Football, Basketball and more Pahabols

On my way to UP, the cab driver said when he saw the colorful scatter of people at the sunken garden 'dapat yang football and prinapraktis ng mga pinoy, masyado tayong bansot para sa basketball'*.  Such a funny but true comment. I wonder why Filipinos didn't get into football...

I remember my former professor saying before why Filipino's will never really get into football 'it's because we cannot appreciate delayed gratification'. Since it will take forever, if at all, to score in football as oppose to basketball, that could be the key.

The book that documents the Filipino's love for basketball

But then again, could it be that maybe we just don't have enough open spaces to play football in. Or, could it be something trivial like maybe Filipinos just don't like hi-cut socks...

*Filipinos should practice football, we're too small for basketball 

Degustations at The Goose Station

Saturday has always been a long day for me. A 1:00-4:00pm class with every other week legal aid classroom component, not to mention the occasional downpour that visits the UP area almost every afternoon makes me tired to the bones come nightfall.

Tired and sometimes drained, I look forward to Saturday dinners and this time it was particularly more so.  My friend Paola suggested this restaurant called The Goose Station. The original plan was to go there Friday night, but alas they don't have any seats left. The restaurant opens only in the evening and one must always make sure to call for reservation.  It's located at the outskirts of Global City, i say outskirts because it's not anywhere around Serendra, High Street, or Burgos Circle, at the W building.

The Goose Station is the brainchild of husband and wife team Chef Rob and Sunshine Pecson.  The name the Goose Station is of course, if you haven't guessed it yet, a play on the word degustation, it also serves to forewarn you that their specialty is (ta-dan!) foie gras.  So for all those with high blood pressure, a prior dose of simvastatin wouldn't hurt, and for those with squirmishes on the plight of the poor goose, this might not be the restaurant for you.  Nonetheless, the other food items i.e. not involving foie gras is still worth the visit.

choices for their 5-course menu

Ordering at the goose station is easy. Although they have ala carte menu, it's better to opt for the course menus.  They have the express 5-course menu (at Php1600 exclusive of Vat and SC) and their signature 9-course menu at Php2500 plus Vat and SC.  Since we weren't so hungry that night we all opted for the 5-course menu.

THE foie cone

Their menu is composed of at least two items to choose from. For snacks we had the foie gras cone.  Unlike the other items, for snacks this is the only choice, and for very good reasons.  A visit to The Goose Station wouldn't be complete unless you try this. It simply is an explosion of flavors from the filo pastry - not a cone - to the foie gras and the complimentary hazelnut topping gives you that perfect theater ending -- satiated but still wanting to have more.  Next on the snacks is the trio of potato glass, truffle puff and savory macaroon. Paola had to check four square and dished out the advice that this trio must be eaten from right to left. We heeded the advise and had the potato glass first, next the truffle puff and finished off with the savory macaroon. The advise was perfect! Eating it in that order allows the tastes to merge starting off with the salty potato glass, the tangy truffle puff and finishing with the mildly sweet savory macaroon.  These snack items surely does it's job of getting the taste buds more excited for the next degustations.

remember to eat from right to left

Of Exams, Growing Up, and Choices

First there were eight choices.

The first exam I failed at the College of Law was a multiple choice exam.  Eight choices, one right answer. It could be all of the above or none of the above.

I got my first 4.0, a conditional pass or if you're pessimistic a conditional fail, when I was 21 years old.  One year after I left the denial age of 'twenteen' life hit me --  everything becomes more complicated as you grow up.  Even a simple multiple choice.  I remembered looking at my bluebook with that ubiquitous red mark. I went back to my textbooks and realized that most answers were either none of the above or all of the above.

None of the above OR all of the above.

Five years into the College of Law and just two more semesters to go, I can say this has been the most valuable lesson I have learned.

Life gives us choices. Some apparent, some we have to create ourselves.  Some choices are not choices at all but merely just distractions and nuisance. But just like any exam, sometimes this distractions and nuisances are what makes it more challenging and exciting.

Rights of the Differently Enabled

This digest was originally submitted by me for a radio show which the UP Office of Legal Aid is required to contribute in.

The text is written in Filipino to cater to the shows audience. Feel free to send me a message or comment if you want a clarification. The basis for the Courts decision is the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (RA 7277) and Labor Code Art 280.

Wow Philippines!

My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.


This is how much of the Philippines I have seen. 7107 Islands. Beautiful!

How to Lose Your Job for 16 Months

Losing ones job is hard enough, but losing ones job by choice is harder.

Thursday was payday.  Fifteen days ago was also payday.  If it wasn't the long lines in the ATM, I would not have noticed these two important dates.  Two months ago, I submitted my resignation letter.  I wasn't fired, I wasn't threatened of being retrenched, I had a good boss, I had flexible time, but I resigned nonetheless.  Quitting my job wasn't a simple decision, it was a choice.  It was a matter of prioritizing and focus. Since it was more of a conviction rather than forced by circumstance, I knew I had to stand up for it.

Band of Murderous Brothers: A Firsthand Account

What kind of environment has UP become that it regularly breeds people who will maim and kill one another because a brod was stared at by someone from a rival fraternity? What kind of a mind-set is required to transform intelligent young scholars into thugs whose claim to fame is the number of rumbles they've been in and "hits" they've done?*

4:50pm. We decided to do our case conference outside the Supervising Lawyers room. It was my team mates birthday so he proposed to treat the team and have our case conference in Shakey's Katipunan instead. We have two team memebers who are from the Upsilon Sigma Phi - the rival fraternity (currently) of Sigma Rho Fraternity.