Pre-enlistment this morning was interesting. There were a lot of choices in classes and courses, it was difficult to choose which one I really liked to take. I was also coordinating with Erik (through YM), my only classmate who’s going to UP, so that we had some same classes to pre-enlist in.

Wooh! I don’t have classes on Wednesday. Why does the schedule look like it’s allowing me a lot of free time? Or does it, really?

It’s my brother’s birthday today, too. I’m bloated again.

We’re on the very critical home stretch of the elections and he leaves! He further jeopardized his chances!! Okay I’m trying to look at this at a better light.

Raul Roco leaves the campaign but insists that he is still in the running for the presidency. Okay, so he’s sick and there have been doubts on his health. He’s not going to be any healthier if he becomes president, that has always been the reason why my parents are shying away from voting him. This is sad. I share his sentiments of changing the status quo and I also believe that there is hope in the Filipinos. But this incident just confirmed that he’s really sick. I’d rather he personally withdraw from the race and ask one of his good opponents to carry on his platform and senatorial slate. (Well, since Lacson is talking with Poe, it leaves us with just one good candidate, Bro. Eddie Villanueva). That way we’d even have a better fight against an Arroyo or a Poe presidency? (For the record, my parents are for Lacson, while I’m still undecided).

Things are getting shockingly unstable (and exciting?). What’s next?

(EDIT, 14:20): Oh no. I think his votes will go to Arroyo now. Noooo!! Well, better I get ready now… for jail, or something. Hehe.

I spent yesterday afternoon at Megamall and last night at Pobbe’s party.

Oh, by the way, I rode the public bus yesterday for the first time! Yes, I’m sheltered like that. At first I had no idea what to do. Do I pay immediately upon jumping in or do I pay when I get down? Anyway, I just took a seat and observed how other people paid and went down. The public bus system leaves so much to be desired. Like for example, there doesn’t seem to be any consistent bus stop system. Buses stop everywhere to pick passengers up. And, bus drivers cut through queues and keep swerving and switching lanes. And most buses I see are major air polluters. There are far too many of these ill-trained driver-driven and air-pollutant buses in Manila already, I rarely see any of them filled up. Anyway, so it took fourteen pesos and thirty minutes for the bus to get from Commonwealth to Megamall. So, the bus stopped everywhere and yet it didn’t stop at Megamall. Bwisit talaga! (Do you even say ‘para’ in a bus?). I had to take the MRT back to Ortigas.

Roamed around Megamall first (finally got to use my credit card, hands-on), before meeting up with Rene, Jake and Erik. I invited them to watch The Uninvited (4 Inyong Shiktak) (aahahaha!). It’s supposed to be a Korean horror movie, but it doesn’t feel really like a horror movie at all (its flash web site is even scarier!!). It didn’t deserve any screams or shrieks. It was more of a dramatic, dragging psychological mystery movie, that you could barely understand. Clues are littered everywhere, but nothing binds them strongly together. Some of them even appeared like they were nuisances to the plot. But I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there were some cultural references from Korea that we didn’t understand. Or maybe I just dislike horror suspense movies that are based on psychological problems and illusions that are limited to some of the characters. It’s a good thing watching movies at Megamall is fairly cheap. Bikoy’s rating: 6/10

We arrived at Pobbe’s part at half-past seven in the evening. I’ll write about that in this protected entry.

Anyway, in the taxi on the way home, I was talking to the driver about… what else, politics. Hah, it pays if you familiarize yourselves with other local officials from some provinces. I’m weird like that. It just so happens that he’s from Antipolo and I am familiar with their congressman (I was researching for my article on politicans who come from the Ateneo high school), with their governor, etc. I don’t need to tell you who the driver and his colleagues are voting for president this May.

COOL!! International Academy of Film and Television is in Cebu! That’s so nice. I can pursue some short courses there next summer when they open! “Share your passion for filmmaking, while enjoying tropical life in Cebu!” - isn’t that so tempting? I can finally get away from Manila for a while. And while I’m at it, I can finally try to learn Cebuano.

“Reasons To Attend The International Academy of Film & Television:“

1. Hands-on training using state-of-the-art equipment.
2. Mentors who are working industry professionals from Hollywood and other film capitals.
3. Short workshops and non-degree courses in small groups, at a fraction of the cost.

[from Study-Film.com]

Well, it’s still far off from now before I can even plan seriously the whole thing. But still!! I’m looking forward to next summer already.

I might have said a couple of months ago that our current president will not win, based on massive discontent against her. Those were the times when her trust ratings were in the negatives and when her election ratings were below 10%. She was not the best choice against FPJ. But alas, the administration party appears to have succeeded at manipulating public opinion into falling for the “reality” that only money and political machinery can make someone win a Philippine election, more so in a fight against a movie star. It’s a ‘powerful’ bandwagon many people were lured to jump into.

I think she will win. Hell, she’s even doing very well in my own survey! But my choice will prevail. And for the record, it’s not FPJ.

Here’s Malaya’s editorial for today:

We look at the political landscape and the sight is depressing. If we are to believe the surveys, our choice is between a shameless liar and manipulator and a well-intentioned ignoramus. We have come a point where self-proclaimed pundits tell us the choice should not be the lesser of two evils.

They say Gloria Arroyo may be surrounded by thieves, but least she knows how to make the government work. That’s a lie. In her three years in power, governance has become a sick joke. She cannot collect taxes. She cannot curb criminality. Infrastructure is going to pot. Social services are breaking down.

…

This nation is neither damned nor doomed. We’re edging closer to the precipice, yes, but the situation is not hopeless. We do have choices. Let us exercise them. [underline mine]

[from Malaya, April 12, 2004]

We deserve whoever will win (well, duh). And if protests start up when the discontent cry foul, even if I’m inclined to join, I won’t. The people deserve their choice. Let them reap the fruits of their choice. Even if we may deserve someone better. Whatever might happen, whoever will take the oath on June 30, I’ll continue pursue my passion. I can never run out of hope. And you shouldn’t too, I hope. Democratic participation does not end on May 10 nor does it begin only when you turn 18. Sigh, but for now I’ll depress myself with the trend that I’m seeing.

It’s easy for people to brand me as a conservative for having an inclination to follow traditional values. A lot of people constrict their definition of being conservative to one’s attitudes on sex and vices. And that’s not right.

I’m far from even wanting to become conservative.

Let’s talk about politics. It’s conservatism when you argue that we should grant a president who has already served more than 830 full days another 2,190 to continue doing what she’s doing, and what she’s not. (That is tremendously irritating! You’re taking the actual choice as hostage!!) Like, when some politicians throw valid accusations, and yet people insist on ignoring them as political mudslinging. That’s conservatism. What if it’s actually true, should we just tolerate it? No. Not when the consistent misuse of billions of pesos in public funds is in question. Especially not when we are in the midst massive poverty and unemployment! It’s conservatism when we continue to tolerate traditional politics and corruption, and it’s conservatism too when we support leaders who tolerate these kinds of things and even please the people who do them. It’s conservatism when we continue to constrict our democratic participation to elections alone.

It’s also being conservative when we resign and surrender to the “reality of things” in our country. That so-called reality wasn’t reality before it became reality. (EDIT: April 12, 2004, 05:16) Like that ‘reality’ that only a politician who is backed by a huge band of trapos with a party that has lots of money can defeat a movie star. That reality wasn’t reality when current president was well hated by 70% of Filipinos up until December 2003 (/EDIT). It’s conservatism when you say there’s no hope left for the Philippines and that the bad things which have been institutionalized in our system and culture will continue to prosper and worsen. Our actual forgetful, forgiving and tolerant attitudes to these problems breed it! Actually, there’s so much more to Filipino conservatism than politics. So much more. But that’s not for me to expound on right now.

Nobody likes to have things being consistently changed. It’s tiring! We all wish for a time when we can be conservative once again. But right now, I don’t think Filipinos can afford to be conservative any longer. Not in this coming elections. More so and more importantly not after May 10 or June 30.

There’s so much to change, very little to preserve, no one to “re-elect”.

Click here for the discussion on the issue and for proof that many Filipinos remain to be conservative.

We went to Amadeo today because Lolo suddenly wanted to see my dad, for no special reason at all, I think. Since we weren’t doing anything much at home anyway, we did go to Amadeo. (Well, as usual, the moment Lolo saw the car arriving at the driveway in Amadeo, he started crying). We usually only visit on Sundays so it felt like a Sunday today.

So, I was bored because there’s nothing to watch on TV. I was not hungry so I can’t waste my time eating. And then I found my preschool niece with a piece of black board and some sticks of chalk. She challenged me to answer her riddle. HAH! You, are challenging me? You know how kids are arrogant sometimes, they think they know everything, in a cute way. Anyway, so after answering her simple pattern problem, I challenged her back and wrote down a harder pattern problem. At first she immediately said she couldn’t answer it, so I gave her hints but refused to directly tell her the answer. After a couple of minutes, she got it. So I gave her another one, and another one, until I gave her something a little complicated. I bet she’s never seen a problem like that. She whined a lot for some time, and I insisted I won’t tell her the answer. Anyway, in the end, she got the answer, with a few hints from me. I was also teaching my other year-old niece how to open the electric fan. It’s a challenge because she can’t talk yet, so I’m sure she wouln’t undersand any verbal instructions I would give her. So I had to do it like I was training a dog. Hehe. Sigh. The petty little joy of successfully teaching little kids new things.

Anyway for lunch, we decided to drop by Tagaytay. We settled for Carlos’ Pizza, because every other restaurant was full. There’s nothing special about the food there (or maybe I wasn’t really hungry, so I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt). Their service is slow, it took us an hour waiting for a pathetic pan of pizza and some of their waitresses were really grumpy. Boo.

Tonight, I watched The Passion of the Christ for the second time, with the family.

New poll feature here at Vicrenzo.com. This month’s poll question:

Who among the five presidential candidates are you inclined to vote for/support next month?

To vote, look for the poll module at the right navigation bar or click here. Poll ends a day after the actual elections.

Nothing serious or scientific about the poll though. Just a simple survey for my visitors. (I don’t think there’d be a lot of votes anyway). Anyway, you can discuss your choices here.