Finding Balance between Work and Law School

The study of law is both an exciting and daunting task. When I was in law school, I was studying and working at the same time. I was working from 7-4 and attending classes after and I would often be home at around 9-10 in the evening. I would only start my reading after dinner and would often feel tired and sleepy by the time I would start studying. However, the thought of passing my exams and becoming a lawyer soon fueled me on those grueling times. Of course, we do not want to be embarrassed by our professors when they call our names during recitation. The following are the pros and cons of being a working law student:

PROS:

1. It lets you maximize your time devoted for studying.

Because you are working, it means you have little time to read and study. Having such “little time” makes you appreciate it even more and lets you realize that every second counts. So instead of going to the mall, browsing your social media accounts during your free time, you spend them on reading and studying. Of course you still need to do those but it makes you realize your priorities.

2. You have a life other than law school.

Of course, life should not be all about school recitations and reading your thick books. Sometimes you need to breathe and see other people other than your classmates and your strict professors. When I was working, it was somehow fulfilling when I am having my best days at work while having the dreaded ones at law school. Haha.

3. You develop connections.

Well, you will be able to meet and work with a lot of people with different backgrounds. This is assuming that you are a nice person in the office and/or in school. Otherwise, this advantage may not apply to you. Haha. Kidding aside, when you meet and maybe befriend these people and develop meaningful relationships with them, they might help you later in life and vice versa. No man is an island, girl!

4. Working helps you develop your written and communication skills.

This is probably one of the things that helped me passed the bar. At work, sometimes I need to speak to a large crowd, facilitate a meeting, draft correspondences and converse with different kinds of people. Doing such things helps you develop your skills or even discover your hidden talents which you never thought you have. You just need to be open and be willing to learn.

5. You can pay for your own tuition fees.

One of the best feeling in the world is not having to depend on anyone, at least financially. You are able to buy things on your own and in my case, I was able to pay for my own tuition fees, buy my own books and even my highlighters. Hehe. At least you need not burden you parents about such things anymore.

6. You develop a sense of accomplishment thus improves your self-confidence.

You might be struggling at law school, but when you are able to meet your deadlines at work– it’s already a big tap on the back. It was a big boost on my self-confidence back then when I’m able to finish my tasks at work or get a praise from my colleagues or supervisors for a job well done. At least I get the feeling that I was not failing at everything.

CONS:

1. You feel like you’re not reaching your full potential in law school.

When I was studying while working, I felt like I was not able to fully reach my limits. Most of the time, I felt like I was not exerting my best effort unlike my classmates who are full time students. It makes me envy them because they can focus on studying and ace the tests without having to worry about work-related stuff. I felt left behind especially during the senior year when reading lists were piling up and the pace of the review classes were much faster than before.

2. Time constraints

I guess, this is all too common for all working students. I simply do not have the luxury of time. Back then, I would wake up and go to work and attend classes thereafter. I would travel for an hour by jeepney or bus since I do not yet have a car back then. I would probably be home around 9 or 10 in the evening and I was too tired to even eat or study. I do not even have the time to attend to family gatherings or even meet with friends. I think, this was the greatest challenge that I have encountered during those times.

3. Feeling of being burn out is common.

I was too tired all the time. Duh. Haha. I think this is self-explanatory.

4. Time for extra curricular activities in school may be limited.

I tried to join organizations in law school but I completely failed to attend their scheduled meetings. Usually they held these activities and meetings during office hours so I do not really have the time or opportunity to be present therein. It was also extremely difficult to join because as you progress, law school becomes more and more demanding.

Of course, the things listed above may or may not fully apply to everybody as some may have a more or less demanding job than mine. However, these are just some of the things that I have experienced when I was in law school. Working while studying does not mean that you will not become a lawyer or your chances of surviving law school is grim. Some of those working even performed better than those who do not. It all depends on the student’s priorities, study habits, time management skills and resources. We only have to make the best out of what we have while we are in law school and use them to our advantage in excelling in our studies. After all, passing the bar is our ultimate goal and all the hardships we went through just add to the self-contentment when we finally reached that goal.

So for those who are struggling to finish law school because of work demands, do not lose hope. If we did it, you certainly can do it as well. You just got to believe. 🙂

Journey through Life and the Law

Hey there! It’s been a while since I shared stories of my travels because life decided to take me somewhere new and challenging. I have been trying to put into words some of my experiences in law school, family and work for the past four years but I had so little time then that I decided to pour them all into studying and working.

I was thinking of changing the name of my blog from Certified Byahera to something else since I’m not so much into travelling anymore and this quarantine thing makes it more difficult to do so. However, some of my friends disagreed and instead encouraged me to write about my experiences in life and the law instead. I find that idea brilliant as I consider life as a journey itself—- unpredictable, fun, sometimes challenging but completely exciting.

I am also thinking about posting legal concepts here just to share a a snippet of what I know as a lawyer as a way of helping out people to understand more about our laws based on recent jurisprudence decided by the Supreme Court. Because you see, I’m no longer just a Certified Byahera guys. I also became a certified abogada (lawyer) this year. Wow! Those words still give me butterflies. HAHA. So as a way of giving back, I want to share what I know to all of you.

Ergo, those are the things you can expect to read here in my blog. Of course I will still post about travelling when life permits and I will still write about those trips I made during the past two to three years. But as of now, please allow me to write and share to you my experiences in law and life. 🙂

-Certified Byahera

 

Cafe Molave: A Taste Like No Other

I was curious about this newly opened cafe in our locality since I would always pass by this establishment when going to and from work. It was just this Thursday afternoon that I had the time to feed such interest of mine to see what this small yet enthralling shop has to offer.

For starters, this cafe is none like the other ones found in Tabaco City. Aside from the fact that it is a souvenir shop offering for sale varied products made from abaca (bags, wallets, etc.), it offered German cuisines which are mouthwatering yet budget-friendly.

Location

This restaurant is located just adjacent to Casa Eugenia/Choobi Choobi at Zone 2, Ziga Avenue, Tabaco City. It is relatively easy to find because it’s just along the road upon entering the city.  To get there from the sentro of Tabaco, you can either ride a pedicab (padyak) or a tricycle going to San Lorenzo, Tabaco City and just instruct the driver to drop you off at Molave Cafe. The business hours  is usually from 9 AM to 9 PM.

Food

Like any restaurant, the food is either the deal-breaker or deal-maker. Cafe Molave offers German inspired delicacies which I think, no other cafe restaurant in the city offers. It’s an original, therefore, yep, a deal maker.

                  (1)                       (2)                      (3)                           (4)

So since it’s around 5 in the afternoon already, my friends and I ordered (1) Bucatini Beef Ragu with Hungarian Sausage Bits, (2) Baked 4 Cheese Pasta with Ham and (3) Bratwurst Sandwich. The first one was basically spaghetti but had a different blend of sauce. It was enticing and delicious. The second dish was like lasagna but softer and cheesier with tomato slices adding up spice to an already ravishing dish. Bratwurst, on the other hand was a HUGE (haha, that’s right) sandwich about one feet long with cabbage, sausage and tomato stuffing. It was satisfying beyond relief. We also ordered (4) blueberry cheesecake for dessert. We simply can’t get enough of it. The food was delectable for only a total of 756 pesos.

Ambiance

Of course, what we were looking for that afternoon was a place where we can talk, be ourselves and just enjoy each other’s company as we haven’t seen our friend for almost 6 months. Unsurprisingly, Cafe Molave did not disappoint. The place was small yet cozy, pleasant and relaxed. It was peaceful considering the fact that it is along the busy streets of the city. It was like home.

Irosin’s Hot Spring

At first, I was reluctant to entertain the idea of taking a dip in a hot spring during the summer season. It was definitely hot that afternoon when we arrived at Mateo Hot and Cold Spring Resort and the thought of cooling myself down in a cold spring rather was too far-fetched. However, we felt like we had no choice but to try it out since the cold spring resorts were 30 minutes away or more from this one. So we hurriedly showered first and immersed ourselves in one of the hot springs in Irosin and to my surprise it was not bad at all.

I admit, it was hot when I tried soaking my feet first but when I plunged in, I felt my muscles instantly relax after a long day of road tripping around the province of Sorsogon. I was relieved of my back and shoulder muscle pains from all the hours of just sitting down and thought to myself that this was the perfect way to end my day.

This place is called Mateo Hot and Cold Spring Resort located at San Benon, Irosin Sorsogon which is just a 30 minute drive from Paguriran Island and Lagoon. (Read my post “Paguriran Island and Lagoon”) It has 2 conjoined pools, both of which are 5 feet deep and another pool located separately on the other side. The conjoined pools are both hot springs. Now , you might wonder why this resort is called Hot and Cold Spring Resort. This is so because it has a cold spring too ~ well, obviously. But the cold spring is intended only for kids and its water level is only ankle deep. I’ve heard the pool separately located from the conjoined one is also cold but we never tried it because there were already too many people swimming in it.

According to my friends, the spring contains high levels of sulfur which can cure any fungal infections a person has. The Spring Resort is also budget friendly as the entrance fee for a day is only 35 pesos, 40 pesos for night swimming and 20 pesos only for children. There are also cottages where you can stay and store your things which price ranges from 50 to 700 pesos depending on the sizes.

Nevertheless, a hot spring on a summer season isn’t a bad idea at all. What you might find odd might be some experience you have got to try first to find it amusing and fun later.

Paguriran Island and Lagoon

Taylor Swift’s 1989 album on play, car windows rolled down, summer breeze softly blowing, friends chatting and laughing at jokes uttered, some are half meant but most of them true– This is the way I want to spend my Sundays, relaxed and happy. Yesterday, our long planned trip finally came true when we decided to pursue our Paguriran escapade.

Together with my friends from law school, we ventured to one of the most talked about destination in Sorsogon, one of the provinces of Bicol. The Paguriran Island and Lagoon is located at Bacon, Sorsogon specifically at Barangay Sawangga. It is a municipality which is only an hour away from the city proper of Sorsogon. We left around 8 AM at Legazpi City and about 11 AM we have already reached our destination.Upon arrival, we were greeted by a discord of videoke singers singing different melodies from every hut of the island. The resort was already developed and there were already rooms, sari sari stores and huts all over it. There was no entrance fee but there was only a parking fee of only 40 pesos and cottage rental fee of only 200 pesos. It was very cheap since each of us only contributed 30 pesos to come up with the total amount. ha!

From the beach resort, you can already see the island from afar. You need to walk a few meters to reach the island through its waters which is only ankle deep.It is best to use aqua shoes as the water are full of rocks and sharp corrals. But if you have no aqua shoes, a good pair of slippers will do. It is also advisable to bring a dry tube bag where you can safely put all your stuff and gadgets in it without fear of getting them wet or soaked in water.

Upon reaching the island, I was mesmerized by what I saw ~ a lagoon inside the huge rocks formed like a heart. I think it is best to visit the island and lagoon when the tide is still low especially when you cannot swim or if you do not want your cameras to get wet. According to my friend, the tides are low usually from 11 AM until 4 PM.

We took a dip inside the lagoon where the seawater was cool and not too deep. We were also amazed by the fishes that carefully swam near us. There were also abundant starfishes in the island.

After an hour of swimming and taking photos, we headed back to our cottage to eat our lunch and pack up to go to our next stop– the hot springs in Irosin. (Read my post “Irosin’s Hot Spring” )