Walking for a good cause

Last Thursday Dad, Mama and I went to Paws Chicago, the city’s largest "No Kill" humane organization, to register for the Sunday "Run for their Lives" 4K Walk/8K Run and help Support PAWS Chicago’s mission to build a No Kill city by running or walking for homeless animals. We decided to walk because all the woofies are walking and only the 2-legged people are running.

Once inside the PAWS building, I socialized with other woofs and saw some meows too while Mom & Dad filled out their forms. As soon as they were done they lined up to get their packets. We were all really excited about it! At home we got all the goodies out of the bags and we found some stuff for me and for Mama & Dad too.

Each packet contained a long-sleeved T-shirt with this cute picture of a woofie and a meowie together, a bib, some coupons, some business(poop)bags,a magazine,a pen and other small goodies.



And these are my goodies! One from Mama's and one from Daddy's packet.
2 massive Dingos! YAAAAAY!!!



Last Sunday, Sept 28th 08 was the big day! (Only a good cause can make Mama get up early on a Sunday, and she was up at 7:30 AM!) We left the house at 8:15 AM and we already saw some traffic on Lake Shore Drive but, Daddy took a shortcut so, we didn't get stuck! Yipee!

The Walk and Run started at around 9AM but before that, there were some refreshments and coffee being served to the 2-legged participants, a few welcoming words on the main stage by someone from PAWS, a warm-up for parents and a doggie yoga warm-up at 8:30 AM that Mama made me miss for staying in bed an extra quarter of an hour... sleepy head!

Anyway, the 3 of us had lots of fun with all the different kinds and sizes of woofies around us at the line-up and while we waited to the 9:10 AM walk step-off, I played with some buddies who were about my size and one of them was like my spitting image! Scary !!

First came my "twin brother" and one more "clone".



Who's who now ???



Then came a little black and white woofie, and also a golden one to say HI!



This is a picture of me and "Regi"( I guess that was his name) He is also 3 like me. Who am I? Any guesses?



We're getting excited now! We're now walking towards the Start Line and things are not really comfortable for Mama. The woofies are getting closer and closer together and some big ones scare the hell out of her. I told her not to worry and that I was there to protect her. I have to mention here that Mama has made such a huuuuge progress in overcoming her fear of woofies, just by being amongst soooo many of them(there were about 3000)and wearing shorts!!! 3 years ago she was living in the basement at Grandma J's because she was afraid of Sammie! And now, look at you MAMA! Daddy and I are very proud and thankful that you're joining us today for this wonderful cause. THANK YOU MAMA !!!! And I am sooooo glad that I was part of this big and important change in your life. YAY!

After passing the START/FINISH line, the path got wider and there was grass and water along the way; some bits of it would get narrower again but, that was not a big deal, not too overcrowded. It was overcast and windy but, it didn't rain :)
The waves in the lake resembled the ocean and it was a truly beautiful brisk paced 4K walk we'll never forget. Maybe we'll do it again next year. We crossed the finish line after about an hour. Daddy wanted to capture that moment in a photo but, guess what happened? He couldn't, because I decided to do "business" right there!!
Hope the professional photographers or the press didn't catch that, uh-oh!! Then, later on we went back there for a picture. Sorry Mom & Dad...





Back in the F&B tents and main stage area, it was time for the ceremony with the Paws founder's address, the parade of adoptable woofies, and the awards presentation for the runners. While we watched all that, there was this guy with lots of kibbles scattered on his cardboard and I couldn't resist a little snack!



I also saw this snowball in sunglasses just like mine.



Another snowball was there too! It was the only Meow speaker I saw.



At 10:45 AM there was the Howl-o-ween costume contest and I particularly liked the
Chicken costume. I didn't participate because I'm kinda shy to go on stage however, I do want to go trick-or-treating this year and hopefully Mama will get me my first Halloween costume. Please Mama, you can have all the treats I will get!!



They couldn't pick only one winner so they had 5 winners :)
After the contest we headed home because we were staaaarving! We had a fun Sunday morning!!!!!
Click below for more 8K Run/4K Walk pics,enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday : KIDS

Dad, Grandma J and Cousin S bottle-feeding the hungry KIDS!


Grant's Farm, St. Louis, MO Summer 2005

New Awards

One of the things in the blogosphere that truly makes me feel appreciated as a blogger is an award received from my fellow bloggers. During the last couple of weeks I've received 3 wonderful awards.
I'd like to thank Ms Yummy~Licious, Aunty Claudia and Mariuca for sharing these great awards with me. You all made my day, thanks a million "dearies"!!!!

Ms Y and A&B gave me an award + meme blend.

Thank you so much for this Ms Y and A&B! Woof , Woof!


***start copy***The rules of the award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you have nominated.
Previous awardees: Mabelle, Prily, Ate Norma, I Love Philippines Too, Shenga, Nova, WebbieStuffs, Nancy, Webloglearner, Pinay Wahm, and My So Called Life, Let's Spice Things Up, Beauty and Shop, Idealpinkrose, allin, kimchiland, Korean Food, The Paper Vision, Embrace Simplicity, Me and Mine, A Window To Our World, A Grateful Heart, Can of Thoughts, A Mother's Stuff, http://housewifeatwork.blogspot.com/, MommyAllehs Up-Close and Personal, Glossa~licious, The Spirit of Blogging, Help my novel save the world..., A Great Pleasure, Listening, Learning, Living..., My Pooch LifeADD YOUR LINKS HERE.***end copy***

This award goes to Aunty Claudia, Daisy,Bonoriau,Trestin,Tatum Tot,Adie and Purrprints .

The second award I received came from Aunty Claudia and it's called Premio Dardos which means :

"Recognition of the values that each blogger shows day by day, their efforts to convey cultural, ethical, literary, personal values etc. In summary, a demonstration of their creativity through the alive thought that exists and remains intact between the lines..."

I translated that into English from the original Portuguese meaning and hopefully it makes sense to you.

Thank you so much Aunty Claudia, it means a lot to me!

I'd like to give this award to Mariuca, Lady Java and Jean Chia . I think it represents what your blogs are all about.

And just a couple days ago I was awarded a SUPER award!

Thank you very much Marzie, that was super boost for me and for any blogger!

I'd like to give this award to all the bloggers who received the " I Love you Blog" award and whoever wants to proudly display it on his/her blog!

3 more awards for my gallery, YAY! Oops , still have to put up a gallery....

New Memes

Some time ago I was tagged by Mariuca and Ms. Yummy~Licious to do these fun memes!

Here we go:

Memes 1-3 by Marzie at MPG

Meme 1

The Handbag Tag

Well I couldn't have done it without Mama's permission! After all this tag is all about her( I don't carry a wallet, don't own a tool box or briefcase) Thanks Mama for helping me out with this one.

Rules:

Find a safe quiet place free of significant others, nosey meme makers, priests, nuns, all things religious and men in general. (If you're a guy just reverse this process to male and tell us about your wallet, tool box, briefcase or metro sexual accessory.)

1. Dump the contents of your handbag in a pile.

2. Take a photo of your handbag and the contents.

3. Be brave and 'splain to your fellow bloggers what lurks inside the handbag.

4. Tag others who might want to embarrass themselves.

5. Answer these questions

6. Describe the contents of your handbag.

Please see Mama's response below.

What's the most important thing in your handbag? My wallet.

What's the most embarrassing thing in your handbag? My wallet LOL!

What's the smallest thing in your handbag? A little round "band-aid".

Is there anything illegal in your handbag? Not at all (I'm so legal !!)



I got this Tommy bag almost 2 years ago and my sister, Sushi's Aunty H, who is so fashionable, picked out for me at Macy's on sale for... I'm embarassed to say how much it cost (dirt cheap) !!! I like it a lot, I can fit a lot of stuff in this bag and it kinda goes with any outfit. I'm glad the days when you have to match your shoes, purse and belt are over! Now, time for embarrassment :

The bag contents:

1. 9 West Wallet

2."Wet Ones" wipes, very useful, especially after chocolate or ice cream :)

3. Walgreens Facial Tissue ( for running noses and dirty specs)

4. CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)Travel Card

5. Chicago Pop-up Map ( always good to have it handy)

6. CVS Pharmacy Card ( happened to be out of place, it goes in the wallet)

7. Aveda Hand cream

8. Ebay souvenir pen ( from Ebay Live! in Chicago last June)

9. Fossil coin purse

10. A check book

11. 2 Clinique lipsticks

12. 1 Lancome Juicy Tube

13. 1 regular and 1 round "band-aids"

14. 1 The Body Shop slim mirror and 1 mirror from Japan with oil blotting paper.

15. Chapstick ( for both me and hubby)

Meme 2

The Shopaholic Tag

Credits: Paper & Elements Created by Kim Jensen / Layout by JennyL

Rules:

1. Don’t remove the credits when you post the image.

2. Please link back to the person who tagged you.

3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs so your other blogs can be listed to the master list too.

4. You need to pass this tag to many friends you think loves shopping.

5. Remember to come back at BARGAIN.SALES.DEALS. and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.

6. Enjoy Shopping !!!

SHOPAHOLICS : 1.) A Slice of Life 2.) Jenny Said So 3.) Simply Jen 4.) This and That 5.) Bargain.Sales.Deals. 6.) Me and Mine 7. Hobbies and Such 8. I am Mommy 9. Quicker8 10. Nita's Random Thoughts 11.) Nita's Corner 12.) Bohol Paradise 13.) Filipino Online Community 14.) Batuananons 15.) Great Finds and Deals 16.) My Wandering Thoughts 17.) Arts and Entertainment Center 18.) PRC Board Exam Results 19.) Nita's Ramblings 20.) Thomas Web Links 21. Thomas Travel Tales 22. Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts 23.) Make Money Online 24. The Shopaholic in Me 25. Little Peanut 26.) Creative in Me 27.) Pea in a Pod 28. Moments of My Life 29. My Crossroads 30. Race Corner 31. A Beautiful Life 32. Cheeky Pinay 33. When Mom Talks 34. Aussie Talks 35. Shzainzy- My Thoughts 36). Shzainzy - Purely Music 37.) My Colorful World 38. Kidd Designs 39. A Reality Bite 40. Raptured Dreams 41. Array of Hopes 42. Embracing Health for Life 43. Array of Hopes 44. Kikay Fashion and Beauty 45. Joy Speaking 46. Life in Manila 47. BLOGSILOG 41. Cherry’s Comfort Zone 42. DigiScrapz: Captured Memories 48. My Views On My So Called Life 49. Me, Myself and I 50. Cez't La Vie 51. Feeling 52. after the i do 53. Mommy Talks 54. My Photographic Sketch 55. Apple of Yanple 56. Tech Stuff Plus.. 57. The Working Mom 58. my untamed world 59. meme me 60. Startin' A New Life 61. Juls Random Thoughts 62. Blessings and Beyond 63. Mommy Earns Money Online 64. Pinay Mommy Online 65.Cutty 66. Fab Finds etc. 67. Ylan's Refuge 68.MommaWannabe 69. Mummy Diaries 70. Best Pinay Mom 71. Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 72.My Pooch Life YOU'RE NEXT{end copying here}


Meme 3

The 16 Questions tag

These are also Mama's answers. Thanks again Mama!

Are you pregnant? Yes, errr, been thinking about getting either another Woof or Meow for my SUSHI for a few months now!! :):):) Say about 6 months? hahahaha
When do you want to get married? I got married on 08-16-04
Do you curse a lot? No.
What are your favorite books? Don't have any, sad but true...
Do you wish you were with someone right now? My Mommy....
Who were the last three people that sent you a text message? Some people from Twitter I can't remember.
Are you happier single or in a relationship? Happiness doesn't depend upon being in a relationship or not.
Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? Yes.
Do you wish someone would call you? Oprah (hehehe)
What is bugging you right now? The first week wearing Invisalign, OUCH!
What's something you wish you could understand better? HTML, SEO and all other complicated internet stuff.
If someone doesn't like you, it's usually because...? I'm toooooo nice ???? :( :(
Do you have a wild side? NOOOO.
Kissed someone in the last twenty four hours? Hubby.
Have you lost friends in the past year? Yes.
What were you doing at midnight last night? Very unusual but, I was in BED! ZZZZZZZ....
Add your blog to the end of the list.

PLAYERS: CHIKAI, Fun.Fierce.Fab, Me,Myself+2, Kidd Designs, Ozzy's Mom, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, On A Wonderful Day Like Today, House Everything, SAHMdom and Beyond, Choc Mint Girl, Mumblings, Mariuca's Perfume Gallery, Confessions Of A Breathing Tote Bag, laketrees, Emila's Illustrated Blog, Fida Abbott, My Pooch Lifeyour blog here!

Meme 4

Now to Ms. Yummy~Licious Tag. Thanks for the tag Jean! Woof!

Interrogate Sushi!

"Be good! Answer these questions and I'll let you go!"

Please don't arrest me!!

Players: Vannie kathycot buhaymisis whenmomspeaks kathycotcooks my precious niche just me.. eds edsmommylife Me and Mine Creative in Me For the LOVE of Food Little Peanut Pea in a Pod Sugar Magnolias When Silence Speaks Etc Atbp Deranged Insanity Blessings and Beyond REALITIES Glossa~licious A Great Pleasure Simple Life My Pooch Life your site

1.WHAT DATE IS IT?:: September 25, 2008

2. WHAT TIME DID U WAKE UP?:: 11:30 am ooops!

3. DID U GO SOMEWHERE YESTERDAY?:: For a walk

4. WHAT DID U DO THERE?:: My business...

5. HOW OLD ARE U?:: 3

6. ARE U MATURE OR IMMATURE?:: Immature forever :)

7. WHAT DO U CALL UR MOM & DAD?:: Mama and Daddy

8. ARE U AN ONLY CHILD?:: Yes

9. WHERE DO U GO SHOPPING?:: Petco

11. DO U LIKE BOOKS?:: No.

12. DO U WANT TO GET MARRIED?:: No

13. WITH WHOM?:: Nobody :)

14. ARE U SPOILED?:: I don't think so...

15. WHATS THE MOST FLATTERING COMPLIMENT U EVER GOT?:: My Mug Cake is GOOD!

16. ONLY GIRL/BOY IN THE FAMILY?:: Yes

17. IF U WERE TO MARRY A CELEBRITY, WHO WOULD IT BE?:: Nobody, I like being single :)

18. WOULD U LIKE TO MEET Josh Hartnett?:: Who's that? sorry...

19. Where do u think ur best friend is?:: At home

20. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME U TALKED TO UR BESTFRIEND?:: Last night.

21. U THINK SHE/HE NEEDS U NOW?:: Not really

23. WHAT DO U WANT FOR UR BIRTHDAY?: I wanna be the Spokesdog for Milk Bone! Woof!

25. IF U WERE TO BUY A CAR , WHICH CAR WOULD IT BE?:: BMW SUV

26. A DUET WITH HEART EVANGELISTA?:: Don't know who you're talking about...

27. DO U WEAR MAKE-UP?:: No way!

28. WHAT LIP BALM DO U USE?:: Don't need it , Yay!

29. WOULD U GET A TATOO?:: It won't show, so why bother?

30. BELLY PIERCE?:: Same answer as above.

31. HOW MANY KIDS DO U WANT?:: I'm neutered and can't have any children :(

32. DO U HAVE ANY HOMEWORK?:: Don't go to school so no homework for me , yipee!

33. ANY SONG THAT YOU’RE LISTENING?:: No, just the radio.

34. DO U BELIEVE IN SPELLS?:: Sometimes.... creepy!

35. WHERE DO U WANT TO GO NOW?:: Play fetch outdoors

I'm tagging Trestin and Aunty Claudia and whoever wanna play these tags just leave me a comment!

Do you wanna catch a Techno Train?

This will help your authority in Technorati! If so, join this list I was invited to take part in by BLOGGER IDEAS. Thanks so much Trestin!

Here is what to do:
1. Be a Blogger user with a blogger blog (this includes .coms that use a blogger platform)
2. Copy and paste this list into your blog (you can do it as an older post so it does not interrupt the flow of your blog).
3. Make sure the links in your post are working links
4. Add your Blogger link in the comments, and the link to the post you copied the list in.

1. BLOGGER IDEAShttp://trestinideas.blogspot.com/2. NATHOLOGYhttp://nathanlawis.blogspot.com/3. TRESTIN HOMEhttp://trestinmeacham.blogspot.com/4. Sound Libraries by Discovery Soundhttp://samplecds.blogspot.com/5. World Ethnic Sample CDshttp://discoverysound.blogspot.com/6. TRESTIN HISTORYhttp://trestinhistory.blogspot.com/7. LDS STUFFhttp://ldsstuff.blogspot.com/8. Super Space Cowboyhttp://superspacecowboy.blogspot.com/9. TRESTIN POLITICALhttp://trestinpolitical.blogspot.com/10. Jill's Grumbleshttp://jillsgumbles.blogspot.com/11. Trestin Sportshttp://trestinsports.blogspot.com/12. Flotsam and Jetsamhttp://iamtolkienreader.blogspot.com/13. ASK TRESTINhttp://asktrestin.blogspot.com/14. PASS IT ON PLATEShttp://passitonplatesblog.blogspot.com/15. TRESTIN ADVENTUREShttp://trestinlife.blogspot.com/16. BIG MONEY LISThttp://bigmoneylist.blogspot.com/17. PARNELL FOREVERhttp://trestinparnell.blogspot.com/18. Hangukbloggerhttp://hangukblogger.blogspot.com/19. TRESTIN STOREhttp://trestinstore.blogspot.com/20. John Spence Bloghttp://johnspence.com/blog/21. TRESIN HALL OF FAMEhttp://trestinhalloffame.blogspot.com/22. Tolkienreader's Online Journalhttp://paulistolkienreader.blogspot.com/23. TRESTIN AUTOBIOGRAPHYhttp://trestinbio.blogspot.com/24. Inland Empire Live Musichttp://inlandempirelivemusic.blogspot.com25. TRESTIN GALLERYhttp://trestinphotos.blogspot.com/26. Web Design and SEOhttp://axedbydax-webdesign.blogspot.com/27. TRESTIN GAMEShttp://trestingames.blogspot.com/28. Bonoriauhttp://bonoriau.com29. SPEEDCAT HOLLYDALE PAGEhttp://speedcathollydale.blogspot.com30. TRESTIN MUSIChttp://trestinmusic.blogspot.com/31. KAMATH'S PARADISEhttp://www.kamathsparadise.com/32. MY POOCH LIFE http://mypoochlife.blogspot.com

Join us and spread the word!

Wordless Wednesday: Lonely

...and gorgeous!


St.Louis Zoo OCT 2005

My birthday celebration

It was a great day, and it would have been even better if Daddy was here with me too. He was out of town on Wednesday but he came home Friday, YAY!
So, on my special day I had "porridge" for breakfast. I used to have porridge once a month, on the day of my heartworm preventative medicine. That's because this medicine was a little pill with some yummy bacon or beef coating and had to be taken on a full stomach. What happened was, first of all, my parents didn't know whether my stomach was full or not because my dry food is available to me all day long and I eat whenever I want to. Second, I licked all the coating and when the awful tasting pill was exposed, I didn't wanna chew or swallow that. Mama and Dad both struggled to get that thing down my throat so, Mama came up with a wonderful solution which made everybody's life easier and everyone happier : "the Porridge"!
My "Porridge" is just the dry kibbles mixed with a little water and put in the microwave for some softening and heating. I love warm, comfort food:)
So, Mama would give me about half of the amount of porridge to make sure my belly was full. I'd eat this even if I was not hungry, so delish! Then she'd put the pill in the other half and I obviously devoured everything and didn't even realized the pill was there! Now that I take another kind of medicine that's applied to my skin, I don't need porridge anymore and Mama only gives it to me now on special days like my birthday. So, having porridge on my "besday" was a big thing! It was grrrreat!!

I also had to wear a party hat for my photo shooting and sit still in the sofa in front of my apple cinnamon cake, so the pictures would come out ok. Mommy made this cake and put a candle on it so I could blow it out as I made my wishes. As you know, I can't have this kind of treat but, I had my Busy Bone which I love and really keeps me entertained for a looong time.
I did NOT have my teeth brushed,YAY! I did have some moustache, face and ear grooming for the photos though... but, I liked my B-day pics :)
And...I had my 3 walks a day as usual and I loved it.

Thank you "everybuddy" for stopping by with your kind and warm wishes and also for helping me and Mama finish up the cake! Woof! Woof!

Wordless Wednesday: It's my BIRTHDAY!!!

My birthday wishes

In a couple of days, I'll be 3 years old. I wanted to get some countdown widget like Marzie's but, most of the pressies are not suitable for a 4-legged, 3 year old like me. Things like dentures(no thanks, I have a lot of teeth), perfume, lingerie, bikes,frapuccino, socks( can't stand anything on my feet)... I don't need or want this stuff. There were some interesting ones though, and I wouldn't mind getting gifts like a car( Yes,I can drive!), a new laptop or some CASH $$$$$, why not?? !!!! Thing is, nobody would assume I'd want to receive such presents so, I am not going to leave a list of presents you can choose from to give me on my "besday". Instead, I'll let you know exactly what I want for my B-day. I'm no Obama or McCain here but, what I want, my dear visitors/readers/friends, is your VOTE!
Your vote for my blog for Best Animal Blogger in Blogger's Choice Awards. Whether you are a blogger or not, all you have to do is create an account with an e-mail address and password and you'll be able to cast your vote. Thank you so much!!! Woof!

My lovely biscuits brand, Milkbone, will be 100 years old soon and it's holding a contest to elect the next Milkbone SpokesDog and if I win this, my birthday wish would have come true! I don't have a direct link to my "Milk-Bone moment"(it's just a picture of me and Mama)I'm afraid...but,I can give you the link to the Milk-Bone site and hopefully you'll be able to spot the picture below(I'm hoping they find this one cute, because I tried to upload a video with Daddy but, there was a glitch on their website and I couldn't do it. Later, I tried to upload a picture of me swimming with Daddy and they sent me an e-mail asking me to resubmit it. So I decided to go with a "lounging" moment and picked this picture of me and Mama:

Well, voting doesn't start till OCT 19th. They will pick 100 finalists to be featured on the website for voting until NOV 18th. I'll notify all of you if I am amongst the lucky ones. Fingers crossed!

Please, VOTE for SUSHI! VOTE for SUSHI! VOTE for SUSHI!!!
Thank you ALL in advance for helping my B-day wishes become reality!

Dog Parks galore: one is near home, I love Chicago!

Since I moved to Chicago, I've only gone to the bathroom when I go for a walk, that means no more ringing the bell when I want to go out because there's no backyard in the condo plus, the balcony floor is made of wood planks and there are little gaps between them. Poor downstairs neighbor if I ever decide to do "business" in the balcony but, I'm a good boy and I know I should be nice to all neighbors.

My Dad went online and found a dog park that is within walking distance from home, however, we never walk there! I need to save my energy to play with other buddies!

This is a nice park. There is a swimming pool, baseball field, tennis courts, playground and lots of green areas. All for free! Well, my dog park is virtually free; I have to pay only $5 per year for a tag I got from the doctor's office. I usually go there on the weekends and it's always Dad who takes me there because Mama doesn't like to get up early and she is kind of scared of the big Woofies. When she goes, she often stays behind the fence but, she enjoys watching me play.

Check out the cool shots of me and my park buddies:

Now watch some videos for more fun!

Sorry if I'm making anyone freeze just by looking at these pictures but, that's when I started going to these parks. BRRRRR!!!!



That's OK to fast forward, I don't want you to freeze! Ready for another one? You might need to put your coat on!

Wordless Wednesday: Who did it?

"It happens in the best London families..." (as they say in Brazil).
Pictures of the Royal F-__-__T.
Don't blame it on me !!!!!


D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G !!!!!!

Thanks for sending me this by e-mail Aunty Claudia !

Mama went to the Oprah Winfrey Show!

She first heard about Oprah back in the days when she was a teenager in Brazil and it was a cool thing to be a Michael Jackson fan. Nowadays, if you are M.J.'s fan, I think people would find you a weirdo, just like he is now. Well, in the beginning of the process of getting "Wacko Jacko" he refused to be interviewed by just anyone. It had to be no one less than Oprah Winfrey to have the great opportunity to interview him in his surreal ranch. So, Mama was really impressed with "the power of Oprah"!


She's not really famous in Brazil, so Mama rarely heard of her since. When she moved to the US in 2004, she became a huge Oprah fan. I'm also her fan because she helps stop puppy mills.
In my last post I was speechless because I couldn't believe that Mama had the chance to go to an Oprah Show taping here in Chicago! But this was not an ordinary show; it was the 23rd Season Premiere in which Team USA's Olympic Stars joined Oprah on stage for a historic event! Harpo Studios was way to small to accomodate all the 150+ athletes on stage and the big audience that attended the event, including the Mayor of Chicago Richard Daley, who is working hard to increase Chicago's chances for hosting the 2016 games. Oprah also wanted to showcase Chicago as her favorite city for the Olympics and Millenium Park was definetely the best place in town for this unforgettable show BUT,unfortunately they don't allow four-legged people there so I couldn't go :( :(


Getting tickets to any Oprah show is hard since it is on a first come, first served basis, and the phone lines are always engaged. Being a big Oprah fan, Mama subscribed to her e-mail newsletters and one of them was about getting tickets to this show. She got it on a Thursday and on Saturday, she headed to Millenium Park where she knew the Oprah staff would be giving away the so coveted tickets from noon. Mama could only make it there by 11 AM and was really hopeless she would get any tickets. She saw the beginning of the mile long line, then she walked, walked and walked until she finally got her spot at the end. Soon lots of people started to line up after her and she saw another looooong line behind her, so her hopes to see the billionaire diva grew from spark to fire especially after learning from the security people that 4000 tickets were going to be given away. Not too bad, it took only one hour for Mama to get her ticket and she was in absolute bliss when the red wrist band and the info sheet were handed to her !

Last Wednesday was the big day! Mama looked like a little girl smiling and showing off her passport to Oprah. I told her : "Mama, she's flesh and blood, a person just like you" Why all that fuss ? I must say, I was happy to see Mama so happy about all this and, as you can see in the pics, she doesn't even care about the way she looks but, she asked me to upload some here to show off... Silly Mama .....







This time she wanted to make sure she got a good seat so, she got up at 4 AM and wore a bright red blouse hoping it shows well on TV, so she can try to spot herself in the middle of the crowd. At 5:20 she took the EL downtown and when she got to the park, there was already a line! Not as long as on the ticket day though, phew! As soon as the park opened at 6AM, there was no line anymore; everybody started running like crazy and so did Mama. When she was picking her seat, one usher called her and another lady because they were not supposed to be in that area so early. Apparently, it was the security guy's fault who opened the gate beforehand. Then they were escorted out of the area and to the end of another line...



It was about 6:30 and only at 8:55 the line started to move for people to go through security. In the info sheet they advised to downsize the purses and bring no cameras or video recorders, otherwise you could be denied access or be removed from the premises if you were caught documenting the event somehow. After going through security, another line formed to enter the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. When Mama finally got inside there weren't any center seats available because they were reserved for VIP's...
So she quickly found a seat on the left side about 15 rows from the stage, pretty good seat, she was radiant but... staaaarving!! She sat there for about one hour listening to music and about 15 minutes before the show, an entertainer lady got on stage to prepare the crowd to go crazy when Oprah sets foot on stage. She also welcomed, Gayle King (Oprah's best friend, I think) Michael Phelps's Mom & sisters, and the families of Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, the gymnasts all before 10 AM.

At 10:05 the "Queen of Talk" finally showed up! It was so emotional for Mama! She wanted to take a picture with her mobile phone even if the quality was not good but, she is so into the rules and was so afraid of being caught red-handed that she didn't even try. One minute later she saw a person being reprimanded for taking pictures. So she gave up...
It's all in Mommy's memory now, Oprah's famous Christian Louboutin's red sole heels, which she removed to pose for a picture with Shawn Johnson who is only 4 ft 9" and people cracked up, poor thing, I thought it was kinda mean... She also asked M. Phelps about his single life, but it looks like he didn't wanna answer... Oprah's curious just like me! And at the end of the show, to Mama's and the audience's surprise the American Idol David Cook showed up to sing " The Time of my Life" while all the athletes went down the stage and walked amongst the crowd hi-5ing everyone! Blue, red and white balloons and confetti filled up the air... just awesome!

All in all it was a great show and a wonderful experience for Mama and this is the only shot she got of the venue as she was exiting the pavilion.

This was the best picture of the event when it was over...

The Season Premiere of Oprah airs tomorrow Monday 09/08/08 and I can't wait to watch it with Mama!

Wordless Wednesday: I'm so jealous of MAMA!!!!!!

Today she went to the Oprah Winfrey Show, Season Premiere, with aaaallllll the USA Olympic Team on stage! More tomorrow guys, I'm just wordless, I mean speechless....

Top 10 Sushi Lovers

I've had my Top Sushi Lovers widget for a while now, but never really recognized them in a special post like I'm doing right now. Last month I kinda recognized them with a piece of my now popular and famous Mug Cake. YAY! Lil'Chef nailed that one,LOL!
So, now it's time to recognize some words of love. They all come from my Top 10 Sushi Lovers in other words, my Top 10 Commentators! Sushi loves you all!

You are :

1. Mariuca, MPG, GP, Marzie. Dear friend who owns 2 amazing, rockin' blogs :

Mariuca Wishing on a Falling Star

Here is how she describes her own blog :

"Hola! I am a freelance copywriter working from home. I love cats, collecting perfumes and daydreaming and I write about anything under the sun. From love and life to hobbies and food, Mariuca has it all! Thank you for visiting my blog and do come again."

Mariuca's Birthday was last Friday and she just wrote a post about how wonderful it was, go there for some delightful reading and I'm sure after that you'll feel light as a feather!

and Mariuca's Perfume Gallery.

Ready for some Whoosh, Whoosh? Just drop by and after your visit, your spirits will be lifted by her "scent-sational" writing style.

Make sure that during your visit you keep your eyes peeled for Phoebe and her brothers( Mariuca's children who can only speak MEOWWWWWW !!!) So cute, don't miss them!

2. Marcia Torres or Aunty Marcia

A relative I still haven't met in person but, she always visits me and leaves me some cheerful comments. She's the mother of two very precious boys, my cousins H & F. Thanks Aunty and hopefully you'll get to visit me with Uncle K and the boys!

3.Lady Java or simply LJ.

She is another great friend I met through Marzie and she owns so many blogs but, I'll share you the ones I visit more often. All of them rock!

Lady Java Life's Pages

This is the place where LJ will always be herself. She opens up her book of life and shares it candidly with the world. Such a great person, personality and awesome reading!

Cat Tales !


MEOOOOOW ! I love this blog because I have a chance to practice my Meow on all of Lady Java's Kids : 7 Meows! Pay them a visit for lots of fun, flufiness and cuteness!

Coffee anyone?

Stop by Lady Java's Lounge for some coffee chat if you please! You can also help yourself to some Mug Cake that LJ bakes batches and batches in a casserole so, there is plenty for everybody!Mmmmm.....smell that coffee.....

4. My dear friend Daisy, the Curly Cat.

She's awesome, so versatile, so fashionable, I think Daisy's wardrobe is bigger than Mama's! She is a movie actress, comics writer, she has it all.

5. Jean Chia aka. Ms. Yummy~Licious from A Great Pleasure...


One of her fave quotes: "eating my favorite foods always brings a smile to my face"
You'll find yummy recipes, very nice posts, nice music, her lovely niece Chloe and her Woofies Ariel and Brownie; make sure you meet everybody! YUM! YUM!

6. Aunty Claudia from Magia na Cozinha ( Magic in the Kitchen)

This is a DELISH food blog in Portuguese by my Aunt Claudia. Check it out, even if you don't understand it, you'll love to see some mouthwatering concoctions there and if you decide to try one of the recipes, use a site translator like Google and if that's not enough, you can ask Aunty Claudia because she speaks English :) and she'll be more than happy to answer!

7. Zubli Zainordin : A Total Blog

He writes about Totality, here is how he describes his own blog:

"Totality - Entirely About Me and Relatedness To Total Life, Total Success, Total Happiness, The Total Movie, The Whole Story, Total Blogging, Featuring Family, Friends, and Fans."

Pop in for some "conversationess, socializationess and totalizationess" !!! :):)

8. Faizal : Mind Heart Lines

Here is his welcome message:

"Welcome to the blog of mine - The Mind The Heart The Lines - the place where the share of knowledge, thoughts and feelings come to life. "

Pay a visit for some Malaysian culture, quizzes and some football(soccer) updates.

9. For the people(Michael Ivy) : Mississipi Nature

Nature lovers you should check amazing pictures of sunsets, little critters in action, wild animals etc in this phlog ( photo+blog). Great photography!



10. And last but not least : Wildcatsthree

The Cat/Dog Log



"Cutting through the "crap" for your pet's health with a natural and organic diet, chemical free solutions to pet problems, home remedies, help with behavior problems, along with rescue and adoption efforts. " ( extracted from the Cat/Dog Log)

Very informative and useful for all Woofs, Meows and their parents.

I'd like to thank everybody who leaves me a comment and in special, each one of my Top 10 Sushi Lovers for making My Pooch Life a more exciting and happy life! Woofies to all of you!

My clinic and my hair salon

I like my new clinic, the doctors and staff are nice and I got all my shot boosts including a special one required for Chicago Dog Parks (parks where woofies and their parents go to play, talk and socialize). I also have to pay $5 for the tag to be used whenever I go to any of the parks and it needs to be renewed every year.
I also needed a hairdresser so the receptionist at my clinic recommended one right next door.
S. works by herself and doesn't have any staff. She does a good job however, her salon services are way too expensive and she doesn't listen to what Mama says.
She charges a ridiculous 18 cents per minute detangling fee, which is bull crap (excuse my French), and Mama combs me the previous day, makes sure I'm tangle free and runs the comb thru my hair to prove her I'm all detangled and S says at checkout she spent 20 minutes doing that, and then charges 20 X 18 cents plus the basic fee of $45. That doesn't include brushing my teeth, which she charges an extra $9. When Mama told S she had combed me the previous day ( to avoid getting ripped off with the "detangling" fee) she says that she shouldn't comb me only on the previous day, that she was being cruel to me because she should comb a hairy dog like me EVERY DAY and, if she couldn't comb me every day, she needed to bring me to her salon more often.
Obviously, she was suggesting that Mama doesn't look after me properly and she wants to make more money from more regular visits. I get so pissed off when I hear that, because I know my Mama is a good Mama. I never feel any pain when she brushes me. And because Mama takes such good care of me, I don't need to go there so often, only when I need a haircut, because Mama doesn't know how to do it. I still haven't found any other good hairdresser in the area, so we'll keep going there until we find someone less cocky. Wish us luck!