Here’s a video of Relay for Life Luminaria. Relay for Life, and organization that raises money for cancer patients, made this video. Please watch it and share with your friends if the video touches you – and it will, if you watch it! Besides, what have you got to lose, hm?

Go ahead and watch, for the sake of every cancer warrior and survivor you know. Let us never forget that they fight the battle every single minute, every day of their lives.

Let’s all join the battle against cancer. Let’s support Relay for Life and do our part. Thank you to everyone who has the heart to listen.

About Relay For Life

I took a look at Relay for Life’s site and I found out that a relay has the following components:

• A relay is an overnight event.
• Different teams get to stay overnight and camp around a specific track.
• Team members are tasked to take turns to walk on the track for the entire event. It’s like a prayer petition, but done via continuous relay. It actually reminds me of the torch passing that happens during the Olympics.
• During the relay event, participants get to have fun, share food and games, and participate in other fun activities. There will also be other fundraising activities during the relay.
• Entire families can come and participate because this is meant to be a great family event.
• Participants don’t have to be there 24-7. You can stay there when it’s your turn to run the track. But it’s a lot of fun, so most people prefer to camp out during the event’s duration. Besides, camping is a whole lot more fun, right?

American Cancer Society

Relay for Life is working hand in hand with American Cancer Society. Aside from providing lodging facilities for patients who can’t afford to rent space while out of town for treatments, they also provide scholarships for students who have had cancer.

Fundraising for Cancer

Participants can raise funds as a team or as individuals. There are also rewards to those who get to raise the most funds. For more information, feel free to visit Relay for Life and check out their website.

In any case, please watch the video to learn more about the Relay for Life Luminaria. It’s a ceremony that honors cancer patients who have passed away or who are still fighting to battle cancer. Each participant is given a luminaria bag. The Luminaria bag has candles in it which participants will light altogether during the event. Watch the video and check out how a Luminaria event goes. And yes, do share this post and spread the word.

In my previous post, I narrated about cat eye problems and how I tried to find a good veterinarian in Manila after my cat had purulent secretions in his left eye. My cat seemed to have conjunctivitis, and the veterinarian I found seemed to have lied to me. Read about it here. And to continue my story, let me tell you one more problem with the veterinarian I found.

The Problem

When I got home, things got interesting. I checked the oral antibiotics and I found out it was a Doxycycline formulation. Doxycycline is usually given to treat many conditions, one of which is chlamydial conjunctivitis. But my cat’s conjunctivitis was not chlamydial in nature. It was not severe enough to warrant oral Doxycycline on top of ophthalmic antibiotics and steroids.

Besides, it had serious side effects. In any practice, may it be in treating humans or animals, giving antibiotics is done with due prudence. You have to weigh the risks versus the benefits. Giving a drug with a dangerous profile may be warranted in serious infections, but giving them in eye infections that may be treated with ophthalmic drops alone is unwise.

Unwarranted Antibiotic Treatment

The disadvantages of giving an antibiotic such as Doxycycline if it is not even necessary are the following:

• Possible development of drug resistance. In other words, the drug may not work as well in the future, if my cat develops a serious gastrointestinal infection, for instance. (This is why we discourage antibiotic therapy if you are suffering from the common cold, which is viral, not bacterial, in nature).
• Doxycycline carries with it a rather scary side effect profile. Its side effects include allergic reactions that may warrant emergency treatment, photosensitivity, liver problems, and kidney problems.

In a nutshell, I disagree with the proposed treatment plan for my cat. I know what you must be thinking: I’m a “person doctor”, not “an animal doctor”. But principles of antibiotic therapy are very similar. Dosing and preparation may be different, but principles of antibiotic treatment are basically the same.

I did not want to call the veterinarian and ask for a clarification. I felt that we had a very long talk and he had his chance. I already caught him with an inconsistency (he lied about what he thought caused my cat’s conjunctivitis, whether it was bacterial or viral in nature), and I didn’t want him to explain why oral Doxycycline was warranted when we both knew it wasn’t. It would have been an argument where nobody gets to win. It would have been a futile discussion, unless he was willing to admit that he just wanted to sell the drugs.

Or maybe I am being the typical emotional and stressed animal lover with a sick pet, worrying like a parent would for his child. This is why doctors can be such difficult patients: they think they know better. Of course, sometimes, maybe they actually do, but it will all be a matter of opinion.

In any case, I hope my dear cat gets well soon. By the way, when I got home, I picked a fight with my boyfriend, screamed a little, burst into tears, and bawled like a baby. Over my cat’s pink eye, at that! Hahaha. My boyfriend was nice enough to understand that I was just lashing out because I was sick with worry. I guess this speaks volumes about how much my cat means to me.

Secretly, I hope my cat lives forever. But then again, who would take care of my immortal cat after I die? Now, that’s great material for another blog post. I hope my dear kitty cat’s eye problems go away soon! And if you know of a good veterinarian in Manila that you can recommend, please do!

I have been looking for a good and trustworthy veterinarian in Manila for the longest time. I was looking for an animal clinic in Manila because my black cat suddenly developed eye symptoms just a few hours ago. Unfortunately, my experience with a veterinarian a while ago was not reassuring.

Cat conjunctivitis

When I woke up a few hours ago, my cat approached me and I immediately noticed that something was wrong with his left eye. He had purulent discharge on his left eye, which was partly closed. Although I am not an animal doctor, I am a physician and I had an idea as to what may cause those symptoms:

1. He might have scratched his eye accidentally and, as a result, he has corneal abrasions;
2. He has infectious conjunctivitis; or
3. He has some other more serious condition that causes red eye, such as uveitis or glaucoma, which I hoped was not the case.

A cat’s eyes are different from a person’s, so I knew that playing doctor in this situation (even if I was one) is not going to work. I then rushed my cat to a veterinarian in Sta Cruz, Manila.

The Veterinarian’s Diagnosis

After a brief inspection, the veterinarian said my cat had viral conjunctivitis. I asked if it was Feline Herpes Virus (FHV), but he said it was probably rhinovirus. After he irrigated his eyes, he then proceeded to prescribe eye drops for my cat. I checked the label and it was a combination of Tobramycin (an antibiotic) and Dexamethasone (a steroid that works to reduce swelling and pain). Of course, this immediately prompted me to think like a doctor. Why give him an antibiotic, which targets bacteria, if he thought it was an infection caused by viruses? (Antibiotics will not work on viruses because they are of a different makeup.)

I then asked the doctor, “I thought he had a viral infection.” He then said my cat probably had a bacterial infection. I took one look at him and he looked uneasy, as if caught in a lie. After all, he did just say my cat had a viral infection not so long ago, and suddenly he now has a bacterial infection.

READ MORE »

Stanley Chi is looking for Suplado volunteers! The Suplado Tips 2 Book Launch, to be held on March 24, 2012 at the National Bookstore, Shangri-la Mall, Ortigas, is fast approaching – and Stanley Chi wants Suplado volunteers to lend a hand! If you think you have the chutzpah to be a Suplado volunteer, here are a few perks you will be getting during the book launch:

1. There will be a raffle draw exclusively for Suplado volunteers only. Winners will receive gift packs, to be given during the book launch.
2. Automatic membership to the Suplado Society of the Philippines
3. Posters autographed by Stanley Chi
4. Official backstage passes and I.D. to the Suplado Tips 2 Book Launch
5. Photo op with Stanley Chi

Suplado volunteers will be assigned as any of the following:

1. Coordinators
2. Photographers
3. Floor managers
4. Giveaway officers-in-charge

How to be a Suplado Volunteer

To be a Suplado volunteer, you should have the following characteristics:

• Should be courteous and polite
• Should have a pleasing personality
• Should NOT be a minor
• Should be eager to take on tasks
• Should be able to understand and follow simple instructions

And if you want to be a Suplado volunteer, simply reply to this blog post with the following information:

• Name and age
• Facebook URL
• Answer this question: “Why should you become a Suplado volunteer?”

All entries shall be processed and the final list of Suplado volunteers shall be approved by Stanley Chi and notified via Facebook! (So please put your real Facebook URL in the comment section.) Also, you MUST leave a comment on this Facebook post to verify that you are indeed the one who submitted the application (not your hater or stalker, haha).

Here are last year’s elite group of Suplado volunteers, who got the chance to sup with Stanley Chi after the book launch:

The book launch is going to be a whole lot of fun! The Pinoy band Bakeshop will be there, and so will Ramon Bautista and Tado Jimenez. Mentalist Justin Pinon will also grace the event. There are more surprises, bigger giveaways, and a better book launch – yes, even better than the last one!

Here’s a picture of last year’s book launch:

Good luck – and hope you have fun applying as a Suplado volunteer! Make your summer break count; do something useful – and help out during the Suplado Tips 2 book launch! Or you can do your old boring summer break routine – it’s your call.

Little baby tortoises are being sold in airtight bags as souvenirs, courtesy of vendors and businessmen in China. Pictures such as the one below are circulating in different social networks, with people appealing to different animal rights activists to help put a stop to the barbaric practice. But is this a hoax, or is this happening for real?

Sadly, it seems to be the real deal.

Baby turtles (or tortoises – I don’t know which ones exactly) are captured, immersed in colored water in a bag which is then sealed and sold as souvenirs in certain cities in China. They are sold as key chains to many tourists.

Other souvenirs being sold include baby Kingfish or goldfish. The bag they are sealed in contains water that is supposedly nutrient-rich. Vendors will claim that the fish or turtles can live in the sealed bag for weeks to months. But I don’t see how they can live beyond a few days if no oxygen gets into the bag.

Well, that’s beside the point. These animals are alive – and they are kept in a bag, meant to suffocate to death as they are “kept as souvenirs or key chains”. It seems like unnecessary animal torture to me.

Sources online say that once the baby tortoise or turtle in the keychain dies, you can microwave them and eat them as a snack. Uh, yeah, that’s a fitting end to animal torture, yes? After all, we don’t want the poor tortured animals to go to waste. (Of course, I’m being sarcastic here.)

These key chains and souvenirs of little tortoises in sealed plastic bags are sold in many subway stations in China. According to their laws, it’s not exactly animal abuse. One spokesperson even said they will probably run out of oxygen anyway before the water’s nutrients are used up, so there’s no need to worry. To that, I say in utmost sarcasm, “Oh, wow, big relief!”

If you have any leads regarding this news bit (as to whether or not the facts I stated here are 100% true or if it’s all just some hoax), AND if you know of any animal rights groups who might want to help put a stop to it in case it’s all true, let me know by leaving a comment.

You can help spread awareness and put a stop to this. (You can share this post on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ through the share buttons below.) The idea of Chinese vendors selling sealed bags of breathing and living baby tortoises and fish that are meant to suffocate to death will bring me many nightmares.

Please like my Facebook page and help me spread the word. You can like the pages of popular celebs and athletes, so why not like mine and help me make a difference? Go for it:

Please like this article and get others to read it. It’s time we took a stand about the abused animals that are supposed to be under our stewardship – share this story with others who you know will care:

Let us all show that we CARE. Please spread the word. Your voice counts. Let’s all use our internet presence to help these poor animals.

F*ART. No, it’s not the word associated with passing gas. It’s Fashion Art Gallery, owned by Happy Andrada and Viva Andrada. And it’s F*ART Gallery’s fifth anniversary this year! Woot! And if you have never heard of the Andrada sisters or of FART Gallery before, then it’s time that you did. This would be the perfect place for people who have earned design degrees to visit.

The tagline of the event: Let’s go FARTher with FART! Saying it out loud makes me smile!

F*ART Gallery is the brainchild of the beautiful and talented Andrada sisters, Happy Andrada and Viva Andrada. They both make beautiful dresses and accessories. Last February 4, 2012, the Andrada sisters gave a bash to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Fashion ART Gallery (better known as F*ART Gallery among family and friends).

F*ART Gallery

Fashion ART Gallery or F*ART Gallery (note the asterisk, ha ha) has three beautiful floors. The first floor is dainty and pretty, full of clothes and accessories made by the Andrada sisters. The staircase that leads to the second floor is a perennial photo op, too!

Look at those walls and the cute desk display! Loving them!

May I pretty please have this dress? Actually, ANY of the dresses will do me fine!
Haha! *Wishful thinking*

On the second floor landing, framed photos, newspaper clippings, and thingamajigs are hanging on the wall. These bring back memories for people who know the sisters very well, while showing newcomers how far both sisters have gone in the fashion and art world.

Happy and Viva’s designs have graced the cover of way too many magazines!

The second floor is also chockfull of dresses! And during the fifth anniversary celebration, a photo booth was available for guests. But it’s not just any photo booth: the pictures are shot in continuity for seven seconds and compiled to make a flip book! You can flip through the pages and the pictures come to life – think of it as an animation where you are the star.

Want to see the dresses from Happy Andrada’s collection at F*ART Gallery? See them all after the jump!

READ MORE »

SUNUGAN Unfinished Business was a huge success. And that’s an understatement. Last January 28, 2012, more than 18,000 people watched SUNUGAN, both online and on location, as master battle emcees locked horns and showed everyone who the true rap battle champions were.

SUNUGAN: Unfinished Business is an exhibition rap battle that people worldwide were quite eager to witness. During the event, it was one battle emcee against another: Harlem versus Apekz, Shehyee versus Melvin the Devil, Abra versus Batas, and Loonie versus Zaito. Look at the crowd during the event! Guijo Street was closed off for this special rap battle event.

During the battle of Shehyee versus Melvin the Devil, Melvin said, “Gustong-gusto mong amuyin ang panty ng ate mo!” Shehyee bites back: “Eh ikaw, gusto mong amuyin ang brief ng lolo mo!” The crowd went wild.

Harlem and Apekz also dished the dirt on each others’ partners. The audience’s “ooohs” and “aaahs” echoed throughout their battle. Apekz and Harlem never ran out of words to mock each other – but it was all for show, of course.

And then it was time for Abra and Batas to show who’s boss. Abra apparently choked during his last battle, but he more than made up for it during Sunugan – and it was quite a match! Here’s Abra during the post-battle interview with Stanley Chi:

To conclude the series of battles, Loonie and Zaito hashed words and gave the crowd a night worth talking about. Loonie’s sharp jibes and Zaito’s witty comebacks had the crowd mesmerized. Everybody had a favorite – but how about you, who’s your pick?

Watch this video clip of the ACTUAL BATTLE of Loonie versus Zaito – and you decide who’s the winner:

(Update: Sorry, this video is still private. Come back soon when they are finally made public!)

It was an event that asked for a winner. Even the public is being encouraged to vote for their favorite rap battle emcee by texting JOIN (space) SUNUGAN to 2948. Anyone is free to vote for their rap battle favorite.

The awarding will be on March 2, 2012. Cast your votes and make sure your pet rap battle emcee wins the SUNUGAN Unfinished Business!

Stanley Chi was also asked to speak during the event. (YouTube videos to be uploaded soon!)

I met NgoNgi, the 14-year-old rap battle emcee who beat Alex Crisano. He seemed shy, until we asked him to freestyle with a few verses. It’s like rap unleashes his bravado!

The rap battle was hosted by J-Hon and Mike Swift. SUNUGAN: Unfinished Business started at around 8:30 pm and lasted until midnight.

With Mike Swift

With Franchize, Juan Lazy, and Harlem.
(Harlem engaged in a word battle against Apekz that night.)

With Melvin the Devil, who battled Shehyee during
SUNUGAN: Unfinished Business

With Loonie, the rap emcee who matched wits with Zaito during the Sunugan battle

Posing with Zaito after his rap battle with Loonie

SUNUGAN Unfinished Business was actually the first rap battle I have ever witnessed. I was surprised to see that rap battles have quite a following! About 3,000 people from other countries tuned in to watch the rap battle. In the Philippines alone, more than 15,000 people viewed the match online – and hundreds came to watch the event live at Guijo Street, Makati.

Here is Harlem doing some freestyle rap after his battle; watch him on this video:

Also, catch Zaito as he gets interviewed by Stanley Chi after the battle with Loonie, arguably the hottest battle of Sunugan:

Of course, the actual voting is not over! Watch post-battle videos and interviews with the rap battle participants at the Suplado Show, either via PinoyTuner or YouTube. You can also watch the full video of SUNUGAN Unfinished Business on YouTube once it has been uploaded. In the meantime, you can vote for your favorite rap masters by texting JOIN (space) SUNUGAN to 2948.

To vote, you can text SUNUGAN (space) (NAME OF BATTLE EMCEE) to 2948. Here is the list of the participants of SUNUGAN Unfinished Business:

HARLEM versus APEKZ:
To vote for Harlem, text SUNUGAN (space) HARLEM to 2948
To vote for Apekz, text SUNUGAN (space) APEKZ to 2948

SHEHYEE versus MELVIN THE DEVIL:
To vote for Shehyee, text SUNUGAN (space) SHEHYEE to 2948
To vote for Melvin the Devil, text SUNUGAN (space) MELVIN to 2948

ABRA versus BATAS:
To vote for Abra, text SUNUGAN (space) ABRA to 2948
To vote for Batas, text SUNUGAN (space) BATAS to 2948

LOONIE versus ZAITO:
To vote for Loonie, text SUNUGAN (space) LOONIE to 2948
To vote for Zaito, text SUNUGAN (space) ZAITO to 2948

Catch the clips of the actual battles at SUNUGAN as I will post links to them in my next blog post. You might also want to catch the video of Harlem versus Shehyee as they do a test-battle during the Suplado Show last January 23, 2011 in preparation for Sunugan Unfinished Business.