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Apparently nowadays, everyone's favorite question to ask me is: "so what are you doing nowadays?" or "so what are you going to do now?" when they learn that I'm not going for the whole law school route (at least for now).

As simple as that question is, it is driving me absolutely INSANE (that's the nice way to put it).

Um, if I knew, I would tell you.

You know how they always tell you to have a back up plan? Yeah, well I didn't.
  
Since I always thought/assumed I'd be going to graduate school (law school) right after I finished my undergraduate years at Rutgers, I didn't even bother to get a jump-start in worrying about finding a job in this horrible job market... because trust me... it's beyond horrible. It seems like all I do these days is search for jobs online nowadays and its getting tiring fast.

So lesson learned people - KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN!!! I can't stress that enough. Know what you want, that is for sure, but have a back up plan.

Don't just assume you'll deal with it when the time comes.

Don't just assume things will work out the way you want. Hopefully it will, but you just never know.

Just last night (when I was wide awake until 4:30 A.M.) I was thinking that this coming fall will be the first time in eighteen years that I won't be going back to school. Usually my schedule has always been so hectic with a full load of classes and work along with other commitments, that I can't even begin to tell you how weird this all is. As crazy and hectic as it always got, when I think of it, that's how I like it - I HATE just sitting  around at home and having so much free time... I'm just not used it!

Keep your options open... can't stress that enough.

When Life Throws You Lemons...

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Have you ever gotten the feeling that you were meant to do something? Well, I keep get the feeling that I wasn't meant to be a lawyer. And that's quite unfortunate because it is something I have wanted and ASPIRED to become since I was in the eighth grade.

It's funny how we plan for something, and something totally different happens. Or we are so sure of something, but God has something else in store for us. I've noticed that happening so many times on a much smaller scale than this. Or we try our hardest, and sometimes that still isn't good enough. Because the truth is, sometimes our hardest efforts aren't enough. But that's life.

I'm not saying hard work doesn't pay off, but it may be in a different form than we anticipate or want.

So many little things have happened along the way that have gone against me leaning in the direction of law school. I do believe everything happens for a reason.

Like seriously the ONLY time ever I don't want a snow storm, we will probably end up getting one. The snow hasn't started yet, but earlier this afternoon my LSATs for tomorrow were cancelled because of the impending snow storm.

Virginia is supposed to get hit with around 30 inches (and they already had 7+ inches about an hour ago)! While we are only supposed to get 8 - 14 inches, I'm not even sure how likely that is to happen considering it hasn't even started yet. I have a feeling the storm will just bypass our area.... which would be a bummer not only because I LOVE snow, but because after all the studying and prepping for the LSATs in the last few weeks, they are cancelled! I have devoted so much time to it, which is very hard with being a full time student and working as well (which is another thing considering I picked February over last December to retake the exam thinking about how hard it would be will school and exams). I'm supposed to be notified in about a week about my options so we'll see what happens. At this point, I just want them over with. All I am saying is, we better get a real snow storm.

If they were just isolated instances, I would for sure overlook them... but all I know is I need to do some serious thinking and evaluate my options. But then again, nothing worth having ever comes easy.

No matter what happens, at least I know I tried my best. And that's really all I can ask of myself.

Earlier, in haste and frustration, I was telling my mom that I feel like I wasted the past eight years of my life working towards my aspiration. But now, after a few hours to 'calm down', I'll take it as another life lesson.

Update (11:03 PM): I should have apparently written this earlier because it just started snowing.

P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Thoughts: Registration, RU Football, LSATs

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It's so unbelievable, but i registered this past Monday (November 9th) for my last semester as an undergraduate at Rutgers University! I can't believe it! It doesn't feel like I have been here for so long (three and a half years at this point!) and now am just months away from graduating in May. While each individual semester has seemed to drag on forever, it has in general flew by pretty fast. It hasn't been the easiest few years by any means, but i can honestly say it has been worth it. The roller coaster ride with the combination of the stress, challenges, agony, and the feelings of accomplishments have been nothing short of interesting, to say the very least.

I can't believe how fast time is flying by! I've been meaning to write a blog post on my mom's hospital stay/surgery from the beginning of October (over a month ago!), and i just can't seem to get some free time together. Hopefully in the next few days i will since i finally finished my midterms, papers, and projects this past week. Besides a few papers and a project, I don't have much extra school work due until the final exams period which is about a month away.

I also got my LSATs score back near the end of October, and i didn't do nearly as well as i would have liked or as well as i thought i would have done with all the studying time i put it. Needless to say, i was (and still am) quite frustrated and flushed. For the first few weeks, i was pretty upset (quite an understatement). I'm going to retake the LSATs in February and see how i do. People have been telling me not to let it get to me, but after all the studying, how can i not let it to get to me? It's something i've been thinking about and aspiring towards since the eighth grade! I know if it's meant to be, it'll work out... and if it's not... that's alright too... but i CAN'T just not give it another try. i guess i'll re-evaluate once i get my scores back from the LSATs from February and see what i want to do. I've been in the law school frame of mind for so long, that the thought that it may not be for me is quite upsetting. I'll be off for about three weeks in between the fall and spring semester that starts mid January so i'll have to get some hard core studying done then to prepare for the February LSATs.

On a quite different note, this past Thursday i also went to another Rutgers Football game - RU vs USF. Unfortunately with everything going on, it  was only the second game i have been able to attend this season (i went to the RU vs. Howard really early in the season). I was hoping i would be able to attend more considering it's my last year as a RU student, but oh well. Hopefully, i'll at least be able to go to the last home game of the season against West Virginia. RU vs. USF was an amazing game, and i had a great time - so even if it is the last game i attend as the student, it was great. The final score was RU - 31 and USF - 0. I was hoping for a great game with a huge win, but i didn't think the ranked USF team would end up not scoring at all!

September at a Quick Glance

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So i've been MIA from blogging recently (for like a month!), but that's because a lot has happened (and has been happening) that has been keeping me quite busy!!

Anyhow, i took my LSATs this morning! The morning started off rough with having low air pressure in one of the tires of the car... and when i eventually got to the building where my exam was... there's a note telling us to go to a completely different building. I mean i go to Rutgers, so getting to the other building wasn't such a big deal for me... but for everyone that came to take the LSATs at Rutgers but doesn't actually go to Rutgers... it was a challenge! One kid, candidly, suggested it was actually a practice logic game to help our brains focus :). Thank goodness i left early to leave ample leeway time.

I've been sick since monday, so i didn't get too much studying done in the week leading up to, but i hope i did fine. If not, i can always retake them in December... i hope i don't have to though! I HATE being sick ( i KNOW no one likes being sick!), and this constant weather change is driving me crazy... and is definitely the root of me being sick.

On another note, i began my senior year of college early this month! I can't believe i am a senior in college... where has the time gone?! I remember my first day of school ever, starting second grade in canada once we moved there, then seventh grade when i moved to new jersey, starting high school, then college... and now it's almost over! I really wish it would slow down a little! To think that in May, i will be a college graduate is AMAZING and weird!

All of this, of course, means that i have started looking at law schools and have began the process that goes along with it (letters of recommendations and whatnot), which has been a little nerve-wracking. All of it seems so surreal.

Oh, and Rutgers Football season is well underway as well! I've only been to one of the games so far... and haven't really been following it to well this year because of the time constraint, but it's still been fun when i do get the chance. Hopefully i'll get a chance to go to a couple of more games this season... especially since it's the last year i'll be a student here.

Last Day of Classes for Junior Year!

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Today was my last day of classes of my junior year of undergraduate!! Am I ecstatic? YES! Sad? Definitely! Where has the time gone? I can still remember freshly my first day of school ever (and crying hysterically as my mom walked me to school), my first day of high school, orientation for college, my first day of college, and now I have just finished my sixth semester here at Rutgers.

Tonight was also my first of four final exams, and now I am 3/6ths done with my classes (have already turned in a paper for one class, and am done the paper due this coming Friday for another class)… I know I have said this many times, but May 13th couldn't come fast enough! I am so ready for a few months off (aside from studying for the LSATS of course – which I REALLY need to do this summer).
With just one year remaining here at Rutgers as I pursue my undergraduate degree, I hope I can make the most out of it. While each semester has been full of challenges and a lot of stress (and feels like forever sometimes), overall it has just flown by so far. In one (very) short year, I will inshallah have my bachelor's degree… UNBELIEVABLE!

This means, I really need to start figuring out stuff for law school and stuff soon… until now, it all seemed so far away!

As if I wasn't feeling old enough already and thinking how fast time is going by, my twenty-first birthday is about two and a half months away! Oh, to be a kid again!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

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Just when I thought this day couldn't get any better (because I had my last final for the semester this morning).. it started SNOWING! I absolutely LOVE snow .. especially as its snowing - it looks soo pretty falling! I love when it actually accumulates and we get a white blanket, but I don't know how likely that is this time, even though it seems to be sticking (but it rained right before) .. so I'm just going to enjoy it as it falls.

Now that finals are over, I have about a month off.. which I am supposed to spend studying for LSATs, but I don't know how likely that is. It's scary to think I only have three semesters left of undergraduate and that law school is so close... and to think that I feel as if I have no free time now - HA!

I haven't had much time to blog recently, but I hope to do a lot of it during my break. At least the Election 2008 cycle forced me, in a way, to take time out to blog.