Rooting for Melody Lacayanga

When Fox was showing the show "So You Think You Can Dance," I openly rooted for all the Asians and the Pin@ys in the show. After all, it was not everyday that I saw Asians and Pin@ys on television without a white man as a husband or boyfriend or groom. For that matter, I still don't see Asian men on television as the husband, boyfriend or groom of Caucasians.

It was a thrill to watch Melody dance in the show. But the thrill got to be so much that I ended up not watching the show in the end. I did not want any cortisol coursing through my body.

So I was surprised last night to hear that "the Filipina in the dance show" was at my niece's debutante ball. I was surprised to say the least. Apparently, Melody Lacayanga was a first cousin to the debutante. Not only that, it turned out that Melody has a sister who is a very talented singer also. They both served as the hostess of the evening.

It was four degrees of separation. I know my second cousin L. L married M. M is the sister of Melody’s mother.

Melody was about five feet and two inches. As a dancer, her body was fit and trim. In fact, I saw muscles that usually can only be seen in the abdominal area when the skin is peeled off during anatomy dissection. Melody flew off the floor during her dance performance. I am always in awe of dancers. To have such fine control over their bodies.

49ers are just cursed

So the niners want to leave SF. Bwahahhahah. Sen Feinstein is introducing a bill so that the niners will have to leave the SF moniker and the 49ers name.

As they the niners screwed up the SF Olympic bid, now they will have to pay for it.

JROTC out in San Francisco

As a Republican, I look at SF and see the extremes. Just recently, the city decided to shut down the Junior ROTC program. In the television news show, hundreds of young students were demonstrating for JROTC!!!! And the city decided to get rid of it.

Absolutely stupid.

Canada Vacation

Canada Vacation

The vacation began after the wedding of Ninong A on Saturday Nov 4. “A little rushed because of the hectic schedule. But, we actually managed to wake up on time to leave for the airport. Travelling with us were the two blue Samsonite suitcases which were wedding gifts, the Nikon D70s camera, the two newest his and hers bowling balls, and two computers. The bowling balls went into its own separate bag because of the weight restrictions. If placed inside the Samsonite, the luggage exceeded the 50 pound weight limit.

The first stop was at Seattle through Alaska Airlines. It’s a beautiful plane, but their tickets are a tad expensive. On the plane, two guys who weighed over 300 lbs sat next to each other. That was a difficult and painful experience to observe. The ride was uneventful. At Seattle, I marveled at the glass enclosure. Surely, technology is a wonderful thing. It allowed people to create great structures like airports made of steel and glass. We ended up winetasting at an airport store. It was not bad. Either my tastebuds are maturing or I was hallucinating. But I could taste what the winenotes said.

We got to Edmonton using Horizon Airlines. Thankfully, the SO booked a jetplane instead of a propeller plane. WE got to the West Edmonton Mall at about 7 o’clock. The roads were icy and the shuttle driver was driving slowly. We managed to geet to the opening reception for the SO’s conference. It was at the waterpark. Pretty nice enclosure that contained a very big beach. There were waterslides and bungee jumping. We had dinner with two delegates, one from UC Davis and another from Texas.

We had to order room service on Sunday night. I ordered fried chicken and French fries while the SO got spinach artichoke dip. Tip. Don’t order the dip.

Monday morning, I managed to wake up late. But I still went for a walk. It took me about 1.5 hours to walk around. The mall was huge. The winter light lit up the mall in the morning. By the time I walked at 11 oclock, the mall already had people walking around and working. I was relieve to see an Asian store where they sold bread, Chinese food and Asian food. For the last week, I have been eating peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

The room that we stayed at was a smoking room. It was on the Hollywood floor, which meant black walls and mirrors all around. The room had a Jacuzzi. When we first entered, the temperature was 25 deg Celcius. I had to adjust the temp lower because it was too warm. I also had to buy Febreeze to get the smoke smell out. I tell you, Febreeze works like magic. The smoke smell was decreased substantially. Even four days later, the smoke smell is not as strong.

While the SO was out, I was on my own. Monday, I basically walked around the mall and was taking photos. I saw a class of figure skating at the ice rink. Yup, they have ice rink in the mall. The figure skaters skated for nearly three hours as they practiced their skills. Pretty dedicated.

For dinner, we met up with other conference attendees. It was a large group of about 12 that went to a standard steak place. We ended up splitting into two groups. Luckily enough, I was with the Berkeley contingent who were fun. I had to order the whole rack of ribs, which I am paying for right now through my gout pains. But, I’m on vacation! Later on, we went to a hotel room where one of the attendees mixed vodka with red bull. It was pretty good. The SO and her office mates called up their boss. I ended up talking to him.

Tuesday, I woke up really late. That was the day the SO gave her presentation. I had to check up on a syllabus for a class I am teaching at a city college. I tell you, I missed teaching! It was awesome. In the afternoon, off to bowling. Hehehe. I had to practice STONES. That’s what they call it besides ten pin bowling.

Tuesday evening, off to Whyte Avenue. The same folks who went to the Moxie’s Grill went on Tuesday. Another attendee wanted to go, but she did not have a jacket. It was a goood thing because it ended up snowing later on. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant. The folks were looking for a karaoke bar. However, we basically did a pub crawl. First up was an Irish bar called Filthy MacNasty. Apparently, they did not know what a carbomb was. It was supposed to be a pint of guiness with Jameson whisky. The bartender gave a few ounces of guiness.

Next bar was at Hudsons which is on Gateway and Whyte. Pretty nice restaurant / bar. I ordered diet coke since we were going to walk to the karaoke bar Hudson’s on the campus of Univ of Alberta.

Karaoke was okay. Not great. The people in the bar were not that supportive and they sang unfamiliar songs. The group ended up sitting with some college students. I tried to speak and bullshit with them. They ended up leaving. I was rather disappointed at myself. I could not make them comfortable. The SO was supportive. After all, I am trying.

Later on, it began snowing as we were going home. Well, this was not a normal storm. Huge snowflakes were falling. I was so happy to get home that I gave the taxi a big tip. The snow usually stops taxis from working once it was 2 am.

Wednesday, I ended up walking again after waking up late. I managed to have lunch with the SO at Europa Café. Buffet. The SO went to tour the campus of Univ of Alberta, while I just sat around and bummed around the mall. I slept for two hours in the afternoon because my stomach was too full.

Later that evening, we ended up going to dinner at Tony Roma’s. Not a bad restaurant. I got the prime rib. Luckily enough, it was not very salty.

Thursday was the first day without the conference. I woke up with sun peeking through the sky. It was the first time I had seen the sun since Oakland. I stood up to take a photograph. I also went for my morning walk or constitutional. One time around the mall this time.


We tried to go to lunch, but I ended up falling asleep waiting for the SO to leave. That was not good as we were delayed two hours. WE at at Zeller’s Diner. I ordered a two pattie burger while the SO got a salmon burger.

Then off to the Canadian Rodeo Finals we went. Awesome rodeo. I was thinking of riding a bull, but after seeing them do it, I guess I can just remain a fan. I tried to take photos, but I had to check in my camera.

That’s the quick version of our vacation. Two more days and we will be back home.





Fantasyland Hotel

The hotel has themes on each floor. We are staying at the Hollywood theme floor. The corridors have black fluorescent lights, neons with the Hollywood sign, and black tiles. It’s on the twelfth floor, the penthouse of the hotel. Inside, there is a kingsize bed, a huge cabinet, and two lounge chairs. The first thing that struck me was the smell of the room. Smoker’s room. I was able to withstand it for about one night. But there was so much smell that I basically bought Febreeze to get rid fo the smell. Even buying the febreeze was a struggle. First, where to buy it. Could not see it in the Asian store. Then, went to Zeller’s and this place was huge. Finally found the febreeze in the detergent side.

The SO had officeworkers staying at a Polynesian theme. The Jacuzzi in that room came from faux rocks ala waterfall. The room looked a little tacky. Someone said that the room was for those with syotas. I can’t imagine a fantasy occurring in that room unless you have the complete outfit.

We also managed to go to the Rome themed floor. It turns out that some rooms are decorated and some are not. In one decorated room, the bed was circular.

Wedding a Year Ago

Reflections on the Wedding
1. Concern about the wedding day going by too quickly. Didn’t happen because we managed to enjoy the time.
2. Photographs and the meticulousness of Mr. Song. But we got him because he is a great artist. It takes him a while to judge the balance, height and shape of the group. Never made a complaint. Have this one picture with the classic silhouette pose.
3. The Barong Tagalog never got creased because it was embroidered all-over.
4. The four things I had to do for the wedding: shoes, pants, shirt, and show up. That is all I was tasked with.
5. It was great to see members of my old lab and grad school.
6. There were two tables that were set up for extra people who show up. My sister pointed them out as tables for the dead. One could believe it.
7. The cake was so good that I wanted to just sit and devour the cake.
8.

Post –Wedding Celebration
1. Went up to the suite to talk to my brother, BIL, and SIL. Asked the SIL to get us some fast food, any fast food because the Chinese food in the fridge was frozen. That’s right. Icicles formed in the food.
2. The MIL was nice enough to arrange just about everything for the next day’s move back to Oakland.
3. The next day, went to Oakland to begin opening the gifts. The gifts were fun to open. There were some very generous people giving us cash and some very nice gifts from the registry.

One Year Anniversary

This past weekend was the one year anniversary for the SO and me. Pretty fast, if you ask me. The last week had been quite busy, what with the citizenship and some chit-chat with a new possibility.

Friday evening, I picked up the SO and went home because of a problem with some food. The SO ended up going to Ikea alone and her parent's home. I stayed at home and tried to cure my stomach and my left ear which has been clogged for about two weeks now. The Murine ear drops did not work. But, I have been flushing it in the shower. And that has helped a little bit.

On Saturday October 7, we began the day in the morning watching some cartoons. Then off to the Fallfest 2006 in San Francisco. We ended up taking BART since we figured that we might get too tired.

Some of the highlights:

Definitely the Gold Wineglass Award goes to Cosmic Chocolate (925) 260-1700. Delicious as well as visually pleasing chocolates.

The Silve Wineglass Award goes to Marshall's Farm Honey. Get some blue chesse and add some honey to it. YUMMY! For the diabetics out there, forget about this recipe!

Bronze Wineglass Award goes to Specialty Wine Cakes which served alcohol-infused cakes – sherry, brandy, amaretto, and rum.

Some honorable mentions:

Sciabica & Sons produces olive oil. The wife tasted their jalapeno and said "The Way Spicy Should Taste." The guy manning the booth said that he was looking for a slogan to put on the jalapeno bottle. The wife smoothly suggested that she could take a bottle of olive oil. No response. But, the olive oil was outstanding.

Iluna Basque was at the front section of the set-up. They had a person carving a whole ham. Pretty impressive in the way that the dried ham was being carved. Quite tasty too.

After the ride back from BART, we collapsed at home and slept for a few hours. We were not able to go to her cousin's show at Bindlestiff in SF, but I am certain that it was a good show.

Sunday morning, we went for breakfast at Lois the Pie Queen's Restaurant in Oakland. The SO liked the place. I was not too into it because of the crowd. I thought that the batter was a little bland. And unfortunately, we got stuck in a middle table where no one really served us.

After brunch, off to see the Terracotta Warriors, a martial-musical at the Paramount Theatre. Check out the Chinese Performing Arts Festival site. I liked the show's mixing of western and Chinese elements. It's a different way of storytelling and certainly very visually stimulating. The company of dancers were phenomenal. Specially like the openness of the sex scenes as interpreted by the dancers. I thought it was truthful to human nature and not objectionable. Certainly, the choreography for it was creative.

I could not help but think that America with its puritanical sidestreak would have a problem with the scene.

After the show, we went to the Marriott Courtyard in Emeryville where we stayed for the evening. Dinner was at Spenger's in Berkeley. We must have been very hungry. A small sampler of oysters, a plate of fried calamari, steak for me and salmon for her. Key lime pie for me and vanilla ice cream with fruit for her. After dinner, I got her some flowers: dahlia's and a blushing bride. She liked them!!!

The next day Monday, we took the day off so we could relax and recover. Breakfast was bread, cheese and olives. Then off we went to Fry's and bowling at Clayton Valley Bowl in Concord. Ended up buying some LED bulbs for the flashlights and some DVDs of Toshiro Mifune. Bowling got me a score of 150, 109 and 148. Woohoo! I liked the sound of the bowling ball as it rumbled down the lane. It's just like rip Van Wrinkle time.

Then, back to home we went.

How Seconds Turn Into an Eternity

I have only recently recovered from the fright I obtained from Veronica's friendly greeting outside of Zellerbach Hall right before the Bayanihan Dance Company's performance. Go read her account and then come back to my account.

So there I was chatting it up with friends right outside of the hall, when I hear children call out,

"Hi Rhett." The greeting was followed by giggling.

[Brain: Hmm, someone called out my name. But besides D and E, I should know no one here. Well, even if I know them, their voices should register as adult voices. Not children's.

Ahh, it's probably a kid whose name is Brett, or Jet, or Brad. That's it. Just some kids running around playing tag.]

"Hi Rhett." Another giggling sound.
[Brain: Err, nope, this time, that was definitely closer. More to my back.

Well, I did not feel any knives or sharp pointy objects entering my back. That's always a good sign that this was a friendly greeting. Usually former undergraduate students are screaming and shouting at me for their "C" or "B".

It doesn't help that I told them that their answers during the midterms were not really correct. How the heck do I help that? I just can't give credit when they don't write the right answer to a question.

Oh-oh. D is pointing to my back. Hmm, she looks like she's in shock. I better turn around.]

As my eyes focus on three youngsters aged five to nine, my brain processes the information.

[Brain: Well, they are calling me. They seem to know me. But I sure as h*ll don't know them. Who are they? Where did they come from? Ahh, so this is that feeling of dislocation due to entering the twilight zone.

Hmm, they are cute kids. They could be my kids, I suppose. But I swear, I would have remembered fathering three children. Hell, I don't know anyone who would not have contacted me with "Hey, guess what, you're a father now."

Analyze… Analyze… What was I doing five to ten years ago. ANALYZE!!!! You're a scientist. Go back to the time machine. Ten years ago was one year before graduation from grad school.

Who were you pining for in that time period? Well there was N. But as I remember, she was Asian. These children definitely look mestizas. Asian plus Filipino would make Asian looking children. It can't be from N.

Okay, did we go anywhere in 1996? Well, I did go to Maryland. But I swear, that was for a fellowship with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Our idea of partying was staying up late and talking about the gossips in the laboratory in the east coast. Heck, I can' even remember a blonde from that party.

How about graduate school? Well, there was A, C and K. They were all white. But I don't even remember getting to second base with any of them. Hell, I didn't even date any of them. They all got their PhD and I know they would have at least given me the courtesy call that I was a father of a set of twins and one single.

Okay, anyone else? Well, there was A. But she's a psychiatrist in SF now. I had to leave her because she was disrupting my existence to such an extent that I could not function. And, she was Chinese. These kids are mestizas.

FOCUS! Analyze all the Caucasian women you liked. Could you have fathered these kids with any of them? Well, there weren't that many Caucasian women I liked. By the time I was a junior in college, I only liked Filipinas. Okay, there was this really tall blonde in Chemistry 1A, but I didn't even get her name.

Wait, I did go to a fraternity bash. Oh, that was an Asian fraternity though. All the women there were in my Biochemistry class and I couldn't date them because I was their teaching assistant. Scratch that one.

Tutoring! Maybe you met a Caucasian while tutoring. The only person I liked when I was tutoring was B and she was Japanese. I don't think that a Filipino + Japanese would give you mestizas.

Well, let's confirm that these kids are mestizas. Light brown hair… Good tan… A resemblance to pango noses…. wait they have that mischievous smile. That could have definitely come from you!

What mischievous smile?

Oh…[looking at the children smiling] that MISCHIEVOUS SMILE! Shit, they look like me when I was a kid smiling after I had peed on the cactus.

I give up. I hope these are not my children and that I'm not about to be featured in the Jerry Springer show. I have my alibi!!!!]

As I say hello, the children say "Our mommy Veronica says 'Hi'".

[Brain: Oh, ayan. Veronica daw. Sino yung Veronica? Sigura kaklase mo.

(Brain has shifted to the most basic language Tagalog in an effort to process faster.)

I have never dated anyone with that name. I have a niece Veronica, but she's only 1 years old.

Of course, these could be my grand-nieces. They could have traveled back in time. I guess in the future, they can come back to the past and be like tourists. I should ask these girls whether I'm still skinny in the future or not.]

As I say "Veronica who?" they point to the right.

[Oh, thank God!!!! It's Ver!!!!]

You scared me, children!!! Don't do that again!!!

I am American

I woke up all giddy and excited at six o'clock on the morning of October 3. American citizenship day had come at last. After 24 years, seven months and eleven days being an American, I can finally say that I am an American with the papers! Woohoo!

My mother had applied for my citizenship when I was in college. I believe the fee then was about $100. But when she got the notice for the interview, it turned out that I was going to be in Indiana for an internship. I tried to become a citizen during graduate school, but graduate school and dealing with the inanities in graduate school took precedence.

I thought about becoming a citizen under President Gore, but that did not work out. I should have just become one during President Clinton. At any rate, under Bush II, I have become one.

Before going to the Nob Hill Masonic Center, I had to prepare. First off, what kind of clothes? The old me would be going there with jeans and a t-shirt. But since I was the new me, I decided on a suit and a tie. The tie had the golden bears of Berkeley on it. Bought it on a store that catered to Cal alumni. But that store J. Good is now gone. A victim of lowered tastes and greater competition. The suit itself was bought in 2003 in anticipation of interviews. At the time, I bought the size 38 pants. It's a little loose now. Time to go to the store and have it shortened and tightened around the hips.

I placed the flag in the bag. Placed the documents in the plastic bag. Placed my resident visa card in my wallet for the last time. I had to give up the card that showed my youth, my promise and my naivete.

We took Bart and the cable car to the Masonic Center. Masonic Center is the place where I have watched two of my friend graduate from UCSF medical school. I never thought that I would enter it with a ceremony of my own. A small part of me still wonders why I couldn’t be a medical doctor. A larger part of me, the logical part, says if I had done that, I would be thrice divorced, working hard, unhappy, not very close to my family, an arrogant ass and an idiot. And, the SO probably would not be married to me.

There were a lot of people present at 0830 hours. The SO said I should go in so she could sit down. Apparently, she did not have a lot of sleep time. By the time I sat down, I was the seventh person in the section. Woohoo!!! Up close and personal!

It was an hour of explanations from the officer of the USIS. A lot of don't do this with your certificate. A lot of explanations on what you need to do as a citizen. VOTE!!! A lot of appreciation for what the people there are giving up.

Some of them give up their identity wholly. Some give up their culture. They believe that as Americans, they don't have to teach their children what it means to be the non-American. My skin is too brown to give up anything like that. American citizen born in the heat and humidity of the Philippines. Where sweat makes you thin.

There was a photographer from the Chronicle. She kept taking photos of the people. The Filipina woman in front of me kept fixing her hair. The photographer would not take our pictures. I wanted to tell her to stop preening and let the photographer take photos. I imagined myself as being noble. Like a king, which you are in America.

They asked for someone to read the pledge of allegiance. Apparently, I still had some "hiya" or Filipinoness in me. I did not fast enough. I should have. Next time. Hell, I am a Toastmaster after all. I can sell real estate if I have to!

At the end, I brought out the American flag. I waved it to the wife!!! And of course, we took photos outside of the Masonic place.

Voila, American Me

On Wednesday, I trekked to downtown Oakland's Federal Building to take my immigration test. Remembering the last time I tried to get my citizenship in SF, I was worried. The SF federal immigrations building in the 1990's was hot, humid, filled with humanity. It almost felt like the US embassy in the Philippines.

At any rate, I was informed by the sister that I need to pass this test because next year, the fee will be $900. Damn. It used to be $90. Then it went to $300. That $300 was so expensive, it was not until I could get a real job at a real company that I could afford it.

I spend about an hour studying inside the atrium of the federal building. I sang the star-spangled banner many times. I read the study brochure multiple times. I was ready!!!

I dropped off the appointment notice and waited. It does not take that long, maybe fifteen minutes. A gentle, quavering voice called out my name. The interviewer did not know how to pronounce my name. It's alright. He could have called me a Chinese name and I would have responded.

He checked my information. I had to be doubly alert when it came to the crime section. What with all those double negatives that sometimes pop up in questions.

Nope, never been arrested. [That's why I missed the demonstrations in Berkeley.]

Nope, never had a felony. [I'm a delicate rose petal. I don't do the dirty work.]

Yes, I will bear arms for the United States. [Who do I have to kill for America? For my citizenship, I'll do it.}

Nope, don't know any Communists. [American communists are living off the fat of the capitalist market. Filipino Communists were turned by Marcos into businessmen who live off the fat of the people. Chinese communists are capitalists hiding behind a communist flag. Nope, no communists in this world. Communists only live in the books.]

Nope, Never been outside of America. [Only once in Canada, but that is part of America. Why would I need to go to Mexico? It looks like the Philippines. It's also a lot poorer. And with that leftist guy trying to become president, you never know how stable that place is.]

Nope, never had the desire to travel outside of the US. [I got warm water in the plumbing. I got toilets that work. I got tissue paper. What else do I need to see in the world? They won't have tissue paper or you will have to squat to use the toilet. I'm just not that flexible.]

So yeah. I will be an American. Now, I just have to choose which background I'm going to be:

Southern evangelical. Knocks on doors of neighbors. Tries to bring the kingdom of heaven for only $199.99. Can't get heaven any cheaper. Well, the Catholics offer heaven for free, but they always collect during Mass.

Finnish Midwesterner. I could then represent the Philippine team for the 500 meter speekskating event.

A Texan Cowboy. I am a Republican. So if I choose this, I can be just like George W. Bush. Hoo-hah!!!

An Asian from California. Wait, isn't that what I am already?

Happy Martial Law Anniversary

34 years ago, the great visionary, President Ferdinand Marcos instituted discipline for the Filiipinos.

Para sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan.

Music through the internet

I am constantly surprised by the internet. Live 365 allows you to connect to streaming music. Korean Pop, here I come! Pinoy music, I can listen to you!!!

American Me

Or, rather, I should be by the end of the day. I take my citizenship exam today. To tell the truth, I am a little nervous. I have not taken a history class since my junior year in high school. AP American History with Ms. Goldblum. Ahh, those were the days… I wrote essays on the viewpoints of historians with respect to the events of American history.

I sang the star spangled banner song last night to completion. Some bars were hummed. The SO tried to help, but I drowned out her voice because I was concentrating. Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics for that.

Washington. Both the president and the capital of the world. Lincoln. Both president and emancipator of slaves. Both executives with cabinets.

The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Congress makes the laws. The senate and congress legislates. The Supreme Court interprets.

Thirty-seven years old being a Filipino. It's not that hard to give up a citizenship when I hardly visit the Philippines. Some Filipinos have been giving a hard time to Jim Paredes of APO HIKING fame because his family left the Philippines. But he has a great reason to. He wants to follow a religious calling. You can hardly do that in the Philippines specially if it is Buddhism.

I don't see becoming an American as giving up hope in the Philippines either. I just see it as taking care of myself. A new box. I get to experience the world in a different way. I get to converse with new people as an American.

I get a new pretty box. I should reupdate the old box too. Maybe I will make it like a jeepney, with horses stampeding on the hood, curtains shielding the soul from the sun, mud flaps exhorting GOD to protect everyone in the jeep and no one else. I'll take it out for a spin every so often. I wonder if anyone will notice.

As for the American me, hmm, better take some pictures. Maybe I'll get blonde hair.

25 Years is a Blink of the Eye

Two weeks ago, we attended my a twenty-five year wedding for my father-in-law's brother. We became a substitute for the candle sponsors when one of the sponsors could not make it from the Philippines.

Uncle J and Auntie A began dating in the 1970's. When they got married, the story goes that they were just wearing jeans. No muss, no fuss. Twenty-five years later, here came the en grande wedding.

There were about twenty primary sponsors. Most of them though were from the ballroom dance club that my aunt and uncle belong to. The number of guests were actually held to less than 250. The larger hotel could not be reserved in time. If not, probably they would have broken the 350 barrier.

While I was looking at their video, I could not help but think of how quickly 25 years go by. Three children. Twenty plus years in America. Children in high school. Children in college.

J and A ended up getting interested in ballroom dancing. As we have seen, couples need something in which both partners can participate. Both partners must enjoy the activity. It can't just be one of the couples enjoy it. Otherwise, it will not be fun and the other partner will resist.

The SO said that is why she likes bowling so much. We can both do it. And, I can do it alone if I wanted to. Heheheh.

During the ballroom section, there were some pretty amazing moves. I wonder how long they have been practicing that. There was one move where the woman leans backward and the man supports her neck. Wow. Talk about trust. I wonder how many times the guy dropped thee woman.

The celebrants also ended up dancing with their family. I believe it was a West Coast Swing. Very nice. Very beautiful.

Mr MSG the Bowling Team

Mr. MSG

Mr MSG is the name of the bowling team that I play in. I liked the name ZOO, but over the weeks, Gary preferred the MSG reference. It is from the initials of the players in the team and not from monosodium glatamate. As a sidenote, some people are "allergic" to MSG. They get headaches. In the 90's, scientists figured out that glutamate was a neurosignal to the brain.

Yesterday was the Jubilee tournament. I never participated in any tournament before. Frankly, I was just not athletic. And the thrill of competition was something that I avoided. It was akin to the thrill of natural selection. My body would pour so much cortisol into me that I would be sad for a long time.

Jubilee was in Palo Alto. A long drive for a bowling tournament. When we got to Palo Alto, the SO pointed out all the 1950's architecture like the car wash. The bowling alley itself harkened back to the time of rock and roll's birth.

We enter the bowling alley and see people… lots of them. Oh my god. It's like Vegas. Or like a racetrack. This is insane!!! I don't do well in crowds. This put me off in my mood. There was no air conditioning. Bowling bags everywhere. It seemed nasty. The bowling floor had equipment from the 1960's. No changes at all even with the plastic seats.

We get there at 2:30 PM. The game is at 3 PM. We order pizza and drinks. I hope for the best. The SO asks if we could enter a side-contest. I'm thinking "is she nuts?" we're just beginners. BUT, bowling has developed a perfect handicap series. It allows beginners to compete with veterans.

Game 1 began. I threw the ball and felt it go into what seemed like a canal. Oh-oh. What kind of lanes are these? The approach is sandal. Thee front is maple and the middle is pine, according to a book I later read. The lanes are uneven, not like Albany Bowl. I did not realize that bowling alleys like these still existed. I thought that everyone had switched by now. The wooden lanes gives the place a nice character. I fish out a 129 from the first game.

Game 2. I resist the temptation to experiment. But I can not find a string of spares or strikes. But I manage to eke out a 140+ game. Mostly, I could hit some spares. I was bowling with a straight ball and going at it from an angle.

Game 3. I figure that the lanes have changed so much that I sort of need to find the curve. I switch to the 3 to 9 o'clock suitcase hold. The ball hits the 4-7-8 pins. The second ball does the exact same thing! It was good that no one was looking. By the sixth frame, the score was something like 88. In the seventh frame, I readjust the hold. I FOUND the curve! Got a strike for the eighth. In the ninth, I get another solid strike. The pins have more action. It allowed the other pins to knock down the 10th pin. In the tenth frame, the ball slips somewhat, but there is still so much action that I got a strike!!! A TURKEY!!! Gobble-Gobble!

I leave to celebrate. The sister-in-law calls me back to tell me that I have another one. I actually manage to close out the game with two more strikes. AMAZING. My first five bagger in a game. In a tournament!!!

Final score was 177 or something like that. Woohee!!!!

The SO had an out of this world game in Game 3 with a 195+ game. WOW. She got a turkey and fulfilled her desire to try and get bowling shoes. Awesome.

The bowling alley was so challenging that I found my curve ball!!! Praise be to God!!!!

Xman #65 Dangyunhaji - Lee Jong Soo vs Ok Bin & Ki Bum (en)

This is why I enjoy Korean variety show XMAN. The guests are willing to suspend their being a superstar to become realistic participants. I specially enjoy the embarassment of Ok Bin. Great reactions.

A Filipina Goes To America and Misses Iowa or August & September 2006

August & September 2006

I believed the months were going to be empty. But, turns out that just like any other year, the months fill up with fun and interesting moments.

I believe the last time I was here, we were about to go up to the hillside retreat of the winelover / chatelaine / avant / gardener Eileen Tabios. On the way to the hermit's abode, the SO and I stopped by Star Bakery, which occupies the old Valerio's store in Vacaville. The rest stop was to buy the offerings to the Hermit in the Mountain. After purchasing 60 sen~oritas and 3 chicken empanadas off to the mountain we went. Just as a sside note, we got the senoritas while they were still hot. As a result, as I bit into one, the melted sugar would solidify in my front teeth. Ahh, can Filipinos make anything better with flour, sugar and butter? I don't think so.

The Saturday at Galatea was beautiful. Lunch at the favorite spot of Taylor's Refresher. I ordered the Club burger. The ahi tuna was getting to be ridiculous with respect to price at $13.00. Hell, can I not get tuna at that price in Ranch 99? Lunch was at Dutch Henry's where we dived into wine tasting of five bottles. For the whole day, we consumed or tasted 19 bottles of wine. Seven bottles were tasted at Pride. Seven more at dinner.

I think the highlight of the weekend was our meeting Eileen's mother. Heheheh. Talk about enchanting. I and the wife had a blast talking to her about the province, the Philippines, Marcos, and food. The next plan is to bribe Eileen's mom with kare-kare, pansit and other goodies so that she will tell us about the embarrassing stories of Eileen.

Eileen's mom was a student of Edith & Edilberto Tiempo. Edilberto and Edith Tiempo studied with Paul Engle in the University of Iowa's writer's workshop in the 1960's. Eileen's mom told us of a very interesting story. When the Tiempos started the program, they mentored five undergraduates who eventually finished their master's degree. The plan then was to send each one of them to Iowa to study. Eileen's mother was the third in the sequence.

However, the first student to be sent across the ocean into America never made it. The female student apparently had an illness and she ended up passing away in the boat bringing her to the United States. After the death of the student, the others were not sent to the US. Of course, I had to ask Eileen's mom what would have happened if she had been sent to the US. She looked away into the window and said, "Well, by that time, I already had a family so I don't think I could have gone." It was an interesting story because she would have gone to the United States at about the time that Eileen would have been born. Eileen screamed that she could have been a blonde Iowa goddess!!!! Bwahahhahaha!!!!

So, it is so interesting to me because the idea of a writer's workshop in the Philippines was so intriguing. And then, I meet one of the first students of the writers who set up the Dumaguete workshop.

Me: Girl takes pic of herself every day for three years

Check out the inventive minds using youtube.com

It's All in the Head

It's All In the Head

Last Tuesday, I picked up the Columbia 300 Wrath 13 pound bowling ball from the pro shop. I tried it out on Tuesday evening. I had to wait three hours until league finished. Talk about excited in using a bowling ball.

I got the ball drilled for a fingertip hold. The ball is two pounds heavier than the one I am used to. But, it felt like I had more control.

Unfortunately, league night was not as cooperative. Even though I dropped by and played two games before the league, I did not have absolute control. I guess I was trying the 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock hold and lift too much. I was also dropping the ball.

On Saturday morning, I played ten games in three hours. That was not so memorable either. Although this time around, I was plotting what I was doing in a notebook. I decided that consistency had to be part of the game.

Sunday afternoon, I went bowling again. Amazingly enough, I managed to bowl two games that were 202 and 200. The circumstances were great. There were two groups playing to the right and to the left. I had to stop and basically concentrate on what I was doing. I had to slow down time so that I could feel the delivery. I had to focus my mind. Focus my hand to deliver to the same spot. I used a 5 o'clock to 11 o'clock delivery. I had to focus on my pre-delivery to make sure my hold was at a 45 degree from my hip. The floor target was the break line and the Brooklyn line.

After those two games, I went back to my average. But now, I realize, it's all in the head.

Hiraya

Tingnan ninyo ang mundo mula sa mata ni Hiraya. Pinay Photo Site of the Day for August 20 in the year of the Pin@y 2006.

Bughaw Ang Kulay Niya

Bughaw lives in Seattle, where life resembles Philippine life in weather and people. The blogger milkfish gives a rendition and commentary of life in America. Bughaw is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for August 20th in the year of the Pin@y 2006.