Enjoying the Luxuries

 I am so relieved I don't have to feel guilty about having fun.

When you study law, you're expected to devote every waking moment of your life to studying codal provisions, and digesting cases. If you don't, you increase your chances of flunking a subject, or botching your performance in class.

My routine in law school was waking up around 12 noon, hitting the codals or annotations after waking up. Then I would shower for a break, study until about two hours before my class. I would leave an hour before my class, squeeze in 10 minutes to buy a sandwich(which served as brunch in the late afternoon) and often arrive late with carb crumbs on my blouse. Class might finish around 9 or 10 pm, after which I would binge with a friend then head home.

I would sleep around 6 am, toss around in bed and then wake up the next day. That was my routine for four years - plus or minus an unsatisfactory recitation in class and exams.

I remember feeling guilty that I had to take a few minutes off studying to take care of myself, when I could have spent that time to read assigned cases.

Watching a movie is a luxury!

And fellow classmates may even shame you for taking time off. Quips like uy dami time, or sanaol would force your mind to wander back to the number of cases left unread, while you're physically rooted to your seat in the cinema.

But ever since I passed the Bar, I've been enjoying these simple luxuries. It's slowly dawning on me, that I'm an attorney. I just need to take the oath and sign the roll. 

Does the sacrifice make the wait sweeter?

Not really. To be honest, I'm glad I'm done with it. But I don't think I would have performed as well as I could had I not suffered in law school. 

It was through those bludgeonings that the fundamentals are ingrained into the sinews of your soul.