Well, it's finally done. Feels weird and...well, just weird. I think it's really jarring to live out of a hotel room and do the same thing all day long, come, go, rinse, repeat...everything blends together after a while.
Today's portions were ok. I don't know. It's hard not to feel numb after a while. The essays weren't great but at least the performance test, as opposed to Tuesday's, seemed manageable. And it was a more positive way to end. (I am also glad to be rid of the annoying dude who was sitting in front of me, he would not quit trying to talk to me about nonsense. Bleh.)
It's funny to see all the different types of people who take the exam. Just general age, backgrounds, etc. Some people, I can't help but think, you want to be an attorney? Who knows how things turned out...after a short hiatus, I think I'm going to start studying again. If there is a next time, I'm thinking about trying out the BarMax app which seems to have positive reviews. This BarBri stuff is/was just not very good materials-wise. Just too generic and not enough oomph. I think everyone feels the same after, just lost and confused. And most of us were repeaters rather than first timers so we're even more clueless. As we say to each other in the end, "it's been fun but I hope I never have to see you again, no offense."
Being a repeater obviously sucks, but I think it also gives you perspective on the exam experience. The first time, you get all worked up and nervous and freaked out and it's a really horrible experience. By the latter time(s), you feel like a pro and it's not so scary anymore. You only worry about what topics they'll test you on, since it's such a nasty surprise usually, but it's nice to feel calm about things. Well, until frustration sets in again if you find out later that you didn't pass and you realize you have to do it all over again, haha. But, hey, a year ago, I took the exam and a week later, my hair started falling out like crazy - scary. So, I guess I have a better perspective on things. I can try my best and do what I can, and be happy that I'm employed, am relatively healthy, and have lots of great and supportive friends and family. The exam is just something to be conquered and it will be eventually. Have to enjoy life and every day I get to wake up and live it! Good stuff.
Right now, I'm waiting for traffic to die down but I'm packing in a bit then heading home. I'm going to miss living out of this suite but it'll be good to be home. I'm looking forward to a nice night of rest. Tomorrow, Matt and I have tickets to see the Lakers/Kings game, and we're planning on going a bit early before the game to have dinner at El Cholo near Staples Center and then head to the game. Mmm, El Cholo makes the best blended margaritas! I'm not too sure what the weekend will entail, but hopefully something fun and relaxing. I *must* finish the ami I was working on for my co-worker/friend so I can give him to her on Monday when I head back to the office. After being in a daze for the last week and a half, it'll be quite the adjustment to be back in the office. My calendar for March is already full so it'll be a very busy month already, and who knows what else has been going on there since I've been gone. Fingers crossed that everything is ok!
Time to pack up! :)
Showing posts with label Bar exam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bar exam. Show all posts
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
bar exam, day two
Survived day two! It's always a relief to have a multiple choice day in the middle, it's a good break from a lot of writing and typing. At least this morning started off with some hot water unlike yesterday haha. I thought the morning session went ok but the afternoon session really dragged on! I think everyone was pretty tired because it seemed we all shared the same sentiments.
My favorite thing about the multiple choice questions is how bizarre they can make the fact patterns. Sometimes, they're so off the wall that I want to laugh in the middle of the exam! My favorites are usually the ones about people who own wild animals as pets, sometimes the things that happen to these 'people' in the questions are just so crazy. I have no idea how they come up with this stuff, some sick and twisted minds maybe :P
Anyway, just one more day to go and then I get to go home. That's always a weird feeling. I get to used to this routine and then I have to go home. In a way, it's nice to be away and have this 'me time' to focus on things, but I know it'll also be good to be back home again.
p.s. I have no idea if they ever look at the exam booklets again or just run the answer sheets for scoring, but...umm...someone might discover a sweet surprise (pun intended) if they do look because when I got frustrated or worn down by some of the questions around hours 4 and 5, I may have done some fun doodles to take my mind off things for a minute and re-focus. Doodles such as one of a cupcake. With a cherry on top. AND a cute little smiley face. Surprise! :) Haha.
My favorite thing about the multiple choice questions is how bizarre they can make the fact patterns. Sometimes, they're so off the wall that I want to laugh in the middle of the exam! My favorites are usually the ones about people who own wild animals as pets, sometimes the things that happen to these 'people' in the questions are just so crazy. I have no idea how they come up with this stuff, some sick and twisted minds maybe :P
Anyway, just one more day to go and then I get to go home. That's always a weird feeling. I get to used to this routine and then I have to go home. In a way, it's nice to be away and have this 'me time' to focus on things, but I know it'll also be good to be back home again.
p.s. I have no idea if they ever look at the exam booklets again or just run the answer sheets for scoring, but...umm...someone might discover a sweet surprise (pun intended) if they do look because when I got frustrated or worn down by some of the questions around hours 4 and 5, I may have done some fun doodles to take my mind off things for a minute and re-focus. Doodles such as one of a cupcake. With a cherry on top. AND a cute little smiley face. Surprise! :) Haha.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
bar exam, day one
Things out here in the boonies is pretty nice, like a mini vacay minus the whole 'I have to take this horrible, terrible, hellish exam' part. Ha! Matt was awesome enough to book me a crazy room, aka suite aka palace, so I'm living it up with more room than one little person like me needs. I've been here since Monday, when I had to fight hellish traffic and rain just to make it here in one piece. I nearly dropped all my food/groceries on the ground because of 1) the rain making my brown bags wet and 2) the flimsy-ness of Ralphs' new brown bags. For your information, so you know, just because they may look like TJs awesome brown bags, alas they are not and in fact, are far inferior. Not only did the handles break off on 2 of the 3 bags I brought here within the first few minutes, but then when grabbing one bag by the top, a big chunk ripped out of it! Huh? Lesson learned: TJs brown bags >>>>>>>>> Ralphs brown bags.
It has been lovely and quiet though, just how I like it. Although this morning didn't start off so well. With so many people here waking up at the crack of dawn, I ended up taking a fairly lukewarm shower since the hot water was sucked up. Does that even happen in hotels? Apparently it does because I was freezing my tush off. Nothing like a cold shower to wake you up!
I did, however, make it smoothly there and when you're an old pro like me, you know the drill. Funny to see people fumbling around and all nervous and meanwhile, I know the routine. As they say, it's not my first time at the rodeo? I have no idea why that phrase keeps reverberating through my head (true story, I've been thinking that all day). The proctors keep trying to tell me what to do and my response is, 'oh, I know, it's not like I haven't done this before.' Oops.
My proctor is a very nice lady, maybe too nice. Every time she comes around, she has a whole greeting prepared, starting off with, 'hi, how are you?' and 'welcome to (x) session' and 'thank you very much' and 'good luck on this section.' Nice sentiments but borderline creepy when she stops purposefully and stares you in the eyes every time.
The sessions today were...harsh. I know, aren't they always. The morning session was disgusting topics, aka Trusts, Constitutional Law and Evidence. Umm, yuck? The afternoon performance test was disappointing. Performance tests, oddly, are usually where I strike exam gold and score the highest. They're closed universe mock real world cases that you are given a task to complete. I thought I had a handle on today's, until I started going...and going...and things got more confusing, convoluted, and just plain long. Nothing made sense and everything seemed like an issue that was a mess to organize and discuss. Sigh. After a while, I had no idea what was up, down, left or right. What a mean problem they wrote :(
But the show must go on, and there are still 2 days left. Tomorrow is a full day of multiple choice. 200 questions over 6 hours. Sounds fun, right? But after all this typing and writing, I'm looking forward to just filling in some bubbles with #2 pencils. Thursday will be a repeat of our day today and then we get to go home. After all this, I can't believe I'll be back at work next week again. It'll feel really weird to switch gears again, but also good in a way. I can't imagine what's been going on there, but hopefully things are ok. No one ever knows how they did after these 3 days so I'll just hope for the best. It's such a crapshoot and luck of the draw on what topics you're tested on and how the exam goes. Sometimes everything just feels all wrong and sometimes it can feel great, but when everything is scaled, there's no telling what the end result will be. But it is what it is and I can only try my best, right?
Here are some funny observations from the day, to lighten the mood:
~ A sign that a bunch of Bar takers are on the loose: everyone is running around clutching ridiculous gallon-sized clear ziploc bags containing items like pens, pencils, IDs, etc. looking crazed.
~ A bunch of guys were wearing NBA jerseys today. For the exam. Jerseys...really? Most of us are dressed like we're going to bed, and dudes are dressed like they're going to dribble b-balls on a court. Weird. Listen, channeling Kobe is not going to make you 'clutch' for the exam. Have you seen the dude play? You might want to do that and reconsider your choice of jersey, should you choose to continue to wear one tomorrow.
~ I'm really amused by the items that people bring to the convention center. No joke, people are hauling around pillows, footrests, giant keyboards, giant clocks - remind me again, but are we taking an exam or taking a nap? Granted, we're sitting at long tables but our chairs are surprisingly cushioned. Is it really necessary to bring enough bedding items to make one's bed? How can that little chair hold that many pillows anyway? I don't get it. Although the girl in front of me did put her head down on her pillow when the general instructions were being read...strange.
~ I seem to be sitting in the 'older persons' section of the room. Not that it was purposely done this way, but a lot of people near me are middle aged and above. Are the Bar examiners trying to send me a message? As my friend/co-worker put it, hopefully this doesn't mean that it's taken them THIS long to try to pass haha. Then again, I got the sense that a lot of them are repeaters...
~ Old dude in front of me really wanted to be chatty cathy after the exam. There's nothing I hate more than rehashing an exam after it's already over. You're not going to change anything by talking about it, and in your mind you might've written the greatest thing ever but that's not what was really put on paper. He didn't get the hint when I kept avoiding eye contact. Hey mister, you continually asking me why I'm not smiling and me not really responding is probably an indication that 1) I'm exhausted and don't want to talk and 2) we just took a full day exam that is only the first of three days, is there really that much to smile about? And telling me about your great essay writing from the day does nothing for me. Let's face it, you've repeated this more than once, too, so I don't think you're in any position to tell me how awesome you are, mmkay, thanks. Damn, I still have to see him tomorrow...and Thursday...
~ The head proctor stands at this podium in the front while reading endless pages of instructions. It's a real buzzkill, especially when you have to sit there for 30 minutes listening to the same, repetitive instructions for every session. What IS amusing, however, is the dude has this whole 'Morgan Freeman as the voice of God' thing going, especially when you can't really see him and his voice is echoing around the room. Awesome.
~ I'm thankful to have a seat farther in the back this time. Last February I was in the front row and not only was it lame to stare at a wall but it was a real distraction to watch people come/go to the bathrooms. Phew.
Anyway, that's all I can think of for now. And I have to get back to reviewing for the multiple choice tomorrow and then get some rest. Good times! Or, as good as they can get for now, all things considered. Good night!
p.s. Oh, and happy leap year day tomorrow! If I had the time and ability, I'd check out the 24 hours of Disneyland (I can't even fathom this) since the park is supposed to be open from 6am Wednesday until 6am Thursday. Craziness!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
2011 february bar
Hey, remember me? Yeah, I'm back! It's been one hell of a week, unfortunately not without its drama and emotional rollercoaster.
The exam was yuck, and judging from my friends' feelings, they felt the same way about it, too. No one ever knows how they did, even afterward, because you just feel yucky about it and it's impossible to know what they were looking for or if you even did anything right. There are a lot less people that take the exam in February which makes the environment a lot less crowded and everyone is just more relaxed, probably because the majority of us have taken it before. It's a very 'jeez, why are we here again, ugh' attitude, haha. The trip out to the convention center was smooth and this year, I was smart enough to buy enough food for the few days so I didn't go hungry and could relax in my hotel room every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was really cold in the convention center, though, and with the lack of sleep (you just get so paranoid about oversleeping), stress, and exhaustion, by the time I got back to my hotel room after the afternoon session of the third day, I felt horribly achey, dizzy, feverish and chilly at the same time. Horrible!! Although I was booked to checkout the next day, I had planned to just go home that night anyway (I wanted a place to keep my stuff so I didn't have to rush to pack before the last day and leave my stuff in my car the entire day, bleh), but I felt so terrible that it took me a while before I felt well enough to gather my stuff and go home. Sadly, Matt was even flying in on Friday and I felt so sick and awful...I couldn't believe taking this test took that much out of me! I was more afraid that I caught something bad, like the flu, since I felt achey all over, as if 50 lb weights were tied to each of the muscles all over my body, and there was just weird tinging running up and down my spine and into the top of my head. I was cold but then falling asleep made me feel hot. It was so painful to move around or even sit still, and everything seemed so cloudy. I did rely on Tylenol for a few doses, since I was afraid I was getting a fever and it also helped relieve some of the aches. I'm so relieved at least that this happened after the exam was over (even if it was ridiculous that it happened immediately afterward) and that it was also the weekend so I could try to sleep it off.
We ended up doing absolutely nothing this weekend and it really felt good for once. I slept a whole bunch and finally, I feel somewhat back to my normal self. I still have a bit of some nose congestion and my throat is just a little scratchy, but I hope to be back in shape within the next few days! At least I feel I can function tomorrow for my first day of work after being away for 2 weeks. I left with a million things due during the next 2 weeks and I'm praying that nothing major happened while I was gone, because I don't know what I'm going to do if there are disasters to clean up. Trying not to think about that...
The week has also been hard because there have just been so many passings. At the beginning of the exam, a friend of mine (who was also taking the Bar) found out that his grandma passed away. On Tuesday, Matt's beloved cat Noogie, who he's had since his first day of high school, was put to sleep because he's been suffering from so many different health problems. And the day after the exam was over, while I was in ill and crazed state, I found out that my grandpa had passed away as well. Definitely a hard week for everyone :(
The week has been so busy that I haven't taken as many photos as I would've liked. And actually, I've been struggling a lot lately to come up with interesting photos to take to 'represent' my day in this 2011 year. I had intended at the beginning of the year to do a photo a day so I would keep up with blogging but I think some days have become stale as I've had to force myself to come up with an idea of something to post. Blogging for so many days already has made me really enjoy blogging in general and I think, in light of missing a week of posts, rather than catch up, I think I'm going to scrap the idea of continuing to force myself to come up with specific ideas for daily posts and focus instead on posts that are on a more creative level and more fun. That would be more fun and interesting for all of us, don't you think? So for now, I guess I'm scrapping my 2011 photo yearbook project and I'm just going to develop my creative and fun blogging side and keep blogging as much as I can to share the fun things that are going on with my life.
I did take some funny pictures from my Bar exam experience. Matt was so kind to use his hotel points to book me a hotel and because of how often he has to book hotels for work (one of the ONLY perks about his job), he has platinum status and often gets to upgrade to a suite. So I got to live in style and for free while taking this exam, same as I did last July. Lucky me! The front desk woman got really confused when I checked in and referred to Matt as my 'husband,' but whatever, at least I got the room even though it was in his name without any problems. Check out my digs for those few days:
It was nice to have a lot of room, not that I really needed it. (Yeah, do you also like my stuffed animals who came on the trip, too? Haha...I needed the company and for it to feel like 'home.') Too bad I can't transfer that extra room to my current apartment, haha. We could really use that extra space here. But I was glad I planned better this year so I had an easier time packing and transporting things to/from. It's probably not a good thing that I'm becoming an old pro at this, though.
I also took a funny picture of my Ziploc bag for the exam. I learned last year just how strict the proctors are about making sure that you put everything into a (stupid) plastic bag, including your wallet. The list of items you can bring to the exam is really strict and everyone has to look like a total fool carrying a plastic baggie full of all his/her belongings to and from the convention center every day. That's how you can spot all the exam takers - I mean, really, it's not hard to notice someone tightly clutching something as ridiculous as this everywhere s/he goes:
My last picture is actually one I borrowed from Matt's mom of precious Noogie. It's one of our favorite pictures of him - he just looks so handsome and distinguished in it, and it was a photo that was used on many of Matt's birthday cakes, complete with a party hat, too. She posted this picture of him on Facebook the day of his passing and it made me really sad, and Matt even sadder of course. I guess since he was fine at Christmas, I just assumed I'd still see him this year so I never thought anything of it that he was getting older. But he's had a steady decline lately with a tumor in his head growing bigger every day behind his eye, causing it to swell and the side of his face to bulge, among other mouth and teeth infections :( Matt got to say bye to him last weekend, but it's still hard to imagine that I won't see him there anymore. It's going to be really weird. Even though we all know it's for the best so he doesn't suffer, it was still hard. But he did live a great and long life with a family and a little boy turned man who loved him very much so I guess that's what's most important. Rest in peace little Noogie, the best kitty ever.
The exam was yuck, and judging from my friends' feelings, they felt the same way about it, too. No one ever knows how they did, even afterward, because you just feel yucky about it and it's impossible to know what they were looking for or if you even did anything right. There are a lot less people that take the exam in February which makes the environment a lot less crowded and everyone is just more relaxed, probably because the majority of us have taken it before. It's a very 'jeez, why are we here again, ugh' attitude, haha. The trip out to the convention center was smooth and this year, I was smart enough to buy enough food for the few days so I didn't go hungry and could relax in my hotel room every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was really cold in the convention center, though, and with the lack of sleep (you just get so paranoid about oversleeping), stress, and exhaustion, by the time I got back to my hotel room after the afternoon session of the third day, I felt horribly achey, dizzy, feverish and chilly at the same time. Horrible!! Although I was booked to checkout the next day, I had planned to just go home that night anyway (I wanted a place to keep my stuff so I didn't have to rush to pack before the last day and leave my stuff in my car the entire day, bleh), but I felt so terrible that it took me a while before I felt well enough to gather my stuff and go home. Sadly, Matt was even flying in on Friday and I felt so sick and awful...I couldn't believe taking this test took that much out of me! I was more afraid that I caught something bad, like the flu, since I felt achey all over, as if 50 lb weights were tied to each of the muscles all over my body, and there was just weird tinging running up and down my spine and into the top of my head. I was cold but then falling asleep made me feel hot. It was so painful to move around or even sit still, and everything seemed so cloudy. I did rely on Tylenol for a few doses, since I was afraid I was getting a fever and it also helped relieve some of the aches. I'm so relieved at least that this happened after the exam was over (even if it was ridiculous that it happened immediately afterward) and that it was also the weekend so I could try to sleep it off.
We ended up doing absolutely nothing this weekend and it really felt good for once. I slept a whole bunch and finally, I feel somewhat back to my normal self. I still have a bit of some nose congestion and my throat is just a little scratchy, but I hope to be back in shape within the next few days! At least I feel I can function tomorrow for my first day of work after being away for 2 weeks. I left with a million things due during the next 2 weeks and I'm praying that nothing major happened while I was gone, because I don't know what I'm going to do if there are disasters to clean up. Trying not to think about that...
The week has also been hard because there have just been so many passings. At the beginning of the exam, a friend of mine (who was also taking the Bar) found out that his grandma passed away. On Tuesday, Matt's beloved cat Noogie, who he's had since his first day of high school, was put to sleep because he's been suffering from so many different health problems. And the day after the exam was over, while I was in ill and crazed state, I found out that my grandpa had passed away as well. Definitely a hard week for everyone :(
The week has been so busy that I haven't taken as many photos as I would've liked. And actually, I've been struggling a lot lately to come up with interesting photos to take to 'represent' my day in this 2011 year. I had intended at the beginning of the year to do a photo a day so I would keep up with blogging but I think some days have become stale as I've had to force myself to come up with an idea of something to post. Blogging for so many days already has made me really enjoy blogging in general and I think, in light of missing a week of posts, rather than catch up, I think I'm going to scrap the idea of continuing to force myself to come up with specific ideas for daily posts and focus instead on posts that are on a more creative level and more fun. That would be more fun and interesting for all of us, don't you think? So for now, I guess I'm scrapping my 2011 photo yearbook project and I'm just going to develop my creative and fun blogging side and keep blogging as much as I can to share the fun things that are going on with my life.
I did take some funny pictures from my Bar exam experience. Matt was so kind to use his hotel points to book me a hotel and because of how often he has to book hotels for work (one of the ONLY perks about his job), he has platinum status and often gets to upgrade to a suite. So I got to live in style and for free while taking this exam, same as I did last July. Lucky me! The front desk woman got really confused when I checked in and referred to Matt as my 'husband,' but whatever, at least I got the room even though it was in his name without any problems. Check out my digs for those few days:
It was nice to have a lot of room, not that I really needed it. (Yeah, do you also like my stuffed animals who came on the trip, too? Haha...I needed the company and for it to feel like 'home.') Too bad I can't transfer that extra room to my current apartment, haha. We could really use that extra space here. But I was glad I planned better this year so I had an easier time packing and transporting things to/from. It's probably not a good thing that I'm becoming an old pro at this, though.
I also took a funny picture of my Ziploc bag for the exam. I learned last year just how strict the proctors are about making sure that you put everything into a (stupid) plastic bag, including your wallet. The list of items you can bring to the exam is really strict and everyone has to look like a total fool carrying a plastic baggie full of all his/her belongings to and from the convention center every day. That's how you can spot all the exam takers - I mean, really, it's not hard to notice someone tightly clutching something as ridiculous as this everywhere s/he goes:
My last picture is actually one I borrowed from Matt's mom of precious Noogie. It's one of our favorite pictures of him - he just looks so handsome and distinguished in it, and it was a photo that was used on many of Matt's birthday cakes, complete with a party hat, too. She posted this picture of him on Facebook the day of his passing and it made me really sad, and Matt even sadder of course. I guess since he was fine at Christmas, I just assumed I'd still see him this year so I never thought anything of it that he was getting older. But he's had a steady decline lately with a tumor in his head growing bigger every day behind his eye, causing it to swell and the side of his face to bulge, among other mouth and teeth infections :( Matt got to say bye to him last weekend, but it's still hard to imagine that I won't see him there anymore. It's going to be really weird. Even though we all know it's for the best so he doesn't suffer, it was still hard. But he did live a great and long life with a family and a little boy turned man who loved him very much so I guess that's what's most important. Rest in peace little Noogie, the best kitty ever.
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