A friend of mine, my sister and I all took the civil service examination to gain career service eligibility. My sister and I were raised in a middle class family while my friend, who was three years younger than me, was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. And yet, my friend was often jealous of anyone who was pretty or popular in school, or did better than her academically. Graduating from college and getting a job didn't change her.

A few months later, I wasn't aware that the results of the exam already came out in the civil service website. My friend called me up at 9:00 a.m. on a Monday and informed me, in a really snooty tone of voice, “I'm sorry to say this, but you and your sister failed the exam.” I retorted, “Why not look up ‘Dela Cruz’ (our surname), not ‘De la Cruz?’ And she DID find out that my sister and I were among the list of passing examiners.

When she went to look up for her name under the ‘Ls,’ it turned out she was the one who failed! She tried to hide her disappointment by quickly mumbling that she had to go. Imagine how that incident could have ruined her Monday!