Shoichi Kondoh

With this blog entry, I wish to convey, on behalf of the Filipinos worldwide, our gratitude from the bottom of our hearts to all people from around the world and their countries who unselfishly poured their support to the victims and survivors of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). We will always remember.

One of the most powerful storms on record, Yolanda claimed nearly 6,000 lives and destroyed many cities in the Visayas region of the Philippines. During the wake of the tragedy, the country has received an outpouring of international support. In fact, it was very clear and widely known that the entire world scrambled to help.

Personally though, there's this individual I will never forget... a 6-year-old Japanese kid named Shoichi Kondoh. A week after the storm hit the Philippines, this boy went to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and gave away his piggy bank savings of 5,000 Japanese Yen (almost 2,200 Pesos) when he found out about our country's predicament on television. When I first read about this, my heart melted.

Shoichi, accompanied by his mother Miho, making his donation at the embassy (Photo by:  R.Gavino from http://tokyo.philembassy.net)

Because one kind deed deserves another, a group of Filipinos here and abroad came up with the idea of sending this boy a humble present that would be sent anonymously to remind him of the people he had helped and would give an impression that it came from the Filipino people in general. So a month later, the Philippine embassy was able to find Shoichi and handed him the package: a nicely-wrapped present, the size of a shoe box, containing four small jeepney toys and an “I LOVE PH” shirt.

Now, just look at that bright smile on his face after receiving his surprise!

(Photo from the Philippine embassy in Tokyo)

Kudos to that anonymous group!

In my opinion, his parents deserve gifts too for raising him so well! :)

Introducing... MOLEE

Our Molee is the biggest of our three cats.

On his first day with us, he was the most elusive of the three. He immediately ran and hid under a pile of old pillows as soon as we opened the basket (that carried them) when we got home. We couldn't coax him to come out of there and play. He just stayed there for hours. He was kinda aloof for a couple more weeks and would often be hiding most of the time under the bench, under the bed, under the stove rack, and even under the sink. But when he finally started getting used to the people living in the house, he was more visible. Actually, he became the MOST visible.

(Hiding under the stack of pillows on the first day...)






If you look at Molee's head, you will notice the proportioned fur markings on his whole face. I love that perfect black triangle mark that covered his entire nose. It makes his nose appear really big and I would tease Bry that Molee is a cat version of him, haha! He also has facial markings that made him look like he has a little mustache and a goatee! And these make him seem like a mean looking cat! He's got black tail (which is somewhat crooked), his ears are black and the back of his four legs are all black as well! His paw pads are dark brown.
Though he is the biggest, he has the tiniest, highest pitched 'meow' of them all. It's really weird and we find it funny because it seems that the sound does not come from him at all! LOL

Molee is the most disciplined. We can actually prepare our meal and eat without fear of our food getting snatched or stolen by him. While we're eating, he would just sit quietly close by without demanding to be fed. He also rarely climbs up fixtures and very seldom do I see him scratching on furniture.

I consider Molee my bed buddy. He would jump up the bed and sit or lay beside me while I'm reading a book/magazine or playing games on my iPod Touch and would even take a nap sometimes. There were also instances wherein I would wake up and find him sleeping in between Bry and me on the bed, haha! And I love that he doesn't mind or walk out on us when we pet/stroke/hug him while he sits and rest. He's the most huggable, probably because the other two are much skinnier and smaller than him. 

When Bry's at home on his rest days, Molee would be following him around the house. Wether he's in the kitchen, doing laundry, or using the toilet, Molee tags along.

We had to buy Molee a collar twice! The first one we got him is  maroon/black/white but the buckle got broken so we bought him a new one which is green.

Bored in their cage...

While Molee seems to be the sweetest angel, he really is NOT! Usually when not much people are around, I would catch him pestering the other two. He would often attack and bite Kelee on her back and pounce on Tuxedo who is just usually sitting by himself and minding his own business. He would also be the one who usually rings the others into an enormous burst of energy and all three of them would be running like crazy, sprinting from one end of the house to the other. And they would do this mostly at night which is not good because they'd be running all over sleeping people and Bry's parents would get awaken and be so pissed! Hehe.

Yes, he could be naughty sometimes but he is never antagonizing. He was never greedy when it comes to food and space (his other siblings would be sleeping outstretched in the cage and he'd just be in one corner sleeping in the most awkward position). He is an ideal big brother- so generous!

But Molee's got this really weird habit... whenever I use the bathroom in the evening before going to work, he would try to get in the shower curtain and if I drive him away, he'll climb up the beams so he can see what I'm doing in there!!! He watches me while I do bathroom business! Look at these pics...

It is also strange that he likes sleeping in buckets...

And just like any other cat, he likes to go inside huge bags and hang out in boxes...

Meow :3

Our Furry Babies

Four months ago (June), Bry and I adopted three kittens. They were only three months old then.

This was the basket we used when we picked them up from the original owner:

People who know me too well asked me, "WHY CATS? YOU HATE CATS!"

Well, why not? I DO NOT hate cats. It's just that I grew up with dogs around the house all the time (my dad's a vet) so I've spent most of my life having hands-on experience with dogs. There was no way we could take care of cats back then because my grandmother is a dog lover and she believes that cats and dogs do not get along. I grew up believing that too. Looking back, I used to think that cats are evil and manipulative, LOL. I don't remember exactly what made me thought of them that way. I used to bring home assorted animals (e.g. kittens, bugs/insects, birds, bats, worms, etc.) all the time and my grandmother would go ballistic! I guess the incident that made me less amorous towards cats was when I snuck in a stray kitty so I could give it some milk and food (I was 16 years old that time). It looked so hungry, harmless and helpless that my heart broke. I even thought of keeping it in my room and caring for it secretly but had second thoughts because I didn't wanna get into trouble. After feeding it, I went to check if the coast was clear so I can go release it back outside. After just less than a minute, I heard utensils falling off the dining table. I ran to check and I found it on the table dragging away a huge chunk of beefsteak that my grandmother cooked for dinner. I hurriedly went closer to grab it off the table and it scratched my arm while struggling vigorously. "You ungrateful animal!", I yelled as it rushed through the open door. I was no longer very fond of cats after that...

...until I started going out with Bry two years ago. He would often tell me stories about the three generations of cats that his family had taken care of. And being a good storyteller that he is, I was always entertained and amazed by what cats could do. To make the story short, Bry made me realize how awesome cats actually are! So when this rare opportunity came to have crossbred cats for free (the father's a Siamese cat and the mother's a pusspin), I did not have second thoughts! I contacted the owner right away and arranged for the pick up of the kittens. And the rest is history!

So here are our cute furry babies, now 7 months old... 

From left to right: KELEE, TUXEDO, and MOLEE

28th

(Deep breath...) Oh-kay. I really don't know how to start this one... but I really want to apologize first (to my imaginary readers! hehe) for not being consistent and not being able to update my blogs (I have two) often. I know I've promise a gazillion times that I will frequently write but I just couldn't find time and inspiration.

Time- I have found this a couple of weeks ago, actually, when I lost two other jobs. But time alone isn't much of a help without inspiration. That's just me maybe, I don't know about you guys. Having plenty of time but without inspiration, I'd just be procrastinating.

or maybe... yeah... I'm just downright LAZY! pffft!

So... here goes...

It's my 28th birthday (although the date here says Oct.22nd, western time zone I guess). Nothing special. No party or celebration whatsoever. But I do have plans to have dinner with a couple of friends this weekend. Just plain dinner at a resto. No drinking or partying or anything like that. I don't know why I feel this way, but I feel really old now.

I've been telling myself this for years and I will tell myself again: "Maeka, be more productive this year. The time is now to reach for your dreams." I'm taking bigger steps now. I hope it's not too late for me.

Actually, I couldn't ask for more this year. Our new house in Lancaster Estates was finally endorsed; I became a crazy cat lady (we adopted 3 kittens a few months ago); I got new eyeglasses (thank God! my old one lasted 3 years!); and I was interviewed by Marc Logan (although the supposed show never made it on TV, LOL!); etc...  It rained blessings! I really couldn't ask for more! Well maybe just a little more like being debt free...? >.<

Call me shallow, but I look forward to birthday greetings on my Facebook wall/timeline every year. A Japanese Facebook friend of mine greeted me as early as two days ago. One of my closest friends in high school greeted me yesterday. But today, on the day of my birthday, Bry greeted me first. I was just expecting a simple 'Happy Birthday' greeting from him on my timeline. I mean I just didn't expect him to exert more effort than that. But he surprised me.

I had two drops of tears ran down my cheeks... and I've never felt more loved, more blessed, more inspired!  My heart pounded as if wanting to get out of my body. It's true that love must be shown thru actions or deeds, but it suddenly struck me how important it is to hear (or read, in this case) sweet words from your loved-ones too. I just... MELTED!

Then I probed as to how he wrote such a beautiful message because I just wanted to make sure these words really came from his heart and not just copied anywhere! Haha! I know it sounds like I was underestimating him, but no. In the earlier stages of our relationship, we used to write each other love notes all the time so I know he has this talent to write stuff that would make girls fall head over heels. Then for no apparent reason, it abruptly stopped. Anyway, his birthday message kinda triggered me not only to revive our exchanging of love notes but also to blog today.

And I'm hoping it doesn't stop here. I'm inspired to write more! I'll definitely try to blog more tonight. :)

My Recent Trip

NO.

I don't mean 'trip' like a journey or excursion for pleasure but the other meaning of 'trip' which is to catch one's foot on something and stumble or fall.

That TRIP. >.<

On my way to work one evening last week, I was running a little late that's why I was kinda walking really fast from Shaw boulevard going to EDSA so I can get aboard a bus that will take me to Ayala. As I was approaching the loading zone (in front of Starmall), I failed to notice the elevated part of the sidewalk... so I tripped and went flying into the road. Then it was like that scene from 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' wherein I felt as if time slowed down. I was thinking that I was going to fall flat on my face and that a bus might run me over. To my surprise, I landed on both feet in a somewhat squatting position... Thank goodness there weren't any moving buses close by because it's a loading zone. Of course I still felt embarrassed but what the hell, I'm safe. Aboard a bus, I was analyzing what had just happened because I wasn't hurt (no scratches or whatsoever) and had somehow done an amazing leap like that... then I suddenly came to realize one thing...

I am indeed... A CAT!

My First Tattoo

After going to the Dutdutan Tattoo Convention last year with Bry, I promised myself to get inked before my 27th birthday. Promise---BROKEN. >.<

But this is one of the many crazy things I really wanna do in my existence ('Crazy' because I know most relatives of mine and some people close to me strongly disagree with it. And I think my Dad doesn't know yet but there's a 70% chance he will disown me once he finds out >.<). So I decided (yet again) to get it done this year, 5 months before my 28th birthday.

There were a few things I had to consider but unlike other first timers, pain is the least of my worries (I've already given birth for goodness sake!). The idea of  REGRET was what bothered me the most. I didn't wanna feel regretful so I was very careful in choosing the design and the part of my body to put it on. Doing research helped me a lot. Other than Bry, I even talked to some people who've already gone under the needle just to know what to expect at my first tattoo session. I went looking for a tattoo artist with a good reputation on the internet to make sure that I get the best experience and that I don't end up sick with blood borne diseases (e.g. tetanus, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, etc.) and skin infections (e.g. granuloma). Another thing I needed to consider was how much it would cost me. I was not willing to pay too much. Originally, I wasn't really planning on getting a big one right away so my budget for a 2x2 colored tattoo was 1,500Php. 

I also did some soul searching to come up with my own design 'coz I don't ever wanna see my tattoo design on another person's body that's why I made sure it will be unique. So here was my original 2x2 design...

 A cat paw print symbolizes my love for animals...  3 symbols on top (digital pads) are our zodiac signs, left to right: Sagittarius (Ash), Scorpio (me), Libra (Bry)... then below (metacarpal pad) is the Chinese character for Ox (1985- me and Bry's birthyear)...

On the night of May 22nd I was lucky enough to come across this page on Sulit.com.ph and I was impressed by the guy's work. Moreover, he had a promo going  on called 'May Madness' wherein he would only be charging 500Php for any tattoo design up to the size of 3x5 for his first 50 customers for the month of May. I contacted him the following morning and was easily able to get an appointment for me and Bry. By that time, I thought of changing my design because of the promo - I might as well get a bigger one. I started thinking about getting a 'dream catcher' instead. But then again, I didn't want my original design to go to waste. So I decided to put these two designs together and I came up with this final design: 

Bry acceded with my design and I with his. We had them printed and we were all set. Came the morning of May 25th. Bry and I both just finished work and we haven't had any sleep yet but we went straight to Mad Ink Tattoo Shop in Parang, Marikina for our 11AM appointment. I was having mixed emotions. It was like being excited and nervous at the same time. To get rid of that weird feeling, I had originally planned on getting myself drunk before the session but I found out just in time doing that would lead to excess bleeding during the process. So I just calmed myself down on the way there. The place was not difficult to find and the tattoo artist was very professional and accommodating (even served us ice cold Coca-Cola). 

Okay, I know you wanna see the pictures... Here they are:

Here's me before the session     ===========================>>>>>

ALL SMILES!

From Left to Right: 1) Mr.Rizaldy Panganiban, our tattoo artist, preparing; 2) my plain right upper arm; 3) moistening the area for pattern transfer; 4) pattern successfully transferred

Here's me after the session     ===========================>>>>>

Still... ALL SMILES!

Okay... Bryan's turn...

From Left to Right: 1) Mr.Rizaldy Panganiban, our tattoo artist, preparing; 2) pattern successfully transferred; 3) needles doing their job  

So there.

I just feel compelled to let you know one thing.... YES, IT DOES HURT during the first minute. After that your skin goes numb and you wouldn't really feel much. Did I bleed? Nope. Neither did Bry. I think that will depend on your tattoo artist. I love our overall experience with Mr.Rizaldy Panganiban. He works fast, very efficient and  I would not have second thoughts going back to him for a second tattoo ;)

Check some of his work on Facebook (click here). I highly recommend him. ^_^