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
