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.