The past two weeks have been pretty busy as I am back at work, with regular timings unlike our shortened hours during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

I have moved to a nice, big, spanking-new cubicle, after the long wait. Brushy even visited my office to have a look at my new workstation.

Brushy on the wheel of a Hyundai 4WD. Taken 20 September 2010, Shell Select, Al Khuwair Service Road, Muscat, Oman.

The above photo was taken during Brushy’s first trip to my office, when we rode the large Hyundai 4WD of a friend. We made a quick stop for lunch stuff at the Shell Select station on the Al Khuwair Service Road.

Of course, Brushy did not let the opportunity pass for a quick photo op. Perched in a precarious manner on the steering wheel, Brushy looks like he is navigating the huge vehicle!

Last 7th September, the pre-teen daughter of a friend celebrated her birthday.

Because I adore her and immensely like her parents as well, I had to give this young girl gifts to remember me by before she and her family move on to another country in the next few months.

After going shopping (doubtless my most favorite chore in the whole wide world), I went home to pack up my girly goodies. Brushy wouldn’t just let me be and participated in the process!

Brushy looking cool, wearing his dad’s sunnies. When I got home, he looked like this. Don’t know how he convinced Peter to let him wear this precious fashion statement.

Brushy posing with the assortment of girly gift items freshly bought from the store.

Brushy wants to get into the hot-pink “Sweet” carrier bag. He looks picture-perfect, like he’s from a shop window!

Brushy prodding the glittery rainbow unicorn card, trying the make the mythical creature come to life.

I love dogs.

This is a simple, undeniable declaration of fact. I have even posted on this blog before how much I love my beautiful Japanese Spitz baby girl, Pikachu.

I have accumulated a small assortment of photos on various real and toy doggies that I found really, really cute and amusing and would love to share with people who stumble across my blog.

My proud, beautiful Japanese Spitz Pikachu. Taken 6 October 2006, Iloilo City, Philippines. This is one of my best photos of Pika-chan.

Jepsy of San Jose, Antique, Philippines. Taken February 2010. Jepsy is owned by a friend of my father’s, who owns the store which Jepsy faithfully guards.

A stuffed brown dog with the familiar “nodding” head, who looks quite real even if he is positioned at the rear window of a glamorous red car. Taken December 2009, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat, Oman.

My stuffed brown-and-white spaniel baby boy, Brushy, spends quality bonding time with his dad. Together, they surf the Internet and look at bodybuilding photos. They also love watching action movies, in this case, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Taken 7 September 2010, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Oman.

Brushy and I love each other! Taken 28 July 2010, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Oman.

Yesterday’s rather sentimental post prompted yours truly to go through some more folders of images downloaded off my first-ever camera phone, ye olde Nokia 6600.

I found some very interesting impromptu photos taken sometime in June 2007, featuring a stuffed animal I christened Bogart.

Bogart lives on the desk of my Mommy Lerma, a former colleague, a longtime neighbor, and a very cool mother figure who makes the best pork estapado in the world.

Bogart, full body shot

I am not exactly sure what kind of animal Bogart is supposed to be, but he seems to be a hybrid dog, cat and mouse. Now, that is enough to give any living thing an identity crisis.

Anyhow, he is proudly hand-made, as it is common in the Philippines for people to make stuffed toys at home as some kind of “sideline” business.

As I love all things cute and cuddly, I wholeheartedly support this up-and-coming cottage industry. Of course, I also have my very own collection of these homemade goodies, most of them lovingly created by my Nanay Pagit.

Over morning break one day, I found Bogart on my desk, smack dab at the center, sitting there like he owns not only the whole darned table, but the entire building and the ground it stands upon.

Bogart and Shi face off
“Grrrr…”

Bogart drinks coffee, right out of Shi’s cup. The nerve!

Bogart eats otap, a local delicacy biscuit made in the fair province of Cebu

Bogart chows on durian – the fruit that “smells like hell but tastes like heaven”

Bogart and Shi’s lavender Nokia 3530. Is he planning to send an SMS to someone? Or is he reading my sappy love texts? Ewww.

Really, who can resist Bogart’s hybrid charm?

Not a soul!

Shi and Bogart lurrrvvvvve each other

I last saw Bogart in September 2007 when I went to our office for the last time before my trip to Oman. He was still on my desk then, and I feel that he remains there until now, waiting for me to come back.

For a second face-off.