SMS

My friend Horeb sent me an sms reminding me to update my blog. Medyo inuugat na daw. :D O Reb, eto na new entry ko.

I sent this to all my mobile phone contacts:
Text me one memory we had together. The first one that pops in your head. Keep this going and see what they remember about you.:)

The following were their replies (Post ko, I have a feeling magiging masaya 'tong i-reminisce after several years):

CLAIRE (SOCIUS)- Kumakaen sa baba ng cbox, padating si *toot*. Tinanong ko siya, si *toot* ba yun? Sumagot si Claire, 'pag may nakalagay na MINOLA, siya yun!
MARGA (LAW SCHOOL)- The LFO Song. Girl on TV during Criminal Law 1 time. We love this song.
DONA (SOCIUS)- I blabbed someone.. It's a bit confidential so 'wag na lang. =) Alam na ng mga SOCIUS yun.
DIANNE (SOCIUS) - Food trip moments at our tambayan while waiting for Manang tindera.
AVERY (SOCIUS)- The Fight of the century. Yung away namin ni Paul sa tambayan.
DIANNE (LAW SCHOOL) - Our adventures with Cesar. Nakakatuwa 'cause hindi naman namin siya ka-close pero nakijoin siyang kumain sa amin sa SM. Dianne said "parang ang saya nyang kapitbahay, mahihingan ng toyo or patis anytime."
CHRISTIAN (CHESS CLUB)- Yung reporting nya daw sa akin as Chess Club applicant. If I remember it right, pinaarte ko yata siya as Sandara Park.
NICKI (SOCIUS)- Our friendship game with Beta Kappa. Naging close kami dito.
EDRALYN (DORMMATE) - Our morning ritual. Singing the "Pampers" song. "Good morning, good morning dahil sa pampers, ang slip mo, ang slip mo, mahimbing.."
OSANG (LAW SCHOOL) - Bevs = Gold bars. It's an inside joke. Siya lang yung nakakuha nung joke kahit ang dami-daming nakarinig.
ATE MHEDA (CHESS CLUB) - I act like "Dyesebel" during my Chess Club Rites.
LICA (CHESS CLUB) - During our Chess Club applicants days, we were always together talking about the pressure.

How about you? What do you remember about me?

Sink or Swim

I chose this phrase because it is the closest words that can describe what I am feeling right now. I am already in the quarter years of my life and yet I still feel that I haven’t done anything to justify my existence. I have aspirations but up to now, they are still aspirations. I haven't done anything to make them real. Too many questions kill me. Will I fail or succeed? Will I be mediocre or great? I do not believe in destiny. I believe that the only responsible being for all the things that happen to a person is that person itself. Therefore, whatever happens to me in ten to twenty years will be based on how I acted today – will I manage to swim despite the pressure of sinking? Or will I sink because I just can’t learn to swim?

Boycott

After a Jason Castro post, let's shift to a slight serious mode. :D

Since I don’t have a class today and I don’t want to study yet, I decided to just watch the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President and see if it is still in-touch with the reality happening in the Philippines right now. The glaring news that greeted me was the “traditional walk-out/boycott” of some congressmen (Read: the term “congressmen” includes senators, district representatives, and party-list reps). I say “traditional” because they do that every year. For some reason, I can empathize with them because I know what it feels like doing something you hate. It’s hard to listen to the talking of a president, who seems to love to lie, and seems to concentrate the wealth of the land on the hands of her relatives and close friends alone. It’s also hard to contain yourself for a few minutes and sit on an adorned place, full of phony people who clap on everything that the President says regardless of whether they understood it or not. Mind you, I’m betting my toenails that more than half of those people are not listening to what PGMA is saying, they just clap on cue.

As much as I understand those congressmen who boycotted the SONA, I also condemn them. As members of the Congress, it is their duty to attend the SONA and listen to what the president has to say. Contrary to what other people might think, SONA is not just about reporting what happened in the past year or about what will be the government’s project on the next year, it’s about laying down the things that the president wanted the Congress to tackle for a whole fiscal year. It’s a hand in hand event between the executive and the legislative branch of our government. The President is not just addressing the people on her speech; she’s mainly addressing the Congress! This is the main reason why it is held in Batasang Pambansa and in a joint session of both the Senate and House of Representatives. Those congressmen who boycott the SONA should reflect on what they usually do. When they decided to do a “walk-out”, they did not just refuse to listen to a liar; they also boycotted a Constitutional provision. Article 7, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution states that “The President shall address the Congress at the opening of its regular session. He may also appear before it at any other time.” If those congressmen don’t know that, I think someone should apprise them.

NOTE: I’m not a fan of the president but I respect her office. No matter how devious the president may look like, no matter how cunning her acts are, I always remind myself that I can get angry at the person, but I should always remember that her seat is the highest seat on the land. Her office should always be respected. It should always be valued. Kumbaga, sige lang, awayin nyo si Gloria hanngat gusto nyo, I might join you pa, pero please lang, respect her office. Hindi uunlad ang bansang Pilipinas kung mawawalan tayo ng tiwala sa gobryernong nagpapatakbo dito at sa batas na gumagabay sa pagsasaayos nito.


Another note: I don't want to comment on the SONA itself. Ayaw ko ding sabihin ang iba ko pang thoughts. Baka mapatapon ako ng Pilipinas. LOL.

Shameless Plugging

I was surprised to see that I now have other readers beside my three stooges. Since this is my blog, I have the power to shamelessly plug my favorite dreadlocked guy, the one and only, Jason Castro. For those who don't know the guy, he's the 4th placer in the last season of American Idol. Yep, hindi lang si Cook at si Archie ang contestants dun. Jason was the first idol to use a guitar and ukelele on the idol stage. He also managed to make Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" number one on I-tunes. He's a very talented young man. A budding singer/songwriter. I uploaded some of his songs on my playlist. Feel free to listen to them.

To my faithful readers, EJ, Horeb, Ivy, I know I have been shoving Jason to your throats for the past four or five months. My craze hasn't ended yet so bear with me. My devious plan to convert you guys has failed so I am now channelling my "converting" plans to my new readers. Wahahaha. =D

If you want to know more about him, visit his myspace page here.

I stumbled upon this Inquirer article written by Lea Salonga about reality talent search on television. It's a bold article, and I loved it. She put into words what many writers would never dare say about these reality singing contests. Here's some excerpt:

"To be honest, I don’t like watching a judge be super-nice and super-sweet. That’s kind of a cop-out, and not necessarily an accurate reflection of how the real world can be. If you’re a singer and you’re unable to stomach a harsh criticism of your performance, then stay home and sing for your family who will applaud you and stand up for you, no matter what. Besides talent and stage presence, it’s necessary to be equipped with a strong stomach and a level head in order to take all these things with a grain (or even a bucket) of salt."

This was for those Pinoy Dream Academy contestants who can't accept criticisms coming from judges. I think Lea has a point. These talent searches are like boot camps - they prepare the contestants for a harsher music industry. If the contestants can't accept the fact that not everyone will like their singing, they won't have a long carreer in the biz. Unwavering pride won't do them any good, it will just make them stumble. They can't always cry if they receive bad reviews, they should try harder to improve.

"And to the judges, my own two cents: Be honest. You owe it to the contestants to give it to them straight. It won’t do any of them any good for you to sugarcoat the bitter-tasting medicine you may have to deliver. At some point in your own careers, you were meted doses of it as well, and lived to tell the tale. So pay it forward, and let a new generation of performers feel your brand of tough love."

I hope the crew of Pinoy Idol read this. Tell your judges to deliver better comments. Sue Ellen won't become a good singer if the comments she receives are always about her being "cute". The contestants won't learn anything from a vague statement saying his/her singing was "flat". Pinoy Idol is a singing contest, not a segment of "Wish Ko Lang" who caters for the dreams of singer wannabes. If you really like your contestants to improve, give them constructive criticisms, not stupid comments.

Haaay... Makapag-aral na nga lang.

Recitation Moments

1. StatCon Class:
Prof: What is the case of People v Jabinal?
Me: Umm... Ma'am, was that the case about illegal possession of firearms?
Prof: I don't know. Why are you asking me? I'm asking you.
Me: Umm.. In the case of people v jabinal... blah blah blah (I stated the facts and issue).. umm...
Prof: Oh, you know naman pala! What's the ruling?
Me: Umm... I.. I forgot the ruling ma'am... *toinks*
Moral Lesson: Read the whole case and don't rely on the digests.

2. Religion Class:
DOM: What is peace?
Me: Umm... DOM, it is the absence... of war?
Classmates: Hahahahaha.
DOM: I'll call another person.
Moral Lesson: Always bring dictionary. It might come handy at times.

Coward or smart?

Video of the day! Purefoods versus Talk N Text basketball game turned into a fight. This would have been another one of those boring brawls were it not for James Yap!

Terrence Leather, import player of Talk N Text, threw a ball on the face of Purefoods player, Jondan Salvador. Upon seeing what Leather did to his teammate, James Yap kicked Leather on the rear while the guy was busy provoking Jondan to a fight. Of course Leather was engraged. When Yap saw that Leather's attention turned to him, he ran as fast as he could leading to a funny chase. Some people commented that James Yap's running only shows that he's coward, others commented that he's smart since he knows that he will be badly beaten if Leather gets to him.

Watch the whole video and tell me what you think of James Yap's act. Was he coward or was it a smart move?
Video uploaded by PBNKapamilya.

WANTED. You should watch it!

"We don't know how far the ripples of our decisions go, kill one, save a thousand, that's what we believe in, that's why we do it.."

I should be studying for Public Corporation now but I can't contain myself. I'm too excited to blog about my WANTED experience. I was dying to watch the film for a week now. Last saturday, I tried persuading Ivy and Norly to watch it with me but they have some things to do so I ended up sulking and saying that "I have no voice on our Barkada". :D Despite my drama queen moments, I still wasn't able to persuade them (I think I need more acting workshops). They do promised to watch it with me on Monday though so my mood lighten up a bit.

This morning, I woke up thinking that this might be my last day on Earth. What if I get hit by a car on my way to school tomorrow? Shit. I haven't watch WANTED yet. Naisip ko... Sana man lang nakita ko butt ni Angelina Jolie before I die. So I decided that I will go to Robinson's Place after going to church and watch it by myself. As in all by myself (if EJ's in the country and Horeb is not busy, we might have watch the movie together! Then may free debates pa afterwards. Haha) Gladly, my very ALTRUISTIC brother told me that he would join me watch the movie provided that (1) i'm going to help him with his script's concept paper (2) i'll be washing tonight's dishes (3) we are going to watch Monster Mom next week (See? He is altruistic!). Eventhough I can't seem to stomach the third condition because I hate Anabelle Rama and Ruffa Guttierez, I agreed to his terms. I already tried watching a movie once (X-MEN2 in SM Sta Rosa) and I damn near cry because of self pity. I'm like an outcast then sitting in the middle of love birds and bonding best buds.

Okay. Going back to WANTED, the movie is grrrreat!!! I was really entertained and satisfied. There were some questions left unanswered, and some unexplained circumstances, but i'm still satisfied. My brother said it was commercialized because the main theme, faith in what they do, was not clearly laid down on the table. He's a film major so I can't find any sense arguing with him about commercialization of Hollywood films. However, I think it was a successful commercialization. The lacking sides were clearly shunned by the "wow sides". The good parts have more merits than the bad parts so you'll still forgive the film after doing injustice to some scenes. :D Five hours after watching it, i'm still itching to talk about the scenes, the characters, the lines, the predicable twist, the ending, the soundtrack, James McAvoy, and Angelina!!!! Haaayy.... My P100 is sulit. :)

It's all about the money

Last tuesday, I was half snoozing at my Land Title and Deeds subject when I heard our old professor mentioned something about money. He told us this: "Makinig kayo sa lahat ng sasabihin ko. Nandito sa subject na 'to ang pera. Wala sa Criminal Law. Nandito sa Civil Law. Huwag kayong umasang babayaran kayo ng magnanakaw na ipagtatanggol nyo sa korte. Kaya nga nagnakaw yun eh, kasi wala siyang pera!" Of course, everyone in class instantly shifted from snoozing mode to interested mode. Kaching! My eyes immediately sported shinning shimmering peso signs. These professors really know which button to push. I'm now more interested and inspired! :)

Sleep...

It's almost 3 in the morning now but I don't want to sleep yet. Don't get me wrong. I don't have an insomnia or something. I do like sleeping. In fact, I sleep almost 10 hours a day. What I don't like is waking up. Waking up means killing myself from studying again. I have 160 pages of unread criminal procedure readings and 10 pages of statutes to memorize by heart. I don't want to go back to that reality yet.

I Hate Goodbyes

I hate goodbyes. I don't like seeing people leave and I don't like being left behind.

I'm not feeling well...

I'm not feeling well. I think I will be sick. It's just the second day of school and I already feel boiled. I think the "flu" wanted to welcome me back to school. To feel better, I tried reading some articles online and visit some sites that I formerly visit. I don't think that's a good idea now. I feel kinda irritated and depressed because I just read a thread that showcases too much hate for my most favorite person, Jason Castro (the dreadlocked guy who finished 4th on American Idol's Season 7). The thread contains common stereotypes and bashing about how mediocre Jason is. How he can't sing or memorize lyrics but he managed to amass fans because he is handsome. How he lacked the will to win unlike other American Idol Season 7 contestants. Seriously, I want to kick and shoot myself as I was typing this. I should not have opened that thread. It didn't do me good, I felt like puking after reading it. I think it aggravated my cold too. I should've just drank my medicine and sleep! Grr.. No more reading now. I will just sleep and let all of this go. I hope that when I wake up tomorrow, those who hate Jason will realize how talented he really is.

It's Official. I'm Now in Blogspot.

This is my first official post in this site. The archive posts found on the side are all from my previous blog (I just chose my fave entries. If you want to see it all, click here). It is hard for me to part with my old blog, but, because it is flooded with too much ads, I decided to transfer to a new home. Blogspot seems to be promising because my good ole friend Ivy have nothing but pure praises to this site. She's hard to please so I know she won't do the pimping if this site sucks.

Anyway, i'm just disappointed that I can't have the weblog address that I want. Thecharlatan.blogspot.com was already taken by someone named Steve Muller. :( But he hasn't post anything since he signed up on 2005. *Sigh* I guess I can't always get what I want.

Back After A Year

I always wanted to become a lawyer. When I was ten, I told myself that I will do everything I can in order to fulfill that dream. I cling into it until... my first week in law school. I suddenly became confused on why I want to become a lawyer. I even doubted myself if I can really put up to hours of studying. My last post in this blog was dedicated to that confusion.

After a year, I am now back. I can't say i'm bigger and better. I'm just bigger, but not any better than I was last year. However, I am more confident now. I think i'm a survivor. I survived my first year in law school. I survived the constant grilling, the stress, the politics, and most of all, the QPI (it's an average grade you need to have in order to be retained in law school). The good news is, i'm sure I won't stop studying now. Confusion is not on my vocabulary anymore. I know I am going to finish what I started. The bad news is, I will have to put up with terror professors again. I have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning just to memorize codal provisions word for word. I have to read tons of cases which if measured vertically is taller than me. I have to put up with everyday recitations which can make every babbly and chatty person lose his/her courage to speak. But hey, that's life. I can't always get what I want in just a blink of an eye. If I really want something, I need to word hard for it. Life can't be all happy and prosperous everytime. We need obstacles to feel thrilled and problems to feel challenged. I know that because I feel challenged now, I just don't feel thrilled.