This photo circulated via networking sites yesterday, a picture taken by a concerned citizen en route to SM Baguio. The shot shows the back of a black Nissan Safari with plate num BDK 617:

I have no idea what possessed the one who did this to do what he actually did! The poor dog who is supposed to be taken cared of by humans, stewards of God's creation, is actually being treated with utmost cruelty! I am so furious... hay!

• punung-puno na ba ng iba pang aso sa loob kaya sa spare tire nalang sinabit si Bantay?
• baka naman nadidiri lang siya marumihan ng sakong may lamang aso ang kanyang leather seat?
• trip lang nya, baka magka-chance sumikat (which is actually happening)

PAWS Philippines is already tracking who should be held liable for the act (story here) but I'm pretty sure that a few thousand pesos will set this person off the hook. Pretty much like what happened to those responsible for the pitiful fighting dogs of Cavite.

The poor furry guy is said to have been freed already (full story HERE). I hope someone picks him up, treat him well, and provide him a family and home that will help remove all that BDK 617 trauma away.

Just awhile ago, I sent my BF the disheartening photos of what the fighting pitbulls of Cavite had to go through before being rescued. He told me he can't bear going through the photos, it was too sad and that he might not get a good night's sleep thinking about the pictures.

I apologize for the photo below, but, it's reality.

"This boy is also so sweet considering he had so much injuries from the fight"
Photo Source

Anyway, I learned through Gale that PAWS Philippines need our help. They are housing 40 of over 200 pitbulls rescued from the heartless dog enslavers. Only 73 were kept alive and these poor, emaciated mutts are cared for by different orgs. I'm definitely extending a hand to help out!

For those who would like to help, you may drop off dog food, stainless steel bowls, plastic matting (to line bottom of cages), cleaning materials (deck brushes, walis tingting, detergent powder) and veterinary supplies (gloves, Zoletil, etc). Donations may be dropped off at PARC, Aurora Blvd., Katipunan Valley , Loyola Heights. QC between the hours of 10am to 5pm.

 

Quoting Gale, "kahit isang walis tingting ay makakatulong". It's also a nice idea to pool possible donations from those who have no means of dropping off items at PARC. I plan to donate goods instead of cash. Well, that's just me. I and the BF'll surely take a trip to PARC before the week ends.

I plan to investigate on who the other orgs were that took the other poor pitbulls under their care. They might need more help than PAWS (PAWS being a more popular group) does. I'll let you know.

While the neighbours (and the entire Philippines) cheered for Pacquiao last Sunday, I cried hard from losing my decade-long best friend, Boggart. By the afternoon, I wiped all the tears away knowing that he's in dog heaven, free from all strife.

It's hard to lose a friend like you

Because no one else listens to me the way you do

and because you're the only legit to lick me when I cry.

I cry hard because I still want to walk with you,

I still want to startle you by my abrupt running,

and see you catch up with me, even beating me to it.

I cry hard because I've so much plans for your retirement years

like saving up for Science Diet sacks to keep you healthy 

despite your being over 90.

I cry hard because all I can do now is dream of you

or relive the fun and hard times we've been through.

I cry hard because I love you,

and hugely because I will sorely miss you.

RIP Boggart, 11.13.11. I know how much you love to run like the wind. I watched you do it. Until it came to a point that old age slowed you down a bit, but you tried hard, still. But last week, you silently told me you can no longer run while you stared at me as I playfully ran back and forth in front of you. You never told me how stupid I looked that evening. I will forever love you and keep our happy memories, until that day when I no longer have to miss you because we can chase the wind again, together.

For the girls I know (my photographer sister Rachel, Pammy, Helga... whoelse?) who'd die to get their hands on this kitty's fur:

Who else, who else love seeing these adorable cats? If you love cats too, lemme know so I can menshun you in future Cat Cutesie posts.

Do you still remember my Cat Serial Killer post? That's a sad kitty post, noh?

Anyway, stay tuned for more feline cuteness!

For the pet lovers out there, here's something to cheer you up get you teary-eyed, for a change :)

I love this story and it never fails to keep my eyes soaked. If you've cried buckets from watching Hachiko, this is pretty much like it, out of the reel.

HOW COULD YOU? by Jim Willis

(a guest post from Crickette, the Crocodile)

I was inspired by The Beauty Bin's glutathione review a year ago, where she talked about how ph338 and tathione307 (what's with the 'ending-product-names-with-3-digit-numbers' gimmick?) working magically on her skin.

A few months later, I decided to give in to this Asian fad. I never thought it could work so well for cold-blooded crawlers like me:

BEFORE Oral Glutathione (please forgive me for the horrible pics, my skin is so dry):

I went through  a whitening transition phase after a month. From black, to a bronzier skin. I  kinda liked this tanned-look for a moment, but decided to push through with those little pills.

And after several months, I am 90% white:

croc-on-gluta

Gluta Junkie

So there, I kinda feel like a Hollywood celeb now. I'm getting offers from producers to star on upcoming remakes of Hook, Lake Placid and, of course, Crocodile Dundee.

I already turned down an offer from the executives of the Ong Bak series. They wanted to recreate this scene from Ong Bak 2 in their upcoming flick:

Photo Source

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These photos were taken during our trip to Avilon Zoo last year. I will be posting truckloads of animal photos soon... I hope you don't mind :) -herroyalbleakness, not Crickette

Last night was just frustrating. I had to delay a beauty post today to make way for a statement:

"Mongrels (those dogs that aren't purebred) are beautiful, too!"

Chatted with an old pig last night who coolly professed to wanting all mongrels dead (by running over them) because of how ugly they looked and how they trashed the streets with their emaciated looks. He babbled about how much he knew about various dog breeds and how expensive his purebreds were. Gaaaah! 

By the time he got so full of himself, to which I silently gave disapproving nods to, I threw him a picture I got from my wallet as I took off. I gave that arrogant pig a photo of my decade-old mongrel, Boggart:

This is my Boggart, my mongrel, and I love him so much.

"Mongrels are beautiful, too!" I shouted back at him as tears welled from my eyes. I was totally pissed but congratulated myself for not punching his face (yes, I can be very violent) while he glorified himself in that 10-minute chat we had.

For those who have been reading my blog, you know how much I love animals. While there are those that scare me or do not tickle my fancy, I never resented their existence. I know that there is beauty to every living thing and the weird- or freaky-looking ones just need more time to be appreciated.

I am just in pure shock (and in tears) thinking about how many other condescending people hate mongrels to the point of wishing them ill (or wanting to run over them!). And to all those poor mutts who've been a little less lucky for being a mixed breed, you are all beautiful to me.

I'm still down with fever and flu! I'm sorry for the lack of beauty stuff posts and for not being able to visit the blogs I love to read.

It's a few days before Christmas and I just wish these fish would take away the flu...

"If today were a fish, I'd throw it back..."

These are the photos my little sister took during our stay at Avilon Zoo. I hope you liked them as much as we all did :)

For my local readers, if you are still looking for a program to support this Christmas, I hope you can consider PAWS' Wishlist Project.

PAWS’ “Twelve Days of Christmas” Wish List:

1. dog cage       – approximately  P3,000/cage
2. kennel cab (L)- approx. P5,000/cab
3. cat cage        – approx.  P  400/cage
4. Spot-On Tick & Flea treatment – approx. P200/pipette
5. Cat Food (canned) – approx. P40/can
6. Cat Food (dry/kibble) – approx. P800/8kg. bag
7. Prescription Diet Dog Food A/D (canned) – approx. P80/can
8. Vaccines or various medicine for cats and dogs – range: P100 to P600/drug or vaccine
9. Canon iPIXMA 1300 black or colored ink cartridge – approx. P900/cartridge
10. Powdered detergent soap – approx. P120/kg.
11. Energy-saving light bulbs -  approx. P110/bulb
12. Virgin coconut oil – approx. P120/ 250ml. bottle

Outdoor cattery renovation
Welded wire sponsor P500
Angle bar sponsor P500
Paint sponsor P200
Labor sponsor P350

Complete breakdown of materials needed for  new outdoor cattery
1. Welded wire – 22pcs x P500 = P11,000
2. Angle bar – 36 pcs x P500    = P18,000
3. Angle bar – 5 pcs (roof) x 5   = P  2,500
4. Paint & welding rod             =  P  2,000
5. Labor (max 3 weeks)
P350/day x18 days x2 pax   =  P 12,600
P  46,100

*Special thanks to CATSLAIR for sponsoring the indoor shelves and renovation of the cat quarantine area.

Our very best wishes to you and all your loved ones (including the four-legged members of your family) this holiday season!

-The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

Note/s:
Our bank account details are on the poster and in www.paws.org. ph. Donors may also drop off  donations at the PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC) at Aurora Blvd, Katipunan Valley, Loyola Heights, QC.

Please Contact PAWS for more details on how to get your donations across.

Most of the people around me know how much I love animals. Last Novemeber, my family and I visited Avilon Zoo in San Mateo, Rizal. It was quite a trip getting to the place (here's how to get there) but the moment we saw what we came for, our hearts just melted in awe (what can we do, we just love animals!).

Avilon Zoo, San Mateo Rizal --- which animal would
you love to take home with you? 

The place isn't stellar, just a regular zoo. But I think Avilon houses a huge collection of exotics and wildlife more than any other zoo in the Metro. I noticed how much they tried to feature the animals minus the rusting cages that we Filipinos normally see at zoos. And instead, they gave most of the animals a feel of their supposed habitats. That's enough reason for us to shell out 300php/head ($8, we normally pay around $3 to get into zoos in my country) entrance fee.

Avilon Zoo set-up for some set of avians

I really had fun during those days we went there (we traveled on 2 separate dates to tour the entire place FULLY--- we took pictures and spent time observing how the animals behaved).

I will be doing a series of posts for my Avilon Zoo experience so I hope most of you can stay tuned.

PHOTO UPDATES:
If today were a fish, I'd throw it back
Crocs On Gluta

We sure had a fun, long weekend, didn't we?  Now that everything's 'back to normal', it's just nice to look back and remember how we spent the holidays.  How did you enjoy yours?

I spent mine with Ashley, a 3-year old (28-years old in human years) siamese kitty :)

She's such a sweetheart! A ton of poses after, she gave me the eye ...

So much for playtime, I guess.

Applying Caronia Simply Red nail polish.

I apologize for the crude way of applying the polish, but this is by far the best I can do.  I'll practice more to perfect the art of painting nails.

Red nails+ Katinka, my ball python (normal morph)

holding Katinka, my ball python

Meet Katinka, our ball python.  She's a sweet girl who loves to rub her cheek on my hand and snuggle in my chest when we're watching TV.  

Here are our failed shots because she was so stressed during her "photoshoot"  ^-^

Katinka, the ball python, loves to play hide 'n seek

How do you get the bubbles out? *sigh*

It’s just so fascinating how tarantulas can unknowingly teach us patience. I’ve been observing them whenever they eat… and boy, each genus has its own dining ritual. Take for example, Hewey, my Chilobrachy huahini.

I take a cricket from the holed cannister, shake it in the air and throw it inside Hewey’s tank. The cricket’s a bit stunned from my brisk shaking, as well as from the huahini’s gossamer-filled home. Cricket roams around, irked at the sight of this heavily webbed place he’s now in. Unsure of this new terrain, he wanders around and looks for food, not knowing that he himself spells out dinner. Hewey now begins his stalk. The manner in which he eats is quite remarkable: he knows I’ve placed food, but he doesn’t run to it despite the hunger. His appetite is as big as mine, or a lil over it, but he remains discrete about his hunger pangs. Instead, he patiently waits till his sumptuous meal gets trapped at a specific point within the cobweb area he painstakingly weaved.

Mr. Cricket now seemed to stay at one place, unaware of the trap, perhaps thinking of where else to find food. Then, in quick cadence, he moves and gets near the trap, but suddenly shifts direction as if sensing Hewey’s stealth. Hewey, on the other hand, seemed hopeful of his trap’s success, and so, he gets near the cricket.

Mr. Crix gets past him. The two of them suddenly brushed each other’s leg. The cricket is now confronted with the jolting truth… he is food. Hop and run!

Hewey now stands still, disregarding the thought of pouncing on the prey. I sighed. He could’ve feasted by now, I thought impatiently. Growing tired of Hewey’s ritual, I took a pair of forceps and guided the cricket near Hewey. Again, he allowed it past him. Uggghhh…fine! If I were that hungry, I could’ve stuck a toothpick in between my teeth by now.

A couple of minutes later, the cricket seemed to have fallen into the trap! Mr. Cricket tried to break free from the sticky substance he smudged into, but is unable to budge out. I keenly watched as Hewey nears him, lifts two of his front legs to hold the crix in place, and finally eases his fangs into the crix’s soft flesh as it releases its venom.

He was built for this kind of kill, I thought to myself.. He knew that there was a right place and time for his meal.

It’s a known fact that these spiders are voracious eaters. It is just remarkable how they seem to be more human whenever they display such discipline at mealtime.
These spiders constantly remind me of patience in the midst of failure. They tell me how hardwork, through their meticulously woven home, can help me achieve my goals. I get to be reminded that somehow, despite disheartening circumstances, my dreams can still be achieved at the right place and at the right time.

As for now, I must weave… and stalk!