finally, my words, published.

of course, since i'm basically a ghost writer, no one would really know that it was i who churned out those words using my aged laptop in a cold corner in room 310 of the centennial building.

but then again, i blog. so now everyone who cares to read this would now know. :)

manila standard

business mirror

gma news tv

p.s. thanks to f.b. who first informed me that it was on the papers. apparently, he saw it on inquirer but it's not online anymore. hmph.

what do you know. i've actually fulfilled a number of my new year's resolutions.

last december 29, 2007, i promised myself that in 2008, i will:

#1 - buy more shoes.
#2 - spend more time at the mall.
#3 - eat kfc regularly.
#4 - apply for a law firm.
#5 - go to ortigas to get IBP id.
#6 - update resume.
#7 - renew passport.
#8 - apply for a us visa.
#9 - relax and not panic that i'm not married/coupled up with someone/dating someone for the moment.
#10 - spend more time with family.


and guess what ...

#1 - i've bought at least three pairs (i'm not really sure how many but i'm at least sure of three that i've bought recently) of shoes. and the only reason why i haven't bought more is cause i've bought a very expensive bag that i'm still paying for.
#2 - like, duh. of course i spend LOTS of time at the mall. i'd like to say though that because of aforementioned bag, i actually do not BUY much at the mall anymore. galing, no?
#3 - i still do eat kfc regularly, notwithstanding the inexplicably long lines. i mean, come on. all they serve is chicken, more chicken, and even more chicken. so how come it takes forever for them to serve you, right? still, i must admit that the long lines and my recurring allergy to chicken can prevent me from having my kfc fix.
#4 - i've not only applied for a firm, i applied to a LOT of firms and in 18 days, i'll begin working for one. happiness, right?
#5 - i've got my ibp id and my lifetime certificate too. totoong abogado na talaga ako.
#6 - my resume is not only updated, it got me a job :)
#7 - i've gotten my picture taken and i've filled out the form. thanks to tita mayu, by august 3, i can readily pack up and leave the philippines any time ... except that, well, uhm, i'm pretty broke.
#10 - well, the fact that i'm always either at tita mayu's house, out with lingkod and tuloy people can mean only one thing: i'm making time for family and friends.

clearly, i've only got the US visa to apply for (keep fingers crossed that tito lito will be able to help me apply for this) and to relax over my present state of life.

the first one is achievable. with the super handsome ex calling again for some reason, the second one is going to be a bit more difficult though.

but, i don't care. 8 out of ten ain't so bad midway through the year, doncha think?

glad it's done and over with

when i first passed the bar, i thought the euphoric state would never pass. gay told me it would but i sort of didn't want to believe her. after all, it took me an extra year to finish law school and another extra year to finally make it so i was convinced that becoming a lawyer at thirty meant that i would enjoy every single day of it.

in fact, for the first month or so, i'd always wake up with a start and sort of whisper to myself, shucks, ang galing, abogado na ako.

of course, being the wise person that she is, gay was right. it was not long before the giddy feeling actually passed. the days started being normal again. and, while i don't have to correct the guards when they call me attorney now, it felt like it was only then that i felt like a lawyer. for all intents and purposes, i was doing the same job, for basically the same pay, in the same place, at the exact same desk.

but at least three times a year - june to july when people pass their bar petitions, september during the bar, and march when the results come out - i'd get reminded of the fact that i'm a lawyer now and there's no more bar examinations to deal with and NOTHING IS EVER - short of being disbarred - GOING TO CHANGE THAT FACT.

and honestly, during those times, the only thought that clutters my brain is that i'm glad the bar is done and over with.

i know i gotta go to work now, but ...

here at tita mayu's house, with free wi-fi and the promise of good food at mealtimes so it shouldn't come as a wonder that i can't force myself to go to work. right now, my excuse is that my laundry is still outside, trying to make the most out of the sun which belatedly made an appearance today. everything's cold and damp, and will only end up being smelly and icky if i take them down now and pack them up in the car.

but, i very well know that the major reason why my butt is comfortably parked in an ergonomic chair which has seen better days is the fact that today is the day that i'm supposed to tell my boss that i have finally decided to move on.

it's funny how in the beginning, the government job was just something to tide me over until i passed the bar. i think that in my entire batch in UP, i was the only one who didn't knew where she was headed after graduation. the top people had job offers, the others passed out resumes. me, well, i focused on finishing the tasks i needed to complete before resigning from ua&p and reviewing for the bar.

it didn't help that when i came on board, i was made to believe that the work was temporary too. there were no other lawyers positions available so should i pass the bar, i would have to (gasp! - at least then) look for another job. but lo and behold, something opened up for me, and it became too embarrassing to say you'd rather pack up and leave. even more embarrassing when you've sort of told everyone that you're gunning to eventually be the court of appeal's executive clerk of court.

i guess the pressure of family, the advice of friends, and the fact that lack of productivity (entirely my fault, i assure you) has become a favorite sin of sorts has forced me to accept that maybe, just maybe, it's time to move on. well, that and a whole lot of other things that i can't really write down here.

anyway, i'm bound for a firm that i've wanted to work for since law school. it's small, and unless you move around in legal circles, you won't really recognize the names of the partners. i'm taking a pay cut (gasp again, first because i'm coming from the government which supposedly pays really low and second because given the economy why am i even thinking of doing this, right?) which i hope will be amended soon (because otherwise this will mean having my cable and pldt phone cut, not to mention finally unplugging that ref which eats up electricity!). i am excited like i've never been excited before. i've been grinning like a stupid cat for the last six days, and much like passing the bar, i've no doubt i'll be grinning until august 4.

but first, i have to resign. which brings me to where i first started.

my butt's still parked in this ergonomic chair which has seen better days. i better get going. asap.

it's been a while, i know. and i have a hundred and one excuses, the biggest one is the embarassment of lugging around an external keyboard whenever i use mcdonald's free wi-fi.

why? well, it's because i think i have totally killed my keyboard.

moving on, things have been relatively fine: i got sick, i got better, pacquio won, and i'm totally addicted to heart's alone.



(that and tita turner's private dancer but that's a totally shameful admission.)

well, don't tell my boss cause i haven't told her yet, but i'll be moving on to a new job come august 4. it's farther, pays less, and totally back-breaking but i don't really care ... i'm actually counting the days (36 days) till that day arrives. i'll finally be working for a law firm! so, while the past year i've totally avoided using atty. before my name except when i'm dealing with difficult people, now i'll get to use it almost every single day! and finally, my lifetime ibp membership will pay off.

happy?

very.