Strategy Tragedy

14/7: A silver trophy stands proudly on my study desk. It could have so easily been gold!

Ground Zero

I woke up at 6am today with a throbbing headache and a nauseous sensation swelling up. If I wasn’t a male, I could have sworn I was pregnant! I felt utterly below the clouds. Only hours later, I had to endure the final of the mooting competition. Was I prepared? I certainly thought so! I tried memorizing part of my speech while my tummy was doing its labouring in the toilet.

8 a.m. Enjoyable Traffic Gala

Upon leaving my house in Sunway City, I found myself trapped in a massive traffic jam heading to college. Well, trying to maneuver through each driver on the street is always an adventure not to be forgotten!

The Moot Court Opening Ceremony

By the time the organizers got ready to begin the opening ceremony, my head was already doing its own version of the Macarena. I could have sworn I felt tremors around my college. When the first of the law lecturers arrived, each was worried about the severity of my “nervous” state of mind. Although, I tried to explain that I had not been nervous since the start of the competition (although this should not be construed as arrogance on my part), none were willing to accept it. Well, perhaps my face betrayed me? Was I nervous before the final? Perhaps, a bit but I still disagree that I had suffered any bouts of nervous breakdown in the competition thus far. Later, the dignitaries began to arrive. I had told Mr. Foong and Shireen of my unhealthy state of being. They showed compassion and sympathy, but, at that hour I knew I had to soldier on no matter what!

“I came, I saw, I stumbled”

I began my opening submission with much poise and confidence. However, little did I realise that a small error which I had made so early on would have cost me the entire moot itself. I forgot to delegate the points between myself and my junior appellant and to show them to the judges. Such a seismic error is unforgivable for someone who had the most experience among the 4 mooters today. As a result, I was to find out later, that I had to field questions on each point of law. I thought I answered convincingly. Apparently, the judges did not share my view. Among all the mooters, I was told that I spoke for almost 40 minutes on my opening submission alone while the rest spent about approximately 10 minutes each.

Secondly, I made a terrible strategic mistake. I thought by furnishing the court with my weakest argument and to do away with it immediately, I could focus all my strength on my strongest point. Alas, the hammer struck the hardest on this lack of foresight. The judges queried me so much on that particular point of law (the case of Greatorex v Greatorex), that they left me so little room to explore my strongest point. The battle was already lost, and yet, I did not even see it!

Although I tried valiantly at my closing submission to salvage what was already a sinking vessel, I simply failed to save the ‘Titanic’ (or my case) and consequently was forced to go down with her.

The killer blow

When the judges came in, I had deduced from their expression that there was probably bad news in store for me. Before they came in, I was quietly confident of bagging both the moot and the Best Mooter Award. But, when Lady Saraswathy began to deliver her judgment, I had already foreseen that we had LOST the moot. However, before she spoke and delivered the killer blow, I was still pinning on lost hope. Furthermore, I thought to myself, even if I did not win the moot, I could still win the Best Mooter Award anyway. Besides, the trophy for that award simply dwarfs the others on display. Thus, when the judges unanimously found that Hou Tseng was the Best Mooter, I knew all I had was the consolation of playing second fiddle to both the opponents and to my fellow learned junior and close friend. I was right. My opponents Ying Khai and Zijian won the moot! I have to use this opportunity to wish my heartiest congratulations to them for showing an excellent display of elocution and a masterful craft of mooting at the highest level.
My sincere apologies

1. To my learned junior counsel: first and foremost, I wish you congratulations on winning the Best Mooter Award and my utmost regret in not ‘turning up’ for today’s final. With a better senior counsel, I’m sure you would have stood a better chance at glory!

2. To my classmates and supporters: I’m sorry I did not bring back the gold. I tried my best, unfortunately, today it wasn’t good enough.

3. To my law lecturers: I’m speechless and I leave no excuses for my mistakes. They were careless at best and reckless at its worse. I took a strategic gamble which did not pay off! My sincere apologies.

4. To the others who I have forgot to mention: what more can I say? I made a mistake!

The wind beneath my wings

Thank you for being there for me when the chips were down. I’m glad that you let me share my happiness with you and giving me a warm and safe retreat in the confines of your embrace when I was at my most vulnerable. Without your emotional support, I’m sure today would have been a pretty bad day for me! Thank you again, darling.

The day ends

I’m back home (again after having to fight through the manic traffic along the LDP) at around 8 p.m. I still have the headache. Well, perhaps a good night sleep will ease the pain and humiliation (not at the loss, but, at the manner in which it happened). Tomorrow is a new day and a new adventure. Let me check my schedule. Damn…not Tort Law again?

Innerflame down, but, certainly NOT out!