1) PASSED by two vehicular accidents along EDSA on same night: a burning bus near Guadalupe and a taxi smashed by a container van along Kamuning Flyover. Separate road tragedies within a 4-hour interval. It wasn't even raining. I asked my grandmother over breakfast this morning if she saw TV news about it, of victims and casualties. Negative. I searched for such incidents on Google News but there were no records from online media as well. These events aren't less than true in the absence of media reports, aren't they? 08/26

2) Met Rach for brunch at Trinoma. Missed her damned much after transferring work. She's joining a new company too (as product development manager to boot!), which I am excited about. We talked about US elections over Wendy's iced tea and its possible implications on the local front, then had chicken curry and eggplant salad at Recipe's. We went to Timezone where I finally snatched a Doraemon slushie from one of those UFO catchers! We spent much already reloading our game card, trying to claw from the pile of prizes. We even made a deal that I won't be buying anything "blue" unless I won for her a stuffed something and now it's off! So happy, how the win made our day! :p 09/02

3) Manila Oceanpark as a promised treat for snagging a new job. From the UN Avenue LRT Station, Rach and I popped peanuts and walked past kite-flyers at Rizal Park over to the back of the Quirino Stadium, where the Oceanpark is located. There was a line getting in but a numbering system for issuing tickets made it a bit organized. We sipped fruit juices while an octopus mascot danced onstage and mingled with kids in the waiting lobby. Upon entering, a tropical-themed (wooden stairs, hanging vines, piranhhas) welcome area led down to the aquariums. First on display was a mini-pool with starfish for touching mixed in with non-aggressive, smallish sharks.



Tank after tank showcased sea creatures, most of which delightfully weird, some others served straight from the kitchen. I realized how really hard and slippery it is to describe fish, what with their odd shapes and shifty hues. I forgot its name but my favorite fish was this one we labeled "futuristic-looking" and "too cool to care". Water world trivias were dished out on interactive touchscreen kiosks and multimedia exhibits. Up at the second floor was overpriced haven (P20 for two trace papers, P600 buffet plate). We had our picture taken at the souvenir shop and got it framed and hologrammed (with a dolphin kissing Rach's cheek) for P400. After dinner at Plaza Sulayman, a street girl approached us, selling a long stemmed rose. Bought one for Rach, perfect way to end the night, yiheee. 09/21