Archive for the ‘Random thoughts’ Category

22 Apr

Saturday Musings

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Random thoughts, mangas/animes, random musings, relationships, Mountain hiking, Restraining order. Tagged: , .

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I bought a security camera for our house.  Just one camera . I’ll add more later. It’s not cheap. ( $200 ) . It’s wireless,  130 degree angle, HD , night vision, illuminates up to 25 ft., audio, ( speaker and microphone) , and there’s a built – in siren

 

So, why did I buy a security camera?   Most of you have read my 2 previous posts.   This week,  my car’s window had been smashed,  and my dad’s  had been egged.  We have no proof who the culprit is, that’s why I   can’t file a Restraining Order against  my ex.  At least, the culprit didn’t key my car.  Thank goodness for small mercies.  Even though my car is 10 years old (  a 2008 BMW , my mother’s originally ) it’s in mint condition. It’s so clean it sparkles. lol  Just kidding.

 

Oh, yeah, I went hiking  last week with my co-workers.  Photo taken in Auburn, California. That’s yours truly in the photo.

 

 

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My mother and I are planning to visit Japan in Oct. 2019.   Well, when we went on European tour  years ago, we bought our tickets and tour package  9 months earlier.   I wonder why our 30-day packaged Euro tour is so much cheaper than the 10 -day Japanese tour, though.  I mean, almost the same price ! !  Is Japan really that expensive ? Anyways,  I’m already excited to see Akihabara  shopping district , the center of Japan’s manga/anime/otaku culture.

 

This is all for now.  I hope this will be the last post re that troublesome   person. No news is good news, right ?

 

And please check out my manga/anime/video games blogsite @ https://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/           I have a new post….. an original Netflix anime, BLAME!

 

Thank you for reading and peace !

 

13 Apr

The Worst ! An Update on ” Domestic Disturbance “

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

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Kindly read the previous post. This is just an update.

 

So, the disturbance occurred  early Tuesday morning.  I went out  at 12:30 PM , same day, for my annual dental appointment .  While waiting for the dentist to see me, I got a call from my cousin who said that guy was back, and he was  with another guy. I got called by the dentist at that moment so I  told her not to confront them  and to just  call the cops. ( Dental  work took longer than expected)  My mother was with me, but left to do some shopping at nearby grocery and  didn’t know about the call. Anyways, I called back my cousin   on our drive home, ( about 3 :30 PM ) and we were informed she did call  the cops………. and 4 police cars arrived , with 4 cops. Why so many ? Well, there were 2 hostile  men, and the situation was , 2 cops per person, just in case.  o.O”  (This is America, folks.)  She also told me they were gone,  so it was safe to come home.

 

Then, guess what happened  when we arrived.

 

My ex and a companion  parked their car somewhere where they could see our arrival. We were surprised to see them drive over the pavement , and over a portion of our driveway, DIAGONALLY !  That is how cops   park their cars  when  they want  to block a road. Right ?   Mom calmly told  them to get off our property. How about me ? Well,  I had a mental block.  Then Mom called my cousin and told her to bring Taylor out and hand her over to this guy. It was my cousin’s boyfriend who came out with the dog, and told him , ”  you have the dog, now get off the property.” The 2 guys looked like they were going to punch him. (  They had a heated argument  earlier before the cops came. ) We were surprised to see our 2 neighbors  rushed over to help us.  ( I didn’t even notice they were there ) Their conversation was loud and heated. When the neighbors threatened to call the cops , they left hurriedly , with our dog, who was then barking crazily.

 

Guys, my story  is  condensed and  sanitized.

 

It’s weird that one of the things I do remember  is the image  of 3 brown women ( Mom, cousin and  I ) huddling together and 5 adult  white men having a loud , heated conversation.

 

Also, I’d like to thank those who showed their concern and suggestions in their comments . Although I wasn’t able to respond , I’d like you to know they’re very much appreciated.

 

One good news.  I’m getting a new dog  from the animal shelter and he already has a name…. Holden.

 

This is all for now. Thank you for reading and peace.

10 Apr

HOME DISTURBANCE ! !

Posted by renxkyoko in home disturbance, Mystery Blogger Award, Thanksgiving Day 2016, Random thoughts, rantings. Tagged: .

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I posted about this HERE.

 

It happened again last night…. actually this morning around 12 AM to 2 AM.

 

To summarize what happened in July, 2017….. I broke up  with my boyfriend, then he demanded that I return ” his ” dog , or else, he’d sue me…..and he came over at 3 AM but he didn’t create a disturbance when we didn’t open the door.

 

But today, it was different.  So, okay, he said he wouldn’t get ” his ” dog back anymore. But then, 4 months ago, he started texting and calling me about us getting back together….. I’ve been saying NO very politely  but he didn’t stop…………… but last night on my  drive home, he called again. I was driving , and very tired,  darn it,  so I yelled on the phone   STOP CALLING ME AND GO AWAY ! !  I mean,  his texts and calls have already become a form of stalking and harassment !  When I got home, ( about 10 PM ) he texted  and threatened he’d come over to get ” his ” dog back . So, we turned off all the lights , then , around 12 , the doorbell started ringing  without let-up, and at the same time, texting  me ( I received 25 texts ) , and said he had called the police. ( I actually got a voicemail from the police ) . We also heard him  say , in a rather loud voice , ” I know you’re in there, Ren. Don’t make it hard on you and your family.  I JUST WANT MY DOG BACK ! ”

 

Meanwhile, we forgot  my cousin would come home at 1 AM ( from her part time job delivering Domino’s Pizza,  ^__^ ” ) . Then we heard her enter the house, heard voices,   and we were like, OMG, did she let him in ???? She was like, ” are you kidding ? ”   She then called her BF, and on the phone, she said , ” There’s a 6 ft. tall angry dude at our doorstep,  can you come over, please and   don’t come in, just park the car outside and stay in the car, call me,  and let us know what he’s doing. ”  Believe it or not, it was already 2: 15 AM when he finally left. The BF came , parked, and kept the headlights on…… just to let the ex know there’s a witness, just in case.

 

Where was Dad while this was happening ?  Dad is a heavy sleeper… so yeah, he was happily snoring in La la land, thank goodness.   Otherwise, there’d be a huge commotion between him and this guy.  Yikes.

 

Guys, a question…… should I be worried ?  I don’t think he owns a gun.

 

So, this is it…. Thanks for reading and peace !  (~.~)

 

Check out my manga /anime/video games blogsite  @ https://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/

 

Bye !  Wish me luck ! !

 

 

8 Apr

My Sunday ramblings

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

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Nothing to see here, folks. Move along…….. * just kidding *

 

To be honest,  today, I’m just winging it.  Let’s  see where this post goes.

 

I’ve been reading blogs from The Reader , and that means I cannot read those that get posted from 11 PM to 6 AM, (  sleeping time ) and from 12 PM to 9: 30 PM ( I’m at work ) . Also, I’ve been busy   doing  some yard work in the morning, and that means, I  don’t get to read any blog , at all.   Yardwork and gardening  are no laughing matter in my book. Remember these photos  that I posted 2 years ago ?

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The amount of yardwork  isn’t as bad  this year  .  Our lawn was rehabilitated after California’s 4 year drought ( back then,  our water use was monitored …. our front yard lawn was brown but not dead, but at the backyard, the lawn was completely dry, except the weeds that grew vigorously with little rain, completely overpowering the lawn ) , but there are still a staggering  amount of weeds to manually pluck out this spring.  Anyway, the photos above speak for itself.  I’m not exaggerating this time, folks…….. as I wont to do.  Ha ha ! * sweats *

 

We just gave a goodbye pot luck party for a co-worker  who’s moving  to another state.  I brought  baked macaroni. My co-workers were a bit disappointed that it wasn’t an ” ethnic”  food.  I told them it was a Filipino style baked macaroni, and they were like, ” Yay, Filipino style ! ”  o_O   They loved my macaroni dish . It was cleaned out in one go, and those that came in late didn’t get to taste it.  Some of them asked for the recipe.  I usually  balk at giving  away  ” original ” recipes ( my mother’s ) .  My mother had a successful catering business in the Philippines, and you know, one should not ask  the caterer for the recipe of the dish that one likes, for obvious reasons.  In fact, a former co-worker ordered  from me  4 kinds of food for her Christmas party (  she’s Muslim, by the way ) …….. baked macaroni, spring rolls, potato salad  ( she got to taste test my salad, and loved it ) and turrones  (  wrapped fried banana with jackfruit ). Just a favor given, guys, ( with mini monetary compensation for my efforts, a few dollars and some change ). This isn’t a business.

 

Back to my co-workers……………… I do plan to give them the recipe, if they ask for it again. It seems they have forgotten about it, he he.  Anyways, how is my recipe different from  other baked macaronis ?  Well, I add fish sauce ( Filipinos call patis )  and soy  sauce,. Fish sauce is a South East Asian favorite condiment.  It’s a basic ingredient in their dishes , particularly Thai , Indonesian, Malaysian and Filipino  dishes.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans use fish sauce in their dishes.  It’s really a Southeast Asian thing.

 

I’d like to end my post at this point ( it’s almost 500 words now ),  But I feel I need to say something. Political, I’m afraid.   ( ~ .~ )  I try not to pay attention to news  re  Trump and Liars , Inc. It was hard at first, but I’m getting better  at it.  Nowadays,  I  just wait for Trump and Liars, Inc. to implode, then start from scratch when this nightmare is over.  I call this a Susan Sarandon syndrome.  ( He”s not going to be impeached, but who knows . The alternative is worse, in my opinion. VP Pence ?  He talks to God, and more importantly, God talks to him. But I don’t know  what kind of God he talks to .. not a compassionate and moral  God, that’s for sure…….. maybe a gun- toting God who kicks beggars off the streets, and , definitely not Jesus ) I’m sorry for my harsh words.

 

This is all for now.  Thanks for reading, and Peace ! !  \(^w^)/

 

Check out my manga/anime/video games blogsite @  https://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/

 

Bye ! ! !

 

 

 

26 Mar

Christian Holy Week Practices and Traditions in the Philippines

Posted by renxkyoko in Philippine Heritage, Philippine Holy Week tradition, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , .

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There is no Holy Week tradition here in the US,  but my own family does  observe a few Catholic practices here at home , such as meatless Fridays, and fasting and abstinence. (  small breakfast and dinner , no lunch ). At Dad’s workplace, employees can choose one paid personal special non- working holiday …. Dad chose Good Friday.

 

But in the Philippines , there is a rich Holy Week  tradition ( where about 85% are Roman Catholics )  that Filipinos practice with great devotion.

 

Holy Week  ( called Semana Santa in the Philippines ) starts on Palm Sunday, and continuous on until   Black  Saturday. It is  called Black Saturday  because on that day, the Lord  is………. dead.     Easter Sunday is when He rises from the dead…… no Easter Bunny celebration in the Philippines though, and no matter how hard commerce tries to inject  that into Philippine culture , no can do. .  They  simply cannot relate to bunnies and eggs.

 

 

 

Several decades ago, the entire Holy Week was officially non- working holiday ( no office work , no school ) but was reduced to just Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.  To this day,  Philippine Airlines does not fly on Good Friday.  Never book a flight for Good Friday on PAL.

 

Metro – Manila has a reputation of having the most horrendous traffic in the whole world,  # 1, which is a bad thing.

but on Good Friday,

 

All radio stations are off- air, Tv networks that are on air   show  only religious movies,(  my parents say they’ve watched The Robe , Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Greatest Story Ever Told a million times ) some are off – air, too ( but then, there’s Netfix, which is not bound to observe traditions  ^_^ )  and on Good Friday,  Masses  ( Siete Palabras , or The Seven Last Words ) are shown on some TV networks.

 

Needless to say, no commerce. ( all stores and restaurants are closed )

 

 

But for some reason ,

 

 

And  religious processions all over the country.

 

 

Photo below is , uhm, Jesus in a coffin…… called Santo Entierro,  always  followed by  statue of  Mother Mary, called Mater Dolorosa ( Grieving Mother )

 

 

 

 

In some parts of the country, they hold this kind of procession.  (  reenactment of Christ’s  Via Crusis , or Way of the Cross)   <———  Moriones Festival on the island of Marinduque.

 

In some parts of the country, processions include self – flagellations (  as sacrifice, a vow, and penance ).   The images are a bit graphic, be forewarned ). Note: This is not condoned by the Catholic Church.

 

 

Real  Crucifixion where a man is physically nailed to the Cross.

 

 

 

 

Just an FYI from the country  where I came from, the Philippines.

 

Thanks for reading and PEACE .

 

Check out my manga/anime/ video games blogsite @  https://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/         I have a new entry, a review of  Netflix anime original , B: The Beginning. It’s a an excellent Japanese anime . Check it out on Netflix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 Mar

Para ! Para ! Para !

Posted by renxkyoko in Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage, Random thoughts, Tagalog , Filipino language. Tagged: , , , .

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I was watching a subbed Argentinian thriller movie the other day…. then I heard the word Para.! Para ! The passengers in the car were shouting that word and I assumed they were telling the driver to stop. I was surprised because that word is  a  Philippine  word that  also means STOP .

They say there is actually no Filipino language. Filipinos  speak so many languages, 100 to 200 , depending on the classification being used. They are not ” dialects” .  It’s weird.  California is larger than the Philippines in terms of size, but the people living within that small area speak different languages . Drive about 100 miles from Manila to the province of Pampanga and you will hear people speaking an  entirely different language , I kid you not. Pampanga language is like Greek to me.

 

For example:

 

English   :   a) Where are you going ?

b)  I have no idea  !

Tagalog   :   a) Saan ka pupunta ?

b)  Ewan ko sa’yo !

Ilongo      :     a) Diin ka makadto ?

b) Ambot sa imo !

 

My mother provided the Ilongo translation.

 

In 1935,  the Philippine Constitution designated Tagalog, the language spoken in the capital city of Manila, as the ” official ” language of the country, together with English and Spanish, and it also stated that,   henceforth, ” Tagalog shall be taught in all schools, with requisite 24 units of Spanish in college,  and  English as the medium of instruction “. I am not surprised this  turned  Filipinos into a  Jack of all trades, master of none, to the point that Taglish   is now the accepted lingua franca in the country. Taglish is the use of Tagalog and English phrases or words in one sentence.

English : Let’s have lunch now. I’m so hungry.

Taglish :  Mag- lunch na tayo. I’m so hungry na.

Me    :      [  …….    ]

 

I watch Filipino language tutorials on You Tube  , then watch  other  videos to learn more, and I ‘m , like,  the heck .

 

I wonder……… if English is the medium of instruction from  elementary to college, is Grade 1 Math taught in English ?  Yes, and it blows my mind.  Just think……. Kindergarten and first graders are taught English grammar for the first time, and  Math 1 and History ( Civics  ), Science 1,  etc.   are simultaneously taught in English. How is that possible ?  I asked my parents about that, and they were as perplexed as I was. They did say that maybe , educators assume pre-schoolers  have a basic knowledge of the English language.  I remember when I was  in Kindergarten in the Philippines, we were taught Arithmetic this way……. 12 take away 6 is , what is the answer , class ?  Ma’m , ma’m , here, here ( Ren raises hand )…. Okay, Ren,  what is the answer ?  6 ! !   Very good !

 

The only subject that is taught in their native language  is ” Filipino Language .” All the rest , like Math, English Grammar , Reading, ( Run, Spotty, Run ,  I still remember the title ! ! )) Civics, and  Good Manners and Right Conduct , ( yes, they study  that over there ) are all taught in English.   Filipino kids have to do double time to learn stuff not in their own language, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing.  This is the subject of a well- read  book by Renato Constantino titled The Miseducation of the Filipinos which I read a few years ago.   It has something to do with abandoning the native language and favoring a mishmashed one .

 

But,

 

I understand. It’s easier  to read and understand NO ENTRY, instead of BAWAL PUMASKO DITO.

 

Photo below is a gasoline station in the Philippines. Notices are in English.

 

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Photo below…. the sign says  Php 2,000 Minimum Payment for Bumping Barrier

 

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Oh, well. I guess I have to go back to  my You Tube Filipino language tutorials.

 

PS: Example of Grade 4 English Grammar test in the Philippines which my Dad still remembers.

Choose  the correct word or phrase ;

A)  It’s raining,  _______________   ?

a) aren’t they ?

b) isn’t it ?

c)  none of the above

My Dad answered , It’s raining, aren’t they ?  X    Ha ha ha !

 

This is just an FYI  about  the country where I came from.

 

This is all for now .Bye and Peace !

 

Impeach !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Mar

March 11, 7th anniversary of Japan’s 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunami

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

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I assume majority of us Americans do not know  what it feels like to experience a 7 to 9 earthquake /tsunami ( March 11, 2011, in Japan ) , an off -the charts  typhoon ( as in 200 mile/hr super typhoon / 240 mile /hr. wind gust/  tsunami – like storm ocean surge, Nov.11, 2013 in the Philippines) and  the second biggest volcanic eruption of the 20th century and the largest that occurred in a densely populated area (June 11, 1991 in the Philippines ) , tsunami  that originated in Sumatra, and devastated 5 other countries ( Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc , in 2004 ) that caused the death of almost half a million people.

 

I’m  now remembering the 7th anniversary of  Japan’s 3/11  earthquake and tsunami.

 

 

I’ve  been obsessing about this for 2 weeks now, watching all the videos , including the ones in the Philippines.  I am in awe of the destructive forces of nature. The storm in New Orleans was Category 3 when in reached landfall…… the one in the Philippines was more than Category 5 , the highest category , and they said , it  should have been Category 7 if there was such a category.  Filipinos are used to typhoons. They will shrug off Category 3, and maybe Category 5 or more . After all, they get at least 2 dozen typhoons a year.  What devastated the area was the unexpected  tsunami -like storm surge which the country had never experienced before. The people were angry at the warnings because they weren’t told  a tsunami would follow. The Philippine Weather  Bureau did warn of a storm surge over and over , but the people countered they didn’t understand what a storm surge was.  They should have used the term tsunami , instead of  friggin’ storm surge.  Well, I understand the logic.  The contentious interchange would have been comical if it wasn’t so tragic.  What made this event even more tragic was the fact a nearby  Philippine island, Bohol, suffered a 8.0 earthquake a month before Haiyan typhoon.

 

The Ring of Fire

 

 

The Ring of Fire is a horse -shoe shaped  area surrounding the Pacific Oceans….it’s a string of volcanoes, ocean trenches, tectonic plates and intense volcanic and seismic activities.

a)   It is home to 452 volcanoes….. 75% of the world’s active ones are located within this ring.

 

Mt. Pinatubo eruption, 1991, ( Philippines) second  biggest in 20th century, and caused the lowering of world’s temperature by 1 F  .

 

 

2)   Roughly 90% of all the world’s earthquakes occur here.

 

3)   It stretches about 25,000miles from new Zealand northwest to the Philippines, northeast to Japan, east to Alaska, south to Oregon, California (  San Andreas plate ) Mexico, and the Andes Mountains of South America.

 

 

 

Here’s the thing….. Japan ‘s Tokyo has  one of the most beautiful skyline in the world. The city of  Metro-Manila, Philippines , is currently  #12 in the world’s most beautiful  city skyline. I mean, how many cities are there in the world ?  That means, beautiful skyscrapers, tall buildings, etc.   I hope these 2 cities  are fully prepared for the inevitable. It’s a scary thought.

Manila………….

 

 

 

 

This is all for now.  Bye and peace.

 

Check out my manga/anime/video games blogsite @ https://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/        My new entry is  Re: Mind,  a Japanese live action, Netflix original.

 

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