amazed

one of my professors this sem happens to be the former lawyer of leo echegaray (the first death convict to die through lethal injection more than five years ago). i particularly remember him because i was impressed way back then for his unrelenting stand against death penalty. at a time when the most popular view seemed to favor lethal injection to put an end to the rising number of heinous crimes, he stood against the tide and fought for his principles.

i wasn't disappointed when he met us last week. his views remained throught-provoking, inviting us to think beyond the text and to look into the implications and the possibilities, including the loopholes, in the law. he pointed out how vague penalties in something so good as the comprehensive dangerous drugs act might eventually lead to its own demise, leaving us with nothing in going after druglords.

but the more amazing thing about him i was to find out not in class but in cyberspace--on his blog. (a friend of mine chanced upon his blog and shared the address with the rest of the block.) on it, he shared his thoughts on different things, the most striking of which was his firsthand account of two executions of his clients back in 1999.

he admits his stand on death penalty has constantly been challenged, but to this day he refuses to believe in the death penalty system. his view, i surmise, is rooted in his respect for life and his deep faith in God, Whom he unabashedly mentions on his blog numerous times.

one friend of mine finds his blog weird, just because there were entries about him trying to learn to play the guitar, among other seemingly simple things you wouldn't expect a lawyer of his caliber to think about. he talks about his experiences with his brothers in a lay community (he is single at age 30+)--about getting lost, sleeping on the floor with banig, etc... this is of course on top of his rants against gma and some college issues.

i find his blog interesting and very insightful. there is joy afterall in little things, but you only get to notice them if you rid yourself of worldly concerns. like he did. here is a man who could have been living off on riches from wealthy clients, but who chose a different path--the road less travelled.

his story isn't exactly new to me. i know of some people who have made a similar choice, and i do admire them for that. it's just that i didn't expect someone from the college where i am now and who have come so far in the profession to have kept that faith burning and alive.

in one of his entries, he did mention something frighteningly familiar--be men in the middle of the world, not men of the world.
so frighteningly familiar it scares me for some reason. i don't know why.

well, so much for stalking on professors. at the very least, here's one prof i could probably learn a lot from.

..........
watched harry potter over the weekend. t'was fun although i wished i had read the book so i didn't have to be clueless the whole time.

must-watch movie: the exorcism of emily rose. funny how it combines most of the things that interest me all in one movie--faith, law and the supernatural. quite terrifying too. heard it's well-researched and intelligently-done and recommended by the cbcp. hope i won't be disappointed.