A UP Moment

Toddlers were adorably staggering, trying to walk. Dogs happily barked. Bikers and joggers slowly passed by.

The sweet smell of grass in the air mixed with laughter and laid-back banter filled the atmosphere with relaxing energy.

It was sunday. I was sitting inside the Katipunan jeepney, waiting for it to fill up, and enjoying
the gleeful noise from the picnickers at the UP Sunken Garden.

Beside me were two students trying to sing the UP Naming Mahal. They have forgotten the lyrics and were resigned to humming the song.

I hummed along.

They looked at me and laughed.

I asked them if they wanted me to tell them the lyrics.

They said yes, please.

I sang the entire hymn. (I should know it by heart, since I've been in UP for a long long time!)

When I reached the last part "Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan",

the students sang with me and raised their arms.

They cheered and thanked me.

The other people in the jeep just looked at us curiously.

I smiled.

I still smile when I think that "UP" moment.


#

(Happy Centennial UP! hehe)

Sundae and Soul-soothing moments

I headed to Jollibee Katipunan after my class ended at 9:30 PM last Tuesday.

Katipunan was in a frenzied state. A bonfire with fireworks and a concert was being held in Ateneo in celebration of their Men's Basketball Team's victory against their rival La Salle in the UAAP Championship.

Cars were "double" double parked. Restaurants along the avenue were teeming with people. The next day was a holiday (Eid al Fitr) and people were in the mood to celebrate.

The heightened excitement all around me felt rough on my skin. The noise irritated my ears.
Cologne, sweat, and smog stuffed my nose. And there were just too many people wearing blue shirts.

I sighed. I was grumpy because I had a tiring day, with work and law 105 class. I was hungry.
I was missing some people.
I wanted to be part of the celebration, but I just really wanted to be alone.

The line at the counter was long. I welcomed this as I had time to think.

I decided to eat my favorite shanghai rolls, and I decided to love myself a little more and ordered a rocky road sundae with my meal.

I realize this may sound like a Jollibee ad. But Jollibee has always been my "default" food
when I don't feel like thinking or when I'm too tired to think of what to eat.
And the food there has been become my comfort food.

I felt warm all over as I took a bite of my shanghai roll and my steak. When I got to my sundae, I tuned out everything. I let the cool and smooth vanilla melt in my mouth. I smiled as I chewed on the brownies and nuts. I let my taste buds savor the chocolate syrup that sank at the bottom of the cup.

I was told later that the fireworks were launched at the time I was savoring my sundae moment.
(I can imagine everyone looking outside at the display while I was in my own little world.)
Yes, I would have loved to watch the fireworks display, but I am happy for my simple moment of enjoying a cup of sundae.
It wasn't glamorous or magnificent, but it quietly and gently soothed my soul.

Later, my friends invited me to catch up with them and watch the concert in Ateneo. I jokingly
declined saying "Magtiniguwang ko. Mang-haplas kog epikascent oil og matug na. Enjoy mo mga batan-on diha.
Pag-amping lang." (I'll just be an old lady, put on some efficascent oil and sleep.
You young ones enjoy there, just take care)

Of course I didn't sleep yet. My brother Ingko called, and we talked for a few minutes about random less serious stuff. I looked at some pictures. Laughed at my old written works. Wrote down my thoughts. Some people might say I was being "autistic", but I love simple quiet "me" times.

I woke up early the next day, watched the second episode of Heroes on my laptop*,

and stayed in bed listening to the rain**.

Ahhh. Thank God for sundaes and soul-soothing moments.

#


* thanks to zai. love you zai! you're my heroine? hehe
** of course, I got out of bed in the afternoon, and that's another story all together. I'll also write about that... :-)

Quotes from my Succession Class

I compiled funny quotes from our Succession class in UP Law
(i write them down with my notes).

Prof*: What is a will?
Student: It is an instrument sir.
Prof: Instrument? What do u mean instrument?
Student: A written instrument sir
Prof: Why, is there an oral instrument? That sounds obscene!

*Name hidden to protect the brilliant.

---

Prof: The judge who decided the first case is really stupid.
He must have studied in Ateneo Law.

The class gleefully laughs.

Prof (smiles): Of course, when I lectured at the Ateneo yesterday, I said the judge
must have studied in UP Law...
and they also laughed the way you did.

---

Prof: Your parents or ascendants are your compulsory heirs if you
don't have legitimate children.
(Points to a male student) You Mr.R, are you married?
Student: No sir.
Prof: Do you have children?
Student (laughs): No Sir.
Prof: Why do you laugh, is it not possible to have children even if you're not married?
Student: It's very possible sir.
Prof: Yes! Your gonads still work even if you're not married!

---

Prof (continues): in fact, right now you may have children you don't know about Mr. R.
Student: Sir, I make sure that that's not possible.

----

Prof: If you have more than one child, the legitime of the spouse is equal to one share of a
legitimate child.
Therefore, the more legitimate children a person has, the lesser his spouse's legitime
becomes.
This may be a good family planning tool. When the husband would want to do it,
the wife would say "Ayoko! My legitime will get lesser if we have more children!"

---

Prof checks attendance.
Prof: Wow. Everybody's here. It's the first time that the class is complete.
The first time! (smiles) I feel de-virginized!

Your Guidebook to Effective and Transparent National Budget Legislation

My brother, Atty. Dovic Tirol, co-authored a book Your Guidebook to Effective and Transparent National Budget Legislation, Philippine Setting.

I may be biased, but find it very useful and comprenhensive. It's easy to read and understand.
It shows the "real" setting of national budgeting. It also includes a backgrounder of the Philippine government structure.

Check it out. It's available at all National Bookstore branches.

Getting Into Law School

Disclaimer: I am just trying to help by writing about my experience and I do not claim to be an authority on this topic, for more information, please do click the links (highlighted) provided and/or contact other people at UP Law. ;-)

Part 1. The Application for Law Aptitude Exam (UP LAE)

The LAE is one of the requirements for admission to the U.P. College of Law (pls. click to see admission requirements). To apply for the LAE, you can download the application form from the College website (I just downloaded and printed when I applied), or you can get one at Malcolm Hall at UP Diliman. Requirements (like ID pix) and details about the LAE are in the application form.

For schoolyear 2008-2009, deadline for application is November 23, 2007 (I think). The Examination will be administered on Sunday, November 25, 2007, in U.P. Diliman, U.P. Cebu, U.P. Baguio and U.P. Davao.

TIP: When you submit your application, bring paste or stapler.

Part 2. The Exam

The LAE consists of objective tests and essay designed to measure certain abilities and skills necessary to succeed in the U.P. College of Law. The test subjects include Communication Skills, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, Critical Thinking, Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning (this is from the Information Bulletin).

When I took the LAE, I remember each section of the exam was timed and you cannot proceed or go back to the other sections (just like in UPCAT). There were a lot of abstract reasoning problems (where I didn't see any pattern at all), many problems on logic, a few math (algebra), and there were short articles and questions for reading comprehension. For the essay question, we were asked to comment on the equality in the law.

It would help if you review for the LAE by answering practice questions like: DEVIL is to LIVED as to 6323 is to? (click here for more questions like this). You can also go to a LAE review. I went to a one-day session conducted by a sorority, in order to have an idea how the exam will go (coz nobody wrote something like this in their blogs! hehehe). It was cheaper (400 pesos) than what most tutorial centers offer (around 8,000!). By the way, the word is review, not "study". I think you should not cram new concepts into your brain, because you may become confused. The thing is, you already what you know. If you don't know stuff by now, well... hehehe

TIPS:
1) Do not forget to sleep or get rest before the exam.
2) Eat something safe and familiar.
3) Relax! As I've said-- you already know what you know. And anyway, if you don't pass, it's not the end of the world, and you can take it again if you want to. ;-)
4) Bring an extra pencil. Just in case!
5) Bring a blank scratch paper. You may need that for the math problems and/or composing your thoughts for the essay.
6) Bring a jacket. The exam room can get very cold.

Part 3. The Interview

UP LAE results will be released after a month or two. I think the top 100 are automatically qualified to enroll. For the rest of us who didn't make it to the top 100, we went through a panel interview (usually done in April). In my case, there were four professors in my panel. You may have heard of horror stories about the interview, but don't worry, the stories may have been exaggerated. hehehe

If you have been to a job interview, or final interview for an organization, just prepare for it the way you prepared for that interview.
The questions vary. They may ask about your school, your course: why did you take it up/do you think it would help you?

They can ask about your grades (esp if they see you got low grades or something).
They can ask about your work. Your strengths and weaknesses.

They can ask you about your plans. Why go to law school/why do you want to be a lawyer? Why UP Law?

They may also ask you about your stand on issues. It would be wise to prepare a topic you can talk about/ debate on.

TIPS:
1) Go to the interview at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time.
2) Wear appropriate and comfortable clothes.
3) If you are told to wait, you can walk around a bit or talk to the other candidates to relax.
4) Relax. Be open and sincere. They just want to TEST YOU, to see if you can survive law school.

5) Also, be HONEST. But I've been told to never say "to be honest, or honestly". They would tell you that you haven't been honest about other things. ;-)

6) Be respectful. If the interviewers try to annoy you, don't lose your temper and your manners.
7) You can prepare yourself by listing down your strengths, weaknesses, plans, reasons, etc.
8) You can ask your friends to hold mock interviews.


GOOD LUCK! REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS!
(Hope to see you around Malcolm, IF I'll still be around next year. hehehe)

Justice for Cris

Photos by Boots Tirol
Indignation Rally
August 31, 2007
UP Diliman