Knot that Ties

We have brought back a lil puppy on his birthday. It's a female Shih Tzu with 7 weeks old. We named her Ruby Qiu. She is the happiness in my life, my sweetheart. She tighten up our knots, bond us even more closer than ever. I've been much more closer to his family as well. Me and him, we spend our free time playing together with her, bring her evening walk, potty train her, teach her to behave. There are so much of the good time we get to spend together with Ruby Qiu, our new sweetheart, our new daughter, our new love.

Happiness is a warm puppy.

The first night she's with us, still very shy hiding under the pillow.

Daddy's best co-driver.

Sleeping on mummy house's sofa with her 4-legs wide opened.

Craving for mamak's fried chicken.

Sleeping beauty.

Lying like a baby on mummy's lap.

I'll ended up this post with a self-made storyline of my beloved Ruby vs my sister.

Cheers readers.

Dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.

With Love

It was quite a surprise during my two-days one-night stay at my His house. His mom made this cute little mug for the whole family, 2 of our friends and also me !  <3 How sweet is that. Thanks.

We all miss him so much.

I love you Flintstone Ng, May you rest in peace.

with love.

In memories of Flintstone Ng

Flintstone Ng

You've walked away so far, till we couldnt even have chance to say goodbye.

But boy,

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.

We never wanted to lose you Boy.

May this be the ending for the four months torturing by the sick, the beginning of a new life of yours.

At least what comforted me was we're able to see you still that morning, tho you were unable to give us any responses.

Boy, we all love you so much.

I miss the every single moment you around. You liked to grab my blanket, lean on my legs in the middle of the night.

All those memories will never fade.

Love,

Shirley Qiu

Pet Rock

Pet Rock

What was the greatest thing a guy could have in this life. Money?

The idea of how popular Pet Rocks were has haunted me by how the simplest idea made someone rich. I know that ideas have power. After all, it if were not for ideas, i would be naked, living in the trees and spending my days looking for something to eat. Now that's a scary idea.

Ideas are like seeds. And they grow my experiences, then there is no one to blame for my experiences in life but me. I don't like this much. It's easier to blame experiences and other people for my life than blaming myself. Maybe the Pet Rock phenomenon is a reminder that even the simplest and seemingly inane ideas can harbor great possibilities. It gives me hope, which i still think is the greatest thing that can happen for a person. It mean that someday i may no longer be who i am now.

okey. Back to the topic, Pet Rock. Here's some information about it for those who do not know what is it.

The Beginning

In 1975, Gary Dahl working as an advertising executive at the time, launched the sale of the pet rock which quickly transformed him into a multi-millionaire. This enormous profit is much more impressive considering it only took him six months to achieve his multi-millionaire status and the extremely low cost of the product.

The pet rock sold for $3.95 and estimates state Dahl sold over 5 million of his pet rocks in a six month period. Even more, each pet rock was purchased for a few pennies and Dahl estimated that the packaging and accompanying manual cost him under 30 cents per rock in bulk to produce. Therefore, assuming incidentals and delivery cost Dahl another 65 cents per rock, then Dahl was profiting 3 dollars per rock. With these totals Dahl earned over 15 million dollars during a six month period in 1975 which would be estimated at $56,166,419.02 today.

Gary Dahl, Pet Rock Inventor

Dahl’s somewhat innovative marketing involved commonplace gray pebbles, purchased from a construction supplier, which were then sold to the public as live pets. The idea Dahl stated, was inspired by the hassle, mess, and money that pets such as dogs, cats and fish require.

The Marketing

Dahl began by creating the company called "Rock Bottom Productions." He imported the rocks from Rosarito Beach in Baja, California, Mexico. Packaging for the rock included a "Pet Training Manual" and a card board box, designed like a pet carrier. The pet training manual contained instructions on how to properly care for one's pet, including how to house train a pet rock by placing it on a piece of newspaper and other commands including sit, stay, roll over, play dead, and come.

Teaching Pet Rock To Attack

The Consumers

Part of Dahl's marketing strategy was to state that pet rocks give us more pleasure than we know. He convinced the consumer that these pet rocks support this argument through their very existence, and clearly display that it is not an actual item that brings joy to the child in the human mind, but merely the idea of the item. The pet sits in a niche in the mind, created by the power of the owners’ imaginations. It is in the actual exercise of the mind that such pleasure is found.

It is quite a valid point that finding such productive and effective uses of recreation time can be more preventative and beneficial to the health of our minds than even the most advanced psychological treatments. People who purchased these unusual "pets" often gave them names, talked to them, petted them, and attempted to teach them to perform simple "tricks".

Pet Rocks Live On

Unlike most fads, the pet rock continues to live on and has seen a resurgence on the internet. There are memorial pages, spin-offs, and one can still purchase such a pet, though new manufacturers have given their rocks new features and looks. For instance, not many plain gray pebbles are sold any more. One can buy rocks that are inscribed, painted, and decorated in many a manner, lending the rock much more personality than afforded Dahl’s creation. One can purchase a rock with an agenda, or one can buy a rock that is individually painted in memory of any dearly loved pet, or one can still purchase that rock that is completely void of previous perception, and let its idea grow in the mind.

Largest Collection of Pet Rocks

Pet Rock Breeds

Lesley O'Doherty currently has the worlds largest pet rock collection. She began her collection at the age of 6 when she received her first pet rock as a birthday gift from her mother. "I remember the exact day when I first got it. I had just unwrapped all of my presents and I thought there was no more to open. Then all of a sudden, mother handed me a small box and when I opened it, there was my first pet rock." Lesley said in an interview with Rock Collection Magazine in 2005. "I named him Pickles."

Lesley keeps her collection of rocks locked in a safe because she is said to believe the pet rock business is going to boom soon and she has several "special editions" which she hopes will be of value.

The Multi-Millionaire Idea

Dahl's idea was simple, effective and highly successful similar to other fads such as the Hula Hoop and Cabbage Patch Kids. With the pet rocks resurgence comes inspiration to create the next multi-million dollar opportunity. As indicated by Dahl all that is needed is a good idea, a thorough plan, hard work, and good marketing.

Red Ear Slider

30/10/2011

We've got ourselves a pair of Red Ear Slider, turtle.

One active little girl and another lazy sleepy little boy

Red-eared slider get their name from the distinctive red patch of skin around their ears. The 'slider' part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly. This species was previously known as Troost's turtle in honor of an American herpetologist. 'Trachemys scripta troostii' is now the scientific name for another subspecies, the Cumberland slider. I guess all those scientific name would never really exist in my world, and hell it took me maybe weeks to really just remember a single scientific name for them. And it takes me minutes to just forgotten about it. lol =) I only remember they are my cute little one.

Most Red-eared slider turtle you see in a pet shop only measure around maybe 5 cm? But they can easily get twice or more that size in a matter of years. This is a problem for many slider owner, who do not realize that that little aquarium they got with their turtle wont be able to hold the adult turtle. as a result, there are many turtle are released back into the wild by ignorant owners. Most of the red-eared sliders do not survive a release like this, as they were raised in a tank and are unprepared for dealing with life in the wild. So if any of you planning to get a pet turtle, please think twice and think further. Turtle will get bigger in size in the future. But i guess some owners were just being impulsive at that particular moment without think twice. In the end who suffer? The poor little turtle that they once so happy of having it.

Turtle are reptiles and cold-blooded, so they must rely on external heat sources for warmth. They will bank in sunlight, and in the wild, burrow down into the earth to hibernate in winter, which in Malaysia here we dont have winter seasons, but still we need to keep warmth for them. The three main concerns in keeping a red-eared slider healthy are warmth, clean water, and proper diet. Properly caring for a turtle is more complicated than most people think. I used to think this way, turtle is just something so durable, what i meant was they are supposed to be long-lived animals, how could possibly they died easily. =) 

Well, i've corrected my thoughts. An adult, not a child, must take care primary responsibility for maintaining and cleaning the housing, feeding and monitoring the turtle for any signs of illness.

For those who dont like turtles, for your information, sometimes they can be very cute as well. =)

Cheers.