Who Moved My Blog?

I did. I grew tired of this template and wanted to try Wordpress.

Please visit me at http://obitermaster.wordpress.com.

I will maintain Lessons on Waiting at http://www.elladelrosario.blogspot.com.

See you around!

Shameless Plug for Jollibee :)

I passed by Jollibee before going home to claim some freebies courtesy of my BPI Credit Card (ayan may free advertisement pa ng aking paboritong fastfood at paboritong bangko, Proudly Pinoy). I meant to eat something on the way home as I had anticipated that the rains would cause streets to be congested all the way to QC. I was right.

I was snacking on the regular fries while waiting for a taxi outside Robinsons Place Manila, my newest hangout due to its proximity to my office, when a man, who must have grown old begging, held out his palm to me. I stopped chewing mid-fry and handed him the packet of fries that still had a good amount of potato left. The man eyed my Jollibee bag and said, "Tinapay!" (Bread!). I shook my head and said, "Para po sa anak ko ito" (This is for my child).

I didn't know what came over me. I didn't have any children. What I had was pasalubong for my parents and my balikbayan aunt, and I guess I was looking for gratitude in the man's eyes. I didn't see any. Then he said, "Barya na lang" (Give me coins then). The lady standing on the taxi lane before me interrupted and said, "Manong, binigyan ka na nga ng pagkain eh" (Brother, she already gave you food). The man walked away, sad.

I was saddened by that incident, without knowing that I would later on give the Double Yum with TLC in my bag to someone else: the cab driver.

The Taxi Lane was not moving, and irate shoppers were picking on the mall security guard for allowing people who did not fall in line to get the cabs that refused to stop in front of the designated space. I already had enough bad experiences with cabbies to know that I might have to wait for an hour in that kind of situation. So I did what I had to do. I called my regular cab company, Reno, the garage of which was just five minutes away from my house. They never refused passengers who wanted to get to Don Antonio, as that was their home base as well. I was at ease with their drivers, since they knew that I knew where they worked and could thus report any undesirable behavior.

Anyway.

I waited for ten minutes in front of the Padre Faura exit of the mall, away from the taxi lane so as to avoid having to "fight" for my cab, and when I saw the plate number I was given on the phone, I hailed the cab, and the driver saw me. It was a rainy night and the end of a very long work week. Before I could get in, a man (in black) also hailed the cabbie. I saw the driver motion with his left hand that he was answering a client's call and was not available. As I was taking my seat, I heard a loud thud and immediately saw another man (in white), apparently the companion of the one who hailed the taxi after I did, violently hit the hood of the taxi with his bare hands.

Man-in-white shouted to the driver, "Pulis ako!", and proceeded to hurl expletives at the driver. I gathered that he thought the driver was just being picky, so I attempted to talk to him and explained that I called the taxi company and he was just fetching me as scheduled. Man-in-white refused to even acknowledge my existence. He looked drunk. He then twisted the radio antenna of the car, and the driver protested. They had a heated argument, and man-in-black intervened. He closed the door of the cab, but man-in-white opened it again, all the time shouting expletives at the driver, who was regally defending himself.

Eventually we were out of danger. Or so I thought. The driver could not get over what happened, and made a U-turn to drive directly in front of the men-in-uniform, but a mall security guard stopped him, thinking his passenger (who was me) was alighting, and asked if he could let the "man from Immigration" ride the cab. The driver asked the guard for the man-in-white's name, but at this time said man already flashed the dirty finger to the driver, and they exchanged another round of obscene four-letter words.

Now, I had had a rough week. Month. Year. I was in a car accident last week. The day after, my vertigo struck as the cab driver wound his merciless way around the streets of Manila. Worse, I could not contribute much towards the hosting of my aunt from the States as I got sick with the flu over the weekend. My work was stressful enough for ten people, and I had all the stress-related symptoms ever invented. I was just diagnosed yesterday as having Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) or being in the pre-diabetic stage, and was given medication, and was studying a new diet and exercise plan more suited to my situation. Two weeks ago, I kept a close friend of mine company after her car accident. I had yet to see my first government paycheck for this position. The actual list of whines is much longer. You get the point.

My natural reaction would have been to panic at the scene played in front of me. But I could not afford to panic. I tried to calm the driver down and to dissuade him from courting disaster. He kept saying he could get any policeman dismissed from the service, as he had done so in the past, when his rights were similarly trampled upon. This man, he said, was not even a real policeman! He was not afraid! His taxi company would defend him! He had a witness: me! He had a defender: Tulfo!

I had to agree with him that he did nothing wrong and to utter other words of assurance that he was victimized by a government employee who was on a power trip. I then reminded him to flag down his meter because he had completely forgotten it, so engrossed was he on thoughts of revenge. We had a very long discussion as traffic was bad (usual Friday rainy night stuff), and to cheer him up, I offered him a Jollibee yumburger.

He unwrapped the juicy burger and quickly bit into it while he was driving. He said that he didn't realize that the incident had left him hungry. At last, I heaved a sigh of relief. It was only then that I ate my favorite Jollibee hotdog, which I had been wanting to sink my teeth into ever since leaving the mall.

It was a scene straight out of a Jollibee commercial. Comfort food. Pampalamig ng ulo. Pag may karapatan, ipaglaban mo. Mag-Jollibee muna tayo. (Sorry, there simply is no appropriate translation for that.)

I got home safely and paid the driver the usual fare, even though the taxi meter showed a much lower amount, since our drive from Faura to Quiapo was not registered. I still had a Jolly hotdog and a Cheesy Bacon Mushroom to share with my family. I wasn't able to tell them about my eventful night because they were engrossed with the last episode of Tayong Dalawa. Yes, this entry is so Pinoy!

Tomorrow, or sometime this weekend, I will write about two office outfit disasters that eventually turned into blessings. Safety pins and shawls are involved. ;)

By the way, I am not getting paid for this by Jollibee. But if the people behind it chance upon this blog, a two-piece Chickenjoy meal will do. For me. For cabbie (I can get his name from the company). For man-in-black. Even for man-in-white (Cabbie is going to research his identity). Might change his ways, who knows.

The Blogger is Out

I will be at the IBP 12th National Convention of Lawyers until Saturday, so no posts til then. If Globelines does not fix our Internet connection, no blog posts until I don't know when.

I will be in Bacolod City, which to my law school blockmates is the Land of Napoleones, but the trip will be all work for me. At least I had seen the sights in the City of Smiles already from several visits in the past, so it's not so bad.

I'm hoping to make new friends and bring home the bacon. ;)

Mac and Lex

Meet Mac and Lex.  I spend time with them the most these days.  They're with me everyday, and I even dream about them.  As the Clear commercial goes, I tend to be a two-timer.  It's so hard to stick to one love!

Mac is my Macbook White, who is with me when I wake up in the morning.  It houses all my videos, songs, photos, documents, spreadsheets, presentations, emails, contacts, and more.  I can't live without it as it has made my life so compact, organized, and it's cute, too.  Heads turn during the few times that I bring it out in public.  I tend to keep it at home because it's so hard to maintain its whiteness.  I Heart Mac!  I have hugged it a lot because of the many memories associated with it.

I also have Lex in my life.  Lex is the nick of my product, "Lex Libris".  It is a research tool for lawyers, law students, law firms, librarians, legal departments, tax practitioners, accountants, HR managers, and businessmen.  Even as a law student and then as a young lawyer, I could not do legal research without Lex.  Now, I have the opportunity to watch Lex grow, and to share its brilliance and versatility to an ever increasing market.  I am responsible for marketing Lex and I have grown to love it.

I am crossing my fingers for a collaboration between the two.  Mac and Lex.  Lex and Mac.  An idea whose time has come.  Now I don't have to be with one and neglect the other, hehe.

I know what you're thinking.  I need to get a real life.  So sue me.  Some people like pets.  I like gadgets.  (I AM Gadget Girl, after all.)

Much as I love Mac, whenever my nephews want to borrow it, I cannot say no.  So yesterday, while I was doing my chores, I let Miko play with it.  He also downed a tub of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut pieces while watching YouTube videos of his fellow Speed Stacking champions.  (Sorry Ate, he also wanted to get his hands on the Tim Tam but I said it was too hard to reach the bottom of the box.  He'll wait for your arrival.)

Tonight, after I got home from work, I excitedly took Mac and placed it on my lap.  Then something bit me.  To my horror, I saw ants crawling all over Mac's immaculate whiteness.  Some ants were on my bed too, where Mac had been sleeping all day while I was with Lex.

Ant attack!  I panicked.  I have read some stories about modems, laptops, and other electronics destroyed by ants.  I took out my trusty Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and proceeded to wipe Mac clean of any chocolate residue and rid it of its temporary inhabitants.  I fervently hoped they did not reach inside Mac.  Oh please, no.  I tried shaking Mac upside down so that any trespassing ants would fall.  I could only hope that I succeeded.  

Mac has to be fit and ready for a new toy I will have this weekend, the iWork '09.  :)  Oh, and an iPod upgrade.  Gadget Girl is beside herself with joy.  

I will try not to be distracted when I work with Lex tomorrow.  After all, the law is a jealous lover.

Come to think of it, if this is what not having a life means, then I'm having an amazing time at it!

Another Amazing Anniversary

To add to my two previous posts about anniversaries for 2009, this year we're also celebrating 10 years of Lingkod QC's predecessor, Friends and Lovers in Prayer/ Friends and Lovers of Prayer (FLIP/FLOP). We're going to have a reunion on February 14, 2009 at Lime 88 that sits behind Mirac's house in Mandaluyong.

Calling all QT's! Leave a message or e-mail me if you want to attend. It's going to be a night of music, friendship, great food, and more! God bless.

What's With This Year?

1. It's CD Asia's 15th Anniversary. Expect great deals on your Lex Libris, my friends. And Ella to try hard to organize her schedule properly without going crazy.
   
2. It's Lingkod's 25th Anniversary. People have been talking about this for two years now. I do hope it turns out to be a special celebration of God's goodness to us.
3. It's the 10th Year since I graduated from UP Law. So A-'99 Blockmates, let's drink to this! Perhaps even attend UP Law Alumni Homecoming for once in our lives?!
   

Come to think of it, I need that 8-day Retreat during Lent. I will fit it into my calendar. Otherwise I won't survive all these happenings.

This is so High School!

No, I'm not talking about that musical that was turned into a movie.  This is IT, the real thing, my high school batchmates, back in my life, alive and kicking.

We've reloaded our Manila Science High School Batch '91 (and thus she reveals her age) egroup recently, and just like an old friendship, we all picked up where we left off.  Anyone who knows me well can attest that I had loads of fun at MaSci, and that I loved my smart, witty, and creative batchmates.  I cried the most during graduation.  I had them over to my house as often as I could.  I was a walking class directory and birthday alarm.  I went to college with about 100 of them, in U.P.  Before I met the Lord through community, MaSci was my second home.

At the dawn of the Internet era in the Philippines, we had our first egroup.  Everyone was excited and we received hundreds of messages in a month.  But alas, high school tempers flared up and that egroup had slowly disappeared into oblivion.  

Many years later, we have probably matured and missed high school even more, so we tried again.  Efforts were made to organize mini-reunions.  Threads were introduced in the yahoogroup to entice members to email.  It did not pick up easily, like a diesel engine.  

But it was only a matter of time before my outspoken batchmates would enter into an online debate about health care, legal issues, and the economy.  Reading the entries, all well-written and well-supported, became a habit for almost 150 members of the world's labor force.  MaScians scattered across the globe slowly came together to support whichever side they were on.  I did not contribute to the intelligent conversations.

I was more interested in reminiscing.  And I'm glad we're on that thread now.  Oh, the revelations!  The implications.  The what-ifs and could have beens.  The resolutions and reconciliations.  We're onto something here.  

MaSci was a huge part of my life that I had relegated to the background for fear of being inconsistent with who I had become, or trying to become.  Now I can slowly see that I can be true to myself with them, for I no longer need their affirmation.

To my batchmates, I hope all 316 of us could be accounted for.  Spread the word!  Masci91reloaded.  We don't need a movie to know we have great stories to tell.  Get in touch with me and I will add you to our yahoogroup.

Campus Girl is back. ;) 

 

Philippine Legal and Judicial Forms by Atty. Theodore O. Te

Please visit this Link

The above is a link created by Marlon to the link to the CD Asia webpage where you can download the Order Form for this, THE authority on Philippine Legal and Judicial Forms.

Please visit www.cdasia.com for more details.

CD Technologies Asia, Inc.
The Total Solutions Provider for the Legal Profession

Proud Tita

Quick email - my sister-in-law has uploaded the video of the latest piano recital of my two handsome and brilliant nephews.

Visit http://luigimiko.digitalres.com to see that I'm not exaggerating.

Tess, this is really, really Miko! And Luigi! I can't even play these pieces.

Job Openings at CD Asia

Urgent Hiring!

CD Technologies Asia, Inc. is looking for Marketing and Sales Associates in its Manila and Cebu offices, and for an Administrative Assistant for the Davao branch. For details please visit the Job Openings page at cdasia.com.

MCLE in New Jersey!

CD Asia, the organizers of the successful MCLE in LV, are proud to announce an even more exciting MCLE in New Jersey! This is open to all US- and Canada- based Filipino lawyers who want to retain their good standing in the Philippine Bar. Professors from the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University will be giving the lectures.

MCLE in New Jersey will be held from October 2 to 5, 2008 at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center at 6821 Black Horse, Atlantic City West, EHT, NJ 08334. For inquiries, please email amgoce@mclepro.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Lovin' Summer

Summer is here again.  For some, it means rest from books.  For others, it signals bathing suit season and beach party time.  But for the youth of the Parish of St Benedict, summer means YASP!

Yes, it's coming back and it's going to be packed.  The Youth Alive Summer Program will start on April 8 and end on May 24.

We're looking for generous snacks sponsors.  If you're ready, willing, and able to sponsor simple snacks for the youth of our parish, kindly send me an email at ella@digitalres.com.

Or comment to this post.  You may search "youth alive" photos, links, and posts from my original blog here.  (For my friends on multiply, FYI, I have 2 blogs, for my two personalities. ;)

P.S.  The title was just there to catch your attention.  But I guess for some people, summer is for lovin' as well.

Lime88

I wrote a review about Lime88 "Pinoy Streetfood with a Twist" in my Multiply site.

You may read it using the following link: Lime88

Multiply doesn't directly send to Blogger, although it downloads the RSS feeds from my blog posts. But I wouldn't want to re-invent the wheel and re-write what I had already posted.

Hope more people would patronize this place. My friend's brother is the chef. Their mom is handling operations. And their dad is in the ICU after suffering a stroke a few days ago.

But really, it's worth the trip. I'll stop before I write another review about the same restaurant.

Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon Presents Hindi Kita Malilimutan Concert

You may watch the promotional video using this link.

I linked the link without permission from Norman Agatep. He has since found me out and thanked me for the unauthorized promotion.

I see it all as one work for the Lord, and besides, I'm with Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon. I would naturally promote this concert.

My elementary graduating class sang "Hindi Kita Malilimutan" for our Songfest, and we were the champions then. We dedicated it to our class adviser Miss Cabrera, a former nun who gave our lives meaning and inspiration. Our class won every contest and trophy to be won that year - whether in music, sports, or journalism - and we dedicated them all to her.

She died while I was in college. My classmates and I were able to pay our last respects. This song would always remind us of her, who would always say that we shouldn't idolize her as she wasn't a saint. At least not yet when we were in Grade 6. Now she must be in heaven singing with all the saints.

So, going back to the concert. I would naturally promote Lingkod. I love Bukas Palad. Most of all, the song "Hindi Kita Malilimutan" holds a special place in my heart. It's also God's love song for me, as written in the book of Isaiah.

I hope many people join this celebration of God's love through music.

Ultimate Gift for Law Students

This Christmas…

Give the ultimate gift for the law student in your family!

(Click on the link for larger picture.)

Masci '91 Reloaded

Calling all my batchmates from Manila Science High School Batch '91, please join our new yahoogroup, masci91reloaded. You may email me at galadriella2007@yahoo.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/masci91reloaded and sign up!

-- From Laura, Compton-Edison-Calvin-Faraday

For the Lawyers in North America...

The early bird discount for the MCLE in LV has been extended up to August 31, 2007. Register now and avail of the 5% discount!

Please visit http://www.mclepro.com/www/email_flyer_mcle.htm for more details.

If You Build It, He Will Come...

What to do when you need to raise millions of pesos for a parish mission center building project? Do it step by step, brick by brick, peso by peso.

As I've written here before, we are a new parish. We're celebrating our first anniversary next week. Our parish priest, Fr. Steve Tynan, launched St. Benedict's Mission Center building project during our fiesta last July, as he said it's necessary for the vision and mission of the parish as well as the apostolate of the Missionaries of God's Love (MGL) in the Philippines.

This tiny building currently serves as the parish office:


This portion at the back serves as the meeting, storage, and practice area:


And this is what our parish church looks like at present:


The mission center, as planned, shall have an adoration chapel, a baptistery, meeting rooms for the different ministries and commissions, living quarters for the priests, as well as proper office space. There are generous individuals who have already given their pledges, but we need more bricks to see this building into completion. Ground-breaking will be on Monday, August 27, 2007.

We would greatly appreciate donations in cash or in kind (cement, paint, chairs, etc.) for this project. Contact me at galadriella2007@yahoo.com if you want to help the mission of our parish.

Thanks and God bless!

MCLE Lecture Series For North America-Based Filipino Lawyers

Why Take the MCLE in LV?

• IBP members are required to take continuing legal education to ensure that throughout your career, no matter where you are in the world, you are kept abreast with Philippine law and jurisprudence and are able to maintain your good standing in the IBP.

• This is a golden opportunity for you to avoid being listed as delinquent members of the IBP.
• MCLE in LV has lecturers who are considered authorities in their own fields.
  

• The subjects are useful and interesting to Filipino lawyers in the North American region.
• This could also be a form of reunion with your peers and a venue for networking.
• MCLE in LV facilitates the processing of the MCLE compliance requirements so your Certificates of Compliance are delivered to you afterwards.
• This was organized by Ateneo Law School CCLER and CD Asia
  

Fee -US$550 for whole, 36-unit course, plus 10% MCLE fee

Hurry! Register Now and avail of 5% early bird discount until August 15

Seminar Fee includes seminar kit, processing and delivery of MCLE Certificates, snacks, and coffee

Date & Time: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

on September 20-23, 2007

Venue: Palace Station Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

Contact Information

Philippines -Adora

(+632) 634-3792

or 634-3793

USA -Beth

(+213) 487-8500

info@mclepro.com
www.mclepro.com

Bowling Balls, Anyone?

Anyone out there interested to purchase used but high-quality bowling balls? A generous couple donated their collection of imported bowling balls to the youth of our parish, to add to the World Youth Day Fund that would send young delegates to Sydney, Australia in July 2008.

If you have inquiries, please call St. Benedict's Parish at (632) 932-6521. These are pre-loved bowling balls. Each ball comes with its own bag. They were all purchased from outside the Philippines by this couple who used to have a passion for bowling. They sell for Php500 each, negotiable. Proceeds will go entirely to the said Fund.

Thank you.