EACH kid dreams of being something fabulous when he grows up. I started out wanting to become a doctor. Doesn’t every other kid want that? But later on, I thought being a geologist would be cool. Finally, after a little thought, I decided on becoming a lawyer instead.

I became so obsessed with the thought of being a lawyer that I always asked myself, "Will I become a successful lawyer someday? Do I need to learn techniques right now?"

I told my parents and relatives about this. My grandma even told me that the Ateneo de Manila University is the best school for law. I thought it was San Beda. She even gave me a copy of a newspaper article featuring the Ateneo’s entrance exams, an interview of some faculty members and how to get in their law department. She said, "Articles like this are rarely published so you might as well keep it."

I also found an interesting book in the Book of the Month Club catalogue. It contained a lot of information about lawyers and how to become one. It consists of three books that teach you on how to argue the right way, where your source should come from, what power is and how to argue in a peaceful way. It was written by Gerry Spence.

I asked my dad to order me a copy. While I was reading these books, I told myself, "Hey, this is for a lawyer!" I know it sounds funny: a 10-year-old reading books that are generally read by lawyers! But don’t worry, I really read a lot anyway and like to peruse through various kinds of books. I even have books like "Cheap Psychological Tricks" and "Reading People."