We’ve done everything we could. It’s just that… There are too many people swayed by “fake news” and believe the lies.
My kids want to apply for passports now. Said we need to visit one target country.
My banker source said we need to stay. We fight.
Let me cry first tonight. This country is breaking my heart. Over and over and over. It’s hard to love you, Philippines. My heart is tired.
Why? Why do I keep fighting for you? Why do I keep holding on to something that is visibly not worth fighting for? Happened to me in 2019-2020, still happening now. Should I just let go? It seems like you don’t want to help yourself. You continue romancing the corrupt, inept, and evil beings and yet I continued to have faith that somehow you will see the light.
But no, it’s a lost cause. My children seem to have no future in you.
My anxiety and heartbreak over the mess that is today’s national elections is something I should manage by ignoring news altogether.
But the mess today (“dysfunctional” voting machines, manual counting, etc) opens doors for Marcos and Duterte to cheat. A lot of people have reported—nationwide—of the same things. Reports of vote-buying by their camp are also rampant.
Video of vote-buying in Iloilo posted on FB by a concerned netizen
I’m letting go of this anxiety and let God’s will be done.
Love thy will be done.
I cannot control such things happening right now. It is causing me so much sleepless nights the past few days. My country has given me so much heartbreak and is pushing me to seek my fortune elsewhere. But then my love for it is pulling me to stay. Who will be left to love and defend it?
Leni x Kiko Grand Rally at Ayala cor Paseo de Roxas at 6 pm. Photo by Roby Alampay via Twitter
Since I knew it’s going to be difficult with kids in tow, we opted to have a biking campaign around the village and UP campus.
Washing our bikes. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
First we washed our bikes and oiled them. We went to the vulcanizing shop and bike shop to change the interior tube of Twin A’s front wheel.
In solidarity with the people in Makati. Photo by CallMeCreation.comRested here for a bit. Then the girls did some speed biking until it was too dark to do it.Photo by CallMeCreation.comWater break. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Something’s wrong with the gear shifter in Twin A’s bike so I’m going to have it replaced tomorrow before we bike to another venue.
We had dinner at Rodic’s near Bahay ng Alumni. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
We were looking for the street food vendor near Oblation but it was already very dark and we couldn’t see them. We proceeded to Rodic’s near Bahay ng Alumni and had a quick dinner. The ambulant vendor-kid there was appealing to us to buy his heavy rice-based snacks. I felt bad so I bought one and I gave it to the other kid who was begging for food. Then the vendor-kid gave me Leni stickers. I gave him more money in exchange for the stickers.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com
We went around the community this afternoon and evening with this.
Screencap of a video by a friend.
I wanted to be there but as a mother of asthmatic kids, I cannot compromise their health by contracting Covid. I hope they’re all safe.
Yesterday, National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab initiated a flash mob at PowerPlant Mall in Rockewell. I am loving that artists are lending their talent for Leni.
With Fabian Ver‘s daughter and Loren Legarda‘s son disowning what their parents did, I am hopeful that this generation and the generation of my daughters will continue to side with what is right.
Screen cap from Rappler.com
This story of Wanna Ver’s discovery, education, and later acceptance of the evil her father did is very powerful. I want to cry.
Wanna Ver is offering one apology at a time for the crimes her father helped commit, and stands by the accounts of victims and survivors
Fabian Ver is the second-most evil man after Marcos during the latter’s reign. He was the the berdugo, the executioner, during Marcos’ reign of terror.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Leviste’s rejection of his mother’s political choice tore him apart and had to denounce it publicly.
‘My mother is an example of how fascism takes hold, is made acceptable, normalized, facilitated, ushered in’
I don’t like his brother (I interviewed him a couple of times), but this Lorenzo sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders.
Only a few days away…
My stomach is in knots.
To ease my anxiety, I continued with my bookmark painting.
Art of photo by CallMeCreation.com
The board paper does not absorb watercolors well so it was hard mixing colors and the gradation is quite messy. But it will do. Plus I’m legally blind. My contact lenses do not allow me to work at close range and I couldn’t take it off like I do with my eyeglasses. I had to take my contacts off when I lined this with Uni pin 0.5.
I can’t wait for my eyeglasses so I can go back to normal.
Speaking of anxiety, I went to a spa near my apartment to have a deep tissue massage on my shoulders, back, and neck. I could feel that I would be having a stiff neck tomorrow because my muscles in these areas are frozen. This despite having a 1.5-hr Zennya massage in Makati this weekend. The knots on my shoulders and back are so tight that it was so painful sleeping on my side.
At the neighborhood spa. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I and my S.Korea boss were the only editors today so I had to edit some stories from Australia because of this. I submitted a story I wrote and of course no one picked it up. I guess everything has to wait until next week. If I remember it right, this week is Japan’s Golden Week as well, which coincides with China’s week-long holidays.
I doubt if I can work well next week when my whole body would be contorted with anxiety due to the elections.
A lot of people online (myself included) have declared that the male presidential aspirants have lost their balls/eggs with their stupid press conference today. If I were the journo covering this event, I would be cursing up to the high heavens for disturbing my day off.
We witnessed them scrambling their eggs on national TV on Easter Sunday. Yuck.
The nerve of these men. They probably have received orders from Bong-bong Marcos to tell Leni this absurd thing because he is already so threatened. Those who are politically savvy know that Marcos (ultimately, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) is behind why these men are running for president—to divide the votes among those who do not like Marcos.
Only three weeks away. This is the most important election I have witnessed, save for the snap elections of 1985 that led to the Edsa Revolution because Ferdinand Marcos Sr cheated.
Another widow is running against a Marcos. And this Marcos is also threatened big time so he is employing all the dirty tactics to bring his demon of a family back to Malacanang.
But this time, the widow is not a clueless housewife. She is very capable and has a good head on her shoulders.
I’m scared.
Since it’s the end of Lenten Season, we had red meat today.
Korean barbecue for dinner. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
As I planned, today is a lazy day—Not actually. I did some carpentry job as it’s Twin A’s turn to have her table repaired. Good thing I already bought the Fixa cordless electric screwdriver from Ikea so I can reinforce the table with its existing screws and new screw.
It’s taking forever to charge though.Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I love my my Bosch impact drill but it’s too heavy and powerful for small jobs like screwdriving because you need two hands to operate it. Plus it’s not cordless so it’s cumbersome to use for furniture repair or assembly. But it’s perfect for heavy duty jobs drilling through masonry like when I am attaching curtain rods and shower heads.
I have now in my Lazada cart a cordless drill (for light jobs) and a jigsaw. One day I will have my own workshop/studio where I can confine all my DIYs and art projects. But one thing at a time. In the meantime, I will let those power tools stew in my online cart because I blew my budget this month because I bought too many frames. In true artist (wanna-be) fashion, I am surrounded by frames and art materials.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Speaking of art materials, my mechanical pencils were delivered. The Staedtler one has 0.5 B leads while the Monami one has 0.5 HB leads. I can get away without outlining drawings using micron pens if I use B lead. For situations that I need to erase the sketch, I use the HB.
Staedtler mechanical pencil. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Meanwhile, this crazy initial practice sketch of Manila Cathedral is driving me nuts all because I took the photo from a weird angle.
Photo by CallMeCreation.com
This is why architecture and engineering students are never without their mechanical pencils. It’s annoying to constantly sharpen your pencils for drawing things like the one above.
Because I’m the queen of procrastination, I diverted myself into doing a manga-inspired drawing because I’m stumped with this Manila Cathedral one.
Another Himeji Castle Gardens scene. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com
And because I am swimming in frames, I decided to give these manga-inspired drawings some dignity by putting them in cheap Fiskbo frames. I made the matting myself because, why not? I no longer have walls to accommodate these so they would be given away.
Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com
The yellow bell that I did the other day is framed and will also be given to my mom. Since I liked this one, I scanned it, printed it, and hung it near the kitchen sink to replace my old cross-stitch project. Not bad.
Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com
I don’t know if my hobby is cheaper than my sister’s because I keep buying frames. Oh but wait…she keeps having her acrylic paintings framed professionally so…I think hers is more expensive. Her paints are also more expensive on a by-inch/cm basis. While my watercolors are expensive (and I will be buying more expensive ones because they do make a lot of difference), they last forever because I’m not painting on huge canvases like my sister does. The painting that hangs above my bed headboard and the painting of farmers near my stairs are already too big for me.
I should also try to get back to pencils and charcoal. 🤔
Ah, I should sleep earlier. I have an interview at 10 am. Then a call at 11 and 2 pm. The 2 pm one is with Twitter—they selected me among the many local journos for their experimental program for this election. I wonder what this would be. 🤔🤔🤔
