Law School, 2008

Returning to law school at this point in my life was not something I planned. It just happened as a logical consequence of a series of random events. If truth be known, I didn't even want to be a lawyer. I just wanted to be ... (That's another story.)

This is me on the last day of school. At last, I'm on the other side of the camera. Arcelli is taking my place at the controls of my Nikon L14.



In any case, 2008 was a very eventful year for me. For now, let me show you what happened while I was in law school. I will tell my stories later.


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* Chotto matte kudasai. Please wait a while. I'm still choosing what photos to upload.

[1330H] I created the album, but I'm still uploading photos.

[04-JAN-2009 0730H] I'm still tweaking my blog entries. I'll finish this today. Hmm. Vacation is almost over.

[05-JAN-2009 1010H] I'm almost done. I just finished updating all my albums. Now, I'm going to choose what to include in this album.

Last Day of School

It was the last day of school for 2008. We were all suffering from the short attention span syndrome as Judge Ingles gave his lecture. Since I haven't eaten dinner yet, I was also distracted. We can't wait to be finally outside the building.



From here, me and my classmates went to Golden Cowrie for dinner. It was a typical dinner until Ken threw a personal question at me. I hesitated, but I felt it was time to be less mysterious. Surprisingly, three people at the table seemed interested in my secret life. Hmm. And I haven't even had beer yet.



We ended up at Baseline (or more precisely, Sideline) for beer. This was actually the last place we looked into. All the other places we entered were either too crowded, too noisy or closed for the night. Anyway, I actually had a nice time taking photos. For a change, I was actually in many of my own shots.
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* [01-JAN-2009 2210H] I discovered that night the best way to take my own photo. Sharmine's meter-long tripod gave me the ability to be in two places at once and be my own photographer.



Of course, this innovation was the result of beer and chocolate. I was both uninhibited and hyperactive.

Finally, I rediscovered digital zoom (or cropping). I didn't realize that I can manipulate a photo and zoom in after the fact. Those photos I didn't like actually became interesting by simply zooming in and cropping the excess background. Oops. Sorry Ichelle.

Christmas Carolers

It was an early Christmas party and a week long break for us. This afternoon we're just practicing for the caroling contest scheduled for tonight during the dinner party. Since I'm just a member of the cheering squad, I was content to just point and shoot my camera.



While they were practicing, I was able to attend a very short Nihongo class. But what can you really expect from a two-hour class? Anyway, it gave me a chance to speak some Nihongo. Actually, I asked the instructor—Anata wa Nihonjin desû ka? Are you Japanese? Of course, he is. Mochiron Nihonjin desû.



Around 6pm, we all went to the dinner party. This was followed by some charity bingo hosted by one of my classmates in law school—from nine years ago! Although my heart was set on winning something in the bingo, it didn't happen. I was just one of many charitable people that night, but in between games, I designed a better bingo announcement board. I was bored. Anyway, this should come in handy in the future when we host the bingo games ourselves.

Of course, the climax of the evening was winning 2nd prize in the caroling competition.


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* [01-JAN-2009 2105H] This embedded web album and slideshow was the result of experiments I conducted last week—Picasa Web Albums and Picasa Slide Shows.

The Survivors

Sharmine texted me to hang out with our classmates near Ayala. When I got there, there were only three of them—she, Arcelli and Therese. Apparently, they just enrolled earlier this afternoon. Wow, three women who were excited to become lawyers. Hmm. Aren't they cute?



Anyway, the others must still be on vacation because nobody else showed up. So, the four of us drank beer, ate dark chocolates and talked about ... Hmm. I forgot, but I'm pretty sure we talk plenty because I took fewer photos than usual.


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* [03-JAN-2009 0034H] It's done. I have just uploaded the last album. Now, I'm just finishing this blog and I'll be going to bed. But before that, Mizu ga nomitai desû. I want to drink some water.

[0051H] Oops. I almost forgot. I still have to pick the best photos from all my albums and put them in my "year in review" album. After that, I have to announce to the others that they can now access my photos through my blog. Hmm. Maybe I should also experiment on the RSS feed tomorrow. It may be a more efficient way to make and receive announcements.

Beach Outing

Sharmine thought it would be a good idea to go to the beach during the weekend. Maybe she wanted us to drown our frustrations in the sea. Who knows?



After midnight, a storm actually blew into the area. But before that, we actually ate a lot, played a lot and ran a lot. Of course, there was a lot of crying, too.


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* [02-JAN-2009 2358H] It's almost midnight. I'm just going to upload two more albums and then I'll go to bed. Hmm. Two more days before school opens.

One more time, I'm uploading an all-sepia album of about 67 night shots. In my original album, I only uploaded 11 photos which I deemed presentable. But now, in sepia, the other 56 photos suddenly didn't look bad. Hmm. I must really be sleepy because I can't think of anything Japanese to say. Oh well, ato de. Later.

[03-JAN-2009 2125H] I'm doing experiments on the size of the embedded photo or album. I need to fill the space occupied by the slideshow. If it looks okay, I'll use a bigger size for the slideshow. It's too small for viewing.

It worked, but the hyperlink is rather costly to produce. It involves several time-consuming steps. [2130H] Oops. It didn't work. I can't show different album covers for the same album.

[2208H] I've decided to use a larger photo instead of the album cover. Of course, this means I must use a larger slideshow window. If there are several interesting photos in the album, I may use several smaller photos stacked below the main photo. Except for the additional photos, I think the production time for the hyperlinks is shorter because I don't have to combine the photo and slideshow in an HTML table.

The Aftermath

To pass or not to pass? That is the question. Well, at least for Constitutional Law, the answer was forthcoming. We found out quickly.



Ainiku. Unfortunately, ... there was no announcement for Criminal Law I and Legal Profession—my two problematic subjects. Oh well, it's probably best to enjoy the semestral break rather than waste my time worrying about these two.

Anyway, this was how the aftermath developed.


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* [02-JAN-2009 2200H] I'm almost done uploading all my previous albums and posting a matching blog for each. Whew! This is actually hard work. In terms of hours spent, I must say processing photos is a costly activity. I need to study and improve my image processing workflow or else I'll be doing a lot of expensive rework.

This album is also an all-sepia collection. I decided to go sepia all the way because I figured nobody will demand to see the colored version of candid photos.

After the Finals

Except for some minor class requirements, the first semester is officially over. We took the last of our final exams tonight. So, from here on, nothing we do will alter the result. Que sera sera. Unless ... there's a removal exam. Hmm. I'm beginning to trail off like a lawyer.



We ate dinner together. We drank beer together. And we sang a lot together. Afterward, some of us actually slept together. (Nothing obscene ... yet. They didn't say. I wasn't there and I have no photos.)

     
     

Anyway, it was a longggggg night and I have manyyyyyy photos.


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* [02-JAN-2009 2054H] This album is an even more massive collection of sepia tone photos—134 nostalgic images. Hmm. I'll be waiting for quite some time for the upload to finish. No matter. I'm happy I was bolder and decisive about the sepia color. If I was not, I'd be excluding practically half of my photos because of some flaw.

Come to think of it, this decision is only possible now because I made an earlier decision not to upload each photo to its maximum size of about 1MB. Right now, I'm only uploading at about one-third the original size. Hmm. Kore wa ii desû. This is good.

[04-JAN-2009 0940H] It's almost juji desû—ten o'clock. I thought I'd spice up this story by adding more photos, but my internet connection suddenly went down. Hmm. It might as well because I haven't eaten breakfast yet. Ima bangohan o tabetai desû. I want to eat breakfast now. ... And I have not eaten still.

[1030H] Connection is back, but slow. I better stop my torrents. ... Now, it's down again. It's confused and cannot make up its mind. I should just stop and go to Ayala and have an early lunch. Hayaku hirugohan o tabemasû. But not too early, internet's back again.

It's Elementary

Today, we're on a mission—educate elementary school children of their rights. Really? I know it's a long shot, but who am I to argue? Anyway, kids have always been a great subject for photographs. I'll tag along and see how many smiley faces I can capture.



Hmm. The kids seemed mildly interested ... or amused at the bigger kids who came.

     
     

I actually had a hard time picking the photos to upload, but I'm content that the ones I chose will tell the story.


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* [02-JAN-2009 1335H] We went back to Bgy. Agsungot—the exotic mountain barangay where we made our "crime scene" documentary. Anyway, this time we were visiting a public school. It was a different photography problem. There were so many people around that I actually had a hard time picking my subjects. And much more problematic here was the pace, everybody seems to be moving and moving a lot. I had several photos (4 out of 5) with subjects blurred in some way. Using the flash didn't help much also. It meant waiting for the flash to recharge while the subject already moved somewhere.

I just realized it now that the 4x4 (or multi-shot 16) photo should be suitable in this situation. I know the photos seemed tiny, but cropping the original to yield a 2x2 (or multi-shot 4) photo will actually produce a balance between action and size. This photo of Sharmine's classroom is illustrative.



Actually, there was so much going on in Sharmine's classroom that day, but I was rather slow to respond. I was too occupied with adjusting the settings of my camera such that in the end I missed the interesting moments entirely.

Pre-Final Exam

It's the pre-final exam for Criminal Law I. So far, my performance in this subject is below stellar. I can't seem to anticipate what Judge Yap will be up to as far as exam design is concerned. Either that or there's simply too much information in the Revised Penal Code to absorb.



I am of the opinion that the study of law should yield predictable or monotone results as far as legal arguments are concerned. But the reactions of these aspiring lawyers say otherwise. They're actually colorful.

     
     

Anyway, what do I know? For now, I'm just content on being a bystander. While pondering the bigger picture, I will simply snap pictures of opportunity as they appear before me.


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* [02-JAN-2009 1630H] I am still trying to solve the same problem that confronted me nine years ago—how to learn effectively and efficiently in law school. It was necessary because I sensed early on that something was wrong in the university. For some unknown reason—maybe, inertia—grown men like me were subjected to unnecessary chores of learning. Simply put, we were treated like undergrads with no opinion of our own.

Since Day 1 last semester, I've been doing research on teaching and learning techniques. Unfortunately, I failed to find a viable solution to my problem(s). In fact, I barely passed Criminal Law I and it was probably where I was most at risk.

Anyway, another year, another semester. I have other solutions lined up for me to try. I'm sure and confident that eventually, I'll figure it out.

Premiere Night

Tonight is the premiere of our documentary and the presenters are ready to convince Judge Yap that we can tell the difference between principal, accomplice and accessory to a crime. I already did my part by preparing the slides for our presentation. So now, I'm merely a member of the audience doing what audiences do a lot—take photos of the actors and actresses.



Shigoto ga taksan arimashita. There was a lot of work. From the editing room to the auditorium (i.e., classroom), everybody did their part ... including the audience.

     
     

There are only 59 photos in this album because when the director says cut it stays cut. Hmm. Really?


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* [02-JAN-2009 1806H] I just spent a couple of hours preparing the photos for this album. The lighting in the classroom didn't help much in making my job easier. So, I decided to experiment with sepia tone for all photographs. Hmm. It's actually true. Honto desû. The impact of a monotone photograph is different if not more so than a color photograph. I'm relieved my decision to use sepia for all the photos is justified. In the process, I actually produced some kind of documentary of that evening. Ima shokuji o shimasû. I will eat dinner now.

[1856H] I just found out that I need to recopy the link to the Picasa album every time I change the album cover. I examined the hyperlink and it turned out that the HTML code is static.

Crime Scene

We're suppose to distinguish between a principal, an accomplice and an accessory to a crime. And to prove that we indeed know, we're suppose to make a documentary movie as part of a class project. Anyway, my groupmates took the project seriously so we actually went to some exotic cowboy country to make the movie—Bgy. Agsungot, a mountain barangay at the outskirt of the city.



We got actors and actresses. We got directors. We got scripts. We got costumes. We got props. We got stagehands. We got fake blood. We got cameras. Hmm. Did I miss anything? Makeup! We forgot that. Hey, weren't there stuntmen also? I forgot.

Anyway, quiet on the set. Crime Scene, Take 1. Lights! ... Camera! ... Action!

     
     

Cut! That's a take.



For the bloopers, you need to watch the rest.


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* [01-JAN-2009 2053H] In my previous album, I actually excluded a lot of the photos I took on this trip because of bad composition or framing. But now that I discovered the magic of cropping, I was able to include these photos. One particular photo even made me laugh. Anyway, I'm surprised ... and amused at this "blooper" of sorts.

[04-JAN-2009 1218H] Hmm. I'm pleased with myself for the layout of all my photos. But there's something missing—something behind the scene. Anyway, everybody knows you can't make a movie without some kind of blooper. It's a tradition. Sorry Ichelle.

Conference Room

This is a very cozy room in the law library where we can talk loudly and be noisy ... not to mention conduct a photo shoot.



So basically, this part of the library is a studio. We do fake studying here for the camera.


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* [02-JAN-2009 0849H] Frankly, I find it strange that other students—our seniors, of course—have other ideas. I found this out a few weeks before the finals in an incident I was involved in. (I'll gripe about my side of the story in another blog.) Anyway, apparently, our class was too "barbaric" for law school. I can't believe somebody actually used that word. Incidents like this along with my apprehension about the USC College of Law make me ponder if I belong in this university. I'm concerned that my thinking will be warped towards being petty.

[1005H] I have to use sepia tone for some of the photos in this album. It's the only way I can fix photos. Since I was in two of them, I had to somehow make the photos presentable. Anyway, it was a chance for conducting experiments ... like this embedded link to a single nostalgic-looking photograph. Hmm. Totemo sûki desû. I like it very much.

[04-JAN-2009 1240H] The experiment is now part of the mainstream. I now have embedded links to single large photos as part of the body of the blog. And I've added more copy between that and the slideshow.

Hmm. Machimasen. I can't wait. Shinakereba-naranai desû. I have to go. Ima ga hontō ni tabetai desû. I really want to eat now.

Our Condolences

The husband of our Criminal Law professor died. That means our midterm exam was effectively postponed for a week. Notwithstanding this good news-bad news thing, our class went to Sacred Heart to offer our condolences to Judge Yap.



There were lots of people at the wake. I even saw two lawyers I know personally. But we, the students, were reluctant to be part of the crowd. We were not yet family.


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* [02-JAN-2009 0845H] That night I was able to observe what it would be like to be a lawyer even if measured only in terms of Judge Yap's (or her husband's) circle of friends and acquaintances. It's something to ponder.

Anyway, I have to go. Shitsurei. Shinakereba-naranai desû. Kuji ni tabetai desû. At nine o'clock, I want to eat.

Midterm Exam

It's the midterm exam on constitutional law and the moot court is a pandemonium of animated examinees. Some, of course, are somewhat inanimate. It's a commonly-used technique when studying was less than adequate.



Anyway, I have my own problems. I'm animated in a different way.


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* [02-JAN-2009 1143H] Apparently, a few curious students will take the time to gaze and pose for the camera. Hmm. Interesting. How do I say interesting in Japanese? "Interesting" wa nihongo de nanto iimasû ka? Omoshiroi to iimasû. Ah, omoshiroi. I remember that.

[04-JAN-2009 1345H] I'm still here. I'll just finish up before go to Ayala. Anyway, I'm thinking of converting all the photos in this album to sepia. It's probably more dramatic. ... Actually, I already converted the photos, but I haven't uploaded them yet.

Candidate Lawyers

It's election time in law school. A bunch of politically-inclined law students were busy going room to room campaigning for votes. Because we weren't too inclined to pay attention, they herded us in the AVR to get our undivided attention long enough to give us their sales pitch. Well, ...



As for me, my interest was somewhere else—the photos I failed to take the first time I was here in the AVR. So, I got a little busy on the side.



Anyway, I can't remember anything anybody said. But at least, I know what it looked like when they said it.


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* [02-JAN-2009 0827H] That was probably the second time the entire college was in the AVR since the semester started. The first time was the orientation given to first year law students. Ainiku. Unfortunately, ... I wasn't able to take any photographs to document the event. Zannen desû ne. Anyway, I'll just write about it and the "above ordinary mortals" talk I heard the first time I was in law school.

Acquaintance Party

Tonight was supposed to be some grand masquerade ball and acquaintance party, but neither happened. Actually, I was just curious to attend so I was in a "surprise me" kind of mood. Ainiku. Unfortunately ... I was not impressed. I mean, what kind of masquerade ball is it when you put on your mask for barely three seconds?



The evening was fast becoming a night to remember ... not to do again. Anyway, it was a good thing my batchmates in college invited me to a mini-reunion dinner nearby. (They are not in the photos here. That's another story in another blog.)


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* [02-JAN-2009 0811H] That evening would have be very disappointing except my batchmates in college were also having a mini-reunion dinner nearby. I was there before going to Waterfront Hotel and from the looks of it, that was more of a party than the main event of the evening.

[04-JAN-2009 1410H] I also decided to convert all the photos here (except one) into sepia and upload more photos to get a better perspective of the evening as it really was because frankly, as far as the event is concerned, wakarimasen. I don't understand.

Aspiring Lawyers

Today, I started pointing my camera at anything that moved. Basically, it's "smile, you're on candid camera" night. And I got lucky.



While I was in Osaka last February, my classmates there called me camera guy because I was always pointing my camera and clicking. My Malaysian classmate actually remarked that I must really like people. I said, not really. And then, I told her why I kept taking photos. I said to her, you keep clicking the camera in search of the perfect photograph. If out of 100 photos, you captured one perfect smile or that unusually captivating moment, this is priceless.

And so my quest goes on.


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* [01-JAN-2009 2030H] For several nights until August, I kept taking portraits. Hmm. I took a lot of photos, but nobody is taking my photo ... except me. Anyway, not a problem. Last month, I actually discovered the solution. I'll write about it in another blog. [04-JAN-2009 1435H] It's here, Last Day of School.

[05-JAN-2009 0910H] Let's get back to work. Hopefully, my internet connection does not falter this time.

After My First Exam

I just took my first exam as a student after so many years. This is just one of four major exams that I will be taking for each major subject. I must really be dazed or something after the exam because I forgot to take any photos until we were outside the building.



Anyway, there will be plenty of exams coming my way for the next four years.


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* [01-JAN-2009 2010H] Taking photos in low light conditions is one of those times when a really good camera will make a difference. Hmm. I wonder how other cameras of the same class will compare to mine in this situation.

Street Lawyers

After class, we went across USC Main to photocopy some cases and I stumbled into a photo opportunity. Apparently, I would learn, street children are drawn to the camera. It's probably out of curiosity, but they give the photograph a different character.



I should take more night shots like this one. I really like the overall golden glow of the street lamps serving as a background for this moment in time.


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* [01-JAN-2009 7:50pm] So far, I have not been able to duplicate these photos. This is why photographers should be have itchy fingers and be always attentive. Mental note. Your camera. It's digital. Keep taking photos. Okane nga kakarimasen. It doesn't cost money.

Legal Fashion

It's corporate attire day. Everyone should wear a formal attire or else ... you'll be singled out for recitation. I'm not sure about the effectiveness of this kind of threat, but who cares. It will give me an excuse to practice my Windsor knot.



My only complaint with this album is this: Why is it that the best photo is the one where I'm not in it? Hmm. Maybe I belong at the other side of the camera. Or maybe, I need a better and smarter camera? A Nikon D3 perhaps?


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* [01-JAN-2009 7:18pm] Mental note. Take more photos. Okane nga kakarimasen. It doesn't cost money.

[05-JAN-2009 0928H] I decided to use sepia tone for these photos.