pre and post christmas vacation

Books/TV/Movies

- I managed to finish the "Tudors" Season 1, Sandra Brown's "Rainwater" (starting on Tough Customer).

Christmas morning

- has been a busy one. Sans breakfast, everyone had to wait for the lady of the house to look her best for pictorials before we started exchanging gifts and tearing the wrappers.

I got tatay a pair of Milanos slippers, mary some undies, toothbrush for glad, hula hoops for sis, and travel kit for mae. Sis bought nanay a pair of slip-ons, chewable hides for tara, a sleeping mat for pooh, fancy treats for bjork, frisbee for cuchi and a wristwatch for me.

Boxing Day

- mid-afternoon, was spent with six elderly men in a cabana, in the middle of the abandoned village plaza. It's not what it seems. We convened there to finalize the requirements for our HLOA (Home and Lot Owners Association) registration at HULRB. Again, the meeting was peppered with debates and raised voices, I kept a low profile to somehow minimize the noise. Everything looks to be in order and its up to me to get all the paperworks ready for the lawyer to sign.

a series of events...some of it unfortunate

morning...cuchi's morning run again met with a sinister end. those chicks never learn. this time, the 'death toll' doubled. turned out, the chicks were my uncle's. i advised the poor man to keep the fowls fenced in as the garden is the dog's playground.

noon...cuchi tore nene's newly acquired blouse which was tossed haphazardly on top of the washing machine which is just within reach of scissor sharp teeth. the dog was unrepentant. help!

midafternoon...read the three articles of our hoa by-laws, mainly on the subject of membership before village neighbors who thought that the general assembly was worth their time. what's with voluntarism that people avoid it. Our number started to dwindle once committees were being formed. Sigh...

late afternoon...admitted dad at the local hospital for yet another battle with a chronic lung problem. i was told he was without sleep for two days already. it must be the heat and humidity. it's been threatening to rain these past two days but if finally fell only tonight.

early evening...while walking along the pavement outside the local justice hall on the way to piazza to meet with classmates, spied a motorcycle cruising through at a moderate speed. The wheels however slipped from the pavement and onto the gravel causing the driver to lose control and accidentally press the accelerator. It all happened in a flash. The girl riding at behind the driver was caught off guard and fell off. It must have hurt. We had to run back and cry for help. Blood ran from the girl's head but she kept saying she was okay. It must have been the shock feeding her system with adrenaline. A young cop stopped for a spell but did not linger. We hailed a cab, got the girl into it and left the boyfriend to tend to her. Well, they are so dead meat. No helmets. Both of them.

evening...reunion planning is getting somewhere somehow. seven attended this time and some specifics were sealed. more discussions to come before the year ends.

date with mom

it's always a joy taking mom shopping. she's easy to please and doesn't care for brand at all. if something comes in her favorite color and it fits, she buys it. for herself, she bought underthings and a pair of slip-ons, shorts and pjs for her hubby, tees for her tricycle drivers and more underthings for me, sis and cuz. shopping was over but not without endless queues to incompetent cashiers which left us tired and hungry.

she agreed to go japanese so we sat inside the rather empty rairaiken. i ordered beef yakiniku and california maki which became instant hits. she enjoyed her meal as much as having her pictures taken.

christmas with kids

Major change indeed!

Gone were the days of glamorous pageantry; of carpeted floors and chandelier-lit ballrooms; of assisted buffet and made-up round tables; of adrenaline filled production numbers and grand prizes.

Fellowship with the kids provided as much fun except for giving an impromptu inspirational message (from a person who lacks inspiration - in many things- in the first place).

huntress and prey

Eight unsuspecting weeks-old chicks strayed in the fenced off garden on Tuesday morning. Six quickly found their way through the wire mesh. One panicked and learned how to fly over the concrete fence. Unfortunately, one was not as fast and after some feeble attempts of evading the inevitable, Cuchi had it cornered and between its teeth in no time. Taking it away was not an option. Either way, the chicken will end up dead anyways. I chose it not to be bloody.

After mere minutes, the chick hang limply between the dog's half open mouth, its pale lids closed. I could only feel sorry for the owner's loss. But what could I do?

Secure that nobody will take away the prize, she placed it on the ground, proudly displaying the day's catch

asher's dedication

Today's the first time I have ever witnessed a Christian dedication and stood as sponsor as well.

Leaving my class prematurely, I was still late as the ceremony was already well under way when I arrived but just in time for Pastor's challenge and prayer.

In the Old Testament, child dedication meant offering the child in the service of God like what Hannah did with her son Samuel. However, in the modern context, I think it meant establishing a partnership between the parents and the sponsors in passing on the faith to the children (I read this somewhere).

Pastor's words weighed heavily in my heart as being chosen as sponsor meant great responsibility. Will I be able to fill the shoes perfectly?

When it was time to lay hands on Asher, we were so crowded I elected to stay behind and stretch my arm as far as it would go. As the prayer progressed, I felt soft, tiny hands alternately grasping my pointer and middle fingers, apparently attracted by the ebony colored nails. Cute!

With my impending 2-day trip and innumerable deliverables this week, I regrettably left as soon as the ceremony and the brief picture taking was over. I'm sure life wouldn't be always this hectic and I may find time to exercise my duties as second mom to all my inaanak this decade: asher and ethan (this year), nikki in 2007 , boon in absentia and ethan (again or bella next year) Whew! This beats having kids of my own.

afternoon at the vet

It has been raining every afternoon all week but not today. We almost did not keep the appointment with the vet. At 2pm, the heat of the sun warmed the air that wafted through the kitchen door. It was a struggle resisting a nap so I took a really quick one.

The trip took 30 minutes and we were directly hit by the sun rays from the west. Pooh was hyperventilating from the heat as well as from trying to evade my grasp. Tara was stressed as well, apparently from the bumps on the road, she did her big thing by the clinic's entrance right after disembarkation. Quickly, a sample was taken for fecalysis. That has significantly reduced our waiting time and/or the possibility of her staying a night for the doctor to get a sample.

As expected, microscopy result showed a variety of parasite infestation including roundworms and hookworms. Deworming wasn't a big issue as Tara had no problems ingesting the orangey suspension. In fact, she wanted more. Unlike Pooh who had to stay at the examining table longer, Tara's shot did not even take longer than ten seconds to complete. The vet suggested I get lost while Pooh gets his shot. Minutes later, I took a quick peek at the glass panel on the door and witnessed the dog walking around the elevated table throwing menacing biting attempts at the good doctor. To get the job done, she enlisted the assistance of her vet husband to hold Pooh so she can make the shot. Success!

cuchi and tara turn one

it's not every day that a dog (or dogs) turns one year-old. hence, a party is in order to mark the day. for a carbo-packed afternoon snack, yaya pa prepared a modified penne in basil cream and yaya ne bought half a roll of marble cake from a local bakery.

Party hats and all. This is one of those days when I wish I have a better cam.

While the human enjoy their afternoon snack, belatedly realization sank in. No fancy food was prepared for the celebrants and their canine and feline friends :(

ICT Summit 2010 slash HP 7 weekender

After getting up so late, I have very little expectation from the seminar that awaited me at L' Fisher hotel. The Cyber Threats etc. track was already full at the time of arrival so the IBM track was suggested.

At Ricardo Hall, Cloud computing was wrapping up by the time the team was fully seated (moi, Bart and about ten hardware servicing students who chose to sit at the back most portion of the hall). It's no wonder as each speaker was alloted only 30 minutes to discuss their topic. If I heard it right, the system meant going virtual, cutting substantially investments on hardware, office space and manpower.

The second speaker was from down under and demonstrated the possibilities of utilizing social networking like Facebook as landing page for a host of other sites like banking. The innovation stems from the interesting fact that people around the globe are so into social networking sites (Philippines ranked 8 in the world for most visits made in Facebook per day and that users has increased by more than a thousand percent from last year).

The last speaker was from Cebu and talked about (promoted) IBM's Smarter System. It was pathetic. His lack of preparation was apparent in his presentation which eventually manifested during the open forum. The questions posed by one of the delegates was left unanswered re 'what is the carbon footprint of your products (with elaboration on how older versions consume more energy than what the competition does)? Anyways, Smarter system is about consulting IBM regarding creating a tailor made system (e.g. traffic, security, energy, etc). That aside, the contents of the presentation can be viewed online. Just search for IBM Smarter Systems and you'll get more information from a 30-minute worth of streaming than sitting in a roomful of people and paying much more.

My thoughts? Well, I realized my reluctance in getting out of bed that morning was not without reason. I might have unconsciously predicted that something like this would happen and I will find the meeting wanting. For a National Summit, it does lack something.

And so, to Harry Potter 7 I went after the short seminar. It was raining cats and dogs outside so it was imperative to take a taxi from the hotel to Robinson's. HP was showing in three cinemas, two offering free seating (one with Dolby Stereo sound and the other with Dolby Digital sound) at Php 110 each and one with guaranteed seats (all in, all out) boasting of 2D Dolby Digital at Php 180. While waiting for sis, I asked the cashier the difference between 2D Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital. She said something about the sound and picture being clearer with the former. I wasn't convinced so I took the cheaper deal. Inside, I thought what more can they add to the sound? I was perfectly fine about hearing cracks of wands, door creaks and warlocks wheezing by on broomsticks 'behind' me. There are some things that I didn't like though (like harry and hermione dancing in the woods...waaah). Sis didn't like it so much that she left before the screening ended.

sem-end evaluation

my first. i was hoping for the worst, thinking that the kids fail to grasp the meaning of my incessant nagging as well as maintaining an iron fist in running the class. well, i was grossly mistaken and now see them in a different light.

while taking a breather from a rather busy afternoon, i took advantage of the time and asked ms. jo if i could see how well i performed on my first assignment as a trainer in the eyes of the students.

the first paper was very encouraging and my heart won't rest unless i share my elation, so i quote (in several categories):

on competence:

"...is very good in Math as well as in English. she can solve problems with ease."

on technique:

"i love the way she teaches us the lesson. i can clearly understand what she says whether its in English or in Dialect. she's my favorite teacher. she made me love mathematics as much as i hate it during grade school and high school. you can easily approach her if you have questions. she's the best math teacher i ever encountered. she even teache us english grammar sometimes."

"...is a nice teacher in math. she teach us what process is short because "indi siya gusto makapuyan kami" (to make it easier for us)."

"i like the way she teach. she always ask questions to us regarding to our topic. she teache us well. she have patience to those students who are not well in her subject."

encouragement, suggestion, etc.:

"...give more attention to those students who do not catch up with her lessons."

"...is understanding and thoughtful. just stay what you are."

"tani di ka na mangakig (hope you wont get mad anymore.)"

"keep up the good work miss!"

wow! all the hard work that i have put in (taking the class on a short notice and preparing the lessons from scratch) seem worthwhile now. its the only push i needed to even do better this time around.

four highland legume stew

hungry and tired from work, i went straight to the kitchen, ladled a hefty serving of rice, forked a big slice of roasted chicken and scooped some vegetable stew into my rather small plate. what surprise was it to see that the stew consisted of pigeon peas, mung beans, lima beans and young pods of red beans. for the record, all four legumes were freshly harvested from the yard. my bad. i was too hungry to get a picture of the stew.

from dolphin to food network watching

after so much noise (planning and inviting) in september, the possibility of the trip pushing through approached the value of zero as the month of october progressed. the 'laagans' from cebu, one by one, withdrew their commitment from the trip. while rubai, lotte, shiela and cece braved the 888 skywalk adventure , others pled non-solvency.extending the invitation the bff's cousin was the answer the dwindling number of company. by the 29th of october, four ladies survived the night trip from bacolod to bais via mabinay. the ceres driver was a maniac. our bus must have overtaken two buses that left the terminal before us. even before reaching

mabinay, the bus swerved left and right. it was a great relief when the konduktor finally announced that we already reached bais.

la planta hotel (where we slept) was a short walking distance from the bus stop. the amiable guard/receptionist/bellboy met us with a warm greeting, confirmed our reservation, checked us in and led the way to the second floor where our rooms were located. sleep came as soon as our back hit the downy beds looking forward for the dawn.

everyone was dressed by six but breakfast was served late (my most expensive breakfast in 13 months at Php 345 for tapsilog - 2 eggs -, coffee, 1 Li water, and hotdog sandwich). at 8, the sun was already up in the sky and the tide has ebbed. Aboard a big (advertised to be good for 20 people) out-riggered boat named Vios with a 4-man crew, we waited more than 30 minutes before three bottle nose dolphins were spotted. in the vicinity were two small boats and another one like ours. the dolphins were far from being playful. they surface for a few seconds and we would spot them a hundred meters away next. then all four boats would race to get to them first. i couldn't decide if i should be excited or not :( after another 30 minutes the dolphins were no more, apparently spent from the chase and decided to hold their breath a while longer, our guide suggested to have a swim at the manjuyod sandbar. there we spent more than 2 hours killing time getting toasted under the sun and forgot all about lunch. by 1 pm, the water almost covered the exposed stretch so we decided to leave. a stopover at the mangrove park was not possible though since the tide is high already. so the plan was, have lunch and head for

dumaguete. downtown, both the boatmen and the tricycle drive who took us from the wharf has only one place in mind, wonka at amorganda.

sleep was elusive during the 1 hour ride to dumaguete. i was busy looking for the junction where the habal-habal to the twin lakes were stationed. at dumaguete, we got off three blocks away from where our hotel was located.

i am all praises for the executive room that we got at hotel nicanor. it looked exactly as it was advertised. there were two king-sized beds with two rolled towels on each bed and a sachet of bubble bath gel. O yes! the toilet and bath was humongous that all four of us can use it simultaneously without crowding (with the toilet, tub, bath and lavatory arranged so). located on the fourth floor, we had a street view sans the annoying noise of traffic.

after rinsing off salt water, we slept the afternoon away, waking up at 8 to have dinner.

we walked up and down rizal boulevard three times before deciding that Casablanca's the place to be. we had an alcove facing the sea which whet my appetite that finishing a huge serving of hungarian goulash wasn't an issue at all. we considered our day done after we had our picture taken with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman ( poster of their movie, which is the restaurant's namesake on the wall).

back at the hotel, i can't remember what prompted it but we started to talk about ghosts and jean garcia's horror movie was on tv. when the camera panned and started to zoom in to whatever was behind jean, the deafening silence was cut by simultaneous screams emanating from foreheads peeking out of the blanket. attorney nans, who once trained under peque gallaga on making films laughed her heart out and changed the channel to food network for us.

Baranggay Election, where was I?

It was a last minute decision. The choice was between going to Bacolod or vote. Deliberation was short. Thinking of the one-hour puj ride was enough to sway my mind into staying and exercising my civil duty.

At the polling center, candidates still made their last minute campaigns. Two candidates were former bystander neighbors, one was a classmate of sis in grade school, two were scions of dad's mahjong friends and one was a schoolmate from high school.

Choosing was easy. I feel sorry though for my fellow ka-baranggays. What should we expect from this lot?

sodden feet, wet through jeans, dampened spirit

This is what I had to go through to meet the deadline.

Due to nil visibility, I got off the wrong stop and had to walk a long way back. Showing off its might, the storm let out torrents of water, soaking my jeans to the knees.The discomfort was aggravated by the air-conditioning. Thankfully, the transaction was sealed in less than 20 minutes. Then, off I was again in the rain.

Thank God for little comforts like brewed coffee and chicken pie. Finishing it off in a cozy lil corner while reading a little of 'finding God in the lord of the rings' bis an apt ending to a day which started in disasters (like the printer spitting ink in the middle of command execution, missing temps for errands like rush photocopying and more).

galadriel's mark

Bad move on my part. I should have seen it coming. Too tired from a very long session of wii (setting personal records in bowling, tennis and boxing), I did not dwell on the possibility that glad would see me as a cuchi. On down position, ready for some brisk rubbing, I went down on my knees to accommodate her whim when she suddenly decided to play and leapt. her front paw caught me across the face leaving a this unsightly mark. It bled a little. Other than that, I'm fine.

penne pasta

power is out the whole day (as it is everyday...sigh. the books are still packed in the unmarked cartons. the dogs were bathed and fed. there's nothing left to do but sit and laze. doing nothing seems to make the stomach feel empty sooner. after a quick inspection of the cupboard, there was a choice between penne and spaghetti to go with a small foil pack of tomato sauce, cheese, and luncheon meat. fresh chives from the garden topped the finished dish.

cookfest

what better way to spend a rainy day indoors than cook. with just an egg, overripe bananas forgotten in the cupboard, cornstarch and lots of cooking oil, home made "combo" was the order of the day.

to keep the "cooking fire" going, prepared dinner as well while devouring bits of the fluffy fried bananas. Harvested fresh papaya, chives, lemon grass and moringa leaves from the still-wet-from-the-rain garden to go with the marinated chicken. yum.

deadly confection

i looked up black sambo on the internet and tried to make one. the recipe called for:
milk layer:

1 cup water
2 sachet unflavored Knox Gelatin

1 big Carnation Condensed Milk
1 big can of Nestle All-Purpose Cream
chocolate layer:

1 cup water

2 sachet unflavored Knox Gelatin

1 big Evaporated Milk

1 cup plain chocolate

1 cup Sugar

Since it's just a trial run, I decided to use only one sachet of gelatin and cut all the other ingredients to 25%.

The result was:

Visual impact : 100%
Palatability : 25% (too sweet for comfort)

Recommendation: cut the condensed milk to half and replace it with cream or evaporated milk for the milk layer. for the choco layer, cut the sugar into half as well.

soapy cuchi

one soapy dog equals one clean dog. well, it's about time. when 'yaya' was busy this past three weekends working for more teaching qualification, the dog's weekly bath was set aside indefinitely.

cuchi...no longer a puppy

Ten months old today, Cuchi showed blood. It waslater than when belgian shepherd pal, glad, had hers.

What to expect?

I'm not particularly sure about what I read from other lab owners on the net.

What's certain is that each moment of new discovery will be cherished and published.

This was taken just after I came in from a day of assessment from TESDA. It was a bit late already (around 9 p.m.)and our porch light is yet to be installed. A handy flashlight was used here for illumination.

a sidelong glance

i look at nothingness trying to find something to write about.

something more interesting than retelling the events from a class management seminar that has encroached personal time and space.

finding a perfect subject is as elusive as finding a perfect man.

It's pathetic.

a sidelong glance - taken from my practice sheet on drawing photo-realistic eyes with charcoal

5S Failure

The thing is, everything on the table needs to be within my reach the whole time that I am in the office:
1. my lear mug where coffee stays at least an hour or whole morning (sometimes, unfinished)
2. water to get hydrated at all times to prevent urinary tract infection
3. lear-lfc thirsty cup team picture to relive the inglorious soccer career
4. graphing paper - checked assignments to graphing linear equations yet to be recorded
5. payroll support to be completed in time for the payday on Friday
6. misplaced calculator - that I seldom use
7. hard copy of student records (just in case a worm gets in the soft copy)

weekend at iloilo

for a nice and comfortable ride, take a catamaran from bredco to muelle and back for only Php 350. if 6 a.m. or 9 a.m. trips are too early for you then take the noon trip which i did. the ferris wheel ride (which would otherwise be a roller coaster ride when in one of those bullet type boats) passed too quickly and before i realized, i was back on terra firma finding my way to sm city. my guide was good, i got to our meeting place, no sweat.sm city iloilo is very much like sm cebu in many ways. from the terminal, the side entrance leads to a pair of staircase leading to the ground floor shops. had a caffeine fix at bo's while bff got stuck in the rain and traffic

late lunch was bbq-ued ribs at kenny rogers before checking in at the amigo terrace hotel.

taking a jaro-cpu jeep, killed time and let the rain pass inside the cpu campus watching the first half of an ongoing soccer game. when the rain let up, it was time to hit roberto's for a sample of their king sized chicken-pork adobo siopao for dinner before watching leo's inception.

back at the hotel, hit the sack after a cold bath and a small pack of marty's downed with cold water.

for the first time in weeks, indulged in a 12-hr rejuvenating sleep.

fast was broken just a block or two walk away from the hotel. we practically opened the buffet of the day. i was the first to sample the brewed coffee, soup, baked oyster, pork dimsum, chicken lollipop, spring roll, fried rice, stir fried vegies, seafood trio, beef dish, halohalo, apple chicken salad, honey-mustard penne, 2 kinds of brownies, 2 kinds of mousse and carrot cake (which was tough by the way).

what completes a trip to iloilo but a bagful of jd carry outs. cheesy cassava was not available so i settled for butter chewies and macapuno squares. oh, well. i wish i could have more weekends like this.

slumber party at planta

an apt ending to a blest sunday morning...staying at a hotel, laze and enjoy room service, and relax in a warm bubble bath. only that the western bronco burger lacks something i can't exactly put my finger on and that the water in the tub wasn't steaming hot even when the tap lever was turned almost 90 degrees to the left.
those aside, it was a great day spent with sis and mom...

a pretty schoolroom sight

No dears. They are not taking an exam. This is just one of the quizzes which I am wont to give on whim. I think they now realized how serious I am about what I'm doing and they are wise in following. More than half did well and this teacher is quite happy.

bella's memoir

It has been an arduous journey filled with bursts of joy and moments of worry.
Of her kind, she's the most affectionate which is a perfect foil to her being a fierce guard dog despite her muted barking and encumbered movement.
Only a year after being diagnosed of hip dysplasia, Bella now rests in peace amidst the garden wherein annuals bloom in unison as if on cue to bid her bye.
She was brought home while I was assigned offshore. I can still remember taking her from Mandalagan Animal Hospital where she had to stay for a few days for observation awaiting the X-ray result of her rear end.
Camera shy, she left very little tangible memory but she will always be remembered.

it's official

Behold! The first document I signed in my new office. The implication of the title hasn't sinked in yet. I'm still reeling from the facts that:
1. I won't be travelling a minimum of 2 hours to and from work 5 days a week (racing pujs, traffic and untimely road constructions).
2. I won't have problems going out with friends I now have a fixed work schedule.
3. I have more quality time to spend with all 5 canine and feline friends.
I still have a lot to learn and still needs to prove myself in this industry so I accepted the rate offered but negotiated on not having to report on Saturday and I got half the day off which is good enough for me.

novice covers wedding

tsk, tsk, tsk. the planned pre-nup remained a plan as the official photographer (that's me) for the Baldomar-Eduardo nuptials arrived at the couple's home one hour before the ceremony was due. at the time the house was buzzing with activity with image specialists applying makeup and doing the hair of the singers and moms and other witnesses.
please look at the outcome and not judge, por favor. i only got acquainted with the eos the week before and was grappling with the settings while trying not to miss a thing until i decided to feel comfortable and just shift between macro and auto. some came out right but of course, a sharp eye would know.the beauty of the ceremony relied in its simplicity, where two people expressed their intention of growing old together in the presence of the people that mattered most in their lives, their family and common friends.

"maman" overdose

this is what happens when a 2-year old watches too much "maman" (superman, spiderman and batman) trailers.

while sis and i busy ourselves with watching "ako si chris" (a certain guy from jersey who is fond of singing parokya ni edgar, bamboo, eheads and other local bands' songs), the little thing was left with nothing to do in a house full of adults (who are not too fond of children).

strongly forbidden to go near the angsty pug, or play with the kitchen door, he must have been bored to be in so vast a space but doesn't have much liberty to explore it.

new lease on life

The April heat was apparently too much for the old crab apple from which this tiny little scion was cut from. Before the May 1 rain hit the ground, the leaves have already gone crisp from the scorching heat, its trunk looking forlorn from its lifeless foliage.
In an attempt to salvage what was left of the then promising glorious bonsai (it's still on training), I cut one of the top twigs and carelessly inserted one end in this abandoned planter. Under the shade of a mature pepper bush and constant watering, life surprisingly started to blossom.
Lesson: There's hope even in the direst circumstance.

new roads...bane or boon

This is just a part of the 3-city/municipalities long highway which is now under rehabilitation. The usual one-hour trip from La Carlota to Bacolod now takes more than one hour and a half. Now that the rain has come, travel time is bound to take longer than that.
Just thinking about spending 4 hours of each 5-working days a week cooped inside the puj shuttling from home to work and back (looking back at the time when the road work from tangub to Sum-ag coincided with the road rehab at San Enrique and Pontevedra and the construction of the new bridge along Bagonawa) is bad enough. It was something that is worth experiencing only once in a lifetime.
Of course, it is good to see where the taxes go seeing that the roads in the mentioned places are already in a very bad shape. It's time to get the old out and get the new one in. Hopefully, everything gets done before the rainy season sets in.

2010 Elections

This is the reason why I was late in going to the polling booths (nevertheless it took me only 30 minutes to walk from the house, copy my precinct info as well as mom's and mary's, wait in line, fill in and submit my ballot and walk back home while it took them 2 hours to do the same). Tara smelled so bad postponing her bath a day later is out of the question. Don't be fooled about the 'puss in boots' look. She likes water but may have thought being abandoned when I suddenly ran out of the bath (to get the camera of course).

Here's the evidence of my exercising the right to vote for government officials whom I thought could pave the way to make our country great again. Well, whatever the outcome is, God will only give what most of us asked for. Though our choices may be poles apart, we can still make a difference by praying for our leaders.It's good to have people home for the long weekend. That they were all home to vote is an add-on. So at Mcdo, Lacson we all convened for a mid-afternoon carbo fix while catching up on the gossip from Cebu. The gang would have been complete had Dolly joined. Well, there's always a next time.

Shape your future...Vote wisely!

When was the last time I cast my vote? If I remembered it right, it was in Cebu during the 2004 national elections. Tomorrow is like the first time once again. The only thing that's new though is that I will be voting for the candidates that I feel and believe to have the country's best interest in mind.
A list proved to be a big help but I didn't prepare one yet. I shall make one before bed tonight so that not only will I finish early, I will also not indulge in some uninformed decision inside the voting booth.
Shape your future everyone. Vote wisely!

Pasalamat Festival 2010

Wow! My heels hurt, like I can't step on them anymore without cringing from pain. Today's Pasalamat highlights and it has been a very busy day. Manning the store and getting glimpses of the world outside was a mean feat. Getting good shots was difficult as getting in with the crown didn't feel right.
The beauties above though have caught my interest when an unusual number cruised by the house just after noon. When sis mentioned in passing that they were all lined up for inspection and admiration right across the mayor's house, there I went and got this shot.
Below is just a generic portrait of this year's "pasalamat" festivities. It lacked the usual upbeat mood and failed miserably to attract tourist as evidenced by my getting home without any problems getting a ride at around 7 PM.

Shifu - Best of Breed Winner

Look at our Best of Breed Mug Trophy! Ain't it neat? It isn't bad either for our first outing.

Funny thing is that, anxiety got the best of me. I forced my breakfast down my throat and was pacing all morning. It did not help that the show was moved from 8 AM to 1 PM. Lunch was pochero but it still didn't hold any appeal despite the growling protests of my stomach.

It was only after the show that I felt better, well except for the gnawing ache on my head (from being under the sun, handling tara and pooh to strut their stuff...or the lack of it).

Pooh at the middle: destined to win it "paws down"

Flanked by the two other contestants, Pooh looks confident that he's going to bring home the mug (and 2 kilos of hi pro formula). Well, this was roughly an hour before the show started. Before they were called inside the court, all three were already supine on the warm ground with owners fanning their faces and offering cold water to drink. Poor dear things!

Marty's loud mini pinscher competed with three others with the brown one pitted against Pooh in the final round for the Toy Categoiry while Amith's and Mac's competed against each other.

Lessons learned:

1. Cuchi would have won Best of Breed for Pups had she joined (there's no puppy lab in the competition.

2. Handler (that's me) should have practiced how to get Pooh show his best side. I think we're the judge's favorite, only that the handler of the brown mini pinscher knew what he was doing.

3. Bring a dog carrier equipped with battery operated even if the venue is only a block away from the house.

4. Go in droves so that there will be a dedicated camera man and mess person (so that no water pan will go missing).

5. Start training today in preparation for next year's 12th Pasalamat Festival Dog Show.

Bella's Day Out

It's difficult to decide who is happier to have been out of the house.
Bella has been cooped up for long due to health reasons. With the goings on all morning, she must have sensed that something exciting is going to happen. Getting a bath in the busiest day of the week is a rare thing.

Bella has been a good sport. Despite the heat of the early afternoon sun, she never showed any sign of weakness. She did not avoid (which she is wont to do in any normal circumstance) the countless request for photographs and the persistent attention of the videographer who covered the show. She even found a friend in this mild mannered shih tzu.

tests of time

Look at that! 'That' refers to the pathetic entries for this month. Well, allow me to explain. Some two weeks ago, I downloaded something on my deskstop and the PC started to act strange. After consulting five experts, they all declared that a malware has somehow found its way in the system. Since I lost my job last week, the trip to the computer tech was a bit delayed. There was also the matter of looking for the board driver which was lost amongst mountains of boxes ready to be transferred to the new house.
My existence as a bum was not without any excitement, though. At the start of the week, I spent most of Monday morning at the hospital getting anti-rabies/tetanus shots. Yup. It was unfortunate that while having a fun time with Cuchi at the Ultria for her morning run, her sharp puppy teeth has caught the middle of my left palm. I was more worried about tetanus than rabies as she was busy that time chewing whatever was lying on the wet grass which appears new to her eyes. I'm not salivating nor averse to taking a bath yet so I think I survived. I'm off for now. I have a dog show to prepare for tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get a year's supply of doggie treats.

cuchi at the plaza

Everyone is on a holiday mood. staying in bed seemed to be the order of the day. Even Mike and Mike who invited us to a morning run were not to be found.

And so Cuchi and I had the city plaza to ourselves for twenty minutes or so.

We experimented a lot of things. At one point, the pup didn't notice she was not encumbered anymore by a leash.



She successfully fetched the plastic bone without any mishap (read: dog attacking occasional children and senior citizens who were enjoying the morning sun as well).

Compared to the Rott and the Belgian Shepherd her age, Cuchi was smaller but more spirited. You may wonder where she got all the energy for running around and jumping. Could it be from her poop which she seemed to enjoy devouring when the human masters weren't looking (a nasty habit shared with little pug, Tara)?

april fool's rain

The sky was enveloped with rain clouds all morning, from the sea to the mountains. The wind blew in that direction as well. It was already at around 11:00 a.m., though, when fat drops started to fall. That was also the time when, finally, the red and white puj left the terminal, after staying there for almost 15 minutes.

Bacolod was dry with no promise of rain at all. The task that I was called about was the exit interview which I already finished last week at the hcd office.


The trip was not wasted though, as had I not come to return the health and social cards, the cost of which would have been charged to my final pay.

The mall was closed for the holidays which shortened my trip.

Back home, it was surprising to see water collected on the pavement. Sis reported that it rained for about 40 minutes that afternoon which, according to dad, is enough to leave the plants unwatered in the next three days.

Genius

That's what my classmates dubbed me today. It happened after I brought the championship prize for the team this afternoon for a game on prepositions, answered the rest of the questions correctly for the bonus round ala 'who wants to be a millionaire', and got a perfect score in the assessment for the same subject. Geeky, eh?
It was stressful though. Even after a good lunch and two cups of coffee, I had a splitting headache after the class.

back to school

That's right! New job, new training. Technically, it's not a new job but merely a change in the physical environment. For one, A/C is set to a much lower temperature. The new place is heaven for coffee addicts such as I.
Training is more robust and the trainor is impressive. No wonder she graduated magna cum laude. It shows in how she conducts the class.
Hopefully, this ageing brain can cope up with the information overload in the coming days.

Americal Idol 2010

Yeah! AI lives on, with me, after David Cook's victory two seasons past. The show is elusive though. With my RD falling on M & T and workshift bet 11 am and 8 pm, it was impossible to watch it on TV (star schedule being 6PM and reruns at 8PM and 11PM on the same night and 11AM the following day).Again, many thanks to the team who invented broadband :) Not only does it allow watching the show at leisure, it also provides for choosing the 'best' (best for me i.e. : casey james - he's a given, lethal combination of good looks and talent...argh! i was a fan at first sight, crystal - what can i say...her performances get better and better each time...no wrong song choice for this lass) performances to be repeated time and again at whim.Let's wait and see about what America wants this year.

Colds Suck!

The weather changed drastically last week. The still, warm night air that usually greets my exit from the office building was replaced by a chilly wind that brings with it dust from the dry earth and billows of smoke from the passing vehicles. The combination was lethal to my defenseless lungs (a hankie not being a part of my everyday must-bring kit).
A week into the change and racking dry coughs started to mar my nightly slumber which was otherwise peaceful (read: uneventful, dreamless). The whole week has been a nightmare. Imagine that itcy worm that usually falls off an acacia or a flowering mango tree crawling it's way up and down your throat. That's how it felt. RN friends suggested warm "kalamansi" juice sweetened with pure honey. The kalamansi bush in the yard yielded stunted or shriveled fruits. hard to find in the market as well. Vitamin C effervescent tablets are good substitutes, especially the blackcurrant flavor.

we're wired

aajetskie is one happy blogger once again. with 1Mbps speed, what can stop the sleeping word factory from being at tip-top-blogging-shape again.
the new schedule may prove to be a challenge considering the change of environment (and everything that goes with it).

sam's kennel?!?!

Cuchi: yellow, female lab, named after the cuchi tunnel which sis recently visited, remotely related to Jennifer Aniston's Marley but displaying the same destructive potential, left the with us from an obscure dog farm in Bata two weeks ago. Once left unleashed around the house, she has managed to chew off two of my loafers, mum's slippers, Nene's shorts, three pages of broadsheets. Tara: fawn, female, pug and sis to Bella which we collected from Talisay three days before we brought Cuchi home. Feisty yet yelped real loud during her final shot for Parvo today which we nearly missed. Willful and smart that she has successfully escaped the confines of the carrier countless times in the past week. She has a making of another spoilt pug.

And of course, you have already met the awesome Shifu and our most special one, Bella.