I have to wear my new shoes out of the shoe store even if it doesn’t match the outfit I am wearing; I have to try on all my new clothes as soon I get home; I have to configure and use my new gadget as soon as I walk out of the store; I eat or drink the same thing a few days in a row after discovering something new; I have to sleep inside my new car on the first night; I slept in the garage (inside the car) to watch over Jupiter, our horse, who was spending the night in our garden before we transported him to the stables…

My mom calls this “So Araneta” (as in “You’re so Araneta” or “That’s so Araneta”).

Last night I bought a new toy and haven’t opened it upto now.

Was I that exhausted from agility practice (Saturday afternoon) + quick overnight getaway at Fontana, Clark (Saturday night) + agility practice (Sunday afternoon)? Or am I becoming less “Araneta”?

As she climbed into my car she introduced herself as Abby. As most first meetings go, we indulged in a series of small talk initially.

First she asked me about my dogs and BetterDog. Eventually I gathered that she had just been hired by Sterling whose head office building (Sterling Place) is diagonally across the building where the new BetterDog is located. She explained what she does which is too technical for me to comprehend, let alone explain here. She reminded me a bit of Bestfriend C -a typical Makati office girl. As we approached Ortigas Center where I agreed to drop her off, we had talked about banks’ systems (she used to work for BDO), call center agents and call center policies, and so many other things.

She got off at Robinson’s Galleria.

I know what some of my friends are going to say when they read this: Be careful. This is not the first time I gave a complete stranger a lift. In the past though they’ve been foreigners, not locals, which is arguably safer.

Although it is true that the world can be a dangerous place, it is not going to stop me from helping out random strangers like I did tonight.

Unlike Americans/Canadians [who may not do so, or not as often], we, as a mostly Christian nation give thanks everyday. Usually before each meal, in fact. We don’t need the 4th Thursday of November to give “special” thanks.

Unlike the Westerners we eat Chicken, not Turkey, because we don’t grow Turkey in the Philippines! Sure I’ve seen a live Turkey or two here. But Turkey is not found in our supermarkets for a reason.

Tonight a group of friends are yet again celebrating Thanksgiving with a Turkey. I don’t have the heart to tell them I disagree with the it’s just a good excuse to eat Turkey excuse. But I will follow to that dinner anyway because it’s a good excuse to see my friends.

Advantage: Savings!
Disadvantage: Lathering up using such small bars of soap.
Solution: I decided to include one bar of soap per Mini Kabuhayan Showcase pack.

Once again, everybody happy

Because I have, on occasion, had sleepover guests those free disposable toothbrushes from hotels have come in quite handy. Lately, however, there is more supply than there is demand.

Instead of gathering dust and occupying space inside my medicine cabinet, I finally figured out what to do with the disposable toothbrushes. I bought a handful of toothpaste sachets, packed one toothbrush with one toothpaste sachet, and plan to give these out to the homeless in the streets.

Problem solved.

No two sessions are the same because the conversations during and even after each cooking session are always dynamic. I learn a lot from the participants: where they’re from, what it’s like there, what they do, what they like, what they’re like, why they chose to come to the Philippines…

I helped one couple find a van (rental) for their roadtrip to Taal and Tagaytay; I helped one bachelor kill time between flights by going on a roadtrip to Tagaytay and doing laundry; I drove three Fil-Am sisters back to their hotel…

CookFilipino is no longer just a means of extra income but my little way of making their journey a little more educational, enjoyable, and memorable. In return, I somehow get to live vicariously through them.

Potty training Milan is easier than I thought.

“Let me out!” she whines, after a successful potty-pee (as you can see)

Like clockwork:
She wakes up (she makes this known by instantly whining);
I place her in the Potty Box (for about 30 seconds she always looks up at me, jumps up and down wanting to escape, all the while whining, then she eventually looks down at the newspaper, starts to circle, and pees);
I place her on my bed so we can play (she wants to nibble everything: my clothes, pillows, hair, nose, cellphones, tv remote…so I try to stick chew toys in her mouth as substitutes);
She gets tired, calms down and naps again (sometimes I place her inside her basket even before she settles down but this means whining till she falls asleep).

Rinse. Repeat. Every two hours, guaranteed.

Potty-poo is just as simple. As soon as she eats, I wait about 5 minutes, place her in the Potty Box. Voila! (She takes after Jorge; Not all dogs potty-poo right after eating i.e. PeeWee and Chance)

Here is a sample log of today’s activities:

315am: wake, pee
330am: eat, play, sleep
630am: wake, pee, sleep
830am: wake, pee (on a thick blanket on my bed since I fell asleep and didn’t notice she woke up), sleep
930am: wake, poo (very little), sleep
1130am: wake, pee, play
1215nn: eat, poo, play, sleep
2pm: wake, pee, sleep, play, sleep, play, sleep
4pm: wake, pee, sleep
530pm: wake, poo and pee (inside Chance’s crate), play, sleep
7pm: wake, eat, pee (in my bathroom)
830pm: wake, pee (on the bedroom floor while exploring my room), sleep
10pm: wake, play, train, pee (on my bed during Clicker training), sleep
* * * * *
12mn: wake, pee, sleep
1am: wake, eat, poo, sleep
130am: wake, pee, sleep
2am: wake, sleep

Milan, only minutes old (June 6, 2012)

On the 6th of June, 2012, Jorge sired seven puppies. This one was second born, the eldest of four females.

It was love at first sight.

THE CHOOSING PROCESS

I visited the pups almost weekly. On every visit, she always caught my eye. I made it a point to observe her as she grew, visit after visit, to ensure that I was choosing her not only because, to me, she had the best markings, or because she looked the most like Jorge, but most importantly because she, in fact, had the best temperament.

When they were only about a week or two, their mom, Cinnamon, probably due to exhaustion from nursing all seven healthy and voracious pups, started to bite them. This one was the worst of the victims; she was nicked pretty bad right next to her nose. Because of this, they started to refer to her as “Scarlet”.

I never told them she was my first choice. I was afraid that if the hair over the scar didn’t grow by Week 8, I would still change my mind.

I went there today just to drop off Jorge’s pedigree which they need to process the pedigree of the puppies. I definitely didn’t expect to take her home today. 

THE PLAN

Milan at 8 weeks and a day (August 2, 2012)

Since it was a Thursday, and I happened to not have Chance with me, I brought this one to BetterDog for everyone to meet. Jojo confirmed that I made an excellent choice. That made me very happy.

Everyone’s Million Dollar Question is: Are you keeping her?

My heart is screaming YES. But I have to be practical; I can’t take care of a 4th dog Not another Beagle!

While I wait for her scar to heal (something uncertain so all I can do is keep my fingers crossed), I would like to raise her…the right way. That means potty training, socializing, and basic obedience training. After which, whoever this one eventually ends up with will be one lucky and happy home.

I’ve temporarily named her Milan after Cesar Millan whom I flew in to Singapore to watch a few days before the pups were born. But of course her future family can always rename her eventually.