Yakkety yakkety yak.

Eryn has been following me everywhere during this school holidays. She goes with me for my meetings, appointments, library, grocery shopping and everywhere else.

Eryn can talk and talk and talk. Her conversation ranges from the things she does, the show she watches, what she's learnt, what she likes, and the list goes on and on.

Recently, I was driving DH's car with Eryn when DH was out of town and one of our conversation goes like this :

Eryn   : Mummy, I think daddy is very lazy.
Mummy : Why do you say that?
Eryn   : You look at daddy's car. You just push this button and the door will open
              (she was referring to a small little pocket compartment where
               the little cover will open at the push of a button. It's not automatic,
               but it's designed to slowly open on its own due to a mechanism).
Mummy : haha... This car is created that way, Eryn.
Eryn   : But your car is not like that. So, that means you're not lazy. Your car must lift up the door to open it. Daddy's one you just use one finger to push it. That's why daddy is a lazy man.

At another time, one conversation goes like this :

Eryn   : Mummy, poh-poh says you cannot sms or talk or sing when you are driving.
Mummy : Ya, so we must concentrate on the road right?
Eryn   : Look! That car no manners one. Never slow down when the traffic light is amber.  Why some people don't know how to stop or signal when they overtake other cars?
Mummy : Maybe because they are impatient and don't know the rules
Eryn   : Then they must go back to school because their brains are old. They cannot remember things.

On missing Brendan,

Mummy : Do you like Brendan to be here or in Kluang?
Eryn      : In Kluang
Mummy : Huh?! Why? You don't like kor-kor is it?
Eryn     : I like. But Kor-kor says he wants to go to Kluang to stay with poh-poh for a while, that's why I said that I like Brendan to be in Kluang.
Mummy : I see. At least you don't have to fight with kor-kor when kor-kor is not here
Eryn    : Ya, lor, no need to fight. But I also miss Brendan. We are children, so it is normal for us to play and fight together. Children sure fight one lah..
Mummy : 0 - <

Oh boy! She can yak from the time she wakes up in the morning to the time she goes to bed, and without her kor-kor around, I'll just have to entertain my little girl with all her funny conversations during this school holidays, when I'm driving, cooking, sleeping, even when I'm in the toilet!

Missing Brendan and pole dancing.

It's the school holidays and Brendan took the bus home together with my mum approximately yesterday afternoon. And now, I'm beginning to miss him. He will be there for about a month for this school holiday while Eryn will be with me at home.

It's a funny feeling not having around this time though I don't really feel anything while he is at daycare and at school. He seldoms get to see grandma now since he's started primary school and grandma is his number one favourite person in the whole wide world! He was feeling extremely happy and was jumping and singing and twirling and wriggling last night and this morning, going, "Yeah yeah, I'm going back to Kluang, I'm going back to Kluang!!"....

Well, I'll be going back as well soon but just for a few days before Eryn and I come back home without Brendan. We'll have him back before school start and life would be back to normal - noisy, nerve-wrecking, nagging and all, but I kinda miss that now actually. 

Quite recently, Brendan overheard the word "pole-dancing" on tv and asked me what is pole-dancing. I explained to him what it meant and how some people does it, using their thighs and legs to swing around the pole and using their body to hang upside down. He found that amusing.

Not long after that, we were at a hypermarket and Brendan suddenly ran to the pole and showed me his pose, asking me whether what he does is something like pole-dancing. I quickly took my hp camera out and snapped a pic of him. This will set as a memory in the many years to come as I reflect back on the things he said and do. haha... My funny boy!

Happy holidays everyone, and have a safe journey for those travelling for your hols.

Fireman BBQ Steamboat

As mentioned in my previous post, we had a lovely dinner at the Fireman BBQ Steamboat buffet restaurant in Bandar Puteri Puchong last night. We were there with some friends and all together, there were 5 adults, 2 teenage kids and my two little kids. They calculated that as 7 adults and 2 "babies" (for billing purposes).

I have to say that we really enjoy the food and the company of friends there for 2.5 hours. The offerings are not that much compared to the steamboat buffets in Sunway, but last night's meal was so worth it. The charcoal grilled lamb shoulder steak and cockles ("sea hum") grilled by their staffs were very nice. We ordered plates after plates of the grilled lamb and cockles. We found the grilled beef steak to be a little too dry though.

One of our favourite have to be the freshly sliced beef that we have. It taste good after dipping it in the soup. And our favourite drink has to be their famous Fireman herbal drink which taste like sugarcane with bits of lotus root and water chessnut. It was so good we ordered three jugs of it after our initial rounds of fruit juices.

They're having a promotion until the end of this month at buy one free one. So, for a total of 7 adults, we were charged for only 4 adults. Another friend couldn't make it, and that's just too bad. Would have been more worth it if we had another adult in our group. Our two "babies" ate for free. The food came up to RM119.60 only for 7 adults and 2 children. The normal price per pax is priced at RM29.90++ (unlimited orders for the grilled lamb shoulder steak, beef steak, grilled cockels, sliced raw beef and everything else except drinks). And for the amount of lamb, yummy beef (the raw one for the soup and not the ready-grilled one) and food that we had, it was definitely well worth it.. The company of friends certainly made it more fun. The drinks we ordered came up to RM70!! That's a whooping figure.

Our little kids didn't eat much - just a few bites here and there and they're full. However, they managed to wallop 4 scoops of ice-creams each. sigh!

Here's some photos taken to whet your appetite :-) Photos are not that clear cos it was taken with my handphone.

Their location : No 28, Jln Puteri 1/4, Bandar Puteri . Call for reservations : 03-80510889.

Our first round. We had numerous rounds, probably a dozen or more? hehe..

grilled beef pepper stick. Nice, but a tad too dry. The grilled lamb was delicious though, but forgot to take the picture (too busy eating). We ordered a dozen plates of the lamb steak I think.



Grilled "sea hum" (cockles), with accompanying peanut and chilly sauce. I've not had my full hepatitis jab, so I didn't dare to eat too much of this. But the first 2-3 rounds of plates we ordered had big cockles. The next few batches had smaller cockles.



 

Now, this is good! The Fireman famous own concocted herbal drink, which taste like sugarcane with bits of lotus root and water chessnut. Refreshing and nice.



The freshly sliced beef which we loved. Taste really nice after "cooking" it in soup. The soup taste very sweet and nice after that.

Just some of the unlimited supply of food available. Shown above here is some fresh prawns.

What I like about this place here is that their chicken wing never seem to run out, unlike most steamboat buffet restaurants that we've visited.

Brendan turns 7 today.

When I gave Brendan his birthday present last night, I saw my last 7 years flashed by just like that. It  will never fail to amaze me each time I look back to the day I first become a mother.

Brendan had wanted a Wii but we are still quite reluctant to get it. Well, at least not for his birthday present. I told Brendan that we'll get the Wii one day but not for his birthday. Then he said, "Mummy, if you can't afford to get me the Wii, just get me some stationaries will do and oh, take me out kai-kai too. You can save the money first."

Awww.... Brendan is always so considerate when it comes to buying things, especially expensive stuffs. So, I got him some Ben 10 stationaries and a new Super Yoyo to replace the spoilt one I bought for him two months back.

I also ordered a cake from the kids' ex-nanny, who stays nearby. I wasn't particular on any design or taste and gave her the free hand to do a simple one for Brendan. She is a good cook and a good baker (she bakes lovely cookies and home-made mooncake to sell as well). We were surprised when she baked Brendan a cute cake instead. It has three little teddies on it. She has recently taken interest in fondant decoration and she said that this was her first time making a 3D cake. She actually gave us the cake for free as a gift for Brendan. That was so sweet of her..

We celebrated the night at the newly opened Fireman BBQ steamboat buffet restaurant in Bandar Puteri with some of hubby's close friends. Will blog about this place later.

Happy 7th Birthday, Brendan!

A cute cake given by a friend. Brendan's name was wrongly spelt with an "E" instead of an "A"  but it didn't really matter for the special effort taken to make the cake and the fun and love that came with it.

Tons and tons of homework

Lately, Brendan has been having a lot of homework and I noticed that this normally happens a few weeks before any school exam were to start. His last semester exam will be starting next week. Thus, I'm not surprised at the many homework he brought back home..

He normally tries to finish his homework in school in-between classes while waiting for the teacher, but there are times, the workload is extremely heavy! I really wonder why kind of education system is the government instilling into the kids. I mean, he's only in standard one! Hmm.. maybe I'm too laid back cos I remember not doing much homework in my primary school days.

Do I have a choice? Unfortunately, I don't really have one as private school is not within my means, and this is the only school I feel is more suitable for Brendan. Besides, he's coping quite well and doing quite well in his studies as well. In fact, he even enjoy doing his homework! sigh!

He used to have difficulty doing his homework when he first started primary school. Now, he doesn't need any guidance as he's used to it and would normally finish his homework before he reaches home. If he can't finish them in school, he will proceed to take out all his homework books the moment he reaches home and will want to finish them as fast as possible way before dinner and showering.

I have to always remind him that dinner and shower should come first before homework, but he's so engrossed in his homework until I have to start nagging at him to leave his homework and do it later. I'll tell him that it is ok to continue it the next morning if he can't finish.

What about your kids? Are they heavily laden with homework too?



Brendan does enjoy doing his homework. Wierd..



Playing dress-up with cardboard doll

When I was younger, my main entertainment at home would be playing the piano, painting, drawing, playing board games and cycling whenever my mum permits. I seldom watch television and or listen to the radio. So, I'll find ways to entertain myself during the school holidays or the weekends.

One of my favourite game would be to draw my own cardboard dolls, and create various outfits for my little cardboard doll. I would then play dress-up with my sister using the cut-out cardboard dresses, bags and even hats.

I made one set for Eryn almost 2 years back but the doll and dresses very quickly torn up as she was only 2+ old at that time. So, recently, I got some old recycled cardboard boxes to draw a doll with accompanying clothes for her to play. Cheap, entertaining and she loves it! Now, she's asking for more dresses to mix and match.

Cardboard doll and dresses for Eryn

Just some of the samples

Eryn playing with with her cardboard doll set.

tummy pipe??

Kids always say the darnest things. They say it sincerely. They ask you serious stuffs. They sit and think about what you say. And all these without them knowing that it sometimes get hilarious just hearing the things they say.

Here's what happened recently.

Eryn was staring at mummy using a pencil eyeliner to draw on mummy's eye lids.

Eryn :    Mummy, this one draw on people one ar?
Mummy : draw what on people?
Eryn :    Neeehhh.... why you use pencil to draw on yourself? Pencil is for drawing
               on paper lah.

Brendan about to take his bath yesterday morning.

Brendan : Mummy, must wash my pyjama or not?
Mummy : Yes, must wash your pyjama
Brendan : Which one? Shirt or pants?
Mummy : both lah...
Brendan : then you must put "s"
Mummy : What ass?
Brendan : You must say Pyjamasssssssss and not pyjama. Must got "s".

It's so hard getting the kids to sit down and eat properly and at times, they take such a loooong time to finish their food! One particular night, we were talking about the importance of finishing their meals.

Mummy : You have to learn how to eat yourself and finish all your food.
                  Mummy have to spend time to cook for you all. Not many
                  people are lucky to have nutritious home cooked food you know.
Eryn :    Ya, I know, but mummy, my mouth so small. Your mouth bigger that's
                 why can finish faster mah. So you feed me can?
Mummy : Are you still a baby? No, right? When you were a baby, I fed you cos
                   you didn't know how to eat on your own yet.
Brendan : Mei-mei, you know baby got tummy pipe.
Eryn :    What tummy pipe?
Brendan : We all got 'du-chi' (navel). Why baby one is tummy pipe?
Mummy : I don't know what tummy pipe you are talking about.
Brendan : neh.... the baby inside tummy got one long, long pipe.
Mummy : Oh! That is called the umbilical cord. It's for the food to be transfered
                   from the mummy to the baby.
Eryn : Why? Baby got no mouth meh?
Brendan : How the food go through the ambicolor cord?
Mummy : It's UM-BER-LEE-CAL-CORRRRD
Brendan : So difficult to say. Tummy pipe easier.

And so, the conversation continues into the night. And both asking me tons of questions at the same time and then started arguing, insisting on me answering their questions first!! And I almost lose my patience trying to explain.

Food excursion (part 3, final part)

I guess I just have to include this in as this is the first time I ate something different.

My brother-in-law took us to this lovely restaurant famous for its steamed fish and kway teow dish. We went round and round in circles just looking for the place. He had to call a friend to ask for the location but was given the wrong road. Just as we were about to give up, we passed by this place at the lane next to where we were supposed to go. Luckily my sister spotted it as we were passing by. It's located on the ground floor of two cramped shoplots.

Parking was a little difficult as it was also drizzling. The place was packed with people and we had to wait for about 10 minutes before we had a table. We order three simple dishes for our group fo 4 adults and 3 children.

Steamed fish with big pieces of kway teow, cut and sprinkled with some fried garlic. This is something special for us and it's quite delicious.

Fish mee hoon claypot soup. Cooked with lots of serai (lemongrass). The dish smells good and the fish is very fresh. The kids love this very much. They had second helping too.

Stir-fried bittergourd and roast pork.

Restaurant details :

Wang Chau Jun

Address : 73, Jalan Rangoon  (it's a one way street, and the restaurant is on your left)

Business hours : 8am – 2.30 pm, closed on Tuesday
Contact number : 012-5559046 & 012-4709549

Food excursion (part 2)

As mentioned in my previous post, going to Penang is all about food. My sis stays in Penang and therefore, we go there at least once a year.

Having a seafood dinner at our usual haunt in Teluk Kumbar. So, I won't be writing about our lovely dinner meal. You can read some of our seafood experience in our older posts here and here.

My sis loves to tapao (pack) back for us goodies such as ice-kacang, cendol, rojak, etc.. I was yearning for the muar chee this round, but didn't manage to find any. I've also not tried the famous Nasi Kandar in Penang which my sister claims to be nice and cheap compared to KL.

Here's some of the hawker food we tried this round. Makes me hungry just looking at the photos.

Hubby insisted on going for the char kway teow at Macalister Road after our tapao-ed lunch meal of  assam laksa. Didn't take a picture of this cos we've been eating this all the time whenever we are in Penang. The shop is located somewhere near Sunshine Square.

Anyway, topped with huge prawns and crab meat, the char kway teow smell quite fragrant, which I believe could be due to the smell of peanut oil. However, I find this too oily for my liking. Waiting time : 25 minutes

DH insisted that we must try the fried orhh kueh (or is it char kway kak?) at the same kway teow stall in Macalister Road. We had to wait. I don't really fancy this. Something seems to be missing in this. I guess it's the chai-poh or maybe the texture of the kueh. Waiting time : another 10 minutes after our char kway teow.

One of my favourite! Duck thigh mee suah herbal soup at Super Tanker hawker centre.

This has to be one of the best char orh chien (fried oyster). The oyster is quite juicy and succulent. Also located at Super Tanker.

Penang char kway teow in Super Tanker. I like this better than the one at Macalister Road. Still a tad too oily, but not as oily as the earlier on we ate.

Chai tau kueh (fried white radish cake). Quite nice, but forgotten where was this taken.

Hokkien mee (prawn mee) and loh mee. The loh mee here is in a starchy soup with black vinegar, eaten with a mixture of chilli and garlic sauce.

One of hubby's breakfast in the second morning we're there - kway teow t'hng. Quite tasty, but I personally find it a little salty. They gave lots of minced pork in it. Will try this again the next time I'm here.

My sis had this for breakfast in that same morning. Capati laden with sambal and dhall curry. I love the sambal!!

Toast bun with egg and cheese for the kids. They love this and so do I! hehe

We had this for lunch on our third day there. I think it's hakka mee. It's definitely something different from all the Penang hawker food we had. This is surprisingly quite good. We ordered fishballs and some stuffed ladies fingers, chillies, brinjal and bitter gourd. We also tried their braised pork vinegar. A very satisfying meal.

Oh dear, I think I have to go to visit my sis in Penang again soon after writing about all these. Yummy! Yummy!

note : photos are not that clear as it's taken with my old, humble Sony Ericsson handphone.

Food excursion (part 1 - Foh San dim sum)

This is actually a delayed post. We went to Penang during weekend leading to Merdeka for a short break. And our visits to Penang is always about food. After all, we've been there numerous times, all we would do is 'makan, makan, makan', and of course visit the fish aquarium cos the kids love seeing the turtles and the fishes swimming in the aquarium.

Anyway, back to the start of this journey. We made a pit-stop in Ipoh for breakfast, aiming for the newly Foh San dim sum restaurant. The last time we were in Ipoh last December, the place was closed. This time,  we headed there and was surprised at the huge crowd there, plus the long queue entering the restaurant.

There's 6 of us (3 adults consisting of me, DH and my sis and my 2 kids and little niece). We finally got a place to sit after waiting for about 15 minutes, that also because we shared a big table with another group.

Ordering is mostly on a self-service basis. You either pick your orders from the counter or from the trolley that is seen being pushed around. Hubby tried to pick the food that we don't normally get in KL. This place is crazy! It's really huge and beautiful! Don't know why my pictures of the interior doesn't really turn out well. I guess it must be due to my handphone setting (ya, I took all photos with my handphone). So, what you see would be mostly food, food and more food.

DH picked this up first since it was the easiest for us to reach. An auntie was going around with a push-cart and so we jumped straight for this. The chee cheong fun was such a pretty sighed, with some siew pak choy at the side of the plate. Stuffed with some prawns and topped with fried shallots and sesame seed, this was kinda nice.

Well, since we were in Ipoh, I had to ask for my morning coffee and so I asked for the famous Ipoh white coffee, but was disappointed that they don't serve coffee at all. They only serve tea (and plain water) there. The tea comes in a nice-looking porcelain pot with accompanying little cups.

DH has been missing for a while and the kids are getting a little restless. And then, voila! lots of dishes started coming to us - (clockwise, from top left) fried yam ball, fried peanut and sesame ball (don't really know what it's called), dumping topped with picked ginger and dipped in black vinegar (this is one of my favourite) and a big stuffed bread pao with mean, and mixed veg, which I find quite yummy.

Of course when we eat dim sum, we need to have the chilli and the sweet sauce. I kinda like the chilli dip. Probably because I'm too hungry?

More food coming this time -  (clockwise, from top left)   har gao aka as steamed prawn mini dumplings, my kids' favourite char siew pao,  siew mai and fried fish balls for the kids.

I love these two dumplings. I don't know what the one of the left is called. It's stuffed with some sweet fillings The one on the right is mini-dumpling filled with chives (ku-chai).  They're very nice..

The lor mai gai (glutinuous rice with chicken and mushroom) is not too bad, but I've eaten better ones in KL.

We had wanted to try many other creative looking dim sum and the dessert but were too stuffed.

Can't remember the price for this, but I know it seems a little pricey for me. I would say it's a unique and satisfying experience for me (minus the fact that there's no coffee served!)

Here's the location of Foh San : No. 51, Jalan Leong Sin Nam, 30300 Ipoh.

DIY lantern

Last Friday, Brendan came home from school with some colour paper and a basic craft guide to make lantern. This was part of their art class project.

This was to instill the creativity in the kids to adopt ideas so they could further explore participating in an up-coming lantern competition in school.

We had a residents coomunity gathering last night and I was able to gather some ideas after being  impressed by the many creative submissions using all sort of recycled stuffs like egg cartons, alumunium tin, mineral water bottle, yogurt packs, woven rattans, paper plates, wooden chopsticks, transparent coloured paper and even DIY battery operated lanterns!

Anyway, Brendan was so into making his paper lantern that I had to forced him to take his dinner first, shower before he continued. He eventually got tired and asked me to help him. We managed to finish the task together the next morning.

I suddenly realised that I've been lacking in doing craft work with my kids after the lantern making session with Brendan. Gosh, I guess I have to start exploring it again after being so complacent al these while.

Brendan and his half-way done paper lantern

Fixing on the 'pin' to the bottom of the cardboard for putting candle.

Tah dah!! Brendan's end-result.

Not too bad for a first-timer huh? He's not willing to put a candle in it for fear of his hard-work all burning away.

Here's a pic of some lovely home-made mooncake goodies made by the kids' ex-nanny. Too cute to eat.. My kids just love the plain mooncake. Gosh, I feel so 'jelak' over it, but they can just go on eating them everyday.

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful mid-autumn festival!

Selamat Hari Raya to all..

Daddy-daughter went fishing

Two weekends ago, DH and Eryn went for a malay wedding lunch. Brendan didn't want to go as he dislikes crowded and noisy places. So, he followed me for my business unit meeting.

Anyway, after the wedding lunch, DH's friend and his friend's wife invited DH and Eryn to go fishing somewhere in Semenyih, and they only came back home after dinner! Eryn was so happy go fishing for the first time that she got daddy to call me to say she's going to catch me a big fish.

Oh well, it was a gloomy day and I wasn't particularly pleased with the fishing trip as it was drizzling a little. Eryn came back home feeling extremely exhilirated and tired and with many, many big mosquitoe bites on her legs!

DH cleaned the fish and kept it in the freezer. We steamed it two days later and it was extremely yummy! The flesh was smooth and was fresh too! There wasn't any smell at all. Scroll down for the simply cooking method.

Fisherman Fishergirl trying her luck for the catch of the day.

Eryn posing with one of the catfish (ikan patin) caught alive.

Taking a break. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Our simple home-cooked Ikan Patin :

1) Fry finely chopped garlic and shredded ginger. Put aside. Keep the oil to be used later.

2) After cleaning fish thoroughly, pour some hot water over the fish to remove excess slime from the body.

3) Steam fish (without any garnishing or flavouring).

4) Meanwhile, prepare sauce for gravy - mixture of soya sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil.

5) Heat the balance oil used to fry the garlic and ginger. Once heated, turn off the fire, and pour in sauce mixture.

6) After fish is cook, pour away excess water in the bowl. Add fried garlic and fried ginger on top of the fish and immediately pour the sauce mixture on top and all over the fish.

7) Garnish with chinese parsley and serve hot. *yummy*

(we forgot to take pictures of the steamed fish as everyone gobbled it up very quickly)

Why Never to ask Favors from Designers

I got this in my email inbox this morning and it is so hilarious that I just have to share it.

Apparently, it's about a lady called Shannon who lost her cat and has asked her graphic designer, David, to make a poster of her lost cat to be circulated around.

Read on and enjoy!

                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.15am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Poster

Hi

I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon.

This is the only photo of her I have. she answers to the name Missy and is black and white and about 8 months old. missing on Harper street and my phone number.

Thanks Shan.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.26am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
That is shocking news. Luckily I was sitting down when I read your email and not half way up a ladder or tree. How are you holding up? I am surprised you managed to attend work at all what with thinking about Missy out there cold, frightened and alone... possibly lying on the side of the road, her back legs squashed by a vehicle, calling out "Shannon, where are you?"
Although I have two clients expecting completed work this afternoon, I will, of course, drop everything and do whatever it takes to facilitate the speedy return of Missy.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.37am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Poster

yeah ok thanks. I know you dont like cats but I am really worried about mine. I have to leave at 1pm today.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.17am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
I never said I don't like cats. Once, having been invited to a party, I went clothes shopping beforehand and bought a pair of expensive G-Star boots. They were two sizes too small but I wanted them so badly I figured I could just wear them without socks and cut my toenails very short. As the party was only a few blocks from my place, I decided to walk. After the first block, I lost all feeling in my feet. Arriving at the party, I stumbled into a guy named Steven, spilling Malibu & coke onto his white Wham 'Choose Life' t-shirt, and he punched me. An hour or so after the incident, Steven sat down in a chair already occupied by a cat. The surprised cat clawed and snarled causing Steven to leap out of the chair, slip on a rug and strike his forehead onto the corner of a speaker; resulting in a two inch open gash. In its shock, the cat also defecated, leaving Steven with a wet brown stain down the back of his beige cargo pants. I liked that cat.
Attached poster as requested.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.24am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

yeah thats not what I was looking for at all. it looks like a movie and how come the photo of Missy is so small?

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.28am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
It's a design thing. The cat is lost in the negative space.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.33am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Thats just stupid. Can you do it properly please? I am extremely emotional over this and was up all night in tears. you seem to think it is funny. Can you make the photo bigger please and fix the text and do it in colour please. Thanks.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.46am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

Dear Shannon,
Having worked with designers for a few years now, I would have assumed you understood, despite our vague suggestions otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism. I don't come downstairs and tell you how to send text messages, log onto Facebook and look out of the window. I am willing to overlook this faux pas due to you no doubt being preoccupied with thoughts of Missy attempting to make her way home across busy intersections or being trapped in a drain as it slowly fills with water. I spent three days down a well once but that was just for fun.
I have amended and attached the poster as per your instructions.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.59am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

This is worse than the other one. can you make it so it shows the whole photo of Missy and delete the stupid text that says missing missy off it? I just want it to say lost.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.14am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.21am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster

yeah can you do the poster or not? I just want a photo and the word lost and the telephone number and when and where she was lost and her name. Not like a movie poster or anything stupid. I have to leave early today. If it was your cat I would help you. Thanks.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.32am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Awww

Dear Shannon,
I don't have a cat. I once agreed to look after a friend's cat for a week but after he dropped it off at my apartment and explained the concept of kitty litter, I kept the cat in a closed cardboard box in the shed and forgot about it. If I wanted to feed something and clean faeces, I wouldn't have put my mother in that home after her stroke. A week later, when my friend came to collect his cat, I pretended that I was not home and mailed the box to him. Apparently I failed to put enough stamps on the package and he had to collect it from the post office and pay eighteen dollars. He still goes on about that sometimes, people need to learn to let go.
I have attached the amended version of your poster as per your detailed instructions.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.47am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Awww

Thats not my cat. where did you get that picture from? That cat is orange. I gave you a photo of my cat.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.58am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Awww

I know, but that one is cute. As Missy has quite possibly met any one of several violent ends, it is possible you might get a better cat out of this. If anybody calls and says "I haven't seen your orange cat but I did find a black and white one with its hind legs run over by a car, do you want it?" you can politely decline and save yourself a costly veterinarian bill.
I knew someone who had a basset hound that had its hind legs removed after an accident and it had to walk around with one of those little buggies with wheels. If it had been my dog I would have asked for all its legs to be removed and replaced with wheels and had a remote control installed. I could charge neighbourhood kids for rides and enter it in races. If I did the same with a horse I could drive it to work. I would call it Steven.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.07pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Please just use the photo I gave you.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.22pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.34pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

I didnt say there was a reward. I dont have $2000 dollars. What did you even put that there for? Apart from that it is perfect can you please remove the reward bit. Thanks Shan.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

Fine. That will have to do.