Sugar

I first heard of Sugar - a German Shorthaired Pointer - from my parents on their last trip back to our home in Manila.  They spoke of a new dog that has been fostered by our uncle and aunt.  My uncle and aunt, bless their heart, love animals and their family is composed of their children and fur children ( both cats and dogs ).  Sugar ended up in their home after one of their friends offered to give her to them.

When I found out that she is a German Shorthaired Pointer - I remembered how big they are and did some research.  I found out that they are highly energetic dogs and living in a townhouse in the city might not be best place for them.  Of course my Aunt and Uncle realize that as well and were happy when I told my dad I'd like to give Sugar a home in Baguio.  We can keep her and care for her and treat her as my own.

She moved in with us last weekend and has been trying to adopt to our household.  Midori and Char Siew are of course guarding their territory --- actually Char Siew than Midori.  Char Siew had always been territorial.  So we keep watch to ensure that Char Siew does not bully the sweet Sugar.

 

Sugar has discovered the cool weather of Baguio and the toys that Midori and Char Siew has.  She's just a year and half years old.  I plan to have her trained,  I also plan to have her spayed.   

 

My friends tell me that I might end up just adopting her.  We'll see.  As I said - we'll treat her like family but I also know that if there's a better home for her - I'd be happy to give her that forever home.

More pictures from Bangalore

I planned to go around Bangalore to show my readers more sights.  Unfortunately, I got hooked in my shopping and ended up with Cashmere shawls and a Persian rug and ended up not having time to go around Bangalore.  So I am going to share more pictures of the city from our hotel.

From our window we can see Ulsoor lake.

This Hindu temple is small but it reflects the many Gods of the Hindu faith.  I had a conversation with my colleague where I was asking them to help me remember the name of one of their Gods.  We were having a hard time identifying her since there are hundreds of Gods.  It wouldn't even help if I say that the God I'm thinking of is a She because that's half of them.

Near that temple is this Hindu structure similar to the Thai and Siem Reap structures.  

Lastly,  I would like to share the picture of this railroad track which runs through the city.  This is pretty new.  Apart from the airport, this is another product of the rapid development of Bangalore - a light rail transit.

Infinitea

Infinitea was a referral from one of my colleagues from Bangalore.  It is primarily a tea shop with great tasting food but at the center of it all is tea.  The owners have a tea plantation and the tea they sell is grown from there.

They have a wide tea selection from oolong, to green, to floral, spicy, fruity.   However this is India so I'm here for the Indian tea which is Assam and Massala.  Both of these variety can be bought for 150 Rs for 250 gram pack.  That's a real bargain but my Indian driver still thinks I lost money on them.

If you find yourself in Bangalore,  I suggest that you check it out.  It's found on Cunningham Rd,  For more information on their tea varieties visit the Infinitea website.

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Doggie Bath

NOTE:  A blog post by Char Siew the Shar Pei

I don't understand humans.  Why do they give us doggies a bath when we obviouslg don't need it.  We smell good enough with our doggie scent.

Can you tell that I'm suffering through this ordeal?

The water is nice and warm but still - I hate water.

Gotta shake it off.

Yum.  At least the toothpaste tastes like Chicken.

Why do you touch my ear?

Hmpff.  I know - I look all handsome after a bath but I still don't like it.

G-Connect Hard Drive

On my visit to Dallas, I bought so much gadgets and most of them are useful and I'm happy over the purchase even if my credit card was hurting after that trip.  I think that of all the gadgets I bought, the most useful amongst all of them ismy G-Connect hard drive.

The G-Connect hard drive has a 500 MB capacity.  What sets it apart from the other hard drives out there is that you can access its content wirelessly.  The content is not just accessible to my PC and Macbook, it's also accessible to my iPad, iPhone and any other iOS device. This is important to me because I want to be able to see all my videos and photos through my iPad.  The on board 64G in those devices is just not enough.

That's not all - I think the most useful feature of the G-Connect for someone like me who travels a lot is that it can also function as a WiFi router.  Hotels typically allow you to connect via WiFi but not all of them have WiFi in the rooms.  You will need to plug your computer to the network to access the internet.  This of course becomes problematic when you have your iPad or iPhone which can only connect via WiFi.  The Macbook can easily share its network connection but it's a pain having to carry the Macbook and my work PC all the time.  The G-Connect is ultra portable and if you use it as your portable hard drive it really is not adding a lot of weight in your luggage.  The G-Connect allows up to five devices to connect to it.   

One caveat that I have about the G-Connect is that it does not have an internal battery.  You will need to plug it into the wall socket or you can also plug it into the USB socket of your computer.  Another alternative for power is to buy a portable battery which has an output ot 5V or 2.0 A.

For more information on the device,  visit their product site at: G-Connect

Revisiting Bangalore

Today, I am in India.  Bangalore to be exact.  It has been ten years since my last visit.  They have a new airport which is a huge improvement from the old one.  The city has changed so much.  I remember Bangalore looked like Los Banos with many gardens and less crowded streets.  Today it reminds me of Cubao with its heavy traffic, chaotic driving, and polluted air.

What am I looking forward to in this visit?  Great Indian food,  Pashmina and Tea.