Celebrating Our 3rd Year Anniversary

Three (3) years in and this is how our global footprint looks like (colored ones). Congratulations to all of us!

Yes dear readers, we just crossed the 3 year line and we’re still doing fine. Though I don’t churn out articles as often as I would like to keep the interest in the blog going (I have a day job that keeps me busy not only during the day but also at night), I try to make it worthy for a second look and maintain its global appeal. Proof of that is that we have been read in over 70 countries and territories. There is still traffic in spite of lack of regular articles, and I often get requests from fellow bloggers who want to write articles for the blog (I believe this is common among the blogging community to entertain guest articles) but unfortunately most requests are not consistent with the themes of this blog.

From left: Legacy, Tubby, Beauty, and Persian

I’m planning to write another travel article as an anniversary piece (since it’s been a while since the last travel themed one) so you have something to look forward to. To celebrate though the anniversary, I thought I’ll make it extra special this year. You know, I just became a Grandpa to four (4) beautiful maltipoo pups. In case you are not familiar with the maltipoo breed, this is a cross breed between a maltese and a poodle (that’s where the name of the breed came from). Cotton (maltese dad) and Candy (toy poodle mom) just had four of the cutest and rarest (in color) maltipoo pups and they are such a bundle of joy. Persian, the eldest, is a phantom choco brown, and was born on a carpet (that’s where his name came from). Tubby, a phantom golden brown, was born on a bathroom rug beside the bath tub (yes, he was named after the tub). Legacy, a parti white and choco brown, got her colors from her mom and dad (hence the name). Beauty is a phantom black, and her black mane is as beautiful as the legendary Black Beauty.

(Left) Persian; (Right) Legacy

The reason why I’m making this anniversary extra special is because I’m putting them up for adoption free of charge (as an anniversary gift). Sans any hiccups, I’ll be leaving the country soon to start a new adventure and I need foster parents or families for my grandpups (I may also put Cotton and Candy up for adoption in case I decide not to bring them along with me). I want the new furparents to be loving and responsible and will treat them as part of their families. These are well tempered furbabies who are easily disciplined (they respond well to “sshhuusshh”, “hey”, “down”, “stop it” when these words come with the right tone). They also have adorable personalities. Persian is the aggressive one who loves to playbite with the litter (particularly with Legacy since they are both of the same size and bigger than the other two) and he makes a lot of noise (growling) while doing the same (which seems to be a maltese trait). He is also the only one in the litter who is brave enough to try playing with his Dad, no matter how much the latter would ignore or growl at him. Tubby is a climber, which is no surprise given that he’s the smallest and the lightest so he can lift his whole body over the pen. Legacy is the hopper, she likes to hop and run around and hide under the sofa. I think she’s the most playful one with the kindest face. Beauty is the reserved, aristocratic one (a snub if you may say so), but feisty when provoked and attacked (just like her grandpa). She reminds me very much of Candy when she was still a pup and how she would fight back when Cotton would try to bully or get rough with her no matter how much smaller she was then.

(Left) My previous Tibetan Spaniel furbaby. (Right) Persian who is a look-alike.

Fate also has a funny way of laying the cycle of life in front of me. After taking the lives of my Mom, Dad, college best friend, and other loved ones recently and only a few months apart, it brought me new lives with these maltipoo pups (their procreation wasn’t planned, they were conceived when I left Cotton and Candy at my sister’s place when we left for home to cremate our Dad’s remains last January). Not contented with how this already looks poetic, all my grandpups have uncanny resemblance to my past furbabies. Persian looks like my previous Tibetan Spaniel when I was living in Morocco. Tubby looks like my local dog (I don’t know the breed) when I was still a student. Legacy looks like my Shih Tzu, the one I got from a pet store more than a decade after the passing of my Tibetan Spaniel. Beauty has the same face as the Shih Tzu (protruding jaw) and the same beautiful black mane as my Mini Pinscher which I got when I was just starting out as a working finance professional. They don’t only resemble my past furbabies but also represent the different milestones in my life.

(Left) My previous Shih Tzu when I first saw him in a pet store. (Right) Is Legacy the reincarnation?

I know that It will be hard to let go of them especially now that I have grown fond of them all. I can’t keep them though so I’ll be happy and satisfied just knowing that they will be taken care of and in good hands once they have found their new homes. I’m pretty sure that you will love them as much as I do and I hope to get updates on their life stages and how they have impacted your lives too.

(Left) Tubby; (Right) Beauty

Anyone who is interested to give them a loving and caring home can reach me thru my contact page or leave a comment (please leave your email ad so that I can revert back to you thru email). Only serious pet owners please (and preferably living in Metro Manila, Philippines), as I don’t want to give them to anyone who has no intention of keeping and nurturing them. These are my grandpups after all, and securing a safe home for them is imperative.

Happy anniversary to all of us and keep reading!

Dogs and Mental Health: Meet Cotton (Maltese) and Candy (Phantom Toy Poodle)

Health Buzz

Cotton (maltese) and Candy (phantom toy poodle) sleeping in the same position. Isn’t that adorable?

The year 2020 has been one of the most constrained where we have experienced (and continue to experience) how the COVID pandemic has seized our everyday lives. I have written a few articles on COVID (https://columbusbee.blog/2020/03/28/my-gut-feel-against-the-virus/ and https://columbusbee.blog/2020/04/22/the-day-the-world-stood-still/) as well as how it impacted our lives (https://columbusbee.blog/2020/07/25/life-is-a-beach-first-of-two-parts/ and https://columbusbee.blog/2020/09/07/life-is-a-beach-second-of-two-parts/) but I haven’t really touched on how the same has affected our mental health. There is no denying that the restricted freedom, fear of contracting the disease, anxiety of what the future holds, paranoia that every single person you meet outside may be a potential carrier, and depressing news splash on our faces every waking hour (I dread reading the papers nowadays, anticipating what new inequities and abuses are committed during these trying times) are just some of the stuff that messes up our heads. Not to mention those who worry where to get their next meal, when they can find work again or get their business up and running, and how they can get basic services such as medical attention given the roundabouts that they have to go thru to meet these necessities only add up to the mental toll. Depression is real, each and every one of us is vulnerable.

Cotton and I meeting a friend at Starbucks

We use only about 10% of our brains and depression and anxiety occupying so much space do not make a healthy, balanced mind. It’s madness, right? How much more if one is already suffering from a fragile head? We may have our own coping mechanism, but what about those who do not know how to cope at all? Shrinks are expensive, and the concept of going to the shrink in a third world country is non-existent, the mere idea can be met with contempt. I remember that when Miriam’s (https://columbusbee.blog/2019/09/21/remembering-miriam-defensor-santiago/) meeting with a shrink in the US was dug up and used by her political opponents against her during the 1992 Philippine presidential election by unfairly branding her as “Brenda” (brain damaged) that partly costs her the presidency, such ignorance would be offensive by today’s standards (but gives me comfort and hope that a quarter of a century later, this somewhat parochial and bigoted third world civilization has evolved and started to embrace the worldly view that taking care of one’s mental health is nothing different than looking after one’s physical health, that it is ok not to be ok). Shaming people for seeking help should never be tolerated, much more use against them for shameless gains.

Candy and I waiting for our turn at the vet clinic. Isn’t she pretty?

My global manager once asked me how I was coping with the lockdown, knowing fully well that I love to travel. I told him that all my flights, both local and international, have been cancelled. As I’ve mentioned in one of my articles (https://columbusbee.blog/2020/02/23/italy-how-thou-i-love-thee-let-me-count-the-ways-part-1-of-2/), my feng shui for 2020 forecasted that my spirit essence is weak (which actually was true, where there were points in time last year where I doubted myself and my capabilities) and lots of travels were encouraged to lift up my spirits. I was due for a European tour last May, partly to do some soul searching and enriching by returning to Assisi on a supposed brief spiritual retreat. That didn’t happen, same with some local travels that were also booked. I then realized that I didn’t really answer his question, where all I can muster was to say “same old, same old.” This is now my opportunity to share how I am coping with the pandemic (hope he reads this) and how I’m taking care of my mental health.

Cotton and Candy when they were still a few weeks old

I just got my Fortune and Feng Shui book for 2021 and it says that both my life force and spirit essence would be very weak. From a mental health perspective, that does not sound very good. But same as last year, I cope with by writing thru this blog. It helps me unload my thoughts, views, and perspective, which I personally believe frees up space in my brain in the same manner as how we unburden ourselves emotionally thru sharing our problems with family and friends. Not only that it helps make space for something positive, but also the psychological effect when good comments flow in, such as the one below that was posted in the blog today. Telling someone that he has a gift is a gift itself, like a ray of light in an otherwise dark and gloomy skies. Imagine how that appreciation affects me mentally.

I learned from an early age that having dogs bring a different kind of happiness. Happiness is a state of mind, and what more gives us happiness than unconditional love. Dogs do that. They give us unconditional love and so much joy (particularly during puppy stage) that they won’t be called man’s best friend for nothing. That’s why it pains us when they passed on, which in my case, took me about a couple of years before I got my furbabies in 2020 since the last one, and more than a decade past before I got the last one. Knowing that the prospect of travel in 2020 is bleak, I decided to get myself a loyal companion to lift up my spirits and went for a maltese. His name is Cotton.

Cotton in his pen, yawning. Isn’t he a handsome pup?

Having been a quarantine furbaby, Cotton hasn’t developed a sociable personality. Though he considers my apartment as his kingdom where he reigns supreme, outside, he’s very shy, nervous, and timid. When I brought him to my sister’s place to play with his cousins (my sis has a maltese and a mini poodle), he just stayed in one corner, head down, and unmoving, even when his cousins were trying to play with him. When I first brought him to the groomers, the attendant told me that he just lied flat on his tummy while being bathed, like in a submissive position, afraid to stand up. When I brought him to meet a friend, he just lied on the floor the whole time that me and my friend were having our Starbucks drinks. I’m afraid he’s going to be a social pariah.

Cousins Finn (maltese) and Teddy (mini poodle)

Then I realized that Cotton may be supporting my mental health but I’m not doing anything for his. That’s when I decided to get his companion and went for a toy poodle. Her name is Candy. On the way home when I got her, she connected right away. She was sweet and licked my arm while lying on my lap. Unlike Cotton though, the first few days at home were hard and difficult for me coz she has been excreting liquid poop (yes, as in watery discharge) that I have to clean up the mess first thing when I wake up in the morning and when I get back from work in the evening. Cleaning up does not only mean wiping the floor and disinfecting, but also washing the paws. Worried that she has been suffering from diarrhea for days since I got her (I initially thought that she was just stressed out from her new environment as well as it might be due to a change in dog food), I decided to bring her to the vet to have her checked and tested and that’s when I learned that she contracted coronavirus.

Twin test results of Candy. Top bar is for parvovirus (single line means negative) and bottom bar is for coronavirus (double means positive).

You might think, “Oh no, COVID!,” and that I may also have contracted it too. Nope, it’s not COVID, and no, I don’t have it. Coronavirus in dogs (canine coronavirus is the more appropriate name) is different than what we humans have. Whilst the virus looks similar (with spikes that look like those in a crown, hence the term corona), the strain only infects dogs where the digestive system becomes compromised (unlike in humans where it’s the respiratory system that gets affected). It’s not contagious to humans but can get passed on to other dogs (which I suspect she got when she was staying with the seller awaiting delivery where there were other puppies as well from different breeders for rehoming). Good thing Cotton did not contract it, given that both have shared a pen for a few days. During that first visit to the clinic, the vet said that the virus is self-limiting, meaning that it will just clear on its own in a few days or weeks since just like any viral infection, there is no cure (only prevention thru vaccines). So she prescribed some dog food made specially for digestive care as well as probiotics (yes, dogs need probiotics too). But her condition worsened, where not only her diarrhea has not stopped, but also vomited her food, became lethargic, and lost her appetite (she has a huge appetite earlier, even when she already has the virus). So I decided to confine her in the animal hospital where fluids and minerals can be administered thru IV (intravenous) to keep her constantly hydrated, with occasional forced feeding (as she refused to eat) to get some food to her stomach, and to manage the symptoms thru antibiotics (antibiotics do not kill viruses, it only manages the symptoms such as diarrhea).

(Left) First few days of Candy on hospital confinement; (right) last few days in the hospital where she has regained some of her strength and good spirits

Ten days of confinement later, she was discharged and I brought her home. Poor Candy, she spent her 10th-11th week (since birth) being sick and 11th-12th week on hospital confinement. I was just glad and relieved not only that she tested negative for parvovirus (that’s the most deadly infection among dogs, my last one a couple years back died of parvo) but her coronavirus has cleared. Her poop also started to form. I never thought I would be so happy to see solid poop. She has regained her appetite and she was back in her playful mood. Cotton was also glad she was back.

Candy on the vet table for her shots

You might be wondering, with all these stuff that I have to go thru, worrying about my dogs ability to socialize or when they get sick or the day-to-day handling of their needs while also going to the office to work, how would that help me with my mental health? Isn’t that something more to concern about that one is better off without? True that it requires a lot, both physically and financially (you need to have a budget for the upkeep), but what they do for me mentally and emotionally is very much rewarding. I don’t see caring for my furbabies as a mental burden. I see it as a way to fill my thoughts and emotions with something more than stuff that makes up a depression. I would rather fill that space in my brain with more of these types of worries and concerns, than let it sink deeper into black hole or oblivion as a consequence of the lockdown and/or the stress that comes from work. Caring is loving (and holds true conversely), and what more puts us in a blissful state than love? Knowing that you can still find or give love during these dark times? The unconditional love that these furbabies give back is just gravy.

Resting after some rough play

So as we usher the new year, think about your own mental health, how to achieve that balanced mind. A healthy mind and body, as well as soul, make whole, complete self. If you think and feel incomplete (regardless whether you’re single, married, “it’s complicated” but still find yourself thinking that there’s still something missing in your life), then maybe God created dogs to fill the void. You can then say to your furbabies “you complete me.” They will still love you back even if they have no idea what you’re talking about.

Morocco: A Peek Into My Expat Past Life – Part 2 of 2

Travel Buzz

Marrakesh, Morocco

This 2nd part of the special blog anniversary edition took me a while to write since I have been distracted by a new love in my life (talk about love in the time of COVID). His name is Cotton, a Maltese pup that I just got a while back and is now giving me much love and joy. He reminds of Bruno, the Tibetan spaniel I got while living my expat life in Casablanca, Morocco which I wrote about in the first part of this article. Timid and shy at first, both their personalities started to show after just a few days of bonding by sleeping and playing together (I learned that putting the puppy on my tummy while lying in bed on its first day in his new home breaks the ice and creates that feeling of trust and probably mimics his Mom’s warmth and heartbeat which lessen the pup’s separation anxiety).

Top left (clockwise): Cotton in his bed of toys; licking my face; playing with his squeaky porcupine toy; snuggling in my comforter; watchin Youtube of Maltese pups; sleeping with his SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy toy (with real-feel heartbeat for separation anxiety)

The other thing that gives me much joy lately are the comments that you readers have left on my blog. The blog is not only commemorating its first year anniversary but also celebrating all the readers from 5 continents and 38 countries/territories (as of this writing) for giving this space global acceptance of its themes. The comments that you’ve left only inspire me to write more about experiences that I can share from my Filipino roots point of view with global citizen perspective. We all live in a small world and the themes on travel, food, health, and positivity are universal languages that resonate well across the globe.

Some of the comments readers from all over the world have left on the blog site

A decade after I first set foot on Moroccan soil (and African continent), I decided to sort of do a homecoming. So I included a few cities in Morocco as part of my annual holiday itinerary that year, not only to see places that I’ve missed while living and working there, but also to see some of my friends as well. So right after the Barcelona leg of the trip, I took a Royal Air Maroc flight to Casablanca and was welcomed by my friends in my hotel. We had a pretty good time, swapping stories and what’s new in our lives and just simply catch up.

Sights of Marrakesh

One of my friends arranged for a car to take us to and around the places that we plan to visit. First stop was Marrakesh (or Marrakech), one of the more popular Moroccan destinations. You’ve probably read about this exotic place in travel magazines as well as seen in the movies (prominently featured in Sex and The City 2, among others). This is one of the ancient cities in the world that continue to preserve the legacy, glory, and remnants of its past, without sacrificing the comforts of modernity. We went to see some of its more touristy sites, like Jama El f’na market and medina of Marrakesh, where anything from ordinary (like the usual souks and tea shops in the medina) to the bizarre (like the snake charmers and performers in the market) can be found. We had lunch not in the medina itself but in a restaurant that is known for very good tagine (or tajine), a Moroccan dish that I wrote about in the first part of the article which is my favorite Moroccan food (I specifically requested to eat in a Moroccan restaurant in Marrakesh that serves the best tagine).

From top left (clockwise): Jama El F’na Market; charming the snake charmers; medina of Marrakesh; one of the souks in the medina

We also went to see Menara Gardens and Jardin Majorelle. The former is an ancient botanical gardens where ‘menara’ refers to the pavilion with a small green pyramid-shaped rooftop. It sits at the edge of a water basin (that looks like a small lake) which apparently is used to irrigate the surrounding gardens. Jardin Majorelle, on the other hand, has no ancient roots, but a botanical garden that is a product of modern French orientalist artist vision who put together a diverse flora and was later acquired by the late French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent (or YSL for short). You can find YSL’s memorial in the garden. The garden is fashionably diverse, from the choice of flora to the colors of the villa complex that houses a few museums.

Menara Gardens

Going around the city you’ll also find ancient structures and architectures. Two of the prominent ones are the Koutoubia and El Badii Palace. The former is a 12th century mosque with a garden and an imposing minaret that can be seen from mostly anywhere in the city (like Eiffel Tower in Paris). The latter is a 16th century ruins of a royal residence, a massive complex that occupies a whole block of the city. On the roads, you will see horse or donkey drawn carriages. You’ll be mesmerized by the sights and sounds that it feels like being transported to an alternative time and universe.

(Top): Koutoubia mosque and minaret; (bottom): Jardin Majorelle

The next stop was Rabat, Morocco’s capital. While Casablanca is the business and cultural capital, Rabat is the country’s center for politics and government where the country’s monarchy resides as well as diplomats and supranationals. Two of its main tourist attractions are the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Hassan Tower is a 12th century minaret of an unfinished mosque. It is surrounded by what looks like columns, which apparently should have served as foundation of what was supposed to be the biggest mosque in the world at that time. Like the minaret of Koutoubia, the Hassan Tower can also be seen from mostly anywhere in the city. From the opposite side of the Hassan Tower is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. It contains the tombs of the Moroccan king and his two sons. The ornate structure has the same green tiled pyramid-shaped rooftop as that of Menara pavilion. No surprise there given that green is apparently the color of Islam. The interiors are beautiful, where the aesthetic details are typical of Arabic heritage, mostly comprised of metallic hues of gold and silver blended with the soft texture of Middle Eastern textiles and carpets.

Top left (clockwise): Hassan Tower; Mausoleum of Mohammed V; tomb of the king; intricate interiors of the mausoleum

It was a homecoming of sorts in a country that I consider as second home. Much has changed since then, even the way locals treat foreigners particularly Asians. Before, they favor Asians than any other foreigners, but now, with the influx of Asian tourists particularly Chinese, I didn’t get anymore the same attention that I had years earlier. Perhaps the novelty of race is fleeting, depending really on how one treats locals. I still have high respect for a country that opened my eyes to the world and heightened my travel senses, and to its people whose humility has enriched my soul. My first and last visits to Africa (with South Africa in between) have been significant milestones in my life, that’s why it is a fitting story to celebrate the anniversary and to welcome Africa as the latest continental addition to the global footprint of the blog.

Rabat, Morocco

Thank you dear readers for giving me the opportunity to share my stories and for the lovely thoughts that you have left on the site. The pleasure was all mine.

Moroccan landscape