The Hill People and Hill Walking

I've climbed to the top of the hill and met the Hill People for 3 times. There're undoubtedly hill people around the world and this post will be revealing the hill at Bengoh Dam. There are quiet a number of villages in this hill namely Bojong, Sait, Semban and Rejoi.

Bengoh village is the village situated at the foot of the hill. The name is now taken to be known as the dam built in that area. The building of the dam has lead to evacuation of hill people living in that hill.Current situation: The construction of the dam has been completed. The flooding process was delayed due to the slow clearance process. The Hill People are given new houses at somewhere else besides a compensation for their land. Some of the recalcitrant people, instead of moving to the resettlement area are moving higher to the top and building new houses to avoid from being affected by the water of the dam. There are as well villages that are not affected by the dam and remained unaffected by the clearance order of the authority.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/06/20/No-school-no-relocation-1500-folk-affected-by-Bengoh-dam-want-facility-in-place-before-moving.aspx
*On the contrary to this piece of article, according to the hill people, Semban is not affected.*

We were there to provide free medical services such as medical check-ups(basic), tooth extractions and check-ups besides giving free medicines according to doctors' prescriptions.  We had to climb for 5 hours to reach our final destination which was Semban.

The hardest part of the hike was the ascent of the hill.We stopped each time after ascending for about 10 to 15 steps to take some deep breaths before continuing. It took us 5 hours but not the hill people. 

According to them, it takes them around 2 hours to reach the foot from top of the hill if they're carrying nothing with them. So they basically will stride along the way. With stuff that weight around 10 to 30kg or more at their back, it will take around 3 hours.

The  Hill people who were hired to carry our medicines and some other stuff.

The resettlement of these people has stirred up public opinions. Whether or not it is good or better for them to be resettled after their lands are taken is an unknown to us until we visit them by ourselves at the resettlement site. Giving opinions without real experience by going down to the field is seriously pointless.

One thing for sure is that it is very inconvenient to live in the hill. They have to climb up and down just for some grocery. The basic amenities are there but not a complete one. Take electricity supply for example, it isn't proper and complete.  But again, inconvenient to us does not necessarily inconvenient to them as they have been living in this way for ages.

Perhaps, they find it is more inconvenient to live at the resettlement site? For instance, living in the hill, they can always plant for food and do some earnings with it. Resettling would mean they have to figure out their new source of income.

Maybe I should pay a visit to the resettlement site in the near future. 

They are the aborigines of Sarawak. Their rights should always be protected. In general, It is correct to say they have no choice but to give up their lands as the government has the right to take over one's land for greater good and public use. Having said that, one thing that should not be neglected is that they must be given an appropriate amount of compensation alongside with an up-to-par resettlement site with proper facilities.

The aborigines and even the natives in peninsular are self-employed. They have the survival skills to live in places that are rich in natural resources. They fish they plant but they never work for the others. Forcing them to move to a new place, living behind their ancestral lands is very hard for them. 

They have no final say. They have no survival skills in this so called 'outside world'. Everything is so foreign. It will take some time for them to adapt to the new environment but until that time, i think something has to be done to make sure they are 'alive'. A resettlement site with proper and sufficient lands for gardening and planting is just perfect -not just some empty concrete houses. They're definitely not fancy of that.

One thing to be answered, how to stay alive? The lands taken aren't just lands but their source of food. You deprived them of their lands, something in EQUAL should be given back to them. EQUAL means EQUAL. EQUAL in their eyes, not yours. 

How to fulfill their needs without knowing what they need?

To Recapitulate

I bet you must be wondering, uhh why the word "recapitulate" is used when it simply means summarize or wrap up?

What is the writer trying to recapitulate? ( this question and its answer will link it back to the first one)

Well, it is about the writer's first year in law school and in law school you will meet awesome people who will not EVER feel shy or hesitant to let you feel that they're the awesome ones. 

I'm trying to awe youuuuuu with the word "recapitulate'! How stupid! L O L Got nothing better to do!

1. Residential College and Faculty Orientation

The orientation lasted for 2 weeks, one for RC another for my Fac. For RC, it was physically challenging. With punishments, strict schedules and enery-consuming activities. 

For the Faculty Orientation, it was rather mentally challenging. I am prohibited from exposing much. I shouldn't and I don't want to be taken as a recalcitrant person. Opps! Just be prepared! Enough said.

2.Lectures and tutorials

Basically I had lectures and tutorials from morning to evening and sometimes afternoon with breaks in between. I literally fell asleep at times during lectures and there was once I was sitting right infront of my lecturer with fingerscrossedimsonotgonnafallasleepthistime thought and i ended up...sleeping. I had this difficulty of concentrating and being wide awake for the whole lecture. Don't be surprise, there were subjects which I knew nothing but only the gist of it albeit attending the lectures. It was not because of the nature of the subjects were in-comprehensible  just that I was supremely disinterested in all efforts to follow the lectures until the last minute as I knew I could cope somehow-I had this supernatural power. ( of course I'm kd! I knew because it was normal. We were merely experiencing something that seniors had experienced.) The situation can be equated as you keep leaving the unwanted ones behind until you have no choice but to pick them up. See? Normal kan??hehehe.

3. Non-academic

For Residential college activities, I was close to not joining anything as I was very committed to Debate Club and I devoted most of my extra time on it. By extra, I meant not having classes. I had to sacrifice many lectures and tutorials to participate in inter-university debate competitions. At times, I wanted to give up as I was so tired of keeping up with all of these 'extra busyness' that my peers didn't have. I always knew that everyone led a different life but somehow at some point we got tired. Wouldn't we? Thank God that I pulled it through, may be not fantastically but at least, satisfactorily-be it in debate or academically. 

*To continue staying in RC, you must contribute to your RC by taking part in the activities. A mere participation will not guarantee you a seat, higher marks will only give you  a better chance.**

4. Relationship

Roller coaster. What to expect? It was a LDR. It still is.

5. Friendships

Perplexities. It soon dawned on me that I had a right mindset. *Could not care less attitude as long as I did no wrong**

It is okey to fall.

       Out of 7 subjects, 3 core subjects' results have been revealed. I passed those 3 but not with flying colours. Being a law student in UM, we have to adapt with the very fact that if you get an A-, it is more than enough to get the recognition from the others that you're brilliant. 

      Previously in Semester 1, I earned myself an A and A- but not this semester. The falling is a disaster. A disaster that can be foreseen and expected. I wish it is not. I have promised myself that if I couldn't cope well I would have to let debate go simply because I don't afford to be greedy and at the end got nothing. I have convinced myself that we can't own everything as everything has a price. To gain something, we have to sacrifice something. But then again, is the falling attributable to the activity that i actively involved in-debate?

     No I don't think so. Who or what else to be blamed if not myself for not trying harder and doing better. I hate myself for being nonchalant. In my friends' eyes I'm diligent but I know myself better. I am certainly not. There is a Chinese saying that goes, "ren bi ren, bi si ren' which literally means comparison leads to death. I couldn't help but to look at how my other batchmates have done and ask myself why they can and I can't? I know I know it will only make myself to suffer more. It is torturous. 

     But I am where I am today not to fall or to fail. What done is done, I hope I will do better next semester. I hope the falling today will lead to a greater accomplishment.

P/S The more competition I join, the more passionate I become, whatever it takes, it is not the right time to let it go, yet. I have a job to finish. Why start if you don't intend to finish it? Go Then Siaw Lian.

You just need to have some faith in yourself.

The Grey Area 灰色地带

其實什麼是公平？ 何為 公正？何為 正義？

話說 有為女士在二十歲時嫁給比她大五歲的男士。妻子學位沒丈夫高，經驗沒丈夫豐富，理想沒丈夫偉大。妻子從小失去了母親，是被父親和繼母帶大。妻子從小得不到該有的教育，疼愛，家庭溫暖， 更不用說母愛。丈夫來自做生意的家庭。背景相比之下，丈夫幸福多了。丈夫有得升學有得發脾氣有得立業。

結婚後，妻子開了小舖子，丈夫則做生意，為公司打拼。

在二十一歲那年， 妻子生下了大女兒。大女兒其實是第二胎。懷第三胎時，得知是女嬰兒，丈夫有要妻子墮胎的念頭。妻子還是把她生下了。

生下兩個孩子後， 丈夫出國發展生意。一年只回那幾次。女兒每當收到寄過來的禮物，非常興奮高興。妻子呢 還是老樣子， 做小生意，與女兒相依為命。

在外公幹的期間，丈夫寫信要求離婚。丈夫出軌了，看上了老闆的女兒。相比之下，妻子深感自卑。第三者是有錢有勢力有事業的女子。妻子除了是位過得平淡的母親，什麼都不是。丈夫在信裡還寫下給女兒的膳養費的數目。

丈夫在外不回家，妻子被身邊的人責罵-不會當人家的妻子。生活上，別人的閒言閒語，使妻子實在難受。心理只想好好把孩子帶大。

到最後，卻離婚不成了。當出軌之時，未停過。妻子卻撐着忍着熬著，一次又一次原諒丈夫，希望丈夫會改過自新。就是這份希望保持這段婚姻。只可惜，丈夫沒珍惜過。

十年後，丈夫生意失敗，從外回來了。拿了妻子的儲蓄從新開始。丈夫無法接受事實，幾年後還一直埋怨當初沒選好妻子在會落到如此地步。女兒大了，也跟着受罪。常常被逼听爸爸埋怨生活。

終於，妻子忍受不了丈夫無視她的存在。終於離了婚。法庭把未滿十八歲的女兒判給妻子，也得到丈夫的膳養費。

在社會及親戚眼裡，因為得了撫養權和贍養費，妻子得到了公平。

在妻子眼裡，在她把自己交給丈夫那一剎那，她已經失去了所謂的公平。二十年的婚姻裡，得不到該得到的一個美滿的家，有責任感的丈夫，更不用說什麼疼愛關心珍惜。。。你說，何為公平？

法律 往往能力有限。 出發點只是幫助更多人，讓更多人得到該得到到。失去了一個家，卻還保得住女兒，養得起女兒。那就是 一點點 法律 能做到的。

法律 司法界 不是萬能啊。

“When you bring your case to the court, whatever the decision is, you should always remember, your voices have been heard and that is what really matters.”

with complexities and intricacy of some cases, there is really no absolute justice. 

It is a subjective matter.