Hamsters and Birds

Mascots @ Chan Brothers 12 Feb 2012

2012-02-12T21:58:00.001-08:00

Well it's that time of the year again when NATAS fair is coming , and travel agents are throwing out big deals for potential consumers.

And they have mascots like us to entertain them while they are in the queue.

The usual mascots, Korean couple, kangaroo and it's joey, star cruise penguin and the koala bear.

When I got up today, guess what I saw on the news!!! So funny, and I also read that chan brothers made 10 million sales in just that one day! Whoa. Time to increase the staff pay! :p

Dinner was really good and so was the view of the sky from our changing room . Oh yea, we tried the blue berry melts from macdonalds which was super yummy! And 1 for 1 too. Soooo good. Julie you should really eat them when u come back!you'll love it! Best eaten when it's really hot!

I'm thankful for this day, as it was so much fun, and make some new friends, and spent more time with people whom I haven't seen in a while!

Some people are such idiots

2012-02-11T06:50:00.001-08:00

This guy: http://whiterumpshamacollections.blogspot.com/

He refused to sell a bird to my friend, cuz my friend say he wanna hand tame.

And now? He is hand taming! Seriously? How contradicting! Here is proof!

To me, all birds can be tamed, no matter what kind, you just need patience and love to your birds!

Nobody believed that canaries can be tamed! But you are so wrong about that! I have 3 friends who just got their canaries and are first time canary owners and they managed to hand take canaries! That proves that any bird, whether sharma or canaries , can be hand tamed!

Go and open your eyes and look at you tube, and look at the number of people with hand tamed birds!

So pissed!!

Water day? Haha.

2012-01-30T11:56:00.001-08:00

In the end, I slept at almost 6am, by then, the first few trains have rolled out, and I could hear it from my room. I decided to rest for the day. When I went out check the clothing mum had hung outside, i discovered that the already clothing was drenched. I was very furious.

Sometimes I do not understand why these people are so inconsiderate and selfish, well the place is not just owned by you, it's shared among other people as well, right? And what if it happened to you? Would you be upset too? Well I would? Unless these people are so hard hearted, or as stubborn as a mule.

Well, after sleeping for around, 6 hours, I discovered my aircon was leaking- again! Well the aircon was built badly from the previous tenant, so nothing can be done either.

After which I heated up yesterday's dish for lunch, and decided to see if te Indonesian crackers given by my aunt are as pretty as they looked.

Soon after I hung out the already washed clothings to dry, for all I know, some idiot on the 22nd floor was dripping water! Seriously?! There are at least 7-8 floors with clothings out. Blind or what?! Sometimes i wonder why these people got a pair of eyes for what! Can't you see?! If you don't appreciate it, then I suggest that you give up your eyes to someone who will appreciate much better!

Right now, at this hour, still trying to complete the textbook! It's mad long winded! Phew! I hope I will be able to finish by Wednesday so I can revise on Thursday and Friday morning to prepare myself for Friday evening's paper.

Exam overload isn't good :(

2012-01-29T10:12:00.001-08:00

Mugging always seem to take forever with nightmares about examinations, over night stay up till 5, I will be exhuasted by the end of it.. But that doesnt mean no time to play right ? :p

Puzzling me alot :(

2012-01-28T09:44:00.001-08:00

Almond my winder white seems to be suffering from major fur loss and keloid formation.. The more she bites it the larger it becomes! But the funny thing is peanut is totally imune to it!

It really makes me wonder if it's applicable in the genes of the hamster, and the general health.

I have tried I was with saline water ( those sterile for washing soft contact lenses) but it still doesn't help.

I also changed the diet to a balanced one, I see improvement in fat boy, not not in almond. I feel sad, cuz if I were to send her to the vet, I know they won't be able to help, and even make the situation more painful than it already is. Well, almond is considered pretty old already, so I have decided to let her be, but of course with a double dose of multi-vitamins to strengthen her :)

Biko being naughty again!

2012-01-28T09:37:00.001-08:00

Biko has been moulting, so his weight is a little high therefore being very mischievous in his old ways!

Guess what he did?! Poke an additional hole in my notes... Zzz

Biko! Mama doesn't need an additional hole in her notes! The holes have already been punched!

Biko having fun with his play gym!

2012-01-28T04:12:00.001-08:00

Biko has been spending alot of time
Lately in his brand new play gym, which I got it to reward him for his 2nd place win in the parrot competition. Looks like he is having alot of fun!

And for those whom in Singapore might be interested, look up birdsprees on facebook! It's a friend account so just add him up! Prices are really affordable and prices are inclusive of shipping from US to SG, but of course, shipping to your house needs to be arranged with the owner :)

Look out for updates on Facebook!

2012-01-21T08:58:00.001-08:00

I will be updating pictures there of Biko!
And with addtional personal posts of Biko and me :P

Something to share :D

2011-08-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

yup thats my hammy =X

When is the right age for hamsters to breed?

2011-02-11T06:19:00.001-08:00

A: well, that depends on the sexual maturity ( or when all their sexual organs are fully developed)

Usually buy its 4-8 week they can already start breeding, but WAIT! It does not mean they are ready to be parents! Hamster mums whom are very young may not have the ability to take care of the babies!

Thus if you are considering to breed, make sure they are at least about 7-8 weeks before breeding them

Additional precautions you can make after she has given birth is to cover one side of the cage to give her that extra privacy

Problems with Glass Tip Drink Water Bottles ( For Hamsters)

2011-01-28T06:52:00.001-08:00

Yup! i also have the same problem though! But i have some solutions!

Glass bottles like this:

Firstly, the black/brownish stuff must be cleared, if not your hammy will drop fur!

2 Solutions :

1. Use a Q-tip/ Cotton Bud to clean out when you wash the bottles

2. Use a water guard: ( i use this, and so far its pretty good!)

Aristopet is pretty good too! It has vitamins which has helped countless of hairless hamsters, and a fab hutch cleaner for small pets!

Another brand which is cheap and good is ALEX! It has affordable ranges of awesome smelling mineral blocks and really quiet hamster running wheels too! Treats are always bought for my hammies too

To end of this post :

TADA!

My super cute darling says HI! <3

New Pictures :)

2010-09-10T21:25:00.001-07:00

Warning: Picture OVERLOAD!

SIN TONG NAM CONFECTIONERY

2010-08-30T21:22:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags: sin tong nam,sin,tong,nam,zion rd,zion road,confectionery,bakery,mooncake,bean paste

well, this one one of my long time bakery i really loved.

from the green bean paste pastry, to the flough dough pastry, to its yearly mooncakes ( especially snow skin my mother will buy every year)

But sadly, its premises at Zion road has been closed down for good.

According to the owner( which my mum has spoke to) he said he will not be making these pastries anymore, and neither they will be moving.

so sad.

This was its former address:

89 Zion Road
#01-135 Singapore 160089

Pardon me for the randomness! so sad they are not baking anymore. what a loss~

Here is a snippet from this blog about its history as well:

SHOP TALES : LIFESTORIES IN A MOONCAKE
By TY Kwan
02.09.2003

Sin Tong Nam is a family-run confectionery that banks on the annual Mooncake Festival to boost their sales. You'll be surprised how a small shop in a nondescript neighbourhood can command such a respected intake from the sale of its mooncakes and even gained a very loyal customer base over the years. In fact, Sin Tong Nam even boasts many Mediacorp artistes as regulars during the Mooncake Festival.

Decades of Tradition

An age-old recipe in traditional pastries binds the chord of the business and the owner's entire family. Sin Tong Nam Confectionary is a local confectionery that specializes in traditional Cantonese-styled Chinese pastries, western cakes and buns. But it dedicates the entire period of the Mid-Autumn Festival every year to the sale and production of mooncakes.
Started more than 30 years ago by its owner, Mr Tam Weng Tuck, late 60s, Sin Tong Nam owes its existence to the humble side lanes in the old Chinatown area. At that time, there was hardly any shop front to speak off and Mr Tam had to share a small stall with another 'partner', producing traditional pastries to be distributed to other stores.
It was only following the government's move to relocate all these small roadside stalls did Mr Tam acquire a 2-storey shophouse at Kim Tian Road (near Tiong Bahru) in the early '70s. Together with his wife and relatives who worked in the shop, Mr Tam was able to kick-start the business and gradually began to roll in the dough, so to speak.
Today, Sin Tong Nam occupies a ground floor shop space at Blk 89, Zion Road (a 3-room HDB residential block). Traces of the old Kim Tian shop, which it left 8 years ago are all gone due yet again to urban redevelopment, but memories of its long history are deeply entrenched in the pastries and mooncakes they produce year after year. In fact, the Sin Tong Nam name commands a certain level of reputation among old timers in the industry, especially among Chinatown circles and the generation of our parents and grandparent. You could even call it a 'Lao Zi Hao' (old brand name).

Loyal workers and old timers

Also, the lives of many working at Sin Tong Nam are interwoven with the history of the shop. Apart from his wife, Mrs Tam, who now pops in only when the shop is shorthanded, three of Mr Tam's children, all in their thirties now, have been helping out in the shop for years. Eldest son, Wing Onn gave up a career in the corporate world to take over the daily operations of the family business. Another son, Wing Fei is involved in production, while youngest daughter, Jenn takes care of the frontline sales. Nevertheless, Old Mr Tam still keeps his hands full every day and is very much in the thick of the action. After his morning yum-cha (tea session) with old friends, he'll be off to work, either to the shop or to talk shop and strengthen ties with suppliers, distributors, etc.

Other workers comprising close relatives are also employed. Interestingly, a sister-in-law of Mr Tam is a true-blue long service worker, who joined ever since it started, has never worked anywhere else except in Sin Tong Nam. Joked Wing Fei about this, "We can't leave out Auntie if we were to talk about Sin Tong Nam!"
As for customers, most are regulars and longstanding patrons. During the heydays at Kim Tian, customers would wait for hours in line to get hold of their boxes of mooncakes. Queues would snake all the way around the block of shop houses, often to the chagrin of neighbouring shop owners. Even when customers were told that everything was sold out for the time being, they would still insist on waiting in line till the next batch of piping hot stuff was baked and ready to be dished out to them, fearing that if they were to return later, they would be disappointed yet again. Thus, shop attendants often had to tell customers not to close the boxes and remember to air the cakes to allow them to cool, otherwise, they will turn bad.

Today, those who have followed the shop to its new location still come back year after year. Many swear by the lovely mooncakes, claiming that they're better than any others they've tasted, even other more reputable brands. Some place orders for hundreds of boxes to be sent as gifts to their business associates or family members (sometimes overseas). Once in a while, you may even find media artistes stepping in to make a purchase. Then, there are also those who were not aware that the shop had shifted away from Kim Tian and somehow chanced upon it one day, were always happy that they have managed to find it again. Wing Onn recalls, "There was a man who came recently. He was so excited that he found us again after these 6 years. Despite all the relocation notices we published in the papers and put up on site plus the cards we sent out, some of our old customers just missed them. This man even thought we were no longer in business! It was almost like a happy reunion after a long separation!"

Big Business during Mid-Autumn
The dawn of the eight lunar month each year always marks the start of a hectic season for all in Sin Tong Nam. Preparation for the mooncake onslaught begins almost 2 month in advance- with the cooking of the lotus paste (which requires a long cooking process, often throughout the night), of course following a time-honoured secret recipe. The paste, perfected by Old Mr Tam, has undergone vigorous quality checks by the relevant authorities and had been given a stamp of approval by them.
Naturally, we can see that Old Mr Tam is a stickler for quality. He firmly believes that the success of his mooncakes lie in its quality.Forget the fancy frills and ingredients.Traditional baked double egg yolk lotus paste mooncakes are the hottest sellers here. What his customers like is the simple yet solid fare, of which Sin Tong Nam maintains to a high standard year in and year out. As a result, people from all walks of lives, professionals like doctors, lawyers, businessmen; taxi drivers; office workers, etc all flock to the shop. And the list grows steadily through word of mouth.
Just for the record, imagine having to fill a few hundred metal drums with lotus paste, tens of thousands of salted eggs, countless paper boxes and a beefed up manpower strength of 20 workers (including at least 6 salespeople occupying a cramped space), just to handle the crowd.
For some years now, part of the mooncake output is also distributed for sale in Chinatown. Look out for the colourful red boxes on display and street hawkers luring customers to buy. But the heat of the action is still at the main shop itself.
So, this year, if you're looking for some authentic traditional mooncakes, why not head down to Sin Tong Nam? Savour a variety of more than 20 different types of mooncakes, including the well-loved lotus paste with yolk ($20 for a box of 4 double egg yolk); red bean ($14 for a box of 4); and assorted seeds ($17.60 for a box of 4). There are also the popular mini snow skin mooncakes. You'll be happy to find the prices much more affordable than others in the market and that they've kept it the same for years (yes, no price increase...). Just follow the drumming tick-tock, tick-tock sound of the wooden mooncake moulds knocking against the tables. This, you'll never get to hear or see when you purchase mooncakes from hotels or restaurants.

Really meaning full post by this korean!

Link to its original post: http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/huangsy88/912787.html?p=1&t=3

Such a pity it had such a long history, but gone so fast. well. my mother is really upset as well! what to do!

New arrival of 2 Baby Sapphires !

2010-08-28T23:08:00.001-07:00

Well, i have been trying to get fat boy to get along with the babies ;D

and i successfully did. so happy~

cute aren’t they?

they are still very young, about 4 weeks old already~ so i prefer to let them get along with other bigger brother to teach them the ropes ;DD

Kiiro’s Third Outing!

2010-08-15T07:59:00.001-07:00

Looks like Kiiro had a great time today! some pics to show you

As i have mentioned, there is a bird gathering @ Serangoon North @ Goodwill Trading every Sunday from 12 – 430pm

Do head down if you are considering to buy birds, I'm sure the bird owners can guide you on buying, keeping training as well ;D

Today’s Update : Bird and famster eating their fav food!

2010-08-10T06:06:00.001-07:00

yup they both can get along really happy they do ;DD

Happy National Day Singapore :)

2010-08-08T22:06:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday Singapore!!

well, i have not been posting, as my hamster has ran off for 2 days, and re-appeared ( thankfully ><), and he was in my sis’s room hiding.

If something happens like that, do bring out food he likes and water out into the open so he will come out when he is hungry. I regretted not doing so, as he was really thirsty when he got back to his cage.

So how will be be spending your national day?

well, my family will be having pizza for dinner, and watching the national day parade, and watching fireworks out the window

Well, i hope u have a wonderful day ahead!

Love ,

Sabby

Hamster Featured on Facebook, and the one getting the most votes will have a photo shoot :)

2010-07-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

here is my post:

Please help to vote, and here's how:

1. Like Chic Magazine @ http://www.facebook.com/chicreaders?ref=ts

2. Then go to this link to "like" this photo : http://www.facebook.com/chicreaders?ref=ts#!/photo.php?pid=6382042&id=96921045375&ref=mf

done~!

here are some pictures to make you more convinced how cute he is :)

Latest Picture with Kiiro and Me :)

2010-07-27T06:48:00.001-07:00

here u go:

Weekly Birdie Gathering !

2010-07-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Time : 12pm-430pm

Day: Every Sunday

Location: Goodwill Trading @ serangoon north (http://www.gwbirds.com.sg/)

More Info:

http://www.petsfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php/1299-Weekly-parrot-gathering-at-Serangoon-North-Goodwill-Birds-Trading/page3

There will be many birdie friends around to help you with your bird quer

ies too, so do come down and take a look.

For going-to-be owners, this is the best time for you to ask the owners what to do, they will be very willing to help you too.:)

Here is a picture of Kiiro @ the birdie gathering on the 25th July 2010:

And here is a picture of Kiiro's First outing~!

Buying a pet bird for the first time!

2010-06-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Starter Birds:

-Budgie

-Love Birds

-Cockatiels ( Or also known as Tiels)

These are the 2 birds i would recommend, as they are small in size and easy to handle. Their bites dont draw blood, so no worries!

Budgies:

Small in size, and comes in many colours, and its up to you which colour you like~The wild colour type is bright green and yellow belly. Now there are so many colour mutations you can choose from!

and i picked a mild yellow one!

What you need:

-A Bird Cage (15-18 SGD)

-Cuttle Bone ( For calcium, 2SGD)

-Millet Spray (2 SGD)

-Budgie Food ( get the ones that the bird shop is feeding there, as if there is a sudden change of diet, the bird will fall ill)

-Cement Perch (Optional, but good for keeping their nails filed. And if you don't have this, you will need to trim their nails)

-Bird Toys (optional, unless you are lazy to make toys for the bird!)

I got all my supplies from Goodwill Trading, a famous bird shop at Serangoon Ave 1

They have a wide range of birds, food for the birds, nuts and seeds, bird toys, perches, cages, bird stands etc. Basically a VERY wide range. In fact that area is very popular with bird people; there is so much to choose from, and even for other pets like hamsters, dogs, fish and even chinchillas!

So if you are bored at home and nothing to do, (Esp Sundays) You can head on down to that area, and on Sundays, bird owners will bring their birds to fly around, and interact with people and birds; it will be an interesting sight!

Hello there! New additions : BIRDS!

2010-06-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well, as you have noticed, i have changed the look of this little website..and this time i am also gonna talk a little bit about birds too~

well, you see, i have got a new pet budgie, and as i'm learning, i'll share with you what i know and learnt about them~~

His name is Kiiro, which means, "Yellow" in Japanese. He is a male budgie ;DD will talk more about these budgies in the next few posts~~ :DD

Pricings Of Hamster Cages ( Singapore)

2009-09-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some costs you might need to incurr when raising a hamster in singapore, as :

1. Times are bad

2. Being a responsible pet owner, you also need to know what the costs are so you will be able to manage the costs

Things normally used:

Cage:

Depending what you use, and what you want, you can get some at 20SGD, to as expensive as 60-70 SGD. But basic ones that have everything( Including water bottle, wheel, and food bowl) But there sometimes packages that can be bought that comes with bedding like wood shavings too. Those bigger ones like Pet Lovers are unable to bargain, but if you visit places like Sunset Way( Near SIM, and Ngee Ann Poly and Clementi) You can bargain with these neighbourhood shops, some shops i have been before, which i cant recall, but i let you guys know when i can recall alright? ;)

Water Bottle( If its not provided):

Can be priced from 2SGD onwards, the more expensive ones are like those have duckies, or frogs in them, some brands like animal world are the more pricey one, and if possible if you bargain with those neighbourhood shops, they might just throw it in free! But there are few kinds to look out for:

1. Glass types: Not suitable for butter fingers, as glass ones easily break, and sometimes might leak if you do not check carefully :) Glass ones nowadays are cheaper too.

2. Metal types: Very suitable for newbies, easy to clean and use, but might be more pricey

The difference between the 2 is the tip where the hamster licks, other than that the bottle that stores the water is normally plastic, like you average screw on bottle

Next,

Bedding:

Many Types, like woodshavings, or paper pellets, or cotton, depending on the size of the bedding, i will discuss more in another post :)

Food:

Many types, and many brands too, but what i am currently using is the minimal Japanese whole meal for hamsters, the packaging is orange in colour, currently it comes with a zip lock, and i pay about 12 SGD for 1 kg of food that will last me about a month, its quite fresh as the stock comes in more frequently then other boxed one. One thing i do not like about boxed ones, is that you cannot really see the contents, if its fresh, so i prefer those in semi transparent bags. Do look out for the residues ( meaning those dust and winy little bits found at the bottom)

Treats:

Many ranges too, but i normally spend about 3SGD onwards on treats like milk drops, mineral drops, chews, vitamin drops, chewables, but i like buying chocolate drops the ,most, they are easy to give out, and hamsters can digest them comfortably, they smell good too :)

Thats all i can think for the time being.. its like 6am right now.. i have been observing my lobsters for the whole night for my final year project so i'm kinda tired right now, do drop your enquiries to me if you need help, but do take note, i will only answer if its a relevant question, but please do not email me to ask for hamsters names, you can find it here and here :)

do feel free to add in more names, are very welcomed ;D

Please also email me to suggest articles you want to know about too? I shall post it up as well ;)

Email is here

Cheerios ,

Sabby ;)

Hamster Biting Cage?

2009-09-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

A few tips to help you out~

Certain reasons why they bite:

-Seeking attention

Due to :

-Hungry

-Thirsty

- Something is wrong

- Teeth Itchy

Things you can do to prevent :

- Take the hamster out and comfort it

- Sometimes it could be related to the other animals around it, like sensing something is wrong with the other

-Put hamster chews for itchy teeth

- Check cage for any missing, or faults

Hope this helps :)

How to get your parents to get you a hamster

2009-06-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hi all, i have been getting a lot of questions about how you can get your parents to get you a hamster/pets.

well firstly, parents are really busy people, with work, kids, and other things on their minds.. and having a pet could mean additional work for them...

thus, you have to show them how responsible you are as their kid, and how you take care of things that they have bought you can simply proof to them how responsibility you have. coming on time home is also one of the ways you can show responsible. On obviously, lying will also count into being not responsible as well.

so if you are able to do that, im sure you wont have a problem with getting a pet, as being responsible equals, cleaning up their dirt, caring for them, making sure they are well fed, cleaning their cages as well

hope this mini article helps you :)

good luck!