the currypuffs always go first...

the currypuffs always go first...

an observation that never proves wrong at every conference/seminar/workshop/acitivity i have attended. and yeah, they did finish, right when i wanted seconds. so i had to content myself with some sticky green kuih instead. :P

harn, me and siewwee just finished attending the Inaugural Law Conference jointly organised by the Law Faculty of UM and lexisnexis over the last two days. it was called, with much gusto, a demon summoning ceremony (going on the premise that all lawyers are demons) by a friend of ours. the big demons came and swallowed up a few of the smaller demons.

we heard papers being presented on a number of topics, but the contract segment really stands out. from Dato' Cecil Abraham's cutting, acidic take on contract law to Phillip Koh's opinions based almost entirely on the Bible of Pollock & Mulla on what's wrong with the Contracts Act 1950 (basically every single damn thing!) to K. Ganesan's Uncle Joe (a hypothetical guy who woke up one day and decided to be a bankrupt)...it was a rollicking ride complete with gales of laughter. numerous references were made to everyone's fave COA judge...we are still wondering how it is possible to hand a judgment down minus any legal authorities. (Religious authorities were thick underfoot...the Bible, the Koran and ...the Rukunegara? Hmmm? like since when did the Rukun Negara become a religious authority? Horrors, maybe there is a religion devoted to the whole document)

also found a way to make some money from buying auction land. must do own homework ah. and find a lawyer you can trust ah. no one will do the running around for you. and ah, i was reminded, strangely, of Lim Keng Yaik on national tv, talking about electricity tariffs.

today morning, we were treated to a ride aboard Boeing Family Law with Pn Sridevi. and stuff about rape and incest. so a consensual incestuous relationship, regardless of how much the people are in love with each other or how good the sex is...is illegal. right, that renders Cersei and Jaime Lannister of ASOIAF liable under Malaysian law. muahahahahah. i found this observation to be something new... so more power to me...i did however, miss Prof Mehrun's paper because i overslept...so sad. nevermind. at least i have the paper.

and then we heard about environmental law, PIL and Malaysia's human rights record.
our fears were confirmed...Malaysia is near the bottom of the class when it comes to human rights. and our environmental laws leave a lot to be desired. PIL? a lot of words. very fast. buried beneath an avalanche of facts. currently suffering mental indigestion.

(ps to self...Malaysian law is in terrible shape. all the papers have only proven to us that we are in deplorable straits when it comes to the law. but on the other hand, if things were all fine and dandy, then the conference would last max one hour. everyone gets happy, praise the law and goes home. so nyeh. :P)

the highlight of the day was everyone's fave COA judge...we learned a new synonym for 'stupid' ...would never have occurred to us before. and yes, someone advocated abolishing the Federal Court. wow. radical. we were in stitches by the end of this segment.
note to the uninitiated : Jalan Kelang Lama, contrary to what its name suggests, IS NOT IN KLANG. got that? good.

tea was croissants, nasty gooey brown yellow kuih and tea lar. (duh!)

and then after tortious issues, and some rambling by the Admin Disciple himself, it was time to 'belah'. which we did, again after some dinner together at Marisini (a sister restaurant of Pergisana). cue end to an educational, enlightening, edifying and...entertaining conference. worth the rm75 we all shelled out each. got MLJ pen also leh.

p/s anyone who knows what Part IV of the Contracts Act 1950 is all about, you are invited to drop Phillip Koh a line. he doesn't understand it at all. replies not guaranteed.

also, you are invited to a talk show starring everyone's fave COA judge and a certain former Chief Justice...the topic is constitutional law. bring your cameras, this is something you can tell your grandchildren about. expect to hear about Loh Wai Kong and Art 5 of the FC.
life is so much more than just staying alive (although the Bee Gees may disagree)

[anyone who asks me about the talk show...they're still in the negotiation process. probably be up and running, say, 2015? that is if they're both still alive]