no specific topic, really
while i was at baguio last sunday, i received SMS which roughly read: “hi alman, your friend from canada is back...” i had to look up and think about any friends who have recently returned from overseas, and i had to drop an anvil on my head since it took me a few seconds to realize this friend is actually lowell, who had just finished his LlM from the scent-free campus of dalhousie university in balmy halifax, nova scotia. the following day, i met up with him and ava in gateway mall, and it’s fast becoming one of our favorite hangouts in the QC area. one thing this chic mall needs though is wi-fi. that’d be cool. anyway, we got to check out ava’s ride, which more or less commits her for the next few years in her firm, and i was reminded of the terror i felt the first time we took it for a spin. ava is a new driver, and like most new drivers, she lacks the confidence of the seasoned road tackler. she always thinks that there’s not enough space on her right side, so much so that her left side mirror is millimeters away from hitting many of the oncoming traffic. lowell, on the other hand, still pretty much looks the same even after 9 months in below freezing canada. he’s put on a little weight and his hair is a little different. his teeth are now almost perfectly aligned, and the snow may have helped make his complexion fairer than it used to be. he insists i apply for the LlM next year since he’s so sure i’m gonna nail it. i don’t really know if at this point in time, i have anything planned for my future. i’m such a bohemian. anyway, lowell is thinking of getting married soon. and if that doesn’t work, at least, he just wants to have a baby. so he’s looking for a support group for guys in the same situation as he is.
* * *
i have a new toy. i got it only last tuesday from my good friend omar alexander romero who’s reviewing for the bar, and i’m really looking forward to breaking it in. it’s a brand new TNF talus 23 which i got for $156 (rounded off) from campmor.com. at the current exchange rate, it was only a little more than P8500. if i purchased it locally, it would have been more than P12000. yup. twas a steal alright. i told omar if he needed anything for his review, he could ask me, and he said what he needed was more time. i said that’s beyond me since i’m not chronos.
* * *
after our post-climb at G4 last wednesday, i went with a few of my friends to digi café for beer. we finished at around 1am and i was just about ready to go home. malvin, melay and tin, however, had a different idea, and they insisted i go with them to something fishy for eat-all-you-can breakfast. they didn’t have to insist too much since i’m very kaladkarin, so i went with them there. it’s strange to be having breakfast at 2 in the morning, but i had a lot to eat.
while i was there, i even got to see art fuentes from haribon. i informed him of my intentions to write a letter of demand against haribon for illegally and unlawfully publishing a few of my pictures without my authority, permission, and consent. i only learned about this from xenon, who SMSed me, saying, congratulations. the effect after i saw the magazine, however, was the total opposite. i’m livid. i don’t know if what i did (telling him about my plans) was wise, although i think as an artist, art knew how i felt: robbed and deprived. what pisses me really is that haribon could’ve easily asked me for permission, and i would’ve easily given it without much protest, but the underhanded way they went about it is a source of some irritation. add to this the fact that there is no love lost between me and some of haribon’s bosses. i think i’m going to consult a few of my lawyers. i have at least 80 of them already, and a handful are IP practitioners. yeah. i’m so gonna bring it on.
* * *
just after i showed up at the DOJ for the continuation of the PI for the GC illegal logging case last thursday, i received SMS from don. he told me to call kuya mar at a certain number, and so i did. it was actually quite funny to hear kuya mar on the phone, sounding extremely formal and business-like sans the faux drunken slur. kuya mar wanted me to join him for some songs at red box at around 5pm. it was already almost 4, and i still had to drop by the office. surprisingly, i managed to reach GB3 by 5.35pm (i think i’ve made it rather clear that i’m the world’s worst kaladkarin, who is not likely to turn down an invitation -- anyone just being polite should take caution). don followed soon after, and we belted a few songs. kuya mar really is one amazing human being. his munificence and his subtle humor are quite legendary. i’m glad to have met someone like him in my lifetime.
about my work, well, the PI went rather OK, i think, except that the respondents barged in with a slew of witnesses and a battalion of hangers on. also, while we were waiting for the prosecutor, the man behind GC, who’s an alumnus of the same college i went to, berated me about the case, and kept using the word “you” as if i were the one totally responsible for all the shit he’s getting. i was probably catatonic at the time, and i just looked at him blankly, and nodded my head at certain intervals even when he didn’t say anything important. he was saying a lot of crap, actually, and i’m surprised he’s a lawyer. and an arrogant one at that, proclaiming he’d spent billions on his flagship project. so if this guy has billions, then why does he have to retain a ragtag group of lawyers who can’t even dress smart? and the pleading! it’s so chock-full of typos, i’m shocked it hadn’t been reviewed thoroughly. goodness, i didn’t write this badly even when i lacked luster. this guy is so screwed!
* * *
i have a new toy. i got it only last tuesday from my good friend omar alexander romero who’s reviewing for the bar, and i’m really looking forward to breaking it in. it’s a brand new TNF talus 23 which i got for $156 (rounded off) from campmor.com. at the current exchange rate, it was only a little more than P8500. if i purchased it locally, it would have been more than P12000. yup. twas a steal alright. i told omar if he needed anything for his review, he could ask me, and he said what he needed was more time. i said that’s beyond me since i’m not chronos.
* * *
after our post-climb at G4 last wednesday, i went with a few of my friends to digi café for beer. we finished at around 1am and i was just about ready to go home. malvin, melay and tin, however, had a different idea, and they insisted i go with them to something fishy for eat-all-you-can breakfast. they didn’t have to insist too much since i’m very kaladkarin, so i went with them there. it’s strange to be having breakfast at 2 in the morning, but i had a lot to eat.
while i was there, i even got to see art fuentes from haribon. i informed him of my intentions to write a letter of demand against haribon for illegally and unlawfully publishing a few of my pictures without my authority, permission, and consent. i only learned about this from xenon, who SMSed me, saying, congratulations. the effect after i saw the magazine, however, was the total opposite. i’m livid. i don’t know if what i did (telling him about my plans) was wise, although i think as an artist, art knew how i felt: robbed and deprived. what pisses me really is that haribon could’ve easily asked me for permission, and i would’ve easily given it without much protest, but the underhanded way they went about it is a source of some irritation. add to this the fact that there is no love lost between me and some of haribon’s bosses. i think i’m going to consult a few of my lawyers. i have at least 80 of them already, and a handful are IP practitioners. yeah. i’m so gonna bring it on.
* * *
just after i showed up at the DOJ for the continuation of the PI for the GC illegal logging case last thursday, i received SMS from don. he told me to call kuya mar at a certain number, and so i did. it was actually quite funny to hear kuya mar on the phone, sounding extremely formal and business-like sans the faux drunken slur. kuya mar wanted me to join him for some songs at red box at around 5pm. it was already almost 4, and i still had to drop by the office. surprisingly, i managed to reach GB3 by 5.35pm (i think i’ve made it rather clear that i’m the world’s worst kaladkarin, who is not likely to turn down an invitation -- anyone just being polite should take caution). don followed soon after, and we belted a few songs. kuya mar really is one amazing human being. his munificence and his subtle humor are quite legendary. i’m glad to have met someone like him in my lifetime.
about my work, well, the PI went rather OK, i think, except that the respondents barged in with a slew of witnesses and a battalion of hangers on. also, while we were waiting for the prosecutor, the man behind GC, who’s an alumnus of the same college i went to, berated me about the case, and kept using the word “you” as if i were the one totally responsible for all the shit he’s getting. i was probably catatonic at the time, and i just looked at him blankly, and nodded my head at certain intervals even when he didn’t say anything important. he was saying a lot of crap, actually, and i’m surprised he’s a lawyer. and an arrogant one at that, proclaiming he’d spent billions on his flagship project. so if this guy has billions, then why does he have to retain a ragtag group of lawyers who can’t even dress smart? and the pleading! it’s so chock-full of typos, i’m shocked it hadn’t been reviewed thoroughly. goodness, i didn’t write this badly even when i lacked luster. this guy is so screwed!