Happy Valentine’s Day

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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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? )

Versatile Blogger Award Part 2, Thank you ! !

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.

 

Random inanities

Hello !

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And  that’s our Christmas meal, 2011 .

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! 2012 !!!!!

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 !

Foodie post and some random thoughts

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 !!!!!

Eh? I got nominated ? Why?

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 !

Serenade again and other random thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uhm, here are some random pics ….

Street at  my school.  I just love Fall colours !

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

 

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

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

Courtship and serenade

Hello, Renxkyoko Iglesias musing here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So…..

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

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

Dad——-> Sister———> son Don

Cathy <——- hearts ——–> Don

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited to include a pic of Philipine tradition of Serenade:

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

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

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

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

AOI SPICE and all things nice, and not so nice….

* Come  Ren, …… say hi *

I made it to  3 posts this October.  Yay ! I wasn’t really that busy this  past week, though I did pull at least 3 all nighters   for  Chem . and Physics.  Problem is,  I really  don’t have anything to talk about !……… Unless you want to read a blow by blow account of  what I did at work and at school. ?  No?  Right. I don’t think so.  * sigh * Anyways, I did go to a head banger concert last Friday with my sweet 13 year old cuz.  Gosh, I thought, is this the extent of my social life? Chaperoning  an 8th grader ?

Not only that, we had to pick up a  6 footer first year high school boy and I was like, ” You have a date? A high school boy ?  ” Oh, no, no , Tita, he’s just a friend who’s got  a ticket to the concert too, but he needs a ride. “  ” Whatever. How come you’re  friends with a HS kid. ?” ” We’ve been friends since last year yet. He went to [ insert name of middle school ], too .”   Hmmmm……….*ponders* …….   So, as expected, the concert was rowdy and loud, and fun. Yup, I enjoyed it. The concert started at 6 PM and ended at 11 PM . It took that long coz there were 6 bands that played. Oh, and also, one band singer got one  water bottle  , took a sip,  returned the cap, and threw it at the crowd. My cuz caught it, and I thought she’d keep it as a souvenir, but no, she drank from it , too and passed it on to the HS kid, who drank from it and passed it on and so on….. and I was like,  freakin’ hell !  ! What if  that singer had an infectious disease or something !  Yikes!

  Actually, I was supposed to go to a club that night too, with my college pals, but I couldn’t leave  the concert and the kids. My friends texted  me all night. ” Why aren’t you here yet? ” Are you coming over  or not? ” Not.   Well, we got home at 11:30. It was too late to go…. to a club, alone,  past 12 midnight.  So, I decided to just read a manga  . Pathetic.

Speaking of which, I just read a horrible manga, even more horrible than that one where the main character kills herself.  I read the ending first, and I was like, ” Oooooh, they are together “, so I didn’t bother to read the forum. Big mistake.  The “hero” of the story is a first class sadist and the “heroine ” is a masochist.  How bad is he ? Well, he doesn’t like the girl’s hairstyle, so he gets a pair of scissors and forcibly  cuts the girl’s hair. Just like that. Yeah, that bad.  What’s worse is that, while he professes deep love for the girl, he has been  banging  another girl! !  A manwhore !  What the ! ! !#$%^&*#$%^&* ! ! ! Freak !   What kind of a  love story is that ? It ‘s so twisted and perverted !  Geeezuz ! ” Excuse me for a sec , guys,  I think I’m gonna jump off a cliff. “

So, anyways,

It was already 2 AM when I finished reading. I was so upset by what I just read I almost  hurled my laptop across the room, or myself  againts the wall.  * ( There, there…..( pats head )….  It’s just a story, Ren.  You don’t have to be so emo about it. ” *) I  then decided to read another one  to erase the negative aura that enveloped me.  Never mind the time. I am, after all, the Goddess of Imsomniacs.  So, I rummaged through a list of  titles and found one . A gem  ! ! One of the loveliest, sweetest, fluffiest, cutest romance story I’ve ever read so far.  Just  a story between two people, without the angst and conflicts that usually accompany their journey to everlasting love.   The title is AOI SPICE.  This story proves that any  author can write a moving love story without  the main guy with a GF, or  still pining for his ex GF, ex- Gfs  and rivals bitching and getting in the way of the protagonists’ relationship, girls seducing the main guy and succeeding, main guy cheating, and all these cliches the writers throw our  way to spice up the stories. They’re so gut wrenching. But I guess it can’t be helped. We cannot  have cheese all the time, huh.

Here are some scenes of the ending story. By the way, Japanese comics are read from right to left. On these scenes, Ren , the main guy is holding his first ever concert. ( He is a singing idol, while Ageha, the main girl, is an ordinary student he has met at the park while  walking his dog.) Meanwhile, Ageha is already at the airport, leaving for England with her parents. She could have stayed behind , but due to misunderstandings, Ren lets her go. But before that, he deliberately hurts her feelings and breaks up with her. Also, his first ever album is titled Ageha, with all the songs composed by him. His last song at the concert is the song Ageha, but he is unable to sing it, and leaves his own concert to rush to the airport to see Ageha. There,  he professes his undying love, T.T…… Ageha leaves , just the same , with a promise to come back in 2 years. On the last 2 panels, you can see a small box with an engagement ring in it. And also, Ren has become more famous, but his love never wavers. The end. 

 

* misty eyes*  * sniffs*  ” Tissue, please. “  Well, that’s how a manga looks like, for those of you who don’t know what a manga is.

I got an email informing me that one reader ” LIKED” one post of mine.  I couldn’t remember that I even posted that… about a bargain Calvin Kline purse ? I blogged about that ? It was dated June , 2010, so I guess it was on Windows Live. All my posts there were transferred lock, stock and barrel to WordPress in October , 2010,  one year ago today.  I want to repost an excerpt of that one here, if I may. I feel nostalgic. Oh, and you know what, I ‘ve never used that purse, and I don’t know where it is. Maybe it’s in the attic.?

Exerpt :

{A four – hour work, no matter how short, was a welcome interruption from a truly , boring day. I got out of the house and interacted with fellow human beings, laughed heartily at my co-worker’s stupid jokes, and patiently dealt with rude customers. This was also the first time I enjoyed scooping ice cream, LOL.  After work, I lingered around, checked out the shoe store < Payless > nearby, ordered some ” fish and chips ” at this British restaurant, went into a video game store to ask how much I could get for my Persona 3 video game… $ 5.00….no, thank you, I’d rather give it away and earn some goodwill. Then, ooooh, a Thrift shop. I went in, checked out racks of old clothes < ha ha, I was just curious…. they could have come from some dead people’s wardrobe >, then , lo and behold, a Calvin Klein purse ! ! And only for a buck fifty ! !  It looked unused, pristine, and you bet I bought it ! ! Got myself a true bargain and that, my friends,  made my day.  * happy dance *  }

 

I love having the emoticons ! How can I get one here on WordPress?

Oh, it’s Holloween  today !  I like this holiday. This is the day where I can get in touch with my inner zombie.  I managed to watch 2 full zombie movies, Day of the Living Dead, and Dawn of the Dead on SyFy. ( and we have the complete Resident Evil series . This series rocks ! LOL ) Do yuo know Brad Pitt will star in a zombie movie? Wow, an A-lister ! Hahaha !  * ponders*  Zombies used to walk so slow people could run around them and chop off their heads, but modern zombies can outrun living people nowadays. If there were  zombies in real time, what would you do? What’s your weapon of choice to kill zombies?  He he he… I know, stupid questions. ( Not to me, though. I actually thought about such things. But that’s me )

 

Well, this is all for now. Good day to all, and I hope I didn’t bore you. Please come again and read me.  Be good, and PEACE !

 

JUST THINKING ALOUD

Hello ! Here I am again, Renxkyoko Iglesias,  thinking aloud.

Actually , my mind is blank, so I;ll just write      down anything that comes to mind …………      nothing new of course, coz if you’ve been reading my posts, you know they are  disorganized and kinda doped, lol.  So kindly bear with me, and let’s see where this goes.

So, I just read a manga ( Japanese comics for those who don’t know yet ) without reading the forum first. (  that’s to know   if it has a happy ending or a sad one, otherwise , I don’t read it). The genre was shojo/romance so I thought it was okay. Anyway, the story….. there’s this girl who has a boyfriend whom she knows is a player/playboy . She often sees him talking with a group of girls, and even more often with this one girl. ( At this point in the story, I wondered why she doesn’t confront him, instead of feeling and looking miserable the whole time ). So, it’s Feb. 14, and of course she has something to give to the guy, most probably homemade chocolates ( that’s what Japanese girls give to the guys they like ). There’s a scene there where the guy tells her to wait for him after school. And so, she waits and waits and waits, until she can’t wait anymore and she goes home.  While walking to the train station, she sees the guy with that girl entering a love hotel. She is shocked, cries like she has lost her mind ( Oh, God, I would , too, maybe , even worse, I’d go jump off a tall  buliding….. j/k ) , then  decides to wait for him at the train station where they always meet to go home.  Then she sees the guy ( it’s very late at night ) and yells, ” You cheated on me ! ! ” And the guy is like ” Whaaa? Who are you >” Then she hits him with a crowbar. She runs off. The guy is brought to the hospital, all bloodied, then the police come to ask questions, the guy tells them he doesn’t even know her but he’s sure she goes to the same school because of the uniform.  The last scene is a narration…… this poor girl is so obsessed with the guy that in her mind, he is her boyfriend, and her supposed relationship with him, all those interactions and  conversations she has had  with the guy,  are mere  products of her imagination and hallucinations. And the police don’t need to look for her anymore…. she kills herself.

I swear I looked like that after reading the story.  Oh God, I hate stories like this. Manga Fox should have changed the genre from shoujo/romance/school life to drama/psychological/TRAGEDY !  to warn us readers what we are about to read.

The main girl in that story is not a stalker. She’s very quiet, albeit lonely,  and if not for that tragic deed, she’s really a nice girl. Speaking of stalkers… has anyone of you ever been stalked?  Well, I haven’t, but I did get annoying text messages everyday from a classmate  that  really creeped me out.  What was even creepier was that we have never spoken to each other despite the fact he was in my Physics study group last year. I did get  “knowing ” glances from him all the time, and sometimes I would catch him staring at me. His texts started harmlessly enough. ” Hi ! How’s it going ? ” kind of thing.  Then they turned creepy to disturbing.

              ” I’ll be wearing a pink tie and a spandex to this dance. How’s your day?”

            ” I just saw a sack of potatoes on the street. It reminded me of you.”

         ” I had a nightmare last night, and you were in it. I don’t know why/”

       ” Happy POINTLESS Day.”

       ” You looked nice in that green shirt today. For some reason, you reminded me of a lawnmower.”

      “  Would you like to study with me for 8 hours ?”   <——– ( I think this was the most disturbing, )

 I seriously believe he has the making of a psycho.  My friends told me to confront him, but I decided to just ignore him, and I think that was a good decision because nothing happened. Besides,  he didn’t frighten me. Ha ! I know karate !

Oh, by the way, do you know Sting’s ” Every Breath You Take” is a stalker’s song? For some reason, I cannot  insert a video from YouTube.  I love this song ! !  Oh, and also, my sister was stalked once and had to call the cops. The cops told my sister they couldn’t do anything about the stalker coz there “is no law againts staring”.

I wrote that I was gonna tell you what I got in my Bio and Chem tests…. uhm, B+ and B- , respectively. My Physics  was A.  I have to do something about my Chem…. reread , and restudy the chapters that I couldn’t understand.  It’s like Arithmetic. We cannot proceed to Division without mastering Addition, Subtraction and multiplication first.  Good thing I’m done with Math . I struggled too with Math , until I had some sort of an epiphany one fine day. And what was  that, you ask.  Well, it was when I finally understood the concept of  EQUALITY.   1=1…… 1=1 +0…… 1 = 2 -1…. E= mc2………………  I got an A in Calculus because of that. It’s all about equality, folks.   I guess I’m really boring you now, hahaha !

Do you pay attention to Top Searches, and what words and phrases found their way to your blogsite?  Well, I had ” Keanu Reeves is a homo ” o-O and , f*ck  your next door neighbor ! Waaahahah !  So, okay, I did write ” I ‘ll check out my next door neighbor”, but not F*CK  him ! WTH ! 

I worked for 7 hours at  BCBG  today. Business was slow though. Good thing there wasa couple of customers, the mother and her daughter from LA who is in our city visiting.  The mother bought stuff worth $ 1,200 for her daughter. I guess that was a treat . They saved me coz prior to that, I only sold $ 500 worth of stuff.  Ooooh, the daughter said I sort of looked like Eva Langoria.  I looked in the mirror right away…. uhm, I don’t think so. Maybe it was just my make up. Come to think of it, that was the second time someone said that.  Nope, I don’t think so. Just the same, it ’s  nice to hear something flattering every now and then. (  After being likened to a sack of potatoes and a lawnmower, muahahah ! )

This is all for now.  Good day to all ! Be nice, be good, and PEACE !

Sorry for the blooper (~.~)

Hi !

Renxkyoko Iglesias musing  again………..

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

 

 

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

  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUPER UPDATE !

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

HERE I AM AGAIN

Hello! Here I am again . I know ! It’s been awhile !

The last time I posted here was almost a month  ago. Only one  post  in September ! ! I’m not  slacking. I’m just too busy with work and school. I work up to 10 PM , then I go to school to study with my study group and go home at 2 AM, almost everyday. I usually do my studying    at the university’s  Student Union Building.  And then,   I have 327 unread emails !  ( mostly from politicians and Democratic Party , Amazon, jokes, manga sites, World Wildlife Fund, Clinton Foundation, )…..

And speaking of our planned European tour….. it’s 100% sure thing. As soon as we get the 2012 tour schedule and final price quote  in October , we will make an early reservation and down payment. My Mom is also enquiring if we can get more discounts if we book at least 6 months in advance. Our tentative schedule  is on June 16, 2012,  that will begin in London and end  in Amsterdam, and will last 30 days. It’s an escorted tour, and the places we’ll visit are England, Spain, Greece, Italy, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands,  France, Switzerland, and belgium.  We originally planned on taking the Eurail Pass, but we think it’s a waste of time and effort to go on our own. My aunt is 70 years old , but still very strong , mind you ……….. just the same, we think  she doesn’t  anymore  have the stamina to backpack  around Europe.   My Dad backpacked and travelled solo in Europe for 35 days in 1981, with only a book ( titled Europe for $ 9 a Day) and travel maps to guide him.   We can’t do that travelling  with my 70 year old aunt.. ( and Mom is 57, geez) . That book is now titled Europe for $ 50 a Day !  We have to cough up about $ 4,500 per person for the tour itself, excluding the round trip ticket from the US to London, which is about $ 1,500. I am now working  my ass off  for my  pocket money.

Speaking of work…. yesterday, I exceeded my sales, way , way, above  my quota. Last night, when we were about to close the store, ( around 8 PM, as it was Sunday , 10 PM for rest of the week ) 3 Indonesian tourists came in, the mother and 2 daughters . As soon as they got in, they started piling up the clothes, and I thought, oh, oh, there goes my study period.  They tried just 2 dresses, and my boss asked me to ” model “ the rest for them, so I had to change and try on  more than a dozen times. By the way, I was designated a stylist/model for the store because I am size zero, hahaha. ( Well, size zero for regular clothes, size 2 on runway clothes. )  Believe it or not, I have to twirl and pose  around like  a model and show the clients how the dress would look on a person. Anyways, I wore this body hugging stretch mini dress that one of the daughters picked up. The problem was, the girl was size 10 !!!!! I wanted to be honest and tell her, ” Sweetie, I’m size 0, so I look good in it  but  you’re size 10… you would , without doubt, look like a fat sausage in it ….. erm,  this dress won’t flatter you..”  I mean, I already have at least 3 regular rich buyers who come in looking for me because I’m completely  honest with them,  so they trust my  suggestions. .  But I couldn’t be entirely honest this time, could I ? @__@  I mean, it’s their physical appearance, not the style of the dress, that is problematic.  * sweats* You know what I mean.   Besides, isn’t Indonesia a predominantly Muslim country? I guess, Indonesia is a relatively “tolerant ” country. I have an Indonesian friend and she does wear a mini skirt. Well, she’s Christian , I guess. Oh, she is, in fact , a Catholic.  And I guess, their government does not impose a sort of dress code for non- Muslims.   Hmmm. Anyways, back to the story….. Good thing, the other sister saved the situation. She told her sister not to buy it, and start dieting, hahaha . To make the story short, they bought a total of $ 5,299.00 for  clothes and accessories ( My boss loves me now coz I can actually convince a client to buy an accessory to match a dress, hehehe. ) By the way, folks, the rich are different from you and me. They don’t do  fittings……. well,  just once,  to get the proper size, and then they  let someone else  try on the clothes for them. I managed to convince one client, for instance,  to purchase an expensive cardigan by showing her 4 ways to wear it. So, anyway, I got a platinum circle and a $ 150 gift certificate from the store for the “excellent” job I’ve done  this September. .* Says to self, * Good job, Ren ! !  \(^o^)/ Ah, in fact, I bought that stretch dress myself, and on top of that, I got a 70% discount ! !

Ugh ! I’m having a most difficult time with Physics this semester. Right now, our topics are  circuit and magnetism .  I’m clueless.  but I’m studying very hard , so much so that I ‘m starting  to dream about it. Like, 2 nights ago,  I dreamt that I was taking my Physics exam , but turned in a blank exam paper to the teacher. Yegads, it felt so real ! ! Like last year in my other Physics, I threw a piece of crumpled paper into the waste bin and I swear, I saw an imaginary path ( dots) from my hand to the bin and unconsciously calculated the velocity and distance travelled by the crumpled paper.  Ahahaha ! Shhesh! I’m such a geek.

I have my own car now. My sister bought an Infinity, and gave me her old , trusty Toyota Corolla. It still looks good and runs well, and best of all, it’s a gas saver.

You know, I started writing this post last week.  I am updating our Euro tour…. well, our tour and flight schedule are now confirmed. Mom just paid the 10% non-refundable downpayment to lock the price , and we changed the packaged tour to a lesser expensive one. No Greece and Vienna this time, but we knock  at least $ 3,000 off the original price of the tour. Tour starts on June 18, 2012 in London and ends on July 14 , in Paris. And the countries included in the tour are England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Amsterdam, Belgium, and Switzerland. I know it’s too early to get excited about the tour, but hey, time  flies so fast that before we know it, it’s already June! !

I’m thinking,….. the best way to get rid of an annoying suitor and admirer is not to make a U-turn and hide from him. Just be straightforwardly honest or be totally gross to turn him off….like so…

or , let him see you scratching your butt….

or, make a loud fart or burp and say, “ahhh, that feels sooo good “.

If that wouldn’t turn him off, I don’t know what else would, he he he……

This is all for now. Be nice, be good, and PEACE !

Man, I’m exhausted ! !

Hello!

Renxkyoko Iglesias musing here.

This is just an update of things that happened to me last week……

First off, we bought a 2009 Toyota Camry, with only 22,000 miles in it. That’s pretty good for a used car. Uhm, for  first time readers,  our family van was stolen while in my care, so yeah, I really feel guilty, though I know it isn’t my fault.  . Anyways, I’m relieved we ‘ve managed to replace the van as quickyly as possible. It was quite difficult to  have only one car for 3 people, myself, mom and dad. I don’t have a car, but I hope to get my sister’s car when she gets a new one. I hope, soon.

Also, I was able to enroll in my Chemistry class. Oh, what a relief ! ! There were 20 waitlisted students who were trying to get in, but only 2 were taken in, and thank goodness the other one was my Physics classmate last year who has been trying to get in for 3 semesters already.  This is my 4th Chemistry… 3 more to go. I just found out Chemistry is my de facto Minor, with Molecular Microbiology as my major course. I thought of making Forensic Science as a minor, but I guess Chemistry is better. My sister is a microbiology grad but is now working as a chemist . I see myself working in a lab …. not a bad career, if I do say so myself.. Meanwhile, I’m selling clothes and scooping ice cream. Speaking of which, I’m now # 2 in sales. Our target is $ 150 an hour, but I’m doing $ 300, so my boss is liking me more and more.  Oh, by the way, I now know what BCBG means…. it’s Bon Chic, Bon Genre. The name of our store is BCBG MAX AZRIA. Max Azria is the designer. It’s funny that the latest topic as suggested by WordPress is ” Do you work too much or too little?”  At this moment, I’m exhausted.  Alright, Saturday, I worked from 10 AM  – 2 PM at baskin and Robbins, then from 3 PM to 11 PM at BCBG. ( It was quite busy on Labor Day weekend sale ) Then on Sunday, I worked from 8 AM – 3 PM, then 5 PM -10 PM…. today, it’s the same time. I didn’t go to Mass this Sunday. I ’m sure God understands. I don’t know why I feel troubled and guilty everytime  I don’t  go to Church.  I’m like, what if I keel over  tomorrow, I’ll go to hell? That’s the punishment for mortal sin. It’s a stupid thought, I know. . It’s just something from Sunday school that got stuck  in my head.  Meh.

My aunt from the Philippines  is here with us. First thing we did was shop until we dropped, all on her American Express. She wanted to  buy me a Tag Hauer watch, but I opted for cash and clothes, he he he. I have my cell phone to give me time, anyways.  She gave my siblings Tag Hauers last time she was here. ( Over a thousand dollars each ) I didn’t get one coz I was still in middle school.  And, didn’t I write on my previous post things were gonna be good this year ?  Well, my aunt promised  a European tour for me and my Mom next summer. I’m already daydreaming about it this early.  Yay ! Well, she says it’s 100 % sure thing. We pay for the airplane  fare  and she’ll take care of the rest…EurailPass, hotels, food ! ! All we have to do, she says,    is to pray nothing happens to her from now till next summer ! ! “ Luv ya, Aunty ! Stay healthy ! “

What are top ten places i want to go to ?  1. Spain  2. Rome  3. Greece  4. Switzerland 5. England  6. Scotland  7. Ireland  8. Turkey  9. Netherlands  10. France…….. Uhm, why Turkey , you ask ? Well, my aunt says it’s one of the most beautiful places she’s been to, so far.  You know, the United states is also beautiful, but, it lacks culture ? I don’t really know what ” culture ” means…. Perhaps we have culture, but it’s 20th century culture, like Hollywood  culture …..it isn’t much, and it isn’t like something I’d like to ogle at and take pictures of.    I know we don’t really   have stateside  Antiquities   to show off….. just Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.   The US doesn’t have real castles, no Parthenon, no thousand year old structures………….. in other words, it lacks that Old World feeling . Anyways, I hope I can go to Egypt and Jerusalem to see the Pyramids and these Bible places, but my aunt  says  these places are not 100% safe.  There’s one place  in Asia, though,  that I really, really want to visit….it’s  Japan. Maybe it’s because of my manga obssession.  That’s a crazy reason why I want to go, unless of course I intend to stay there and experience the day to day Japanese life, like going to Festivals wearing a yukata, eating a bento, and meeting a manga hero that looks like this…..

It’s funny coz I see images of Japan with people in them, and definitely, not one looks like that guy here…….and truth be told, I swear this guy looks more like the deli guy at Subway that’s right across from Baskin and Robbins where I work.  Ahahaha !   Sheeesh. And, oh, yeah, Keanu Reeves ! He looks like the guy from L.DK.

Here he is, Shuseii from L.DK…. * drools*

Oh, gosh, I love L.DK…. L.DK means Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen. Nice title  of a romance story.

I have to concede to Angus and Eros though. ( from the manga THE ONE ) They’re really pretty.

These two are the reasons why we keep on reading. He he he ……  Do you know what the problem is with these mangas? They raise the standard of  the “ideal man”, like,  how he should look like, act, and behave. I am now now attracted to guys with long hair.   But female manga readers do fantasize. Why do I know that ? Coz I read the forums and they’re like  this….

…………….. daydreaming that someday……..,,

Yeah.  Sweet, huh, See that? The guy is even blushing. Awwww ! That image is from the manga STROBE EDGE , one of the nicest, sweetet, cutest, albeit heart wrenching mangas I’ve ever read.  It is heart wrenching coz the guy has a girl friend. What’s worse is the girl friend is  prettier ( she’s a model) , and not only that, she’s actually nice.  T.T And the main girl, Nanako, does not get in the way of Ren’s and his gf’s relationship. She does not break them up… it’s a mutual decision. The GF lives in another city, and is quite busy with work and she does meet other people, but Ren himself does not break up with her because he’s a good , faithful and loyal guy, even though he has started to fall for Nanako. Once he’s free, he confesses to Nanako, but Nanako rejects him. Well, Ren has a best friend who’s also in love with nanako, and the best friend  has always been there with Nanako trying to make life easier for her  as she suffers from supposedly unrequited love for Ren.  Awww ! In the end of course, Ren and Nanako get together. ………..Hahaha, I know, it’s so cheesy, but I love it. So, yeah, that’s the stuff some mangas are made of….. pure, young love, the ideal one that impressionable girls are dreaming of.

Alright, this is all for now. I hope I can post  more often after this. It’s really been awhile, huh, more than 2 weeks from my last post , I think. Gosh, I’ve been so busy.

So, bye for now, be nice, be good, and PEACE !

My Vehicle was stolen

Hello!

Renxkyoko Iglesias here .

*red-faced*

Okay. * takes a deep breath * So, I was rather harsh on men, as one annoyed guy friend pointed it out to me. I was generalizing, I admit, and I’d like to apologize for that. I  apologize only for generalizing, mind you. Other than that, I stand by what I said. But don’t hate me. I’m really a nice girl. q(^o^)p Muaaaah to all my readers then, including guys. Oh , especially those guys who have been  offended.  * grins sheepishly*  Oh, and I don’t hate men,  just the as*holes. I do like the bishies.  \(^___^)/ Well, check out this pic, ladies.

The image above is from the manga THE ONE, an ongoing series that I ’ve been reading for 2 years.  Those two guys are twins ! As if one isn’t enough, lol ! These mangakas ( authors ) are so sly, drawing such pretty boys to draw ( pun intended ) lonely, homely girls  out of their holes, making them dream that someday, a knight in shining armor will sweep them off their feet ( and unrealistically looking like that, to boot), and together , they will ride into the sunset, to live happily ever after.

 ” Erm, girls, come over here…not to poop on your cake , dears, not to piss on your bonfires, dears,  not to rain on your parade, dears “….. *smacks each and everyone of them *…. IT’S  NOT GONNA HAPPEN ! ! WAKE UP! !

Actually, I’m talking to myself.

I have to smack myself for being such a manga fangirl. I guess I need to get a life or something. Hahaha ! Oh, by the way, do you know that  out of 3 books that are published in Japan, , 1 is a manga ? And  do you know that  books  frequently borrowed at US libraries are mangas? Otherwise, books in public libraries are just there, sitting in shelves , gathering dust, with no activity at all… Heck. What does THAT say about  today’s youth’s reading habits? So, okay, I’m guilty. But I read real books too. You’d be surprised if you’d see my collection of books.  ( You were surprised  to see my  collection of mangas, right? )See, I used to be a voracious reader. I even read the obituaries. But,  I don’t read much these days… I mean , real books…. I have Chemistry, Microbiology, Math and other college textbooks  to contend with.

Geez,  I almost forgot….. the title of this post is “My vehicle was stolen.”

On my previous blog, I wrote I was a bit depressed. You see, that night, the family van was stolen. I went to work that night and used the van . I got off at 10 PM, but before that, I got a call from a friend and he asked if I wanted to hang out with him after work. So, I said okay but only for a few minutes just to return something  as I had  work early the next day. So I drove to his house, parked , and just left my purse in the van . After 30 minutes or so, I left and darn, the van was gone. So my friend and I frantically drove around hoping to find the van abandoned somewhere. Fail ! But of course. We came  home, woke up dad at 3 AM, started calling credit card companies, the police, etc. My purse had everything in it… license, credit card, keys to the house and goodness knows what else is in  there ( good thing I got my still unpaid new iphone ),,, and that was a new purse too, the one I bought when Mom and I went shopping .( I wrote about that too, ( ^o^)# )…………………………….So, anyhow, I had a previous promise to drive 4 bratty middle schoolers to the ballpark  2 days after. ( Don’t ask .) The ballpark was at the downtown area.  Traffic condition at that place is the worst… one way, do not enter signs are all over. Since I wasn’t familiar with that place, I got lost, drove aimlessly for 40 minutes at 5 miles/per hour, then got pulled over by a cop, given a citation for not stopping at a Stop sign, and now, have to go to court on Nov.15. Citation is $220. WHAT ELSE CAN HAPPEN TO ME ON TOP OF THAT? Next day, I got a call from the bank. Apparently my credit card was used to buy gas 2x and stuff at 7-11, worth a total of $250. Then 2 days ago, we got a call from a cop. The van was found abandoned at a gas station and towed away. Towing fee …$250 which I volunteered to pay and dad accepted . T.T   The van was chop chopped., rendered useless. So now we have to buy another, a good used one coz we can’t afford to buy a new one. (We still  have that duplex on our beach property to build, right? I wrote about that too. ) I volunteered to hand over my lifetime savings of $2,000… good thing Dad didn’t accept. What a relief.  * sighs * Maybe I didn’t pray in my past life, huh.  Oh, and good thing my friend volunteered to become my chauffer. His car, of course… I just pay for the gas. I guess he feels guilty . After all, our vehicle was stolen at his place, AND, if he didn’t call me to come over, then THIS wouldn’t have happened.  >.<  Oh, but I do appreciate and am  really grateful for what he’s doing for me. My place of work is a good 35 minutes from our house, after all. And he’s not even a boy friend. He’s my  boy best friend. Uhm, well, maybe 3 years ago, he wished he was, but, we both realized it wouldn’t be a good thing. He was a Muslim… a  Muslim from Chekoslovakia. From Bosnia, to be exact….. a blond, blue -eyed Muslim. And I’m Catholic. ….. never the twain shall meet.  Right?   Oh, well.  They say if we lose something, another will always come to take its place. That’s the rule   of  the universe. Maybe I’ll win a lotto. I have to remember to buy a ticket.  I just know something good will come up. I can feel it in my bones.

Oh, and another thing……….. I just reread the previous log. That part where , out of the blue, I wrote about my sister’s BF’s new hair “do” ? That looked exteremly random, but actually, it wasn’t. I was talking about cheating men, and the first person that I thought of was my sis’ BF. Yep, he cheated on sis. But , that day, he came over sporting that new “do” , and that was what I wrote about. He he he… okay, that was really random.  (^o^)  Never mind.

*sighs*

Aaaargh, Bummer. School opens on the 29th…. * gets up to look at the calendar*    ! ! ! ! !  It’s this coming Monday ! ! !  Hah! Wish me luck, folks.  Back to the saltmines ! ! !

  I’ll do my best and go for the win !

This is all for now. Good day and PEACE!

The Unwritten Rule, or Maybe Not

Here I am again. Hello, renxkyoko Iglesias musing.

Seriously, what am I going to write about this time?  About debt ceiling? About how the US’s credit rating has been degraded from maybe 5 stars to just 2 now ? Although , the latter does have some serious implications on my parents’ pocketbook. You see,  our next door neighbor just moved out. They bought a new one for $ 150,000, but sold their old home, with a pool,  for $165,000. So, we’d think they profited from the sale? Nope. They lost a lot of money because 6 years ago, at the height of housing boom here in California, they bought  their old house  for $320,000.  So, what has it got to do with us?  Well, 6 years ago, my parents also  bought another house for $ 350,000 ( with a pool, too ), and now, we hear that the value of that house is now  a measly  $200,000. In other words, my parents lost $150,000.  Good thing that house is never without a tenant or tenants, so it pays for itself. We’re renting it out for $1550, and that’s also exactly how much we’re paying for mortgage. We’re not earning at all. We are , in fact, losing a few hundred dollars a month.  My parents decided to pay for the tenants’  water bills, monthly pool maintenance, garbage/sewage fees….. just some perks as long as they stay in the house.  But, this degrading of the US credit rating is a bit worrisome. This means , interest rates will go up. I’m sure we’ll get another love letter from the mortgage company.  A realtor friend of my parents told them to just walk away from the loan but we have to prepare ourselves  to lose our credit rating for 7 years.  No credit card, just cash for all transactions.  ( credit cards will definitely not be renewed.  I’m sure even WalMart will not give us the time of day. ) ……..But of course , my parents won’t do that.

You know, I just read this manga titled Momo Lover.  The story goes like this…… there’s this family of 2 sisters who are orphans. The older sister goes overseas to work, but comes back with a baby, named Momo, and hands the care of her baby over  to her younger sister, then leaves  the country again. ( But she doesn’t leave, actually. She stays for a while to secretly  observe how her sister handles the situation. ) The younger sister happens to have 2 guys ( Shirou and Yomi ) who are in love with her. They find out about the baby, and volunteer to help the main girl.  ( Chirei * Cherry* ) They are all high school students. One day, they decide to go outing at the beach.  Cherie and the baby almost drown. Shirou saves the baby while Yomi instinctively saves Chirei……

I  have this “bad habit” of checking out the forum to read the comments /opinions of the readers, and more importantly, to read “spoilers”,  before reading the manga. If there’s an unpleasant ending, or sometimes, gut-wrenching episodes that I know I won’t be able to stand ,  then I don’t read it. Eh. I know that’s stupid, but that’s just  me. I can’t help it. I try to avoid unpleasant stuff like that.  Anyhow, there’s a thread there that discusses  Yomi’s action of saving Chirei first. Each opinion is  understandably  againts Yomi. ” How dareYomi save Chirei who can  survive, instead of the baby who is helpless?”  That’s a natural reaction. But here’s the thing………   In the hierarchy of things, there’s an unwritten rule that the spouse saves his /her spouse first, even if the other one is his/her own parent or child. …. all things being equal, of course.  If’ for instance,  your  spouse is too far to be saved successfully, then save the one closest to you.  Another example is during childbirth. ……………If the situation  calls for a choice between saving the child or the mother, saving the mother wins hands down. Even in court trials, the court cannot force the wife ( or husband) to testify againts the spouse..  The unwritten rule is now part of the laws of the land.  What then is the point of all this?  My point is, that’s how strong  the marriage bond should be. When people marry, they become ONE  ENTITY in the whole universe.  You take a vow to be together, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in health and in sickness,  until death do you part.

I’m not saying married people should stay together forever, even if the marriage turns into an untenable relationship. Definitely not. I only have 2 reasons, though,   if I’m the one to initiate  divorce.

1. Husband cheats on me.  Before I turn over my life, body and soul , to a man, he should get my  my complete trust and faith in him. Once they are betrayed, lifeline is permanently broken. Why ? Because  I do not forget nor forgive. The man’s presence will always remind me of  his betrayal, an act that I know will haunt me forever.

2. Being in an abusive relationship, in words and in deed.  It ‘s not abusive, Hollywood style, it is the real McCoy, where I am threatened with bodily harm, get yelled at and insulted  24/7.  In fact, this is one of the very, very few reasons the Vatican will annul a Catholic marriage.

Other than these two,  I shall stay married, for better or for worse, forever.  Unless, of course, husband divorces me.  That’s fine. I’d rather have that, than staying married and cheat on me.  Hah! Do  people think  it’s only women who are left holding the short end of the stick? If you  believe that, you better look like this……

Because,  mister,   women are as capable of leaving men for guys who look like that before they  can cry Uncle !  Men  are also as likely to turn into  simpering ninnies , pining for their  beloved exes .  Women do not even need men to have children nowadays.  They can just go to ferility clinics and have themselves impregnated, give birth to a child, be loving mothers, and at the same time, live a happy single life, free from worries of trying to please a man every single day.  ( Hey, hey, calm down , Ren… not all men are cheaters. there are more men who are as  faithful  as your Dad.  Just choose well, and use your head all the time )

Ahahah ! I’m just musing…………. My heart  does  go out to those whose hearts have been broken, whatever the gender is. I live by the motto, Golden Rule. Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you. Oh, speaking of which, my sister’s boyfriend had a haircut… He’s almost bald now. He hehe …. Sis freaked out. We all did…..   it was only Dad who approved. Well, he used to have long blond hair, longer than shoulder length, and it was always tied back. LOL ! This is so random.

Oh . oh! ! !  I just read 3 mangas. one is completed, 2 are ongoing.  One is a Korean manhwa, by the same author as Ways of the Jogang Jicheo and The Boy Who Will sell Kisses for 5000 Won. The title is  ” Die or Like Me ” , I wrote about the other two on my previous blogs. But this one, Die or Like Me is heart wrenching. Aaaargh ! I don’t think I’ll read this. I ‘ve seen the raws… oh. my gawd ! ! The main guy is in bed with another girl several times.. I mean, they’re both naked, so I assume they’re doing it. Oh, oh ! ! I won’t read this ! ! Damn ! ! *ponders* You know what, if there’s a guy who wants to go into a relationship with me,  he better not tell me his past, if there’s any.  I’d prefer to be blissfully ignorant; The thought of him doing it with another girl will forever haunt me. I don’t think I can handle it. This is one of my hang-ups.I know it’s unrealistic in this day and age, and I hope I can get past that, but , right now? I don’t think so. Ah, uh. A guy friend tells me it’s called mental voyeurism. 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 students/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. I stopped speaking to him, ignored his calls, and wouldn’t even look at him.  Good thing school was almost over. But I know he was as devastated as I was, but , “ sorry. It’s me. Can’t help it.  it’s not your fault. “

Oh, my. I think I should stop here.  I’m not making sense anymore.

Oh, well.

This is all for now. I think I’m feeling a little depressed.  Sorry.  Bye, PEACE!