Letting my Vote Count

Today, I voted for the Philippines elections.  It was quite easy here in SG. You just have to go the Phil Embassy, show your ID, then go the booth assigned (there's AC by the way) where you'll be given the sheet to select your choice/s, shade the choice you picked, insert the sheet on the machine thingy that counts the votes, put a thumbprint beside the name on their list, and get an "ugly" purple ink on your right index finger (this is to prevent double voters).  The steps all under 20 mins tops. I guess we (together with my Filipino colleague) went early in the morning before going to work, thus, not a lot of people were queuing.   

My last experience wasn't this breezy. I remember going inside a very crowded elementary school. My name was listed under a different list on a another different floor from my other family members.  So I had to go up a couple of floors to look for the specific booth indicated.  Other than these steps, all I remember was that it was hot and very stuffy inside the room. It was my first time voting then, and I just shrugged and thought that it was just the way it is.

"Just the way it is!"  This is the kind of attitude I find most Filipinos possess. Ganun talaga eh, wala na tayong magagawa!  I also had this kind of attitude because I grew up accepting that we cannot change the way the system works.  Why bother right?  I know a lot of my friends are not voting because they did not bother to register.  The mentality is that it's just going to be same anyway.

I'm 26 years old and honestly find it disheartening to hear and think that there's no way for the Philippines to improve at all. The country is very rich with resources. The potential is quite big, especially coming from the largest English-speaking country in Asia (I believe).  Filipinos are very adaptable.  See how many OFWs are around the world.  Every place I've been to, there will definitely be at least one Filipino there. Case and point from my recent trip, I walked in the streets of Vietnam, a guy approached me for directions and I find out he's a Filipino working part-time there.  Another Filipina I met was in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia, she was the assistant manager of the hotel we were staying at. Filipinos get jobs just about anywhere because they can adapt quite well to any situation.

If we are the type that have already learned to let go of the past and turned our backs, since we're already in another country, why not help others get the opportunity that we got? Give them a fighting chance back home through stable governance.  These are people we grew up with - the person who served your favorite food at the Siomai place, or the kind manong at the parking place who greeted you every morning before going to school, or the smiling Lola on the street selling sago gulaman during those hot sunny days.  Give them a chance for a better life.  All they ask is a chance, and you have the power to give that.

I feel a bit positive with the emergence of Facebook and Twitter.  Honestly, these 2 platforms helped in making the youth understand politics, and to get them to care.  I see posts from people regarding the campaigns, candidates, political issues and what-not.  Since I'm not in the Philippines, these are my links to finding out who's who and what's what.  Honestly, I didn't care at all at first, but once you see a post, you just can't help but click and find out more.  So here I am, finally making my vote count.  I don't know how much change can be done, but like in any task or journey it starts with a single step. So let's be informed and make the decision.  Your first step is by voting your choice.  And I just hope that others will also see that a vote does count because we carry the potential for the whole country.  We, the Filipino people, are the best resource of the country.

It's a bit blurry, but here's the "blood" of our democracy , as quoted from my Singaporean colleague, which I would like to thank since he insisted that I vote because it's my right, he says. To be reprimanded by someone not even from our own country can be such a kick in the butt (figuratively, of course).  :p

Comments Missing

Gosh! Just realized that my old comments are all missing. Tried googling to find a solution. A lot of people who either changed their URL or template (like me) lost their comments too. Sigh. I'm also getting a headache trying to find a solution by looking at codes and what-not. And to think RA does this everyday? Definitely a headache!

Part 2 of the Story/Food Trippings

It was a short visit but a very fruitful one.  Remember the story of the Rat & the Rock.  Well, this is part 2.  But I will be brief as possible. The first story really isn't an automatic happy ever after.  Movies have sequels, well, life sometimes has them too. This was one of those. The girl already said "yes" and the guy was quite ecstatic.  But they both had to deal with their families - the introduction, the planning, the who's who, and what-nots. It was a good sequel though. It went well. :) 

Moving on to the food trippings...

I will tell my visit through the food trips I had.  And it was quite a bit, food has always been my enjoyment (hence, my increasing belly fat - which I have to work on, sigh*) 

RA (aka the Rat!) and I took Tiger Airways which will land us at Clark, Subic.  We had to take the bus to Manila.  We arrived at SM Megamall where we separated.  I then had a late lunch with my mom and sister (well, I had one and they watched).  I suddenly had an urge to eat Churros since I remember eating them at the mall so we went to Dulcinea that serves mainly Spanish food such as Paella, Gambas, Salpicao, etc.    

Churros Con Chocolate (pronounce as Tso-ko-la-te)

Lengua Estofado (Ox tongue)

For dinner, I had homemade Kare-kare (no pictures though) but it was yummy with bagoong (shrimp paste).  

The next day was the Pamamanhikan. It's a Filipino ritual done when a groom officially asks the hand of the woman he wants to marry. He comes to visit the soon-to-be bride at her parent's place.  Googled it and here's what I got.  We weren't sticklers on tradition. Everything is hip and modern now, so we just a had a simple introduction of our families over some pastries and drinks.  Here are some of the food my mom prepared for the occasion.  

Coffee Cake & Blueberry Cheesecake from Contis

Brownies 

Mini Ensaymada 

Polvoron

That night, we also planned a simple engagement dinner with our close family and friends at Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Restaurant. This was a mini version of what our wedding might be (well, minus the Chinese food.)  here are some pics of the food that we had during the dinner.  

Appetizer Set (with roast meat, maki & sashimi) 

Prawns in Garlic Sauce 

Shell meat & Chicken with Vegetable

Abalone with Fresh Mushroom

Roasted pigeon in 2 ways: 

(crispy skins wrapped in crepe & one minced meat with lettuce) 

Chili crab ala-Singaporean Style  

Steamed Lapu-Lapu

Other dishes include Yang Chow Fried Rice, Stir-fried Misua, Shark's Fin Soup, Taro Dessert, and some tarts and pastries.  Overall, it was such a filling dinner.  Good thing, we had some Karaoke also, to ease the guilt of having to eat a lot of food. Tough luck on that!  

Some other yummy dishes I had for the rest of my stay:  

Rib-eye Steak @ Damaso's Greenbelt 

Paella @ Damaso's Greenbelt

Crispy Suahe @ Fely J's Greenbelt

Salmon Head Sinigang Fely J's-style 

The day of my departure, I had a lovely breakfast prepared by Ate Lisa.  Yum! My fave: Crispy Bacon! (just the way Ate Lisa knows how I like them) & some other stuff (Garlic rice, Sardines, & Fresh Mangoes).   

                          

                        

Before I forget, last but not the least, I also had my balut (duck egg) which I've not eaten for more than a year, I believe.  I know not a lot of people like it, but I do.  I even had two! :P 

Balut (Yum!) 

New Look

Just finding ways to improve my blog site. Since my sister said that turquoise is the colour of 2010. Why not? I'm liking this colour - a prelude to more things 'blue' for the coming event.  Hint* Hint* :P

Galavanting in the City!

RA and I decided to ditch work for a day to experience a fun-filled shopping and amusement park experience.  Early in the morning, we decided to go to the Crocs Sale and the L'oreal Sale.  We bought a few stuff for ourselves and some goodies for our families.  Then, we went off to Sentosa.  This is where you will find the newly opened Universal Studios Singapore.  We bought annual fun passes so we can enjoy limitless entry to the park (minus the blackout dates :P).  The pass is also inclusive of some vouchers, discounts, and such.  

Annual Fun Pass Kit (inclusive of the pass, lanyard, & 2 limited ed. pins)

Since it was just the soft opening, the park closed at 6pm and some of the rides were not open yet, like the Human & Cylon Battlestar Galactica roller coasters (which I think is one of the must-try rides).  But we still enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of the other attractions.  

Dueling roller coasters of Human vs Cylon

The place was a bit similar to what I visited back in LA (spoiler alert: The Mummy Ride is just like the one in LA - I find, however, this time around it was shorter than I remembered).   RA enjoyed it though - it's one of the must-try rides as well.  

The Mummy Ride Signage and the two towering statues at the ride entrance

Overall, it still had a different feel to it and there are new attractions such as the Madagascar and the Sci-fi City which has dueling roller coasters aka Battlestar Galatica rides.   I would definitely ride both! The human ride is seated while the Cylon ride will have your legs hanging while you do all the twists and turns.  Grr...just wish these rides were open on that day. No biggie. Like I told RA, we shouldn't push ourselves to really finish all the rides as we are bound to come back again and again and again. :P  

Here's a quick tour through the use of pictures:  

First stop: Hollywood - the glitz, the glamour, the merchandise, the restaurants. This area is mostly shops and food carts. It also tries to mimic the Hollywood Boulevard in LA by putting celebrity star names on the floor. And one celebrity I met was from Kung Fu Panda.  

Big Po

Next stop is Madagascar. The song started playing in my head "I like to move it, move it" as we jiggy down to the island.  

King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round (aka Carousel)

A riverboat ride with the Madagascar Gang (coming soon though)

Then we were off to Shrek's world.  

Shrek's Kingdom of Far Far Away

Donkey even has his own live show :P

After some lighthearted attractions, it was time to get serious. With John Williams' famous theme song (not the Star Wars, mind you!) being heard on the background, there's no doubt you're at the right place - this is the Lost World.

The Lost World Theme park with the infamous gates to the Dinosaur World

 Canopy Flyer Suctionthingymajig (took a picture of it while on the queue) 

   

Then it was off to my favorite place, Ancient Egypt. Have I ever mentioned my fascination with everything Egyptian, well, ancient that is.  This is where we rode the Mummy Ride (which I already mentioned earlier).  

Love this little statue near the shop

Then off to the Sci-fi city where the roller coasters were.  It wasn't such a happening place (a lot of the stalls here are still closed) and I don't know why it doesn't give me such a welcoming feeling.  It's as cold as a robot. :p 

Off to NYC right after, well,  a replica New York city.  I suddenly missed the real NYC....:)  But still it was a chance for more snaps on the Lumix Lily (inspired by HIMYM Lily, who I want to be when I grow up). Okay sorry, side track. :P 

    New York Billboard

        Studio 28 (stage for motion picture & TV production)

Marilyn Monroe in the flesh (well, kinda) 

That's about sums it up.  The whole walk is actually quite short if you don't ride or stop by a certain place. However, every place has something to offer, which you need to take time to savour.  In every area, there are certain meet and greets, performances, & shows to enjoy.  For me, it's being like a kid again, and that's why I always love going to places like this.  It's the Peter Pan syndrome.  Can't help myself.  :) 

For more images, click this.

New Toy

Just bought a new toy. The Lumix GF1 with the 20mm f1.7 pancake lens. It has 12.0 Mega Pixels and a 3.0 inch LCD. I did try googling why it's called pancake lens but couldn't find a straight answer. My colleague just told me a matter of factly that because the lens is flat like pancakes.  Such a silly way to call the lens. 

Oh well, here's the picture of my new GF1 (image taken using my HTC phone, f2.8 and 5.0 Mega Pixels, which is not so bad for a camera phone - only for those quick shots to use for reference). :)  

Here are some trial shots that I took with the GF1:  

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Purple Flora

White Flora

Not Flora :P

I'm quite excited to play around with the camera. I need to teach myself the basics again and find the best settings that would suit me.  I will purchase the zoom lens too. For now, I'm happy with it. Plus, the colour is nice! 

Here's an interesting image of the GF1 dissected. :P

The Rat and the Rock

I'm here to tell you a story of The Rat and The Rock. 

Once upon a time in a land of lions there was a rat.  This rat wanted to do something quite extraordinary.  He wanted to impress upon a girl.  He decided to search for the most beautiful rock that he could find.  High and low, he searched for this rock, asking around which rock would suit the best.  It had to be the best since this rock would represent his love for this girl.  He finally found the rock he was looking for.  However, his next dilemma is how to give this rock to the girl.  It was a scary task as the girl might look down upon the rat and his rock.  He was once again burdened by worries of how to approach the girl with the rock.  He even intruded upon the girl's fellow friends and finally decided to just swing it on his own. Taking with him the confidence of ten thousand lions, he urged on.  He journeyed far and wide (not really, he took the train :P) and finally reached the girl's dwelling.  Assailed by the girl's beauty, his confidence started to falter.  He did not know what to do next until he scowered under a table and waited.  The girl was quite busy and distracted by her tasks that she didn't noticed the rat hiding.  She finally approached the table and was startled by the humongous rrrr....rock on the rat's hand.  She was blinded by the light the rock emitted to even realize there was an actual rat hiding under her table.  The rat confessed and sang his love towards the girl. Confused and shocked, the girl kept on saying 'No' despite the fact that her heart was singing 'Yes'. Finally, the rat decided upon himself to put the rock on the girl's hand as his final act.  Impressed by the rat's courage and gallantry, she accepted. The girl knew then and there that her heart will now and forever belong to the rat. 

The End. 

P.S. Here's the rock. :P

Disclaimer: Based on a true story, although some bits were exaggerated but still holds true nonetheless.