Autumn Leaves (actual ones, not the song)

This shot was taken on my phone as I was walking down Mosley Street off St Peter's Square. A phone photo really doesn't do this justice and it's Autumn/Winter time when I most long for a DSLR. The colours in my surroundings start to become very muted due to the reduction in light. They look like similar species of trees that just happen to be in different phases. Perhaps they each want to make their own fashion statement! 

Jesus said to us: "...and why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin" (Matthew 6:28)

Jesus didn't ask us not to work. What he means is that as we work, we should enjoy the peace and joy that comes through faith in Him. I actually took this shot on my way to the bus stop from work after spending my Saturday alone in the office, working through my ever increasing to-do list. My hours at work can be crazy but I love that God tells me not to be anxious as He is always in control. 

Incidentally, I'm slightly concerned that the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the trees was Neopolitan Ice Cream! Yum.. Chocolate Strawberry and Vanilla. 

Blogging from my iPhone 4

Blogging from my hotel room in London with my iPhone 4 and 3G connection. If this works, I will have less of the need for laptops and wireless connection hotspots! Fingers crossed.

Singapore and closure

After years of being away plus a lot of reflection and prayer, I can finally say, with absolute closure that Singapore is no longer a long term option. I love Singapore, I miss my friends there, and it's close to home, but there is something about permanence there that doesn't agree with me or the plans that God has for my life.

For a long time I have flirted with the idea of moving to Singapore to settle there permanently after I marry, since it's an English speaking country and I can practise law in Sg pretty easily (compared to the US). When I go back to visit you amazing people I feel a tinge of covetousness, like oooh I wish I was back here! Little pleasures like sitting in Clarke Quay with friends . And ooh the MALLS and the MRTS that take you virtually everywhere I just love it love it love it love it. I missed Singapore for a long time.

But I want my kids to know what I knew. When I was little, I didn't have PSLE worries or streaming or tuition. In fact, I never had tuition in my life. I did extra curricular activities for fun, not to earn points. I climbed the longan tree in my front yard, collected sea shells by the sea shore in my back yard, leapt over the neighbours fences to escape the resident psycho stray dog. I didn't have an elite upbringing, I didn't wear OshKosh B'gosh and I didn't go for Kumon classes. My only form of education before kindergarten was Big Bird on a fuzzy TV1 (the aerial had to be tweaked), digging up earthworms with my younger brother and helping my mum collect water from the water truck during the drought (somehow that memory sticks like gum to sole of shoe - there was a drought in Melaka, and the truck would come every two days and all the neighbours will walk out with pails. My mum will station me to watch for when the pail is full and I will yell "Mummy man3 le!!"). I don't necessarily want my kids to have the exact same memories but I do want them to know what it's like to not have people piling on expectations on them as to how to act, what to be, what not to be and how to learn. I won't let them get away with everything (my parents were dead strict) but I do want them to love childhood. I turned out fine, so I believe my kids will be fine learning at their own pace too.

I think Singapore produces extremely brilliant and talented people, and kids in Singapore are very blessed. But practically speaking, my dream house is pretty big (it's got a large kitchen!) and it has a back, side and front yard for the kids to play so practically speaking, that's not going to be possible in Singapore without plenty of moolah. So I need to be somewhere where land is more affordable.

I would love to be in Singapore for a season as a tourist, visitor or expat but that's as far as it goes. No offence to you very beloved people in Singapore, like seriously I love you guys and I love the convenience and shopping and LOVE LOVE LOVE Singapore. But God has called me to be elsewhere.

And the good news is wherever that elsewhere is, you guys can come stay in this lawyer's house and we can cook a meal together in my big kitchen :)

God wants Christian lawyers too

I am good at my job. I love my job and my workplace. But there used to be a time when I considered my job to be somewhat un-“Godly” compared to say, a doctor, teacher, carer or cleaner. I read the Bible and I don’t see my job described anywhere in Scripture. A corporate lawyer doesn’t exactly pop into mind when you think of a servant, teacher, prophet, evangelist, pastor or apostle.

Millions of pounds pass my hands so that they no longer feel like real money, just numbers on the screen. I have meetings with clients who want to restructure, buy companies, take them apart and sell them on. I speak with clients who step in as administrators when things go bad for a corporate body. I have calls with clients who want to downsize or outsource to limit their exposure and soften the blow of the economic downturn.

There will be days when I get a list of properties in which the client wants to terminate or sell its interest. They could be the company’s retail units around the world, manufacturing plants, branches of banks or entertainment centres or restaurants. I think about the number of people who are going to be relocated or made redundant as a result of the downsize. I think of their families and their lives, and how they will be affected, and I pray for them.

Part of my job is to keep track of the financial and political news. The characteristics of good corporate lawyers are that we are commercially and politically aware, efficient and good communicators. We should have sound legal knowledge and more importantly, we should be able to advise on practical solutions. There’s nothing in my job description that requires me to be a good teacher, pastor or servant. At least, not on the official job specifications.

God made me good at my job for a reason. In a commercial world where its players have a reputation for greed, bureaucracy and self-interest, I reflect a different order. God’s job specification for me is that I conduct myself with love and integrity. When my colleagues are stressed because of a completion, I can minister peace. I can testify that hard work and peace are in agreement, they are not contradictory. When gossip flies across the hallways, I can choose to listen to the truth. When panic of redundancies spread, I can minister God’s faithfulness to His beloved people. I can be excellent at my job whether or not my boss is looking over my shoulder.

But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.

You can show love anywhere, even in the most unlikely places.

Photo taken from www.greekshares.com

Fashion show

I attended a fashion show at the Lowry Hotel yesterday which was organised by Harvey Nichols.

The clothes were pretty interesting, some were way to "fashionable" for me to pull off (i.e., I am not skinny enough) but most of them were fabulous. The SHOES were fabulous! I would wear every single pair that came down the runway.

The highlight of the evening was, of course, not the champagne, tasty canapes or eye-candy...

It was, THE GOODY BAG.

Yeehaa! I love the Goody Bag! Jo Malone, St Tropez, Creme de la Mer YAYYYY!

Sounds expensive...

California

Foreign law school graduates must request individual evaluation to determine pre-legal and legal education equivalency. Graduates from common law foreign law schools may qualify to take the California bar exam if they satisfy the First-Year Law Students’ Exam requirement and if they complete additional law study for a total of 4 years at a law school registered in California. Graduates from non-common-law schools are not eligible to take the exam and are required to either graduate with a J.D. degree at an ABA-approved law school or complete 4 years of law study at a law school registered in California. Foreign law school graduates who are admitted to practice in any jurisdiction do not have to complete any additional law study to qualify to take the bar exam.

Appraisal

Gosh I seem to have a so much to talk about in terms of work - I have no life! I had my appraisal today and even though I was trying really hard not to think about it the night before, I couldn't help worrying.

It. Went. Well :)

I don't normally type with a smileyface but this really deserved one. When you're so caught up with work you never stop to think about what others think of your work! The feedback that I got was just so, well, unexpectedly good!

:) :) :) :)

Found - same boat!

I found someone who is in the same situation as I am, English law degree, Malaysian, wanting to qualify in California. Naturally I Facebooked her!

"Hi CH

I'm EZ- B's friend. We went to uni together in OX, UK and she recently mentioned you because (apparently! correct me if I am wrong) we are in kinda sorta the same boat. I've got an LLB from OX and am now working for Global Heavyweight LLP here. The problem is my boyfriend is American and the long term plan is to move to California to live with him. As we are all well aware, I am in the wrong jurisdiction! Bea told me that you are trying to qualify in Cali as well. Now what I was told by my American professor here when I was studying in OX is that the best thing to do is do an LLM in one of the big three unis in the California region - Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA etc and then proceed to do the Cali bar. He has been teaching and practising in California for quite awhile so I suppose his experience is wholly reliable albeit not the most up to date. Just wondering if you could share what your plans are? The whole LLM plan is EXPENSIVE OMG!

B said that she mentioned me to you and that I should contact you directly. I hope everything's going well on your end! Lookin forward to hearing from you.

:)

Thanks and best wishes,

EZ"