The Learning Curve

Last week had been full of learning opportunities for me, personally and professionally.

On Monday, I attended a course on tax planning for individuals and corporate. It was organised by SSM, available as an elective course towards my CPE. Although I am not a taxation expert after 8 hours, I am not completely blank when "tax planning" is being discussed. The speaker, Mr Vincent Josef was a former Assistant Director-General at LHDN/IRB. He delivered the materials with much credibility from his professional expertise and experience. 

Have you been upping your game lately, my lovelies? Please do share how you keep yourself relevant and current in your choice of undertaking. 

Solo versus Partnership

Salam, my lovelies.

So it has come to pass that I am better suited as an in-house legal counsel for various reasons. The mother of all reasons would be my flexibility to work-from-home so that I can still care for my children.

I know.

Same old story.

Money is not always sole reward or motivation. Access to client account, decision-making process, structure of partnership, and 1001 details should be clearly spelt out in partnership agreement. Therefore, in a situation where  a draft partnership agreement is not forthcoming, that reflects on lack of interest to pursue further.

One can also stick to the quiz on the Malaysian Bar Council website to help determine if one is better suited as a sole proprietor or a partner before even considering such talks. It helps with decision-making process beyond wanting to have partners just for the sole purpose of "beefing up the firm profile", "opening doors" and such.

Well, I have sort of reached my conclusion about myself, and insyaAllah, this is a "happy" one. Syukur alhamdulillah!

Note to self: Shaytaan threatens you with poverty and command you with evil and obscene deeds. [Al-Quran 2:268]

When September Ends

Hello, October!

My month of September was one full of revelations, sign and answers. Syukur alhamdulillah, I can say the outcome is better than my imagination.

While work load is heavy, I tell myself to be thankful for His rezeki.

While my body is weary, I thank those who are here to root for me; and sincerely want to see me survive and eventually triumph this transition period.

You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Carefree versus Career

Honestly, I miss my carefree days of working only on selected projects, not worrying about bills, concerned only with what to cook for dinner and if my children achieved their milestones.

Or hanging out with fellow mums from The Playschool and The Big School during brunch and home time.

Or making sure I do not miss the Mothercare sale.

You get the drift.

Those were the good old days, just not too long ago.

The harsh reality, if you ask me, comeback career comes with sacrifices.

My children are getting used to me working from home. They are used to seeing the home office door shut. When they peep in for a cuddle, they see my somewhat stressed out face with my ears glued to the phone and eyes on some documents. They sacrifice a lot too. It breaks my heart, truly.

I worry about bills although I am not the one paying for them currently. What if I have to someday and I cannot afford to?

I worry about escalating cost of property although we have no mortgage on where we live now. How are my children going to ever afford buying a place of their own without my help?

I worry about my own retirement because EPF is not going to be sufficient with double whammy of rate of inflation and Ringgit Malaysia depreciation. Who is going to pay for my cost of living when I am old and infirm?

All the more I am thankful for building up my legal portfolio now. I am grateful for more and more clients just base on referral after delivery of quality and timely projects.

As bland as it comes, I am also thankful for the minimal wages I have been keeping for 5 years. It is not a lot but it matters. The "extra" money has been useful on more than one occasion in helping ourselves and a few others with their difficult challenges (I have been so diligent with not buying handbags because every single time I feel the urge to purchase, I make the effort to donate instead - this is not wise either because Chanel is good investment!)

I guess I am thankful for all that I have now. Syukur alhamdulillah for this wake-up call.

Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

A few of you requested for updates of our recent summer break to the beautiful island of Republic and Northern Ireland, especially on attractions and places of interest for young children. Thank you for your continued interest in my rant and babble.

To be completely honest, we boarded the flight on 22 August to head home via Dubai, arrived Kuala Lumpur on 23 August and school term for Autumn/Winter started on 24 September. There was no time for jet lag, so we hit the ground running.

To top it all, I started working on my client's file by morning of 25 September. Alhamdulillah for rezeki, no complaints there.

The holiday post will have to be uploaded in piecemeal *grin*

Here goes:
1 (Monday) and 2 (Tuesday) August 2016:
We checked-in to Sama-Sama Hotel in the afternoon. The kids enjoyed their family taxi ride to the hotel from home.

The famous Haji Samuri satay from the cafe was not available as the cafe was being renovated so we dined at another lobby restaurant. The satay has been oven grilled, dry and tough. No repeat orders after the first dozen.

Our Emirates flight was scheduled for 2.10 am so by 11pm, we checked-out of our comfortable room and took the kids for their highlight of the night - the airport club car ride to the terminal. They were so easy to please.

Our luggages were wrapped to stay clean and dry (weather forecast was summer rain in Dublin). Being paranoid of losing one of our 3 luggages, I packed in such a way that in the event one of the luggages should go missing, we still have enough to wear for a couple of days. However, I must admit that packing for 4 persons into one luggage had become easier over the years.

The Priority Lane check-in consumed a long time, it felt like the entire world was travelling First and Business Class. KLIA Check-In Hall was balmy with hardly any air-conditioning on. After what seemed like an hour, we were issued our boarding passes. The kids were restless by then so the inter-terminal train ride after passport clearance was a grand welcome.

The Business Lounge was another highlight for the kids. They treated themselves to a grand supper then wrecked havoc at the TV Hall, with their loud and happy voices at 1am. By boarding time, I was counting down the minutes when they could finally be in bed 30.000 feet above sea level. Girl did sleep on her flat bed as soon as the seat belt sign went off, bless. Bean was alert and a set of Emirates airport scene toys were quickly purchased from on board duty-free from the get-go to occupy him. For the entire A380 flight to Dubai, he stayed up and had 100% mummy-time. I was so sleepy and grouchy.

2 August 2016 (Tuesday):
Dubai to Dublin leg. The Business Class Lounge was a welcome change after being confined to our seats for 6 hours plus with Bean. Lights on/off, service call button on/off, TV on/off, toys were all over, books read many times, nursery rhymes sang on repeat (particularly Wheels on the Bus) and endless random topics of endless conversations later, Bean was still energised to walk while I felt like crashing. Instead, we rode the inter-terminal train, plodded our way to breakfast and onward to board our connecting flight to Dublin. This leg, Bean slept while Girl was up. I caught up with my French movies of 2015/6 to reward myself since no sleep was possible. The Boeing felt small after the A380.

We arrived at Dublin safely, all green and fresh (the grass, not us!). It was drizzling when we went to get our car rental from Hertz. Our car rental booking was upgraded from Mazda to BMW BUT the driver and front seats were locked in position! I had been looking forward to driving on country roads, I was destined to be passenger for the entire 3 weeks, it was frustrating and crazy. Allah swt has His Plans, yes.

We checked-in to Premier Inn Dublin Airport Airside and crashed to local time. Best feature of this hotel: Free Wifi. You can also upgrade for 5 Euros.

3 August 2016 (Wednesday):
We drove to Galway. Checked-in to Salthill Promenade Hotel and after a hearty lunch, we unpacked and took the kids out to a garden across the hotel and summer fun fair just a few minutes' walk away. The tokens were expensive at 20 Euros (every ride was at least 2 Euro per child) but the young ones had a gala time. This routine of park and fun fair soon became their highlight at Salthill.

4 August 2016 (Thursday):
Park, fun fair, repeat. Bye bye Euros.

5 August 2016 (Friday):
We rode the local bus to The Latin Quarters and had lunch there. Girl had her hair braided by a local artist before we headed back to Salthill for some fun in the sand at the sandy promenade across the hotel. Best features of Salthill Hotel: Great service at breakfast and free Wifi.

6 August 2016 (Saturday):
We drove to Sligo, bought supplies and checked-in to the house at Bundoran. Best feature of this house: Free wifi. I know I keep reviewing the Wifi connection of everywhere we were staying at because my sanity, work and discussions depended on it.

7 until 12 August 2016 (Sunday):
We spent a week here; sufficient for some form of routine to be introduced. One that included visits to the local launderette, playground, my favourite bakery Hardy Amies, cinema (kids watched Ice Age: Continental Drift and Finding Dory), chat with local mums to find places of interest for little ones (Castle Farm and Playground highly recommended) and basically lived like locals. We stopped being tourists and assimilated into life at Bundoran! Bundoran is close enough to drive to some of the places we wanted to visit  (Smuggler's Creek, back to Sligo, Yeats' Country, Lisadell House etc) so it was a decent anchor.

13 August 2016 (Saturday):
We drove to the United Kingdom side of the island, Coleraine. Dinner was hosted by one of the two aunts and since she moved to a new townhouse, we had difficulty finding her new home. Kids were totally tired by the time the meal was served so we quickly bundled them into the car and back to Premier Inn Coleraine for an early night.

14 August 2016 (Sunday):
We spent the day at the playground near the seaside. A family lunch went awry and some harsh words were exchanged. Not pretty. The kids had fun and ice-cream so the incident was quickly forgotten but FIL had a one to one chat with The Other Half about the latter's behaviour. It was about time someone did! Alhamdulillah things got better after that.

15 August 2016 (Monday):
Kids day out with the Grandparents and The Other Half. They had a great sunshiny day at The Giants Causeway. Sea water tasted salty, the kids came home drenched in sea water of The Atlantic and covered in sand but happy as can be. Bless.
I spent my day sleeping in and wandering at the shops nearby. It felt so good to be with my own company and thoughts, it was probably the best day of my summer. The Wifi had to be purchased because it kept logging me out but it was worth the GBP5 because I managed to get some work done!

16 August 2016 (Tuesday):
We drove to Omagh, hometown of MIL. We saw the old house where she grew up then we took the kids to the playground to burn off some excess energy.

17 August 2016 (Wednesday):
We found the local laundrette and paid a visit to one of the other aunt still living nearby. Silver Birch Hotel had zero connection for both 4G and Wifi, I felt so cut off from the rest of the world. It was not fun because Girl was expecting her new promotion list at The Big School and I was going to set up the Mummies' Chat Group for the new class. Finally, outside the launderette in town, I had brief connection to 4G so my little situation with the school and Izumio/Super Lutein orders were immediately sorted.

18 August 2016 (Thursday):
I was given a couple of hours to myself after breakfast to look for 4G connection and work but Cafe Nero came with zero Wifi. I ended up browsing at the shops and bought nothing. Omagh is quite a dead town. Kids went to Fintona with second cousins and had a great time at an indoor playground. Later that evening, we took the kids to the town centre for a walk but Bean suffered a meltdown from being too tired. We went back to the hotel for an early night in and "celebrated leaving Omagh soon".

19 August 2016 (Friday):
We drove south towards Dublin and had lunch at Four Seasons en route. It was a lovely lunch, for me. The same Premier Inn Airside with its reliable Wifi and breakfast. Girl followed The Grandparents to meet and greet The Lloyds (they put up at Holiday Inn) then Pavilion (shopping centre near the airport).

20 August 2016 (Saturday):
Malahide Castle was a really pleasant experience. I especially enjoyed the meal at Cafe Avoca. Disappointingly, I had no time to browse at the gift shop because we were going at The Lloyds' pace (rush, rush, rush). That evening, we took the feeder bus to the airport to hitch the bus to the town, walked in the rain, ate at a fast food halal joint, walked back in the rain to the bus stop and took the bus back to airport to change to hotel feeder bus. Kids enjoyed the many bus rides.

21 August 2016 (Sunday):
We were at the Dublin Zoo the entire day. Kids took their time walking, eating, playing at the many mini playground and just did what they did best - being happy. Bean cried when we left at closing time, ha ha ha. Luckily, Girl had good mood and even temperament throughout the holiday.

22 August 2016 (Monday):
Checked-out of Premier Inn Dublin Airside, checked-in our luggages and flights, returned our Hertz BMW, cleared immigration on express with Emirates Fast Pass, snacked at the Business Class Lounge and boarded our Boeing flight. I caught up with French movies all the way to Dubai. Resolved to visit Galway and Dublin again someday with the kids but oh please spare me from Northern Ireland (maybe I was just bogged down by too many issues at Northern Ireland to really enjoy it).

Dubai to Kuala Lumpur flight was good because Girl, Bean and I slept all the way. What a nice way to end the holidays!

Post Qualifying Experience

How often have you applied to jobs with x number of years in PQE and realised you have been working for a long time in your chosen profession?

I recently updated my LinkedIn account and it dawned on me that I have 14 years PQE. Instead of feeling old and rusty for career-break of 7 years to raise this young family, I felt (strangely) empowered and experienced - ready to take on clients and their matters.

"God works in mysterious ways." this cannot be more true.

21-23 August are special dates to me because those dates were when I first met my like-minded and warm bodied mentor in 1998, soon after my graduation from law school. It has been 18 years and the mentoring is still there.

"Why do you want to complete your CLP and pupillage?", my mentor had asked when I was failing at my CLP due to the mess it was before the major clean up in 2001.

"I do not want wake up at 40 and regret not doing my CLP and getting called to the Bar." I was in my 20s, super-confident and super-resilient then.

Well, my lovelies. I am now 40.

And guess what?

I am so thankful the sacrifices of resitting my CLP until I passed in 2001 (discovered that system failed me and many other candidates due to corruption and mismanagement) AND quitting my corporate job in oil and gas for one year to read in chambers as a pupil so that I could be called to the Bar are worth it. So very worth it.

I am now 40, satisfied that I made those decisions and had the right mentor who came into my life to support those decisions.

Alhamdulillah.

P/S: Yes, I am back in practice now. So grateful.

Work From Home: Support Network

Salam, my lovelies.

Seven years ago, I made the decision to quit the rat race to raise a young family. It is the craziest/bravest/stupidest decision I have ever made in my life (I must confess it is actually the best and appropriate decision given my circumstances).

We have no live-in helper. No driver.

When I was pregnant with Bean, I had Kak Saras come over on weekends to help clean The Flat. She did that for a few months until after my confinement. She used to help me out when Girl was first born too. Alas, she is too old to take on cleaning jobs now, and we have yet to find someone as trustworthy and detailed as she is. If you know of a live-out cleaning lady/housekeeper, please drop me a message. Thank you.

Recently, we also contacted a live-out helper to come in for a few hours twice weekly to help with ironing. She is a real blessing and I kick myself for not engaging her sooner! Together, she and I, we fight LaundryMonster. So far so good, Alhamdulillah.

Finally, we have a professional babysitter to watch Bean for a couple of hours when I take Girl out to her piano lessons. Ms R is someone we are familiar with as she was a former teacher at The Playschool. Bean adores her, to my huge relief! They read, watch Disney DVDs, share snacks and play when I am away.

Whilst we can and want to do everything ourselves, sometimes, we just need an extra pair of hands. With a spouse recovering from surgery, and my having 3 work-from-home jobs (other than being a full-time mum and wife), I feel this is a wise move and better employment of time/skills/energy.

If you have more coping tips, please do share!

How I became SAHM

My efficient headhunters wrote asking if I were interested in a contract administration position for the oil and gas industry last week.

Such a boost to my SAHM/WAHM ego, I admit.

Thank you for making my day, LegalLabs! Having met the founder before, I totally respect the awe inspiring choices she had made to balance motherhood and work.

Being marketable and in touch with the legal and commercial faternity of oil and gas is just so vital just in case I decide to return to work full time, someday, if it is Allah's will.

For now, The Little Girl gets my undivided attention (read: milk supply, friend, cook, driver, cleaner, doctor, etc.).

This is my account of how it all changed. From career to home-maker, nearly overnight:

The same week that I tested positive with hCG, I drove to Malacca for a work related meeting. When I arrived that morning at ten, I discovered some light bleeding.

Not quite sure what to make of it, I sent a SMS to Dr Ling. He told me to get to an A&E Room immediately as it may be threatened miscarriage. I tried keeping my calm as I was at the oil refinery and blending plant, really quite far away from "civilisation".

As I prayed to Allah to keep Junior safe, I braved on with the tender committee meeting. It was at a crucial drafting stage and my presence was rated "highly necessary". Although my mind was stayed sharp at work, I could not help wondering what if my sacrifice/action/delay in going to the nearest hospital would compromise my early pregnancy. "What price is my job?", I pondered.

However, I stayed until the meeting was over at 6 pm. Stupidly or not, I then drove home to KL in a tropical thunderstorm. Z fed me with some dinner, performed our Isyak prayers then drove me to Gleneagles, knowing that the wait could be long. We waited for almost 2 hours in the "Accidents and Emergency" Room during the peak of swine flu/A1H1. Looking back, we were silly not to have thought of PETRONAS owned Prince Court Medical Centre, which is even closer!

My vitals were read. I was then asked to wait for another 1.5 hours before a Medical Officer was free to see me. A steroid injection was administered by a nurse and I was sent home that midnight.

The next day, I waited 2 more hours in the cold and bare office before I was able to see the ob gyn. A scan showed Junior was doing alright in its gestation sac but the heartbeat was still faint. The bleeding could have been implantation bleeding so it was nothing to worry about.

Nonetheless, Z and I were dead worried. Worry worts that we are, we decided to be much more careful with Junior from now on.

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Not long after that, a family poll was taken and we unanimously decided (whole-heartedly) for me to resign from PETRONAS in order to be fair to all parties, take care of the little life that was growing in me and turn SAHM. I will miss PETRONAS, and pray that my rezeki remains open.

Real education started AFTER my SPM

I did my Year 12, New South Wales, Australia syllabus.

Then I got my law degree from this university. Feel like dropping by the campus someday, insyaAllah.

Instead of doing the English Bar, which I should have, I did my post bar qualification here.

In order to practice in High Court of Malaya, I served a 9 months pupillage at 2 firms of advocates and solicitors in KL. Why 2 firms? That's fodder for another day.

For those miserable pupils under their current masters, the answer is yes, with the correct application papers, you can change masters and still be called. You just get 2 short calls and 1 long call. Stop being cheap/free labour. Learn something useful for your career ahead.

All the best!