celeni

Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey is BY FAR the BEST ice cream ever.
The best Banana ice cream. I've tried others, this one is extraordinarily creamy and doesn't taste like banana bread.
Perfect balance of walnuts and "fudge chunks, but really, it's nice thin slices of chocolate, kinda like Lindt's thins..

Fans of this ice cream flavor include Drew Barrymore of E.T. and Never Been Kissed fame. ♥

Maybe it's also the fact that they're EXPENSIVE compared to other ice cream brands and has limited accessibility here in the Philippines. I do get a fix from our nearby Shopwise, pero hello, ubos ang allowance.

Whenever I'm abroad, I try to look for a Ben & Jerry's scoopery because a scoop is enough to get a fix. Still pricey for a scoop (HKD 35 in Hong Kong, for example, which is like almost 200 PhP, and now that I think about it, a pint is 380 PhP here in Manila). BUT I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT TO BITS AND PIECES. *sigh* I actually want to franchise a Ben & Jerry's scoopery in Manila, but I don't know if the Tantocos got an exclusive license to distribute it considering I only see Ben & Jerry's in Rustan's Fresh and Shopwise.

(Wow first blogging in almost five months and I do a writer's block entry on ICE CREAM, hahahaha... I'm so fat.)

[DISCLAIMER! Whatever crap I wrote here can be entirely attributed to my head injury.]

Wednesdays are my extended Office of Legal Aid days and study days for my hell-Thursdays. So the plan was gym-school for client meeting because I had a hearing-study date. To jumpstart any busy day in a young girl's life, I decided to eat star-shaped nuggets with rice. Chuck, my beagle, who was outside, also needed food so I told our yaya, Ate Glo, to feed her. She responded with "Mamaya na." While I was in the middle of the breakfasting, true enough, she was feeding my Chuckie. Throughout all this, our other housekeeper, Manang Juliet, was mopping the floor.

When everyone left and I finished off my breakfast, Chuck was furiously attempting to open the screen door with her paws and claws. I wanted to attend to her because I haven't given her a massage/scratch which she loves. As the scratching became furious, I rushed through her side, but alas, the floor was so wet.

I slipped.
I didn't break my fall and continued to slide, pelvis first.
And a loud thud came from my skull's contact with the semi-marbled floor.

Maybe it was the panic from the thud that made me scream, and both Manang Juliet and Ate Glo went by my side. I told them not to move me because I might die. Ate Glo ran to fetch my mother from the Church, who just came back from dropping my little brother to school. I asked Manang to call the ambulance, but I guess she didn't know how to use our phone. My mom got home and well...

There was panic,
Some screaming,
And a lot of crying from me.

My mom finally got through an emergency number and the call was received by a not-so-trained call centre agent (at least not in emergency situations). She was patched through Sagip-Buhay, and she kept on saying that we were mayor's neighbor. I refused to be moved so I was there on the floor while we waited. Soon, our neighbors were with us, Tita Joy from next door who heard me scream from her bathroom, and Tita Vicky, my mom's close friend who worked in the mayor's office. After about 10 or 15 minutes, the ambulance hasn't arrived, and I was still on the floor (wala namang blood or anything, but my back and the back of my head really hurt), so Tita Vicky were trying to make alternative plans with Red Cross people.

Finally, the paramedics arrived. They were clad in orange and very professional, they even knew Tita Vicky, and she was very proud of them as the saviors of the Killer Highway. I bet my case paled in comparison with their daily exposure to bloodbath and concrete. Nevertheless, they treated me promptly and calmly, which are two things that are very difficult to accomplish. They asked me if parts of me hurt before they moved me. They supported my head and neck from moving too much. They attached a C-brace, and put me in a stretcher that splits into half and attaches in the middle (I don't know what it's called). It's very cool. And then they carried me to put me into the stretcher that's like a bed with wheels attached. Soon, I was loaded up in the ambulance and proceeded to our hospital of choice.

It's just so sad that these very prompt efficient rescuers are overworked and underpaid. Their hours are horrible. They do 24-hour shifts and get one day rest and another 24-hour shift. And they only earn PhP8,500 (Around US$200). I'm inclined to wish this was weekly, but there's a possibility that it is monthly. Except for the delay because they were lost (they went to Capitol Hills instead of Capitol Park Homes), they were really very professional and I almost couldn't believe there is this type of professionalism in this country. Still, the overworked, underpaid thing is still very sad especially since they had to pay for their own training at the Philippine General Hospital. But they're very good.

Anyway, I was really chatty in the ambulance and it was really nice seeing everything in a different perspective. I was happy to know that there were actually a lot of trees in Quezon City. Soon, I was pulled into the Surgery Emergency Room of Capitol Medical Center and a throve of hospital staff members rushed to my aid. Attending to me was a surgery resident who looked very doctorly. Since I don't seem to have lost important brain functions, they decided to put me through a series of x-rays.

Then my papa came. He was there a few minutes after we arrived while I was too busy texting away an Organization Fair fiasco back in school. He had a worried look and I'm so glad he was there. The last time I had a "serious" ER emergency, he was the one who literally carried me to the hospital.

At the X-ray room, I waited for the radiologist and staff to pump me with tons of radiation to see what was wrong with me. I felt rather alone in the cold steel room, so I just prayed. I guess hospitals and examinations just makes you feel closer to God. They moved me to a different bed, and it was the FIRST TIME I moved in the last two (?) hours, grabe, nahilo talaga ako. Anyway, I was glad that was over and done with.

I was brought back to the Surgery ER and isolated in station 3. My parents told me Carlo's mom kept on calling (my mom called her), and that Carlo was on his way. *flutters* The surgery resident, Dra. Ferrer, came out of nowhere to declare that my X-rays were clean. No fracture in the pelvis, no problem with my back (except I have scoliosis, which we knew of dati pa), and definitely, my head is fine. I told you there's nothing wrong with my head.

Soon, my Lolo Teddy was there! I was really touched. He took a cab to the hospital to make sure I was okay. And then, I needed help to pee, which got me dizzy again, but I refused a bedpan (sorry, TMI). So they brought me to the nearest bathroom with a wheelchair. After I got back from the loo, I decided not to lie back because I realised changing the orientation of my head really just got me dizzy. I indian sat on the hospital bed and continued talking about my experience to my lolo while my dad settled the bill. Finally, my boyfriend was there, and it was like one of those happy moments in your life that you realize that so many people care and love you (Munchauser much?). And even those who aren't expected to love you (i.e., medical staff) show enough care even if you're not exactly dying. I felt like a cat who was rescued by a fireman from a tall shrub. Yes, not even a tree.

The rest of the day was spent watching HBO, The Ugly Truth, the finalé of I Survived a Japanese Game Show, and an episode of Game of Thrones. Carlo was so sleepy but he watched over me when my mom did her motherly chores. He also played the guitar and sang to me, which was really awesome because I had an instant lullaby and a person who woke me up.


Red Ribbon's Dedication Cake
Mom: Well, if you can ask for chocolate cake I'm pretty sure your head's okay already.
Brother: The dedication should have read "Ate Cel, Chuck loves you, but this tastes better than the floor" but the guys at Red Ribbon didn't want to put it.

Today, was also a bum-and-get-better day. Somehow I had to always explain why I wasn't in school so I had a dozen get-well-soon texts (Thanks everyone!). My professor in local governments even asked me if I'm vomiting and if I am, that I should get an MRI. My supervising lawyer told me to get a replacement for my hearing to ask for a postponement, but luckily, since the judge wasn't there, it was reset anyway. All the odds are in my favor. Except for one.

Today is the opening of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part II. My aunt gave me six tickets for a block screening sponsored by her med school batch. SIX TICKETS. I already invited five friends: Ags and Patrick, the couple that let me third wheel in Harry Potter 6, Bambi and Lou, who completed my trio for Harry Potter 7.1, and Aldous, who was called by one law school professor as Albus. Aldous, Lou and Bambi dropped by awhile ago "to visit me" and to convince me to still go with them when they saw me not bloodied and still capable of laughing. So I consulted with my parents.

Dad: "No, take it easy muna. It might be difficult for you to stay out late." (via text)

Mama: Ikaw... hindi ka nga pumasok.
CK: I'm fine na. See, I'm fine.
Mama: Okay... paalam ka sa tatay mo.
(And then goes on telling my friends how she's always been supportive of my Harry Potter addiction)

I can't help but agree that mom has been supportive. I saw HP 7.1 free because of her (she bought tickets in advance for us and Carlo, and then we even saw Carlo's cousins in the cinema). She funded all my books. She gave the first four on my fourteenth birthday, she lined up at midnight in Oregon for the fifth, she gave me money to buy the sixth and seventh. But the truth is, my co-apprentice Cria is right. When your mom doesn't want to say "no", she'll say "Ask your dad." (Pero sa kanya may kadugtong, when your dad doesn't want to say "no", he'll keep asking questions until she gives up).

Soooo... I'm home now stuck about the worst incident that was a repercussion of the blow in my head. But since we're always about looking at the bright side, I'm going to watch it on Saturday with Carlo anyway. So yay! I should really REALLY stop taking studying time from him, but hey, Harry Potter 7.2 is a worthy exception. I think I'd feel the same even if I had a serious head injury.

To end this entry is the amazing horoscope my parents had yesterday, which they only read after my entire head-hitting-the-floor fiasco. This was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 13 July 2011.

For Mama:
VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22) Parents must be vigilant about their children today, because this is an accident-prone day for your kids. Romantic relationships are rocky as well. Just stay mellow.

For Papa:
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21) This is a tricky, unpredictable day with money and cash flow. Keep your eyes open! You might lose a possession or cash because of carelessness.

Me to my dad: But, you didn't lose cash.
Dad: But you had carlessness.
(It was really amazing also how much X-ray costs)

-The End-

About three weeks ago, right about when school started, I was really wicked sick and my cough resonated throughout the house as I prepared for my first hearing. My mom got worried and told me to go to the UP Infirmary, and got more worried so she decided to go with me. While there, I was the fourth in queue and waited while reading "Evidence In Action".

Right when the third child who preceded me was ending his consultation, a taxicab beeped outside the Emergency Room. Dude, what's the big rush? Little did I know that inside, there was a woman who delivered a baby inside the cab.

The only attending physician in the ER was luckily a pediatrician. She asked the nurse to help her clamp the umbilical cord (pardon my rough med language here), and to clean the mother. The birthmother's friend kept taking photos using a cellphone.

The said friend eventually went in the ER, where the not-so-nosy-nosy-people (including myself) were waiting, to fill in some forms. With that, we went on to interrogate the circumstances of the childbirth, with yours truly as lead interrogator. My mother joined the fray, but she was more emotional about the circumstances, while I mastered the ability to fein both concern and neutrality. However, here is what we found out:

The birthmother is twenty-one years old.
(Okay, acceptable I guess)

It's her FOURTH childbirth, the third live one.
(Notice my mother's facial expression change in this one)

Her last child was born ELEVEN months ago.

The children were all born not full term, including this one born in the cab.

The father came from work but was really unemployed. The biological parents were unmarried.

My mother, who's Catholic and had earlier apprehensions about the RH Bill remarked "Paano ba natin aayawan ang RH Bill, parang kailangan talaga ng RH Bill?"

So last Friday, I attended an RH Bill March thingum that VP Toff Lamug encouraged us to attend. Clad in the officially-issued purple shirts that our school gave us (purple being the College of Law color), some law students, other students from other organizations and councils in the University, and private sector groups marched around the academic oval chanting to legislators that they should pass the Bill immediately.

My mother then called me to do an errand and had to pull out, leaving Mike Tiu, Law Representative, to give a speech regarding the Constitutional consistencies of having an RH Bill. As I rushed back to Law, I was sidetracked by this woman named Shai who was allegedly a Biology major who taught in the Institute of Biology.

She asked me: "Excuse me, but why do you support the RH Bill?"

The fact that she was wearing pink (the red was the anti-RH color) signified that maybe, just maybe, she is a moderate. Hence, she could be reasoned with. I gave the developmental repercussions of an increased fertility rate and the low-down on women's rights.

"But you read the Bill?"

Of course, I'm a law student.

"How do you feel about the six-year sex ed programme?"

I really like the approach of the question, because personally, I don't use feelings to evaluate things like this, but more on rationality. The truth is, women who get more education (in general) tend to meet their ideal fertility rate. And I thought this was just on average. In my high school alone, my class, which is the maths and science class, is the only class that has not yet experienced childbirth or marriage. But that's beside the point. Shai was worried of teaching sex ed to fifth graders, but I think it's capable of being nuanced. The sad fact is, a lot of the people who inadvertently overpopulate this country drop out by sixth grade, and never receive this education that's supposed to tell them that sex brings babies, babies that they can't feed. So yes, I feel it's logical to have a programme like this.

"What do you think of the pill being an abortifacient, and you're going to give it out as part of the medical package."

I don't know!! Men can't take the pill, so definitely, that's not going to happen. And besides, the abortifacient argument is so WEIRD. I told her, nicely that the topic of when life begins is really just too philosophical for this issue. Might as well charge reckless imprudence resulting to homicide for miscarriages if that's her argument! She said, and I quote "If the sperm is prevented from meeting the egg, that's abortion!" At this point, I really had a difficult urge not to roll my eyes. Isn't that the point of the calendaring method also? For the sperm to avoid meeting the egg? But I didn't say that because I needed to be polite.

So in some of the concessional points I made to her is that, the statute is not that bad. It's the implementation that needs to be monitored. I haven't seen the DECS manual, the Philhealth plans, but the point is, there should be some concrete strategy for population control. We're not gremlins! Human beings are not gremlins! We're not supposed to multiply just because we get wet.

July. A month that signals the first half of the year is OVER. Tapos na. I can't believe it. It was so fast how 2011 breezed through its first half.

Nevertheless, the search is over for the best film of the first half of 2011. I watched a LOT. In the cinemas alone, I watched the following movies: Gulliver's Travels, The Tourist, I Am Number Four, Catch Me I'm In Love, Hall Pass, Thor, X-Men First Class, Green Lantern and finally, Transformers 3. Oo, madami na yun, that's more than once a month. I caught some others on pirated stuff like Limitless, Just Go With It, Love and Other Drugs, The Adjustment Bureau, Red Riding Hood, et al. But I have to say, the best film this year must got to be:



Source Code
I don't know why this didn't get the same hype as Inception. Maybe because it's easier to understand? Maybe because it came after so the idea seemed "used". But for me, the way the concept developed with the plot was more seamless. It had less special effects, but I'm rather fond of distorted time films, where the same event happens in different versions (as experimented in Kurozawa's adaptation of In The Grove in the film Rashomon). This film adapts that element, and gives it a Hollywood narrative in a sci-fi/thriller genre. Anyway. I really loved it. I never got bored, it was so exciting everytime.

For those who haven't seen it, it's a story about an air force pilot who had a special mission of going through someone's memory via a technology called the source code. The mission is to ID a bomber who bombed a Chicago passenger train and is about to bomb the entire city.

Exciting noh? Aside from that, the film is existentialist and plays with the idea of alternate realities, which brings the film into the level of a philosophical discourse. Add that to the fact that Jake Gyllenhall is so cute is such a cherry on top of a delightful filmic sundae.

While online chatting with her mom...
Ags: Ma, may hearing na ako on Friday :D
Ags's Mama: Talaga, baka ipatalo mo... lol

Much earlier, when my mom was about to drop me off to school...
CK: What if I mess up? Baka makalaya yung rapist. *worried sad face tone*
Mama: Di bale, sinong judge, kakausapin ko para ma-convict yan.

It's a good thing I already took Legal Ethics.

And while I want to talk about my hearing, I'm so scared that I'll be breaching the lawyer-client relation.

But here are the vague details.

My first hearing was a criminal case, at the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City. Legal Interns are not allowed to appear in an RTC or higher court without supervision from a real lawyer (mala-Elle Woods-esque, pero mas-strict sa Philippines, you have to pass not only first year but all your remedial law courses). However, my Supervising Lawyer, whom I haven't met, was unavailable. Since we were the private prosecutor (i.e., the victim was our client), I asked the fiscal to "adopt" me, so I could legally appear in court.

During the first call, the judge gave me an encouraging smile everytime I was about to speak. But during the direct examination of MY WITNESS, I had some pretty sabog moments and she became a bit more strict. I had two supporters: boyfriend, who was Most Outstanding Intern last year, and Tin, the previous intern who handled the case but did not appear in court. They were pretty good substitutes for an actual SL. Once in awhile, the prosecutor will coach me also, so it felt like a really long recit, tapos ang daming radyo (this is law school parlance for your seatmates who coach you during recitation by saying the answers loud enough for the reciter to hear; if it's writing down the answers in big letters, it's referred to as TV). But in the end, like I do in recit, I always pace myself at my own discretion, whether or not I should object. Note, that even the defence counsel was helping in the translation of the questions, although he's pretty condescending sometimes, and he made me a subject of his personal ridicule. Having a translator actually made things confusing, but Carlo promised they'd look better on the Transcript of Stenographic Notes (TSN). Which reminds me, having a first hearing meant appearing in that public document. Yay!

It was a fair first experience. I feel like it was a recit that went a little off, but I'm pretty sure that good stuff went on the record for our client. And that's what matters. The court staff's very friendly and helpful too, so it's good to have a cheery disposition, although Carlo says you should act like a lawyer and be serious-y and stuff. Oh well, maybe I should just practice Entertainment Law or something.

I really don't know if litigation is really for me. It pretty much resembles parliamentary debates, and objections are points of information, but it has a lot of politicking and involves a whole lot of rapport. The court characters have darker agenda, and you rub elbows with prisoners. But Mark Oyales and Dean Concepcion both have a point that every lawyer should at least practice litigation at the start of their careers. One of the SLs said that once you're in actual litigation practice, it will make OLA seem like a vacation. He forgot to say where the vacation was thou', seems like an abandoned park in Africa, where the vultures run wild.

Cheerio Cakes
CK