This week was my hell week.

I had three major exams, all of which were from the major bar subjects — so as expected, the mayhem kept me from sleeping the whole week long. My first major exam was from criminal law, where we were to pinpoint the elements of certain crimes, and make assessments as to what crimes have been committed and what-not (for example, consummated homicide, frustrated homicide, and attempted homicide).

The second exam that I took was a little more interesting for me, my political science undergraduate background notwithstanding. It was Constitutional Law, and we perused through several provisions in the Constitution and determined whether several governmental acts were unconstitutional or not. It felt good to assume the role of Supreme Court justices and strike down several acts which constituted Constitutional transgressions.

And then finally, my last exam was from Persons, a very interesting topic which deals with legal relations among people. This particular subject deals with how people ACTUALLY relate to each other, and how they OUGHT to deal with each other. It was a challenging exam, but at the end though, it was interesting just the same.

Naturally, after the entire week of being sleep deprived, I was the picture of trash personified. I had three pimples in my forehead area, I had dry skin, and my system zonked out all of a sudden. My brother, who is recently enamored with traditional sources for health and wellness, suggested that I try out dead sea minerals.

I was initially apprehensive at first because of the mental images that my mind had conjured at the mere mention of ‘dead sea’, but after much research though, I was able to find out that these minerals were actually proven to be quite helpful, and that they were sought after because of their awesome benefits. The dead sea, I also learned, is a rich repository of important elements and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, iodine, sulfur, potassium, and other stuff.

I just think it’s ironic that people refer to it as the ‘dead sea’, when clearly, it contains elements that enhance and nurture life. But in any case, I am seriously considering having these items, if only to make me better equipped to stand the pressure more, and sustain my fragile mind (and body) so it does not succumb to too much pressure and torment in the long run.

Le sigh.

Manong Ian, my eldest brother (and who is the only married child in the family as of now), recently gave me a private message that made me smile:

‘Brad’, he started the conversation, ‘ our wedding anniversary is coming up, and I can’t think of anything to give your Manang Can-Can’ (my sister-in-law). ‘What can you suggest?‘

A barrage of ideas came rushing into my mind at that instant. The first thing that I considered was for him to buy loose diamonds — because let’s admit it, no woman canNOT love diamonds. I even think that women are wired to appreciate the shimmer of diamonds, especially when given on special occasions.

These gifts, for me, are transcendental and they convey the profoundness of the emotions behind the act of gift-giving: because in my mind, a diamond gift encapsulates the inherent inexplicability of love. You cannot point a finger on what it means, but you feel enthralled by the breath-taking beauty of a fine diamond piece.

Wishing you many more happy years to come, brad!

Just yesterday, I had a life-changing realization: I shall no longer use papers for all my school stuff, because I will start storing all my important stuff now in my laptop.

I realized this was a much-needed move, because for the past couple of months that law school has enslaved me, I have been spewing out cash like a madman, because apparently, jurisprudence (or the documents that form part of the laws of the land) can only be had by means of photocopying. Cases that are to be read, mind you, typically consist of 50 to 200 pages.

Try computing [200 pages of paper] X [5 subjects that require around 10 to 20 cases in a week] X [.75 cents per page for photocpoying]. Naturally this would = to a poorer me. Hence, the need to invoke the internet’s awesomeness and just browse through internet sources for these jurisprudential documents.

The only down side to this great plan though is the need to make sure that my laptop is constantly in tip-top shape. For one, its battery is rather problematic nowadays. I was supposed to go to the local mall earlier today to look for a battery replacement, but I realized that it would be more practical and time-efficient for me to purchase batteries online. The internet has a plethora of choices that I can browse through, and more than that, I know I can get better deals for laptop batteries on the web.

Internet cases, here I come.

Although I admit that law school is unlike the relative ease of undergraduate life, I will not allow its suffocating environment to stop me from having fun.

Because my life for the past two months have been consistently taxing, and due to the fact that my social activities as of late have only taken place during Saturday nights, we (with my other classmates) have made it imperative upon ourselves to make Saturday nights our cheat nights from all the studying.

Here are some pictures of us letting loose and momentarily breaking free from the trappings of law life:

bryce, me and chix.

with angging.

with the mighty rollaine.

we are 407, and we shall conquer law school.

Looking back, one of the great motivations for why I wanted to become a lawyer, even when I was still in grade school, was my belief that the world operated on a duality of standards: there were the good people, and their nemesis existed to make their lives a living hell.

Back then, and you might not believe me, I was bent on becoming a good guy — because I felt like it was my duty to channel my talents and use it for something that would be noble and zealous. Law, even to my young mind back then, was the platform that would help me achieve my dream of making a difference — and even when my thoughts back then were as cliche as cliches can get, I did not care.

Fast forward 2011: I am now in law school, and several times in the past, I had already been broken to a lot of realities that have invalidated my idealistic musings.  I have now learned that, apart from being sustained by these noble yearnings, I need to think about the practicality of things.

Just the other night, a classmate invited us over to her house. Her dad, who is a lawyer, has a client base pretty much similar to what a raleigh commercial litigation lawyer has, and much to our awe and surprise, their house was a mansion. It had 3 floors, a centralized air-conditioning system, an entertainment room, and even a bar area where all the vintage wines were kept by her dad as part of his collection.

In an instant, one of my friends even said: It’s settled then — I will be a commercial litigation lawyer.

After she quipped her random blurb, all of us erupted in laughter. However, after the momentary period of banter was halted by serious musings, I suddenly asked myself:

Will I be in this for the money, or will I be in this for the furtherance of public good?

My sister (the nurse), who plans to join me in the new place where I will be staying for the next five years or so, told me that as of late, she needs me to accompany her to Colon, a conspicuous place at the heart of Cebu, because she intends to look for medical uniforms. Apparently, her old ones have become unusable, owing to their ‘old age’, I should say.

I was just surprised because upon reaching the place, there were all sorts of clothes that were for sale. Practically anything and everything that you need are in Colon, and mind you, they are at a much, much cheaper price. When we rummaged through their collection of uniforms, I was surprised to see a lot of choices that she was able to choose from — from variant colors, textiles, and what-not: Colon is definitely the best place for shopping at bargain prices.

In the end though, she settled for a blue scrub suit that costed only half of its original price, and with a huge grin pasted in her face, we marched off from Colon, unto our new place.

Law school is suffocating.

Suffocating in the most beautiful and profound sense. For the numerous months that I’ve been sedentary prior to enrolling in law school, I often questioned my abilities, my potential, and what my interests really were.

But now that I am immersed in a lot of cases, voluminous books, and jurisprudential texts, I have become certain that this is where I belong.

Don’t get me wrong — this is not arrogance, but just my sentiments about being in law school. Because for the longest time, I have not felt the sense of belongingness that I feel right now — and it warms my heart to know that after all my personal travails and paralyzing self-doubts, I still matter — or I hope I do.

Anyway, the only down side so far to being constantly engaged in reading is my compulsive eating. As of late, I have been stress eating, sometimes wolfing down four meals in a day, because apparently, constant brain use leads to bigger appetite.

As a matter of fact, when I checked my weight this morning, I was surprised to find out that I gained 8 pounds. Eight pounds in a matter of three weeks, can you believe that?

Anyway, I will just look for a diet pill that works because I don’t intend to stop studying just because of this small problem.

Wish me luck, friends!

My apologies for having been gone for so long, and for not having bid my momentary adieu before my words have dissipated from this repository.

If truth be told, my first few weeks in law school have been a blur. I do not recall anything significant that stood out from the entire thing, but I do remember feeling tired, excited, anxious, wary, at one point or another.

In just a span of two weeks, I have been taught that as much as we are led to believe in the absoluteness of relative truth, and that standards need to be governed by their connections with other standards that are equally-binding, we are governed by a system of laws — and that in this compacted world where everything has corresponding labels, consequences and repercussions, we need to concede to the need for a governing body, or a binding document, just so we can live within the confines of a humane and just society.

I have learned for example, that a Bronx medical malpractice lawyer is someone that you can go to if in case an operation goes bad, or that you can opt to file for civil damages, once your basic human rights have been transgressed. I have even read in a particular case, and much to my fascination, that a woman who has been lured to have sex with a married man, under the pretext of deceit, can collect for damages, because apparently, her virginity (as the case may apply) is a cherished possession that ought to be dealt with delicately and with much respect.

That, in a nutshell, has been my law school experience so far.

I am in for a ride, and I can’t help but get excited for the next few readings, cases, and cherished possessions still waiting to be uncovered.