Today, and all Sundays of September, some 6,533 law graduates will take the 2008 Bar Examinations at the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila.
One year from now, it will be daughter Monica who will walk the same path—she will take her Bar Exams, just 1-1/2 more semesters to go! Last night she went to the Pearl Hotel where some of her school mates stayed, with the Ateneo Central Bar Operations at the Sofitel Hotel—usual practice is for Atenean Bar examinees to book in a hotel, where they are cheered by family and friends, given moral support and taken care of until the the night before the last day of the Bar Exams. Monica and I could not help but feel the jitters that her friends taking the Bar Exams were undergoing (GOOD LUCK THERESE!)
When she was already asleep, I had fond thoughts, to the extent of frightening thoughts—my Monica is not anymore a baby, more so, she is already a lady. At 24, going 25, she already has the legal rights that an adult enjoys, including getting married without parental consent.
It was like only yesterday, when she was my only daughter (they were 3 boys and 1 girl before the 2 girls and my last son came to the world—she must have been shocked to have them) with her missing tooth, had a stint with the famous “Ang TV”, had her share of quirks—wearing black shirts and clothes in grade school, reading 1 book a day (she almost completed a collection of Sweet Valley books, Harry Potter, and many more). When she had nothing else to read, she read even the ingredients of anything she ate, leaflets of medicines and antibiotics included. She had her share of hospital moments, too, her threshold for pain too high, tolerating pain when she already had an almost ruptured appendix.
She had a gimmicky and colorful high school and college—was into concerts, F4 her ultimate, blowing thousands of pesos collected from parents and siblings, was a member of the debate team, failed some subjects (imagine failing Christian Living in high school and a Theology class in college), never studied her lessons but able to get away with it with grades ranging from the 70s to the 90s in each grading period and semester.
She was into Pep squad, had her photos flashed at Times Square Billboard, had the time of her life in college, never took her classes seriously. I never gave up on her, called all the angels and saints in heaven to change her (gosh! she was one difficult child), bless her, keep her safe, and guide her to live a meaningful life.
Then out of the blues she announced that she was going to Law School. From there, life has changed significantly—an answer to my prayers, she became as serious with her studies as can be—now reading law books, SCRA, digesting Wikipedia and online encyclopedia, journals and many books (though she has a good balance of lifestyle magazines and online sites for leisurely reading) foregoing many things, except shopping for clothes and shoes, just to maintain her grades and honors in school. She has her share of highs and lows, fell in and out of love, and in love again, and lots of emo and funny moments. As a mother I continue beckoning all the angels and saints in heaven, to continue guiding her, comfort her, and keep her safe and happy.
She will be a lawyer soon, but for now, let me enjoy her company, take care of her, and show her how much we love her.
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13 responses so far ↓
vk // Sep 8, 2008 at 2:20 am
i pray for her, dine…........
ang ganda nya,
she´s very beautiful.
regie pama rn // Sep 8, 2008 at 3:41 pm
ang ganda nya, kamukha nya si precious lara quigaman, miss interantional, wala ba syang balak sumali sa binibini?
anyway, good luck on her studies
analyse // Sep 10, 2008 at 8:50 pm
oh, with the guidance of a supermom like you, im sure she will make it! goodluck..
and yes, she’s really pretty!
haze // Sep 11, 2008 at 4:26 am
With all your support nothing is impossible you are all her strength! Wow Tita, I think she will make it otherwise she’ll not make it until the bar di ba. Kaya nya yan :D!
A beautiful future lawyer
!
PS turning 25 ??? She looks like 18 pramis !
Therese Cruz // Sep 30, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Hi Tita! Thanks for wishing me luck!
The bar was extremely difficult. It will be a difficult time for Mox right after graduation but with your guidance and support, I’m sure it will be easier.
Don’t worry about her so much, Tita. As my best friend in law school, she has been nothing but diligent with her studies, caring towards her friends, and a favorite among our professors. Thank you for raising her the way she is now.
Happy at 2 am–Sorbetes @ Mini Stop + The Secret Garden : The D Spot // Oct 16, 2008 at 2:59 am
[...] Monica was craving for something sweet at 2am. These days we have been careful about the food we eat because of the melamine scare, no more Cadbury, or M&Ms, not yet. We walked to Mini Stop, about 5 houses away from ours—it is relatively safe, with the roaming barangay volunteers just around the corner. She bought her strawberry candies, Pauline’s Chocnut, and my Coke, then asked the cashier if they had soft ice cream. She knew it was a waste of time to ask because normally at 2am, most often than not, Mini Stop would have finished off its soft ice cream for the day, and its siopao, and its fried wanton, and its…the list goes on. She would always say, “m’aam, late na po, tomorrow na lang”. And I would tell her, “I hope Mini Stop improves its inventory strategy—try to have what the customers need Just In Time”. To our surprise, the cashier proudly said, “yes m’aam, meron pa po!”. [...]
Happy at 2 am–Sorbetes @ Mini Stop + The Secret Garden « Dine-a-Bite // Oct 16, 2008 at 9:33 am
[...] at 2 am–Sorbetes @ Mini Stop + The Secret Garden Posted on October 15, 2008 by dineabite Monica was craving for something sweet at 2am. These days we have been careful about the food we eat [...]
The CRIBS Blog » Blog Archive » Shoes by CRIBS’ Doorstep–What are they for? Who own them? // Oct 23, 2008 at 3:03 pm
[...] by Dine Racoma [...]
What Perfect Creation of God–a poem for you, dear Monica on your birthday : The D Spot // Nov 22, 2008 at 7:19 am
[...] have written about you here, and here and here and here and [...]
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[...] weeks back, daughter Monica has been bugging me to watch the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, but I was not really interested and I [...]
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[...] and to meet the expenses. I know how expensive it is to send a child to law school, as I have a daughter graduating from law school this April, and some friends who have children in medical school. How expensive the books are, let [...]
Congratulations to the 2008 Bar Passers–The New Lawyers | The D Spot // Apr 3, 2009 at 5:47 pm
[...] early, we join our daughter Monica, in cheering her friends at the Ateneo Law School. We are praying and keeping our fingers crossed [...]
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[...] am introducing Monica—to somehow serve as an inspiration. Here is sharing her story—to let you know, dear [...]
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