Today, after a class discussing Unfair Labor Practices and grilling some of the candidates of Kaisa, I rushed to the UP Theatre to watch a Presidential Debate featuring most of the presidentiables, sans Erap (well, I have serious doubts on whether I should consider him a presidentiable). I didn't have a ticket, but luckily, I had the courage to approach one random person who gave me one. So I watched, took notes (???) and realized that even the intellectual favourites among the presidentiables have a problem with question responsiveness and substantiating their responses that are very issue-specific. In short, it wasn't a very engaging forum, it wasn't an opportunity to flesh out platforms, but more on political mudslinging. But surprisingly, Jamby Madrigal wasn't as bad as I thought, if you could sift your way out of the fact that she hates Villar so much and doesn't know the price of galunggong, I really like how she brought about the Milk Code and the importance of breast milk, how not having a divorce law is anti-poor (although ayoko yung tie-back niya to ask for a referendum for divorce, kasi mapupulitika na naman yung issue), and redesigning pork barrel. I was also surprised with Noynoy's response on Kris Aquino issue, which I think was very intelligent (the only intelligent thing he said in the forum), and I'm not saying that just because it's his birthday. He talked about what Anwar Ibrahim said in his talk, a good democracy needs to indulge a strong opposition. Gibo had a hang of using the phrase "ab initio", Gordon disappointed me with his response on rebellion (non-responsive), although I wouldn't mind, being a public school student, to have a Kindle subsidized by government *grin*. Mr Perlas was rather an advocate, and Bro. Eddie and Councillor Delos Reyes were shwings. Villar... well, used his "I was poor" rhetoric a lot (for further reading about Villar and Poverty, read this). Aside from that, I have no further comments.

For a more interesting story: ( Continue )

This is not procrastination btw. This is what a week of Academic Congress could do to an average law student. Now, I have to go back memorizing concurrence and preference of credit. *sigh*

I didn't have "Try something new" in my list of 2010 resolutions, but I did something today that shocked me, but left me pleasantly happy about it as well. But before I tell you about it, I'll dispose of a boring (because it involved me) but remarkably nice story of random kindness from people in your neighborhood.

My mother told me to buy 1.5 litre of Sprite for my brother, and gave me P50 for it. Our neighborhood grocer, Commonwealth Supermarket was the nearest, least fussy place to get it. So I went there with nothing but my school clothes, my phone, and the P50 bill. I got the bottle for P37.50. I was a tad bit hungry, my last meal being six hours prior to that time, and saw a nice Gardenia Fun Bun. The price was discreetly marked, I didn't see it, so I'm like, I'll first ask how much it is, and then I'm going to decide whether to buy it or not since I had an, in economic parlance, budget constraint.

When I got to the cash register, I asked the woman to scan it for me, and it was for P14.25. Being arithmetically (note: arithmetically, not mathematically) challenged, I'm like: Oh, Okay, I'll get it. And then the final punch was tan-tana-nah: P51.75. DUH CELENI. I kept thinking I still had P20 surplus after the P37.50 Sprite. So I'm like: "Sige po, 'di ko na kukunin yung Fun Bun." (a polite Filipino way of saying sorry, I'm dumb at arithmetic, I can't afford the Fun Bun). Surprisingly, the nice bagger man in yellow was like "Sige na, kunin mo an." grabbed a pocketful of change, paid the cashier and bagged the Fun Bun. Both he and the cashier was laughing, and I'm like "Thank you po, thank you po!" like it was my first meal of the day. And jokingly he remarked an may utang ako sa kanya (I owe him - damn Text Edit for autocorrecting my Tagalog spelled words!!!).

I really intend to pay him back the P2 (I want to be good credit as defined in People v. Concepcion), but the Peach Mango Fun Bun and all its 240 calories really tasted better with that random act of kindness.

Anyway, as I promised, my non-new-years-resolved "Try New Thing" is no other than… CUTTING MY OWN HAIR! Okay, I didn't cut my own hair, but I reduced my not-so-bangs bangs to half. My brother and I were standing in front of our crosswise mirror, where my obvious shortness to him manifested. I had scissors in my hand, and in between him teasing me for being shorter than me, I got the scissors and cut a huge chunk of my hair. I think it surprised him also. =P


Clearly, I'm going crazy.

Well, midterms over. The funny thing is, I only had two exams, but the experience of taking them was nothing short of dying. One was Labor 2, which I took the Friday before the last, and my thoughts and feelings about it is now overwhelmed by the second one, Agency. On Post-Exam Analysis, I really, REALLY screwed up the last portion, the analytical problems on substitution agency because I felt pressed for time and the characters names were Krista Ranullo and Manny Pakyaw. Oh well, I guess it's time to let go since there are a lot of more important issues like the next chief justice and mothers committing obstruction of justice. What is justice really?

Anyway, I'm up early on a Sunday so I can do my digest homework and Ros won't kill me, and then going to Anvaya for my cousins' birthday celebration. So I'm betting more photos later, since there will be about 4 DSLRs there, which means I'll need more time to photoedit, which is really doubtful considering I haven't started the next week and it's already packed, even WITHOUT the exams. While the beach is not my personal preference for a mandatory R&R, I'll just take the beach buffs' word on the therapeutic effects of sun, sand and water. And hopefully, I have time to watch either Sherlock Holmes or Princess and the Frog (which I keep on calling different names: Princess and the Spy in honour of Chuck, Princess and the Pea for well... I don't know). Anyway, I'm already temporarily happy because I got sensible new flats from Greenhills even if we went there at 8:30p and everything else was shutting off. Shoes = happiness. Sleep = euphoria. xoxo.

So I judge the TV series with the poster, big deal right? Well, apparently, I judge right. That's why *sometimes* I should be a judge, and incidentally, there was a judge in the series too! But! But! I THINK I'LL LOVE THIS SHOW!! The reason is behind the cut (oh, and I won't make it spoilerish, I promise)

( Expect the unexpected )

I just spent a good two hours reconstructing a government-issued receipt. TWO HOURS. But guess what? I actually enjoyed it. The tedious OC-ness of getting the borders right and copying the formatting based on limited resources of both oral description (hearsay) and some photos of the internet, I was actually able to do it. And I felt so accomplished.

Kind of like the feeling I got when I was in high school and I finish every requirement with every ounce of creativity I got. Sometimes, I surprised myself that I could draw and colour more than I expected I could. Now, I feel completely creativity-deprived, except for this exercise we had on Civil Procedure that required us concocting a story about a model who got breast implants and something went wrong. Aside from academic creativity, I can't do anything! I can't even BLOG. I have a whole stack of pictures I took in Vietnam, good for post-processing and ready to go on a photoblog, but I haven't even touched that stack! I'll have spontaneous thoughts in the bathroom, which for that brief moment, I feel would be an excellent blogabble thing, but then I read a Supreme Court decision and poof, what was I thinking about again?

Looking into my high school to college scrapbook, I got the sinking feeling Ellie Bartowski told Captain Awesome on Episode 3, Season 3 of Chuck (Chuck vs The Angel dela Muerte): "Where did these people go?" (referring to herself and Awesome in their wedding photo). Where is Celeni? Did law school eat me and replace me with a fatter, mind-numbing zombie?

The good thing is, I still *enjoy* studying the law. There are still cases that make me laugh (yes, try me, I was giggling over a jurisdiction case involving tariff of CEMENT), and rules that I could remember, not because I have to, but because I find them interesting. I still feel inspired by my teachers, even if the profession could seem dishearteningly vulnerable to greed and corruption. And of course, the best thing about law school is having that excellent support system called blockmates and classmates (since, we're de-blocked on our second year).

While this is another seemingly directionless entry, and I have ten (10) cases to read for Administrative Law, an epic case to finish for Civil Procedure, and start reviewing for my Agency exam this Saturday, I would just like to take advantage of the space, this point in time, that I get to reflect on where I am and where I should go.

No, I wasn't going to abandon my blog project, so here I am, continuing my 12 Days of Christmas Plus! Narrative.

Day 11: Random Road Trip of the Year
(23 December)

It was supposed to be EK day, but a cousin bailed, so my dad decided to take a random road trip. As in LITERALLY RANDOM and literally, a road trip. We were out on the road from 10:30 am to 19:30 pm and our final destination was supposed to be Infanta, Quezon, but we ended up in the municipality of Real because it was getting late and we didn’t want to get stuck in Quezon at nightfall because well… uh… there are rebels in the area. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, a former NPA leader live across our house, but that’s beside the point. We stayed in Real for less than THIRTY MINUTES. But it was nice seeing the Pacific Ocean from this side of the country. Major photobloggable!


My sister Mecko, my cousin Kiko and Me (obvious na mahangin)
( Rest of the Photos, and my Christmas After the Jump )

Happy Christmas Everyone!

I didn’t intentionally do it, but for some strange reason, I haven’t blogged for the past twenty-four days even with the onslaught of the much-coveted Christmas break. Well, here I am now, about to recap the Twelve Days of Celeni Christmas Excluding Actual Christmas, and lo and behold, I’m doing it during actual Christmas day. So might as well blog the whole sh-bang! Yaaay!

( A partridge in a pear tree to ten lords a'leaping )

(To Be Continued…)