Donned on a Saree for the first time for my firm's annual dinner.

It was also my first time having to emcee an event. 

TBH when I found out I had to emcee the dinner (attended by a prestigious, eloquent, and witty bunch) I had sleepless nights and I swear the stress almost got me zits all over my face.

It's not something I'll do again if I can help it, but I am glad I did it anyway, because if anything, it helped me overcome (in a small way) my fear of speaking in the public!

:)

Some photos I managed to sneak away to take!

When I first started working, I was more carefree, optimistic, and - smiley. 

Reason? I have less to worry about.

In a week, a year would have passed since I first started working (and for real, this time).

And while this one year has matured me in more ways than I can imagine (owing to the encounters I made), it has also turned me into a more somber and severe person (previously, I have only a severe face, and that was it) [like getting my first letter on Income Tax!]

It wasn't too long ago when I would wonder why some people are "so serious" all the time, and why some would never smile back. Well, I don't anymore now; because now, I know.

I know that some days can be so difficult-

that life can be so unfair-

and the world so unforgiving-

You want to throw both yours hands up and say "I give up!"

You want to scream "I have had enough!"

And you struggle to hold your tears back...

That smiling (which, takes, really just 17 muscles [says the Internet] and less than a few seconds) can feel like an impossible task.

But looking back, really, the upside (and I think everyone should know this) is that even if everything is falling apart, and nothing is going our way, there's one thing we all can do right, and that is to really not let things that take away that smile from our faces, take away the smile on the faces of those around us.

So a reminder to self, never to forget to throw a smile back at those who smile at me - and that "awkward" out of no where smile I throw at someone could really be the "one good thing" that has happened all day to someone.

I cannot begin to count the many nights I spent worrying... if I will actually get into university, if I will pass my exams, if I will graduate, if I will get a job - and up till last night, I was no less worried - if things will turn out as planned, if they will run smoothly…

And I remember how daunting it was, my first day at school. My first day at university. My first day at the firm. And today, is no less daunting. My first day as a member of the Bar.

And though I know it’ll only get tougher from this day on (the many more nights to spend worrying over emails I have not replied and bills to pay), I won’t be fighting this battle alone. A big thank you to all those who have been there, who have made it all worth it – who have made the ups a little sweeter and the downs a little more bearable. 

To those of you who took the time off your busy schedule to attend, I was pleasantly surprised (and very touched). 

Thank you all (including those who could not be present) for making this day all the more special and meaningful for me with your wishes and blessings!

A while back, I had this dream of me dancing some fancy ballroom dance. Guess what? My dream came to life! Pretty surreal and creepy, I know. Happened to me a couple of times before. 

So at our firm's Christmas and Year End Luncheon, my colleagues and I had to Latin dance to PussyCat Doll's rendition of Sway, and according to the guests, we did a pretty good job.   

Here are more pictures of what went down on that day:

And with that I wish you a Merry Christmas and a very very very Happy 2016!

also... Happy Holidays!!!

:) 

When I started teaching months back, I remember thinking to myself 

"Meh... Kids. How hard can it be?".

Just the other day at lunch, I was asking a female lawyer who's a partner at the firm how she managed to juggle work and her 3 kids at home. She said work is an "escape" because taking care of 3 kids demands the kind of attention and focus that "drains". But kids are the best to be with when they are 5 to 6 years old.

And I couldn't help but say 

"I agree. And I understand..."

Although hanging out with kids can be quite a challenge (they are really like a ball of energy) it does change you as a person and for the better. You feel more light-hearted and see things from a different perspective. You also realise that even as we grow older, we still very much have that little "child" within us. We cry (inside mostly) when our "toys" get broken. We whine "I can't!" when things begin to get too "difficult". And a little encouragement goes a long way in things we do.

Cheers!

My students' parents have never really asked and I have never really told them what I really do.

And when out of the blue I was asked today, I said "Law...". And they looked at me as if I am a little dinosaur or something.

So yes, I know it is weird, but your daughter's piano teacher is a lawyer-to-be.

P.S.: I guess I should be expecting from these parents a string of law-related questions soon - which, I am more than to glad to advice - although, I'll be sure to end it with a "I am telling you this in the capacity of your kid's piano teacher..." caveat. And yes, don't even get me started on the various deals I negotiated and entered with these kids. 

Shifted house and have never been into the new kitchen until today. That's how "away" I have been from home.

So yesterday my mom was going "Take things slow. Make time for yourself and the family..."

So here I am! Making some homey-looking yeemee for my family.

Me: Daddy... Nice or not? 

Dad: Nice! Better than Maggie.

Seriously? 

Hard to please Asian parents.

The other day during our Legal Aid Mid-Term review, I shared how privileged I felt to be serving my duty at the AWAM Centre because it's not everyday that I get to listen to stories of women from all walks of life. I said "I felt like I have lived the lives of many women" and joked how "I don't have to be married to know what could possibly go wrong in a marriage".

But more than imparting to these women legal knowledge (which in itself is a fulfilling experience), I enjoyed learning from them about love and life.

But the saying "ignorance is bliss" holds true too. If anything I felt like I have also turned more cynical than ever when it comes to men, relationship, and marriage.

This cynical part of me has sometimes kept me very detached and aloof. To a point where I sometimes question my ability to build any form of real connection and am taken aback by how quickly I can withdraw at the sign of a "potential" problem.

On a separate but somewhat related note - a couple of weeks ago, I dropped my phone in one of the trains (I was going to post about this but then I got distracted and somewhat snowed under by work and convocation). My friend who had helped trace my phone's location until its GPS was turned off somewhere near Putra was sure that it's gone. I couldn't help but agree. But deep down I held vehemently on to the belief it'll miraculously be found. I wailed "but I always make it a point to return lost and found things" to which he replied "you're in Kay Elle not some kampong".

And like some happy ending to a kid's tale - my phone was eventually found at the Masjid Jamek station. My friend went "So? Faith in humanity restored?".

What happened was necessary to remind me how hopeful I can be and still am in most things. And I am happier that way. To be genuinely surprised by life than to nitpick on disappointments and unmet expectations.

So I guess, while life, love and sometimes law are plagued with problems they rest on the very foundation of "hope in the good". And whatever I do I must not lose hope. Because who knows? I might just be pleasantly surprised by what life, love and the law have to offer.

So before I started my pupillage I did sales for a toy cum souvenirs company. One customer was particularly "difficult" in the sense that he had something to rebut to everything I had to say to sell. 

After about 30 minutes of discourse, he asked "are you the sales manager?" I said "no, just a promoter. I started just 2 days ago." Shocked, he said "your company's lucky to have you. You sell so passionately! I thought you have been in this for years! You know your products well." And then he handed me his name card, and said "are you interested in selling insurance? If you are give me a call. I am recruiting for my team." I laughed and said, "I'm a law graduate and I'll be starting my pupillage soon". Disappointed, he asked "then why are you doing this?" I said "why not? I have not done it before..."

I wasn't given any product or sales training. I was only told by my then boss "Aiyaaah you are loyar, you can tok one lahh."

Well.