I arrived at the Big Apple 2 days ago. Im beyond happy because aside from the fact Im now reunited with the love of my life, the two cats I brought with me here from the Philippines both arrived safely=).
My baby girls
It was quite a painstaking process to get here not just for me but for my two girls, but its all worth it.
After all the papework, everything else fell into place and all I had to worry about was getting on that plane.
From the time I got to the airport at NAIA Terminal 1 in Manila until I arrived at JFK here in NYC, it was relatively painless and surprisingly effortless for me. No questions asked after I presented all my documents. It also helped that I came in very prepared when it came to my cats. I had to pick out the right carrier, have it modified, get the cats their important shots and health certificate. Im glad I took the time to research and get everything ready before my big flight. I was a nervous wreck and a mess from several sleepless nights worrying over whether the cat carrier is airline approved, or if its huge enough to accommodate both cats. I was also worried sick after I read countless stories of animals escaping in other airports or worse freezing to death in the cargo.
I was really lucky I didnt have to experience any of that. My husband also made it a point to get me a very good seat on the plane, by the window with extra leg room (despite my protests that I didnt want him to spend a great deal of money on that). Man, after that ride, I had to thank him profusely for thinking ahead. My plane ride experience was so comfortable. As a bonus also, there were no other passengers seated next to me so I got to enjoy a very wide seat aside from the extra leg room I was already having.
I will write more about the visa process and cat preparation next time but right now all I can say is, Im very very happy to be home. Its going to be an exciting chapter for me, my cats and my wonderful husband.
here are some photos of the first few things that got me excited=)
first squirrel sighting
Some beautiful cats up for adoption at petsmart:
Finally our cats getting settled:
Dapper enjoying the bed
thumper basking in the sun
stuffed toys
cats at the balcony
And of course the welcome dinner for me:
steak, baked potatoes, mushroom and corn on a cob
and the Thanksgiving dinner too:
Green Bean Casserole
Stuffing
sweet potato souffle
turkey
Today's lunch:
Turkey soup
Homemade pumpkin pie
I think I need to do double time on my running now. It'll be hard not to get fat. The food is seriously very good! =)
A few days ago I wrote a sad post about my brother's dog that went missing. We all assumed she was dead or worse eaten by drunkards who like to feast on dogs as pulutan. I will write a more detailed entry about it when I get home tomorrow but I just gave Arnold a bath today. No I didnt bathe a dog carcass but a live one. She is alive!
Im a fan of Manny Pacquiao, actually who isnt in my country? He is an inspiration to all of us. A man from very humble beginnings who started out fighting just so he can help put food on the table. Over the years Ive also watched his rise to the famed fighter he is now.
I didnt get to watch all of his fights in the past but I did watch most of it. Today I went over to my friend's house despite having slept for only 4 hours. I couldnt miss this one since I was sure this fight was going to be unforgettable. This is the third time that Manny and Marquez will be pitted against each other. In the previous fights, it was first a draw then the second match it was Manny Pacquiao who won.
Well today's fight was indeed unforgettable and controversial. Manny won and although Im really a fan, I was a little disappointed. Me and my friends were cheering on and even screaming at every round.We of course were rooting only for the pambansang kamao (national fist! in literal translation). But when the results came out, we were shocked.
Even my friend (who signed up for the pay per view and generously invited me and my brothers) and her family were all stunned with the decision. They also said that even the gestures of Pacquiao showed he seemed to have accepted defeat.
Im still a little confused how they came up with the scores. The truth is it is easier to be happy and celebrate my kababayan's victory .but I just have to be convinced that he truly deserved it. The win wasnt "clear" unlike what Pacquiao thought it was. Otherwise, people wouldnt call it a controversial win.
One friend on facebook even tried to shush me up because he thinks i was making a snide remark and that im not happy with the results. Overkill angst in fact! He was lecturing on facebook about how people should just accept the result and that its time to move on and life isnt fair and we should just be proud of Manny.
Ive always been proud of our boxing champ. Always. And even today I still am. I just am not convinced he won .Im no expert on counting who made the legitimate blows against each
other.I also noticed that they seem to highlight punches Marquez made at every round (you know that part where they show slow mo of the "hits" from every angle of the camera).
Boxing isnt like running where the winner is obvious. So its not fair either to judge who doubted the win.I was just thinking it shouldve been a draw at least.
Marquez is a good fighter without a doubt. I feel bad for him though. But it was the judges' call. And even if Im disappointed, its not Pacquiao's fault he won. Despite the fact Im still surprised of the outcome, I dont think its fair either to let Pacman take the brunt of the judges' decision.
according to compubox:
Well during the first Pacquiao and Marquez Fight though, I thought Pacman shouldve won. It asnt supposed to be a draw.
.
Im hoping for a Pacquio - Marquez IV . The idea is so enticing..
I cant stop lolling after watching this video my husband asked me to check out. Im supposed to be sad today but damn this is really hilarious!
Wiggle wiggle wiggle.Hahahahahaha
My heart bleeds every time a pet dies. And the pain lasts a bit longer when it is a horrible death..Last Monday November 7 2011, I had a small birthday bash at my brother's store. We had a good time. It was nothing fancy. We just had cake and pancit malabon. One of the dogs in the house broke away from its leash and managed to go the store by herself. Our house isnt too far from my brother's store/townhouse. Just the same I find it impressive that eventhough the other townhouses look just like my brother's, their pet dog can figure out which house is my brother's. My brother's pet dog Arnold hung out with us one last time that night.
Arnold a few months ago
I was planning to put up a poster about the RA 8485. In fact I had that listed among my major to do things next week. Now I feel so guilty for not having done it sooner. Here I am talking about how much I love my animals but I wasnt able to do anything when Arnold went missing two days ago. The last time I saw her was on a Tuesday night while I was jogging in front of our house.
I honestly dont know what happened to her but I have an idea.
Several years ago I witnessed the dog next door being butchered by our neighbor. I wanted to report it to the authorities and even called PAWS and was advised to call 117. Unfortunately, I was too much of a coward to do it. I even let my mother dissuade me from doing the right thing. I dont really blame her because she was just worried that these people might retaliate or hurt me if I reported them.
To this day I havent forgotten that incident. I still feel like shit when I recall not being able to do anything about it.
No one wants to get involved. Its not that people are actually just afraid, its worse than that. They just dont seem to care.
There is so much apathy in this neighborhood where I live that killing dogs is like a norm. People just do as they please and not think of the consequences. In fact one of my brothers friends was telling me he doesnt kill dogs but just eats them. What the fuck right? Like he thinks he is any better. It really disgusts me that nothing is being done about this blatant problem. Worse, the current homeowner's association president eats dogs too. I am yet to catch him doing it though but unfortunately I wont be around here too long to do that. I just hope one day he dies of rabies or some horrible disease.
I feel very sad tonight and wanted to rant on it before I went to bed. There is nothing I can do about it anymore..but this is more reason for me to make sure that the baranggay officials here are aware of the RA 8485 and that it is their job to ensure that people do not violate it. Ignorace does not excuse anyone, especially officials like them.
ll go see our Baranggay captain this Monday. Also Ill put one poster up on my brother's store ASAP.
this was a poster I received from PAWS 4 years ago. Im unsure if the penalty is still the same.
I know this will not bring Arnold back. But I hope it can prevent or lessen more animal crimes from happening. It has been 5 years since I witnessed a dog being killed and later on eaten by our neighbor..sadly the plight of the dogs here havent changed over that long period of time.
Goodbye Arnold...I miss and love you very much.. This is for you and for the rest of your furry friends out there.. RIP my beloved girl.
November 1 is a holiday in the Philippines and sometimes even October 31st or November 2. The extra day (if Oct 31 falls on a weekday) is is to allow us Filipinos to have enough time to travel all the way to the province to visit family and of course our dearly departed. Traffic is hell on such a day.
Since my grandparents passed away many years ago ( I was 10 ) it has been a tradition of my family to go to Pampanga. My paternal grandparents, an aunt and cousin are all buried in one cemetery. My Dad has never missed a year visiting his parent's grave eversince they passed away. He usually arrives a few days before the actual All saints or souls day. He ensures that his folks resting place is presentable before other relatives come to visit. He would help his nephews or other sibling spruce up his parent's tombstone and repaint the gate and also the metal foundation used to prop up the tent. Last year things changed though. My Dad passed away on the 30th of September. We spent our November 1st at the cemetery where he was buried.
The trip from my house to the cemetery was swift and not uncomfortable.It took me only 10 minutes to get there. I arrived around 2pm and my brothers and their wives were already there. They also brought other dishes so we can have something to eat while we hung out. I was late because I had to make sure all the pets at home were fed and I had to cook the most important food for the day. My contribution to the gathering was rice. hehehe
The cemetery looked like a huge park and it was teeming with people, tents, tables despite the fact it was drizzling that day. There were also kids everywhere donned in costumes for trick and treating. If not for the headstones, it was like there was a fair on a regular park.
food my brothers' wives prepared
these poor guys didnt have a tent
Here are some photos of kids (and pets) who participated in the trick or treat event:
my niece
our cat Electra
little grim reaper
little lady bug
Igor?
mini hunchback
It turned out a pleasant day although I was still very lonely and I
missed my Dad terribly.We had good food and my niece had fun during the
trick or treating. Our cat had a great time too! He was like a celebrity that day. Sadly he passed away on April 11 this year.
There were fireworks in the evening unfortunately my camera died on me and I wasnt able to take videos. Here was the last photo I took. Its my niece wearing her devil headband.
my little devil
This year the weather was perfect. I couldve gone earlier than 2pm today but I had to feed the cats, do some laundry, cook rice and cocktail hotdogs and later I also had to get some lechon manok in town. I made it to the cemetery around 4PM.
Hello again Daddy
The flowers were beautiful but my brother who bought it wasnt there. This is a once a year event and it was just me, one of my 4 brothers and his wife. The sad part, my Dad has been gone for only a year and its like they have forgotten him already. My mom and grandmother arrived around 7PM.
Oh well, we didnt let that spoil our mood. Besides we brought a lot of good food.
Pancit Malabon, hotdog and lechon manok and rice of course
awesome giant ensaymada I bought from shopwise
Random photos of the cemetery today:
kids trick or treating
"apartment" style grave
candles at night
this is fuzzy but those guys have armalites. yeah overkill security but thats better than no security at all.
flowers on my dad's headstone
cross on the hilltop
food for Daddy
nice flowers
a weird tradition we have over here for the dead where we leave food for them too
apartment style grave at night
Lastly here are videos of the fireworks:
Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. My camera is a little rinky dinky now since Ive had it for 4 years. In case youre wondering why there were 10 instead of just 1 long video, we all thought that the fireworks display was over. Then after a couple of minutes theyd set off another batch.
I will miss the Dia de los Muertos or Undas and the festivities in my country. But what Ill miss most though are the pets in the house. They have been my stressballs and companion for over a year.
