DAYEdalera

I am so silent, I realized.

Can't make good of my promise to blog everyday. Hay.

Busynezz strikes.

I've always wanted to become a teacher. I remember I usually grab the teacher role during my childhood years. My mom was really a powerful influence.

A year after I graduated from college, Dr. D invited me to join the College of Economics, Finance and Politics (CEFP) Faculty of my alma mater (PUP). I never hesitated. I humbly and happily answered his invitation with "when will the dean interview me?"

I am fortunate I was accepted to the faculty. I started teaching at age 20, the youngest faculty member. Many former professors showed their happiness that I will be joining the league and there are a few who insisted that I am too young (or should I say few have doubted my qualifications).

I thought then that teaching was like the way I used to do it in "aral-aralan" (play school). But when my shoes stepped into W-219 to attend my first class of Political Science-International Relations, I realized I'm having stage fright, knees shaking..OMG! as well as my voice. I immediately dismissed the class and gave them their first assignment. Anyway, one philosopher said "teaching is 10% preparation and 90% theater".

Teaching is a very noble profession. You give more than what you are expecting to receive.

Teaching is not a lucrative profession. You get paid per hour but you work thrice those hours you are being paid. Actually, you are being paid for the time you are inside the classroom but teaching works are done before (lesson plan, curriculum, powerpoint presentations, research, etc.) and after (checking of testpapers, computation of grades, etc.) you enter the classroom.

I miss teaching. I miss my students. I miss what I learned from teaching. Can't wait for the second semester.

Labels: CEFP, PUP, teaching

Indeed, time flies...Early Sunday we received a visit from my nephew and nieces, Jerome, Jana & Janedie. They are adorable.

I remember, I am only in the fourth grade when I became Jerome's godmother. That time I thought it was in the concept of 'fairy tales' that godparents would give gifts and the duty is over. Now, as I talk to Jerome, he told me he wants to become a doctor someday and as much as I know that med school is really expensive I felt the urge to be a millionaire someday just to be able to help relatives to finish school. Hmmm, that would be paying forward our tita Sonn's and other relatives who helped our two doctors and me to finish postgrad schooling.

The responsibility now is to help send the youngsters of the clan to schooling as well with fervent hopes that they will study hard as much as we did.

Time flies... I am getting older.

Kuya Tops once told me, "stay sweet and dangerous". Those kind words are to be expected from a friend whom by force, threat, duress, stealth and intimidation I managed to compel to give me a friendster testimonial. I cannot interpret the words from his point of view but I know those were sweet "pambobola" from a friend.

Until today, that a person whose pride cannot be compromised said "SORRY." Bwahaha.

Am I that dangerous? :)

How would you throw away such a very harsh statement? :P

"Stop acting like a jealous boyfriend! you're not..."

After the bar exam, I am expecting happier weekends.

DVD Marathon. Movies. Shopping. Salon. Spa. Videoke & Bar (the happier kind where beer and bands rock!). Sleep. Dates (lagot kay Dad!). Beach, Sun and Sand.

Out of the above plans, I managed to do partial DVD marathon, I wasn't able to finish Grey's Season 3 even. I've been to two (2) comedy bars with friends, the first is a commitment, the second time is to support a fund-raising activity of KALIPI. The rest remained in my "deferred list of activities".

I only had one week vacation from the bar exam. Although the Boss is kind enough to offer me another fifteen (15) days, I have no face to give in to the offer. The Boss is the person whose kindness I cannot abuse. So, after a short recovery period from shock, bar trauma and disorientation I tried to regain my old life..the life of a harrassed and not so well p@!d government employee who has no right to go on strike. (haha!)

Two hours after I warmed my seat at the office, the Boss gave me an assignment. It was an inherited task from one of our lawyers in the office. Guess what? The assignment is to make digests of significant cases in Political law covering years 2006-2007. That sounds easy, but in the Philippines where political law jurisprudence is very rich due to certain political and Constitutional issues prompted by our politician's corruption and attempt to make a mockery of public service, making digests of Political law cases is really burdensome. Moreover, the task was very much like reviewing again for the bar (Waaahhhhhh!).
The task is due end of October, so I have a little luxury of time.I planned to finish the 100 or so cases, 25 cases each week, 5 cases per day.

So my dream of happier weekends is still possible.Until, the Boss received an invitation to lecture on the new Rule on the Writ of Amparo for military officers and on a later date to municipal court judges. When I saw the invitation in his desk last Thursday, I had the most fearing hunch that there will be no happier weekend waiting for me.Like a fortune teller, my hunch turned to reality. After the Boss read the invitation, with no second thought, he called "daye!". I know I am the only person not so busy yet in the office because all others has pending work and I just returned from months of leave in the office, so who am I to oppose?

It was Thursday afternoon when the Boss confirmed the Amparo work is mine and the deadline is the following Monday.So indeed, all my plans for the weekend turned out to be an appointment with the laptop and bundles of papers and research.

Although, being one of those persons who has read the new Rule on the Writ of Amparo, the substantive and procedural aspects, historical background and development, I can say IT WAS FULFILLING and the awe I saw when the Boss have seen my powerpoint presentation and his kind words of appreciation is PRICELESS.

Anyway, I can look forward to better happier weekends. :)

***
I am supposed to post and publish my work on the New Rule on the Writ of Amparo so that I can humbly contribute to those who are making legal research on the subject, but that would preempt the lecture of the Boss on October 11. So in any case, if someone is interested, I can e-mail the primer just let me know. (wink*)

Labels: weekend work, writ of amparo

I started having nightmares about the bar exam after my disastrous exam in Taxation. Probably I was thinking too much that I might have a disualifying grade on that subject.The nightmare goes like:

I am at the Supreme Court (our office:OAJNachura), the Boss entered his chambers and called me. I am shaking because I know the en banc deliberated on the bar exam results earlier that moring. I approached the Boss humbly and asked him "Justice, how many of the 6,000+ examinees passed?". He never answered my question. He told me to approach the Bar Confidant (a fellow townmate of the Boss from Catbalogan, Samar) and get the result of my exam.

I ran down through the stairs near the elevator and proceeded to the Office of the Bar Confidant (OBC), I saw the BC and introduced myself. She gave me a payslip like paper and I saw clearly the result of my exam. Political Law : 78, Labor Law: 82, Civil Law : 79, Taxation : 59. I immediately transferred eyes on the remarks column and it stated there "DISQUALIFIED". I went outside the OBC and met few law school friends smoking. I told them the result of my tax and...I woke up.

The second nightmare came a week after the bar exam:

I am at the examination room, together with the 2k7 bar examinees, the headproctor is Atty. I, our chief of staff. Ironic because I know her but she doesn't recognized that we both came from OAJN. BE's will be taking a second Remedial law exam. Surprising because the examination questions was the very same we took in the first REM exam. The headproctor distributed two sets of booklets. The first is where we will write down our answers and the second set was the corrected first REM exam. I notice my grade: It was 90 (Hopefully, I can really get this much in reality!). One of the BE's asked the headproctor why we are taking the same exam, Atty. I answered: "J.C. (the suspected examiner) wanted to know if you already have learned from your mistakes in the first exam). I opened my first Rem exam booklet and I saw a marginal note: your mistake is Mandamus, it will lie for violation of the rt. to speedy trial. I am surprised, the examiner deducted 10% for that mistake and gave me full credit for all my correct answers which is 90%.

There were beds at the corner of the examination room. I am so tired that when I saw my friend Glad, I sat beside her then we talked about our mistakes in the first rem exam. Atty. I called our attention and... I woke up, it's already 5:30 a.m. time to wake up for my office comeback!

The third nightmare was last night. It goes like:

I walk through the dark alley of the SC's skywalk to proceed to the grounds of the SC New Building. It was the BIG DAY: Bar Results are posted in the board at the grounds. I saw the GT cheering up for those who passed. I checked the postings on the last board near the SC's gate. I am expecting my name there because my surname started with among the latest letters from the alphabet. I saw TOLENTINO, many of them but after Tolentino, Bianca the next was Tolentino, Su. I cried secretly near the SC's guardhouse and my Dad tapped my back and...I woke up.

The morning pressures from the Dementors everywhere, I am trying to manage. It is an everyday struggle I hope I can handle until April. But, since the nightmares are recurring...I have decided to sleep less. :(

Now tell me... Am I entitled to MORAL DAMAGES for mental anguish, sleepless nights, moral anxiety caused by the bar exams?

Haaaay.

Labels: 2007 bar exam experience, moral damages, nightmares