My Quotidian Memento

Tax-ing

2012-01-09T21:07:00.005+08:00

So I was sitting there while the teacher was calling our names in the order of our exam's scores, it felt like slipping off a cliff. It must have been.

Then, he called my name like someone pulled me up. And my name never sounded more beautiful. Chos

(Why is this entry highlighted? I do not know how to fix it so please excuse my ignorance.)

working girl

2012-01-03T01:44:00.009+08:00

you know how you have these ideas of what you ought to do but the will to do it is just naught! e.g. dieting.

but last year, i finally got a job as a legal researcher. it has been almost 8 months since.

i had so much free time being an irregular student, i didn't wanna spend it stalking people on Facebook or what not. more time to read and study, you say? no, i do not want more time to read and study.

every morning i want to quit my job because i want to sleep. especially when it is raining in the morning. hahaha very professional.

which is why i am always late. :D

while this maybe regular to others, i find the need to write about it. you see, i am lazy so getting a job while still in school is a big deal.

last semester, i only had 11 units and it turned out fine. fine, defined here as me fucking finally passing Public Corporations after three takes. standing ovation please?! #needy

but for the second semester, i have 21 units... so we'll have to see how i fare...

Happy New Year! Cheers to financial freedom (sort of)!

Thoughts on Anthropology, 4 years after

2011-09-08T10:17:00.006+08:00

1. Sometimes i have this Madam Auring-ish feel on things. I often indulge myself into thinking i am clairvoyant. That i had a potential super power or something. (Too much Heroes and Fringe.)

But really, as a student of Anthropology, they are simply patterns of behavior. A case of cause and effect too. Advantages and disadvantages. Or what Bourdieu calls habitus. Our set of behaviors and predicaments shaped by our own history. People are painfully predictable.

2. People are social beings, the need to belong is undeniable. That's the way you are, as Lady Gaga would have it, Baby I was born this way.

3.. Anthropology is observing - the way to learn. I often justify my being 'himantayon' on that paradigm.

4. I miss theorizing! And feeling so academic and esoteric... And using words like that! :)

On your own

2011-08-31T19:03:00.000+08:00

The time will come when you have to fight your mentor. It wouldn't be ingratitude but being your own person. #padeep

"Di man ako malumos kay takot man ako malumos."

2011-06-26T12:55:00.006+08:00

children and their reasons.

I am not gonna fail Public Corporations because I am afraid to fail Public Corporations. it makes sense. when we're afraid to lose something, we work hard for it.

if the world works that way that easy always, then fear should not be something we have to overcome.

too early a father's day post

2011-05-05T22:01:00.011+08:00

moddalicious my Dad changed the channel! Mara Clara na baya... =(

konquerology @moddalicious cant argue with dads gyud basta sa tv sila hari. hahaha

it's true.

my father does not like watching soap operas. wala man nay pulos, he would say. so after the news program, hello sports channel! that's ok. sometimes it's not. but really after a day's work, sure Pa you can watch whatever you like. :)

(Pa, we can buy another tv too)

we do not really say I Love You at home nor hug each other. that's definitely why i am not a sweet person. it's rare and unnoticeable when sweetness creeps in. when i had my first period, my father told me to wash my lady parts standing "para dili daw musulod ang tubig". idk exactly the science behind the advice. hahahah

then this one time, he told me i was still a baby. i was in college then! i do not remember why he said that though.

father used to have construction projects in far away lands (ok im a bit exaggerating here) and he had a driver then. once, we were going to Davao and his driver was speeding and told him to slow down. he said to him that it was ok to drive fast when it's just them but not when we're in the car. aw!

and i get a little jealous when you bring chocolates for Biboy when you come home now. hahahah i still remember Minute Burger or Burger Machine burgers you brought home when you won a bet after watching a basketball game. or munchkins from Dunkin Donuts.

i love you Pa. and i love the fact that Kareen, me and Omar have your name. not only our last name but specially Gabriel/Gabrielle.

#dramaqueenstrikesback

Damon Salvatore: I love you, Elena

2011-04-26T22:06:00.013+08:00

Damon Salvatore came to me one Christmas, year 2009. I do not remember exactly how i stumbled upon it but the first two people who were with me then were Karla and Tsin.

Amazing music starting from the pilot episode.

Placebo - "Running Up the Hill"

Carolina Liar - "I'm Not Over"

Jason Walker - "Down"

Plumb - "Cut"

Alex Band - "Only One"

Cage the Elephant - "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked"

OneRepublic - "All This Time"
Tyrone Wells - "Time of Our Lives"

Natasha Bedingfield - "Strip Me" and so much more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lygb0DImrzE

Watched this clip again and i cried again. Favorite scene! This is by far the most heartbreaking scene ever in this series too. (in Episode 8 Season 2)

And the most beautiful line from Damon (in Episode 18 Season 2):

Damon [to Elena]: Let me be clear about something. If it comes down to you and the witch again, I will gladly let Bonnie die. I will always choose you.

You'd know by now I want Elena and Damon to end up together. Love.

"she wanted to be brave"

2011-04-25T18:10:00.003+08:00

she sat there reading a book but her mind was away. sensing heavy footsteps only one person could own, Tom.

hello there, he said. his voice sounded like he had a surprise but rehearsed and lacking. in another day, it would have been fine. she was suddenly aware of nuances in his voice.

she raised her head looked up at him with longing for someone whom she will never see again and finally said, if you gotta leave, you better get going.

why, he asked genuinely confused.

so i could start moving on, her head bowed down. flipped a page, a desperate attempt at nonchalance.

he stared blankly at the top of her head and turned his back.

the loud footsteps are inaudible to her now, she thought he must have skipped. happy and light. tears ran down her face while she tried to blink them away.

she wondered, did he always have such light steps?

she will never know he looked back. sad and sorry. it was not built to last.

all she could see now was his broad back blurred with her tears. she closed her eyes with hope those lids would effectively shut close the gateway of pain.

ah how she wanted to take back those last few minutes. live in a lie a little longer. discuss and fight for him. or stall moving on no matter how. but clearly he could not anymore. he only asked why and was gone just like that. quick just like their short love story.

the world weeps with her as heavy rain falls. but all she could think was Tom had never owned an umbrella and that he might catch a cold.

music: emerson hart's "if you're gonna leave"

(Movie) The People I've Slept With... Last Night

2011-04-06T03:39:00.010+08:00

"A slut is just a woman with the morals of a man."

That right there made this movie. It is crazy funny. The acting was not spot-on and I thought they could have chosen someone else but this works. So ye. You would wanna have a gay best friend after this. If you already have one, you are going to appreciate him more and wanna marry him too.

I do not like Keira Knightly. I don't. I saw the trailer and kept an open mind. Surprisingly, she was impeccable in this film. Her accent, of course, delightful. The story was simple but kept me on the edge. The night ended and the credits started rolling. Yet the story lives on. The movie is talky, very Before Sunrise. It also felt like Closer somehow with the mood or pacing and probably because it is also a 4-character movie. It is a great sad movie.

(Movie) A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

2011-04-06T01:55:00.014+08:00

I cried a river watching this movie. It's funny and cute and heart-breaking. I wanna go back to high school!

This scene was really cute. The Squid Love Story. Squid priest married two squid lovers. He asked them to hold hands, and they held hands, held hands, held hands, held hands and held hands. I really like this location too.

Watch it on YouTube

who are my Twitter friends

2011-04-01T12:53:00.031+08:00

Disclaimer: This is just for fun based on your tweets i remember most.

@ssowy - most retweeted

@katthecrap - teen-ish angst

@themakitendency - flirt

@pzerolaris - music video star

@briantcarpio - health freak

@cottoncandees - Korean

@carlomallo - insider

@sittieguinomla - jetsetter

@abigailc - in love

@moddalicious - medical expert / my mara clara alarm clock

@ImButGagay - blogger

@oskiegee - workaholic

@eMaRSoNGoHaN - waver

@porbidadolor - poet

@jprux - roomie

@akosiBODJ - johnoy danao fanboy

@Eremite1819 - music soulmate

@domsdaydevice @mel0dia - non-PDA couple

@gergerbinx -Azkal (tweets pag may Azkal game)

@naizzzarap - tweets by batch

@ellepalmones - pest-lover

@jackypangalanko -Love ni Lord

@QueenOfThDamned - gitarista

@snipethebrains -hates the government

@eeyaah - travel buddy via Google Maps

@crowntastic - Foursquare original

@cheweeconcon -catty

@cheezenibbles - dawn tweeter

@coolishmarie - nurse on duty

@luchiemoochie - ~ (Tilde, now i know)

@cham1211 - serious Ms. President

@extraenchanted - reluctant tweeter

@aliasahara @shiela_mitos - Twitter Law Firm

to be continued...

Follow them at https://twitter.com/

if it is not on Google, probably it does not exist

2011-03-29T04:14:00.012+08:00

Yes, it is okay to search the world wide web for the perfect phrase to express what you feel and post it without credits. No idea is really original anyway with the rate information is being shared right now and versions have been around ever since man invented language. Besides at a certain level it is one human experience felt by people across time and space. With more or less the same mental faculties, it is statistically probable we say the same thing. Plagiarism and intellectual property thingy being an entirely different story.

When people start to notice and like it, remember it's not yours, entirely. Do not be smug about it.

I just found this photo on Tumblr, I think. Who cares really? hahaha

things i want

2011-03-20T15:36:00.006+08:00

not exactly in this order...

0) be a lawyer.

1) someone gift me an industrial blender. i love smoothies and shakes and cold drinks. or i buy myself one.

2) have Johnoy Danao sing on my wedding. i am still thinking what songs.

3) throw a message in a bottle. get a message in a bottle.

4) be a lawyer. #recurringtheme

5) travel Europe. see the wind mills in Ilocos. fall in love with the Pacific Ocean in Batanes. swim in Bora-bora.

6) healthy family and friends.

7) be a lawyer. did i not say it's recurring?

8) when i have my own house, i will have a grassy backyard so i can lie on my back and watch the sky.

four years after college

2011-03-17T01:28:00.018+08:00

We were already at Coco's eating: Ako, Randy, Ken, Ara, Jackelyn, Jezza and Kurt; Lisame niabot ug Davao gikan pa ug Tagum.

All: Lis, asa imong baby?

Lisa: Gibilin nako uy, ma-abugan!

Kong: Yac ngano wala ka nag-shake ug nganong nag-Cali ra man ka?

Jackelyn: Para sakong voice.

Jackelyn: Ang bag-o na barangay level nga settlement of cases kay Face to Face sa TV 5.

Jackelyn: Nagkita mi ni Mayshell sa Panabo.

Randy to Jezza: Kinsa si Michelle?

Kong: Lis gusto ka mag-order og mango sake? (Dammit Rands, you're infectious!)

After dinner, we went to Mary Rose Carnival.

We did not want to leave until we have tried Sea Dragon, so nipila nami. And the line was really long, so while waiting we were so sure that we'd sit at the very end, if not then the second or third row from the edge for the full experience. Not in the middle because we thought awkward na musyagit in front of another group of people opposite us. We'd either be screaming because of the ride or that their faces were funny. Too awkward. So when it was our turn, napuno na ang first three rows, so we had the fourth row, all six of us crammed in there. Jackelyn already tried Sea Dragon so she was the designated photographer, and Ken was so talawan wala gyud siya nisakay bisan sa Cup and Saucer man lang.

So the operator lowered down the bar that holds us in place. That was the difference between life or death then. Exagg much.

Kong: Nganong guot man kaayo ni diri? I feel so fat. I hate Sea Dragon already.

Jezza: Uy, naka-lock na ni?

Kami: Kuya, naka-lock na ni?!

Lisa: Sige lagi ta ug picturan anang naa sa atong atubangan? (and then Lisa smiles for the camera with the peace sign, napilitan yata)

Need not elaborate what else happened during the ride other than screaming Tama na!, Oh my God, undangi na ni and all other variations. By the time we stepped out of the huge boat, a girl was almost passed out.

Ken: Naa koy white flower diri!

Jackelyn: Sige ken, hatagi.

I have not confirmed whether Ken gave them the white flower or not.

Ara: Tama ra diay nga nisakay ta sa Scrumble and the other rides noh kay na-warm up ta before Sea Dragon.

Lisa: I think gi videohan gyud ta atong lalaki ba, ulawa sa atong faces uy.

Fun fun fun day!

The pioneer batch of Anthropology in UP-Mindanao, we've come so far and i'd like to think more than a month in Kimaymana bonded and solidified our relationship. Maybe we can do that again sometime in the future. Sing Narda and songs from Foo Foo Fighters and the Goo Dolls to be led by Randy of course. And to Sheila, Zaidi, Cherry and Reyma, we missed you. Do not worry because love and friendship know no boundaries, time and place.

I love you guys. Ara, thank you for the Rango treat, special treatment.

xoxo Kong

we could save energy with that smile

2011-03-16T03:10:00.006+08:00

when you came in, that glass door shut behind your back, your smile when you saw me was amazingly sincere, happy and huge. in fact you smized. yes, Tyra Banks. and that you waved!

i suddenly thought i wanna have a crush on you.

comes with no bungee cord

2011-03-14T01:35:00.002+08:00

someone has to fall in love first. never together. lest no one will pick up the other's broken pieces.

but when do we begin to pick up our broken selves and move on, when he does not?

the internet is the new shrink

2011-02-19T05:41:00.008+08:00

everyone blabs about their feelings, state of mind and the most mundane things-to-do like sleeping on the internet.

while a shrink just listens to you and perhaps put a bit of science (read: encouragement for you to continue spilling your guts to him or her), a whole bunch of internet addicts prey on the juiciest of tidbits to pop their windows. some offer an expedient Like or Retweet, while others bother to ask why or just comment anything, just anything. That by the way is your cue: spill your guts out more.

internet, it is cheap. and as for Filipinos, shrinks are not really popular like it is abroad. we only go to psychiatrists when the crazy needed medicine stronger to keep everyone safe. in other countries, shrinks are more of a professional listener really. plus side, there is confidentiality in a doctor-client relationship. whereas, the internet is at the opposite end of confidential. and while most people keep the fact they see anyone, the internet is not like that. when everyone does it, no shame in it.

i always say, do not wear your heart on your Facebook wall. but it's too good to pass on the opportunity to whine and everyone "listens". hahaha

a pile of dishes

2011-02-19T00:22:00.007+08:00

i have practically been living alone for more than two months now. my aunt sleeps in an apartment owned by her friend since the Home Improvement thing started.

the good side to living alone is you can let the dishes pile up and no one will point out the fact you are piling dishes.

the bad side is no one else will wash them but you.

oh the things we want come with strings attached.

the Supreme Court makes me smile, sometimes

2011-02-15T04:29:00.011+08:00

‎It is unfair to presume that a person who has wandered from the path of moral righteousness can never retrace his steps again. Certainly, every person is capable to change or reform. -CSC vs Belagan, G.R. No. 132164

The Court, like all well-meaning persons, has no desire to dash romantic fancies, yet in the exercise of its duty, is all too willing when necessary to raise the wall that tears Pyramus and Thisbe asunder. -Concerned Employee vs Mayor, A.M. No. P-02-1564

Statistics never lie, but lovers often do, quipped a sage. -Antonio vs Reyes, G.R. No. 155800

He claimed to have first heard the collision. He immediately took five big steps onto the highway, and then saw the Beetle and the jeepney colliding. In short, the sound of the collision took place before the actual collision itself. If true, this would rate as one of the greatest scientific revelations of all time. -Gabriel vs CA, G.R. No. 128474

warm light

2011-02-09T05:14:00.008+08:00

it steals you, the night. but you come through with that warmth, i need not see.

discovering Imogen Heap

2011-01-25T03:21:00.011+08:00

i know i am tired of my current playlist when every time a song plays, i hit next then next then next. i usually log on to sky.fm to listen to "new" songs. i enjoy too the idea of hearing a song i know and like but forgot about. or like tonight, log on to grooveshark.com. as i was picking songs from the "popular" category, i saw the artist Imogen Heap. i thought i heard or read that name before somewhere so i played Hide and Seek. the name was catchy enough i had to try. by the way, it is pronounced like imagine only with letter O instead of A and Heap like a woman's hip.

i like, no, love the song! the song felt peaceful and almost religious. and then the last part of the song was the famous chorus from Jason de Rulo's Watcha Say. i actually thought there was a mistake. Jason de Rulo could not possibly be singing since he's not on the playlist. and if Watcha Say was part of the song it seems out of place in a slow song. apparently, Imogen Heap really sang that part which was adopted in Watcha Say. the same way, Carly Simon's You're So Vain was in that Janet Jackson song Son of a Gun.

i googled Imogen Heap and was a bit surprised she was a girl. she did not sound like one in Hide and Seek. and i had the image in my head Imogen Heap was a band.

other songs i like from her are Wait It Out, I'm a Lonely Little Petunia (sounds almost like a lullaby and her voice in this song was clearly beautiful) and her version of Hallelujah was so intimate (you have to listen to it as to why).

i have yet to marvel and soak in the poetry of her words. but for now, "say Goodnight and Go".

why do you have to be so cute/ it's impossible to ignore you/ must you make me laugh/ it's bad enough we get along so well/ say goodnight and go"

100th post

2011-01-20T03:21:00.004+08:00

Finally, the 100th post for my two-year old blog. Clap, clap.

I think I have grown so much in the last two years (let's not take things literally here though), from that day I decided to broadcast on the world wide web my deepest thoughts, most personal feelings, childish rants about law school and friends, my quotidian mementoes.

So, what the hell is going on?

I am now in my third year in law school. Failed one subject twice. And I think I might be a specialist already in Public Corporations after I pass this subject next semester. Wish me luck.

I have hated a couple of people in this blog but we are good now. We are friends and I like that. For those who have been with me, read me and supported this little thing, you know who I mean.

It is Conflicts of Law. Go third year! This is the time where law students are forced to dance to get bonus points. Tensions go up. Competition kicks in. School spirit is alive. People flare. Basically a lot of things happen except me with a pompom, cheer dancing.

I have an exam on Saturday and I should be memorizing the National Internal Revenue Code already but I'll do that later tonight because... well, I got no reason. ☺

do not inspire sadness

2011-01-18T03:08:00.000+08:00

i can run around, under the rain pretending it's a happy moment. pulling others in a puddle of water and playing happy. there should be a rainbow anytime soon but it's night time. i will be better when you no longer inspire me sadness.

come, let us flood the streets with tasteful pain.

we can be

2011-01-13T01:57:00.002+08:00

You are not mine/ I am not yours... yet/ But we can be

I do not see you/ You do not see me... yet/ Come out to the sun

We can meet/ Must we take the road/ To where people go if they only wanted.

The Philippines needs Dr. Lightman

2010-12-14T22:54:00.028+08:00

Justice is not only for the victim but equally for the accused.

Criminal prosecution 101: When the prosecution failed to impress upon the Judge that such accused committed the alleged crime beyond reasonable doubt, he has to acquit. Today in Lejano vs. People, the Court said

WHEREFORE, the Court REVERSES and SETS ASIDE the Decision dated December 15, 2005 and Resolution dated January 26, 2007 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CR-H.C. 00336 and ACQUITS accused-appellants Hubert Jeffrey P. Webb, Antonio Lejano, Michael A. Gatchalian, Hospicio Fernandez, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada and Gerardo Biong of the crimes of which they were charged for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. They are ordered immediately RELEASED from detention unless they are confined for another lawful cause.

Dura lex sed lex. And i get that.

But after reading the dissenting opinion of Justice Villarama replete with the factual findings of the lower courts, do you think the prosecution has established their guilt beyond reasonable doubt? In view of the evidence presented by the accused, did it really create doubt as to their guilt that would justify acquittal? I think so, on both questions. However, the law requires more than just an "I think so". It needs "to know so".

Interestingly, the Supreme Court never gets tired of saying they are not trier of facts. Such that when the factual findings of the lower court are affirmed by the appellate court, generally they find no reason to deviate therefrom. In the case at bar, the RTC finding them guilty was affirmed by the CA but the High Court reversed it nonetheless without discussing why this case falls in the exception.

Almost two decades after, we are back to the starting line.