On December 14, 2011, I became a lawyer. A full-on licensed attorney. In fact, just the other day, I drafted a letter with Esq. at the end of my name. I felt this weird sense of fulfillment, more than I felt at my swearing-in ceremony. I'm sure that excitement will last but a few days.
There you have it. But I remember mentioning to someone that, after fighting for such a long time for something, once you get it, it sort of seems so natural - as if you were always going to do it from the start. That is, if you actually put in the faith, endurance, and courage to do it - no matter how grueling it may be - that process is what you remember more than anything. The results sort of just happen, and sometimes too fast for you to really know what just happened.
But that's how it should be. It makes me more humble. And it confirms the reality that, in the end, status and titles are secondary to your character. So here I am, Eric Kunimoto - the same son of my parents, and the same stubborn yet persistent middle-child from Ellicott City. Thank you for everyone who have allowed me to become who I am. I promise to be a contributing and happy lawyer.
Boss took us out to the new Phillips at the Harbor. Excellent!
Of course, with every new ending, there is a new beginning. There are many things in front of me, such as my employment situation next year, etc. And maybe it's because I'm on winter break, or maybe it's because I'm high on tea, but I feel very excited for this year.
In response to a few messages I sent Sensei over the course of Bar Prep and the Bar results, I received a message and picture from Shinanomachi, from him, which reads:
共々に
創価の同志と
三世まで
断固勝ちゆく
勝利王たれ
The message also includes a beautiful picture of Mount Fuji. I will definitely frame this - it is a life treasure from my mentor.
Every Sunday, after watching a good days worth of football (if I have the chance), I'll take a deep breath, and begin mentally preparing for the onslaught that the week will bring.
Of course, a lot has been happening. My last post was about 朝ゴンhelping. Almost instantaneously, I've gotten some results. On Thursday, I went to a Baltimore City Bar Association event at the Silo Point Penthouse and met my old internship boss at the City Law Department. I established a really close relationship with her and the rest of the office, so I was very happy to see her at the event as well. According to her, there are some potential employment opportunities that may pop up and she's been recommending me left and right. The jobs are right up my alley - they involve zoning and land use matter.
@ Silo Point
I also started karate again, and I think I'm progressing fast. It's been nice to have something to look forward to, and also a reason to get back into shape. I'm nearly back to a full split and the Senseis have recognized my potential, or so I think. Last Saturday's class was cancelled due to a Shodan Belt Test. Five people earned their black belt. It was enjoyable watching the testing :)
The biggest news is that my older brother is moving to Santa Monica. He was selected as the YMD Study Fellow. It'll last 2 years. There are, of course, collateral effects of his moving to California, so I have to prepare for more here after he leaves. I'm happy for him. If I had to choose one person to establish a solid study program for the SGI-USA, there's no doubt that I would choose him. He's moving at the end of the year, so that makes two Kunimoto's within a few months of each other moving to Cali.
We've had a bunch of going-away celebrations for him. Just yesterday, we got together with a few of the YMD leaders at Matthews 1600, a local restaurant/bar in Catonsville. It was nice to chill and do some good ol' heart-to-heart, but I drank one too many (which is, for me, one beer).
Justin and Richard
This wednesday will mark the first official step of my professional career as an attorney. I'll be sworn-in on Wednesday in Annapolis, and will become an Esquire! As much as I would like to be excited, I can't get myself pumped up since all the hard work was done earlier this year. This Wednesday is just a formality, but it certainly is a big step for me :)
At yet another going-away for my older bro, I had time to reflect with some other members about the contributions that he has made to this region, and it's made me realize how fortunate I am to have grown up in this family and in my circumstances. For all the problems that an older brother creates, to be a younger brother of someone who pushes himself for kosen-rufu is truly, truly a humbling experience. Aside from my mother, my brothers have had the most positive impact in my life because of their connection to Sensei. So, thank you to my family.
I forced Ryan to take a picture with me at Daniel's going away at the Community Center.
Finally, "Headlights," by Monkey Majik, which I referred to a month ago, is finally out in its full version! Check out the PV and a cover by CREAM.
The other day, during a conversation about the legal profession, my friend asked me what an "Esquire" was. I looked it up.
Esquire.
noun. 1 - An unofficial title of respect, having no precise significance . . . In Britain, applied to a commoner considered to have gained the social position of a gentleman.
At least I'll be a gentleman. I will be of no precise significance mid-December.
Well, I've passed the bar! This news comes a little late considering I found last friday, but I felt it's never too late to memorialize this feat. I was so nervous on friday and I couldn't concentrate on my work. I was in the courtroom assisting my judge when I realized it turned 4:30. I was planning to go home to check it, but I couldn't help myself and ran upstairs to chambers to check. And lo and behold, I passed!
Enjoyed some with my dad on friday night.
The judge ended up stopping trial to announce to everyone that I passed, which was a little embarrassing, but I was too happy to care.
That morning, my district leader came and chanted with me. Bar prep started with daimoku with my previous district leader, and the bar ended with daimoku.
I feel a huge weight has lifted off my shoulder. My swearing-in ceremony will be held in mid-December, and at that time, I will officially become a lawyer! It seems somewhat surreal, but no matter how many times I try and doubt myself, I made it! My last big push in this series of events is to find a permanent job starting next year.
While I'm happy, I'm more appreciative for all the support more than anything. In any case, I've finally made the transition from super saiyajin 2 to super saiyajin 3 (the gold and long hair). I don't know I have to do in order to become super saiyajin 4, but super monkey mode comes before super saiyajin 4 anyway.
Super Saiyajin 3
Golden 大猿 (the most powerful form under SS3)
In other news, SUA alumni in the DMV met up to record the first verse of SUA's 10th anniversary song, "Light of Hope."
Trees. I had my Board of Law Examiners' Character Committee Interview the other day in Westminster, which is more or less west of Baltimore, and rural. Very rural. Well, not as rural as super west Maryland, but the land is untouched enough to enjoy the beauty of the trees in Autumn.
I work in Baltimore City so it's easy to get caught up in the concrete jungle - lost in crude human inventions. I'm for the 'burbs, so I've always felt more comfortable right outside the city. As an aside, that's why I like Kyoto more than I do somewhere like Tokyo, because the former is city-esque, but surrounded by mountains and forests. It provides you the best of both worlds.
So anyway, I was took right turn off of rt. 70 somewhere and the landscape was just beautiful. So much so that I had to stop my car and just take it all in. I don't know why I didn't take any pictures except for the one below, but I wish I had.
I'm not really sure why I even took this picture, but my phone's camera does some injustice to the beauty of the landscape. If you squint your eyes, you'll see the oranges and yellows in the back, far beyond the houses. The scenery helped me relax a little.
Finally, I'm really looking forward to this new Monkey Majik song: Headlights. The single is supposed to release on October 26th. The PV shows scenes of people helping out in Japan after the Tohoku quake earlier this year. The song is about lighting the way for others. Enjoy the anticipation!
Alrigh~t. Here's a post to that catches myself up on a lot of things. These past couple of weeks have been physically demanding, given the demand of work and my participation in SGI activities. With regards to work, a lot of it has to do with simply managing the docket and the schedule for the court and chambers so that my Judge is ready to go and do his thing. Of course, while I'm doing that, I'm also responsible for substantive legal work, and balancing everything, I found, is quite the task. That requires me to let go of any doubts I have in my own mind that I am incapable of finishing everything - something I deal with everyday.
But that's also the reason why I enjoy participating in my buddhist activities. As much as it takes to go to a meeting after work, I enjoy it because I have a chance to refresh my determination. I found that if I concentrate on my work to an extreme, I begin very easily losing a sense of purpose. It's hard to realize that when you're simply thinking that you have to finish this or that, but there's really no end to that way of thinking. It's been important to me to develop a context for my dedication to my work and to refocus my determination on fulfilling my intents.
A moment to appreciate life!
As a way of example, I had the honor of helping lead a Gosho lecture today after getting off work late. The Gosho that we studied is "The Sutra of True Requital." Aside from learning what requital meant and how it's really pronounced, my study of this particular correspondence helped me to renew my sense of mission, and just as importantly, my day to day goals. This particular gosho made me realize that a sense of appreciation builds in oneself a greater purpose for one's life, and as a consequence, helps us reveal our own buddhahood. That's counter-intuitive to the way we think of dealing with despair - western thought teaches us to feel better about ourselves and to cope with your own sense of identity. While that of course helps, Buddhism teaches us that by realizing the kindness and compassion of others - no matter how small or indiscernible - that teaches us to value our own life. In other words, it's a realization that we make that we are truly and inherently noble. So the act of acknowledging the compassion of others - the first step to appreciation - is a basis for own happiness.
So I've been enjoying myself. In fact, my Judge was kind enough to invite me to Maryland Legal Aid Society's 100th anniversary celebration. To say the least, this was an amazing event. In all honesty, I rediscovered the power that the law can serve in helping the disadvantaged. I learned that my Judge is particularly a great example of dedication to help those in need, and for that reason alone, my job is fulfilling and satisfying. The open bar and the waterfront location also helped to make the event awesome.
Unlike the past few months, I have a few bucks to spend now, so I spent last saturday, before the Legal Aid Celebration, checking out a brunch place in Baltimore - the well-known "Blue Moon Cafe." I had the stacked hashbrowns with crab and cheese. That was pretty darn good.
I'm done. I'll be honest - I didn't feel too hot about the entire ordeal, but hey, no use worrying about it now. The point is that I'm done and now I can focus on some of the errands I've been putting off for a while.
I'm continuing my morning chanting sessions with Vivek at 6am and it feels damn good. I get so much more done throughout the day. Like blogging. It's 7:40 and I've already cleaned my room, sent a few emails, and now I'm going to get some job-search things done before I set out for Baltimore to get some chores done there. Then I have to find and fix my bike so I can start biking to Vivek's instead of wasting gas.
I'm looking forward to getting back into shape. I gained 15 pounds in less than 2 months and my body feels terrible.
Those 2 months were absolutely, without a doubt, the most dreadful experience I've undergone. Hopefully I won't have to redo the experience this February.
Thank you so much to those who dealt with my short-tempered self this summer. And thank to those who just continued to unconditionally support me (I feel like I came back from War or something). I received hand-written cards and letters from many of you! I have the best friends in the world. Here are some of the goodies you sent me that made me wanna cry:
Thank you, Kimiko. See you in a few days!
Thank you, Brian. I downed them in less than 2 min.
I will be seeking refuge for a little and will be unavailable until after the bar. I feel like a zombie.
To leave with some notable quotes from the Bar prep people:
"But she would be wrong. She's a human being, not a lawyer."
"Don't use your common sense. Apply the law."
"Don't let your emotions get the best of you. Apply the law."
So with the impending exam, I've gone absolutely crazy and have resorted to random acts of writing out things that are not related to the bar, but are nevertheless related to the law. I have absolutely no rational reason for this, and in fact, I'd like to know myself why I feel compelled to write things down in such a frenzy. It's some sort of anti-stress mechanism my body uses and I can't help it (I guess it's kind of like blogging).
The other day what resulted were what I though an American law school curriculum should look like. I imagined that the first year would start off one-month ahead of the 2L and 3Ls. The one-month would be used for an mandatory introductory course to law, which would explain how everything fit together - the big picture. I guess I thought that we were thrown to the wolves our first year without any real context. Here are some thing's I would cover in that one-month. Oh, and after reviewing this, it helped me realize how I should be explaining the law to my non-lawyer friends.
Law Curriculum
I.Venues of Law –
A.Judicial – Courts
B.Legislative – Congress, Legislatures
C.Executive – President, Public Agencies, Departments
II.Common Law System
A.Precedent
B.Stare Decisis
III.Sources of Law & Enforcement Methods
A.Case Law
B.Statutory Law
C.Regulations
D.Treatise
IV.Foundational Law – Categorized by (1) substantive/procedural, (2) private/public, (3) civil/criminal, (4) case/statutory
To add to my multitude of troubles, I pretty much have no money to draw from the bank. I'm living on pocket cash and I'm losing a lot of the benefits that come with keeping a certain level of money in my account. What that meant for today: scavenging my desk drawer for gift cards. Lucky for me, I found a few goods ones.
Cheesecake Factory - $34 (Thank you Section D students, I miss being your TA)
Best Buy - $15 (I will be using you in the future for a cell phone car charger)
BORDERS - $25 (I'm going to you tomorrow for some coffee and study)
BORDERS - $25 (that might allow me to put in two weeks there)
Macy's - Unknown amount (I need a bag for work - though I'm sure I'll feel compelled to drop $100 for that)
I've been doing my best to be frugal, so, for example, instead of buying new suits, I looked through my existing suits like a mad man to see if they could still be worn. I went to the taillor, realized I had gotten fat, but then came out satisfied knowing that the nice Korean tailors (really nice!) could do a 1-inch let-out to the delight of my waist.
After thinking too deeply about how I would use the Macy's card with an unknown value, I thought using it on a bag would be a waste, considering my dad has a bunch. To my dismay, he threw out many of his old ones, and the ones that were stashed away in the catacombs were beyond pretentious.
Ironically, this one would make me look like a banker, or that I should at least be sporting a Jaeger. To be fair, my dad received this as a gift in the past year or so, and apparently, it's price tag is no downer. Not a fan of the brown, though. But alas, my wallet speaks the truth and I may have to rock this banker briefcase for the first month.
On another note, I spoke with Kimiko over the past few days and she'll be attending JHU starting this fall. Well actually, starting this late summer to get a headstart on a few things. She'll staying at our place starting sometime during the first week of August. I'm so happy for and proud of her!
Now it's 6:20am and I'm not really sure why I couldn't fall asleep. I was literally laying in my bed with my eyes closed for an hour to no avail. Then I played SPADES on my cell phone for an hour to force myself to sleep, but yet again with no success. Then I decided - "forget it" - I might as well just study when I'm awake. So here I am tapping away before I re-commence. I forgot to mention that I have get a small surgical operation in a few hours. Woe is me.
That is, bar prep food. I've been kinda bad with my eating habits this summer given my schedule, but I figured that, with my sudden degrading health condition, I should probably watch what I eat. Today, during that time of the day between lunch and dinner, I ate some チャーハン, しゃけ with 生たまご. Beautiful, isn't it?
I also had that urge to drink milk since the malicious attack by MILKIS, so I decided to drink some lactose free milk with honey after a friend recommended it. It helped me to go to sleep, which was good considering I couldn't fall asleep. Now all I need is some exercise. Will try to get on that tomorrow.
Went to our SUA alumni meeting (Sohokai). Great to see eternal friends during this dreadful experience.
Alright, still catching up, but feeling a bit more confident with my studies.
I'm well into my bar prep - in fact, my course is telling me that I'm nearly 1/4 complete. Time flies. I've got a lot of information crammed in my cranium somewhere, though I don't know yet if they're just as readily available to me when 7.26 rolls around. I can only continue to have faith, and study like mad.
Bill came over to chant with me before work today. How fortunate am I? I have people visiting me at 6am to chant together. And I have friends all over the world supporting me. While this summer will continue to be intense, I can't help but think of how rare it is to have such friends and family.
Susan also went out of her way to send me a hand-written letter with this quote:
Your character is determined by how you challenge yourself, and how you wrestle with your problems, in a way that is unique to you. This is how character is polished and becomes diamond-like. - Daisaku Ikeda
These past few days were stressful, however. I thought that Sales would be one of the easier lessons since it's a subset of Contracts. To my great disbelief, the lecture was severely disorganized and the lecturer was horrible. If you're going to make me listen to you for 4 hours, make it fun, please ~ ! I'll be done Crim Law, Crim Pro, Contracts, and Sales by tonight. Then I'll take a "milestone" exam to determine where I fall relative to others.
I've been groggy everyday since I stayed up late one night, but today it's gotten better since I had to wake up to chant with Bill. I think the medicine is also wearing me down, complemented with the lack of exercise. Need to step outside once in a while. Except that it's 100 degrees, literally.
This is absolutely exhausting. I'm eight days in and my body is crumbling. I have this bad habit of staying up late when I should instead save the work for the next morning. I succumb to this urge of finishing the task I set out to do by the day's end. I guess that's a good thing save for the resulting lethargy the next day. I become severely unproductive, like today. To make it worse, I need to catch up and I've been receiving some poor grades on my practice multiple choice.
That said, I have no doubt that I'll pass. In addition to the bar prep course work, I'm making my own mini outlines and flash cards, though they take forever to make. In fact, I'm nearly done writing out flash cards for crim and crim pro. And I already have a bomb outline for evidence I made for myself last semester. Ask me a crim law question. I fail practice exams one after the other, but it all comes together in the end for me. That's not exactly the most re-assuring way to go about my study, but hey, I'm not complaining if it works.
peace.
Update 8:30pm: I highly doubt I will ever practice criminal law. Substantive Criminal Law is interesting but procedure is highly irritating. Oddly enough, I like Evidence.
I am officially a juris doctor! I've graduated from law school. I made it! These past three years were full of struggle, but also full of learning and fulfillment. Most of all, I feel like I went through so much human revolution. I came to know myself and my surrounding, and I built a sense of courage to tackle the next obstacles in front of me. I had a grad party yesterday, mostly with SGI folk, and it was the most fun I've had in quite a while. Being in a room full of celebrating Buddhists is so encouraging. I had so much appreciation for their support over these past three years - I have no doubt that, without their continued mother-like support, I would not have even challenged law school. Instead, I peaced out with a strong sense of self and with a more profound mission.
Here's something to chew on: According to this dude, Innis Claude said that law is the poetry and politics the prose of government. What a nice analogy. It's not as if I am changing what I think when I write, whether that be the law, politics, or prose, anyway. So here's another re-blog from that dude I mentioned above, directly from an opinion authored by the Court of Appeals of Michigan:
A wayward Chevy struck a tree
Whose owner sued defendants three.
He sued car’s owner, driver too,
And insurer for what was due
For his oak tree that now may bear
A lasting need for tender care.
The Oakland County Circuit Court,
John N. O’Brien, J., set forth
The judgment that defendants sought
And quickly an appeal was brought.
Court of Appeals, J.H. Gillis, J.,
Gave thought and then had this to say:
1) There is no liability
Since No Fault grants immunity;
2) No jurisdiction can be found
Where process service is unsound;
And thus the judgment, as it’s termed,
Is due to be, and is,
