From Design to Law: My Mid-20s Plot Twist
Song of The Week
Doris Valentine has hit the musical jackpot with her latest track, INC. It's a quirky blend of electronic pop and soulful undertones. From the very first note, the song lures you into a dreamscape where rhythms pulse and synths shimmer like sunlight on a disco ball. It’s a whimsical journey that invites you to abandon all self-judgment and dance like nobody’s watching—even if your cat is giving you the side-eye.
Lyrically, INC. is a delightful maze of metaphors that play on the complexities of identity and belonging. Valentine’s soothing yet empowering vocals glide effortlessly over beats that almost demand you to move. Lines like “I’m a work in progress, not a masterpiece” are reminders that it’s perfectly acceptable to be a little messy while you’re figuring things out. The bridge? You’ll catch yourself humming INC. at the most random times, and trust us, it’s a catchy tune that you’ll want to keep on repeat.
If you’re looking for a song that encapsulates the quirkiness of life while injecting a pop of joy into your day, "INC." by Doris Valentine is quite possibly your new anthem.
Major Shifts
Embarking on a new path is often labeled as career suicide. While there’s more grace today for changing professions, I don’t think that acceptance has fully reached the higher levels—like hiring managers or those controlling access to real opportunities. It’s one thing for people to support a career pivot in theory, and another for that support to show up where it matters most: in job offers, internships, and chances to gain real experience in a new field. Which is one of the reasons I appreciate law school. They accept all types of educational backgrounds and are welcoming to those like me with little to zero experience in the realm of law.
As I begin my journey into law, the first major step is the LSAT. The test now focuses on Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension—Logic Games were removed by the LSAC in 2024, of course. Fortunately, my background in philosophy, it gave me a minor understanding of what the test looks like and feels like. But it wasn’t until I started studying seriously that I truly grasped the full gravity of what the LSAT demands. With little advantage I have, it feels impossible to keep going. I have doubts if I can really get into law school because of this test and sometimes it makes me so stressed out I can’t get out of my head.
I thought I could rush the process with little studying and just apply but the more it sat with me the more I felt like I was taking a coop out. There is a saying that, “The easy road is rarely the best one—and usually, the path that challenges you the most is the one worth taking.” So, I decided to commit fully to the process, embracing the challenge and the hard work it demands, knowing that this dedication would set a stronger foundation for my new career in law. I didn’t want to half ass my newfound career off the jump.
The more I learn about the LSAT, the more I fall in love with the idea of logic—and the more I realize I’m actually terrible at it. When I took my first diagnostic test to see where I was starting, I thought I’d land easily in the high 140s. Well… let’s just say that’s where I am now. I started with almost nothing, and with just two learning resources, I managed to boost my score by 7 points. And you might be thinking, “Oh wow, that’s amazing!” or “Good job!” Hold on to those…hold on to those until I get into law school.
Why does life always feel like a battle field?
This is just the beginning of my uphill battle. Right now, I’m stuck in a studying plateau. I am consistently hitting the 147-150 range. My goal is to score between 154 and 157—that’s about 6 to 8 more points. It may not sound like much since each point represents an entire question. But something just isn’t clicking yet. I feel like I’m pushing, pushing, pushing… and I am still getting the same score over and over again. I review, I do drills, I reread sections. Once I think I got it, I go and take a test but when I finish a test it’s like “nooo,noo you didn’t get it.” And it is so frustrating!
In the past, this would have been the point where I gave up.I am doing the work but I see no progress. I have tried “everything” ( in quotations because I haven’t tried a personal tutor and because they charge $800 for the course and extra $500 for the weekly check-ins….) and I don’t see a solution to get out of this runt. I would’ve told myself I’m just not cut out for it. I would have blamed the outcome on the failures of the education system and oppression. While those things are true, I reject them. I reject them from having any influence on my decisions to pursue this course. I reject them from dictating my abilities and I sure as hell am not going to let them win.
That, my friends, is the true battle I face. And I know I’ll meet it again—whether in law school or the workforce. I’m an African-Asian military brat who can accept the facts, but that doesn’t mean I have to comply with them. I want to be the one who defines my success and my capabilities. This battle is not going to win. I need to regroup my thoughts and take the wheel of my studying again. It is one thing to keep chasing after the hard points, it's another to see where I can grab points with ease.
Now that I’ve shared that battle, I want to address something else: the creative silence on here lately. That’s another fight I face every week—usually between Sunday and Tuesday. My brain has felt like it’s stuck at square zero, juggling this, that, and another thing.
It’s not that I don’t take proper breaks, or that I don’t have enough time. It’s more that my mind is rewiring itself—slowly but surely—to adjust to this massive shift I’m making. That adjustment has started bleeding into my writing. Maybe it hasn’t been noticeable to you, but I feel it. I see it. I am, after all, both my biggest critic and my biggest fan.
And while it would be easy to announce a break from the blog so I can “focus on studying,” I don’t think that’s actually the answer to this stuckness. At least not for me.
You and what Army?
What I need is excitement. I need flow. I need someone other than myself. I need my Co-Collective.
My Co-Collective was created to engage my community—to talk with people, form friendships, share thoughts, and write together. But the truth is, I haven’t done any of that in months. I thought people would come naturally, would be eager to collaborate and share. And sometimes they do. Other times, it feels like I’m a teacher chasing down students to turn in late homework just so they can pass the class.
And look—I get it. People don’t owe me a damn thing. But I do believe people should stick to their word. And I know I’m not perfect either. But one thing I can say, truthfully, is that I’ve never missed a blog entry in almost two years. I say some wild things sometimes, sure—but when I commit to something, I stick to it. I know I’m not everybody. And not everybody is me. I just wish people would be honest.
So here I am—somewhere between law school prep, creative droughts, and a deeply personal redefinition of success. I’m not writing this for pity or praise. I’m writing it because I believe in honesty. I believe in showing up even when things feel slow, uncertain, or less-than-shiny. This blog has never been about perfection. It’s about curiosity, reflection, and community. And community only works if we show up for each other. So if you’re reading this and you’ve been meaning to write, or share, or simply reach out—this is your invitation. No pressure, just presence. And I made it easy, just click CONTACT above, fill out my form and I will be in touch with you shortly. And maybe you don’t need to write your thoughts out, but I can bet we all know someone who does so, share this with them!
Let’s not leave each other hanging in the in-between. Let’s build something unfinished, together.
Enjoy This Journey With Me
° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °
Enjoy This Journey With Me ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °
This isn’t the end—just a bookmark in the conversation. Stories don’t really close; they ripple, shift, and find new voices. If this one stirred something in you, let it breathe. Leave a thought, challenge an idea, or carry it forward in your own way. And if you ever feel like wandering through more unfinished thoughts, you know where to find me. Let’s keep the ripples going. ~XOXO
