Venice: Animal in Solitude

VENICE

7^th ANIMAL IN SOLITUDE

NAME: Venice

DATE TAKEN: 10 july 2010

LOCATION: mandaluyong city, phil

DETAILS: This kitten is a litter of frisk. I got her name from the newspaper she is comfortably lying on.

JUMBO: Animals in Solitude

JUMBO

3rd ANIMAL IN SOLITUDE

NAME: JUMBO (3^rd animal in solitude)

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter Traña.

DATE TAKEN: 03.13.2010

LOCATION: Puerto Salvador Ayendes, Nicaragua, Central America

DETAILS: I named him Jumbo - Ironic to his condition, we found him beside a jumbo hotdog stand waiting for spare food.

When A Feline Champ Adopts a Human

Taken August 25, 2010

  I recently joined the Spay Day Photo Contest of The Humane Society of the United States with Champ, my adopted cat from PAWS. I have two cats and have asked my friends’ opinion on whose photo I should submit. Champ won by one vote. The result amazed me not because I like one over the other but because I appreciated the fact that my friends look at Maxee (the Siamese) and Champ (the Puspin – native Filipino cat) the same way. What can I say? I got great friends!

  Maxee usually gets the attention first because ‘she’ is undoubtedly beautiful. She is picky with whom she interacts with. A friend calls her a ‘diva!’ Champ does not get everyone’s love at first sight but ‘he’ charms anyone who gets a chance to hug or touch him.  He is just as capable of giving as much love as Maxee does.

Champ wasn’t really part of my plans that day I went to PAWS early 2008. I just wanted to attend the Volunteer Orientation. I have just taken in a rescued cat then (Maxee) and decided one is enough. After the orientation, a lady arrived with two kittens - one is an orange tabby and one is gray. We held the gray one for a few minutes to help Liza Umayam (Adoption Head of PAWS that time) bottlefeed him. He slept on my hands so we placed him back inside the cage to be brought to the quarantine area. When about to be placed in another smaller cage, he jumped out; and with his tiny claws, hang on a bigger cage facing us and cried his little lungs out as if begging to be taken home. It was the loudest cat cry I have ever heard. No human with a heart can ever turn his back on this cat after seeing what he has done.

I agreed to do my very first volunteer work – fostering. Fostering is providing temporary shelter to future adoption candidates because they are too young or are sick. They also get a chance to be trained – interacting with humans and other animals; and to use the litter box (for cats). When the kitten reaches a certain age where it is ready to be adopted out, I should start looking for a home to take it. A few months after, I was advised by Anna Cabrera (PAWS Executive Director) that Champ’s sister (orange) was killed by a tomcat. If I had not taken Champ, he would have suffered the same fate.

Taken January 14, 2010

So, yeah I took the challenge of fostering Champ and…I failed. Why? Because when I was about to bring him back to PAWS, I felt that he already found his home – in mine. I adopted CHAMP but sometimes I feel like it’s the other way around. Maxee rescued me from indifference and Champ adopted me to take me away from the world of ignorance – a world who thinks native cats are not beautiful.

I was rescued and adopted by cats and all the other animals in the shelter.

- E N D -

Please vote for my Champ. Minimum vote is $5 and your money will go to PAWS to fund our Spaying/Neutering Efforts. I am no longer after winning the photo contest but the amount I can collect for PAWS. Follow this link to vote:

https://photocontest.humanesociety.org/contest.html?page=viewInd&id=101633&contestId=3

Postcards: The Manila Bay Sunset

Postcards: An album of all the amazing places, living and non-living things that remind us God is everywhere. We will never be alone.

Location: Seaside, Mall of Asia (Manila Philippines)

Date Taken: 12th February 2011

Details: Erika and I went to see the Pyromusical Competition featuring the first battle -  Korea vs. Spain -  at the seaside of the Mall of Asia. We arrived just in time to see the famous Manila Bay sunset  before the show as a bonus.The heavens displayed its brightest sunset as if it was kicking off the competition.

The Jailbreaking Series: ANNA CABRERA as an Animal Welfare Advocate

Jailbreaking ANNA CABRERA as an Animal Welfare Advocate

"Why do you care about animals when there is so much human suffering?"

I have been asked this question many times and so has Anna Cabrera, Executive Director of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society. You have probably seen her many times featured in television shows fighting for animal rights. She has become a constant reminder of how much I can do as a woman. She has recently been voted as one of the finalists for the Advocacy Category of the Female Network Womanity Awards. It’s about time!

This is my first attempt to jailbreak a woman and it is my honor to do so.

Q: What brought you to PAWS? How long have you been with them?

A: 1997. Saw a news article on cats placed in a sack (back in 1997) and, although I've been a cat rescuer, adopter, and my family is a family of animal lovers, this particular piece of news was what prompted me to look for a "campaigning" and "educating" group. I heard of Mrs. Lichauco and her small group called "PAWS". I joined in the meetings held at the dining room of Mrs. Lichauco, where we planned the lobbying for the Animal Welfare Act (first law in animal welfare in Southeast Asia) and the building of a shelter.

Q: You have participated in a lot of animal rescue operations. Which was the most difficult you had to go through? Can you share your takeaway from that experience?

A: Most difficult rescues were the ones we did during Ondoy. There was a particular water rescue where we had to borrow special airboats from private citizens. A subdivision in Laguna was completely submerged in water and the water levels were at the same level as the Laguna de Bay - you didn't know where the Bay ended and the subdivision began! We saw a group of three emaciated dogs perched on floating garbage and debris . The situation was so desperate for the dogs since this had already been more than weeks after Ondoy. They were trapped and had no food.

At one point we had to transfer from one boat to another so that the team with equipment can be on the faster boat, I suddenly realized that  we were in the middle of Laguna de Bay, and I did not know how to swim. If I had fallen in, the rescuers would have had to rescue me! I then realized that we- animal welfare advocates - tend to be shortsighted when it comes to animals.

Seeing those dogs rescued and the sense of fulfillment, the sense of relief taking over my whole body when we finally had them on board the boats cannot be compared to anything in the world. 

Q: PAWS has been very active in pushing long-term solutions to animal welfare issues. This includes educating the next generation. As a mom, how do you ensure you do the same for your own children?

A:  It's true that we educate our kids more by what we do than what we say. I must admit that my daughter Joanna learned a lot by just watching me even if I wasn't "lecturing" at home. We had rescued cats and she participates in taking care of them. I also read a lot of bedtime stories to her like "ANG ITIM NA KUTING" (The Black Kitten) ni Natasha Vizcarra, "Cat Heaven" and "Mutt Dog". Joanna's first word was "cat", by the way.

Q: Who is your favorite shelter animal? Why?

A: Now, this is a controversial question! Moms don't want to admit that they have 'favorites' among their kids -- and it's the same with me.

But I have always showered the office cats, "Horace" and "Fleur" with special attention. Volunteers know that I have a special 'song' for each of them.

Among the dogs, Santino, Monty and Lauren have a particular 'puppy dog' look of adoration in their eyes  that I can't help but feel more desperate to have them adopted out  

Q: Do you have pets of your own? Can you share few details about them?

A: Five cats

1.Feedo -fostered/bottlefed as a week-old kitten

2. Dolphy- fostered /bottlefed as a week-old kitten

3. Bulag (want to rename him Stevie but the name "Bulag" really stuck)-found dying in the streets. He has an odd-shaped face and odd body structure, and blind of course..I think he was born with thse defects that's why he was thrown out

4. Stuart -rescued by a nun before turning over to me; epileptic

5. Mickey - fostered /bottlefed as a week-old kitten

 

One recently passed away, Domeng - an orange tabby and white cat - who was 9 years old. domeng was also rescued. We got him from Domingo Santiago Street - which is where I lived when I was still single.

 

Four outdoor cats: They are strays that I feed (but I had them all TNRd [Trap-Neuter-Return] ) - I don't want to give them names because I don't want to be attached.

Q: You have constantly mentioned how awkward you feel sometimes about getting all the exposure on behalf of all the PAWS volunteers. Could you give us a picture of all their hard work? Can you let us see and understand them through your eyes?

A: I have a long list.

1. Tata - our President- who started it all and continues to inspire us with her daily text reminders and pieces of advice.

2. Daily volunteers who clean,  medicate and

socialize the dogs in the shelter.

3. Our shelter director Heidi is hardly ever seen on TV or newspapers but she has made systems more efficient at PARC- she can fix anything from broken pipes to generating forms and systems that will make work and processes easier, and help prevent spread of disease.

4. Rich, our fundraising events director is always behind the director's booth at events but he is the brains and the hearts of PAWS events and celebrity campaigns.

5. Cha, Doc Wil, Doc Maripi and John make up the "unbeatable four" in terms of shelter work efficiency and rehabilitating animals.

6. Daisy, Therese and May are our combined inspectorate (checks on cruelty cases) and rescue team. All are volunteers.

7. Elsie and Joe help rehab our dogs in terms of behavior

8. Atty Kayaban helps prosecute legal cases.

(I may have missed someone)

 

  ... PAWS is so very lucky to have a group of dedicated and talented people. I don't think I would have been nominated in the first place if not for the product of all the hard work of these people.

 

Q: You have traveled to other countries for animal welfare events. How are we doing in this area as a country so far?

 A: Each country has its own animal welfare problems. When I went to Auckland (New Zealand) , US and United Kingdom, welfare and animal care standards were understandably more advanced and these countries were dealing more with welfare issues on farm animals and - in the case of UK - greyhound racing.

In India, they had better dog shelters but not a good shelter for cats. In Egypt, animal welfare advocates are having a hard time adopting out dogs because of religious issues so they ended up keeping dogs for life in no-kill sanctuaries.  

The Philippines is a country that is receptive to animal welfare ideas. We just need enough info in media and in academics to tell us that dog-eating is not a tradition and that dogs deserve to live in homes- that it isn't correct to think that having a dog as part-owned and part-askal (dog made to roam the streets) is okay. That is why we renamed the 'askal' to 'aspin' -- to show the stark difference between irresponsible and responsible pet ownership. We at PAWS have always maintained that "walang asong gala, kung walang taong pabaya" (there will be no stray dogs if there are no irresponsible humans). Street dogs or ‘askals’ did not materialize out of thin air. They used to have owners, they were released into the streets because people didn't want to be fully responsible for any one of these things: picking up poop/cleaning up after their pets, having their pets treated/feeding their pets.  There's also ambivalence about neuter-spay because we tend to have negative opinions about birth control, as a Catholic nation. Once we get it straight that dog-eating isn't a tradition that dogs should be kept within our yards and that pets (dogs and cats) must be spayed and neutered, animal welfare in our country will take a huge leap forward.

Q:  Your job in PAWS can be so demanding. Do you have other jobs aside from this? What do you do to, as they say, keep your sanity?

 

A: I watch a lot of TV series - mostly "Criminal Minds" and "CSI”. I love watching movies - mostly suspense, thriller and action movies

Q: Was there ever a point in your PAWS fights that you almost gave up? Why or why not? What made you stay?

A: Yes. Animal welfare work is not spared from intrigues and, just like any other sector, is replete also with people who will malign you and try to put you in a negative light. Add this to the fact that the organization is constantly besieged with expenses that it can hardly cope up with; there really were times when I thought we would just close down the shelter.

However, the campaigning for animal protection - I've never thought of stopping that -as long as I can speak and write - I think it has already been built into my system since I was small: I will always campaign against animal cruelty.  Whether or not I am in PAWS.

Q: The fight is not over. In fact, it may take a while. What is the one thing that you want to tell this country about animal welfare?

A:  Animal welfare is not just about animals. It is connected to human welfare. Humans are dependent on animals for so many things: livelihood, health, companionship. We need to veer away from the thinking that it is about animals vs. humans. We get questions like "Why do you care about animals when there is so much human suffering?" Why can we not be kind to both animals and humans? What is stopping us from caring about animals and humans? Environmental awareness has shown us that what we do to the environment, we do to ourselves. Animals are a part of that fragile web of life. We must never forget this and we must speak up for them.

 - E N D -

Having pets of my own and experiencing how hard it is to take care of them, I was deeply encouraged by one of the emails Anna has sent me. It spoke of what her father has told her when she was small. He said,

 "Since the animals cannot repay you (financially or in terms of human favors), the way you treat animals is the highest indicator of how much you are willing to give without expecting anything in return."

Could it be that our hope to turn this nation to have an animal-caring culture depends on the parents of today? Is it enough for parents to teach their children not to hurt animals? NO. This is a subtle way of teaching them indifference. If a parent teaches a child to be kind to his/her playmates but ignores a hungry dog or a cat, what message does it bring? If a parent brings a child to church every Sunday but kicks a dog or a cat on the streets, which image will stick more? I have always said that I will never ever believe a man who talks God but kicks a dog or a cat when he thinks no one is looking.

Indifference is a silent form of cruelty. The fight isn't over and there's still time. We can still care to care.

To vote for Anna Cabrera, please follow this link - http://www.femalenetwork.com/news-features/female-network-womanity-awards-finalists-for-advocacy

All photos from Anna Cabrera. I appreciate the time you have put into this despite your busy schedule. You rock!

Up in the Sky

Taken 12 Feb. 2011
Seaside MOA @ the Pyromusical Competition

The view of the sky has always fascinated me. I have a feeling it goes back to my childhood. My mother’s aunt has this garden that she keeps where my brothers and cousins used to play. It has a great view of the sky. I would go there every day after school and play and lie on a folding bed when tired. I found comfort. I’d imagine images from the clouds – dogs, cats, flowers, faces.

It didn't change with age. It just got better.

 

The other day, Mandaluyong City celebrated its Foundation and Cityhood Day. Every year, the local government holds a parade that involves nearly half of the city (no kidding!). I have attended this parade from first grade to senior high as a school requirement and when I was a public school teacher. This year, I got to watch the parade from an elevated place. The parade took almost two hours with the thousands of people who participated. Given my view of the parade, I noticed that out of the multitude of people who joined only a few turned their glance up and saw me. Don’t get me wrong! I am certainly not after some attention. It just occurred to me how busy people can be with what’s going on that we fail to look up and see what else is in store for us.
 

The most decent my camera phone can give me.

When I heard about the Pyromusical Competition happening in Mall of Asia I became so eager to see it and I did. More than the beauty of pyrotechnics, I was after seeing how a multitude can look up and be amazed. I was not disappointed. And to see them enjoy the beauty of the sunset prior to the pyromusical was an added enjoyment.

Life can be crazy. It can eat us in some ways. But as life gets busy and noises get louder and people move faster; I hope we don’t forget to look up, see Him in His splendor and be grateful all the time.

When was the last time you looked UP?

100 Animals in Solitude

I found FUSE beside a Meralco fuse box
 in Intramuros. 23 January 2011

Ever since I learned Photography I have always wanted to create an album of 100 homeless animals to send a message. It is so difficult to call people’s attention when you talk about animal welfare. I thought my voice could be louder if I use photos. Photos are powerful.

The album hopes to encourage pet companions to spay/neuter their pets to prevent more homeless cats and dogs and lessen their violent deaths due to being ran over by cars and/or experiencing cruelty from humans. Adoption is the best option. Please stop from buying animals from breeders. There are more homeless cats and dogs than there are available homes and willing humans to take care of them. Take home that kitten or puppy on the streets or visit animal shelters like PAWS and CARA so a new homeless animal can be taken in as you adopt out.

I hope more Filipinos learn to love our very own cats and dogs, PUSPINS and ASPINS, who are capable of loving just the same as their foreign breed counterparts.

My aim was to show 100 photos only and I know that it is just a small percentage of the truth. But if it will positively change one person’s view of animal care then I’ve accomplished my goal.

"A righteous man cares for the life of his animal..." (Proverbs 12:10a)

Not that Good.

“You are good…BUT not that good. That’s why you need a team.”

Ptr. Joey Bonifacio of Victory Church – Fort Bonifacio

A title of a book on Leadership by Gofee and Jones
and I have not read this book. Ha!

This line got stuck in my head in a really good way. Every time I accomplish something good at work I always tell myself these exact words. It is my way of giving myself a pat on the back and keeping my feet on the ground. I hope I have never shown anything that would suggest otherwise.

I did not graduate from any Black Belt Leadership Trainings so I may not be the most reliable person to talk about being a leader. The only credibility you could rely on in me is my age and experience. I have spent enough time to be both a leader and a follower in many different ways. I have experienced different leaderships and I have risen and fallen as a leader too. I have met so many bosses - some I directly report to and some I only get to observe from afar. I have learned a lot of so many good things from each of them and I always take virtual notes. However, I have also seen some challenges. I have seen one who always breaks a promise, one who does not spend enough time to attend to the needs of his people, one who shouts faults yet whispers praises, one whose first project after promotion was to find his own office no matter what it takes, one who only remembers people when needed but seems to limit own vision in celebrations, one whose emotions you need to babysit all the time BUT the worst kind? - the one who never looks back far enough to see every single people who made and continue to make every single success possible; the one who never looks up or down.

Yes, "... you are not that good that's why you need a team".

The "Team" is not just composed of the people you share coffee with during breaks, the ones you exchange emails with or the big wigs. If you widen your horizon, you'll be surprised with how big your "Team" really is. Your "Team" is composed of different "Teams" - from the team of the man who inspects your bag before entering the office door to ensure security of your workplace, the lady who replaces the tissue papers in the rest rooms, the man whose expertise in IT helps you solve technical issues, the quiet man in charge of quality control who dives deeper into the real score than you can, the lady who trains your people from the first to the last word they need to say, to the man who can't join your team late night outs because of his family but has delivered numbers the best he can, down to the team of that girl who graduated with a field of expertise that is way different from what she is doing for you now but gives her best to give the numbers you want. Your "Team" are not numbers. They are not statistics.

Yes, ... that's why you need a "Team" because you can't do it on your own.  

We all can't do it on our own. I wish all leaders live by this principle.

I thank God for my team and all the other teams I have worked with. Just like what Oprah said, "I am only as good as the people I work with."

I am Beautiful.

I have recently started my journey through the Book of Exodus. With an imagination like mine, it feels like watching a movie. Starting from where I left off the last time I read Chapter 25. I stopped at Chapter 26 because nothing really made sense to me. I skipped the chapters I thought say of the same things and went for the next “happening”. I was reading Chapter 32 when something inside me said I should go back. Go back to Chapter 26!

I don't know why I did but I did.

Patiently I read and absorbed every word and was surprisingly amazed by every single description it gave of what Moses should do to prepare a tabernacle.

Let’s rewind a bit. Moses was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of the slavery from Egypt. After Moses received the Ten Commandments from God, He received instructions on how to prepare the tabernacle, offerings, vests and rituals that God wants them to do in order to please Him. God gave very specific instructions for the grand things down to the minutest detail. I highly suggest you read them from Exodus to get a full view but here are a few examples:

“Have them make a chest of acacia wood – 2 ½ cubits long, a cubit and ½ wide, and a cubit and ½ high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.”

“Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it.”

“Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.”

“Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman.”

“At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top, and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. So there will be 8 frames and 16 silver bases – two under each frame.”

I was awed by the meticulous eyes of my Father on art and beauty. He does not want to rush things just to get it done. He carefully looks at every detail and turns a simple thing into an adorable piece. I thought, if He can give these instructions to Moses to the dot for Moses to come up with the best tabernacle and offerings that will please His eyes, what more beauty and greatness can His own hands bring?

I looked at the mirror and noticed my long black hair, my thick eyebrows, my not-so-pointed funny nose, my heart-shaped lips, my heart-shaped face and my small soft ears. I looked at my hands and noticed how small they are, almost like a kid’s. I smiled at the thought that I crave for ice cream “more” when I am sad or about to cry, that I love to dance and write and take photos. I pouted on the fact that I can’t swim despite so many attempts to learn. You see, I may not be the most beautiful woman in the world. In fact, I may not be beautiful at all in the eyes of anyone. I may not pass the standards of Hollywood or Cosmopolitan,  not even halfway!

…BUT I was fearfully, carefully and wonderfully made by my Father in Heaven therefore I AM BEAUTIFUL!

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are beautiful. I know that full well.”

Psalm 139: 13-14

EVENTS: LoveLife



Photo from Victory Philippines.

Love is a topic we all love talking about on radio stations, TV shows, and in our favorite songs. “All we need is love,” one song goes. But what is the kind of love that really fulfills and satisfies us?

Starting this February, we invite you to join us in our new series: “LoveLife.” This series will help us gain the right perspective of love, sex, and marriage founded on God’s Word, and develop godly convictions that would result in a life that pleases God.

Here are the weekly topics:

Week One: Love
Week Two: Marriage
Week Three: Sex

Join us at a Victory location nearest you! Victory, a church in the Philippines, meets in fifteen different locations in Metro Manila and forty-five different locations in the provinces. Check out our national directory. You may also get the latest updates on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Invite your family, friends, and colleagues to join us! See you at our services!

Reference: www.victory.org.ph (Posted on January 26, 2011 by Karess Rubrico)

 - E N D -

Watch the cool teaser video in Facebook :

http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=vip+mandaluyong&init=spell&tas=0.3162402882562492#!/video/video.php?v=10150097469744030&oid=78160982502&comments

Fall in love this love month!