This message is directed at first year law students (i.e. students who commenced the first year of their law degree in September 2005) who wish to pursue the Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Vocational Course with a view to being called to the Bar of England and Wales upon successful completion of the course and fulfilling the dining requirements of one of the four Inns of Court)

I quote from the message from the Under Treasurer of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn:

"...As most of you would know, this Inn has taken a stance against deferral of Call. This stems from many things, but those students on the first year of their law degree or their second year on a non-law degree to be followed by the CPE are already affected by deferral. In essence, no one will be Called to the Bar until they have completed their pupillage--starting with those on the BVC in September 2008.

The effect on the 1200 students who fail to get a pupillage will have to be seen. It is obvious however that numbers on the BVC are certain to fall--particularly as no alternative qualification is currently envisaged. Numbers applying for the Bar will fall. Those who can least afford to take the risk of coming to the Bar will not, and such an action will reduce the diversity of the Bar. Chambers will select who is called to the Bar and it is possible that those from the less well known universities will gain even fewer pupillages than they do now. Chambers will select from what they know. The overall effect of this could be to create an unintentional elite, but elite it will be and the government could very well take a dim view of that.

There will be an effect on overseas students, who I would suggest are lesslikely to come to train in England and Wales if they are unlikely to get the qualification they seek. Commercial and other work referred from abroad to the Bar of England and Wales, born out of the close link between overseas common law here, is likely to wither over time."

This new ruling would inevitably have a huge impact on aspiring law students who wish to be qualified as a barrister in England and Wales. As of now, a law graduate, upon successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Vocational Studies and fulfilling the qualifying terms as set down by the Inns of Court, would be eligible to be called to the Bar of England and Wales and to use the title-barrister.

By holding a barrister of one of the Inns of Court of England, a law graduate is exempted from taking the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) for purposes of admission to the Malaysian Bar. (applicable in West Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak).

Therefore, there is no need for a law graduate to complete pupillage (training in the chambers of a barrister in England) before a law graduate can be called to the Bar.

However, with the current new ruling, anyone who pursues their Bar Vocational Studies beginning September 2008, would need to secure and complete their pupillage in England, before they can be called to the Bar of England and Wales.

This would inevitably reduce the numbers of students wishing to pursue the Bar Vocational Course in UK. Unlike Malaysia, where pupils are generally able to find firms willing to take on students for pupillage (or more commonly known as chambering in Malaysia), the same cannot be said of the chambers in England. Competition for pupillages are highly competitive and tough even for local British students. It would also mean that a foreign student would need to spend one more year in UK just to get called to the Bar before they can return to their home countries to practise.

Stringent immigration laws in UK also means that employers are less likely to apply for a work permit for a foreign pupil who needs to fulfil the pupillage requirement before he/she can be called to the Bar. Priority of course, would be given to local students. That is perfectly understandable.

However, it would also mean that less Malaysians would be willing to take the risk of investing in an expensive Postgrad education only to find that they are unable to secure pupillage, and therefore unable to gain the final qualification that they need to be admitted as law practitioners in their home countries.

Therefore, if you have any relatives or friends, who wish to pursue the Bar Vocational Course with a view to be called to the Bar of England and Wales, and they are now in their first year of the law degree, please spread the word around and let them have this piece of information so that they are not taken by surprise when they have completed their studies.

Under such circumstances, the alternative qualification for purposes of being admitted to the High Court of Malaya would be
:

Graduate of a local university;

Holder of a Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) held by the Legal Qualifying Board of Malaysia

and in the cases of Sarawak, either

a graduate of a local university/holder of CLP/Australian graduate who has been called to the Bar.

It is rather sad, I have to say. Life at the Bar in England was more than just studying for a postgraduate degree. It was a year where I got to mingle with students all over England over the dining sessions, appreciating the history of the Inns, getting acquainted with senior members of the Inns of Court, and identifying myself as a potential member of the legal profession.

What a pity....

Note: I did a very very nice write up earlier but blogdrive decided to be kurang ajar and deleted everything I typed. So this will have to do.

For too long, students who aspire to become professional musicians have always faced criticism, dismissing their ambitions as being impractical and whimsical. Therefore, many of us who once had that dream to make music, either gave it up for a mainstream profession, pursuing degrees in "safer" professions which would yield hopefully, "profitable" returns, or resort to being a weekend "in house" musicians in the comfort of our homes.

The remaining few who stayed true to their passion, armed with the determination to excel as a professional in music, performed with their heart and soul last Saturday in the Flavours of Pop "n" Jazz Concert organised by IMH Academy, Kuching. I witnessed for myself, a group of close knit music students pursuing a common goal that night---to bring the best of their music talents on stage, to mesmerise the audience with what they do best.

Ben, a fellow blogger and also a music student at IMH, was one of the performers for the evening. This post is dedicated to him. May you succeed in your studies and make Sarawak proud of our very own home grown Ben-nessa-Mae. :)

Tickets were sold out for the concert (I received this info from Ben after the concert), which is the most enthralling part for a performer. Standing up there on the stage facing a sea of enthusiastic, receptive audience who love you is the ultimate dream of any performer on stage.

I enjoyed the concert very much albeit being more of a classical music fan. The MCs cum drummers, Sam and David did a good job communicating with the audience and the show moved on very smoothly, without hiccups or prolonged pauses in between programmes.

Ben of course, had his girl fans (and boys too) screaming for more when he emerged looking suave in a black shirt and slacks, complete with a striking reddish orange tie. (What happened to your red shirt Ben?) He performed "Red Hot" by Vanessa Mae, accompanied by his coursemates on the keyboard, drums, bass guitars etc.

The concert was divided into two parts-first part being pop and rock, with Adrian and Christine on vocals (born performers I daresay), Ben and Tze Chow on violins, Sam and David alternating on drums (lil bro said Sam was very composed, I'd take his word for it since he used to be a drummer back in his heydays), Chung Yi (much better looking version of Jay Chou) and Swee Joo (Korean movie star lookalike) on bass guitars,(they later performed "Power" by Marcus Miller and I loved it), Benzie (pardon the spelling) and Kenny on electric guitars, Bern (electric guitar--who got the audience all excited with his rendition of "sape" in the middle of his performance for one of his songs) and Raenai and another student on cello. And of course, we must not forget Charlie's Angels-Kathy, Michelle and Crystal on keyboards and clavinova. Marvin, the mastermind behind the concert was the main keyboardist for the evening.

One thing I noticed about the whole performance was that every student was given an opportunity to showcase their talents--truly a team effort. Some students not only played intruments but also sang, demonstrating their versatility.

The concert ended on a high note with Adrian leading the crowd with "Can't get my eyes off you". Everybody had a wonderful time.

Sin Chiew has a full page coverage on this concert--check out today's paper.

Here are some pics from the concert:

An overview of the stage before the concert started.

Ben and Swee Joo.

Christine and Adrian doing a duet.

Ben performing "RED HOT"-sans the red shirt his counterpart decided to adorn of course.

Marvin on keyboard.

Chung Yi and Swee Joo performing Marcus Miller's "Power".

Adrian on trumpet.

Grand finale with all the performers on stage.

Apologies if not everyone is in the pics... my camera wasn't too co-operative and half of the pics came out blurry.

This post is dedicated to CJD, my dear friend who was so kind to fetch me from the airport, let me bunk in her house, took me out for lunch, and basically, making me feel just at home :). This is for you.

Quoted from www.top-hat-restaurants.com:

"Top Hat is in one of the Kuala Lumpur's older and swankier neighbourhoods, hardby the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Petronas Twin Towers.

It is housed in one of the few remaining grand mansions still extant in the city, with a large garden of angsana trees, overgrown with heliconias.

The restaurant, at once relaxed and stylish, soothing and classic has a distinctive air of a more gracious and graceful past.

The dishes, cakes and desserts of Top Hat are created by the restaurant's team of innovative young chefs. The chefs place a premium on food that intrigues, but above all that tastes good.

The menu is changed every 3 months.

It includes classic Western dishes with a subtle touch of Asian flavours. For starters, a variety of soups and salads are always on the menu. Succulent seafood platters, spice encrusted rack of lamb, grilled rib-eye steak, panfried halibut and seafood pastas are standard favourites as main courses.

The chefs also present local Malaysian Nyonya dishes: Top Hats (a signature starter and locally known as kueh pie tee), laksa and a variety of sambals and curries are regularly featured.

For desserts, the restaurant offers home-made delights such as ice creams, bread and butter pudding, crumbles, a rich variety of cakes and local Malaysian desserts like cendol, ondeh-ondeh, pulut hitam. Customers often order the cakes to take home.

The restaurant's innovative menu is complemented by one of Kuala Lumpur's most extensive cellars of carefully selected wines. With over 200 old and new world labels, there is a wine to match the customer's food choice and budget.

Top Hat has devoted a section of the restaurant to celebrate and enjoy the noble grape. Top Hat's resident wine expert and buyer will also arrange wine tastings.

For cigar aficionados, a discreet room is available for enjoying a fine Cuban with after dinner drinks."

Located in the heart of KL city and housed in a double-storey colonial style bungalow, Top Hat restaurant offers patrons a fine dining experience in a classic environment. Aunty Maria, CJ's mom and owner of the restaurant makes everybody feel right at home with her charming personality. She brings the restaurant to life, literally.

CJ suggested that we have lunch at Top Hat on Tuesday, which I readily agreed. It was a good opportunity for the both of us to catch up on old times. :)

Here are some pictures which I took of Top Hat during lunch while waiting for the food to arrive.

An overview of the exterior of Top Hat.

A view of part of the interior.

The appetising cake counter... delicious stuff I tell you...

For private functions, consider using the Antique Bar.

The wine room offers a dazzling selection of wines to cater to your taste.

Currently the major highlight of Top Hat is the weekly jazz performance at Top Room. For more information, please check out Top Room's blog at http://thetoproom.blogspot.com .

Here's a view of Top Room (located on the 1st floor of the restaurant)

Lovely isn't it?

And here's a promotional poster of the event:

Early birds who book by Thursday get one free drink! :D

For lunch, I chose nyonya laksa... this is Grandma's secret recipe...

This is devilishly good stuff I tell you. Yummy!!!

It comes with a set of Top Hats, the flagship dish of Top Hat restaurant. Lovely.

The taukehnio's daughter had the seafood noodles. I tried some of it, and it gets the thumbs up from me!

For dessert, I had the Signature Tiramisu in Strawberry Sauce. This is Australian tiramisu, which is different from Italian tiramisu. Sorry ah HI, my friend says this beats the tiramisu at Alexis wor. :) One word for this tiramisu... Heavenly!

Dining at Top Hat is always a wonderful experience. If you do drop by KL, don't forget to go to Top Hat Restaurant and savour the good food they have to offer... you will not be dissappointed.

location map of Top Hat Restaurant.

Opening Hours: Everyday (Including Sundays and Public Holidays)

Check out their website for more information.

Meet Lyana, a little girl with a big personality.

"Jie jie, ke yi bu yao flash mar? Deng xia wo de yan jing bu neng kai." (Sis, can you not use flash? Later my eyes won't open.

"Jie jie, ni hen piao liang ar!" (Sis, you are very pretty)

"Jie jie, wo bei shan zi jing gei ni ting." (I recite the chinese poem for you to hear)

"Jie jie, ni she me shi hou hui jia?" (when are you going home?)

And the heartache moment when she said bye bye to me, as I saw her off at her school. :(

all smiles for the camera... without flash, as I promised. ;)

all ready for school... giving the camera her megawatt smile. Muaks!

She speaks English, French and Mandarin. Her dad is French, her mom Chinese. We hit it off like old friends the moment we met.

I miss her now....

I was away for a short trip to KL and Penang earlier this week for official business. "Business" aside, I have to admit that I had a wonderful time. I met up with my elder brother, who is currently calling KL home for the time being, and my best buddy in university, CJ, who was so kind to fetch me at the airport on an early Sunday morning! We spent quality time together (albeit in her car most of the time, :P--traffic jam in KL lar, what were you thinking? ;)

I will divide my write up into three parts--first part being my overview of the whole trip in KL, together with loads of pictures. Second part will be solely dedicated to promoting Top Hat restaurant, which is owned by Mrs Maria Danker, lovely mom of my dear friend CJ. Ever since I came back from the UK, Top Hat restaurant has served as a crucial meeting place for Archangel, CJ and myself whenever I go to KL. I've always enjoyed the quaint ambience Top Hat has to offer, and quality of food at Top Hat is second to none. The menu changes every three months. I shall elaborate more on the second part of this post. The third part will be dedicated to my brief stint in Penang, where I fell in love. With who, you ask? Hhehe... I shall let you know.

Part 1- Kuala Lumpur

I arrived in KL on Sunday morning and was whisked off to my brother's place, courtesy of CJ who came all the way from her house! She's so sweet. Met up with my elder brother (who looked a tad thinner... must be starving himself silly) and we headed off to KL for some "serious" business. (I.e. sampling food, buying stuff and generally playing tourist for the day).

First stop-Alor Street (did I get the spelling right?)

Of course, before we start walking ourselves silly, we have to fill up right? Even cars won't move without gas. So we headed off to Alor Street (behind Imperial Hotel).

Still don't know where it is? Well here's a picture:

And this is what I had:

Char Siew Noodles

Looks very nice, but I found the char siew (bbq pork) to be a tad too sweet for my liking.

Basically we just walked around Bukit Bintang area... he talking about life in general and me taking photos like a Korean tourist.

Purple flowers which caught my attention...

Samsung promotional booth..

Took the KL monorail to Berjaya Times Square and admired in awe at the roller coaster (which looked like it would go on forever)

There were some boys who thought they would make a Malaysian version of Brokeback mountain...

Everything going for RM10! No I didn't get anything... not until lil bro sponsors my Marie France lipo job...

The interior deco of Sungai Wang Plaza...

Attended a dinner at Corus Hotel which was held in honour of a member of Lincoln's Inn Alumni Association, Malaysia, who was recently appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of the Government of Malaysia. It was good. :)

On Monday, I didn't leave my brother's house until 11am--says a lot about the fine wine I had during the dinner the evening before (CJ complained that I had one drink too many).

Anyway... I had a sudden craving for Nando's chicken. Don't ask me why...

So I went.

And I ordered...

A not so brave chicken.

This branch of Nando's (at Jalan Sultan Ismail, the street next to Petaling Street) brings back a lot of fond memories. This was the so-called cool hang out place for collge students who were on a tight budget (read--poor!) hahah. So digging into the "not so brave" chicken, I felt like I was a college student once more, sitting at the same table I always did...

Bliss is the word.

That's it for Part 1!!