busy slacker

i have demand letters to write.  i had to meet my editor who flew in from singapore.  i had to finalize some details with my new boss about the international convention which our real new boss wants us to spearhead in a month's time.

but i wasn't feeling well yesterday.  my body was aching all over and i had a splitting headache to boot.  i was PMS-ing, so i'm entitled to feel LAZY and SLEEPY even in the middle of the work week.  so i called in sick at work.

instead of resting and sleeping and bitching my brothers around, i played...



it's a big fish game i got from ivy.  and i'm hooked.  i'm 4 steps away from being master chocolatier, and i have $5.9M in assets.  i own 3 chocolate shops and 6 factories.  happiness!!!

don't worry. i went to work today.  and after i finished all that was supposedly due yesterday, i played again!

a big thank you to the guys at big fish! i haven't been hooked on a game for a long time.  and now, i have to MAKE quality time to become master chocolatier.

and nothing, nothing, can get in my way

my students' take home exam

due to the bad weather (it really seems like there's a typhoon, pero hindi daw, hindi...), i decided to give my students a take home exam instead of a sit-down exam.

and just for the heck of it, i am sharing a few questions with you   feel free to attempt to answer them.

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Dobby is a Grade 5 student at the Hogwarts Private School for Boys in Mandaluyong City.  Dobby woke up one day when Typhoon “Egay” was wreaking havoc in the Philippine atmosphere and sending rains and winds over Metro Manila.  He wanted to sleep and not be sent to school by his mother, but it was the day of their First Quarter Exams in Science and Math.  Dobby knew he had no choice.

He was already in school and furiously scribbling down his answers to the Math problems in their exam, when his teacher, Miss Dambeldur, told the class that classes had been suspended due to the really bad weather.  Miss Dambeldur instructed all of them to finish the exam, and they would be allowed to go home once they submit their answers.  Dobby rushed to finish his exam, not caring if his answers were right or wrong.  He was praying that his mother would be able to fetch him from school, as his school bus was scheduled to pick them up later in the afternoon. 

After submitting his exam, Dobby asked for permission to leave the school.  Without any question or any concern, Miss Dambeldur nodded her head as she was busy texting her own son to inquire about his whereabouts.

There was no security guard at the school gates, as they had gone home as soon as the principal had announced that classes had been suspended.  Dobby tried looking for his mother among the throng of “sundos” outside, but he couldn’t find her.  Having no other choice but to go home on his own, Dobby took off his shoes and waded through the flooded streets.

About 4 meters from the school, Dobby slipped and couldn’t get up.  Everyone around him was busy navigating the floods and didn’t notice him.  He was getting cold and shivering in his wet clothes, when he heard his mother shout:  “Dobby!!!  What are you doing there, anak?  What happened to you???”

a.      If anything serious or life-endangering had happened to Dobby, could his mother sue Miss Dambeldur and the administrators of the Hogwarts Private School for Boys for not taking care of her son?  Why?  (10 points)

b.     State the provision of law applicable in this case.  (5 points)            

c.  What is a fortuitous event?  What are the requisites before it can be applied as a defense to negate liability? (5 points)

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Ariel Revero Records (ARR) is the strongest independent recording company and distributor in the music industry.  Its stable of artists is unparalleled, with their albums constantly receiving platinum and gold awards left and right.  Unknown to most, the company is in deep financial trouble, after its Chief Financial Officer, Martin Nibera, fled to the US bringing with him 80% of the cash he withdrew from the company accounts of ARR.

Due to the financial difficulties experienced by ARR, it could not pay their obligations to their creditors.  Sony Philippines had already sent them a letter demanding payment of P1,350,000.00 for the sound equipment it had delivered to ARR early this year.  RPN99 was collecting on the publicity fees (amounting to P350,000.00, plus taxes) that ARR owed them for airing the concert of Mack Milby, an ARR talent, on their Sunday Special last month.

Buying for time, ARR unearthed all their financial records and attempted to put their finances in order.  They discovered that Sony Music Philippines, a subsidiary of Sony Philippines, owed them P550,000.00 as royalties, back when they allowed Mack to guest in two of their special album compilations.  Meantime, IBC33, a sister company of RPN99 under the same management and administration group, had an outstanding obligation of P480,000.00 to ARR, stemming from unpaid talent fees to five of the recording artists of ARR for hosting their month-long anniversary special last year.

ARR informed Sony Philippines that they owed Sony only P800,000, after offsetting the obligation of Sony Music Philippines.  Likewise, ARR communicated to IBC33 that the station must directly pay RPN99 P350,000.00 and remit the balance of their obligation amounting to P130,000 to ARR within 10 days, otherwise ARR will have to file a collection case in court.

 a.      Is ARR correct in applying the debt of Sony Music Philippines to partially fulfill its obligation to Sony Philippines?  Explain. (10 points)

 b.     IBC33 countered that its obligation is to ARR, and that they have no responsibility to pay anything to RPN99.  Do you agree?  Explain. (10 points)

 c.      Define and differentiate Confusion and Compensation.  Without considering your answers to (a) and (b) above, explain whether or not Confusion and/or Compensation can be applied in this case. (20 points)

 d.     Sharon Cometa, a good friend and rumored ex-lover of Ariel Revero, the president of ARR, offered to cover the payment for all overdue obligations of ARR as a token of gratitude for all their years of friendship.  Ariel graciously declined the offer, yet Sharon issued checks to Sony Philippines and RPN99 to pay, in full, the obligations of ARR to these companies.

                                                          i.      Sony Philippines rejected the check of Sharon, telling her that they do not accept personal checks.  Is this action of Sony valid? (3 points)

                                                            ii.      RPN99 accepted the check of Sharon, despite the check being made out to “RPN99 President Mr. X.”  With the issuance of a receipt of payment, is the obligation of ARR to RPN99 deemed extinguished?  (2 points)

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and since it's a takehome exam, good luck to ME who has to read and rate their answers to an all-essay exam... haaaay.

Betel Box Backpackers Hostel, Singapore

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

in our original quest for a backpacking adventure, nad & i reserved two bunkbeds at the Betel Box Hostel in Joo Chiat Road, Singapore. beds at the mixed dorm cost S$18/day. there were cheaper hostels at the heart of the city, but we both decided to try Betel Box because the overall online reviews were great & from the pictures, the place looked nice & cozy.

of course, we also considered the high probability of meeting new european friends, as it appeared on various online pages that this hostel was THE recommended hostel by numerous european backpackers. both nad & i have experienced backpacking in europe, and suffice to say that the experience was one for the books.

straight from changi airport terminal 2, we took bus 24 to joo chiat road. we were dropped off at a quaint village so unlike the singapore i knew from last year, and soon i realized that if we were looking for an adventure, well, it had already started.

the area surrounding joo chiat is the old malay district of singapore. for us pinoys, it's like going to chinatown, but the area's cultural influence is not chinese but malay. we rolled our stroller bags (yeah, for backpackers, we were using the wrong luggage. haha.) down joo chiat road and as we were getting deeper & deeper into the district, i knew without nad telling me that the vibes we were getting weren't that good.

when we got to the hostel entrance, we were buzzed in & upon opening the door, a flight of stairs welcomed us. our stroller bags considered, this was definitely not a good welcome.

when we got to the second floor where the reception counter was, we were "welcomed" by a member of the hostel crew with a stare, from head to toe, and without a smile, she asked us whether we had a reservation. whoops. did she treat us that way because we were asian, like her, and she felt a kinship with us? (yessss, i am dripping with sarcasm here.)

after we signed their logbook and paid for one night, she gave us our sheets which looked freshly laundered but weren't even folded/ironed.

we then walked to the mixed dorm room, which looked like one of the better dorm rooms in our university belt area. the room looked clean & well-maintained, and i found it a comfort to see women's blouses hanging in one of the bunks. unfortunately, all lower bunks were occupied. nad & i chose the two upper bunks that were together.

i decided to take a shower after settling in. the size of the stall was okay for me, but i wonder how our other european brethren fared. it was a hassle, though, not to have an area where to put your bathing essentials (soap, shampoo, etc.), and double the hassle not to have enough space where to hang your towel, your used clothes, and your fresh clothes. i remember when we trekked to batad terraces in banaue and stayed at the sole inn/hostel there, the bathroom had space for those, even if the v.v.cold weather somehow doesn't make you feel like you really want to take a bath. but i digress...

there was only one toilet in that dorm room, which housed (i think) 9 double-decked beds (transl: maximum 18 occupants). nad had to wait for more than 30 minutes to use the toilet.

as we were rushing to get to golden mile complex, we really did not have a chance to check the other areas of the hostel. i did get to meet other guests, and they were all very nice. at least the guests were nice! (well maybe because they were european, and not asian like us. funny.)

on the way to golden mile, nad & i decided to find lodgings elsewhere. heck, we were willing to pay for a room somewhere else, if it would mean being treated nicely by our kind, and getting to use a bathroom with space for bath knick-knacks, and not having to wait for forever to pee.

we never got to spend even just one night in the hostel. maybe for europeans, betel box is a great place. maybe for others, betel box would work. unfortunately, not for me. and there won't be a next time.

ps. if you're the nigerian i met who was very nice to me, and told me that you consider betel box your home, i'm sorry for this review. but heck, you & those 2 guests (one british, the other indian) i got to talk to are the only reasons why i am giving the hostel a 3-star rating! :)

Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

I have been to the Louvre, the MoMA and other museums here in the Philippines and other countries I've visited. The Asian Civilisations Museum had a good collection, which covered the essentials of Asian culture and history. The displays and exhibits were tastefully done and were quite informative.

My companion, Nad, and I found it very disturbing, though, that there was ONLY ONE display of an artifact from the Philippines. It was a beaded necklace from the Kalinga Province, and it did not even say that the item was from the Philippines!

What irked Nad the most was the special exhibition on "Beauty in Asia" which had a section on beauty pageants. Nad is a pageant enthusiast, who has nurtured 6 Binibining Pilipinas winners. Not one reference was made to the Philippines, who has produced the most number of Miss Universe and Miss World winners in Southeast Asia!

I love museums and the opportunity they grant me to immerse myself in art, history & culture even if only for a few hours. I was hoping for that feeling of being a "culturati" when we left the Asian Civilisations Museum, but it was absent. I was very disturbed that Philippine art, history and culture was deemed by the curators of this museum as 'inadequate' enough to be included in the collection.

Of course, we UP grads did not take this sitting down. Nad wrote down our thoughts and filled up the recommendation form. We got a free magnet each from the desk officer, who read our comments without any reaction.

Unfortunately, a magnet just won't cut it.

un-lawyer-like

i have been a lawyer for a little over a year, and i never fail to elicit comments like:

you're so young to be a lawyer! (duh. i'm 30 years old, if we really go by age)

you don't act like a lawyer. (eh?  lawyers don't know how to have fun?)

you should dress more like a lawyer! (like, i have to always be in either a suit or in casual business attire even when we're doing office housekeeping???)

don't be pa-humble... be proud when people call you "attorney!" (my name is apryll.  i only need that title when i appear in court or when i sign pleadings!)

i really don't know whom to blame:  all those 51,000 lawyers ahead of me in the roll of attorneys, who carried their "title" around as if it were a badge of honor, or the families of those 51,000 lawyers who made it appear like having a lawyer in the family or knowing a lawyer personally was reallyyyyy something to brag about, or just plain "Philippine society" in general, for creating stereotypes of lawyers and planting these ideas into the consciousness of the community.

i am attorney # 51877 and i know i am not alone in my predicament.  let's see... give or take around 300 "cool, unpredictable, easygoing" lawyers every year for the past 20 years, my idea is there are only approximately 6,000 lawyers who are leading lives and practicing law like me.  lawyering is serious work, but heck, lawyers don't need to lead sedentary, laidback lives, catering to the whims of their bosses/partners/associates/clients 24/7.

and for the sake of the future of the Philippines, i think we should do away with letting the older lawyers believe they are demi-Gods.  please... practicing law is a profession, not an excuse for being swathed in constant attention.

i'll be damned if someday i swallow my words and become the "typical" lawyer.  kick me in the ass when that happens. :)