07 October 2011

Ya Allah, why would you give me something that's not good for me (if indeed it's not good for me)?

Love,

Confused Me

At the End of the Day, All I Got is Myself.

About a few weeks ago, I had a dream that a certain guy (he doesn't exist in real life) was attempting to rape me. He was able to subdue me, holding my arms against my chest as forcefully as possible to forestall any form of resistance from me. As I struggled, I was looking at you, standing from a distance. I was tearfully pleading for you to help me. Oddly, you just stood there, watching me about to be ravaged by this beast. 

I struggled some more. Luckily, I was able to free myself from the clutches of my would-be-rapist. When I did, the first thing I did was--no, I didn't bombard the rapist with slaps and kicks--run to you and hit you in the face. I was angrily shouting, "You p****! How could you bear watch me get almost raped by that monster?!"

And then I woke up.

I thought then that it was just a bad dream. Never did it occur to me that it was premonitory of what was to happen last weekend.

I always thought of you as the best of all the best friends I have, that you would defend me whenever the need for it arises. I always thought of you as my protector. I always felt secure and safe whenever you're around. But not anymore.

Well, this is not the first time you watched me drown to save yourself. It's not surprising, really. But I'm going to make sure that this will be the last time. Because from now on, I'm going to look after myself. That's how it should be done.

I'm not bitter. What's happening does make me sad but it makes me feel more grateful...because it is a wake up call, a realization that, at the end of the day, all I have is myself to rely on. And I should start making myself stronger to face life's battles all on my own.

All these years, I've been too complacent about taking care of my own self. I'm not going to worry about that, you're there to take care of it for me. That's always been my mentality. But not anymore. It's about time that I become the woman I claim to be--INDEPENDENT, STRONG-WILLED and SELF-SUFFICIENT.

Thank you for the times that you did take care of me and for the times that you were there for me. Above all, thank you for just letting me drift away, alone in the midst of what's happening right now...because I'm re-learning how to be the woman I was before I met you--strong, independent and unafraid to be alone.

It Will Never be Easy.

Of course you're thinking that it's easy. God knows that it's not. Not at all. But it wasn't easy for me to be there either.  It was a difficult choice, this decision I made. At the end of the day, I had to choose a path that would lead me to a journey of growth -- as a person, in terms of my career, and in terms of charting my own destiny. 

I may appear selfish. But I'd been selfless during all those times, always doing the best I can to make you happy, to make you proud. Despite all of that, you never appreciated what I was trying to do for you. You never made me feel that my hard work was worth something. No, you never made me feel that you were proud of what I had accomplished. Never.

So I thought it was time to think of the things I want for myself and actualize them, to chase my dreams and try to attain happiness -- happiness that does not involve pleasing you.

Have I achieved those goals? Yes, I guess. Or maybe I'm halfway there. And the best part of it all is the peace of mind that ensued after I removed myself from such a suffocating environment. 

But has it been easy? No. It hasn't been. And it never will be. My mind still wanders to your direction at times. My heart does ache for you. But I have to keep going no matter how difficult things get for me in this journey. Because going back will not make things any easier for me...for you.

Yes, it Still Makes Me Cry

The void in my heart is still there even after all this time--that void that should have been filled with your love. And to this day, it still makes me break down into tears like a newborn child.

Marry Me, Ya Habibi.

Dear Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum,

It's very hard to recall your name but I don't care. You have a very beautiful face that's easier to remember. Please look for me and marry me. Soon.

Wassalam,

Nesrin

P.S. I wouldn't mind if I'd be the 2nd, 3rd or 5th wife. And I also wouldn't mind if you want me to give you 20 children. Anything for you, ya habibi.

Wake Me Up!

Today's one of those days when I don't feel like getting out of bed in the morning (but nevertheless have to because there's work to be done), when I dread facing the day, when I dread staying in the office the whole day, bored to death. 

Well, it's not just today that I've been getting this feeling. I've had it for several weeks now. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. I wish there's something exciting that would come my way, you know? I don't want my life and career to be so routinary and mechanical.

Please, ya Allah. Let something huge and exciting jolt me wide awake. 

Black and White

So yeah. I changed my layout and design. I've been obsessing over black-and-white themed photos lately, hence the change. What do you think? I'll really appreciate your thoughts.

:)

NBC

Just Sayin'.

There's no better source of migraine than having a spoiled, bratty, hard-headed younger sister who refuses to eat for vanity reasons.

Grow Up!

Allah knows in my heart that I want to help you. But I also want you to somehow realize that how you're being treated is not right. You are his wife, not his mistress. Why are you allowing yourself to be treated as the "other woman"? Don't you see yourself with any value? Don't you have any respect for yourself?

I've never been this frustrated in my life. I want to help you and tell you how I feel about your so-called marriage. But you get mad at me, at us every time we try to make you understand that the way you're being treated is not appropriate and fair. For God's sake, you are his wife! Why can't you stand up for yourself and demand your wifely rights? Better yet, why can't you see that he's a complete jerk and that you should leave him? If you have any respect for yourself, if you believe that you are worth something, if you still have any sense left in your head, then you would not permit yourself to be unnecessarily placed in this messy situation.

Allah knows that I want to help you. But you have to realize these things. And you have to face your own responsibilities with him. WITH HIM. Not with me, not with her, not with your best friend. Because he is supposed to be your fucking husband. You're supposed to be partners in life, as cheesy as that may sound. You have to be there for each other in every shit you go through. Marriage is not supposed to be the way you see it now. He leaves you with a burden and you expect others to stop living their lives to help you carry that burden. Yes, we want to be there for you and help you. But we are not the primary persons to do that for you. It should be your husband. Your sham husband.

Please grow up, please. We're so tired of dealing with your childish ways.

A Call to Reexamine the Exclusionary Rule

About two months ago, a friend of mine shared an article with me about Delaware pediatrician Earl Bradley. For the benefit of those who have no idea about who this Bradley guy is or what he did, well, he is a pedophile and sexual offender in the guise of a pediatrician. He sexually abused his child patients, some of whom were only months old (months old, for God's sake!) at the time of the commission of the offense against them. He videotaped his "sessions" with these children and one of the investigators of the case described the tapes as "one of the most violent and brutal attacks on a child of any age" that he had ever witnessed.

In one paragraph of the article, it was stated that Bradley's lawyers would convince the trial court to have the videotapes excluded, pursuant to the exclusionary rule, from being used as evidence for the prosecution as they were allegedly illegally seized. Again, for the benefit of those who are not too familiar with the concept of exclusionary rule, it is a legal principle which states that any evidence illegally seized or is procured through illegal search (which generally means that the seizure or search is not authorized by a lawfully secured search warrant, or that the search and seizure are attended by irregularities on the part of the law enforcement officers, or that the search and seizure are not effected under any of the established exceptions in which warrantless search and seizure are permitted by law) shall not be admissible in court. It simply means that any evidence obtained in such fashion shall not be considered by the court (or the jury, as the case may be) in determining an accused guilt (or in resolving a case of non-criminal nature.)

I may not have a personal stake in the case or I may not be the mother of one of the victims but upon reading that Bradley's lawyers would try to have the tapes excluded, I got a bit worried because insofar as the US is concerned, this rule is absolute, that is, any evidence illegally secured, no matter how strong and loud such evidence speaks of an accused's guilt or innocence, shall be entirely scrapped from the trial. If the trial court would grant the motion to exclude the tapes from the prosecution evidence, how else could this bastard's guilt be established? What happens now to the child victims? Should they be made to suffer and be eternally haunted by the sexual abuse they were subjected to at a time when they didn't even understand what sexual abuse actually is without being granted the justice they deserve just because of irregularities or errors that they had nothing to do with in the first place? (Thankfully, the trial court dismissed the defense lawyers' motion and convicted Bradley on 24 counts of rape, assault and sexual exploitation of a child in June 2011.)

It is in cases like this that the US and the Philippines (I disagree with the New York Times article's assertion that "The US is Alone in Rejecting All Evidence if Police Err". No, the US is not alone. The Philippines also adheres to an unqualified application of the exclusionary rule.) should revisit and reexamine this doctrine. To my mind, it is time that the rule be modified in such a way that criminals will no longer be allowed to avoid criminal penalty just because of  procedural or technical lapses on the part of the law enforcement authorities in seizing the evidence. Applying the rule in such a stringent manner indeed subverts the very essence of substantial justice and is tantamount to according more weight and significance to procedural rules and technicalities. Yes, the doctrine was carved out to protect people from arbitrary searches and seizures. But is this right to be free from capricious and malicious searches and seizures so important that it outweighs the victims' right to retribution and the state's duty to prosecute and punish the erring members of society?

A pedophile pediatrician sexually abuses and assaults his patients. He videotapes the acts. One of the tapes shows a two-year-old girl screaming in horror and trying to run away from this monster, who is angrily commanding her to perform oral sex on him. Another tape reveals the same man inappropriately touching a three-month-old boy's genitalia. Authorities discovers the crime. For fear that the pediatrician would destroy the tapes, the authorities confiscates them without a court-issued search warrant. The bastard is indicted on several counts of rape and sexual assault. His lawyer moves that the tapes be excluded from trial because they were illegally seized. The court, upon proper investigation, determines that the tapes were indeed taken without a search warrant. The court grants the motion. The prosecution has no other strong evidence other than the videotapes. The case goes to trial. The court rules that the prosecution failed to discharge the burden of proving the accused's guilt beyond reasonable doubt due to insufficiency of evidence and acquits the accused notwithstanding that, before the defense moved for the exclusion of the tapes, the court itself has viewed the contents of the tapes, showing the accused happily performing his beastly acts on the helpless children. Now tell me. Where is the justice in that?

The exclusionary rule may have sprung from the constitution, the fundamental law of a nation-state but that doesn't mean that its implementation should be too stringent and restrictive as to leave no room for disregarding it and setting it aside in highly meritorious cases. It must be borne in mind that, to borrow the wise declaration of St. Augstine of Hippo, an unjust law is no law at all.

NBC

Smells Like Frances Bean's Spirit

Have you guys seen Frances Bean Cobain's black and white portraits, taken by renowned photographer Hedi Slimane?

I remember my sister asking me how Kurt's and Courtney's offspring looked like and I replied, "She looks like a bean. Nothing like her beautiful parents. (Come on, Courtney Love was beautiful before she disfigured her face with too much plastic surgery!)" Days after that, I learned that the world wide web was going crazy over her photos. I checked them myself and damn is she gorgeous!!! I had to swallow back what I earlier said to my sister and agree with what everyone's saying--Frances Bean Cobain is the perfect combination of her parents' beautiful features. She's all grown-up. And did I already say she's gorgeous?

The above photos are my failed attempts to do my own version of the Hedi Slimane-shot photos. Please don't laugh at me. Thank you.

Attorney-at-Law SLASH Aimless Dreamer

If only I have a better camera, I'm quite certain the photos below would look more decent and enticing to look at. *hint hint to the Dear Lord*

Anyway, the photos below are some of the products of a "photo shoot" I did with my sister as model over the weekend.

Styling and Make-up: Yours truly

Dress: Red Herring

Feather earrings: Aldo

Headband: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

Dear Aldo, please don't sue me for using your trade name without authorization. 
I'm just obsessed with your shoes and accessories. 
And I dream of becoming a stylist for one of your future ad campaigns.

This ensemble screams SUMMER! Don't you think?

So, what say you? Do you think I can one day add stylist, make-up artist, fashion photographer and artistic director (lol) in my curriculum vitae aside from attorney-at-law? Sound off below!

Never be Strangers Again.

I was working on a pleading last weekend when I heard the guy being interviewed in a local talk show say, "When you haven't seen a loved one for a long time and then you see each other again, you have to rebuild your relationship and re-familiarize yourselves with each other as if you're strangers getting to know each other."

His statement certainly struck me. And it's because I'm going through the same stage with someone from my past.

When you finally meet someone you haven't seen for eons, you feel elated, of course. But it also feels strange. You know that it's the same person you've had in your life in the past but for some reason, he doesn't seem to be the person you've known him to be. You have memories of him but how you remember him doesn't seem to jive with how he is now before you. Time has definitely changed him. You remember him with a silly haircut. Now he's sporting a dyed K-Pop-inspired mane. You remember him talking in a certain , distinct way. Now he speaks differently. He's changed a lot and sometimes it makes you unsure if he's the same person that you knew a long time ago. That uncertainty is rendered more complicated by the fact that you know somewhere in your heart that he's the same person and that you want him to transform back to the way you remember him. Chubby. Sweet. Dorky. Mischievous. However you remember him. But then you realize that how he is right now is who he is. You can't change him back to how he was in your memories. You have to embrace the new him and start all over again. Rebuild your relationship. Re-familiarize yourselves with each other. And be content that somehow, you still find traces of the old him in the process.

I must admit that there are times I feel like I don't have the courage to accept the new him. I'm still too attached to the way he was, to how my memories of him portray him. But I always counter that illogical feeling by scolding and telling myself, "You should be happy that, after all these years, you got to see his face again."

Allah knows how happy I am. How much I've missed this person. And how much I love this person. I hope and pray that, in our lifetime, we will never ever be strangers again. Never again.

NBC

Facepainting, I Dearly Miss.

This is definitely my favorite make-up look that I've done on myself and my little sister. It's very colorful, obviously. It's cheery and summery. Personally, I think the look evokes happy emotions. It's almost like seeing the sun shining at its brightest amidst a blue, cloudless sky. OK, I'm going too far.

I miss playing with make-up. I don't have the luxury of time to do that anymore. For crying out loud, I don't even have the free time to rest in the truest sense of the word. Weekends mean differently for me now. I work on my cases and pleadings, only that I do so at home. I feel so guilty after indulging in a number of hours of sleep. I can't do something leisurely without being constantly haunted by the thought that I'm being irresponsible. I can't catch a movie without dates (representing deadlines) randomly popping out of the movie screen. Ugh.

Wait, what's this post about? Oh yes, make-up. I wish I could be a part-time make-up artist. I have tons of make-up. I got the tools. Perhaps, I got the skills too. Now all I need is time to fulfill that. 

So little time, so many things (I want) to do. Oh well.

NBC

Single-Lens Reflex, I Wish.

This photo was taken with a phone camera. I just used my brilliant photo-editing skills to make it look like it was captured with an SLR. Or so I would like to believe.

I want to have an SLR someday. Sometimes, I'm thinking, "If only I have a good camera, I can show people that I can be a stylist. A good stylist. And who knows, maybe the fashion world will embrace me as one of them."

Sigh. So much for dreaming. Now back to work.

NBC

That's What You Get for being Happy. And for Laughing Your Arse Off.

"Une, barasan ka dn,"   my mother would warn me every time she'd see me laughing like a crazy person on the street. Her warning can be loosely translated as "Stop laughing like a mental hospital patient. Otherwise, something bad is going to happen to you in exchange for the happiness/light moment you're indulging in right now." Okay, so that translation is a wee bit exaggerated but that's what it essentially means.


I don't think there's an English equivalent of the concept of baras. So let me explain it in the best way I can.


Baras is a "bad happening" that one gets into after a happy moment. Or as my mother would warn, after a lengthy laughing spree, if there's such a thing. It's rooted in the belief that happiness  will later on be replaced by, well, misery. It's rooted in the belief that when one laughs too much, he or she will end up crying later on. That baras is a superstitious belief--I have no idea. Because as much as I would like to believe that it is, it never fails to reach me. All the time. Like this morning.


I woke up feeling great. I wasn't sure why. Maybe because before I went to Sleepyland, I had an hour of stress-busting guffaw session with my best friend. Or it might be because I got eight (8) hours of sleep, coupled with the fact that I was able to finally write finis my pleading due on Thursday. (You must be wondering why I seem to be making a big deal out of getting full eight (8) hours of sleep. But you must understand that it's become a rarity for me since I started law school.) So I went to work feeling very positive about the day. I was thinking it's going to be a productive day at work. Then, minutes after I sat on my chair, my boss asked me about the pleading that was due that very day. I said I sent it already to the secretaries for formatting and to my senior lawyer for review. And then I was told that it was supposed to be brought up to the Chief for review! So that means I should have been done with it eight days before and should have elevated it to the Chief immediately!


God knows I had NO IDEA that comments to be filed with the Supreme Court are subject to the Chief's review. Had I known that, I would've worked faster on the case, even if it means compromising the quality of the pleading. I could have stayed focused and tried not to let my personal problems distract me a bit. *le sigh*


I wasn't scolded or anything (in all fairness to my boss, who's genuinely one of the nicest persons I've ever met in my entire life) but I just felt so bad about myself. How could I not know? Seriously, I was so tempted to do a Christopher Lao and indignantly say, "I should have been informed!" But of course, that's not the responsible way to handle the situation. After all, the case was delegated to me and thus should have been informed, err, should have inquired about the internal rules applicable to it. I felt so incompetent, unreliable and irresponsible. I CRIED. =(


Oway, biarasan ako. (Yes, I received baras [see above explanation] for laughing heartily the night before and for feeling positive about the day ahead.)


I'm not sure if it was just coincidence or baras. Either way, I'm reluctantly starting to believe that baras is indeed real and not just some superstitious belief that Maranaos hold. Maybe it's not superstition at all. Maybe it's really one of the unwritten universal laws that we witness taking place in reality but refuse to believe in because we just can't understand the philosophy behind it. I mean, why would we be punished for feeling happy? For laughing? Isn't that what the universe--or God--wants for us? To be happy and positive all the time, even amidst chaos and tragedy?

I may appear so backward-thinking but, yes, I'm starting to believe in baras. It's manifested itself to me several times already. This morning was just one of those several times. And it my sound stupid but I don't want to be happy anymore. Or laugh as much as I want  to and used to. I'd rather have a normal, boring, crappy day without having to expect an adverse consequence subsequently. Maybe when something or someone makes me happy, I'd change my mind about this. But for now, this is my stand. 


There, Universe. You can suck out all the happiness in me and happy days in my life. Just leave me alone. I hope you're happy.


NBC

She Visited Me Again Last Night

"I promise we will return," she tearfully told her mother. Her mother was in tears too. 

 

"Just think of the good things that we're learning from being independent. We can't be fed by you forever. I hope those are the things that you think of, the good things that we can learn outside of this shelter whenever you find yourself lamenting over our situation," she said before she left again.

 

Yes, I hope those are the things you think of when you remember us.

Dead Dreams

Modesty aside, I know in my heart that I can do a lot of things. I don't want to enumerate them lest I might appear too boastful and arrogant. But seriously. There are a lot of things that I can do but I really believe that I'm wasting these "gifts"/"skills" because I don't use them for my or my loved ones' benefit. It's not that I deliberately choose not to use them. I JUST DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THEM TO USE. Yeah, I'm that unlucky. *le sigh*

I really envy people who have found ways to put their talents and skills to good use. I envy people who have found ways to turn their passion or hobbies into, well, business. Serious business. They get to earn a living out of something that they enjoy doing every single day. *le sigh* I'm not saying I'm not enjoying my present work. It's just that sometimes I get burned out writing pleadings and thinking intellectually all the time. Arguing all the time. Analyzing all the time. Worrying about other people's problems (And take note, I don't even get to meet these people. They exist only in the records I read. I can only imagine how they look or appear.)

I'm a lawyer and I know some people think I wouldn't want anything more, career-wise. But no. I still dream of being a singer-songwriter. I still dream of putting up my own restaurant, with the menu consisting of my "invented" recipes. I still dream about being a make-up artist/stylist. I still dream of becoming a radio DJ or VJ or newscaster. If only I were as lucky as others. *le sigh*

Enough with the daydreaming. I have to get back to writing my pleading due on Thursday.

NBC

The Nonsensical Entry

I've had countless episodes when I would just lie wide awake in the middle of the night, staring (unconsciously) at a particular space with thoughts running around my head, almost like there's a stampede going on in there. It's beyond chaotic, really. I even couldn't recall later in the day what I'd been thinking about that made me stay up all night.

There are times too that I would log in here in an attempt to chronicle my thoughts. But I would always find myself staring at the blank space where I should be writing (or more appropriately, typing) my thoughts away. Nothing would come out. I'm not sure if it's because I'm losing my ability to remember things well. Or I realize that my thoughts earlier in the day are not worth blogging about. Or I'm starting to lose my ability to articulate my thoughts in the written form. Or I'm thinking too much that I get lost and don't know where to begin. Or I'm simply going crazy.

Please pray that my brain would come up with something worth blogging about...so those unsuspecting victims-readers (IF ANY, that is) won't have to be tortured by reading nonsensical entries from me. Yeah, like this one.

NBC

July 24, 2011

I can't think of a title more apropos than the one I'm giving this entry. That date, that day will always be memorable. It's definitely one of the best days of my life.

I can't really divulge the details but suffice it to say that I will always be grateful to the Almighty Allah for that day. I've waited for it to happen for like...forever. I waited too long that I thought it would never happen. I'd almost given up hope that I considered forgetting it entirely.

But then it happened. It just happened. So fast and very unexpectedly.

Indeed, everything that's worth waiting for happens at the right time...or more appropriately, in Allah's time. If it's His will, no one or nothing can stop it from happening. The universe will conspire. Everything will just fall into place. And before you know it, it's there, unraveling itself in front of you, so fast that you'll have no chance to absorb it or let it sink into your head that it's all real.

OK, I know I'm not making any sense right now but I guess it's because I'm still in shock (the good kind). I'm still reeling from it. And it's given me a reason to smile like silly everyday (even when my days have been crappy lately).

Shukran, ya Allah, for that day. Shukran for all the blessings. I love you so much.

Alhamdulillah Ya Allah!

While I was at the shower, I suddenly thought of how lucky my sisters and I have been and how Allah (SWT) has blessed us despite our situation. And how I don't often thank Him for that. Silly me.

So let me take this opportunity to thank Him for continuously looking after us and for providing for us.

Shukran ya Allah for giving me the strength and courage to survive in a jungle called "Bar Review and Bar Exams".

Shukran ya Allah for letting me pass the Bar Exams.

Shukran ya Allah for giving me a job that allows me to do something I enjoy. Shukran for surrounding me with kind and wonderful people at my workplace and for giving me a work space that's conducive to productivity.

Shukran ya Allah for providing for us. Shukran for the comfortable shelters where we are currently staying in.

Shukran for keeping us healthy.

Shukran for protecting us from harm and for keeping us safe all the time.

Shukran for giving us such big-hearted, kind, generous people for a family. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. =)

Shukran ya Allah for everything you have provided for. I profusely apologize for being oblivious about my religious duties at times. Please forgive me for sinning, wittingly or unwittingly.

Shukran ya Allah, shukran. I can't thank you enough for being so kind to us, for everything that You have blessed us with.

Love for the Duchess

When Kate Middleton and Prince William announced their engagement to the whole world, my reaction was something like this: She's going to be a princess and she's NOT THAT pretty?!

Okay, don't get me wrong. I wasn't hating because I was one of the millions of girls out there wishing  she were in Katie Kate's shoes.

I'm talking about them.

And I wasn't hating at all. It's just that I've been a devout fan of the late Princess Di (thanks to my Mom's obsession over her) and thus my brain's been wired to somehow think that all princess should look as beautiful and regal as this:

But last week, I was browsing through pictures of Kate M.'s during her visit to Canada and California with her husband and there's something in her that made me, uhm, love her a little. Okay, I confess. I love her now!

So what is it, you ask? 

Her sartorial choices. Specifically, her very CLASSY/IC, VINTAGE, CHIC, TASTEFUL yet MODERN sartorial choices. I know her clothes are not jaw-dropping, like fashion-forward jaw-dropping, but her style exudes elegance, class and refinement. I've always professed that I love classic, vintage and timeless style and fashion (and that's why I don't really like following fashion trends) so when I saw what she wore during her trip to the North, it didn't matter that she wasn't Princess-Diana-pretty. I now respect this woman.

Very chic and sophisticated. I'll look for a similar ensemble for work. :)

Keeping it casual and laid-back. Ooooh, very nice.

I love this gown that she wore to the BAFTA soiree in California. It's very simple yet elegant. And classy.

I love the lace details on the shoulder! I must find a similar dress!!!

I'm not a big fan of the maple-leaf inspired hat but I absolutely love the cream wrap-around dress. And her shell-shaped, tasseled gold clutch is just love!

Little Miss Sunshine! I love her yellow dress! I saw a similar one at a department store! I'll definitely get it next week! :)

Bloody lovely. :)

I've seen her wear several dove-gray dresses. It must be one of her favorite colors.

Oooooh, I saw a navy blue lace dress that's similar to this piece she's wearing! I'll get it next week too! Yay! (And BOO! to getting broke!)

This wasn't taken during their C & C trip but I just had to include this one. Too pretty for words.

Fierce!

Aaaaah. I love this green dress of hers. And on her. I must find a similar one.

I must say I am now a Kate-konvert. She's definitely in my list of fashion/style icons/idols. I can't wait to see what she'll be wearing next in her public appearances!

Who Should We Love

I think this is something we should have been told to look for in a guy instead of these: "Find someone from a prominent family." "Find someone who's rich." "Find someone who has the same lineage as you." "Find someone who's successful career-wise."

Love someone who loves you not only for who you are but also for who you are not.

Love someone who truly takes care of you, someone who goes out of his way to be there for you.

Love someone who treats you like a princess, like a queen even when he knows that you are not a real-life royalty.

Love someone who loves and respects his mother and sisters...because a man who has those for the women in his life will surely treat you the same way.

Love someone who is not only kind and respectful to you but to others as well.

Love someone who can make you laugh with the silliest of things.

Love someone whom you can wrestle and play tickles with.

Love someone who is simple, humble and down-to-earth.

Above all, love someone who sacrifices so much to be with you, someone who does something out of the ordinary to take care of you, love you, and be his wife.

Alright, I Confess: My IQ is Equal to My Shoe Size.

I was in the middle of drafting a pleading when I learned that there's this person--okay, he's not just some random person; he's my mother's cousin, that is, my uncle--spreading this unfounded theory that I am not a law graduate of University of Santo Tomas but of Far Eastern University; that my paternal relatives are exaggerating my academic achievements and; that I am not really as smart as I seem to be or as some people would like to impress upon others.

My initial reaction upon learning about this very factual and truthful assertion?

I laughed out loud. Yes, LOL.

I can't help but feel sorry for this person. He must be leading a very, very miserable life that he had to go to the extent of maligning and discrediting the accomplishments of his OWN relative. (BTW, let this be a notice to the whole world, to the cosmos that I am hereby severing my familial ties with this person and from now on, I am no longer associated or affiliated with this vermin in any way.)

First of all, I would like to make it clear that I don't owe anyone an explanation. I don't have to publicly show my credentials to prove that I rightfully earned them. Hell, I don't even have to prove anything to anyone. But because the rumor of my imbecility came from a[n] (erstwhile) relative and of the fact that in this country, silence is always taken to mean implied admission, I shall present to you  hereinbelow the truth as honestly, objectively and fairly as I can.

If you're interested, read on.

There is truth to Mr. Miserable's (we'll call him that for purposes of this entry) claim that I studied in FEU. That's true. But what I took up from there was my pre-law course (AB Political Science). I studied law at the Faculty of Civil Law, UST. Thus, the contention, or better yet, the LIE that I am not a law graduate of UST, that I am not a Thomasian lawyer is utterly a product of Mr. Miserable's misery, jealousy, insecurities and psychotic tendencies.

Assuming for the sake of argument that I were indeed a graduate of FEU Law, what is wrong with that? 

Let it be noted that I am not impugning Mr. Miserable's assertion that I am an FEU law graduate because I am ashamed of my alma mater. I am doing so simply because it is not true!

I have always been proud of being an alumna of FEU. I've always considered myself a Tamaraw, even while I was at UST. I am proud of FEU not just because I took up my undergraduate course there but because it's from there that I learned and earned what I needed to survive law school and eventually pass the bar exams. Whatever I achieved and am presently achieving academic- and career-wise, it is hugely because of how the FEU educational system has positively molded me, my learning and my character. So to Mr. Miserable, I'm very sorry but you can't bring me down by broadcasting to the whole nation that I am actually from FEU because I, in truth and in fact, am and I'm very, very proud of it.

So how do I prove to you that I did study law at UST? 

Well, I can present to you an array of evidence. But I'm not going to do that because I don't want to descend to your pitiful, grim world. It's miserable down there. Awww. I commiserate with you.

To those who want to get to the bottom of this, who are curious or who are simply nosy, visit www.ustlawreview.com. There, you will see that I served as Associate Case Law Editor, Articles and Jurisprudence Editor and, later on, Editor-in-Chief of the UST Law Review, the official law journal of the Faculty of Civil Law. I wrote three articles for the said legal journal. You can find it all in there. Now, if that isn't enough for you, I don't know what is...because, to borrow a line from President Obama,  "I would say that I can't spend all my time with my UST diploma plastered on my forehead."

As to the asseveration that my paternal relatives are exaggerating my academic and professional achievements, they plainly are not. They are just PROUD of me because, after all, that's how  NORMAL people should feel when someone they have blood and familial ties with achieve something as huge as passing the bar exams. To make things easier for you to understand, Mr. Miserable, what I'm in effect saying is that YOU ARE NOT NORMAL. You  are mentally challenged. You should see a psychologist/psychiatrist/therapist soon. May Allah help you get well.

Going to the final asseveration that I am NOT smart, I must confess it's true: I'm an imbecile. I'm dumb. I'm stupid. My IQ is equal to my shoe size (US/Canada) which is 10. Maybe that's why I graduated with a summa cum laude distinction. Maybe that's why I was a dean's lister in law school. Maybe that's why I passed the bar exams!

I am used to being a constant and/or favorite subject of speculations and rumors (I don't know why, I am by no means a celebrity) so this recent false accusations shouldn't bother me at all, right? But no. I am somehow disappointed not because of the stupid and unsupported allegations per se but because of the fact that the person who is spreading these things is, or should I say WAS, an uncle! It's dismaying that, in many instances, the people you expect to be proud of you are actually the ones who are determined to drag you down with them.

Oh well. I guess that's one ugly reality in this life that I must accept. I'll just pray for Mr. Miserable and others like him that God grant them more blessings than I have been receiving so they won't have to resort to fabricating stories to make their lives a wee bit interesting. And I pray that Mr. Miserable be saved from the fangs of KARMA because I know some people who got a good dose of its venom because of gossiping about innocent people. And by innocent, I mean those people who have not done anything wrong to these gossip- and rumormongers so as to justify the latter's schemes  and attempts to destroy the former. Ahem ahem. Don't be consumed by your insecurities and jealousy, Mr. Miserable. Everyone I know who allowed those to eat them up ended up more miserable than they've ever been. Be humble enough to admit and surrender to the fact that there are just others out there who are better than you. Like me. Haha. =)

I won't be surprised if the next rumor I hear about me is that I actually didn't pass the bar. Keep them coming because, with what you're doing, you're actually giving the Two-Headed Eagle more inspiration and motivation to soar even higher than she already is!

Spread love and peace, y'all.

NBC

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/obama-can-t-plaster-birth-certificate-on-forehead-48132&cp

 

When the Light Bulb Lights Up the Most

Most of the time, our brains come up with the best ideas when we're not forcing it to do so and/or when we're doing the simplest of tasks.

This morning, I had an epiphany of sorts--an idea for a strong argument in a tax case I'm presently handling came running across my cranium while I was cooking my baon for work at 2 AM. Brilliant. =)

One of Our Earlier Dates

Handwritten Entry 01

I Always Wonder

When will the Two-Headed Eagle take off, soar and conquer the skies?

Dresses, Shoes and Women are Mint to Be

Yesterday, I got my pay for the week. Yesterday also, I spent almost the entirety of that pay on shoes, dresses and really pretty blazers. Ahhhh, the dilemma of being a woman. I'll post pictures of my shameless purchases hopefully this coming weekend. Maybe then you'll see why I couldn't resist buying them. I'm actually now wearing one of the dresses, one of the blazers and one of pairs of shoes I bought last night for the Pilipinas Natin event later this afternoon. The event will be graced by President Noynoy himself. Hence my extra effort to dress up. :)

Speaking of dresses, I am currently obsessing over mint green dresses. I saw one at the SM Makati Department Store last April while I was looking for a dress to wear for the oath-taking ceremony but it's freakin' expensive. It's almost P6,000! But it's really, really pretty. I hope it's on sale by now. I can't wait to have it as an addition to my miserably empty closet.

Here are some photos of mint green dresses I found on the net. Aren't they beautiful? The color just looks very cool and calming in  the eyes.

I WANT. Nuff said.

Why not? :)

Freida Pinto looks very regal and ravishing in this mint green gown.

It's for kids, I know, but I think it'd be great if there would be a version for adults. :)

This is very lovely. I must have something similar to this in my closet.

Oooh, I want.

Incidentally, I don't see celebrities wearing this color that much. I think it's time this color become the new black. It's too pretty it deserves to be seen more on the red carpet...or in any ordinary lady's wardrobe.

What do you think? Sound off below!

Smooches,

NBC