A week away

Posted on 02/05/2022 by admin

A week from now, Filipinos will determine if we sink or rise from this disaster. I’m scared. I’m anxious but I’m hopeful.

The surveys that had been coming in are flawed. Several statisticians from UP and the former head of the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB, now part of the Philippine Statistics Administration) have already pointed out the methodology flaws of those surveys that they were structured to favor the class D which tended to favor Marcos.

Horror of horrors, in 7 out of the 17 regions, there are more registered voters for May 2022 than the population 18 years or over!!! The percentage of “over-registration” ranged from at least 1 percent to at most 11 percent. How on earth could this have happened?
Dr. Romulo Virola

Pulse Asia (PA) overrepresented those who did not reach college representing more than 78 percent of the PA sample and almost 70 percent of the PSA 2015 Census of Population and consequently underrepresented those who did:
Romulo Virola

*Sampling bias by Pulse Asia, according to Dr. Virola*

Meanwhile, I was arguing on Twitter with a Filipino journo based abroad for his crass words today. He has no idea what it is to be on the ground here. Now.

I can’t keep my words from flowing. The last time I couldn’t, I went viral on social media.

I was talking to my taxi driver this evening about Leni. Just one conversion is already a good one. Doing 10 conversions makes a world of difference.

Because I’m fighting for the future of my children. It’s not just for me or about me, unlike those people who are voting for Marcos who just say, I’m voting for him because I like him better than “lutang” (floating) Leni.

We are doing our best to change the mindset of the majority of the electorate who are not reached by social media and proper education.

Here’s my mom yesterday talking to some rural folk somewhere in the middle of a farming community in the province, campaigning for Leni. Giving a talk and leading focus group discussions. There are millions of her doing this, volunteer on the ground campaigning, house-to-house visits to persuade people, correcting false information and propaganda.

*Bills,* *bills,bills. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

It’s that time of the month again when I have to record/tally my expenses or trace where my money went. I always pay my credit cards in full every month. I don’t want consumer debt hanging over my head and I always make sure I have savings and petty cash for unexpected stuff like this:

*Eyeglasses for us all. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I lost my new eyeglasses. I don’t know where and how but I just couldn’t find it anymore. I had been wearing contact lenses the entire weekend and it’s only yesterday that I discovered my eyeglasses were missing.

Since I couldn’t live with wearing contacts full-time, I immediately went to my optometrist to have new eyeglasses made. I also had my girls’ and Ate C’s eyes checked. It’s not surprising they have astigmatism because of the amount of screen time we all had the past two years…so I had four pairs of eyeglasses made (Ooohh boy they’re not cheap!). Only Twin A’s were ready tonight and the rest will be picked up on Saturday because I ordered ultra thin lenses for us.

My girls will now join their four-eyed kuyas. 😁

*Chasing each other with booger (eewww). Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

My cats missed me. When we arrived home at 1:30 am today, my cats were all over me. Then they settled on my bed while I unpacked and searched all around for my missing eyeglasses. I slept at 4 am and I woke up at 9 am with my cats still in my bed. ❤️

Today Southeast Asia is dead: Eid’l Fitr celebrations across Southeast Asia while Vietnam celebrates its liberation with a holiday that began April 30 until tomorrow. I had been sending requests for interviews again and I think I have several lined up for this week.

I must finish writing three stories tomorrow. 😑

I haven’t had time to draw 😥

Be kind

Posted on 01/05/2022 by admin

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc_4WZ7AQDu/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I thought I was fine, I thought it’s over. But I had a dream that rattled me for a day, but I quickly bounced back. It’s probably an indication that I’m still healing and sometimes I would still stumble and fall.

But it’s ok. I have to be nicer to myself. This is not a race.

I will be me again, probably better as I have more understanding of myself and the world compared to four years ago. I’m in a better place now.

Salcedo Weekend Market

Posted on 30/04/2022 by admin

Finally. I was able to see whatever’s been written about Salcedo weekend market. It’s in the middle of Makati CBD, just at the back of our serviced apartment. There were interesting foodstuff like Vietnamese, Mexican, Aussie, etc as they cater to the expat community living in Salcedo Village/Bel-Air. Some of the vendors are the well-heeled type who are doing this as a hobby. I was looking for the Aussie lady who’s selling crumpets but my girls wanted to go back to our unit because it was hot.

They bought corndog, pancakes, and hash browns but I wouldn’t settle for those—there are better things to check out.

And I was rewarded.

*Chicken rice! Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

And yes, it did taste like the Singaporean one. But still far from Tong Fong Fatt though.

*Mmmmm* ❤️ *Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

This is hardly breakfast food but I just couldn’t resist.

*Tiny pool. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

This is where the girls played late yesterday afternoon but they decided not to take a dip this morning because they wanted the bigger pool of the serviced apartment where we transferred later today.

*Horseplay. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

My sis-in-law and my nephew joined us after lunch so the cousins would have another chance to bond. They didn’t join us in Anilao because of schooling and football game schedule conflicts. So I upgraded my reservation from a studio to a one bedroom apartment. Some would sleep in the living room, some in the bedroom. As if these kids would sleep; this is an expensive slumber party with mommies in tow 🤣

*I think this is roughly the size of my future kitchen. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*One sleeping setup. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I had extra beds set up in the living room. It’s OK, it’s just for one night. All in the name of familial bonding.

This is the view beside me.

*Salcedo Village. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Another day is dying in the concrete jungle. I will soon be able escape from this.

Handmade

Posted on 27/04/2022 by admin

I broke one of my drill bits last night because I was being stubborn. I need to replace it this weekend when we have the chance to go the mall. We will spend about three days in Makati in two serviced apartments I reserved for the Leni grand rally in Makati, which was eventually cancelled. My reservation was non-refundable. Anyway, we will treat it just like a staycation and I will be working one of those days, plus I needed to cover an event at night. It’s a relief I don’t have to drive back to QC after that.

*Flower tea to start the day.* *Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

For some strange reason I woke up early again so I was forced to confront work earlier than usual. I think our stay in Anilao has reset my body clock and now I’m back to Philippine Standard Time. It has been several nights that I get to sleep before 1 am and it has been so lovely so far. I think my body has finally withdrawn from alprazolam.

So I was productive today, editing a number of stories, communicating with sources and doing my usual admin work, writing another story…and yet I haven’t done any of the pending stories I was supposed to publish this week. 🙄 I promise I will publish two tomorrow. And I’m still waiting for a confirmation of an interview schedule…

Because I already scratched my DIY itch yesterday, it’s now the handmade itch’s turn to nag at me. So I restarted the sewing project I had so I will have new set of curtains for the living room downstairs before this month ends.

*Tiny neat stitches. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I’m loving the way my house now is becoming more handmade as the time passes. This is our fourth year staying in this apartment and we still have one year more to go before we transfer permanently, I think, in our new flat in my hometown.

I don’t have mass market art on my walls and I’m making handmade curtains. I’m DIY-ing so many things in this apartment that I feel like this is already mine even though it’s not. I have my say in all of the things here whereas I didn’t have that freedom in the past. Soon I will have my couch reupholstered with a more cat-friendly fabric and I will be making more pillows. I discovered that you can buy pillow fillers from Shopee and you can refill old and saggy pillows–or make new pillows and throw out the old ones. I can make big and fluffy ones if I want to. I either can hand sew again or I buy that Brother sewing machine on my shopping list on Lazada and make my life easier.

I have so many ideas in my head that I want to execute for our new flat, like an outdoor hot tub under the fruit trees. I can buy this galvanized iron tub from FB Marketplace and put it on top of concrete blocks to have a low fire going underneath.

*Perfect for a hot tub with fire roaring underneath it.*

This guy made a hot tub using an old barrel and some blocks.

A brick pizza oven in the garden, a grilling station, and a small workshop or art studio. I’ve also been looking at outdoor furniture with umbrella at Ikea and at Ace Hardware. My girls and their friends can hang out there.

I got the brick oven pizza from this guy as well.

So I weighed things…my job may not be that fabulous right now but it offers me flexibility to pursue life—real life outside work. So far the arrangement is agreeable to me. I just need super fast internet, like what I have right now, then work-life balance is ok.

I have to talk to the Converge people because they still don’t have a line near my new place. I need to attend one face to face event with them so I can sweet-talk them into installing lines there…hahaha!

I’m excited.

Multiple interests

Posted on 26/04/2022 by admin

*Waking up to this. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I gave myself permission to start the day late even though I woke up earlier than usual…I slept early without the aid of sleeping agents. Pure exhaustion is the answer to insomnia. I just love my bed. It used to feel empty but now it’s full of…ME! I don’t think I can share it now with anyone. Except for the cats.

And I gave my cats some morning exercise with the help of the laser pointer. After shredding that paper bag, they needed to expend their energies on other pursuits.

Weekly calls, editorial chores, etc occupied the rest of my day. Still didn’t manage to finish any of my pending articles left stewing in my leads list.

Then the DIY bug hit me again.

This time I fixed my closet door that hasn’t been closing for 2 years. Now I was able to fix it and the only missing tool to accomplish this was a cordless electric screwdriver so I can install the roller catch. Geez! 🙄 I waited that long.

*It only needed the help of a cordless electric screwdriver.* *Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I finally am able to close it! *Hahaha! Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Now the eternal cause of irritation when dressing daily is finally no more. It now closes.

I am multi-talented but an idiot. 😂😂😂😂😂

I am reminded by this passage I saw on my Twitter newsfeeds.

This made me feel a little bit better. I have so many interests but I doubt if I am exceptional in any of them so I hid them from other people, especially my drawing. Only a few people knew I drew in high school. No one in my high school knew I was already a published writer. I didn’t let people know much about that because I was afraid they would think my efforts were not good enough. Same with my visual art. People my high school only knew me as an actress and a singer. Then when I became an adult, only very few people knew I sang, played the piano, and acted on stage. Zero knew I drew. I was known to be just a journalist.

I always thought I had to be excellent in all of those things I am interested in. I thought I had to be good but Kurt Vonnegut assured me that it’s ok to be mediocre. As long as I enjoy them, who the fuck cares, right? I enjoy watercoloring so I should be happy that I can do it. I keep buying frames for my drawings/paintings because it makes me happy. As I told my shrink this weekend, art therapy melted my anxiety and helped me lift myself out of the doldrums.

All these things—my multiple interests—are helping me heal. I’m enjoying life again. It took a while but, hey, I don’t have to rush.

P.S. I should buy Kurt Vonnegut books. An editor I know is a fan.

Jumped to Eagle Point

Posted on 23/04/2022 by admin

*View from Eagle Point. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

We transferred to Eagle Point this morning because we decided to extend our stay in Anilao but Blue Ribbon no longer has rooms for us. Because you know, revenge travel.

But before we left Blue Ribbon, we had to consume our breakfast that came with our room.

*Breakfast of champions. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I had calories. Lots of it. I knew I would be expending energy when I dive in the afternoon.

*Of course, the obligatory selfie. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Leni Robredo watch. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

My sister bought 4 of these as part of the campaign fundraising for Leni. Most of the campaign funds for Leni and all campaign sorties are arranged and funded by volunteers. My sister gave two to my twins and I tried one. Looks cute.

Meanwhile…

*They just won’t quit swimming. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Despite the multiple application of sunblock, these kids still got toasted. Well, they started swimming in the morning until sundown everyday. 🙄

We waited for the waves to calm down and for the tide to ease before snorkeling in front of the resort. I couldn’t dive much because I needed to guide my mom as she latched on to the diving buoy. She didn’t last long though, probably just 30 mins.

My older sister was with me but I still couldn’t dive because the resort didn’t have the rope and weights that would keep the buoy in place. It would be such a hassle if that thing escapes. Next assignment: buy rope and weights.

I was in the sea for 2.5 hrs though and it made the trip here worthwhile.

*Another beautiful Anilao sunset to take home with me. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Hopefully we will have more sunsets like this before the southwest monsoon starts. I’ll take a leave probably next month and bring the girls here again. I’ll check another diving resort that is near a marine sanctuary, probably Arthur’s.

Here’s to more freediving, mountain climbing, and camping. ❤️💪🏕️

Stories from the sidelines

A journalist has a life other than news

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