balcony. I love the way he plonks himself just where the sunlight streams in. He looks so happy with himself and afterwards is just a nice pile of warm, white fur. I miss him so much during the week when he stays at my mum's.

Fantastic Diving at Sipadan

The sea scape at Sipadan is lovely. Wall dives mean great visibility of 30m or more (no silt to cloud the water), even in rainy weather. Hanging Garden was a magnificent wall of brightly coloured corals of all shapes and sizes, with turtles sleeping in the crevices. Lovelier than the most intricate and ornate cathedral.

Lionfish
Quite common but always thrilling to watch and think about how majestically poisonous they are.

Mandarin Fish

We were fortunate enough to witness these tiny creatures (no bigger than 2cm) engaging in carnal pleasures amidst the grey coral rubble of Kapalai's house reef. Cheek to cheek, the happy couple rose slowly together and quick as a flash, released their embrace and darted apart. It must have afforded them great pleasure as they repeated this over and over (and over!) again!

White-tip Reef Shark
We saw so many sharks that we no longer got excited!
Normally, the dive guide clinks his tank with a metal rod to attract our attention when something interesting is up ahead. The Pavlovian diver's reaction is an increased heart rate followed by rapid finning ahead to have a closer look. In Sipadan, it reached a point where after we raced forward to look and saw it was yet another shark, we thought "Chey! It's just a shark!"(In most of the other places we've been to, if you see ONE shark during your entire trip, everyone hears about it!)

Bumphead Parrot Fish
They are amazing to watch in a grotesque sort of way. As their name suggests, they look like they've just developed a baluku from swimming into a wall. Their parrot-like beaks are for snapping off coral bits. We saw a large school of these huge 4 foot long creatures.

Chevron Barracuda
Being encircled by a school of thousands of barracuda is not something you'll forget easily. You feel hopelessly outnumbered for one, by a silver battalion with mean faces, and you know better than to aggravate them. It is an awesome experience.

Stonefish
If it looks like a stone, acts like a stone but is vaguely shaped like a fish - don't touch it!

Frogfish
These are really hard to spot - because they could easily pass off for bits of coral. They are absolutely cute. They have 4 legs, and if you prod them, they waddle away placidly!


Nudibranch: the cutest slug in the world
I love these cute little self-absorbed sea slugs that come in bright combinations of every colour. But in Sipadan where you have too many huge pelagic creatures to gape at, nudibranches are more often than not overlooked.

Turtle
I never thought of turtles as cute until I saw them asleep in rock crevices, or holding onto corals. After a particularly turtle-filled dive, the first thing Panliang said when we ascended to the water surface, his regulator barely out of his mouth, was - "The turtle's so cute! He looks like Darcy!" At that moment, I could not have loved him more.

The Camouflaging Octopus

One of the most amazing and mind-boggling creatures we saw was the camouflaging octopus. We were about 14m underwater at the Kapalai house reef when we saw this little octopus, about 25cm long, being stalked by 3 nasty-looking fish. They wouldn't let him out of their sight and blocked off all his escape routes. We hovered there for about 10 minutes, watching in awe as the octopus melted into his surroundings. Settling between a blue, spongy coral with vertical tubular protrusions on his left, and a light and dark brown rock on his right, he seamlessly became both, growing light blue moving tubes on his left and melting into the brown rock on his right.

That was one of the most amazing things I'd even seen. I really wished there and then that I had an underwater video camera. It would have been jaw-dropping if I didn't have to keep my mouth firmly clamped around my regulator to breathe. There we were, clumsy and fully dependent on our big air tank and dive gear, watching effortless underwater magic. Diving always fills me with great awe and respect for creation.