Lawyered!: Top Reasons Why You Should Date a Law Student

The "Lawyered!" series will cover topics involving the law, law school and everything in between told from the perspective of a frightened, enlightened, irritated, and engaged law student. :)

Just to clarify, this list is not something I conjured up by just sitting in front of the computer and typing the ideas that come off the top of my head. Nor are these 'copy-pasted' from some article/blog on the Internet. But I did check out this Facebook page which features interesting reasons some of which I have incorporated into my list. These are carefully thought out reasons, mind you.

Feel free to disagree and disprove my list, and to (vehemently) tell me about it.


10. Law students' books can be used as extra coaster, leverage or just to put something on. (see Season 1, episode 1 of How I Met Your Mother, titled "Purple Giraffe" where Marshall's book on Torts is used as a coaster during one of the parties Ted hosted for Robin)

9. Law students can hold their liquor...and you know what that means right? No? Longer time to talk/do whatever over drinks. You can read the scientific/medical reasons here. And if you're not convinced, go invite your law student friend out to drinks, and I bet he/she can outlast you--even if he/she was not much of a drinker before law school, I'm sure he/she has learned the art of holding his/her liquor by now. (Yes it's an art. haha)

8. Law students study hard, and play much harder. All that studying makes law students value their time for leisure activities (i.e. parties, drinking sessions, or 'whatever' haha) more than usual. So when law students party, they do it hard.

Marshall--always up for a sword fight

7. Law students are (taught to be) brave. All the dissing law students receive/experience in the classroom and other humiliations they get from speaking in public and from other people teach them not to back down from any challenge--sword fights included.
(Case in point, and I believe this is enough proof, the 37 law professors of the UP College of Law who were held in contempt by the Court. Yes, they are professors now but they have been students once, right. I believe they are brave even during their law school days.)

6. Law students can be your Prince/Princess Charming--the one that'll get your damsel-in-distress ass out of trouble. For example, when you get caught for a traffic violation--and believe me, I have been told countless stories involving law students and traffic enforcers--that law student can/will/should use his/her knowledge of the law to get you out of that situation. It's either he/she starts to question the authority (or the lack of) of the traffic enforcer by quoting the law, or he/she will smooth-talk his/her way out of it (remember: negotiation is a part of litigation).

5. Law students are good trophy dates, if not boyfriends or girlfriends. Let's face it, when people date or look for someone to date, they not only consider their own preferences but also take into consideration what people may/will think. They ask questions like,  "Is this so-and-so good for me?" "Do we look good together?" and more importantly, "What would mom/dad/lolo/lola say?" And when you introduce your law student date to whoever, chances are, that whoever will be smiling.

4. Law students are rich--or, will soon be. Let's face it, studying law, or any other post-graduate degree for that matter, is expensive and slightly exclusive. Aside from the tuition fee, law students have to have a considerable amount of money for books, photocopies and other stuff (i.e. gifts for professors, block dinners). So, chances are, the law student you meet has some money, to say the least. Or, he/she will soon be rich. Just remember, "rich" is a relative term. haha

Marshall--as well-dressed as ever

3. Law students dress well--or, at least, learning how to. Making law students dress "professionally" (slacks, blouse/shirt, or dress, black shoes/heels/closed-toe pumps) while attending classes is a good (or the best) way of teaching students to present themselves well without literally teaching it in class. What law students may lack in (biological) looks will/is compensated (to say the least) by the way they dress--even during Halloween (see Marshall's epic Halloween costumes).

2. Law students are funny. Not Charlie Chaplin funny but much like Vice Ganda funny. All the sarcasm law students experience in the classroom and learn/acquire eventually translates to a specific type of comedy. But beware, this type of in-your-face, say-it-as-you-see-it type of comedy does not appeal to everyone but if you get these kind of jokes, rest assured, you're going to be laughing your ass off. (See also lawyer-themed series, Boston Legal, which I hear is funny.)

1. Law students are smart, and as you know, Smart is the new sexy. People search for connection, and find a good conservation more appealing than a random hook-up or quick chat. Also, law students can also be literally sexy though they don't openly show it. For more information on how sexy lawyers can get, watch 'lawyer movies' like The Devil's Advocate. Yes, Keanu Reeves was already a lawyer in the movie but hey, he must have learned it (aka be a lawyer and get Charlize Theron to date him) somewhere along the way, right.


Agree? Lawyered!


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You may want to check out:

Lawyered: The Law-down

To my fellow slacktivists:

Articles like this make me love Saturdays more and more--as if that's possible. This article came out today (October 23 2010) on Supreme, The Philippine Star's lifestyle fold that comes out every Saturdays, and upon reading, it made me go "Aha!" 

Though I'm guilty of being part of Generation Me, and of doing some of the things mentioned in this article (like the Color thing, and more recently, the Bag thing on Facebook), I realize the shallowness, if not outright ineptness, of the means our generation adopt to bring the much-talked about (much romanticized, too, I think) "change." But this thing is, like what John Mayer said in his song Waiting on the World to Change: "Me and all my friends We're all misunderstood They say we stand for nothing and there's no way we ever could. Now we see everything that's going wrong with the world and those who lead it. We just feel like we don't have the means to rise above and beat it." But then again, with all the technology, and the freedom our generation is given (and maybe the money, too) we can do something and we should be pro-active, rather than just stay at home--or wherever it is we are comfortable--and do the "slackactivism" we have mastered. 

  

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Supreme Address

Generation Me is Dead

by Raymond Ang

Early this year, Facebook walls were barraged with seemingly random proclamations of color from our female contacts. There was "White!" and "Mmm red." There was "Sea green" and "Rainbow." But then it got weirder, with patterns and even textures. There were stripes and polka dots, ribbed and even leather. 

As it turned out, the Facebook community wasn't playing Taboo or some kind of communal guessing game. Our friends, as I later found out, were proclaiming the colors or designs of their bras. Yes, bras as in brassiere. 

Apparently it was the Facebook community's way of raising awareness for breast cancer, as bizarre as that might sound. It obviously has to do with breasts. What this public display has to do with breast cancer though, is beyond me. When it comes down to it, it was ineffective, borderline lewd, and downright stupid movement. 

But what else is new? Welcome to Generation Me, where "twibbons" indicate your values and memes mean being connected to the world. My generation is a generation of entitlement--arrogant brats who think our mere presence, the mere attachment of our name to a cause (even on Facebook), and our mere desire for change, are enough to change the world. 

We are so into ourselves, in fact, that we fancy ourselves as Internet celebrities, opening Formspring accounts and allowing our pretend fans to ask us anything they want to--from our love lives to career plans. 

This is the offshoot of growing up blogging. After years of having a ready audience for our thoughts--from teenage dirtbag crushes to hormonal woe-is-me rants--we assume that it all takes to make a connection and make a change is posting an entry on Facebook. It's slacktivism and we're slacktivists. We assume that making a change is as simple as wanting it. We want change but not the work we have to put into making that happen. This is particularly perplexing because it lets a lot of people believe they're making a positive social impact without really doing anything worth anything.  

Just consider the millions who didn't register for the elections. After posting twibbons and joining Facebook groups, they think they've done their part in solving national issues. What about registering for elections? We say it's an archaic concept and that it won't help things anyway. We proclaim wanting change in the government, but we don't even have the time to help this change happen. We talk the talk but can't walk the walk. 

A couple of months ago, I went on my school's immersion program, in my case, a post-Ondoy relief operation. Apparently after the hysteria around Ondoy died down, volunteers dispersed as well. The office's team was left to do the operation themselves. I was surprised there weren't more people who wanted to go. Where were the socially-aware Facebook posters with their twibbons and memes? Where were the Twitter activists? Online, of course, tweeting about Haiti in between rounds of Cafe World. 

A little over a year after Ondoy left us reeling, Juan just flew in and left this country in a flurry. We are obviously concerned. We tweet, reminding everyone to stay safe. We post weather announcements on our Facebooks. We have never been more aware, more connected, and supposedly more emphatic. 

And when the tweet dust settles, we realize that all this just challenged us to be more. Whatever we want to do--be it a lawyer, doctor, astronaut, or, if you'd like, a fortune-teller--be more. Be more for your family. Be more for the country. Be more for yourself. There is a whole world outside our Twitter feeds and Facebook pages. It's time we get our heads out of our asses and untie our Twibbons. 

Generation Me is dead. 

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Generation Me should be dead. 

Let's get off our lazy asses and do something worthwhile rather than updating the world with our mundane and not-so important tweets (which frankly the world can definitely do without), answering silly questions thrown at us at Formspring (which in reality answer nothing important/relevant), and making virtual connections that really don't matter when it needs to, if you know what I mean. Let us use technology to our advantage, and not to our detriment. Let's make it an asset not a liability. And frankly, you should be motivated by now because I'm running out catchphrases. 

Let me end this post by saying, and I revise a well-known adage, those who can, do; those can't, talk. 

Which one are you?

Beatnik, Sputnik

"We each have a special something we can only get at a special time of our life. Like a small flame. A careful, fortunate few cherish that flame, nurture it, hold it as a torch to light their way. But once that flame goes out, it's gone for ever. What I'd lost was not just Sumire. I'd lost that precious flame."

-Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart

Let us not lose our respective flames. May it burn, burn, burn like roman candles across the night. :)  

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Facebook Relapse

Like a junkie who's in rehab, or at least publicly trying to quit his drugs, I'm in relapse. Just a day, about twenty-four hours or so since I deactivated my Facebook account, which I recently realized defines and eats all the time when I'm on the Internet--and sometimes even when I'm not.

Start
I was into Facebook wayyy before I had a Friendster account, which I recently deleted, and even before all other people did. I was into Facebook back when the interface (is that the proper term for the 'look' of a webpage? hah, I don't know.) was fugly; the font small; and the features minimal. I remember having only two friends: Teppie Abella, who introduced me to it, and Amaris Javillonar. We just wrote funny stuff on each other's Walls (which was wayyy worse than what it looks like now) and poke each other, and then log out. There's nothing much really.

Hooked
I got hooked when people started getting into Facebook and suddenly, before I knew it, almost everyone is on Facebook, and I had 600+ friends. It's like a big international civil registry. The only difference is, not all the information (and even the people) are true/real. You just have to pick which ones to believe, and which ones to take as lies/fake, which friends to "add as friend" (and give access to almost everything about you) and which ones to "add later" (I remember this option used to say, quite outrightly I believe, "Ignore."). Also, there were a lot of stuff to do, other than looking at people's profiles and photos (without leaving a virtual mark that you have viewed such), like make notes, tag people in photos, play games and post links (which became my past time haha).

I could spend all day logged in on Facebook. Yeah, I was that addicted. If I nothing substantial to do, like check and reply to notifications, I would think of some random friend I had and just go to his profile and check/view where he/she has been or what he/she been up to lately. In other words, stalking.

According to a TIME article on addiction, and I quote in full: "Addictions," says Joseph Frascella, director of the division of clinical neuroscience at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "are repetitive behaviors in the face of negative consequences, the desire to continue something you know is bad for you."

The Realization
The idea to deactivate my Facebook account--because I was not (wo)man enough to quit the thing altogether--came at a time when I'm in (currently at that, hehe) a very stressful situation called: Finals Week. Finals week, the week where almost all your profs in all your subjects give out final exams to end the semester, a measure to what you've learned and retained from all the discussions, readings etc. In undergrad, finals week wasn't a stressful or dreadful experience for I always aimed for exemption from final exams, or some profs opted not to give final exams. But apparently, in law school, the words "finals week" mean business. Everyone gives out final exams, and no one gives out exemptions. Yeah, as if someone can be exempted by their sheer semester-long brilliance. Anyway, I realized that the time I wasted on Facebook would be better spent studying a.k.a. trying to pass. So I went to the computer, logged in, and deactivated--but not after replying/checking the notifications, as if it would matter later, haha.

But I have to admit, this deactivation is temporary. I plan to reactivate my account as soon my finals week is over. Or maybe, I'd extend the deactivation longer. Who knows?

The Morning After, literally
I still think about Facebook. This blog as a proof and manifestation of that thought. As a way to put myself away from the temptation of reactivating my account, I decided to not go online at all. But this morning, I had to check my email for some writing "assignment" to do for a job application process. When I saw that the "assignment" hadn't been sent yet, I thought of reactivating my Facebook account to pass time. This is called the Withdrawal phase, I believe.

This is what I did: take a deep breath, count to ten, and walk away from the computer. Don't ever get online while having these "fits" because temptation would be strongest. Imagine, you'll be a click away from reactivating your addicting lifestyle. Remind yourself the reasons why you deactivated (or for the "braver" ones out there, quitted). It's all in the mind. But if you do need to go online, think of doing other things... like blogging, which I admit, had been relegated to the backseat with Facebook in the front seat of the car I call, my Internet life.

I know, and expect, many more What-If-Reactivate Moments will come within the week (around Oct12 to Oct 19 or maybe longer) I decide to deactivate it. I'd like to think I'm prepared or well-distracted to not notice the difference. But when the strongest impulse to reactivate comes, I just have to remind myself which "thing" I value most: real life experiences/acquaintances (or even failures, if I flunk my exams) or virtual connection.


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PS: To deactivate your Facebook account, do this:
Log in to Facebook, hover your mouse pointer over the "Settings" tab, click "Account Settings" from the drop-down menu, tick off the reason/s why you're leaving, and then provide your password. Confirm and voila! you're off Facebook as easy (and as quickly, too) as you made your account. Good luck.
I'll write about how to delete one's Facebook account when I have convinced myself to do so.



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Where the other half is, I don't know.

You know why I love music?

Music not only gives life to life; it elicits/provokes thoughts and expressions that are otherwise forgotten or ignored. That's one of the many reasons why I love it. Tonight, I write about John Mayer's recent single--well, the most recent one I know of.

The thing with John Mayer is this: I always remember him as the guy who sang No Such Thing, the song my crush, when that person wasn't my crush yet, sang in class that one time when we were all asked to sing whatever song we wanted. (fyi: I sang Sara Bareilles' One Sweet Love. haha) That became such an epic moment for me. It's like one of those seemingly simple and uneventful moments in your life that stick to your mind, to your memory, like glue. Unforgettable, defining. And for that, I'll never forget Mr. Mayer.

Tonight, after seeing and listening to Mayer's new video, the link to which was posted by a friend on Facebook, Half of my Heart, my mind went "Aha!" It's like John Mayer (and his co-writer/s, if he ever has one) wrote that song with my mind in mind. Yeah, it was that accurate.

Anyway. I refuse to go on further with this, because honestly I'd prefer to keep this locked up in my own Pandora's box of what-could-bes and what-might-have-beens. But like any other sentimental person, it's fun and... I don't know, relieving to let yourself get nostalgic once in awhile... to remind myself--and write about it--of this too blissful moment in my short twenty-year life. A legendary moment. ;)

Half of my heart's got a grip on the situation.
Half of my heart takes time
Half of my heart's got a right mind...
Half of my heart's got a good imagination, 
Half of my heart's got you.


And half of my heart is the part of a man
who's never truly loved anything. 


Then you come on crashing in like the realest thing. 


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Let the first be the last.

Later tonight, our block will be having our last official class for the first semester of AY 2010-2011. Coincidentally, our first class this semester is also the last, which makes the journey, I guess, complete. Full-circle, as they say.

To be happy about this simple triumph (finishing my first semester in law school alive and with most of my values and dignity intact), I fear, would/may jinx my grades. It may be a baseless fear for my grades are already low or not-so-great as they are. Jinx or no jinx. But then again, I take this time, my sweet time to be thankful to all the forces of nature, luck and faith that has brought me where I am--hours away from my last class.

Of course, I'm not counting out the fact/chance of me being butchered by my professor later tonight during recitation. But as it is, I'm happy at what I've accomplished--albeit inchoate, haha. The passing grades (regardless of how barely passing they are) I will be getting (hopefully), in all five of my subjects this semester, will make this happiness complete, and the relief genuine. 

Goodluck to me and all others who'll be taking final exams these coming weeks. May we all make it alive and  able next semester, and all the others after that! :)


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Death on a Sunday

death: painful and sad

avoid it, that's what we do

acceptance: have to




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Lawyered!: Do the Math

This series will cover topics involving the law, law school and everything in between told from the perspective of a frightened, enlightened, irritated, and engaged law student. :)

I scanned the weekened papers for a possible engaging topic/news that relates to law, and I can comment/react on squarely. Of course, I could've picked a number of news items since almost anything on the news are law-related, but I wouldn't do that concept/that news justice if I didn't pick it very wisely. So for this week, I pick... party-list representatives.

According to Mr. J Bondoc's article in The Philippine Star: "Pending in the Comelec is a petition of the only 11 sectoral parties that got more than 2 percent of the votes for party-list last May. They rightly contend that since they had met the basic requirement for party-list voting, then their three nominees each should be proclaimed congressmen. But the Comelec has shelved the petition. It will rule only after the special elections in November in three provinces where the balloting failed last time, affecting about 500,000 votes. So the House of Representatives will lack 11 members till then..... Last May only one party got 6 percent. The Comelec proclaimed its three nominees forthwith. Eleven others got more than 2 percent, and were given two seats each. Something odd followed. The Comelec proclaimed 16 other reps from parties that did not even get 1 or 2 percent. Penultimate of the 16 was Mikey Arroyo, of Ang Galing Pinoy. Incidentally, all the seven Comelec commissioners are appointees of Mikey’s mom, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo." (emphasis mine)

I guess the main issue here is: whether or not Ang Galing Pinoy and the 15 other party-list representatives who got less than 2% of votes are entitled to a seat each despite the existence of other party-list groups who got more than 2% of the votes but were only awarded 2 seats.

To clarify, I'm not claiming that I am an "expert" on this matter but if I tried to answer the question using what we had discussed in Constitutional Law 1, my answer would be this:

Let us revisit the Supreme Court's ruling regarding this matter in the case of Banat vs. COMELEC (2009). In Banat, the Court provided for the procedure of the allocation of party-list seats, as follows:

1. Compute the seats to be allocated to the party-list representatives, taking into consideration the requirement in Section 5(2) of Article VI of the Constitution. Thus, the number of seats available to legislative districts is divided by .80 and multiplied by .20 to get the number of seats available to party-list representatives.

2. Rank every party-list according to the number of votes they got in the elections, from highest to lowest. Divide the total number of votes of each party-list by the total number of votes cast for the party-list system. This is the percentage we will be basing from now on.

3. In the "first-round" of allocation of seats, allot one seat each to every party-list that garnered 2% or higher.

4. In the "second-round" of allocation, the percentage is multiplied by the remaining available seats (total seats minus the allocated seat in the first round). The whole integer of the said product corresponds to a party’s share in the remaining available seats. Assign one party-list seat to each of the parties next in rank until all available seats are completely distributed.

5. Finally, we apply the three-seat cap to determine the number of seats each qualified party-list candidate is entitled.

Using this formula, it is clear that it is legally/mathematically possible for Ang Galing Pinoy and the 15 others who got less than 2% of the party-list votes to be entitled to a seat each because the two-percent cap applies only in the first-round of allocation. If you get 2% or higher, you automatically get one seat in the House. You may be entitled to more but that depends on the computation in the second round. If, in the second round, you get an integer of 1.5 or 1.-something it will still be considered as one seat. Thus, the remaining seats after the second round are distibuted to the parties (according to rank, regardless of the 2% threshold) until everything has been allotted.

 

I hate to be mathematical when explaining the logic of things because: 1) it sounds impersonal and, to some extent, boring, and 2) I hate Math. But just like Marshall, who explains and proves his points using well-prepared graphs (see photo), I guess I have to get used to it. I find people accepting more readily one's explanation/s when it is supported by mathematical computations, statistics and empirical results as compared to an explanation backed by social theories, and socially-proven facts. Hmmm.  

 

Anyway, let us put this entry to an end with:

 

Lawyered!

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Lawyered!: The Law-down

Since I've been blogging--here and in my Multiply account--for about four years now, I guess it's time for me to bring structure to what I love doing. Yes, some may say structuring will make it boring but I promise to make it less so. Why structure? Because it's better and easier for the readers to look at entries in a perspective, in a sequence or in a category. My first experiment with structure in my blog was introducing the "Saturday Soliloquy" series, which was fun and informative but since I have Saturday classes and have reading a lot lately, I thought of introducing a new one.

Marshall + law school = Eagerness

Since I'm law school, for four months already--and possibly a lot more years to come, if I manage, hehe--I realize it is best to combine the things I love doing and will be doing... just because.

I named this series "Lawyered!" after my-favorite-lawyer-on-TV Marshall Eriksen's famous catchphrase in the show How I Met Your Mother. It's his version of Barney's "Legen-wait for it-dary!" This series will cover topics involving the law, law school and everything in between told from the perspective of a frightened, enlightened, irritated, and engaged law student. :)

So to start... let me answer the frequently asked question: Kamusta naman ang UP Law? (How is UP Law?)

My answer would simply be, UP Law is EPIC.

Extremely frightening. People weren't joking nor exaggerating when they said/warned me (and the two thousand-plus applicants to the 2009 LAE) that UP Law is out of the ordinary. It is home to the country's best lawyers, law students, and of course, the best professors. A "perfect" set-up for learning what is the law etc. Of course there is a catch. These professors, albeit being really good, pushes their students to learn more, and give better effort to become better lawyers, in a different way. Recitation, or recit as we fondly/dreadfully call it, never sounded this dreadful to me. Four months in, and I still hold my breath while the professor shuffles the recitation cards, picks out a card, and calls out the name of the "lucky" one, who will stand for recit for at least 10 or fifteen minutes. Usually, we stand to recite for a lot longer than that. But as early as now, I can say this, I learn better with fear. ;)

Profoundly enlightening. After all the shock and appall, and after one has gotten used to all that fear and dread, comes the better part--the learning. Being in the receiving end of the best law professors' lectures and discussions, I'm fortunate to be learning these things regarding the law and how to be better at it. Truly, my undergrad professor was right when he said, "other law schools teach you to pass the bar; UP Law teaches you how to become a lawyer."

Irritating. No matter how much I loved reading, and how better I am at speed reading, I've never read this much before. And sometimes, it is irritating. It is irritating/frustrating when you get called for recit and failed to answer your prof's questions despite reading the case/s inside out. It is irritating when you called to recite for that one case you failed to read. It is irritating when you've read everything but your prof, after answering his/her question, would accuse you of reading off/getting answers from someone else's digest. Whenever I'm irritated by law school's nuances and hang-ups, I think about the positives, and then I forget temporarily--but just enough time for me to disregard of the thought of leaving.

Completely engaging. Law and law school engages me in all aspects. It brings out my happiest, saddest, crappiest, and angriest emotions. It brings out the best, the worst and the mediocre in me. It brings out who I really am, what I want in/from life, what I value the most/the least, where I want to be at a certain time, what my goals are and how I plan to meet these goals.

Lawyered!



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Now, it's official: I'm bitter

I'm too depressed with the loss of Hugh Laurie and Neil Patrick Harris to react. Here are the winners of the 62nd Emmy Awards:


Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy — Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy — Modern Family

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy — Jane Lynch, Glee

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy — GLEE

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy — Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy — Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program — Top Chef

Outstanding Writing for a Drama — Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama — Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama — Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama — Brian Cranston, Breaking Bad

Outstanding Directing in a Drama — Dexter

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama — Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Outstanding Writing in Variety — 63rd Annual Tony Awards

Outstanding Variety Series — The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie — Julia Ormond, Temple Grandin

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie — David Strathairn, Temple Grandin

Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or Movie — You Don’t Know Jack

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie — Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or Movie — Temple Grandin

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie — Al Pacino, You Don’t Know Jack

Outstanding Miniseries — The Pacific

Outstanding Made for Television Movie — Temple Grandin

Outstanding Drama Series — Mad Men

Outstanding Comedy Series — Modern Family

Before Things Get More Bitter

Last year, I waited 'til the announcement of winners before I wrote my 61st Emmy blog entry, thinking that my favorites like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and House would win in their respective categories--but they didn't. It turned out to be an ampalaya entry, if you know what I mean.

Before the rest of the winners of this year's Emmys will be announced on the 29th of August (the winners in other categories have been announced; except for the "big" ones), here's my take on the nominees, and who I think should win--as if my opinion matters at all, and before this whole thing becomes moot and academic. Hehe

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) should outrightly win this thing this time. Please Emmys, Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) won over Sheldon last year, don't make the same mistake again this year. It would've been nice if Zachary Levi was nominated for Chuck but I guess the show's not that Emmy-worthy(?) yet. I predict that the year Chuck gets nominated will be the same year Zac Levi, Joshua Gomez or even Adam Baldwin will be nominated as well.

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

Since Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) was snubbed this year, I'm rooting for Tina Fey (30 Rock) who lost to Toni Collette (United States of Tara), who's not in this year's list, last year. Go Tina!

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

Hugh Laurie (House) lost last year to Cranston (Breaking Bad)--also a nominee this year--so I expect the Emmys to give this year's trophy to the much-deserving Laurie for the season premiere of House last season (Season 6), which I heard was what he submitted for judging.

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

I'm not familiar with any of the actresses nominated in this category, nor the shows they were nominated for. It's either I don't watch that much high-end drama or the ones I watch are snubbed or are not Emmy-worthy. Cases in point: The women of Desperate Housewives, a series which I decided to stop following religiously for the simple reason that I got bored somewhere along the way, and Lisa Edelstein of House. Maybe next year, Cuddy.

Outstanding comedy series

How could How I Met Your Mother not be nominated this year?! The doppelgangers were funny. The Playbook was funny. The SlapBet is still funny. And how could the guys at Emmys not find The Sexless Innkeeper skit not funny?!? Or the "not good enough" *plus whipping sound* by Marshall. Oh boy. This is the major snub of the year!

And for the third straight year, The Big Bang Theory is snubbed yet again. Okay, maybe I skipped on finishing the rest of Season 3 but hey, I just had to prioritize my time. The show is still funny--regardless if I'm watching it or not.

Chuck was also snubbed. Again, I predict that the year Chuck gets nominated, Zac Levi, Joshua Gomez or even Adam Baldwin will be nominated as well. So let's all wait for that. Season 4, maybe?

Considering these snubs, which breaks my heart beyond words, I vote for 30 Rock, since it has been winning the past couple of years--or maybe Glee, with its freshman luck, can snatch it.

Outstanding drama series

How could House not be nominated this year?! Is the Chase-killing-a-patient-which-leads-to-Cameron-leaving storyline not enough drama?! And really, LOST?! 'Nuff said. Seriously, is my taste completely the opposite of the Emmys? I predict--no, I wish for--a Dexter win. Just to spite perennial winner, Mad Men.

Oustanding supporting actor in a comedy series

Last year, Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) beat out HIMYM's Neil Patrick Harris, and I would think that this year it would just be downright absurd if NPH will lose to the same man for the second straight year. But Chris Colfer (Glee) is maybe--just maybe--headed for big upset this year. May the better man win. ;)

I'm sure Glee fans are raving about this nomination--maybe more than the Lea Michele nomination for Outstanding actress in a comedy or the Matthew Morrisson nomination for oustanding lead actor in a comedy--just because Colfer has greater chances of winning than Michele and Matthew.

Oustanding supporting actress in a comedy series

I predict Jane Lynch (Glee) winning this over everyone else, hands down. Sue is like the girl-Barney (only in a meaner, not too sex-driven way). They're both very effective "villains with good qualities" or "protagonists with off-beat qualities."

Oustanding supporting actor in a drama series

I guess I don't watch much drama except for House, and Wilson, Chase and Foreman and even Taub failed to make the cut. I wonder if Kutner would've had a better chance in getting nominated if he lived.

Oustanding supporting actress in a drama series

It turns out Burn Notice is a drama series! Sharon Gless for the win! No one can play Michael Westen's "cool" mom better than Gless.

So there you go. My predictions. But if I may add my own category...

Perennial Snub Award

One last thing though, in the list of this year's nominees and last year's, I wonder... where the hell is BONES? Yes, Chuck and The Big Bang Theory, equally great shows, were absent in the past two years and that's understandable considering they were on for four and three seasons, respectively, but Bones has been airing for five seasons already! Isn't that enough for a nomination? Or people at the Emmys are having a hard time classfying what the show is... is it a comedy, or is it drama? I'd go for drama though. Or Bones just don't have what it takes, which is complete B.S.

IT OBVIOUSLY HAS WHAT IT TAKES. They're just not looking hard enough. The Eric Millegan-Emily Deschanel (as Zack Addy and Dr. Temperance Brennan, respectively) scene in the Gormogon episode, which was also a season finale a season ago, was certainly worth something. Too bad it wasn't recognized, as with the other Bones episodes.

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Good thing, in the 32nd Daytime Emmy Awards, The Ellen DeGeneres Show won over last year's winner Rachael Ray for Outstanding entertainment talk show. Good. One win down, more to go. :)

Lucky 13th?

Fearless Forecast on
PBA's Fiesta Conference Finals 2010

To make this short and straight to the point (because I still have to read up on Bernas' Consti haha), I predict this Finals series to be won by the Aces if it goes the distance or by the Beermen if it only goes until five. The shorter the series, the more it will favor the Beermen. The longer it goes, the higher chances of Alaska snatching their 13th championship.

ACES in SEVEN

The Aces have the following factors going for them:

Character. This season alone, the Aces have won Game5 against crowd favorite Ginebra in the Quaterfinals and Game7 against league-leader Talk N' Text in the Semis. And they managed to do these amazing feats without Willier Miller in their roster. This goes to show what the team is made of. From LA Tenorio to Larry Fonacier to Jeffrey Cariaso to Reynel Hugnatan to Tony  Dela Cruz--these players are winners, and come clutch time they will surely step up to the plate to deliver the points and composure when it matters the most. It's not always about skill. It's all about heart.

Coach Tim Cone. Being the second winningest coach in PBA history (Baby Dalupan being the winningest) tells a lot about Tim Cone's reliable system. He has guided the Aces to a Grand Slam in the '90s with Abarrientos, Lastismosa and Cariaso. And this season, he managed to steer the Aces to the Finals despite the very worthy adversaries in Ginebra and Talk N Text, the absence of Miller and the presence of underrated players. He alone could spell the difference for the Aces.

Chemistry. Except for Cyrus Baguio and Diamon Simpson, most of the Aces have been playing together for around three years already. They have learned and mastered Coach Tim Cone's triangle offense, which, as we have seen in Phil Jackson's system with the Lakers, can be deadly. DeVance and Thoss have blossomed into the big men the team trained them to be--good passers, steady shooters and good post defenders. Along with Simpson, these big men remain to be key points in the Aces' traingle offense. 

Defense. I believe the Aces is the second best defensive team in the league this season--with Derby Ace ranking first. They play a very solid team defense that the Beermen obviously lack. As the basketball cliche goes, Offense wins games; defense wins championships. 

With all these said, the Aces still has weaknesses to work on/worry about. Fatigue may become a factor in a seven-game series. Alaska have been playing games non-stop since the quarterfinals. The stamina of the players, and even the coaches, will be put to the test as the series gets longer. Along with fatigue are the injuries. Two vital players in the Alaska rotation were injured in the Game7 win over TNT last Wednesday--Sonny Thoss stepped on someone's foot while Tony Dela Cruz got a elbow on the throat. If these players miss the entire series, the scales would certainly favor the Beermen, as the Aces obviously lack the deep bench SMB has. But knowing Coach Tim Cone and his system, he will find ways to remedy these weaknesses. I foresee Fonacier, Mark Borboran and Joe DeVance having break out games in the series.

BEERMEN in FIVE

Although I outrightly go for the Aces in this series, I foresee the possibility of the Beermen snatching the championship because of these factors:

Talent. Arguably, the Beermen is one of the most talented teams, if not the most talented, this season. With a prolific import in Gabe Freeman, who also played last Fiesta Conference, a steady bunch of veterans in Hontiveros, Racela, Siegle, Pena and Ildefonso, talented acquisitions in Santos, Cabagnot, Yeo and Miranda, the vast improvement of Washington, and a deep bench that boasts of Villanueva, Pennisi and Tugade (who could easily be a starter in another team), the Beermen look poised to win the championship. At least, on paper. If the Aces lax on defense, expect the Beermen to go on a scoring rampage.

Bench. As I have pointed out, the Beermen has a very deep bench. Just imagine Coach Siot Tanquincen having the luxury of pulling Danny Siegle and Lordy Tugade from the bench at any juncture in the game. Almost all of the players have had championship experience, too--albeit in different teams. Yeo and Miranda have won one with the Realtors. Hontiveros, Ildefonso, Siegle, Racela and Pena have won numerous titles with SMB.

I see two things the Beermen has to work on to improve their chances of winning the championship. First is team chemistry. Although, individually, the players are talented, basketball is still a team sport. It takes five players on court to make things work. The recent acquisitions of Cabagnot, Yeo, Miranda and Santos and evenTugade during the off-season may become a factor for the Beermen. Second is foul trouble. The Beermen, as I've seen in their past few games, have a penchant for getting into foul trouble very early in the game; or into penalty very early in the quarter. Freeman and Pena have to manage their fouls well considering how good ballhandlers/inside players Fonacier, Tenorio and DeVance are. 

And lastly, the Beermen needs to have the heart to go for the win. Yes, the players are all well-established in their own rights (I believe they have won most of the individual awards this Conference). Somehow Coach Siot has to find the proper motivation for the team to have the desire to win the championship.

As with any forecast, these predictions are not cast in stone. Some of them may be wrong, some may be right. But one thing I'm sure of is that this championship (PBA's 100th) will be wayyy more worth watching than last Conference's.

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sidenote:

Matchups to watch out for are:

LA Tenorio v. Olsen Racela/Alex Cabagnot/Jonas Villanueva/Dennis Miranda

Larry Fonacier v. Joseph Yeo

Gabe Freeman v. Diamon Simpson

Joe DeVance/Tony Dela Cruz v. Arwind Santos/Jay Washington

Failure on a Wednesday

After having a nice afternoon merienda/dinner with Janjan and Pau in MoMo at Eastwood, and almost two hours in public transpo trying to get home after buying the last copy (which was a little dirty) of Bernas' Consti 1 book in Recto (from Morayta I had to go to Sm North and take a taxi back to VLuna?! My public transpo skills are failing me. :/) I check my email and find out about the bad news. 

Ye-ahhh. (a la Barney)

In a nutshell (hahaha someone said this to me sarcastically a couple of days ago and I couldn't remember who! Is my memory is failing me as well? :/), after a series of tests, interviews and filling out a couple personal employee data sheets, I was turned down by the first company I ever applied for. Epic fail :/

But I couldn't say it entirely surprised me. I knew right after the interview that I wouldn't make it. Judging by the time the whole final interview took (which was surprisingly under twenty minutes), and how the interviewers kept reiterating the fact that law school was going to interfere with the supposed work schedule. 

But still... when something is told to you in black and white, although you see it coming, you still feel bad about it. I guess it has something to do with, in my case, failing at something--and then having that failure rubbed in my face by someone/something. Because no matter how hard I deny it, I am competitive. I like winning, and I give my best effort to get that victory. And in cases that I don't, it bums me. 

Ohwell. 

To be positive about it, at least I won't be put into a position where I will or might compromise my law studies, which is the most important thing to me right now. I guess I have to wait for that RTC gig (the most suitable job for me)--whenever that may be. :)

At least this didn't happen on a Saturday. Seeing Janjan and Pau--who had the juicest story of the day haha--almost made up for today's semi-epic fail. 

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Our Own Fiero

My father's newly restored Volkswagen car

When I was a kid, I used to dream of/plan to graduate from college and be a lawyer (thinking four years was enough for this) and have a car. For me, a car showed that the person who owned it was of fairly-okay status (in Filipino, mas nakakaangat sa buhay). 


A view that I shared with most Pinoys. A view that, I will not lie, I still maintain up to now. (I'm capitalist like this! haha)


So while I'm waiting for the free time to be able to learn how to drive, and for the job that will give me enough money for gas and repairs of the restored Volkswagen (see photo) my father promised to hand down to me come law school, I have to be content with experiencing fun and whatnots in others people's cars... in Janelle's car Cupcake in particular.


The Car
Janjan's car, Cupcake, is my most favorite car ever! 


The Driver
Back in fourth year college, Janelle, who I lovingly call 'Janjan', drove all the way to UP Manila (where I study) from UP Diliman (where she studies) to bring me, of all things, a "healthy breakfast." It was one of those random/crazy ideas we said aloud and laughed about but never expected to actually happen. What made it more special was that she had to overcome her apprehension of driving in the streets of Manila for that idea to happen. 


Since she had an exam in the afternoon of the same day, she had to leave as soon as I finished eating the breakfast. Out of the blue--maybe, the feeling of randomness was in the air, haha--I suggested to ride with her back to UP Diliman. I remember saying that the drive was too long to be made alone--as if she was the first person to make such drive alone. The drive was unexpectedly fun, and revealing. I got to see a different side--I admit, a side I liked--of Janelle, the driver side. Slow, careful and observant. Much like how she is in life, perhaps. And funny. All throughout the drive, she kept saying things I found completely hilarious. Like when she said that I'd ace the exam I was preparing for just because I was good at memorization. I berated her for weeks about that Freudian slip but it was all good. ;-)


The Seat
For me, contrary to what my friends Rich and Jecy said, the so-called 'place of honor' in the car is the passenger seat or 'the second frontseat.' As much as possible and as much as the circumstance permits it, I occupy that seat when in a car. I find it... empowering. And of course, seeing all the driving, in almost the same viewpoint as the driver's, makes me feel like the driver. 


The "Scenery"
There was one time when we were on our way to Technohub or Philcoa, I remember seeing flags along Commonwealth Ave., and commented, "Ano ba yan bakit may flag ng Mexico dito?" I'm not sure if it was Harold or Pauie, in the backseat, who informed me, "Sa Iglesia Ni Cristo 'yan hindi Mexico." It turned out they were celebrating their foundation anniversary, and Janjan and her family are members of INC. Dyahe. It was so embarrassing and funny at the same time. 


Another instance was, during one of my "UPD visits" before I took the LAE, Janjan, Pauie and I were driving around UP Campus, and we passed by this house on a corner, and I randomly said, "Diyan ako magdo-dorm." We just laughed at my comment then, because I was not-so confident in passing the exam and making it to UP Law. But now, after I successfully passed the LAE, when I pass by that house on the corner, I realize how Nostradamus-like that moment was. Making it one of the most epic car rides ever.


The Feeling
One of the most touching, if not sentimental, car ride we had was one of the more recent ones. After one of my UPD visits, she was about to drop me off at Philcoa, like always, when out of the blue--literally, out of her bag--she handed me this yellow Cirque du Soleil band she got for me when she went to Macau. She knew that my ICanServe awareness band had snapped, and thus provided a new one.  I didn't know she made a mental note that my favorite band had snapped and I couldn't get a replacement for it. To be honest, that CdS band was one of my most, if not the most, favorite pasalubong I got. :)


All these, and other stories and experiences happened--thanks to Cupcake.


If Marshall and the gang of How I Met Your Mother had the Fiero to define, maintain and deepen their friendships and relationships, Janelle, Pauie, and me (and sometimes Harold, too) have Cupcake.




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Hello, Death

I'm not good with goodbyes the same way I'm not good with hellos and first meetings.

When dealing with goodbyes--from the usual parting of ways after a class or the more emotional parting of ways for a long period of time--I either walk away without any hint or drama or I raise a hand in a semi-wave and utter a simple, "Bye." In moments when I'm feeling friendly I add, "Ingat"---but believe me those moments are rare.

Case 1. Saying goodbye to my all-time favorite teacher, my high school Algeb teacher Ms Ramos. With her, Math wasn't so confusing. I remember I sort of self-dedicated the song "Hands to Heaven" to her. We were too mushy that we exchanged hankies on her surprising (because she had to leave our school to teach in another school, mid-school year) last day in school, as if that was enough to keep our bond. Well maybe it was.
That was in third year.
Sadly, I was not able to maintain communication with her as much as I keep the hanky up to now. :/

Case 2. Saying goodbye to a dear friend. Our friendship, no matter how I hard I tried to keep it from sinking or whatever, was reduced to a goodbye hug in front of KFC-Taft/Faura at about 11pm. It was surreal, like in a movie. But the pain, the sadness, the regret was always as real as real can be. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Case 3. Saying goodbye to our decade-old dog, Lupin. I'm not much of a pet/animal person but I was saddened, more than I expected, when I found out that he was already dead when I came home after two weeks of not doing so because of the gazillion stuff I had to read for law school. And what makes it sadder was that I was unable to see him before he passed away, as if me seeing him would change the fact that he's dead now.

I guess all the sadness I have equated with saying goodbye, whether temporary or permanent, manifests in: 1) my choice not to look into dead people's caskets, and seeing their faces. I choose to remember people the liveliest way I can rather than their latest  "look" before they passed away; 2) my penchant to avoid hospitals--either being confined in one or visiting a loved one; 3) my constant efforts to avoid wakes and funerals, the last wake and funeral I attended wholeheartedly because I was really close to the deceased was my Tita's--and that was when I was around eight or nine years old; and 4) my super conscious effort to stay away from horror films. I vowed Kris Aquino's Feng Shui to be my last.

As the saying goes, The only things that are constant in this world are death and taxes. And since I have yet to become a taxpayer--I'm sort of not looking forward to that--I guess I have to learn to grapple or deal with death, or goodbyes, for it is here to stay.... even longer after I have left.



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