All set for D-Day tomorrow

PLACE: UTM Campus, Jalan Semarak

TIME: 0900 hours

And……..

Licence To Kill

“The Art of War”: Super compressed version of Law of Tort notes for last minute revision CHECK

“M-16″: Pilot G-2 pens – highly recommended for non-stop smooth writing for 3 hours CHECK

“Ammo”: Refills. Gonna need lots of them CHECK

“Time bomb”: Stop watch. Gotta watch your time.  CHECK

“Licence to Kill”: Examination docket. Can’t do anything without it.  CHECK 

We are all running the last mile of yet another triathlon. This year’s run was shorter compared to last year but it is definitely tougher which calls for a combination of ability to do short sprint and stamina befitting of a long distance runner. There were more hills to climb compared to last year and we had to carry more weight in our backpack – thank goodness we did not fall off the cliff. Some of us were on the verge of drowning while swimming through vast ocean, only to be kept afloat by those buoys. 

I was referring to the incoming exams.

We had lesser time to prepare this year, which means we had to pace ourselves, yet preserve enough energy to last till the day of the exams. The syllabus is no doubt bulkier this year, and many of us felt like giving up at one point or another. There were so much information to digest and we were all drowning in the sea of information, but thanks to the buoys (revisions, lecturers, and friends), we were able to pull through and run this last mile.

Now, we’ll run to the finishing line, together, hand-in-hand.

I have finally understood it.

For more than months I have been searching for the answer and finally, I got it. I never knew it would be that hard. I have not bothered to look even in the most obvious place. Well, perhaps I did, but I might have missed it. At one point, I was convinced that I was truly dumb and not up to the task, because I just could not comprehend it. They offered me easy answers, but I was not contended, because it just did not make any sense to me. I knew that I was not looking hard enough, and when I finally did, it was there right in front of me. Of course, I had helps. Thanks.

I finally understood Vandervell v. IRC – its broader implications, its senseless reasoning, the House of Lords’ oversight, warts and all. There better be a question on s. 53(1)(c) Law of Property Act 1925 or those lads in London are going to get “voodooed” by yours truly.

Finally, after 3 months semester break, I am back in class. I cannot believe how much I miss all those lectures and tutorials. Indeed, life without learning is no life at all. It was great to see all those old faces from Inter Jan/April 2007, and also other intakes in the new class, but at the same time, it’s sad to know that some of them didn’t make it.

Anyway, now that we are in Part 1 Finals, the lecturers have all warned us that it is NOT the same as Intermediate, where we can be easygoing and relaxed in our studies. The LEAST we have to secure is 2Bs and 2Cs in order to ensure that we get Second Class Lower to qualify for Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) in order to be eligible to be a practicing lawyer. But of course, true to our gung-ho spirit, we will settle not for 2Bs only, and that would mean extra extra hardwork.

Here are the subjects that I will be doing for my Part 1 Finals:

Law of Tort

This is a very practical subject, and I think I will thoroughly enjoy it because it is something I can use in my everyday life.

Land Law

I was smiling when the lecturer mentioned the word breach of covenant; because it was exactly the problem I was facing with my landlord, which I settled by using law of contract principles, rather than land law. But anyway, this is another practical subject I can use. Unfortunately however, the English land law is in many ways different than Malaysian land law.

Law of Trust

This subject is notoriously known as the killer subject. It is THE subject with the most failures and referrals.

Optional subject: Criminology

 The only subject where there is NO case law. There were many opinions from lecturers and students on the suitability of this subject for Part 1 students. Some lecturers have said that it would be good to take it in Part 2 Finals as this subject complements Jurisprudence, the compulsory subject in Part 2. Others have said that it would be an ideal subject for Part 1 because it is lighter compared to the other three compulsory subjects. Whatever it is, I am taking this subject because it is simply my type of subject: a study of crime from a psychological, sociological and philosophical point of view.

__________________________

By the way Menaka, if you’re reading this, I said that I want to quote from your new top

“Life is not about searching yourself, but creating yourself.”

And indeed, I am in the process of self-creation

Months of agony, exasperation and anxiousness all evaporated, thanks to this one single sentence, “Congratulations, you passed”. What a relief to hear those words from a friend who was kind enough to check my results online the night before it was officially released by the college. It took me half an hour to digest the fact that I have got through my Intermediate, and another half and hour to realize that I have not only passed by Intermediate, but I did it with flying colours.

I couldn’t believe it. The next day, just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, I decided to recheck my results online.

Then I went to college in between work to get my result slip. I know this sounds silly, but then, I would only be truly convinced that I passed when I get my results slip. Alas, fate was playing some perverse game with me, as my results slip, together with the slips of other students who have their candidate number starting with 321**,  were not delivered to the college by the Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia. According to the college, I might have to wait for one week to get it. My misery was only comforted by the fact that the online results of my friends and college-mates tally with the results printed on their respective result slips. So, another week of misery, albeit a lesser one. But really, where are my results?

26th August: Mugged (Robbed of my laptop, wallet and very expensive laptop backpack, and bloddy beaten up)

27th August: Venue and date for RAC-ATC Charter Celebration and First Installation Charity Banquet finally confirmed, thanks to Chris. (Best Western Premier Seri Pacific @ 10th October – tickets at RM65 – make sure you guys come!)

28th August: Passed with flying colours

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of law students have been admitted to Hospital Bahagia Tanjung Rambutan under supervision after being diagnosed with Post-exam Traumatic Stress Disorder (PETSD) and Pre-result Nervous Stress Disorder (PRNSD). It was reported that these students have been showing symptoms of the illnesses immediately after completing their respective final law papers. The symptoms include insomnia, and obessisive-compulsive disorder culminated by the repetitive question of “when’s the results coming out?” and statements such as “I think I screw up my Public Law”  

According to Professor Wayne Morrison, the Director of the hospital, the patients’ conditions were possibly triggered by the several false alarms that have been given on the probable release date for the results. He also noted that lack of confidence, and extreme worry on the probability of referrels and failures as the reason for manifestation of the conditions.

The students were admitted to the hospital on the advice of the hospital’s specialist as they may pose threat to the general public. Those suffering from PETSD and PRNSD are prone to biting someone’s head off, easily irritable and will develop tendencies to write meaningless and absurd blog posts.

Unfortunately, the cure for the conditions have not been found yet. However, experts have speculated that the hospital may have the right cure, but they are waiting for the right time to release it, possibly sometime next week.

Meanwhile, doctors have advised the public to admit anyone suspected of the conditions immediately to Hospital Bahagia, where they would receive a treatment called Pre-result Movie Marathon to help them cope with PETSD and PRNSD.

So, it isn’t tomorrow after all. In Judgment Day, I have announced that the LLB exam results will be out tomorrow based on my reliable sources. It turns out that it will be out between 21st August to 28th August.

So, the wait continues. Sigh.

Disclaimer: This blogger bears no responsibility for any inaccurate statements made below.

Results for University of London External Law Degree Examinations will be out on 21st August 2008.

*scream hysterically*strip naked*run around*go nuts*faint*jump down the building*whatever makes you comfortable*

Have faith guys. We’ll pull through the Judgment Day together

I might as well shoot myself in the head. I fumbled when it mattered the most, and of all papers, it would have to be Public Law, a subject, notwithstanding its bulkiness, I could really handle. I have failed everyone around me; my family, my lecturers, my classmates, my friends and most importantly, myself. Murphy Law: when one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong as well. Many areas which I have put so much effort on did not come out as a question, such a reforms of the House of Lords, House of Commons, European Union, Separation of Powers, Royal Prerogative, Ministerial Responsibility, Grounds for Judicial Review, problem question for Judicial Review.

But I only have myself to blame. The questions were not hard; standard Rule of Law and Parliamentary Sovereignty question, which I attempted as my first two questions.  My time management sucks! I only have a little bit short of one hour for the last two questions; Then, I panicked and I could not even properly structure an answer for an easy question in support for a written British Constitution. I was left with ten minutes for the last question, and I had to skip Human Rights Act 1998 which I am familiar with for due to lack of time and settled for a very specific question on the two of the seven preliminary requirements for judicial review, ‘sufficient interest’ and ‘public bodies’, as it requires little introduction and I can immediately jump into my points. One and a half page was all I could muster within that time. How pathetic. I am officially doomed!

I pray that my first two questions will be able to compensate the marks I lost in the final two. This is definitely a lesson for me NOT to SPOT! That means I have to cover two remaining areas of Common Law which I have previously intended to leave out.

I should be studying now, but I need to get this out of my system. I have NEVER felt so disappointed at myself in the last 22 years of my life.