no, thank you.

taken with hp camera, few years back.

I have received phone calls 2 days in a row now, inviting me to judge the Inter-Part Mooting Competition that my Law Faculty is going to hold this weekend.

I have turned down all offers so far, although I know how difficult it must be for them to organize the event. It obviously doesn’t help when people refuse to assist in making their lives easier. I wish I could be the one to help them out, but I feel like there is very little I can contribute.

Now, how shall I put this? To be very honest, I would really, really love to go and judge the competition. After all, my team and I were the pioneers of the competition, so it does have some sentimental value of sorts. Though I must admit that when we first won the competition, the magnitude of being able to hold that trophy in my arms was not something I felt like I wanted shout out about, due to a tiny dent in the victory.

But that sliver of a bad memory aside, the competition marks a very important part in my Law School life and my friendship with the Kesayangans.

Thing is, I don’t want to go back there and look like some poyo. Trust me, after 2+ years of working, you will meet many people who try to assert (a lot of) authority where there is none. Of course, you don’t always spot these people when you first start. But eventually, you just know who are the real brains and who are mere show-offs who try to look (and sound) important in their organisations.

I know that that doesn’t really explain my hesitation but well...

All I want to say is that my working experience has humbled me. Judging a Moot Competition to me is no longer about the judge wanting to provoke the participants just because, or whether or not the participants are supposed to speak in English in the first place.

It’s about a whole load of things which I just can’t find the words to explain, you see. It’s really about eloquence, style and a lot of brains. I know now how idiotic it sounds trying to sound too damn good when you know that you don’t know all that much to begin with. After a while, it becomes too apparent how empty your brains really are.

And having said that, I feel like it applies to both participants AND judge.

So, there goes.

To anyone who volunteered to be judges tomorrow, good luck (ironic I should be wishing participants)! I know it’s just a Moot Competition and yes, a huge bulk of it is about having fun. BUT, a large part of it also involves brains.

Just because someone is an ex-mooter, it doesn’t necessarily make them a good Moot Judge, yes?

For now, I’d like to sit back and absorb all the information from all the good law books and prepare myself with the necessary knowledge.

When I’m ready, I’ll be seeing you in Moot Court. ;)



Mr. Abu Sir, if you happen to read this one day, I hope you understand that I didn't not come back on purpose. Though I think you're no longer in all this Moot stuff. Doesn't mean you're not into it.

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