I went to the Supreme Court today to get my bar exam permit. While walking towards the stately building, I was suddenly transported back to when I was 4 or 5 years old and we were waiting outside the Supreme Court for my lolo who had to file something (I presume because I remember him carrying a brown envelope).

I remember sitting in the car with my aunt and uncle while my lolo slowly went inside the gates.

I recall sitting on my lola's lap while gazing outside the window staring at the people passing by. There was this old lady beggar who was seated right outside the gate and she would raise her hand up to every passing person or group.

This group of giggling girls passed the spot where the beggar was seated when suddenly one of the girls ran back to the old beggar and gave the latter a packet of peanuts. I remember the old beggar looking up at the girl and the girl quickly smiling at the beggar before turning back and running to rejoin her friends.

For some bizaare reason, this is one of my most vivid memories.

There was also this time when we were driving through Manila and I was craning my neck to look up at the houses we were driving by. This girl was seated beside the window looking out towards the traffic. I think she had a piece of paper or notebook in front of her with a pen poised on top. She wasn't really writing but just staring out into the crowd. Then suddenly, someone came up from behind and surprised her. They both ended up laughing hysterically and I couldn't see them anymore because our car was no longer in front of their house.

That must have taken all of 10 seconds but I still remember it to this day.

Anyway, back to the Supreme Court, I remember sitting quietly inside the car with the adults and thinking how important my lolo was because he was going inside this big white building just because he was a provincial fiscal, while we all had to wait for him outside because the guards wouldn't let us in because we weren't important enough.

And now that I've actually walked inside its hallowed halls (mostly because I got lost going to the Office of the Bar Confidante :p) I'm starting to think that maybe I'm already equally important as my lolo too. But then I remember how I had to get my bar exam permit from the deepest and darkest bowels of the Supreme Court and my sense of importance suddenly disappears.

Note to self: Pass the bar first and then wallow in misplaced feelings of self-importance.

Here's what Mr. Remir Macatangay had to say about Nico's letter:

hahaha!

panalo ka talaga magkwento nico.

i'll try my luck. magsasando ako at orange na cycling shorts. tapos sandals na brown, yung suot ng mga hudyo noon, tapos may dala akong weights sa left hand at negotiable instruments law sa right. tapos makiki-argue ako sa guard:

"not that i'm challenging your authority, but according to the negotiable instruments law, i'm a holder in due course, hence it is axiomatic, and patently consistent with the carriage of goods by the sea, or COGSA, that i be perpetually allowed to enter the sacred confines of this great institution. so ordered."

sabay pump ng weights.

tapos kapag pinosasan ako, dahil obviously, wala akong kwenta, mag-sosorry ako.

"boss, sorry. hindi pala ako holder in due course. may defect ako...at alam mo yun."

hehe.

yours,
m. remir

Ang kyut-kyut!

Here's something interesting from fellow barrister Nico Dimaculangan

Hello,

For those who plan to get their test permits from the Supreme Court - be informed that there appears to be a "dress code" prescribed to get into the Office of the Bar Confidant.

I went there this morning, July 26 (8am) in shorts and sandals [hehehe..I know.. I had it coming] and was prohibited by the guard from entering the compound. However, the guard also prohibited several other people from getting in to claim their test permits.

1) Guy wearing acid washed jeans, plain white shirt and baseball cap
2) Lady wearing sleaveless shirt and jeans
3) Guy wearing jeans, and a faded t-shirt
4) Lady wearing a short skirt and slippers
5) Guy wearing jogging pants

I don't know if the guard was particularly cranky this morning, but he said that we should look "presentable" as we will be passing by the offices of the justices. When asked what presentable is - he said "Basta huwag lang mga ganyan" - He then proceeds to point at what we were wearing.

Nico

I paid our Meralco bill through my cellphone today because there's something wrong with BPI Expressonline and we don't have a landline here at the dorm. The almost 5 minute cellphone call still tears at my frugal soul, however, just thinking of the legwork I saved by paying online more or less takes the sting out of it.

Ever since I started paying bills online (through my BPI account) I've begun looking with pity at people who still line up at Bayad Centers, banks or Globe wireless centers just to pay their bills.

How utterly third world! :p

This is the type of technology I like. Atomic fusion be damned, paying bills online (or by phone) is the best innovation yet that mankind has ever come up with.

Second would be depositing money through ATM machines.

P.S.
Belated happy birthday Krissy/Teacher Ida!

I don't know what to do anymore.

I've tried everything I could think of, but I guess I can't do it all by myself.

I thought I could avoid it, but apparently it was inevitable.

It's time.

Kelangan nang kalbuhin si Killer :(

I'm so sick of studying and fretting over the Bar. But I knew this would happen sooner or later, so considering assumption of risk and all that, I'd better stop whining.

To put a spin on all this icky studying, I've discovered that the chai tea in Seattle's Best (or Shuttle's Best if you please) is really yummy. So I'm now switching allegiance and saying goodbye to Starbucks' tepid teas and hello to Shuttle's frothy chai tea! Yey!

Happy birthday hot momma!!

My mom with her sisters (also hot mommas) in Sonya's Garden

The look-alikes in Sonya's Garden

Mr&Mrs Sabits

Image is clickable

The pictures from last Sunday's photoshoot have been uploaded na!!

Click here for the rest of the pictures :)

Killer is soooooo cute :)

Join the ongoing "How do you wear your schu?" contest and you'll get a chance to win a pair of, what else, schu shoes!! Other fabulously kikay and sosyal prizes are also in store for the winners.

Check out my other attempts at model-modelan here.

I've been too tired to blog the past couple of days. Blame it on studying for the bar and trying to keep a token effort at running Kikay Exchange, which basically means slapping on e-fliers and all sorts of press releases. It pains me to see how haphazard it looks these days (particularly content-wise) but there's only so much I can do right now. Oh well, just you wait til the end of September. I'll be unleashing all sorts of kikay things it will leave you breathless!:p

Anyway, we finally had our family picture taken today. My mom's cousin, Mario Babiera (a professional commercial photographer!), came over to the house this morning lugging with him all sorts of photography thingamajigs (like an umbrella with some sort of light emitting thing) and captured us at our Sunday best.

No one was able to take behind the scenes pictures during the indoor shots but fortunately, Tessa had the presence of mind to snap these pictures when we moved for the requisite swing shots. Thanks hot soon-to-be momma!

Getting ready for the outside shots

Now smile!

Tito Mario at work :)

Shooting the kids in the play area. Look at Julia scream!

Daddy Drago with Baby Julia (who is turning out to be a spitting image of her mom. Buti na lang... hahahahaha!)

Killer and Lily. Of course they were also included in the family pictures.

Pics from last week:

One umbrella each please. Playing in the rain with tatay (my dad refuses to be called lolo :p)

Maddie being pa-cute with her tita kris.