study habits

unfortunately, mine is not as solid as the others. i study whenever i can or even in those very few times that i can, i only study when i want to. i'm not as driven as i was 4 or 3 years ago. i have this fear that maybe law will just be like architecture - when i finished it, it felt like it's not something i want to do for the rest of my life.

last week, after my persons exam (which i totally blew), i was almost teary-eyed going to the office. sir basa was still around. i told him i'm so sad because the exam was very easy for others, but i had a hard time because i did not study hard enough for it. consolingly, he said that that's life and he just read me some chinese proverbs to cheer me up. if there's anyone in the office who totally supports me in my studies, that would be sir basa. i know he's counting the days (with much sadness i suppose) when i will finally pack my things and leave my cube for the bar review.

yesterday, he played his usual classical CDs while he was thinking of a design solution for San Pedro Hospital's renovation. he said if i'm going to study (or do anything that entails brain activity), i should study with vivaldi, chopin, rachmaninoff, and mozart on the background. he said it will stimulate the brain, sharpen the memory, and hasten recall. i did and i even found myself spending the sunday at the office to study again.

i also moved to another 24-hour fastfood venue to have my late night study sessions. mcdo bajada has ceased to be a neutral zone. i imagine a lot of things when i'm there. and if i get too unlucky, my imaginings are sometimes brought to life. scary and utterly disturbing.

my study habit is not about memorizing stuff or rewriting everything or organizing post-its or highlighting precious pages. it's about the timing and the ambience. it's about the absence of disturbance and the presence of encouraging people.