Archive for December, 2010

30 Dec

Last random thoughts before the year ends

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, random musings, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , .

One more day, then it’s goodbye 2010. Has the year been good to me ? Uhm, I guess so. It’s as good as it gets, so yeah, I’m satisfied.  Oh, and you know what, these pictures made the year for me. See, I’ve spent the whole  year  holed up  like a hermit in  the cave that is my room,  just studying, studying and studying, and  thinking, compared to me,  nuns have more fun in the convent, what the heck,  and then , wham, one day, I found myself in front of thousands of screaming fans, being serenaded by Jason Derulo at his concert. 

 

So, yeah,  my 15 minutes of fame. Good job, 2010!

……… It’s going to be Karaoke time on New Year’s eve.  It isn’t exactly how I want 2010 to end, listening to off-key singing of really, really old songs like ” How Much is that Doggie in the Window, Woof! Woof”, but  I guess it won’t matter after 3 glasses of wine.  And it’s going to be potluck, thank you very much. I did enough cooking this Christmas to last me a lifetime.  I’m inviting  two friends , one of whom has promised to bring a pitcher of my favorite juice, a hot Guatemalan concoction called ” ponche”.

…….. Our university has recently opened free ballroom dancing classes.  I will arrange my class schedule so I can attend this one.  I so want to dance the tango and foxtrot.  Swing and the rhumba?  Not so much.

…….. I’m going to purge my list of supposedly Messenger “friends “. Those I have never chatted with are off  my list now. Their names and messages  just clutter my messenger window, and  I’m sure they don’t care about me, either. Muahahaha. But I’d like to mention my online  friends like Alex ( aka dreamsending , a co- author on my blogsite), Kyoki-chan, Phio-chan, Anima13, Victoria, Rob, Frank, Chris, Kei-kun, Adeline, Jeremy, John, Neil, Alex, Ryo, guardian angel, Lawrence, Aneckahap, taiyeetak, kritsada, and omg, a friend whose name I can’t pronounce nor type here ( his name’s made up of strange letters, sorry, my friend )… oh and, not to forget, Mr. Zhao Zhang?  and one friend from  Japan. ( sorry, but you don’t have a name, just picture! )And those whose names I may have forgotten, forgive me.  I really suck at remembering names unless they sound like Andrew, Travis, and  Devin. Anyways, Happy New Year to you all !

…….. I’m currently reading a brilliant graphic novel, aka Japanese manga, entitled MONSTER, by Naoki Urusawa. ”

For those of you who like your suspense red hot, but with a beautiful, beating heart, Monster is for you.” , a glowing review by Junot Diaz, winner of 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The right to make this a movie  was bought by Martin Scorcese, so I’m already excited to see this brilliant novel  brought to life by a great director.  Now, I know Japanese comics , and Japanese animes are getting a bad rap especially here in the US.  It does not help that majority of drawings by Japanese authors tend to look childish, with big eyes covering almost half of the face, and it’s a pity because  a great number of animes and mangas have great stories, as exemplified by Monster, Pluto, Grave of the Fireflies, Evangelion, 20th Century Boys, and so many others. Grave of the Fireflies, in particular, is considered ” one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever made “, according to  Roger Ebert, a film critic, and, according to Ernest Rister, an animation historian, this anime can be compared to Schindler’s List and says” it is the most profoundly human animated film I’ve ever  seen.”

..…………. And , between my Monster reading and doing  household chores and working, I ‘m playing a video game God of War 3. I ‘ve started playing this months ago but dropped it due to lack of time . So, I’m picking it up again and playing from scratch. Hey, it’s the holidays. I do need some rest and recreation time.

Well, that’s it. HAPPY NEW YEAR  TO ALL!  May this year be prosperous and peaceful!!!

30 Dec

New Year’s 2011 Year of the Metal Rabbit

Posted by dreamsending in my life.

Burning the City of Sin

Sound the Horn

 

Hey, the second poster is still alive. Sorry RenxKyoko, my MSN won’t let me log in. I miss talking with you…..

Well, as some of you know already, 2011 is almost here. I will be the Year of the Metal Rabbit. 4th in the line of the Chinese Zodiac.

The Rabbits natural element is Wood, but since 2011 is a Metal year, its a combo of both. Courage will come with strong confidence and faith in ones own ability this year.  So the timid rabbit has a trick to pull, but warning, don’t be to bull headed into making a deal in haste or else your year will come to haunt you.  

Love will also come out stronger this year, then those that have passed. That one person whom have loved you afar, will some how grow stronger to tell all. The person who is in love, shouldn’t go over board, otherwise it will chase that person away.

Money won’t mean much this year if you are looking to hard for it. If your hardly looking, you will find your calling. Slow down and find your creative side, join an art show in any medium and let the money come to you.

Health will be an issue for those who worry to much. The stress will bring gray hair’s, so just breath, take your medication when stuck with a cold, all should be well.

Lucky Numbers: 10, 11, 51, 64 and 90

Color: White to Gray in Winter: Green to light blue in Spring: Red to Yellow in Summer

That is for now. If people want to know anything else about the Zodiac, their birthday or future, let me know.

Also, here is an art I am working on at the moment. Its a young Gabriel, in the background I will be drawing a burning City.  Bye for now.

28 Dec

BEST NEW YEAR’s EVE IS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage. Tagged: , , , .

New Year’s Eve celebration in the Philippines is the best in the world, second to none. Each Filipino household prepares sumptous midnight meals they call Media Noche ( Christmas midnight meal is called Noche Buena ), and this tradition comes from their beliefs or superstition that dinner tables laden with food will stay that way all throughout the whole year.  And Filipinos welcome the new year with a loud bang, literally. Here’s how………. I urge you to click and watch each video . Each video shows only 1/10 of what is really going on there. You have to be there to feel and to believe the awesomeness of how Filipinos celebrate the coming of new year. It’s not a pocket size, corporate sponsored fireworks display. It’s every Filipino household ‘s fireworks show. Listen to the sounds of NEW YEAR IN THE PHILIPPINES!

This one here….. Dad says this is the one that makes a lot of noise, not the fireworks display. It’s called Judas’ belt, and it’s expensive. He says he could afford to buy just 2 belts, and the rest would be triangulos ( triangle-shaped firecrackers that are as loud as the judas belt and are lit individually with a candle and tossed on the street ) By the way, firecrackers are not illegal in the Philippines, though thousands lose a finger or two every year. (^_^);;   The government cannot do a thing about it. It’s tradition.

So, here it is…. the noise on the ground, at GROUND ZERO, and it’s just on one short street…. multiply that by thousands of street s all over the city….. go figure….

26 Dec

2010, bye, New Year 2011, hello!

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage, random musings. Tagged: , , , , .

 2010 is over, goodbye, I hate to see you go, but I, more or less, had a good time, thank you.  So, hello, New Year 2011 ! I hope this new year will have something better for me. Not that 2010 was a bad one… it was , in fact , a good one. I went to the Philippines this summer , met new friends and relatives, had my 15 minutes of fame at Jason Derulo’s concert,  went to see Usher’s concert too.

So, how was my Christmas ? Well, it was rather stressful. Christmas eve, my mother and I went shopping for ingredients. We left at 10 AM. I forgot to eat breakfast, ( and I ate very little dinner the night before, like 4 spoonfuls of something ) and grocery shopping went past lunchtime, so , at around  2 PM, I almost fainted, right there at the grocery aisle. Good thing Mom was with me. I sat down on the floor and mom had my head down between my legs until I recovered.  There was a Chow King nearby, ate something there, but i just threw up  and made a mess of it in the car.  Anyway, once home, we buckled down and started cooking. I made the maja blancaleche flan , and wrapped the bananas and the lumpia ( pork eggroll ) for frying the next day.  Then , the family attended the Midnight Mass, at 10 PM. We got home at 12 midnight, ate the traditional hot rice porridge we call  ” arroz caldo “, and though we went to bed at almost 2 AM, we still hoped we could wake up at 5 AM to resume cooking. But I  guess we were all so tired  we overslept . Mom was the first to wake up at 9 AM !!!!  It was supposed to be a Christmas lunch and we had at least 7 guests coming over.  The stress was tremendous, and  at 11 AM we figured we wouldn’t be able to get everything done by lunchtime, so my sister started calling the guests ( her friends actually ) and moved lunch to  a later hour like 2 PM.  They nevertheless came much later, at 3 PM . The Christmas lunch became a Christmas supper.  They had a good time, emptied 3 bottles of champagne,  and actually left at 1 AM ( this morning ) . Here are some pictures of our Christmas dinner. Not shown in the pictures are leche flan, maja blanca, the teramisu cake and the pretty fruit centerpiece  that I made. There just wasn’t enough space on the table. We put them on the kitchen counter.

 

 

 

 

My mother and sister miss the Philippinie Christmas tradition.  Midnight mass there is really held at midnight.  Christmas in the Philippines is one of the longest in the world. From Dec. 16  to the 24 th, Filipinos attend a 4 AM Mass, called ” misa de gallo”,  the so-called mass at ” cock’s crow “, a 9- day novena of Masses.  Before 4 AM, church bells ring everywhere, and brass bands parade down the street to wake the people up for the misa de gallo. ( I remember the brass bands…. their music was loud, lol )

On Christmas eve, Filipinos prepare for the Midnight mass and midnight meals after the Mass they call Noche Buena 

We used to observe  this Filipino tradition of Noche Buena, a sumptous meal right after the Midnight Mass, here in the US but It’s not practiced here , even among Catholics.  So, we discarded it 6 years ago and opted for a  lunch or dinner  on Christmas Day.

We opened our gifts after lunch . I got a Kodak digital camera from sis and cash from my parents and brother.  I wished for a PS3, but I guess I’ll have to save for it.

Well, this is all for now. Happy New year everyone ! ! Peace !!!!

 

24 Dec

Peace to all !!!!

Posted by renxkyoko in my life.

PEACE AND GOODWILL TO ALL MEN!!!!!!

23 Dec

Philippine Christmas Feast

Posted by renxkyoko in Filipino food, my life, Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage, random musings, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , .

This afternoon, my mother, sister and I discussed the food we’re going to cook  for our Christmas feast. Except for the lasagna which my sister has requested , everything else is traditionally Filipino Christmas fare. This is the list of dishes we ” plan” to cook,  and we start cooking tomorrow, the 23rd of December.

1.Lasagna

2. Lumpia ( Filipino  pork egg roll )    

3. Ham

4. Embutido ( porkloaf)

5. Adobo ( stewed pork in vinegar and soy sauce, considered the Filipinos’ national dish )

6. Pancit Bijon ( Sauteed noodles)

7. Grilled Pork Belly

For desserts:

9. Fruit salad , Filipino style… it has canned fruit cocktail, palm fruit, nata de coco, pineapple, cherries, shredded fresh coconut , all mixed with heavy cream

10. Chicken-macaroni salad

11. Cassava cake

12. Turrones ( wrapped fried banana)

13. Leche Flan ( egg custard)

14. Fruit cake ( we know how it looks…. a ” must ” in Filipino Christmas feast)

15. Puto ( rice muffins )-

16. Assorted desserts already bought from Costco, like Petit Fours, Red velvet cake,  and delicious store bought hors d’oeuvres

On Christmas Eve, the whole family attend the Midnight Mass. In the Philippines, it’s at 12 midnight. Here in the US, it’s at 10 PM . After the Mass, we partake of  a simple meal of hot congee ( rice porridge )

and in the morning of Christmas, we have hot chocolate, pan de sal ( mini French bread ), queso de bola ( Edam Cheese ), and I guess, left -over rice porridge.

and hopefully , our favorite Filipino bakery doesn’t run out of churros and ensaimadas.

Ensaimada is airy, melt in your mouth bread, topped with butter and edam cheese.

Last Christmas, 2009, we had these on the table.

21 Dec

Hair Style, nukes, and reindeer

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, random musings, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , .

It’s 5:35 AM, Dec.21,2010. Christmas Day is just around the corner. It’s amazing how time flies so fast.  I haven’t even taken pictures of  my Christmas decorations, as promised on my blog a while back.. There’s really something different about Christmas this year. I feel so uninspired, and , well, not down exactly, just a little unenthusiastic. I just can’t seem to shake off these holiday blues, no matter what I do .  I can’t even come up with a  yearly Christmas wish list. Well, I do have two…. my own PS3 and cash, plenty of cash.  Normally, I would at least have 10.  Oh, and there was this blog that I just read a few minutes ago. It kind of sums up what I’m feeling right now. The blogger wrote just one sentence.  ” Only my  fish keeps me company.” (@__@)

Or, maybe the reason for the blues are the rains. It’s been raining here for weeks, without let-up. While it’s raining here, up north is being pummeled by snow blizzards. Don’t think California is  sunshine all year round.

 

 Oh, my Lord. I just heard one of the worst Christmas songs ever.  It’s John Denver’s ” Please Daddy, Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas. ”  Click this and listen…. it’s horrible.  Here’s the problem, though… Sony Corp. is so anal about their music, even this one. As if !!  So, you will again be directed back to You Tube. But if you’re interested, click it anyway. But , of course , no song can top  ” Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer ” for sheer ugliness. But then , that’s just me. LOL 

 That was tough listening, wasn’t it ? Sorry ! LOL

Have you heard of  Hatsune Miku ?    She’s a software that has been created as  a singing synthesizer by Yamaha. And though she doesn’t exist as a human being, she has nevertheless become a singing virtual diva in Japan, and has held a concert  attented by at least 25,ooo screaming human fans. LOL ! Only in Japan. Here it is, click if you’re interested to see a virtual diva . 

I really feel so lame today. There’s nothing to muse about, nothing to mull over,  except a few odds and ends,  a few knick knacks swirling in my brain . I should be thankful there are at least a few swirling up there. I’m not brain dead yet, thank goodness. Although, lately, I’ve been worrying about what’s going on between South Korea and North Korea.  I guess this conflict is even more worrisome than Afghanistan or Iraq because North Korea has nukes in its arsenal, and they have a leader who seems  crazy enough to push the button at the slightest provocation. Well, anyone who doesn’t think he’s got the most horrible hair style in the universe is crazy in my book.   

 Well, of course, Albert Einstein did have a crazy hair cut, but he was a genius, so I forgive him.  On second thought, didn’t his Theory of Relativity facilitate the creation of atomic bomb?  The bomb was created   based on the theory that  a large amount of energy could be released from a very small amount of matter as illutrated by his famous    equation, E=mc squared.

 

 

Albert Einstein was  a pacifist. So, I guess I should not have even equated him with that guy above based on hair style.  My bad. Sorry, Mr. Einstein.

This is all for now. Happy Christmas ! Now, don’t get run over by a reindeer and don’t get drunk on Christmas, ya hear ? PEACE !!!!

20 Dec

Wines and Benedictine Monks

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Philiipine culture, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , .

Ah, here, click this first before you read on.

 

Nope, they are not real Catholic monks. They are high school students. < laughs >

The real ones are contemplative monks called Trappists who belong to a Roman Catholic order that follows the Rule of St. Benedict. However, contrary to popular belief, Trappist monks do not take a vow of silence.  But they do take a strict observance of silence, small talk is absolutely discouraged, and they will only speak when spoken to. I figure a Yes or No  response will suffice.

But, not all Benedictine monks follow this strict adherence to silence.   We have pictures that show we once attended a relative’s elementary graduation at his school, Benedictine Abbey, in the Philippines.  I think I was 5 years old in the pictures, so I don’t know why I still distinctly remember seeing a group of  hooded men and later, seeing one monk with hood on, smoking a cigarette.  (^_^)”. 

 St. Benedict’s  Rule is just this…. 1. Stability   2. Fidelity to monastic life   3. Obedience  …… It didn’t say anything about  indulging in one vice or two, like smoking and drinking wine, and merchandising. In fact, most monasteries produce goods for sale to the public, and they, in fact, brew beer that is considered the finest in the world.  In Northern Ireland, where majority are Catholics, there is a monastery there, Buckfast Abbey, that produces a famous wine called, yes, of course, Buckfast.

Here’s a picture of an empty bottle on the street, presumably drunk by a homeless guy.

 

 

It used to be advertised as a tonic, but is now considered ” deadly” alcohol by the authorities, due to its high alcohol and caffeine contents. One bottle of  Buckfast  has 15% alcohol and caffeine equivalent to 6 strong cups of black coffee.  \(^_^)/ Good job, monks ! < laughs > Now , why am I suddenly talking about  alcohol ?

Here’s why…….. LOL!

This is a picture of wines in our house, LOL.  Mom cleaned out the cupboards this morning and lined  up the wines covered with  dust ,on the kitchen counter. Don’t get me wrong…… we only drink on special occassions, like on Christmas Day, and definitely on New Year’s Day eve.  And I don’t drink…. but we live just a few miles from the vineyards  , a beautiful , quaint  place here in California called Napa Valley.   So wines here are aplenty. and cheap.

And speaking of coffee…. I woke up at  5 this morning, got up to get my first cup o’joe, and WTH, we were out of coffee !  It was raining very hard, and very, very cold, but it didn’ stop me from driving out to a nearby 7-11 to buy coffee. I bought 2 cups of delicious , hot coffee.  Later, mom told me the coffee was in the pantry. Pfffft !!!!

And here’s something to amuse you. I love the moves ! But  I hope no one gets offended. The dance moves are rather decent, actually.

 This is all for now. Happy Holidays!

17 Dec

Random “philosophical thoughts” and the Little Match Girl.

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , .

So, here I am.  The first  day of my holiday vacation, Wednesday, Dec. 15, and so ready to muse…………. 

Well, it’s now Dec. 16, Thursday , 5:28 AM. I started writing the first two sentences above last night but I was so sleepy I could barely open my eyes.  I’m like an alarm clock. There’s no school, but here I am, pounding the keys at 5 AM.  Ah, I’ve written just 5 sentences, and already, I’m starting to blabber. 

 Today is Dec. 16 !!!! My sister’s birthday ! ! !  I guess she doesn’t want to be reminded she’s getting old…  she’s  still drop dead gorgeous, but, I can hear her biological clock ticking, loud and clear. Her boyfriend needs to pop the question already, and soon.  I don’t know what he’s waiting for, really. He practically lives in our house.  Or, maybe because he doesn’t have a steady job ?. He’s a Philosophy graduate and all that, but what  commercial company that gives decent wages needs a philosopher  in its roster?

 Philosophers spell trouble, if you ask me. They think too much. They complicate the simple and elaborate on the obvious.  ” Cogito ergo sum.” I think, therefore, I am.  It simply means  ,  that if you wonder  about your  existence, the act of wondering, in itself , means you do exist.  That’s Rene Descartes’  simple statement that became the basis for Western Philosophy .  I can be nitpicky and argue about the fact that a brain -dead person who’s incapable of thinking  can  exist, too . Technically, that is. In medical world ‘s point of view, a person is considered dead when the brain  does not function anymore. But , of course, the doctors cannot say that to said person’s loved ones.  Having said that,   I’d like to know if there is  such a thing as Eastern Thought  ?.  But, I do not like to think about that now .  Thinking  philosophical thoughts is a hard thing to do.  So, therefore, right at this moment, I do not exist.

About my laptop getting stolen at work, ( my mother’s laptop, actually )…. …. thinking back  about that incident  gave me the willies.   The laptop was easy picking, thank goodness, so the thief  just left me alone and unharmed. But, what if my laptop wasn’t on the counter ?  I’m thinking of  two possibilities …. 1. He could have shoved a gun or knife to my face ,  ordered me to  open the cash box,  then shot or stabbed me.  2.  Same thing, but he could have, instead,   ordered me to go to the freezer room, locked me in there, and left me to freeze to death…… ( pauses )………   I need to vanish these thoughts. It’s Christmas.  I’ll be nice and  just think  the thief  merely wanted some money so he could buy a gift for his little girl.  

Speaking of little girls, Christmas and  freezing to death……………. Have you ever read a book that made such a great impact on your psyche that it changed how you view the world?  Well, there’s this little children’s book titled The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. I read it when I was 8  years old.  I remember my teacher was a pretty Filipina named Miss Silao. Anyway, I think I made a rather passionate book report about it. ….. I wrote  something like, ” children should be loved, not get beaten, children should just play, not sell matches,  children should be happy, not die on Christmas Day.”  I think Miss Salao was disturbed ,enough that she  talked to me after class.  I remember telling her ( I was in tears, too )  I did not like the book, that it upset me that a little girl died. Miss Silao explained to me  it was just a story the author made up, that nothing like that ever happened.  I don’t remember if Miss Silao managed to appease me or not, but, to this day, I still tear up everytime I think  of the little match girl.  I realize now the story was a mere social commentary of that era. Sadly, it still rings true today. There are millions of children out there that get beaten and abused and  go to bed hungry. But what can I do ? Nothing.  Perhaps, if I don’t think about them, they will cease to exist.

( sighs ) Well, I guess this is all for now.  Just eight days to Christmas, by the way.  Be good, be nice, be courteous, be polite. Peace and goodwill to all men. Happy Holidays !

 

 

14 Dec

Exam time, laptop stolen

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Random thoughts. Tagged: , .

I’m done with Math. Wooo !  The test was not easy, but not hard, either. Let’s say it was guess estimated.  Today, I’ll have  Ecology and Spanish, and tomorrow, Physics .  Wednesday is my last day, then, Vacation time !!!!! < happy  dance >

Oh, I forgot to tell you. We had a group presentation last week on Ecology. Group was just me and my lab partner, another Filipino. And guess what, he choked ! ! ! Good thing I managed to take over the discussion, and our teacher said it was individual grading. I wanted to wring his neck myself.  That’s what he gets for cramming. (>~<)  I had to help him finish his part of the presentation the whole night at school. We both went  home at 5:30 AM  Thursday, the day of our presentation.  Nasty business.

Alright, about my Mom’s laptop. …………… here’s my story.

I brought mom’s laptop  to  workplace.  Well, my sister borrowed mine , and so I borrowed mom’s.  Around 8:30 Pm, a man came, ordered a pint of ice cream, a flavour that wasn’t displayed on our menu, a strawberry cheesecake flavour.   The laptop was on the counter, and I didn’t think to keep it out of arm’s reach when I went in to the freezer room  to get the ice cream.  It only took a minute to get it, but when I got out, the man was gone, and so was the laptop. Damn ! I called 911, and my boss, then, a cop came and interviewed me, my boss who was at home told the cop there was a video , but it was being recorded at her house, and yes, she saw what happened. The guy took the laptop as soon as my back was turned,  and ran off … he didn’t have a vehicle. When I told my parents about it, my mom freaked out… she didn’t care about her laptop, but she complained about my boss letting  just one person  work at night, and a girl at that.  

It was weird, actually. Minutes  before this incident, an old man came by to buy ice cream, then told me it was dangerous to work alone at night , especially in winter… then he  asked what school I go to, and when I told him, he informed me there were already 7 assaults that occured at our school last month and 1 just last week. I know all about last week.  Then , he gave me a $ 20 tip, and told me to keep it, and not put it in the tip jar. He also gave me a card . He was  a sherrif.   

 Sunday night, I went to work again. Two math classmates came  to keep watch until I closed the store at 10 PM, then we went to Denny’s for an all nighter. They were my study pals…. problem is, what about next time ? Who’s gonna come to watch over me while I work?  Mom promised she’d come early to pick me up and would just wait outside the store.  I really want to quit this job, but this is the only one I can find that works around my school schedule.

Oh, wow ! I didn’t know there was a Filipino on Glee’s cast. I’ve heard good things about this show, but I just can’t find time to watch  tv nowadays, and if I do find the time,  I watch History, Military, and national geographic channels.  Oh, and ID channel, and not to forget SyFy.  (^__^)

Anyone interested in astronomy ? Here’s something that I found from one of the blogs on WordPress. Click it…. it’s awesome !  Do you know the voyager is now 9,000 B miles away from the sun, and do you know that the signals and images we are still getting from Voyager 1  at this very moment have been beamed to us from Voyager  four years ago ?

12 Dec

Hated what I just went through

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Philippine Heritage, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , .

What shall I talk about this time ? I have a boring routine, that’s my problem. 

 Oh, I know. How about some medical procedures  done on me last Thursday. Well, I had 3 shots for flu, pneumonia, and pertussis.  The doctor thought my cough  sounded nasty so she gave me something for whooping cough. And while we were at it, she suggested  a mammogram. Don’t worry, it won’t take 10 minutes, you won’t be late for class, the doctor said. I froze up when I heard mammogram. The big C ? Oh. my. gosh. I said, ” Dr. Renee, don’t you think I’m too young for that ? ” And she replied,  the big C does not recognize youth. I mulled   it over for a minute or two, then decided , what the heck, go ahead. I’ll take it. So what else do you want done on me ? How about some colon cancer check-up, the doc said. What the heck ! ! !  No way ! ! I poop fine, thank you very much. Geezzuzz.

Well, Kaiser Permanente is big on Prevention, so I guess that’s the reason why they’re so eager to check me up. 

Anyways, the mammogram….. it was quick, just as the doctor said. And  I giggled the whole time the LADY radiologist was doing her job.  ( Emphasis on the Lady ) . She was giggling too, and cracked jokes.  I can’t imagine a male radiologist doing that stuff on women, unless he’s gay.  I mean, geez, she casually scooped up my boobs and parked it on that thing. ( ^_^)’, front and sideways.  Okay, I stop here. It’s not exactly a pleasant topic.  But , ladies, I suggest you get yourself examined, the earlier, the better. It’;s scary, but that’s reality. Ignorance is bliss, that’s my motto, but I think I don’t want to be ignorant about my health.

( sighs)  Gosh, I hate hospitals. All those Christmas decors won’t make a patient feel better, that’s for sure.  Besides, it’s Christmas. How in the world  did I get persuaded  into having these medical procedures at this time of the year ? Mom and I went there just for the flu shots, for crying out loud !!!!! Imagine that>

I just had a chat with a fellow history buff. He even knows what the main language is in the Philippines. It’s Tagalog. Speaking of which, the Philippines is smaller than California, but it has at least 100 different dialects, and the dialects are totally different from one another. It’s crazy. We were at the airport and heard 2 Filipinos talking….. I asked my mother if they were Filipinos because I didn’t understand the language…. mom didn’t either, but she thought it was Pampanga dialect… the place is less than a hundred miles from Manila, the capital city, where  Tagalog is the lingua franca, and that’s what I speak. We have relatives here in the US who are from the north.  They speak their dialect among themselves, which is Ilocano, and it’s sure as heck like Greek to me.  I just think it’s rude to speak a language in another’s presence when that one doesn’t understand the language. This is the reason why ” regionalism ” is so pervasive in the Philippines. Those who speak the same language group together.  Over here in the US, there are Ilocano associations, Visayan associations, etc….. heck, there are even associations of  Filipinos who used to live on the same street in the Philippines.   My parents don’t want to join these associations.  Mom says it’s just a place where Filipinos show off their newly acquired possessions, their BMWs and Mercedez Benzes, their blings, their houses in ” gated ” subdivisions. This gated thingy is a secret joke in my family. It’s a long story.

Ah, I’ve reached over 500 words. Time to say goodbye then.  Happy Holidays to you ! !

 

 

8 Dec

I’ve Got a Creeper ( 6_6 )’

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Philiipine culture, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , .

The semester is comimg to an end in less than 2 weeks, and that means Final Exams time !  I can’t believe it’s almost over.

I feel like a zombie. I’ve been staring at the monitor for almost an hour now, thinking of what to write here, and so far, I’ve not come up with anything.

Oh, heck, okay, I’ll talk about it………….. Well, there’s this guy classmate . I’m not sure if he likes me, but one thing I’m sure of, he’s creeping me out. He is in my Physics study group, but I haven’t been studying with them lately because of this guy. I mean, he stares, sits next to me in class, but doesn’t even talk to me. But, here’s the creepy part……… he sends me text messages like everyday ! …., random texts, such as ,  ” I’m wearing a pink tie and a spandex to this dance. How’s your day ? ”  Or this… ”  I just saw a sack of potatoes on the street. It reminded me of you . “  Waaahaha! What the heck was that ! Do I look like a sack of potatos ? (  Don’t answer that. )   Oh, by the way, is it potatoes or potatos ? ^_^’  Anyways,  I really want to be polite, after all, I see him two times a week. It’s gonna be Awkward !! if I responded with “As*hole !! ”  But , here’s his  strangest  message to me , so far ……. ” Do you want to study with me for 8 hours ? ”   8 hours ?  Why be specific about the time ? Why not say, ” for an hour or so”, or during our break, lunchtime, or after school ? Why 8 hours ? Or am I thinking too much ? Should I be alarmed ? Should I now bring something  to protect myself, like a pepper spray, perhaps ?  What’s in my purse ? Lemme check….. ( rummages through my purse……. a pen, paper clips, TicTac, eraser, oooh, my Chapstick ! I’ve been looking for this…. a small mirror, cell phone, discount coupons, driver’s license, credit card, receipts, health insurance card, a few quarters….. ) That’s it. That’s all I have.  I can use the pen to stab him in the eye though,  just in case. This is what Jason Bourne calls ” weapon of opportunity “. Use whatever is handy, and be sure to use it well.  

So, why am I being so paranoid ? Here’s the thing….. My sister got stalked  a few years ago when she was working part time  at WalMart. She worked as a cashier, and there was this guy who would just stand somewhere in the store where he had a good view of her and ,  just stared at her.  She told the manager about him, but,  security would  merely politely ask him to leave if he didn’t have anymore business with the store. But he still came everyday, so my sister was advised to call the cops and request for a ” restraining  order ” againts the guy. However, the cops told my sister there was nothing they could do about the situation, as there was no law againts staring.  Otherwise, the cop said, a quarter of the male population would get arrested for such a minor  infraction.

Well, anyway, good thing the semester is about to end. I hope I don’t see him again next semester. The truth is, the situation is more serious than I’m letting on here on my blog.   Oh, well… less than 2 weeks and I’m out of there. Woooo!  Happy Holidays !

8 Dec

xxxHolic–CLAMP and getting shots….

Posted by dreamsending in my life.

Manga of the Moment: xxxHolic

The ladies have done it again. Even if its a short story, I am happy for the woman. She got her happy ending, even if she did have to wait beyond her own death. I fear for Watanuki, the boy in the picture. Everyone around him age’s but him, a normal human lives to be around 85-100. I would feel bad for him if he lost his friends becaues of this, even if its natural. After one person’s “Death”, he changed big time. I wonder, if he’s waiting 100 years to see that person again.

Watanuki, Drawn by CLAMP

Drawn By CLAMP

Art drawn by CLAMP

Colored by DreamsEnding

Ok done with that.

Now I got shots for my stay in China. I will be living there for two years. I got 7 shots, two blood draws and a TB shots as well. Then I had to drive home, not having a care in the world….my god, how did I drive home, makes me kinda scared now, but home, safe.

I hope your computer is doing well, RenXKyoko. We need to talk again soon girl! Miss yah!

6 Dec

If The World Didn’t Suck….

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , .

…… we would all fall off  this planet. Well, that’s gravity, our current topic in Physics.  ( ^__^)  Last week  had been kind to me. I got a fairly decent grade in my Physics exam. In Math, I got a 3 – digit score ( 100%, happy dance ) and I  just  feel, oooh,  totally blase about my straight  A ‘s  in Spanish. < flicks hair > Pardon my bragging. After all, I worked my ass off to get these grades.

And , my group garnered an enthusiastic  ooohs and ahhs from the class and a Magnifico from the  teacher when we had our cooking demonstration in my Spanish class. \(^_^)/ My class  was  from 6 PM – 7:20,  my classmates  ate the Fajitas that we had cooked, and I swear, for at least 4 of them, it was free  dinner. I saw them come back for more Fajitas 3 times. My group didn’t even get to taste  it. (~o^). And to think, I had promised mom I’d bring some home. After all, she bought the ingredients. The steak was expensive.

And, I passed my WPJ English exam ! That’s a requirement for graduation. Those who didn’t pass would have to take additional English classes. I was surprised  my Math classmate who is a Math major failed the exam.  He was whining like, ” That isn’t    f!#$%&*ing  fair ! They should also require English majors to take Math ! Let’s see what happens ! ! ! ” Geezuzz ! I thought I would fail myself. My essays were horrible and didn’t make any sense, and I swear, since I passed it, everybody should have passed the exam too, especially my Math major classmate. He’s the one with the logical mind.

I put up the Christams tree and  trimmed  it, all by myself.  In fact, I ran amok and decorated the whole freaking house,  including the toilets.  I even used up the decors mom had already retired. And ,  mom was , like, ” ehrm, aren’t you overdoing it, just a little bit? One more red thing and the house’s gonna explode, I’m afraid. ”  Ha ! I’m not even done yet . Wait  ’til you see the porch .  I’m gonna take pictures of my handiwork as soon as I finish this. ( drools )  Well, at least, my wild decorating spree shook off  my holiday blues.

Well, this is it for today.  As ever, be happy, be nice, be courteous, and be polite. Peace ! !

4 Dec

A Little Bit of Confession is a Good Thing

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Random thoughts, rantings. Tagged: , .

Alright, confession time.

I ranted a while back  about some hacker sending spam mails to hundreds of people using my account. The truth is, it was worse than that. My entire computer got corrupted. All my pictures are gone now. Everything. Wiped clean.  At first, I got this ” note ” while I was online. “ A user logged in with the same IP address.” Then I got kicked out of the Internet, and was forced to turn off the computer. I tried logging in again, but then a note popped out. ” Your User Profile cannot be logged on.”  The truth is, I am technology challenged, so I was totally clueless as to what was going on . I asked Dad to help me out  but I think I know more about PCs than he does, although , believe it or not, he has been working as a Computer programmer for 35 years.  So, on to my brother, the most unhelpful person in the universe. I promised to buy  his one week supply of meat buns we call ” siopao” just so he’d  fix my computer, and well, yes , he did fix it,  but I had to make myself scarce while he was doing it, or else, I’d be mercilessly  lectured on 1.  not turning off my computer, or 2. going to Manga Fox, which he says is notorious for viruses, 3. I’m an idiot  for not making a back-up file   4 . I’m an idiot, plain and simple. 5.  blah, blah, blah.

So, now it’s fixed. But no more pics. (6_6).   Bro said he didn’t delete anything…. check out your desktop, he said.  %$#!&*$# !!!  Zilch. Nothing. Zero. Nada.  I prayed to all the saints in heaven I’d be a good girl if I could have my pics back, ( I’m Catholic ^_^” ), but , I guess my prayer was not answered.  ( tears )  This whole nasty episode is like telling me life’s indeed a b*ich, get over it, go buy a disposable camera like you  always do, have the pics developed at WalMart, go to Kinko’s, then transfer your pics on to your computer.  Then , keep your pics in a nice album. Capice ?

Speaking of which…… Manga Fox, the subject of my second confession.  I read mangas, and in case you don’t know, mangas are Japanese comics. I watch animes, too, And in case you don’t know , animes are Japanese cartoons.    Do I hear someone snickering,  Asian Alert !!!  So, okay, I’m a little wary about letting some people know that I like to read mangas and watch animes.  I’ve heard a few unflattering things and I totally resent  them. But I will not discuss this further. Suffice it to say that it’s BS.  On second thought, perhaps I will make this a topic on my future blog.  o.O

This is all for now. Be nice, be polite, be happy, and Peace !

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