studying

I’m a Lawyer Now

September 20, 2017 by Vicky Leave a Comment

I qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales in February 2010 and when I arrived in Darwin I knew I would need to do a bit more studying to qualify as a Solicitor in the Northern Territory.

You may recall it turned out that I had to do a LOT more studying to qualify and I began those studies with Charles Darwin University in March 2015 and finished them in November 2016.

Two years down and six subjects later, I then had the mad dash to send documents to New South Wales so they could give me the approval I needed within a 3 or so day turnaround so I could submit the documents in time to qualify in December 2016.

The mad dash worked out and I got the news that I would be admitted as a Solicitor in December 2016.

The ceremony in Darwin for admissions is really lovely. You have to have your admission “moved” by a Solicitor already admitted as a Lawyer. The people being admitted then line up in order of the Solicitor moving their admission’s seniority. We then all stood up one by one whilst the Solicitor essentially presented us to the Judges of the Supreme Court which involved telling them our history, hobbies and interests before the Law Society confirmed they did not object to our admission.

I asked the Solicitor I worked for to move my admission and she gave a lovely speech about my personal history, family, the Aussies and friends all of whom provided me with so much support during the qualification process.

After everyone had been presented to the Court, we had to swear an oath about our duties as a Solicitor before we signed the Roll of Solicitors.

My family were unable to travel at the short notice we had because we didn’t know I would definitely be admitted as a Solicitor until a week or so before because the documents have to be approved by a Committee. My admission included lovely words about my family which I really appreciated.

The Aussie came along to my admission as did some of our friends which was lovely and we went out for brunch/lunch afterwards, enjoyed some champagne (best tasting champagne I have had in a while) and I bought a beautiful peace of art which will always remind me of that day.

Qualifying was a huge relief, I really didn’t enjoy the studying this time round but it has enabled me to find a job in Brisbane so we could relocate as we had been planning which I am grateful for. It’s all part of the journey after all.

101 Things in 1001 Days Update

May 10, 2016 by Vicky Leave a Comment

Looking back over the blog I thought I would updated my 101 things in 1001 Days progress. Despite not being on track as much as I would like with my blog, I am surprised about how many things I have completed.

1. Qualify as a Solicitor in Australia – fingers crossed December 2016.
2. Sell one of my photographs.
3. Visit Bali.
4. Learn to sail.
5. Start studying the subjects need to qualify as a Solicitor in Australia and pass them all – Four of the undergraduate subjects down, exam in June on the fifth and hoping to be exempt from number six! Then should be two post graduate subjects.
6. Get over my fear of public speaking – not over it but I am getting there and am planning to do some public speaking courses.
7. To still be blogging on 28 September 2017.
8. Visit Kakadu National Park – completed Easter 2015
9. Keep using the planner that I bought so that I can plan my life out better, not forget things and do all the things that I want to do.
10. Plan out my blog posts better so that I can run a bit more to a schedule.
11. Become better at using social media like Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram.
12. See more of Australia – I want to visit at least Perth, Adelaide and Sydney – we are heading to Brisbane and then the Whitsunday Islands in August and I cannot wait to see the Great Barrier Reef.
13. Buy a car.
14. Learn how to style my curly hair nicely.
15. Invite friends over for dinner often.
16. Get my visa sorted so I do not have to worry about visa’s expiring or deadlines – fingers crossed July 2016.
17. Pay of my debts in the UK.
18. Save money! There’s so many things I want to do but I need to get saving first.
19. Cook 101 recipes from the recipe books I own and have been given.
20. Learn and understand the rules of AFL.
21. Take my DSLR camera out with me more and actually use it so I don’t miss the photo opportunities – getting better at this and regularly getting out and about for photos.
22. Complete the challenges I set myself via blog, photography etc.
23. Take more time to keep in contact with people to make sure that the distance between us doesn’t seem so big.
24. Reply to emails, texts, calls and what’s app messages within 24 hours at the very most.
25. Wear sunscreen all the time.
26. Walk more and enjoy it.
27. Get better at saying what’s on mind rather than bottling it up.
28. Learn to enjoy red wine.
29. Spend Christmas in the UK with my family and friends – Completed Christmas 2015 and it was great (post to follow).
30. Visit the penguins on Phillip Island.
31. Send a letter, card, postcard to someone as a surprise each month.
32. Visit the turtles.
33. Get up early and take a photo of the sunrise.
34. Take a good photo of lightening.
35. Read 5 classic books I’ve never read before.
36. Redesign my blog.
37. Personalise our home with photos, pictures and things that are important to us – in progress, especially now we feel more settled in the house that we moved into in August 2015.
38. Get my mum to teach me to knit (again) and remember how to do it.
39. Go to the ballet.
40. Attend 3 music concerts.
41. Have the root canal work done/tooth removed in 2015 – completed and it was terrible!
42. Complete the Goodreads reading challenge each year and increase the number of book that are too be read each year.
43. Have an allergy test done.
44. Print and frame my own photos in our home – completed.
45. Watch Les Miserable in the theatre and read the book.
46. Learn how to make macaroons from scratch.
47. Visit Thailand with the Aussie.
48. Re-learn how to play the keyboard properly.
49. Practice playing the keyboard at least twice a week.
50. Buy a beautiful coffee table and bookcase(s) for our home – not my dream coffee table and bookcases but we have them and I like them a lot for now.
51. Study for at least 10 hours a week when courses start in March 2015 – I don’t manage 10 hours a week but given my study workload it’s not required. I do enough to keep on top of it all and have got good results so far.
52. Dye my hair regularly so the roots don’t show – completed and ongoing.
53. Get hair cut at least 5 times a year and take better care of it.
54. Take a book out of the library once a month and read it all.
55. Buy a bike and use it often.
56. Go out dancing more.
57. Hang the washing out when it’s finished not leave it so long it has to be washed again – work in progress.
58. Open a joint bank account with the Aussie – we’ve been meaning to do this since August 2013 – opened but we are terrible at getting our acts in gear to use it!
59. Write a will.
60. Change my Super Account and move my existing super to it – completed! Industry Super all the way!
61. Take a helicopter ride over Darwin.
62. Go on at least one “girls” weekend a year.
63. Read a book in a day.
64. Spend the day at the cinema watching as many films as I can cram in.
65. Take a day off work in the middle of the week to just stay in bed reading, watching movies and sleeping.
66. Make someone a mix tape of my favourite songs.
67. No eating out for a month.
68. Drink 6 glasses of water a day for 2 weeks – I really should do this already but I am terrible at drinking water – completed. I manage this almost every day now.
69. Take a picture for every letter of the alphabet.
70. Start and complete a project 365 photo challenge.
71. See 10 classic movies I’ve never seen before.
72. Ask 20 friends to recommend a book each and read them all.
73. Go on a completely unplanned road trip.
74. Get a pedicure – completed March 2016 and it was amazing!
75. Watch the sunrise and sunset in one day.
76. Volunteer – I was recently elected President of a local Camera Club so I think this counts.
77. Plant a balcony herb and flower garden – we don’t have a balcony anymore (yay to houses) but I will work on this.
78. Blog at least 3 times a week.
79. Read 10 non fiction books.
80. Learn to make pasta from scratch.
81. Send a card or flowers to someone going through a hard time – completed, sent flowers to my Mum when she wasn’t feeling well but this is an ongoing work in progress.
82. Climb the Eiffel Tower.
83. Do a Yellow Water Cruise – completed Easter 2015
84. Get a tattoo – not completed but I have selected a design I would like if I did decide to get one.
85. Donate blood at least once.
86. Host a wine and cheese party.
87. Send 20 postcards through Postcrossing.
88. Hide a note in a library book.
89. Set up sponsorship on my blog.
90. Create a guest post idea and have someone write a guest post each month.
91. Visit 10 museums – Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Wentworth Castle (post to follow)
92. Have a picnic with the Aussie.
93. Write and send Christmas cards preferably with personalised cards.
94. Donate $10 to a charity every month.
95. Have professional photos taken with my family.
96. Visit and comment on 10 blogs every week.
97. Take home made lunch to work for one week every month – completed four out of five days a week at least.
98. Organise photos on computer, phone, hard drive.
99. Buy a film camera and use it.
100. Go on a photography tour.
101. Put $10 into savings for each goal accomplished.

Currently Four…

March 8, 2015 by Vicky 5 Comments

Another week another installment of currently four!

Reading – Administrative law textbooks which are as boring as they sound!

Doing – I’ve been trying to break my weekends up with studying in the morning each day and then an activity in the afternoon. Yesterday morning I studied corporations (company) law which was quite interesting before an afternoon sailing and dinner with a couple who both have a birthday this weekend. This morning it’s been the administrative law study followed by going to see The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared with the Aussie in a couple of hours. I tried reading this book last year but couldn’t get into it really but the film looks funny so I’m hoping we enjoy it. Unfortunately I will have to carry on the admin law study when we get home though.

Watching – I need to watch the admin law lecture from this week this afternoon/evening. Have to say not looking forward to that. Hopefully will finish it in time to watch The Block which is currently one of my favourite programs. I think its the want to own a house in me!

Listening – The Best Sixties Album in the World (their title not my description though it is pretty good). A lot of Sixties music reminds me of holidays with my parents and brother when we were at school, especially one where our dirty laundry was on a roof rack on top of the car and blew off! I heard a song on Friday night called Friday on My Mind and when I searched for it on iTunes the album came up on the list so decided to download it. It isn’t the best music for me to study with as keep getting distracted and “singing” along.

Hoping – that if you like my blog you might pay a visit to the My So Called Chaos blog and vote for my blog in the Trusty Traveler category and for my Creamy Salmon Pasta recipe!

I also saw some of my fave blogs are nominated Green Loving Girl, Rhyme and Ribbons, Misadventures with Andi, Cosmos Mariners, North and South Nomads, Snow in Tromso, An Unsettling Big Place, Love the Here and Now, Ember Grey – if you need some inspiration for the other categories!

Who Knew I was Miscellaneous

February 16, 2015 by Vicky Leave a Comment

Since receiving my offer of a place at University before Christmas I have been trying to get enrolled online.

My main problem is that I had to apply to study a law degree (never ever again!!!) even though I only have to study six subjects to qualify. Establishing I had to follow that route took some time but we got there and I was offered my place confirming the offer was conditional on my completing the required subjects.

Then came the paying the fees and accepting my place parts which were complicated because everything is geared up for me studying a full year of subjects so I was being told that I had to pay a deposit equivalent to the total of all of my fees to qualify o accept the place which is just not possible financially at the moment so I couldn’t accept the place online without paying that deposit. It was resolved by filling in the paperwork by hand and I received my welcome, please enroll online email. Queue further emails back and forth.

During this enrollment process I have discovered that I am officially miscellaneous, student wise. The reasons for this is varied and extensive:

• I am an “international” student;
• I only want to study 6 subjects but had to apply to study a whole Law Degree;
• My visa status of being on a bridging visa doesn’t fit any of the categories in the “official Statistics” of things the Australian Government apparently HAS to know about all students whilst enrolling and I accidentally ticked the wrong box as none of them fit my situation;
• I want to study online as an external student and apparently International students can’t do this but I have been offered a place to study online;
• I haven’t studied the prerequisites for the subjects I need to study (ummmm I don’t think I need to study Introduction to Law really? Apparently not); and
• I only want to enroll for 2 subjects when the minimum to enroll online is 4.

As a result I was sent an enrollment form for “miscellaneous students” to fill in by hand again and even though it’s been completed I’m still not enrolled.

I am probably driving the International Department crazy because every time they email me it’s never a straightforward email back but about 5 or 6 emails back and forth until that problem is sorted and if I call I am told to email!