Daily thoughts - Boomer update - a trip to the new veterinary clinic and her daily regimen

A month ago I mentioned that Boomer will have her enucleation procedure this June. The month is almost coming to a close and I havent made an update on how Boomer is doing and what happened with her supposed surgery.

Boomer relaxing last June 6, pre op day.

I took her to a new veterinary clinic that was recommended by an American woman I met at a grocery store. It was an interesting encounter. I was buying groceries when I saw this woman's cart with a bag of friskies. We struck up a conversation after I asked her how many cats she has. She was even able to convince me to use newspaper as litter for the cats. It seems to work so well but I still use kitty litter every now and then because my cat Thumper is a little picky. Also litter is still preferable during times I have to go out for trips to the city. If I leave the cats litter box lined with newspaper and I wont be around to clean it up right away, they tend to leave a trail of pee and sometimes turd on the floor. The last time I went out, one of the cats decided the litter box was just too disgusting so she used the floor as her toilet. So its still good to have a stash of kitty litter for emergency.

The woman's name is Jeri and she is from Montana. She told me that the name of her veterinary doctor is Voltaire and he has a clinic somewhere in Tikling near Taytay. When I got home, I looked up the guy's name online and I also found some good feedbacks about his clinic.

source of screencap

source of screencap

I decided I should give this clinic a try. The name of the clinic is Bethany Noah Animal Clinic.

Before I went to this clinic, I called them up to also have an idea on their going rate for enucleation. I was told it was 3000 inclusive of the professional fee. This is very affordable as compared to the other prices I got from other clinics. I put Boomer in the carrier and loaded her on a tricycle to town. It was a very uncomfortable ride because when I got to the tricycle stand I realized I didnt have enough money on me so I still had to wait for other passengers to board the vehicle. Also I had to prop the carrier on my lap during the whole ride. When I got to town, I still had to draw up some money for the surgery. There was also pouring rain and I had to wait for probably 10 minutes before I could walk up to the nearest ATM. It was a pain in the ass because it was 3PM and there was a slight traffic in town. But I decided I had to bring Boomer to the vet. Withdrawing cash took 10-15 minutes and waiting for an fx took another 10 minutes. But the ride itself was not a problem except when the rain started pouring again. When I got off the fx me and Boomer were a bit soaked from the rain.

The clinic wasnt too hard to find. I remember that Ive noticed their sign before everytime Id go to the city. I was always on the lookout for veterinary clinics along the main road just in case I didnt want to go back to my current veterinary doctor anymore. In this case, I just wanted to try a different clinic for a change.

Counter near the entrance

cat food selections

I'm eying on getting this one when I come back to the clinic

Meow Mix 3kilos!it was so affordable too.

The Jolly Dr Belen checking  Boomer

Boomer getting her eyes cleaned

Boomer's ears being cleaned and checked

First things first. The veterinary doctor was very pleasing and sweet to Boomer. He even called her sweetheart! Boomer was purring the whole time her eyes were being cleaned. The good news was, there was no need for to undergo enucleation anymore. According to Dr Belen, Boomer no longer had any eyes to be removed, hence enucleation was unnecessary. He just recommended regular cleaning of the eyes and also what solution I needed to get for it. I told him that I normally just scoop out whatever white stuff I find in the socket and I also wipe her everyday with wet ones and instill artificial tears.

Dr Belen  proceeded to clean Boomer's ears and also put some of the crusty stuff on a slide (i wish to highlight that this was not done by the veterinary doctor at Assumpta Clinic when I brought Thumper and Dapper for an ear cleaning there last March ). He gently cleaned Boomer's ears and showed me how to do it. He encouraged me to do the same for the other cats at home.

After he was done cleaning Boomer's ears, he went to his microscope and beckoned me to check it. I wasnt able to take a photo of it obviously since it was too tiny for the naked eye, but I couldnt forget how revolting it was to discover that these nasty critters lived in my cats' ears.

google image, but this is what it did look like. ewwwww..

I told Dr Belen I tried to clean the other cats' ears and wrapped the cats like burrito so they couldnt scratch me while I was putting solution and removing the ear crusties. He told me that I did the right thing. He did recommend an ear solution because I mentioned that I needed a new bottle since the one I bought from Singapore is almost out.

Ear solution

Eye wash for Boomer

Medicated ear drops

I ended up using the enucleation money instead for the ear drops (350), ear cleaning solution (350), eye wash, (350) cat food (400) and the services rendered by Dr Belen. The bill rang up to 1800 PHP which wasnt so bad. Actually, I have checked the prices from other clinics and even pet stores and the prices of the stuff I got from him, plus his services are really reasonable.

I still need to go back to the clinic early this month for Boomer's eyes to be stitched up. I have told  Dr Belen that a friend of mine overseas told me that her blind cat's eyes were sewn shut because it prevented germs from infiltrating the perpetually open eye sockets. I asked him if it was a good idea to perform the procedure on Boomer. I have to go back there for him to check her again and suggest what needs to be done next. Also it is high time for Enchong's balls to get chopped off. Sad day for Enchong indeed because he is scheduled for castration.

For now, I religiously clean Boomer's eyes each day with the new solution I bought. Also Ive tried using the ear cleaning solution and medicated ear drops on all four cats in my room and some of the cats downstairs. Dapper and Thumper hate ear cleaning sessions though.I have no trouble cleaning Enchong's ears. He doesnt really mind it and like Boomer, he purrs when Im cleaning his ears.

I think this veterinary clinic is the perfect clinic for my pets. There seemed to be a connection between my cat and her new doctor. There was what Id call a personal touch that the previous veterinarian unfortunately lacked. I wouldnt say the services of Assumpta Clinic was that bad. For one, they have the advantage of being geographically closer than Bethany Noah. The issue however is that I want a doctor who would be sensitive to the needs of my pets. These cats are like my kids, even if that sounds crazy to some. I invest my time, money and love on these animals. It aggravates me when I pay someone to check them out and fails to meet even the basic standards like using an otoscope or a microscope to confirm whats causing their ears from itching.

Other shots at the Bethany Noah Clinic:

a dog patient

another dog patient

a cat patient, very cute too!

so cute!

When I got home, I excitedly took out all the new stuff  and included it in my cat grooming kit.

Cat grooming kit

Boomer burrito prepd for her daily grooming

toilet paper and cotton

artificial tears

qtips

It takes me approximately 10-15 minutes each day to clean Boomer's eyes and ears (20 if she is in a bad mood).  She is such a spritely cat that if you didnt know (or look closer), you wouldnt tell she was blind. There is an unexplained but overwhelming joy when I see her playing, eating and even sleeping. Just a few months ago, this cat was almost as good as dead. Even the vet who is partly responsible why she went blind suggested that she be put to sleep.

Its amazing how kindness and love saw this cat through. I am forever indebted to the wonderful people who have chipped in to help me make Boomer's survival a possibility.

Boomer will hopefully be another happy ever after story. Just like one of the cats we picked up from a potted plant in Singapore. It was a stray cat sleeping in a nasty pot filled with trash. That cat is now a big fat cat, pampered and loved by my mother in law in the USA. One day, Boomer's story will be just like that. After her next visit to the veterinary clinic, she will get her vaccination, then later her 6 in 1 shot,  health certificate and finally a clearance from the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Im also working on getting the cats' plane fare money together. Tough but things are slowly falling into place. I wonder if these rat babies are even aware how lucky and loved they are. Little bastards.

Boomer and her tub of toys

Boomer and one of her favorite hang out spots

Boomer playing with her toys

Boomer relaxing with her "kittens"

Boomer can "smell" the canned goods

stealing Dapper's favorite spot

Boomer playing

A True Love Story

Some years back I wasnt this happy. I was disillusioned, somewhat bitter, a little spiteful and very lonely.
Nevertheless I was hopeful with life. I told myself, If the Lord wants single blessedness for me, I vowed I would embrace it and thrive...

emo moments

Then You came along in perfect timing. I found you quite an interesting being. And although I have enjoyed the years of my being alone I never dismissed the idea of wanting to have someone I could call my own (bone rhymes too).

Honeybee from the mail!

more presents from you!

Honeybee's circle of friends..expanding

Kinder egg surprise treats from you ( I wonder where these guys are now by the way)

from me to you with love!

I was glad I was introduced to you at a time I was done with the hang ups from my past.You wrote me daily for 6 months and each letter (and box of goodies!) was just as interesting as the last. 

I was hesitant but curious of you. I never met someone who had so much to say! You were always a wealth of ideas and information. Sometimes crazy trivia too..

Hey Mr, what a nice wallpaper you have

And one day I finally met you. What a vision you were. It was better than the dream.
It was heaven to finally hold you. My feelings were ineffable. You were just too good to be true.

aboard the upper deck of the SBS transit

you asked me to marry you after 6 days..

You are one of the reasons why I believe there is a God. You are the reason I wake up each morning brimming with hope, with love. You are the reason why everything bland seem to have a more unique hue each day. You are the reason why I know everything will be okay...

Marrying you was the best decision I have made in this life. YOU are life changing.


Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband. I am yours now and forever. I love you very much!!!

This is us! Perfect Combination.

Disclaimer :

I didnt particularly write this to make it rhyme by the way. But when the first few lines came out the way it did, I felt I had to follow the flow. hahaha

The thought of you just make me so playful, a little cheesy and poetic. hehehe

Daily thoughts - A productive day Yey!

Ive been really lazy the past few weeks, actually, the past months. I have been putting off some important chores and today despite being sleep deprived I dragged myself out of bed and went to the city.

I had to get my clearance signed from my previous local employer.  I left my last job in the Philippines 4 years ago. I never got around to being cleared from the company. I asked my younger brother back then to do it since he was still with the company when I left. He stayed with JP Morgan Chase for a few months until he resigned on January 2008. He had enough time to work on our clearance but the asshole just didnt do it.
 I dont know what his excuse is but if Im lazy, he is worse. Ironically, I ended up taking care of both our clerance papers.

I started getting some of the signatures of the officers in charge from each department last year around August. Unfortunately, everytime Id go to the office at the Bonifacio Global City, the team manager who was handling our group back in 2006-2007, always wasnt around. I also found out that he goes to work in the evening and leaves the office around 6AM. It was impossible for me to go to the office during those unholy hours. So I kept putting off that paper until today.

It was a weird but wonderful coincidence, that I saw the guy (team manager) today at one of the JPMorgan Chase offices. I was waiting for the Security office to call my name when I saw him walking through the electronic turnstiles . I ran up to him and explained my situation. He couldnt even remember me anymore. When I mentioned the name of my baby brother, he said oh yeah, your twin! hahaha its  was funny hearing that. When me and my little brother were employed back in 2006, we told everyone we were twins. We didnt know that this rumor would go around the whole office. Even by the time I was packing up to leave, people still believed it although I was already telling them it was just a joke.  Anyway Im kinda glad he remembered me through my brother, otherwise he probably wouldnt have signed my clearance.

Another interesting thing was each of the department that I visited looked at the clearance paper and would look at me, shake their head and smile. One even remarked, WTH? Antique nato ah! The clearance paper is 4 years old and still bears the old Chase logo and address.  The old Chase office was in Philam life building 4 years ago. They occupied only a few floors. Their back office is still there when I checked last year. But JPMorgan Chase seemed to have really thrived because when I came back from Singapore last year, I was in complete awe when I saw their fabulous buildings at the Fort.


I am glad I was able to take care of the clearance paper within the day. The guy from the mail office told me that I would hear from them within 30-45 days.Yey moola hopefully. That could solve my dilemma on where to get the money for the cats' plane fare.

Aside from my clearance, I was able to also visit the Singapore Embassy today to get some documents printed out. I'll have to come back on Friday to pick it up.

I had lunch at Pancake House and I was so stuffed that I had to walk around the Fort for awhile because I was so full it was uncomfortable. So much for gluttony. I went to a sports shop and looked around but realized everything on display were expensive. I bought a map for 99PHP. at first I was even debating with myself whether I should get it or not. But realizing that I have many more future trips to make before I leave the country, I might as well get the map since I am a commuter. I could borrow my brother's truck but its a gas guzzler and a day's trip would cost me 500PHP just on gas. On the other hand, if I commute, I can eat at a good restaurant and still have extra money for a bavarian donut or some sweet treat.

I left the Chase building around 4PM and boarded the Fort bus en route to the MRT. When I got to the train platform, I heard a woman screaming at some guy who I think copped a feel. Some people were craning their necks to check out what was happening. When the MRT came by we all hurried up to board the train like nothing out of the ordinary happened.Thank God the MRT was'nt as jampacked today like it usually is.

I got off at Shaw Blvd Station and went to Megamall. Initially I was planning to head home to my baby girls but I was tempted to walk around the mall and enjoy the airconditioning for awhile. It was drizzling outside but was strangely hot and humid. I looked around the mall and got myself some fancy treats at Body Shop to celebrate my "productive" day. The lady there also gave me a makeover! hahaha it was interesting. I had fun being their guinea pig.

I grabbed a bite at Chicken Bon Chon before heading out of the mall.

The ride home was an hour long and I kept dozing off because the ac in the van was really cool and relaxing. My head was bobbing around so much I was dizzy when I finally got off at my destination in town. One more ride to my house. The tricycle ride was horrible though. The front part of the carriage didnt even have a window and you wouldnt even see it if death was about to smack you in the face. You wont be able to scream even if another vehicle was coming at you. Only the driver could. Its crazy how that particular tricyle was built. Piece of shit vehicle. I dont dislike tricycles, I hated this one though. Also, the damn driver probably thought we would be impressed with his "daredevil" way of maneuvering the wheel. Holy God I swear I never prayed so hard until today.

It was dark, drizzling and this guy just seemed oblivious to all that. It was a nightmare that lasted for some 15 minutes. Not to mention the motorcycle's exhaust was so strong it made me and the other girl teary eyed. We also had  to bury our faces in our shirt. Thank God I made it home in one piece.

I was happy for the eventful day but disappointed to find out that the dogs at home didnt get to eat. I was too tired to make them anything so I just give them some slices of bread for the night. The cats downstairs had some kibbles. Tomorrow Ill have to make them some decent meal. I really pity these animals. Nobody in this house seems to give a shit about them at all. Its like people who live in this house think that animals can just magically produce their own food! Ill rant again about that some other time. The dogs and cats will make do with the small portion tonight.

As for me its time to hit the sack. Really glad I can cross out two activities from my TO DO list.

Cat complaint of the day - cats humping

Squid and Maki are two tomcats who are also siblings.

June 2010

They are both 1 year old now. As you can see in the photo below, there is something very disturbing with the image.

Maki, a tomcat is trying to hump Squid another tomcat, and they are siblings too. Abomination!

June 2011 (this evening)

Shameless bastards.

Happy Father's Day!!

Dearest Daddy

Hello Daddy. I miss you. Today me and my 3 brothers had a small celebration. We had food and some beer. It has been awhile since me and my 3 brothers got together like this. It would have been perfect if you were here too.

Last year I am glad I came home to celebrate Father's day with you and the family. Who would have thought it would be the last one where you could be physically with us.. I remember getting up early and going to Shopwise to buy groceries so we could prepare dinner.

I remember how excited you were that day. Your appreciation and smile were priceless..What Id give to do it all over again, every year if only you were here. 

Dad, finally after several months, I can think of you and I dont have to cry (for at least a few minutes). Im happier now and I know you will also be happy to know that I am.. You are in a better place and the great memories you left behind will always remind me how blessed I am to have had a great father like you. Not a day goes by that I dont think of you.

I remember when I was little and you would bring me to school in Pasig. We would walk hand in hand on that road that stretched like forever all the way to the gates of the school. Sometimes, people would offer us a ride and youd be in your chatty mode and thank the driver profusely for that 1-2 minute ride.

Even after many years I still remember how Id feel so sad when it was time for you to drop me off and you'd be on your way to work. I couldnt wait for you to pick me up after class. Our ritual before heading home was a trip to the hotdog stand at Edsa Central and youd get me a footlong or whatever it was I wanted, and also a cup of pineapple juice. 

In College, I would never forget how you would always bring me breakfast to my dorm at 6-630 in the morning from Monday to Friday. Then you would leave to go to work. I remember that my dorm was out of the way but still you would do that everyday for 4 years. Also during that time when I was 15-19 years old you would still prepare a goodie bag for me almost everyday. You would put chocolates, small jellos, candies and other sweet stuff like you did for us when we were younger. Also, if your budget allowed it, there was a yakult youd throw in the bag as well. 

Even when I was already an adult, you never stopped caring for me. I recall how you looked after me when I was hospitalised while I was a first year student in Medical school. And on my final year, you spent 3 hours to commute all the way to my dorm again when I had pneumonia, just to make sure I had the medicines I needed. You didnt leave until the next day, until you were certain I was going to be okay. 

I got my heart broken one time and it was unbearable, but you stood by me. You told me that seeing me cry was the worst pain you ever felt in your life. I had to pretend from then on that I was fine, I couldnt bear to see you get hurt again. It was bad enough that I was already hurting, it was unfair for you to also feel my pain.  And thank God I was able to get over that. Thanks also to you..

How can I forget how happy you were to meet the man of my dreams. How proud and ecstatic you were like it was you who was getting married too. Guess what Dad? He is just like you, the epitome of everything I want in a man. He is also happy to know that you approve of him for me and he loves you and misses you just like I do.

So on this day and everyday, please remember I celebrate  YOU. All the good I am right now I am sure came from you. And as for the bad, Im working on improving that part of myself. I want you to always be proud of me. 

Dad, you were always worried that you werent able to provide me with the things you thought I needed because you were always broke. You have given me so much more than you can ever imagine.One day I hope I can also impart the kind of selfless love to my kids.

I love you Dad and Im the proudest girl in the world to have a great Father like you.

Daily thoughts - Santacruzan

Last May 29 I was cooking puttanesca for lunch when I heard firecrackers and a band in the neighborhood. I had no clue what was going on so I just finished cooking and fed the animals in the house.

I went out to find my adorable niece dressed in an old rose colored frock. She is so cute!

my cute niece

This parade made me smile. It also mad me a little nostalgic. I remember I used to hate it when they would force me to wear a dress and join the santacruzan when i was a kid. i also developed hives from the makeup and the itchy outfit.