We had this cute cake for reunion dinner on Saturday at Sakura Towers. Yeah, it was hodge podge 'reunion' of Singaporeans and Malaysians working in Timor - from doctors, to volunteers to business people.
The wishing on it was thought up by my mommy! The cake was yummy - fresh cream and strawberry jam inside.
My first thought when I got the cake was, "That's a BL**** rabbit not a dog!" I couldn't believe that the baker had used MY pathetic sample sketch instead of relying on his better sense to put a more canine-looking dog on the cake!
HAPPY NEW YEAR y'all!
Valente SmellyBottom
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
surreal sleep
Someone was shaking my bed, like he/she was trying to wake me up but it wasn't the usual way a person shakes it.
Not up and down but my entire body was shifting (in entirety) laterally right and left -like i was on a platform in the sea and it was moving right and left - a sensation never felt before. I was midway in the realm of dreamy subconsciousness and reality, wondering why I was having such a surreal dream. Previous conversations of little 'hantus'(imps) seeped into my still-sleepy mind and I thought that they were having a tug-o-war at my feet. Gradually I broke through the depths of my sleep, awoken by the persistent tugs, and blinked into the darkness of my room. I still did not know why I was awake. I looked around for the imps but there were none.
Then I heard noises outside my compound - people shouting and banging on pots and pans, stirring up the neighbourhood. I tried to listen hard to what they were shouting about and then somnabulistically pulled apart the curtains to check things out. At 2am, and without my contact lens (yes, my glasses are being repaired in Jakarta), I was rather blind. I could only make out the forms of two persons walking to the gate. I presumed it was Naier - the guy who sleeps in the guardhouse - and Leo the Timorese security boy. Without 20/20 vision and in my PJs, I decided not to explore further. Trusting in Naier and Leo and the barbed wire to protect me. I thought there was a riot outside but sleep overwhelmed me and soon i was back in bed. Just as I was diving back into dreamland, strains of people praying wafted into my room. I wondered why Toi was experiencing a religious fervour at this hour but curiosity escaped me.
At 7am, a call woke me up. It was my sister calling from Washington D.C. "Hey you ok? I heard news that there was an earthquake, about 7.7 in Indonesia..about 275miles from Dili. Are you alright? Did you feel anything?"
Yes, so that was what it was huh? I smiled to myself, still in slumber and half listening in. "Yeah, i'm ok. I didn't really feel anything. I'm alright. Oh Happy New Year by the way."
There you have it. My first brush with an earthquake and I slept through it.
Turns out the quake lasted at least 3 minutes and the Timorese banging on pots and pans to wake God up, to get get His attention and to pray that He would look after us. He did. Thanks be to God. Thanks too for all those people praying to God - they prayed for me too.
Not up and down but my entire body was shifting (in entirety) laterally right and left -like i was on a platform in the sea and it was moving right and left - a sensation never felt before. I was midway in the realm of dreamy subconsciousness and reality, wondering why I was having such a surreal dream. Previous conversations of little 'hantus'(imps) seeped into my still-sleepy mind and I thought that they were having a tug-o-war at my feet. Gradually I broke through the depths of my sleep, awoken by the persistent tugs, and blinked into the darkness of my room. I still did not know why I was awake. I looked around for the imps but there were none.
Then I heard noises outside my compound - people shouting and banging on pots and pans, stirring up the neighbourhood. I tried to listen hard to what they were shouting about and then somnabulistically pulled apart the curtains to check things out. At 2am, and without my contact lens (yes, my glasses are being repaired in Jakarta), I was rather blind. I could only make out the forms of two persons walking to the gate. I presumed it was Naier - the guy who sleeps in the guardhouse - and Leo the Timorese security boy. Without 20/20 vision and in my PJs, I decided not to explore further. Trusting in Naier and Leo and the barbed wire to protect me. I thought there was a riot outside but sleep overwhelmed me and soon i was back in bed. Just as I was diving back into dreamland, strains of people praying wafted into my room. I wondered why Toi was experiencing a religious fervour at this hour but curiosity escaped me.
At 7am, a call woke me up. It was my sister calling from Washington D.C. "Hey you ok? I heard news that there was an earthquake, about 7.7 in Indonesia..about 275miles from Dili. Are you alright? Did you feel anything?"
Yes, so that was what it was huh? I smiled to myself, still in slumber and half listening in. "Yeah, i'm ok. I didn't really feel anything. I'm alright. Oh Happy New Year by the way."
There you have it. My first brush with an earthquake and I slept through it.
Turns out the quake lasted at least 3 minutes and the Timorese banging on pots and pans to wake God up, to get get His attention and to pray that He would look after us. He did. Thanks be to God. Thanks too for all those people praying to God - they prayed for me too.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Timor by Jael
Isn't this a cool picture especially for Singaporeans? No wonder Jael calls it M1Gal. :-) She was in Timor recently and now has a bunch of pictures at her flickr site. U can just click on this pic to go there.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Is friendship still possible?
Last Friday, President Xanana Gusmao presented the findings of a human rights report to the United Nations. This report, which looks at the 24 years of Indonesian occupation in Timor-Leste, was completed after 3 years of interviewing thousands of Timorese involved in the conflict.
Xanana has reiterated that the report by the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR)is meant to "heal the wounds in people's minds" and that it's not just about the Indonesian invasion but also investigations into human rights violations commited by Timorese upon other Timorese. But nobody really knows exactly what the 2500-page report contains as the CAVR report has not been released publicly. Right now, perhaps Mr Kofi Annan is still flipping through the pages over many cups of coffee.
'Maun Bot', as Xanana is affectionately known, has appealed for only parts of the report to be made public - revelations that will not cause the already tense relations between Indonesia and Timor-Leste to worsen. But human rights groups are lobbying for the full report. Already the repercussions are being felt. Yesterday while Xanana was on his way back via Jakarta, Mr SBY cancelled his meeting with him. Newspapers quote that it was to express his unhappiness over Timor submitting a report which Jakarta claims is exaggerated.
Most coincidentally, as the political storm began to brew, we screened a film about the process of reconciliation in Timor-Leste. Called 'Passabe', this film, which has been shown in the Singapore Film Festival, was banned recently just 3 hours before it was to be shown at the Jakarta Film Festival. Directed by 2 filmmakers based in Singapore (I can't say Singaporeans cos one of them isn't but he lives in singapore and i never asked for his nationality), the film focuses on the confessions of a farmer Alexio Elu, a former militia member from Passabe, which is a border village between Timor Leste and INdonesia. The elders call Passabe the gateway between East and West. The camera follows Alexio's journey from his confessions (even though others refused to follow suit) to his reconciliation with his neighbours. Alexio's confession of killing one man is interweaved with the stories of a massacre survivor, and the ostracised wife of a militia leader Florencio Tacaqui. Tacaqui is now in jail for 12 years for his crimes during the 99 conflict.Their stories were touching but the filmmakers used the Timorese bawdy sense of humour to defuse those moments, allowing us to laugh off the poignancy.
Although Alexio manages to make peace once again with his neighbours and friends, his village Passabe,which was known as a militia village that killed 74 men from surrounding villages, is still unable to do so with its neighbours. The surrounding villages want 74 buffaloes and 74 strings of holy beads for each man killed but the request is turned down by Passabe. The other militia members also refuse to admit killing anyone, preferring to make an assortment of remarks ranging from "I only took shade under the tree and saw the houses burning" or "I pushed the door open and didn't do anything else" or "When we arrived there were other people there." These half-hearted confessions irk those who have turned up expecting honesty and reconciliation, only to return mission unaccomplished. So till now Passabe remains isolated from its neighbours.
But among the characters in the film, I found myself most touched by Tacaqui's wife who made some pragmatic statements. When asked if she wants to bring anything for Tacaqui since the filmmakers are returning to Dili, she says "Why should i send anything for him? He's the one with the roof over his head. I'm the one who is struggling to look after 2 children." Conflict tears families apart and cuts deep wounds into their hearts. There is also a scene when a village chief shows the filmmakers the houses of widows lined up along both sides of the road. I was really saddened.
Even at the village level, we see that reconciliation is possible for some and yet unreachable for others. What more the challenges between sovereign countries? And even as the CAVR report is being read by Mr KA, border incursions and conflicts continue to challenge the two governments. Last month, 3 Indonesians were shot dead by Timorese police and now investigations are underway to determine the cause. Each side has its own story. It reminds me of Kurosawa's 'The Gates of Rashomon' - who's telling the truth? It's always hard to accept another person's truth. So will the CAVR - the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation - be able to convince Jakarta that it's truth is validated and accurate?
Is reconciliation possible? Will forgiving allow one to move forward? What do we really want our perpertrators to do in order to forgive them? Some people accept money, some want cows, others prefer death sentences, while some say God will see to a just punishment.
I don't know. I really don't know.
Xanana has reiterated that the report by the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR)is meant to "heal the wounds in people's minds" and that it's not just about the Indonesian invasion but also investigations into human rights violations commited by Timorese upon other Timorese. But nobody really knows exactly what the 2500-page report contains as the CAVR report has not been released publicly. Right now, perhaps Mr Kofi Annan is still flipping through the pages over many cups of coffee.
'Maun Bot', as Xanana is affectionately known, has appealed for only parts of the report to be made public - revelations that will not cause the already tense relations between Indonesia and Timor-Leste to worsen. But human rights groups are lobbying for the full report. Already the repercussions are being felt. Yesterday while Xanana was on his way back via Jakarta, Mr SBY cancelled his meeting with him. Newspapers quote that it was to express his unhappiness over Timor submitting a report which Jakarta claims is exaggerated.
Most coincidentally, as the political storm began to brew, we screened a film about the process of reconciliation in Timor-Leste. Called 'Passabe', this film, which has been shown in the Singapore Film Festival, was banned recently just 3 hours before it was to be shown at the Jakarta Film Festival. Directed by 2 filmmakers based in Singapore (I can't say Singaporeans cos one of them isn't but he lives in singapore and i never asked for his nationality), the film focuses on the confessions of a farmer Alexio Elu, a former militia member from Passabe, which is a border village between Timor Leste and INdonesia. The elders call Passabe the gateway between East and West. The camera follows Alexio's journey from his confessions (even though others refused to follow suit) to his reconciliation with his neighbours. Alexio's confession of killing one man is interweaved with the stories of a massacre survivor, and the ostracised wife of a militia leader Florencio Tacaqui. Tacaqui is now in jail for 12 years for his crimes during the 99 conflict.Their stories were touching but the filmmakers used the Timorese bawdy sense of humour to defuse those moments, allowing us to laugh off the poignancy.
Although Alexio manages to make peace once again with his neighbours and friends, his village Passabe,which was known as a militia village that killed 74 men from surrounding villages, is still unable to do so with its neighbours. The surrounding villages want 74 buffaloes and 74 strings of holy beads for each man killed but the request is turned down by Passabe. The other militia members also refuse to admit killing anyone, preferring to make an assortment of remarks ranging from "I only took shade under the tree and saw the houses burning" or "I pushed the door open and didn't do anything else" or "When we arrived there were other people there." These half-hearted confessions irk those who have turned up expecting honesty and reconciliation, only to return mission unaccomplished. So till now Passabe remains isolated from its neighbours.
But among the characters in the film, I found myself most touched by Tacaqui's wife who made some pragmatic statements. When asked if she wants to bring anything for Tacaqui since the filmmakers are returning to Dili, she says "Why should i send anything for him? He's the one with the roof over his head. I'm the one who is struggling to look after 2 children." Conflict tears families apart and cuts deep wounds into their hearts. There is also a scene when a village chief shows the filmmakers the houses of widows lined up along both sides of the road. I was really saddened.
Even at the village level, we see that reconciliation is possible for some and yet unreachable for others. What more the challenges between sovereign countries? And even as the CAVR report is being read by Mr KA, border incursions and conflicts continue to challenge the two governments. Last month, 3 Indonesians were shot dead by Timorese police and now investigations are underway to determine the cause. Each side has its own story. It reminds me of Kurosawa's 'The Gates of Rashomon' - who's telling the truth? It's always hard to accept another person's truth. So will the CAVR - the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation - be able to convince Jakarta that it's truth is validated and accurate?
Is reconciliation possible? Will forgiving allow one to move forward? What do we really want our perpertrators to do in order to forgive them? Some people accept money, some want cows, others prefer death sentences, while some say God will see to a just punishment.
I don't know. I really don't know.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
reminiscing days of fixed lines
I've read in reports that the cell phone technology has allowed less developed countries to progress faster as there is no more need for the laborious and costly task of laying fixed telephone lines. But do the people really benefit from this technology when it is priced way above their means? Here in Timor, we scratch away the foil of prepaid calling cards to reveal a set of numbers (jumbled up through countless permutations) that will allow us to top up the value in our SIM card. This practise is common in many other countries including its closest neighbour Indonesia. It's definitely cheaper than paying monthly subscription like in Singapore where you have to commit to at least $30SGD a month and then pay the excess at the end of each month. Here, what you use is taken directly from the prepaid card.
But if you ask "You got minutes?" which is a common way of asking if someone has value on their phones, the most common answer is a 'No'. This because the minutes are sold in USD10 and USD15 denominations which few people can afford. SMSes and Calls are also pretty expensive like 0.10USD per minute/ each so I find myself having to buy a new phone card every one to 2 weeks. In the beginning I did not realise that Timorese have handphones so that people can call them, not vice versa. I kept messaging people and expecting them to respond likewise via sms or calls. So even when they are unable to make a meeting there would not be a response which peeved me incredibly. Until i realised that few have minutes or 'pulsa' (indonesian slang) on their phones. Now, i just pick up my phone or use the office to call them directly. and if they can't afford to even buy a phone and the initial SIM card, we just have to plan in advance to meet at a certain time, certain place like the good ole days. If they don't turn up, you just shrug your shoulders and go home. So until the phone cards are priced more affordably OR this country uses a new currency which brings the cost of living down, most Timorese will remain excluded from the benefits of cellular technology.
On the topic of phones, I remember I was about 15 when the SIngapore government first began charging per-minute calls on our home's fixed telephone lines. There was much apprehension as people had always paid a very low fixed sum each month for unlimited access. I remember how shopkeepers were friendlier and had always allowed us to use their phones but once the government began charging the calls, people were less willing to let you use the phone. At 15, I worried how my friendships, which were maintained with extensive long calls each afternoon, would be affected. Who would call whom? Would the charges mark the end of "making phone porridge"? Of course, my fears were allayed when the phone bills never hit the roof and I continued to have access to the phone. Now, some households have even done away with home phones and we use internet technologies like SKYPE to call round the world for free. Technology is truly amazing. We have come so far but with each leap, are we in danger of leaving some others even further behind?
But if you ask "You got minutes?" which is a common way of asking if someone has value on their phones, the most common answer is a 'No'. This because the minutes are sold in USD10 and USD15 denominations which few people can afford. SMSes and Calls are also pretty expensive like 0.10USD per minute/ each so I find myself having to buy a new phone card every one to 2 weeks. In the beginning I did not realise that Timorese have handphones so that people can call them, not vice versa. I kept messaging people and expecting them to respond likewise via sms or calls. So even when they are unable to make a meeting there would not be a response which peeved me incredibly. Until i realised that few have minutes or 'pulsa' (indonesian slang) on their phones. Now, i just pick up my phone or use the office to call them directly. and if they can't afford to even buy a phone and the initial SIM card, we just have to plan in advance to meet at a certain time, certain place like the good ole days. If they don't turn up, you just shrug your shoulders and go home. So until the phone cards are priced more affordably OR this country uses a new currency which brings the cost of living down, most Timorese will remain excluded from the benefits of cellular technology.
On the topic of phones, I remember I was about 15 when the SIngapore government first began charging per-minute calls on our home's fixed telephone lines. There was much apprehension as people had always paid a very low fixed sum each month for unlimited access. I remember how shopkeepers were friendlier and had always allowed us to use their phones but once the government began charging the calls, people were less willing to let you use the phone. At 15, I worried how my friendships, which were maintained with extensive long calls each afternoon, would be affected. Who would call whom? Would the charges mark the end of "making phone porridge"? Of course, my fears were allayed when the phone bills never hit the roof and I continued to have access to the phone. Now, some households have even done away with home phones and we use internet technologies like SKYPE to call round the world for free. Technology is truly amazing. We have come so far but with each leap, are we in danger of leaving some others even further behind?
Monday, January 16, 2006
Cell No.5
I caught sight of his tattoo when we were eating lunch one day. I asked him what it signified and he began telling me (almost casually) a bit about his past. This was when it dawned upon me just how many respected resistance fighters were in our midst everyday in my workplace. They are now my colleagues but before the UN came they were independence fighters who were jailed for their struggle for their country's sovereignty. The tattoo signified the solidarity of the 7 prisoners who were kept in the same cell for 12 months from February 1998. The rays emitting represented the 7, while the dots in the centre was their Cell No.5 and the cross atop, a symbol of their innocence. He told me how they had tattooed each other in the cell, using a needle and a candle. Someone held his hand steady while another held his shoulders to prevent him from squirming away in pain. Then a third person had lit the candle, and used the needle to puncture the design into his skin. And then mixing the soot and blood, the tattoo was forever burned into his hand. Was it painful? Did he cry? Yes, he said. It was painful as H*** but no, never, he never cried. After all, surely this pain cannot compare to the heartbreak of losing friends and families in a 24-year struggle.
Friday, January 6, 2006
kangkung in drains
UNDP supports US$ 80.000 for public cleaning in DiliTV Monitoring, January 3, 2006
Public workers-vice Minister, Raul Mausaco said the problem of flooding
because drainages because of clogged up because of the population threw
rubbish and plan some water-vegetables (kankung) into drainages. "One team from public workers that does not have department to deal directly with drainages and streets," said Mausaco. We need big budget to clean the drainages in Dili, added Mausaco. UNDP has supported US$ 80.000 for the public cleaning in Dili, said Mausaco.
One of the earliest advice I got from a colleague was to avoid KangKung like the plague. Still that piece of wisdom was unvalidated until I began taking walks and saw Kangkung indeed being planted everywhere - especially in drains - or any decently-sized puddles of water. And now with the Vice-Minister openly talking about kangkung in drains, i think I will definitely STOP eating kangkung now --- except that the KangKung creeps insidiously onto every table by virtue that it is the most available green in this country. My mom says the straw-like feature of KangKung makes them great homes for parasites. Eww. Mommy, I think I'll need a de-worming pill when I come home.
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
400kilometresofconversation
learning tamil:vanakam noi noi madhu na u nei kade lickrain-wordbuilding:octupuC
ouscouspaghetticepopapaya
ppleggrollimeicecreamacad
amianutsoupiextractofvani
llagralbaniamericaustriaz
erbijanewzealandenmarkeny
arlingtonottinghillsingap
orengland -practising tamil: manurivalikam manurindrum - cheering the driver: go simeon go! - watching out for suicidal chickens & dogs dashing across roads: LOOK OUT! waving to everyone: hey, she didn't wave back! hellooooo! -trying to join in a tamil conversation: ?! and of course sowmiya's legendary MONOLOGUES! She won't have any problem captivating the audience when she does the V Monologues this Feb in OZland!
ouscouspaghetticepopapaya
ppleggrollimeicecreamacad
amianutsoupiextractofvani
llagralbaniamericaustriaz
erbijanewzealandenmarkeny
arlingtonottinghillsingap
orengland -practising tamil: manurivalikam manurindrum - cheering the driver: go simeon go! - watching out for suicidal chickens & dogs dashing across roads: LOOK OUT! waving to everyone: hey, she didn't wave back! hellooooo! -trying to join in a tamil conversation: ?! and of course sowmiya's legendary MONOLOGUES! She won't have any problem captivating the audience when she does the V Monologues this Feb in OZland!
Monday, January 2, 2006
idyllic ideal
This is such a remarkably mediocre photo that it does no justice to the wonders i experienced on New Year's Day 2006 on Jako Island. Jako Isle is a national marine park that falls off the tip of Timor island,and is surrounded by reef, pristine waters and abundant sea life. We snorkelled in an aquarium of tropical fish - a different world that lies beneath the brilliantly turqoise waters. You hardly have to walk a few feet into the water before seeing fish. It was just great floating amongst the fishes, with them so close to your face, you could see every detail. It did get a lil hairy when a school of ominous black fish silently sailed by. It was like the soundtrack to 'Under the Sea' stopped while these black pirates went by. There were countless Dory fish (remember Finding Nemo? It's that talkative and forgetful blue fish), many curious Clown fish, and loads of other fish that me - the fishoignoramus - cannot name. So that was my New Year's Day - communing with fish and trying not to eat them!
BUt in order to reach this Paradise island, we had to take a trip as arduous as a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. (ok ok. not as bad but bad enough!)First we had to endure a 6 hour drive through winding mountain roads littered with potholes (and sometimes portions washed away by the heavy rains) to reach Com where we stayed for a night and then we had to drive for another 3 hours the next morning to reach Walu - which is just opposite Jako Island. So yes, this postcard picture belies the treacherous terrain we had to conquer especially the last stretch of rock and gravel slopes leading down to Walu beach. The four-wheel drive Trooper did extremely well, as did Simeon our Queenslander 'mate' who did most of the driving. (he really says 'mate' all the time!) His hands must be so sore now wrestling with the steering wheel and the gear sticks. 
See how serious he is, while i horsed around.The trip back UP the slopes were really a test of driving skills but the Trooper roared up the killer slopes pretty well. The 2 Timorese we gave a lift to looked rather nauseous by the end of the ride. Of course, don't forget we had to drive back to Com again and then back to Dili the next day which was another 9 hours of driving. My back and bottom hurt! The Trooper ain't the most comfortable ride i must say!
SO... Will i do it again? YES YES YES YES YES! And yes, going to Jako means i have just fulfilled one of my New Year's Wishes! Yippee! Happy New year y'all!
BUt in order to reach this Paradise island, we had to take a trip as arduous as a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. (ok ok. not as bad but bad enough!)First we had to endure a 6 hour drive through winding mountain roads littered with potholes (and sometimes portions washed away by the heavy rains) to reach Com where we stayed for a night and then we had to drive for another 3 hours the next morning to reach Walu - which is just opposite Jako Island. So yes, this postcard picture belies the treacherous terrain we had to conquer especially the last stretch of rock and gravel slopes leading down to Walu beach. The four-wheel drive Trooper did extremely well, as did Simeon our Queenslander 'mate' who did most of the driving. (he really says 'mate' all the time!) His hands must be so sore now wrestling with the steering wheel and the gear sticks. 
See how serious he is, while i horsed around.The trip back UP the slopes were really a test of driving skills but the Trooper roared up the killer slopes pretty well. The 2 Timorese we gave a lift to looked rather nauseous by the end of the ride. Of course, don't forget we had to drive back to Com again and then back to Dili the next day which was another 9 hours of driving. My back and bottom hurt! The Trooper ain't the most comfortable ride i must say! SO... Will i do it again? YES YES YES YES YES! And yes, going to Jako means i have just fulfilled one of my New Year's Wishes! Yippee! Happy New year y'all!
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