Reunion Dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year

Dinner on the eve of the Lunar New Year is important and normally with your family. Being vegetarian, EJ conjured up a simple dish of vegetarian steamboat.

A cube of organic vegetable stock was thrown in to boil as base soup. This packet of organic vegetable stock was given by Kamala, EJ's classmate since elementary or primary days.

The following ingredients were thrown in to boil.

Cubed tofu
Two types of fish balls made from yam powder; plain white-coloured fish ball and the other brownish vegetable-added fish ball
Sausage made from soya bean
Chicken made from soya bean (irregular shape-looking)
Chinese flowering cabbage

EJ enjoyed this meal tremendously as it was eaten together with the family meaning the same time as the eight cats, Cinders, Tommy, Tanya, Tortie, Pebble, Winnie, Kenggy and Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK, to welcome the Year of the Tiger.

But of course, EJ ate this vegetarian make-believe steamboat while the cats ate their kibbles.

And EJ would like to convey special thanks to Kamala for the organic vegetable stock otherwise this meal would not be as delicious.

This Sunday, the fifteen day, will be the last day of the celebration for the Lunar New Year.

Beat It - the Heat

It rained heavily on Sunday evening with strong winds. EJ believes this was just convectional rain due to the intense heat in the morning and afternoon.

At home, the cats beat the heat their own way.

Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK preferred to lean against the grill nearest to the fan.

Tortie went inside the permanently-opened door cage to get the wind blast from all sides including from beneath him.

Tommy with ears pink from the heat slept on the small table top that received the direct fan blast.

Tanya was different. Much to EJ's exasperation, she preferred to rest on their specially-constructed toilet. Though without a fan in the catyard, with a tap above and the drainage pipe below, the tiles in their toilet are much cooler.

Without her front paws, Kenggy moves much slower than her roommates to get to prime spots so she usually just roll over, stick her forelimbs up and air her armpits.

These rainless hot days will end soon as Meteorogical Department reported that rain will come soon.

Hot Days

Last year in December, weather was cool and wet. The daily heavy rain caused floods and land slides.

Now in February, weather is the complete opposite. It is dry and scorchingly hot especially during the Chinese New Year or some call it the Lunar New Year.

Average indoor temperature in the day is 33.5 degrees Celsius with an average night indoor temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.

Humans are not the only ones feeling the heat.

Wearing permanent fur coats, the cats in EJ's home felt it too. A fan was switched on at the highest speed aimed at their room for their comfort as well as ventilation.

Here the cats actually line up to enjoy the man-made breeze with a couple more out of view.

Unfortunately EJ was not fast enough to snap photos of the various hilarious positions they slept to combat the heat - usually belly up all stretched out.

It may take some time but EJ is determined to get those hilarious sleeping positions.

Love in the Year of the Tiger

"If you have love, you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have." - Sir James M Barrie

"Where there is love there is life." - Mahatma Gandhi

Both these quotes are so true in EJ's home where there is no shortage of love with the eight handicapped and abandoned cats.

Inspite of the fact that all the cats are of different age, size, colour, breed and came to EJ's home at different times of their lives, they share and live together harmoniously with much love. And shows it!

Here are some show of love in EJ's home.

This is how Kenggy shows her love and affection.

Valentine's Day this year coincides with Chinese New Year, the year of the Tiger.

Well, in EJ's home, there are eight 'mini tigers'. The number eight in Chinese sounds very similar to the word for prosperity and wealth.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver"; on behalf of EJ and the 'eight mini tigers', Kenggy holds a red rose to wish everyone Good Health, Love, Happiness and Good Fortune.

Spiderman vs Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK

Cats universally are good climbers except the fat ones and the handicapped.

EJ does not understand why the cats have to climb despite their handicap. Is it because they do not know or feel their handicap or do they need to prove that they are just as good?

Each time they get into mischief, EJ's heart either beats faster or skip a beat. EJ is terrified that the cats may hurt themselves unnecessarily.

One wonders will Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK's monovision enables him to gauge depth and distance as well as those with two good eyes.

EJ managed to snap these pictures which show that handicapped cats are just as mischievous as the normal.

Balanced on top of the window, he planned his descent route.

When he tried to get down from the top of the window to the grill, his claws scratched the glass pane and produced that teeth-grinding screech.

Down on solid ground, Captain Jack Sparrow HAWK looked tired from his ordeal. So stressed was he that the lids of his missing eye globe, which normally is closed, opened to reveal the inside tissue.

Perhaps he wanted to test his ability or perhaps he wanted to show off that he is just as good despite having monovision.