And it begins here.

At the beginning of this year, I wrote about a goal to make the leap day memorable by engaging in something that is outside my usual to-do list. You can't control some things though, especially if the Supreme Court decided to make the 29th of February memorable in its own way.

That day, I found myself filing for sick leave, feverishly waiting for the results of the 2011 Bar Exams. At 1330H, I gave myself a warm bath to reduce the pressure and paranoia. The one-hour bath was extended for thirty minutes, then for another hour, until I finally came out to check my phone. 

I passed, along with 1912 other new lawyers. To those who are still unsure, yes, Ada Victoria is my given name. Now crack that joke about how I was made in and named after a famous hotel sugar mill.

When friends talk about how they tried to fight stress while waiting for the results, I tell them that I took a bath, cleaned the bathroom, then took another bath. I tell the story in the most glamorous and lawyerly way possible, of course. Not that glamour and lawyering always go together. Early in law school we learned that they seldom do.

This piano piece by Jon Schmidt was my battle hymn during the four Sundays of the exams. All of Me, because anything less than that wouldn't be enough.