@ SHUTTERBUG, 2-3 hours is a long time while reviewing for the bar. You can cram a lot of info into your already overflowing cranium or catch up on your sleep in that short period. Don’t worry, she’ll soon be back to normal by monthend. Send her an encouraging text message or two. It’ll be much appreciated.

Your entry today was quite enlightening. I’m no lawyer nor law student, but I do have a best friend who’s been working her butt off for the exams. She’s sacrificed a lot in order to prepare. Being out of the loop, I wondered why she’d beg off from our plans to hang out every now and then. I’d think, what’s wrong, what’s two or three hours of her time? I guess I just didn’t understand what hard work and dedication really meant.

I admire people who work really hard and sincerely want to make life better for this country. Kudos to you lawyers!

I hope he passed too.

@JEN, thanks for the kind words. To be honest, there are many times when I wish I had taken an MBA instead of proceeding to law school. I still wonder what would have happened if I had not become a lawyer. Would I have been happier ?

@ WILFRED MAGZ, thanks for sharing your experience. Will refer to it my next post on the bar exams and my two cents worth on what perspective to adopt to get through it. Don’t worry. The mere fact that you feel you had a hard time is a good sign. Will explain later.

@ LEONA, I hope that your journey along the sometimes treacherous pathways of our profession leads you to a happy and fulfilling place. Ms. Del Castillo’s dream to “change the world” is attainable. That was a tough experience, to fail by .1 %. But you had the will, tenacity and grit to kick ass the next time around. Kudos to you.

Reading her story was like going through my own life experience.

1. My father is also a lawyer. My only reason for taking up law was for my dad to be happy.

2. My pre-law was all about having a good time and my law school a blur. I never flunked a subject and I was even good at recitations.

3. I flunked the bar the first time I took it. This was several years ago. I wonder if Atty. Del Castillo also had a heart-wrenching 74.9% score?

4. I was also allergic to failure and there was also an urgent need in me to redeem myself.

The first time I took the bar the passing percentage was 36%. I passed it the next year when the passing percentage was only 19%. I got 81.1%, my political law was 95%.

5. When I passed the bar, there was no conscious feeling of happiness but only a deep, deep sense of relief.

I could go on and on about the similarities of (mine and Atty. Del Castillo’s)exprience, but I am just sadden with the thought that Atty. Del Castillo was not able to “embark on this new voyage… and change the world” like I did after I passed the bar.

Oh, by the way, my first name is also ANNA.

Anyway, I still harbor this hope in my heart that the Bar Examiners will be very merciful when they check my exam booklets.

I am one of those 6530+ bar examiness who just finished taking the second bar exam subject ( Labor Law and Social Legislation, the “love” of my life in law school…too bad it did not love me back )of the first day of the Bar examination month.

What can I say?I feel like the whole world just fell smack on my head. Although the booklets have not yet been officially corrected,the results for me were really abyssmal.If I checked my own examination booklet on Labor Law and Social Legislation I would give it a grade of 50, and I am being rather merciful.Political Law wasn’t too bad and I would grade myself 60.

I crammed half-heartedly for the Bar because I didn’t have any money to spare for review classes , I wasn’t ready because alot of “challenging” things happened to me lately but that’s not an excuse and I’m not making any.Despite of those things,I never considered backing out or withdrawing.Take it like a man,stand and deliver,that kind of thing.But I have been on the “edge” for the past few moths now.

But you are right.WHY SO SERIOUS?I won’t get shot at Luneta Park if I fail.

I was worried that when the results come out on the first week of April 2009, I will be the butt of jokes of those who will have passed the bar,my friends will pretend to pity me but deep down inside they will be laughing at me,my enemies will celebrate and my family will pretend it’s okay, but then again,so what?The world won’t end. I would stll have 4 takes left.WHY SO SERIOUS?

Thanks for your article ( The Philippine Bar Exam Starts Today with Much Hoopla).It made me see things in a rather different light.Well, 3 Sundays and six examinations to go. I’ll be getting back to my books tommorow.Tonight,I’ll get an ice-cold beer,listen to some tunes and just forget that today’s exams ever took place.

By the way, there wasn’t much partying going on because of the new SC regulations.I left early so I don’t know if anything else took place but it was pretty somber.Too bad,though.I used to joke that I wanted to take the Bar so I could get to see the Viva Hot Babes dance along Taft Avenue for free.Fat chance.

See you around,

Wilfred Magz