Concert

I love to sing, even if I am not sure if singing loves me.

I am looking forward to the day when I can get to sing with a microphone stand, kahit videoke lang.

Going to concerts is kind of expensive. The most I could spend on right now are with respect to my own concert in videoke joints. I have to pay so that someone would let me sing .. hehe ..

No matter how much I would love to go to a concert, there will always be constraints. First, of course, is the financial constraint. Hindi naman ganun kabarato ang tickets. Second is location.

The earliest concert I could remember going to was Gary V's Shout for Joy concert in Davao. Grade 6 ako nun and super naaliw ako. I think I was able to go to a concert of Pops and Kuh and maybe Martin when I was a bit younger. But I cannot remember it man gud. I was also able to go to another Gary V's Concert, in 2004 I think, with free tickets .. lingaw jud!

When I was working in Manila, I was thinking that I could get to watch more concerts (and not just yung simple shows). I really made sure I get to watch Lea and I was so fulfilled when my mom and I got to watch her in December 2004. Super happy!

When I already resigned from work, I decided to stay a bit longer in Manila just to catch Avril Lavigne. Admittedly, Avril's energy that night was not that high. But Simple Plan as the front act was superb. Nasulit na iyong ticket sa kanila pa lang.

Back in 2005, I was thinking of treating my siblings in attending an Alicia Keys concert. Pero ka-mahal man sa ticket intawon.

So, this year, when I read that Alicia Keys, Simple Plan and Avril were going to hold concerts in Manila, I was thinking that iba talaga pag nasa Manila .. hehe. Pero mabuti na rin siguro iyon kasi baka nabankrupt na ako if nandun ako .. hehe

I read that Alicia Keys's concert went great. Simple Plan was not able to fill-up Araneta but I read that people enjoyed it as well. Avril is going to have her concert on the 3rd of September.

Another concert that I looked forward to (kung nasa Manila ako) was the Eraserheads concert .. as in! I think I can say that I am part of the Eheads generation. I was sad that it was cut short due to Ely's condition. But I read that it was pretty awesome! As in it was moving and historical. I wish I was there.

Pero nandito ako eh. So, hanggang basa-basa na lang ng mga reviews and reactions to the concert while listening to their songs playing on my ITunes :)

Law School Life

My lessons learned for my more than 3 years in law school:

1. It is ok to lend your stuff to other people. But do keep in mind who borrows what. Try to keep a list to easily track whatever materials you have lent to other people so that it would be easier when the time comes that you have to use those stuff again. Of course, sorry na lang if you lost in touch with your borrower ... hehe. It is also ok to borrow stuff from other people. Just be sure to take care of it and return it. Pero pagbinigay sa iyo, ayos. Paying it forward would be good.

2. It is ok to give your materials as well if you feel na hindi mo na magagamit thereafter. However, exercise of this discretion must be with care kasi baka nga naman magamit mo pa in the future.

3. Try not to be absent in class and make notes. You never know what discussion you might have missed when you are not present. Of course, I cannot speak for those who feel the need to be absent to prepare for an exam. As to making notes, this may help for easy recall as well as keeping you awake in class .. hehe

4. Softcopies are better. While I am not saying that having your own laptop is a necessity, it will surely make law school life easier. If wala, eh di make use of what you pay and gamitin ang computer sa library. Softcopies are preferred for easy search. Looking for a case digest that seems familiar? Use Search function and you might find out that you already have a digest of that case. Having that "parang nabasa ko na jud iyang topic na iyan ba" moment? Use Ctrl-F in a document. Oh, di ba? No need to flip over all those pages of documents .. hehe

5. Keep hardcopies of materials as well as past exams. I prefer reading a hardcopy of notes then just using the search function when it comes to softcopies. Keep copies of your past exams as well because you might still use it (as we do in 4th year). Mahal na rin ang photocopy ngayon ... hehe

6. Organize your files - whether books, hard copies of documents as well as soft copies - every now and then. Mas madali ang buhay pag ganun rather than waiting na gabundok na ang materials before you decide to organize and set aside stuff that you think you will not use anymore.

7. Do not be complacent. Hindi dahil ok na ang first exam mo ay ok ka na. Hindi dahil ok ka nung first year sa subject na iyan ay ok ka na. Hindi dahil may materials ka na ay ok ka na. Exert extra effort and it will surely pay off.

8. Try to prepare your own materials - whether you rewrite, reorganize or restructure the concepts and ideas. You may do so if such will help you to better understand the subject. Each of us have a certain format (and font .. hehe) that suits us. So, why not?

9. Balance your interests. It is ok to take a break and relax every now and then, more especially after an exam. But it is also ok (and not alien) to read during breaks. Feel free to study individually and at your own pace. But it will not hurt to discuss with your dear classmates and exert group effort every now and then. While it is true that in the end, it is just about you passing the bar exam, you cannot escape the fact that all of you are in this together.

10. Enjoy law school! Let go of unnecessary worries, keep your focus and just do it!

Have a happy life :)

Busted!

I had fun watching Myth Busters tonight!

Milk is the best "cure" for spice - confirmed!

They tried everything from water, beer, tequila, toothpaste, petroleum jelly and wasabe. But nothing beats milk.

Elephants are afraid of mice - plausible!

You should have seen how the elephant in South Africa reacted when he saw the mice .. amazing fact!

Past is Past

We had our Public Officers and Public Corporations exam this morning.

I did not expect it to be that hard (for me that is). I cannot speak for everyone.

Before taking the exam, I felt that I was not that much prepared compared to the past 3 exams we had (char lang). I was not that prepared as to the past 3 exams but feel ko talaga may kulang when it came to Pub Corp .. tsk, tsk ...

I don't know why. I was hoping that this would be some sort of "pambira". Gi-easy easy ko lang ba? hmm ...

But going over the true and false and the essay questions, I am not so sure anymore.

While I do refer to past exams, I do so the night before the exam to test how much I know. I was not able to go through everything what I had on hand. The most important thing is you know the concept.

While waiting for my friend, I went through those past exams .. and guess what?

Two of the essay questions where indeed asked before (# 2 Ara and Manny and # 4 Lacson as DepEd Secretary). The thing is I think I got those two right and I was not able to read those past exams before I took the exam. As to the rest of the essay questions, hindi ko alam sang puno kunin ang answer .. hehe. So, same banana whether or not I was able to go over the past questions .. hehe ..

There were at least 20 true or false questions which had the same concept. Some I was able to go through the night before. Some were forgotten by me (normal).

Hay .. past is past .. move on na! Magbawi na sad ..

Grateful

... for mom being back after being out of town for more than a week

... for having crabs, prawns and shrimps from Surigao - sea-food diet!

... for keeping the faith in a person

... for such person being worth such trust

... for not being that tired

... for a hug received and given

... for spending time with people

.. for merely a scratch on the car

... for nice parking space

... for being okay :)

A Very Special Love

Nakapanood din!

A Very Special Thank You dahil ang daming nanood kaya tuloy naextend .. now, on its third week!

Definitely no regrets in watching this flick! It is one that will really make you feel good as well as make you sing .. either Kailan or A Very Special Love .. hehe :)

I admit that I am no big fan of the John Lloyd-Bea tandem. But I admit that I really had fun watching Close to You a few years back. John Lloyd was really funny in that film and makes you wish you had that kind of a friend .. hehe

Anyhow, I was able to watch bits of the Maalala episode featuring John Lloyd and Sarah. It was pretty much okay.

I confess (confess jud!) that I am quite a fan of John Lloyd and Sarah separately.
Admittedly, John Lloyd is super good looking and mukhang mabait. And he can pull off comedic stuff in ASAP and in his interviews. And kahit anong ipasuot sa kanya, hindi ako nababaduyan

Sarah, on the other hand, is quite talented. She is very simple and alam mo na walang arte sa buhay. Hindi lang siya birit nang birit. I love watching her numbers in ASAP. Add to the fact na parang may pagka-bubbly siya.

Before the Maalala episode, I don't think I had any idea that putting two of them in a movie would turn out quite fine.

And it did! This time around John Lloyd was not that funny person like in Close to You. But he played his character in A Very Special Love really quite well. Da best ka John Lloyd .. hehe! The storyline on why he is that "saputon" was very well laid out. Ayos!

Sarah did quite okay. Swak sa kanya yung mga funny scenes and funny lines.
Basta nalingaw jud ako!

-oOo-

I just noticed na built-in na jud di ai sa akin ang law school.

John Lloyd was telling his family background. I was thinking about the Family Code.

John Lloyd was telling his staff that the publishing house is about to close down. I was thinking Labor Standards.

Hehe ...

-oOo-

Anyhow, I just was quite elated when I heard John Lloyd saying that he was a work in progress. That has been my shout out a week ago in Friendster. Binalik ko ngayon kasi sinabi ni John Lloyd .. whattacoincidence!

-oOo-

I like the editorial that John Lloyd made for the magazine.

Unfortunately, hindi ko memorize and hindi ko mahanap sa internet. Toynk!

-oOo-

Medyo disturbing lang ang wig ni Sarah .. hehe

oOo-

Hmmm .. bili kaya kami ng DVD pagrelease .. haha!

-oOo-

Ah, basta .. the movie was indeed a pleasant surprise!

Nothing is impossible

The greatest thing is proving nothing is impossible.

So many people said it couldn't be done, but all it takes is an imagination.

That is something I have learned.

- Michael Phelps, 23

I have an imagination!

- Jazzie Sarona, 27

The X-Files : I Want To Believe

Assuming din iyong ticketera sa SM. Isip niya A Very Special Love ang panoorin namin .. hehe

Pinalampas ko na hindi makapanood ng A Very Special Love. Tanggap ko na iyon.

Pero hindi ko pwedeng palampasin na hindi mapanood ang X-Files. Ako pa? Anyone who knows me since high school is very much aware how much a fan I am of X-Files. I was ready to watch it by myself (my first in Davao City if ever) but I was blessed because Lyn was not yet able to watch it. And so, we enjoyed watching it together!

The first few notes of the X-Files theme was played .. I got thrilled! Haha!

Spoiler Alert!

It is definitely different from the first X-Files film. While alien and conspiracy was written all over the first one, the plot for the second was totally devoid of such stuff.

I was excited to see Mulder and Scully back again. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) may have aged but she is indeed prettier. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) really looks older .. maybe just to show how much a recluse he has been and that he does not look that old in person (haha .. defensive jud ko).

Lyn was right in saying that it was a prolonged single TV episode of the X-Files. It didn't have any great effects or superb sets or pulsating actions. It was X-Files the way it started on TV.

If you have been an avid fan of the X-Files, you may already have an inkling as to how things are going to be.

I already had an idea as to how the psychic is connected to the crime. There was an episode which had almost the same theme where the "psychic" was a girl who was previously kidnapped. She was muttering the same words of the abductor and was the key to finding a girl who was recently kidnapped. (Season 3: Episode 8 - Oubliette)

I was excited when Amanda Peet's character muttered psychics featured in the X-Files, especially Clyde Bruckman.

I was most especially excited when Scully ask as to who are the big guns she has to ask for help from. Guess who? Skinner! I was really thrilled seeing him again and I don't think he has aged that much .. hehe

It was also predictable (on my part that is) that Scully's research on stem cell would somehow be linked with the crime. Why would they show Scully printing all those research while letting us listen to Mulder's explanation as to the case?

And of course, a true X-phile would have guessed that there would be a cliffhanger in the end.

The never ending questions as to science balancing with faith in relation to paranormal is as always present.

All in all, the film was truly in the tradition of the X-Files. It was not a super blockbuster film but it was a film that pays tribute to a great series, of which I am truly proud to have been a part of.

If you are not an X-File fan, I think you would enjoy the film as well. But not as much as a true X-File fan would do .. hehe :)

PS: I missed watching a 5-second scene after the credits. I thought nothing like that would be shown. Oh well, after having no classes, getting excited, watching a movie, reminiscing a favorite TV series and hanging out friends, maybe, it would have been too much of a good thing and too blessed if I got to watch that scene ... (trying to rationalize .. hehe) .. anyhow, I will wait for it on TV or DVD perhaps ;)

Sunday Morning

I already slept at around 3 am and woke up at 7 am for our 9 am Crim exam.

The sleep I had was pretty good since I felt that I was really in deep slumber. Sino ba man ang hindi kapuyin sa lagay na to? Hehe ...

Anyhow, I felt good in the sense that the song "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5 was ringing in my head. It has that feel good tune for me.

"But things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do"

And yes, things got kind of crazy for me at school. The exam was held an hour late (but I was expecting this .. hehe).

No matter how much I try to memorize provisions before the exam, hindi na talaga ma-save sa brain ko, as evidenced by "my own words" in the fill in the blanks part. But I was still expecting this because my brain has limited capacity for memorizing the exact words (I think). But thanks to my classmates who try to quiz me as to the cases, I was able to cite some cases in the essay.

Ah, here comes the essay part. My mind goes blank on the first question. Next question please. Ai, blank uli. Tsk, tsk .. things are now getting crazy as I try to decipher what provisions to apply, what cases to cite and what words to write. Hahai .. buhay ...

After 3 hours of the exam and 7 snowbear candies (hehe), I am not sure of my answers. I was happy when I found out that I had similar answers with some of my classmates and the fact that I remember some stuff mentioned in our Crim 2 back in first year (some kinda effective jud di ai =P)

After listening to sir as to the answers, I was half-and-half ok (see .. I am crazy!) I missed the motion to quash, tsk tsk .. shame on me since I was able to pull off this kind of answer back in first year. If only sir would be lenient as to the deductions .. pwede ako makasurvive :)

Our Crim exam entails more effort than our Consti 2 exam. But this does not necessarily resonate a better grade over the other .. believe me .. I have been there, done that.

Getting home at almost 2 pm, I was really hungry. And I was so thankful that we have sinigang na hipon and grilled fish .. ai, kadami ko jud nakain! haha

Unfortunately, we were not able to watch "A Very Special Love" which I was really looking forward to watch. I don't know when and if I will still be able to watch it on the big screen :(

At the end of the day, I am back studying for our other subjects. Oh, well ...

See .. life indeed gets crazy!