Hey Hollie!

We keep crossing paths with Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil recently that I think it's time to risk being called jologs (tama ba lingo?) and write a bit about them.

Billy Crawford's Groove CD has pretty good tracks. Lots of cover songs and revivals with pretty darn good high-tempo arrangements of 80's hits like Human Nature, Rock With You, and Let's Groove. Amine bought a copy when we coincidentally visited the ATC while Billy was having a free show there. And, what the heck, she decided it was alright to take on the photo op and signing privelege that came with the purchase. But she keeps referring to him as Billy Joe still like he was still the child actor/singer of long ago. Ang dami na ngang tato, Billy Joe pa rin. 

Just another pretty pic of Boni High. Image credit: I forgot but it's some real estate website.

My daughter Meg who's turning 7 on August 30 idolizes Nikki Gil, I think. For starters, Nikki graduated from the same school where Meg studies. I believe Meg was still in pre-school when Nikki graduated so she knows her a bit personally. She - Meg, knows her - Nikki. Anyway, Meg also loves to sing Nikki's song Glowing Inside. It's one of my little girl's favorite pieces to sing. Shy by nature, we were pleasantly surprised when Meg agreed to sing it in front of a big crowd during my wife's Lolo Tacio's wake. That was really special.

So, crossed paths with them first at Billy's ATC show where we saw Nikki, too. Next two occasions were at the Bonifacio High Street's Stock Market Restaurant and at the Hobbes and Landes store. Seemed like real nice people so next time maybe I'll chat them up and persuade them to give a short video interview for Speed Bagal.

P.S.

Hollie likes Billy.

Yan ang hirap pag wala ka. Ikaw ang topic. Hehe.

Pet Friendly

Bonifacio High Street is quite noticeably the venue of choice for dog owners to take their loved pets for a stroll. A pet-friendly place it is. Over at Hobbes and Landes, where they sell pet stuff as well as kid stuff, dogs are even allowed inside the store. We sighted Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil there with their little toy dog. Must be a chihuahua or some little sort for it was very small as I recall, but then I'm not real familiar with dogs. Then, Atan and his amazingly beautiful Siberian Huskies also visited the store.

Photo: Me with Atan's Siberian Huskies -- Charlie, Rainbow, Firefox, and Luna. That's their owner, Atan Caseda, seated on the concrete border, and that's Meg, my little girl, peeking from behind me. Charlie, the dad Husky, is also seated on the border while Rainbow the mom Husky was contentedly watching passersby while seated on the ground at her owner's foot. [ Click on pic to enlarge. Then click on the "back" button of your browser to come back here. ]

Atan's Siberian Huskies are really pretty canines. I could tell that they're well-groomed and cared for by their looks and their scents. It's as if they'd just been pampered at a pet salon. These doggies found real caring owners in Atan and his girlfriend. Atan's place also saw a "re-organizing" to give room for his pets to move about freely on the ground floor. Lucky dogs.

Before the photo was taken, Meg was standing beside me at first but jumped up the bench to hide when the 5-month old puppies Firefox and Luna and their dad Charlie all decided they want to get a closer look (and a friendly sniff :) ). Atan tells me this breed really are people-friendly and a 100% guaranteed no-biters. Though they might jump at little toy dogs thinking they are rabbits, kicking into their hunter mode instincts. Watch out Billy and Nikki, hehe. Lagot yang toy dog n'yo. But of course, Atan keeps the brood leashed. He says once you let them off the leash here, it will take a lot of chasing to get them back.
[ To read my blog entry on Billy and Nikki click here. ]

Firefox and Luna, being younger and smaller than their parents, were really adorable. Meg even kept saying she wanted Luna for a pet. Problem is, we have no significant experience raising dogs, or any pet for that matter. But not for lack of trying. We had a couple of hamsters about two years ago but they got stinky and lasted for only two weeks, I think.

The four lovebirds lasted longer. Maybe two months or so. One escaped, or we think it escaped. It's possible that unofficial house pets (like big rodents, every house has a few right?) may have had something to do with the "escape". The other three died mysteriously in their cage, like a fight erupted between the three "lovebirds". Maybe the two fought over the one and ended up killing one another, I don't know. Like I said, mysterious.

There was a dog before the hamsters and the lovebirds though. It was a cross-breed, but not a complete askal. It had white fur and had the looks of a Japanese Spitz crossed with a neighbor's pesky dog. Or a pesky neighbor's dog. Cute puppy, but too feisty for Derick [ my son, now 16 y.o. and who's finishing high school in the States ] and Meg to play with and Mom Amine is sort of afraid of dogs. As for me, I didn't want to take all of the responsibility raising the little monster. Good thing the neighbor adopted Elmo, as we called him.

Anyhow, back to the brood we saw at Boni High this Thursday's edition of our running dates. Atan and his girlfriend (I wasn't able to meet her, unfortunately) were taking the "kids" out for a romp at the wide and long open spaces of Bonifacio High Street with a bit of a side trip to Serendra for a cool sip of water at the water features there. For the dogs, that is. Atan mentioned the dogs are really energetic and needed to expend their energies if they, the human owners, wanted to get some peace and quiet when they get home. Hope to see the whole gang again next week. :)