How to Save Money and Survive!

After getting married, taking the bar exam, paying for a wedding, a reception and a honeymoon and also paying a number of humongous living expenses as a newly-married couple, we’ve had to start being more careful with our money.

Especially in light of the financial turmoil the world is suffering from.

Thankfully (and out of necessity) my dreamgirl and I figured out some unorthodox but funny ways to cut costs and be frugal. Hey, you do what you gotta do to survive.

1. Take the freebies. Scrounge if you have to.

and I do mean scrounge. Go for freebies if you can from friends or family, and take whatever they are willing to give you.

Our new apartment is already filled with some stuff from all over. An uncle’s microwave, a tv and cooking stuff from the mother-in –law, a nightstand from my old house, a printer from my brother, the list goes on.

We even have some new stuff which are gifts from relatives and friends. My dreamgirl’s mom in particular, gave us a lot of great stuff for the house (ref, tv, kitchen counter, etc).

I don’t mean to say we don’t buy our own stuff though. We have some furniture which we bought ourselves, like the bed and sofa, but generally, most of the stuff in our apartment were gifts. And that really made a difference in our expenses.

We once tried to add up the money we would have shelled out if we hadn’t received all those gifts, and the amount was astronomical.

In this light, let us say thank you to everyone who gave us wedding gifts or Le Kwan. It really meant a lot and made a big difference in our lives together as a newly-married couple.

2. Know Your Needs and Wants

There are “needs,” and there are “wants.” The key to saving money is to figure out what are needs and what the heck are wants.

Obviously, you only buy stuff you need, and stay as far away from the wants as possible. For example, you need food, so you gotta buy food to eat. But do you need to buy expensive food or eat at places like Friday’s or Bigby’s? Malls have inexpensive foodcourts with great value meals. Or better yet, learn to cook.

Another example would be cellphones. I have been hankering for the iphone for the longest time, even though I still have a fully functional, though woefully outmoded nokia.

To give you an idea how old it is, it was originally owned by my brother, who used it for three years. He later let me use it when my Sony Ericson phone died. I really really want to change that nokia, but its sturdy as heck, still works great, and is cheap.

Whenever I take it out, I lose techie points for having such an outmoded cell, but hey, it still works. So I am holding on to it, since the nokia fulfills my needs, while the iphone would have been just a want.

3. Look for Discounts and Haggle if you have to

There are tons of discounts wherever you shop. We just don’t notice them.

In fact, in some furniture stores and even appliance shops, you can actually slash as much as fifteen percent off the listed price simply by asking. That’s the time when you should start haggling, or begging, or do whatever it is you have to, to get a cheaper rate.

To be honest though, I am usually too embarrassed to ask for discounts or haggle, but my dreamgirl/wife takes care of that for me.

I tend to think that women have this “haggle” gene in them or something. So guys, when you go shop, do bring a girl with you, either your mom, a girlfriend, wife or close personal but female friend

Try to Survive

I am sure there are tons of other ideas out there on how to cut costs and be cheap, but so far, these tips have been the ones keeping me and my wife in the black.

In any case, times are bad. You gotta save money whenever and wherever you can. Which is why you have to: Be cheap. And Survive.

A Look at Bush’s Legacy

(Babble On Column for  The Sunstar Davao, Friday, January 23, 2009)

People will remember this week as a historical one. This week, a black man, President Barack Obama, became President of the United States.

However, I will remember this week, not so much for Obama’s ascendancy, but for George W. Bush’s descent into infamy, and his long painful ride into the sunset.

So for now, let’s forget about Obama for a minute, and look at George W. Bush.

Former President George W. Bush (and I am sure many will rejoice at being able to call him FORMER president), started out his term in the White House riddled with controversy.

He won a bitterly contested election that required hordes of lawyers from both the Democrat and Republican parties to argue endlessly over the legalities of counting chads.

Winning this election, and coming to power in such a manner, was already a foretelling of the future. In the same way that Bush came into office, hounded by controversy and ridicule, he leaves in basically the same way.

What happened in his two terms as President is a sad tale at how high, and how low, a President and his country can go.

From becoming a leader of a powerful nation with the backing of the civilized world, ready to face the challenges of terrorism after 9-11, the United States and Bush became a financially weakened state, with little to no international support or credibility. The United States became a hollow shell of what it once was, and what it could have been.

Unloved, unpopular and leaving a horrible legacy of debt (the U.S. financial crisis), death (the Iraq War) and disaster (Hurricane Katrina) Bush left office with the largest disapproval rating since Nixon resigned.

It is a wonder he wasn’t forced to do the same, considering how many international and domestic laws his secretive administration may have broken. The next few months will be very interesting for the many disclosures that will come out, now that that Obama’s more open administration is in power.

I feel sad about Bush. He is a Christian man, very devout in his faith, and with a strong sense that God had put him in power for a reason – to save the world from terrorism. He failed in that task.

Terrorism is as rampant in the world as it was when 9-11 happened. If only that was the only place where he failed. But he failed his country, and the world, financially as well. The world economic downturn took place during his term.

There are debates as to whether he could have prevented it. Nevertheless, it happened during his watch. And as Truman says, the buck stops here.

Ironically enough, Bush has taken to comparing himself with Harry Truman, a Democrat who was an unpopular president during his time, but was redeemed by history and is now widely considered one of the best Presidents the United States ever had.

But Bush is nowhere near being a Truman. Specifically because Truman never blatantly violated human rights, which is something Bush’s administration did with impunity, and is clearly his worst legacy.

This legacy of torture is embodied in Guantanamo Bay. A place where Bush made torture and violation of human rights an everyday practice. This is patently against international law.

But he did it anyway, using loose legal reasoning by a young legal scholar named John Yoo, as his basis for torture, among others.

Whether or not Bush will suffer the consequences for his actions and decisions remains to be seen. But he will forever have to face the shame of being a failure as President. And that is a punishment which will follow him the rest of his life, and in the history of the world.

In any event, Bush is gone. Obama is here. And the world may be all the better for it.

Television Has Too Many Lawyer Shows!

The general public is fascinated with lawyers. Aside from cop shows and doctor shows, lawyer shows seem to be the most popular television shows.

A quick count will make you realize that TV land seems to be chock full of lawyers and lawyer shows.

Lawyer shows even seem interesting enough to support channels like Court TV, a cable TV channel that is dedicated to law and legal processes, or channels like Crime and Suspense which runs lawyer shows like Boston Legal, Law and Order and the Practice. Other channels run Ally McBeal, Shark, and Justice . And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. All of them are lawyer shows.

So many lawyer shows populate TV that you actually have people who know the intricacies of the court system simply from watching TV.

You get people who know to shout out “objection” when a cross examination is becoming aggressive, or to say “overruled” when a judge sees no point in that objection.

You know that there are judges who give out rulings which can be appealed to a higher court, or that there are trials by jury (in some jurisdictions) or that lawyers must speak to a judge with the honorific “your honor.”

Most lawyer shows focus on the fast-paced lifestyle of lawyering. The looming deadlines, the rich clients, the high-profile cases, the exciting court appearances and trials.

In many of these shows, the lawyer is portrayed as rich, or at the very least, powerful. A lawyer is able to change the course of a person’s life by virtue of his training in the law and his skill in trial.

Some of the best shows, even if they are not about court appearances or trials, still involve lawyers. Like Dirty Sexy Money (sadly cancelled), where the main character is a lawyer who works for a rich New York family named the Darlings.

There you see that a lawyer has access to one of the richest families because of his lawyering work. He goes to court for his clients, he negotiates for them, and drafts legal documents.

So altogether, you have people who want to become lawyers because they imagine the glamorized world in those tv shows. A world of high pay and interesting work, of trials and court appearances. A world of glamour and prestige. Of access and privilege.

What they usually don’t realize is that lawyering isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be.

TV shows only show the interesting parts of the life of lawyers. They don’t show (or at least don’t emphasize) the very long hours of preparation, the groundwork that has to be done, the rigorous time of study and the often mind-numbing experience of legal research (ironically one of the areas I excel at, but that’s another post).

As a result, most new law students get disillusioned when they realize what real lawyering has in store for them. The endless hours of work is often enough to turn off many such students.

This brings the mind the need for passion. You have to have a passion for the law to want to do this everyday for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, passion for the law can’t be gained nor transmitted from TV.

I guess in a way, the glamour of TV lawyer shows is bad for the profession. It glamorizes lawyers and puts them in a different light.

Yes, it does attract new people to the profession, but I am not sure if that’s the kind of people you would want practicing law.

In any case, in the same way that too many cooks spoil the broth, too many TV shows may spoil the profession.

I think we have enough lawyer shows now. Really.

Trying To Oust A Chief Justice

If the rumors I have been hearing are true, there is a scramble to oust the current Chief Justice via the unpromulgated Limkaichong case. The only way to oust a Justice of the Supreme Court, even a Chief Justice, is by impeachment, and I honestly don’t see any ground in this case.

Presuming then that there is indeed no real ground for impeachment, what would be the point about the loud rumors of impeaching a Chief Justice? I can see no other reason except to attack the reputation of a reputable Chief Justice, one who is widely considered as the best constitutionalist in the Court today and a champion of human rights who shepherded the creation of the Rules on the Writ of Amparo and Habeas Data.

Chief Justice Puno has a strong reputation in legal circles as an intelligent and learned legal scholar, whose opinions on Constitutional and even political issues are greatly respected.

So why sully his reputation? Perhaps the people working in the shadows are hoping the Chief will resign on his own and clear the path for the President to have a grand sweep of the Court? But from what I know of the Chief’s character, he is unlikely to do that. Instead, he will stay true to his duty to the law and the Court, and stay in his position as the Chief Justice.

Do the people behind this move really think impeachment will succeed though? Impeachment has never succeeded yet in this country or under this current Constitution. The closest we came to impeachment was the impeachment trial of Erap Estrada, which ultimately led to his political downfall over the unopened envelope issue (although he got pardoned after his conviction in the Sandiganbayan anyway).

It is deeply suspicious that it is usually the more respected Chief Justices who get slapped with impeachment proceedings. Chief Justice Davide once got shot with an impeachment case. It didn’t even come close to succeeding, since the public furor over that scuttled the case. Now another Chief Justice is being targeted over what I can only presume to be political reasons. But I am betting that this rumored attempt to impeach the Chief Justice will not succeed either. It will get no support, not politically nor publicly.

Remember, this is the Chief Justice who fought extrajudicial killings with the Rules on Amparo and Habeas Data. Civil Society will fight to defend him, and even the media is likely to side with the Chief.

When will politics keep their hands off the Court? When will our government institutions start to respect each other? When will the time come that a good man, a Chief Justice, will not be attacked (or impeached) without good reason?

I don’t know if that will happen in my lifetime.

I know one thing though, this purported move to oust the Chief Justice will not succeed. I know it, and I think the people who are vainly trying to take him down know it too. The most they can do is try to tarnish his reputation and legacy.

Well good luck with that Sirs and Madames. Because I am betting that even this will not succeed.

(Cross-posted with Filipino Voices. Column piece for the Sunstar Davao)

Law School Guerilla Tactics

After graduating from law school, I realized that there are a few tactics that can help you survive in law school, and theoretically, survive the rat race of life.

You see, when I first got into law school, I thought I could handle it with no problem since I knew many of the people who went there ahead of me.

I had worked in China for a few years before deciding to take up law, so many of my former batchmates from college were  upperclassmen in law school. They showed me the ropes and told me about all the things I needed to know about legal education. I was pretty confident I could breeze through it.

Boy was I wrong.

Instead of handling law school studies with ease, I wound up nearly buckling under the pressure. It’s true what they say: some of the demands of law school ARE impossible. Part of what you learn in law school is how to deal with those impossible demands.

So here are a few unorthodox guerilla tactics on how to cope with law school.

1.)    Prioritize – with so much to read, there is no way you can finish everything, no matter how hard you try. One suggestion then, is to pick the most important things you have to do and do it. You can ignore the others and hope for the best. Or, in the alternative, you can opt for damage control (see below).

2.)    Damage Control – you can only do sooo much. You will likely get called sooner or later, and more than likely, it will be on a topic you didn’t get a chance to read. So what to do? Well try and control the damage. Read up on some of the more important or likely to be discussed topics.

Or better yet, if you can, read a little on every topic so you can at least have some ammunition to throw at the professor when you get called in recitation. Forget about complete mastery of the topics. It’s better to know a little about everything rather than master one topic and know nothing about the others. One alternative tactic however, is tip # 3.

3.)    Play the Averages – one reason people study and read so much is because of the fear of getting called on a question and being unable to answer. But since you can’t read everything, you can gamble a little bit and concentrate on a specific class where you will really be called.

It’s like Sun Tzu. Concentrate all your forces where your opponent is weak. In the same way, concentrate and study the subject where you will likely be called. If one subject doesn’t demand much study, then forget it for now and study for the subjects which do. And do so quickly. Remember you don’t have that much time on your hands.

Yes, these tactics do not make for good academic mastery. That’s why they’re unorthodox guerrilla tactics. Their purpose is survival, not academic excellence. These tactics are mostly for those folks who want to go to law school, survive it, and still have a life.

So the next questions: Did these tactics work for me? Do I still have a life? Well, I’m writing this column, graduated from law school with a Best Thesis (Silver Medal) award, and have been together with my girlfriend for the entirety of 4 years. And recently, I married her. So you tell me.

Some Law School Survival Tips That Seem Sooo Obvious in Hindsight

It’s been almost one year since I graduated from law school. At this time, the 2nd semester should be about done. After finishing law school, a couple of tips come to my mind that seem sooo obvious in hindsight. If I had followed my own advice about this earlier in my law school life I would have saved myself a whole lot of grief.

1.) Don’t get Emotional — try not to let your emotions get in the way of the things you have to do in law school, like studying, groupwork or graded recitations.

One of my classmates couldn’t focus on studying properly because she would start crying in despair over the heavy workload, while another classmate almost burst out in tears from the snide comments of one demanding law professor during recitation.

You can’t help your emotions, but it does help if you try to control those emotions. Most lawyers are seen as cold, and sometimes heartless. I guess it’s from controlling your emotions so often. It’s necessary to survive law school.

2.) Don’t do too much — realize that there is only one of you, and a person can only do so much. There are limits to what a person can possibly do. Figure out your limits and try not to do too much.

One classmate of mine was the student council vice president, head of several organizations, and group leaders in nearly all her groupwork. It’s a wonder she managed to get through law school in one piece.

I made the same mistake of trying to do too much. At one point, I was a member of the law journal, a debater and treasurer of the debate society, a columnist for a newspaper and commercial law barops understudy.

This was on top of being a boyfriend to my dreamgirl (now wife) and a law student. That was a very stressful year. If I could do it again, I would have dropped some of the other things on my plate.

3.) Get emotional support – The primary reason I survived law school is that I always had my dreamgirl to turn to when things got too hard. I could vent with her, talk to her, and go out and have some fun before facing the daily grind of law school life.

Aside from my dreamgirl, I have my college buddies, whom I affectionately call “The Boys.” We go out drinking every so often whenever I need an outlet for my law school frustrations.

And then there’s my family. My mom in particular would text or call me to see how I was doing. Their support made all the difference in getting through law school.

4.) Don’t take things too seriously. – try to take things in stride. Don’t let small things or issues become big issues. Often the smallest snub or the slightest remark can lead to conflagrations in law school, whether between fraternities or friends or even student and teachers. That’s what being in a stress-packed environment can do to you and your nerves.

5.) Focus on your studies – you sometimes hear that school is not just academics and that the things you learn in extracurricular activities are just as important as what you learn in the classroom. Unfortunately, I don’t think the same is true for law school.

Upon graduation, the people who get hired immediately were those with high grades, or the honor students, or those with academic awards.

Those who are very active in activities may have a higher profile, but they don’t always get job offers immediately. They still have to look for work and apply. I was lucky. I wasn’t the smartest of students, but I did work hard during my internships and also got a Best Thesis (Silver Medal) award. This definitely helped in getting me a few job invites (whether or not I take those jobs is a different thing entirely of course).

But the general rule remains: academics are what count in law school. Your grades are the measure of whether you will be a good lawyer. Everything else is secondary.

Things I learned From Dealing With Wedding Suppliers

I write this after a series of phone-calls and meetings with wedding suppliers (note: this was written before my wedding, and then edited after the big day).

I was quite happy with the wedding suppliers who handled my wedding, particularly because most of them were very adept at client relations. Here are some thoughts on how and why we were so happy with our suppliers, which can be tips for other people in the wedding business.

1.)    Be Enthusiastic, or at least sound like you are.  – when you meet with a client or if a client calls you, try to be enthusiastic. After all, future brides or husbands to be, don’t like talking to a lifeless lump when discussing their wedding or engagement.

A lifeless conversation with a wedding supplier is more than enough to turn off a client and leave a bad impression. And in the wedding industry where one’s reputation is the gauge by which clients decide on hiring you or not, you do not want to wind up with a bad reputation.

2.)    Don’t treat it as just a job – even if the whole wedding thing is just a job to you, don’t treat it like one. Remember that the wedding for most people is a once in a lifetime event (I for one, do not plan on getting married again after all), and if you treat the wedding like it’s just a job, it makes the clients feel bad or disappointed, which in turn makes it less likely the client will refer you to other prospective clients.  Thankfully most of our wedding suppliers treaded us not as just clients, but as friends, which leads us to our next tip…

3.)    Be Friendly – I once had a conversation with a wedding supplier who wasn’t unfriendly, but was stiff and  a little aloof. The supplier gave me the feeling that they had better things to do with their time, even though they were in the wedding business. The supplier was civil, but I hung up the phone a little apprehensive.

Thankfully the supplier worked out great, but I was worried for a little bit. Contrast this with my wedding coordinator, who was always very friendly with me and my bride. We were always delighted to talk to her, and we even consider her as a friend now.

4.)    Be Reliable – one wedding host/wedding coordinator I know of (NOT OURS thankfully) has earned the reputation of being late to meetings and even on actual weddings he would host. On the wedding day, the last thing a husband or wife to be wants to worry about is whether or not the coordinator or event host will be late. Not unless you want the bride to be to become a bridezilla and go on a rampage.

5.)    Make us feel like VIPS – I know this may be asking a bit too much, but what client doesn’t want to feel like a VIP? Who doesn’t want to feel special? I would hire a wedding supplier that makes me and my dreamgirl feel very special on our most special day, even if they are a little sub-par in terms of quality.

We want to remember our wedding day with fond feelings, with feelings that our wedding was a special one. That for just one moment, we are important and the center of attention. Any wedding supplier that can do that will definitely have tons of clients. Most of our own suppliers made us feel that way, although admittedly, not all did so.

So there you go. Some very simple tips on how to be a great wedding supplier. Just remember, the husband and wife to be want their wedding day to be happy and special, and will greatly recommend anyone who makes them feel that way when they get married. So take the hint.

Make them feel special!