Archive for the ‘Random thoughts’ Category

23 May

I have a sad story to tell

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

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So my last post was in middle of April.  I’ve been doing a lot of stuff these days that I have not done for a long , long time , like, reading my guilty pleasures, ( mangas ….  Comics, Ren?  Why not a  good book , instead ? I know, I know…)   and playing  video games.  ( I have at least 7 unplayed games lined up )

 

Anyway,  about the title of this post…….

 

It’s not only sad.. it  is , in fact, shocking, shocking, shocking !

 

This happened to a close family relative in the Philippines… a young couple…. the wife is the daughter  of  my Mom’s first cousin.  I’m also very close to this couple.  They were at our family reunion middle of February when we were there on vacation.  I never thought that would the last time I’d see  her husband.

 

You see , the husband shot himself  this week,  ( Thursday AM, May 21 ) . He was just  40 years old,  with 3 young children, aged 12, 8 and 6.

 

So, what is the story behind this tragedy ?  To date,  we still don’t know.  It couldn’t have been financial ,  could it  ?  Here’s the thing… I’ll call him Rey. Rey  was an accountant , the top honcho of the accounting department of one of the biggest congromelate in Asia. He was also # 2 in national licensing  exam , so I’m sure that was the reason why he was made the top man in the accounting department , with a salary of Philipine peso , PhP 300,000 a month.  $ 6,000 in USD . But then, the average salary of a public school teacher  in the Philippines is ~ Php 20,000  ( USD 400 ) in cities, lower in the provinces and small towns.  So, the reason for the suicide was not a financial problem, right ? And even if, indeed it was, was it so overwhelming that he had decided his beautiful family was way  better off  without him?  His wife does not work, he has 3 very young kids, he has a house mortgage to pay, maybe a car (  his car is a 2019 Honda SUV )  school tuitions , etc.  But he had a freaking Php 300,000 a month salary ! ! They’re getting so much family support ( from wife’s side ) .. in fact, my cousin’s grandma ( my mom’s auntie ) gave them a 3 – floor condominium unit, and the only mortgage they pay  is a small  government housing loan that they used  for renovation. The house was a gift from grandma !  And that 2019 SUV with just a 10,000 mileage was sold to them by her uncle( Mom;s first cousin ) for mere $5,000. It was practically a give -away.  So, what was his problem  !! !! ! ! ! Why, Rey, why ?

By the way, during this covid lockdown in the Philippines, he worked at home.  Then , morning of Thursday, he left for an office meeting. He didn’t go , obviously. Instead, he went to Heritage memorial park ( a cemetery where Rey’s dad is buried ), the security guard let him in, he parked the car on the street near his dad’s graveyard, nobody knew what he did, maybe he said goodbye to his dad,  texted  Lexie , his 12 year old daughter, (  ” Take care of your brothers, ” ) then , according to the guard, he  heard a gunshot, found him in his car, dead, wearing a seatbelt, the gun on the passenger side, and a Bible and Rosary on his lap.

 

…………………………

 

………………………

 

I can’t… I’m out of here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

26 Apr

Another surprising find from Ancestry.com, and a bit of gloomy news on Corona Virus

Posted by renxkyoko in Ancestry.com, Assisi, Corona virus, Random thoughts, The Vatican. Tagged: , , , .

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Random  photo of yours truly at the Vatican..( one of my most favorite pics ) and this is a pic  where I ‘m  almost all alone, surrounded by  culture.  ( rare event in Italy pre   -Corona virus ) …….. I’m also happy I have some genetic affinity with Italy. ( check out my post on Ancestry .com )

 

Speaking of which….

 

I got an email from a ” stranger ” ,  informing me that Ancestry.com has found  that her DNA matches mine, and that we’re probably 3rd cousins.  She’s given me some info about herself, where her parents came from,  their surnames, etc.  My mother is sure she’s a relative. The person says her grandfather was a  Figueroa-David……  Whoa !  Mom says that was her uncle’s  name ! ! !   I haven’t responded to her email… maybe this week ? Also, in my Ancestry . com info, I have at least 6 other people with DNAs that match mine. One has a Japanese last name, the rest have English names,  ( like Smith ) . They are  probably from the Philippines who are married to non-Filipinos.  Who knows ?  I still can’t believe 25 % of my genes come from Italy.

 

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My sister and I…….getting ready  for hang- gliding.  ( Philippine vacation Feb. 2020)

 

We also learned that my little cousin ( 10 years old ) from the Philippines was tested positive for Corona-virus on March 23.  We were all shocked at the news. We had dinner at my cousins’ house the night before our departure for the US.  ( We left on Feb. 29 ) We weren’t surprised though. Both his parents are doctors….  my cousin is an OBGYN, so the hospital does not allow her to handle Covid patients, but her husband, though a thoracic surgeon,  has to treat Covid  patients at the hospital. .  They have all been tested  , all negative , except the little boy.  Last week,  they all got tested again… all negative as of  Sept. 20 , including my 10 year old nephew. (Thank  you, Lord  ! ) They are still in isolation, just in case.  Another thing…   a cousin and her family  (  her 6 year old son is my baptismal godchild ) were also at that dinner,  and we heard they are also self-isolating now. My cousin is also a doctor treating Covid patients at another hospital.  They freaked out and got themselves tested…. negative…. but self-isolating , just in case.  Oh, my word ! !   I think  my cousin doctors  had brought the virus home. No wonder our doctors. nurses and first responders  do not go home to their families anymore !!!

 

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While thousands  of people were dying  all over the world,  we were  having  fun hang gliding.   I was supposed to post pictures of our Philippine vacation  on a separate post  , but  I think it’s inappropriate to do that now…. I hope it’s not  being tone deaf  to  randomly insert a few here and there for a little bit of  happy memories ?

 

Be safe.  Take care of your immune system.

 

And thank you for reading.  Bye !!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 Apr

Personal good news and one thing that makes me scratch my head

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

 

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We got some stuff delivered to our house .  We opened the boxes after letting them “marinate” outside for 3 days.  lol

 

 

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Our company gave us a $ 3.00 /hour hazard pay and a $ 15 worth of  free snacks  ( a week ) from the vending machines.

 

California ‘s rate of infection has  started to flatten   a bit.  We used to be #2 in the US….. now we’re #5.  Meanwhile,   we are  tracking   the location where  clusters of infection are largest   in our neck of the woods. Unfortunately,  the biggest cluster is close to home. So ,now we have to  shop much farther away. ( Sorry,  Safeway, this is just a temporary precautionary measure. )

 

Just one point to ponder……..

 

How come it’s okay to name some viruses after their ” suspected ” point of origin  ?  Some weren’t even the origin…… Spain,  for example, was just the country where the ” Spanish Flu ”  was widely reported.  Other examples :  German measles, West Nile Virus,  Ebola (  from a river in Congo ) , Rocky Mountain Tick Fever, Lyme disease ( from Lyme, Connecticut ) , African Swine fever, MERS ( Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ) , Zeka Virus ( from Zeka forest in Uganda ) Japanese Encephalitis…..  Does the name  of the affliction make us hate the country and its people ?

 

Well, this is this and that is that.  This  is  simply  the mirror of our time, I guess.

 

There is a lesson to be learned from this.

 

Be safe.  Take care, wherever you are.

 

Bye.

 

17 Apr

There were toilet paper and paper towels !

Posted by renxkyoko in Random thoughts, Sb19. Tagged: .

 

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I went  grocery shopping…..

 

And these  stuff  that I wanted to buy  weren’t there…

Progresso  canned soups. (  only pea soup left , ugh ! )

Bleach

Fabric softener

Dish detergent

Arm & Hammer, Tide, and Gain laundry detergents

Eggs

Evaporated milk (  only goats milk available)

Cooking oil (  only peanut oil available )

Cake Mixes

Butter (  only a few left )

Chicken, ground beef, bokchoy, celery, spinach

Cup ramen

Rice

Brown sugar

Didn’t bother to look for alcohol, sanitizer, and the like.

 

Okay, here’s one random video  of a group from the Philippines that I’m fangirling these days,   especially on Josh and Justin, the two with the cutest smiles.   (  my weakness , the smile , I mean )   Don’t judge me.

 

I love this young  pop idol  group from the Philippines……..    Sb 19  …… performing  live  , with no audience.  The energy is so infectious.

 

 

 

 

 

Grocery shopping  was a less frustrating experience this time, though.  Except for the products above,  there’s  enough to go around. Yay !

 

I also saw a family of deer crossing the  busiest street in our city,  and   sightings of mountain lions  and fox are more frequent .

 

It’s my day off today, Thursday.

 

Off to read a book now.  ( currently reading The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. )

 

Be safe, wash your hands,  keep physical distance.

 

Bye !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13 Apr

Gone to ridiculous lengths to protect my parents/ home, then, bam !

Posted by renxkyoko in American politics, Bernie Sanders, Trump, Cell and molecular biology, Corona virus, Random thoughts. Tagged: , .

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From  taking absurd precautionary measures ———> I’m   now on WTF !  mode

 

So, what’s the story , Ren ? ? ?

 

Okay….. check out my previous post .. from work,  I go straight to my room ( after disinfecting the doorknobs with alcohol ) … take a shower…. then I call my parents on the phone ( who are in the next room ! )  O^O

 

But then….

 

The dairy company where I work  received a request for gloves and masks from a hospital …. the company gave them  what we have….. later ,  we ran out of gloves and masks in the lab,  so for a few days,  I did microtesting for presence of microbes in milk samples,  without gloves and masks…. I just washed my hands  every time I tested stuff, like, every 15 minutes…..  that’s a lot of washing  for the duration.

 

Then, last week..

 

A worker tested positive….. he works at our ” Cold Box “, that’s where milk is stored before they’re loaded to our  distribution trucks.   I just got my ”  free ‘  milk  from there last week . Ugh. It’s also a 20 – sec ride from  our  lab, so our lab is at a safe distance.   The positive guy does not work at production, so that’s good.   Anyway,  we heard the said worker ‘s father  was hospitalized  (  Positive )  and  because  the worker was the one who brought him to the hospital ,  he  was tested , too .  Sadly, he was positive.   All  the seven  men who work  at the Cold Box were asked to quarantine at home for 14 days, including the wife  of one, who happens to work  at our building ( not  in  our lab,  thank goodness ), but  she does  share our locker  and break rooms.   I  hope they’re all A-Okay…. otherwise, we’re screwed.  ~_~  The Cold Box was disinfected, that goes without saying.  No one  is allowed to enter our lab….test samples are now placed on the table outside the lab.   Also,  our temperature is now taken  at the gate  before we enter the facility.  I did mention before  that each employee has a key to open the main gate ….and yeah, there are even road spikes on the road  o_O.   The company is  very much concerned with bio-terrorism, folks.   O_O

Bio-terrorism…. hmmm. That’s irrelevant  to the matter at hand , right ?

Read on………

So, okay, I don’t want to spread stuff that may or may not be true, but search on YOUTUBE, the origin of Corona Virus.  Here, I’ll do it for you.

 

 

You don’t have to be a molecular biologist  to understand  the message here on the video.  It’s simple enough.

 

My degree is Cell and Molecular Biology, which deals  with biological stuff at molecular level thru the study of RNA, DNA ,protein synthesis, and the like…..( and not what I’m currently doing at my job now, counting and checking the presence of microbes in milk  ). To be honest,  I am more interested in research, so this video is right up my alley……. which makes watching this video  more scary  because I know exactly  what they are  talking about.

 

Anyway,  I know you are all smart and discerning.   It’s up to you to believe or not to believe.

 

Wash your hands, keep your distance.

 

Take care, wherever you are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Apr

My Ancestry.com results

Posted by renxkyoko in Aladdin, Lea Salonga, Mulan, Les Misrables, A whole new World, Reflections, Ancestry.com, Mystery Blogger Award, Thanksgiving Day 2016, political rant, Random thoughts. Tagged: .

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Just got  my Ancestry.com results other day…… didn’t surprise me, though.

 

I am :

 

Philippines ————————   60%   (  Malay – Indonesian race )

 

Spain            ———————–    15 %

 

Sardinia       ———————–    15 %

 

Italy              ———————-   10 %

 

I wasn’t surprised…… however,  Sardinia ? ? ?  Isn’t Sardinia in Italy ?

 

Anyway,

 

We know exactly where in Spain my great, great grandparents came from… Sta. Maria de la Nueva, Segovia, Spain.  My grandma even went to Spain to attend a reunion given by her Spanish relatives  years  ago.  My grandma taught  Spanish at a university in the Philipines.  So, yeah,  Spanish ancestry is a given.

 

But, again, Sardinia ???  It’s very specific, isn’t ?

 

 

* ponders *

 

 

My sister’s hubby is Italian-American.  My cousin’s hubby is Italian -American. And ,  a  friend  ( who likes me , * cough, cough * )  is Italian/Polish( ? ) -American ( although his last name is Polish, like Lywyck…. Ha ha…. ) I  wonder why his mom ,  who came from Italy ,  is thankful  her beloved  son doesn’t have an Italian  last name.  She says it’s too ethnic. ..  her exact words.   Eh ?  Really ?  How about me ? A friend once told me my name sounds like a female villain’s name from a Mexican telenovela, like,  Maria Esperanza Madriaga. lol.. Too ethnic, eh ?  * shakes head *   ” Madame Lywyck,  your last name is all consonants, he he.  * Trouble, trouble, double trouble.  * dashes off *

 

Anyway,

 

I still consider my race as ” pure Filipino “,   pure Asian,  and American  , of course.  *  raises American flag *,  PTBA .

 

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Hmmmm, Sardinia…..

 

Wait, why am I so focused on Sardinia ?  lol

 

Well, whatever…. this has taken freakin’ Corona Virus off my  mind.  And to think this fudging  virus is not even a living thing. It’s just a protein covered with fat.  So, yeah,  wash your hands with  foamy ordinary soap /detergent and hot water. And , disinfect with liquid containing 65% or over alcohol content. And Listerine your mouth ! Mouthwashes contain over 65% alcohol.

 

Oh, no  ! !  I need more alcohol ! !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Apr

Time – Out ! !

Posted by renxkyoko in Corona Virus parody Mikey Bustos, Random thoughts. Tagged: .

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Just taking a time – out from my minor paranoia  ( or is it a major one ? ugh )

 

I come home  from work  (  9 : 30 PM ),   open the door,  wipe the doorknobs with disinfectant, call out  ,  ” I’m home ! ! ”  ,  go straight to my room,  take a bath,  have a quick dinner alone,  go back to my room,  and finally,  I phone my parents.  ” How’s it goin’, mom ?  ”  ” Anyone sick at work ?”  ” No, no one. We’re all fine. ”  ” Good. We talk tomorrow, then.  Sleep early. ‘ Night.  ”

 

That’ s our routine.   efghstukmwcd ! !

 

Then, I watch YouTube for news and other things,  and check out  what I found ! !  !

 

A funny video from the Philipines made by Mikey Bustos, that describes  exactly what I do  everyday ( except the eating in a restaurant )  I laughed when Mikey rubbed  Vicks Vaporub  on his throat…. Vicks Vaporub is a cure-all in the Philippines. I remember  my mom rubbing it  on my chest when I had  a cold . He he .

 

C’mon, check it out.  Okay ? We do need a time out from this chaotic world.

 

Smile! ( or we all go crazy )

 

 

Take  care, wherever you are.

 

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