That Monstrosity Called Criminal Procedure

Sat, 4 Apr 2009.

I loved the exam. Yes, it was a bit difficult. Yes, I missed seven points (I left number nine blank). But I had fun. That exam is actually a preview of my career outside law school---defending all cases under The Dangerous Drugs Act. How to exclude evidence. How to get them out on bail. Et cetera. Et cetera.

There was one question there about "the distinct odor of burning shabu". I wanted to answer "but burning shabu has no odor!" But it might just invite questions like, "Well, how do you know so much?"

Duh. A lawyer should know those things, even if he/she doesn't use drugs.

Anyway, highlights of the day:

1. I arrived almost twenty minutes late for the test (no excuse, just damn tardy).
2. I failed to answer number nine.
3. I got a parking ticket.
4. I busted a tire.

All that in one day. Talk about bad luck. I just hope that after all that misfortune, I pass the exam. Please, God. Give me a break. I will lawyer for the poor people for free when I graduate. I promise. Just let me pass.

I Love Exams

Another secret shame: I love exams.

First, let me explain -- I love the anticipation before the exam, as well as the act of answering itself. For me, it's just like solving a jigsaw puzzle, the daily crossword, or a Rubik's cube. It stimulates the same areas of the brain, and I love being stimulated. Some people think I am not a normal student because of this. Whatever.

Anyway, what I don't like is the preparation for an exam. First of all, the preparation is not proportional to the exam itself. Take Constitutional Law. I had to read literally a mountain of reading materials, more than two hundred cases (two hundred and ten, if I'm not mistaken), with each case averaging about twenty pages. 210 cases times twenty pages equals such a waste of paper. That's 4200 pages of readings. Four thousand two hundred pages for the entire semester. Exaggerated? I think not. And it is for this reason that I do not like studying. On this note, I believe I am actually a normal student.

But the thing is, one cannot hope to pass a UP Law exam without studying. You may be equipped with all the powers of analysis and logic, but without any knowledge stored in your head, your brain will be analyzing empty space. It'll be like a perfectly crafted handgun with no bullets inside.

A hundred years from now, when the Wachowski myth of the Matrix becomes a reality, when human beings have holes at the back of their heads, you won't need to spend countless hours reading to fill your head. You just jack in and all the knowledge you could possibly want can be downloaded directly into your hard drive brain. But until that day comes, students have no choice but to do it old school. That's the way it's been done since time immemorial.

So that's one last exam on Saturday, and then it's time to sing: Naaalala kita 'pag umuulan. SEMBREAK!