Bullshit-Proof

fangirlisms: Fangirlisms is hosting a Snow White and the...

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:10:57 +0800

Fangirlisms is hosting a Snow White and the Huntsman giveaway! One lucky winner will win everything you see in the photo above!

Visit Fangirlisms to find out more and send in an entry!

They told me the big black Lab’s name was Reggie, as I looked...

Mon, 07 May 2012 22:11:12 +0800

They told me the big black Lab’s name was Reggie, as I looked at him lying in his pen. The shelter was clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly. I’d only been in the area for six months, but everywhere I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open. Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog couldn’t hurt. Give me someone to talk to. And I had just seen Reggie’s advertisement on the local news. The shelter said they had received numerous calls right after, but they said the people who had come down to see him just didn’t look like “Lab people,” whatever that meant. They must’ve thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes and a sealed letter from his previous owner.

See, Reggie and I didn’t really hit it off when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.
Maybe we were too much alike.

I saw the sealed envelope. I had completely forgotten about that. “Okay, Reggie,” I said out loud, “let’s see if your previous owner has any advice.”
____________ _________ _________ _________

To Whomever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can’t say that I’m happy you’re reading this, a letter I told the shelter could only be opened by Reggie’s new owner. I’m not even happy writing it. He knew something was different.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls. The more the merrier. Sometimes I think he’s part squirrel, the way he hoards them. He usually always has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in there. Hasn’t done it yet. Doesn’t
matter where you throw them, he’ll bound after them, so be careful. Don’t do it by any roads.

Next, commands. Reggie knows the obvious ones —-“sit,” “stay,” “come,” “heel.”

He knows hand signals, too: He knows “ball” and “food” and “bone” and “treat” like nobody’s business.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, regular store-bought stuff; the shelter has the brand.

He’s up on his shots. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet. Good luck getting him in the car. I don’t know how he knows when it’s time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time. It’s only been Reggie and me for his whole life. He’s gone everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he doesn’t bark or complain. He just loves to be around people, and me most especially.

And that’s why I need to share one more bit of info with you…His name’s not Reggie. He’s a smart dog, he’ll get used to it and will respond to it, of that I have no doubt. But I just couldn’t bear to give them his real name. But if someone is reading this … well it means that his new owner should know his real name. His real name is “Tank.” Because, that is what I drive.

I told the shelter that they couldn’t make “Reggie” available for adoption until they received word from my company commander. You see, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could’ve left Tank with .. and it was my only real request of the Army upon my deployment to Iraq, that they make one phone call to the shelter … in the “event” … to tell them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily, my CO is a dog-guy, too, and he knew where my platoon was headed. He said he’d do it personally. And if you’re reading this, then he made good on his word.

Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as long as the Army has been my family. And now I hope and pray that you make him part of your family, too, and that he will adjust and come to love you the same way he
loved me.

If I have to give up Tank to keep those terrible people from coming to the US I am glad to have done so. He is my example of service and of love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that’s enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. Maybe I’ll peek in on him and see if he finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

Thank you,

Paul Mallory
____________ _________ _________ _______

I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. Sure, I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even new people like me. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver
Star when he gave his life to save three buddies. Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.

“Hey, Tank,” I said quietly.

The dog’s head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

“C’mere boy.”

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head tilted, searching for the name he hadn’t heard in months. “Tank,” I whispered.

His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood him. I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried my
face into his scruff and hugged him.

“It’s me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me.” Tank reached up and licked my cheek.

“So whatdaya say we play some ball?” His ears perked again.

“Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball?”

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared into the next room. And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.”

I told myself I’d try to reduce the amount of reblogs I do on my personal Tumblr, but this post just hit me so hard. We have 12-year old black lab. I’ve seen how loving and loyal these adorable dogs can be, and how much you grow to love them in return.

One of my aunts called these red pretties my “witch...

Sun, 06 May 2012 22:57:00 +0800

One of my aunts called these red pretties my “witch nails” once. I think I just found the reference. (Text from Margaret Embry’s The Blue Nosed Witch; nail polish by Revlon) (Taken with instagram)

Riiiiiiibs. At Bistro Valhalla with Dwight <3 (Taken with...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:51:00 +0800

Riiiiiiibs. At Bistro Valhalla with Dwight <3 (Taken with instagram)

This is what the sky above Mandaluyong looked like this morning....

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:53:00 +0800

This is what the sky above Mandaluyong looked like this morning. And no, I didn’t use a filter on this photo. (Taken with instagram)

Found this Mulan book with gorgeous watercolor illustrations at...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:29:10 +0800

Found this Mulan book with gorgeous watercolor illustrations at Books for Less!

Had my hair trimmed and cellophane-d today. SO SHINEH. (Taken...

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:43:00 +0800

Had my hair trimmed and cellophane-d today. SO SHINEH. (Taken with instagram)

One of my aunts started a stamp collection in the 1970’s,...

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:29:00 +0800

One of my aunts started a stamp collection in the 1970’s, and I’m trying to keep it going. (Taken with instagram)

My boyfriend surprised me with white chocolate for White Day!...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:48:00 +0800

My boyfriend surprised me with white chocolate for White Day! <3 (Taken with instagram)

Hot Chocomint at UCC! <3 (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:12:00 +0800

Hot Chocomint at UCC! <3 (Taken with instagram)

WAFFALE. Good job, Pancake House. (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:08:00 +0800

WAFFALE. Good job, Pancake House. (Taken with instagram)

Playing around with Fully Booked’s Imagine app at their...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:02:00 +0800

Playing around with Fully Booked’s Imagine app at their Katipunan branch. Y u grinning at me, dragon? (Taken with instagram)

Rainbow over the ADMU HS soccer field. Can you spot the face in...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:55:00 +0800

Rainbow over the ADMU HS soccer field. Can you spot the face in the clouds? :p (Taken with instagram)

Note to self: Buy a proper vase for long-stemmed roses, because...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:57:00 +0800

Note to self: Buy a proper vase for long-stemmed roses, because my boyfriend is taking advantage of my weakness for flowers. <3 (Taken with instagram)

“Design by Aki” my ass. Now I feel stupid for buying...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:53:20 +0800

“Design by Aki” my ass. ~~Now I feel stupid for buying this thing.~~

The artwork shown in this pendant is actually called “Smoking Cat”, and it’s by a Japanese artist named Shiori Matsumoto. This pendant is only one of probably hundreds being sold in various bazaars and retail stores (like Solo, where I bought this pendant) that feature Matsumoto’s artwork, but like a lot of the obviously copied/recast accessories being sold for cheap everywhere in the Philippines, nowhere is she credited for her work.

While I know these only sell for around 100-200 PHP, I still feel a bit bad that this artist probably has no idea that her work is being used like this, and there’s probably no way anyone can put a stop to them being manufactured by whoever supplies the trinkets being sold in the Philippine marketplace.

Despite all that, guilt compels me to spread the word about her art in what little way I can, just so everyone else who owns one of these pendants (or have at least noticed them while visiting a mall or bazaar) knows whose artwork it was that caught their eye.

Some of the other artwork by Matsumoto that I’ve seen appear in pendants (in full or in part) include:

So I started this drawing of my favorite Dragon Age: Origins...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:20:00 +0800

So I started this drawing of my favorite Dragon Age: Origins Warden (Eriya Surana, an Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage/Battlemage wearing her Warden Commander Armor) back in June 2011, and I’m still not done. Okay, so I only worked on it on-and-off for a few minutes per week, but the main problem is that I can’t seem to satisfy myself with the shading/blending. I’m my own worst critic, lol.

(Also uploaded on deviantArt.)

pusheen: PRIZE PACK INCLUDES: 1. Your choice of any...

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:37:55 +0800

pusheen:

PRIZE PACK INCLUDES:

1. Your choice of any one available Pusheen jewelry.

2. Your choice of any one available Pusheen t-shirt.

3. A brand new 3” Pusheen iron on patch.

HOW TO ENTER:

like and/or reblog this post (both count as entries).

RULES:

- Anyone can enter! These items can be shipped world wide.

- Don’t reblog more than once.

One lucky winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday the 28th!

First GPOY in a long while. Been letting my hair grow long and...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:55:00 +0800

First GPOY in a long while. Been letting my hair grow long and wearing it in messy waves. Also, I’m loving my Dashing Diva manicure. XD (Taken with instagram)

When someone hits on my boyfriend

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:59:00 +0800

If it’s some random stranger:

If it’s an ex-girlfriend:

If it’s someone important that I actually have to be nice to:

If it’s a friend joking around:

If it’s a friend actually being serious:

swirl-sweet: This doesnt even need a caption. I think all...

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:13:17 +0800

swirl-sweet:

This doesnt even need a caption. I think all girls know what this is..

THISS ^^