“When the five red lights illuminate, the new Formula One season is a go!” F1 commentator Steve Slater never fails to send the shivers down to my spine and give me that five-second goosebumps whenever he mentions this sentence at start of the season. It marks the beginning of a long and arduous season for the F1 drivers and fans which is guaranteed to be filled with speechless overtaking maneuvers (mostly in the form of one daredevil Lewis Hamilton), sublime driving skills, horrific crashes, dramas, controversies, scandals and at the end of it, the crowning of a World Champion.
2008 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton
My university adventure began with both the college (hostel) and faculty orientation. I’ll reserve my opinions for the ridiculous college orientation which includes waking up 4 a.m. to do senam 1Malaysia, learning college cheers and wearing same coloured kindergarten-ish shirts. Faculty orientation, however, was a different story altogether. We were heavily drilled, grilled and was constantly being shouted at and scolded by a group of our seniors, glamorously known as the JKOs which I’ll be a part of come this new semester. It was a tough and mentally draining week which was further exacerbated with me being targeted on purpose by my seniors for my distinct look - the curly hair. Nevertheless, orientation week was a pleasure to be part of. It taught us, the ‘freshies’, to be disciplined and meticulous in whatever we did which in my humble opinion, resonates with the requirements of being in the legal profession.
The law faculty is anything but lacking in activities for the students. From Community Outreach Program to ALSA (Asian Law Students Association) to the Law Society, the students have various avenues for developing their leadership qualities and also to exercise a greater role in making a change in society. Of these activities, I was fortunate enough to be able to play a role in activities such as Law Career Convention, the faculty’s annual dinner LawNite and also ALSA Korea Winter Study Trip (article posted in previous posts). The interesting part of being involved in all these activities is that I was able to work under various leaders with different approaches on how to get the job done and also to expand my network to not only law students from other various countries but also members of the legal fraternity.
Apart from all those activities, the highlight of my first year would be being exposed to mooting. A moot is quite similar to debating but it involves articulating legal arguments in front of a bench of judges. My first ever mooting experience was during the Internal Moot Competition which was participated, strangely, by first years who weren’t exposed to moots at all. The top three mooters will then represent UM in a friendly competition against NUS and I was privileged enough to be one of them. What’s even more fortunate is that I was able to board the KTM train from K.L. Sentral to Singapore before it was shut down. When we were in the Lion’s Den, it was a no contest and UM was easily finished off by NUS. My team was up against second years who had international mooting experience and thus, it did not come as a surprise when the results were announced. It was terrible feeling when you are under the spotlight for that 15 minutes and being grilled by the judges but at the end of the day, it was a priceless experience. There were many flaws in our approach, research and presentation which can definitely be improvised come the next mooting competition.
My experience in the faculty has neither been a bed of roses nor a pleasure cruise all the while. Disappointments have become part and parcel of life here. As are not easy to come by. Although this is a faculty where you have students scoring top grades in SPM and at pre-u level, the tables are turned here. Hard work doesn’t translate into results, trust me mate! Sitting in the front row doesn’t mean you’ll be able to absorb what is going on in lectures. Scoring A has been a rarity and at times, I was introduced to other alphabets which I had never seen for a while in my results slip. I’ll be frank and say that I’m rather disappointed at my results but hey, Harry Potter was not at the top of his class but he’s the boy who lived right? It’s not that bad lah but just imagine yourself racing for McLaren Mercedes and winning races then finding yourself slugging it out at the middle pack with Renault. It’s such a strange feeling when you’re so used to scoring good grades but in any case, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Put succinctly, the law is subjective. There’s no formula for you to substitute the figures in to get your answer and it’s not all about memorizing and later on regurgitating it out again, contrary to ‘popular’ belief. I’ll just leave the explanation for some other day.
Lastly, my first year would be incomplete if not for the friends I’ve made and for the scandals or dramas that comes with it. Along my journey, I’ve had the pleasure of befriending many great people not only in terms of character but also their sense of humor. I think there’s this sense of like-mindedness which makes it easy for to us gel together. My daily life has never been dull (except for exam season, fulamak) when I spend my time with people like the ever funny, no holds barred Ah Beng, the creative pervert who always have a different take on the world, the peace-loving guy who gets tired easily, the sometimes lag reaction Zac Eff-ron, the quiet girl who gives brilliant views when she speaks, the tangan gatal gay-wannabe and the cocky cocker whom I had fun arguing certain issues with. These are the guys (and girl) who have alleviated my homesickness and it’s just a great feeling to have them around. Then there’s also people who will effortlessly try to be the bisul in your a**hole. They come in many natures. Some will purposely absent themselves from group assignment meetings while others include narrow-minded people who are prejudicial about your actions especially when you ask questions in class. My best advice to those of you facing the same problem? Don’t change a single bit about yourself. “Mutant and proud to be,” Mystique.
Lastly, my first year would be incomplete if not for the friends I’ve made and for the scandals or dramas that comes with it. Along my journey, I’ve had the pleasure of befriending many great people not only in terms of character but also their sense of humor. I think there’s this sense of like-mindedness which makes it easy for to us gel together. My daily life has never been dull (except for exam season, fulamak) when I spend my time with people like the ever funny, no holds barred Ah Beng, the creative pervert who always have a different take on the world, the peace-loving guy who gets tired easily, the sometimes lag reaction Zac Eff-ron, the quiet girl who gives brilliant views when she speaks, the tangan gatal gay-wannabe and the cocky cocker whom I had fun arguing certain issues with. These are the guys (and girl) who have alleviated my homesickness and it’s just a great feeling to have them around. Then there’s also people who will effortlessly try to be the bisul in your a**hole. They come in many natures. Some will purposely absent themselves from group assignment meetings while others include narrow-minded people who are prejudicial about your actions especially when you ask questions in class. My best advice to those of you facing the same problem? Don’t change a single bit about yourself. “Mutant and proud to be,” Mystique.
Crazy first years
Lewis Hamilton heads into every race not knowing what to expect. Whether there’ll be a violent crash, possibility of an engine failure or a sweet victory at the chequered flag, but he knows one thing for sure, that is to enjoy the race and to drive his McLaren to the limit. Similarly, I’ll try to ‘enjoy’ the remaining years I still have in the faculty and to graduate in four years time. I’d like to say a big thank you to my buddy (a senior who passes down notes) for those nonchalant advices she gives me and also for the scribbles on the pieces of paper which I’m inheriting now. Plus, not forgetting the glamorous diva, Zokhri Idris who happens to be my lecturer for all those yam cha sessions and insights in life. My first year was indeed dahsyat!
Zokhri and myself during LawNite 2010/11
