Power-Sucking Puppies

The babies are now 3 days old and have been de-clawed. They seem stronger and can crawl to their Mum's belly unguided. It's amusing to see how strongly they suck on her teats as if they know they need to suck hard or just suck. They're so cute!

Cukay, Chikoy and Parenthood

Cukay is an amazing dog-mom. Her maternal instincts are strong. She's a delight!

On our first night home, I worried that she would kill her pups or cause them harm in whatever way. She is, after all, at 9 months old, a mere puppy herself. So I held vigil over them on that night. Lo and behold! She hovered over them, she licked them and nudged them, it seemed to me, as if she wanted to make sure they didn't forget to breathe. She never left them for long except the few times when she needed to pee. I gave her water and fed her at the crib to sustain her strength. Breastfeeding a baby is very taxing to the mom so what more to feed 4? Remember that she delivered via CS just that afternoon! Her 7 nipples are rich with milk and the puppies happily suckle away regularly. It has only been 48 hours but they look like they've already gained a few ounces.

She tried to transfer her babies to the first floor on Saturday morning. She started to come down the stairs with one of them in her maw. It's a good thing that Yaya saw her and ran to catch them. We moved them from the 2nd floor sala to the first floor. It seemed to make her feel better. She now roams the house freely and even goes to their toy basket to sniff at their playthings once in a while but she stays alert for her babies' cries and runs to the crib at the softest whimper. I'm glad that she frequently catnaps (or dognaps???) and often stretches her legs.


Chikoy is also an amazing dog-dad! He has been in perfect behavior since the babies came home. He doesn't bug Cukay so they don't fight. What's so cute is how he guards the brood. When Cukay is away from the crib, he stands beside it and peers at the babies. When the doorbell rings, he runs to the crib as if ready to defend it should he need to! He's the man of the doghouse, for sure!

Kayla's JS Prom

I never went to a prom. There was a crisis during my junior and senior years so the nuns decided to sympathize and not have a prom.

The notice said evening attire so I told Kayla to put on one of her long dresses. She looked so pretty.

When we got there, the girls were dressed in gowns! OMG! My pretty daughter was under-dressed! Gadratz!

Never mind, she still has next year. I'll rent a freaking sagala gown from Quiapo!

Whelp! Whelp!

On February 20, 2009 at 10:00am, Yaya called to tell me brownish water came out of Cukay.

I immediately called the vet to ask what it could be. Vet said to observe if she tries to push the babies out which means she was in labor.

No sign of that.

I got giddy so I decided to take the afternoon off and left the office at noon.

One foot inside the house and I felt Cukay was wet. I asked for a paper towel and it came away green. I turned around and brought her to the hospital.

Ultrasound showed movement everywhere in her belly. A major struggle was going on in there. Cukay was not heaving. Xray then. It showed this:


One puppy was blocking the doorway to earth. It's body was bent from the others' trying to get out.

The doctors counted the days and interrogated me. We arrived at 57 days in gestation so she was ready to give birth. Green discharge was a danger sign (thanks, Tessa, for urging me to read about whelping!) so I gave the green light for a CS delivery.

I watched the babies come out. What a sight! I have a video but I'll not upload it as some people might find it objectionable. ;p

I have three baby boys and one baby girl. We lost one baby girl. She was the one that was blocking the way and she looked like Chikoy.


They all came home the same day... so, yes, I slept on the floor again.

7 Nipples

Look! Cukay has 7 nipples.

Summer Look

It's almost summer! It's starting to get hot, hot, hot! I lugged my babbeezz to the groomer's to prepare for the summer heat and Cukay's giving birth next week.


I told the groomer to trim Cukay's feet, face and belly while Chikoy was to get his usual military cut. He has a rash, too, so he really needs to be shaved for it to heal faster.


When they got home in the afternoon, yaya told me Cukay was bald, too! Oh no!!! I was devastated! I really enjoy combing her hair in the morning and in the evening. She's like my baby doll... it's part of my routine... now, she's bald! Waaah!!!


I went home with a heavy heart. And there they were... Chikoy, neat like whiskey, looking a bit like a bony witch on her flying broom... and Cukay, like a blowfish with a tiny, pink ribbon on her head. Aww...

She seems more comfortable with her new hair. Her belly is clean and her boobs are so swollen with milk! When I put my face against it, I felt my grandpups move! It was so amazing!

My Grouchy Bitch

Cukay is almost due to give birth and she has been one grouchy bitch.

The other night, while I was brushing her hair, she attacked Chikoy when he approached us.

Last night, she attacked him again! I pried them apart and one of them nipped me as a result. No blood was drawn but their little jaws can surely crush and I have a bruise on my hand to prove it. Yaya told me they don't fight when I'm away so they might be competing for my attention.

Unfortunately, Chikoy has a rash that makes him squeal from the irritation and the sound makes Cukay launch herself at him. 7.5 kilos against 4.8! Poor Chikoy.

I slept on the floor with them last night to make sure they don't fight and to comfort Chikoy.

The Thrill of Making a Comeback

As you have probably surmised, I play Lexulous a lot.

I've played several games where either I or my opponent hit a big word and suddenly jumped ahead in points. Oh, the thrill! It fills me with excitement. YES!!! A couple of my recent games were like that. My opponent suddenly hit a big word that put him/her ahead by some points. Can you imagine how they felt? They probably pointed at the screen and yelled, "I gotcha!!! You're DEAD!!!" I have definitely felt that way numerous times and actually did that as well as sang a little song - "You're gonna lose again... you're gonna lose again... you're gonna loooosssee aaagaaiiinnn... you're gonna loooooosssse aaaaggaaaaiiinnnn..." Only for me to hit bigger points and that's the end of the game.

Of course, I've lost many times. As a matter of fact, my stats tell me that I've lost 133 times in 626 games. You win some, you lose some but it doesn't dampen the thrill nor the disappointment. Story of my life...

Ah, ah, ah, I'm staying alive... staying alive!

Dressed to Kill

One of my good friends, Paty, dug up a group photo from the early 90's and posted it on FB.

This was taken on one of the drinking nights at her house. Look at what we were wearing! Tucked in polos and blouses with belted jeans and OMG, look! Shoes! Not a toe in sight!

Waaay overdressed by today's standards.

Video of Chikoy Snoring

Chikoy likes to sleep in my arms and he snores like a pig.



Like father... like son. ;p

The Banana Test

There is a very, very tall coconut tree and there are 4 animals,

a Lion,





a Chimpanzee,




a Giraffe,




and a Squirrel




They decide to compete to see who is the fastest to get a banana off the tree.

Who do you guess will win?

Your answer will reflect your personality.

So think carefully . . .

Try and answer within 30 seconds. Got your answer?

Now scroll down to see the analysis.

If your answer is:

Lion = you're dull.
Chimpanzee = you're dense.
Giraffe = you're a complete moron.
Squirrel = you're hopeless.


A COCONUT TREE DOESN'T HAVE BANANAS.



I answered LION! It can scare the monkey enough to climb up any coconut tree and come down with a banana.

Cukay's Pregnancy Update II

That's Cukay's Valentine Day x-ray.

I'm going to have 5 grandpuppies.

Updating My Blog, English

I wrote a blog on grammatical errors a few days ago and I regularly update it with new "scoops".

Too bad a lot of my friends on FB are English teachers so they hardly ever (if at all) commit mistakes. Most definitely NOT in wall messages and status which can be read by EVERYONE!

I painfully remember my pronunciation booboo during a recorded lesson no less... DANDELION. The student asked me how it is pronounced and I cheerfully told her it's pronounced dan'-de-lyon. Gadratz. I told my friends Vina and Kalon the disastrous act and because of its novelty and the loving support from my just-named friends, the whole office heard about it. Big boss Bobby even had a loop of it on his iPod. Hmmm, technology baffles me, too. On a record, on a tape, on a CD, therefore, on an iPod, right? Double gadratz! I sternly told everyone to address me as MRS. DE LEON, not just Dan de Leon.

Talk about disrespect! LOL.

Valentine's Day

Red heart-shaped balloons are all over the city. Flowers are strewn everywhere. Chocolates, bears and flower-shaped candies are at peak sales. Romance movies are playing on all the movie channels on cable TV.

Ooh, sweet!

As for me and my darlings (Kayla and Jon), enjoying Camaron Rebosado, Pancit Canton, Yang Chao Fried Rice and Pata Tim in Hap Chan is all we need to celebrate Heart's Day.

Bubble Gang!

I love Fridays because of Bubble Gang. It's a comedy show that is ridiculously funny. It has been running for about 12 years.

They have spoofs of talk shows, commercials and dramas.

I love Angelina the spoiled brat and her loser Yaya.

I love Bonggang Bonggang Bong Bong.

I love Moy Moy Palaboy, the Iyotube artists.

Ogie Alcasid is a very versatile artist. I love how he portrays funny and serious roles. His songs are the only OPMs that I really appreciate. He is a good show host... Family Feud was much better when he was the host than now that it is being hosted by Richard Gomez who borders on sexual harrassment. No loss, he has Broken Family Feud on Bubble Gang.

Michael V is also a fantastic artist. He's a rapper and an excellent actor. Aside from comedy, I've watched him do heavy drama extremely well .

Ruffa Mae Qiunto totally cracks me up. She's very sexy, too. I think she delivers her punchlines more effectively than the other dolls in the show.

Comedy shows are a great way of relaxing and forgetting everyday stress. For me, it's either comedy or horror.

Just do it with the Bubble Gang!

Kayla and Scrabble

Last night, while rummaging through Kayla's study table, I found a certificate that said she's the 2008 Scrabble champion. She was the 2006 and 2007 champion also.

It surprised me because she swore she'll never play it after I beat her each and every time we played. She's such a sissy sore loser.

She invited me to start a game on Lexulous tonight. Her first word was a 74-point bingo.

I'm scared.

Friday the 13th, Valentine's Day and Payday

Guess what that means?

Pockets full of money... monster traffic jam... love is in the air... beware of unwanted pregnancy!!!

Isn't life good?

I saw many flower deliveries in the streets this morning. My husband told me no flowers. Waste of money. Let's eat and we'll all be happy. How romantic is that?

Happy! Happy! Happy!

English

The Philippines is one of the biggest English-speaking countries in the world. Even lowly beggars can speak rudimentary English. Cities from north to south are awash with call center agents. Everyone can speak English.

I taught English for a year a while back but I'm not claiming I speak it perfectly. Kayla speaks it better and more naturally as I raised her speaking English. I also co-own a communications instruction company and my partners jib me about my insecurities as far as English is concerned. They have Master's degrees in communications, you see.

Anyway, here are some funny, true-to-life English booboos by Filipinos:

Student: St. XYZ is the patron saint of our school.
Host: I see. Tell me, St. XYZ, what do he do?

Teacher: Since I've graduated I taught here. I was now a chairman of the homecoming committee.

Manager: She is a full-pledged Christian.

Manager: I like Senator X's political flatform...

Manager: Let's be careful... we don't want to get caught flat footed!

Manager: Oh, sir! I thought I wouldn't see you already!

FB Status: I'm mad to you! You know who you are!

FB Status: I'm very pissed off with my driver that I have to sack him... for drink driving!

FB Status: XX is looking forward to go to the spa tonight.

FB Message: Hi, friend! Are we meeting on _____? She haven't replied yet.

FB Message: Hi there! Guest who this is?

FB Status: I am confuse... can't make up my mind...

Philippine FB Fan Page: The Philippines! Have you ever been their?

Call the grammar police!

Sitemeter Details

I checked the details of my blog visitors as tracked by sitemeter...

I got visited by people from all over the world.

I wonder how.

A lot of them didn't come back.

Maybe they're reading the evil blog instead.

12:26AM

That's the time.

I can't sleep as usual. I'm out of Benadryl. I don't have Unisom. Reminder: get some of that Sleepasil tomorrow.

My babbeezz are awake, too. They always wake up when I do but that's because they like to use my slippers for pillows so they wake up when I push them aside to wear them.

My daughter's computer is so slow and her keyboard has no letters. I might as well be typing in the dark. Amazing how the fingers remember where the letters are, eh? I can't imagine how the keyboard looks like but my fingers know where the letters are. I'm sure yours do, too. Amazing.

My head is starting to feel light. That means it will be like that all day tomorrow. I think I'm too idle. I don't expend my energy so it's hard to sleep at night.

I'm going to change that as soon as Cukay-my friend's yaya comes back from her vacation.

Sleep... sleep... evasive, elusive sleep.

Jobs... Odd Jobs

Thousands are jobless all over the world and people are pleading with the government for some kind of livelihood program or assistance.

Media is busy with segments on the many jobs that people might not know about and and interesting one was featured last night.
Condom tester for couples at about P50k a month. Requirement? Married. Work at home.

At the end of the day, they can lie down in bed and discuss the job.

That would be an interesting conversation.

Defensive and Offensive Play

I'm not going to talk about some exciting physical game like basketball. If I may quote the great Robert "Sonny" "Jawo" "the Big J" "the Living Legend" Jaworski, "If don't want to get hurt, play chess, not basketball." We all loved basketball because of him.

This all about my lexulous game. Exciting only to me...

I lost big time to another player yesterday. I was ahead by 80 or so points until I let my defense down. I ignored blocking and went for points so my opponent got the chance to use the big tiles. I opened another chance because of one miserable point... one E added and that sealed my fate. Two crucial mistakes that led to my resounding defeat. It nagged me all the way home and a good 5 minutes after that.

Just like in basketball, when you've got the points, strengthen your defense. When you need the points, strengthen your offense.

ZzzzzZZzzz

Come little children
I'll take you away
Into the land of enchantment...

Mwihihihi! Bubble, bubble, double trouble!

When I'm trying to go to sleep in the middle of the night, I browse the channels for a show that will knock me out. I always end up watching some scary movie that wakes me up like a dowse of icy water. It's fun though. Last night, I imagined an abomination creeping on the floor sneaking towards me to grab my leg that was hanging off the side of the bed. Eeeeeek.

Need it be said that today my head feels like it is full of cotton. I'm so sleepy. Why can't this drowsiness come at the right time?

Maybe I should move to a different time zone.

I Love the 80's Music on FB

Cukay, my friend, told me she feels the urge to hang out with me whenever she hears 80's music. Don't ask me why...

So inspired by that, I started to write this but what picture to put? I remembered there's an "I Love the 80's Music" application on FB with a nice logo so I searched for it and added it. If you know FB, then you know you have to pass on an invite to a certain number of friends. So I just clicked friends without bothering to read what I was sending on. Imagine my dismay when my newsfeed informed that I forwarded RICK ASTLEY to my friends! OMG! Isn't that so baduy? Yeah, he had some hits back then but there were so maaannnnyyy big artists then! Why did they make him the auto send? Why not Duran Duran (The reflex... flex... flex... flex!) or Spandau Ballet (True! tanananananan nan... this much is true!) or Rick Springfield (Oh, I wish I had Jesse's girl... Where can I find a woman like that?) or even the recently deceased Mike Francis (Let me in... )???

Holy Mackarel. I might just as well have sent Roderick Paulate, the Rick Astley of the Philippines.

Together forever and never too far... Together forever with you...

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down...
Never gonna run around and desert you...

The horror chased whatever it was I wanted to write right out of my half-dead brain.

The Crisis and Conservation

Jon advised me to be more cautious about spending because there's a crisis and it's not as if we're immune to it.

So, here I am on a Saturday afternoon, playing... guess what? Lexulous, of course! I'm getting slayed!

I told the yayas to start conserving electricity and water. No more numerous tv's turned on all over the house. No more lights everywhere as if our house is a park. No more water heaters anyway it's not very cold anymore. I told them to be aware of the electricity vampire (is that what it's called?) so they are to turn off all the AVR's at night. I told Kayla to quit peering in the refrigerator every 10 minutes as if testing her willpower not to grab a goodie... heck, no more goodies!

Recycle water! No more washing dishes in running water as if they're by the river. I have a yaya who likes to flush toilets, it seemed to me, every time she passed one. (Maybe I should get rid of her.) I haven't seen how my laundrywoman washes our clothes but she had better beware.

I had the toilet papers removed from the guest's powder room because I noticed one roll is consumed everyday even if we had no guests! Toilet paper simply evaporated, it seemed. Be Pinoy! Wash!

Jon is to cut down on his smoking! He smokes 3 packs a day but I see half-smoked cigarettes in the trash bin all the time. He should smoke it down to the filter if he can't cut down.

As for me... well, I'm playing Lexulous on a Saturday afternoon. I'll just get a home service massage tonight! Ah... pure bliss for P300. That's the crisis for me.