Filipino Party in Winnemucca!

Venue: Swimming Lesson Bldg., City Park

Date: June 15, 2008

Time: 4:00 o'clock PM

I was sleepless the night before. I was too excited. Hubby said he couldn't come with me because he has to go to bed early for his work the following morning. Jen and Jun declined when they learned from their dad that he is not coming. So I was expecting to come alone. Okey fine, whatever.

Nath and i decided to bring foods with us to the party. She choose to bring her yummy Leche Flan (i love it!) and I asked Ricardo to buy me "lechon manok". Since I was coming alone, Nath and Randy fetched me. But when Ricardo learned that Randy is coming and other hubbies are also coming, he promised he will come to the party later.

We got there at around 4:30pm. Only few people were there yet. Children were swimming outside. Emy was there smiling at us, she was too accommodating, we exchanged hellos. From the corner of my eyes, i was looking for Ate Henny and the other older woman whom i met at Raley's. Not yet around. But I saw more or less five "grandma"- looking women in the center table. I doubted if they were Filipinos. As I listened to their conversation, they were speaking English language. They looked like Americans, though.

A smiling lady approached us and offer a hand shake. I talked to her in Tagalog, "saan ka sa Pinas?" and she shook her head and made a gesture. She did not get what i meant. She said she only knew few Tagalog words, only basic words. She asked us about what the Filipinos are famous for, about being coming late always... Nath answered, "Filipino Time!" and she got it right, hehehe! Everyone laughed!

Here came Ate Henny and Ate Solidad, Sol for short (the older woman whom Emy was with at the Raley's) with their respective hubbies and kids. An hour late! And my Ricardo came in too. And more people were coming. They were bringing foods too. Speaking of foods, wooow... pure filipino foods were being served! Lumpya, bihon, bistek, gulaman, empanada, adobong manok, atbp! BUT No lechon baboy. Sigh.

Hubby and I went back to the house to get my teeners because everyone wanted to meet them too. Its good that the park is close to the street where we lived. I was happy that everyone cared to meet my teeners, hehehe. But when they saw them, I heard someone said, "oh.. anak mo ba talaga ang mga yan? o mga kapatid mo?" Ahahahaha! Ahem! I took it as a compliment ha!

Ricardo and Randy were just sitting in the corner, observing us the whole time, smiling... Randy tried to eat the foods. Ricardo declined politely when somebody offered him foods. Gosh!

Anyways, we introduced ourselves to everyone. I only remembered few names (except Henny, Sol and Emy). Josie: her hubby is a Geologist. She has 2 kids. She was very funny. According to her, she has a struggling English but it helps her somehow to teach her kids a Tagalog words, hehehe. I liked her because she is too honest and so i admitted it to her also that i am struggling the same way. Her family will soon move out for Australia. They have been in Canada before they came here to US. She got to travel allot of countries because of her hubby's job. Lucky for her!

Sharon: (pronounced as Sherine daw), is the woman who knew few Tagalog words but she is trying to teach her kids to speak our language (I wonder how can she do that hehehe, she only knew few Tagalog words, right?). She said she danced Itik-Itik and Tinikling last month as presentation in her kid's school activity and she is planning to dance "Pandango sa Ilaw" next time. She is a very proud mom to her daughter whom a champion and a scholar in a dance school here. Her hubby was not around but she said he is a Mining Engineer.

Jen: a Chemical Engineer, single and bubbly! She called me and Nath "Tita". She works as a chemist in one of the mines here. She shared her experiences about being late twice going to work. Such a Filipino she is! She could have get fired. But good she was not. Well, mining needs a chemist after all.

Anita: very short but motherly among the Pinays around. I think she was in her mid 50's already. She was still 3 months old when she got here. Cannot speak Tagalog. But in fairness, she got a very tall and pogi hubby, hehehe.

I forgot the name of the host of the party, as in! Bad me. I think the party is kind of a thanksgiving party because her son has just graduated in High School. Her son was there of course and he was recognized and introduced to us but i could not just remember his name either. Shame on me.

The "oldies" in the center table i mentioned earlier has their own world, hehehe. They did not introduced their names.They were too occupied talking with each other. But when I asked them for a picture taking they were readily projected and smiled in the camera. I learned that they were all Filipino but are now "americanized". I called them "the old filipina generation". And I claimed that the rest are the "new Filipino generation". I guess, I am right.

In between our conversation, somebody confessed that at first she was hesitant to talk to me and nath because she thought we were not Filipinos. She thought that Nath was a Chinese and that I was a Mexican. We were kinda "shocked" to hear that! "Whaaaat?" And everyone confirmed that they really doubted us at first, hehehehe! Its good that we know how to speak Tagalog!

It was a nice experience for me. As sociable, extrovert, exposed and as friendly as I am, the party somehow made my boredom and homesickness diminished... diminished lang... not vanished! Haaay... truly, there is no other place like HOME!

Kababayans

Hubby and I went for a breakfast in Model T Hotel n' Casino's resto this morning. A Filipina-looking waitress approached us and before she could ask our orders, hubby has already asked her "from where are you?" and the woman said "California". That time, I was thinking she was a "kababayan"! but when I heard her answer, I was wrong then. But hubby is too nosy hehehe. Every time he see a short, brown-skinned, black haired woman he always approach and ask "Filipina ka ba?" but this time he said to her that he was thinking she was a Filipina. I was a bit surprised when she said both of her parents are Filipino but she was born in California. We are right after all. I am so happy to know that she is indeed a "kababayan", I smiled at her and ask if what province in the Philippines her parents from and she said she doesn't know, all she knew is that she is a half-Visayan and half-Ilokano. I asked her if she can speak and understand Tagalog word and she answered, "no, I can't speak and I can't understand tagalog, my parents did not teach me". I was a bit startled. Tsk,tsk,tsk,tsk! I feel so sad that the woman is a pure Filipino by blood yet she cannot speak Filipino words.

Anyways, when we are done with breakfast, she approached again and asked us if we need anything and we said "no.. nothing, SALAMAT". She smiled and said she didn't understand what is "Salamat". We said "it means thank you". She grinned. Poor poor lady. Hubby gave her a big tip (tipping is a must here) and we left.

We headed to shop at Walmart and there.. we saw another short, browned-skinned, black-haired woman in front of the cash register, Geez... Filipino lady again... "kababayan". I guess, I was too lucky today! And then, as expected, Ricardo asked her "Filipina ka ba?" And she replied, "Oo!" with a big smile on her face. She spoke Tagalog! I was too happy to know that this woman can speak and understand Tagalog, hehehe. Her name is Emy. She is from Aklan.We exchanged "nice meeting you, see you next time, bye" words, and waved each other.

At around 8:30 in the evening, we were on our way home from a Picnic at my sister-in-law's house, we dropped-by at Raley's, a supermarket store here, to buy ice cream. And there... I saw Emy with two other Filipinos! What a small world, right? There are only few Filipinos here in Winnemucca so every time i meet one from here, i will feel very happy. I knew one of the two Filipinos she is with, she is Nathalie's friend named Henny. Henny's husband is working in the same mine where Randy (Nath's hubby) works. So we exchanged "hi and hello", etc. Hahahaha! I couldn't believed it, I have met 4 Filipinos in a day, shocks! It was really a lucky day for me!

But wait, I will be meeting more Filipinos tomorrow! Because they were inviting me and Nathalie for a Filipino Party which is to be held in the City Park! There will be swimming for the kids and I guess, allot of Filipino foods too,hehehe! I am soo excited already, yippppeee! You know what, when you are in a foreign land and when you get to see or meet "kababayan", you will really get crazy!

I can't wait to meet them all tomorrow!

Winnemucca Kruiser's Night

1934 Ford Sedan. 1975 Corvette Roadster. Quarter-size Stock Race Cars. Model T or Bucket T. 1958 Ford Pick-up. Very old Harley Davidson. 1932 Ford Coupe. 1967 Convertible Top Buick. 1948 Ford Pick-up. 1957 Chevrolet. 1967 pontia Bonneville. Pace Cadillac. And many others.

I didn't mis-spell the word "kruiser", I read exactly spelled like that in an Ad. It is supposedly spelled as "cruiser" but according to hubby, it is mis-spelled for a purpose, well, i think, it is because americans just want to make a "bang" or just want to "catch" attention from the people.

It is actually a Car Show. All types of cars and trucks are displayed for everyone's viewing enjoyment. It is done every summer, every second Thursday of the Month from June to August.The winners of this show will be awarded with great prizes and big trophies.

When I first saw the cars displayed, I was really amazed... woooooow..! They are old cars with high value! Most of them are worth millions! The owners never used them for their daily ride. They maintained them, repainted them if needed and keep them until the next year's Kruiser's Night comes again. These cars are just for show-off! Hehehe, in short, these cars are saved for bragging purposes only, sshhhh... By the way, I forgot to mention that these cars are "for your eyes only". Viewers are not allowed to touch it, or else the owner will yell at you, shocks!

Foods, sodas and beers are sold alongside the street and you can bring them along with you while viewing the cars one by one... and you might as well love to view blonde hunks and sexy gals (with their nicely dressed chihuahua dogs), old folks, cute kids who are there viewing also, hehehe!

It was my first time to see a car show, and it was fantastic!

Words to PONDER

As I browsed the messages in my CP tonight,  I have found these nice quotables quotes which i would like to share:

"Not Everything is Meant to Be, But Everything is Worth a Try"  by Anonymous

Well, personally, I have always believed that there is no harm in trying. I bet you would agree with me.

"Laughter is not Always the Best Medicine, sometimes It is The Best Disguise" by Anonymous

Yes, I agree. Happened to me before.

Filipina: Expensive Wife

Yes, it is so soo true.

Filipina has a renowned beauty: brown skin, black hair, short and slim body. Her loving traits and caring dispositions and having family values made her a desirable choice of single foreigner men, particularly, the American men. Proof is when you sign up in a Filipina Dating Site, you will meet allot of American members who want to get a wife from the Philippines.

I am a filipina and I am very proud to be one. My hubby is an American. He is providing me and my two teeners 101% of our needs, as in, 101%!

When my teeners and I were still in the Philippines, my husband provided us everything. I forgot to mention, even before he was not my husband yet, he provided us everything already. He sent me money for my annulment case, for our daily existence, for my daughter's tuition fees, for my son's school project, for my sari2x store and boutique, for everything.

During special occasions like birthday, Mother's day, Valentine's day, Christmas, etc., I always got something from him like bouqet of flowers, boxes of chocolates, box of tropical fruits, cards and Postal boxes with allot of stuff inside like clothes, shoes,etc..

He spent $$$$$ for his airfare going to the Philippines, for our Wedding, Visa fee for the three of us, airfare, hotel and medical fees during the Medical Examination and Visa Interview. He spent more bucks for our airfare going to this foreign land. I took all my husband's money!

Now that we got here, well, my husband still spending more for me and for my teeners! He did everything to please me (hmm.. maybe!) and to make me and my kids happy!

Last month, he spent $3,010.00 for our Green Card application! Poor hubby. I really feel sorry for him.

He also provided me my own computer for me to use anytime I want to and even bought me my own celphone though I thought I dont need one. He really provided everything. And I thanked the Lord for giving me such a responsible person like him, in the truest sense of the word.

Rice is scarce globally and it is now very expensive anywhere, the more here. Jasmine rice is pretty expensive here compared to Uncle Ben's and other ordinary rice but hubby chooses to buy Jasmine rice for us. Asian foods are expensive here, but he always buy them for us. We even drove to Reno just to buy more Filipino foods in an Asian Store and even drove all the streets just to find for a Filipino Resto, which unluckily, we never find one. So sad.

Not to mention the TFC Subsciption. Because we want to get updated about what is happening in the Philippines and because we want to see our favorite Filipino celebrity. Hubby will spend more or less additional $30.00 every month for TFC.

During my month long stay here, I have had chatted, talked and met allot of filipinas who are living with their respective husbands in the different States here in US. And I have a filipina friend here where i lived. Nathalie. Her hubby always teasing her to be an expensive wife. Nath's hubby spent $60 for a kilo and a half for a Dried Fish alone!

En-en, a sweet girl from Bukidnon said her hubby thinks the same way too. And I am sure, aileen's, nora's, cecille's, glenda's, cheryl's, mae's, and elizabeth's hubby think the same way as well! The names I mentioned above are my filipina friends who married yankee guys too. And I know for sure that their respective hubbies spent the same or more if not less than my hubby's spending for me and for my kids.

See? Filipina wife is indeed expensive!

Filipino Appetizer: Dried Fish!

As you can read in my first post, food has always been an issue in this household. Filipino foods. American foods. Mexican foods.Yes, you read it right, mexican foods, too. We cannot live without Hispanic people and so without Mexican foods, hehehe!

In our pantry, you can find Filipino stuffs such as rice (jasmine rice), dried fish (Nath gave it to me, she bought it from Glenda, a pinay from florida), dried squid, bihon, pancit canton, sinigang mix, adobo mix, (which we bought from an Asian market in Reno),etc.. Of course other than that, the American stuffs such as different kinds of cheeses, sauces, breads, pasta, canned goods, instant rice mixes, a bunch of butter, different kinds of meat, instant french fries, fries taters, hamburgers, steaks, bacon, ham, popcorn, CHOCOLATES, pizza pies.. too many to mention. Then Mexican stuffs such as, guacamole sauce (which is the main ingredient is avocado) mexican version of sweet and sour sauce, tomato sauce, cheeses, tortilla chips, corn tortilla and flour tortilla for quesadella, tostadas, tamales, fajitas, etc..

The first time hubby saw the dried fish, he almost puke. He cannot afford to see the dried fish with its head and eyes that still cling to its body and most of all, he cannot take the smell coming from it and he said, "OH NO!" and then he sighed... but smiled to me afterwards. I said, "well, Mahal, that's one of the consequences for having a Filipino wife, you must get used to it because I cannot live without eating it once a while".

When my stepson helped us in moving out from Round Mountain, he accidentally found them out from a shopping bag in the corner and when he opened it he said, "oh no, what the hell are these? yuuucccck!" And he almost throw them away. Everyone laughed at his reaction. Geezz! And his dad explained it to him and then he smiled so big ang said "Mom please tell me when are you gonna cook these stuff so that i would not show up here, I dont wanna die hehehe!..." Silly stepson.

When I fried the dried fish, I opened the glass windows of the part of the kitchen and dining area and i turned on the fan of the stove to keep away the smell. I think that the neighbors cannot smell it because every houses here are always closed. And seldom you will see people stay outside.

While cooking the stuff,  was observing Ricardo, he was uncomfortable, he doesnt know what he was going to do, but he made me feel that he was not bothered with the smell, pretending, hehehe. And when I served it to the dining table, he said "Oh mahal, its like a dead flat rabbit ran-over by a truck, hehehehe!" I dont care. I love it. My teeners love it. For us, dried fish is  delectable!

As expected, he did not eat it, did not even try to taste it, shocks! That's fine with me. I always respect him that way and he always respect me the same way. He had his big glass of milk and toasted bread with hotdog, anyway. And I dont care. I don't really care.

Afterwards, he called his son in his cp and started talking about the dried fish. I heard him saying "... while beth was cooking the dried fish, I thought i was gonna die... Oh GOD... I almost cannot stand the smell... " Hehehe! I already imagined his son's reaction. But it doesn't bother me at all.

Because I always love Filipino foods. Always has been. Always will be.