TOPAZ HORIZON

1. A recent blog post of Vince on Citizen Nerd. I think that in the wake of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, we people need to save the earth... and our data! And don't you just think that my husband writes so well? Hop on over to his blog to see what I mean!
2. The Christmas decor at Rustan's Makati. And all the lit up trees and carols blaring over the speakers. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas indeed!
3. Being the only girl in white in a glam event (see more about the affair here). The only other time this happened was at my wedding and that was more than two years ago. So it felt nice to be different again!
Oh, and there's one more thing I also am loving right now... visiting your blogs! That's why I haven't updated--I've been reading your blogs and discovering my readers. This could also be the reason why I have dark circles under my eyes--I've been staying up till 4am reading so many interesting blogs! You're a pretty cool bunch, did ya know? Thanks for always dropping by and leaving such nice comments! I feel like I have so many friends suddenly!

Galady is still alive.

Her entire left side is paralyzed now. And though her appetite's still healthy, she looks like I had given her massive doses of noxycut because she's definitely not the chubby wabbit with the 17" waistline! But she's enjoying her warm baths and saltwater soaks. I guess that's because when she's floating about in water, she can pretend she's still moving. Sigh. Still, she's in good spirits and that means a lot to me, her mommy.

Matilda, on the other hand, is feeling resentful. For more than a month now, Galady's been the focus of our attention. It can't be helped! And Matilda is not liking it. She's either bullying me about when I'm feeding Galady or she's hunched up in the corner looking at us murderously. I do play with Matilda later on to compensate but she knows we're treating Galady differently. Sigh. I guess I sound silly. But I think mommies (of kids and pets!) reading this post can give me advice. How does one tell the healthy wabbit I love her just the same?

This reminds me of my own sibling situation. I've always been the independent one so I never really needed the attention of my parents. My younger brother was the good son, my sister was the good daughter and then our older brother... well, let's just say he always needed help. So Mama always poured her attention on him. We didn't mind but I did remember feeling annoyed when Mama can't join me for shopping or lunches because she had to attend to his needs. Again.

Whenever I told her about my problems or concerns, Mama always seemed to brush me off, telling me I'd be fine because, yes, I'm the sort of person who always is fine. But sometimes I'd wish she'd scoop me in her arms and just take away the fear and the pain. But she never did that because she knew I was strong, and that even at my weakest, my older brother still needed her more. And I know she knew best because when she pushed, I became even stronger. And look at me now!

So I guess I understand Matilda, but I hope I can make her understand that when I push her away, it's not because I don't love her; it's because she's strong and that, right now, I need to love the one who needs loving the most.

Busy, busy, busy with...

1. organizing inventory of items for sale to raise funds for Mio's chemotherapy. Check latest batch of products here and make sure to buy! It's for a good cause!

2. events! Anlene Milk launched new endorser Charlene Gonzales last Tuesday and a bone scan told me I am at moderate risk of getting osteoporosis. So I'll need to eat more green leafy veggies and fish (I'm lactose-intolerant so no Anlene for me!) and get more sunlight and exercise.

Then last night, Ayala Malls launched their Greenology cause--the Filipino Zone in Greenbelt 5 will be selling dresses, gowns, tops, skirts and breeches plus shoes, bags and accessories made of environment-friendly materials. The sale is only until the end of September.

While that's cool, what I found more interesting was the fact that all Ayala Malls are now using green technology in their buildings. There are now green roofs (gardens on roofs not only add greenery and help absorb CO2 in the city's air, they also help keep buildings cooler, lessening the need for airconditioning). There's even the ice-cooling technology I've seen in other countries where buildings make ice at night; then during the day, the melting ice water is used to cool buildings. It's amazing!

3. organizing a baby shower for Joanna, who is due in a couple of weeks!

4. Galady, who is actually feeling better. Yey! I guess there are good days and there are bad days. I'll just have to thank God there are still more good days for my baby girl!

5. and, last but certainly the most time-consuming, the magazine. Aside from editing and approving pages, I promoted OK! mag on radio and on web TV, which means this week was dress-up and makeup week and I really find spending time in front of the mirror a huge chore!

That's all! Will be back with better tidbits soon! Enjoy your Friday!

This is a video right after Christmas 2007. Our pet rabbit Galady got jealous of a stuffed toy I got as a gift!


Well, it seems Galady Wabbit has suffered a stroke. Her left leg is paralyzed--she doesn't even feel me tapping it or pinching it. She will or perhaps already has had another stroke because she's losing the rest of her left side. She is deteriorating rapidly and life has drastically changed for all of us here at Casa Kuneho.

Since Galady can't get up, she pees and poops all over herself. It's an awful mess, I tell you, and it's causing horrible urine burns. Today, as I was giving her her bath, huge clumps of hair fell off her entire left side and I burst into tears. After all we've gone through, seeing all that hair on my hand was the worst.

Oh well. The good part of that is it's so much easier to dry her off. No need for the blowdryer, which she hates. And it's easier to apply the antibacterial cream!

Here's Galady the night she came home seven-and-a-half years ago. Isn't she a darling? Anyway, I am happy to say that the situation has improved (yes!) because we stumbled upon the site of a fellow disabled-rabbit owner, who wrote that she used those raised plastic beds with holes--meant for disabled dogs. This has been the best advice since now Galady doesn't have to soak in her pee and the kitty litter underneath the plastic beds absorb everything--even the smell.

It's also solved the problem of Galady and Matilda's longing for each other. In the past weeks, Galady had to remain locked up in her cage. But with the plastic beds on one corner of the laundry room, Matilda can now visit and cuddle. Both wabbits are happy!

Vince and me, too! Still, I cry a lot these days. And, if you've noticed, I can't blog as often. Life with a disabled rabbit is much much different; for example, we've had to check on her constantly. It's a good thing the office is just across the street! So we've quickly adjusted so it's all good!

Right now, I'm sprawled on the floor beside Galady. She's in her cage tonight, with the top removed (see here). The netbook is in front of me and I'm trying to catch up with my blog-hopping. We're both listening to Taylor Swift. Unlike Kanye, we both like Taylor Swift a lot--Galady's ears always go up high when Taylor's singing.

Anyway, I'll go now. I badly need a bath--I smell like rabbit pee and I think I have rabbit poop flecks stuck everywhere because Galady always flails about when I lower her into the basin of warm soapy water.

It's all good. I know it's disgusting but it's proof she's still alive and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'll get to my Magnificent Women Series soonest. I've purposely refrained from writing more serious stuff and have been distracting myself recently with shallowness because there's real sadness pervading the house this past week. My baby, Galadriel Rabbit, is very very sick. And we're afraid this is it.
Galady is 7 years old and 6 months. That's very old in rabbit years. She's really slow and mellow now, although she always gets excited and greedy whenever there's food around. Just last June, I posted about her and Matilda. She looked like this:
Still healthy and happy, tolerating Matilda's naughtiness. But I've noticed over August that Galady would usually just stay in one place now, napping, but once she sees me with food, up she goes to greet me. Last weekend, however, my sweet Galady suddenly didn't get up anymore. She'd hobble about but she'd quickly get exhausted. She's also lost a huge amount of weight in a few days. Galady now looks like this:
Only Matilda, food, Vince and me seem to wake her from her stupor. Most of the time, she just lies quietly, unmoving, gently lapping at her water bowl. I've moved her back to her cage so she can be more comfy and to keep her from Matilda's roughhousing. She enjoys being hand-fed and me singing lullabyes to her, especially "Ugoy ng Duyan," her favorite. Then she sighs and closes her eyes and I cry quietly while she sleeps.
My heart is breaking slowly and then it heals and jumps for joy when I wake in the morning and see those huge ears up and those big brown eyes alert. Yet... It won't be long now, I guess. I'm just really having a hard time saying good-bye to my baby girl.

Because I was sick for a week, I was stuck at home and got a really bad case of cabin fever (that's what happens when you're going crazy being indoors for an extended period). After cleaning the house and taking my girls shopping, Vince and I went to Glorietta to shop, shop, shop!

We had a list: get Mom a birthday gift, home fragrance oils, video games and rabbit food. In this country, there are only three kinds of pets: dogs, cats and fish. So while I've come to expect nothing but dog/cat/fish food in pet stores, I really really hate it when shops that claim they're fully stocked with pet supplies aren't!!! My poor bunnies have been munching on veggies and hay for the last two weeks. That's okay but they get filled up more and are happier with pellets. Calling Robinsons and Rustan's Supermarkets--please restock on rabbit pellets!

Okay, inhaling, exhaling... I'm calm now. So! Back to Glorietta. First things first: Feed Frances! I lost weight due to last week's incarceration. And now that I had my taste buds back, I was ravenous. Vince and I went to Italianni's where we had a big plate of pasta and a big slab of steak with creamy mashed potatoes and buttery vegetables on the side. Yum! (He's been feeding me a lot since, too, so now I'm back to my fighting form again and struggling to fit into my skinny jeans!)After that heavy lunch, we got Mom a nice gift, which was hard to do because what do you give a woman you love so much and already has everything? I hope she likes our surprise! Vince got me a surprise, too--he got me this lovely Liz Claiborne wallet:I've been using a plain pink wallet since my red one got stolen last year. The pink one's still okay but hubby thinks I'm ready for a grown-up wallet already. Yey! Oh, the picture does it no justice. It's very very pretty and feminine, with tons of pockets inside. Love it! (That's my old teddy bear, by the way.)

Vince was a happy camper, too, when he got two PS3 games--Bioshock and Ghostbusters. He's like a little boy now playing away in the living room while I'm here in the bedroom blogging and watching E! News. I'm also basking in the citrusy scent of my house. I stocked up on The Body Shop's fragrance oils. My favorites are the citrus and green tea scents. I tried white musk (too powdery) and lavender (too spa-y), too. Vince also persuaded me to get this new oil burner since he didn't like my plain clay pot.So we had a very happy weekend! Oh, did we find rabbit pellets? No. My poor bunnies!

Now, before anything else--I have a blog giveaway going on! While I'd love to be raffling off free family trips to Disneyland, shopping sprees at New York or free vacations, I'm starting with free beauty loot from Maybelline! Scroll down to the next post for details. You have 5 more days!

Now back to regular programming.

Bunny ears are so cute. They twitch about constantly. Even when my rabbits are asleep, their ears are like satellite discs that turn to find the slightest sound. They seem to have a mind of their own really!

Now, Louis Vuitton had come out with their silly Bunny Ears for their Fall/Winter 2009 collection. On the runway, the Bunny Ears looked fab.
On the cover of Vogue Russia and atop the head of my favorite model Natalia Vodianova, the Bunny Ears looked fierce.
On my rabbits Galadriel and Matilda, the Bunny Ears (just stiff paper!) looked adorable.

Now, the Bunny Ears on Madonna...

Hmmm. Let's just say Bunny Ears are for the young and effervescent!

Nope, the fat wabbit's not me! Anyway, a few days ago, L'Oreal Professionel launched its wonderful new line, the Nature Serie, at the elegant M Cafe just across the Ayala Museum (see above). I wore my utterly fab eBay find--my BGBG Max Azria sequined LBD with my sequined black flats and Gucci shoppers tote.

The bags behind me are the giveaways--filled with shampoos, conditioners, masks and other lovely hair stuff that's so organic and gentle, you can use them on your kids!

In keeping with the nature theme, the event featured organic produce which we guests can take home. It was such a delight to shop for fresh veggies! But while the other guests were thinking of salads, I was thinking of my bunny wabbits, Galadriel and Matilda (pictured below in our kitchen).Obviously, the bunnies were ecstatic with what Mommy brought home. Mommy was more ecstatic with the delightful products--each guest brought home a huge tote bag filled with the entire line!
So so happy! I'll be doing a more thorough review of the products in Beauty For A Living, where everything from makeup and lotions to strange treatments and diet pill liporexall reviews are featured! Watch for it within a week, okidoki!

And by hot, I mean literally sweltering hot. This week was just filled with events: product launches, store openings, press conferences. Ack. No matter what we did, our hair was plastered onto our scalps, neck and foreheads! Makeup melted, dresses were glued to our backs, and greetings were reduced to those deplorable air kisses. I love Manila but when it gets hot like this, I just want to stay in front of the A/C.

I got a ton of gifts! And I always love the cards that go with them. I read the cards before I rip off the wrappers, chortle or squeal over the gift, fold away the wrappers, pile up the gifts, then I pad off to bed with my Christmas cards and read them all again before I sleep. Happiness.

Then the Internet happened and I got eCards! I love these:


Oh, and I even got my very first blog award! And I am thrilled to bits! I've always wanted one, actually wanted to campaign, even beg for one (or two or three), but always stopped myself from total embarrassment. But I won't shy away now! I love my Lemonade Award from the dearest darling utterly creative blog Lovely Purses! Thanks, Duni. I appreciate the award.


Thank you all so much! Merry Christmas and God bless you!