July 16, 2019
I discovered that there’s one young Filipina lawyer from Ateneo attending classes too. She was sent by Ayala Corporation / AG Counselors Corporation. We hit it off right away and decided to walk together to lunch. I initially thought she was single and maybe around 25 years old. I told her I would introduce her to my son. She laughed, she’s married and has two kids.
Me with Atty. Florence Martinez-Cruz, and Jill Alban, Director of Academic Support, Touro University in Vallejo, California.
Florence told me her mom was supposed to travel with her to Boston but she passed away in May due to cancer of the breast. She tried alternative medicine like taking massive amounts of vitamin C but it didn’t work. Her mom hid her sickness from the family until it was too late. Maybe she didn’t want them to worry. Her dad died peacefully in his sleep a year ago. He was never sick. When she was telling me about those stories, I couldn’t help but cry. I just felt very sad.
I met Jill’s husband the night before at the welcome reception. He has some attachment to the Philippines because he was a US marine corps working as a marine biologist. He’s been to Subic I think. He and Jill have been wanting to visit our country but so far they haven’t found the energy and time. Her husband’s bucket list contains a trip back to the Philippines above all else. That’s flattering.
We had salmon for lunch.
Atty. Florence and I walked back together while taking pictures along the way. She’s so cute, parang teenager pa lang.
Grabe and init. We took turns posing beside this cemented bench.
Maluluto ang bibingka mo pag umupo ka.
Florence and another lawyer classamate of ours from Latin America wanted to go back to the Harvard Law School coop to buy some souvenirs. Ang layo ng lakad namin, ang init maglakad.
Florence was hesitant to buy t-shirts that say Harvard Law. I told her by wearing that t-shirt doesn’t mean she’s claiming that she graduated from Harvard Law. Ang dami ngang tao naka suot ng Golden State Warriors, that doesn’t mean they play for the team.
I bought a t-shirt and a baseball cap. I was given a discount when I presented my lanyard/ID.
I don’t know if it’s good to marry a lawyer if you’re a lawyer yourself and from the same school at that. Maybe it works, look at President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. I have an acquaintance from Manila, she’s a lawyer from UP, daughter of a successful lawyer father, and she’s married to a UP law graduate too, who runs their big law firm. I asked her paano pag-nag-aaway sila? Do you say excuse me, your honor? She said naiinis daw sya because he likes to say “ang tali-talino mo tapos hindi mo pala alam?” Wow, how condescending.
