Posts Tagged ‘Just my thoughts today’

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.

dscn0764

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/

.

 

 

 

 

 

24 Dec

Just thought I’d re-blog this, lol ! !

Posted by renxkyoko in 2013, my life, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , .

Hey, hey, hey ! I’ve got new pics to share !
First off……. my 15 minutes of fame, so to speak…… here they are…… oh, these pics were taken uring Jason derulo’s concert. I was picked from the audience, and went on stage and he sang to me ! Woot ! I was tickled pink ! I have the video of it, but it looks like it cannot be shown here. Well, I don’t know how.
About these ads
This is an old post. I was surprised  jmount found this today and commented… the one and only comment. lol  So, I thought, hey, why not…. REBLOG ! !
MERRY CHRISTMAS ! HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! !

25 Oct

Is All……. o_O”

Posted by renxkyoko in Boracay Island Philippines, political rant, random musings, Random thoughts, rantings. Tagged: , , , , , .

Hello !  Renxkyoko Iglesias here.

This is my second post this month. I wish I could post more but.. oh well.

My father’s in the Philippines.  He left last week. It wasn’t a sudden trip, though. He had been planning this for months, but we were nevertheless  surprised  to see him packing Thursday night, and we were like, When are you leaving? … Tomorrow.  What ! ! ”  My sister goes to San Francisco twice a month to be with her boyfriend . (  He now works in Frisco ). She is supposed to go there this coming Saturday, and take Dad to the airport, but her BF called to tell her he bought tickets to a Friday night  game, (  baseball or football, I don;t know), so Dad just decided  to leave one week earlier. San Francisco is  a 2 hour drive from our house, and he doesn’t want Mom to go on long drives anymore.

So, anyway, I wrote  about a  beach  house we’re constructing in Boracay Island, Philippines, didn’t I ?  The plan was originally a duplex, one unit  for the family, and the other one for rent to tourists. Then it was changed to a 2 floor house , 6 bedrooms, 3 toilets/baths…. then 3 weeks ago, we learned that my aunt changed it again to 2 1/2 floors, 7 bedrooms, 5 t/b with a rooftop garden. What the heck ! !  Well, it is my aunt’s and my parents’ joint venture, but this is getting out of control.  My aunt assured us  all additional expenses would be on her.  Oh–kay …… still……..

Anyway, that’s the reason why dad ‘s in the Philippines now…… to check out what the heck’s going on with  with on – going construction….. and to ask the architect about the changes, although we learned it was due to the site’s topography. It’s hilly, so the architect changed the plan based on the layout of the land.  The architect assured  us the view would be spectacular…. though our property is not beachfront… it’s  a mere  5 to 10 minute walk to the beach, so that view from the hillside will be spectacular, indeed.

So, to my readers from the Philippines,  watch out for my ” promotional plugging”, ha ha.  Our  problem now is , this is not a simple vacation house anymore that we’ll  be renting out when not in use by the owner.  We’re figuring out how to run this……… now how do we classify this ? An inn?    Also, to my non- Filipino readers who want to go on tropical vacation, we’ll advertise this on VRBO.com * Vacation Rental By Owner ” . Hopefully, we’ll be ready by February , 2014.

Oh, by the way, I bought a published book by a fellow WordPress blogger.  Uhm, Mr. Conley ? I haven’t read it, but I promise to read it soon, and hopefully, write a review.

DSCN2329

Hey, I’m not going to be political on this post, even though my mouth is itching to say something.  One thing though…. the total non-empathy and  non- compassion of the Teabagger Republicans  for the needy   are stunning.  And to think their base constituents from Red states *  (Democrats’ are BLue states *  )are poorer than Blue states’.  ALL … I repeat, ALL,  Red states, except Texas , get more federal welfare than they give to the government. The rich Blue States, like New York, California, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Maryland,  etc. heavily   subsidize these Red States.  Oh, the irony ! ! !  Hey,  teabaggers !. See that poor,  homeless- hippy  looking  beggar  listening in to your tirades againts those lazy poor and the sick – if – you- can ‘t afford it- just die folks  ? He  could be Jesus -come- down – to- earth. And His eyes are glazing over as He listens to people like you. The shamelessness and meanness are breathtaking.

So, I went political.  Again.  Couldn’t help it. * walks off, mumbling. *

* turns around *

My Paris tour next post….. Louvre, specifically.  And countdown to our Asian tour in June, 2014….. 7 1/2 months.  Good day and  Peace.

17 Sep

A Little Glimpse , Some Thoughts

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

Hello !

00000003

It’s been two weeks since my last post. Actually, I post just 2 or 3 times a month, so this is  basically  just right.

I’m at school now, and on my 2 hour break.   I’m taking Advanced Microbiology, Advanced BioChemistry , Advanced Organic chemistry,  Evolution and Scientific Analysis this semester.  ( Evolution of Microbes, by the way ) Since these are major courses. I need to get a grade no lower than B ( 80% ) , otherwise, I repeat the course. It won’t affect my GPA though, so it’s okay.  [  ……  ]   =_= ‘

No, it;s not okay.   My college life is a big eye- opener to me. I thought I’d breeze through it, like my brother ( a Mechanical Engineer )  and sister ( a Microbiologist)  who were always  on the Dean’s List  in college. But I’m struggling now,  and I feel really bad about this.  I mean, I study til my nose bleeds just to get a good grade,  but I never saw my siblings study at home,  ( my bro just played video games all his college life ) and yet, they got  A’s  all the time. Does it mean they are naturally gifted,  and I’m not?

I was Grade 2 when  I  went to  school here in the US.  it was a public elementary school just a spitting distance from our house.  The following school year, the school recommended me  to go to a GATE school, which was a 15 minute drive from our house.  GATE  means Gifted and Talented Education.  From elementary, to middle school, to high school,  I was a top 10 student with a  4.0 GPA, a straight A  GATE student.  Then came college. I thought  college would be easy coz I was smart, or so I thought. I  was wrong.

I had to write tons of essays in English and Philosophy. I hate essay writing. My brain just  isn’t wired that way.  In Philosophy, for instance, we were asked to write a 5-page essay on Descarte’s ” I am, therefore I exist “.    I hate explaining the obvious.  To me , explaining stuff  like this is an exercise in futility .  Why do I need to study this?

So, yeah, my first 2 years of college  were such a pain and so stressful. Funnily enough, I got an A in Philosophy.  Not because I was  smart     9_9 ‘……  Okay, here are my 2 blog entries in May, 2010,  to explain  how I got  grade of A.

———————————————————————————————————

It’s 5 AM. Just woke up. I have not done a thing ! ! Time to push the panic button. Report is due at 5 PM on line. I have no class today but I have to go to school to submit my Chem. Lab report. * teary eyed * Sad
 
How can I add 560 words to a report that is so uninspiring ? Mom is annoyed that , again, I chose the side that contradicts her own beliefs, and so, she says, it’s so difficult to gather her thoughts  and form an opinion ……….. I just woke her up. I’m panicking !  * Mom, wake up… help me *Disappointed
 
It’s 7: 47 AM’. Mom finally woke up, but instead of helping , she  scolded me. She said if I thought I’d somehow need help, I should have consulted her first. Yes, she did read the articles, but the problem is, she totally, absolutely, and without any doubt , agrees with John Hick’s pluralism. She asked me why I chose to be dogmatic about Catholicism.. And  , she said, if you so believe that, then you must have a lot to say about it, so do it yourself.  TT.TT
 
It’s 9: 00 Am…… I’m done.  Woot ! ! I suddenly had this awe-inspiring Einstein moment where great ideas and thoughts took off and my fingers caught them and put them into words. Brilliant. Light bulb
——————————————————————————————————

I just want to talk about something. Well, I’m supposed to be doing my Philosophy report on Pluralism, but, right now, my mind just hit a blank wall.  I need a break. If worse comes to worst, my Mom is going to help me. I did a report once on Epistimology of religion. My  brain   exploded with that one. Why can’t these philosophers explain whatever is on their mind in plain , simple English ? Anyway, I did my best, but I knew my best was not enough to get a good grade . So, I made an SOS to Mom. I was , like, Mom, you want me to get a good GPA , right ? Help me. So she did…. she read the articles, read my own report, found it totally lacking in sense and insight, < ha ha ha >, almost completely revised it, corrected my grammar < too amateurish > , and tah dah….. I got an A. Teacher said I could have gotten an A+, but she found some parts of the report a little strained.. Otherwise, it was excellent. She was also surprised that I chose Epistomology of religion as this topic was a difficult piece to discuss,. When I got home, I congratulated my Mom…… Mom , YOU got an A ! ! !  ^______^ ;;;         

Was that cheating ? I don’t think so.  I needed help and got it. They were my ideas, my thoughts.  My mother merely refined them.  Okay, she improved on them.  [ …….]  Alright, I confess. She did a lot more than that.  ” Ren,  your work is full of contradictions.  You’re wavering.  It’s really difficult to defend something that you don’t completely believe in. ”  Although we had to  revise  my work, we did it  TOGETHER.  And I learned a lot. That’s important.

Have you heard of Asian Tiger Moms ? You can google that. i think my  parents are like that, too.  We’re Asians.  I remember when Mom had me memorize the Multiplication Table  when I was just 7 years old. One mistake and she would  make me repeat the whole darn thing. “AGAIN, FROM THE TOP ! ”  Was that a bad thing?  I don’t know.  All I know is that at  age  8, I could  already do complicated  fractions, and understand the concept of equality in Math,  ” Ren, Math is all about equality. Remember that.”  In our household,  conversations and discussions always start from the question, ” What is the scientific explanation for that? ”

One would think it’s only science that  my family ever talk about over dinner. We are pracricing Catholics, and we go to Mass every Sunday, without fail.  But we’ve learned to compartmentalize our spiritual beliefs,  scientific  thought processes, and politics. As what our parish priest said at his sermon, ” don’t be a one-issue voter.”

This is it for now. My Paris tour is next. PROMISE ! ! !

Good day to all. Be nice, be good, and PEACE !

23 Jun

My thoughts on Obesity

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

Hello ! Here I am again.

00000003
sitoshii_000c

For the first time, I’m posting with so many random thoughts swirling on my mind, so much so that I don’t know where to begin. Most of them are current issues though, and well, you know what happens when I talk about issues of the day…… I get into trouble. You may or may not agree with me, or you may even hate me, and not read me anymore, but , I really do need to speak my mind, and be honest about it.

So, okay, Ren, what is it, talk, and be done with it. Well, uhm, it’s about obesity, Ma’am. The American Medical Association has just declared obesity as a disease. This means obese people can seek treatment for obesity, not just the diseases that are the result of their condition. I expected that obese people would be happy, since now they can go to the doctor, have surgery or whatever treatment is deemed appropriate and necessary, and have the cost be shouldered by the insurance company. Surprisingly, they’re not. Not at all. The National Association of Fat Acceptance does not like the announcement. Its members think their condition is not a disease, and calling it one just fuels discrimination. They just want to be accepted, that’s all. It’s not their fault if their metabolism is low, they say. In my opinion, I think it would be to their advantage if their condition is considered a disease. It won’t fuel discrimination.I don’t think so. On the contrary, it will lessen or, at the very least, solicit sympathy for their condition. It will be seen as something “that cannot be helped”, and not the result of over-indulgence and over-consumption of food.

To be honest, I don’t know where I am on this issue. I’m not a doctor. And yes, they’re right about metabolism. I have low metabolism too. To me, eating is always like the battle of the bulge. I have to fight my urge to cut a big slice of cheesecake, and finish off one big package of M & Ms and chips. I have to watch my calorie intake, and everytime I overindulge, I get on the treadmill. It does take determination, discipline and will power to keep fit, I know that. But, these are what we need to live a full life……in fact, in all aspects of a normal life. At least one of these should come naturally to us. And here lies my problem with this issue. We do know that all that body mass does not come from nowhere, right? It comes from the food we ingest, and that means, either we eat too much, and we don’t exercise. If we don’t have time to exercise, then don’t eat too much. That’s all there is to it. It’s not rocket science.

By the way, I’m not talking about the ” regular” chubby people. In fact, some of them are more beautiful with the extra flesh. I call them well-endowed, and cuddly, and I can understand why some men prefer them. I myself don’t like to see women so thin their ribs stick out of their chests, looking like skeletons. Now, what I’m talking about are the morbidly obese. I went with my Mother to WalMart this morning, and that’s where I saw obese people. Lots of them. I’m not concerned about how they look, but rather, about their health. They can barely walk. And what did I see in their carts ? Ice cream, chips, cakes, boxes of pizza, gallons of sweet juices, lots of baked products. I didn’t see any vegetables and fruits. All that fat is poison. All foods, in fact, are poison, if eaten in excess, and that includes plain water. That is Toxicology 101.
fatgirls
So, what foods do we see in the photo ? 1. 4 boxes of family size pizza ( one for each, obviously) 2. 2 boxes of greasy fried chicken, and biscuits that come with the chicken, 3. 2 hamburgers ( I assume 2 had already been eaten) 4. donuts 5. cupcakes 6. there are 2 more that I can’t recognize
Ladies, what the fudge are you doing ? As I said, all that mass do not come from nowhere. These women are the living proof of the Law of Conservation of Mass , a basic principle in Chemistry. In AstroPhysics, their stomachs can be compared to a black hole.

To be honest, I don’t feel like posting this. I’ll be accused of being blunt and harsh, unmindful of people’s feelings. But there are some things that need to be said. We cannot always coddle people for fear of ruining their self-esteem and self-worth. It’s not how you look outside, ladies, it’s who you are inside. Continue eating. Why can’t we talk about a few hometruths? Sometimes we have to call a spade a spade. Like so…..Ladies, that’s gross and you’re killing yourselves. Also, you do know about the seven deadly sins, right? Yes, gluttony is one of them. And you’re committing it.

So, okay, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it really is in the genes, and they can’t help it. And worse, maybe I’m just being evil, and mean and cruel. And if I am indeed wrong, I’d like to ask for forgiveness on bended knees.

s__secret_ica_v01_ch02_esthetique_s_v01_ch02_036

This is all for now. Please don’t hate. ( Although I think I deserve it if I would be hated )

Paris is next on my European travelogue.

Will post this now. * closing eyes, clicks Publish. *

bcm_kokoro_botan_vol3_ch10_kokoro_botan_vol03_ch10_016

Wait !!!! I’ll wimp out and delete this if I get cursed, hated, and verbally abused .

.

26 May

My thoughts on Syria and the Muslims

Posted by renxkyoko in European travel, European trip, Muslims, my life, random musings, Random thoughts, Syria. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Hi ! Renxkyoko Iglesias here.
00000003

I’m seriously running out of topic to talk about. I’m thinking of something mundane that I can somehow make interesting for my smart , intelligent readers…..like say, how to boil an egg.

So, okay, I can talk about current issues, like that horrible killing in London. You’ve all heard about that, I presume? So, what do I think about that? Seriously, you don’t wanna know.. I’m afraid I’ve become an isolationist. I want the US to get out of some country’s business and deal with so many pending problems here at home. . How about Syria, you ask? Well, what about it? What do they want the US to do? You know, I was on my way to school the other day, listening to NPR ( National Public Radio…. darn, I should be listening to Adele, instead), then , I heard this interview ( by BBC ) of a Syrian victim of poison gas that the government had allegedly used on its citizens. The interview was held at the hospital, and I could hear some people crying Obama, Obama, Obama. What do they want Obama to do? Why can’t they ask other Arab countries for help? Come to think of it, why don’t other Arab countries help? What are Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and all the other rich Arab countries doing for their fellow Muslims?. Aren’t they supposed to be each other’s ” keeper “? Another interview by BBC was with Syrian widows at the refugee camps in Jordan who have started selling their daughters ( aged 12 to 16, that’s the range) to rich Arabs for sex, and , after having their way with these kids, they are returned to their mothers. Where’s the outcry here?
*ponders*
Regarding the use of chemical weapons…… I feel horrified with the thought that the US had used chemical weapons , too, napalm, is what it’s called, most effectively and extensively in Vietnam. ” Ah, I love the smell of napalm in the morning. ”
TrangBang
Damn ! It’s the children. It’s always the children.

Chris Matthews ( talk show host of MSNBC’s Hardball ) said, and he said this several times on his show… ” I’d prefer to watch Syrians killing Syrians on international news, rather than Americans killing Syrians. ” I admit that’s harsh and cold, and rather surprising, since these words came from the mouth of a bleeding heart liberal. But his words went right into the core of the problem. It’s a lose-lose situation for the US. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t. But when in doubt ,err on the side of reason and caution . And what exactly does it mean? It means, don’t meddle, militarily. Send food, medicine, but do not send anything that kills. Have I truly become a peacenik? Nope, I want to blow Kim Il Sung to smitheereens if he threatens South Korea, Japan and the US again.

The US is still at war, with Al-Queada, but not with Assad. The US is also at war with lone wolves, like the Boston marathon bombers and those murderers in London. How do Syrian ” rebels” expect the US to help when it’s an open secret Al_Queada terrorists are effectively assisiting them? It would be like, a person picking up a rock and hitting himself with that rock , on his own head. How can the US kill idealogy and religious fanaticism/ extremism? ? That’s what Americans have to deal with from hereon , unless Muslim communities help in thwarting extremism in their midst. As it is, anger, resentment and hatred are spreading in England and across Europe….. most especially in London , where majority of 3 million Muslims live. Most Londoners now fear Islamification of their city. This murder and past bombings in London perpetrated by Muslims have fueled this fear.

So , now you ask, am I an Islamophobe ? My answer is No. I’m just voicing out honestly what my concerns are about what’s happening around me. In fact, I’m more concerned about the garden variety all -American hate groups, and politicians who spew hatred , stupidities and invectives towards anyone who is not white, straight, and Christian.

Also, my very best friend since forever, a guy, is a Muslim….. from Bosnia-Herzegovena, a European Muslim. We liked each other before, but we had decided not to pursue that path. One day, he burst out he wouldn’t convert, and I was like, who told you to convert, ha ha ha. This guy has never done any shopping without me. But…..

DSCN2286

Aaaargh. I should have gone with him and chosen the gift myself. The necklace is like something Cleopatra would wear thousnads of years ago. I’ll wear it, “I”, promise ! ~(^_^~)(~^_^)~

Speaking of which, I did promise to post about my Bordeux, France tour. But, I think I’ve been too chatty here. Next post then, okay?

This is all for now. Good day and PEACE !

Don’t hate.

I’m conflicted.. My thoughts evolved as I was writing this post. It’s weird. I think it was the photo of the Vietnamese children that got me.I don’t know what to think anymore.
.

21 Apr

My Thoughts on Boston Tragedy

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

Renxkyoko Iglesias  here, hello !

00000003

.Today is the day we finally  breathe a collective  sigh of relief.  One of the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon massacre  has been  captured.

I hope he survives. We want to know why he did what he did.  What has the US done to his former country that made him so angry it  drove him to kill innocent people? What was his motive? Was it political or, heaven forbid, religious?

. ? I highly doubt Americans  know  of Chechnya, or even if they know, they  are indifferent, or don’t care. So, did they want Chechnya to be put in the map?  If lone wolves like these two could actually cause this degree of anxiety , destruction, and mayhem in a powerful country,  then they had definitely  achieved it.   Now people know of Chechnya, albeit  in the most horrible way. They have also affirmed  people’s belief  in what religious fanaticism can do. And most importantly, they have again put a certain group of people  who live in an open, free scociety,  in an untenable  position in that society.  Because you know what? let’s not fool ourselves.  This has nothing to do with the politics of Chechnya. Anyone with the least modicum of intelligence knows this is not  about  that.

What’s even more saddening is that this  older brother had sucked  an apparently normal , happy , seemingly assimilated younger brother  into his world. Sure, this older brother took care of his 9 year old brother …. most probably the kid adored his brother. To an impressionable teenager, he was someone who who would never do him harm.

*ponders*

Opium is addictive and killing the innocents is one heck of an effed up resume to go to heaven.

You may hate me for saying this, but for some reason, I consider the younger brother  one of the victims.  The older one  expected to die for his cause. The younger wanted to live. I’m including him in my prayers.

Just my thoughts. PEACE.

8 Apr

My European tour part 21, Poitiers, France

Posted by renxkyoko in European travel, European trip, France, my life, Poitiers France, Random thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

00000003

Hello there !

Where do I start ? I’ve got tons of  disorganized  random thoughts swirling on my mind  right now.  But I finally figured out how to make sense of them….. make them current. That’s right.

So to start off and without much further ado…..

Yesterday, Pres. Obama complimented  California’s attorney general, Kamala Harris, for her good  looks.  But that was after saying nice things about her brilliant work as an attorney-general.

kamala_harris_official_attorney_general_photo

.There was an ” uproar” among  feminists. Oh, from  just a few critics but boy,  were they  loud. They said  it was  sexist and inappropriate. C’mon. It was said at a fund raising event where jokes  were tossed around  and bandied  about among friends and allies.  I’ve always been with you , sisters, but not this time. Your outrage is silly and over the top, and it makes you look like some bitter Ms. goody two shoes with this holier than thou attitude.  It’s nasty and it won’t  advance your cause.  Thank goodness this is just a one-day wonder. Lighten up,  ladies. The glass ceiling is going to finally break in 2016. .  Save your energy. The fight is about to commence.  Who’s with me?

Hillary

.We have a bunch of  Hilarry stickers like the picture above left over from her 2008 Primary run againts Pres. Obama. I couldn’t even vote yet when Mom dragged me along as volunteers for Hillary’s campaign. At their headquarters, I worked the phones for a while, but I really couldn’t stand getting yelled at by obvious Obama supporters at the end of the line….. And we weren’t supposed to argue, nor contradict, nor be contentious,  we  just  explained things nicely , stuck to written guidelines,  then got the heck   off the phone  fast . Ha ha.  That was NASTY !  When I whined about it, I was given the task of posting on different fora.  My  “favorites ” were DailyKos and Huffington Post.  At first , I was polite and meek,  but it didn’t work on DailyKos, so I took off my mask and gave as good as I got, blow by blow, tit for tat, to the point that I was almost banned from the forum.  He he he. Oh, the adrenaline ! !  I was the goddess  of Rock ! !  Good thing there were a few nice posters  who defended me … it was like, ” Look, guys,  we’re all Democrats here. We have to unite at one point behind one candidate . We’ve heard of Hillary supporters threatening to sit out this election  if things turn out even more contentious than this. ”  And the poster was right.  My parents left the names for President blank. Mom  said  she was so pissed she voted for McCain. No, she didn’t, ( though I’m not sure ) but we did go into sulk mode. It took us maybe a year to warm up to Obama.  Yay, Obama !  ( We still don’t like Bill Richardson and that b*tch what’s – her- face  from CNN. )

Enough of my  chitty chatty  and let’s get down to the nitty gritty……my trip to France.

Here’s my problem though…… I forgot the name of the first French town we visited and stayed the night in. ( 6__6) I  remember the hotel was Ibis. So , any one from France who gets to read this, can you please tell me what town this is?  It’s a small, charming postcard pretty town, and the street sign here says , Limoges Chateuroux, Bessac, CHU de Poitiers.  Could it be  Poitiers, France?  I’m not sure.

DSCN1764.DSCN1755

.DSCN1757

.DSCN1756

.DSCN1758

DSCN1759.DSCN1760

.The ubiquitous Chinese restaurant

DSCN1745

.DSCN1746

DSCN1761.The photo is blurry…. posted this  just to show you  we had coffee at the public square or esplanade.

There was no guided tour of the town. We just walked around  within the vicinity of the hotel,  had coffee and cakes and  people watched.

DSCN1750

Our  dinner at the hotel….  an entree of chevre ( goat cheese ) on toast and veggie salad

DSCN1751

.Turkey meat with delicious gravy…..

DSCN1754

DSCN1752

.Bon appetit !

Well, this is it for now.  Amboise and Bordeux, France are next.

Bonne journee.  La paix.  Au revoir.

8 Mar

My Euro Travel Pt. 19, Burgos/Bilbao, Spain

Posted by renxkyoko in Bilbao Spain, Burgos Spain, European travel, European trip, my life, Random thoughts, Spain, The Vatican. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Hola ! Renxkyoko Iglesias  aqui.

00000003

This is my 19th  travel post, and maybe the 3rd to the last.  I really  need to get this done quick  because I’m starting to lose the memories. All I have left now are impressions.

By way of introduction, let me write down my random thoughts… as  usual..

* sips coffee*

The abdication of the Pope…….  I’m a Roman Catholic,  so it’s a given I should be  interested in what’s going on at the Vatican. To be honest , I’m not  interested  at all. What I’m really, really concerned about    is  the abysmally  low number of  young men  who  have  the calling for  priesthood.  The average age of priests  now is 65,  and when they retire , there’s no  guarantee there’s a priest who will take-over  the position.  There are even Catholic parishes here in the US where Episcopal priests have been tasked to ” say ” the Mass in the absence of a parish priest. Why Episcopal , you ask.  Well, the Episcopalian Church is  Protestant, yet Catholic.  It was actually once called The American Catholic Church, and it’s Preamble states  “ it’s a constituent member of the Anglican Communion,  a Fellowship within the One, Holy, Catholic Church….”

It’s a no brainer to  know the one reason why men don’t enter the priesthood….. the vow of celibacy.  It’s almost unnatural to  suppress the primal animal instict to mate, most especially with men. So, as a member of the Church, do I approve of  married priests ?  I’m a tree hugging, bleeding heart social  liberal, but I’m not a solid , hard core one.  Some of my views are, in fact,  pretty conservative,  and that includes my view on celibacy.  I don’t know.  Don’t hate me, but I think I would  cringe at the thought of  a married  priest saying  Mass in front  of me just had a blow job or kinky sex  a few hours  before . * Ren, you pervert, perish the thought! *  So, what’s the solution?  Ordain women into priesthood. I think women can withstand life without sex .

By the way, the ” bad” priests are pedophiles , not gay or straight priests,  except that Cardinal from England who had to resign … he had made numerous compromising overtures to  adult seminarians….  * shakes head *   The Catholic hierarchy should not cover up the crimes of these pedophiles.  Sick bastards…. the pedophiles, I mean.  This is just my opinion, at the moment.

Oh, wait…… I’d like to tell you something. My mother has a relative who is  an ex-priest.  It was the Pope who ordained him when the Pope went to the Philippines  years and years ago.  He became a parish priest, but then, the parish had a beautiful secretary.  They fell in love.  He left the priesthood and married the girl…. and  now have 4  children .  Lucky girl. I wish I could find an ex – monk. * sigh *

Now on to Burgos and Bilbao, Spain.

Burgos and Bilbao were our last stops in Spain. Both are located  in the northern parrt of Spain. Bilbao is the capital of the province of Bilbao , and the autonomous region of the Basque country.

DSCN1695 DSCN1696

.Above 2 photos were taken from the hotel. In case you haven’t noticed it, all the buildings  are colored orange. The only one with a different color, red, is McDonald’s. This is the newer part of Bilbao. Bilbao is a nice place but it’s not a popular tourist destination. Funny thing though, Bilbao is  popular in our household.  Mom always adds Chorizo de Bilbao to her Philippine dishes., such as Cocido, Pochero, spaghetti  and  all sorts of soups and stews.

0085396084490

.I wonder what they call this in Bilbao….. just Chorizo?  They don’t make this in Bilbao, though. It ‘s a Philippine  sausage  concocted by some guy from Bilbao. He he … well, that’s true.

DSCN1673

.Above photo is the Guggenheim Museum. The building was designed by American Frank Gehry and is made of glass, stone and titanium. We didn’t get to see what was  in there. We had lunch and just walked around  the vicinity .

DSCN1675

DSCN1671.DSCN1674

.There’s one  important thing about Bilbao and the Basque region.. It is an autonomous region of Spain… kind of separate but equal  thing ……. giving an autonomous status to a place is actually the next step to independence, but of course, the Spanish government won’t allow that.  Majority of the   Basque people though vehemently  want  independence……. that leads  some to engage in ” terroristic” “activities. Calling it terrorism  depends on whose side you’re on, of course.  And people there don’t want to be called Spaniards and  to refer to the Basque region as Spain.  (  like Barcelona ). In fact, we saw a loooong line of cars waiting to be inspected at the border between Spain and France.

DSCN1686DSCN1691

.Dinner at the hotel

On to Burgos…..

Burgos is in the n0rthern part of Spain, and is the capital of Castille.  Burgos has  a lot of medieval structures  that are well preserved.  Burgos though is noted for it’s number one  inhabitant …. EL CID, the National  Hero of Spain.  His war exploits , and his victories were legendary.  Please  google him.  Oh, and there was an old movie about El Cid, starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.

Below is the statue of El Cid. Actually , it was the Moors  who called him  that name, from Arabic wotd Seid, meaning  ” lord”.

DSCN1650

DSCN1636

Oh, that’s Ruben, our tour manager.

DSCN1637

.DSCN1635

.DSCN1638

.The Burgos Cathedral , built in 1221, and is a Unesco World Heritage site.  Gothic style architecture.

Picture below is from Wikipedia.

800px-Catedral_de_Burgos_II

DSCN1639.DSCN1642

.DSCN1643

DSCN1645

.DSCN1653

DSCN1648.DSCN1654

.800px-Castillo_de_burgos_exteriores

This  castle  was built in 840 AD.

That’s it for Bilbao and Burgos. To be honest, I felt   more history vibes  in Burgos  than in Bilbao.  Oh, and I got to eat Spain’s famous blood sausage,  Burgos Morcilla.  I liked it better than the one I had in London. Also, I did write before that one of my favorite Philippine dishes was  a blood dish too.  It’s an acquired taste, folks.

I think I missed one place in Spain. The problem is, I have no idea  where that is…. there’s a bunch of photos  in the folder, and I’m sure they’re from  another place in Spain.  I’m so lame. I really need to hurry up and get this done.  I’m even forgetting the names of places I’ve been to. Yikes !

I guess I’ll just post the photos  on my next post, which is France.

This is all for now. Good day, and stay cool. PEACE !

.

14 Dec

Ooooops ! !

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

Hello !

I feel a bit down that some readers didn’t take well my last post on Monaco .  I know why, and  I guess, I agree with them.  I don’t know if I will have to take out the rest of our night out photos  at Monte Carlo. Those are the only pictures I have of the place, all with me in it, cleavage and all.  Sorry. Aaaaargh .  * runs off*

maybe just the street signs….. * walks off , head hanging down*

Later.

pkanchigai_musume_to_buchigire_ouji_story4_018

h3_school_v01_c03_p03

.moe_kare_v01_c01_condensation_moe_kare_v01c01_018

.

28 Aug

My European Trip Part 5 ,Venice, Italy

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

Hello, there ! !

This is Part 5 of  my European Trip.  ITALY !   Italy was definitely  a major destination. So, far, we ‘ve  stayed just 2 days in each country  ( England, Germany, Switzerland,  Holland, and one day in Belgium ) , but Italy was full 6 days.  I don’t know what that implies….. not that Italy  is  more beautiful or better  than the other countries we’ve already visited. . Not at all.  The reason is obviously the richness of Italy’s history that we can still see and appreciate to this day, from the ancient Roman Forum  and Coloseum to Medieval structures and  breathtaking architecture of  churches. Meanwhile……

The  scenery  from Switzerland  to Italy  was just  as  wonderful . We travelled  into mountain ranges  through numerous tunnels  that opened into more  breath-taking Alpine scenery as we descended from the cold  mountains to sunny Italy.  The change in topography  was even more stunning,   from undulating hills and  high mountain ranges of Switzerland to  beautiful valleys and green flatlands of Italy.

.I’m not sure but I think those are olive trees.

We arrived  in Venice  late afternoon, and checked in at Novotel Hotel,  but to be honest, I’m not sure about the timeline anymore. I go by the dresses I wear  in the pictures, but  they don’t coincide with the timeline.  Oh, well, it doesn’t matter, does it?  I guess I wore the same dress  in Venice and in Lugano/Florence.  O_O ”  Anyway,  we joined the Optional  Tour Venetian Night Out  + Dinner the night we arrived in Venice.  It was 65 Euro per person. (  $ 85 ).  The Venice that we know of and  are familiar with  is comprised of several small islands ( about a hundred ), the most famous of which is where the famous Piazza San Marco is situated.  Venice  is the only  car-less place in the world, and is also on the list of Living World Heritage.

.All dressed up and ready to go to dinner.

.We rode a ferry to go to the main island of San Marco.

.

.

..

.

Now on terra firma. The guy in black pants and shirt was our tour director. ” Ruben, wait up ! ”

.That is Piazza San Marco ( St. Mark’s Square ). The buildings on the left  are the Doge Palace, and  the side entrance of St. Mark’s Basilica .

.That’s the building across from Doge Palace.  We had  coffee and pastries at the outdoor cafe the next day.

Basilica San Marco

.

.

Ugh ! I  just noticed I have only one style of posing.  Legs close together, one straight, and the other just a little bent at the knees.  What the heck ! Hahaha ! ” What’s up with the pose, Ren? ”  It’s too girly.   Next time I pose for a picture, I’ll rearrange myself and pose like this……..

.Architectural details

.That ‘s a really narrow street, isn’t it ? All the streets in Venice are that narrow.  The pic above is the street of the restaurant  where we had dinner.

That’s where we had dinner… Ristorante Antico Pignolu

.Moi, cousin, Thalin, and aunt… mom was taking the picture.

.Shrimp Alfredo

. Goat cheese

.

Steak that was a bit chewy

.Dessert was teramisu, then coffee after.  The steak was a disapoointment, but over-all , dinner was good. There were 3 bottles of wine on the table , and guess what, we drank the wine like it was water….  My aunt just had half a glass, so that was pretty much  like one bottle per person, lol.   I was careful not to fall into the water  as we boarded the ferry to take us back to the hotel.  We were happily tipsy. Thumbs up, Venice !

.The following day was  another tour of Venice for everyone. But, there was another Optional tour that we got…… GONDOLA SERENADE ! 40 Euro ( $52 ) By the way, I’ve been talking about Optional tours from the beginning, but have you ever wondered what the others who didn’t join were doing while the rest of us were on special tours?  For this one, the rest just  toured around on solid ground… maybe they enjoyed it more, I don’t know.  Well, we experienced that too in Switzerland.  While those who joined had fine typical Swiss dinner , we bought ours at the convenience store and hang out at the hotel’s outdoor cafe.

Anyways,  I expected the gondolier to sing a familiar Italian song,  * sings * “ O, Sole mio, la la la ….. ”  , but he didn’t sing that.  His booming voice  echoed through the narrow canals, and I wonder what the residents are thinking  everytime they hear a gondolier singing as he passes by… ” Damn tourists. ”

Boarding  area

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.Oh, hi there, Paolo ! * waves and makes a V sign *

After the fun gondola ride, we went   to a glass  factory to watch a demo  on glass – blowing.   .  They also sell expensive glass stuff there. I bought a pair of  earrings for  32 E, the least expensive item on display.  Just like in Amsterdam at a diamond factory, I think we were brought there to shop. One of our group ( she’s from the Philippines too but lives in Australia ) bought an 800 Euro  (  $ 1,025 ) glass jar, free shipping to Australia.  She and my mom have become good buddies during the trip.

.To be honest, that was quite a boring activity.  My father went to a glass blowing factory in Murano, which he says is the more famous site than the one in Venice. I don’t think so. I think Venitian glass is more well-known. He brought home a Murano glass unicorn, with the etched signature of the maker.  My mother tells me I broke a lot of stuff  when I was a kid, including that unicorn. ( ^_^)”

We had pizza for lunch, the first of so many pizzas that we consumed in Italy.  Pizzarias  were everywhere, and pastas too, so much , it made  me wonder if these were the only foods Italians eat. It got me  climbing the walls by third day and dreaming of  barbecued baby back ribs, sushi  and mushu pork.

.I did say I was going to compare American pizza and pasta with authentic Italian , didn’t I ?  I hope my Italian readers won’t get offended .( I do have quite a few readers from Italy ), but , to be honest, the pizzas and pastas here in the US are so much better.  Chicago deep dish pizza, anyone?  Of course , each to his her own taste. But compare the pizza I’m eating in the photo to this ——->

“ Go to Wal-Mart , Ren, and check out the frozen pizzas  section there. I assure you, they taste better. And  I recommend DiGiorno. ”  \(^__^)/

Awwww, my cousin is sooo cute !

.My outfit  * smiles *  ….. White hat with polka dot trimmings, wide sunglasses, long dress…. for some reason, it reminds me of what  1950’s  Audrey Hepburn  type  ladies wore strolling on the scenic promenades  of  C’ote d’ Azur. I don’t know what I was thinking when I wore that. * whispers*  By the way, one of my tourmates was actually nursing a broken heart when she joined the tour. Her boyfriend , who was supposed to go with her on this tour, dumped her 2 weeks before the scheduled departure. I don’t know which is more preferable, getting dumped before , or after.  It would suck, either way.  Aaaargh, as far as men go, deal with them tongue in cheek.   Oh, but I digress.

.

.Above 2 photos are the entrances to the museum, I think.

Awesome architectural details…… It’s a pity we don’t do this stuff anymore. Modern sculpture is pure cr*p . What’s up with those pieces 0f iron welded together into an unrecognizable form and then call that art ?  I don’t appreciate what I don’t understamd. And,  there’s a reason why millions of people  travel across the  world to see Michaelangelo’s Pieta and David.

Do you know there’s no place in Venice where one can sit and rest, unless  you go to a restaurant and order something to eat ?

.

Sorry  if I bored you with the tons of photos I posted here.  But I hope you’ll stay with me ’til the end of my tour. We ‘ve been to so many places in Italy. Florence, Assissi, Lugano, Rome, Verona, and The Vatican.

This is all for now. Good day and PEACE.

4 Aug

European Trip, Part 3, AMSTERDAM, GERMANY

Posted by renxkyoko in European travel, European trip, my life. Tagged: , , , , , .

Hi ! It’s me , Ren. Are you bored yet ?  Please don’t get bored, I beg you, coz there are more to come !  ( After all, it was a 27 – day tour ! )

One thing, I used up 3 memory cards and  got a few shots from my cell phone, which I didn’t get to use much, by the way.  I also brought some trusty disposable cameras, just in case.  In fact, I dropped my camera one time, and I thought it was a goner. Luckily, I could still use it, thank goodness.

So, anyway, I said i’d post a few more photos of Amsterdam.

.Central Station area.

.More of the Red Light District. Normally, there are a lot of people on the street, but that was taken at 11 PM. In fact, we almost missed the last bus at 12 midnight.

.A beautiful structure along Amsterdam’s canals.

 .

.Eh. I can’t resist showing these rocks.  Well, ladies, there’s the price.  1 Euro – $ 1.28. The rate varies everyday and Gassan is the name of the diamond center. Do you see that 35, 705 Euro ring ? (  ~ $ 47,000 ) To be honest  even if I had that much money to throw away, I wouldn’t buy that. These rocks are earth-made…… can be man-made, too, given the right temperature. I’d opt for gold.  I mean, gold originated  from nova – explosion. The rare element travelled  thru the wide expanse of the universe and settled on this planet.  Talk about rare.  Just the same, I ‘d like to have the pair of earrings shown above, please. And the ring, too.    ” Give me a ring… and I don’t mean  the  phone …. the one from Tifanny’s. ”   *hug*                ( >*v* > )

Diamond earrings  and a ring,  dream on, Ren ! I couldn’t even afford to buy the combo meal for  5,50 E.   I got just the frites  without the Coke for 3, 85 E .  I needed all the Euro I could save for other things.  Oh, and guess what, see the fries on the menu board? It’s supposed to come with sauce. . But we were given frites without it , and I was like,  eh,  ? Well,  I had to pay .65 E extra.   >.<

.Do you know how pitiful we were ? I had to share the fries with my cousin. That was our lunch.

.I can’t  say  “finis ” to Amsterdam without showing you a typical Dutch windmill.

.I don’t know if I heard it right, but the tour guide said that could be  the last of the windmill that is still in use.  She could be right because the photo below  shows  the typical landscape  we now see all over Europe.

Not a thing of beauty but still  a good thing. People have to harness wind power,  a resource  that is inexhaustible and free.

Above is what we saw  travelling from Amsterdam to Germany. These little pockets of villages that dot the landscape  are so postcard pretty. The real thing is  more beautiful than the photo. It really is stunning.

I just realized I have very few pics of  Germany.   Well, maybe because we stayed there for just one day. We did stay there overnight, though,  in the  city called Bruehl. It is about a few kilometres from Cologne and is also located within so-called Rhineland.   We didn’t see much of the town, actually, though from there, we took  the ” OPTIONAL ” Rhine River cruise, where we saw the famous Lorelei rock.  So, okay, here’s something about OPTIONAL tours……… These are tours that  are  not included in the package.  We had to pay  extra to join one.  28 Euro each for this cruise. . So, future travellers, caveat emptor . Always check out the details….. and bring plenty of cash and at least 3 credit cards.  American Express is the best, but some small stores do not accept AE……. Mastercard is alright, it’s accepted everywhere , but, this credit card company will automatically shut off your card use when it suspects there are unusual transactions from far-away lands.  So use the 3rd card , or pay cash.

.

.

.

.After the Rhine River cruise was Heildelberg, Germany. It is famous for its university, the University of  Heidelberg.  The city is beautiful. What else can I say? It’s like a fairy tale land.  Oh, wait, something else….. I googled Heidelberg  and was surprised that its No. 1 notable inhabitant is Jose Rizal, who happens to be the Philippines’ National Hero.  He lived there for a long time, and that was where he wrote his books, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and with the help of his German friends, had them published and printed, and smuggled into the Philippines in the 1800s.  Noli Me Tangere ( Touch Me Not ) is actually a tragic love story, but it not only tells the story of the 2 lovers…. it  depicts more  the terrible  social conditions  of the Filipinos under Spain.  This book brought down almost 400 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines.  There are several parks and streets named after him and there’s a  statue of Jose Rizal in  a Heidelberg park  and the house where he lived has been preserved.

As always, I digress.

.That’s the City Hall.  I went in there to use the toilet, ha ha ha. ( Marked my territory )

.

.We had a quick lunch of  pastries and sandwich  and a Coke.  I never really had a decent lunch since the start of the tour ( except in London , our ” free” time ).  There just wasn’t enough time to go to a restaurant and  have a decent meal.  That’s the disadvantage of going on a group tour. Everything is regimented .  We stop at a place to see the sights, and we’re given just 3 hours to do that. We don’t want to waste our time seated waiting for food. We want to see as much  within  the time alloted.  So, we buy something, and go , walking and  eating at the same time.

.

,

.So, that’s it for Germany.

My father said he didn’t get to see these places when he was in Germany. Well, it’s because he didn’t join a tour, and confined himself to cities.  Munich , he said, is very, very modern.  Yes, it would be nice to see that too, of course, but I would prefer to see  places that are completely different from any other modern city in the world. That said, there’s one thing I noticed about  the beauty of Europe…… it’s man- made……… the architectural designs of buildings and churches took my breath away .  Europe is, indeed,  stunningly beautiful.

Alright, this is all for now. Next is Switzerland.

Good day and PEACE.

9 Apr

Tagged 4 and random musings

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

Hello, again. Renxkyoko Iglesias here.

Okay. I can’t believe  the first  2 sentences above have been in my draft for 2  days already. Good thing I’m getting tagged. The questions  save me from having no topic to talk about at all. But then, I don’t always have any specific topic, anyway. I write down what I’m thinking at the moment,  which is some kind of a chopsuey of  anything that comes to mind. So I  need to thank you, readers, for patiently reading my crap.

So, first off…..my responses to 35andupcynicismonhold‘s questions:

1. Describe that one classmate from high school that you cannot forget.

Oh, my gosh ! A walk down memory lane, revisiting old hurts ?  Now, how do I describe her…. lemme think………SHE’S AN UGLY BITCH WITH AN UGLY HEART ! SHE BETRAYED ME ! ! !

2. What is your least liked task at home/in the house. Why?

Cleaning the toilet… Why ? Coz it’s the toilet ? Coz that ‘s where people do their smelly business ?

3. Would you rather take care of plants or animals (pets)? Why?

Plants……. What can I say? They are beautiful. ( although we have a dog that we love so much )

4. What is that song that you remember because it has been your mother’s or father’s favorite?

My father’s favorite, dedicated to Mom.    This  was their wedding song and this will be my Wedding Song, too ! !  Ladies, listen to the lyrics ( and  wonderful melody ) .  I wish, one day, a guy would tell me the same thing.

bfoNGekrv3I

5. What was the last movie that really let you down? Why?

Eragon, from the book Eragon. It was the worst adaptation so far. Even the author got depressed.

6. Which part of your body you always say could use change or improvement but never got around to (doing)?

None. I’m not saying I’m perfect, hahaha….. Unless I do a Michael Jackson… Oh, wait, I hope to go  from Cup B to  Cup D, bahahaha ! 

7. What is that one trick/joke/antic that your friends constantly pull on you? What is your usual reaction?

Uhmmm….

8. When your family members tease you, what is it usually about? How do you get back? ^^

I don’t get teased… I get pressured to do the best   I can.  Ever heard of Asian Tiger Moms?  This has also become a problem of most young Asians here in the US. ….too much pressure. Geez, I even got pressured to unlike a guy coz he didn’t make the grade. And I gave in. I know , I was horrible. I sucked, big time. I talked about that here.  

9. Are you a person of strong political opinions? Why or why not?

I think I’m highly politicized so much so that  I won’t get together with a guy whose  strong political opinion is completely opposite to mine. Too stressful.

10. Creativity or popularity? What are your chances of achieving it in the next five(5) years (in a scale of 1 to 10). State your reason in maximum of five sentences.

I prefer Creativity but there’s   snowball’s chance in hell  I can achieve that in 5 years/

Popularity in the entertainment business?  I think that’s doable. Not here in the US though. Maybe I’ll go to Asia and try my hand at becoming an idol, like my K-pop idols. Muahahah ! Now, don’t roll your eyes, smirk and snicker behind my back, my friend, coz some person actually approached and tried to recruit me right  after my 15 minutes of fame at a concert with Jason Derulo. I ‘ve kept the business card.  And I actually  seriously  thought  about this ….. well, just for a while. ~.^  I’m dreaming I’m the ” star ” there on the stage. (That’s me on the stage. ) Problem is, I don’t know how to sing. (^____^) #   Oh, and sorry for recycling this photo. LOL

11. Which do you think is promoted more by blogging – alignment of people with similar interests or tolerance among people with varying lives, opinions and beliefs? Why?

I have no idea why people read my blog, to be honest. There’s nothing to learn from me, lol. I do tend to align with bloggers whose  beliefs are similar to mine.

I have another set of questions from jishifruit that I need to answer, but  I’ll save that for later.

I wrote about our relatives from the Philippines ( husband and wife, and their 3 kids, aged 7, 12 and 14 )  who are coming over to the US for a visit. They’ll be here on May 2 and will be staying with us for 2 weeks.  So, like any other family that are going to host guests, we started preparing the house for their visit….. clean the garden, shampoo  the rugs,  change the curtains,  etc. Mom and I broke our backs weeding, and making the garden nice and pretty.  Well, we all know how gardens look during winter… everything is brown and dead, but spring is here, and flowers have started to sprout…… so pretty ! And  Mom and I are so very eager to show them off.

The photos above were taken last week. Then Friday, Dad came home early with a friend. He decided on his own to “repair” the concrete pathway  with his friend, and there and then started digging up the roots off the  front lawn and jackhammered the concrete pathway.  Sunday, today, this is what our front garden looks like….. several days of back breaking hard work gone to waste.

Darn it , Dad ! Why now ?  Just 3 weeks before they  arrive and you mess it up ?  Do you expect the lawn to grow nicely in 3 weeks ?  And he isn’t supposed to spend so much before we leave for Europe in June.

Oh, about our European tour…. I talked about that here 8 months ago. Now it’s less than 2 1/2 months to go. We leave on June 16. It’s a one month pre-paid guided tour of 9 countries… England, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Monaco.  I’m going with my mother, my 13 year old cuzin, and my aunt. My aunt will be coming from the Philippines and we’ll meet up with her in London, where the tour starts.  I’m starting to get excited now. , not so much 8 months ago when we signed up for the tour.  Hey, do I have a   reader from any of these countries? How’s the weather out there from June to July ? We are only allowed one luggage each, so we really need to choose our clothes carefully. It will be mostly bus tour. The bus can accomodate only one luggage per person.

Well, this is all for now.  So, have a good day, be nice, and PEACE ! !

26 Feb

All About Nothing, as usual….

Posted by renxkyoko in my life, Random thoughts, relationships, Versatile Blogger Award. Tagged: , , , , , .

Hello ! I’m here again, musing.

Eleven days have passed since my last post. I really wish I could write more often, but, there’s really nothing to talk about. So okay, I say this all the time and I end up writing more than 1000 words, lol. My brain is like a jet taking off, from zero to lightning speed. I guess this is the way I am. Well,  I’ m just hoping for a modicum of  coherency here.  But I’m sure you’re all smart enough to make sense of what I’m blabbering  about, which is all about nothing, to be honest.

On my previous post Versatile Blogger Award, Part 2, Thank You, I managed to list down 8 nominees. I want to add 7 more for the required 15 nominees, but I’m simply overwhelmed  by the sheer number of good bloggers.  I cannot choose anymore. So, I won’t. I stop at 8.  But of course I have to acknowledge 4 more who nominated me for Versatile Blogger , my 13th and 14 th, namely Undreamt Terrain and Arindam. and my 2nd Liebster Award from trjensen. I got another award from Rebecca Dawn, but couldn’t find the link , so I don’t  really know what she nominated me for, lol. Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it.

I posted something about my major relationship problem on  HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY. I left my story with a sort of  cliffhanger, didn’ I? So, did I have a Valentine date ? Yes, I got invited…. to an early dinner at an Italian family restaurant… Olive Garden. Well,  we both had exams the next day.  So, did he confess ? No. It’s a good tactic, though. No confession, no rejection.  I’m relieved coz I really need to deal with these issues first.

And he gave me these.

Why do guys always think girls like stuffed toys and chocolates ?  Cuddly and cute though, but my li’l cuzin got the chocolates.  I had a hard time shedding off 4 lbs of excess fat I piled up from my eating spree during the holidays.

Oh, pls . read from right to left.

Topiclessbar  says I should chillax. So, okay,  I’ll try to erase inappropriate stuff from my thoughts. Maybe, I’m really indulging in mental voyeurism. Or maybe I’m just a pervert. lol Or a masochist.  In this day and age, being a purist is a losing proposition. We have to be realistic , otherwise……..

 

Speaking of valentine dates,  my sister  and her boyfriend  had an odd one. His grandma came here to our city from San Diego for a visit and stayed at the house of his uncle. ( His father’s brother ) So sis went with the boyfriend to meet the grandma, at a family gathering, for the first time, on Valentine’s Day.   Sis was shocked to see a big German flag and a small Confederate flag at his uncle’s house. Although everyone was nice to sis, she couldn;t wait to leave the heck out of there, especially  after  his uncle showed my sister his Third Reich coin collection ! ! ! Sis freaked out and beat the crap out of her BF  coz  he didn’t  warn her about his American Nazi uncle. WTH was that all about ?   * cringe*

While I’m at it……. my brother also had a valentine’s date with his GF.  They had dinner too. It was my Mom’s turn to freak out when she found out dinner with his GF was like $ 110.oo per person. Ahahaha ! What  was the dinner, we wondered….. Russian Beluga for aparetif and Kopi Luwak for the afters ? Well, it was his first with the GF, so I understand.  You know, my brother’s GF was a former model , and was a contender at Tyra Banks modelling TV show  3 years ago. She didn’t win. I haven’t seen her but bro says she’s prettier than a Hollywood actress. My sister has seen her and says she is indeed gorgeous… tall, blond, green eyed. And most importantly, not a bimbo. She actually teaches Environment something at UCLA and owns her own design company. When she joined the modelling contest on Tyra Banks’, she told them she worked as a bartender, lol.  Btw, bro and her have been roommates  for 2 years. She owns the apartment he’s been living in in San Francisco.  It’s still a mystery to us how he managed to hook her. My brother is a geek , a hardcore gamer,  ( even goes to video game conventions with his friends ), wears glasses,  etc. * scratches head *  .  My brother’s co- workers were stunned when he brought her to the office party and was introduced as his GF.  Weird. Aaargh, I don’t like her taste in guys then. Muahahaha !

Oh, gosh,  a customer at BCBG said I looked like that cheerleader on Glee, Naya Rivera. This was the 3rd time someone told me that. The first was a reader here on WordPress, second was at a party, and then , today, at work.  Hmmmm, I don’t know… maybe… I have  pics that look like her, I guess.  The one in aqua is me..

Naya Rivera

Me, Ren….. hmmm, do I look like her ? Don’t think so. But THANK YOU VERY MUCH ! 

I just received Vol. 1 Box set of Hana Yori Dango  ( Boys Over Flowers ) that I ordered from Amazon.  It’s a Korean drama, a one year TV series there, I think. I texted my brother to buy me Vol. 2 at Japantown in San Francisco, but he didn’t buy it. Too expensive, he said ( $ 70 ). Stingy !  He said he’d buy me the dvd if I’d do his laundry for 2 months and wash his car.  Sold ! ! ( He comes home 2x a month. No problem )

By the way, the courses I’m taking now are  Biology, Chemistry, Molecular Cell, and guess what, Criminal Justice. I don’t really need CJ, but I didn’t want to waste my full tuition fees.. I pay the same amount whether my courses are 7 units or 20. Above 6 units is flat rate(  $ 4, 500 a semester ) . It’s cheap, actually, compared to other universities. Mine is a state uni.   All my classmates in C J are going to be policemen, I presume. The main character in CSI ( TV show ) is a microbiologist.  I’m thinking Forensics is a potential career I can go into, just in case.

Okay. This is all for now. I thought I could publish at least 3 this month. I guess not. Till next post then. Good day and PEACE !

3 Dec

Eh? I got nominated ? Why?

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

Hello ! Here  I am again! 

I was nominated for Versatile Blogger Award and Liebster Blogger Award !

But first, I have to qualify that…. I was just nominated, not awarded yet, but no matter, I’m happy ! Thank you, thank you !

But first, I have to follow some rules. I’m not sure  about this, but I think I saw my name in the  list of 2 bloggers’  posts  several weeks ago.   I didn’t know there were rules, though. I thought they were just shout-outs, and I appropriately commented on their blogs and thanked them . I didn’t know I had to do this stuff  ! The problem is, I can’t even remember who they were. I lost the links, too. Clueless Ren !

So, what am I supposed to do ? According to Becoming Bitter , I have to make a list of 15  sexy  bloggers, thank those who have nominated me, list down 7 random  facts about me ,  inform those I have nominated, and post the logo. I really have been nominated,  yes? I hope I haven’t misunderstood it. Hahaha !    So here goes…………. I’m spreading the love………..

So,  I would like to thank those who have put my name on their lists of  sexy bloggers ( Well, sexy  according to Becoming Bitter…… I accept the sexy thing  coz, uhm, I don’t think it’s because of my brilliant  acting, I mean, writing…..  whatever  …I’m on it ! !  )

1. Becoming Bitter

2. Zendictive

3. GianCarlo

4. Topiclessbar

5.The Rhymingmedstudent

6.laurenrantnrave

Now, about the 7 random facts about me….

1. I have a snake phobia. I can’t even look at pictures of snakes.

2. I liked Michael Jackson… still do.  I just bought his cd Off the Wall.

3. I like guys who wear glasses. Glasses make them vulnerable.

4.  I suck at sports.

5. I’m out of touch with current TV sitcoms…. haven’t even watched a single episode of Glee. I do watch the Military Channel, CNN, Food Channel, Travel, Science, and ID  for crime stories.

6. Guys who can cook , and , LOVE TO COOK  ( that’s important ) get 100 handsome points from me.  100 is perfect score. * whisper * 10 bonus points if  they’re brilliant at Quantum Physics and Integral Calculus.

7.  I’m officially a geek.

Now, for my 15 sexy bloggers….. this is most difficult because I like all  the bloggers that I follow. How about this……. I’ll  make special shout-outs for those who have already been nominated, and those who have nominated me, and others whom I like but SELDOM UPDATE, and those that I just like, period !  ( Some of them post in Philippine language )

1. The Undreamt Terrain

2.Mooselicker

3.POINTLESS PARANOIA

4.Brianitus

5.Counting Ducks

6.Regularteenageworld

7. Viv

8.Striving Cynic

9.The Hook

10. Going Againts the Current

11.LeeDevine

12. Couple-tastic

13. Koopa

14.micanonymous

15.Iambittersweet

Now, for the  Liebster Blog Award….

Liebster  is German for dearest or beloved. This award is given to “up and coming bloggers ” who have less than 200 followers. The same rules apply , except we get to nominate only 5 bloggers.

So, without further ado, I give my sweetest thanks  and love to the following awesome  bloggers :

1. Becoming bitter

2. Koopa

3. jeninesilos

For my nominees :

1. Pitch of dreams

2. Nobody Land

3.Rebecca Dawn

4. Kim

5. Travel with Jim James

For the shout-outs !  They are as awesome as the bloggers above, and I hope you’ll go and check them out . Oh, and I’ve got my own award for them too.

1. Lafemmeroar  —-for the funnies. She’s got a ton of  awards already. Check her out.

2. Rob , my  British online best friend , majalove, a Filipino student in Japan, and Billy, a Greek who loves photography.

3. Farah, a contemplative writer from Indonesia

4. The Tale of my Heart, an awardee already, and an avid reader of even my old, old posts ! Thank you, luv !

5. Annerifficweak, a blogger friend from the Philippines.

6. Yujin  ,  a member of a dance crew from Singapore

7. Kevin, ah, he’s my one and only designated blog buddy.

8. Scott Mitchell, an awardee, writes amazing poetry. ^.^

9.iamtonguencheek One thing, “tongue” is the only word in the English language that I always, always, always misspell !

10. Zoe@Pantry and Fridge, a Versatile awardee, a  foodie, with amazing pictures of the dishes that she has actually cooked !

This is not all . I’ve got a lot more , but writing this took me a good 2 days, checking  each link if I got it right,  and guys, I ‘ve got Final exams coming .  It’s crunch time.

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

« Older Entries