One of the reasons why I am excited for this semester to start is the fact that we will be discussing higher law courses, and for this particular semester, we will be extensively dealing with marriage and its attendant issues, such as annulment and what-not.

I find this subject particularly engaging because most lawyers I know tell me that the cases to be read for this subject are generally interesting. For example, they discuss the grounds for annulment and other pertinent matters.

Start of rant.

Personally, I find it frustrating that there is no divorce in the Philippines, and this is largely attributable to the fact that this country is predominantly populated by Catholics.

But come to think of it, even the Vatican has legalized divorced — so why don’t we have it yet?

This question makes me jealous of a Boca Raton divorce attorney because at least in the United States, the government affords them the opportunity to end a marriage when it is in shambles.

In the Philippines, even when the marriage is no longer working and the estranged partners become miserable, the State still compels them to continue living together, because apparently, this is a state-protected union.

Personally, I understand this state concern, but the fact remains that societal values are never constant, and what was applicable to traditional mindsets in the 50′s may not be applicable to this newer and more liberal generation.

I am envious of the fact that in the States, couples who seek divorce can even go online to look for the best divorce lawyers who can help them with their predicament.

End of rant.

Anyway, now that I have let off the steam, I shall segue into lighter news. LOL. My youngest brother is going to the United States for his on-the-job (OJT) training. See, he will be finishing next year, and he is lucky to be enrolled in a university that has a linkage with business establishments in the Boca Raton area.

As a matter of fact, he has already read the Boca Raton Visitor Information from the state’s website.

I wish him the best, and I hope America treats him well!

I seriously cannot believe that the semestral break is over.

Bummer.

The only consolation that I have is the fact that I made the most (out) of my time during the break — I was literally in three islands in a span of three weeks.

I soaked up under the sun, danced the nights away with alcohol and friends, and just absorbed the breathtaking views of the different place that I’ve been to.

Anyway, now that school is back, I need to make sure that I adjust my body clock to be in sync with my schedule. You see, I suffer from insomnia, and sometimes, the stress takes its toll on my health.

If you’ve read my past posts, you must probably be aware by now that I am vain, and that my vanity is in its extreme variety. As a matter of fact, I used to have various skin care products during times when my zits would break out and I would look like a zombie from all the annoying pimples.

Anyway, wish me luck guys, and I hope I make it out alive when the semester ends.

I’m stoked.

A former classmate of mine decided to momentarily stop law schooling, because she decided to start up her own coffee business.

No, I am not happy that she has decided to stop going to law school — but I am excited about the fact that finally, I can crash in her coffee place and study my nights away.

She is also quite ecstatic about this new adventure, but she told me how taxing it is to find investors who can help her out with her business plan. I even advised her to look for an investment directory so she can have all the options available in her hands before she decides on an investor.

Investors, after all, are quite picky with how they dispense (of) their cash — but then again, they are also the reasons why businesses flourish. Because conversely, without them, any prospective business owner will have a hard time financing the day-to-day affairs of the establishment.

I cannot wait to see how her establishment will do. All I know is I have found a new place to study, and I can’t be any happier with how things turned out for the both of us. LOL.

As early as now, and even when classes have yet to formally start, I am already familiarizing myself with the law subjects that I need to take in the second semester.

Interestingly enough, we will be taking up a peculiar subject of law, aptly called torts and damages, and this sphere of jurisprudence deals with the awarding of damages to people who may have obtained injuries as a result of a particular action.

You see, in law, everything has to be laid down in explicit terms.

For example, certain conditions have to be met in order for an aggrieved person to be awarded a certain sum of money for damages.

However, given the finiteness of the human mind, and the fact that the scenarios for aggrievement are infinite, torts and damages is what gives people legal redress if in case the damages that they seek for are not contained within any existing law or statute.

A popular example would be Disney World Accidents. It is a given fact that Disneyland is a popular place where people generally go to for leisure and enjoyment. However, during instances when something untoward happens, such as accidents and what-not, not a lot of people know that they can seek the aid of lawyers for damages.

Surprisingly, they are also unaware that they can potentially get a considerable amount of cash if it has been proven that theme parks have been negligent and wanting in safety precautions.

However, you would need to prove that the establishment was negligent, that you sustained injuries, and that there is an undeniable link between both of these elements.

I am excited to learn more about this particular branch of law. As a matter of fact, I’ve been perusing through the course syllabus of higher law courses as early as now because, and you can’t judge me because of this, I am excited to progress further into the curriculum.

I know I can do this — and I know that in no time, I will become the lawyer that I have always wanted to become.

Back when I was younger, I used to get frustrated with time. I nurtured this belief that time was a drag, and that if I had it my way, I would make it run faster.

As a young boy, I always wished for Christmas, so much so that I hated December 26 so much — because it always meant another 365 days before Christmas can be celebrated again.

But at 27, I feel like time has suddenly rushed so fast. It seems as if it wastes by without me noticing it, or I am forced to notice it because it is already staring at me right in the face.

Right now, for example, the Christmas season is just around the corner, but I feel as though it was only last week when I celebrated the Christmas holiday with my family.

As a matter of fact, as early as now, I am already thinking of what to give my mother for Christmas. Although I know that I can choose from among a million christmas gifts for her, I am stressing myself this early because I know that once school devours me again this November, I will easily lose track of time and (if worse comes to worst) I my forget to get my mom something.

It is truly true when older people say that life is a breeze that you need to experience as it fleets by you. I am only sensing the truthfulness of this reality now, but I think the more important realization here is knowing that our lives are defined by moments, not just years.

Hello friends!

I deeply apologize for the long hiatus, because it’s just been a flurry of events really — and to be quite honest, I was quite overwhelmed by all the things that have kept me preoccupied for the past few weeks or so.

As a matter of fact (and just to give you an idea of what I’ve been recently up to), I’ve been to Manila, Cebu, Cagayan, Bohol and Dumaguete for the past two weeks, and you can only imagine all the accumulated stress that I have right now.

But if truth be told as well, nothing also compares to the kind of fun that I had when I was hopping from one island to another. I shall chronicle all the things that I did in subsequent posts — but for starters, I was pleasantly surprised to have seen so many changes when I went home to Dumaguete.

For example, I was quite surprised to have seen a brand new Montero parked in our driveway at home. I initially thought it was my parents’, but they later on told me that this was my eldest brother’s and sister-in-law’s brand new automobile.

It was a pretty slick car, and I particularly liked the contours that it had on its rear and back areas. I gathered later on that it even had a rzr power steering feature, so I was all the more interested with it.

Perhaps soon, when I can fully recoup and recollect my words back, I will write about each particular destination that I’ve been to. The past few weeks have been hectic, but the rush made me realize how much I thrive in chaos.

Truly, this was a much-needed breather from the monotony of having to live and breathe law books for the past five months.

For the past few days, because it’s been raining nonstop and I have no other choice but to stay at home and curl up in bed, I’ve been indulging in one of my guilty pleasures: How I Met Your Mother marathons.

I really like HIMYM’s brand of humor, plus it doesn’t hurt that its central theme revolves around five great friends who  have different life stories, but are nonetheless united by their pursuit of love.

Ted is my personal favorite from among all of them, because I can relate with him on some levels — he’s a dork (sometimes I am), he’s a hopeless romantic (at least I used to be), and he’s just a laidback kind of guy (okay, I’m just lazy, but still).

For HIMYM fans out there, I’m sure you’re pretty familiar with “The Captain”, or the husband of Chloe, who I thought would turn out to be Ted’s wife. But surprise, surprise, she isn’t the Mother of the future. As it turns out, she was just one of Ted’s girlfriends — but still, I do think they’d make a good couple.

The episode where The Captain invited Ted to go sailing with him was particularly funny. Just imagine this: being alone with the husband of the love of your life, he has anger management issues, help is nowhere in sight, and he is bent on killing anyone who would take away his wife. LOL.

But if it’s any consolation, I think it was cool the way The Captain easily unloaded some of his stuff while he was in the Marina. He had beer in the middle of the sea, and sans the threatening attitude, I getting hammered in the middle of nowhere is one great idea.

Perhaps, he had a davit that made it easy for him to load and unload stuff while he was on his boat. I was actually curious as to how people manage to get their stuff while in the high seas. As a matter of fact, I even looked up a davit video to know how these things work.

Anyway, I am excited about finishing the rest of the episodes. Life couldn’t get any better than this!

I will let you in on a secret: back then, I did not care where my life was headed to.

I know it sounds so juvenile, but back then, I was totally enamored by the Epicurean mantra of eating, drinking and being merry, for tomorrow I may die.

Of course, this was several years back — and now that I am nearing my 30′s, I regret my malignant lack of discernment back then.

But, as with all things in life, it is never too late to realign and reacquire control of your life, for so long as your heart is in its rightful place.

These days, even when I am constantly hard-pressed for time, and my study load is inhumanely demanding, I am still thankful — because I know that I am on the path towards redemption.

During moments when my mind would be paralyzed by pensive musings, I often wonder how I will eventually turn out in the future: will I be a good lawyer? Will I live long enough to see my country progress? Will I be someone who will be of great service to the country someday? Will I be the first politician from our family?

These musings never fail to amuse me — but as early as now, there is one thing that I am certain about: that I will have the best time when I get old.

I’ve observed that a handful of the old people that I know today tend to get grumpy as they age. And it’s a no-brainer why they act they do really, because I’ve observed that even when they are nearing their 60′s or 70′s, they still opt to slug it out in the workforce and compete with their younger counterparts.

No siree, that ain’t working for me.

I plan to enjoy once I retire from the rigors of working. As a matter of fact, as early as now, I am already scouting for the best senior living residences that I can be in after I retire. Kidding, of course! I am way too young for that. LOL

But just for fun, I actually did some research about these facilities, and I was surprised to find out that there are a lot of institutions that cater to these needs of elderly Americans. One interesting tidbit that I particularly liked was from Palm Beach Gardens information.

Anyway, enough with this bizarre ‘old person’ speak.

In other news, I am super stoked! The end of the semester is just around the corner, and I can now taste the liberating sweetness of freedom, albeit momentary, from thick books and endless studying.

I can’t wait!

As of late, I have been listening to old songs.

No, this is not an act of protest to most of the musical clutter that people brandish as music nowadays — but I just like to revisit my penchant for old music, because deep inside, I know that I am an old soul.

It all started when a friend browsed through my MP3 collection, and seeing that my collection consisted of old and modern music, he asked for a copy of my more ‘vintage’ collections.

My playlist of The Beatles original songs was the first to be imported.

You see, my friend is a Beatles junkie, and he knows all their songs by heart. As a matter of fact, he claimed that there came a point in his life when he tried to pattern his life decisions with the lessons that were imparted from the Beatles’ songs.

Right after I burned him a copy of my Beatles collection, I nonchalantly populated my Winamp playlist with their songs, and for the fleeting moment that I was suspended in the magnificence of their music, I suddenly remembered why I am fascinated, no, enamored, with this band.

The one that thing that differentiates The Beatles from other bands is the effect that their songs have o the listener. No, I don’t mean to say that their songs are didactic and preachy — to the contrary, their songs make you question certain truths that society construes to be objectively truthful and absolute.

Unlike other musical artists whose influence ends when the music stops, theirs lingers even after you’ve stopped listening to ‘Let It Be’ or “While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. In a sense, their music leaves you overwhelmed, and more often than not, they leave you with that inexplicable feeling of euphoria mixed with beautiful sadness.

Truly, nothing compares to the oldies but goodies music that tugs at the heartstrings and delicately touches our most profound emotions.

Part of my heart feels jealous.

Apparently, we will be having a family reunion in Los Angeles next week, and my Mom told me that a lot of our relatives have signified their intention of joining the reunion.

See, almost all of my (maternal) relatives have immigrated to the States, and since I’m a sucker for family affairs, I am one sore loser because I cannot be there to exchange pleasantries with long, lost cousins and reminisce about the old but beautiful days of our childhood.

It’s a good thing though that my Aunt Norma, who will be hosting the gathering, will hire Photo Booth Rental Los Angeles, so we can at least catch a glimpse of how their lives have been on that side of the world. I know I will have a lot of fun looking at their pictures once the pictures will have been uploaded, and my only consolation against bitterness is the fact that Facebook makes the world smaller, and with just a click of a button, I can ‘like’ and ‘unlike’ pictures that I like and unlike, respectively. LOL.

I have not personally been to Los Angeles, and the things that I know about the place is mainly culled from my (sporadic) readings of the Los Angeles Times. Of course, I know that Los Angeles is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the US, and next week, it is about to get better because all my relatives will be there.

Anyway, there is nothing that can be achieved if I just wallow in jealousy over my absence in the family reunion, so I will just drown myself with law books and feel-good music in the next couple of days.

(Drastic seque alert)

The semester is about to end, and I only have a month left to slug it out with law school before the first semester ends. I am so stoked to finally see that I have made it out alive in my first semester in law school.

All these things have made me realize that in just a whiff of a moment, time flies so fast like that.