*Puppet*

I am not sure if you ever play Lego when you were young. I did.....my most precious toy game when I was young was the Lego. My brother make the whole Lego land ... and we always played by moving them around, make them do their activities and so on....

Ya... I just feel like one of the LEGO man these 2 weeks. I am not sure why, but I think I am nice to be bullied and 'used'. People are treating me like a puppet... why puppet? Well, first, they can blame me for anything, everything and I won't get angry immediately and I won't shout on them. If i do?... they will either continue to make fun with me or disregard my feeling.... secondly, of course, I can be bullied easily.... make me to all the works, no appreciation, it is fine... they don't even need to pay me for my legal fees or rather... accused me for charging them too much. Great! That's what I am getting for the past 2 weeks.... No. I don't mean I don't like to do every task of it... but... even though I like it, I shouldn't be make like a puppet or rather... feel like a puppet don't I? However I like chocolate, by throwing it to my face won't make me happy.. do you get the point?

Everyone just llllllooooovvvvveeeee to ask me to do things and then... cabut....!!!! I am ok with the DOING part... but not the CABUTING part lah. I even tell one of my client that "I must warn you... that I am the child of God.... you bullied me now whenever, however you can and like.... take me for granted whenever you want.......................I will be so happy when judgment day is here!" Trust me, I think I am emotionally, physcologically instable now.... You better stay away if you are just about to ask me to do something and cabut..

I am stress? ya ya ya.... I am ... but do you care? You will only point your finger and tell me everyone is stress right? So? ...

- *Puppet* -

...????!!!!

That's exactly what my reaction is yesterday while I just arrive Labuan for a case. Not long after I walked into my client's office, my phone rang... NON STOP and I thought what's going on. It's this matter with Tenom Land office... my client is the purchaser of this piece of land held at Tenom and the owners consisted of 4 of them. My client is a very rich person and he is never cautious with the legal issues might arise in purchasing of lands and property. All in his mind would be to pay and get it if he wants it. Hence, he gave us instruction to proceed the matter to purchase this piece of land in Tenom about a month ago. He wanted to pay the owners in one lump sum even before his name is entered into the title deed. As his lawyer, of course I have to warn him on certain situation which might happen if we are not careful. Upon being advised, he therefore ask me to proceed with what is BEST for him. However, as it's TENOM land... We need to do all the transfer at Tenom land office. While we were doing our job, the owners has insisted that we pass to them all the documents and they go all the way to the Tenom land office to get it done. Somehow, my client agreed until I said NO to it and sent my colleague to go with them to the land office together with the owners. We lodged everything and our letter was tendered and acknowleged ... and promised us that once the title is registered in the purchaser's name, they will send it back to us by courier (which normally is the case for outstation cases).

Last week, one of the owner called us up and scolded us for not picking the title deed up. We arranged by all our efforts to collect it and/or asking them to send to us by courier. They have agreed but.... 2 days ago, I received my runner's call telling me that the title deed was taken by the owners....

Now... do you understand the situation? First... I have no idea how the land office can possibly pass the title deed to the owners... as we , the law firm who lodged that into the Tenom Land Office and how can athey pass it back to the owner? My first reaction is, what now if the owners run away with the title deed? Who should I blame to? Of course I am not at fault here. All I need is to act naive and issue the land office a letter asking about the status of the transfer and if they cannot produce a reasonable answer, I will lodge a police report and sue them. Secondly, I seriously wonder if it's a scum...

Anyway, thank God my client called me up yesterday and I was told they have received the title. As the title was not sent to me, I asked them to issue me a letter confirming that they have received the title and ask them to give me instruction to release the balance of the purchase price to the owners.

One of the owner called and scolded us for delaying their matters and now that they cannot receive the money on time, etc, etc.... and so, they are not happy, etc... and she start scolding through the phone until all those besides me including my client at Labuan heard them and ask me what happen. Oh well, obviously, I hang up the phone while she was still talking...

My first reaciton was not to issue them money within this week. Of course that thought left after a while and I started to sms my partner and ask her for her favour to sort things out for me, which she did ... and of course her tones sounds very much nicer and sweeter and the owners didn't make noise and they came to collect the cheques just a moment ago. My colleague told me they apologise to me for making too much noise yesterday... oh well, the moment I knew they are arriving, I left my office... to buy lunch. Didn't even want to see them at all.

Well, just to take precaution, I therefore sms my client to ask him to get a land search (xerox) done to check if the Land Registry Copy reflected the same ... and my client doesn't seems bother.. and called back said it is ok. He trusted the owners... Oh well... if that's the case, why do I bother, right?

- ...???!!! -

Awful feeling...

"Please list down by itemizing in details the services that you have rendered to this case, with charges, also with supported document to quantify the efforts you have spent in this case. Thank you."

This is what I received in an email after I told my client that I am discharging myself from being her brother's advocate and that she is still owing us the agreed 2nd instalment. My immediate reaction was, "You think I am a can food or a tooth brush is it? that I can itemize what i did?" Seriously, this case started like this: SHE BAGGED ME to take up the case even though I told her our fee is RMXX,000.00 (hereinafter referred to as "x" amount). I did told her to look for another lawyer if she think the fee is unbearable. She came into office not only once, but a few times... my fellow lawyer friends... wasn't I kind enough to not charge for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th legal advice? IT shouldn't be the BRIEF anymore, isn't it? They have made their decision to engaged us with x mount... but urge us to allow them to pay by instalment. We did. I DID. Just before the 2nd instalment, there's this mention and we contacted her, asked her for the 2nd payment and the only thing she said was she need a few days to pay us. I trusted her. Didn't doubt about her at all and ... there she goes... seriously, I didn't receive anything from her since the first deposit payment.

I explained to her that she agreed to the x amount and it's suppose to be a one lump sum as it is a criminal case and so on and on.. and she has therefore use all sorts of excuses just to tell us that she doesn't want to pay. And upon being told I am discharging myself, she wrote back said she accept our discharge (who does she think she is to said she accept or not) and I told her, she still owe us the 2nd instalment even though I discharge myself. And that's what she wrote to us...

That's the 2nd time she wrote asking for it. I have explained to her, and I guess she is a very stubborn women and she has a mind of her own and she just refuse to pay and she still think she is right. As she is introduced by a Priest whom I know and I really wanted to help her initially, I told her she has 'misused' us somehow and she was angry, scolded that i shouldn't use the name of God in vain... (like she is doing everything rightfully) and i seriously said, I let the God judge us in this.

Seriously... it's not about the payment... it's about how people look at me... I just hate being cheated and still being accused.

Upset and discouraged are what I am feeling right now...

- awful feeling -