Blackstone 2017 Blackbird Journal

Contents 01 02

03 Wellbeing in 04 Law School 06 08 10 12 14 15 16 18 20 21 22 BLACKBIRD . 2017

From the editor Natalie Thompson From your dean: 10 top tips for staying healthy in law school Natalie Skead From your wellness vice-president Samantha Rumenos Open letter to students Ambelin Kwaymullina What do exams tell you about yourself?

David Kernohan Finding balance and wellbeing as a law student Liam Elphick Keeping it S.W.E.E.T. in law school Kate Offer Need a mental health day? Take it Jerome Doraisamy Penny’s top ten tips for study habits and wellbeing for law students Penny Carruthers Better than back to the future - it’s back to the law school Marilyn Bromberg Surviving leagle education Catherine Eagle Agony education vice-president Emma Boogaerdt Wellness and law Murray Wesson The fruits of the law?

Sarah Murray Good grief - lessons we can all learn about grieving and law school Lauren Jackson

24 26 The need for 2 8 balance 30 32

34 35 36 family and 3 8 four-legged friends 40 42 44 46 TRAVEL 48 50

Mooting and wellbeing - reflections from the mooting coordinator Renae Barker Putting the problem into perspective: a suggested framework for dealing with stress Cassandra Lee Balancing life, law and a passion for the environment - the importance of pursuing your interests Erika Techera Law school strife? Prioritise your life Andrew Hanna Study & song: finding balance through music Monica Brierley-Hay The importance of balance Sarah Mauriks Taking time to escape from law school Mitch Caubo How to make it out of mordor law school alive Yew Han Hee A road less travelled Shannon Gilby Zeus: rumble in the jungle Caleb Maher More than man’s best friend Tash Terbeeke Photos from the Juris Dogtor picnic Radhika Kayarat Travel and the law Samuel Lindsay Running away from responsibilities Hannah Flynn Lost and found Radhika Kayarat

CONTENTS

focUsing on 52 the physical 54 56 STUDENT Friendly 5 8 recipes

activities

Acknowledgements Sponsor

Clayton Utz

Editor Natalie Thompson Blackstone Wellness Officer Sub-Editors Samantha Rumenos Blackstone Wellness VP Samuel Lindsay Josephine Kwok Isabella Jackson

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Exercise and the motivation quandary Brad Papaluca The law of exercise Cyle Schneider Yogi reflections by the full moon Rosanna Susanto Kimchi fries Hannah Kim Hummus Avo smash Overnight oats Chocolate mug cake Josephine Kwok and Natalie Thompson Quiz: time to unwind Sudoku Colouring

FROM T HE

EDI T OR

Welcome to the second-ever edition of Blackbird!

The articles in the following pages cover a range of topics on mental and physical wellbeing, including advice on how to deal with the intense pressure of law school, personal accounts describing the therapy that dogs provide and the benefits of a life dedicated to fitness.

Also included is an activity section full of fun (student-friendly) recipes, sudoku puzzles and colouring pages for your enjoyment.

It’s clear that we all “have” mental health - it is tied closely to our physical health and has such an impact on daily life and relationships with other people. Yet taking steps to deal with any issues related to mental wellbeing can be incredibly difficult. Telling others that we aren’t doing so well can feel like a sign of weakness, when in reality it is simply admitting that we are thinking, feeling human beings that can’t run at 100% all of the time.

I firmly believe that talking about mental health is a powerful way to remove the associated stigma. As such I am incredibly grateful to all the students, staff and professionals who took the time to write contributions for us (and Radhika for all her beautiful photos). A special mention also goes to all those who took part in our wellbeing survey.

I’d also like to extend thanks to Clayton Utz for sponsoring the publication, and the crew at Graphic Source for printing it for us.

Finally, a big thank you to Samantha Rumenos, Blackstone’s wonderful wellness vice-president, and sub-editors Samuel Lindsay, Josephine Kwok and Isabella Jackson, for all of your help in getting this to print.

Happy reading - hopefully in the pages that follow you will find some inspiration, motivation (and reassurance) to help you navigate law school and the life beyond.

Design Natalie Thompson Photography + Radhika Kayarat Illustrations Natalie Thompson Ambelin Kwaymullina Printers

BLACKBIRD . 2017

Graphic Source

NATALIE THOMPSON . FROM THE EDITOR 1

F r o m YO U R DeaN Natalie Skead

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10 TOP TIPS FOR STAYIN G HEALTHY I N L AW SCHOOL

Eat well – a healthy mind needs a healthy body.

Drink tea – it soothes the soul.

Listen to music – to lift the spirits.

Pat a cat – nothing calms like a cat’s purr (really!).

Box – the best remedy for anxiety caused by 227 unopened emails (or an unwritten 3,000

F r o m YO U R W ELL N E S S V P

Welcome to Blackbird 2017!

Law students like to believe they are intelligent people, yet they often fail to complete the most basic task - caring for themselves.

Wellbeing is a topic that is frequently discussed in the law school, but rarely acted upon. It is acknowledged as an ‘issue’ amongst students but unfortunately students often fail to take on board advice provided to them by friends, family or professors.

This is incredibly concerning, even more so when you take into account the research into and statistics concerning the poor mental heath of people in the law school and beyond, in the legal profession generally.

Dr Robert Fisher, Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Services at St Vincent’s Clinic and Private Hospital summarised the topic of mental health and the law aptly when he stated, “the very things that make you a good lawyer also happen to predispose you to developing a mental illness”.

Studies have constructed a ‘stereotypical law student’ - she/he is pessimistic, anxious, eager to please and a perfectionist. When many people with these similar characteristics are placed in a highly competitive environment, the results are shocking. In fact, studies have reported approximately 50% of students, solicitors and barristers have experienced depression or depressive symptoms across law school and their careers in law.1 Urban Dictionary oddly defines ‘Blackbird’ as “people who in defiance of the law”, yet fails to finish this sentence. This publication aims to finish this sentence by, in defiance of the trends in the legal community, discussing and addressing wellbeing in the law school, in the hopes a law student may relate to an article, pick up a tip, or even just take a well-needed break from their studies and receive a dose of positivity to brighten their day.

Despite studies repeatedly describing a ‘stereotypical law student’, I firmly believe in the individuality of every person, EVEN law students. I also firmly believe as every person is different, every one deals with certain things differently. It is important to remember this and listen to your body, do what works for you, do not compare yourself to others and in the words of Kevin Gnapoor from Mean Girls, “don’t let the haters stop you from doing your thang.”

Samantha rumenos

Happy reading!

word research essay due in 18 hours).

Don’t be in a rush – it’s better to graduate healthy than graduate quickly.

1 http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lawreport/courting-mental-illness-the-legal-system-and-mental-health/6837090

Come to class and connect – the relationships you build at Law School will serve you well through your career.

Make time for family, friends and those you love – they will remain long after Law School is a distant memory.

When it gets tough (and it will), know that it will pass – it always does.

Take care of yourself – take care of each other!

Please note, the following organisations are available to provide support and guidance and are full of amazing people who want to talk to you if you would like to: Beyond Blue - http://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Black Dog Institute - http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au Reach Out - http://au.reachout.com/ Lifeline - 13 11 14 and http://www.lifeline.org.au/ SANE Australia Helpline – 1800 18 SANE (7263) and www.sane.org Lawyers with Depression - http://www.lawyerswithdepression.com/ Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation - http://www.tjmf.org.au/ Wellbeing and the Law Foundation - http://www.watlfoundation.org.au/ Wellness Network for Law - http://wellnessforlaw.com/ The Wellness Doctrines - http://www.thewellnessdoctrines.com SAMANTHA RUMENOS . FROM YOUR WELLNESS VP 3

A n o p en let ter to students

By Ambelin Kwaymullina, Law Lecturer

Dear students, So life can be crap. There’s no getting around it – sometimes, things don’t go your way.

Maybe because they just don’t, or maybe because you are the victim of a larger injustice or a greater violence. It is not always given to us to be able to stop bad things from happening to us or to those we care about.

But the one power we do always have is to choose how we respond - which means that perhaps the ultimate reference points for our journey through life are not the bad experiences, but whether we were diminished by them. It would be nice, of course, if we could make a single choice in a single moment for every not-so-good experience in our life to change us for the better. Only it doesn’t work that way. It’s not one choice, but a series of choices, and on some days it is harder than others to make positive decisions for ourselves.

So what do you do on the bad days? The days when you are angry, sad, frightened, tired? The days when it seems like accomplishing the smallest of tasks is too much to ask of you? I know what it is to feel these things. I know it can seem like you are the only person to ever feel these things, as if everyone around you has been given some secret to managing their existence that you somehow missed out on. But I promise you, that somewhere in the world – in fact, somewhere in this Law School – there is someone who has felt or who is feeling exactly as you are. And we are all looking up at the same sky.

It’s important to know what takes you back to yourself. The things that nurture you, inspire you, or simply make you smile. There doesn’t have to be anything complicated about it. I like to watch the trees from my office window.

To look at the river. To walk under the archway at the top of campus beneath the mosaics. I like show-tunes, speculative fiction books, and video games. And on the bad days, I know how much it matters to turn towards the things that bring you back to yourself rather than away. It sounds simple, but it’s so easy to turn away.

To tell yourself you don’t have time to do anything for yourself – not an afternoon, not an hour, not even five minutes. Except you do. And taking that time, even a little time, is what will enable you to do all those other things that you have to do.

It’s important too to understand the power of laughter and especially how to laugh at the things that scare you. Nothing ever seems so bad if you can laugh about it. It also matters to be able to laugh at yourself. I do so often, including in relation to my largely futile efforts to tell jokes in lectures that you will all find funny.

Each of us do some things better than others and every law graduate I know has one unit that they remember as their worst unit, the one that they just didn’t understand no matter how hard they tried (Trusts is and always will be an enduring mystery to me). So be proud of what you do well and learn to relax over what you don’t. The study of the law is an important part of your life, I know. But it is not the sum total of your existence, nor the measure of your worth as a human being on this planet.

You are here. You are alive on this day, in this moment, at this place. Enjoy it!

Your teacher, Ambelin Kwaymullina

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AMBELIN KWAYMULLINA . AN OPEN LETTER TO STUDENTS 5

W h at do exams tell you a b o u t yo urself ?

By David Kernohan, CEO of the Mental Health Law Centre As law students we are familiar with the competition, pressure and anxiety from exams. We may have commenced studying law for a variety of reasons, such as family expectations, noble ideas about effecting change in society or simply the desire for a prestigious job.

However, we learn very quickly that whatever our initial reasons were for studying law, if we want to do well in our degree, we need to compete.

We listen to other students talk about how we need to have high marks to get clerkships and graduate placements and a foot in the proverbial door. So begins the cycle of pressure and anxiety around assessments, including exams.

Competition is healthy when it is kept in balance.

By this, I mean when we do our best and are content with the results, assured that we gave it our best effort.

When competition is not kept in balance, it becomes unhealthy and can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.

It is well known that many law students are high achievers and have a strong tendency towards perfectionism. The problem for perfectionists is that they have excessively high performance standards. Dr. Paul Hewitt, Professor of Psychology, gives the example of a student at a university who experienced depression and was convinced he needed to get an A+. The student studied very hard and achieved the A+. Yet, having achieved the A+ he became even more depressed and suicidal because he was convinced he was still a failure.

He believed if he had been perfect he would not have had to work so hard to achieve the A+.

Many law students will relate to this relentless attempt to achieve perfection, even when an excellent score is achieved. This is competition out of balance.

As I mentioned above, the relentless striving to achieve impossible goals leads to a sense of low self-esteem,

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which pre-disposes us to anxiety and depression.

Low self-esteem, anxiety and depression often arise from catastrophic thinking. For example, we receive a result that is less than what we anticipated. We start to think: • • • • • • • •

I am not as intelligent as I thought I was because I didn’t achieve the grade I wanted; Perhaps people already know I am not as intelligent as I thought and they are just being nice to me; I should have tried harder. I am such a failure; I have failed in this unit, that will lower my overall scores; I probably won’t get a clerkship; I won’t get the experience I need; I won’t get a job when I finish my degree I am such a failure.

As a result of achieving a grade that is less than you wanted, you tell yourself you are a failure and that not only are you a failure in the present, you are a failure in the future because you won’t be able to gain employment. Such harsh, catastrophic thinking about yourself increases the risk of you experiencing anxiety and depression.

Catastrophic thinking also tends to be circular because the anxiety and depression you are feeling is seen as further evidence of your failure as a person.

What do exams tell you about yourself? Exams and grades tell you whether you learnt the information in the unit sufficiently well enough to be able to relay it back to the marker. That is all. Exams and grades tell you nothing about your worth as an individual. Nor are they predictors of your future success or failure in life.

Krieger makes the point that the intense pressures and competitive environment in law school begins a process that re-orients students from positive per-

Exams and grades tell you nothing about your worth as an individual.

Nor are they predictors of your future success or failure in life.

sonal values towards more superficial rewards and image-based values. That ultimately leads to a loss of self-esteem, life satisfaction and wellbeing (Krieger, 2004).

In light of this pressure and competitive environment, how do we build a healthy self-esteem?

We need to learn to watch our thinking and begin to change the catastrophic thinking patterns we often fall into. This takes time because often we are not aware the bad habits we have fallen into with our thinking.

This is where good friends or mentors who hold us to account will be useful.

It is also about learning to be kind to ourselves. We think of being kind to other people but rarely to ourselves. So often, we get on the treadmill of studying, working and volunteering. We gradually morph into human doings rather than human beings and then we wonder why we have no sense of enjoyment and everything seems a struggle. In being kind to ourselves, we give ourselves space to do the things we enjoy and to remember we are unique and we are much, much more than the grades we achieve.

56% of law students surveyed find that assignments and exams create the most stress in their lives. *sample size = 86

DAVID KERNOHAN . WHAT DO EXAMS TELL YOU ABOUT YOURSELF? 7

F i n d i ng Ba l ance and W ellbein g a s a L aw Student

By Liam Elphick, Law Graduate and Tutor

Studying law is stressful. Very stressful. We all know that. What we often don’t know is how to find ways to overcome that. Almost every doctor will tell you that eating well, sleeping well and regularly exercising are the keys – but instead of clichés (that are admittedly true), here are five more practical tips I found handy in trying to have a balanced life as a law student:

do. If you have a tough semester of units, maybe drop an extra-curricular or sporting commitment you’re not enjoying – or if it’s an easier semester, maybe use it as a chance to explore some legal work or volunteering. Just do what you feel you can do – don’t be pressured into unrealistic expectations, because no-one has ever been able to do everything.

1. Give yourself a break

3. Take your time

If for whatever reason your brain is deciding it doesn’t want to study on a Friday night or that a fifth hour of consecutive study just isn’t going to work – give yourself a break, and go and have some fun. Most law students work incredibly hard but you don’t have to study every spare minute that you get. In fact, the better students tend to be those who can use their time most efficiently – not necessarily those who spend the most time studying. Allowing time to see friends and family and to just take a break from thinking about law is so important. Find someone to chat to about the meaning of life over a glass of red (NOT with a Commonwealth constitution in hand), or go and enjoy a social gathering or party without feeling guilty.

I was an LLB student, and when we started the ‘suggested’ timeframe for your double degree of law + something else was 5 years. I know maybe a handful of students who did it in 5 years. Half of my year group did it in the more realistic 6 years (which equates to a 3-year JD), while the other half did it in 7 or more years – myself included. If you are finding a fulltime, 4 unit per semester workload too intense – drop a unit or two. I went down to 2/3 units per semester for my final three years of study to pursue some teaching and research opportunities, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. You are never going to be punished for taking 4 years instead of 3 to do your JD – but if you do this, try and use your extra time to pursue other interests, whether they’re legal or not.

2. You don’t have to do it all Unlike the girl in this meme, you really don’t have to do it all. For some reason there seems to be an expectation on law students to get perfect grades, do Blackstone competitions, write a journal article, get clerkships, volunteer at a community legal centre, have some sort of paying non-legal job, join sporting teams, exercise, look great all the time, and always have time for family and friends. That’s just impossible. Put less pressure on yourself, and just do what you think you have time to 8 BLACKBIRD . 2017

“Just do what you feel you can do – don’t be pressured into unrealistic expectations, because noone has ever been able to do everything.”

of law, chase it and give yourself a different world to be in when you need a break from law school. It’s great if you love law, but it’s an amazing feeling to be able to have something else to think about too.

5. Figure out the best way to relax This is actually harder than you think. Most of us probably would answer this with ‘Netflix’ – and that’s totally fine, shows like 13 Reasons Why take up a lot of my free time. But what is the thing you actually find most relaxing, where you’re able to switch your brain off and just let go of your troubles temporarily? For some it’s reading a good book, while for others it might be letting off steam at the gym. I only discovered this since leaving law school, but meditation and mindfulness classes can be an incredible way to relax, and a tool that you can use in all aspects of your life to let go of stressful thoughts. The Mindfulness Meditation Hub in Nedlands offer almost daily guided meditation classes where no experience is required and you just pay whatever you feel.

Whatever you do to find balance in your life as a law student, just remember that every single one of you is going through the same stresses and pressures, and that your lecturers, tutors and peers can all help you. If there’s one thing I learnt from studying law, it’s that just talking to others about what you’re going through and sharing your stories with each other is often the best way to see that everything is going to be OK.

4. Find what makes you tick Outside of law school, find what you love and pursue it. For me, I’ve always loved watching and thinking about football – so through sheer determination and a fair bit of luck, I became an AFL scout for Port Adelaide seven years ago and still remain so to this day. If you love music, join a band or record some tunes. If you love French, go learn it. If you have an artistic talent, pursue it. Whatever it is that makes you happy outside LIAM ELPHICK . FINDING BALANCE AND WELLBEING AS A LAW STUDENT 9

KEEPING IT S.W.E.E.T. IN L AW SCHOOL

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By Kate Offer , Law Lecturer

I went to Law School in the 1980’s when our hair was as large as our fear of nuclear warfare and Sting was singing patronising songs about it. Marks were un-bellcurved, jobs were plentiful and wellness in Law School simply involved staying away from the edge of the fountain during winter court-yard shows, lest you end up taking a dip, courtesy of that drunk third year you’re dancing with (or so I’m told).

Fast forward thirty years and hair is flatter than the job market, fear of nuclear warfare is back and Sting is still writing annoying lyrics. But it’s the poor state of the job market that has made Law School more stressful than ever before. Although the practice of Law (or, indeed, working in any kind of professional capacity) has always been, - um, how shall I put this? - intense, the need for stress navigation skills arrives much earlier than it once did. So, although I missed some of that nerve-wracking aspect of university life, I didn’t miss the ‘working in a professional capacity’ stress. Here are my thoughts on how to help manage it.

Firstly, let me start with the boring practical stuff. It’s a cliché, but the first step to wellness really is looking after yourself physically. Taking care of the earthly vessel that carries you is important, and not just because you will need it for a likely 90+ year stay on the planet, but also because it makes life so much better while you’re here. My favourite teaching book, ‘Naked Teaching” (GOOGLE WITH CAUTION) by José Bowen begins with a chapter on the importance of S.W.E.E.T. (i.e., sleep, water, eating, exercise, and time). This sums it all up pretty well, I think. The importance of sleep is increased attention and we also know that, since the brain is about 90% water, drinking enough of it is crucial for good brain function. Keeping the crap food to a minimum helps, too. And we have to exercise to stay healthy and get the feel-good endorphins pumping. As Tim Minchin said in his wonderful UWA graduation speech a couple of years ago, the Human Movement people and their traffic cones were right, the pale, pasty, cigarette-smoking Philosophy students were not, and he exhorted everyone to ‘Run, my beautiful intellectu-

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Maintaining physical health is important but is it enough? No way, José. It’s just a starting point.

als, run!’ The final S.W.E.E.T. spot belongs to time. Regular breaks that allow us to re-charge are crucial. We’re humans, after all, and humans are just not designed to keep going and going and going.

Maintaining physical health is important but is it enough? No way, José. It’s just a starting point. To survive Law School it is also crucial to maintain mental health. So here are my tips for mental S.W.E.E.T.ness:

Stop trying to do everything all at once. When swim-

ming about in a sea of overwhelm, it’s really tempting to skip around in a frenzy between ‘ALL THE THINGS TO BE DONE!!!!!!’ but multi-tasking is simply not effective – nothing gets done properly and you end up frazzled. It’s more effective to pick one thing, set a time limit to work on it, and focus only on that one thing.

Rinse and repeat. It’s way more productive and less anxiety inducing. (Google ‘Pomodoro technique’ for more.

So good. So effective. So tomato-y.)

What’s important to you? Remember that it is literally impossible to do everything perfectly and some things just have to take a backseat. Ask yourself, what are the things that truly matter to you and do those really well. For the rest, say ‘no’ if at all possible, or give

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them the minimum level of attention to meet basic requirements.

Empty – make sure you give yourself permission to enjoy empty time - whether it’s a brief five-minute meditation in the middle of the day, a weekly switch-off period from connectivity or a proper holiday – these thinking spaces in our lives are important.

Engage with the journey and try not to worry too

much about the destination. You can’t control the future and there is no way of knowing what it will look like; all you can do is enjoy every day as much as possible. Incorporate joyfulness wherever you can (even if on some sucky days it’s just a really excellent cup of coffee).

Thankfulness – practicing gratitude is good for our

mental health. Remember, the fact that you are in Law School and reading this means you are a) alive, b) literate c) intelligent and d) already have a university degree! This puts you in a very privileged position indeed (and, if you’re born in the 1990’s, chances are you’ve never listened to a Sting album. Which already makes you luckier than a vast proportion of the world’s population).

Be well, S.W.E.E.T. Law students.

KATE OFFER . KEEPING IT SWEET IN LAW SCHOOL 11

Need a mental health day? Take it.

By Jerome Doraisamy, Author of The Wellness Doctrines

I’m usually a pretty highly-strung person. Always have been. But, a few weeks ago, I was even more frazzled than usual.

I was up to my eyeballs in work tasks, falling behind on the writing of my new book, struggling to find a new rental property, among other commitments. Each night, I was going to sleep pondering how on earth I was going to make any kind of meaningful dent in my “to do” list, even though I had been consistently working weekends just to try and catch up.

Then, one Wednesday, I decided to take an approach that was completely contradictory to my intellectual instincts at the time: I took the day off.

I turned off my phone and laptop, and went to the cinema by myself. I bought myself a nice lunch, went for a long walk, then came home and read for a couple of hours. That all took me to 6pm, and I still had a free evening. It was a truly liberating and relaxing experience.

Of course, every task on my “to do” list was still there when I came back to it the next day. But having had that 24-hour period in which I could completely switch off, literally and metaphorically, made a huge amount of difference to my psyche and sense of calm. I was able to unwind and recharge my batteries in a way I hadn’t been allowing myself to do.

We, as a society, have no problem taking a sick day if we have a cold. But illness does not just come in physical form; even if you do not have physical symptoms of illness, your body can tell you in other ways that it needs a break, such as through stress or anxiety.

We also often take days off if we feel a cold coming on; such proactivity helps stave off the illness from progressing to something more debilitating. The same is true of our mental health – it’s about recognising your 12 BLACKBIRD . 2017

own warning signs and subsequently acknowledging when to step back and chill out.

To live a healthy, productive life, it’s critical to take control of and manage your time, in and out of periods of study and work, in a way that is idiosyncratically empowering for you, and proportionate to your needs.

Taking a day off to address your stress and anxiety levels, as a law student and then as a legal practitioner, is not an indication of weakness or inability to cope.

It is, instead, a sign of strength: a self-determined line in the sand in which you are able to take individual responsibility for your own health and wellbeing, and move to better manage it.

Law school is an intellectually and vocationally rewarding endeavour, but it is also a challenging one.

Heading into legal practice following graduation is much the same, if not more pronounced on these fronts.

Allowing yourself time and space to recover from feelings of ill-health, whether those feelings manifest in physical form or not, is crucial for your long term prospects of efficiency and success.

As a law student, I didn’t allow myself such days, because I thought I would fall too far behind if I did.

What I have since realised is, by taking such days, I am actually better equipped to handle my workload, by virtue of having had a breather.

There may be days where the idea of throwing off the bed sheets and putting feet on the floor is the hardest obstacle that anyone could put in front of you. On such a day, don’t even think twice about taking the day off.

Do it – it’ll allow you to address whatever issues might be going on, and ultimately make you more productive in the long run. It’s worked for me, and can work for you too.

“Taking a day off to address your stress and anxiety levels, as a law student and then as a legal practitioner, is not an indication of weakness or inability to cope.

It is, instead, a sign of strength: a self-determined line in the sand in which you are able to take individual responsibility for your own health and wellbeing, and move to better manage it.”

JEROME DORAISAMY . NEED A MENTAL HEALTH DAY? TAKE IT 13

P en ny’ s Top Ten Tips for St udy Ha bi ts an d W ellbeing for L aw StudentS

By Penny Carruthers, Law Lecturer Everyone knows these tips, but we do not always follow them. So, here goes ...

01

Sort out the basics! Diet - Exercise - Sleep.

These are the physical fundamentals for wellbeing. All 3 are simple but essential. Examine exactly what you may be doing. You may not think that drinking copious amounts of Red Bull/coffee/alcohol or eating nothing but fast food is a problem – but perhaps it is. As a complete aside, I have recently been told by someone very close to me that it is completely unhelpful to go to sleep with the laptop on the bed, watching a person engaged in online gambling – most unrestful apparently. (Wow - who knew?!) So, with an honest and open heart, check up on what you are eating, drinking and doing and, if necessary, make appropriate changes.

02

As an old song says – ‘you’ve got to ... accentuate the positive ... eliminate the negative ... spread joy up to the maximum ... bring gloom down to the minimum’. Unless there is some point in doing so, it is generally quite pointless to dwell on negative thoughts. However, sometimes, there is a point in examining the ‘negative’. Look at it dispassionately and look all around the problem – perhaps there is something you can do to convert the negative to a positive – or at least make it a ‘not negative’.

03

To remedy procrastination – get started!!!

‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ If you need motivation to start a task, perhaps an assignment is due and you can’t get started, then make yourself start. Say to yourself, ‘I will give this 30 minutes ... or an hour ... or whatever.’ The very act of sitting down, getting going and making a start is often enough to get over that initial huge hurdle and the rest is, if not plain sailing, at least possible! Consider giving yourself a reward after doing a bit of work – a tea/coffee/walk/run/10 Mars bars ...whatever!

04

B et t er t ha n B ac k to t he F u t u re – i t ’s B ac k to t he L aw Sc hool Dr Marilyn Bromberg, Law Lecturer

get any worse than this, the only way is up.’ In some situations, just thinking this can be helpful.

05

If all aspects of life seem to be in a bit of a mess, it may be useful to think of this as part of the rich tapestry of life. How boring would it be if we all had perfect lives with no bumps in the road?

Bumps are good! We learn from them, they make us more compassionate, more resilient, more understanding and more thoughtful!

06

Take up challenges and opportunities as they present themselves to you. Even though it may seem like a bit of an effort, often the best things in life occur because you have put yourself out and done something that you may rather not have done.

07

Meditate – bring some stillness into your life from time to time. Rest, relax, refresh.

08

Be kind – think of the other – try not to be too self-absorbed.

09

Be kind to yourself – be realistic with what you can achieve.

10

We are all different – the wellness for some will require calming down, taking it easy, meditating, being realistic about all activities. For others, wellness may require going out there, having a go, not being too shy or anxious, being prepared to make a fool of yourself. But always remember - if your wellbeing is really threatened – seek help.

Dear UWA Law students, I know what it’s like to be in your shoes. Obviously not literally. But kinda close. That’s because I graduated with an LLB (Dist) from the UWA Law School in 2009.

And now, I’m back – as staff (I really do love the place).

If I could go back in time, besides picking the winning numbers in various lotto draws, there are some things that I would have done differently in my life. Among those relevant to you are what I would have done differently whilst a law student at UWA. So here they are:

01 02 03 04

I would have participated in more sport.

Sport generally, and in particular team sport, is great fun and so helpful for your health.

I would have attended more Law School social events. As a law student, you are busy with study, unpaid work, paid work, etc. Law School social events are fun and you often don’t have to worry about waking early the next day if you stay out late. Take full advantage of this opportunity.

Do not stress if you get a bad grade or two. In the long run, it really will not matter.

Do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Ask counsellors, friends, family, etc. Most people are very happy to help you if you ask.

Plus, my door is always open to you if you ever want to chat. Or sometimes, more importantly, have a coffee and/or chocolate.

Best of luck with your law school journey.

If you feel you are at rock bottom –sometimes it is helpful to think, ‘Well – it can’t

14 BLACKBIRD . 2017

MARILYN BROMBERG . BETTER THAN BACK TO THE FUTURE - IT’S BACK TO LAW SCHOOL 15

S U R V I V I N G LEAGLE EDUCATION

By Catherine Eagle, Solicitor at welfare rights & advocacy service

I have been a lawyer for almost 30 years and have worked in big law firms and small law firms, but most of my working life has been spent in community legal centres. I am not an expert in ‘wellness’ and my experience at university in the 1980s is very far removed from what law students will be experiencing today, but hopefully this article, which is based on my personal observations, may be useful.

When I was studying, most of our courses ran for a year, with one 3 hour exam at the end of each subject which was worth 100%. This inevitably meant that October/November were very stressful but for the rest of the year we faced very little academic pressure – we had few contact hours and lots of time for part-time work but also uni life. We also knew that if we successfully completed our degree and wanted to work as a lawyer, we were almost guaranteed a job as a graduate. This removed a lot of the external pressure that law students today face. Of course, the better your results the more options you had to choose where you worked.

I always increased both the amount of exercise I did and the amount of sleep I got in the lead up to exams – as much as anything this was procrastination – the only ‘legitimate’ alternatives to studying were exercising and sleeping. Happily I am sure this helped with my study and in reducing my stress levels. I have found in my working life that when I am physically active and fit it is much easier to keep work issues in perspective and I also tend to sleep better which also helps to manage my work day. If I set myself a goal I find I am much more likely to stick to it if I have told at least a few people about it, but also if I can persuade someone else to exercise with me - in the past I have joined a running club, and co-opted family members to exercise with me.

Choosing running was good for me as it reduced the number of excuses for not doing it i.e. you don’t need 16 BLACKBIRD . 2017

equipment, access to a gym etc. It also comes with the added benefit of getting me outside.

When I was studying, it was also really important for me to make sure I spent time with friends – those who were studying with me but also those that weren’t.

Talking to other people who were facing similar issues to me – or who were finding things more difficult than me (or easier than me) helped me to pick up tips/give support to others and it is rare that talking about a problem with someone supportive doesn’t help. In my work life, I have found that talking to colleagues whenever I am feeling worried about a work related issue invariably has a positive effect – it might be reassurance that I am ‘on the right track’ or a suggestion of a better way to tackle it or even just a reminder of why I am doing what I do.

I volunteered in a community legal centre while I was a student and this experience reinforced for me why I was studying law. Dealing with real people and seeing lawyers in action and the positive effect they could have on people’s lives was a great motivation for me. In my working life, whenever I have been involved in community legal centres, I have found the work rewarding and this definitely increases my sense of wellbeing. I know that I enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds (co-workers and clients) and being part of a community.

“ When I was studying, it was also really important for me to make sure I spent time with friends – those who were studying with me but also those that weren’t ... and it is rare that talking about a problem with someone supportive doesn’t help.”

CATHERINE EAGLE . SURVIVING LEAGLE EDUCATION 17

AG O N Y E DUCATION V ICE-P RESIDE N T Your academic and wellbeing questions answered by our Education Vice-President, Emma Boogaerdt.

Question not found here? Get in touch with her at educationvp@blackstone.asn.au.

Dear Education VP, I’m in my first year of the Juris Doctor this year and I’m really struggling with the stress and the workload – what can I do?

Mel N. Colley (20) Dear Mel N. Colley, Stress can be difficult to manage for all students, and is especially a problem in law. Some good tips for dealing with stress are: 1. Exercise – can’t afford the gym? Join the Blackstone Sports1 group or come along to our weekly Free Yoga.

2. Spend time outside – go for a walk along the river or mix it up by studying outside.

3.

Breathe – shallow over-breathing can prolong feelings of anxiety so spend a few minutes focussing on long, deep breaths.

4. Eat healthy foods – check out online free cookbooks for cheap recipes.

5. Stay connected – talk to your friends and family about how you’re feeling.

6. Take a break – if you’re struggling to focus then take a

short break and do something productive (e.g. clean your room, go for a run, do colouring in).

If your stress is prolonged book an appointment to chat to the UWA Counsellors.2 Dear Education VP, I have gotten sick and I have an assignment due this week – what do I do?

Snotty Mess (22) Dear Snotty Mess, You can apply for special consideration so you can get an extension on your assignment. You need to submit a form to the Law/ Arts Faculty Office via AskUWA or in person.3 If you want more information check out the webpage here.4 Dear Education VP, I am a Pre-Law student and I am struggling to work out the rules around broadening units. Help!

V. Keene (18) Dear V. Keene, You can check out this handy document that has information

Useful links: 1. Blackstone Sports www.facebook.com/groups/1312478682144956/ 2. UWA counsellors www.student.uwa.edu.au/experience/health/counselling 3. Law/Arts faculty www.law.uwa.edu.au/students/law-student-support 4. Special consideration www.student.uwa.edu.au/course/exams/consideration 5. Guide to broadening https://myuwastudentguild.com/wp-content/up loads/2015/02/TLDR-Policy-Guide-EAN-A4-3.pdf 6. AskUWA www.ask.uwa.edu.au/ 7. SURF www.surf.uwa.edu.au/ 8. Blackstone feedback www.blackstone.asn.au/teaching-and-feedback 9. Guide to academic appeals www.uwastudentguild.com/assist/academic/ appeals/ 10. Alternate pathway officer www.blackstone.asn.au/alternatepathway/

18 BLACKBIRD . 2017

on the Broadening requirements on undergraduate students, which have changed in 2017.5 If you’re ever confused about your course you can contact the Faculty through AskUWA, and they can advise you and help you plan out your course.6 Dear Education VP, I’m having a problem with one of my lecturers – how can I give feedback on their teaching style?

Shirley U. Care (22) Dear Shirley, The University has two formal avenues for feedback – the SURF and SPOT surveys. SURF enables you to give feedback on the whole unit which is publically available online.7 SPOT is an optional survey which allows you to give anonymous, confidential feedback to individual teachers. I would recommend sending your lecturer an email with your feedback as soon as possible so they can action that feedback. If you want to stay anonymous you can email me or fill in the feedback form in the Blackstone website.8

11. MASA Department www.uwastudentguild.com/about/departments/masa/ 12. Guild Student Assist Officers www.uwastudentguild.com/assist/ 13. UWA Exchange Information sessions www.facebook.com/pg/UWAEx change/events/?ref=page_internal 14. Blackstone Academic Mentoring www.blackstone.asn.au/academic-men toring/ 15. Pre-Law Academic mentoring www.blackstone.asn.au/prelaw-academ ic-mentoring/ 16. University Assessment Policy Guide https://issuu.com/uwastudentguild/ docs/know_your_rights_guide 17. Blackstone Assessment Information www.blackstone.asn.au/assessment 18. UniAccess www.student.uwa.edu.au/experience/health/uniaccess/exams

Dear Education VP, I thought I crushed my Contract assignment but I just got it back and am really disappointed with my mark.

What can I do?

Mona Lott (20) Dear Mona Lott, You can submit an application for your assessment to be appealed within five working days of your receipt of the results. Check out this guide on appeals and reviews to get more information.9 Dear Education VP, I’m a part-time student and I’m finding it difficult to make friends and stay up-to-date with my coursework when I’m not on campus all the time.

Any advice?

Yul B. Allwright (32) Dear Yul, Blackstone has the Alternative Pathways portfolio just for students like you – get in touch with our Officer or join the FB Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming events.10 If you’re a mature-age student, you can also join the Guild’s MASA Department here.11 Dear Education VP, I have had to drop down on work since starting the JD and I am struggling the balance my budget. Do you know if there is anywhere I can do for help?

Immi Goreng (21) Dear Immi, The Guild Student Assist Officers can give financial advice, interest-free loans, textbook vouchers, food vouchers, and grants for students with financial hardship.12 There is also a food pantry where struggling students can get healthy ingredients free. You should also keep an eye out for the tax-help

and budget-help programs run through the Volunteer Hub. Dear Education VP, I’m excited to go on exchange during my JD but I don’t know where to look for information – can you point me in the right direction?

Holly Day (20) Dear Holly, The first thing to do is to look at the UWA Exchange website and see what universities are available to you.13 Generally, JD students will go on exchange during their third year, but it depends on how many years you are doing your degree over. I recommend going to What do you feel made the most impact on your transition to law school?

“The complete change in the way you have to think and work from undergrad (arts) to law is insane.

There was also a significant pick up in the amount and quality of work expected of you. Although there was some support, it felt a little bit like being thrown into the deep end and trying to work out how to swim. A lifebuoy or two wouldn’t hurt!” - Final Year JD

an Exchange Information Session and then contacting the Study Abroad Office via AskUWA. If you’re interested in exchange you should start planning more than a year in advance.

Dear Education VP, Assignments in the JD are so different from during my undergraduate degree – how can I get help on my assignments and learn how to structure a law essay?

Earl E. Burd (21) Dear Earl, Blackstone runs the Academic Mentoring program that allows

first-year JD students to get help on their assignments from older students. Get information on our upcoming sessions here.14 We also run academic mentoring for prelaw students, that gives first-year JD students the chance to pass on their advice – you can sign up to participate during second semester here.15 Dear Education VP, I submitted my assignment a month ago and I still haven’t received my mark back or any feedback – is this allowed?

Hugh Achiever (25) Dear Hugh The University Assessment Policy (which you can get a tl;dr version of here)16 mandates that you receive assessments back within 15 University working days. You are also entitled to receive feedback on all assessments, including exams. We have more information on the Policy and the requirements of assessment on our website.17 If you have a concern about any of your assessments you can email me.

Dear Education VP, I recently have been diagnosed with a disorder that particularly affects me during exams. Is there anything I can do so I am not taking my exams in big halls with lots of other people?

Ann Ziety (21) Dear Ann, UniAccess is a university service that is available to all students affected by disabilities and/or medical conditions.18 Check out their website to find out how you can organise for alternative exam arrangements or call Student Support Services on 6488 2423 to have a chat with someone.

EMMA BOOGAERDT . AGONY EDUCATION VICE-PRESIDENT 19

THE FRUITS OF THE LAW?

T H E FR U I T S OF T H E LAW ?

By Sarah Murray, Law Lecturer

l aw and w e llness

By Murray Wesson, Law Lecturer It’s well-known that lawyers and law students are disproportionately affected by wellness concerns, ranging from feelings of stress and insecurity to more profound problems of anxiety and depression. Especially in a hard working and competitive environment, these issues can be very isolating. Students experiencing difficulties often feel set apart and alone with their problems. So my first piece of advice is that you’re not alone. Mental health problems are far more common than most people realise and can affect even the most apparently successful and confident people. There are support systems in place so if you’re experiencing difficulties please don’t hesitate to reach out and seek help and advice.

My second piece of advice relates to something that was said to me when I was a student: ‘Remember that you’re on your own path.’ It sounds cheesy, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time, but I’ve since found it to be very useful. In essence, I take it to mean that you shouldn’t set your criteria of success by reference to other people. Almost all of the time there are people who are better than us at what we do.

If you compare yourself to others, as law students are prone to do, you will often feel that you’ve failed. You 20 BLACKBIRD . 2017

should instead set goals that are realistic for you and take pride in accomplishing them. Equally, don’t begrudge or judge other people’s successes and failures.

For they too are on their own paths.

Thirdly, for me, exercise is a crucial part of physical and mental well-being. My preferred form of exercise is running. Perth is a beautiful city with a great climate so it’s an enjoyable place to be outdoors. The challenge is finding time to run. Here what I’ve found useful is setting a routine and then keeping to it. I’ve also joined a running group which provides an incentive to run when I’m demotivated, and which helps provide a social life that doesn’t consist solely of lawyers! If exercise isn’t your thing, at least find time for hobbies and activities that you enjoy and which provide some variation from your studies.

Finally, I often remind myself to take pleasure in the small, incidental details of life: a cup of coffee, a morning bicycle ride to work, the evening vista over the river, Perth’s blue skies and warm sun. Many lawyers are ambitious people who are intensely focused on long-term success. But as Ezra Pound wrote, ‘life slips by like a field mouse, not shaking the grass.’ We should remain mindful of life’s passing moments.

Right from the first lecture I loved the law. I loved the way it made me think. That the cases I was reading were about real people and that legal answers actually mattered. That it was about opinions and arguments and better arguments. That judges ‘held’, that they wrote ‘judgments’ and not ‘judgements’, and that they could dissent. I loved that it touched upon and made me think about everything.

At university, my brother was studying medicine and we used to often chat about our disciplines. I realised that one of the big differences between medicine

and law was that the human body was a potentially perfect thing and that medicine stepped in to put things right again. The law, on the other hand, was imperfect, but constantly on a path to being bettered, and that lawyers were part of that bettering.

The problem for me was while I loved the law, studying it was making me miserable. I constantly felt like I was drowning. Drowning in pressure and expectation. Pressure to get a HD in Corporations Law, pressure to get a clerkship (and a CV of some sort?), and pressure to constantly prove that I was up to it.

I remember the moment that brought this all to a head. It was ridiculous really. I was in a clerkship interview and was asked, ‘If you were a piece of fruit, what fruit would you be?’. Surely not, I thought. But it was the ludicrousness of it that made be stop. I walked out of that interview (I was later told that the ‘correct’ answer to the question was ‘a grape’. Why? Because you can work well on your own or as part of a bunch?).

It was then that I realised that I did not want to discuss what sort of fruit I was, or what mark I got for Corporations Law, or how much I wrote in my exam booklet. What I wanted was to learn the law, and to make a difference to others with that knowledge. I did not have to be perfect. The law certainly was not.

What I needed to do was to be a legal sponge; to acquire a rich and deep understanding of the law. To take every opportunity for legal learning on the path to bettering my legal knowledge, but to still live a full life. My exam marks were not necessarily reflective or representative of my legal understanding, and it was that understanding that would be the true legacy of all those hours in the law library.

We have to find out what is important to us and what drives us. Robert Holden says that you have to ask yourself ‘what is success?’ because ‘how well you answer this question determines how well you will live your life’. This is often one of the hardest questions but probably the most important. It is not just going to be about our careers but also our friendships, our families, and our passions outside of law. In taking the time to answer it together we can be happier and healthier, and ultimately, better lawyers and law students.

SARAH MURRAY . THE FRUITS OF THE LAW? 21

Good grief - Lessons we can all learn about grieving and l aw school

By Lauren Jackson, First Year JD Wellness Representative

When Blackbird gets published it will be pretty much exactly a year since my younger brother passed away. I was 21 and he was 18. Connor is my only sibling and the pain of having that all taken away is simply indescribable.

The day my mum rang me and said words like crash, coroner, hospital, police, accident, was the worst day of my life. Under the veil of shock, I was temporarily protected from the fact that my life would now be measured in before and after. Before, when my family was complete.

After, when I had to learn to live without my brother and all the memories we were still yet to make. *** Death is an experience we are guaranteed in life. Despite this, when it hits us, it can feel like we were just thrown off a building and landed one story short of imminent death. Time stops, and we pathetically attempt to wish reality away. The air is choking, and the agony inside our hearts can feel paralysing.

I was angry at the world, isolated, distressingly heart-broken, angry, disoriented, worried about my parents, then angry and sad again. This fitful display of emotions continued for a long time and is still continuing today.

In the early months after Connor’s death, I was simply existing. I’d caught the first flight home from backpacking Europe between my undergraduate and starting the Juris Doctor and landed back in Collie where my parents were. Where my brother and I had grown up. My life had stopped completely, and it enraged me that my friends were still living theirs as if nothing had happened.

My childhood home was filled with too many visitors, approaching on seven lasagnes, and the nauseating scent of flowers just starting to die. I vowed then that I would never send flowers to the grieving. It was just another reminder that everything lovely will be lost.

Almost all of my friends abandoned me. I saw noone for an entire year, nor did I work or study. Now, I 22 BLACKBIRD . 2017

am starting the JD and have to somehow find a way to really live again.

I am sharing my story with you for two very important reasons: 1. To let others know to be just that little bit more understanding to those who are mourning; and 2. For those who have also been through such a tremendous grief, so they may know they are not alone in trying to navigate the perils of law school whilst also coming to terms with their loss.

What I have found in only a short space of a year since my brother’s death is that people do not know what to say. Both young and old get uncomfortable around death. They fall back on clichés, that although are well-intended, only have the effect of coming across as insincere and rude. No, he’s not ‘in a better place’, and no there’s not ‘a reason for his death’.

If someone tells you they’re grieving a loved one, please just tell them you’re sorry for their loss, and that you’re thinking of them. Listen to them and acknowledge how they’re feeling.

And if that person happens to also be studying law with you, make sure you look out for them. Protect them when someone starts joking about how their assignment makes them ‘want to die’ and how they wish they could get ‘hit by a car’.

And to those who are grieving and trying to study law as well. I’m not going to pretend like I have some ground-shattering advice for you, because I don’t, and you probably already know that.

My only paltry advice is to use the options the faculty give you: apply for special consideration, get extensions, take a day off to spend with your family, and talk about your loved ones to your peers.

Most importantly, know that you are not alone on this journey. Law school is hard enough as it is, but I am walking this road with you and our loved ones would be proud.

LAUREN JACKSON . GOOD GRIEF - LESSONS WE CAN ALL LEARN ABOUT GRIEVING AND LAW SCHOOL 23

Mo oti n g an d we llb ei n g

reflections from the mooting coordinator

By Renae Barker, Law Lecturer

“But isn’t mooting stressful?”

This is one of the most common responses I get from students when I suggest they take part in mooting competitions. The answer is of course yes, but there are many ways to manage that stress and make it productive rather than destructive. So here are my five top tips tips for managing stress and promoting well-being during your mooting experience:

1. Have a life (other than mooting)

This might seem a strange suggestion from the person responsible for mooting at UWA… BUT all things should be enjoyed in moderation – even mooting.

Mooting can take over your life if you let it. The problem with this is it is a high intensity, high-pressure environment, and we all need a break sometimes. Make sure you take time to do those things that help you unwind (go for a run, watch some crappy TV, read a good book, or just have a coffee – we all know how much law students love caffeinated beverages). I sew. There is nothing quite like sticking pins in things to help you unwind.

2. Take the time to read the cases

Knowing the case law back to front is a real asset in a moot. If a judge asks you a question you need to be able to answer them off the cuff. If you have read the cases this will be much easier and will take some of the pressure off. I always tell members of my moot teams that they should never go into a moot and start talking about a case that they have not read – it is just asking for trouble. I also suggest taking a ‘cheat sheet’ into the moot with the essential information about each case you will be using (i.e. jurisdiction, judges’ names, who was in dissent, key principles and which page they are on). It always looks impressive when you appear to be answering a judge’s question about a case ‘off the cuff.’

In fact, you are looking at a well-prepared case cheatsheet – the judge does not need to know this.

24 BLACKBIRD . 2017

3. Put time into your preparation before the moot

As any Jessup Moot Researcher will tell you, Oralists get all the glory BUT they are only as good as their researchers! The same applies for individual moots and team moots where everyone speaks.

It is easy to spend all your time focusing on the business end (the oral presentation) of the moot. However your oral presentation will only be as good as the preparation you have done beforehand. 90% of mooting is reading, preparing, and working out your arguments before you step into the moot court room. You will find the experience of being in the court room a lot less stressful if you know you have done the preparation.

4. Take your time

A common mistake mooters make is speaking too fast.

There is just so much information you want to get out, and as the excitement and the nerves build you get faster and faster until no-one can understand you.

If you are feeling nervous or have shaking hands, take a deep breath and speak slowly – so slowly in fact you think you are speaking far too slowly – trust me, it sounds normal paced. Speaking in a slow and controlled manner makes you sound confident - even when you are not. If you need to take a break to gather your thoughts you can disguise this by taking a sip of water.

All of my mooters are told to make sure they have a water bottle with them for just this reason!

5. Talk to someone

Long hours spent in the library finding just the right case, or team meetings negotiating over which citation is best in your written memorandum can take its toll. If you are finding the experience of mooting is getting on top of you, talk to someone about it.

If you are part of a team, talk to your teammates.

If you have a coach talk to them. If you are in an individual competition, talk to your friends and family.

UWA also has a wonderful formal counselling service.

You are not alone in your mooting journey. Stress may be a natural part of the mooting process but it is not something you must go through alone.

RENAE BARKER . MOOTING AND WELLBEING - REFLECTIONS FROM THE MOOTING COORDINATOR 25

P ut ting the P roblem into P erspectiv e: A Sug g ested Framework to Cope w ith Stress

By Cassandra Lee

Successful stress management involves recognising that you have more control over your experience of stress than you might otherwise think. While you cannot always control the occurrence or timing of events in your life, you can always exercise some degree of control over your reaction to them.

No single method of coping with stress is universally appropriate, but you may find the following framework helpful. The goal is to explicitly identify what stressors are affecting you at a particular time, so that you can remove stressors that can be changed and reduce your stress responses to stressors that cannot be changed.

26 BLACKBIRD . 2017

1. Identify stressors and stress responses (a) Identify what stressors are causing you stress (e.g., any specific events or situations?); and (b) Identify what stress responses you are experiencing in response to each stressor (e.g., headaches, inattentiveness, tiredness?)

2. Categorise each stressor into changeable and unchangeable stressors (a) Changeable stressors (e.g., have you overcommitted yourself to a number of social events?); and (b) Unchangeable stressors (e.g., a family member has been diagnosed with a serious illness).

3. Identify constructive coping strategies (a) Identify ways you can minimise or eliminate changeable stressors i. this may involve reorganising your calendar where possible. ii. what other people think of you is really none of your business. iii. letting go of what does not really matter and moving on is an art that can be learned. (b) Identify ways you can minimise your response to unchangeable stressors. This may involve a combination of the following: i. Cognitive coping strategies: (1) remind yourself of constructive and rational thoughts such as ‘I can only do the best I can.’ This helps you to perceive stressors as challenges to be overcome rather than threats.

(2) ask yourself whether it will really matter in a week, a month, a year, or a decade from now.

(3) also remember that sometimes we

have to put up with the darkness so that we can see the stars. ii. Emotional coping strategies: (1) confide in a supportive friend or mentor, especially one who has been through similar experiences that you are going through.

(2) also remember that journeys to fantastical faraway lands are only a magical book away. iii. Physical coping strategies (1) exercise, stay hydrated, regulate your breathing, and remember to take medication (if you are prescribed any). These help you to alter the physiological responses that occur before, during, or after the appearance of stressors, which can mediate negative stress responses.

(2) remember that peppermint tea and chamomile tea have been respectively associated with concentration and relaxation.

4. Implement your coping strategies Write them down, set deadlines to implement them, and tick them off as you go.

5. Evaluate the efficacy of your coping strategies Consider what changes in stressors and stress responses have occurred as a consequence of implementing your coping strategies.

6. Adjust coping strategies as necessary to respond to new stressors and stress responses. (a) Repeat steps 1 to 6. (b) Remember that you got through today. You can get through tomorrow.

CASSANDRA LEE . PUTTING THE PROBLEM INTO PERSPECTIVE: A SUGGESTED FRAMEWORK TO COPE WITH STRESS 27

Ba l a n ci n g Li fe, L aw and a Pas s i on for th e Environment : the I mporta nce of Pur suing your In t erests

By Erika Techera, Director of the UWA Oceans Institute

I have always been interested in the natural environment, as well as cultural heritage. I grew up in the home counties of England and that is such a wonderful place to learn about nature and history. I studied sciences in my final years at high school but decided to enrol in law at university. I took a gap year and came to Australia, and have not left since.

I was young when I got married and had two children born whilst I was studying law as an undergraduate. I am not sure that was a good approach to health and well-being - I recall being exhausted for about 4 years. But it taught me to manage my time well and to push myself – both of these things have served me well and are certainly skills worth building. I also never lost sight of the goal; I wanted a law degree, although I did not know precisely what I wanted to do after that.

I was fortunate to get a position as a research assistant to a barrister in Sydney towards the end of my studies, after a friend randomly told me about it. This job was completely unexpected and opportunistic – I had not been successful in securing a graduate position, partly because I had young children and this limited the jobs I could apply for. Being a research assistant certainly influenced my future career, as I eventually went on to become a barrister, reading with that same barrister. What I learnt from this, and have applied after, is that you cannot plan all aspects of your life and to take opportunities when they arise.

After five years at the Bar I realised this was not the job I wanted to do forever, so I looked at going back to university to upgrade my qualifications. It was environmental law that captured my attention as it was so closely aligned with my personal interests. I completed two Masters degrees and then went on to undertake a PhD. The focus of my research was the small island states of the South Pacific where nature and culture are so integrated. I chose my particular 28 BLACKBIRD . 2017

research topic – integrating customary law and state legislation in the context of marine management – because knowing it would be hard work, I wanted a subject area that truly fascinated me and where I felt I could contribute usefully. Over time, more and more of my work has focused on the ocean because that is the area that fascinates me – marine environmental law, oceans governance, trans-national maritime crime, fisheries regulation, marine-based tourism regulation, maritime heritage law, and traditional and community-based marine governance.

I enjoyed my time as a barrister. It was particularly hard work as I had school-age children at the time, but the work was rewarding. Nevertheless, it was a high pressure job and I think my overall well-being probably suffered during that time. I have always enjoyed studying and do not find it a chore. So going back to university certainly inspired me in different and exciting ways. I do not find research and writing difficult or stressful; of course there are time pressures and deadlines, but discovering new knowledge and then exploring ideas, problem solving and reasoning are all very stimulating. Deciding to become an academic was a good decision for me. I believe it is important to reflect on what you enjoy doing, and if you do not completely enjoy your work, to try and find a role that uses your skills and genuinely interests you.

In my case it took a few years of study to transition to a new career, so perseverance is critical too. I continue to enjoy research and have a wide range of interests and research areas.

Similarly, I have enjoyed teaching. Most of my teaching has been at the postgraduate level and principally in my research areas. Being able to pass on knowledge, but more importantly stimulate student interest in environmental and heritage law, is a privilege. I am fortunate to have worked at two outstand-

ing universities, and to have taught intelligent and engaged students in areas that are often not the ones undergraduate students first think to explore.

So overall, I would say that the combination of choosing areas of specialisation that interest me deeply, as well as the rewarding role of being an academic have both contributed to my well-being. When I was younger I wanted to be an intellectual property lawyer and indeed undertook my Honours research in that field. But it is often said that you should do what you love, and although it took me a few years to work this out, that is environmental law for me.

For the last five years I have held leadership po-

sitions – as Dean of Law and now Director of the Oceans Institute. Leadership and management skills can partly be learnt but I do think some aspects come more naturally to some people. Again both these roles were opportunistic and I took a chance to try something new. I had to believe in myself, that I could do the jobs well and had something to offer; I have been very fortunate that others have also believed in me and I am grateful for that trust. I knew these positions would be difficult and challenging at times, but I think overcoming barriers and pushing myself into new areas is part of what makes me happy. We should never be afraid of that.

I believe it is important to reflect on what you enjoy doing, and if you do not completely enjoy your work, to try and find a role that uses your skills and genuinely interests you.

ERIKA TECHERA . Balancing Life, Law and a Passion for the Environment 29

l aw sch oo l s trife? P RIORITIse yo u r l if e

By Andrew Hanna, Law Lecturer

When I was a student, I found the study of law at UWA to be challenging.

The workload can be demanding. The content can be difficult. The quality of your peers is high; everyone is intelligent and hard-working. It is a competitive environment, particularly when clerkship, graduate and associateship positions are on offer. But I wish to make the following points: First , any concern that you have during your studies is likely to be shared by others. In other words, your concerns are not idiosyncratic. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you are finding an assessment difficult, the workload overwhelming or the clerkship process stressful. Other law students are going through the same experience.

S e cond ly , while there is nothing wrong in being ambitious, you may find that considerable personal sacrifices are involved in order to meet conventional markers of success in the law.

I wish to make the following two observations. The first is that no personal accomplishment as a student or as a lawyer is an adequate substitute for a balanced life. A personal accomplishment will give you some form of satisfaction (perhaps a lot). But it will not adequately compensate you for the ramifications which may arise from unwittingly neglecting your social life, physical activity, diet and other interests. A balanced life is absolutely essential to your mental and physical wellbeing and your overall happiness. Pursue your goals, whatever they may be, but do not let those goals compromise your quality of life.

30 BLACKBIRD . 2017

The second is that a balanced life can actually help you cope with the myriad of stresses associated with studying and practicing law. You will find that your capacity to concentrate and think clearly increases exponentially when you take care of other important aspects of your life, particularly your fitness, diet and social life.

If your pursuit of academic and career goals is coming at the expense of a balanced life, reconsider your priorities.

Based on objective criteria, I have met the conventional markers of success for a person of my age. I graduated university valedictorian; completed a High Court associateship; worked for the Solicitor-General of this State; worked for one of Australia’s preeminent law firms and the world’s largest business litigation firm; and was offered a full scholarship to study the Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford University. I was, however, so focused on academic and career success that I neglected other aspects of my life that needed to be catered for as well. In mid-2016, I had to deal with a health issue, which has since passed. I did not work until February of this year and had to defer my postgraduate studies to the following year.

So that I am not misconstrued, I consider myself very fortunate to have had these above-mentioned successes. I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that I have been given so far. But if I learnt anything from my recent health issue, it has given me the following perspective: a balanced life is indispensable to my overall wellbeing and happiness.

T hird ly , if you have no interest in working in private practice, don’t feel compelled to apply for a position at a top-tier law firm. I appreciate this is bewildering coming from a law lecturer that has worked in private practice. I am aware this is the “celestial pathway” for a law graduate. But the options available to you as a law graduate from a Group of Eight institution are not limited to the legal profession. If you do not see yourself in the realm of private practice, or your interests lie elsewhere, pursue other opportunities. Don’t feel that in doing so you did not fare as well as others who have landed a spot at a commercial law firm.

Four t h ly , don’t be disheartened when you are faced with setbacks, as tough as that can be. It is how you respond that matters. If you don’t believe me, I will conclude with a quote from the greatest basketball player of all time: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again and over again in my life.

And that is why I succeed.”

“The balance ebbs and flows depending on how the uni semester is going - during the first few weeks, it’s great and really easy to get through. But come assessment time/exams, the balance drops and it becomes difficult to re-balance.”

- Final Year JD student

ANDREW HANNA . LAW SCHOOL STRIFE? PRIORITISE YOUR LIFE 31

Study & Song: Finding bal ance through music

By Monica Brierley-Hay Whether you’re just starting your study of law or you’re well and truly into it, the one thing people will keep telling you is to make sure you maintain a balanced lifestyle. But what does this actually mean?

When people said balance to me, I always pictured an incredibly zen version of myself sitting in a meditative position, holding up high grades and work in one hand and sustaining an active social life and extracurricular commitments with the other. That might be a nice dream, but the reality for me is far from that. The truth is that real life balance means different things to different people. For me, the most important part of trying to achieve balance and staying mentally well throughout my studies has been allowing myself time to indulge in interests outside of law, particularly my passion for music. From my perspective, there are four really important reasons why music has sustained me though my study of law:

1. Music makes me happy.

This is the most basic and the most important reason why I spend so much time doing music: I love it. Even when I’ve had a terrible day, I can still get so much joy and fulfilment from singing

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“For me, the most important part of trying to achieve balance and staying mentally well throughout my studies has been allowing myself time to indulge in interests outside of law...”

with one of my choirs, teaching someone how to hit that high note they have been struggling with, or performing for an audience. Having things to look forward to is so important to sustain us day to day, week to week, year to year, and music has always been that for me.

2. Music helps me to put things in perspective.

I definitely have a little bit of an issue with overthinking things and obsessing over details of my day; a conversation in class or an assignment I submitted last minute. Walking into a rehearsal means I have to leave all of that at the door, and I can throw myself into something entirely new. In this way, music is definitely a positive distraction.

It allows me to take a mental break from study and stress and translate some of that negative energy into a positive exercise that I enjoy.

3. Music means I have another network of friends and colleagues.

It is so important to have people around you who you can talk to and share your concerns and experiences with. Singing in choirs has been really important in giving me another community of people with whom to connect and share. And sometimes it’s just really nice to have a conversation with people who have no idea what promissory estoppel is, but have a whole range of their own interests, beliefs, difficulties and advice.

4. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.

Committing to something, even as a hobby, can be difficult, time consuming and a lot of work.

There have definitely been times when I’ve considered cutting out something from my schedule to make more time for study. Sometimes that is definitely necessary. But for me, even when it has been difficult to juggle planning a rehearsal with submitting an assignment, I still think that committing to music as an outside interest has kept me balanced, happy and fulfilled.

By now I have come to terms with the fact that I’m not

that zen goddess who has control and balance in everything (to be honest I don’t even do yoga). But I’ve found my own way to sustain my energy, focus, and mental health. Find something you are passionate about, big or small, and dedicate some time to working at that, enjoying it, exploring it. It could be sketching, playing a team sport, singing, gardening or learning a language.

At the time it might feel like a distraction from study, readings or assignments, but for your overall balance and wellness, I promise you will reap the reward ten times over.

MONICA BRIERLEY-HAY . STUDY & SONG: FINDING BALANCE THROUGH MUSIC 33

TA KING T HE T IME TO E SCAPE FROM LAW SCHOOL

T h e im po rtance of bal ance

By Sarah Mauriks, Barrister

Before I started studying law in 2004, I was a reason-

ably calm(ish), easy-going person working in the media industry. I completed a brief stint at Channel 9 before realising that media wasn’t fulfilling or challenging in the way that I imagined a career to be.

I was working in America when I heard that I had been accepted to study a Bachelor of Laws at Monash University. Very shortly after receiving my acceptance correspondence, I learned that one of the first year core subjects mandated an assessment comprising of a Court report, due in week one. That’s when the stress, anxiety and unnecessary competitiveness set in.

After submitting the assessment, I became very interested with the marks that my fellow students had received. Mainly because I had barely passed, receiving a mere 8/15. You might think it strange that I remember this result, some 13 years later, but alas, that is how receiving results in law works for many of us. This result came as a big shock to me having done much, much better academically in my media studies degree.

I continued to achieve poor to average marks up until my final year where I started doing practice exam papers, which improved my marks dramatically. I also think that I received such poor results because instead of concentrating on what I was doing, I was too concerned with what everyone else was doing - which is a massive energy drainer and increased the stress and anxiety that I was suffering through. I say ‘suffering through’ because I stopped eating properly, I could not sleep properly either as I was constantly in a heightened state (mainly due to anxiety), which really negatively impacted my mental and overall physical health.

For a few years there, all I did was work and study.

I lived out of home, I had two jobs and I studied law full time. I almost never did anything for relaxation or fun, because any time spent away from studying caused me even more anxiety because I wasn’t studying. But even when I would sit down and study, focusing and retaining information proved almost impossible. I found myself reading the same excerpts of cases over and over again, but nothing was sticking. I then thought that maybe it was because I wasn’t reading the WHOLE case, only an excerpt, and that’s why I wasn’t under-

34 BLACKBIRD . 2017

standing. So I quadrupled my stress and workload by attempting to read every case referenced. I adopted a very real ‘all or nothing’ approach, in that I had to know and understand everything about a topic perfectly, or there was no point in learning it at all.

As is probably becoming clear, this was not a sustainable situation. But I continued to do the same thing, semester after semester, which made me miserable and, disappointingly, I didn’t enjoy my studies as much as I could have.

I managed to ‘survive’ my law degree while doing absolutely none of the things that I encourage my students to do for themselves. So, I would encourage you guys to make proper ‘time off/relaxation’ time for yourself that is genuinely enjoyable, where you’re not thinking about study or assignments or exams. And when you do sit down to study, actually study and don’t be distracted by your phone (Snapchat, Facebook and/or Tinder, in particular), the TV, food, your pets, anything shiny….

And exercise. Or, if you hate exercise like I do, go for a lovely lunch somewhere or see a movie – alone, or with family or friends. But try not to get lured in and trapped by Netflix.

If you do suffer from anxiety and/or depression, try talking to someone about it because it really does help.

You may need to manage it through medication or ongoing counselling, and there is no weakness or shame in that. We all need a little help sometimes and I encourage doing what works for you.

Don’t listen to people who tell you to ‘get over it’ or to ‘chill out and go for a run’ or that ‘you’ll be fine’, or who ask you what your problem is if you are a bit jittery or seem to get sick a lot (those are the lucky people who don’t suffer under the clutches of anxiety or depression). People who haven’t experienced what you may be going through can’t really understand, so try not to hold it against them as they may not be able to see that you did not ‘choose’ to feel the way you do when it comes to anxiety or depression.

Overall, take a moment to be proud of yourself, and try not to worry about what anyone else is doing. Focus on yourself and be kind to yourself. And others.

By Mitchell Caubo

Everyone who studies needs a release; a break from the stress and relentless workload that we, against our better judgement, subject ourselves to every semester. My break from the JD is being an instructor in the Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC). As an instructor, my job is to mentor and train young adults in leadership, teamwork, organisation, and responsibility. This means that one night a week I get to don my uniform and do something fun and different from study or work. The AAFC is my escape from the trials and tribulations of being a law student – for that one night my mind can reset and the next day I’m able to hit the books with fresh eyes and a clear head. Don’t get me wrong, university is definitely my priority and unfortunately those essays are not going to write themselves. But making the effort to consistently allocate time during the week to doing something totally separate from study has helped keep me sane throughout my four years at university.

MITCHELL CAUBO . TAKING THE TIME TO ESCAPE FROM LAW SCHOOL 35

h ow to m ake it out of mordor l aw sc ho o l ALIVE

By Yew Han Hee

In November 2013, a month before I turned 42, I told my family that I was going back to UWA to study law.

They thought I was joking. When they found out I was serious about it, they said I was going through a midlife crisis. I wasn’t. I have a degree in computer and mathematical sciences from UWA’s engineering faculty, and 20 years of work experience in information technology, consulting, management, business startups, music publishing and artist management. Acquiring a degree in law would be like having the “one ring to rule them all”.

After 3 years of countless assignments, exams and sleepless nights, I am almost there. I started the JD with a parttime, 2 units per semester program. By the end of the third semester I subsequently switched to a fulltime, 4 units per semester program, after realising I could withstand the workload. Last year, I studied and passed a total of 10 units so that I could complete the JD course in 3.5 years. It was hard, because I was the sole income earner for my family of five members (plus a 2-year-old miniature schnauzer Noodle). How did I do that? With strict discipline, effective time management and a lower expectation on grades balanced with spending time with my family and always ensuring I had something nice to look forward to.

Strict discipline – In the past three years, other than Facebook, Netflix, Gmail, WeChat and Weibo (the last two are Chinese social networks), I didn’t waste any 36 BLACKBIRD . 2017

time on screen unless for study or work. I didn’t watch TV and I rarely participated in any non-family social activities. My alarm was set at 6.15am on weekdays and at 7.00am on weekends. My bedtime was usually before 12 (except for when assignment was due in 2-3 days).

Effective time management – I have 5 calendars with 5 Google accounts – two for work, one for UWA, one for family matters and one for non-family personal matters, and I’ve synchronised all my schedules onto my iPhone and MacBook. I’ve got alarms set for almost all my appointments, whether reminding me when to give Noodle a tablet for flea treatment or an alert 2 hours before an assignment is due. The schedule for family matters is a shared calendar with my wife, so we’ve been able to keep in sync with obligations such as piano lessons or tennis training for our children. It took a great deal of discipline to manage time this effectively.

Lower expectation on grades?

That’s the hard one, particularly for a law student. Even as a mature-age student, I have pride and high expectations as well. But since accepting the fact that my grades would be either a pass or credit, life became easier. Instead, I tried to get maximum participation marks for all units. I asked for help from students further into their degree in the form of notes and exam guides. I reduced assignment writing time from weeks to days (caveat – this can be a stressful task, involving lots of coffee and sleepless nights). I revised thoroughly and

slept well before exams, used good notes and just aimed to pass. Afterwards, I forgot about the exam content - and never discussed it with anyone.

A life with family (or those you care about) – This was my key to managing stress throughout my studies - playing with my young children, talking to my teenage daughter about her friends (she just turned 18 on May 3), and attending to errands assigned by my wife. I also did a lot of gardening to forget about work and study, and walking Noodle was extremely therapeutic. Keep a routine with your love ones, such as going to Church or the beach with them, preparing breakfast for them, or watching family programs on Friday evenings. Anything that helps you remember that you and your law degree are not the centre of the universe.

The biggest challenge I’ve encountered in the course was being able to do well in group assignments. If I recall correctly, in three out of four assignments, I couldn’t deliver to a standard my partners were expecting. This was primarily due to my time constraints, inflexible schedules and competing priorities. However, my many years of work experience were helpful in units such as Negotiation and Mediation, Corporations Law and International Commercial Arbitration.

Finally, whenever I was experiencing doubt, or feeling stressed or depressed, I overcame the blues by thinking of something nice. And right now, instead of worrying about the final exams in June, I look forward to my graduation in August.

YEW HAN HEE . HOW TO MAKE IT OUT OF MORDOR LAW SCHOOL ALIVE 37

A road less travelled

By Shannon Gilby

Benjamin Franklin’s incredible intellect allowed him to state with certainty that there are only two certainties in life; death and taxes. My rather feeble intellect, in comparison, might dare to add another… that there are only 24 hours in a day. And another... that once young children come into your life, your personal time suddenly vanishes. And so begins my story as a husband, a father of two beautiful girls, and a mature age full time JD student.

After a varied and interesting career in the oil industry, I sought to enhance my knowledge of the world and foundation for future career growth by returning to university to study law. If it’s one thing to dream of what you might become, it’s a different thing altogether to bring it to life. Some encouraged me in this pursuit; others were more sceptical (particularly given my age and family commitments). But most importantly, my family, particularly my wife, my parents, and my kids, have been extremely supportive and encouraging.

However, if I was to realise this personal dream of mine, it was only going to work if my study fit into my life without overly disrupting, indeed hopefully enhancing, my family and children’s lives. Whilst it has brought its unique challenges, on many fronts (as time has worn on) I have begun to see the significant benefits of some of these challenges.

The selfless responsibilities of a parent contrast strongly to the inward looking, necessarily selfish nature of study. Kids keep you grounded. Their ability to live for today and enjoy the small curiosities in life inspire me to try to keep things in perspective too. For example, I might be disturbed from my reading of a highly theoretical constitutional law case to come and see a fairy house the girls have made in the backyard, or 38 BLACKBIRD . 2017

watch them climb a tree, or explain why you can hear ocean waves in a sea shell. The boundless curiosity of my children inspires my own curiosity and keeps me from looking too far ahead.

My wife supports my study, is now the breadwinner for our family and inspires me to put family before myself. To be honest this has been a humbling experience, and challenged some of my perceptions about myself and my role in the family. Now I support my wife at home, and look to set an example for my children in a new way. Being able to set an example for them, encouraging them to do their school homework next to me whilst I do my study, sets a good example for all of us.

Plus, there are so many less obvious benefits of study that have broadened my horizons. I have met new people, all younger than me of course, and made some good friends. I see in them a younger version of myself, and an older version of my own kids. It’s uplifting to be in such good company. Further, learning about the law is a most intellectually rewarding experience, and I know that the sacrifices I am making now are small compared to the benefits I am receiving. The fact that returning to study is humbling in so many ways is a reason to embrace it.

Ultimately, I love the decision I have made, but not before I questioned it and my motivation for making it.

But there are only 24 hours in a day, and so ultimately setting priorities, and accepting that there is no space in my life for some personal indulgences is part of the deal. Being a parent and a full-time law student doesn’t immediately make sense, but if you can get past the initial anxiety, there are many rewards for yourself, and hopefully, your family.

“Kids keep you grounded. Their ability to live for today and enjoy the small curiosities in life inspire me to try to keep things in perspective too.”

11% of law students surveyed came to law school from full time work - 73% came from a previous degree at UWA.

SHANNON GILBY . A ROAD LESS TRAVELLED 39

ZE U S : Rumbl e i n t he j un gle

Name: Zeus Maher

By Caleb Maher

I found Zeus, my Boxer puppy, in late November 2015 in the hope that it would relieve me from depressively worrying solely about myself and where my future was headed. Upon walking into the compound/pet shop, I saw him and his two sisters.

I was really looking for a female boxer as growing up I had already had a male boxer. The lady told me Zeus was a girl and, being the oblivious one, I didn’t think to check. Later that night I received a frantic call with an apology and an offer to change to another puppy. It was a single minute’s call but in that minute I made the decision to keep him, and the rest is history.

For the first month, I woke up with him every 2-3 hours to take him out to use the facilities. It was extremely taxing and I could feel my patience at an alltime low. I didn’t know if I was mentally built to handle such a rambunctious dog that required so much attention and caring. However, the trip to the vet for de-sexing surgery changed my mind completely.

Although I had a split-second thought of joy at having the day off, I got home, sat down, and a sudden rush of anxiety and fear took over me. I asked myself questions like: ‘Do you even know who you left him with?’, ‘What happens if something goes wrong?’. Of course, to a casual observer all of this would seem extreme, but I was beyond consoling while I waited for the phone call to pick him up. They told me he would be ready at 2:00pm so naturally I had called twice by noon and was in their parking lot by 12:30 waiting to see him. I knew at that point how much he meant to me and how much all that work had changed my perspective on life.

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When I get depressed I think a lot about myself and my failures. Such simple things can become big issues after a night of self-reflection. I tend to recede quietly to be by myself, ignoring phone calls, texts, and any form of interaction with other people. Simple things such as doing poorly on an exam or underperforming on an assignment I will link to a future of never having a job and living in a van down by the river.

Yet caring for Zeus affords me next to no time to worry about these little things in life. He requires constant exercise, which, as a consequence, means I get exercise. He sleeps for long hours, so naturally I get a full night’s sleep with him nestled beside me. He has easily been the greatest treatment and character-building choice I have ever made. He has forced me to be social (even on bad days) and talk to other owners who have a pup he wants to play with. In this way, I have become good friends with my neighbours and Zeus has become the boyfriend of their Kelpie cross Lola. He has known her since he first came home at Christmas 2015 and still gets excited at the thought of seeing her. They can play together all day and never lose interest in each other, which is simply a joy to watch.

Zeus has shown me that love is not conditional on performance and every day he reminds me of this as he welcomes me home with kisses and a smile. If I have free time, there is a good chance I am spending it with Zeus. But BEWARE: if you see Zeus, approach with caution because he will likely jump all over you and lick you to death!

That’s just the life of a Boxer.

DOB: 11-11-2015 Weight: 24.5 kgs Height: ~ 0.45 m Aliases: Bubba, Pumpkin, Bubba Goose, Gooser, Zeusy, Zeuster and Oi Charges: Treat stealing, cleaning himself after bedtime, chasing birds etc.

CALEB MAHER . ZEUS: RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE 41

m o r e th an man’s best friend

By Tash Terbeeke, Academic Services Team Leader

It is no secret that I am obsessed with dogs, especially my own two. I haven’t always had such an obsession.

Sure, I have always loved dogs - we grew up always having one and if I came across a cute dog in the street, I would give it a pat. But I wasn’t the type of person to take their dogs everywhere, post pictures of them all over social media, and talk to them like children – all things I do now!

What changed for me was getting my own dog. In 2015, I moved out of share housing and into my own

member, but due to many factors outside of my control I came back from an amazing holiday to South America and fell into a pit of depression that got worse and worse. Every day I struggled with motivation to do even the smallest activity. Getting out of bed was the first and hardest step. But as I struggled, I would look to the end of the bed and see this creature that needed me. He relied on me to take care of him, and I had to get out of bed, even if only to feed him and take him for a walk.

place. This was the first time I had not lived with a partner or housemate, other than a brief period of living alone while working FIFO at 22. I knew immediately that I wanted to get a dog, for both company and security, and when I found Cochise I knew straight away that he was mine.

2016 was an incredibly hard year for me. I have had mild anxiety and depression for as long as I can re-

I began to notice that just having Cochise around made me feel better. Studies have shown that even the most rudimentary dog care can alter your brain’s chemistry, making you feel calmer and happier. Just sitting with Cochise and petting him was usually enough to start making me feel like I would be okay. I could see that Cochise was helping me get better, but it was one particular incident that solidified for me the remarkable

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power dogs can have in aiding our healing.

Alone in my house, I had the worst panic attack I have ever experienced. I was on the floor in my lounge and was getting so hysterical that I began to struggle for breath.

I could not calm myself down. As Cochise is a very quiet dog, who does not love to shower me in affection, I thought he was quite ignorant to my emotions. But during this time he moved over to me and began to lick my face, which helped me start to focus and bring my breathing back to normal. He then lay with me, his head on my face, until I felt that I could get up.

Thankfully for me, I was able to get through that hard time and get back to living. But I had seen just how special my little companion was and knew that I would always give him the best of everything. I decided that we both had a lot of love to give and after we visited Shenton Park Dog refuge, Cochise picked himself

a little sister and we brought home Winter.

Winter is hard work. She is the total opposite to Coch - she barks a lots, chews things and jumps on people. But she reads my emotions better than any human I know and gives me the best cuddles when I am feeling down. Having the two of them means that even though I live alone, I never feel lonely.

Dogs are more than man’s best friend. They can be your psychologist, your confidant and a valuable source of support when you need it most. Some people struggle to understand why I care for my dogs so much and why I like to include them in so many parts of my life.

But dogs offer a type of love and friendship that can be hard to find in humans. It doesn’t matter how you look, what your job is, what clothes you wear - if you love your dog, your dog loves you no matter what.

TASH TERBEEKE . MORE THAN MAN’S BEST FRIEND 43

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JURIS DOGTOR PICNIC 45

TRAVEL AND THE L AW

By Samuel Lindsay

tell you how many essay and mooting ideas have come to me while my mind wanders over stacking some milk or frozen peas!

2. Save money A corollary of working hard, once you earn the money you must make sure to keep it! Of course this may be difficult if you rent or are a particularly avid online shopper, but it is possible. One way to save money is to make lunch at home rather than buying out. Another is to go easy on non-essential shopping for books, clothes and shoes. If you want to go the extra mile, you can even avoid your daily $5 coffee (which really adds up after a few weeks!).

3. Have your goal in mind Working hard and saving money are far easier when you have your next travel destination in mind. Hang up a poster, pin a calendar, create a timeline. Anything to keep you moving forward and looking ahead to your next adventure. It also makes working that extra shift or avoiding that lunch outing all the more bearable!

The world is a beautiful place. It is full of breathtaking landscapes, historic monuments, and hidden treasures.

It provides thrilling opportunities, sustains diverse ecosystems, and offers a smorgasbord of outdoor activities in which to engage.

You can experience it with family, with friends, or alone. You can take days, weeks, or months (or, if you are particularly adept at deferring, even years). You can choose destinations as disparate as Esperance, New Zealand, Nepal, Melbourne, France, and Morocco. Essentially, there are (quite literally) a world of opportunities open to you for travel, given time and money.

Of course, this is where the catch tends to emerge.

In an environment as stressful and time-consuming as law, is it really possible to find enough time to travel, and a job that pays well enough to allow you to travel?

When you are still up at 5am referencing a Public International Law essay after working two jobs the previous day from 8:30-midnight (hearsay I swear), the thought that you might have enough time is fantastical. Similarly, when you forego a weekend shift in order to finish unwatched constitutional law lectures, the likelihood of sufficient money is a distant dream. However, despite

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If you are particularly ingenious, you can even combine travel and the law. This may be done through a student exchange, a short-term summer course, a Projects Abroad human rights internship, the Engagement Tour of China JD elective, or even an internship with the United Nations. This way of travelling has the added benefit of being able to convince your parents that the travel is useful and will contribute to your future legal career!

Regardless of how you go about achieving it, travel will be worth it in the end. For me, travel is not simply an escape from the pressures of law school. It provides a reason to get through it. I love the law, I love its intricacies and internal logic, I love its technicality and simplicity, but it cannot compete with travel. The allure of learning a new language, discovering a hidden path in the woods, assimilating to a new culture, skiing into a plush valley of snow, meeting an extraordinary group of people, spending time alone in nature, or observing a pride of lions relax in the sun is overwhelming. As such, I implore you to try it. Use the tips I have provided and go for your life - the world is your oyster!

these times of relative angst, the answer (encouragingly) is yes!

In order to alleviate any of your doubts, a brief recount of my own travel experience is helpful. My passion for travel was ignited by a student exchange to Vancouver in 2014. That particular experience was so intoxicating that, upon return to Australia, I immediately applied for a summer course in London for the following university break. The following year included a mid-year skiing trip to New Zealand, and then a two month sojourn to Morocco in the summer. There is no doubt, then, that it is possible to travel alongside law.

But how can such trips be achieved? The following tips are hopefully illuminating:

1. Work hard First and foremost, the hard yards must be put in during semester. Having a job is of course a necessity, but it need not be a flashy paralegal job! Indeed, much of the travel money I have earnt has been through shelf-stacking at my local Woollies. Although seemingly marginal to a future legal career, such jobs are incredibly useful as a stable source of income, and can even serve as an inspiration for legal ideas. Indeed, I cannot SAMUEL LINDSAY . TRAVEL AND THE LAW 47

ru n n i n g away from re s p onsibil ities

By Hannah Flynn

When faced with the prospect of another stressful semester of law school, I did what any rational person would do - bailed (read: enrolled in an academic exchange program which demonstrates my initiative and global awareness).

I had a very educational semester at Bocconi University. I have learned a lot.** Some life lessons I have gained: • • •

I can achieve anything I put my mind to, such as watching seven seasons of Gilmore Girls in 20 days. two musicals in one day might have been too much for my soul to take. I think I cried out all the tears I had in my body. having to run up 120 stairs to class never, ever gets easier. This knowledge, alas, was not enough incentive to get to uni early enough to have the luxury of walking.

• never ever abandon your child for seven months. I imagine it feels nearly as painful as how I felt leaving my dog, Allie.

In an attempt to counteract the dramatic spike in pizza, pasta and gelato consumption during my seven-month Europe extravaganza, I took up running. It didn’t work. I gained 10kg. Turns out people that say running is good for your body are lying. Full disclosure, I hate running. I dread it before I go, I don’t enjoy the experience while it’s happening, and I’m yet to experience the mythical ‘endorphin rush’ that others claim to get post run. But, even I can concede that running has some advantages. Although some of these are specific to running in particularly stunning places in Europe, so they may in no way inspire you to run in Perth. I don’t really have any suggestions there. * Still not convinced whether I learned any Italian or law. Sorry mum.

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• •

•

When you’re by yourself in a new city it’s less lonely / more socially acceptable to run alone than to walk alone.

When you combine running with a terrible sense of direction you end up discovering unexpected cool places (e.g. paddocks full of Icelandic sheep surrounded by waterfalls).

In very cold climates, running is a way to leave the house and still explore the city without fearing your fingers and toes will fall off.

In summary, go on exchange.

Exchange was a fantastic way to break up my degree - it was a light at the end of the tunnel that was the first 3 semesters. It let my poor brain slowly unwind (and forget everything it had learned until that point).

It gave me many new ideas about things that I wanted to do when I got back, ranging from bringing more gelati options to Perth to applying for firms that offer international secondments. But more importantly it was an excuse to spend a long time in Europe, i.e. the best place to be.

If you can’t go on exchange, go for a run - but don’t expect to lose weight, it’s a conspiracy.

HANNAH FLYNN . RUNNING AWAY FROM RESPONSIBILITIES 49

lost and found

By Radhika Kayarat

As someone who hates routine and thrives on spontaneity, law school isn’t really the most stimulating environment. There was a point, about this time last year in my 2nd year of the JD, where I cracked. I was getting bombarded at work, drowning under a sea of assignments, people kept trying to break into my house, I hadn’t seen my friends in weeks and I still had no idea if I had made the right decision studying law. Then I got two parking fines in one day. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I went to Varsity, ate 30 chicken wings, came home and booked a flight to Nepal. Little did I know that those two parking tickets would lead to the most empower-

ing, liberating and incredible month of my life.

I was lucky enough to grow up in incredible New Zealand. Sir Edmund Hilary lived down the road from me and every year he would do a talk at my primary school. He was such an inspiring and humble man who sparked this deep appreciation of nature and mountains for me (also I lived on the side of an extinct volcano, not a joke). So I thought f**k it, I’ll go to Everest. Basecamp here I come. It was something I’ve always wanted to do.

It was now or never. So in February this year I flew to Kathmandu, bought a map, hired some gear and set off for the Himalayas. I had 12kgs on my back and no guide. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it on my own. I was lucky enough to meet a few other solo trekkers in the first couple of days up the trail and we trekked the rest of the 13 days together. In short, hardest thing I’ve ever done both mentally and physically. BUT! I have also never been more proud of myself for achieving anything in my life. There were days where I was so very close to giving up. With grueling climbs for 6-8

hours a day, the altitude was taking its toll, I couldn’t breathe properly and every kilo I was carrying felt like a hundred. There were times I was so thirsty but couldn’t drink any water because all the water we had left was frozen. But just being in the presence of these colossal mountains was so breathtaking and surreal. The thrill and awe of getting to experience nature at her rawest kept me going. I just remember making it to Basecamp and bursting into tears. It was overwhelming. I had made it.

After making it back to Kathmandu from Basecamp, I met some people who were running a little rural volunteering project near the Nepal-Tibet border. I had two weeks before my flight home so I decided to go help them out. This village is so small it doesn’t even show up on Google Maps. It was decimated in the 2015 earthquake. Being in such a remote and inaccessible location, the locals are still living in tents made out of tarps and tree branches, with no electricity or running water. Because of the desperation families face, human trafficking in this region of Nepal is rife. I had the opportunity to meet with victims of human trafficking that had escaped the brothels they were sold into when they were children, and had managed to find their way back to their village. Traffickers promise families as little as $100 for their children, who believe they will be working as cooks or seamstresses in the city, but in fact are sold into sex work. Children as young as nine. It was heartbreaking. I spent two weeks working with an incredible, inspiring group of volunteers on a long-term

sustainable community development plan for the village. They were working to ensure families can maintain a steady source of income so they don’t have to resort to selling their children to traffickers just to put food on the table. My time there was such an eye-opening and humbling experience and one I will never forget.

If you’ve never considered travelling solo, the only thing I have to say to you is just do it. Seriously. I can’t speak for everyone - but personally, nothing makes me feel as powerful, confident and free as when I’m on an adventure. Exploring a strange new place where I can go wherever the journey takes me, where I’m forced to be independent and think on my feet. You learn so much not only about the world around you but also about yourself. It’s liberating. I came home from my trip refreshed, motivated and more driven than I’d felt in months. If you’re feeling suffocated by all the trials and tribulations of law school (pun 100% intended), my number one piece of advice would be to seek adventure.

Go on a journey. Explore. That doesn’t necessarily mean go climb a mountain if that’s not your thing, but take yourself somewhere new and unfamiliar. Push your boundaries. Don’t be afraid of tackling experiences on your own. You will never realise the incredible things you are capable of unless you always keep an open mind and just give something a go. Be open to new challenges, experiences, people and culture. You may just end up surprising yourself.

“If you’re feeling suffocated by all the trials and tribulations of law school (pun 100% intended), my number one piece of advice would be to seek adventure.”

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RADHIKA KAYARAT . LOST AND FOUND 51

EXE RCI SE A N D TH E MOTIVATION Q UA N DA RY

By Brad Papaluca

“Before commencement of semester I was exercising 4-5 times a week, unfortunately I rarely have the time for the gym anymore and even when I could squeeze in a workout, I am usually mentally exhausted.” - First Year JD

“Exercise is medicine. It changes the brain and the body in beneficial ways that are more powerful than any pill you can take. If you could take the neurological and physiological effects of exercise and capture them in a pill - all the beneficial effects on neurosignaling in the brain, the anti-aging effects all the way down to the level of chromosomes in every cell in your body, the mental clarity-enhancing effects - I believe that pill would become the best-selling drug of all time” – Dr Stephen Ilardi

Almost all of us are aware of the benefits of exercise.

Despite this, many people can’t find or maintain the motivation to exercise regularly. Year after year people make resolutions, buy an exercise bike or join a gym to no avail. To make matters worse, the inability to commit to regular exercise is often accompanied by feelings of guilt, despair or failure. As it turns out, there may be a simple and logical explanation why it’s so hard to commit to something that we know is good for us. Clinical psychologist Dr Stephen Ilardi, an advocate for the health and anti-depressant benefits of exercise, makes the following observation: ‘Exercise is not natural. We are designed to be physically active in the service of adaptive goals. We are not designed to exercise.’

As hunter-gatherers, our ancestors’ daily lives involved so much physical activity that spending energy on activities without any purpose was detrimental to their chances of survival. While modern-day humans have adapted to avoid exercise for its own sake, finding motivation doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. Dr Ilardi suggests the following solutions:

1. Make exercise natural

The reality for many of us is that swinging dumbbells around or going to a spin class isn’t particularly fun and just feels weird or unnatural. The truth is that these activities are unnatural, which is why they can

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be difficult to enjoy. Luckily, the most natural physical activity is also the most simple – walking. Our bodies are literally designed for walking. While it may not seem like much, walking on a regular basis is highly beneficial. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of brisk walking, three times per week, is more effective at treating depression than commonly-prescribed medication. If you’re trying to make exercise a bigger part of your life, this is an easy place to start.

2. Make exercise goal-oriented

Exercise becomes much easier and more enjoyable when it’s based around a clear goal or purpose.

For some, that can be the mere pursuit of improved strength or fitness. But for most of us, this might not be enough. Giving yourself an additional reason to be active makes a world of difference. This can be as simple as getting off the bus a few stops before your destination, or even an indirect reason such as enjoying natural scenery or the opportunity to make friends with a stranger’s dog in the park.

49% of law students surveyed exercise 2-4 times in an average week.

“I would love to (exercise more) but honestly my time management is very poor and I like to sleep.”

- Second Year JD

harder, or a greater sense of satisfaction in completing a workout together. Team sports are great example of all the above. Exercise becomes incidental to the satisfaction of socialising and the pursuit of a common goal.

These are just a few simple ways to get started, there are plenty more ways to make exercise a part of your life.

What works for one person isn’t going to work for everyone, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t find something you enjoy straight away.

Good luck and happy exercising!

3. Make exercise social

Making exercise social confers several benefits.

Because spending time with others is highly absorbing, it makes a workout pass more quickly. It can also provide the mood-elevating benefit of social support, some friendly competition to push you a little bit BRAD PAPALUCA . EXERCISE AND THE MOTIVATION QUANDARY 53

From the depths of the law liof the mind and body. Soon exbrary, I often get asked: ‘how ercise had become as routine as do you find the time to train as brushing my teeth. Indeed, few often as you do?’ With respect, days now go by where I haven’t I could not get through the JD either exercised or learnt somelife cycle without such a routine. thing new about exercise. At the It is one of life’s age old quessame time, few days go by where tions: should you pursue a life I haven’t grabbed a law textbook of brains or brawn? However, if or considered the next law asI could wish for one thing from signment (yes, I am one of those you after reading this piece, it is people who start an assignment that you realise the two are not the month before it’s due). But mutually exclusive. To my mind, this is precisely the sort of life brains and brawn greatly assist I wish to emulate: a life full of each other. physical and mental exercise.

It has been said that if you Sport and competition is a want something done, ask a busy Schneider v Treadmill (2017) 24 All Day 7 natural drive for human beings. person. While paradoxical, I As Shane Gilchrist describes in wish to suggest that this is true, Survival of the Fittest, ‘over aeand applies to remaining healthy ons of evolutionary time, [comand athletically lithe in the law. I petition] has left its mark on our have no doubt that people in the psychological makeup … the inJD are incredibly busy. However, I would suggest that stinct for competition plays a role in every branch of whatever time a person does have should be dedicated human endeavour, from the writing of symphonies to to healthy and productive activities. new scientific discoveries.’

Incredibly, the time I have spent away from the books With this in mind, experiment with sporting comhas been just as productive as the time I have spent on petitions that excite you; whether they be in walking, them. I am at my most focused when I know that I have martial arts or lawn bowls. If nothing else, they’re a exercised or will exercise at some point in the day. It good excuse to get away from the desk, meet some new becomes my reward, my avenue to becoming the best people and get some fresh air. The positive reinforceversion of myself, and it drives other healthy routines ment that comes from constantly extending yourself on such as eating and sleeping well. a week to week basis only further drives you to improve I first caught the exercise bug when I realised I wantother aspects of your life. Disciplined exercise flexes ed more for myself, that I no longer desired my existing the resilience of your mind and greatly improves your state of complacency. My initial goal was to run a half self-esteem, confidence and identity. marathon, and I quickly designed an exercise routine to It is very easy to get consumed by the volumes of unit assist. However, what started as an interest in running readers and subconsciously consider yourself as purely then turned into an obsession with general fitness and a law student. However, there is much more to you. Bewellbeing. Subconsciously, a mindset developed. I startcome that athlete you’ve always wanted to be – in doing ed researching routines and becoming inspired by athmore, you become more! letes; athletes who were both highly educated and strong

THE L AW OF EXERCISE

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“I am at my most focused when I know that I have exercised or will exercise at some point in the day. It becomes my reward, my avenue to becoming the best version of myself, and it drives other healthy routines such as eating and sleeping well.”

CYLE SCHNEIDER . THE LAW OF EXERCISE 55

Yogi reflections by the full moon

By Rosanna Susanto, UWA Law/Commerce Graduate and Founder/Yoga Teacher at Bodyscape Yoga As I write this, I can see so clearly the full moon outside gleaming amongst the dark blue sky. Now having been in the yoga scene for a few years, I have come to know that yogis get really excited over the lunar cycle because they say it affects your mood and the rhythm of your body.

Truth be told, as a yoga teacher myself, I am not sure I can relate to that. I simply take enjoyment out of wondering at how beautiful our world really is. How is it that some nights we can only see a crescent shape of the moon, and others, just like tonight, a full moon lights up our cosmos?

My dad is supposed to be Buddhist and I would prefer to go with the idea of the full moon as being sacred because the Buddha’s birth, his renunciation, his enlightenment, his first sermon and his death, all happened during full moons.

So that is pretty interesting.

On the other hand, my mum is supposed to be Catholic and there is nothing that comes to mind with Catholic-ism and full moons. Maybe I will have to Google that one.

You see, yoga came to me really practically. I began practicing yoga when I was practicing law in the city.

I was working for one of the biggest energy producers in the state (i.e. government) and therefore I was pretty relaxed. You could say I had the ideal position – the one you would never dream of because law students would think it non-existent.

When I first started working there, I used to come in just before 8am and leave at around 5.30pm. Over a few months, no one seemed to notice or care (I am not sure which) and I started coming in at 9am and leaving at 4pm, and that is with a full one-hour lunch break! This is the part where I say, I told you so.

I realised I was spending too much time window-shopping, and luckily stumbled upon this pop-up yoga studio. It got me so hooked. I started practicing 56 BLACKBIRD . 2017

during my lunch break and after work too. It was simply enjoyable. I woke up every morning looking forward to my yoga class. From there, I decided I would share this beautiful gift of movement, breath and connection, with as many people as I could. That is when I quit my full-time lawyer job, and became a yoga teacher.

I have changed a lot since pre-yoga days. I am now more forgiving, understanding, kind, compassionate, stronger and happier. It has taught me a lot and it continues to teach me something every single day.

As I now glance up to the moonlit sky, I do not just see beauty.

Yoga has helped me remember that the moon must have taken a journey to be there and look the way it does. It reminds me of the breathtaking words of a spiritual teacher, Ram Dass.

He says, ‘When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever.

And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.

The minute you get near humans, you lose all that.

And you are constantly saying “You’re too this, or I’m too this.” That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”

You will know by now that we come across so many different people in our lives. People we like, people we do not like. We might not even like ourselves for a portion of that. And it is totally normal. We are living in a society with expectations and whether we like it or not, we will continually be judged, or become (our very own) judges.

If we can follow on the practicality of that, we can start to understand that judgment will not really get us anywhere. If we encounter things that are difficult, certain people or situations, allow those things to be because in the end we cannot control everything or everyone. The practice of yoga reminds us that all we experience is leading us to become the person we are destined to be. Whether it is to be a lawyer, a guitarist, a mum, a social worker, a dentist, or even a yoga teacher.

So I wholeheartedly hope that yoga will find you.

In the meantime, grab your mat and come and try out some yoga. I am just around the corner from UWA! Find me at my very own studio, Bodyscape Yoga in Nedlands and I will welcome you with open arms, whether it’s the full moon or not.

15% of law students surveyed like to destress through yoga and mediation.

www.bodyscapeyoga.com.au 0401 738 596 134B Stirling Hwy Nedlands 6009 Image credit: Marceau Photography

ROSANNA SUSANTO . YOGI REFFLECTIONS BY THE FULL MOON 57

WELLness recipe for the s(e)oul: KIMCHI FRIES (or Highs? You do you boo)

STUDENT FRIENDLY RECIPES

By Hannah Kim To quote the Queen* herself, “Sometimes…we don’t want to feel like an [overly tired, stressed and anxious law student] but, rather, a domestic goddess, trailing nutmeggy fumes of baking pie in our languorous wake.”

For some students, the idea of cooking may be associated with untimeliness, inconvenience and confusion.

But personally this is my de-stressing (and not distressing) choice of activity after a long-winded day of uni.

If you are one of the rare few who don’t own a puppy, through this article, I hope I can provide you with a therapeutic activity or even a productive and tasty means of procrastination.

So why cook to destress when you can just jump over your neighbour’s fence and pat John the Schnauzer while they’re asleep? Firstly, while some people resort to painting or sick beatz, my creative outlet is cooking.

I never follow recipes and let my creative juices flow when it comes to cooking. I love food, and this is an excuse to hold lavish (albeit, student budget friendly) parties too. The excitement of these parties supresses the thought of all those pending assignments that lounges in the back of your mind. Secondly, it provides you with an excuse to drink after class (hey at least you’re not drinking with an empty stomach).

And how many of you have you been waiting to listen to that new XX album from months ago? Here’s your chance. Listening to music while cooking blocks out any chances of stressing over whether you have properly referenced that essay in true AGLC style.

Enough with the praise, here’s the ultimate way to compensate your friends for all those months of neglect due to “exam study”: Serves: as many non-law school friends you want to invite over 1 cup of Kimchi * 1 onion, thinly sliced 1/2 bag of potato fries (girth of your choice) 4 cups of oil † 2 tbsps of sesame oil 2 cups of tasty cheese 1 cup of haloumi, sharded Sriracha Mayo for dressing - 1 Sriracha : 2 Mayonnaise Sliced spring onions for true oriental decoration *Otherwise known as the Asian sauerkraut, this heaven mouth is guaranteed to give you a well-rounded garlic-y exterior and an oral combustion if you are not careful. † If you are opting for the healthier alternative you can leave this ingredient out and oven bake the fries. But as the Queen herself said: “I don’t believe in low-fat cooking”.

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1. Drive to your nearest S(e)oul Mart and buy a small tub of Kimchi and maybe the other Asian ingredients like sesame oil and Sriracha. Or if you are as privileged as Josephine, Donoghue v Stevenson your Korean neighbour. They probably also owe you a duty anyway, like a wellness article.

2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. You cannot procrastinate this step, please.

3. On a lightly greased fry pan, preferably non-stick (because who has time to scrub when you need to essay) fry the onions over low heat until they become translucent. Fire your stove up a notch, hurl the ratio decidendi, AKA Kimchi, into the fry pan and stir until wilted.

Turn heat off, stir in sesame oil. This step takes at least 15 minutes so simultaneously block your internal thoughts with some Beat-hoven in the background.

Hummus Natalie Thompson

400g canned chickpeas, drained 2 cloves of garlic 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil juice of 1 lemon/lime 2-3 tbsps tahini 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp salt a pinch of ground black pepper 2 tbsps water a pinch of paprika/fresh coriander (for garnish)

avocado smash Natalie Thompson

1 ripe avocado, pit + skin removed freshly squeezed juice of ½ a lemon/lime a pinch of salt a pinch of round black pepper + paprika sliced bread of choice, toasted

Fried Noodles (VEGETARIAN) Josephine Kwok 4. Heat some more oil in a deep skillet - we’re probably aiming for….solid surface bubbles. At this point, add the fries and wait until they are golden brown. (Apologise to your housemates for the greasy aftermath, but also remind them that you’re actually providing them with a service). Drain the fries.

5. Discover what a baking dish is. Add fries first, and then scatter the Kimchi mixture and cheeses on top. Transport the wonder piece into the oven and pour yourself a glass of mid-tier quality wine. Leave in oven for 12-15 minutes (the dish, not the wine).

6. Take dish out USING MITTENS (your fingers are for typing notes remember). Garnish with spring onions and Sriracha Mayo. Serve to your housemates, friends, family, whoever you live vicariously through.

1. Place everything in a food processor and process until smooth.

2. If necessary, add a little bit of water.

3. Use a spatula to scrape every last scrap of hummus in a bowl or container (can’t afford to waste), then garnish with paprika and coriander.

4. Serve with celery/carrots/crackers/corn chips/bread/ whatever you can find in the pantry.

noodle of choice (e.g. rice noodles, egg noodles, udon) 1 egg veggies - check your fridge (I’m using carrots, broccoli, capsicum and white button mushrooms, all diced) diced onions and garlic to your liking tempeh slices (optional chicken / beef sausage slices for non-vegetarians)

OVERNIGHT OATS Josephine Kwok

oats (old fashioned) any nut butter Greek yoghurt (any flavor) almond milk (or any milk) flax seeds banana, berries 1 mason jar

1. Add avocado to a bowl with lemon/lime juice, salt and pepper etc. Grab a fork and mash until...smashed.

(Imagine you’re smashing a housing bubble).

2. Spread over toasted bread.

3. Eat.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Cook your noodle and strain from the water.

Heat up olive oil.

Toss in your veggies and stir around until half cooked.

Toss in onion and garlic.

Optional - add in some butter, salt, pepper, soy sauce for fragrance.

Toss around till veggies are cooked, toss in the noodle.

Crack the egg on an empty space on the pan, beat it on the pan with your spoon / spatula, let half cook.

Stir half cooked egg and mix with noodle and veggie bits.

Toss around until egg is cooked - serve!

1. Get a pint sized mason jar.

2. Layer 1/2 cup of plain old fashioned oats.

3. Layer 1 container or 1 cup of Greek yoghurt. (Greek yoghurt is thick and will make for a better final dish) 4. Add 1tbs of flax seed (great source of fibre) 5. Add 1 tbs of peanut butter or any kind of nut butter.

6. Cut up half a banana and layer on top of everything.

7. Pour 1/3 cup of milk over all layers.

8. Let sit for 18-24 hours and enjoy!

STUDENT FRIENDLY RECIPES 59

(no eggs)

Josephine Kwok 2 tbsp butter 4 tsp cocoa powder / hot chocolate powder 2 tbsp milk 3 tbsp brown sugar 4 tbsp plain flour chocolate chips (optional)

LEMON/ORANGE TART

(FREE FROM GLUTEN, DAIRY and NUTS) Natalie Thompson

Base: 1 1/2 cups coconut flour 2 tbsp rice or sorghum flour (can also use plain flour I guess?)

2 tbsp coconut oil/olive oil 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup/honey/sugar Filling: Juice of two large lemons, one orange (as well as the rind, grated) 1-2 tbsp maple syrup/honey/sugar 2 tbsp corn flour A sprinkle of nutmeg/cinnamon (optional) To decorate: Your choice! In this one I used some sliced lemons that I cooked/caramelised in some maple syrup for ten minutes as well as a simple strawberry jam.

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1. Melt the butter in a mug in the microwave. Try microwaving for 10/15 seconds, and if still solid, do 5 seconds at a time.

2. Add the cocoa powder / hot chocolate powder. I used caramel hot chocolate powder, which gave it a little more sweetness, but any is good.

3. Add the milk and whisk all with a fork in circular motions.

4. Add the brown sugar and whisk after each table spoon, until the mixture is smooth (try scraping your fork along the bottom and outside of the mug to see if there are any granules left; if not, you’re good). This shouldn’t matter too much however, as the sugar will melt in the microwave, so don’t worry if you can’t get every last granule.

5. Add the flour and again whisk with a fork until you get a smooth liquid (don’t worry if it looks a bit runny; it’s meant to be).

6. If you chose to use chocolate chips, add half of them to the mixture and mix them in. Just before you put the cake in the microwave, scatter the remainder of the chocolate chips on top.

7. Microwave the mug for 1 min 45 secs (600W), 1 min 30 secs (800W) or 1 min 15 secs (1000W).

QUIZ: TIME TO UNWIND

Chocolate mug cake

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Mix the ingredients for the base in a bowl (although I mixed directly in a round 20cm baking tin). It should form a crumbly consistency, you can then transfer it to the tin (no need to line it) and press it into the base and up the sides. If it is too dry, add some more oil – if it is too sticky, add a bit of flour.

3. Cook the base for 5 minutes or so (until it is brown on the edges). Main thing is not to let it burn. Place it in the fridge to cool.

4. Mix everything but the corn flour in a small saucepan and cook on a medium/high heat. Add the corn flour gradually and stir regularly to make sure it doesn’t clump up. (Alternatively you can mix the flour in a small bowl with a little cold water and then pour this mix into the pan).

5. Bring it to the boil so that the mixture thickens, then take it off the heat.

6. Pour it into the chilled base, return it to the fridge.

7. In a couple of hours it should be set and ready to decorate/eat!

QUIZ - TIME TO UNWIND 61

s u d o ku

Solutions on page 66

Fill a number in to every cell in the grid, using the numbers 1 to 9 You can only use each number once in each row, each column, and in each of the 3Ă—3 boxes

Original art by Ambelin Kwaymullina Caterpillar and Butterfly, Fremantle Press, 2009.

Image reproduced with the permission of the artist.

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ACTIVITIES . SUDOKU 63

CO LOURIN G Original art by Natalie Thompson

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ACTIVITIES . COLOURING 65

s u d o ku Solutions

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