calm before the storm

the biggest storm in eleven years is about to make a land-fall...

pray brethren...

pray...

money, money, money... money!

got the cash to buy a new phone...

actually, it could buy me a moderately priced laptop (and a jologs phone)

or a moderately priced phone, and an ipod mini.

well, i ain't no technocrat... so, better settle for the phone... and by phone, i ain't looking for the latest panacea technology. just the usual, which a regular non-technocrat lawyer would have.

just something savvy.

I have the PC all by myself anyway.

hahaha!

blessings and curses sometimes do go hand in hand.

money, money, money!

got the cash to buy a new phone...

actually, it could buy me a moderately priced laptop (and a jologs phone)

or a moderately priced phone, and an ipod mini.

well, i ain't no technocrat... so, better settle for the phone... and by phone, i ain't looking for the latest panacea technology. just the usual, which a regular non-technocrat lawyer would have.

just something savvy.

I have the PC all by myself anyway.

hahaha!

blessings and curses sometimes do go hand in hand.

Of September 24th

The 24th of September is tumultuous. Full of significant events in my academic life.

First of all, it is Remedial Law Sunday. Being the head of the Remedial Law Committee, I had all the plenary powers for the night over.

We were busy for the last minute tips on Saturday night until dawn. And when sunrise came, it is all up to the barristers now... once they boarded the bus. The Academics team's work is officially over. And then came the booze. 5am we were already drinking to celebrate the success of the Team, and for the welfare of the Thomasian Barristers. I will surely miss having our own suite at the hotel, all expenses paid for by school.

Secondly, it is the Last Sunday of the Bar Exams. Beer would be flowing along Taft Avenue, and I preferred to stay at the comfort of the badminton court than to squabble and shower with booze at the grandest legal festival. Besides, who knows what turmoil boils in the air, knowing that Ateneo and UST are the rivals of the year.

Thirdly, the Yellow Jackets are absent from the Bar site, and are in Araneta Coliseum for the first final game. However, dissapointing it may be, still, the battle is not over. So, in lieu of the yellow jackets, the junior squad was taken in, and early on, they are devirginized by the sights and sounds of mentally charged lawyers, law students and barristers, inclusive of police and other peace officers. So much so for their youthful social innocence. How traumatic.

Lastly, it the the interment of Dean Aligada's wife, whom we paid respects to last wednesday at Mt. Carmel Church in New Manila.

Aaaahhh... the realities of life... somehow, in one single day, you could see the cosmos working its way... Life, death, celebration, sorrow, endurance, toil....

Above all else... there is always Faith...

and hope...

The Thomasian spirit is alive.

It would be wonderful to hear the hymn once more being sung ever so proudly in Araneta.

Definitely, the Central Seminary is crying to Heaven for a big win!

But whatever may be the outcome... every UST Student knows this for a fact...

GOD IS A THOMASIAN.

Best's Birthday Lunch @ Heaven N' Eggs.

Mapi & Best posing @ the Entrance of Heaven n' Eggs
Group shot by a photography-challenged waiter
My Best Joyce & Mapi

Atty. Bernardo & SMC-Purefoods Manager Jun Amanse:

Commonalities & Differences -

1. Same Political party in AB (DEKADA)

2. Ohme - Former Student Council Member; Jun - Former AB Student Council President

3. Ohme - present President of a graduating class, member, Bar-ops, chairperson, Remedial Law Committee, Academics Bureau; Jun - overactive in extra-curricular activities during college.

4. Ohme - Hari ng YABANG; Jun - crush ng bayan

5. Our names resound, though in different levels.

6. People say: Ohme - valdolph / aga muhlach look-alike; Jun - John Lloyd, Dennis Trillo and Ryan Agoncillo look-alike (okay, talo na ako dito!)

7. Ohme - the bestfriend; Jun - the ex-boyfriend (Uhm, sorta like the plot of MY BESTFRIEND"S WEDDING... modified, of course...well, that was four years ago!)

hahahaha!

my fone got stolen yesterday...

boohoo.

the irony is...

i used to defend people like that in theft cases.

oh well, c'est la vie.

one man's sin, ain't another's.

life's a bitch...

so learn to fuck it.

anguistia...

life's hard...

especiallly when you ain't getting any financial remunerations for the things that you do...

all is gratuitous.

an act of liberality.

so, i sing the barrister hymn with my wearied body and unrested soul...

WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS...

gruesome...

the bar operations is fun. 'coz we got our own hotel suite, and alot of people to smoke with and/or share a drink of alcohol or a frappucino at starbucks just outside Bayview during breaks.

At the same time, it's gruesome and tiring. We have do to a lot of photocopying and research, and sometimes, waiting in vain for last minute tips from other schools, exchanging notes, or praying for a leakage to come. hehehe.

stress, fatigue, a few drops of rain, lack of sleep took its toll on me... got a fever after the badminton game yesterday.

and revalida is just around the corner.

Crikey!!!!

***********************************

yesterday, i saw this tribute to 9/11 by CNN. It was very moving. especially the memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington, presided over by different heads of faith, including an imam and a rabbi. then after the speeches, 'amazing grace' was sung... followed by scenes of muslims praying in a mosque, then by a memorial service in England with the Queen, and then Pope John Paul II praying solemnly alone.

can't believe that five years have already passed. five years ago, the world united and never was the same thereafter.

the tale of faiths...

More updates…

Okay, fuck studying for the time being. I just need to tell tales about the recent events in my life.

First of all… there is BAD FAITH.

Mala fide is somehow defined as knowledge of a defect, or knowledge of the existence of fraud, civil or criminal.

I’m using it now as a double-edged sword.

This is how my grandmother recounted to me…

A few days ago, there was this man who came to our house and talked to my grandmother. He was asking if a ‘santo’ can be brought to the house. (Pag-aakyat in the dialect) At first, he said it will be the Nazarene that will be brought, and when my grandmother asked what will be her responsibility, the man said, just pay for the gas expense for the jeep, amounting to P250 pesos.

Not long before the man left, according to my grandmother, he returned, this time saying that a certain ‘Nanay Orang’ said instead of the Nazarene, ‘Butchoy’ will be brought. My grandmother was a bit disappointed since she really wanted the Nazarene to be brought in the house. (Side story: During those days, she prayed to Nazarene at the Aglipayan church and asked for a son. It was granted. Hence, the importance of the Nazarene to her personal devotions) At any rate, she agreed. And then the man recanted his previous P250, and asked instead of P450.

Right then and there, I smelled the scent of bad faith.

The following day, this group of somewhat semi-civilized people came barging to the house and went in, bringing a giant statute of a Sto. Niño, a.k.a. Butchoy. My grandmother said the people didn’t even had the decorum to say greetings. They just came in. The woman in the group said the ‘alleged’ prayers should be said, but my grandmother, being devote to the Sto. Niño, showed them her alternative prayer. (Side story No. 2: My family, particularly Lola Soledad “Oleng” Bernardo de Paez, introduced to Malabon the celebration and the Devotion to the Sto. Niño more than two decades ago. A certain image of Sto. Nino de Praga de Makati was brought to our house, and the first procession and novenas, according to her began in this very house where I live.) My grandma has this Sto. Nino rosary which only has 12 or so beads. The woman insisted that only the ‘rosary in the hands of Butchoy’ should be used.

Again, I smelled bad faith. Fanaticism.

The first time I saw the statue, I wasn’t awe inspired. I was filled by a certain terror by the first sight of it. First of all, it wasn’t really much a work of art. It has this disproportionate figure from head to toe. The first thing I remembered was that walking doll that my titas used to terrify me when I was less than five years old.

The people said it will only be here for one day. And so, the next day, my grandmother had prepared some food. But alas, night time came, still, nobody came to pick it up.

After recounting to me these events, I told my grandmother, I smelled the scent of fraud.

So the next day they came. My grandmother, almost teary eyed. Lambasted them, for being such rude people, that in bringing in that statue in the house, they did not bring in the ‘Holy Spirit’, but instead, they just wanted the money. (Yes, there was an envelope allegedly planted behind one of the vases they brought in within the statue.) She detested how they did not fulfill their promise of returning the next day, without any word. As a gracious host, she had all the right to lambast them, since the food prepared was spoiled.

And so, napahiya sila.

They will never return to this house.

Evidentiary Matters:

It is highly probable that they planned to go here since our place (due to the nature of the business) is open to the public. They could have been usual passengers in the bancas, and knew that we had substantial income.

They could have known that the family is well-known in the local catholic and aglipayan churches.

They were not locals. They came from Bangkulasi, in Navotas, a place where my grandmother never stepped foot on since she came to Manila after the war.

They were a bunch of simpletons, not the usual church people, neither did they bear any title or authority from a church. (And you probably know what I mean by ‘church people.’)

They did not bear any solicitation letter, not even a piece of note.

They used religion.

They used fraud.

They will be condemned.

And so, after their somehow disgraceful exit, I consoled my grandmother.


xxx xxx xxx

I have been having these weird dreams for the past few weeks lately.

The first dream, all I can recall was that I was bitten by a snake. I couldn’t recall if I picked it up or it just snagged me. But as far as I know, somehow, a piece of the fang was left on my skin, probably on the arm.

The second dream, just the other night, I was in this large church, somewhat southern style, like the Black-American Gospel churches. But this had several floors. On the top most floor there was this beautiful room, or boudoir. It had this nice big oven, sorta like an industrial chicken roaster. Inside there, churning, were large pieces of almost charred bread, or perhaps, logs, or whatever.

At the lower level, services where going on… I was walking around, behind the posts, there was this somewhat gilded pipe organ, but not so ornate. I can’t recall if what I was hearing was Handel’s Messiah or Beethoven’s Fifth or Ninth.

When I glanced over the balcony, and while still behind one of the posts, I saw ‘him.’ Let us appellate him as ‘M’ He saw me and looked back. Then I went away.

Then, last night, or the other night, I dreamt of her. Let us name her ‘LC’. I can’t recall the details no more, but I can feel the emotions. It was happiness. She was smiling again. Somehow, we seem to have reconciled our differences, we held hands, stood close to each other, almost near-kissing…

Then I woke up.

Fuck. It was just a dream.

I could have slept forever with that scenario in my mind.

xxx xxx xxx

Yesterday, before our moot court exercised. ‘M’ approached me. (this is real life now, btw)

“Pare, usap naman tayo. Sige na.”

Me: (Apprehensive) “Wrong timing ka naman eh.” (Well, that’s true, ‘coz I was mentally preparing myself for the moot court.)

He: “Pare, galit ka ba a ken? Na-guguilty kasi ako, hindi mo na ko kinakausap eh.” (that or something to that effect. I wasn’t really intent on listening to him) “Hindi ko naman alam na may ano pala kayo ni Y dati.”

Me: “So, alam mo na ngayon na there is something between me and Y?”

He: “Oo, sinabi niya sa ken dati pa.”

Blah blah blah…

In short… I told him this.

I do not consent, I cannot condone. It’s not ok. Pero dahil magkaibigan tayo, I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. Matanda na tayo. Whatever conflict between us, sa atin na lang yun. Hindi ko na sinasabi sa mga barkada ko sa AB, maski sa mga iba nating friends. Ayoko ng chismis. Matanda na tayo…

“Good faith na lang pare.” I said.

Good faith…

Bona fide.

End conversation.

Somehow, I did feel vindicated.

I have already dealt with the guy.

Now, I have to deal with the girl.

Dreams, fate and faith?

This is surreal.

Like art imitating life.

viva santo tomas...

The Bar Exams are just around the corner. And the tension is very high in all law schools nationwide. On the morn of September 3, the perimeter of De La Salle University will be closed along Taft Avenue. Confetti will fly, drums will beat, university hymns will be sung, pep squads cheering, fraternities and sororities shouting.

This is the BAR EXAMS. The most prestigious and most celebrated qualifying examination in the country. More prestigious than the medical board.

It is here where the worthy are chosen to enter the Hallowed and Jealous Doors of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

True to the adage… many are called, but few are chosen.

As a member of the Academics Committee, naturally, I will be a volunteer at the Bar Operations. From Saturday afternoon, ‘till Sunday Morning, we’d be doing the rituals of law students of the nation. This is the time when deceit, friendship, loyalty and betrayal intertwined into a tapestry of ironic beauty.

This is how it works…

We have this thing which we call, ‘last minute tips’… the Ivy League coordinates with each other (UP, UST, ATENEO and San Beda). We basically swap notes and information (such as what are the probable questions which would appear).

It doesn’t end there… but before we distribute the notes to the barristers… we have to test the notes for ‘poison’.

Poisoned notes are notes which are given by the other party, which is intended to confuse or obfuscate the others. It is treacherous, but that’s how it is done. Friendships are tested here.

On the lighter side, local fraternities and sororities unite. On the darker side, some undergraduates would strike a punch against and adversary fraternity inside the elevator.

The Thomasian Barristers will be billeted at the Bayview Hotel. We have to coordinate with the other schools and run to the other hotels, if and when, the ‘trading’ occurs.

I haven’t felt so much fervor in the last four years… probably because next year, I would be the one in that position. Hopefully.

Now is the time to pray to God, and to the blind goddess who bears the sword and the scales.