Law School, NUS

When I was in primary school, a favourite question asked of me and my classmates was: What would you like to be when you grow up? Common answers were: A Doctor, A Lawyer, An Engineer or A Teacher. Some even say, "A Nurse."

I dreaded this question and all these sort of 'expected' answers. So I sometimes replied casually, "A Doctor." Other times, I just uttered, "A Lawyer."

Then one day, a relief teacher called Mr Mohan asked me the same question. I just said, "A Lawyer." Then, he asked again, "Why?"

I was stumped. Erm, what does a lawyer do ah?! I don't recall what I said to him in my reply. If at all, I must have said something silly.

That afternoon, I came back home and consulted my good old friend - the dictionary, on the meaning of 'lawyer'. And I remember that I was sent on a frustrating, circuitous search amongst terms like 'lawyer', 'solicitor', 'solicit' etc etc. At the end of the exercise, I was still clueless on what a lawyer does.

During those days, we watched a lot of HK drama on TV in the evenings. While watching one of them one evening, it suddenly dawned upon me what a lawyer is! Ohh..... so, it's that person speaking for another in a court of law!

But then, I was still puzzled why the non-lawyer person could not have spoken on his own behalf?! Why did he need another person to speak for him? The 'lawyer' must be a very privileged person, lah?! Ah, not bad, right?! Can speak even for others, and bring justice to everyone - 打抱不平、伸张正义！

Anyway, that was what I thought being a lawyer was all about.

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After primary school, I didn't have to deal with questions like 'What do you want to be when you grow up'. It's weird but the question never seemed to have been asked again in secondary school.

It was only when after our 'A'-levels results were released that I had to re-visit this issue. Being the Jack-of-all-trades I was (with mediocre results anyway), I figured that it would be 'easier' to take on a course that was general and where everyone would be starting 'afresh', from a common 'zero' base.

And so, I opted to read law at NUS. For my 2nd choice, I chose a Commerce course at NTU (this was an inaugral course then).

When the posting results came, I was a little disappointed because I was posted to the Commerce course at NTU. Although I had gone through the compulsory written test and interview for Law School at NUS earlier, I had secured only a listing on its Reserved List.

And so, I told myself that, well, what was to be would be. So I got in touch with one of my seniors (studying at NTU then, to become an accountant) and set about registering for hostel etc. My senior, whose name is Hui Chen, showed me around and intrdocued some of her hostel friends to me. My allotted accomodation was Hall 4, which was a relatively new block a distance away. It looked clean and white and overall, ok.

I got ready some clothes suitable for the orientation camp at Hall 4. And I was all eager to try, for the first time in my life, to 'live away from home'.

However, about 1 week before the camp, I received a letter form NUS offering me now a confirmed place at the Law School. I was in such a dilemma, I didn't quite know what to do.

I pondered over and over again, if I should accept NUS' offer. Many questions went through my mind, I spoke to CP and my senior, and I even tried to imagine myself as a lawyer versus a business-commerce person. It was quite an agony, but eventually, I decided that I would come to regret not giving the law a shot, if I gave up NUS' offer.

So, I literally gave up everything at NTU (including whatever deposits etc), and then embarked on a journey to the unfamiliar Law School at NUS all alone, no classmate, no senior. It felt a little scary.

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Law School was the 2nd smallest faculty in NUS then. There were only about 180-200 of us in my cohort.

The 1st week of term was spent on some orientation programme. My new schoolmates and I got to know one another a teeny weeny bit more through song fights (which were common intra-faculties competitions) and some team-building stuff. But because the 'main' law orientation camp had already been long over, I felt it a little awkward amongst the new schoolmates. Many had already formed their cliques.

By the time the orientation came to an end, a few others (also previously on the Reserved List) and I became buddies of sorts. We went about lectures and tutorials almost always together. Lunch was also a group affair most of the time. In between lessons, we visited the Co-Op to waste time, also together.

The 1st year and 2nd year subjects were very much compulsory (and therefore standard) subjects which everyone had to offer. By the time we reached 3rd year, however, we had to opt for various courses depending on both our affinity and availability of vacancies. These also included some non-law subjects from our neighbouring faculties - Arts or Business Admin.

In the 4th year, my combination of subjects were such that I had a veri unique schedule - 4 very long days from Mondays to Thursdays but an ultra-short day on Fridays. Most of my classmates did not have such a schedule, and so we met only during our lectures for the common core subjects.

Amongst this group of girls I was usually with were: Hwee Yen (also from TJC), Shirley (who ate slower than a snail, counting her noodles strand by strand) and Janice (we were from the same tutorial group for some subjects). Others would sometimes also join us for lunch, so the size of the group could be anything from 3 -4 to 8-9!

Lunch at the Arts canteen was tastier most of the time. The food was more varied and it was more fun watching people from other faculties eg Arts, compared to staying at our puny, little Moot Court corner all the time. My favourite stall at Arts canteen was the minced meat noodles stall. The father-and-daughter stallholders would put a colander full of sliced lettuce for us to help ourselves to. And I never failed to help myself to a generous serving of the lettuce each time I patronised the stall.

Many persons loved the char-kway-teow stall at the Arts canteen. I found it so-so only, although its food was indeed much better than several other stalls there. My classmates also liked the yong-tau-foo stall; its laksa version was quite good.

At the SOM canteen (School of Management), the system was different because it was manned by a central caterer. The food served was ok when we were really famished and hard-pressed for time. Other times, we preferred the bottled drinks sold there to the food selection available. I remember, especially, the western food they sold at SOM - everyone had to drown the chicken cutlets and pork chop etc in chilli sauce and/or ketchup before we could swallow it!

Other eating places Hwee Yen and I went to (in the 1st year) was the canteen at Yusof Ishak House, which was a bus-stop away at the top of the hill. We went there regularly during those times because both of us had signed up to be volunteers to man the student hotline. The claypot rice at Yusof Ishak House was so horrid - the vendors simply put the pre-cooked and pre-arranged rice in the pot and sent it into the microwave oven! Other food there was also just so-so only.

Manning the student hotline was my only ECA in NUS. Even then, I did it only for one year because I couldn't stomach the stealth and secrecy we had to keep to - the counsellors insisted that we had to remain anonymous in this 'job' because otherwise, no student would want to call the hotline! What kind of logic is that, I thought! And so, after fulfilling a term of 'secret phone call handlings', I called it a day.

I had tried joining the band in NUS during my 1st year. But there was a very sissy medical student in the French Horn Section, whom I absolutely couldn't stand. So, I was not motivated to attend any band practice or event. All I did apart from attending 2-3 band practices was to spend a night at the Cultural Centre to help out at the band's float preparation that year.

Sometimes, I do wish I had persevered and continued with life in a band. But then, maybe it is for the better that I didn't - as it was, coping with the rigours of studies at Law School was a challenge. Also, I spent quite a lot of time shuttling to Science faculty regularly to join R and his gang for lunch etc. So, where got time for band?!

R stayed in the Temasek Hall during his NUS days. I was a regular visitor at his hall. After lessons ended at 11:00 am each Friday morning, I would take a stroll to R's hall and do my reading and tutorial assignments in his room. His classes ended late but we would usually have dinner together anyway. Sometimes he would pack dinner for me from the hall's canteen; more often, though, we would take a walk down to Fong Seng Nasi-Lemak shop next to the bus terminal behind the hall. There were occasions when we took a ride on the public bus, out to Clementi central, too.

Similar to the time I had spent in TJC, I don't have any special feelings about NUS. The 4 years I spent there feels even today, somewhat fleeting and un-real. So, even though I met some great friends there, it remains nothing more than a study-place to me. It's sad but true.

By the way, Law School has now been relocated to Bukit Timah. I don't even know its exact location. *shrug*