My Cats

I wanted to write about a lot of things last year, but October to December didn’t give me the chance to do so. I was buried with projects from work (which I’m totally thankful for btw) and a lot of other things, such as the preparations for my father’s birthday and cooking for the holidays. We also rescued Picha and I had to foster her for some time before bringing her over to Loon’s place.

It might be too late to post about the other things now, but I will try to bring them up if any opportunity arises in the future. I would like to have a fresh start by introducing my cats. I was supposed to do this way back and now, I’m glad I finally gathered their photos together.

I am only including the cats I took care of since 2013. It seems to be the most convenient and organized point to start from.

I started rescuing kittens in my childhood. I hated seeing newly-born kittens disposed in plastic bags. The adults didn’t allow us, but my cousins and I really wanted to help them, so we did it in secret. We built little houses for them in the empty lot, and we sneaked out food every day. I just wish we were more capable back then. I had to move to Manila for studies when I was 16, and I had to stay in dormitories. After graduation, I had to work there too. I eventually resided in Japan for a couple of years. Needless to say, I was not able to rescue any cat within that timeframe. I started taking care of cats again since 2013. That’s why I figured it would be great to start the list from this period.

To keep the list short, I’m also excluding the kittens that didn’t survive past 1 month old. Of course, they are always in my heart and I will forever remember them. However, there are just too many, since the first few weeks of survival are so critical. During my journey, I also learned a lot about kitten care. If you ever plan to rescue, don’t hesitate to drop me a message, and I will share everything that I know that might help.

Since I have so many cats, I will try to keep their introductions brief too. (In the middle of writing everything, I realized this might actually become my longest blog entry so far. hahaha) I rarely talk about my cats, since people might get sick of hearing too much about them, or might not care at all. But hey, this is my blog and I write this for myself so bear with it!

These are my current cats.

• LIIT – She was originally my neighbor’s cat. She first peeked in our veranda, and started coming over everyday when I gave her food. She often played with me and slept on my lap. Eventually, she decided to live here for good. We named her Liit because of her small frame and youthful looks. Despite looking like a 1 year old kitten, she’s actually the oldest of the bunch (along with Monching). Sometimes, we also call her Estrella. She is Tetoy’s most beloved kitty. She recently had a toothache but she’s doing better now. Favorite toy: velvet slippers. She’s also a master of smartphone games for cats. She’s now spayed.
• MONCHING – Liit’s brother. After a week or so, he started coming along with Liit. Despite being beaten up by Tetoy back in the days, he’s the aggressive boss of our turf now. He loves female cats, especially Liit (siscon), and he kills kittens on his free time. He also managed to kill Tetoy and Liit’s only kitten. At one point, we wondered what his real name could be, and we came up with something random: Monching. We also call him “Rain Lord” because he used to meow so hard everytime it was going to rain, as if he was summoning it. He loves to peek through my bedroom window like a stalker.
• MINIMOE – a.k.a Amazona. She’s so pretty and the male cats love her, but despite looking like that, she can really fight like a tom. Her mother was a stray cat named “Moe”. She looked like a tiny version of her when she was a kitten, so we called her Minimoe. The neighbor’s cats love her so much they keep on chasing her even if she’s already spayed. She’s a tough cookie but she’s very sweet when socializing with humans. She loves being rubbed all over, and would purr and lie down for more. She’s too mature for playtime.
• CAO – We used to bully him by playfully calling him “ugly” when he was a kitten. He has small eyes. We call him “Cao” because he looks so much like Kaw. He’s not fond of dry cat food. He loves cheese and other white foods, such as lumpia wrappers, but he’s only allowed to eat a tiny bit of them. He loves to sleep on laps and he hates other cats who invade his personal space. He’s gentle though, he tries not to hurt anyone seriously, especially kittens. Picha hates him for no reason. He gets excited and playful when I spread out a wide piece of fabric on the floor. He loves to sleep in my room on cold mornings. He rubs on me and purrs a lot before lying down to sleep.
• CHOCKY – He is Cao’s younger bro. When he was a kitten, he looked so much like Cao, so we named him “Chocky”, from the biscuit sticks that look like Pocky. He is a brave tomcat and he’d fight other cats that try to invade our territory. He’s gentle with humans. He used to hate Cao. He loves his elder sisters, Spots and Minimoe. When he was small, he used to be aloof and would run away and hiss when approached, but he loves me now. He likes to hangout on the roof every morning, he even sleeps on the mango tree sometimes. He loves sleeping in my room too.
• CHOKITO – We thought she was a male cat, so we named her Chokito. She was born next to Chocky, so we copied her name from that. She’s the daughter of Spots and Monching. She doesn’t meow that much. She’s always alone doing her own business. She’s quiet but she’s probably the most playful. She loves chasing lizards and insects. She even goes up the roof at night to look for them. I can always hear her pounce on my window. Spayed.
• POOCHAI – Liit’s only daughter. She’s a little bit bitchy to other cats and she hits them randomly when they are passing by. But she’s playful when you offer her toys, or when she’s playing with her kittens. She was supposed to get spayed with the others, but she managed to escape from the cage the night before our trip. She’s not spayed yet, and because of it, Chingkay and Kookai were born. I’m planning to get her spayed by next month. Poochai was a random name I saw on Facebook, and I thought it was amusing, so I named her that.
• BEBANG – Poochai’s eldest son. I thought he was a female cat so I named him Bebang. It sounds like a random neighbor’s name. That’s because he used to live on my neighbor’s house too. He often came over my place when he was a kitten, and he’d always sit on my lap on lazy afternoons. People always confuse him with Jyan, but I always tell them that he has a more stripey coat. Jyan is his favorite playmate too. Just like Jyan, he loves chasing my legs when I’m walking across the veranda.
• SHIKIN – Spot’s daughter. She’s Jyan’s childhood friend. They used to play together and sleep together as kittens, and they looked like siblings because they were the same age. She now loves to sleep with his younger brother, Jiego. Recently, she learned how to call me through my window every morning too. She tries to play with me by scratching me lightly. We named her “Shikin” because her coat makes her look like fried chicken. Spayed.
• JYAN – Someone left him near our house when he was a kitten. I wasn’t planning to take him in because I got so many cats already. I was waiting for somebody else to adopt him, and secretly gave him food at first, but nobody came. It was about to rain and he was starting to get weak. I saw him hiding behind the plants when I went out to look for him that evening. It was a painful sight to see. It seemed like he was just waiting for his death to come. He didn’t resist at all when I picked him up gently. As soon as we got home, I offered him food and I was happy when he ate a lot. He did his best to get better from colds too. He’s a survivor. I asked my nephew to name him, and he said “John”. I changed the spelling to “Jyan”, because it sounds more cat-like. He turned out to be my sweetest cat. He loves being carried around. He leans over when I kiss him. He purrs loudly when I sing mellow songs as a lullaby. He calls me through my window everyday, and would always eat, sleep, and hangout in my room. He wakes me up every morning around 5-7am. He’s always so playful. He playfully bites me at random times and he rolls over the floor when I’m approaching. Loon calls him “chinito” because of his eyes. Favorite toys: paperbag, undergarments, my furry headband
• BADONG – People always confuse him with Cao, Chocky and Minimoe. He’s currently the fattest among them. He looks so much like Cao when he was younger. Badong, Berting and Bogart, used to be scared of humans when they were kittens, but they eventually opened up. Badong used to play by himself, but he started bugging Bogart ever since Berting died. It seemed like he was trying to cheer him up. He’s always present for breakfast, and he goes back to eat whenever he gets hungry. He wants to sleep on the lap too, but he always gives way to other cats, so he sleeps beside me when I’m sitting instead. When I’m idle or spacing out, he’d randomly scratch or bite my hand or legs lightly. I named him “Badong” because it sounds like a thug’s name. I like naming my cats like that because they’re cute.
• BOGART – Ever since he was a kitten, he’d always bite me and Loon everytime he gets close to us. Everytime he sees my hand near him, he’d scratch or bite it, so to counter that, I’d lightly pinch his ears together to make him look like a bunny. He loves attention. When I’m patting another cat, he’d claw on my hand so I’d pat him too. He loves sleeping on my lap. He’s pretty sociable and would sleep with other cats too.  Berting used to be his favorite cat, and when he passed away, he seemed sad for some time. I thank Badong for always accompanying him. He’s now back to his cheerful self. He always waits for breakfast. I named him “Bogart” because it sounds like a thug’s name in action films too.
• JIEGO – Monching and Spots’ youngest son. He loved to hangout with his mother when she was still alive. Now he just stays with Shikin. They always groom each other. Jiego is sometimes picky when it comes to food, but he can never say no to a certain brand of dry food. He used to hiss on me when he was a kitten and it was so adorable. He likes being around me now and he sleeps on my lap sometimes. He’s also starting to appreciate headpats and body rubs. His favorite sleeping spots are our roof or our neighbor’s roof. Every morning, I wave at him to call him for breakfast. He loves drinking from the dipper when I water the plants. We named him after Wildflower’s Diego. We also call him “birb”, because he looks like a bird when he’s idle.
• CHINGKAY – Poochai’s daughter. She is still afraid of people and she runs away when approached, but I’ll make sure to make her love me eventually. She loves playing with her younger sister, Kookai. I named her Chingkay because I randomly saw this name in Facebook, and it sounds like Poochai. She’s also scheduled to be spayed next month.
• KOOKAI – Poochai’s youngest and last kitten. She’s also cautious when approached, but I know that she will learn how to socialize eventually. She loves playing with her sister, Chingkay. I named her Kookai because I also saw this name in Facebook, and it sounds like Poochai and Chingkay. I’ll probably get her spayed 8 months later.
• PANOT – He started coming over last week. It was so sudden. I was just calling my other cats when he ran towards our house. He first observed me and meowed from a few meters away. The next day, he came faster than my other cats when he heard me calling. When I said “Hello~” and waved, he ran closer and climbed up the veranda. He allowed me to touch him immediately. I found out that he’s infected with fleas. For now, I keep on offering food because he always seems to be so hungry, even if I see our neighbor feeding him. My other cats hate him at the moment, especially Monching, Badong, and Chocky.  We named him “Panot” because his front markings make his head look bald.

The list won’t be complete without them.

• DONG – The legendary boss cat. He lasted over a decade. He used to be a strong and active cat during his younger years. He roamed around the neighborhood, along with Mame and Spray. They always brought me “presents” which were a bit wilder than usual. Mountain mice, skinks, and even snakes. When Dong got older, he just got fond of sitting on people’s laps. He was so addicted to it he’d come running as soon as he saw someone sitting down. That’s where he got his nickname “Dong” or kandong (to sit on someone’s lap). Sometimes, he even pushed people down so he could sleep on their laps. Dong probably died because of old age.
• MAME – Another fierce female cat. She used to hangout with Dong and Spray during their hunts. Despite being tough, she can be playful and she loves everyone a lot, especially Tetoy. They used to play together. She loved to groom other cats when they stood beside her. I was told that Mame used to have difficulty when it comes to taking care of her kittens, so they usually died after being born. When she got older, finally, one of her kittens managed to live. We named her “Vacuum”. Mame also took care of Cao when his mother left him in our place. Mame died because of an unknown plague that hit them in year 2016. (I believe it’s a plague because Mame, Spray, Dong, and Tetoy died next to each other, and my other cats back then were so sick too.) She left because she didn’t want to take any medicine.
• SPRAY – Mame and Tetoy’s brother. They were still kittens when I left for Jp. I was really fond of them, and I felt so sad about having to leave them. I missed them a lot. I sent them packages, like beds, treats, and toys, but I was still sad because I wasn’t able to take care of them personally. When I returned to Ph years later, I was so happy to see them again, alive and well. Out of the three, Spray grew up to be the most quiet, and he was not as playful as Mame and Tetoy. He was a territorial tomcat, and would spray everywhere, so he got that nickname. Despite that, he was still a sweet cat who also loved to sleep on my lap. Spray was diagnosed with kidney and liver damage, and was confined for a while. He seemed to be getting better, but his health suddenly failed when we took him home. He was the first and perhaps the only cat that made me consider euthanasia. It was really hard and traumatic for me, since he had to suffer from several seizures before dying.
• TETOY – Tetoy was the cat who became the closest to me. Mame and Spray loved to go out when they were younger. On the contrary, Tetoy chose to be a homebody. Just like Liit, he used to have a small frame and he looked much younger than his actual age. I often played with him back then. One day, he suddenly went missing and a few weeks later, he was so thin and dirty when he returned. He was also infested with ticks and earmites. I brought him to the vet to get his skin treated. When I kept him in my room to monitor, I noticed his irregular urine amount, and because of it, I brought him for another check-up and he was then diagnosed with kidney disease. It was chronic. The vet frankly told me that there’s no “cure” for it, and the only thing I could do was to extend his life. I had also read about similar cases in the internet, and I became even more paranoid, because they said that it’s a hopeless case, and that the cat would continue to lose body mass and get weak until he dies. Despite that, I refused to give up. I was not ready to let him go. I worked hard to support his diet and medication, and fed him through a syringe (without a needle) until he got better. That became our routine for about a year. The vet was surprised because he got so fat after several months, and she said it’s such a dramatic change. I was so happy about it. In the end, I allowed him to go out and enjoy the world again. I’m so glad that he managed to enjoy his life until the last moment. Tetoy was a brave, obedient, and playful cat. He was so in love with Liit. He used to stare at her all the time, and he always sat near her. He also protected her from other toms. They were our favorite pairing. ❤ He used to have an archenemy, my neighbor’s cat whom we called Kepap because of his markings (probably Liit’s father). He seemed down when Tetoy passed away. Tetoy’s death had been the most painful to me. But I was so touched that he did his best to eat and drink what we fed him until the very end. I’m thankful that he died peacefully and beautifully. Aside from “Tetoy”, we also called him “Shota”, “Senpai” or “Shuy”(for tabachuy).
• KAW – He was like a rounin cat. He suddenly appeared and lived in our place. He became the boss tomcat when Dong was already too old to fight. We named him “Kaw” because his meows sounded like that. His eyes were always closed when he got older. He loved all of my other cats. He used to hangout with them and cuddle up with them when sleeping. And I find it funny that he is almost in every single picture with my other cats. One day, he was suddenly gone and I was so sad because I thought he might have died already. BUT while Loon and I were walking outside one time, we came across him! I saw him walking there casually and he just IGNORED us when we called him. (=_=) My mother told me that she always spotted him in my neighbor’s place. I heard they always fed him and he loved sleeping under their table. Well, good for him, I guess. lol Probably deceased by now.
• MOE – She was another stray cat who just peeked in my place and decided to live here eventually. I do regret not getting her spayed sooner because she produced a lot of kittens. But 1.)I didn’t know where she came from. I didn’t know if she was really a stray cat, or somebody owned her, and if it was really okay to have the operation without their permission. and 2.)I couldn’t find a good, trustworthy vet in our town back then. She was Minimoe, Spots, Cao and Chocky’s mother. We named her “Moe” because her eyes were so round and huge and made her look moe. One day, she just left and moved somewhere else. Probably deceased by now.
• VACUUM – She was Mame’s last kitten and the only one who managed to grow up a little. She had a lot of appetite when she was a kitten, that’s why we named her “Vacuum”. Unfortunately, when she got older her body became weak and she didn’t eat enough to sustain her health. She didn’t like to take medicines and supplements either. She was Cao’s childhood friend. They used to be together all the time when she was alive.
• BERTING – Just like Vacuum, he used to be fine when he was a kitten, but he eventually ate less and less. The vet said he seemed to have dental problems. I switched him to soft diet because of it. He seemed to be getting better, but one day, he suddenly disappeared without a trace (to die, probably). It was so hard for me to accept it. I was not able to say goodbye to him. When he was alive, he loved to hangout with Bogart. He also loved to sit on my lap, and would always look at the camera when I was taking a photo. We named him “Berting”, because just like “Badong” and “Bogart”, it sounds like a thug’s name.
• SPOTS – She is Minimoe’s sister and just like her, she’s a fierce cat. Before she died, she always stayed with her son, Jiego and hangout with her little brother, Chocky. She loved to hangout in my room too. Actually, when she was younger, she was a bit mean, and she wasn’t fond of other cats or people. But one day, her personality suddenly changed. She loved headpats and body rubs, and being kissed on her head. She always slept close to me. She used to be a glutton during her younger years too, but it faded as she grew older. She always gave way to other cats, and she lost a lot of weight because of not having enough appetite. Even the supplements weren’t enough. She probably died because of natural causes as well. We named her “Spots” because of her coat pattern.

Loon’s cats are also close to my heart.

• ZURA – Loon’s dark and deadly prince, a.k.a. void boi. I first met him at Loon’s family home, but I spent more time with him in Loon’s old apartment. Other people were scared of him because he was so fierce, but I was actually fond of Zura. Aside from being a black cat, which I obviously love *points at blog name*, I’m fond of fierce and chonky cats. I think he might have been pretty fond of me as well, since he always slept with me and Loon on her bed. Other people always pointed out his prominent jaw, but he was just fat. lol Outside the house, he was always cautious. Too cautious that he’d even run away from us too. He always kept on looking behind him and hiding behind the bushes. Loon named him Zura, based on Gintama’s Katsura. We also called him Charles because it suited him. He once snapped on Loon when he was having a bad mood after a cat fight. Her arm was terribly wounded, and she got 15 shots because of it. We still love Zura nonetheless! Favorite food: veggies, pancit, cordon bleu
• GLORIA – He was Loon’s oldest family cat. He also lived over 10 years. I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time with Gloria, since he usually stayed in their kitchen. But everytime we met, I’d always pat him and sometimes gave him bits of food. He was such a nice cat. And yes, “he” because he’s actually male. They misgendered him when he was a kitten too. He used to fight with Zura, but toned down as he got older.
• HISS – Loon’s top chonk. She got him, along with Hide, when they were kittens. They actually had another sister named Hooman, but she didn’t survive. Hiss dislikes other humans and hates to hangout around them. Human interaction stresses him out a lot. A lot! Loon even brought him to the vet because of it, only to find out that he’s in perfect health. Hiss is a playful cat until now. He loves doormats, and would always roll down so his chosen humans could rub his tummy. Pompom is Hiss’ favorite cat. He always stays beside her and grooms her like his wife. He also loves taking care of kittens. He became a father to Carrot, Freebie, and Picha. He loves all of Loon’s other cats, aside from his brother Hide. Loon named him “Hiss”, because he used to hiss at her when he was a kitten. We also call him “Bik”, short for biik or piglet.
• HIDE – Another competitor for the top chonk spot. Hide became the next protector of their turf when Zura died. Hide is a clean freak and would meow at us when the room is so messy. He’s usually quiet, but he’s actually sociable. He loves to get along with Loon’s family members and visitors. Everytime we’re having fun, he calls out to us and comes near us to join, then he lies down in the middle while purring loudly. (lol) One time, we played a video of a kitten meowing and when he heard it, he was so concerned he looked for him everywhere the whole day. Hide loves to hang out in the kitchen, and eats whenever he pleases. He tries to act mature but he’s also playful when he’s in the mood for it. Loon named her “Hide” because he used to hide from her when he was a kitten. Favorite toy: mechanical mouse
• CARROT – Loon met Carrot in her mom’s shop. She was a sweet stray cat who used to come over everyday because they kept on feeding her. Loon planned to keep her in the shop, because she was worried Hiss might not accept her. But it was dangerous outside, so she brought her home anyway. Surprisingly, Hiss got very fond of Carrot as well. He groomed her often and he became a father to her. Carrot looks so much like Hiss that people often get confused between them. Carrot seems to have a scar on her lower lip, but people love it because it makes her lips look pouty. Loon named her “Carrot” because of her coat color. Favorite hobby: gardening
• POMPOM – Pompom used to roam around Loon’s place. She kept on walking on their roof for days. Loon offered her food, hoping she’d be able to find her way back home eventually, but she just kept on roaming around. When I arrived, we decided to get her to let her in the house because it was raining hard. She seemed to be afraid of people so it was so hard to lure her to get closer. We had to be extra careful because she might fall down the nearby river. When we finally got her, Loon made an effort to ask around and look for her owner, but nobody came. We suspected her old owner might have thrown her out because she seemed old and sick (her poop had blood back then). That, or they might have abused her and she just managed to escape. She seemed scared of people. We found out that behind her thick fur, she was actually sickly thin and she was infested with fleas. We immediately brought her for grooming and got her treated and spayed as well. The vet told us that she seemed to have given birth to lots of kittens, and one batch seemed to be recent. This supported one of our theories. Anyway, after getting spayed, her life of being used and abused is over. We made sure to give her lots of love and affection. Loon also fed her lots and fattened her up. Pompom is now a healthy and happy old cat.
• FREEBIE –  When we went to the vet to bring Hiss for neutering, the vet handed her to us and asked us to carry her for a bit. She was so tiny back then, perhaps about a few weeks old. The vet told us that she only got her that morning. She was driving when the kitten suddenly crossed the street and she almost got run over. When the operation was over, she joked about giving her to us as a freebie. It seemed to be half-meant. It was a hard decision for Loon since the number of her cats had been increasing, but she was so fond of her, so we ended up taking her home (Loon put her inside her jumper. lol). In exchange, the vet offered free medical service, spay, and shots for her in the future. Pompom and Hiss served as Freebie’s mom and dad. They both took care of her everyday like their own kitten. Freebie is now a playful cat who loves carrying toys while running around. She loves to play with everyone, especially Carrot and Picha. She used to hate Picha but she’s her favorite cat now. They sleep on the same basket while hugging each other. Loon named her “Freebie” because she was a freebie, but we usually call her “Dak” short for pandak, “D1” or “Pibi”.
• PICHA – The day after my father’s birthday, Loon and I went out for a short and casual date. While waiting for our pizza, we spotted a small kitten on the other side of the road. She seemed to be about a week old. We first observed if somebody else would adopt her. One guy sat down and gave her a pat, but he left after a minute of thinking. She kept on crawling around while meowing loudly, and we were worried she might get run over by passing vehicles. We emptied our bag to put her in and prepared to eat outside, in case she keeps on meowing. Loon picked her up and kept her inside her jacket for warmth. She seemed to like it because she stopped meowing and fell asleep. Her eyes were badly swollen and her face was covered with debris. We headed straight to the vet to have them cleaned up and to get her feeding supplies as well. The vets were nice because they provided us with free service. At first, Picha didn’t like drinking her milk through the bottle so we fed her through a syringe (without needle of course). Loon and I had to take turns because we had to feed her every 2 hours, round the clock. I had to foster her for a while when Loon went back to Cavite. We were planning to move her after a year or so, but unfortunately, she got constipated from the milk. The vets that we trust the most when it comes to internal issues are in Cavite, so I suddenly travelled all the way there to get her checked. After a change of milk and some medications, Picha is doing fine now. I am so glad that we managed to make her live, because kittens younger than a month have a very low survival rate. She’s a happy and healthy cat now, and she loves to play with everyone, especially Freebie. We named her “Picha” because we were eating pizza when we rescued her. We also call her “Boba” because her eyes look like boba pearls, “Uwang” because of the soound of her voice, and “D2”.

For several years, I’ve been posting about my dream of building a cat shelter in the future. It seems so far from now, but I’m glad I can finally make little steps towards it. I will continue to use my voice to convince people to open their doors to homeless stray cats instead of buying them. I know that some people might be fond of breeds, but puspins are just as beautiful and sweet. They need us more. Let us save their lives and protect them from cruelty. Let us make this world a much better place and give some love to helpless animals who are in need.

Advertisements

Birth/Death

It’s my birth month again. Reminiscing about my teenage days, I remember I was planning to die before reaching 20. It wasn’t out of depression or anything back then. I simply didn’t want to get older. I used to enjoy my birthdays during childhood, but the excitement turned into confusion when I reached 14, when I thought I just wanted to stay youthful forever.

I’m uploading these old photos because I don’t have enough time for a new shoot yet. These were taken by a friend about a decade ago. They are still my favorite. Photography: Cris Pangan (Circa 2008)

“Live free and die young with a beautiful corpse.”, I kept that in mind throughout my teenage days. There were times when I told people about my absurd ideals, and naturally, most of them just laughed it off and tried to talk me out of it. But I’m a person who’s not easily convinced, so I sticked with that thought for a while.

One day, I was chitchatting with a certain friend and when I mentioned it, she came up with a suggestion. She said, if I’m mainly concerned about the appearance, I could just look young. Age can just be a number. She even gave me some examples. I thought, hmm, yeah, reasonable enough. Okay.

I’m actually glad I’ve decided to keep on living. I’ve experienced more things and got to embrace the beauty and ugliness of the world. I’ve felt a lot more intense things and gained more knowledge along the way. (So, if you’re reading this right now and if for any reason, you’re considering to end your life, you may also want to reconsider it.)

Photography: Cris Pangan (Circa 2008)

 

Speaking of life, I’ve recently changed my career path. While I do love fashion and graphic design, the real reason why I’ve decided to take an art course was because I wanted to work in the anime and manga industry.

Anime style wasn’t really encouraged in Fine Arts, so I think I somehow lost it in the process. I started taking projects in the other fields I was drawn to. I enjoyed them and eventually, it seemed too late for me to shift back to my original plan. I may always look confident but I have a destructive level of perfectionism, so even though other people would sometimes praise my works, I just didn’t think they were ever enough. I had a bad habit of throwing my works away before they were finished. I wasn’t satisfied (on personal standards), so I stopped something which I used to love doing, which is drawing. I didn’t draw for a decade. (Yeah, such a long slump. lol)

But lately, just watching Loon and other artists who are really passionate for it brings me pleasant memories. It reminds me of my childhood days when I used to draw daily and how enjoyable it felt back then. That’s why I decided to grab a pencil again. I want to live my life with no regrets.

Photography: Cris Pangan (Circa 2008)

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from it. I thought it would be hard from this point, because I have to start from scratch again. That’s why when someone wanted to purchase the first artwork I managed to complete, I felt overjoyed and hopeful. Upon gaining more projects and getting even busier than before, it felt like a dream. I didn’t expect to gain everything so quickly. I didn’t even expect any result at all. Sometimes, we really have to take the risk to reach out for more happiness. It’s not a reason to stop learning though. At this point, there’s still so much to catch up on. I will also strive to manage my time to fit other things that I want to do, such as cosplay.

---

By the way, for my birthday this year, I really want to thank Loon for making it special. Despite telling her that I have no need to celebrate, she still bought me a cake. I thought I was able to convince her that the body massage was already enough as a gift and not to get me anything else, but upon arriving at her place in Cavite, I still received a gift.

Yeah, her gifts are lowkey telling me to draw more. lol

---

(Note: I wasn’t able to update my blog last month. Aside from being busy, one of my cats unfortunately passed away, so I was really down and I didn’t feel like saying anything at all. It’s really sad to experience this just before my birthday. Everytime a cat dies, it really shatters me. For now, I don’t really want to talk about the details.)

Plants and Cats

What have I been doing lately? Well, there’s a lot. Aside from work and other things, I enjoy taking care of my cats and plants. I’ve been wanting to write an update regarding them and there’s a lot but I’ll try to keep it short.

First of all, a photo! :p I know it’s too early for Halloween, but it’s been a while since I’ve taken something cringy. =))

I wasn’t planning to become a plant lady and until now, I don’t consider myself to be one. During Christmas last year, I got myself a pot of red rose: something low maintenance. I wanted to have a rose garden (just like Shizuma and another character) and I thought that’s about it. I wasn’t planning to get anything else.

By the way, my roses still produce abundant blooms as always. ❤

Loon previously left her herbs in my care because they were too heavy for her to carry. She keeps on giving me cacti and succulents too.

Taking care of plants reminded me of my childhood. I used to plant fruits and vegetables with my cousin back in the days, and when I thought of it, I felt like planting something edible again. My parents would definitely love them too.

I bought some seeds when I came across a seller. I also informed Loon about it and she bought way more than mine. lol

Loon gave me a seedling tray when I came over her place. We were excited to plant the seeds.

Some of them started to grow after a few days.

Gardening assistant #1

Gardening assistant #2

Look at my proud bittergourd!

Loon’s flowers are so colorful.

Loon’s yellow roses. The petals are mostly yellow mixed with orange. They turn to peachy pink, then white as they wither.

We tried to germinate some seeds. Unfortunately, I lost some development photos. T_T

Up close

I was eating some lychee one day and I thought I should try germinating the seeds too. lol

Experiment #2. To be honest, I didn’t put a lot of care on these ones. I just tossed them into the soil to see if they’d develop… and they did! (Only slower than the others though.)

It was finally time to plant them.

Day 1: After 15 hours, some already started to peek out of the soil.

Day 2: They were growing so fast!

Here they are now. I’ll take better photos when the rainy days are over.

I had been planning to upload more things about cats too, but this entry is getting too long so I’ll save it for later! ❤

 

 

 

 

Loon’s Birthday

This update was supposed to be posted yesterday, but I was busy with other things so it got delayed. There are so many things that I want to write about, and I wanted to organize my thoughts before starting. I didn’t want to rush everything too much. Well, better late than half-assed. :p Here goes!

June gives me a special reason to celebrate every year. It’s Loon’s birth month! Ever since I met her, it has always been a happy month for me. It may sound cheesy but I always feel thankful that we’re born in the same era and that we’re able to meet in this lifetime.

For her birthday this year, we planned to celebrate it in their place. I went there extra early since she scheduled to have her wisdom tooth pulled at the beginning of the month.

I accompanied her to the clinic. Did the dentist also ask if we’re twins/sisters/cousins, etc? Of course, as always!

It’s a sensitive operation, so I wanted to ensure that she’d be eating well. We were on a soup diet for a week.

What I made for her: Mashed potato, mushroom soup, banana apple shake, pumpkin soup

When she got better after several days of bed rest, we went out to dine and watch Jurassic World with her family. I was having second thoughts whether I should go with them or not since I don’t often watch these types of movies, but Loon kept on convincing me about how good it is. She even made me watch the trailer while raving about it, and I found that funny somehow. And I thought, hey, it’s a rare chance to go with them so why not?

Yasss!

I also enjoyed the movie in the end (and the popcorn too. The ones being sold inside the cinema tasted better!). Although, as usual, movies about animals make me sad. That’s why I always avoid watching them.

The following week, it was finally Loon’s birthday. Few months back, she told me she’d want me to take a photo of her for her birthday this year. I wasn’t able to bring my dslr so I made use of what I had: my cellphone. lol

I was her one-man team. I styled her hair and yes, I also inflated the balloons one by one. *lol*

Happy Birthday! She wore the dress that her mom gave her. I gave her a book this year, but she doesn’t want to show it since it’s a secret. *lol*

We were joking around when I took the right photo. She dislikes it but I find it cute. *lol* It’s now my cp wallpaper.

This is one of my favorite shots.

With Pompom. This blog is getting long so I think I’ll write about her in the next blog.

---

Extra:

Loon’s new crane game loot. It’s over a feet big!

New Blog Layout

After a year and a half, I finally updated my blog layout. Ah, it looks so refreshing. I think that the new theme matches summer and the upcoming rainy days. I’d been considering to change it since last year, but it took me a lot of time to decide since I was contented with the old one. I was torn about keeping my page black, since it’s more like me. However, white emphasizes Loon’s artwork and it’s my favorite color as well (or tint, in technical terms). Well, I tried to keep them both and used black on the edges.

I actually updated it last month, since I was so excited to use this header illustration drawn by Loon. This artwork was supposed to be for my Facebook cover photo, but it turned out so nicely, it would’ve been such a waste if I didn’t feature it in my blog as well. (Note: Her usual clients pay her with $$$$. I paid my “commission” in the currency of… mangga’t bagoong… and love. It’s priceless! lol)

Speaking of this, here’s something we recently wore. When I think of summer, I think of white and blue, like the bright clouds and sky.

It may look like it but we didn’t plan this photo at all. (lol) We came across this graffiti at SBMA near Dutyfree, during one of our dates. It matched the color scheme of our outfits. Unfortunately, the color of my pants didn’t register but they actually have light blue edges.

New purikura. Yay~

I also got myself some bluish flowers: hydrangea. Just like roses, I think that they suit me too. I fell in love with these flowers over a decade ago, ever since I first saw them in holic. However, I always hesitated to get one for myself since it’s so hard to take care of in this climate.

(L)Hydrangea (R)My hydrangea-colored nails

---

Cat Feature : JYAN

To be honest, I almost missed my May update because I’m so busy with a lot of other things. But I really wanted to post something this month for one of my cats, Jyan. He started to live with us around this time, last year.

My nephew and some neighbors’ kids, knowing that I love cats, brought him near my place back then. I was not happy with their behavior of passing responsibility to others without proper permission, so I was not planning to adopt him at first. I just left him some food and water when nobody else was looking.

Later on, the sky was getting darker and it seemed like it was going to rain. Of course, I couldn’t leave him outside like that. When evening came and everybody was asleep, I went out to take him to my place.

I found him there hopelessly hiding behind some plants. His eyes were closed and covered with discharge and it felt like he was just waiting for his death to come. This sight made me feel so sad. I tried calling him, and he answered with a faint meow. I covered him with a shirt to pick him up, just in case he behaves wildly like some other stray cats. But he was so tame and nice. He didn’t kick, bite, or scratch me. He just let me carry him all the way up my place. When we arrived, I offered him some food and he ate like there’s no tomorrow.

(L)His photo when I first got him, with infected eyes (R)A few days later, he could finally open them. I also gave him some supplements to enhance his appetite when he got sick.

He loved playing with my hair and sleeping on my lap.

A very playful cat

By the way, I let my nephew name him. He suggested “John”. I messed up the spelling and made it “Jyan”, it sounds more cat-like. (lol)

Look at him now. Jyan turned out to be the sweetest and nicest cat I have. He always calls me through my window to wake me up every morning… at 8am (huhu so early)

Happy birthday, Jyan!

 

Do not Approach

Just in time for my March update! Due to my packed schedule, I wasn’t able to take new photos. I browsed through my files and found this backlog. I almost forgot about it. I realized it’s been a year! *lol*

(Photography: Hydrogenesis) We had this photo taken in the evening.

I know I’m not as active in social media as I used to be. I’m just too lazy on most days. But I still like to lurk  ̶t̶o̶ ̶o̶b̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶w̶e̶a̶k̶n̶e̶s̶s̶e̶s̶ to stay updated. I think that not being active that much will also give me more time to work on the things that I really want to do.

---

I only got back to Olongapo a week ago and I’m still catching up on a lot of things. I was planning to come back earlier, but Hide and Loon got sick, and I wanted to take care of them so I extended my stay. More than a month had been my longest stay in Loon’s place so far.

Loon’s cat, Hiss

During my stay, Loon and I found a new entertaining hobby. *lol* Crane games!

(L) Our first ever prize, which unfortunately got lost. (R) The growing collection of crane game loots.

(L) Loon in action *lol* (R) My outfit that day aka my latest photo (I’m wearing Loon’s hand-me-downs)

Loon can finally update her picture frame after 10 years literally. *lol*

On another note, I finally gained weight which I’m thankful for. I’m now back to 45kg, which is my usual weight and also my ideal weight. Thanks to my father and Loon’s delicious cooking.

Loon’s homemade foods. I’d like to say that she’s the ideal wife, but she’s way more than that.

---

Last December, I started to get into gardening. I bought myself some potted roses and Loon also asked me to take care of her herbs (parsley, lemonbalm, and mint) and succulents. Whew, they are growing so quickly. I want to propagate my roses and to add some fruits and vegetables next.

My plants. Note to self: I need to move the lemonbalm into a more shaded area to avoid yellowing.

My rose grew over a feet since I first got it.

I always feel delighted whenever it has new blooms. The flowers have slightly varied colors; some are reddish and some are more on the magenta side. My mother told me that it might have been planted with a double graft or something.

Loon got herself some flowers too.

Staycation

RENOVATION + VALENTINES

I’ve been staying at Loon’s place longer than usual this month. Aside from a lot of things going on, this is due to her plans to renovate her room. When she told me about it a few months ago, I quickly threw in some ideas. Anything that has something to do with designing excites me. And well, when you are too meticulous and your girlfriend needs to have her room painted, you make some time and paint it yourself!

I already have a bit of experience when it comes to painting walls since I painted my own room (with my father) last year. It’s a fairly simple thing to do. And I really insist on doing it myself because as much as I’d want to hire someone else, it’s hard to find people who pay attention to small details nowadays. I randomly find myself staring at little crooks and paint slips and they somehow drive me crazy. (lol) I get the urge to retouch them everytime I see some wherever I go.

Loon also lent a hand and it took us a couple of days to finish everything. It was supposed to finish within 1-2 days but the seller seemed to give us the wrong type of paint, so some areas took a bit longer to dry than expected. That’s why we weren’t able to go out for a date on Valentine’s. (We expected the heavy traffic anyway, so there’s that too.) Though, it didn’t stop us from doing something to celebrate.

The tradition continues! This year, when Loon asked me what I wanted for Valentines, I thought of something challenging that she hasn’t tried making yet: chocolate lava cake. What she made tasted so heavenly~ She used four types of chocolates to make it. The chocolate lover in me is so pleased.  She also baked some pasta and garlic bread that were so delish~

On the other hand, she asked me to make something simple: custard pudding. Despite being a simple dessert, I wanted to make it more special than usual. I first considered incorporating some flavors, toppings, and designs (to be more extra lol), but in the end, I decided to stick with the original type since it brings out its charm the best. It was my first time to make it, so I was somehow expecting the consistency to be a failure. When I took it out of the mold, I was delighted to find out that it turned out a lot better than I expected. To top it all, I’m so glad Loon loved it too. 

---

HOROSCOPE

We weren’t able to watch the dragon dance this year. I didn’t pay much attention to them in the past, but Loon finds them cute and she always looks forward to watching them every year. They are indeed lively and colorful and fine to see! Too bad we were not updated with the schedules. Gotta plan it earlier next year.

Shirt says “GLORIOUS” ❤

By the way, I was born in the year of the tiger (*gasp* huge clue~). When Loon looks up stuff about horoscopes, I enjoy reading them too. I don’t believe in the supernatural but it’s fun to have some sort of interest on things like that. Compared to religion and ghosts, I believe they somehow have a liiiitle bit more scientific basis, in terms of gravitational pull maybe.

---

Extra: NEUTER

We’re taking them one by one. This time, it’s Hide’s turn to get neutered. He was being rowdy lately so Loon decided to get his balls snipped. (lol)

We were allowed to watch the sedation part. We were surprised about how quickly the injection took effect (a few seconds!). I always thought it took a lot longer than that, maybe 30min or so like the tablets.

By the way, Hide is behaving now and he’s back to his sweet and calm self. (lol)

A Quick Trip to the South

It was an unexpected trip since Loon just came back to Cavite after spending Xmas in our place. A few days after she got home, one of her cats, Hide, unfortunately got ill. He seemed to have difficulty breathing so we suspected it to be the flu. We instantly knew that he needed to get checked as soon as possible. But the problem was that due to the holidays, the vet clinics were closed. (It happened around New Year’s Eve.)

An old webcam photo of me and Hide

Another thing was that I still had two of Loon’s pet carriers, which I borrowed for my cats’ spaying operation. (As I mentioned before, there were like 5-6 of them and I didn’t want to buy so many and get stuck with multiple cages after the operation.) I could’ve shipped it but I wanted to assist her as well, so I decided to travel to Cavite immediately. We went to the vet as soon as I arrived.

(L)Off to the vet! He got some tiny wounds around his eyes due to scratching them too much. (R)The vet had to do some blood test for a more accurate assessment. Having blood extracted from the neck part instead of the leg was something new to see.

Hide was diagnosed with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and we were informed that he probably got it from fighting with an infected cat. (You’re getting neutered soon!) The vet gave us some meds and instructed us to keep him hydrated.

The vet cats on duty!

Hide started feeling better when we gave him the meds, encouraged him to drink, and allowed him plenty of rest.

Bebe Hide lol (And yeah, I censored what’s mine to see. :p)

But oh no, Hiss got sick next.

He liked to sleep between us while he was sick.

Carrot got infected too.

Even if it didn’t look like it. lol

---

When they all got better, finally, we thought we deserved a relaxing break. Loon wanted to go to a date to Tagaytay… to eat bulalo!

We checked some reviews and chose to try the most popular spot for bulalo. Loon had told me that Tagaytay is popular with their beef. It was actually our first time to try their bulalo so we were so hyped about it.

We didn’t expect the pot to be this big.

The verdict? Hmm… For me, my father’s cooking tastes way better. Well, my father is good at cooking so there’s that too. But technically, I think that the beef could’ve been more tender and the broth could’ve been tastier. I’m not sure about it but it seemed like the cooking time wasn’t enough to achieve this. It was sad because the meat had more potential if only it was boiled more slowly.

Loon bought some fresh beef afterwards, so her brother could make some bulalo at home. The vendors questioned her about her age, and while there’s nothing new, I found it funny because they kept on asking if she already had work (perhaps for buying that much beef lol). Anyway, as expected, her brother was able to bring out the flavor of the beef and when complemented with the faint sweetness of corn, it was perfect.

We’ve heard that Tagaytay’s coffee is good, so Loon got a few bags of kapeng barako for her father. I wasn’t sure if my parents would like it too so I got them some dried fish and salted eggs for the meantime. (When I got back home, I found out that they’re also fond of kapeng barako. Will also get some next time. A̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶e̶l̶f̶,̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶.̶)

Something cool after the bulalo. We tried Cold Stone at the nearby mall. Worth it, definitely going back!

Have a look at what we wore that day.

I swear we didn’t plan to have a matching outfit this time. lol (Low photo quality since it was getting dark.)

Loon wanted to try the oversized longsleeves she recently bought. She wore it over a neutral top and shorts for a casual look. I think that the blue details of her shoes worked to balance the color of her topper.

I’ve always wanted to wear this top too, but I never had the chance to do so because of its thick sleeves that are too hot for typical sunny days and the sheer base that was too cold to wear for cooler climates. Tagaytay’s temperature was just right for this so I knew I should take this chance to wear it. I realized I seldom wear shorts nowadays too.

Check out the details!

I like the tiny blue shimmers the sleeves have when the light hits it.

Because of the subtle blue details, I thought of matching my blue heart-shaped shades with this outfit. I was delighted when I realized that the letter patches read “HEART” too. I also painted my nails with sapphire-blue nail polish. I like the fact that the bottle is labelled “sapphire”, since it’s actually my birth stone.

I borrowed Loon’s pink lipstick to complement the shades. Now, she says that the shade works on me and wants to give me the lipstick. lol

Selfie time!

---

Cosplay?

Lately, I’ve been hooked to Houseki no Kuni. Loon and I spotted it in the list before it was released. As soon as she got her hands on the first few episodes, we started watching it. Due to having lots of things to do, I missed out for a while, but now, I’m catching up on the latest episodes.

I’ve been following some anime series from previous seasons and to be honest, Kakegurui ~almost~ distracted me from my original plans. Almost! I’ve taken an interest on Kirari, but afterall, the uniform wasn’t enough to get me motivated. (So maybe when I get enough time.) I really want to stick to my plans this year.

But now, some characters from HnK are just too cosplayable and everything seems interesting to work on. Plus, I like the art style since I’m drawn to characters with long legs. (Probably why I like Sailormoon and duh, Clamp.) Hmm… I kinda miss drafting patterns and sewing too. Let’s see!

Photo credits: 921yamato (https://www.zerochan.net/1680179), Ekita_Kuro (https://www.zerochan.net/2236531), Original Manga Page

I know that Lapis Lazuli would be the easiest to pull off. But I’m also drawn to Bort and Cairngorm. I’m a fan of Team Diamond, but I’m also into LapisxCairngorn. Ahhh, it’s so hard to choose. I’m torn!

 

Year-end

I know I haven’t been active recently but thanks for always visiting my blog regardless. Now, I’m back before the year ends. A lot has been going on and December has been as busy as ever. I’ll do my best to summarize everything that happened this month.

---

SPAY
I have a lot of cats. Currently, there are 14 of them. (I’ll introduce them in the next post.) It’s a little bit complicated to explain but basically, I used to have mostly male cats. One day, one stray cat peeked in and she seemed hungry so I offered her some food. She kept on coming back every mealtime, until she eventually got comfortable enough to enter our veranda. A few days later, another cat who looked like her brother, tagged along. Rumours do spread fast among cats!

(L) The first cat was so tiny. We named her Liit. ; (R)Her brother, Monching.

Months had passed. Another white female cat peeked in once the first two got comfortable – too comfortable – to reside on our place. I had intended to have them spayed at this point, (my old cats already passed away too) but my parents didn’t agree because they belong to our neighbor. They didn’t want to do anything about them. The third cat gave birth to a number of litters and as soon as some of them got old enough, they uncontrollably multiplied. I knew I couldn’t allow this to drag on any longer. As much as I love cats, or rather ~because~ I love cats, I want to give them a decent life, and to help more who are in need. I know I can’t do that if my hands are full with too many of them. That’s why I decided to have them all spayed in one go.

There are no vets in our town that I fully trust, so we had to travel all the way to Manila. With the trip and all, I expected it to be extra stressful (Shoutout to Loon for all the help.) I planned to bring all 6 female cats, but one of them escaped before the trip, so we ended up with 5 of them. My cats behaved much better than I expected and I’m proud of that.

Bald spots after the operation

I found it strange that they extracted it from the side, unlike Carrot’s operation, but it worked out well. I can say that the vet who did the operation is adept at what she’s doing. I’m feeling relieved now.

---

HELL-O BAG-YOW!
This trip wasn’t in our plans. As soon as my cats recovered, my family wanted to go to Baguio. And being the ones who are familiar with the place, of course we had to tag along.

Bought this at the bus stop. It’s my first time to eat tupig but it’s good.

It won’t be complete without Baguio’s strawberry-flavored ice cream and taho. (And yay to me and Loon’s matching nails!)

This petal fell on Loon’s palm while we were waiting for them to finish their boat ride. Beautiful~

(You might be wondering why I never share photos of my family members. Even though I try to limit the visibility of my posts, my accounts aren’t exactly private. I’m always concerned about their safety. Plus, I’m a very private person so let’s leave it at that.)

Loon and I decided to try Tsokolateria by ourselves since they all went to bed early.

Top: their classic batirol. I wanted to try several varieties but they were out of stock. ; Bottom left: Cream pasta with chocolate garlic bread ; Bottom right: Tsokolateria cat

We liked their hot chocolate drink and everything else despite the strange flavors. Not a fan of their pasta though.

The following day, we had a date at Forest House.

Finally, some free time off work and errands.

The place

Warm drinks + Cold weather = ❤

The food

Their soup was delicious and comforting to eat in the cold Baguio weather. I was planning to get the cherry peach cake but Loon ordered it for herself before I could utter a word. (lol) I ended up with the black and white cake. The fresh strawberry was perfect, the dark chocolate was okay, but the white chocolate was too sweet for me. I wasn’t able to finish everything. (I’m sorry, cake!)

The day before going back home, we went to Orchidarium since Loon wanted to buy more cacti for her collection. I got hooked into getting some for myself as well. (lol)

I think it’s easy to figure out which one’s my favorite.

Orchidarium cats

There were more cats in Orchidarium but I wasn’t able to take decent photos of all of them. As you may notice, the cat on the right side is missing a leg. Though, she was so sweet! I’ll upload a video later.

Obligatory selfie :p It’s blurry but I like it.

Outfit snaps

---

HOLIDAYS

I teased Loon about not going to dates with her anymore and after that, we got bombarded with several projects which kept us busy. (lol) I’m so glad we were able to make some time in the end.

At Ben’s Kitchen

Outfit snaps

We already tried to tone it down but people still kept on staring for some reason.

Lastly, I just want to say how much I love Loon’s gift for me.

I think I need to buy a new cupboard.

Ahhh I love these! They are so beautiful. I can say that she really did put a lot of effort in finding these gems. ❤

---

YEAR-END THOUGHTS

Despite all the hurdles, this year had been much much better than the last. I was able to get over a lot of things, including some long-term worries. Although in terms of cosplay, it didn’t end up as productive as I thought it would be due to more important matters, I’m glad I was able to dress up and go out more often than before.

Instagram Best Nine

All in all, I’m happy with my current progress and I’ll work on making it even better on the upcoming year.

Staycation

We had been planning to see each other again for quite some time. Loon was supposed to come over my place this month, but unfortunately, due to some important matters to attend to, it got postponed. She told me that the souvenirs she bought for me were accumulating and maybe she should just ship them as usual. I refused and offered to pay her a visit to pick them up instead. Besides, I told her she should treat me to a birthday cake since I sang her, albeit terribly, a Happy Birthday song over the phone. Next time she comes over, it’s going to be too late since that will be on my birth month already. I said I should eat that cake at all means. lol Loon dubbed me as the demanding visitor.

DAY 1

The trip from Olongapo to Cavite takes around 6-8 hours. I decided to take the 2am trip to arrive early and have more time to spend on the first day.

(L) She made me some waffle with bacon for breakfast. Omnomnom~
(R) I also met her cats, Hiss and Hide, again. Fatso brothers! I bought them bowties and they love me more than Loon now. LOL

For Day 1, we had planned to get a haircut together. We grabbed a quick meal before heading to the salon.

(L) It’s my first time to try Gyro. It reminds me of Persian Ave. (R) Loon tried Chatime’s Thai Milktea but it was too sweet. I swapped it with my lychee drink since I’m the one who can tolerate sweetness more lol

I haven’t had a salon haircut for over 5 years. It’s because I despise having to deal with most of them, especially the ones here in PH. I wanted to give Loon’s usual salon a try since I heard good things about it. Well, my haircut didn’t turn out as much as I envisioned but I loved it nonetheless.

(L) Before haircut aka full hikikomori look (R) After haircut, we look like hoomans again!

After shopping for a bit, it was getting late so we booked a room somewhere near. Loon brought her new domino and we had a match!

We already forgot how to play it so we googled. lol I won once and lost twice to Loon. I’ll definitely get revenge next time. 😡

DAY 2

The following day, we went out of town for lunch. That spot had a nice view but it’s such a shame I forgot to take a photo. Here, have some selfies instead. lol

Fridate~

I also took a photo of Loon which reminded me of the one from 2014.

(L) 2014 (R) 2017

We got something light for lunch since we were planning to eat bulalo somewhere else later on. After our meal though, we entirely forgot about the bulalo. OTL

I loved the mashed potato ❤

We were supposed to take a stroll and check out the newly-opened mall nearby, but it suddenly rained on our way out so we went back to Cavite instead. Had some coffee and light snacks and called it a day.

We had a short movie night when we got home. Also tried fire noodles while we were at it.

DAY 3

It was a gloomy day when we woke up so we decided to watch some movies before heading out. Loon’s nieces were nice enough to buy us some ice scramble. The taste was so nostalgic! It has been my favorite since elementary school days.

On our way out, we also encountered a maruya seller. It looked and smelled so nice so I wanted to give it a try. It was a lot better than usual. It was so crunchy and warm, I regret getting just two. We gotta learn how to make it this crunchy!

(L) Scramble. It’s a milky shaved-ice street food usually sold around schools. I like this better than ice cream! (R) Maruya is a fried mashed banana snack sprinkled with sugar. I had already eaten most of it before taking this photo.

We got some pizza, pasta and ice cream before checking out some stuff to buy.

(L) Photobomber Loon. It was supposed to be a solo pic! lol (M) Loon was too busy eating her coffee-flavoured ice cream lol (R) Sniffing caught on camera. (Smells so nice tho)

We had cake, finallyyyyyyyyy. *demanding visitor mode*

I wanted Cake by Katerina’s signature KitKat cake, which is one of my favorites. Though, it was not available so we ordered something else. For some reason, their new cakes aren’t as good as how they used to be. Might be due to a change of baker/ ingredients. Idk.

Ah yeah, of course, there was the obligatory “Kambal kayo? Magkapatid? Magpinsan? Ano pala?” comment, while we were eating. I feel like randomly being in Pinoy Henyo everytime this happens.

After having cake, we headed home and watched another movie. I was not able to finish it since I quickly fell asleep in the middle of Loon’s massage.

____________________________________

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed my stay as usual. I really want to return sometime soon since there are lots of new establishments that are about to open. Gotta try them all!

Pasalubong /o/ Thank you, Loon!

Here’s a snapshot of our outfits for all three days. As usual, I chose something light and easy to wear. For Day 1, I wanted it to be gender-neutral and extra warm since I easily get cold from long trips. For Day 2 and 3, I chose something easy to pack up.

And lots of selfies!

I guess it’s so obvious how much we enjoyed playing with these. lol