Be educated. Get money. Dress well. Stay humble!
🌈 1365 – Thursday, 24 July 2025 23:54
London
It’s been a few weeks since I last checked in with the world… How’s everyone doing? Sleeping, eating, probably arguing a bit too. No one ever seems completely happy – there’s always something going on.
Tonight, I had some time off for the first time in weeks. I spent the evening just scrolling and letting my body take over – no pressure, no productivity, just letting the day pass.
Yesterday, I sat my final SQE exam – the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. It finished at 21:45 and was probably the toughest exam I’ve ever faced. Been studying for months, and for the last couple of weeks, I’ve done nothing else – no socialising, no distractions, just studying.
The first part of the exam was last Friday, and in the five days leading up to it, I barely moved from my desk, only to eat or for other essentials. The second part was yesterday, on Wednesday.
For those unfamiliar: In the UK, one route to becoming a solicitor is by passing the SQE, which has two stages: SQE1 and SQE2. SQE1 is split into two exams – FLK1 and FLK2 (Functional Legal Knowledge).
Under FLK1 – The topics were.
Business Law and Practice – 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25 – 26.
Constitutional and Administrative Law – 7 – 10% – Number of questions 10 – 18.
Contract Law – 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25 – 36.
Dispute Resolution – 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25 – 36.
Legal Services 12-16% – Number of questions 21-29.
Legal System of England and Wales – 7-10% – Number of questions 12 – 18.
Tort Law – 14-20% – Number of questions 25-36.
Ethics and Professional Conduct – Prevades in both FLK1 and FLK2.
Under FLK2 – The topics were.
Criminal Law – 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25-36.
Criminal Practice – 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25 36.
Land Law – 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25 – 36.
Property Practice, Taxation and Solicitors Accounts in the context of conveyancing 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25-36.
Trust Law – 14 – 20% – Number of questions 25-36.
Wills and the Administration of Estates, Taxation and Solicitors Accounts in the context of Wills and Probate Practice 14-20% – Number of questions 25-36.
Each exam was made up of 180 multiple-choice questions, with a break after 90 questions. The total test time was 5.5 hours, with just under 2 minutes per question. Some questions were incredibly detailed – nearly half a page long – with very similar answer options (sometimes only one letter or word different).
There was one question I read over and over again, trying to find what made one answer right and the others wrong – and I honestly couldn’t tell. Maybe it was stress, or maybe my eyes were just exhausted. Only God knows.
The exam started with longer, more complex questions and ended with shorter ones. I guess that was to help us speed up near the end – but by then, I was so mentally drained, I had to read some questions multiple times to understand them.
There was this guy near me clicking away non-stop – maybe someone told him to skip to the end and work backwards. It got on my nerves, so I popped in some earbuds to block him out.
Despite how intense it was, I’ve learned so much about the law through this process – knowledge I didn’t have before.
Last night, after the exam, I went straight home, poured myself a drink to celebrate, watched something on TV, and finally fell asleep without setting an alarm.
This morning I woke up to beautiful sunshine pouring through my window. The world felt still – no messages on WhatsApp, no distractions. I haven’t spoken to many people in recent weeks, so it felt like even the world went quiet. Sitting at the edge of my bed in the sunlight, meditated, recited Surah Al-Fatiha 40 times, did some affirmations, and then headed to the gym in jeans and a T-shirt – it was that warm.
Had an amazing workout after weeks away – upper body day: 4 x sets of 11 reps of pull-ups, shoulder presses, incline bench, lateral raises, dumbbell curls. Finished with some cardio, showered, and headed home.
Back home, I prayed Fajr, made breakfast (Weetabix, banana, and milk), and rang parents while eating. They were having lunch and we had a quick catch-up. Then I headed out to Westminster Magistrates’ Court to observe a hearing.
Came back around 2 PM and spent the rest of the day working on an application. Had a quick chat with a friend, and around 19:55, my dearest sister called to check in – we hadn’t spoken in a while, so we had a good chat. While we were talking, my dearest brother texted me too. I told him to call in 5 minutes, and when he did, we submitted the application together – we both said “Bismillahi Rahmanir Raheem” and clicked submit.
We had a long, meaningful catch-up. While on the phone, I went to the supermarket, got groceries, came home, cooked dinner, and he was still on the line. Eventually, we said our goodbyes while making some funny noises to make each other laugh before we hung up.
Tomorrow is Friday – my usual fasting day – so I ate a big dinner, scrolled my phone for a while, and now I’m sitting here writing this.
3 things I’m grateful for today –
Grateful for a solid morning workout this morning.
Grateful, I spoke to all family today.
Grateful, I got the next couple of days off..
Around the world today –
Russia and Ukraine briefly resumed peace talks in Istanbul, but violence quickly resumed as both sides launched air and drone strikes- Russia hit Ukraine’s Odesa, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions, while Ukrainian attacks struck near Sochi, resulting in civilian casualties and worsening the conflict. (Reuters)
In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the government and M23 rebels signed a declaration of principles in Doha, pledging a formal ceasefire and aiming for a full peace deal by mid‑August under a U.S. and Qatari-led mediation framework.
France announced that it will formally recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September—a major diplomatic move intended to revive Middle East peace efforts, though it drew strong condemnation from Israel and mixed reactions globally.
What would it take — for you, and for me — to wake up tomorrow 10x more bigger, thicker, leaner, energetic, confident, grateful, wake up early, have a good workout, everything to be okay with family, friends and everyone around, then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing yet a productive day tomorrow?
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Goodnight, and good luck!
– Ash Khaleem
