A Dog Story

When I first heard of the movie Hachiko from my highschool friends, I didn't care about it at all. I just said, "Nah, it's just the same old dog story again." I doubted the beautiful feedbacks they gave for that film. I wasn't excited to know what it's really like. Days passed and I forgot about it. Yesterday, my mother brought along some DVDs for us -- there are 3 Idiots, From Prada to Nadaand Hachiko. I've already watched the first one, and I'm not interested with the second. I watched the latter one with my sisters instead. Now, I understand where the "beautiful feedbacks" my friends had for that movie were coming from.

Hachi (English Title) is a true story of faith, devotion and undying love as its tagline goes. Hachi was actually an abandoned puppy who found its way to its master, Mr. Parker Wilson. As his wife said, Parker didn't find Hachi, cause it was Hachi who found Parker. This movie is definitely a perfect tear-jerker for pet lovers like me. It touched my heart so bad I couldn't help but cry. In fact, this is the only film that got me weeping from start to finish. I didn't know a dog can love its master that much that long. That must be true love from a pet's point of view. If you ask me, I don't see Hachi as just a pet. I see him as a man's best friend indeed.

Watching this film would make you want to have a pet who would love you like Hachi did. I am not that much of a dog-lover, but now I definitely am. Hachi faithfully waited for his master everyday for nine years even when his master already died. Who wouldn't be moved by that wonderful story of loyalty? It was like Hachi's love for Mr. Parker was life for the dog itself. If not because of its strong and imperishable love for its master, Hachi would not last that long. With that, I would like to share you this line Mr. Parker's Japanese friend told Hachi when he found it patiently waiting at the train station after many years. I got this from IMdB:

(Talking in Japanese) It's been a year, hasn't it? I wake up sometimes in the middle of the night and think about Parker. He was a good friend. I understand how you feel. Hachi, my friend, Parker is never coming home. But if Hachiko wants to wait, then Hachiko should wait. You want to wait for him, don't you? Have a long life, Hachi.

That quotable quote really made my tears fall. How I wish I'll have a dog like him. Now, let me talk about my top favorite scenes from this film. The first one was when Mr. Parker was training the little Hachi how to fetch a ball. It was the time when Parker's wife was about to sell the dog, but when she saw how much her husband loved it she changed her mind. The second one was when Hachi was already two years old. Hachi accompanies Mr. Parker at the train station every single morning, and waits for his return at the same spot every afternoon. The third one was the morning before Parker died. Hachi never fetched a ball but before its master died, he managed to do it for the first time which made his master really proud. The last one was when Mr. Parker died while at work. Hachi still waited for him at the station despite all the hindrances that came its way everyday for nine years.

Every single scene in this heart-warming film is very memorable, I have to say. You will never regret watching this. Prepare to shed some tears, folks! Be sure to bring tissues with you.

To watch the trailer of this dog's tale, just click this link.

The photo used in this post is not intended for copyright infringement.

Mystique Shutterbug: Caramel (Week 7)

I'm utterly smitten by this lovely kitten I found loitering at school. We're really bound to be together. I thank God for giving her to us. For the seventh week of this series, I'll be sharing you the latest shots of my beloved Caramel. See how cute she is. Macro shot on!

Caramel, you are welcome in our home. This house is also yours. For me, you are already part of our family. You are now, Caramel Castro. Just don't leave a dirt cause papa will surely get mad. Be good, ok? We love you so much! Just looking at you makes us happy.

Once a shutterbug, always a shutterbug.

Mystique Shutterbug: Animals (Week 4)

Today is my fourth week for this photo blog series, yipee! Happy monthsary to Mystique Shutterbug.

Anyway, have you already read about my post on animal brutality, or do you still remember it? If you haven't, just click the link I provided. In that post, I talked about my support for the organization, People for Ethical Treatment for Animals. Let me repost something I said for emphasis, "I am seriously grateful to God for having the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) around. I may not be their official member, but in my heart I am. I pray that with their presence, people will learn to love animals like their own. I hope those cruel people get tired, and eventually cease their wicked actions towards the helpless animals."

Because I am very passionate towards animals, my subject for this week will be those animals I encountered in my past trips. They're so adorable that I want to share what I feel for them to you through these series of pictures. Let me get this straight now cause my Mom's forcing me to sleep early. Enjoy the photos!

Taken at Philippine Eagle Center, Calinan, Davao City.

Fishes at Philippine Eagle Center.

Deers at Eden Nature Park and Resort.

Bird at Eden Nature Park and Resort.

Birds at Eden Nature Park and Resort.

Monkey at Katibawasan Falls, Camiguin.

Sea Urchin at Dayang Beach Resort, Samal.

Eagle at Philippine Eagle Center.

Owls

at Philippine Eagle Center.

Birds

at Philippine Eagle Center.

I-don't-know-what-to-call-this from Loleng's.

Doves at Loleng's Mountain Spring Resort.

Don't you just love these lovely creatures? Til our next photo adventure. Once a shutterbug, always a shutterbug. Good night!

Things That Made Me Smile

Photo by: Katherine Kaye Santos

Edited via Photoscape

Wearing:

Kamiseta Top

Cherokee Sweater

Herbench Jeans

Bag from England

08:52Am - Sorry, I couldn't think of any creative title for this blog post. I'm bugged by many things again. I know the content is more important, right? Because I'm feeling a little nervous for this Friday's Thesis Proposal Plenary, I just want to think of happy thoughts to calm myself a bit. I'm actually thinking of opening my Happiness Bottle since I'm feeling down at the moment. Should I? Let me get it for a minute.

08:54Am - I'm two minutes late. Anyway, I'm going to pick ten happy notes that I'll be sharing you in random order. This is going to be fun (Well, at least for me. LOL!) So now, let the picking begin:

The first note: "I'm happy because Caramel got used to our home! Welcome little kitty!" By the way, Caramel is the kitten I found at school She's so cute. I uploaded pictures of her in Facebook. She's the one I'm holding in my sole picture for this post. My Mom wants to change her name to Ginger. I think it's better. What do you think?

The second note: "The song Endless Love makes me feel so in love!" I'm totally into that song now. It's just so romantic. I can imagine it being sang while I walk down the aisle when the perfect time comes. I want to download different versions of it. I haven't liked any Glee songs, but this one's actually good. Do you know any covers of it aside from Glee?

The third note: "I'm happy because I made Ciovic happy because of what I wrote about him." I guess you've already read my post about The Mystic Boyfriend. If not, just click the link provided. He also told me that he shared that piece to his cousins from Manila. That just goes to show that I really made him smile somehow. He said I made him cry! He also said that he will write me a letter of response. Can't wait to read it!

The fourth note: "I'm happy because I'm at home with Mom. I went home early because our teacher seemed not to be in the mood to teach. Quiz postponed!" My Mom was sick that time when I wrote that note. It's good to be with Mom alone, because we get to talk more. I actually miss our dates at Merco (Davao Doc). We used to eat there a lot before. I hope that happens again soon. I love you, Mom!

The fifth note: "The semester is about to end. I'm happy because I'm going to have more time to work on my thesis." This sem has totally been rough for me. Hopefully this summer break, I'll have a luxury of time to interview my respondents. I want to graduate this October. I have to! I need to help my Mama and Papa lessen their financial problems. I need to find a good job to help my family. This time, I have to practice being noble. No joke intended.

The sixth note: "I'm happy because I get write more, unlike before. Mom told my sister she's proud of me." When my sister Mikee relayed to me what Mom has said, I felt like I was on a cloud nine. She said my sister should read my posts because I have good ones. How sweet of that, eh? I'm now more inspired to write substantial write-ups because she is my reader. I hope she knows more about me and my deepest thoughts through Mystic Nymph.

The seventh note: "I'm happy because I got a new pen from my father for my write-ups." I still write using pen, although we already have computers here at home. I feel pressured writing my papers in front of the monitor. It's like I can't think of anything good to talk about in my essays. I can express more and better using my paper and pen instead. That's what you call cognitive dissonance. Learned that from Communication Theories 101 in first year college.

The eighth note: "I'm happy because I went to church with my sisters." It has been weeks since I've last heard the word of God. We had a lot of activities that were scheduled on a Sunday. I apologize for that My Lord! What I've learned in church yesterday was: The degree of God's grace is equal to everyone of us. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God. I've heard a lot of messages like that, but that was what I really needed to hear whenever I feel such a bad person.

The ninth note: "I'm happy because I had a food trip bond with two of my best friends once again." Regine, Dwaine and I ate at Picobello and Zabadani Cafe. We enjoyed Pico's Quattro Stagioni and Con Salsiccie; and Zab's Qatayaf, Dajaj Kebab and Pita Shateerah. It was actually two weeks ago. That was a gastronomic blast indeed. Their company is the best I had. We laugh and talk about inane stuffs whenever we're together. I'll be posting about it as soon as Reg uploads our photos.

The tenth note: "I'm happy because Ciovic's coming home in a week." He has been in Manila for more than a month, and I badly miss him. He's there for his grandfather's burial, and family reunion as well. I'm also happy for him because he finally got what he always wanted. His tito gave him a precious gift -- a drum set! How cool is that! Now I can see him play anytime, since I'm not allowed to go out at night when gigs are usually scheduled.

10:29Am - That's it for today readers. I hope you had fun reading my happy notes. You can also do the same. Let's all together collect our happy thoughts and experiences in a bottle.

MYSTIC NYMPH supports PETA

Animal cruelty -- knowing someone who does this makes me feel so sad. When will they ever stop hurting those poor animals? When will they realize how badly they treat those lovely creations? I just couldn't take seeing how animals suffer from other people's diabolic deeds which they don't deserve. My heart bleeds and grieves for them. If only I can do something to stop those rude people from doing any further damages to our creatures.

I am very passionate towards animals. I care for them deeply. Some may be dangerous, but humans shouldn't inflict pain to them. I get daunted whenever I read news about people torturing dogs, cats and even the deadliest predators in the world. Why do they have minds like that of a lunatic person? Don't they know that animals have feelings as well? Maybe they really don't know. I just hope they change their minds someday. I know it's never too late.

The Almighty Creator created the humans to be the stewards, not the destroyers of the Earth. Taking care of our ecosystem also means taking care of all the organisms it has, especially the animals. We're supposed to protect and maintain other life systems here in the world, and not to murder them instead.

Whenever I know of people who don't have the heart and conscience to treat animals properly, I give an immediate dislike to them. If they can't be good to animals, how much more to other people? I despise those people who have cruel intentions towards other life forms. I'm totally down on them! They're repulsive and abominable criminals. Shame on them!

I am ultimately glad that there are still good people who don't hold back in fighting for animals' welfare and rights. I am seriously grateful to God for having the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) around. I may not be their official member, but in my heart I am. I pray that with their presence, people will learn to love animals like their own. I hope those cruel people get tired, and eventually cease their wicked actions towards the helpless animals.

No life is a waste. We don't have the right to make life any harder for others. To all the PETA supporters out there, let us not be lackadaisical in saving the lives of the animals we hold dear. Let us do our part in helping them live peacefully with other human beings. We must learn to cultivate that value. Screw the thought of beating them to death. In any case, I know there is still hope. So, help us God.

The image in this post is not intended for copyright infringement.

Single

I know it's lonely to be Single. To be deprived of love and affection by the one you thought who should care about you. It's difficult to be Single. Not to feel the warmth of a mother's comfort again.

It has the color of ash. Eyes as gray as the stormy sky. It's so tiny. Still weeks old I think. I don't know if it's a male or a female. All I know is that, it's a little kitten, we all love in our home.

My mother named it Single.Why is it so? Because when my mom saw it hiding from the bushes in a street near her office, it was all alone. My mom thought she should get it. Something inside her told her to adopt the kitten peeping from the tall grasses.

We love cats. And we love Single that much. I wonder what Single feel being with us. Without its mother. Every time we open the door, it runs. Showing its excitement to meet its foster family.

we have five cats in our house. Sumiri is the mother of Chester, Edelweiss and Kaoras. Nice names for nice cats. Their father is Argo. Named after a character in a magical television series.

Do you think they'd get jealous if we put too much attention on Single?

Our cats got mad of Single on its arrival. But I think they're adjusting now. I just hope they could feel how hard it is to be like Single.

Single longs for its mother. I knew it. It often sleeps on our lap, thinking we are its mother. We let it drink evaporated milk as a substitute. But I know it will never be enough.

I feel sad whenever I see it sleeping..alone. Do cats feel sad too? Does Single miss its mother? It's painful looking at this little kitten.

There was one moment when I noticed Single just looking blankly at one direction. I wish I could be a cat and talk to it. Will it open up its heart to me if we could talk? I hope it will.

For the kitten named Single, we made a little bed just for you. You are welcome in our home. This house is also yours. Just don't leave a dirt cause papa will surely get mad. Be good ok?

We love you Single. Just looking at you makes us happy. With jut a simple peep you made, you become part of our family.