Circle of Life

Another week has passed. Yesterday marked the 19^th month since I left Malaysia. The daily images running across my mind now are those of the commercial buildings, shops, railway stations and parks surrounding the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I can still imagine the tall buildings, the traffic jams, the pubs and clubs and offices of the CBD in KL but they are no longer images which come to mind easily. A few days ago, someone I regularly exchanged emails with described the roads she had to take to get to a law office. While I still know exactly what she was talking about, it didn’t come naturally or easily. I had to dig around the crevices of my mind to find those images.

This morning as I went to Kiddo’s room to draw the curtains, I stopped, just for a moment, and looked at a photo stuck to her mirror. It was a photo of kiddo with Theresa, holding Megan, a niece. Kiddo looked smaller, and much more like a kid then. Theresa looked fleshier, though she was never overweight. Photos don’t lie. They show how different we once looked. I bet if I picked out a photo of myself taken in Malaysia, and re-shoot that photo in the same clothes and in the same spot, the difference, the ageing difference, would be clear to all, especially myself.

I’m supposed to be relieved and happy, because after over 12 months, I am now fully qualified as a legal practitioner in Victoria, and am also allowed to practice anywhere else in Australia. I was admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria on 23 May, 3 days ago. The office organised a lunch for the occasion, which is jointly celebrated with the 5^th anniversary of a colleague. I didn’t feel the same sense of elation as I did when I was admitted to practice in Malaysia, way back in 1991. An Advocate and Solicitor. I had the misfortune to be admitted while Eusoff Chin was presiding. He had a less than rosy reputation and was badly tainted with suggestions of corruption. I didn’t realise it at that time of course, in fact I recall his message then was that we should be a contributing member of the community, and that we were to act in the best interest of the community. Chief Justice Warren, the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria however, had a different message on 23/5. She said the most important duty for a lawyer is to administer justice according to the Rule of Law. Hers was certainly a purer message. I had a discussion with another colleague yesterday (also a recent Malaysian departee) who didn’t think Eusoff Chin’s exhortations were planned. I thought he could have been laying out his plans even then, to make the legal profession a pawn who would serve the interests of the community, a notion which would of course be vague enough to be interpreted according to one’s own agenda. Like I said, I preferred Chief Justice Warren’s sermon.

So things move ahead. God continues to work His miracles. This morning as I covered another 9.2km in 45 minutes, I realise my heart, knees and back all held up with only the slightest signs of protests. These are further confirmations that God continues to work His miracles. Yesterday, after a busy morning and the whole afternoon in court in the city, I managed to crawl back to office after 5.30, quickly returned a few phone calls, briefed the boss about what happened in court and still managed to get home in time to cook dinner for the family by feverishly peeling, slicing, chopping and stirring away, wash up, bring in the clothes, bring in the garbage bin, make lunch and settle down for the Australia v Greece game with a beer in hand. Or two. (World Cup 2006 warm up game for the Socceroos – quite a good game, the Aussies looked a much improved team and should give the Japs and Croatians a good run for their money. Brazil on the other hand, remains untouchable) That too, was a miracle.

So life would chug along, I suppose. We continue to change (euphemism for age), circumstances continue to change, World Cups come and go, and God continues to work His miracle so that we survive despite everything. The wise man in Ecclesiastes think all this is meaningless but I think the very circle of life makes life interesting. For now.