I like the beach. Heck! Nangi-ngisda kaya ako nun! Haha! Halata ba? Ok. We don’t really call it a “beach”. But one thing I like in Charleston is that, the shore is just a short 30-minute drive. Unlike in Philadelphia where Rehoboth Beach in Delaware is about 2 hours and the Jersey Shore, roughly the same time if you head to Cape May. I’ve driven many, many times to Atlantic City, but I have never tried the waters there. Itchy. Cape May is nice, but there’s just too many peebles. Sandy Hook is better. It’s a nude beach hehehe!

And the highway going to Folly Beach? Really nice. Except that, I see highway cops every five inches yata! Makes you wonder – what kind of drivers do they have in this place?!

See how quick? I’m here. Right at the center of the city – Folly Beach. This place is really nice. It’s just that I need a nicer camera hehehe! (Alibi to justify future planned purchase!) hahaha!

And that’s the only skyscraper in the city – the Holiday Inn. Sorry, biglang nag-red ang traffic light.

“A city with no parking meters!” that’s how they advertise the city. But I must have circled the island already, wala akong makitang bakanteee!!! Out of nowhere, eeeeekkk! Prenoo!

Saw this kid and shouted at him: “Hey! Can I buy your parking lot?”

He said: “Not for sale! You can rent it for $7, the whole day and I’ll watch your car all day long.”

I said: “Just my car?!”

He said: You got it!

I said: Good answer! Hahaha! at nag-thumbs up pa ang loko!

Perfect parking spot because this is what I came here for. You’ll see a picture of this pier in all of Charleston’s marketing materials and two (2) weeks ago, I drove to the wrong place. I went to Downtown Charleston. Hmpt!

Nice! Sarap nang feeling!

Wagi! This is the pier that I’ve been wanting to visit. Some people come here to fish. Pay the fee and they give you all the equipments you need.

They have a restaurant here.

Good enough to fight hunger! Now, this is my breakfast – lunch and… kung makaya pa, dinner na sya.

It’s a long walk and I need energy.

See? Here’s one guy fishing.

And here’s the other guy. Alala ko tuloy nung panahon.

Look to the left…

Look to the right…

Ok. Let’s do it again. To the left.

To the left uli.

To the left some more.

Left uli! Tabingi na kaya ako!

Ok. Enough. Malayo pa ang lalakarin nang lola nyo.

Sunbathing.

Ba’t ganun? Parang anlapit nya?

And here’s the other side.

Mackerel?! Nah. Dun na lang ako sa Vietnamese Store.

Buhay ko to sa barrio nun. *hikbi*

~How sweet it is to go fishing with you…~

“Eeek! Wag kang tatalon! Marami pang babae dyan. Lingon ka sa likod mo.”

The water is too inviting. Kaso, wala akong dalang costumes. If I swim naked, baka mamatay naman lahat nang isda.

Walked back. Mababaw lang naman ang kaligayahan ko.

Stroll on the beach.

Now ko lang napansin. Mala-abaniko pala ang mga paa ko.

One saberdey morning nga, I went up the hill and I was looking for a dry cleaner. I ended up here at chinika ko ang Filipina who was working here, hoping na maka-chamba nang discount! Wala ‘teng! Walang nangyari sa powers ko. Siningil pa rin ako nang $1.78 per piece samantalang $0.99 lang sya sa Philadelphia. Kaya lang $310 ang round-trip ticket. Magdusa. Dito na lang.

And while I was making chika with her, she called up her bff na Bikolana pala. Si Merci. Eto sya.

Said, they were waiting for me last week dahil sila pala ang naka-toka for the novena. And this is her husband. Si Ben. Si Merci yong sa likod.

Anway, me Bikolano Association pala sila here in Charleston. Finally, 1st invite ko dito. At dito naimbitahan ang lola nyo mag-novena.

Dumilim ang panahon pagdating ko.

Madilim talaga sya. Gabi na kasi.

The church was nice inside. Kaso nakakahiya namang mag-li-litrato ako sa loob. Mahahalatang kaba-baba ko pa lang nang bundok. So, pa-cute muna ang lola nyo. And these people were very nice naman. Lahat mga Bikolano, except for some of the Caucasian husbands, yong iba Irish pa. One of the Irish guys was “Bomber” who was making birit of one Bicol song. Kaya daw nya. Ah ok.

I was told that Pinoys are very active pala in this Church. The Saturday novena was in preparation of the Penafrancia Fiesta that they celebrate here also. Every novena, me naka-toka, just like what we do back home. Prepare food and invite guests and do the novena.

Art from Naga City, yong nasa gitna, a retired Navy told me na dati puro lang daw sweets and desserts. Kaso mga Pinoy, so tinuloy na daw na todo-todong kainan and they would typically stay till night time here. Look nyo naman ang bago kong mga barkada hehehe!

Ang aking mga bagong sisterettes. They’re from Tabaco, Albay.

He’s the current President of the Bikolano Association here. Sila na ngayon ang mga ka-tropa ko hehehe!

Mawawala ba ang mga pambara?

Marami namang tao actually.

In fact, nag-sayaw pa nga kami nang Todo-Todo. See? I was hoping na Lady Gaga will play. Kaso, silencio si Alejandro.

Hindi lang Todo-Todo, buhay pa pala si Macarena? Akala ko, na-aresto na sya? At binawi na lahat nang music nya?

It was a fun night and I thought it was weird dahil I was speaking Bicol the whole nite. Akala ko tuloy, I was back in Bicol. This was actually my 2nd time to attend a Filipino gathering. The 1st one was in Cherry Hill, New Jersey where I was invited by another friend Merle. It’s fun to be with Pinoys.

I only have one complaint. I’d say, Pinoys in general are just fond of asking:

Me asawa ka na?
Me anak ka na?
Ni minsan di ka pa kinasal?
Bakit wala ka pang asawa?
Sinong kasama mo sa bahay?
Bakit wala kang kasama?
Ay! Me ipapakilala kame sayo! Si Beth, wala pang asawa yon!

The whole night, walang naka-amoy nang ganda ko. Pano kaya to ngayon?! *singhot*

Magtatayo siguro ako nang kabaret sa dami ng babaeng ipapakilala saken nang mga Pinoy na na-me-meet ko dito.

P.S.
Sa mga Bikolano igdi sa Charleston: I was only joking. Karaw lang tabi. Kamo man, dai na kamo ma-intrimis.

~weeps~ (strategy to think)

You are making me cry with your question Mr. Baldwin! I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.

~more hikbi~ (more strategy to buy time and think)

You see, one of the biggest mistakes I made just recently, in fact, they even dethroned me as Miss Philippines, was not minding the little things that matters the most about joining the Miss Philippines beauty pageant.

(i swear to god! the crowd will roar!)

You see Mr. Baldwin, I am an illegitimate child and in the Philippines, we are being frowned upon.

(Believe me, this will win you the American crowd! The whole complex might even collapse by the thunderous laughter and roars! They love this stuff, you know… being discriminated!)

So, I thought everything about me was in order – my birth certificate and everything that’s written in there. It never occurred to me that it will become such a huge issue. And that was my mistake, ignoring the little things that matters the most to this pageant, to the point of putting a lot of stress to my family.

But you know, we all make mistakes and I have my own share.We learn from it and hope we grow to be strong. And that’s what I did. I fought for what’s right for me and with the support of the Filipino people, I was lucky to be here to respond to your question. Otherwise, I would have not seen the Las Vegas light and I would not be talking to you.

I’m not perfect and I will still make mistakes, but the most that I can promise is be extra careful next time. If not, I’ll hire a battalion of advisers to help me out. I might even consider you as one of my advisers, Mr. Baldwin.

(Trust me! Baldwin will drool!)

~one final hikbi and wave to the crowd~

Thank you, Mr. Baldwin and many, many thanks Las Vegas!

~taz tuloy mo pa rin hikbi – kelangan me isang luhang papatak. maniwala ka saken, kinagat yan nang boss ko. binigyan nya ako nang Lexus!~
]]> http://reynaelena.com/2010/08/24/what-was-your-major-major-mistake/feed/ 8 http://reynaelena.com/2010/08/23/costume-expenses/ http://reynaelena.com/2010/08/23/costume-expenses/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:00:53 +0000 reynz http://reynaelena.com/?p=19271

you know, you go to work, you wear your costumes, you wanna look good and be professional. wear glass. look smart. all that. but as far as your costumes are concerned, well, you wanna make sure, they’re pressed right. don’t count on me. that’s the part that doesn’t interest me at all. read: na-trauma ako nun sa barrio nung nasunog ang plantsahan. alam mo yon? yon bang pwede kang mag-barbeque sa plantsang ginagamet?

so, i went to go find me a dry cleaner. yong hihipan lang ang dumi, taz mawawala na sya. it’s funny here in Charleston, i have no clue where they are. makes me think na kokonti lang ang naka-costume sa office. baka ako lang at ang boss ko. i found one at a tangers mall outlet, but they’re not open yet. so, i started driving along one of the main thoroughfares here. eto me nakita ako. since this was a saberdey, eh magkano naman kaya na ang $0.99 na yan?

swirti. filipina ang nasa desk. mabait sya. she even gave me her best friends number, kasi bikolana. kaso, prices on saberdey pala were different! anak nang fatula oo! if you bring your shirts on wednesday, $0.99 lang sila. kaso me caveat. you must bring 4 pants! argh! sungkitin ko kaya ang pants nang neighbor ko para ma-fulfill ang lecheng requirements na yan? and how much yong pants?! $14! Tse! bibili na lang ako nang bago!

press and clean lang ako when it comes to my costumes. i don’t like starch. baka gawin kong salad ang costume na yan.

total damage? $1.74 per piece!!! Argh! low standard of living daw sila dito! This is only $0.99 sa Philadelphia! Grrr!

i really like the new salad menu that i tried over at Wendy’s. but at $8? nah! let me grab a few leaves of summer at the grocery and let me see if i could replicate what they have. i cook, but it’s not for public tasting. the last time i cook, my mother moved out of my house, flew back to the Philippines and stayed there for good, away from my cooking. so, determined to outbest my chef friend Joey ang Gene, both are really good at this, i tried preparing my own apple pecan salad. this would be good with chicken. kaso, andun sa labas, naka-alpas. besides, this is living in south carolina at 28% less per day di ba, remember? so, chicken means a surge in electricity usage. so, wala na sya.

now, i need apples.

and lettuce…

and spinach…

pecan of course…

and sweetened dried cranberries…

now, i have no clue what kind of cheese they used. so, dahil wa me knowing, i’ll deal with this parmesan cheese.

the dressing? i just happen to prefer this vignairette.

and here’s my finished product.

wat u think? any violent reviews?

I woke up this morning to a shocker!

I was reading the Inquirer when I learned that Melody Gersbach was dead on the spot on a road accident that occurred at around 11 am on Saturday. The news said that Melody Gersbach was traveling in her red Toyoto Innova accompanied by her own make up artist and another friend Ronald Rita. Melody Gersbach, her driver Santos Ramos Jr and make up artist were dead on the spot. Her friend Ronald Rita was seriously injured. The accident took place in Sitio Banas, Barangay Pawili, Camarines Sur.

Here’s a report from GMA News:

Based on initial investigation, Gersbach’s car came from Legazpi City in Albay and was heading to Naga City in Camarines Sur for a local beauty pageant when it figured in the accident.

The passenger bus reportedly overtook a motorcycle and failed to return to the right lane, causing it to collide head-on with the beauty queen’s vehicle.

Ablang said that the bus driver, identified as Wilson Fotillas, is already in police custody after initially fleeing. Fotillas will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple injuries, he added.

What a very, very sad news!

(Photo Credits: Here)

Today, I could say that the 2nd biggest problem I have is 99% solved. I still have a number of problems to resolve, but so far, getting these two biggies canned is a big relief for me. This time, I can focus on the other ones. I won’t write about it. That’s not important. What’s important is that, I never lost my focus, I never let the negative energies thrown at me ruin my plans. In fact, even at a point when I was so down, I did not bother to even think where I was at that time.

Relationships suffered though. It’s true and it’s real. Relationships can be tested when you’re way down. And it’s interesting what you discover. It could really be funny too. Yes, I said, “funny” because I was not sorry about some of my discoveries. Weird as it was, things do happen for a reason.

(Photo Credits: Here)

I’m really beginning to like it here in South Carolina. I’ve been to a couple of developments around and I’ve noticed some pretty nice landscaping around. Man! I miss gardening and landscaping! I still remember when I was back in Philadelphia. I love gardening, planting flowers, mowing, all that. I do it myself, including mulching. Now, there are several mulch options to make your landscaping bright or neat. There are dark or colored wood chips. You can also use cut grass. Here in South Carolina, they’re also using pine tree leaves. Makes you wonder what happens if some crazy smoker throws a cigarette butt in there. Back in the Philippines, I remember we would use coconut husk for landscaping the edges. I’ve seen them use coconut husk in Friday’s in Boracay. But if you are designing a small children’s playground in your background and you want to use landscape mulch, you might want to consider rubber mulch. Ever heard about this? It’s a unique product made of granular rubber particles. Talk about resiliency. If you compare this with other landscape mulch, this one’s almost lifetime and you are sure about safety. You can also choose from a variety of colors to enhance your children’s playground with your landscaping.

I was driving around my Charleston neighborhood this Sunday, went farther up Route 526 and ended up in Summerville. That’s about a half an hour drive from where I live. It’s not bad driving since there is no traffic here in this part of South Carolina. Just be careful with these crazy drivers on 526 and you’ll be fine. Anyway, I was surprised to see a number of fairly brand new houses for sale. Imagine, with the current mortgage rates at historic lows, I’m sure these houses that are on sale in the range of $100k’s to $150k’s are pretty affordable. In fact, when I got back to my apartment, I checked some of the addresses and some of them were selling for even less than $100k. Of course, I still have to do a lot of researching to do. I’m not sure if these prices were driven down by certain factors given the real estate downturn or that these are the actual fair market values of these houses. It’s not that I’m looking to buy a house right now. Mortgage rate bottomed out at 4.44% a few weeks ago and I just felt that with the mortgage rate bottoming out, who knows if there would be opportunities that might come along the way.

So, eto nga, dahil alone again naturally an drama nang lola nyo, naawa at gumawa nang paraan mga baliw kong opismeyts. Me ni-re-reto ang mga luka-luka. “Send him an email!” Ang mga leche! Ayaw ako tigilan! Ok! Fine! He said, shy daw sya, kaya walang pinapadalang pics. Ok lang yon. Ako nga, sa ganda kong to, I still don’t send pics. So, he described himself as 34, 6′, 225#, football players build. Hmm… football player’s build. Ah ok. In my mind, the Manning Brothers. Baka si Eli Manning. So, nag-meet kami for lunch. Dumating. Dyuskoday!!! Ilan kayang football ang nilulon nang gagong to! Hmpt! Mag-lunch kang mag-isa mo! ~!@#$%^! (no pun intended sa mga kwan ha?)

“I love my barrio life, had so much fun, kahit na metropolitan carabao industry ang gawa namen, but it’s something i always enjoy remembering and always loving seeing pictures of how Malen’s barrio siete pretty much resembles my barrio siete. ang mga diablong politico who made millions and got rich… at our expense! Here’s one entry by Malen that I really love”… ~Reynz

By: Chuvaness

Presenting to you the long and winding TALAHIB road of my Barriosiete!!!!

One word: BEAUTIFUL

REFRESHING

Wooden Bridge

mag-iigib sa liblib na lugar (kaya naka-head lamp)

kids are taught to harvest COPRA even at very young age

traversing the long and winding talahib hi-way

waiting for the next JEEP

para sa BAHAY KUBO

sini-semento na!!! kase malapit na ang eleksyon…(pictures taken MAY 2010)

10 years na yata ‘to ginagawa

lack of manpower…eh pano walang budget…eh kase siguro the money allocated to these projects went to the pockets of…

DPWH. Ching!!! Hinde ako sure, ang magalit GUILTY. As in.

ang mga kabayo ni Don Miguel haha

Habal-habal ride

high-end ang mga jeep dito. custom made.

Matibay. 4WD. Kayang umakyat ng bundok.

at kayang mag-sakay ng 50 ka-tao.

habal-habal ride without helmet

teacher going from one barrio to another

Pangarap ko ang sementong hi-way na ‘to. Sooo beautiful!

the road going to the TOWN PROPER. ang smooth at ang linis.

And because I love old school, I am posting this! Make sure to PRESS PLAY this then go back on TOP…look at the pics again…at ma-fe-feel nyo exactly what I am feeling today….and that is EMO!!!! HAHAHA

Seriously.

Dear DPWH, please fix this long and winding talahib road of my barrio. Sabi nga ni REYNZ ayoko ng tumapak sa PUTIK!!! HAHAHA

I am being emotional tonight because you don’t know how much a pain in the a*s it is to go home in my barrio. LITERAL talagang PITA eh subukan mo kayang sumakay sa habal-habal for 2 hours on a rocky and dusty road…ewan ko lang kung di sumakit ang katawan mo. Pero hinde lang yon ang dahilan. MADAMI PA. There are many places in the Philippines long forgotten by politicians…and sadly, my barrio is one of them.

Uulitin ko yun sinabi ko l ast year:

“I have high dreams for my barrio (and for every barrio in the Philippines too) – maayos na school facilities, health care for everyone, stable supply ng electricity, access to clean water, computers and access to internet at por Diyos por Santo!!! Isang maayos na hi-way”

Hinde ko hinihiling na matupad lahat….agad-agad. Kahit yun internet access lang muna para naman makapag-facebook si Inday (my kid sister MAOMAO). AHHAHA

Donate to CHUVANESS FOUNDATION NOW and help me fix this long and winding talahib hi-way!!! Thanks!

I can’t get enough of this video! Kids truly say the darndest things! Yes, and Lady Gaga too! But this one is something!

eh gwapo naman pala ang neighbor ko! kaso I only saw him once, taz everytime I go out, sinasara nya bintana nya or i-o-off ang ilaw. Finally! Lumabas den sya! Tuwang tuwa ako! pero, tipong hindi ata friendly. ba’t kaya ayaw mag smile. Taz bigla na lang syang…

“Dude! Whatever it is your cooking, it really stinks!”

Huh?! Leche! Nag-prito kasi ako nang tuyo! Yong binili ko kahapon! Hmpt! Grrr! ~!@#$%^&*! Tse! nag-hahanap ako ngayon nang bagoong! humanda sya!

In Philadelphia, try ordering a chicken caesar salad and they’ll bring you an acre of veggies and a dozen live chickens. I swear to the gods in lettuce paradise that you’d call the salad cops for you’d fear you’re being drowned in veggies!

So I thought, ok, let me try to be a healthy freak and order me some Caesar salad for lunch today. The food server appeared to be in a trance, started carefully picking up the leaves of summer, one by one and delicately organizing them on a plastic plate as if she’s following some salad spacing law, a certain degrees to the south, east-northwest. She then topped it with about 8 croutons and voila! – there’s my large caesar’s salad!

That’s right! On a large plastic plate! Grrr!

I didn’t know that large salad meant large salad plate! You know, this low standard of living here in South Carolina is really getting into my nerves now! Hmpt!

Photo Credits: My camera. My very, very own fone.

see that sign?! i made a lot of money on these cash advance and payroll cash advance back when i was writing for pay per pwe and review-hin mo uli. that was back then when they used to pay of up to $125 per 200 words. now? $0.25 per 400 volumes, 12 chapters, 6 series. dang! i paid a lot of taxes on those! that’s why i stopped.

so, i was driving around this weekend, getting lost, going anywhere, and man! let me tell you, there were so many of these signs that dots the back roads here in South Carolina.

see that? i could only guess that real estate prices here must have gone haywire. it can’t go south no more because this is the south. there must be a lot of bankruptcies in here!