Alexis Tioseco memory. Nagsisismula pa lang ako manood ng mga pelikula. Taking films seriously, na hindi lang pampalipas oras. And would stalk film festivals around the metro. and i would always see him. My friend who works for an airline company knew him, well, knew his name. Got Curious, googled it and that was how i stumbled upon Criticine...then i discovered the world...in Cinema.
That is also how i knew Noel Vera, Richard Bolisay, Oggs Cruz and Dodo Dayao. How i discovered Raya Martin, John Torres, Khavn Dela Cruz.
From then on, i can't help but be starstruck when i see him. When i see him in events, it was like an imprimatur that this is an important film event, that it is legit. An EVENT! Then i got to listen to him in RockEd Radio then TV guestings on TV like Media in Focus. He was the face of Film for me, for a long time... maybe even right now.
But one lazy afternoon, on my way to school, decided to listen to radio (which i didn't do anymore) then turned to NU Rock (which i didn't do anymore) and then Francisbrew said it..."In memory of Alexis Tioseco who was murdered last night...one of those useless deaths" - i did not believe it. but i know franicsbrew is not one person to make jokes about that. I texted my friend, and another confirmed it to her. The face of film was murdered in a robbery gone bad, with his girlfriend Nika Bohinc.
I didn't know how to react, still don't know how. His death affected me, even the only thing we shared was a carpet and oxygen in the same theater.
I guess that is a testament to his contribution to the Philippine Film Industry and World Cinema in general. If people like me whose only connection to him was a shared passion for film would be so moved by his death, then he must have been a great person, an important person. i know, how he is being remembered today, that he was. and probably the best that ever lived.
And for that, i am forever grateful to Alexis Tioseco for having a part in my discovery, appreciation and love for Cinema.
I still have a copy of his wishlist on Philippine Cinema plastered on my wall to remind me that there was once a person who loves the cinema so much it made others love cinema as well...
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Money, Politician, Bishops – The New Holy Trinity
I have seen it, as a Catholic who goes to church every Sunday and even during Wednesdays for my Mother of Perpetual Help Novena, i was offended. I am offended how CBCP, Inquirer, and the rest of these zealots keep on insisting that the whole of Christianity is offended. I am not.
I cannot say i know my religion, but i know my faith. And i know that what i saw wasn't offensive, not to me, not to my faith, and especially not to my God, who is, according to my religion teachers, is most understanding and forgiving. I know my God is not a wooden statue. And I know my God is not a crucifix.
I do not think i know anything about art to criticize the art piece of Mideo Cruz and will not defend it. My beef in this is that CCP, who is supposed to be protecting out artistic freedom buckled down against pressure. From Money, Politicians, Church. The realization is that maybe Mideo Cruz's installation “Poleteismo” was a foreshadowing of who is truly god and worshipped in our society.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYQZSDOWwww&feature=grec_index
I cannot say i know my religion, but i know my faith. And i know that what i saw wasn't offensive, not to me, not to my faith, and especially not to my God, who is, according to my religion teachers, is most understanding and forgiving. I know my God is not a wooden statue. And I know my God is not a crucifix.
I do not think i know anything about art to criticize the art piece of Mideo Cruz and will not defend it. My beef in this is that CCP, who is supposed to be protecting out artistic freedom buckled down against pressure. From Money, Politicians, Church. The realization is that maybe Mideo Cruz's installation “Poleteismo” was a foreshadowing of who is truly god and worshipped in our society.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYQZSDOWwww&feature=grec_index
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Mario O'Hara was sitting.
went up to him.
Me: Sir, pwede po mag-papicture?
Mario: Oo, naman
Nag squat ako. Sabi niya
Mario: Hindi, tatayo ako.
Me: (nagulat...speechless)
Me: Sir, dahil tumayo kayo, nag-ka-Diyos ang Tatlong Taon.
Mario: (laughter) ano sabi mo? (laughter)
Me: Sir, salamat po.
Mario: Anytime.
Fanboy pa rin. Bow.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Close Encounters of the American Idol Kind
Goodness, i have the timing of the devil.
Decided to have late lunch, because, i was to get my reserved Cinemalaya tickets.
When i got to greenbelt 3, throngs of people were outside Powerbooks. the last time i checked, the Philippines is not yet a reading country, so i know for sure they are not there for the books. Turns out, i was wrong. They were there for books, no, for A book. The very early autobiographical book of David Archuleta.
Here is the the catch, David Archuleta was there to sign them books.
not a fan, and would have even voted for the the other David given the chance.
But lo and behold, as i was walking towards the Cinemas, came from the second floor of Powerbooks, David Archuleta, my view not even blocked by his bodyguards or entourage. a fate many of his fans did not share, as they were blocked by everyone and everything.
Decided to have late lunch, because, i was to get my reserved Cinemalaya tickets.
When i got to greenbelt 3, throngs of people were outside Powerbooks. the last time i checked, the Philippines is not yet a reading country, so i know for sure they are not there for the books. Turns out, i was wrong. They were there for books, no, for A book. The very early autobiographical book of David Archuleta.
Here is the the catch, David Archuleta was there to sign them books.
not a fan, and would have even voted for the the other David given the chance.
But lo and behold, as i was walking towards the Cinemas, came from the second floor of Powerbooks, David Archuleta, my view not even blocked by his bodyguards or entourage. a fate many of his fans did not share, as they were blocked by everyone and everything.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Cinemalaya 2011: Dahil isa akong FANBOY. hindi ko ito itatago o ikakahiya. hahaha
Opening Night: andun si Ate Vi, marami nagpapapicture, nagpapa-autograph. i may be a Vilmanian, but not as much as my mother. Wala ako camera, (so hindi ako "umaalata-sosyodad" hahahaha) feeling ko naman hindi ma-aapreciate ng nanay ko ang isang papel na may pangalan ni ate vi. kahit pa ngipin ni ate vi ang nagsulat nun. nung paalis na si ate vi, tinawagan ko nanay ko, sabi ko "ma, may ipapakausap ako sa iyo" bigalang talikod, harap kay Ate Vi at sinabi kong "ma'am, could you talk to my mom, and tell her you're VILMA SANTOS! putangina, pumayag, sabi pa sa akin, what's her name? sabi ko Nini Quejano, sabi niya "tita nini, si Vilma Santos po ito, opo si Ate Vi" Bingi si mama, so hindi niya naririnig, nung narinig na niya, hindi siya naniniwala, so si Ate Vi, tawa lang ng tawa. ako? talon lang ako ng talon! as in. yung mga tao nakaikot sa amin, pinagtatawanan ako. (wala ako pakialam sa inyong lahat...hahaha) humarap sa akin si Ate Vi, sabi niya, hindi siya naniniwala! fan boy ako. bow.
Last Night: Gala ng Amok. (great film) dumating ang "illonggo mafia" led by it's Godfather Peque Gallaga. wait, what i meant was PEQUE FREAKING GALLAGA!!! super star-strucked ako! after the flm, marami pa rin nagpapapicture, wala pa rin ako camera. sabi ko, mahawakan ko lang, i was to grab his shirt, kaso everyone, and i mean EVERYONE was talking with him. lahat, artista, producers, lahat! so nahirapan ako hawakan siya, biglang may moment, malapit siya sa akin. sabi ko, "sir, can i just touch you?" nagulat si Direk! he shook my hand. and rubbed it as well, and said "feels good" when yes, i shook his hand! when he left, he tapped me on my shoulder. THRICE! when he went to Dencios after, he was passing by, i placed my hand on the glass, he saw it and drummed his fingers (which was covered in green nail polish, by the way) on the glass. so yes, my hand shook the hand that made SCORPIO NIGHTS! ako na! ako na ang fanboy! bow.
Last Night: Gala ng Amok. (great film) dumating ang "illonggo mafia" led by it's Godfather Peque Gallaga. wait, what i meant was PEQUE FREAKING GALLAGA!!! super star-strucked ako! after the flm, marami pa rin nagpapapicture, wala pa rin ako camera. sabi ko, mahawakan ko lang, i was to grab his shirt, kaso everyone, and i mean EVERYONE was talking with him. lahat, artista, producers, lahat! so nahirapan ako hawakan siya, biglang may moment, malapit siya sa akin. sabi ko, "sir, can i just touch you?" nagulat si Direk! he shook my hand. and rubbed it as well, and said "feels good" when yes, i shook his hand! when he left, he tapped me on my shoulder. THRICE! when he went to Dencios after, he was passing by, i placed my hand on the glass, he saw it and drummed his fingers (which was covered in green nail polish, by the way) on the glass. so yes, my hand shook the hand that made SCORPIO NIGHTS! ako na! ako na ang fanboy! bow.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Modes of Transportation
Yes, hundreds were stranded along the streets of Metro Manila that were halted by a storm named Falcon. Yes, hundred were forced to evacuate from their homes as the rains refused to stop (some of friends, included), yes, more than a dozen people have yet to be found.
But last Thursday was a different experience for me. I have set the number of modes of transportation I have used in one day.
Let me count the ways.
From Home to Pasong Tamo: Private Car
From Pasong Tamo to Greenbelt: Jeepney
From Greenbelt to Office: Walk
From Office to valley One: Taxi
From Valley One to Parañaque RTC (and back): Tricycle
From Valley One to Baclaran: FX
From Baclaran to Ayala: Bus
From Ayala to Office: Walk
From Office back Home: Bus
And the rain kept pounding as I transfer form one mode to the next.
With this kind of adventure, why would I need my very own car? Well, at least not for now…
But last Thursday was a different experience for me. I have set the number of modes of transportation I have used in one day.
Let me count the ways.
From Home to Pasong Tamo: Private Car
From Pasong Tamo to Greenbelt: Jeepney
From Greenbelt to Office: Walk
From Office to valley One: Taxi
From Valley One to Parañaque RTC (and back): Tricycle
From Valley One to Baclaran: FX
From Baclaran to Ayala: Bus
From Ayala to Office: Walk
From Office back Home: Bus
And the rain kept pounding as I transfer form one mode to the next.
With this kind of adventure, why would I need my very own car? Well, at least not for now…
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Why?
The difficulty in answering questions is the sincerity of what sounds will come out of your mouth. More so when the question is sincere in itself. This is the same reason i find it difficult to answer any question about film. i can say that i have been watching films since i was very young, but film appreciation probably started only two years ago, when i started looking at films differently.
I always bought the philosophy that film is a form of escape, but not anymore, i now know that not all films let you escape. Only the Summer Hollywood Blockbuster can do that, and probably the same reason why it is popular to begin with.
This love for watching films took me beyond escaping, it led me to myself. This is where the difficulty in answering questions on film. It feels like i am bearing my entire soul if i do so. Same reason why i refuse to write about movies.
No, i do not think it’s selfishness. Its the apprehension that stems from being judged, not by the way i write, for i know i am no writer, but by the content in what i write. The constant struggle to be right when you write. i do not think its egoism, at least not on my part, my fear is that i have to small of a voice that my being wrong is what is expected. i do not think i have anything to contribute, this is what i have to hurdle. And i will start by answering the question…
Why do i love Cinema?
The easiest answer i could give is that it is in my blood, my Lolo was the biggest movie fan i know. He would be watching movies every week, this was in the pre-WWII, very few cinemas and even fewer access, but he was able to watch on a weekly basis and he would write it down in his diary (which i found only recently) sometimes, he will even go to Manila to watch those big budgeted Cinerama and Cinemascope films that are only available there. oh, did i mention they were poor and was only making ends meet with difficulty? The things i do today pales in comparison to everything he did before. And i am very proud of him for that. My mother would tell me stories that in December the entire family would go to Manila for some Christmas Shopping and what else, Movie Watching, the entire family would watch big studio films like Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, and Gone with the Wind. His love for films was passed on to my mother who was (and still is) the biggest fan of Vilma Santos. (her fondness of her was passed on to me) She is a retired elementary school teacher and a very strict one, but i found out that when she was in college, in Philippine Normal College (now University) she would cut class to watch movies in Escolta.
It was also passed on to my aunt (mother’s sister) who would watch films with us. But no, we rarely see cartoons back then, we would be watching John Hughes movies. She allowed me to watch movies with sex scenes, toilet humor, killing, blood, nudity and everything in between, she wouldn’t even fast forward through pumping scenes, or murder, or the skinning scene in The Silence of the Lambs.
I guess that is one major contributor in my maturity as a film goer. but unfortunately got lost when i was in high school. i blame hormones, peer pressure and Hollywood.
My Lolo was diagnosed with Colon Cancer (and eventually died from it) my aunt from United States would be sending VHS tapes, to indulge my Lolo in his favorite pastime and started our first collection of films. And was able to Pulp Fiction, Silence of the Lambs, Indecent Proposal, Star Wars, Godfather, Sound of Music and Wizard of Oz.
Unfortunately, i was not able to meet my Lolo. (affectionately called Tatay in our family) He died in June 1982, 6 months before my mother got married to my dad.
I watch movies so i can keep this family tradition alive. In respect and in gratitude for exposing his family to the greatest hobby/interest of all. FILMS!
I always bought the philosophy that film is a form of escape, but not anymore, i now know that not all films let you escape. Only the Summer Hollywood Blockbuster can do that, and probably the same reason why it is popular to begin with.
This love for watching films took me beyond escaping, it led me to myself. This is where the difficulty in answering questions on film. It feels like i am bearing my entire soul if i do so. Same reason why i refuse to write about movies.
No, i do not think it’s selfishness. Its the apprehension that stems from being judged, not by the way i write, for i know i am no writer, but by the content in what i write. The constant struggle to be right when you write. i do not think its egoism, at least not on my part, my fear is that i have to small of a voice that my being wrong is what is expected. i do not think i have anything to contribute, this is what i have to hurdle. And i will start by answering the question…
Why do i love Cinema?
The easiest answer i could give is that it is in my blood, my Lolo was the biggest movie fan i know. He would be watching movies every week, this was in the pre-WWII, very few cinemas and even fewer access, but he was able to watch on a weekly basis and he would write it down in his diary (which i found only recently) sometimes, he will even go to Manila to watch those big budgeted Cinerama and Cinemascope films that are only available there. oh, did i mention they were poor and was only making ends meet with difficulty? The things i do today pales in comparison to everything he did before. And i am very proud of him for that. My mother would tell me stories that in December the entire family would go to Manila for some Christmas Shopping and what else, Movie Watching, the entire family would watch big studio films like Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, and Gone with the Wind. His love for films was passed on to my mother who was (and still is) the biggest fan of Vilma Santos. (her fondness of her was passed on to me) She is a retired elementary school teacher and a very strict one, but i found out that when she was in college, in Philippine Normal College (now University) she would cut class to watch movies in Escolta.
It was also passed on to my aunt (mother’s sister) who would watch films with us. But no, we rarely see cartoons back then, we would be watching John Hughes movies. She allowed me to watch movies with sex scenes, toilet humor, killing, blood, nudity and everything in between, she wouldn’t even fast forward through pumping scenes, or murder, or the skinning scene in The Silence of the Lambs.
I guess that is one major contributor in my maturity as a film goer. but unfortunately got lost when i was in high school. i blame hormones, peer pressure and Hollywood.
My Lolo was diagnosed with Colon Cancer (and eventually died from it) my aunt from United States would be sending VHS tapes, to indulge my Lolo in his favorite pastime and started our first collection of films. And was able to Pulp Fiction, Silence of the Lambs, Indecent Proposal, Star Wars, Godfather, Sound of Music and Wizard of Oz.
Unfortunately, i was not able to meet my Lolo. (affectionately called Tatay in our family) He died in June 1982, 6 months before my mother got married to my dad.
I watch movies so i can keep this family tradition alive. In respect and in gratitude for exposing his family to the greatest hobby/interest of all. FILMS!
Friday, February 18, 2011
11 for 2011
okay...bum life has been well, but i have to make a confession...if there is anything i have neglected last year, it would have been reading... that is leaisurely reading... but i do have a great excuse, there was the bar exams last year and i have been reading all through out that year in preparation for the September event. So this year i have made a promise, a resolution if you will. I plan to read at least 11 book this year... yes, 11. the minimum... i have to be realistic with my goals, i admit, to an average reader that a month's reading, but i am below average and with this factor in mind, i HAVE to start working this year, (a job!!!) although i have yet to decide what kind of work would that be... so if in litigation then it'd be difficult then 11 books would still be the goal.
and the books i have been buying are piling up in my room, some i have not opened yet.
I admit something else is taking up my time, that is TV and Movies, DVD's in general...
I am about to clean up my room, so i am watching all the DVD's i have bought, some even five years back... DVD backlog... just this year, i have probably seen about 60 films, the oldest would be Dziga Vertov's A Man With A Movie Camera and the Green Hornet as the most recent release... with literally hundreds of DVD's yet to be seen... 11 books looks difficult to accomplish...
and the books i have been buying are piling up in my room, some i have not opened yet.
I admit something else is taking up my time, that is TV and Movies, DVD's in general...
I am about to clean up my room, so i am watching all the DVD's i have bought, some even five years back... DVD backlog... just this year, i have probably seen about 60 films, the oldest would be Dziga Vertov's A Man With A Movie Camera and the Green Hornet as the most recent release... with literally hundreds of DVD's yet to be seen... 11 books looks difficult to accomplish...
Friday, January 14, 2011
FTW Moments
As we belatedly, or, as I belatedly bid farewell to the year that was. Let me pay tribute to 2010 by remembering the definitive moment of my year. But in the spirit of 2011, I will end the year on a very positive note. I have already written the top ten wazak moments of the 2010 bar exam here. So I now present the ten FTW things.
10. Multicolored Booklets
I do not know about you, but with all the pressure inside and outside the exam room or in and out of La Salle, I find it refreshing that something or someone has not lost the idea of fun. Orange, Pink, Blue, Green. How can you hate the bar exams when you are answering in pastel colored papers? Must be a tactic, must be distraction, but it sure worked for me. Do you want to see what happens in a bag of NIPS? What goes on before it touches your lips? It makes an exam booklet!
9. Picnic at Taft
Lunch time! Yeah, the problem with the venue they do not have enough tables and chairs. The good thing about us we can do with what we have, and what we did was an instant picnic. Minus the basket and the mat, but the ants are ever present. Everyone else is eating like we are in Luneta.
8. The Bell
Archers might be familiar with the sound but to most of us it was the first time we will hear that kind of bell. The bell was to sound the end of the test with their rules of first bells and final alarm system. But the irony was the sound was, in my opinion, made to sound as casual and as friendly as it could. But during that four Sundays of September, it was the most dreadful and most hated sound. But I still love how it sounds. The same reason why it made the list.
7. Getting Lost in the Supreme Court
Getting my permit in the Supreme Court. Wasn’t really listening to the directions the guards were giving me. How could I? The grandeur of the place suffocated me. The tight security, the police dogs, the lawyers abound and around, and the tall, majestic neo-classical buildings. The old tiled floors, the old rickety elevators, the big empowering hard-wood doors, the stenciled metal name plates bearing the name of our sterling justices! How could you concentrate in such a place? I wasn’t able to and got lost, went to three different buildings ride three elevators and even got a tiny bit of gossip about a certain justice with death threats and a thousand bodyguards. All in all, Gulliver’s travel to Brobdingnag, and stood where giants once stood, and still standing and will forever stand on floors of discolored tile floors.
6. Dry Spell and Breakfast
It wasn’t wet. In my book that was the best weather forecast. There were some rain but we were never drenched. And this list is bullshit without me mentioning the breakfast buffet we have every Sunday morning.
5. Bus Ride to La Salle
The ultimate road trip! It would have been the scariest bus ride in our life and yet it was ever happy, ever fun. I never thought that the bus ride would be that light, but it was. Granted we were all pressured, we were all sleep deprived and unprepared for the task at hand but some bus ride feels more like an excursion or a field trip at some point. Laughter reverberates inside our bus and that eases a lot of tension. I could not think of a better way to La Salle with our hen mother escorting us and among friends walking along Taft just before dawn. Superb. Soothing. Magic.
4. Mass in the Church of Nuestra Señora de Remedios De Manila
The Church itself is already a perfect picture: well-preserved adobe, in baroque architecture. Façade facing the beautiful red light district (I kid!) no., the beautiful Raja Sulaiman Park and fronting the majestic, world famous Manila de Bay. How can one not fall in love with Remedios. I knew that I will hear mass in Remedios Church months before the bar exam. Not only because of its proximity to our hotel, but the meaning as well. Remedios or remedies, people go to this church for remedies. The parallel to the profession I chose resonates even further. And to give the most obvious, remedios, remedies, remedial law.
But the fascination does not end there, after the mass the pries would call on the bar examines and will have a special blessing for all of us. One word: Goosebumps. Called and heeded. Remedios Church will forever live in my heart.
3. Lecture by the Manila Bay Sunset
Manila bay is only known for two things… the world-renowned sunset and recently the lollipop lights. And so the most romantic last minute tips and lecture ever conducted in the history of bar operations. How can any lecture top those that we had? Our lecture was with the perfect weather, no gust of wind, no huge waves crashing along Roxas Boulevard and the setting sun being reflected by the calm Manila bay? The sometimes orange, sometimes pink sky will only be punctured by a flock of birds hovering over Manila Bay some are sailing with their yachts. As we listen to income taxes, Motion to Dismiss, to Murder and Constitutional Rights the water shined and shimmered right in front of us. It was splendid! Best Lecture ever!
2. RA
The best late nights I ever spent. I do not think that words will ever capture the long nights in RA so I will only spoil the experience by describing our encounters. But those nights will be cherished in years to come. You know who you are, and therefore I thank you for the knowledge and more so for the experience and fun. (this entry is sponsored by KFC)
1. Friends
I do not think that the Bar Exams is a test of knowledge in the intricacies of the law but it is a gauge of how you are loved by friends. And although it can never be measured by a lame grading system, I still think, with the friends I have, I beat Florenz Regalado with the highest grade ever. The visits, the gifts, the messages, the pat on the back, the supporting look, the encouraging smile. Makes up for the fact that I do not think I am ever prepared nor ready. I don’t think I have thanked them enough, I don’t think I will ever thank them enough. Bar exams is fleeting compared to great friends. I salute all of you. Again thank you…
10. Multicolored Booklets
I do not know about you, but with all the pressure inside and outside the exam room or in and out of La Salle, I find it refreshing that something or someone has not lost the idea of fun. Orange, Pink, Blue, Green. How can you hate the bar exams when you are answering in pastel colored papers? Must be a tactic, must be distraction, but it sure worked for me. Do you want to see what happens in a bag of NIPS? What goes on before it touches your lips? It makes an exam booklet!
9. Picnic at Taft
Lunch time! Yeah, the problem with the venue they do not have enough tables and chairs. The good thing about us we can do with what we have, and what we did was an instant picnic. Minus the basket and the mat, but the ants are ever present. Everyone else is eating like we are in Luneta.
8. The Bell
Archers might be familiar with the sound but to most of us it was the first time we will hear that kind of bell. The bell was to sound the end of the test with their rules of first bells and final alarm system. But the irony was the sound was, in my opinion, made to sound as casual and as friendly as it could. But during that four Sundays of September, it was the most dreadful and most hated sound. But I still love how it sounds. The same reason why it made the list.
7. Getting Lost in the Supreme Court
Getting my permit in the Supreme Court. Wasn’t really listening to the directions the guards were giving me. How could I? The grandeur of the place suffocated me. The tight security, the police dogs, the lawyers abound and around, and the tall, majestic neo-classical buildings. The old tiled floors, the old rickety elevators, the big empowering hard-wood doors, the stenciled metal name plates bearing the name of our sterling justices! How could you concentrate in such a place? I wasn’t able to and got lost, went to three different buildings ride three elevators and even got a tiny bit of gossip about a certain justice with death threats and a thousand bodyguards. All in all, Gulliver’s travel to Brobdingnag, and stood where giants once stood, and still standing and will forever stand on floors of discolored tile floors.
6. Dry Spell and Breakfast
It wasn’t wet. In my book that was the best weather forecast. There were some rain but we were never drenched. And this list is bullshit without me mentioning the breakfast buffet we have every Sunday morning.
5. Bus Ride to La Salle
The ultimate road trip! It would have been the scariest bus ride in our life and yet it was ever happy, ever fun. I never thought that the bus ride would be that light, but it was. Granted we were all pressured, we were all sleep deprived and unprepared for the task at hand but some bus ride feels more like an excursion or a field trip at some point. Laughter reverberates inside our bus and that eases a lot of tension. I could not think of a better way to La Salle with our hen mother escorting us and among friends walking along Taft just before dawn. Superb. Soothing. Magic.
4. Mass in the Church of Nuestra Señora de Remedios De Manila
The Church itself is already a perfect picture: well-preserved adobe, in baroque architecture. Façade facing the beautiful red light district (I kid!) no., the beautiful Raja Sulaiman Park and fronting the majestic, world famous Manila de Bay. How can one not fall in love with Remedios. I knew that I will hear mass in Remedios Church months before the bar exam. Not only because of its proximity to our hotel, but the meaning as well. Remedios or remedies, people go to this church for remedies. The parallel to the profession I chose resonates even further. And to give the most obvious, remedios, remedies, remedial law.
But the fascination does not end there, after the mass the pries would call on the bar examines and will have a special blessing for all of us. One word: Goosebumps. Called and heeded. Remedios Church will forever live in my heart.
3. Lecture by the Manila Bay Sunset
Manila bay is only known for two things… the world-renowned sunset and recently the lollipop lights. And so the most romantic last minute tips and lecture ever conducted in the history of bar operations. How can any lecture top those that we had? Our lecture was with the perfect weather, no gust of wind, no huge waves crashing along Roxas Boulevard and the setting sun being reflected by the calm Manila bay? The sometimes orange, sometimes pink sky will only be punctured by a flock of birds hovering over Manila Bay some are sailing with their yachts. As we listen to income taxes, Motion to Dismiss, to Murder and Constitutional Rights the water shined and shimmered right in front of us. It was splendid! Best Lecture ever!
2. RA
The best late nights I ever spent. I do not think that words will ever capture the long nights in RA so I will only spoil the experience by describing our encounters. But those nights will be cherished in years to come. You know who you are, and therefore I thank you for the knowledge and more so for the experience and fun. (this entry is sponsored by KFC)
1. Friends
I do not think that the Bar Exams is a test of knowledge in the intricacies of the law but it is a gauge of how you are loved by friends. And although it can never be measured by a lame grading system, I still think, with the friends I have, I beat Florenz Regalado with the highest grade ever. The visits, the gifts, the messages, the pat on the back, the supporting look, the encouraging smile. Makes up for the fact that I do not think I am ever prepared nor ready. I don’t think I have thanked them enough, I don’t think I will ever thank them enough. Bar exams is fleeting compared to great friends. I salute all of you. Again thank you…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)