It’s my summer vacation . Yay ! Well, it’s June 9 today. Last year , June 9, 2012, was the day we flew to Europe for our 30 day tour. I was really hoping I could end my travelogue post today, the anniversary of our trip, but I guess not. * sets aside the fireworks, disappointed* You’d think I’d have more time to blog, read other people’s blogs, more time for stuff I’d like to do, which is to play video games, read books, read mangas, watch TV, etc. and oh, yeah, post more often, but no, my employer had the temerity to promote me to a managerial position. Now, don’t get impressed with the title. It just means I work longer hours supervising 3 hapless sales clerks, I keep the keys, and handle some confidential store stuff. It’s a high end clothes store, though. A simple women’s Tshirt that sells for $ 5 at walMart, we sell for over $100.00. We have walk -in customers, and we have clients. Clients come by appintments, and they’re usually businessmen from overseas who choose the clothes themselves. ( We wear each dress and show it off to the client. I happen to be the favorite of Asian shoppers , the big spenders from Indonesia,Shanghai, HongKong, Malaysia, Singapore , and Japan. I have the body size of an Asian girl, ( I’m size 1 ) so I’m the one who gets to show off the dresses. If I’m lucky, I get a free dress. * blows my own horn * . I get the highest sales every month,too. * beats drum*

And well, that’s not the only job I have. I have another one…. I work at an ice cream parlor, scooping ice cream at Baskin and Robbins…. my very, very first job. I’m loyal to Kamal, my boss, even if she hasn’t given me a raise for years. ( So, okay , I got one teeny raise…. 25 cents an hour….. Booooo ! ! ) But, I’m the only one she trusts to handle money, and my work hours are flexible. I’m grateful to her for the work she gives me, at my own convenience.
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One reader asked me about Monsanto. I’ve heard of it, but don’t know anything about it. I read up , but gave up trying to know. This corporation is huge ! ! First off, what is Monsanto? According to Wikipedia, Monsanto is a ” publicly traded American multinational biotechnology corporation and is the leading producer of genetically engineered seed ( GE) and now known as GMO ( genetically modified organism).” It is considered by purists to be an ” evil” corporation that breeds modified seeds that are detrimental to humanity’s health.

I’m an environmentalist, a tree- hugger, if you will, but I’m not sure if I can totally side with the anti-GMOs . I have to be honest…… my sister, a microbiologist, had applied for a job at Monsanto. She didn’t get it, but will apply again when a position opens. She currently works for an establishment that does chemical anlysis of food products, fresh produce and manufactured ones.( Department of Analytical Chemistry ) I’m majoring in Molecular Microbiology, and when I graduate , hopefully this school year, I hope to follow my sister’s career.

There;s a research facilty in the Philippines, the IRRI ( International Rice Research Institute ) that is based in the Philippines, at the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, Laguna. According to Wikipedia, the main goal of IRRI is ” to find sustainable ways to improve the well-being of rice farmers and consumers, as well as the environment.” The IRRI is a pioneer in genetic diversification and breeding of rice to improve yield, and grow more resistant to drought and pests , and breeds that are less likely to ” fall over”. While Monsanto started in the 90′s, IRRI was launched much earlier, in late 60′s. According to Wikepedia, ” 60% of the world’s rice area is planted to IRRI -bred rice varieties or their progenies.” The difference between IRRI and Monsanto is that IRRI is non-profit. Seeds have been distributed at no cost to rice farmers all over Asia. Since then, farmers in Asia have been planting high yielding varieties of rice. This helps feed the growing population of Asia, and so far, we have not seen anyone who has grown a horn or two heads. This is the reason why I cannot make a judgement on what Monsanto is doing. Not all of these biotech researches are bad, as long as they don’t make something like Soylent Green. What is Soylent Green, you ask. Soylent Green is a 1973 science fiction film that depicts an overpopulated earth, not much food, and available food is rationed, produced by Soylent Corporation, and whose product, Soylent Green, is advertised as high energy plankton. However, they discover that Soylent Green foods are made up of human remains. They are people.

Oh, by the way, Monsanto sells seeds to practically every farmer in America. It has captured the market, and worse, the seeds are ” copyrighted and patented” . In other words, the farmer cannot save seeds for next planting. He has to buy new ones.

* ponders*
If I were a reader of this post, I’d get bored and stop reading halfway. Oh, well. Better get back to the main topic of this post…. my tour of Bordeaux, France. Actually, I don’t have much material ( photos) of Bordeaux. We merely stopped for lunch there and lingered for about 4 hours.

Although I saw very little of Bordeaux, what I did see was impressive. <a
Bordeaux is the major wine capital of the world. No wine can be labeled as Bordeaux wine unless it’s actually produced in Bordeaux..Bordeaux wine has come to mean red wine as 90% of Bordeaux wines are red. Claret is English red wine. Excusez- moi, but I’m not a wine aficionado so I’m as clueless as the peon beside me.

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There’s a flea market going on in this photo.

Porte Cailhau
Below photo is the Place de la Bourse

Below is the Place de la Bourse at night

Bordeaux has one of Europe’s biggest 18th century urban areas, with buildings still intact, and all the buildings that you see here are in one area. The buildings are impressive.

In case you haven’t noticed, the architectural designs of the 18th century buildings shown here are almost identical.

These buildings must have looked awesome to a person from a small town in the 1700′s.

Above is the column of the Girondins on the Esplanade des Quinconces. It is the largest square in Europe.

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Holy s*it! Look, Ma, a couple kissing ! Oooops, pardon my French.

Anyway, above photo is Rue Sainte-Catherine, one of the longest pedestrian only shopping street in Europe. ( I’ve seen this kind of shopping mall in Barcelona and Madrid )

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The photo below was our group’s meeting place….. a toilet at the carpark….. a nice place to end our tour of Bordeaux.

*ponders*

I wonder why we call a kiss a French Kiss. It was supposed to have originated in the 1920′s (after WW1) when American soldiers came home and showed their wives and girlfriends how the French kissed. I guess, when Americans kissed before that time, they only locked their dry lips together. Then they found exchanging saliva and slipping their tongues into each other’s mouths more erotic. I bet they also brought home French lingeries for their wives. Throw away the bloomers and cotton panties , honey, and wear this…Ooooh, French lace! .

Aaaah, this post is so moi. I talked about my boring job, genetically modified organisms, food made of people, Bordeaux, France, wines, toilet, underwears, and French kiss…. all packed in one post. Good job, Ren., good job. You did it again.

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

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

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

Damn ! It’s the children. It’s always the children.

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is all for now. Good day and PEACE !

Don’t hate.

I’m conflicted.. My thoughts evolved as I was writing this post. It’s weird. I think it was the photo of the Vietnamese children that got me.I don’t know what to think anymore.
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I won’t be chatty on this post, although I don’t know what not being chatty means to yours truly…..less than 1000 words, I guess.Besides, it’s either my computer or WordPress itself is whacked, but writing a post now is so annoying. I don’t know how to fix this coz I’m technically -challenged.

I got a letter and Certificate of Appreciation from the Southern Poverty Law Center. It states. ” This certificate is presented to Ren Iglesias in recognition of your contribution to the ongoing fight againts hatred and intolerance in America. The name shown above will be added to the Wall of Tolerance in Montgomery, Alabama, to provide inspiration to all those who chose to take a stand againts hatred. Thank you for taking a stand. Morris Dees, Founder …. Southern Poverty Law Centre.”

SPLC was founded by Morris Dees and Josepj Levin, Jr. as a legal firm to handle anti-discrimination cases and has now become a nonprofit civil rights organization that deals and monitors the activities of hate groups such as the Klu Klux Klan, neo-Nazi white supremacist groups, or any group that assault or discriminate againts groups of people, like colored people, gays, immigrants, and the like. I consider myself a colored immigrant. I’m a double whammy.

The main headquarters of SPLC in Montgomery, Alabama.

Oh, I haven’t told ypu that I also got a Christmas card from the White House. I’m sure, million others got the same exact card… with a picture of their dog Bo frolicking in the snow, and the White House as backround.

To be honest, I don’t think I deserve to have my name added to the Wall of Tolerance, because you know what, I’m intolerant…. intolerant of injustice, wastefullness…. in fact, I can list dozens of things I cannot tolerate. Everytime I see, for example, Michelle Bachmann or Rush Limbaugh, Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, Glen Beck and any of these nutjobs, I cannot tolerate to see their faces. I believe they’re evil. I even rejected a hot guy who thought climate change was a hoax. So, yeh, I’m quite intolerant.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. To all the mothers of the world, Happy Mother’s day ! !Below is my mother. I was told she was pretty popular in college, one of the campus’ beauties in her time. Pity I don’t look like her. I look like Dad. +_+”

My Mom

So, here’s my tour of Amboise , France.

Amboise ( pronounced Abwaz), located in central France. It is a small market town, but used to be a French royal court, and lies on the banks of Loire River.\

This is how I envision A French town should look like.

That house is carved into the rock mountain. It’s a little unexpected to see that in France .

The photo avove is the house where Leonardo da Vinci actually lived and died.

I thought I could include Bordeaux , France, but I have enough materials for Amboise. In fact, I have dozens more, but they are redundant, and I think the ones I posted are representative of the place.

This is all for now. Bordeaux, France is next. Paris will be my last travel post. The thought that it’s almost the end makes me teary eyed and sad. But I’m sure to go back and see those beautiful places again. I will start to save up for a second trip and it starts NOW.

Have a good day and PEACE !

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My previous post was a bit intense, huh, and I’m sure I  had offended a few readers.  I couldn’t help it, though.  I was  on  edge , and so was everybody else here in the US.  Although I was careful  with the words I used so as not to offend anyone,  I might have inadvertently  used some hurtful words.    I  did try my best to be politically correct, and , believe me, it was no mean feat. I was angry.  It was easier to just lash out, and be like this —-> bleep, bleep, bleep,  asdfghjk !  But  then I’d regret it forever.  Nothing comes out well with words said in the heat of the moment.

My family had a very interesting  topic of conversation over dinner  last night.  My brother who lives in San Francisco told us that he saw a documentary film about the history of Jews in the Philippines . The documentary was shown in San Francisco to commemorate the  unveiling of the second marker in Israel in honor of  Philippines -Israel friendship. This is actually the second marker. The first one is a monument  that was built  at the Holocaust Memorial Park located  outside of Tel Aviv.

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Philippine flag is shown. That’s a huge monument , isn’t it?

There’s an interesting story  behind these two memorial markers. First off, a bit of Philippine history.  The US colonized the Philippines in 1898 ( after defeating Spain  during the Spanish-American war ) . In 1935, the US turned over governance of the country  to a Filipino, Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon , with an American overseer , Commisioner McNutt. The Philippines  became  the Commonwealth of the Philippines.  Full independence was given on July 4, 1945 after it was liberated from the Japanese. In the 1930′s , we all know , of course , what went on in Germany.  The German Jews all wanted to leave  but there were very few countries that wanted to take them in by the thousands.

Now here’s the most interesting part…….

The Philippine government had decided to take in Jewish refugees ( in fact, the Philippines was one of  very few countries, including the USA , that took in refugees, and the only one in Asia ) during a poker game in 1938 ,, with players  Commisioner McNutt, Pres. Quezon,  General Douglas McArthur,  Gen. Dwight Einsenhower (  Gen, Eisenhower  became US President , but that time, he was just Gen. McArthur’ second in command  of the US Army in the Philippines. ), and an American- Jewish businessman living in the country named Frieder.  While playing poker,  Pres. Quezon decided right there and then, to take in Jewish refugees. Eisenhower  suggested 100, 000 visas should be issued.  Pres. Quezon immediately  issued 10,000 visas  to German Jews. It wasn’t only to German Jews that  visas were given.  Jews who were already in Asia and those from the Middle East, mostly from Turkey,  were allowed to come in.  Jewish immigartion stopped  when Japan invaded the Philippines.

Pres. Quezon

.A synagogue in Manila, later destroyed  during WW2.

.A new synagogue in Manila, Philippines.

Photo above were German refugees having a party in Marikina , where they were settled temporarily. The land was Pres. Quezon’s  property. ( Sorry I stole this photo from somewhere. Please don’t sue me.)

It’s weird that the matter of life and death  was decided during a poker game.  However, this was not the only time  the Philippine government had helped the Jewish people.  In 1947. the Philippines  ” delivered the  most crucial and deciding vote “ at the United Nations ‘ resolution to create a state of Israel.  The Philippines was also the only  Asian country to recognize Israel as a state.  As a footnote….. there were  Philippine officials then who had a few misgivings about allowing  so many Jews into the country . That was understandable because the country was totally Catholic.  Pres. Quezon angrily told them,  ” The Jews gave us Jesus Christ” ! ! ! Pres. Quezon was a hot-tempered man.  It was said that he would often use the gavel and yell , Puneta ! ! ( pronounced poon-ye-ta ) at Filipino officials. The word means literally masturbation, but it’s actually a generic all -purpose swear word.  Filipinos swear in Spanish. But I digress.

Majority of the Jews later  immigrated to Israel and the US after the war.  Some remained and became prominent businessmen. ( If you’re a Filipino reader of this post, I don’t know if you’re aware of the Ysmaels, Kahns, Menzis, Guthriers, Levy’s etc,. … appliance manufacturer, owns jewelry stores such as La Estrella del Norte, A&W,  Alhambra, Manila Stock Exchange, etc. They are all Jewish )

Well, that’s the history. I’m not surprised  then why Israel erected a huge monument in honor of  the  Philippines’ humanitarian efforts .

On a personal note……. and another bit of Philippine history.

The first European to step on Philippine soil was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. He also died there. Spain colonized the country for almost 400 years , and named it in honor of King Philip II.  ( So now you know why it’s Philippines, ha ha ) In Europe at that time , there was a Catholic Inquisition that went on. In Spain, Catholics,  Jews and Muslims lived in harmony before the Spanish monarchy started The Inquisition in the 1590′s.  Muslims and Spanish Jews were either forced to convert or leave Spain.  Some of those who left went to the Philippines.  However, they still couldn’t practice their religion since the Philippines was now entirely Catholic. Practicing  Judaism  was punishable by death.  My mother was born in a remote town , about 200 miles from Manila. Although it was a remote town, there was a high concentration of Spaniards who lived there.  The town’s church is one of the oldest in the Philippines, and there’s a Spanish fort with cannons, to protect the town from Chinese pirates.

.San Diego  de Alcala Church

San Diego fort

Now I wrote above  that this story was something personal. We had an extremely  interesting discussion about  this over dinner and after dinner.  It might shed light  on some strange stuff that my mother had often  heard from her grandparents when she was just a kid.  *  Don’t let anyone know you’re a Jew.” It was always said randomly, and to a kid, it  was  really strange, and didn’t make sense.  I mentioned  above the Turkish Jews  who immigrated to the Philippines.  My mother thought back about  the unusually  large number of Turks in their remote town. In fact , right across from their house were the homes of  two Turkish families, the Adads.  The people there called them Turkos.  She remembers them very well because she had a humungous crush on one of them.  And by the way, Pres. Quezon  came from the same place.  The whole province was later named after him… Quezon Province.

Ha ! Conspiracy theory?  Anyway, won’t it be great to trace my genealogy ?  My mother’s side, of course. My father’s is pretty straightforward. We know where  his grandfather  came from… Sta. Maria la Nueva, Segovia, Spain. I wrote about him here (   Barcelona, Part 16). My grandmother even went there to Segovia to meet her relatives.  So, there’s nothing mysterious about that.  But, the idea of  possible Jewish roots  is almost unbelievable. Could it be….. ?  No, I don’t think so. It’s inconceivable. ……………..  It’s funny that 2 random people on 2 different occassions had asked me if I was Palestinian.  Huh ? Why were they  so specific about the place?   And just last week, I was asked by a customer  if  I was Persian . What ? Again?  ( My manager is a nice  Persian lady )  I’m Asian, people !

So, okay, I know  this post is  boring.  If you are  still reading at this point , thank you.

My next post will be my tour of Amboise and Bourdeux in France. Promise.

PEACE  ! ! !

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

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

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

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

*ponders*

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

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

Just my thoughts. PEACE.

Hello there !

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.The ubiquitous Chinese restaurant

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

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

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

.Turkey meat with delicious gravy…..

.Bon appetit !

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

Bonne journee.  La paix.  Au revoir.

Hello ! Renxkyoko Iglesias here. * waves *

Today is Good Friday. For Catholics, it’s Fasting and Abstinence aka meatless day. Catholics used to actually fast the whole day ( no eating the whole day ) but I guess no one follows this tradition anymore. But It’s still meatless day today , so, yeah, we’re having fish for dinner. ( which is nothing special, come to think of it. In our household, we eat fish all the time ) In fact, we don’t eat meat for 3 days during the Holy Week; Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday.

I live in a liberal household that is, at the same time, very much steeped in religious and cultural traditions that are very Filipino. We’ve retained what is good, and does not harm others. Such as ?, you ask. Well, the whole family attend the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, after which we have dinner , a midnight dinner we call Noche Buena. And like most Asians, we use honorifics even here in the US. In fact, the use of honorifics in Philippine culture is mandatory. Not using a honorific is rude and disrespectful

and reveals to others that said person has not been taught good manners and right conduct by the parents. For example, young people do not use the singular pronoun YOU in addressing a much older person or one with a higher “status” . It has nothing to do with subservience, bondage and inequality. It simply conveys respect. This is similar to addressing a judge ” Your honor “, instead of YOU.

The Philippine word that is equal in meaning and usage in the English lamguage of the word YOU is the singular pronoun IKAW. (pronounced ee-kaw ) IKAW is used only to address a person younger, same age, slightly older, or someone of similar or lower level in status. Otherwise, the plural pronoun of YOU or IKAW , which is KAYO, ( pronounced kah-yoh )is used. There’s no equivalent plural pronoun for YOU in the English language. In other words, English speakers use YOU to speak to a 5 year old kid and to a 90 year old aunt.

Philippine conversations are also interpersed with the word PO when speaking to an older person , and someone of much higher status.  They don’t say directly NO to an older person. ( HINDI is No in Philippine language ). They say HINDI PO.

I know it’s a bit disconcerting that I seem to give undue emphasis on social status. It may seem like that, but it’s not , really. There’s no institutionalized caste system in the Philippines, although I have to admit, albeit reluctantly, to the ever-present class system …..but, it exists all over the world, doesn’t it, even here in the US . As they say, the rich are different from you and me. That said, age still takes precedence over status. A 30 year old manager will never use Ikaw ( singular YOU ) when speaking to a 60 year old company janitor. He will also use “po” and use some honorific title like “Manong ” before the name, as a sign of respect for his age. It’s similar to Mister, but not quite. There’s a tad more respect in Philippine honorific. I myself use honorific titles on my elders. I call my older brother KUYA Bert and my older sister ATE Jenny, or just Kuya and Ate . ( pronounced Koo-ya and Ah-teh , meaning, older brother, older sister ). Funny thing is, last night, my sister’s boyfriend ( a white guy ) just hollered ” Ren, your Ate is calling you.” Ha ha . He used the term correctly. The use of the term gives it more authority, and that means, I have to do her bidding , pronto. Of course I ignored it, he he. I was watching something interesting on TV. You know, I will teach my future kids to call their older siblings Ate and Kuya, and teach them this sweet traditional  Philippine gesture, too ———–>

And my kid will then say, ” Mano po, Lola.” ( Your) hand, Grandma …….and it will be so cute  even if my American kid will pronounce it as ” Manow pow, Lowla.”

In South Korea, older brother is Oppa and older sister is Onee-chan ( not sure… I think that’s Japanese ).., Speaking of which, what is that  idiot pres. of North Korea , Kim Jing Un thinking, with his bellicose threats and saber rattlings, by declaring a “state of war”  againts South Korea and threatening the US with nuclear missiles?  Does he know what our  B-2 Stealth bombers  can do, and that  60% of  US military forces are now  being  deployed  to the Pacific?  Does he know South Korea can obliterate them with their K-Pop boy bands, Gungnam style?  Pfffft !

I’m blabbering . Guess  I have to say bye now. .  My next post  is my tour of France.

PS…. I’m having second thoughts on this post. I find it such a total snooze.  But this is not random.  My  Ate Jenny ‘s BF  even wants me to call him Kuya.  Aaaarrgh. I cringe.

Bye . Stay cool.  France tour is next. * clicks Publish *

I’ve been hella busy these past weeks……… exams, work, and  stuff are getting in the way of blogging. As usual, there’s nothing on my mind  at the moment, but then I’m always like this, right? I’m a slow starter.  Funny thing is, when I get going,  there’s nothing that can stop  me from  taking off.  So, let’s see where this post goes.

My signature name here, Ren x Kyoko .  It goes without saying that  isn’t my real first name.  The name comes from one of my most favorite mangas ( Japanese graphic novels) SKIP BEAT.  Yep, I read mangas, and really, really enjoy reading them.  They are drawings, cartoons, with very few words to read, and basically depend  on facial  expressions to convey what ‘s going on in the story.  Did you get to read my Valentine’s post here ?  It conveys a lot just looking at the drawings, doesn’t it,  with  minimum number of words, 13 short sentences, and really, the drawings say it all.  Oh,  I’m not rationalizing my fondness for stories with pictures. I read to entertain myself. That’s all there is to it. But, I have to admit  some manga stories do lower the level of my IQ a few notches. Or, have   irreversibly killed a few brain cells.  ( Eh. I’m not worried about my IQ.  I’ve been called a walking Encyclopedia once,  and I believe I can give Jeopardy contestants a run for their money.  )

The other stuff  thar I read.

Quite  a few mangas  have scarred me for life, though.  Like, what, you ask.  Like Incest, that’s what.  Like 2 siblings who are into forbidden love, and in the end, both comitted  suicide.  Or,  twins who have  fallen in love with each other, and have ran away to another country to be together. There are tons of forbidden love stories like these, though some are cute, especially those that involve love between two  non-blood -related siblings.  There are so many plotlines like these that it makes me think, is this actually  a cultural thing in Japan?

Back to SKIP BEAT…… it’s a series that I’ve been reading for 6 years now, and still ongoing. It’s at Chapter 198 , to date, and the truth is, it’s been on going for 10 years already..  What’s amazing about this manga is that, the timeline of the story  as of the last chapter is barely over a year .  A chapter comes out every  5th of the month, and I tell you, I always get butterflies in my stomach everytime I turn on the computer to check if  a new  chapter has already been uploaded. That’s how addicted I am to this  pure  love story. It’s a comedy, too.

You know, I visualize myself  already a grandma, sitting in a rocking chair, sipping hot cocoa, clucking my dentures, and still reading Skip Beat. ( *_*)  For the love of God, hurry up and kiss already ! ! Gosh !  * like  that’s gonna happen * (6_6 )

Oh, well. * turns off fangirl  switch *

I did say I was going to post a few left-over photos  of Spain. I hope  a reader from Spain can recognize them.  I don’t know where these pictures were taken, but I’m sure it was before our trip to Burgos, Spain. I was wearing the same dress.

.Above photo is a bullring.

Photos below are our Optional dinner at Barcelona, which cost each person $75, and  includes Spanish Flamenco Dance entertainment. I think this was the best  dinner in our 27 day tour……. a sumptous  Spanish buffet !  The dishes were  like the foods we cook at home…. estofado, paella, etc.  There was even a squid soup dish that included the ink… the way we cook it at home.

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Ooooh, there’s the black rice with squid ink.  That’s how we cook it at home too. We saute garic, onions, lots of tomatoes, then the squid with the ink, then water…. then we eat it with rice, and the rice turns black in color because of the squid ink. Guys, it’s an acquired taste, but it really tastes good.  Trust me.

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There’s rabbit stew on the plate but I’m not sure which one. Rabbit estofado was delicious, it really was, but,  it was difficult to swallow Roger Rabbit..

.Desserts !

I ‘m going to blog about the foods we had in Europe, something like a food critique.  One thing,  we had the best in Spain. And very generous portions, too. More to my taste, anyway.

After dinner, we watched a Flamenco dance group.

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Oooooh, passionate dance, passionate people.

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.That’s it for Spain…. the land of my ancestors.  Beautiful country. Good-bye.

Peace and stay cool.

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

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

* sips coffee*

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

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

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

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

Now on to Burgos and Bilbao, Spain.

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

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

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

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

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

.Dinner at the hotel

On to Burgos…..

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

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

Oh, that’s Ruben, our tour manager.

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

Picture below is from Wikipedia.

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This  castle  was built in 840 AD.

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

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

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

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

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I’m almost done with my Euro travelogue.  But I’m afraid after this, I won’t have anything to talk about anymore. In fact, even right now that I have a specific topic , my mind is still  blank. I feel it’s travel overload. I’ve been staring at the monitor for 2 days now, y’know.  Oh, but I think I had a lovely Valentine’s Day post, if I may say so myself.  I ;ve been rereading it, and everytime I do, I laugh. Hahaha * cough *.  It’s like I’m laughing at my own jokes.  Oh, Newsflash,  I actually had a date on Valentine’s Day.  Heh. I wasn’t really complete  zero, you know.  =_= “

Oh, and one blogger got interested in my old  Valentine post, and her comment  made  me revisit   that one. .  Homigash !  It was a Valentine’s rant ! ! I’ll save you the time and just copy  here a part of that stupid post.  Ah. Sweet Ren ain’t so sweet , at all.

Here it is…..

I’m quite annoyed at the star rating feature here.  Why do we need to be rated anyway? I don’t really want that thing on my space.  On my previous blog, some reader rated my work as 1 star. I think that’s so rude. It’s like telling me my work is pure crap. Well, it is, but you , whoever you are, don’t have to rub it  in. WTF !  This isn’t a grammar test, nor a writing  one.  These are  my random thoughts , and  crappy or not,  this is my freakin’  blog and I can freakin’ write whatever I freakin’ feel like writing, so don’t freakin’ judge me.  I’m sure you’re no  freakin’ Pulitzer Prize winner either, whoever you are.

This is all for now.  Not in the mood to write anything else.  I have headache .

I  was such a sensitive fool.  I got a 1 star rating and went berserk.  Anger issues  much, methinks.

Oh, well.  Anyway, here’s Toledo, Spain.

Toledo is located in central Spain, and is the capital of the province of Toledo and   the autonomous region of Castille- La Mancha.

Ah, La Mancha !  I’d like to believe everyone reading this has at least heard of  the play Man of La Mancha ?  This play was originally a manuscript of  author/soldier/actor/tax collector, named Miguel de Cervantes who had been imprisoned in Toledo for  heresy, ( together with his manservant)        ,    during the Spanish Inquisition . Well, no, not for heresy, but for foreclosing a monastery ! ! !  Ahahaha ! Anyway  the play is about a man who has read so many books about chivalry and injustice that he  loses his mind. Then, after renaming himself as Don Quixote de la Mancha, and  together with his manservant, Sancho Panza, he  embarks on a quest for his dream .  He is the ultimate symbol of a knight in shining armor.  One of the most memorable songs in the musical play,  is the song The Impossible Dream. To dream, the impossible dream…..To fight, the unbeatable foe. To bear , with unbearable sorrow….. la la la.  The lyrics are just so beautiful and meaningful.    I watched the movie version of this ( starring Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren, in our  collection of musical  movies at home  ) and I think , this is one of the most touching and heartfelt  story that I’ve ever seen and read, a story that is simply magical and  makes one believe again  in the innate goodness of man  and nobility of the human mind.

The man on the horse is Don Quixote with Sancho Panza, his manservant, the top middle statue is Miguel de Cervantes, the author, the two women statues on the left and right are just one character, as  Dulcinea, his  virgin dream maiden, the damsel in distress,  and as   Aldonza, actually a prostitute  in a rundown inn which, he, in his addled mind, sees as a castle.

.Toledo was declared a World Heritage site. No new building can be constructed and all buildings are preserved.

The one on the right is the Alcazar ( Arabic  for castle -palace ) and the one on the left is the Cathedral.

.The center of Toledo has several  entrances. I don’t lknow what the name of this entrance is. Do you notice the Muslim influence on the design of the entrance? It’s kind of Arabesque, Moorish, or whatever they call that design.

Toledo was the capital of the Spanish Empire before Madrid.  It was the place where Muslims, Jews and Catholics coexisted. during the Middle Ages., before the Jews and Muslims were expelled at the start of the 15th century.  Below is the oldest synagogue still standing, built in 1180., called  Santa Maria la Blanca, formerly  Ibn Shushan Synagogue.  This building is unique because it was constructed  under the Catholic  kingdom of Castille, by Islamic architects for Jewish use.

.Interior of the synagogue.

.The Cathedral.

Cathedral’s interior

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You know what, the real thing is more jaw-dropping.

.The city of Toledo is surrounded by walls.

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The photo above…. this kind of building with painted on faux windows, and doors are very common in Europe. I’ve seen this in Florence, too.

.Not sure, but I think above photo is the oldest police station in Europe.

.Random me.

.The photo above….. just showing you how narrow the streets are.  It’s actually charming.

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.One of the more notable citizens of Toledo  who lived or were born here was EL GRECO.  He was a Byzantine painter whose paintings had a modernistic feel to them .

.We went to see his paintings and there’s an interesting story behind the above photo. Our tour guide was particularly effusive in his story telling. It’s a pity I’ve forgotten what it’s all about , ha ha.

* ponders*

You know, the difference between a Protestant cross and a Catholic Cross is that the latter has an image in it and  Catholics call it Crucifix.  Speaking of which , I have a funny picture of a speeding Catholic driver.

.Ha ha ha… I , myself, have a Rosary hanging in my car.

It may seem boring, but , believe it or not, Toledo is one of the most beautiful places  I’ve visited in Europe.  Oh, by the way, Toledo used to be the the top sword maker in the whole of Europe since Roman times. They still make the stuff, but only ceremonial ones.. They now make handcrafted gold jewelries. We visited one such craft shop and bought several pairs of handmade gold earings and necklaces….they’re  beautiful with such intricate and delicate designs.

This is all for now.

Burgos and Bilbao, Spain are next.

.With song in my heart, I say, hasta la vista… chau and Paz. La di da…..