Status: Exhausted
Music: Breakdown - Mariah Carey (Ate Mimi) feat Bone Thugs

Today is my first niece’s first birthday, and right now they are having a huge party at our place. My niece’s name is Mika Natalia, daughter of my brother. Like my first nephew Yoshke (yes, after myself — sort of), it was me who gave my niece that name but it was a little modified. It should’ve been Mischa Natalya (Russian) but because my sister-in-law didn’t like Mischa, she changed it to Mika — thus, Mika Natalia. Almost parallel to what happened with Yoshke (my nephew, not me). I was asked by my sister to come up with a good name and I offered her Asher Yoshke (Jewish). But my brother in law didn’t like Asher so he changed it to Asheq — ergo, Asheq Yoshke. Gawd, I hate my in-laws. Hahaha. But I’m not gonna talk about that any longer.

It was my first day of my review classes in Ateneo de Manila University last Saturday. I entered the classroom wanting to become a diplomat. When I left that room, the feeling was different. I just don’t want it, I NEED IT. I need to be a diplomat and I will be.

It was really fun. I liked the feeling of waking up early worried about being late. And just like an ordinary / regular first day of school, I was happy making new friends, learning new stuff, and being able to express myself. Not to mention our ambassador-speakers were very cool. Pretty ancient (I mean, old) but still very cool. Lov’em. I learned enormous amount of information and knowledge from them. They were opinionated (and yes, very politically inclined) yet I could sense how much they really love this country and value the Constitution.

I was a little disappointed, though. I didn’t know that we would be divided into two sections. I think putting us all together in the same room would be much more enjoyable. More classmates, more friends, more fun. There were also more female reviewees. You could just imagine how that made me feel. I felt sooo sad. Haha, just kidding. It really did not matter. There were no cute hommes, anyway (oh yes, that’s another disappointment, hehe).

As usual, I was very timid on the first day so I wouldn’t approach anyone. I just sat there, listened, and took down notes. But after a while, I couldn’t keep it; I just had to release the perky me so I approached my seat mate Helen, very pretty, a UP grad as well, and also very timid, and we started to get along.

Although from the very start, I’ve been aware that there’s not much money in the field of Foreign Service, I was so surprised (more like amazed) with the priveleges and immunities of diplomats that one speaker discussed. Here are a few of them:

[1] They don’t pay taxes.
[2] Their diplomat bags when travelling are not required to go through inspection no matter what happens.
[3] Ambassadors cannot be arrested or detained (in the receiving State) regardless of how heinous the crimes they committed are — even rape or murder.

These are because of the amount of trust that states put on other states and their representatives (ambassadors, consuls, diplomats) that most things are never questioned.

My God, if there’s only one thing that You could give me right now, please let me become a diplomat. That’s all. I won’t ask for a mansion, or a bachelor pad, or a Jaguar. Please… please…. Gawd, puhleezz.

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