2010 has shaped up to be quite the rollercoaster ride thus far. Five weeks in and yet so many dramatic, euphoric highs and nausea-inducing lows. I dig a life of change and spontaneity, but it’s sure not easy on the soul.
Fortunately, I’ll now have more time to blog and get back into photography once again. I’m only now starting to settle after nearly 7 months in Manila. The pace of these past few months has been exhausting, but things are finally leveling out.
For this blog I envision moving more towards quicker, more frequent postings. I also am going to be bringing back the external links to sites I enjoy. I removed them with the redesign, but was never satisfied with cluttering up the site. Also, I may look into optimizing this blog for mobile access. How many of you have difficulty viewing it on various handphones?
How has 2010 been unfolding for you?
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Small world.
Saturday, I get a call from a friend, “Hey you know Racquel?”
Yeah, I do, but only on Twitter. She helped me with various questions regarding moving to Manila from Jakarta. She was a fantastic resource and very helpful.
“Well, she’s here hanging out if you wanna drop by.”
… huh … ?
Turns out Racquel’s fiance was in my friend’s wedding – as his best man. They were over at his place hanging out and apparently the discussion of an American photographer came up, hence the connection.
My friend doesn’t use Twitter and I know him and his wife only ‘offline’ (went with them to Batangas last month). Both are expats, whereas Racquel and her fiance are Filipino.
It’s exciting to see the power of connections and to get a glimpse, yet again, of how small this world really can be nowadays.
Careful out there, you may just know the stranger next to you.
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Our little puppy just died. Rest in peace, Bailey.
November 2009 – January 20, 2010
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Our puppy, Bailey, has parvovirus – a deadly disease affecting dogs
Posted on 19. Jan, 2010 by Brandon.
Last Thursday we took home a beautiful purebred American Cocker Spaniel; we named her Bailey. Born in November, she’s only 10 weeks old. We drove quite far to see her, the breeder had a litter of 6 total, and we were able to see the mother on the spot. Our friends came with us and actually bought her sister as well, named her Daisy.
She had her first round of shots and papers to certify her pedigree. All seemed right in the world.
On Friday, she vomited a number of times – we assumed it was due to the change in diet (the breeder didn’t give us any extra food to ease her into a new diet). Saturday she was fine, playful, and didn’t have any vomiting whatsoever.
Sunday was a different story. She was lethargic, and in the morning had yellow diarrhea quite full of mucous. (hope you’re not eating). I thought it would be much better to take her in to the vet rather than wait and see. Within minutes we found out she has parvovirus aka parvo. Her sister is also positive with it.
According to Wikipedia, parvo is:
“a contagious virus mainly affecting dogs. The disease is highly infectious and is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not protected by maternal antibodies or vaccination. It has two distinct presentations, a cardiac and intestinal form. The common signs of the intestinal form are severe vomiting and severe haemmorhagic (bloody) diarrhea. The cardiac form causes respiratory or cardiovascular failure in young puppies. Treatment often involves veterinary hospitalization. Vaccines can prevent this infection, but mortality can reach 91% in untreated cases.”
The vet has her on an IV and said she’ll be hospitalized for about a week, with her sister, Daisy in the next cage over. As of today, she has bloody stools and is vomiting still. The vet is giving her a 50% chance of living.
I’m keeping my cool for now; hoping that things will turn out alright and she’ll pull through. But I’m obviously quite upset with the breeder. When I contacted him, he simply claims that all of the puppies were healthy when I saw them and that they must have contracted parvo after we brought them home. Excuse me? I picked her up on Thursday evening – within 12 hours she was vomiting and within 60 hours was hospitalized.
Parvovirus has an incubation period of 5-14 days, so it’s not even possible that she got sick AFTER we brought her home! The breeder also stated that parvo is an airborne virus – another fallacy. He simply claims that he’s not a vet and can’t guarantee the health of the puppies.
I’m pissed to say that least. After spending a significant amount of money for the puppies, we are now responsible for the expensive treatment they require – all within days of bringing them home. It’s also not fair to the puppies – how traumatizing to be quarantined at only 10 weeks of age.
How should I handle this. Being new to the Philippines I really have no idea if there’s any justice for something of this nature. This breeder should NOT be allowed to sell his puppies. What action can I take?
I know, let’s concentrate on Bailey and Daisy’s recovery. But still – this isn’t right.
Here’s the ad: http://www.buyandsellplus.com/Classifieds/169576/am-cocker-spaniel
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Pretty cute, isn’t she?
Purebred American Cocker Spaniel, born November 2009.
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One of my greatest interests in life is to travel, experience, and learn more about other cultures. There’s nothing like soaking up all that a new country has to offer. I feel immensely thankful that my career allows us to travel extensively (always wish it could be more but don’t want to be greedy).
2009 was a year of drastic, yet positive changes with our move from Indonesia to Philippines. Change is what defined this year.
2010 should be more stable, but still allow plenty of travel – perhaps even more if we return to the States for 8 weeks this summer (tentatively planning a trip to the American West).
How about you? What were some of your major trips this year? How did 2009 turn out for you? How is your outlook for 2010?
A quick list of our main travels for 2009:
February – Manila, Philippines – 4 days
March – Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia – 9 days
April: Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia – 4 days
May: Thousand Islands, Indonesia – 5 days
June/July – Ubud / Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia – 3 weeks
July – Manila, Philippines (uh, still here)
September – Hong Kong – 4 days
October – Boracay, Philippines – 9 days
November – Batangas, Philippines – 3 days
December – Banaue, Philippines – 5 days
December – Singapore – 2 weeks
And a visual summary of 2009. (oldest to most recent) Enjoy.
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The village leader separates rice from the sheath.
Banaue, Philippines
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
Canon 5D Mk2 | f/10 | 1/400 sec | ISO200
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We’ve enjoyed a very different type of Christmas this year in Singapore. Laying low and enjoying some downtime has been the key priority. Our wonderful friend who works at the Singapore American School was kind enough to offer her beautiful apartment just near Orchard Rd.
We’ve spend time in Singapore on previous trips, but never two weeks solid. I did forget it was the rainy season here, so the weather has been a bit drab, with a bumpy flight in. Novita’s sister, Nana, is also joining us and the two of them have been shopaholics, excited to see the pre and post Christmas sales. I will say that between Novita and I, I’m the one who spends much more money, so this trip is all about role reversal.
I’ve forgotten just how expensive Singapore is for things like food. A crappy pizza and distasteful pasta set us back over $45 SGD. We’ve become spoiled living in Jakarta and Manila all these years.
Besides walking around, shopping, and the zoo, what else do you recommend we try to do/see while in Singapore for still another 6 days?
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The woman on the left is 105 years old. The other two I believe said they were in their 90’s.
Banaue, Luzon – Philippines
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I’ve just returned from a week in Banaue in the heart of Luzon. I’ll post more stories and photos soon.
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As I hiked up the trail to a waterfall high above the village of Banaue, this young boy jumped up onto a concrete post and just watched me for a moment. I guess we were both equally curious about the others’ activities.
After I took the photo, he jumped down and went on his way.
The sun’s glare actually gave a pleasant glow to this shot; almost a 70’s feeling to everything.
Banaue, Philippines
11 hour bus ride from Manila
Canon 5D Mk II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ f/7.1 | 1/125 sec ISO 100
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“It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe”
I’m leaving at midnight tonight for a trip to the Banaue Rice Terraces; a 10 hour bus ride heading into the heart of Luzon. I’ll be there for four days, hiking around and working with students in the indigenous schools. Really looking forward to the trip, but wish I wasn’t sick with a bad “Man Cold“. I’m not great at sleeping in moving vehicles, much less a bus, so I’ve loaded up the Mac with a bunch of documentaries I’ve been meaning to watch.
I stocked up on a couple of dry sacks in the event of rainy weather (which I’ve heard is the norm up there). Will bring my camera gear and hope to have a chance to get some shots. I’m always hesitant to bring the gear with wet weather, but the reality is, why spend so much on equipment if you never use it?
Here’s an excerpt from an article on Wikipedia regarding Banaue:
“The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the “Eighth Wonder of the World“.[1][2][3] It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.”
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Brandon Hoover
An American expat traveling across Asia. After 7 years in Jakarta, Indonesia I recently moved to Manila, Philippines. A designer | technology integration specialist | photographer.
Keen to know more? Read the About page.
Email me: thejavajive (at) gmail (dot) com
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Moving to Manila, Philippines
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Shipping my life from Jakarta to Manila
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Flying to the Philippines for a few days
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Major overhaul coming: Life 2.0
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Reflection on Manila
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Manila, Philippines - our new home in the sky
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How to choose a MacBook Pro - which Mac should you buy?
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Backflip - multiple exposure image
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WordPress 2.8
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Buy MacBook: Thanks for the comparation review, it help me so m...
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