A Day in Our Life: Election Day with Small Joys Along the Way

Lovely day to all amazing and hardworking Hivers in this awesome community!

In the morning, it was a bit gloomy in my area. We went out just within the neighborhood to get some fresh air and walk a bit for a little exercise just to energize our bodies. The neighborhood was just quiet and the time just went on calmly. We thought of going to a local store where we can buy traditional rice cake usually eaten for breakfast, but they were closed.

Before going to the school where voting was held, we stopped by at a local pizza shop to eat a little. It’s called Alberto’s pizza and it’s popular in my city. It’s just a local version but it’s still yummy and priced reasonably. So, we ordered the mango graham shake and pizza with quickmelt cheese, green bell pepper, black olive, pineapple, and some meat. It was satisfying and our tummies were happy.

May 12th is a general election day in the Philippines where citizens get to choose 12 senators, mayor, vice mayor, 8 councilors, congressman, and a party list. Some areas had to vote for governor and vice governor. Voting is done at schools and we were assigned to a particular classroom. A ballot paper was given where we indicate a mark corresponding to the names we choose. It was then fed into a machine for automatic counting. Thankfully, it went fast as many people chose to vote earlier.

These are some scenarios at the school. I noticed that there was still an old building with classrooms. I like this type of windows (called capiz windows) because they show traditional element. School structures like this were very common before; they added some buildings with many floors in the recent years to accommodate more students.

We didn’t want to go home yet so we decided to go to a big mall that was not too far. On the way, we stopped at the gas station. It was already sunny in the afternoon but not too hot.

A university near the gas station...

The bright blue sky uplifted my mood at this moment…

SM Seaside in Cebu City is one of the large malls in the country located near the sea, thus the name, Seaside. They also offer free shuttle for shoppers with pick up and drop off at some designated areas.

We strolled around the section called Skypark Eats where different shops are located. I particularly noticed some dining tables that looked antique and made from hardwood. I liked this part as they reflect our traditional furniture designs. I noticed that the restaurant's window design looked similar to the old school above. It was a joy to see some traditional things along the way.

After walking around for about two hours, we got hungry. So, we went back to restaurant that we passed by earlier; they sell traditional Filipino dishes. We had grilled chicken, grilled pork belly, and halo-halo for dessert (a cold dessert with crushed ice, milk, fruits, topped with ice cream and cornflakes).

It was our first time eating at this food shop and we were satisfied with the taste. The meat was tender, not salty, and serving portion was generous. We went home with a full tummy, but least we were also able to take a walk around this big mall; an ordinary day yet a joyful moment for us.

Thank you for your interest and time. I hope your day is great. My heartfelt gratitude to @justinparke for letting us share our experiences in this wonderful community of creative Hivers.

HIVEing for Good!
@bettsmarie09

All photos are mine
Photo collage edited in Canva
Footer credit to Canva