Thoughts

I'm bored and hungry.

To hit two birds with one stone, I'll heat up a can of corned beef and watch CSI DVDs until my brain gets fried.

Another day in the exciting life of the Jill :)

Caveat

I just noticed that my past post seemed like an invitation, or to be more precise, I wanted it to be an invitation. But it's not titled "Day Dreaming" for nothing :)

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We might go to 168 today after clinic duties. I'll finally see what the hype is about :)

Day Dreaming

Sometimes I wonder what I would actually do once I reach Batanes. I've been dreaming of it for so long that to see it actually happen might just lead me to blubber like an idiot.

But to make that dream happen, I need three more people with the same lust for all things Ivatan. If you think we're on the same page, please click here and give me a holler :)

Fiduciary Relationship

In spite of the dearth of posts, let me just say that a lot has been happening these past few days. However, by virtue of that teeny-tiny thing called confidentiality between client and cousel, I really can't elaborate anymore than I already have without running afoul with the law (a.k.a. Director Te).

But one thing I can definitely say is that these past few weeks have changed the way I see the law. For the past four years, the law was about memorizing exceptions to the general rules; making scribbled digests at the side of photocopied SCRAs for recitation; willing myself to harness every ounce of bravery to face another day in the salt mine called law school and continuous, never-ending, perpetual reading. Before, the names we rattled off were merely those printed on our cases but now, these names correspond to actual people who are patiently waiting for us inside the office. Waiting for us to help them. Waiting for us to extricate them out of the mess they've somehow found themselves in. All I can say is: Yikes!

I remember how overwhelmed I felt the first time I met a client. A week before the summer internship officially started, we had a team meeting with our supervising lawyer. During this meeting, the case assignments were handed out. A few minutes later, I was told that there was already a client waiting for me outside. Incidentally, her case was set for hearing a few days later. And incidentally too, I had no clue whatsoever what to do.

To aggravate the situation, the client must have felt that it was her bounden duty to update me on every single aspect of her miserable life ever since the trouble began. And then she began crying. It was a McBeal moment right there. I just wanted to run out screaming from the OLA and to never, ever return.

Now, thankfully, I think I already have a good grasp of what needs to be done and what is expected of me. Sure, there are still those anxious days of preparation and battling with the proverbial butterflies in one's stomach when standing in front of the judge. However, these days, my current preoccupation is getting my supervising lawyers to attend the hearings because their absence might give rise to more delay or resettings. And that would spell disaster for clients who have to take on laundry just to have transportation money to attend their hearings.

But that's another story altogether.

Summer Baby

My niece is such a cutie! I just wanna hug her and cuddle her and call her George :p





It looks like someone's mommy has become addicted to buying baby clothes :)

The Conquering Graduates

After my 8:30 am hearing was reset and after around three hours of updating my status report, I was all set to leave UP. I had my bag on my shoulder and was silently patting myself on the back for being so darn masipag when I suddenly saw Dionne, Bobbie, Rich, Kathy and Marie. They were all spiffily dressed and were on their way to the Film Center for the graduation.

First thing that popped into my mind was: Whose graduation? It was only then I found out that it was actually my batch's graduation today! (cue song: Always the last to know) So of course I had to go too if only to see them in their sweltering hot togas while doing the requisite march. It's all about tradition.

Congratulations blockies and batchmates!









Pictures during the University and College graduation ceremonies. Thanks to Aman and Jomi.

Yin and Yang

I was supposed to go to Puerto Galera tomorrow, but because of circumvening events, the trip has been postponed indefinitely. Boo!

I received word late last night that a new case had been assigned to me and that it would go on pre-trial first thing Monday morning, but at around 10 am today, I found out that it had been assigned to another team. Yey!

One good in exchange for a bad. The universe has its own peculiar way of balancing the scales.

Now if that theory holds water, then I'm due for a lot of good in the near future :)
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I really don't know why I was excited about the Galera trip. I've already been there twice (or thrice?), it's not my scene and God knows I hate the sun with a passion! So why this sudden lust for the ocean?

It's probably because that could have been my one and only chance this summer to set foot on a beach. The last time I went anywhere near the ocean was when my block went to Nasugbu.

Check out Dex's man-boobs...

The fambly is planning a road trip from Luzon to Visayas in time for the family reunion in Biliran. The plan is to pass through Bicol, take the RORO ferry and basically to go through the entire scenic route.

But there's a big possibility that I WON'T be able to go with them.

So what else is new? :c

I'd better stop now before all this self-pity seeps out of the monitor.

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Congratulations blockies! See you on Sunday! Mwah!

All red-faced but happy.

Commercial

This blogpost is brought to you by the free internet access at the OLA.

I'm waiting for G to arrive so that we can finally watch "8 Below".

Alright, he's here. Byers!

Whew!

The longest day ever in the history of the Jill officially ended at 5pm today. I've hurdled the dreaded first hearing, which is not to say that I am now an expert on all things pertaining to court etiquette and that the next hearing will be akin to walks in the park. It only means that I've gone through my first hearing, period. And as I mentioned in my last post, the first is always a doozy because of the anxiety of not knowing. Of course, anxiety will still be present in every hearing, but at least there's no more of that apprehension over the unknown. One less stress-trigger is always fine in my book.

Nothing untoward happened, thank God. Although I did get a teensy-weensy reprimand from the judge when I talked with my client in the middle of her cross-examination. I didn't understand my SL when he emphatically shook his head when I leaned over to my client but I kinda got the drift when the judge pointed her finger at me and said: "Don't talk to her!". Noted.

Then right after the hearing, I had to rush over to OLA for the Monday group duty. Once I got on board, it was all work work work until 5pm.

It's funny how a lot of people wanted to watch my first "solo flight", as my brother termed it. I'm sure they envisioned a court room ala Ally McBeal where the counsels could prance about the room while peppering the witness with insightful and piercing questions. Well, in Branch 38 one can hardly find a place to stand much less prance. And the way things went, all they would have seen was me stuttering through my introduction before we moved to chambers for the cross examination. Exciting stuff right there I tell you.

Anyway, I'm just glad it's over and that I don't have to render OLA office duty until next week. Be thankful for the small blessings, I always say.

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On a totally unrelated note, let me manifest that my nephew is turning into such a heartbreaker!!



It's just super obvious that good looks abound in our family :)

Cold Sweat

First times are hardly ever easy. They are nerve-wracking, spine-tingling, vomit-inducing and for some, literally bloody.

And that's the fun part.

Anyway, Monday will now officially be known as H-day or Hearing Day. I know that I'll laugh over all these apprehensions and self-flagellation once I get through this and, in hindsight, after I've gone to my nth hearing. But for now, let me just say that I'm petrified. It also doesn't help that today's meeting with my supervising lawyer was less than stellar.

SL: Have you read the law?
Me: No.
SL: What about the implementing rules and regulations?
Me: ummm....no.
SL: Where is the Information?
Me: (rifling through the file) Sir, it's not here.
SL: That's not possible.
Me: (silence)

The only good thing about it was that I was able to control myself from vomiting and breaking into tears.

I guess that's called the not-so-silver silver lining.

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In an effort to get myself ready for this Monday's hearing, G and I went to the Manila Hall of Justice. The directions I got from the client were to go down at the Central station of the LRT and to look for the old MWSS building.

From McDo Philcoa, we headed on to Manila and in about 15-20 minutes, we were right in front of the Hall of Justice. It makes me think now that Manila would be such a pleasant place to live in if only it was Good Friday every single day.

It was so surreal to drive around a near empty Manila. On a regular day, a trip from Diliman QC to Taft Avenue would take about an hour or so, but today we made it in a quarter of that time, with the speedometer hardly going above 60.

So this time next year, be sure to include cruising around the metropolis with your list of things to do during the holy week. Such a memory will surely put a smile on your face the next time you're stuck in Manila traffic hell (Awwww....remember when it only took 20 minutes to reach Taft Avenue?) Or it could just further aggravate your already lousy mood. Half-empty or half-full, the choice is yours.

Milestone

Well at least it is for me :p

I just printed out my very first motion, that being a "Notice of Change of Law Intern" for next week's hearing. (cue thunderous applause)

I had the goofiest grin on my face once I finally held the 2 paged 8"x14" sized document in my hands. I wanted to crow about my little moment so I immediately checked to see who else was in the room. Mike was still sleeping, Drago had gone boxing while Melo was nowhere to be found. A quick check on Santi showed that his room was still locked and would probably not understand a thing if I woke him up. And so this post was born :)

Wala lang. I just wanted to share.

Blockies, batchmates and recent bar passers can start their patronizing speeches now :p

Bora

Two posts in a span of a few hours? That's called maximizing your last free wekend before SOLA kicks in :p

I received these pictures from my cousin through the Friendster submit picture thingy. I guess Friendster can get pretty handy every now and then.

Anyway, these were taken last year in Boracay where I tagged along with my cousin and his med school friends during their graduation gimmick. To most people, joining a group of total strangers would probably seem awkward and it was. For all of five minutes then it was good to go all the way. Did I also mention that I didn't pay for anything while I was there? The whole kaboodle was sponsored by my ninong. It was supposed to be my cousin's graduation gift, but since I also happened to be in Cebu during the graduation... :) Don't you just love free vacations?

We took the long way in going to Boracay. By bus and ferry, so by the time we reached the island, i was just about ready to kiss the sand. This is the boat we rode going there. Just like most inter-island ferries, it was lovely :p

After about 24 hours of non-stop travelling, we were finally there.

The water was so great that you wouldn't feel the midday sun slowly roasting you alive.

I'm not a summer person, but I am a beach person. Chalk it up to spending all of my summer vacations beside the sea in Cebu and Biliran. I'm a regular islander, yes I am.

Physical Challenge

It's a given that the OLA summer internship program is not going to be a walk in the park, or OLA during the regular sems for that matter. But Director Te says that, if you manage your time well it can actually be fun. For some bizaare reason, I believe him. Or maybe I just do because he's Sir Te :)

Anyway, the first "fun" thing that my team has to accomplish will be trying to get in touch with past LI Mark Rabe. The challenge with our first assignment is two-fold: First, The Amazing Mr. Rabe is currently in the US with the Jessup Team and secondly, his hearing is on April 11. Tuesday. Three days from now.

As the past Monday law interns said after dumping their case files on our laps and before scurrying away, "Good luck, kaya niyo yan".

Karma Chameleon

The last three days were spent attending the mandatory orientation for the incoming OLA interns. Great heaps of fun right there. Specially since I spent my birthday digesting the different techniques in cross and direct; how to effectively object; the varying tricks of seasoned litigators and other nuances of the law which cannot be found in codals.

Actually, it was very informative and the speaker was himself an expert litigator, so the gems he hurled our way were priceless. Unfortunately, I was too engrossed with other gems to take notice, namely those found in Bejewelled. But don't worry, karma has since caught up with me.

The different summer internship teams were announced today and in spite of my fervent prayers, I got assigned to the Monday Team. Also known as the most toxic day. The past interns only had this to say on choosing a team: Anything but the Monday team. I never win anything in raffles, not even a lousy shirt. But today, I got chosen for the busiest and most stressful day of OLA duty. How's that for luck?

Air 21 has nothing on karmic delivery.

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Thanks for all the birthday greetings. I really wanted to sulk and whine because of the uber-corny day, but you people just wouldn't let me. So thanks thanks thanks!

Special thanks to G and his award-winning cooking :)

Plugging

Bloggers rejoice! The second IBlog conference, aptly titled iblog2, is a coming. So if you missed the first one, like I did, feel free to drop by the UP Law Theater on April 18.

See you all there!

Pls. click me

Shopping Shivers

Just like most girls, I like to shop. However, the shopping I like is those aimless, wandering, look-what-I-bought kind of purchasing expeditions. I dread stepping into the mall with a particular mission in mind. It just seems so daunting because unlike those speed shopping challenges on tv, I cannot put together a complete designer knock-off outfit in one hour. I can't even find pants that fit right for chrissakes! To rephrase a classic Sir Mix-a-lot song, I have a big butt and I cannot lie!

Anyway, I've put off this task for months now and I can't do so any longer, so today I face my waterloo, shopping for shoes. Or to be more precise, shopping for OLA-type shoes which would still be comfortable enough for me to actually walk in. On any given day, I'd be in flipflops or rubber shoes because I sadly do not have my cousin's super power of leaping from one building to another in killer stillettos. I guess that gene wasn't chucked my way.

But I digress. Today, I will buy black corporate type shoes. I will temporarily forget that I am the president of the kuripot club and I will inflict significant damage on my ATM account for today's mission. I will. I can. I must.

I humbly offer myself before the shopping gods and pray that they be merciful.

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Shopping Postscript (7:01 pm)

I almost scrapped out today's shopping plans because of some bad news regarding my poli exam. I didn't feel up to the challenge after I received that ill-fated text message from Joan. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and stuff chocolate chip cookies down my gullet. Chocolate= Most effective cure for depression.

But I had already told the kids that we'd be going to the mall so I had to be a soldier and forge on, inspite of how crummy I felt. Yeah, I'm up there with the saints and martyrs when it comes to sacrifices :p

Anyway, I was able to buy shoes among other things. And I feel a teensy bit better. Okay I'm lying, I feel a whole lot better! Spending money is soooo therapeutic! I'm sure G must be trembling in his shoes now thinking "What have I gotten myself into?!"

Still, I did not let myself get carried away on the pretense of depression or some other excuse girls use to justify their expenses. I'm proud to say I remained within my budget and only bought what I needed. Shouldn't I get points for that?! Harumph.

I bought: 1)black heels from Nine West (love!) 2)girly stuff from Triumph (to ummm... maximize what needs to be maximized) 3)April issue of Marie Claire (because I'm a sucker for glossies) and 4)a blouse from Memo (for those in between waxing days). And I spent an hour in Cravings having tea while perusing my new magazine. Definitely a good day, if not for that blasted poli. Grrrrr......



New shoesies!

Bits and Pieces

Without further ado, let me just say that I'm finally on my summer break! Yeah! Now on to my OLA summer internship :p

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Keanna Reeves, with a whopping 40% or so of the text votes, won as the first Celebrity Housemate! Yeah!

Ideally, I would have wanted Budoy to win, because, well, he's Budoy. But Keanna's just as much a character as he is, so all is still well in my world. Although I think I'll skip the next PBB installment. The last one was already tedious to watch, even if they were celebrities.

I don't know what it is about reality shows, but I just like watching the voting out parts. It was the same with Starstruck and American Idol. I just waited for the booting out. Go figure.

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My niece is turning out to be such a genteel and proper little lady, just like her ninang :)



Please click on the picture

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I know he's a little tampo (hehehehe) because he wasn't in any of my Portia Ball pics. So to make it up to the birthday boy, heeeeere's GARTH!

Garth and Khay doing their thing at the Ball