Showing some lovin'

These past few days I have been busy taking care of my dog. She was a bit sick. Some of her fur on the neck begun to fall out and redness around her chin and below her neck is shown. It's not the yearly changing of fur or coat, I don't know what is happening. I haven't brought her to the vet for some check up. But after a week, the redness is gone and the falling out of her coat sort of stopped. She bathe once a week still. But she scratch her self often even after she bathe. There is nothing new on how I take care of her for the past 1 year 9 months that she is with me. But I think I was somehow my attention to her was no longer the same as before. So I talked to her and played with her again. She is still the same happy and playful dog. Since she is a house pet and lives inside the house, maybe she needs some sunlight for her itching to subside. But she is still quiet and playful.

I bought her these treats. She loves this one. Dogs or pets alike love to get some treats not just to follow what you command but when you play with your pets.


I'll bathe her later on. Her soap run out so I bought her a new soap. Just like us, she is allergic to some pet products and it's causing her some dandruff. Yes, dogs are getting dandruff too if the dog product that you apply to them is not the right one for their skin. You'll know if the product not the right one after a day or two you'll some changes on your dogs skin or if they itch a lot. Don't use your own soap or shampoo to bathe your dog



When I'm not around, she play with her toy. Dogs love to play. I bought this one months ago. It helps her teeth to be clean too. There are dog treats that helps your dog fight bad breath, plaque or tooth decay. Just check your local mall.

Have you check on your pet lately? He or she might need your attention ;-)

Christmas time... In the Philippines...

It's 38 days before Christmas and it's still counting. I will be celebrating my Christmas with my family after 3 years because of my work. I'll be home for the holidays and New Year, Wooohooo!! But I'm worried because of this financial crisis in the US, I am affected at my work. I'm hoping that my Christmas will be merry and my new year happy. Yes, there are a lot of work I can find out there, but I can't afford to lose my job at this time. I need to support my family. I'm hoping and praying.

Last week I got to stroll around the mall on my night off and saw christmas ornaments being on sale just outside the mall. Aside from the cool air, christmas tree, christmas carols being sang and christmas songs being heard on the radio, here in the Philippines, Parul is one of the symbols of christmas. The colorful Parul or Christmas lantern is one of the product of San Fernando, Pampanga aside from food. Pampanga is also known for it's giant paruls and the Christmas Capital of the Philippines. I can't wait for the Ligligan Parul or the giant lantern festival and I hope I can watch this time. Those giant paruls that I think about 8 to 15 feet in size with dancing lights controlled electronically. It is a competition between the cities and provinces of pampanga. I was not able to watch last year and I don't know who won. But I bet as I write this blog, the paruls that are included on the competition are now being made. Aside from the Giant Lantern Festival, I'm also excited to watch the Sinukwan Festival. Last December 2004, my students and I were given a chance to join the Mardi Gras contest and cultural night presentation contest of the said festival. Unfortunately, we did not won any of those contest but the experience we had is really over-whelming and we had fun. It's our first time to join the Sinukwan Festival. I hope I can watch this one too. Here are the paruls that I saw outside the mall on sale. They are made of capiz and cost around 1,300php to 1,500php depending on the size.

After going to the mall, I went home and along the way I saw people selling bibingka and puto bungbong, yummyyyy! These is what I call Christmas food. Because I only see these when Christmas time is approaching. Bibingka or rice cake similar to the Western pancake in appearance. It is made from galapong, baked in a special clay pot, lined with a piece of banana leaf, with live coals on top and underneath. It is topped with slices of kesong puti (white cheese) and itlog na maalat (salted duck eggs). The newly-cooked bibingka is spread with butter and sometimes sprinkled with sugar then served with niyog (grated coconut). Galapong is glutinous rice soaked in water then ground with the water to form either a batter or a dough, depending on what the cooked dish is supposed to be. This is the Bibingka I bought which cost 25php each.

This is how they cook the Bibingka. A traditional pot or clay pot over hot coals and on the clay pot they put banana leaves and pour in the Galapong.




While Puto bumbong is a dish made from purpled-colored ground rice cooked in bamboo tubes that are placed on a special steamer-cooker. Then, they are removed from the bamboo tubes, spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar and niyog (grated coconut). They are then wrapped in wilted banana leaves which will keep them warm and moist until ready to be eaten. I bought puto bumbong also which cost 15php 3 pieces.

Above is the steamer in which the puto bumbong is cooked. The bamboo tubes are half filled with the purple-colored rice in the huge bowl (right side of the photo). The bamboo tubes are usually wrapped in cloth to avoid burning the hands of the vendor when they are removed from the steamer when the puto bumbong is ready. Unfortunately, the batteries of my digicam went out and I was not able to capture how they were cooking the Bibingka and Puto bumbong. Maybe next time.

Just like the sky...

There will always be a time in your life that you are unable to do your daily routine due to you need to attend to other things or you are not in the mood to move here and there. You feel that you need something or someone to motivate you or to inspire you. I know you experience these things and you think and think. When I do my thinking, I love to see the clear blue sky with clouds.

If you think about it, we are like the sky. Sometimes the sky is not clear or there are dark clouds covering the beauty of the sky and then suddenly rain will pour. We are like the sky, the dark clouds are our fears, pains, problems and the like. When we do not know how to deal with the darkness over us, we cry like the sky. As they say when it rains the heavens cry. But I like to see clear skies with white fluffy clouds. Those fluffy clouds represent happiness, joy, and all the positive energy in our lives.

Lucky for me when I looked up in the sky, I saw once again the beauty of the sky. Here are the photos I have taken.


And as the day ends and the night begins, we all have our hopes up that the next day will be another clear sky with fluffy clouds.

P.S. Thank you very much friends, readers and visitors of my blog (I'm not that confident that I have readers but numbers are going up over there >>>>>>) for taking your time reading and visiting here as I am not posting often like I did last month.

Out of the topic ---- I was watching the live airing of the fertilizer scam on TV yesterday. And I was disgusted with what Senator Biazon is asking and reiterating to former under secretary of the Department of Agriculture Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante. Joc-joc already stated that he was afraid to go home here in the Philippines to attend the senate hearing of the fertilizer scam due to his life is in danger due to death treats. He do not know whom he will appeal because he do not know who are the person behind his death treats. I understand Joc-joc because if you are in his shoes and your life is being treaten by somebody that you cannot identifiy, you won't really get back in your own country. I mean you do not know who you should trust and tell them that you cannot go home yet because your life is being treatened. Joc-joc is not putting our country in shame when he told this in the United States Court. He is just AFRAID and seeking help to protect him from these treats. There is fear, fear that once he hit the Philippine airport there might be a sniper waiting to take him down just like what happened to former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino. Nonetheless, I just hope that something good will come out of this hearing unlike what happened to the ZTE scam.

Calmness... Tranquility...

Everytime I see that the sky is clear in the morning, I feel calm and at peace. It's like that you see the world is one and everything is in the right place at the right time. Breathing in the fresh air of the morning and it's cold really brings relief. Although Angeles City is no longer a province of San Fernando, Pampanga, it's still like province when you are near nature and lots of green scenery. I really wish I can go on nature tripping and hiking at Sapang Bato also here at Angeles City.

Here are some photos I took last time when the sun is about to rise and the sky is clear. This is in the premises of my work place.

Each photos that I am posting here at my blog are not in any way altered or edited.

P.S. I might not be posting often on my blog for these coming days. I hope that you will still come and visit my blog.

Random Thoughts o_O

It's just now that I feel the air is getting cold at night. It's about time that we feel the Christmas air smoothly, freely, and touching our Christmas spirit. I think part of my work is stress. And sometimes lack of sleep. Others say that there is another job or work for you out there. Easy for them to say that but being a bread winner, I can't resign and just stay at home while finding another job. Not at this time where we are at crisis.

Senator Barack Obama the 44th elected United States President is the first African American President in the history of United States. His Vice President Joe Biden. Everyone celebrated even the Filipino community celebrated with Senator Obama's declaration as US President. This is new to all of us not only to our American friends. This is really something new. I just hope that president elect Obama will do something about the crisis that US is now facing and the fact that we are affected too. I'm just scared of the rumors that if Senator Obama wins for presidency, call centers in the Philippines will be pulled out leaving jobless Filipinos and the work at the call center will be given to the Americans. I don't know what will happen now. I just hope that everything will be fine and good in our Lord's time.

I'm not pro or against any political personality in the US, I just wanna make sure that I still can support my family and provide them with their daily needs. I know that each of us are affected with this crisis. I'm just wondering why Philippines is ranked number 5 in the whole world and ranked number 2 in Asian countries that people are hungry. Where in everything that we buy and eat has 12% VAT (Value Added Taxes). I'm now wondering if our taxes really have values.

There are a lot of issues and concerns that we are facing at this time. Well, it has been the same in the past decade or years. In my years of living in this world, the same issues and economic crisis are always there. We cannot just ignore them. And then also comes Global Warming, another crisis. What I'm hoping now that as this year ends and another year starts, I just hope that in won't come to worst in the coming next year.

At Peace... At Home...

It was a very tiring All Souls day for me but nonetheless, I have visited my departed love ones after my work and lighted candles for them. I already arrived at our mausoleum after lunch. Lucky for me it stopped raining or else I'll be soaking wet. Going there is not hard because it is only near our home. Only a few blocks from where I live. What's hard is going through the cemetery because there are already lots of people going to and fro to visit their departed love ones. Some have forgotten the lot where their love ones lay to rest because of too many people and parked vehicles within the premises of the cemetery.

It was a bit far from the main gate of the cemetery going to our mausoleum. I just walked because it is no longer possible to ride a vehicle going to the middle part of the cemetery. There are only two big cemetery here in our city. Once I arrived, I readily lighted candles for my late grandfather and grandmother and said prayers for them. I missed them. I used to live with them when they were still alive. Here is their home now where they rest in peace.

Here are the flowers I promised to take photo on my previous post made by my siblings and grandfather

A peaceful place

I'm a pet lover especially dogs. My pet and house trained dog is already 1 year and 9 months old. She's a medium size dog and my first house pet. Since she is treated as a family member, I was wondering what if the time comes and she needs to leave us permanently. Where can I lay her to final rest. I know that dogs can live 10 to 15 years max.

One time I was walking around Clark Freeport. I was brought to halt and I was in awe and amazed at the same time when I saw this place. I was not bringing my camera when I first saw this place so I returned when I got the time last week and took these photos

Yes, it's a dog cemetery or pet cemetery. This was left by the American Air Force who once used Clark as their US Air Force Base. Here buried the K-9 friends of the American Air Force. The place is peaceful, the air is refreshing, green grass on grounds and big green trees around it. As you can see there are uniform tombstones that includes the name of the pet buried and I saw some letters and numbers on them. I don't know what are those for. Maybe some kind of registry number of some kind. I wanted to light a candle here some time. It seems that no one ever lighted a candle at this cemetery. But the place is well maintained as part of the maintenance at Clark Freeport. By the way, the pet cemetery is located near Clark Expo and Nayong Pilipino. If you will be going there, the cemetery is located on the right side of the road going to Clark Expo and Nayong Pilipino. If by any chance you know that you would pass by there, I'm knocking on your kind hearts to light atleast one candle on the entrance of the cemetery. May the good Lord bless you.