Ako'y Mamumundok

My first climb was when I was an incoming freshman in High School. To celebrate the graduation of the people in the family, we all went to the Mountain Province. I was such a failure at hiking up the Batad trail because I was wearing platform shoes (genius, I know) and was severely out of shape (the real reason). Ever since then, I have always wanted another shot at braving the outdoors.

Well, my time to redeem myself has finally come! I am going up to Mount Batulao in Batangas with my parents and godparents. LOL It is a beginners climb, so I am hoping I do well. I will also bring my camera to take some shots of the scenery. I just hope that my brother dearest doesn't drain the battery of the camera. (Coincidentally, as I was typing this, my brother sent me an SMS regarding a seat sale in Cebu Pacific. LOL)

Oh well, I need to look for proper shoes to wear for tomorrow.

On Being a Responsible Citizen

In case you missed all the posters, ribbons, fliers, internet ads, social networking campaigns, and of course the multimedia advertisements I congratulate you the presidential election is rearing it's ugly head. As annoying as their ad campaigns are, we still have to take a couple of minutes from facebook and keep an open ear and eye out for possible truths amidst all the lies.

Personally, I don't buy all the bullshit in their TV ads. What I do is watch their debates and look for their achievements and stands on current issues. There are others who might claim they support this and that, but in their senate records they voted against the bill that they claim to endorse(what's worse, if they abstained or was absent from the meeting). There are "minutes of meetings" in the congress website, or the Makati Business Club , and many other websites. You can call on their bluff without even stepping outside of your home.

DO NOT BE AN IGNORANT VOTER. Contrary to popular belief, being allowed to vote is not our only responsibility (others don't even think that it's their responsibility but their right. i won't go into this for now). Researching about your potential president, vice president, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors and many more is a big part of the democratic process. Participating in civil debates or even street corner conversations is also a wise thing to do. By doing this, you will be more aware of who you are voting for and his/her capability to lead our nation.

For the life of everything around you and in the name of everything you hold dear...please do not vote for somebody just because he is a relative of a famous person, or he's endorsed by your favorite athlete, actor, singer, or comedian. Most especially, do not vote for somebody because you think he has the highest chance of winning or your next door neighbor will vote for him. Vote for him because you think that he is a leader worthy to be called the President of our beautiful country. The Philippines is a country so rich in culture, history, natural resources, and is the home of many bright people. Do not waste your vote by settling for somebody who is all talk and no action. Do not settle for somebody who promises not to squander the people's money, but vote for somebody who works hard for his keep.

I do not believe that our country is hopeless, we are only as hopeless as we want to believe.

Choco Flakes, Chili Flakes, Corn Flakes! My friend is a complete FLAKE

Imagine waking up at around 4 in the morning just to receive a text message saying "Good AM. Hindi na po ako makakarating mamayang 6AM. Sana wag kayong magalit and huwag kayong magsawang ayain ako sa mga lakad. Ingat kayo." (Good morning. I won't be able to meet you at 6AM. I hope you won't get angry and still invite me next time. Be safe.) We have planned this for over a week and she backs out the last minute? The first few times she did it was already infuriating but this just takes the cake. Just two hours before our scheduled trip, she backs out. Brilliant!

She has been my friend for around 10 years now so I am supposed to be used to it. It's just irritating that she hasn't changed this nasty habit yet. She makes up some excuse like she's studying for a gazillion questions for her review but I see her online the entire day on facebook. So I made up my resolve to NOT talk to her for a short period of time. Just until my emotions and urge to yell at her subsides. After that, I will talk to her properly about this..AGAIN.

The Calendar is my New BFF

I have always been fond of traveling, it is perhaps the only thing that I inherited from my mother. I actually wanted to be a diplomat when I was a kid (until I graduated from college) because I was under the impression that they would be traveling around the world as their job.

Anyway, I guess this year my dream of going to various places around the Philippines and even a foreign country, is finally coming true (at least a little bit). My friends and I will be going to Macau and Hong Kong this April and this May, my family is going to Batanes. I just love it! I'm so happy even if the planning for the trip is taking quite a lot of energy and patience, I know that it will all be worth it in the end.

Other trips are in the works, hopefully it would all push through and that the budget of a bum like me would be able to accommodate them all. I am thinking of getting a baito to sustain my trips...LOL