Ad Astra Per Aspera

Rue is Growing Up!

jonna — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:46:09 +0000

Remember Rue, the little kitten I found on a dark street? (story HERE)

She’s now as clever and as quirky as a happy little kitteh should be! She’s growing to be a real beauty. Her markings are that of a classic tabby (swirls on the sides, parallel lines along her spine). She also loves to parade in costume, is comfortable wearing a shirt, walks on a leash, and plays FETCH! (see video HERE)

Rue just charms everyone, even the Vets in Practice vets! Oh, and the best part is, Rue & Qish (my Siamese) are just inseparable

from TINY –

to a little bit grown-up

This blanket serves as her surrogate mother — she sucks on it until she falls asleep.

with her best friend, Qish.

MBP, At Last!

jonna — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:15:57 +0000

MacBook Pro is ♥.

For a long time, I have been contemplating on getting a Mac. However, for economic reasons, I decided to settle for a sub-notebook (HP Mini) which I was supposed to get as soon as the bonus gets to my account. Since it’s not powerful enough to process my photos, I will have to upgrade my desktop as well, which would probably cost as much as the little laptop. So upon further pondering, I considered Mac again. And I will never regret it!

Since the start of the week, I have obsessed about the new MacBook White (unibody) which will be released in November. I love how it looks and I love that everything’s white on it. It just looks so fresh and clean. I’ve also considered the MacBook Pro but the $300 difference makes me rethink my option. Not that I mind the extra power of the Pro, but I also want an iPhone, you see. So my heart is all for the white, which should go well with the new white iPhone. Then I saw the SALE.

Maybe to lure people to the mall instead of going to the cemetery, SM Megamall announced its 3-Day Mallwide Sale. I’m no fan of sales anymore, mainly because I now balk at picking items from crowded areas. And I don’t like spending on impulse buys that I end up NOT using (I still have a closet-ful of that). But then, low EQ-ed that I am, I chided my mom to go visit the PowerMac Center again. We were there on Wednesday night and that’s when I decided that I will just wait for the new MacBook White unibody. But when I saw the small, partly obscured announcement that they are on 10% off, my heart stopped. That means the MacBook Pro is only P65K, from P72K! That means it’s only a few thousand peso more expensive than the soon-to-be-launched MacBook White unibody! That means the MacBook Pro is now affordable! And that also means that the money has to be spent NOW rather than in December! So yeah, to cut the story short, my low EQ ruled and my mom’s bank account was raided and I have a “loan” to pay to my mom while I enjoy my MacBook Pro NOW!

So yes, I am in love. Very much. MacBook Pro is love. PURE LOVE ☺

Kitteh Purr-ito!

jonna — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 04:01:12 +0000

Rue, my special burrito

I Has New Kitteh!

jonna — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:47:51 +0000

I was walking on a Friday night along Lapu-Lapu St. (Makati City) when a tiny orange feline greeted me. She looked like an orphan, and when I petted her, she responded in the sweetest way she can. Then when I started walking again, she started following me. She was so small that she was running feebly to catch up with me, with her itty-bitty paws almost tumbling on the pavement. I took a second look, and decided that it will be a hassle to Qish to keep this tiny fellow.

But a hundred steps and a few minutes later (I couldn’t see/hear the kitten anymore), my conscience was bugging me. This little fellow will surely die without the warmth of a home! So I decided to walk back to pick her up. By then, she was following two students who were discussing whether to take her home or not. When they said that they couldn’t bring her home, I knew I was destined to be her keeper. So we went straight to Vets in Practice to make sure that she is healthy enough to co-habit with my big cat Qish. Doc Melay advised me to put her in quarantine for one week while taking her antibiotics, so that she does not infect Qish in case she is sick.

When we got home, the big cat was not a hospitable host. He started hissing and was disturbed the whole night! While the kitten is still in quarantine (she still is not allowed to interact with Qish), I hope Qish will get used to the kitten’s smell. I told him it’s his decision if we will keep the kitten, but I’m really hoping that they will get along well. If not, I will have to re-home the kitten or bring him to CARA or PAWS But I think he is slowly getting more comfortable with the kitten around, who is still confined in a cage.

The kitten is the cutest thing! I’m thinking of naming her Rue Noire (nickname: Rue) or Mata-leão (nickname: Leão), or Deuxième (nickname: Deux). I know, I know. I’m such an OC when it comes to naming pets!

More photos HERE

QISH Gets a Second Lease in Life…

jonna — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:17:01 +0000

…and he still has 8 more lives to enjoy.

Qish’s condition started getting worse last week, from getting ear mites to ear scabbing and yeast infection. He got admitted for hospitalization in Vets in Practice (VIP) on the night of June 8 (Monday) because he stopped eating and he was dehydrated. He was given an IV drip right away and I was advised that he should stay at the clinic for a few days. I was confident that he will be well taken care of.

Two days later, he was not getting better. I already thought I was going to lose Qish. He wasn’t looking good and he still wouldn’t eat. Dr. Nielsen Donato (part-owner/senior vet, articles about him HERE and HERE) talked to me because he was not responding to the treatments very well, so he ordered more tests to rule out hyperthyroidism. When he tested negative for it, he said it could be autoimmune disease. It’s a disease wherein the immune system overeacts and instead of fighting bacteria, viruses and other foreign elements, it attacks the healthy cells in his body. Thus explains the wounds on Qish’s ears that won’t heal. The wounds also started spreading on his forehead despite the antibiotics, and Doc Nielsen found a blister on his upper lip. He looked miserably ill, it was totally depressing.

After administering the injection for immune system suppresant (Qish is on ‘roids! I thought only body-builders take ‘roids! :p), I stayed and hugged him for almost three hours. It’s a good thing all the people in VIP are nice, and they totally understand if you get emotional. I didn’t cry when I was at the clinic, because I didn’t want Qish to feel that I was scared. I wanted him to fight and live for me. I felt helpless.

When I left, I found myself in Mandaluyong Church, praying hard to let Qish get through this. He has been my only companion at home for the past two years, and he kept me alive during the time when I felt that I had no reason to live. He was my angel, and I knew I had to do everything to get him well again. I owe it to him. I couldn’t sleep that night and asked my friends who have been part of Qish’s life to pray for him.

The following day, I almost dreaded to call or visit the clinic. I didn’t want to see him even more miserable. But of course I had to go. And to my delight, he was almost bouncing when I got there! His wounds dried up, and he was totally responsive! The vets said they had a hard time giving him his pills because he was stronger now and he was really fighting. Finally, I was seeing hope! I was able to make him eat as well, and before I left, he was already grooming himself and my hand! I was totally ecstatic.

Qish was discharged on June 13 (Saturday), after Doc Riza taught me how to make him take his pills. He spent five days in the clinic but it was well worth it. He was well taken care of and he got the best medical attention. He is now recovering well at home, and he nows eat a LOT. He still wouldn’t play though, even if I throw him his favorite ball. But I’m sure he’ll be the same Qish in no time — that playful, almost mischievous furball who always greets me with a loud meow everytime I get home, as if saying (in LOLcat language), “Hooman! Where has you been? I spent all day alone and bored waiting for you, and you didn’t even bring me a treat!”

Throughout this ordeal, a lot of people were raising their eyebrows at me. Why go through all the fuss of caring for a sick animal? Why spend that much on medical bills, just to save the life of a cat? But I just shrugged them off. There shouldn’t be a difference in how we look after our friends, be it two-legged or four-legged, right?

MISERY

jonna — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:27:58 +0000

Qish is miserable, and I am desperate.

The condition of Qish’s ears has worsened. He looks like a dirty stray cat whom nobody cares for. He seemed to be getting better since I started using Oridermyl on his ears, an ointment to kill the mites and the bacteria/yeast that come with it. He was okay until Friday night, when he started howling and scratching again. By the time I brought him to the vet on Saturday, he already has wounds in his ears from scratching. Vet said it’s yeast infection. He now gets antibiotics injection every 3 days, apart from the same ointment that I have to use for 3 weeks. I put the E-collar back on but removed it again yesterday, because he is just totally irritated by it. I had to “manually” stop him from scratching by stopping his hind legs whenever he feels like doing it.

It’s heart-breaking to see him this way. His ears has scabs, and has developed “cauliflower ears” (this is very common with people who engage in BJJ or judo or wrestling, where the ears look like “chicharon” due to repeated trauma to the ears. In cats’ case, it’s the repeated shaking of their head that causes it, as a result of hematoma — eruption of tiny blood vessels in their ears).

I miss my QISH, that playful, almost mischievous creature that I always go home to. Now he is a picture of an unhealthy, unhappy cat in misery. And he is definitely unhappy, by the looks of it. He is extremely irritated, always howling, always scratching. He doesn’t eat on his own — I have to hand-feed him because he wouldn’t voluntarily go to his dish. Yesterday he was on top of the closet, and I had to climb up just to feed him. I have been crying because seeing him this way is just…unbearable. I hate myself for causing this misery to him.

This is how his ears used to be — clean, healthy, upright, flawless, alert, pointed.

Now, THIS is how his ears look like… (WARNING: Graphic content. Scroll down/open the thumbnails ONLY IF you are ready to be grossed out.)

Studio Shoot with Iai & Canon 450D

jonna — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:52:43 +0000

I have to practice using Canon 450D (I’m a Nikonian!) because I’ll be teaching Basic Photography soon, so I told a colleague, Vlad, who’s also into photography and a Canon 450D user. He took care of getting Iai, our model, while I made sure we can use the studio in APC. I am not a big fan of portrait & fashion photography as I prefer landscape & action, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I experimented using an UWA (Sigma 10-20mm) for portrait, and it was…different. I liked the distortion it delivered.

Lenses used:

Canon 50mm f/1.8
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6
Sigma DG 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3

More photos HERE

Another Trip to the Vet

jonna — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:09:19 +0000

I got home last night with Qish scratching his right ear wildly. He didn’t touch his food as well, and kept on howling while scratching. Mark said I should have it checked, because there’s some wax and watery discharge inside his ear, and it’s been red from his scratches. I don’t think he was able to sleep last night, so we packed for another trip to the vet this morning.

I brought him to a different vet because he might still remember his struggle with his other vet a week ago. So I brought him to Vets in Practice (VIP) in Mandaluyong, and I was pretty happy with it. Actually, I might not go back to his old vet. Not that he was treated badly in the other clinic, but they have complete facilities in VIP, and I have been reading a lot of good blogs about it as well. But because it’s a popular clinic, it’s also pretty busy at 9:00 a.m. There were about 10 dogs (4 Siberian Huskies!) lining up to be checked, and a Persian cat who came after us. We waited for about 40 minutes before the vet checked Qish. She got some wax sample from his infected ear.

She suspected Qish has ear mites, and I said it’s quite unlikely because he doesn’t interact with other cats. In fact, Qish thinks I am another cat (that, or he thinks he’s another human). Then she asked me if I touch other cats, and of course I do! I actually cuddled a few stray kittens last week when we helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity. Apparently, the ear mites could have clung to my clothes and finally found “home” in Qish’s ears. So yeah. No one else to blame but me (

Now he wears a new fashion, with a big cone collar around his neck. And it irritates him big time.

Chasing Islands in Zambales

jonna — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:19:35 +0000

Anawangin Cove, Capones and Camara Islands

I’ve been wanting to go to these islands for the longest time. I’ve been reading blogs and seeing photos of it, and the seemingly virginal quality of the place drew me into it. So we packed our bags and drove off to Pundaquit in San Antonio, Zambales, the jump-off point to these islands.

First destination: Anawangin Cove. It’s overrated for me. I am not a big fan of camping, and seeing the tents set up everywhere made me want to leave immediately. But we were supposed to have lunch there, so we waited for our boatmen to cook our food. We brought 2 kgs. of freshly-caught yellow fin tuna which had its fate destined on the grill. Lunch was simple but the sweetness and freshness of the tuna, plus the fact that we were all starving, made it big time.

Second destination: Capones Island. It’s around 20 minutes away from Anawangin, and this island is a gem! There were a few people but it was pristine for the most part. The white sand and the blue-green sea were inviting. I tested my CPL and ND8 filters, and the CPL is LURVE! After an hour, off we went to the next island.

Third destination: Camara Island. We were lucky to have the island all to ourselves. It is small, but has an interesting landscape. Too bad we weren’t able to wait for the sunset. It would have been a perfect place for that because it faces the open sea.

Our “head” boatman, Mang Randy, is generous enough to let us use their shower to rinse off. We left Pundaquit at past 7:00 p.m. It was a short but fun trip away from the city.

More photos HERE

The Vet Ordeal

jonna — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:17:47 +0000

Vet visit for Qish is never a pleasant experience for him. I pity him, really. But what can I do? He needs deworming and vaccinations and check-up once in a while.

Last Saturday (May 16) was his annual vaccination day — anti-rabies and 3-in-1 to be injected on each of his thighs. The injection went well, until his deworming moment. He’s supposed to take half-a-tablet of his medicine, but he was too scared already from the injection. Maybe pain started setting in as well, so he was stressed and he was struggling. I’ve never seen him that mad and defensive, ready to pounce and kill! The vet asked me to step out of the room, but I heard him struggling — for the whole 30 minutes! I was like a mom waiting anxiously outside the “operating room.”

When the door finally opened, he was delivered to me in his cage. And to my surprise, he was panting badly! His mouth was open, his tongue was hanging out, and he was letting out shallow and rapid breaths. Apparently he was too stressed that the vet put on an oxygen mask on him. I was brokenhearted!

But now he’s back to his usual mischievous self. I’m scared for his next vet visit!