Usap Tayo

I'M A CHEAPSKATE . It has its benefits. Saving money comes naturally to me. The cheapskate in me would easily brand my recent purchase as a splurge .  It was a mid-range phone without any freebies, and it did not come with a postpaid plan.  It would have been smarter to choose among the phones offered by telecommunication companies that came with a postpaid plan. I'm still subscribed to one, mind you.  But I felt like it was time to buy a phone with a decent camera.  Was it a wise investment? Definitely.  A s a lawyer,   I need to collect pieces of evidence, such as pictures of people or bodies, documents, and even places where incidents were claimed to have happened.  I need to be able to have witnesses identify these pieces of evidence, and present them before a judge.  Both would heavily rely on the vividness of colors (which are important when you're presenting bruises on a body), or the clarity of text (on documents, the genuineness thereo...

I remember around this time, three years back, I asked myself how is it possible for the world to revolve without my father in it? How can people carry on, as if nothing important had happened? I stared at the window pane that bore witness to the times my father visited would share how his day went, and how it stood witness to me now, barely keeping myself together. I remember deciding whether I should call in sick. But in law school, calling in sick was risking a 5.0 on your recitation. Professors didn't care if your parents died. They only cared that you were in class and that you had come prepared. I begrudgingly stood up, yanked the towel from the hanger, and then went to the bathroom with only 45 minutes to spare. I should be heading out the door in 30 minutes.  How was it possible for people around me to continue what they were doing while the only person I could come home to was gone? There were moments when I would shift between thinking No one could ever replace him . And ...

 Why do I dislike giving free legal advice? The moment I give someone legal advice about a specific problem, they become a client. So what? The moment you become a client, I am bound by lawyer-client confidentiality. That means that I will have to keep any information you impart privy between us (with some exceptions). Isn't that a good thing? For you, it might be. And I'm not acting out of my own selfish interest, but by giving you  advice, I am basically sworn to keep private any crime you admit to having committed, at the expense of the greater public.  We take it upon ourselves to prioritize our clients' interests over our own, but that does not mean that we should give free legal advice to those who are capable of paying for our services.  Also, imagine taking on a client without getting properly compensated for the time and research you have undertaken. When you pay lawyers, you are basically paying for the years we have invested into rote memorization an...

I have always known that I can be intense . Despite my seeming lack of conscientiousness in law school, I have been able to channel that intensity into work.  I am currently employed, whilst freelancing and  practicing litigation law. I'm trying to take things as slowly as possible, familiarizing myself with correct protocols/processes until it becomes rote. But it seems that I have been rocking the boat because I keep saying no. Filipinos value  unity.  Pakikisama , we call it. But there's a thin line between unity and blind conformity. We should start normalizing saying no when: 1. we have to invest time after  work hours.   We have obligations to attend to after work. Whether it's a well-deserved rest or a date night with your spouse, these are things that are personal to you. Healthy company cultures should understand that their employees have lives to live, hence the term work-life balance . 2. having to eat lunch, siesta or even dinners with th...

 I don't broadcast this on social media. But I don't keep it a secret either.  I write for a media agency. It pays well but I would like to gain experience as a litigation lawyer. While applying for a government position, one of the panelists set the context. It's no secret that X has reached notoriety for being one of the most corrupt agencies there are. As a content writer, how would you help build the image of X ? For the life of me, I couldn't mouth an answer.  My face has a habit of betraying my innermost thoughts. The panelist looked quizzically at me. I was trying very hard not to laugh. I would have explained what I did further, but when being prodded, answering curtly  is the wisest thing you could do. I gave these vague answers:   I would act with integrity...  I would hold myself accountable for things that fall within my scope of duty...  I will not engage in any corrupt practice/s . She wanted a specific answer. I was at that po...

By travel, I don't mean a lone journey to a foreign location. By travel, I mean  a snorkeling/free-diving/swimming/sun-bathing session in at least 10 beaches,  or even a-couple-of-days-in-between-travel to Ilocos-Vigan-Pagudpud,  Batangas   and  the Hundred Islands-Bolinao-Patar.  You would need an iron bladder for a 8–12-hour ride to  the destinations alone. I told myself I would travel   once every month , but the Scorpio in me decided to travel to as many places in  one month! Here are a few things I learned about traveling: 1. Travelling light isn't always a good thing. I applauded myself for traveling with only one bag to Batangas for freediving lessons.  But I almost ran out of clothing for the multi-city( or municipality, I'm not sure) visit to the Hundred Islands. It wasn't a fun thought reusing salt-dried clothing on the way home. And to be realistic, you won't be able to fit all your items in one bag if you're one to freedive. ...