I've been meaning to write this for a while. Longer than I'd like to admit.

My short call was on 30 October 2025. But the road to that date wasn't straightforward. 

There was an amendment to my Borang 2. In May 2025, a new amendment came into effect requiring pupils to file Borang 3, 4 & 5 within 30 days from the filing of Borang 1. I was well aware of this amendment. I started my pupillage in June. But by the time my hearing for the amendment of Borang 2 took place, it was exactly 30 days from the date of my B1. Naturally, that 30-day window had already lapsed.

So the moment the hearing was concluded and I obtained my PSP, I filed B345 immediately. Not long after that, I was given my short call date to be on 30 October 2025.

On paper, it worked out. Emotionally, it didn't feel that simple tbh.

I was anxious. I kept thinking I was late. Late compared to others. Late to gain experience. Late to appear in court on my own. And this is where I went wrong: comparing my pace to everyone else's. Still, the feelings were real. I worried that I didn't have enough time to learn, to observe, to prepare myself for what comes after the short call. It felt like everyone else was already moving, while I was still trying to catch up. 

I've always been to court. I've sat in, observed, followed my master and the LA for hearings and submissions. But watching from the side and standing there on your own are two different experiences.

Then came 26 November 2025, my first appearance in court after my short call, handling matters on my own, with the help of my favourite LA from our firm. It was in chambers. And sitting there, I realised the fear was never about lack of exposure. It was about ownership. This time, I brought this case. The file was mine. The silence, the questions, the outcome, it rested on me.  Haha nothing dramatic happened. But something in me shifted quietly.

I realised that unfamiliar doesn't mean unprepared. And taking a longer route doesn't mean I'm behind. It just means I arrived when I was meant to. 

Both dates felt scary for the same reason. Not because I didn't belong, but because I was stepping forward instead of standing beside someone else.

Maybe growth isn't about feeling confident before you're ready. Maybe it's about taking that step anyway.

And for now, that is enough.

Love, Nadhirah⋆

The only pictures I took on my short call day 😐 (I lost pictures on my first appearance huhu):