Election time is just around the corner. In a few months time, we'll be electing new public officials--people who are to protect our rights and advocate for the good of everyone. Unfortunately, I have to say that Philippine politics is somehow smudged with dirt. Many of the candidates have started airing their "public ads" and have been promoting themselves for the longest time now. The political ads make me very nauseated. They keep on promising the Filipinos a brighter future but history has proven that they do not fulfill these promises more often than not. Should they be like the Japanese, many of them would have committed harakiri after being suspected of dishonesty as a public official.

Campaigning has started early. Some of them who have the billions to spend on ads include Mar Roxas, Juan Ponce Enrile, Chiz Escudero and Manny Villar. Yuck! They all sound pathetically desperate to win the elections. Do they really mean what they say on tv or are they just doing these thing half-heartedly with the main intention of earning big amounts of money when they already have the power. Oh, I forgot to mention Erap Estrada who, after being granted pardon is now also in the race for the presidency. How greedy, pathetic and ungrateful he is. I don't know what will happen to us if he wins again. I bet foreign investors will run away from us having elected an "ex-convict" for president. Filipinos, you have to think, think and think again before we cast that vote next year.

My family re-registered at the Comelec last month. We had to do such because we failed to vote during the last elections. I'm still pondering on whether or not to use that one vote I'm entitled to next election because I'm doubtful if it would make a difference. Nakakapagod at nakakasawa nang makitang nangungurakot ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno. Again, the question of whether one vote would make sense lies in everyone of us. Maybe if majority of us would use our common sense during the elections, we would be able to elect a sensible leader that would re-create a new Philippine Republic.

Dreaming of more books in the future...

After having a short photo shoot at Rizal Park, we headed to Harbor Square to have dinner. It has been a long time since we had Nanay come along with us so we have to make the night special. We had dinner at Dencio's even if mom did not have the likings for the resto. We had sari-saring sinugba (grilled pork, tuna and squid), chopseuy (mixed vegetables), kare-kare (beef and tripe in peanut sauce) and lumpia (spring rolls). Patrick had 2 rounds of rice as always while Nanay had Dad's half of rice plus another one of her own. We had a hearty meal and good photos as well. Dad and I went to Starbucks to have coffee afterwards while Mom, Pat and Nanay strolled along the bay and took more photographs.

I'm planning to buy a new Starbuck's tumbler after the payday. I broke mine a couple of months ago and I'm currently using the smaller personalized tumbler. I need a bigger one to satisfy my coffee cravings. :)

After my appointment with the doctor, I decided to go to Glorietta to have lunch and do book scouting. I ate first at Tokyo Tokyo at G5, had shake terriyaki and mixed sushi which I wasn't able to finish. Then I went to national bookstore to look for new, on-sale books. I was looking for Gregory Maguire books but unfortunately only one of them was available (Lion Among Men). I searched in the Teens Section and found a complete first serial of The Spiderwick Chronicles in just one book. Whoa! I was thrilled to see the book and given its low price, I didn't think twice to buy it. Hehe, ang dami ko nang babasahing series! After NBS, I went to Powerbooks at G3 and I saw that they had some of the Gregory Maguire books I'm looking for. They are quite pricey at the moment. Since I still have so many books in line to be read, maybe I could delay buying Maguires for now.

Nothing beats the yummy-ness of North Park's Nanking Beef and Aniseed Tendon Noodle Soup after a long day's work at the unit. Since eto nalang ang resto na bukas until midnite, my unit-mates and I go to Northpark to eat our favorite noodle soup. The food at NP is affordable and delicious and the service is superb! Naadik na nga ako sa soup nila. You can ask for extra soup when your bowl runs out of it, hehe.

You've got to try KFC's new Twister! It's chicken strips wrapped in tortilla with pizza sauce, pepperoni, onions and mozzarella cheese! It's a healthy snack for all. They even have a Twister fully loaded meal served with one-piece chicken, brownie and a regular drink. Sulit na at 159php.

To save me from my aching back, aside from taking the usual medications, I decided to...change bags!

I love my new baby!

My friend Pao who is a barista at Starbucks TMC recommended this series to me--Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. I was excited when he told me that it's like Harry Potter but in American verson. I researched about it in the internet and Wikipedia was helpful enough to give me some details about the series. There are five books in the series. I'll try to look for these books at Fully book. They would probably have the complete collection in their shelves. I saw The Last Olypian at NBS before and was not so much attracted to it. But since Pao recommended the book and he said that it was great so I've decided to read it when I finish the other books that I have bought early this month. Na-excite nanaman ako!