Thursday, December 29, 2005

I Remember Now Why I don't Like Women's Magazines

I found this little thing in an article in January's issue of Cleo, one of Malaysia's lifestyle and beauty magazine for young women.

Written by a bloke named Adrian Christopher, he deciphers some favourite acronyms (I never knew they existed to begin with) guys give girls, there is one what totally cheesed me off:

WTS (Way Too Smart)
WTSes are not your cup of tea. These women are sharp, cunning creatures and usually do well in their careers. Why we (men) don't like them is because we cannot outwit them or out-manoeuvre them if ever we fall into disagreement. We leave WTSes to the wiser and older among us men because they are the only ones with the brains to keep the relationship equal.


How to lose the label (if you are a WTS) :
Forget about having the last say. try to stop intimidating men with your wit and remain more humble. Else, the only man who will ever date you will be twice your age.

Oh where do I begin?
The author is irresponsible to advocate that smart women stop "intimidating men" and play dumb. The advice dished out also severely insults young men by suggesting that they are incapable of appreciating a woman of intelligence.

What pains me is that it is CLEO, a leading women's magazine that is featuring this crap. If the media who claims to be a voice for women isn't going to stand up for us, encourage us to believe that we are worthy to be loved for who we are and foster healthy gender relations, guess we continue walking around as living stereotypes.

I don't care if the article is syndicated, the editorial team should have given more thought to their stuff as what they print is being read by so many impressionable teens.

I am going to write to the magazine.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

I want a Hippopamus for Christmas


I love this ad!
Here is the link: http://promo.telus.com/tm/05/q4/highspeed_tv/

Telus is an ISP and it ran a commercial in Canada starring a baby hippo just prancing to the song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. It was such a hit that unfortunately for Telus, it started a massive trend for toy hippos instead of for the company.

Well it may not have sold me ISP but hey, here is a girl all the way from the opposite ends of the earth who now knows about Telus and who is singing about wanting hippopotamuses all day.

Not bad for an ad.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Have ye a blessed christmas


My sheep and I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Christmas comes early


On the fourth day to Christmas my true love gave to me:

FLOWERS!!!

Thank you thank you thank you.
Its bragging rights for weeks.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Christmas Turkeys

I never totally realised just how much our Ringgit has devaluated until I had to buy a RM5 present for the office gift-exchange. It is so hard trying to stay within that budget. I finally gave up and bought a RM10 gift.

At the office we had a splendid meal of turkey and chicken and lots of potatoes and cakes and fruits and bread. Working after all that was more than the drowzy eyes can take. Zzzzzzz.

The bosses joined in and their presence was felt strongly. Odd how people can't relax when their bosses are around. We were banned from eating in the conference room and all 20 odd of us had to cram in the pantry. I guess my office mates are not as close as it would initially seem. I started missing my ex-colleagues a lot.

I can't wait for the weekend.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming!

On the Seventh day to Christmas my true love said to me:

"Let's go to One Utama"

To which I chirpily replied, "Are you out of your mind?"
The Malls are packed, the shoppers are mad, the taxi queue stretches to the next county, why on God's good earth would I want to go to a mall? Christmas is coming.

The Urbanites are obsessed with shopping malls. Sure there are fantastic pantomimes, charlatan Santas who scare the bejeebers out of kids, styrafoam snow and scrawny plastic trees (well, this is not a country where pine trees flourish unless you want to hang your thisle and ornaments on a pokok rhu.) and the fact that amazing movies are now showing at a mall near you, but it is one stressful adventure and it starts right at the parking lot. Well it is conceptually a parking lot coz logically it means that it is a place where you can get to park your car but seriously, unless you can get your tires to glue themselves on the ceiling, you chances of getting a spot would be miniscule at best.

So I am not going to a shopping mall this weekend. Besides, book vouchers make sexy gift too, no?

Sunday morning

An ideal Sunday morning involves waking up to a beautiful day, early enough so it is cool still but late enough that sunshine has taken to pouring through the windows, casting bright watery reflections as it shines through the recycled jam jars half filled with happy yellow flowers.

And nothing quite comes close to filling the kitchen with smells of fresh coffee. In between waking up the dog and picking up the newspaper from the porch.

No I am not influenced by the Nescafe ads but I am stirred by a longing for my own place. Where I can have the space and freedom to enjoy simple pleasures such as keeping a pet and filling a kitchen with the aroma of said coffee.

For 3 years I have been living in a tiny rented room and it is so easy to get tired of the campyness and crampiness it. I can't even invite my brother in my room without informing my landlord and I can't even keep sandwich hams in my fridge as the landlord forbids me having any meat in the fridge while he can stuff a giraffe in there if he wants to. Of course it is unfair but when I moved in I desperately needed a convenient place to live and hence I tolerated it.

Hopefully I will be able to move out to a better place by the end of next year. PLease please please. I better start planning my future window curtains.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

For old time's sake

HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Update, maestro

Good God I am so tired.
It is such a treat to be able to blog. With the many changes in my daily routine, I keep telling myself I need to get this all down before I forget but by the time I get home, all I want to do is crawl into bed.

Anyway, I filed my papers into the High Court just a few days ago so I am officially a Pupil now. I was not able to file my papers before as I had to retrive my birth cert from home which feels like about 900 miles away.

As a pupil I am only allowed to represent my firm in very limited instances and exclusively in chambers as oppose to open court. After three months, or after what is referred to as Short Call, I will be able to appear before a Magistrate in a court. Maybe I should explain, In Chambers just means the judge's office. Open court is the courtroom proper - where everybody can witness you kena properly from the judge.

Baptism of fire, with the complimetary brimstone.

So far I have been attending court with my master constantly. I have sat in open court with her to see her conduct hearings and next week I will be witnessing a full trial. My master's grasp of procedure is amazing.

I must say that my experience in court has been quite different than what I had imagined. Most lawyers are very courteous (of course this may be due to the seniority of my master and opposing counsels) and even the courts are not as daunting as I thought they would be. I am actually looking forward to go to court. ( Mark this as I bet this will be my famous last words)

And I have stopped wearing make up to work. Oddly, the more made-up and ego a chambering student is, are the more likely the officials will ignore her. Looking at all the stressed out , worst for wear litigation lawyers, I know that my livid look allows me to fit right in.

My black and white attire has also attracted attention. I.e "Can you tell me where the children's department is?"
I am just waiting for someone to mistaken me for a waitress.

I am also quite surprise as how fast my Malay has improved within these two weeks. And how fast my appetite has shrunk. But waist line still the same, damn it.

It is all so very different from my days at the tin factory. But one thing remains tho, I can't wait for the weekend.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Only day 4

Day 4 of my chambering.

Today I was at the High Court where I met the Assistant Registrar aka Penolong Pendaftar. Subject: Taxation of cost. That just means haggling over legal fees. Because when one party wins a case, the loser will not only have to fulfill judgement but also pay the other party's legal costs. And so, parties will come to a sum which parties can agree to (which hardly ever happens) so they go to the Assistant Registrar to get the matter decided upon.

The KL High Court is quite nice indeed. The courtyard is nice - green and pretty. SO different from the Magistrates and Sessions Court which are more gritty.
Nevertheless I bet the parties actually involved in any suit would rather not be anywhere near the courts.

Later in the day I even went to Cheras to an auctioneer.
And tomorrow I will be in Shah Alam for a Summary Judgement hearing and Land Office matters.

I am knackered. So much running abound. My best investment so far has been great pairs of pants and fantastic flat healed shoes. I have yet to see any short skirted, perfectly made up Ally McBeals at court yet. Yeah, like there is any chance she will be taken seriously. Well I can say, I have mostly met with senior lawyers/counsel and judges who have so far effectively ignored me. At this point, I can't say I mind. Half the time I am still as blur as a sotong on a stick.

Argh, there is so much to catch up. I even bring home stuff to read. This is quite hard.

I am getting a bit tired. And this is only the beginning. I think I need to go to bed. Will catch up on my writing over the weekend. I will tell you more.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Courting

Today I visited the Sessions Court for the first time with my master. It was a hearing for an application for leave to enforce judgment against the defendant.

We were acting for the plaintiff. Walking into the courtroom was not as scary as I thought it would be. But then again, I deal only with the Civil Courts and I risk no injury from violent criminals. I mainly just need to fear the judges. (which may be worse. Ooo I can just hear the echoes reverberating…contempt of court.)

There is no glamour in the local courts (except perhaps for the Federal Court at the Palace of Justice at Putrajaya) and rightly so. Lawyers in their dark suits loitering on the old long dark corridors, boy, those who chose to do law after watching LA Law and Ally Mcbeal must feel so disillusioned.

I got to witness a judge giving a lawyer a good scolding. I felt so sorry for her. In all honestly though, it could have been avoided if she did her research well enough and actually answered the judge with what she wanted to know as oppose to hedging the issue. Poor thing.

Oh by the way, the proceedings are in Malay. It was not as difficult as I imagined it to be although I was quite stumped with the terminology. English is still used in the lower courts but lawyers can only resort to it if the judge reverts to English first. Alternatively you can ask the court for leave to speak in English and pray that it be granted.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Where have all the flowers gone?

The law is far from accessible to the layman. I am up to my eyeballs in procedural requirements alone. You have no idea the amount of red tape and technical details that need to be done even before an action even glimpses the court doors.

I am so impatient for things to fall into place and finally make sense but it is difficult to see the woods as the trees are bloody massive.

I had to look through a corporate loan agreement and it could have been the Dead Sea scrolls as far as I am concerned as I could not make head or tale of it.

And I will be following my master to court tomorrow. I wonder if I will find it fascinating or will I just die.

I should have taken up ikebana and opened up a flower shop.

Significant nothings

It is always the smallest things, inconsequential everyday things that have the uncanny capability to stretch my heart to bursting point.

In the book Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, the protagonist was out shopping and finding a perfect red tomato, was so overcome with love.

The passage struck me not because it was weird but because I can totally relate (which may perhaps be even more unnerving). Although for the record I am not into green produce typically.

But my point is that sometimes it is the smallest things that have the largest impact.

For instance, K who in despite of all his admirable qualities, has me tingling with absolute facination with his ability to touch type at the speed of light.

Second example, I used to be so enthralled by a young man due to his superb driving skills. I remember sitting in his car just GLOWING.

Then there is Jessica whom I adore to bits because she use to have a bright window with yellow daffodils on the sill and checkered blue curtains.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Fruits in the mirror

Working at a mall involves looking at reflections of myself against the shop windows and gheez, I look like a watermelon standing on its head i.e. small ends and large middle section. How did I let myself go.. sob sob sob.
And most asian girls are all skinny.
Whuahahahaaha (loud soppy cry as oppose to similarly spelt evil scientist laugh)

Self pity self pity self pity self pity.
I need a chocolate bar.

And the race begins

Oh first day at work.
Ironing my shirt in the early morning felt like shit.
Going to work felt like shit.

Generally people in the industry are one unfriendly lot. But I am glad I went back to the firm I once worked. Not so apprehensive and people there already have a reasonably good opinion of me. God I hope.

I finally found out (Nobody would tell me before) that the firm is one that deals in mostly civil matters i.e. banking, bankruptcy, land and on the rare occasion, probate and family law.
In other words, everything I wanted to learn. With one catch. My master (yes, they are officially called that, big lawyer - MASTER, small kuchi rat - PUPIL) where was I.. yes, my master wants me to do litigation while I wanted the safe protection conveyancing provides.

Well, it is all within one's learning curve. ( I have been trying for weeks to psych myself up). Most of the lawyers who come back from court look terribly dishevelled. That would be me soon.

Today, I spent the good part of the morning looking through the correspondences. I need to work both in Malay and in English - I am so screwed. The terminology does scare me. The subject matter and procedural matters - elements that I gleefully forgotten are coming back to haunt me. Boo.

So today, I spent the day getting loss at masjid jamek looking for the bar council to purchase my petition forms. And looks like I need to get my birth cert certified as part of the documents I need to file. And it is all at my hometown. And mom is already on her way to genting for a holiday. Phooey. Looks like I would need to make a trip back next week. At least I will get to be fed well.

And to think before this I had all the time in the world.

I wonder how Jo survived her first day?