[Animal Welfare][Personal] A Pledge, Etc. :)

Right-o, September has been an eventful month for me with my baby brother's (nyahaha) visit, and I do miss that pipsqueak a whole LOT, but October really has a special place in my heart for me every year because not only is it my birthday month, it's also Halloween month, and when a lot of other stuff happens, such as the recent World Animal Day 2010 held in Mall of Asia Music Hall, and yep, International Vegetarian Week, which is from October 1st to October the 7th. :D

Check this link out for the details on World Animal Day 2010.

And check this link out for details on the International Vegetarian Week Challenge.

Being a trainee (yep, I still have a lot to learn) on animal welfare advocacy, and a lover of animals--especially catsomg!!!!--I decided to take tiny steps to ensuring that I am, indeed, an advocate, and that I participate in such events just to let the world know that animal advocacy does exist and we mean serious business. ^_^ I've rescued cats in the past (I'm still saddened, though, that my family doesn't share this passion with me), I've adopted a beautiful pair of meowpers--a nickname I've given to kitties, borrowed from my friend Mich (O hai, MichieCat!)--from CARA, rescued more kitties, joined CARA, volunteered for World Animal Day with CARA, and then signing the pledge for International Vegetarian Week.

I've been a vegetarian before, from ages 18 to 24, but started eating meat again under the pressure of my ex (boooo! >:-( ). Ah yes, the things you do for "love." Harrumph. Anyway, after a time, I decided to become flexi-vegetarian, or a "flexitarian" as some would call it, where I take out beef and pork from my diet, but still keep chicken and fish in along with helpings of veggies and gulp--carbs. I've gained a whole lot of weight (@#$#$@!$%$%@#!!!!!) since then, and to be honest, my initial purpose of becoming vegetarian in my teen years was to lose weight; doing it for the animals was a secondary thing only. However, right now, I'm doing it STILL for those two reasons but now, they're at the same level. :P

(Yes yes, hoomans were meant to be omnivores; I've heard that argument before and more. Balanced diet, yeah, but one can still get something balanced out of being vegetarian. Harhar. ^^)

I've taken the challenge and pledge (see link to IVW website), but initially just for a week. I've set my challenge from October 4 to October 10, where at this time, I'd take chicken and fish out of my diet. However, after that challenge, I'll return fish to my diet, and slowly wean myself away from chicken (Yea yea--my aunt will be wholly upset if I just left the bag of grilled chicken which she brought from the States sitting in the freezer, untouched. Nyar. Excuses, excuses! :P) until I'm chicken-free, just as I am already pork- and beef-free. I'll get my protein elsewhere (Beans... beans.... chickpeas.... yea.....).

I hope others would take the challenge too! Of course, it would be hard first to resist that barbecue or that rack of baby back ribs, and you'll wonder why you're giving yourself a hard time when you don't have to, but take note: CHALLENGE. ^__^ That, and if you do some research on the vegetarian diet, you'll also find out that it would do the world a whole lot of good: for yourself, the animals, the environment, and hmmm.... agriculture? LOLz. Try it. It's one of those things you'd like to try once, twice, even thrice in your lifetime. :)