hotel room for one of the saturdays during the 2010 bar exams
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
what my simple office looks like
this is what my office looked like from november last year to early this year.
law school readings
stack of readings for the entire four years in law school (minus three stacks of readings having almost same height which i disposed earlier this year, exlusive of the bar review materials posted below and law books)
Monday, May 23, 2011
chucks and jeans
i was having my morning coffee at a nearby mcdonalds when i saw a law school batchmate/OLA teammate walk in. she approached me and asked where im off to. well, not really. i always misinterpret this question. its common to be asked "san ka ngayon?" which i think really means "what are you up to? or what's up with you?" instead of "where are you going today?". i always construe it as the latter. thats why i always get puzzled looks whenever i give my answer because they're wondering if im trying to be funny. obviously, they want updates about me rather than being informed where im heading for that particular day.
anyway, i answered correctly when i was asked the "please update me about yourself" question. i said im working in a nearby law office. she noted that i was only wearing a pair of jeans and chucks and a collared shirt (with a backpack). well, thats my office attire (and my office bag). i only wear court attire whenever i have court hearings (and i still use a backpack when i go to court). its not my thing to wear something formal or semi-formal (there are times i like wearing formal clothing but most of the time i dont). besides, our office doesnt have a dress code. i think the only rule is to just look decent enough. i guess. i think its common sense to look decent when one goes to the office. but since its not a strict rule, i sometimes go to the office with a 3 day to 5 day beard (i get lazy from time to time). clients dont seem to mind. i think. no one made a comment about my 3 day beard today (and im going to wear a 4day beard tomorrow. by wednesday, back to clean shaven look because im going to court). with my laid back clothing, no one would think im a lawyer. i think i dont even act like a lawyer. i still act like some average guy with an average job (lawyering is seen to be a not so average occupation in this country). i dont mind being seen this way. keeping a low profile has always been my thing. and i really like wearing comfy clothing regardless of how it looks (although my current clothes arent really comfy anymore).i gained a lot of weight lately resulting in 85% of my clothes not fitting me that nicely anymore in addition to the 10% that no longer fits me no matter how i try to wear it. my jeans feel tight already and some are already "falling apart" (one's got a hole and the zipper for another pair just broke earlier today). i only get new clothes during my birthday and during christmas. i dont buy my clothes. well, casual clothes to be more specific because i recently bought my court clothing. but given my current situation and probable continuous weight gain (i might be heading towards obesity. if i do reach that point, it will be the first time in my almost three decades of existence), i might have to buy clothes myself. its not my thing to buy clothes but i guess i really have no choice. its either i look stupid with uncomfy clothes or look stupid with comfy clothes that fit just right.
why did we make clothing this complicated in the first place? we just had to depart from simple clothing styles. well, i really dont mean what i just said because clothing and style have a big impact on appearance (i wont be able to appreciate the beauty of some celebrities if not for their sense of style). i just find buying my clothes really burdensome.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
if the world is ending, im throwing a party. but i think most people would be too busy panicking.
so the world will end. so what? i dont know what the big fuss is all about. with the rapture prediction, the end of the world became a hot topic...for the nth time. and im joining the fray.
let Jesus return, let the world crumble, why worry about it? why are people so afraid of judgment day or end of the world or whatever that will end life as we know it?
contrary to popular belief, i am a God fearing person and i do practice my faith. despite Stephen Hawking's comment implying there is no God or divine being (i think that's his latest comment based on his recent assessment of life, the universe and everything) which i accept to be perfectly reasonable and rational, i still have faith in God. that's just the thing about faith, you just believe no matter what. but of course, i make sure i dont fall into blind adherence. that's making proper use of the God-given human will (unlike some Christians and other members of other religions). i pray every night, i go to mass every Sunday and i live my life trying to do things according to God's will. i make sure that im always guided by my conscience influenced by a spiritual self strengthened by faith in God. of course, being merely human, i am always susceptible to sin and temptation but thats part of practicing one' faith. its a never ending struggle to do more right than wrong, to live according to God's will (i now make a distinction between Church teachings and God's will. Church teachings are mostly valid except for some narrow-minded and inconsiderate positions which unavoidably raises doubts on the Church's authority on interpreting God's intentions). to strive to be perfect as part of the human thirst for the Infinite is supposed to be one of man's lifelong goals (if i remember my theology classes correctly).
anyway, if there's still time to repent, then repent. dont wait for the end of days to come. besides, at the end of the day during the end of the world, its God's call. as Stephen Hawking said "[w]e should seek the greatest value of our action". its weird that those who have a religion waste their time worrying about death and the end of the world instead of just living their lives in accordance to their faith. or is it just the Christians who worry? someone once said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." (this quote is attributed to Gandhi but its still disputed whether he actually said it. so until there's a conclusive determination who said it, i will attribute it to someone). maybe thats why all this end of the world talk generate a lot of buzz.
Monday, May 16, 2011
i hate wake up calls
i made my first embarrassing court appearance earlier today. the judge really made me look i didnt know what i was doing. i looked so bad that i was honestly waiting for the judge to say to my client to replace me with a more competent counsel. it was a big miscommunication with my client and im to blame. i should have been more cautious. i relied too quickly on what was given to me and acted on it without giving it some more thought.
well, i am a new lawyer (im just two days away from being officially a lawyer for one full month). but thats not really an excuse when i already had a limited law practice for one year and a half. ive attended court hearings before and everything went fine in most, if not all, of my previous court appearances. i even won a case already. sort of. im the one that conducted the direct examination for a particular case, with not much opposition. the only way the court will not rule in my favor is if the judge was heartless. so there's still a slight chance of losing. anyway, this is the first time ive handled a case under a specific and special field of law practice. so, in effect, its my first time. but still, i cant let myself have that excuse.
people would say im being hard on myself. right after the embarrassing moment, my client was in effect consoling me, telling me its all right. thats how bad i took it. i guess my state was like a straight A student who received his first D. im no straight A student, and ive done a lot of disappointing things but i was really shocked with what transpired during today's hearing. i admit i was not really prepared but again, its no excuse. i know i could have done more. i could have served my client better. i know im better than what i showed earlier. i guess its a wake up call for me to take this lawyering seriously. most people think im the serious type but thats really just form. inside, i take most things lightly. its really burdensome to take things seriously.
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