Merry Christmas!

From the bottom of our hearts, 

we wish everyone of you a  Merry Christmas.

Your friendship has been a great blessing to us all these years!

                              

From the Animal Doctor, Secretary, Human Pup, and our furry crew: Moymoy, Jappy, Trudis, Scarlet, Bambi, Woody and our cat  Poohsie

And to all a good night!

[source]

Happy holidays!

May we celebrate and be thankful for the things in life we truly live for. Peace on earth, and goodwill to all men!

These holidays, I am thankful for...

... family reunions big and small.

.. good food shared with great company. 

... unexpectedly geeking out and squeeing with fabulous cousins and friends, gay, straight, and more. 

... a pint-sized princess of a kitten. 

... the feel of yarn and kitting needles. 

... heaps of pretty, pretty fabric to play with. 

... pretty, pretty Christmas lights. 

... Sea monkeys.

... discovering and enjoying the past decade's TV shows for the first time.

... RuPaul's Drag Race Seasons 1 and 2.. 

... surprise packages from relatives across the globe. 

... hanging out sleepless with good friends, and talking about silly things. 

... the hand-made goodies that come with said friends. ^_^"

... friends who get me with books, videos, links, and more food for thought.

... friends I share girl time, secrets, and crafting joys with.

... learning from online buddies. 

... scrumptious old-fashioned bibingka galapong ang puto bumbong. 

... sewing machine hijinks and conundrums, for clarity of thought.

... flying paper lanterns to try out with my dad come New Year's.

... delicious food discoveries, and sharing them with loved ones.

... a job I love, and great bosses who cheer me on to do my best. 

... exploration and inspiration, in all forms. 

... a mom who supports me in my decisions 100%. 

... a dad who teaches me wisdom and balances me out. 

... long, restful naps. 

.. anime series marathons. 

.. escapes to comic and anime conventions, and making mundane tasks a joy to do.

... cuddle time. 

... crunch time. 

... a wonderful and amazing partner who makes all the above possible, and makes life an adventure. 

... permission from the Universe and myself to enjoy life, to pick myself up after a stumble and laugh it off, to shine, and to feel good about myself.

There are probably so many other aspects of my 2010 that I do feel thankful for, but elude me at the moment. For all these, and so much, much more, I am grateful. 

What are you thankful for these holidays?

Fire teh laz0rs!

Meet my new surveillance and security system. 

Mink has taken her aptitude for climbing a few feet further, and has breached the eight-foot high firewall. This is now her second favorite spot, where she can enjoy the chilly breeze and annoy the hounds next door from somewhere safe. 

She will also not hesitate to disable intruders on sight. You have been warned. 

Of course, she does come down to behave like a sweet little kitty again, but only when she wants to. 

Mink, further annoying the dogs. 

Mink inspecting our neighbor's side of  the matter. 

They speak not against her, and that pleases her. Greatly.

For now, only a constant offering of kibbles and cuddling can placate this --eherm-- ferocious beast. Indeed, what is to become of us? 

Sequins and Paint: Behind the Scenes

 

 12-05-10; Sunday -- Decided the paper-quilling idea might be too risky and time-consuming, and settled on a mask curtain to work within the time and resources available at the moment. James reinforced the mask curtain idea, and calmed me down every time I went haywire and anxious. Bought the materials; had forgotten how jam-packed crazy malls can be in December. 

 

 12-06-10; Monday -- Received word from HR -- we finally have great ceiling swags for the venue! Prettier venue, and sort-of less work for me. Was given the Go signal to bring the materials to the office and start working in one of the small meeting rooms. 

12-07-10; Tuesday -- Hauled materials to the office. Working space was a cute little meeting room called Boracay. Bright, quiet, private, and verrrrrry cold. Happily spent most of my break time there; much more thankful for long stretches of lesson-free hours and curious company.

Very, very thankful too for good friends who were very happy to help out and see projects like these as play-time. Great conversation and tips and giggles made the work lighter. Days in the sun are reserved for people like these. 

Painting time felt very much like happy, light kindergarten days. I like remembering it that way. 

Boss Cindy also came over to check on us -- Jiselle, AJ, and I. She said, "Wow! That really looks like a lot of fun." "We're playing," I reply. "Want to join?" She looks longingly at the mess of paints and brushes and glue and glitter and sequins, then back to her office, then back to us, then back to the office, and very bravely says, "Um... just like kids say: I need to study, eh." :( Aaaw, boss. Would've been great if she could have sneaked out for a few minutes to paint with us, though. :)

Jiselle, AJ, and I decided to call it a day at 6:am. Still had lessons to give at 4:00pm the same day, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Jiselle and I; 5:30am the next day. 

 

AJ inspecting her new tattoo; 5:30am the next day. 

12-08-10; Wednesday --  Rinse, and repeat. Came to work, gave lessons, retreated to Boracay for quiet painting and gluing. Jiselle was on holiday, and AJ popped in every now and then to paint when I was away. Managed to loop another co-worker, JV, into our fun mess. He gave about three or four of the masks a grand Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso treatment. Aj joined in after her lessons; great conversation and laughs ensue. Went home at 6:00am again. 

12-09-10; Thursday -- Forgot it was a Thursday,and realized waaaay later that painting and decorating the masks was about 90% done. Ergo, no need to get in a tizzy. Was thankful Olive, one of our training admin., offered to paint some of the masks during her free time. I found it a cheerful thing to share some happiness in painting the masks for fun with her.  Managed to go home and rest up for the first time in a long while.

 

12-10-10; Friday -- Day before the big day. Rushed to the office at 10:00am so Rosie from our HR Department and I could pick up the tarpaulin backdrop for the stage, and finally decide and prep the areas to decorate. Did our best to grab some shut-eye in the company van. Arrived on-site. The ceiling swags were set up; the hanging crystals and the sweeping cloth was gorgeous. Rosie and I decided with a ceiling like this, it'd be best if we invested the masks as a wall, and maybe a line to frame one side of the slideshow projection. After a quick lunch, we set to work setting up the nylon threads. Am very thankful Rosie is used to heights on a ladder. She told me she used to be a cheerleader in high school and college.I think that's neat.

Light of Love truly is an amazing place. the walkways, the manicured hedges, abundance of trees, greenery, and quiet pleasantness provided a welcome retreat from the hubbub of the city. The lamp lights made me catch my breath, and everything else followed suit. I couldn't help but think to myself: this would be a perfect site for a photo shoot of my gothic lolita line. Well, one day.

Just to give you an idea, here's a quick view of what the venue really looked like. Featured in the photos will be Miss Rosie, ever-chic, can-do, and making our HR the awesome department it is: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12-11-10; Saturday -- James and I retired as soon as we could to face the long night ahead of us. We packed our party clothes and our masks, managed to put some food into ourselves, and hied off to Eastwood to catch the earliest shuttle trip to the venue. James put up with quite a lot with me around; I can be such a terrible klutz at times, but I am so thankful for his constant support and encouragement. 

We arrived in good time, and found unexpected changes in the floor plan. No matter, we could easily adapt and find ways around it. we taped up on the remaining nylon threads, as well as decorated the beer station and the air-conditioners. this meant me climbing on seats, running around, and squeezing into crannies, and James patiently tearing tape, sticking them onto the masks, peeling off the backing, and handing mask after mask to me as I needed.We managed to finish all 77 masks -- 77! Soon as we were done, we left to freshen up and dress for the event. 

Our job was done, and all we needed to do now was kick back, and enjoy the rest of the night. The wall could fend for itself, and well, it's up. Best be happy with what we could do. ^_^* 

 

James and I in masks. 

 

Alliver and PJ. 

 

Monette, Florence, and Joy Anne in front of the wall. <3

(as borrowed from Florence)

The wall at the end of the night. 

 Looking back, I find a part of me wishing I could've done more. Made prettier or more elaborate masks; cover the walls with them, maybe even have the staff wear smaller versions. Anything. Everything, just better. At the end of the day, I guess the most important thing really is that everyone at the party had fun. If they admired the wall or thought it'd make a great backdrop, or even nicked a few of the masks to take home as souvenirs, great! That's icing on the cake for me, and I am grateful for that kind of appreciation. If not, ah well, that's that. I'm just grateful to have accomplished what I was tasked to do, and do it as best I could. 

 My heart and thanks go out to dear friends who have lent their time, creativity, hands, ears and what-have-you to the conclusion of this project. Thanks to them, I was saved from frayed nerves, anxiety attacks, and fainting, and am still here typing away at this post. My thanks go out to our HR department and Boss Cindy for being so supportive and encouraging to the very end. 

In the end, that's that. This is a first, I think. Maybe not the first in many assignments, or maybe yes, but definitely a first. It's alright, I guess. ^_^*

Power of the paws for Lorenza

Lorenza has a lot of pretty dresses in her closet, but this one is our favorite.

We just learned that our dear friend Lorenza had surgery for the removal of her kidney stones! Please cross your paws and fingers for our friend, join us in praying for her quick recovery. We can just imagine how Mom Veronica must be feeling right now. We know how difficult it is to see our beloved pets suffer and go through an illness.

An update on Trudis: Thank God, she has not yet manifested the symptoms listed by our friend Jasper via his comment to this post. But we are so bothered by her continuing weight loss. Trudis is wasting away no matter how often and how much she eats. She is getting treatment and supportive care for her heart and lungs but we need to treat the underlying illness  that  affected  these organs.  It is so frustrating that such illness remains elusive  because the definitive diagnostic tools and procedures are beyond our reach. We are giving her a few more weeks to see if she will puts on weight, then we can say we are on the right track. 

Thank you all for your support.  We are sending healing vibes to all the doggies and kitties and all animals in need out there. 

~The Secretary

Weekend-long after-party glow, sort of.

{photo by Leo Lambert David}

Party's done. So much work, so many happy people, so much fun. 

I'm happy to say James and I have now sort of recuperated from this past Saturday's escapade, and I'm just so glad the party turned out quite grandly. 

More details to come, once a few things are in order. 

Isn't Leo's shot lovely? ^_^*

Trudis has corpulmonale

This just got in. I got a call from the Animal Doctor after their appointment at the U.P Vet Teaching Hospital. Its confirmed, our adopted dog Trudis has cor pulmonale. This is just what I got so far from the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library:

Cor pulmonale is right ventricular enlargement secondary to a lung disorder that produces pulmonary artery hypertension. Right ventricular failure follows. Findings include peripheral edema, neck vein distention, hepatomegaly, and a parasternal lift. Diagnosis is clinical and by echocardiography. Treatment is directed at the cause.

Trudis has pulmonary congestion

Just a quick update from the Secretary:

Our adopted asong pinoy*, Trudis has conjestion in her lungs. The Animal Doctor 's colleagues who saw the xray films via Facebook agree that Trudis' heart might  be involved. To confirm this, Trudis and the Animal Doctor went this afternoon to the University of the Philippines( U.P) Diliman Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Trudis will get  an electrocardiogram (ECG) examination and a second opinion from the Animal Doc's former professors and collegues.

Trudis is on antibiotic; her nasal discharge has lessened a bit.  She still hasnt put on weight  despite her five meals a day and pancreatic enzyme replacements. We hope we will solve the mystery behind Trudis' excessive weight loss and fight this diseases, whatever it is.

Again, thanks to the  Animal Doctor for being on top of this case. I am  likewise grateful for the outpour of support and positive vibes we are getting from all of you. Our online friend Jasper who lives all the way from UK has even offered to help us with the trypsin immunureactive test ( for pancreatic insufficiency) because its available in his country. Maybe our super dog friend Sweepy can fly Trudis over there? We will let you know  of our next move.

* another term for a mix breed( mongrel) dog in the Philippines

pUpdate on Trudis

A message from Trudis:

Awww, I am so touched by your thoughtfullness, my dearest furriends. Thank you so much for all the healing vibes you  sent me. I will try to get better for you, and besides I cannot be absent on our yearly christmas feeding of street animals. I love you all!

Message from the Secretary: 

To date, Trudis has the following symptoms, ranked from the degree of severity: weight loss, nasal discharge, dry crusty nose. Her previous elevated SGPT had normalized after treatment with Godex and antibiotics. The Animal Doctor ordered another bloodtest and urinalysis over the weekend, and the results do not seem to point to Canine Diabetes. So what is causing this dog to lose a lot of weight? Her amylase and lipase levels are below normal yet the test- Serum Trypsin-Like Immunoreactivity- which could diagnose  pancreatic insufficiency is nowhere available in our country. I've contacted tertiary diagnostic laboratories and even veterinary laboratories here in Metro Manila, nada. Nevertheless, Trudis has started taking pancreatic enzymes with her meals. If this will abate further weight loss, I wonder if the Animal Doc can go ahead and make a presumptive diagnosis. 

This afternoon, Trudis went to the lab to have her chest xrayed. The Animal Doctor also requested for an examination of her nasal discharge. Will update you with the results.  Thanks for all your concern!

P.S Thanks to the Animal Doc for taking charge of the situation, I am impressed with what you did today!

Decembers are busy.

{source}

Hi everyone. After a super-busy week at work, here I am. Just give me a second, and I'll stop vibrating. 

Alright. 

In the course of the past two weeks, two rather interesting things have happened to Yours Truly. 

The First: I am now a part of our company's newsletter team. Horray, horray! I am currently working on three articles -- two are profiles on AJ's crafting and Mon's armor-making, and another is a short list of DIY gift ideas. I'm glad to say the first article is now done and waiting in the wings for layout work, and the DIY gifts article is in the middle of pruning. I now have a new-found respect for an editor's lot -- fitting important information and panache into a few paragraphs is no joke! All in all, it's good to be writing again. 

The Second: our HR head has recruited me to help decorate the venue for our year-ender Christmas party. 

The venue is HUGE. I'm really glad we managed to find a supplier for decorative ceiling swags and other accouterments. At present, I'm assigned to decorate the stage's backdrop. I'm thinking of experimenting with paper quilling, albeit on a larger scale. This Flickriver gives me a number of interesting ideas. 

The theme for the party is a masquerade, and the motif colors are magenta and gold. Hmmm. A challenge, but not an unsurmountable one. I've a mind to also use other shades of red and purple, and maybe work in some cream. Well, we'll see. 

Update: I think I may have to scrap the paper quilling idea in favor of something simpler. Thinking of making a curtain of masks. We'll see. 

Dream Journal: The P2k Transformer

I woke from a rather pleasant dream Monday morning, and I'm going to write it down just so I won't forget about it.  Or get back to it in case I do.

I was looking through the different wares of a flea-market-cum-used-car-dealership that popped up in Cubao. (Don't ask me. Dreams are interesting that way.) Much to my surprise, I found an old car with this interesting pewter-pinkish paint job. Half of the hood was painted in black, and the block of black was amusingly edged in tiny scallops. It made me think this must have what Nissans looked like in the 80's, albeit its edges were slightly rounder.

Oh, and the car went for P2,000. Verrrrry odd.

for some reason, I felt it was going to be a good deal, so I bought it anyway. I had no idea how I took it home, but one minute, I was looking up at a nine-foot tall Transformer where my car used to be.

Wow. Well. I'm going to have to hide him, aren't I?

He didn't look like any of the transformers I was familiar with. Now that I think about it, he looked like he had an Optimus Prime face  on a Megatron body with a pewter Starscream helmet.

Oh, and he behaved nothing like the three. this 'bot was a big, bashful hunk of metal. curious too. He'd get curious about a streetlight, and try to gently prod it with his finger, break it, and end up hiding and quaking underneath his hands. Poor guy.

Now I wonder how I managed to get him past the gasoline depots without arousing his curiosity. Talk about getting a big pet.

Oh-oh Trudis is in serious trouble!

Okay, it started two weeks ago, when Mom/the Secretary noticed that my older sissie Trudis was not herself ( Mom's used to seeing her bounce off the floor, you see). My sissie is having some nasal discharge and dry , crusty nose.  The Animal Doctor had some blood test done immediately and found out that Trudis had elevated SGPT, slightly low RBC and platelet count. He thought it was a case of viral hepatitis ( we are routinely vaccinated, so what's up with that?) and gave Trudis Godex and Amoxicillin. Another round of blood test showed that my sissie's liver is getting better.

But there is another problem. Trudis is losing weight- fast! She's a pig, eating 4-5 times a day now,sometimes eating papers and stuff she's not supposed to eat. Yet the bones on top of her skull, ribs and hips are showing. This is driving Mom bonkers especially since the Animal Doctor cannot tell yet what's the problem with Trudis.

                                                     Gums and tongue are still pink though...

 

Appetite and water intake still okay. 

Please pray for our sissie Trudis. There are other tests to be done to determine  her illness but  some of these are unavailable in our area.  We shall be coming back with an update.

We miss our online friends so much. Sadly we are unable to leave comments lately but we are so happy to read your posts, especially knowing that you and your humans are happy and well. We love you our friends!

                                                Love and Kisses, Scarlet