Let's keep the dream alive
The first week of my sophomore law school year sneaked in to jumpstart the year as if summer was just some hazy blistering memory. Already the second day into it, we had a 58 point exam and 15 handwritten digests to work on. I already got called once and have spent more than 5k for books and photocopies alone. All in the first freakin week.
I also realized that we have more subjects now and most of them are all quite related that I get a teensy bit confused. It is the first week after all. Cut me some slack. The load’s as demanding as it usually is. And it’s just bound to get harder – even more so by the amount of cases we have to read and the subject matter at hand. For the most part, they all seem a lot more challenging to me. But getting to know some of our new professors has been both delightful and stressful at the same time. There’s always some form of brilliance exuding from most of them and it pushes me to work even harder to somehow, someday be able to have that power to do the same thing to those who are eager to learn. I think my admiration, appreciation and gratitude towards teachers/mentors will always presently haunt me. Having that capacity to shape minds, move people and change lives is something so incredibly beautiful to me.
The long weekend was good. It felt like a blessing, especially with the sudden intermittent downpour of rain. It’s an emotional time for me even amidst all the load of school. Quiet time with myself and my family becomes so much more precious. Other than that, I’ve had time to watch a lot of movies and even finish some commissioned graphic work for my sister and her org in UP. It might have been awhile since I last dabbled on Photoshop and Illustrator and yet I’m happy to say that I still feel...
On Joy and Sorry by Kahlil Gibran
So for those searching or yearning for balance in their lives, let Kahlil Gibran's words speak to you as it did with me.
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises
was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being,
the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine
the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit,
the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart
and you shall find it is only that which has given you
sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart
and you shall see that in truth you are weeping
for that which has been your delight.
Some of us say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,”
and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board,
remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and silver,
needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.
From Eat Pray Love (2006)
I was fortunate enough to have read something other than my law books this summer. Since I particularly enjoy reading non-fiction of the biographical/memoir type, it was easy for me to pick Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller, Eat, Pray, Love and get into all the hype surrounding it and even its movie counterpart starring Julia Roberts. I also felt like it could be a fitting summer read. Amazingly, it turned out to be so much more than leisure reading. I could rave about it and go into the more beautiful details but I really don’t know where to begin. Ultimately, the book fueled my desire to travel, reflect and indulge on more life-talks. Now if only I had the luxury of time…
There are a lot of quote-worthy lines and insights from the author, but it’s so much better if you guys just buy the book and find yourself in it. However in the spirit of sharing, I would like to share this short excerpt that I found particularly special (there are A LOT in the book, honestly).
In one chapter, the author, Elizabeth Gilbert is at an ashram in India. She is instructed to go to the roof of the ashram, watch the stars come out, and to come back down again when she can let go of her marriage.
Instructions For Freedom
- Life’s metaphors are God’s instructions.
- You have just climbed up and and above the roof. There is nothing between you and the Infinite. Now, let go.
- The day is ending. It’s time for something that was beautiful to turn into something else that is beautiful. Now, let go.
- Your wish for resolution was a prayer. Your being here is God’s response. Let go, watch the stars come out — on the outside and on the inside.
- With all your heart, ask for grace, and let go.
- With all your heart, forgive him, FORGIVE YOURSELF, and let him go.
- Let your intention be freedom from useless suffering. Then, let go.
- ...
I figured it couldn't hurt to revive this thing
Due to “popular demand,” I realized I should at least keep this blog for the sake of convenient documentation and bittersweet nostalgia. Despite being in my more challenging present academic state in lieu of intellectual fulfillment, it would be a shame to go through it all at the end (I hope) and realize I have nothing documented in this blog. I say that especially since I’ve managed to keep a lot of my college blurbs in here.
And so my nth attempt to revive this place commences. As much as I miss coding, working on layouts, and even graphic design, I have no creative urge and time to do so. Law school helps reevaluate and test my priorities.
The previous statement is life changing, I swear.
At this point, I only have a week before I take on our supposedly most difficult semester in law school. For the most part, I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to the whole tortuous routine and drown myself with caffeine. There’s also that bittersweet feeling of finally entering my sophomore law student life after surviving the first, while some of my really close law school friends aren’t. A week ago, I hosted the Ateneo Law School 2010 ORSEM and it was so much fun. It felt good to be able to impart on the Freshmen all my experiences and even share some tips and insights on how their first year would be like. Working with all these new wonderful people from law school was also a great experience. I miss being active and I’m also thinking of actually pursuing something more this year. We’ll see.
As for the summer, I feel like it went by fast and crazy at the same time. It was definitely a good one with a couple hundred more realizations to ponder on. I was able to catch up on everyone I have “ignored” back when I was stuck in my bubble. This includes my HS best friends...
Never lose sight of the big picture
I think in my last post, I mentioned how fast I wanted February to be. Now it’s about to end I feel like it really did went by like a blur. This month, school has been pretty steady enough to accomodate all the long weekends, a couple of free-cuts and some extra-curricular events. I am grateful for all the “extra time”, but law school is pretty deceiving – such that when it rains, it pours. But the balance is good. I find myself feeling more comfortable with my schedule and enjoying being with all the wonderful people I’m sharing this experience with. The constant adjustment is a reality we all live through in law school. But some of our professors have been pretty awesome to continue reminding and inspiring us about what this road we chose to tred is like.
Law school is about endurance, resiliency and attitude. Somehow, those three things coming from one of our professors resonate within me. (Actually, he just mentioned that yesterday.)
We just finished one semester and all are still struggling to finish this one. It’s a day-to-day kind of challenge without losing sight of the big picture. I think that my consolation amidst all these stems from the fact that I truly acknowledge how valuable and important this experience is. I still find it amazing that somewhere in the middle of a lecture, I just get goosebumps over the sheer brilliance of thought, subject and purpose. My professors in their respectfully stern yet charming ways give meaning and substance to something as wildly mundane and could-be-boring-as-hell topic of law and share it with so much passion and reverence. I just think that’s absolutely wonderful. And those are moments when I seriously believe that I could not see myself anywhere else. I want to be able to do that in the future. Change lives. Add meaning and color. My professor terms this yearning as ‘intellectual fulfillment.’ And I think that phrase speaks volumes...
Get my 
