Posts Tagged ‘Versatile Blogger Award’

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 !

10 Feb

Happy Valentine’s Day

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

Hi !

It’s 12:35 AM, Feb. 7, I’m starting to write here, at the same time, watching a Charlie Rose interview with the Russian ambassador to the UN. Don’t worry, I’m not going to make a political comment. I think  my political rant on my previous post  had offended a few , so I’m lying low  this time, but I can’t promise I won’t say something  later .  As you very well know, I write down anything that comes to mind.  Have thoughts, will write.

It’s February, the month of  LOVE………I know I won’t be able to post another one just before Feb. 14, so may I greet you now  a ….

And a Valentine kiss from me and my  BFF……  I  altered the exposure, but the shadows above my lips ( that look like a moustache, aaaargh ! ) are still there.  Never mind. He he he……

Anyways……..

It’s LOVE month, so let’s talk about love, shall we ?

Isn’t that sweet ? The girl is sad that the guy is transferring to another school far away, starts to walk away, then guy pulls her back and kisses her. One of the best kissing image I’ve seen in a manga.

So, okay, I’m not an expert on  matters of the heart.  If you want to learn more, check out  Coupletastic ‘s blog. She gives  helpful tips on anything that concerns  LOVE.

As for me…. well,  I know I’m a pathetic  zero, but don’t count me out yet.  I’m not really  a total zero, y’know ?  There’s this guy who hasn’t given up , I guess. During the holidays and   last week, (  his birhday )I attended several parties with him. I was with him on New Year’s eve. I wrote about him before, and here’s what I wrote. I just copied and pasted it from my previous post. ……….

 “I had a classmate last year ,  a Filipino, too, whom I liked, and I was very sure he liked me too.  Even our classmates thought we had started dating. But then, one day, he told me, oh, so  casually , that  he used to live with his ex girlfriend. I don’t remember how that came up. …… Oh, I remember…..  our tenants were moving out, and I thought he was living alone in an apartment, so I asked him if he wanted to rent the house, and he could just get roommates, like our  current student tenants.  ( The house is located near the university.) And he said, “Oh, no, I live in a  house now with my cousins as roommates, and the house is owned by a relative. I used to live in an aprtment with my ex.”  I was dumbfounded and went into complete shock. Do you know how it was like? Icy chill crept from my head down to my toes. He was still speaking, but I couldn’t hear it… the sound seemed to come from far far away. In a second, I went into total  ignore mode. .  Good thing school was almost over.  “ sorry. It’s me. Can’t help it.  it’s not your fault. “

So yeah, that’s one of my major issues.  I’m not a prude, really. I know it happens, especially in this day and age, and so, I shouldn’t be looking for a guy who’s pure.  Otherwise, I’ll be looking forever. Right?  That sux.

This is the third time I’ve used the image above, but it’s  just so spot on. ( Btw, read it from right to left, the Japanese way ) Anyway,  that’s  really how I look everytime I imagine him with his ex. It really bothers me, big time. And I can’t stand that feeling. Someone told me I’m indulging in mental voyuerism, , like, imagining stuff, y’know ? But look at it from my point of view………. I think I really wouldn’t mind if he had an ex somewhere,….. I can accept the thought that most probably it was an intimate relationship, too. But the fact that he actually lived with his ex,  slept with her every night for goodness how long…… to me , that’s really, really hard to swallow. I do believe no man would ever forget a girl with whom he had that kind of relationship. It would bother me. It would trouble me. It would haunt me.  It wouldn’t be smooth- sailing for me. So, no.   It’s a pity coz he’s really a nice guy ( and cute too ).  ( But why did he and his ex break up anyway, if he was  such a  nice guy ? ? ? )  I just hope he stays friendly  and nice and not ignore me after the second rejection.

Ha ha ha… You know, he wears glasses, too.  Tee hee.  But there’s really no way.

I’m the one who has a problem, huh.  Oh, well. ……….. back to  romantic manga reading……..

I’m not reading manga as often as I want to. I only go to the websites ( Manga Fox, AnimeA , etc ) once a week  to check out new releases and chapters. There are stories that I’ve been following since 2007, and I’m elated that finally, a few of them are now completed, and some are about to finish. Finally !  * sigh of relief ”  I’m at the end of my tether,  there’s just too much drama going on, so much so that I have actually decided to drop some of them.  I’m also a weird reader coz I read spoilers. If I don’t like where the story is going, I drop it. So, yeah, I read the forum first to check out what the others are saying, and more often than not, I’m like, ”  Nooooo ! Really ? He cheated on the main girl  with his ex ? Nooooooo ! ! That doosh ! !  Where’s my rifle !!! ”    @___@  My heart can only take so much. They’re just so heart-wrenching.  Like, in  L-DK, one of my most favorite romance mangas….  On this chapter, the main guy rejects the heroine…….

I felt kind of moody for several days after reading this chapter.  LOL  I feel the pain, Aoi ! !  Well, I was rejected once……  I confessed and got rejected,  * sweats *. Man, it wasn’t pretty.  Here’s my post the day I was rejected………

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Posted June 28, 2010 by renxkyoko in Uncategorized. 2 Comments | Edit

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2 responses to this post.

  1. Posted by pHiO_cHaN on June 28, 2010 at 5:12 am  edit

    and this too! what entry is this? @___@

    Reply

  2. Posted by renxkyoko on June 28, 2010 at 5:54 am  edit

    (^__^)”;;  Don’t know.

    Reply

LOL ! Yeah, like that . Oh, by the way, that wasn’t on WordPress. All my posts though were transferred here on WordPress.  My original site was very cozy.  Only close friends could read the posts…. we read each others’ posts and wrote crazy comments. He he he   When I moved here on WordPress, I had to delete a lot of posts when I saw  some comments from people other than my friends’, and  I was like , ” Eh ?  Other people can read my posts?  No way ! ” Hahaha !

Anyways, the kissing image above is the best, but the sweetest kissing image is the one from Strobe Edge ( Gawd ! I love this manga ! ! ) . Check this out… Ren, the guy , is blushing. Awwwwww !

The ending that brought tears to my eyes, was the one from Rockin’ Heaven. The story is……  The main girl transfers  to a high school and there she meets Ren, ( LOL Ren again ! ) a nasty,  rich, spoiled student whose family owns the school.  She falls in love with him, and though he’s such a nasty guy, she doesn’t give up. Later, they go into a relationship , but, it’s so rocky. Ren has so  many issues and later breaks up with her. (  It’s  gut wrenching ).  The issues get resolved, they get together, and years after, they get married.  Ren becomes a teacher at their former high school ( which his family owns, hahaha ) and here’s the last 2 pages of the ending. \

I want some of that love ! !

I have followed  these series ( Strobe Edge , Rockin’ Heaven and L-DK ) for almost 3 years.  L-DK is not done yet, but I’m sure it’s going to end soon.  The main characters in LDK  have already resolved their issues, and are now living together …… the love rivals are gone, thank goodness, but then, here come the parents of Aoi, the main girl. Her father comes to Aoi’s apartment unannounced, and finds Shuusei living there….. then later finds a box of condoms in the drawer… he almost faints, lol…. it’s a hilarious chapter. Ah, I’ll miss LDK .  I don’t want it to end yet.

I suspect  romance mangas have blurred my vision of romance and love in real time.  I walk on Cloud 9.  * sweatdrops *

And while I’m at it……… The Wall Street Journal, wholly owned by right winger Murdock, grudgingly admits economy is looking up, rate of unemplyment has gone down to its lowest level compared to 4 years ago.  So what else can Pres. Obama’s  haters say to bring him down ? Ta Da !!!! Lo and behold ! * trumpets blaring, drums rolling * Some narrow – minded catholic bishops are now picking a fight with Obama regarding contraceptive pills. And the Repuglican politicians have latched onto it.  War on Freedom of religion ! Now it’s a religious war. Several years ago, Republicans ‘ war cry was , War on Christmas ” !  * sigh * Do these Catholic bishops know that almost 98 % of catholic women of child-bearing age  have used or are currently using  contraception in one form or another ?  My family’s Catholics, but I know for a fact that Mom used birth control pills to plan her pregnancy. , especially when she had a second child 11 months after the first one.  Geez. There are 365 nights of being lovey dovey with the husband.  It’s almost impossible, especially for young married couples, to hold back for fear of  yearly pregnancy.   And  it is unhealthy and risky to women’s health to be pregnant every year. To ban the pills is stupid, pardon me. What are they thinking?

* sigh *  The issues are getting ridiculous.

Anyway,

I’m supposed to finish  my Versatile Blogger  Award  on here. Fail.  Next time , okay ? I got 2 more from  Undreamt Terrain and Arindam, my 12th and 13th.

This is all for now. Good day to all and PEACE. ( Don’t hate my politics, ok? )

29 Jan

Versatile Blogger Award Part 2, Thank you ! !

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

Hi ! !

Great ! I managed to publish 3 posts this month.  ( Good job, Ren. * pats head  * ) . Well, school’s here again.  I have to work harder this semester. But then, that’s what I always promise myself  every beginning of semester. I guess my best efforts have plateaud.  Seriously, though, how else can I work harder than last year’s?   Like, don’t sleep anymore?  Four times a week I work up to 10 PM,  study up to the wee hours of the morning, ( friends/ bloggers  who see me online are not surprised  when they see me  at 3 AM, right , Rob?   We do our homeworks online, and we have to pay the website  to do them, can you believe that ?  We also take tests online, sometimes. I find that really weird. ) So, anyhow,  I do household chores, don’t date, don’t hang out….. ….. Ha ! I’m a freakin’ Mary Sue,  !. . So, what am I yapping about? I don’t know. I’m just frustrated. I tried  getting into a course that I desperately need the whole day today. There are 54 of us  waitlisted.  Do you know what happens if I don’t get this course ?  Alright, in a fantasy world, I should be graduating this semester, but in real world, if I don’t get this one?  I graduate next year, or the year next, or the year next, next, darn it.  Am I the only one with this school problem? Tell me, please ?  Misery l0ves company. Okay, I’m done ranting.

On a happier note………..

I recieved  more Versatile Blogger Awards… my 11 th.  I’m so happy and honoured , guys. Thank you.  I have already thanked Becoming Bitter, Topiclesbar, laurenrantnrave, twisteen, therhymingmedstudent, and  zendictive. I now have to follow the rules again. I’m not going though the motion, mind you. I really want to do this again.

I’d like to thank the following awesome bloggers who honoured me with the Versatile Blogger Award. Please check them out.

7. Koopa

8.Viv

9. trjensen

10. jeninesilos

11.willofheart

I’ve already posted 7 things about me here . Well, I  wrote there that I was a fan of Michael Jackson, and still am.  I bought 2 cds of him to play in my car, ( Off the Wall  and Bad ) and you know what , there’s a song in Bad that I really like, and I keep playing that, over and over again, just that one.  It’s the Spanish version of  I  Just Can’t Stop Loving You…… Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu.

Oh, and here’s MJ and me.

Kidding aside,  he was just a look – like.  Rest in peace, MJ. 

Anyways, I’m adding a few more ” about me “, if I may…….

1. I’m 80 % social liberal, believe it or not. I’m for gay marriage, partly pro-choice ( this is where  10 % of my conservatism comes in ) approves legalization of marijuana for medicinal purpose, a tree hugger, pro-gun control….. However , I don’t want to be called a  bleeding heart liberal .  Twenty percent of me calls for social responsibility and plain common sense values.

2.  My favorite colors are aquamarine and red.

3. I put choco syrup or Nesquick choco in my coffee. Both sugar-free.

4. I   dream of playing the violin in a full orchestra. But I  think I’m not good enough.

5. I find political shows more interesting and entertaining than regular Tv shows . I actually watched all the Republican debates. Ahahaha ! They’re killing each other.  What a bunch of …. never mind.  Alright, those on the other side of the political fence, don’t hate me. But one of  the  guys, Newt Gingrich, promises to establish an American colony  on the moon by 2020, and  with about 16,000 Americans up there, the colony can become a US state. He says this is going to happen if he becomes the President. ( He said this 2 days ago in Florida ) * Earth to Mr. Gringrich, hello, how would you like to solve some  problems here on our planet  first, like , poverty?  Or add more classes and teachers  *.  And all of them, most particularly Rick Santorum, want to ban The Pill, and condoms   * crickets *  Really ? What the heck .  .   Sorry. I hate to be political but I couldn’t resist.  I’m supposed to be writing ” about me”. lol

6.  If I could afford to buy a car, I’d buy a BMW.

7.  I want to have an online business, mostly for ladies’ accessories. I think I have a flair for fashion and stuff like that.

Well, I have nominated 15 bloggers already……. I’m  glad though that I can nominate a few more.  Please check out these bloggers.

1. DearLora    Very interesting ! It’s like Dear Abby.

2. Goneflyingakite

3. bunny teeth no more

4. theworldofwilma

5. PM

6. simpleek  if you’re a manga and anime fan, this is the blog for you

7.WordsFallFromMyEyes

8. belleofthecarnival

I’m allowed to nominate 7 more bloggers, but I think I’m stopping on the 8th and continue on  my next post.  Actually, I started writing on Jan.23. It’;s now the 28th and I’m not done yet.  There are just so many distractions. For instance, at this very moment, I’m watching , again, the Republican debate in Florida. I have to stop what I’m doing to  listen to them, more attentively,  this time. ………. Aaaargh ! ! I don’t know if I’m going to cry or laugh at the ludicrousness of their issues.  For instance……. Rick Santorum is accusing Mitt Romney of flipflopping regarding the health care issue. As Governor of Massachusets, Mitt Romney patterned his healthcare policy after Pres. Obama’s health care … and it was successful. 98% of the people in his state now have health insurance. Rick Santorum’s mouth is frothing over this fact. Do you know what he said ? ” It’s the Republican’s policy to change /repel/ take out so called Obamacare , so how can you, Gov. Romney , defeat Obama when you have actually used his Obamacare ?  It’s unacceptable  ! “, or something along this line.  What Santorum had failed to mention was that, Obamacare was successful  in Massachusets and THAT  was anathema to the Republican’s agenda of  taking Obama down at all cost, and if the country would  go  down with him, so be it. Party first, before country. Friggin’ idiots.   When Detroit automakers were about to go bankrupt, and Pres. Obama wanted to bail them out to save the icons of  US industry, the Republicans yelled in unison, ” Let Detroit Go Bankrupt. ! ! ”  Pres. Obama bailed them out , just the same, and now, the motor industry  and  thousands of jobs  have been saved,  and  guess what, GM now is the biggest – earning auto manufacturing company in the world.  Isn’t that the height of  irony?  Democrats aiding ailing corporations,  and corporate-loving Republicans wanting the opposite . Do you know why? I know why …. the Republicans want these icons  of America to go down under Obama’s watch, and  who cares what happens. Their objective is to make Obama a one – term President.  The rest of  those who would be affected  by their agenda  are  mere collateral damage.

 Eh. I better stop here before I offend anyone. 

Ah, here’s something that I found  from my archives. It was a word for word online chat with a friend from England ( not Rob ) that made me laugh for days… nay, weeks. I know you wouldn’t find it funny, and I don;t even  know why I did.  Maybe I have a weird sense of humour.

Friend: opens ya page and takes a gander in a few

Me: what does that mean?

Friend:gander to look at something

Me : What’s the origin of the phrase, why gander?

Friend: to stretch ya neck and gaze like a gander?

Me: how does a gander gaze?

Friend :  don’t know, like this  ??

      * stretches his neck and looks around *

Alright, this is all for now. 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 !

18 Dec

Foodie post and some random thoughts

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

Hello !

I’ve been neglecting my blog. (~.~) #   Well, not really….. I’ve been busy  studying for my final exams.  Also, this Fall semester is almost over.  Oh , in fact, I don’t have classes anymore.  I go to school for the tests.  I’m sure I’ll get an A in Physics, at least a B in Biology . My Chemisrty is the one I’m having problems with. But I won’t fail. If worse comes to worst, I get a C. That is ,  if   I failed the Finals, but I won’t.   A pretty dim prospect , I know, but that’s better than  F.

I’m so happy I got 1 more Versatile Blogger nomination , my 7th,  from Koopa. Thanks a bunch, Koopa !  I’d like to follow the rules once again. You see,  I left out so many info and people on my previous post, so , now I’ll take advantage of this nomination to acknowledge a few more awesome bloggers. But I’ll do this next time….. I just don’t have the time to reread and check out their posts.

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

Today, Thursday, Dec. 15 , is the start of my long vacation. It’s a combined  Christmas and semestral break. I go back to school last week of January.Also, I had already enrolled for Spring semester…. 2 Chemistry courses and 1 Biology. I was supposed to enroll in another Biology but it was ” closed” .  That’s the one and only class for this course, and seriously, this whacked schedule is  jeopardizing my future. Why , oh, why can’t the university open more classes. I mean, seriously, just one class for , I don’t know , maybe a hundred Biology majors?  Several days ago, over dinner, my family had a serious discussion about future job prospects .  My sister , who’s a microbiologist, and my brother, who’s a mechanical engineer,  already have   well-paying jobs… so that leaves me alone  with a quite uncertain future.  The discussion was all about me, and how I would cope in these uncertain times when rate of unemployment  is 9.2 %  for new graduates. We also discussed the rate of unemployment for graduates of other majors, such as Psychology, which happens to have one of the highest unemployment rate, even higher than say, Philosophy, surprisingly. However, for Nursing graduates, the unemployment rate is practically zero. I;m talking about RNs or Registered Nurses, not the ITT types who study nursing for 8 months, straight from high school, then call themselves nurses, as well.  My sister suggested I should also take  additional   courses that are needed to enter a nursing school, such as Anatomy ( Sis took that too ). However, the tuition fees are quite intimidating, something like $20,000 a year. My parents say whatever it takes… they’re going to help. I’m now like 90% sure I’ll enter a Nursing school after I finish Microbioloy….. neeed to cover all the bases, y’know?

I know this next topic is kind of stale now, but I still want to write about  this.. my Thanksgiving happenings. Well, we all know about Black Friday sale.  For those who don’t know, Black Friday is the mega sale following Thanksgiving Day and usually starts at 12 midnight. I was scheduled from 10 PM Thursday to 8″30 AM Friday. I left our house , together with my former manager at BCBG and co-worker ( they were our dinner guests) at 9 PM, after dinner. When we got there to open the store, there were already about 50 people waiting outside. When we opened at 10 PM, they  frantically rushed in. We later complained to the manager we couldn’t cope with just the four of us working. . She scheduled  4 people that day. Actually just 3 coz one of us ( me ) worked as the cashier. Thank goodness, shoplifting  was minimal. I didn’t come home empty- handed though. I pre-purchased a few stuff and put them on hold….. a pair of boots, a runway dress, a chic sweater, and a jacket I call  Diva jacket. (^__^)

Also, I promised  Zoe I’d post pictures of the dishes we had for dinner. So, Zoe, here they are:

Not shown in the pics are the chocolate cake I baked , the pulled pork my sister’s boyfriend cooked, and the embutido ( pork loaf ) and leche flan  that I cooked too. It was still in the fridge when I took the pics.

Lumpia or eggroll ( I cooked that) , green bean whatever ( my sister’s dish ) mashed poatato ( mine too )

Brownies, banana nut muffins ( I baked those ) , pumpkin poe and cheesecake ( bought at Costco )

Fruit salad,  chicken macaroni salad, ( I made these ) and chicken adobo ( Mom’s ). Do you see the brown juice in the pitcher? That’s boiled brown sugar with banana essence and tapioca ( sago) pearls. It tastes good.  Sister’s BF and non- Filipino guests loved it.  You can also see our bamboo placemats.

That’s beef Caldereta ( Mom’s dish ) and the turkey. Hmmm, not a good-looking turkey ( my sister’s ) but so far, it was the best tasting roast turkey we have ever had . There was no ” turkey” taste at all, it was melt in your mouth good  and very  juicy. The beef caldereta is just stewed beef , but different,  coz we add liver spread/pate to the dish

I don’t know what this is, it’s my sister’s dish, and it’s delicious and spicy.

The lasagne is in the pic, but I wasn’t able to get pics of the pulled pork ( my sister’s BF’s contribution… it was still cooking in the slow cooker when I took pics of the spread….. it was very delicious ! ) , the leche flan, the embutido and the chocolate cake that I baked/ with icing.

Embutido

Leche flan

That’s it. Our Thanksgiving Day dinner. We didn’t have much, actually, compared to last year’s and the years before that.

Oh, I almost forgot !  My sister, her Bf and I  and sis’ co-workers joined last night’s Santacon Crawl.  If you don’t know what that is, Google it. It was fun !  We  all dressed in Santa outfits, paraded down the streets of Downtown, bar hopping ( I was the designated driver…. I don’t drink ), and man, it was freezing cold…. about 30 F .. for Celsius users ( -1 C ) .

Here’s an image , taken in San Francisco. It’s like a flash mob type of mayhem and anarchy, with quite a few cops observing in the sidelines. I’m sure to go again next year…… and there’s also the Zombie Crawl , a Holloween event. We missed joining this year, but you bet we’ll be there next year.

This image is from a Denver event.

So, anyways,

What am I gonna do during the holidays ? I’ll do a lot of cooking and baking, work and earn some $$$$ ( better start saving for nursing school ), read Eragon, finish playing the video games  Resident Evil 5 and Persona 4,   Prince of Persia and Infamous. We have over 150 games in our collection.

So that’s it….. the rest of my boring, geeky  life. Maybe  I should start dating

, get a boyfriend,

and , as my BFF suggested , get laid. Ahahaha ! Just kidding !

This is all for now. Peace ! Oh and HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! Wooooh ! Vacation time !!!!!

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 !