19 August 2010
Army cap for Ah Bee

Recently bought a small little piece of army cloth from Daiso and decided to make an army cap for Ah Bee.
This is my first time sewing a dog cap and I have no earlier reference for it. Therefore, I decided to use a little bit of imagination to see how I can fit this little cloth on his odd-shaped head.

I measured the dimensions of his head, drafted the shapes on paper pattern and then transfer the patterns onto the cloth. To make the cap a little harder, I decided to sandwich one piece of felt material in between. Since Ah Bee is very likely to shake off this cap from his head, I have added an elastic strap to “secure it” around his neck.


And sewing along the blue chalk lines is easy.


And the trick is to iron the seams after sewing – to flatten it. It’s like fixing the seams.


And stuffing in the pink colour felt. The colour being used is entirely random.


The two holes which are meant for the ears. I have tried fitting the paper patterns on Ah Bee multiple times to make sure he is comfortable with its dimensions.


And him parading his army cap when its finished. I had made sure the elastic strap wasn’t too loose or too tight for his little neck.


A dog with a green army cap. Oh dear, now he needs an army shirt to match his cap.

Filed under: Pet Shop

I am learning to take food pictures properly. And this is my second trial.
My friend – Noobcook has given me some useful pointers, and has even shared with me her home setup for taking a perfect food picture. I don’t have a white board nor an external flash. So I have to make do with experimenting the aperture mode on my DSLR, lots of daylight and photoshop.

For my first trial, I made chrysanthemum and wolfberry jellies. But the jellies have collapsed to a horrifying mess after I left them standing in the heat for more than half an hour, while trying to take the “best angle”. *cries*

I decided to give up my chrysanthemum jellies. The pictures were too unsavoury to be posted. You are going to get nightmares looking at them.

My second trial is a simplied version of the 炖奶 (“steamed milk pudding”) – minus the steaming.
It’s not that I don’t want to steam it. But steaming milk puddings take a lot of experience to get the proportion and constituency right. I have not found the mastery to steaming edible milk puddings.

My recipe of the steamless milk pudding:

  • Boil one cup of fresh milk (low fat, if you preferred) in a milk pan
  • Add 6 teaspoons of sugar and 3 teaspoons of unflavoured gelatin.
  • Mix well until everything is fully dissolved.
  • Then pour the milk mixture through a sieve into your jelly cups.
  • Refridgerate until firm.
  • And top up with cooked red beans and maple syrup (optional).

    P/S: If you have a recipe for steamed milk pudding, please let me know. I’d love to try it.

    Filed under: Donna Bistro
    28 May 2010
    Smiley Bee

    Have no updates for the last 2 months. Blogging Bee (Me) now updates my facebook more frequently.
    Thanks to the invent of the iphone. Keke.

    Here’s a snapshot of my latest friendly grin.
    Mummy thinks this is one of my better shots to date. I am actually smiling at the camera!

    Adieu, my fans. It’s snooze time again!

    Filed under: Pet Shop
    7 April 2010
    A dog’s life

    Haven’t been putting my creative juices to work lately. Ah Bee the blogging dog (Me!) has been busy going places. And also learning a bit of Photoshop to make my face look nicer… slimmer, brighter, without zits! Dogs also like to have a nice face okie.

    And heh I have started my own fan club on FaceBook!

    Facebook

    Ah Bee is a fan of

    Please add me as a friend or join my Ah Bee fan page.
    I am counting my followers everyday. Keke. Woof!

    Filed under: Pet Shop
    1 March 2010
    My play date Wiki

    Last weekend was the happiest day in my 29 weeks of life! I was told by my mummy that they would be introducing a new friend to me – Wiki!


    Mummy puts on a pair of jeans on my bum. It says “I am Ah Bee”. The jeans have a hole where my tail can jut out. And it has a pee hole for me! But it’s too tight at my waist, so mummy has to cut a piece of velcro to “extend” my waist line. This mighty jeans costs only $4.90 at the lelong counter in one pet shop! Unbelievably cheap?


    And I waited for Wiki at the Botanic Gardens. This tardy dog! I thought yandao guys like me would only wait for ladies? Oh, by the way, Wiki is a male westie. How I wish he is a “she”. Hee hee.


    And while waiting for him, I decided to pose for some pictures in front of the busy traffic outside Botanic. And woah, so hot today.


    Mummy propping my head up in the above picture because I just couldn’t seem to sit up right.


    When Wiki arrived, we became fast pals!


    And Wiki stealing the limelight here while he lies down for a pose.


    And we starting to smell each other’s bums – as we dogs normally do. But it’s getting dark, so the pictures were not very clear.


    Then daddy trying to play with both of us above. He was holding my squeaky vegetable toy in his hand. Woof!

    It had been a fun day for both of us! We were chasing each other in the big open fields – going around in circles. It seemed that Wiki was a little afraid of me because I was constantly the chaser and he was the one being chased. Oh dear, am I scaring him? Mummy says if I continue to be so alpha-ish, then no dog will ever want to be my friend anymore. *Sulks*.

    I am so looking forward to our next play date. I hope Wiki will want to play with me again. Woof!

    Filed under: Pet Shop


    Last Saturday was the most horrifying day of my life. My first exam ever since I am born to this world. Never have I (or rather my mummy) felt more stressed before. I (she) can’t sleep or eat well. Mummy keeps holding me chanting prayers before she goes to sleep. I heard her mumbled, “Please let my Bee pass… Please let my Bee pass!” I was shivering and having butterflies in my tummy when I reached the exam grounds!


    Each of us go one by one. The trainer with the dog = My mummy with me. I don’t know why Daddy suddenly pulled out from the exam. He was supposed to be my trainer! As you can see above, the exam grounds are full of dried and fallen leaves, something which I cannot resist!


    This is one of my great pals – Princess. See she is also having the jitters before her turn. Her daddy feeding her water in a little red cap. What a Daddy’s girl she is!


    And do not be mistaken. This is not Princess twin sister. She is Chocolate! Poodles are so cute and adorable right? Just like me!


    And here comes our big sister, Lucky! She is the Great Dane whom I have always woofed to you about. She is just a puppy like me, but she is huge. Is there better word for huge? Humongous? Gigantic? And me? A dwarf :(


    My most cheerful friend around – Rascal. He always have a big wide grin for everybody. Mummy says he is so much more obedient than me? Really ah? *sulks*


    Syrius is one of the most vocal dogs around in my class. I remember our barking competition when we first met…you people don’t really know what we are barking at – actually, we are having a good chat – those were the good old times!


    And Milo. The top dog in our class. The one I suspect has a ten-year series! Shhhh!


    And this is me, in my mummy-made graduation dress, as I await the results of my test.


    Sobs. Mummy will hit my backside when she knows I have failed.


    I am too pre-occupied chewing the plastic bone to bother looking at the camera. See my eyes popping out? This bone is a real tough one.


    And my teacher (yellow shirt) standing behind my daddy and mummy.


    And Daddy holding my result score in his hands. Am I a disgrace to him? Somebody speak a word for me please!


    The look of disappointment as he put away the results. Hmmm. Daddy, I promise I will not eat fallen leaves again. Please do not make me feel so bad about myself!


    And my certificate of participation. No award. No celebration. Maybe next time I might do better?
    Daddy has said that I am predestined to be a house-dog. Nobody is going to groom me to be a star-dog anymore. Goodbye to dog stardom. No luck to be a celebrity. Woof!

    Filed under: Pet Shop
    10 February 2010
    CNY clothes

    Here comes the Bee! Me – Ah Bee is going to showcase my red cheongsam for this coming CNY!

    I love my front view the best. Smug smug looking. See the white Ikea cupboard behind? The whole cupboard belongs to me! First drawer – my treats, my leashes, my nametags (I’ve got 7 of them in different designs), my vitamins and supplements. Second drawer – my toys (I’ve got a truckload of them), my grooming equipment (you won’t believe how many combs I have!), my cologne and my electric shaver (yesssh, I have one. It’s philips shaver for cute little babies okay. Not the cheap cheap kind you find in lelong shops!). Mummy even has an overhead torch to look into my ears while she cleans them. She is darn amusing when she wears it on her head! Daddy says she looks like a gold-miner. Third drawer – my clothes, my food and my personal hair dryer (only for my princely use). You see, I am exclusive.

    Some people comments my side view looks just as good. So here it is! See my thick white gold necklace? I look like some Ah Long. Tee hee.

    And there! Be in awe of my stately presence. Look at my emperor clothes! I must be the most handsome dog around. Anyone wants to be my girlfriend? Only beautiful Singaporean (okay and PR as well, PRC I can also consider) lady dogs need to apply – I reserve the right to sniff everyone’s backside, okay. If interested, please drop me an email at koh.ah.bee@gmail.com – this is a real gmail account! In your email, include your photo and a brief description of yourself. And no, I don’t intend to start any long-distance relationship. International phone bills can be quite expensive these days – Mummy will scold me. Besides, you probably can’t hear me barking well on the line. I will also consider starting my fan page in facebook soon. You know – I can be so lovable! Tee-hee. My future career plans? I am thinking of writing a book called; “The dog who eats birds nest”. You think will sell?

    Filed under: Pet Shop
    29 January 2010
    Doggy training

    Hi there, this is me again! The Blogger doggy. I am officially 25 weeks old today (I am born on a Friday – 7 Aug 2009 is my birthday).

    To date, I have completed 7 lessons of my obedience classes and I am proud to say that I can heel, sit, down, stay and come at command (Mummy tells me I do that only about 80% of my time; the rest of the time I am either jumping up and down or daydreaming in class… hee hee).

    I look forward to going school and meet all my buddies in class – I think Mummy says there is a great dane, a husky, 2 poodles, 1 westie and 1 portugeese water dog, 1 golden retriever and many others – who cares? They are all my good friends! We like to sniff each others’ (ahem backside) when we meet, and we’d see who can hold the longest stay in our class.

    These days, the competition can be quite keen in school, you know? I suspect they may have private tuition! Or maybe they got some ten years’ series hiding in their mummys’ pockets somewhere! Woof… Woof…

    And here is me! My photo is professionally taken by this chap who happens to be my teacher’s nephew, I heard. He used a very monstrous looking camera (Mummy says it’s Canon D series with super long lenses) to capture my cheeky moments. I like my legs crossed – it makes me look like I am walking like a very important person! Mummy even brought me for this new hair-cut before this photo-taking. Am I smug smug?

    Daddy walking me above and making me lie down and stay. Somebody tells my Daddy that I look like a naughty dog! How can anyone judge dogs by their cover (Oops I mean appearance!). I am a good doggy, okay.

    And there you are! My whole family picture. See my bee costume? All my classmates were admiring my costume when I wore it. I felt like a pampered little prince. The two yellow balls up there on my head are part of my crown… woof woof!

    Mummy says she will make me a graduation gown and a tuxedo next. Hee hee. Can’t wait to parade myself in all my costumes. And yah, I got my shinning red cheongsam for CNY already. By the way, do you know what is a “Barbie doll”? Mummy was mumbling this to me when she was combing my hair last night. What does it mean? Me – Barbie doll?

    Filed under: Pet Shop
    23 January 2010
    Dropping teeth


    Hi, it’s me – the blogging dog, Ah Bee, again. These are my milk teeth. They are dropping off one after another. :( Mummy says I am going to be an adult soon!

    Filed under: Pet Shop
    18 January 2010
    Ah Bee and Us


    Ah Bee, with the promised Xmas Logcake from US Doggie Bakery. He is smiling so happily in my arms!


    And Ah Bee looking a bit less enthusiastically in Daddy’s arms. Whose smile is more frozen – Daddy or Ah Bee?


    And us.

    Filed under: Pet Shop