TBT. Buttercup.

I thought buttercup was just a piece of muffin-like goodie,

then I heard the song "Build Me Up Buttercup' by the Foundation, over and over, in dances and karaoke sessions where people love the 60s and 70s tunes.

But no, buttercup is a kind of plant from the Ranunculacea family which produces yellow or white flowers.

And lately, buttercup became a character in Toy Story, even a princess in the Princess Bride.

But more than this, Buttercup has become a term of endearment by guys to gals, and a fave dance number throughout the years.

Nostalgia.

A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past. That's nostalgia. 

The brood of  my canary, Lucky, taken in 2009.

We pine for the good times, happy memories, excellent job, childhood years, even missed opportunities.

 

Missing Spike, the mini-pin, in one of our walks in a Toronto neighbourhood park

It's the eleventh of September today, another anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing in 2001. A dozen years have passed.  I was heavily jet-lagged when it happened, having just arrived in Toronto, from Manila.

My buddy Budgie, Tommy

This month is also the anniversary of the deadly Typhoon Ondoy which hit Manila in September 26, 2009, some four years ago. I had barely arrived from Toronto and visiting a sick mother when Ondoy sent Manila into the death chamber, killing and maiming thousands, and murdering dreams of many.

My Mom circa 1920's and just before her death in2009.

Alas, the past haunts. Like phantom childhood scars from tumbling bikes, the past sometimes suddenly seizes us and convulses us into remembering.

October 2009 trip to mountain-top Montemaria in Batangas, Home of Maria - Ina ng Dukha

The foregone could be hilarious, joyous, painful, wasted, hung. 

A story untold, or retold, ended, unfinished, being re-written, being lived. 

I miss the cat. Savannah, just few months' old in this photo, lazing under the a.m. sun.

The onion-skinned peelers.

Yesterday morning, as I peeled onions for the hamburger I was cooking, tears filled my eyes as the pungent bulb stung my tear glands. I love onions but not its tear-inducing substance, sulphur.

Onions contain amino acid sulfoxides that form sulfenic acids in the onion cells. Both the enzymes and the sulfenic acids are kept separately in the cells. When you cut the onion, the otherwise separate enzymes start mixing and produce propanethiol S-oxide, which is a volatile sulphur compound that starts wafting towards your eyes. The gas that is emitted reacts with the water of your eyes and forms sulphuric acid. The sulphuric acid thus produced causes burning sensation in your eyes and this in turn leads to the tear glands secreting tears. Thus you end up with watery eyes every time you cut onions at home.There.

Guys peeling onions and protecting themselves.

I thought about the onion scene as I listened again to the Napoles pork barrel scandal over at the morning news and marveled at how those involved invoke innocence or ignorance of their participation. Hard-skinned or lacking ethics, yes, but they act onion-skinned and talk about how their good names are being tarnished and show how delicate their egos are. 

But aren't these the same guys who peel off their opponents during political campaigns and even the civil societies, the religious, and anyone who gets in their way?
 
These onion-skinned peelers. Bah.

Flood sucks, plants okay.

The place where we live is prone to flooding. That's because the village itself is a water conduit, with miles' long creek emptying at Laguna de Bay, I suppose.

But lately,  the situation has improved,  largely because of early canal dredging and a flood control being built right behind our backyard.

But the thought of turning our whole living room into a garden still crosses my mind. Then, there'd be no worrying about flood intruding into our sala, and the hard work of emptying the room of its furniture and furnishing.

A garden sala would be the perfect solution for flood-prone houses. First, move out all foam-filled furniture, second, replace with garden benches or wooden or plastic chairs, third, move in glass-mounted tables and rid the place of entertainment gadgets such as large television set and other electronic stuff. Make internet connectivity wireless so you can browse anywhere in the house.

Asian Landscape by Other Metro Landscape Architects & Designers Garden Mentors

Lastly, move in the plants and vases.

When guests come in, welcome them into the new garden and serve refreshment or meals here.

Anytime you want a stroll at the park, you can do it right in your home.

Mouse on the loose.

I am attached to my computer mouse. I don't want navigating or browsing using my fingers; I'd rather do it the old fashioned way - point and click. Even with my iphone, I'm never comfortable dragging or enlarging text and photos, using my fingertips.

And with a stylus, I sometimes use unnecessary force. 

With a mini-network in the house, the dwellers, unlike before, no longer fight over Internet connectivity. Anyone who wants to get connected can do so with the on-going wireless connection.

Now, the fight is who gets to use the mouse. I bought a new mouse couple of weeks ago to supplement the existing one(s) and while busy packing for the unforeseen flood the other day, one mouse got dropped and later, became immobile.

Off to CD R-King to purchase more mouse. Meanwhile, the real rats are inside their cubicles in the Senate and Congress plotting ways to derail the trails leading to their pork barrel mis-allocations.
 

Three Dogs and an Ex-Cat and Me on a Classy Afternoon.

I miss my classical music. So, on a rainy day when a tropical disturbance startled city folks, first with red, then orange and on to yellow warning, I switched on Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony 9 as the house dwellers take their naps, including the three dogs outside.

The latest addition to the canine brood is happily named Bouncer. He is a Belgian breed whom we got when he was only about three months old, a pup. Now, he's a humongous beast, easily climbing on my back with his muddied paws.

The Messy Bouncer

He feasts on steamed chicken head dimsum, and sometimes even siopao. He eats veggies and potatoes and fruits, even wheat crackers. He carries his big basin food container between his teeth and wiggles it when he asks for his food. He overturns his green water pail container as soon as he's done drinking.

First, we named him Bugoy for lack of any other name. Then we switched to calling him Hunger because no amount of food satisfied his appetite. Since he was a growing glutton, I then thought of calling him Gluttonic.
Next was Vibber because I loaded my Iphone with the app vibber.

And finally after owning him for almost three months, he's now officially christened Bouncer. That's because he's the main guard, the point man, and he's fierce.

Bouncer used to be a meek puppy. He has several siblings who are now owned by different people. His original owner owns the Mum and Dad, and they freely roam at his backyard as watch dogs.

Bouncer was bound for at least several weeks and then was allowed to roam free. But he was a mess and made a mess of everything. Plants were uprooted, rubber slippers were gutted, upholstered seat at the back was munched, plastic basins and everything plastic were mauled.

We still let him loose because he is the main guard of the house. But we confined him to the backyard. And Shaddy, the front act who was leashed before is now also on the loose, and together with Yabbi, man the front part of the house.

Shaddy and Yabbi are not friends, though. They fight constantly, unlike Shaddy and Bouncer, who at one time had their respective chains connected to the same pole.

The charmer, Shaddy

Our cat, Savannah, meanwhile has been missing for several weeks now. The ugly, lovable, white cat we nurtured from frail infancy into a bulging whiner went missing one morning when she failed to show up at the dining door when I opened it.

For a while, we thought she'd just slipped out of the fence slot, but days without her mounting the hood of the car, and meowing for her breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner confirmed our suspicion that she was indeed gone.

We suspect she had eloped with the cat who'd been hounding the neighbourhood, traipsing through the roof and onto the cement partition between ours and neighbour's houses.

A friend said, "she'll be back in three months and she'll be bloated because she's pregnant."

We miss Savannah. She, who got blue eyes and white fur. She whose left eye is somewhat damaged.

The cautious in me thought earlier that maybe Bouncer had something to do with Savannah's disappearance, and I kept looking around for cat remains in the backyard. It was a gross thought, and then I remembered how Savannah could jump from chair to chair to tree to fence, and how she could let out a piercing, ferocious yowl.

No, she's not missing; she's somewhere with her lover.

Fashion fits.

Who could forget North Korea's late leader Kim Jung Il's famous hair cut and spring-type jacket?

And China's Mao for his jacket?

                                             Or Pope Emeritus Benedict's red shoes?

Manila Mayor, Joseph Ejercito Estrada

Of late, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, ex-Philippine president who was ousted from office through People Power III and sentenced for plunder by Sandiganbayan (Philippine Anti-corruption court) has been seen wearing army fatigues during his city sorties and while answering queries about Manila's ban on buses.

One news anchor was heard blurting on air "is he going to Afghanistan?"

The late Philippine dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos became a fashion icon by default because he popularized the Philippine national shirt, the Barong Tagalog and was able to maintain the "masa appeal" because he often wore a light sports jacket during his presidency.

 ABOVE  & LEFT, Philippine dictator, Ferdinand E. Marcos



The Pope's Swiss Guard, meanwhile, always looks dashing and daredevil, especially, if juxtaposed against today's world of terrorist scene and starved-look fashion.

Pope's Swiss Guard

ABOVE - Anorexic model Heidi Moss 

When it comes to fashion sense, much ado has also been given to church goers' attire during mass or Sunday services, and to church pastors or speakers during their service or engagements.


 

Left, the late Tammy Faye Bakker, wife of disgraced Pastor Jim Bakker, who was simply remembered for her atrocious make-up. 




Among Philippine Christian motivational speakers, Bo Sanchez stands out not only because of his sensible messages and topics conveyed in clear, easy-to-understand English and sincere manner of delivery but also because of his business attire that shows confidence. That's why thousands flock to his Sunday "Feast" services at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Bo Sanchez, in his trademark Sunday suit, continues to draw young crowd to his "Sunday Feast"

Mike Velarde, another well known charismatic speaker, always cuts an interesting figure in his signature red or yellow business suit, in his well-populated prayer meetings at his Amvel compound in Paranaque City, in the Philippines. 

Mike Velarde of El Shaddai

 

Pilgrims visiting holy shrines are often exempted from dress codes. That's because weather changes from town to town or country to country. The rule of thumb in these cases is to dress comfortably.