Posts Tagged ‘Being A Filipino’

20 Sep

Why a Philippine -American will never become a US President

Posted by renxkyoko in Random thoughts. Tagged: , .

Renxkyoko  Iglesias here.  Hello ?

Before anything else,  check out my manga/anime blogsite  HERE     The latest entry is Ouran High School Host Club manga 10/10, Ouran High School  Host Club anime, 0/10

 

I have not been feeling well these days.  The  see saw change in temperature always gets to me. Yesterday and today , it was 98 F, the day before that, 80 F.    Temperature should have started  steadily going  down in  middle of September, but it hasn’t.  The climate  is truly and irreversibly  whacked.

 

I came across some jokes circulating on the Internet  about why  a Philippine – American will never be a US President. Since it is presidential  election year here in the US ( it’s on  Nov. 8, don’t forget to vote ), I think the jokes are right on the nose, and  can be your future reference  , just in case.  d( ^_^d )

 

Here are the reasons :

 

a)  The White House is not big enough for the First Couple’s immediate family, in – laws, and extended  relatives to live in..

b)  There are not enough White House parking  spaces  for the extended relatives’ cars.

c)  The White House will smell of fried dried fish( tuyo )  , fish sauce  ( patis ) , and the stinkiest of them all, shrimp paste ( Filipinos call  it bagoong , pronounced bah-goh-ong )

d)  Since Filipinos  cook too much , foreign dignitaries and VIPs   will be flabbergasted to receive  food to ” take home ” , and  for their secretaries and  drivers , as well….. and they cannot refuse,  because the First Couple will insist on it.  Of course, expensive Tupperware plastics will be used, instead of recycled plastic food containers. Another thing,  state dinners will always be buffet, eat all you can.

Below is a typical Iglesias  food spread, for  6 or 7 people.  At the White House, I’m sure they will be serving one whole roasted pig  called  lechon, guests will get in line,and there will be a classy sous chef who will slice off  crunchy, melt in your mouth pig skin for the special ,  pork eating  dignitaries. d( ^_^d )

 

 

e)  The First Couple will redecorate  the dining room wall  with a huge bas relief or painting  of  Leonardo da Vinci’s   Jesus’ Last Supper, (  tee hee .. we have that here at home )  and,  a small statue of Baby Jesus ( Santo Nino ) ,or of  the Blessed Virgin Mary will appear somewhere in one corner of the White House formal  living room. How does one know if the house is owned by a Filipino family ?  There’s a Last Supper  on the dining room wall.

 

Last Supper wall decor

 

f)  The Presidential car , and all WH staff cars  will have a rosary hanging on the rear view mirror.

 

 

g)   Budget  staff  will not allocate  funds for karaoke for each White House room.  * we have one at our house….  called Magic Mic .   How does one  know if a house is owned by a Filipino family ?  There is a karaoke machine in the house. *

 

h)  Air Force One will not allow  overweight  Balikbayan boxes on the plane.

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I hope my Filipino readers will not get offended by this post.  It’s true Filipino culture, admit it.  (^___^)

This is all for now. Thank you for reading

 

 

 

 

12 Sep

” sigh “

Posted by renxkyoko in Philippine Heritage, Philippines, Random thoughts, The Vatican. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Hello !  RenxKyoko Iglesias here !

I’ve been staring at a white, blank screen for hours now. I am still deciding  whether I will post something  about my job – hunting,  or go ahead and write about  my 2014  vacation in the Philippines.  I have tons of pictures  all ready to be posted here,  but  I don’t feel like writing about  a country,(  it does not  matter that this is where I was born, and came from) that tolerates, approves of ,  and seemingly delights  in   extra-judicial  killings of ” ALLEGED” drug pushers.  I’m sure my Filipino blogger friends would tell me I have no right to criticize  the country because 1. I am not a Filipino  2.  I  have no idea what they are going through  living in  a country with acute drug problem.

 

I do understand that. I know  the country has become the dumping ground of  all sorts of drugs  ( they call  one drug shabu  )……. Why is the Philippines the dumping ground , you ask ?  Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other South East Asian countries have extremely strict laws against possession. It’s death penalty  . The Philippines, on the other hand,  is less strict, not to mention law enforcers are extremely corrupt.  I’m sure the authorities know exactly who the drug lords are .  They are untouchable, and, obviously  we know why.

I always write about the Philippines and its people in glowing terms. They are naturally gentle, generous,  happy, smiling people, and this is true.  But not at this time,  and unfortunately,  not for 6 years.  They just elected a rogue president who disrespects  just about anybody… President Obama,  the Pope, and Jesus Christ  Himself. And  I am  not making this up.

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Random photo. (  just because I mentioned The Pope ,and there has to be a picture, right ?)

Above is just a random pic of myself at the Vatican Museum. I think its one of  the best  pic ever taken during our  tour. I am exactly in the middle of the museum hallway,  and equidistant from the 2 walls. It’s true. I checked it.  Maybe there was divine intervention when my Mom took the pic.

To continue……

Oh, we are not entirely disconnected  from  the country. My family still own more properties in the Philippines  than the average Filipino, and we pay  taxes , without fail.  We therefore  have a reason  to pay close attention to  what’s going on there.

To my Filipino blogger friends  who have declared  their  heartfelt approval of this president’s  behavior…. I am sorry  to have a different opinion. I just hope and pray  this does not become the standard by which the country elects its officials.

I am sad and a bit demoralized.

This is all for now. Thank you for reading.

Please check out my manga/anime blogsite HERE    http://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/

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26 Apr

Fun Vacation in the Philippines, Part 5

Posted by renxkyoko in Boracay Island Philippines, my life, Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage, Philippines, Random thoughts, rantings. Tagged: , , , , , , .

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30 Jul

Woohoo ! I’m in the Philippines ! !

Posted by renxkyoko in Boracay Island Philippines, Filipino food, Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage, Philippines, random musings, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Oh , my gosh ! !  Renxkyoko Iglesias here !

I’m in the Philippines !   We left good ol’ USA on June 21 , 10:30 PM, and arrived in the Philippines 0n June 23 at 4:30 AM. It was a 14 hour flight. It wasn’t a smooth ride, there was too much turbulence from get go,  and I was so scared I almost cried.  It didn’t help that I actually have plane phobia. I didn’t get to sleep at all. Instead I watched  5  movies. (  Frozen, Transfomers, X-Men, The Hobbit,  The Conjuring. ) The only good thing about the flight was the food. Philippine Airlines was quite generous . Dinner was delicious, we had sandwiches and muffins and juice/coffee in between , then breakfast.  I’m sorry I can’t post any pictures as yet because I’m using a teeny weeny notebook, and it isn’t mine.

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Today is July 25. I’m back home, yay, California ! !  We left the Philippines on July 21, 10:30 PM and  arrived here in California , also  on July 21 , 8 P.M.

It’s been a week since then, but I have not done anything  here, no reading, no writing. I’ve been busy at work.  I’m even afraid to check out my emails.  I’m sure I already have thousands of thousands of unread emails.

Oh, well, I have to start writing , anyway, so here I am. Bear with me, please. I think I left my enthusiasm in the Philippines.  So, where do I begin?

Do you guys remember this picture? I posted this in Novemeber. That’s how our vacation house in Boracay, Island in the Philippines looked in November last year, 2013.

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Here is how it looks now. It’s 99% finished, except for a few paintings here and there…. and the house is empty, no furniture, and just 2 beds.

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DSCN0084.It looks like it has 3 floors, but actually, there’s a 4th floor , which is the rooftop.  I love the view from the rooftop.

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It was such a hectic and busy one month vacation in the Philippines.   The bulk of our vacation was spent  checking out the  huge shopping malls in the city. Do you know 3 of the top 10 biggest malls in the world are in Manila, Philippines?  Mall of Asia, North EDSA/Trinoma, and EDSAMegaMall. . They  were so huge that  just walking around and window shopping  at these places  overwhelmed and exhausted us.   And then there are smaller ones, but still  3x bigger than the shopping mall here in our city in the US..  Even  the friendly neighborhood mall at the subdivision where we live in the Philippines is 2x bigger… 4 floors and 2 buildings connected by a bridge.  It’s insane. The Philippines is supposed to be a Thirld World country,  but shopping malls are full, people are actually shopping and  we always have to wait a bit at restaurants to be seated.

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Above pic is one 0f a smaller malls. I like the interior architecture of this one.

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Our vacation was mostly   food  tripping, too. The price of food over there is ridiculously low.
For example, the takoyaki is $0.50 and  shawarma  is $1.50. Takoyaki is Japanese octopus balls.

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We arrived at 4 AM at the airport. By 12 noon, we were already at the neighborhood mall , shopping for walking shoes and flipflops. We sure didn’t waste any time.

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.That’s yours truly in the photo.

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The next day, it was again another shopping spree, this time for real pearls. There’s a mall there ( Greehhills ) with seemingly endless stalls of pearls. It was a sight to behold.

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DSCN0019Eh. I’ve been found out. I’m the one wearing  white shirt, and wearing glasses ! He he. he. I’m near  sighted.

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That’s the food court at nearby mall ( SM MegaMall ) where we had lunch after the pearl shopping.  SM MegaMall is one of the largest in the world.

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Different kinds of food from different countries to choose from.

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Check out the prices. At Philippine peso 43.50 to a dollar, that PhP 87 on the menu board is only $ 2.00.

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My $2 lunch…. fried rice, pork bbq, chowmein, and fruit dessert. I bought the cheapest.

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That’s Korean rice. Yep, it was hot.

It was raining heavily when we came home. Traffic was horrendous.

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On the way home, I saw these  showrooms.

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I don’t know if you can read what’s in that building. Well, it’s Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Audi.

About the photo below, what the heck does that mean ? LOL

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So, this is it…. 2 days into my one month vacation in the Philippines.

Good day and PEACE.

 

 

11 Nov

My Father is Safe ! !

Posted by renxkyoko in Boracay Island Philippines, Philippines, Random thoughts, Super typhoon Haiyan. Tagged: , , , , .

Hi ! Renxkyoko Iglesias here ! !

Thank you all for your prayers and concern. My father is safe, and already in Manila.  He says he’s coming home soon, maybe in 3 days or so.

But we’re worried about the family of the engineer who is doing our vacation house. His family is from Tacloban, Leyte,  the center of destruction . The city had been flattened by the 376 km/hr storm. ( 235 m/hr ). You know guys, the Philippines is used to these kind of typhoons… my Mom said she remembered a 250 km/hr storm and how it was then, so this one is quite unimaginable.  Metereologists say this off the charts. Categories are only up to 5… this super storm could easily be # 7.  There is no official count of fatalities, but they’re estimating it can reach 10,000 to 20,000.

Mom and my aunt have already decided how much they’re going to donate to the victims.  Of course we will give.. My parents had given to American Red Cross for Japan tsunami victims. And Japan is a rich country. The Philippines is poor. We don’t even know how the country will manage to rebuild  that part of the country. Do you know that same area had been hit by a 7.2 earthquake one month ago?  The country is in the earthquake, volcano ,   and typhoon belt. Google Mt. Pinatubo eruption. It was the second   biggest eruption of the 20th century.   Earthquakes are a daily occurence, and I’m not kidding. Of course , the daily earthquakes cannot be felt, but my parents say they can. At our house there, there’s a hanging lamp, and that lamp will sway just a bit if there’s  a tiniest movement of the ground.

Speaking of Mt. Pinatubo volcano eruption…  When it erupted, Manila , the capital city,  and  which is about a  hundred kilometers from the volcano,  turned pitch black at 12 noon. Then heavy ashes fell on the city, blanketing it with ashes a few inches thick.  Visibilty was zero. The eruption actually caused the earth’s tempersture to drop by 1 F. It was also 10x  bigger than Mt. Helen’s eruption here in the US. They have theorized that the eruption was triggered by a 8.2 earthquake that occured about a year before the eruption. Two weeks after the earthquake , the people felt tremors and smoke was seen coming out of the volcano.

The Philippines is a calamity area.  Strong typhoons, floodings, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions….  Filipinos eat them for breakfast. But this super storm is just……. We’ve been watching CNN for days now. It’s just heartbreaking. We are also ready for bad news from our architect. Oh, man.

Anyway……. to my dear readers and friends….. if you can find a way to donate.. donation intended for the Philippines, please, please, please, please , do so. Please find a way. CNN has provided a link… go there, and click donate. $ 5 , $ 10, even this small amount will go a long way.

Thank you.

18 Jan

Random inanities

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

Hello !

I promised I’d write more often in 2012.  So here I am, 10 days after.  I know, it’s more than one week.  I’m a procrastinator, and the fact that  there’s nothing major happening in my life adds to my laziness. So, pardon me , I’ll just regale you with the mundane, as usual.   

First off, I go back to school next week, on Jan. 23.  I’m eager to meet new classmates,  have new friends, and hopefully, find my Destined One. Hahaha !  Aaaargh.  There’s  snowball chance in hell it’s gonna happen.  (=_=) # So, erase the last one. But, as they say, we find love when we least expect it. I’ll wait.

Oh, my gosh. We got a call from a first cousin from the Philippines, my Dad’s niece.  She informed us they ‘d come here to the US for vacation last week of April, she and her family. ( a husband, and 3 kids aged 7, 12 and 13 ) My cousin is a gynecologist and her husband is a nuero-surgeon, and also teaches at a medical school there. I’m so excited to see them again. They’re actually a relatively young couple, and not stuffy at all. When we were there, my cousin took time to entertain us despite her extremely busy schedule. One time, the two of us were  getting a massage ( at a country club where she’s a member) , then she got a call from the hospital. A patient was about to give birth, so she left in a hurry and told me to wait…… ” Hey, have some breakfast at the dining room ! This won’t take long. It’s not ceasarian ! ” She came  back after 4 hours. I had a leisurely and sumptous  breakfast  alone ( it was buffet ) and was about to have lunch when my cousin arrived.  It was the patient’s first time so it took a while, she said. Over lunch, we had an interesting conversation.  I asked her if there were  men still  taking ob/gyne as a specialty. She said it was like 1 out of 100. Women will not          get male ob/gynes, if they can help it. Well, I wasn’t surprised. Who would want to have her unmentionables exposed to a total stranger, even if the stranger was a doctor?  =_= #

I also asked my cousin about a doctor’s threshold for desire and passion.       It’s , uhm,, ” very high “, she said.  (^__^)  Male doctors don’t get easily excited about seeing a female’s naked body.  My cousin herself has to work hard for some lovin’,  lol.  Anyways, they’re going to stay with us for 2 weeks, so, I guess it’s going to be full house again in May, and very, very busy. And not to forget, very, very expensive. Her mother, and 2 brothers came here too in 2009 and stayed with us for a month ( Don , remember him ? and Al ) . Mom’s credit card balance  at the end of the month was to cry for, hahaha !  I’m sure it’s gonna be the same this time. Problem is, this is something we can ill- afford at the moment. Less than a month after my cousin’s  visit, we’ll be leaving for Europe , and though everything has been paid for, we still need a fair amount of cash in our pockets.  Splurge, then eat dried fish the rest of the year. That’s Filipino culture . It’s Fiesta time !

Oi ! I managed to watch 7 movies ( dvds ) from beginning to end, without any interruptions, all in 2 days……. Aliens and Cowboys ( Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford ), Zombie Apocalypse,  Peter Pan ( cartoons ), Thor, The Debt, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and  Apollo 17. There are really no sci-fi, horror, thriller movies that I don’t like , ( Oh, in fact, I consider myself  the Goddess of B – movies. Movies like these are the only ones that can command my full attention. ^___^ #  ) but , for some reason, I didn’t like Apollo 17.  It was filmed like a documentary, (  so unoriginal ) it was blurry, and tiring to watch. Has anyone watched  it ? If you haven’t, don’t, and  coming from me, that’s saying something.  =_=  Oh, and another thing….. over dinner, the family discussed an old movie that my father just watched, The Da Vinci Code.  ( I read the book by Dan Brown and watched the movie, too. )  My father was annoyed that the movie made  this Catholic organization , Opus Dei, seemed  so evil .  It’s nothing like that, he said. Well, Dad is an Opus Dei member  ( my aunt too, Dad’s sister ) and he says Opus Dei is really not that mysterious. But, he admits  it is indeed a fundamentalist  religious organization. He had never been an active  member, however, he did  send my brother to a school ( for elementary and high school ) owned by the Opus Dei in the Philippines. The school was Southridge School for Boys. The students there attend Mass at school every Friday and the Mass is said  in Latin !  Also, they take Latin language course from 7th grade to 4th year high school…….. 5 years of Latin ! My brother says even  though  he can’t speak  it ,  he  can still write an essay  in Latin.  Not to mention another weird course that students in that school take….. Metaphysics.  It’s not a topic. It’s a course !  Seriously, what  do they need it for?  I don’t know if my  readers who live in the Philippines know of this school. Oh, but I digress. I’m writing about Opus Dei.  As I said , there’s really nothing weird going on . It is Dan Brown’s fantasy novel, just like his other book, Angels and Demons , where he glorifies the Illuminati’s far-reaching influence and power.  Nobody even knows if this secret organization of influential and powerful people even exists. Has anyone heard of the Illuminatis ? It’s just a phantom organization that conspiracy theorists swear  exists and wh9se purpose is to dominate the world, that is, make all the countries in the world beholdened to only one power, not necessarily the US.

Looks like I’m having a zombie overload, too, these past few days. I’m playing the video game Resident Evil 5 with my sister.  It’s a -2  player game , but we’re both bad at aiming. We’ve been playing for 50 hours, but  couldn’t go past Level 3. Hahaha ! But it’s fun to play with her.  Come to think of it, I’ve never really played with my sister even when I was a kid.  She’s 8 years older than me, you see. I’ve always thought of her as grown – up.

Lafemmeroar had  requested  to see a picture of our 2010 Christmas day feast. Food again, I know, and I guess you’ve have had enough of  food galore on my blog. But I think it would be interesting to compare what we had in 2010 and  2011,  so here they are…  2 pics of 2010’s Christmas Day meal and a repost of 2011’s.

 2010 X’mas ……Too much food, actually.

And  that’s our Christmas meal, 2011 .

This is all for now. the Versatile Blogger Award acknowledgement  comes next. I  now have my 7th, 8th, 9th and 10 th, the last one from jeninesilos. Guys, coming ! Sorry for the delay.  PEACE and be happy !

6 Jan

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! 2012 !!!!!

Posted by renxkyoko in Filipino food, my life, Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage, Random thoughts, Versatile Blogger Award. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Hello ! Hey , HAPPY NEW YEAR ! !

Gosh, here I go again, apologizing for neglecting my blog. I can’t make school as my excuse this time coz  I’m on vacation.  (=_=) # Well, first off,  I ‘ve been given longer hours at work, and that’s good.  I need the dough for school and my European trip this summer.  Oh, I’ve written about my Euro trip , right?  Five months to go. When I first wrote about it, it was 8 months to go. Time does fly, doesn’t it?  So, how was everyone’s Christmas ? This year, my family’s Christmas celebration was pretty quiet. There weren’t any guests, just us family. As per family tradition, we went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. ( Midnight Mass was at 11 PM ) Then after the Mass, we had a simple midnight dinner we call  Noche Buena ( or is it  called Media Noche ? ) . It was just hot chicken /rice porridge and ensaimada ( bread , also called brioche ). It’s melt in your mouth Philippine  bread, topped with butter , sugar and  shredded Edam cheese. We call Edam cheese Queso de Bola.

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(=.=)

I started writing this on Dec. 31, 2011. It’s now Jan. 5, 2012. I feel so guilty abandoning my blog like this, but I promise to write more often this year. Make that my New Year’s Resolution.  I’ve been busy doing things that I won’t be able to do anymore  when school opens in 3 weeks……. like hanging out with friends, going to parties, playing video games , and reading mangas. Gosh, I haven’t even read Eragon yet.

So, where was I ?

Oh, yeah, my  holiday activities….. Well, Christmas dinner was just family. We didn’t have guests this year ( that is, if I even consider my Sis’ BF and BFF ” guests “. They’re like family already… this year, he was in San Diego with his Dad, and BFF was in Ohio with her grandma ) . There wasn’t much food compared to last year.

This year…….

As usual, we had eggrolls( lumpia ) and  caldereta ( beef  stew), ham, paella ( Spanish rice ), galantina ( fancy name for chicken loaf ), roast pork, sauteed mushrooms with veggies, and desserts. I’m proud to say I made the paella, my first time to cook that.

Paella

Another view of the spread

Galantina and sauteed mushrooms

Desserts ( leche flan, cassava cake, fruit salad , cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, pastries, and muffins ) The small pastries have sweetened coconut in them. In the Philippines, they are called pan de coco.

Cheesecake and chocolate cake ( bought from Costco)………. Oh, by the way, do you see that thing , on upper right hand of the pic above ?  It’s Afghan bread….. it’s flat and it’s 3 feet long, and tastes better than regular sliced bread. And do you see the one on the left? That’s pineapple sweet bread. Sooo good.

So, that’s it, our Christmas day meal.

I was planning to post pics of our New Year’s Day celebration on a separate post but I guess it’s too late now. Anyway,  we didn’t prepare much this year.

So, do I love cooking? Well, I did cook most of the food  seen in the photos, especially the paella, but I can’t say I love cooking.  When my mother was diagnosed with Diabetes and high blood pressure, my sister and I had to take charge of household duties.  Cooking is not a rocket science, anyways, and I’m lucky Mom has tons of recipes that have  already been taste -tasted and rated 5 stars.  You see, before my family immigrated here to the US, Mom had a thriving catering business in the Philippines. Three days before we immigrated to the US, Mom  still managed to cater  for 300 people. It was a convention…….. catering was AM snacks, lunch, Pm snacks, and dinner. I still remember that. It was rather chaotic at our house, so many people coming and going, preparing food. The whole place was like an assembly line.

Now, our New year’s day feast: There was less food on the table. That was okay though. At least we didn’t have to pig out and eat the same food for 3 days.

Almost the same thing . We had  noodles ( pancit ) instead of paella, roast pork ( I love the roast pork, with all that crunchy skin goodness ! Ugh ! So unhealthy ! ) and I made empanada ( meat turnovers )and turrones. ( wrapped fried banana ). We also had mini quiches and wanton soup.

Empanada ( meat turnover…. sauteed ground chicken with potatoes and raisins )

Turrones ( wrapped banana then fried….. it also has brown sugar and jack fruit in it ).

Mini quiches and OMG, that cake ! It’s called Fruit Basket and the taste was sublime ! Ah, but it was a $ 36 – cake, so I ‘m sure the baker saw to it it was worth the price.

Wonton soup ( I made this )\

Ahahaha ! Here’s a horrible random pic of me on New year’s Day. I didn’t get to sleep at all. I got home at 3 AM  from a New Year’s Day party , then cooked and baked the whole morning  for our New Year’s lunch. .,  I looked like a hag in this pic and intentionally picked my nose when Mom took the picture. Bleh. Good thing it’s blurry.

So, what did you guys get for Christmas ? I got a a pair of gold hoop earrings and necklace with my birthstone, and a Wii video dance game JUST DANCE 3  from my parents, a gorgeous leather jacket from my brother, and a nice sweater from sis. My best friend gave a me a nice pair of earrings too. Wow ! I just love Just Dance 3. It’s like having a fun exercise and at the same time,  learning awesome dance moves. There’s another one, Michael Jackson Experience, that I’m going to buy , too. Although they say the dance routine is really difficult to follow. Ha ! I’m sure it is.

Well, to be honest, talking about so much food and material gifts makes me a bit uncomfortable. This is not the real spirit of Christmas, you know. There are millions of children who are starving and suffering  at this very moment. I feel kind of guilty……………  Oh, my, this reminds me again of the story The Little Match Girl.  ~.~  But what can I do ? I just want them to know that amidst this merriment and celebration, I stop and think about them…… that , at least there’s one in this world who has not forgotten .  The truth is, not everyone is happy this Christmas.  Mom;s favorite first cousin died on Dec. 24. She literally died in the arms of her husband while waiting for the ambulance. At first, she was clinging to him, then she went limp. It was so sad.  Then my sister’s ex- boyfriend died from brain tumor on Dec.15.  I heard my sister sobbing in the bathroom . When she got out, she was holding the glass cell phone stand that he gave her and her eyes were really swollen.  It was really a sad story between him and my sister.  In fact, when he was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago, it was only my sister , aside from his family, that he told about his condition.  Well, it was  a short bittersweet relationship , and he told her she was the only girl  he ever loved but he was glad that she broke up with him , because 6 months after the break -up, he was diagnosed with cancer. Oh, man, my tears are falling now. There’s another sad  story I’d like to talk about, but I  don’t want to feel any  sadder than what I’m feeling at the moment.

Oh, I got 3 more Versatile Blogger Award…. one from Koopa , Viv, and trjensen…. my 7th, 8th, and 9th awards. I’ll acknowledge this on my next post. I really gotta publish this now.

This is all for now. PEACE . And be happy !

23 Nov

Serenade again and other random thoughts

Posted by renxkyoko in Manga, my life, Philiipine culture, Philippine Heritage, Random thoughts, relationships. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Hello !  That handwritten signature makes it more personal, don’t you think so ?  I’m going to make that my intro from now on.

Oh, gosh, I don’t even know where to start. First off,  it’s Nov.21  today.  Hmmmm, a significant day for me.  Last night  the family had dinner at our favorite Chinese – Filipino restaurant, after which we went to watch a movie ” A Very Harold and Kumar 3 D Christmas ” . As usual, it’s about the misadventures of 2 idiots, Harold ( a Chinese investment banker ) and Kumar ( a medical student Asian Indian ) . I’ve watched the other 2 H and K movies.  I know not everyone appreciates the humour, but I get it and love it.  Oh, in fact, I had a   zombie overload this week.  For the first time, a Friday with no work and school! ! I got to watch the first season of Walking Dead ( loved it ! ) and the last Harry Potter movie. Of course I didn’t just sit in the couch and did nothing but watched…. …I made my free time more productive by ironing clothes as I watched the movies.  And while taking a break from all these zombies and ironing, I did the laundry.  Then before I went to bed, I managed to read and finish  a 200 page book  , The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.  ( Uhm , supposedly a book  recommended  for Thomas Pynchon beginners )  Thomas Pynchon received a National Book Award and he was  regular contender fot Nobel Prize in Literature.  Seriously, this book……….@___@….. I know I’m shallow, and all that, but not totally stupid, you know ?  but, to be honest,  I didn’t know what I just read.  Well, it’s about the main character , a woman, who’ s  investigating or trying to get proofs that Trystero, a private mail delivery company  exists and is trying to dominate the world. She sees its logo everywhere, even under a bush. While investigating, she meets people who are even more weird and paranoid than her. There seems to be no resolution, the story ends, just like that, no hee, no haa . WTH !  I don’t get it.  You know what, I don’t care if  he’s a literary giant, I didn’t enjoy reading  his book. Period.  And  that’s what’s important, right ? To enjoy a book ?

 I just bought the last book of Eragon series, Inheritance. My sister is reading it first…. ooooh, I can’t wait to read it. It’s awesome !  Now, this is what I consider good read, LOL.

It seems my post on serenades generated a lot of interest.  I wish I could add some more info about it, although one commented that it is probably of Spanish influence. I’m sure it is. The Philippines was under Spain from 1521 t0 1898, so  I assume  majority of its customs and traditions are  Spanish in origin.    The country is the odd man out in Asia, they say.  90% Catholics,  with customs and traditions that  are more similar to Spain and Mexico rather than its asian neighbors.  Asians , for example are aloof and non- demonstrative, but in the Philippines, they hug and kiss when they greet relatives and friends. Filipinos are a boisterous lot. 

So, okay the serenades…. nothing much there…. except one anecdote from Dad. When he was 17 or so, he had a friend who was crushing on this one girl ( he mentioned the name of the girl, because, later on, Dad was the one who crushed on her… but that’s another story, he he he ). Another friend  suggested they serenade this girl, and so they did. But before that, they had a drinking party first, then, around 10 PM, they got around to serenade the girl. But they were so drunk the song they sang sounded horrible. And instead of the girl coming out to talk to them, it was the father and a brother who came out, and they even let the dog out.  So, the guys said sorry and hastily retreated, then ran off . The dog chased them off the property. LOL  Oh, another one….. one guy  serenaded solo, but used a boombox instead, and played a tape recorded song. I don’t know if the girl opened the window. Ahahaha.   Oh, here’s another  image of  serenade.

Take note of the grandpa  behind her. He looks annoyed. Anyways, if the couple have mutual feelings,  the girl will let the guy or guys , if it’s a group, to come into the house. Maybe they will be served hot coffee or whatever is available…. meanwhile, the family will be lurking in the shadows, listening in to the conversations ,  and when it’s time for them to leave, the grumpiest in the family, the grandma, will spread a sleeping  mat on the living room floor. That means, she’s going to sleep, right there, and it’s time for the guys to go.  And the girl of course will blush and get embarassed… Grandma ?  That;s the movie on my mind.

About the girl my Dad’s friend serenaded…….. The friend gave up on her. Years later, it was Dad who crushed on her. It was also the same time Mom had met Dad. Well, suffice it to say, Mom turned out to be the evil rival…. if this was a manga story, LOL !  Wanna know the story ?  Post a comment and let me know.

I wrote on the post, ” My Vehicle was Stolen” that I was cited for not stopping at a STOP sign. So, the court appearance was on Nov. 15.  Dad came with me, and told me to plead NOT GUILTY. So I stood before the judge and he asked ” How do you plead? ” I said Not guilty. I was asked to take a seat again. I waited for the clerk of court to call me back, … waited for 1 1/2 hours, then she called me and said I should come back on Dec 12, present evidences why I think I’m not guilty, blah, blah…. At that point, I was already at my limit. It was a hopeless case. Everybody else just pled guilty and paid the fine. So I told her I’d change my plea to Guilty. So the judge called me again, and said ” Ms. Iglesias, you’d like to change your plea, so how do you plead,” I said  “Guilty, Sir. ”  ” So, the sentence is either community service or fine of $ 236.00 ”  ” I’ d like to pay the fine, sir. ”  So, that’s it, my court saga.  Ugh. Lousy experience. I swear, Traffic court is California’s money machine.  There goes 1/4  of my monthly wages.

There you go. The picture is making an L sign.  I am a LOSER.  LOL !

Oh, hey ! Thanksgiving Day on Thursday ! HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY ! !

Uhm, here are some random pics ….

Street at  my school.  I just love Fall colours !

And that’s moi going to school…. busy texting…..

 

And this next one… I painted this using colored pencils.

This is all for now ! ! Good day to all ! !  PEACE !

12 Nov

Courtship and serenade

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

Hello, Renxkyoko Iglesias musing here!

Eight days have passed…………. time to post again.  Meh. As usual, I’m hitting a blank wall. 

I just checked out my email folder, with almost 2,000 read emails . I deleted around 500. Going through the mails, I suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia and sadness wash over me when I read a series of emails between a certain person and myself.  He was my one-sided  love.

 But  the unrequited love is not the reason why I felt sad. The reason is more dire than that. I have a question….. what is the mathermatical probability that out of the population of 4 billion men, the guy that you happen to like has a terminal illness ? He  turned 20 this September. He was diagnosed when he was just 18 years old.  This is really true. “ Hey, Dreamsending, I guess you now have an idea who he is.” ( Dreamsending is my co-author here on Renxkyoko’s space )

So, what else can I talk about ?  Well, I bought a blu-ray of the movie The Strangers, ( recommended by a blogger )and the first season of Walking Dead. ( recommended by 3 bloggers ) I don’t think I can watch the movies this week. I have exams coming next week. As usual, crunch time.

It’s been a rather boring week.  Seriously, I really have nothing to talk about.  It seems everything is …. lifeless. Everyday  it’ s school, work, home…….and I guess this happens to be one of my “off” days . I really feel lethargic, and I just want to curl up in bed and sleep . 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Hi, again ! I wrote the above 4 days ago. Today is Veteran’s Day, so there’s no school, although  I went to work from 1 PM to 7 . And there wasn’t much happening there, either. My boss gave me another $ 150 gift certificate, though.  My third one !   Also, I deleted/erased most of what I had written above about this guy. . I thought they were most inappropriate.  My problem with him seemed so puny compared to his own personal problem, so I felt I had no right whatsoever to  feel  hurt. I mean, his situation is mind- blowing. I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling now.   Last I heard from him, there was remission. I hope it stays that way.  So young ……….

So…..

My mom got a call from the Philippines,  from my aunt, Mom’s sister. She told my Mom that a cousin, (  their first cousin ) had asked my aunt to call Mom, so that Mom could call a nephew ( who’s in the Philippines, too , and who’s actually my Dad’s nephew, the son of his sister) and ask him what his real intentions are regarding Mom’s first cousin’s daughter, who happens to be the nephew’s girlfriend.  ( Are you still with me?  LOL )……… maybe a diagram is in order. 

Mom——> First cousin——–> daughter Cathy

Dad——-> Sister———> son Don

Cathy <——- hearts ——–> Don

Backround story:  It was when  Mom and I went to the Philippines last year  on vacation that Don and Cathy were introduced at a family reunion.  Cathy is a 30 year old doctor, single, and  really quite pretty. Don is a 35 year old lawyer, single, and never even had a girlfriend. So, they liked each other, and just had a first year anniversary of their relationship last August.  But, here’s the thing…. it seems Cathy wants to get married, but  doesn’t want to bring up the subject of marriage to Don.  Mom is not sure if  Cathy knows about her Mom’s call to my Mom, but  Mom’s  assuming she does, so Mom calls Don. For fun, this is more or less, Mom’s and Don’s conversation:

Mom :  Don, don’t tell Cathy I talked to you about this, but Cathy’s Mom called and told me to sound you off about Cathy’s desire to get married.

Don :  Aunty,  I know what  Cathy feels, but, I have just started my own law firm, and right now, I can barely pay the rent and my secretary’s salary. My savings are fast disappearing. I don’t think I can afford to have a family now.

Mom:  Don, Cathy is a doctor. She’s doing okay financially. She knows you’re in a bind now,  yet, she still wants to get married  to you..

Don: That’s exactly the reason why I don’t want to get married yet. I should be the one to support her, to bring home the bacon.

Mom: Don, you’re 35. How long will it take you to build a steady clientle, 5 years, 10 years? You’ll be 40 by then, and Cathy will be 35. She doesn’t want that.  She’s willing to share the burden with you, as a wife.

Don:   That’s what she thinks now…. but, I’m sure there are going to be money problems… and marital fights…… that’s inevitable….. and I don’t want that to happen to us.

Mom:    Don, you don’t have to marry her now….. all you have to do is make the relationship official…. give her a ring, get engaged… that’s all for now…. and then both of you decide when to get married.

Don :  Alright, alright. Aunty, I love you, but please don’t think I’m doing this because you asked me to. I’m doing this of my own free will and because  I love her, okay? 

Mom : Alright ! But please don’t get married before our Euro trip next year. We want to attend the wedding ! ! !

 Of course I embellished the conversation a little bit, but it’s more or less 80% accurate. I was the Third wheel on their first few dates !  And  I witnessed the awkwardness of 2 grown adults. I couldn’t believe it. Or was it a culture thing?  Mom says  in the rural areas in the Philippines, a man has to serve the family of the girl he’s courting.  Like, chopping  firewood for cooking?  Oh, and there’s this tradition of serenading the girl  !  They say the guy serenades the girl at night, under the moonlight, and if the girl likes him back, she will open the window and listen, but if she doesn’t like him, the window will not be opened.  And if the guy can’t sing, he hires a professional singer.  Wow! Just imagine the scene…. a guy singing a haunting love song, accompanied by a guitar, and the girl looking out the window, with a lovely smile on her face, awwww !  I wonder if this tradition still exists.  Mom says it still does, coz she was serenaded once by a young, poor farmer when she stayed at a small barrio for one month  for her on the job training when she was in college. She siad it was embarassing and awkward., like, did the guy really think that would work? LOL

Edited to include a pic of Philipine tradition of Serenade:

I have a question, though…. do you think my Mom crossed the line by  ” urging”  my cousin Don to get engaged to Cathy?  Well, actually, it was Cathy’s mother who wanted Mom to do that. This isn’t what we call a shotgun wedding , is it ? Shotgun weddings are for pregnant ladies, and Cathy isn’t.

Anyways, I hope Philippine guys continue with this sweet tradition of courtship, serenade and all. It’s awesome. Over here in the US,  wham, bam, thank you , Ma’m  is the thing.

Well, this is all for now. Good day to all !  Oh, wait, before I go, there’s this Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao who’s gonna have a bout with a Mexican boxer Marquez tonight on HBO’s Pay Per View. You bet we’re going to watch. And some guests are coming, including my sister’s boyfriend’s cousins. ( A bunch of white guys, haha ) Last time the cousins were here, BF and one cousin almost had their own boxing match at the backyard.  It seemed the cousin favored the other boxer. And, they had beers too many.

Alright, gotta go….. I’ll bake cupcakes ! ! Bye for now !

16 Oct

Sorry for the blooper (~.~)

Posted by renxkyoko in Manga, mangas/animes, my life, random musings, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Hi !

Renxkyoko Iglesias musing  again………..

Today is Oct.15. I don’t know when exactly I can publish this, but I’ll try to finish this today. Wishful thinking, of course ,coz I work the whole day today.Anyways, so what am I gonna talk about this time?  Oh , before anything else….. I reread my last post, and I felt horrible about that sausage remark. I’m sorry if I offended anyone. It was 3 AM when I wrote that, so I wasn’t really thinking properly. I could have erased that like I could have erased and trashed some of my stupid and totally inappropriate  posts , but it’s history ( my history), so I have to live with that faux pas for the rest of my life.  * bangs head on  the table* ….I’m toast .

 

 

 Ladies , you are all beautiful, no matter what size you are. 

  

One blogger, LeeDevine, suggests  I should write about the places I’ll go to in our Euro tour next year. Good idea.! That’s something to write about.

Don’t get bored, okay> I’ll be quick….. ( I hope )

Tour starts in London. We stay in London for 2 days, and these are free days, not guided. I want to see the Wax Museum ( Madame Tussaud’s ), King’s Cross Station ( that’s a Harry Potter thingy ^o^ ), changing of the guards, cross that famous bridge I forget the name, and eat authentic Fish and Chips ! ! !  I don’t know where else we can go in 2 days… maybe check out Harrod’s?  Then we leave London , ride on a ferry to Amsterdam. On a ” luxury motorcoach ” ( that’s what it says on the itinerary ) we go sigthseeing in Holland, visit a famous diamond center, go canal crusing…… then we head off  to  Germany. It says we go to Rhineland and Heidelburg. I know what Heildelburg is , but what is Rhineland? A h, there’s no Berlin  nor  Munich… How can we go to Germany and not see  Berlin?  Oh, well. Next we travel  into Switzerland  by way of  the  Autobahn ( I thought this was a name of an automobile…. name of a freeway then , ? ),  stay in Lucerne, ride a cable car  on  Mt. Titlis, enjoy the Alpine mountain scenery (  and burst into a song “The hills are alive with the sound of music….la di da….. ). What, no Zurich, either ?  Booooo !

Then, Italy ! ! I’m excited about Italy. Know why? Coz we get to ride on the gondola and be serenaded by a local troubador (  O, sol a mioooooo…. la  la la ) Ooooh, mama mia ! !  But first , we stop in Lugano to take a stroll, then drive to Verona to see Juliet’s house and balcony and stroll  around the market square.  Then, we go to Venice to , yes, ride the gondola, the water buses and see Venice at water level. We will also visit and watch Venetian glassblowers, and I’m sure I’m going to buy a glass souvenir, and have it personally  “signed ” by the maker. ( We have one like that at home )………… after which we head  for Assissi to visit St. Francis Basilica. Then we head for Rome.  Ah, Rome…. the Eternal City… but , of course we get to visit  St. Peter’s  Basilica, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum.( Dad told us some parts of the Collosseum smelled of pee… it really stank).  Since we are Roman  Catholics,  I’m really excited to tour the Vatican, and finally see the Sistine Chapel, where I can gawk, to my heart’s content, at  Michaelangelos’ Genesis and Last Judgement.  Then on to Tuscany, then Pisa and visit the Leaning Tower, then to Florence, where we’ll have a walking tour of the city of the Medicis, and  the  birthplace of the Renaissance era.

Then we proceed to the Italian Riviera, then on to French Riviera where we get to visit a perfumery in Eze ( I’ll buy a bottle , that’s for sure ), then travel along Cote d’ Azur, then to Monte Carlo, Monaco,  for night excursion, and dinner.  Then we travel through France’s lovely scenery on the way to Provence, then Avignon, then Carcassonne.  After which, we proceed to Barcelona, Spain.  yay ! The land of my ancestors !  ( They’re from Segovia, though. Check out my post titled Who Am I and a few Plug-ins )….. Then on to Madrid, the capital of  Spain, where dinner includes a flamenco dance show. Ole ! !  After Madrid, we go to Toledo, Burgos, then Bilbao . Mom’s gonna buy some authentic  Chorizos de Bilbao, that’s for sure. Chorizo de Bilbao is a staple in our soups . Oh….. know what, there;s no such thing as chorizo de Bilbao. I guess it’s merely  a kind of sausage common in Bilbao.  ” Senor, do you have chorizo de Bilbao?”  I’m sure we’ll get a blank look. It’s like  saying,  (and you’re in China, )  ” I’m gonna get me some Chinese food, or have dinner at a Chinese restaurant,” he he he.  Or order some French fries in France., or French dressing with your salad.  Ahahaha !  I wonder if they also call it French kiss in France. @_@   

Back to tour…… from Spain, we proceed to France. First stop is Bordeaux, the wine capital of  France. ( we’ll buy one or 3 bottles, I’m sure ), I mean, really, really sure…. coz  here’s a pic of some wines in our house.

Well, our house’s  just 30 minutes from the wine capital of the US, Napa Valley.  We were there just 2 weeks ago for some wine tasting.

So, from Bordeaux, we go to Portiers, then Tours, Orleans, then Gay Paris. !That’s where the tour ends. We have 2 full days to explore  Paris, then we leave Paris for San Francisco..  So, that’s it, folks.

Hope you didn’t get bored. But I’d understand if you did, coz I’d get bored myself, ahaha.

Oh, by the way, I aced my Physics test ! ! ! !  Okay, I got 95 %. I could have gotten 100 if not for that stupid trick question worth 5 pts. I got the correct answer, initially, crossed it out, and wrote down the wrong answer. The solution should have been the same , with or without Resistance, Gaaaah!  I will let you know what I got in Chem and Bio later. I’m not very confident with these two, but I’ll pass, I’m sure of that, though not  A’s. T.T  I’m hoping for a B, at least. I focused my attention too much on Physics coz I know I’m clueless.  My partner in Lab is the one who sets up the experiments. He’s a guy, so I guess he’s better at this sort of thing. I’m not a sexist or anything, but, I can’t even tell tools apart. o_o He got a B , I think, so I couldn’t tell him what I got. (~.~)

Well, this is all for now…. Be nice, be good, and PEACE ! !

SUPER UPDATE !

I was reading one of my favorite’s blogsite, LeeDevine’s ( he’s on my blogroll ) , and  he wrote, ” here’s something you might want to read “… I clicked it, not knowing what it was, and it directed me to my site ! !  I’m so happy ! !  This is the second time it happened to me… clicking something from another site and directing me to my own site.  Thank youuuuu !  Is that what we call “pressing it”?

24 Mar

TIME OUT!!

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

Spring Break!!!!!! YES!

and ….

Time out from distressing news from Japan and Libya.

Here are some TV commercials from the Philippines, for your amusement.

McDonalds!   A few facts: PhP ( pesos ) 25 = $ 0.45  // $1.00 = PhP 45.00    It’s a girls’ night-out, but , they’re “broke”, they don’t have money, I think.

McDonald’s is undisputably the most popular thing in the world, from here to Timbuctoo, but in the Philippines, it isn’t. There’s a more popular hamburger joint over there….. JOLIBEE…… and , funnily enough, McDonald’s has acknowledged it, as shown in the picture. Ahahaha! Only in the Philippines !  And hurrah for Truth in Advertising !

 When I was in the Philippines last summer, we went to McDonald’s ( They say McDo over there ) and yeah, taste was the same, it was pure beef, no compromise there, and that’s a good thing, but Jolibee’s , they say, is much tastier because of the additives, such as chopped onions , garlic and , I swear, I could taste celery and mustard in the beef. And, Jolibee also sells combo meals like teriyaki chicken/rice, beef mushroom in gravy/rice, and they are so delicious and cheap, 39 pesos ( $ .90 ).  McDo has McChicken and McSpaghetti .

I wish I had taken a photo of the menu list . That combo of spaghetti and chicken  is $1.19. Cheap. A dollar goes a long way over there.

Here are some more TV commercials…. KFC , Coke , Tide Detergent

Tide commercial where a woman is handwashing clothes and listening to a daytime radio drama .

It’s spring, but what the heck ! I haven’t seen the sun for weeks , it’s raining hailstones,  my fingers are frozen,  and our heater is not working !! We’ve been waiting for the repair guy to fix the heater, and I hope he comes soon.  I’m freezing to death here.  Oh, and yesterday, I was at the grocery and saw a couple of guys scanning the veggie section with what looked like a Geiger counter?  The Geiger counter detects radiation, right? Now , why would they do that in California ? And, I heard the counter making that click click click sound as the veggies were being scanned.  I wonder what that sound means….. I bought a bunch of spinach and cabbage, anyways….

This is all for now. Have a good day.

5 Jan

First random thoughts of 2011

Posted by renxkyoko in mangas/animes, my life, Philiipine culture, random musings, Random thoughts, Video games. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

…………It was Karaoke time on New Year’s eve.  The guest  who suggested  karaoke for the party , surprisingly,  had the best singing voice. No wonder, hahaha.  The other guests who were initially less enthusiastic about the karaoke session started hugging the mike after 3 bottles of beer, but I managed to sing Led Zep’s Stairway to heaven and Sting’s I’ll Be Watching You.  But  they sang with me, and darn, their voices were even louder than my own with the mike. (=_=) Anyway, it was the most fun and merriest new Yera’s eve party we have had so far. Thank you, karoake !!!!

………..I started writing this post on Jan. 2, and it’s only today, Jan. 5 that I have managed to post this……. there were just too many stuff to do after the New Year celebration. My boss is now giving me more work hours, which is a good thing because the holidays totally depleted my bank account, and I just finished doing the most dreaded chore after the holidays—-> taking down the holiday decors.

…….. I’ve already enrolled for the spring semester and will go back to school end of January. Although I still have more than 2 weeks of vacation left  before school starts, I’ve pushed the panic button and have started multi -tasking. < laughs> I’m now on my 14th volume of the 18 volume graphic novel Monster, and  more than halfway through with video game God of War 3.  And after Monster, I’m going to start reading Bourne Deception, a continuation of Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne mega franchise, and although Robert Ludlum  is dead, I think the new author, Eric van Lustbader is more than capable to continue Mr. Ludlum’s Bourne legacy. Mr. Lustbader has , in fact, already written 3 other Bourne novels, The Bourne Sanction, The Bourne Betrayal, and The Bourne Legacy. Mr. Ludlum wrote the first three…. The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Ultimatum, and The Bourne Supremacy. So, okay, these are not literary classics and books that inspire and teach us about life. Call me shallow or literary lightweight, but,  I read books to please and entertain myself. To be honest, ” inspirational and philosophical ” books bore me, because, you know what, I already know what these books are all about,  anyway.  I follow the Ten Commandments, I follow the Golden Rule, I try to be kind, polite, nice, courteous, and selfless.  I know all about that.  Now, what I don’t know are the mysteries of the universe, what those archaelogical finds tell us about the ancients, did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone when he assasinated Pres. Kennedy, what will happen if there is no more oil left on the planet, what will happen if an asteroid hits our planet, and how will Pres. Obama’s health care reform affect our day to day lives?  These are the stuff  that I love to read. Oh, and by the way, I’m also avidly reading this book ” Queen of Clean , A Complete Cleaning Guide.”….. a very useful book if we want to use natural cleaning products, such as vinegar and baking soda. (^___^)

………. Speaking of which, I came across a ” test ” on a person’s geekiness. There were maybe a hundred questions and choices, and I checked the appropriate boxes. The result was , I am a “total geek “.  Actually, there are 7 gradations of geekiness. Number 1, if I recall correctly  is “, showing some characteristics of geekiness”, No. 2 is just ” you’re a geek “. No. 3 , where I belong,  is ” total geek “…. but wait, the hierarchy is up to No.6, where it says” You have a problem.”  Well, I have long suspected I am one, and this test just confirmed it. LOL  Well, I love Star Trek, so what ?  However,  I am the classic example of  the saying ” Don’t judge the book by its cover”. In high school, I was the first one to wear ” The Skirt “. (^_^)””  Don’t ask me what it is. It’s still hanging in my cabinet.

…………I’m off to play GoW3, and hopefully I can finish this today. I ‘m hoping to play Persona 4 or Prince of Persia 1 after this. I guess I ‘ll play PoP next. We have the series up to PoP4.  And i hope I don’t get stuck on ledges anymore.

……… Laters….. so be nice then, be polite, be courteous. Peace !

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!!!

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 !!!!

 

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