Cassie/Mandarin Orange Monday

Cassie, short for Casserole, was a stray adopted by Mang Rudy, Em's beach-house' caretaker.  Em's husband named her Casserole after he caught her in the act of opening a casserole.  She was sunning herself  one morning at the patio when I crept behind her and took this photo.  Cassie's light orange coloring is perfect for today's Mandarin Orange Monday.  

Blue Monday: Refuge

@ mirandablue

A dog taking a nap under the shade of a banca parked by the shores of Anhawan Island.

Join us at Blue Monday

Brown dogies

@ mirandablue

My first contribution to Gizelle's Thursday Brownies are the dogies I met in the islands last March.  We were not formally introduced but these guys followed me around like we're old friends, and they were very willing to pose for the camera.  The top dog, let's call him Skinny, posed on the beach like a supermodel.  While Furry below, found a cool place to take a nap.  Aren't they handsome?:p

@ mirandablue

Join us at Thursday Brownies

Pet [Alagang hayop]

@ mirandablue

Natural, bida ngayon ang alaga ko, si Fritz. Para sa akin, si Fritz ang pinaka-poging aso sa balat ng lupa.  Malambing sya, mabait, mabango at kasalukuyang naghihilik sa tabi ko.  Medyo spoiled itong alaga ko...kadalasan, nagpapasubo pa.  Biro ng mga kaibigan ko, sayang lang daw ag binubuhos kong pagmamahal at atensyon kay Fritz.  Buti pa daw ang kalabaw, napapakinabangan.  Hindi ko minamaliit ang halaga at pakinabang ng kalabaw [lalo na sa mga magsasaka], pero pwede ko bang yakapin at halikan ito?

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Naturally, Fritz is the star of today's post.  For me, he is the handsomest dog in the planet.  He's sweet, gentle, smells good and right now, snoring beside me.  I admit, Fritz is a bit spoiled...more often than not, he nibbles on his food but eats heartily when spoon-fed.  Friends love to tease me that I have a bad case of misplaced love for a pet, after all, Fritz couldn't do things for me.  While I don't underestimate the value and usefulness of a water buffalo [especially to farmers], I don't think I could hug or kiss this animal.

Trivia:  In 2004, the first test-tube hybrid carabao [water buffalo] was born in the Philippine Carabao Center in Nueva Ecija, and was named "Glory" after the former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

@ mirandablue

For Thursday 2 Questions - you are invited to answer these questions and join us:


1)  If you have a pet, do you think he or she understands you?

• yes, I believe Fritz understands me.  certain words prompt him, he responds to my [tone of] voice.

2)  What is the most endearing trait of our pet?

• Fritz is most endearing when he lays his head on my leg and waits to be scratched; my heart melts every time he runs to the door to welcome me home, or licks my nose when I tell him I love him.

Caged animals [Photo Hunt]

@ mirandablue

This caged tiger looks sad, perhaps slowly going insane in this small confined space. A white tiger constantly paced in his cage---everywhere it turned, there is a tourist... curious, taunting eyes all around.  

@ mirandablue

I didn't  hear this cougar make a sound, it just stared sleepily at his cage.  Probably sick and tired of hoping to be free again.

@ mirandablue

Posted for Photo Hunt hosted by TN Chick

Lonely duck [Watery & Outdoor Wednesday]

@ mirandablue

Swimming alone seems not a good idea for this duck.  After all, it's a huge pond. I wonder where her friends are...maybe at the casino.:p

Man-made pond in Fontana Leisure Park

Clark Ecozone, Pampanga

@ mirandablue

Linked to Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Silent, quiet [Tahimik]

         @ mirandablue         Silent Companion by Seb Chua

Gusto kong bigyan pugay si Seb Chua, ang gumawa ng sculpture na ito sa Eastwood Mall.  Istatwa ng aso at tao na tinawag n'yang "Silent Companion". 

click to enlarge

Nakakalungkot ang kalagayan ng maraming aspin na pakalat-kalat sa kalsada.  Naturingan na "man's best-friend" pero bakit maraming umaabuso sa aso?  Nag-aalala ako kapag umuulan kung may nasisilungan ba sila.  Nakakakain ba sila at hindi pinag-mamalupitan?

Ang pag-alaga ng anumang hayop ay isang responsibilidad.  Nagugutom, nauuhaw, nasasaktan at nangangailangan sila ng kalinga.  Sana h'wag balewalain at pabayaan na lang.

Si Fritz, ang aking tahimik na kaibigan at kasama.  Naghihintay at masayang sumasalubong sa akin sa pinto, taga-gising ko sa umaga, nakakapawi sa pagod, nakakapagpangiti at nakakapagpasaya sa akin, at tahimik na nakikinig lang sa mga hinaing ko.  Hindi man s'ya nakakapagsalita, alam n'yang mahal ko s'ya.  At sa pagkawag lang ng kanyang buntot, alam kong masaya din s'ya.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

@ mirandablue                                                                                                             Fritz- My Silent Companion

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.”

For Thursday Two Questions:
1.  Would you prefer silence or angry words?
2.  If your dog/cat could talk, what would he/she tell you?

Cuddly [Photo Hunt]

Ran into this cuddly creature at the beach in Cagbalete Island. She is a chow chow named Lizzie, quietly lounging by the gate of a resort waiting for her human family. Lizzie was charming and friendly and I wanted to hug her but because it was our first meeting, I just petted her and hang out with her. I wished Fritz would meet her.:p

Posted for Photo Hunt

Spotted [Photo-Hunt]

Spotted this napping Bengal tiger at the Subic tiger safari. The sound of his snores made my hands shake as I snapped this photo. His paws are huge!

It was nap-time, too, for the spotted civet cat or alamid, as it is locally called. The civet cat is a nocturnal omnivore that is usually active between 6 pm and 4 am, less active on nights when the moon is bright; and its favorite diet is chico, rambutan, mango and coffee.

Coffee Alamid, the world's rarest brew, is coffee prepared from coffee beans harvested from droppings of wild civet on different forest floors of Philippine mountains. A 100-gram pack of coffee alamid costs US$100...a kilo is US$500. I haven't tried it yet but I was told that coffee alamid makes such a sublime cup. When roasted, it exudes a fruity aroma, and has a strong, sweet, dark chocolaty taste.

nocturnal civet cat

It looks like this spotted deer missed his nap. This nocturnal creature is listed by IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) as an endangered species. Scientists call it the "world's rarest deer" and it is one of the three endemic deer species in the Philippines. Surviving population of the Visayan spotted deer still roams the rain-forests of the Visayan islands of Panay and Negros, specifically in the protected habitats of Mt. Kanlaon National Park, North Negros Forest Reserve, Mount Talinis and Lake Balinsasayao Reserve and West Panay mountains. This deer species is protected under Philippine law.

Visayan spotted deer in captivity

Posted for Photo-Hunt

Makapal [thick] - Litratong Pinoy

Berde at makapal pa ang kagubatan sa Subic Freeport. Kabilang pala ang kagubatan ng Subic sa mga protected areas dito sa Pilipinas. Pinangalagaan ito ng mga kano ng higit sa 50-taon noong nandito pa ang US Naval Base at pinagpapatuloy ngayon ng SBMA. Sari-saring habitat ang nasa gubat na ito at ang resulta ng forest biodiversity survey ay nagsiwalat ng 745 species ng halaman. Tatlo dito ang endangered at apat ang potentially threatened. Kaya kailangan ng madaliang pagkilos upang mapanatili ang pangangalaga hindi lang sa kagubatan ng Subic kundi sa iba pang kagubatan ng Pilipinas.

The forests in Subic Freefort are still thick and green. A part of the Philippine national forest, Subic forest is a protected area. The forests were protected from over-exploitation for more than 50 years while under the jurisdiction of the US Naval Base. The current preservation of Subic Forest in under the administration of SBMA. A wide range of habitats are present in these forests and results of the forest biodiversity survey revealed 745 plant species, three of which are endangered while four others are potentially threatened. Therefore, there is an urgent need of preserving not only the Subic Forest but other forests in the rest of the country as well.

some of the famous residents

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Undesirable [Photo Hunt]

This is how Fritz looks like pinned down on the floor with my mother's submission hold. No, Fritz is not being abused or tortured---my mother is looking for something undesirable, like fleas. Fritz would sometimes growl in protest but most of the time he's very submissive.

"Help me, mommy! She's on attack mode today!"

More undesirables at Photo Hunt

Keeping cool - Watery/Outdoor Wednesday

Ahh, the water is grrrrrrrrrrrreat!

This big cat loves getting wet...he was keeping cool after feeding on a couple of dressed chicken. Tigers are powerful swimmers, and like jaguars, they are at home in the water. Drenching and drying keep tigers cool during the hottest part of the day. They soak for about an hour then emerge shaking the excess water from their coat like a dog.

Ohhh, why do you tease me? Gimme that, or I'll have your fingers for lunch!

OK, take your dang picture! I'm so photogenic! Grrrrrr!

Taken at the Zoobic Safari

Posted for Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

I smell [amoy]...Litratong Pinoy

Hindi ko alam kung nakikiliti o nakasimangot si Tisoy habang inaamoy ang kanyang likuran.:p Hindi tulad ng kanyang itim at masipag na kalahi, ang "kanobaw" (kanong kalabaw) o albinong kalabaw ay laging nasa lilim kasi madaling masunog sa araw ang kanilang balat. Kaya hindi amoy-araw si Tisoy---parang may smelling session lang talaga sila...ano sa tingin mo?

I wasn't sure if Tisoy was ticklish or scowling while he was being sniffed at from behind. Unlike the hard-working black carabao, albino carabaos (white water buffalo) usually stay in the shade because they get sunburned easily. It looks like they were having a sniffing session...did you get a noseful? :p

Itong spotted deer naman, ano kaya ang natapakan---sana hindi mabaho! "World's rarest deer" pala ito at dito lang sa Pilipinas matatagpuan.

This spotted deer stepped on something---I hope it's not stinky! The Philippine spotted deer is the "world's rarest deer" and can only be found in parts of the Visayas.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Daig ng maagap... [Litratong Pinoy]

Na-inspire ako sa bagong salawikain na tinext sa akin---"daig ng maagap ang tulog".

Maagap ang magdyowang suso (maragsa ang bigkas ha?!) na ito, slow motion na nagligawan at gumapang hanggang mamulupot sa baging na hinahangaan. Kahit nakalambitin, ayos lang, basta nakakapit sa narating na katayugan. Malamang nakarami na sila. Samantalang itong musang (o alamid, Asian palm civet) sa panaginip lang malayo ang narating...gabi na kasi kung gumising.

Bow.

Isa pang bagong salawikain..."aanhin pa ang kabayo, marami ng motorsiklo." Yan, malungkot tuloy ang mga kabayo. Wala bang konek sa maagap? Meron daw...sabi ng naka-imbento ng motorsiklo. Pero dahil pamahal ng pamahal ang gasolina, balang araw, baka tayo'y balik-karetela. Kaya ngayon pa lang, magtanim na ng damo. Di ba maagap pa rin yon?

Ang hirap ng theme this week, whew!

Wala na muna translation, di kaya ng powers ko. Marami na ang nag-attempt i-translate sa English ang "daig ng maagap ang tulog" pero parang weird e. Ano nga ba ang English translation nito?

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