halfwhiteboy

In the posh resort area of Nusa Dua in Bali, not all hotels are on a beachfront property and such was the case with our second hotel while in the island, Mantra Nusa Dua . Not to worry, however, since these hotels have special access to a nice little patch of cream-colored sand called Geger Beach . Yeah, life's a bitch. I mean, beach. A five-minute ride from Mantra, Geger Beach is several meters from the main road bound by the gargantuan resort The Mulia on one side and the exclusive St Regis on the other. In between are a few residential homes, concession stands, and other structures.

It's already become such a cliché that dogs are often regarded as man's best friend. Unfortunately, this doesn't ring true in so many cases, like in this article I read yesterday on The Huffington Post that left me in near-tears (I was fighting it) and with a heavy heart. This puppy below? Cute, you might think, especially with the way he sits, how his ears are perked up, and how he looks adorably into the camera. You can't help but fawn over. But this pup isn't simply here for some fancy photo shoot. Little does he know that after the photographer is done, he'll be whisked away by vets to be put down. Put to sleep. Permanently. Via lethal injection. But why, you might think. This puppy is just one of countless others in several shelters across Taiwan that have no owner and are never getting one. He's a stray, abandoned perhaps by humans whose enthusiasm over owning a pet may have simply faded away. And his imminent death is but one of around 80...

Bow & Wow , the Philippines's first all-natural pet foods store, will be hosting a benefit dinner for CARA Welfare Philippines, a non-profit organization that's all about compassion and responsibility for our furry little friends. The event is scheduled on June 30, 2012, 6:30pm at The Rockwell Tent in Makati City. I first learned of CARA in September last year when they held a pet adoption event at Greenbelt 5 and I instantly felt their cause ( see why I fell in love  here ). The organization aims to inspire and educate Filipinos about animal welfare, animal population control, and proper treatment of animals. It's run by volunteers, so if you can't adopt one of their rescue cats or dogs, kindhearted donations will provide tremendous help for them in caring for these animals. [Photo from CARA's Facebook page ] The dinner will be preceded by fun-filled activities that both pet parents and their furry little friends will enjoy. There will be a "pledg...

They're not really monsters. I mean, how could they be when they're man's adorable and furry best friend? But underwater, they look like savage beasts. The other day I came across these wonderful photos by Los Angeles and Chicago-based photographer Seth Casteel. I thought the photos were pure genius. Shooting dogs with a high-speed camera as they dive into the pool and fetch balls can apparently create an illusion of sorts. The loose skin around the dog's mouth reacts fluidly with the water, baring lots of fangs. Casteel maintains a website,  http://littlefriendsphoto.com/ , where samples of his work are on display. Prints are also available for purchase. The photographer specializes in lifestyle pet photography, in which he shoots dogs and cats alike at their most relaxed and natural state, resulting in spontaneous and priceless moments. How I'd love to fly him over and photograph our two cats! At the moment it's still wishful thinking, though.

So the cute one trumps the doberman at the inaugural Golden Collar Awards, which honors canine actors in film and television. Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier of "The Artist" fame, claimed the trophy for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film last Monday (Feb. 13), edging out last-minute nominee and fierce rival Blackie, the doberman from "Hugo." Uggie at the Golden Collar Awards ( Photo source ) Just last month Martin Scorsese, Blackie's director in Hugo, successfully campaigned for the doberman's nomination ( see related post here ). Since then, Blackie and Uggie were constantly pitted against each other as frontrunners for the award, with their "rivalry" heating up as the ceremonies drew close. Scorsese even had to defend Blackie from rumors that the doberman's performance was a product of CGI. Very Hollywood! But all in good fun, I suppose. Although Blackie skipped the ceremony, fans were in full support where at least two Blackie lookalike...

Yes, acclaimed director Martin Scorsese's campaign worked! I'm not talking about the 11 Oscar nods his film Hugo received but the late inclusion of his canine star Blackie the Doberman in the list of nominees for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film in the inaugural Golden Collar Awards. Yes, there's an acting awards derby now for dogs, and rightfully so. Blackie, essaying the role of Maximilian in Scorsese's Hugo . It was in an LA Times op-ed that Scorsese lamented the snub and rallied for the canine's recognition. He pointed at all the fuss over Uggie , that Jack Russell terrier who stole the show at the recent Golden Globes, and who received two nominations, one for the Oscar contender The Artist and another for Water for Elephants starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.

Yesterday while at the Starbucks in Greenbelt 3, My Bibe and I saw a sign posted on their board that had a kitten with the caption, "Will you be my Mommy and Daddy?" It was from CARA Welfare Philippines, a non-profit organization that's all about compassion and responsibility for animals (CARA). It aims, among other things, to reduce pet overpopulation through low-cost spaying and neutering, to educate people about animal welfare and their rights, and to provide caring and responsible homes for rescued animals through their adoption program. Two of the kitties up for adoption yesterday at Greenbelt 5. CARA does not receive any government funding and relies solely on private donations and the kindheartedness of its volunteers. It's a very small group of volunteer members. They have a clinic in Malate, Manila where they house about 25 cats. The rest -- around 200 if I remember it right -- are cared for by members in their own homes. I spoke to Tanya Guerr...

Two weeks just seemed to fly by and tomorrow we're flying to Boracay for a short getaway. I'm excited, yes, since it's been two years since my last trip there (we decided to skip it for some places else last year). At the same time I'm also anxious -- maybe upset even -- because this island paradise seems to be on an unstoppable downward spiral. And each time I'm there, I see the accelerating decline. The last time I was in Boracay was in June 2009 post-surgery. It was like a gift to myself and My Bibe after almost two years of stress and deprivation brought about by my medical condition (that one is a long story and I guess I'll just have to blog about it separately in time). I wasn't able to swim or go on a real vacation during that period. Anyway, back to my 2009 trip, I was really thin then -- and not in a good way. One of the things that upset me about Boracay is that the beach is becoming narrower each time, as you can see in the photo below. ...

I've always been fond of dogs even if I was bitten in the face by one when I was eight. And I especially love it when I see them on the beach, this little pup included. As mentioned in a previous post, My Bibe and I went on an island-hopping tour on our second day in Coron . After a brief moment of enjoying Kayangan Lake without other people around , we snorkeled a bit at Twin Peaks . Had it not been for the numerous jellyfish that stung us, we would have stayed a bit longer. But everything was still fine, much so when I saw our boatman cooking our rice (and later our fish) on the boat! 'Twas quite a sight to behold, amusing even. We proceeded to Atwayan Beach for lunch. And it felt good again to get there when there weren't still so many people around. As with most other beaches in the area, Atwayan is just a small pocket of sandy beach nestled between karst formations. There were several huts around and we staked our claim on one under the shade of a tree. ...

For the past two days I was happy to see this cute little pooch while he's "on duty" at the New World Hotel in Makati. Even coming from a stressful drive each morning, he was always able to make me smile, instantly lightening up my mood. His name is Aero (I suppose that's how it's spelled) and he's part of the hotel's K-9 unit, sniffing out bombs or whatever danger from people's bags at the command of his handler. Not just cute but he was also very affectionate, silently begging to be pet. I couldn't get over him! Aero reminds of yet another diminutive bomb-sniffer:

I really don't like going to the vet but when I'm there I enjoy looking (if not playing) with other people's pets. A few weeks ago while waiting for Kwittie Boy's and Foreman's turn, I was charmed by this Siberian husky, one of the breeds I wish I could have. Adorable, this pup. Had the chance to play with him a little. Then came along a trio of kittens with gray and black tiger stripes. They're so cute they caught everyone's attention (see them after the jump).