Beauty

"Instead, your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is the greatest value in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:4

cristo rei sunset
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

Zhong Di Petroleum

Update: Picture just added today when i drove past again (27/4/07)
A new petrol station is being constructed at lightning speed in Becora. 2 weeks ago... it was still a dull construction site, now there is a high roof and a bright red banner declaring that it is "Zhong Di Petrol" or something like that, along with huge Chinese characters. I was like 'whoaaa' when i passed it a few days ago because it was like a piece of China had been transplanted here. You see signs and slogans on walls in China everywhere proclaiming virtues that everyone should practise... for me, the bright red banner at the petrol station jogged those memories.It's not bad though. I mean, they are investing money here.... and look at the gi-mongous complex they are building for the Foreign Affairs Ministry... i'll be curious to see how the Chinese embassy will look like once they start building.. the plot of land for the embassy has long been cleared up, the crumbling houses knocked over, and the area fenced up .... but nothing's been moving for months... considering the speed of Chinese workers, i'm guessing they might be having some land issues which is stopping them from starting... anyways, let's see...

Update: Thanks FOS for the insight on why the Embassy hasn't broken ground yet... and you know, sometimes i do feel like a tumbleweeK...my weeks tumble so fast....

Hope

It's been maybe a year (?) since i last wrote about Hope Family Orphanage up in Gleno. I was lucky enough to catch a ride up with some friends there last weekend to visit the kids there. Isa Brabridge is now back up there, permanently, to run the orphanage so i am glad. The kids really went through a tough time during the political turmoil and it was a struggle to feed them. There are three more boys now, one of them was so bright, and he showed me his arm which was broken before but never treated so there is weird nub poking out of his forearm.

i have to thank Clarence from Cold Storage who was so generous. When we went to his store on Sat morning to buy frozen food and biscuits for the children, he saw us, and without hesitation piled our car full of food.... the list:

(photo by S.Somphone)

46 kilos of potatoes (just arrived in container)
2 big cases of frozen whole fish
2 big cases of canned pineapples
360 eggs (!!!! one for each kid for about 10 days!)
at least 10 boxes of Kit Kat chocolates and sweets

The kids were of course over the moon.......... usually when we visit them, their fridge is empty so we always make it a point to stock it up. Alas, i don't drive if not, i would drive up every saturday! it's only a cooling 1.5-2 hours drive up!

The kids also rely on some vegetables they grow on their land. Some people helped to build a chicken coop but there are only 2 chickens now... so it is a reality that they do need help. I think i will buy fish next time cos they hardly ever get to taste fish.

Come to think about it, Hope is already considered a 'luckier' orphanage cos of Isa's australian connections. So can you imagine the countless 'nameless' more unknown orphanages out there? If you have info on them, i would like to post it on my blog.

(photo by S.Somphone)
Anyways, here's a photo of a kid doing a head dunk in the river. It's always my favourite spot for a stroll when i visit. The kids jsut absolutely lurrrrve getting soaked and to 'body-surf' the river, although some had difficulty keeping their (elastic-none-existent) pants on!

los - ba - los

during my 3 days away in Los Palos i asked people if they knew why the district was named as such. In old spanish (according to a colleague), it means 'the trees'. My explanation is that since LP has so much flat land, its name originated from people saying 'los ba los' (straight, go straight).... but a local said it might be because in Fatuluku, Los Pala means farmer..... It was my first time to LP and i was indeed blown away by the expanse of flat lands that reminded me a little of the plains in Tibet... especially with the cows dotting the plains... (except in tibet, it was the yaks). the cowboys herding the cows across and the lazy water buffaloes chilling out in water holes... i saw a colleague's father's house plonk right in the middle of a field like a house on a prairie... ah.... KAPAAS!

we took a small dirt road to a health centre in mehara and the view was really stunning along the way. on our right, was a long chain of mountains, capped with mist, and in front of it, the lake that's said to be a proposed site for electricity in the future. We passed by a small village called Sabaleta (according to the driver) and he said there was an old man (katuas) who once hid Xanana in a basket and piled lots of kang kong and aifarina leaves on top and carried Xanana to safety, even when he was stopped by the indonesian troops. Apparently this katuas is still living in the village! Unfortunately we didn't have the time to stop to visit this old man....


Along the way too, we saw many bibi malaes, especially in Laga... i never noticed these bibi malaes until the driver pointed them out. they are actually sheep! not goats. the bibi timor are the goats, while bibi malaes are sheep with very little wool.. the locals joked that the bibi malaes 'beik teen' (so stupid) because they don't know how to get out of the way of cars while bibi timor will run away.. but they also said that because bibi timor have horns and fight a lot, they are like timorese - very violent and love fighting while the malaes are stupider but peace loving (**Guffaw***) .... also, karau indonesia (cows) are red.... and fahi (pig) macau are supposedly gigantic.. i saw one that had huge huge ears but the timorese family i stay with say they can be as tall as a small adult timorese! i can't believe it and if i do, i will definitely snap a picture as evidence!

Ok, mak ne'e deit... now, i'm so busy clearing up my backlog of work after being away for 3 days only...............help...............

so near yet so far away

i visited a village yesterday only about 20 minutes drive from Dili centre - in fact, the village is still part of sub-district Cristo rei. Once again, while traversing the rocky paths, i awed at the lush green landscape that greeted me - a sight that we have privilege of for only a few months each year before the dry season sucks the moisture out and turns the mountains brown. The air was clean and fresh, it was like water hung on the leaves, the trees, in the air... really cooling and refreshing. The view that greeted us as we climbed higher and higher in the 4WD was also breathtaking.

At one point, we arrived at a spot where a few shacks had been built along a narrow rock path. On the right was the moon crescent lagoon of Cristo Rei's white sands, on the left, you could see the entire Dili city - most prominent of all, the Comarca or Becora Prison. A wonderful view, almost paradise-like. It's easy to become lost in romantic thoughts and envy the people who call this prime estate their home.

Except - the villagers have no water and have to walk hours each day just to have enough water to cook the rice, and prepare food, never mind hand-washing, and bathing.

Except - the villager have no electricity, and by 7pm, only tiny candles will light up the village - we Dili residents have all seen the mountains twinkle at night - this is them.

Except - they have no clinic there, they have to walk hours to see a doctor but who has time? So much time is already spent on fetching water, minding the children, and tending the land. There is a reason why the National hospital has earned the moniker - passage to heaven - most people arrive already at the brink of death.

At this spot up in the mountain, a curious bunch of kids gathered as usual to view the strange 'malae'. Amongst them, a little girl who was completely naked. She could be 2? i don't know. she had a large bloated stomach, but she didn't look very skinny. I clapped my hands to test her reflexes and played a game of hide and seek. Her eyes were not bright, but she did respond to my games and had the energy to run around to play catch. Will she go to school? Will she see a doctor? Will she be dewormed? Thousands of children like her live across the 13 districts in TL. I guess, she left such a deep impression because she was so near, yet so far away from better health.

People sitting in their air conditioned offices have no excuse saying they have no time to visit the districts to understand local conditions - you only need 20 minutes to see it for yourself. 20 minutes to get a reality check. 20 minutes to remind yourself that this girl is a human with dignity, and not a statistic and should not become one.

Finally!

Ok, so i've finally changed the look of my blog and waved goodbye to the old cos i gave up trying to figure out (using html)how to add links to it - have procrastinated for nearly 2 years! yeah, so now i've finally added links to blogs that i've been reading so if you know of any other good blogs especially those focused on Timor, let me know! Adios.

some results................

A table in today's edition of Suara Timor Lorosae showed the contenders and the positions they were in at midnight. If you look at the overall numbers, Ramos-Horta is in the running, with Lu'Olo trailing about 2000 votes behind, and then Lasama about 9000 votes behind Lu'olo. But this is a mix of final and provisional counts. If we only look at the final counts of Aileu, Ainaro, Covalima,Manatuto and Oecusse, the result is quite different. Xavier led in Aileu and Ainaro, while Lasama secured Covalima and Oecusse, and Horta only with Manatuto. The Timorese are keeping real close tabs on the results, with some even calling their friends in the districts to ascertain results. Lu'olo is winning big in predictable spots like Baucau, Lautem, and Viqueque altho the results are all provisional for these districts.

According to a friend, he thinks that if it comes down to a run off between Lu'Olo and Horta, Lu'Olo is likely to win as supporters for Lasama and Lucia Lobato may not feel inclined to vote for Horta. Particularly for Lasama supporters as they don't support Horta's pursuit of Alfredo Reinado. So this would be interesting to see whether the opposition collaborate or not, in order to install Ramos-Horta as president. If they are unable to coalesce, then Lu'olo is likely to win.

from the personal views i've gathered , votes for Lu'olo seem to be really sentimentally tied to the resistance years. Fretilin still evokes strong emotions and pride in the people. THe resistance years were a time when they stood united as a people. Also, the fact (often mentioned) that the broadcasting system here has not reached most parts of the country so those in the districts are unlikely to have seen what happened in Dili with their own eyes or heard with their own ears, in order to judge. Ramos-Horta's biggest win so far remains to be in Dili; in places like Ainaro and Ermera, he received less than 1000 votes each. It'll really interesting to see how this all pans out.

Remember in 2002 when people voted Fretilin and then were dismayed to find out that it chose Mari Alkatiri as the PM? I asked friends if this featured in their decision-making, i.e. if Lu'Olo (who is said to be credible, and independent thinker by some) is voted in as President, then when Fretilin wins, it is almost 99% that Alkatiri will be PM again. I asked, why not keep Lu'Olo for a parliamentary position where he can have more input to improving the leadership? Someone remarked that this is perhaps why Alkatiri is pushing so hard for Lu'Olo (his best competition) to be President (largely figure head) so that when Fretilin wins in parliamentary elections, he will likely be the PM again.

True or not?

timor's elections

Timor is in election fever!

last night, received an SMS "election results will be tabulated tonight at the Dili admin bldg 150 metres southof obrigado main gate. avoid the area"

before that: an sms about an attempted break in or counting disruption at Catholic Primary School in old Baucau at 7.25pm...

but so far no major incidents related to the elections which was good!

last evening, i watched the live press conference at the National Electoral Commission on TVTL and was first, very impressed by the fact that Fr Martinho was fielding questions and repeating his answers in FOUR languages: english, tetum, bahasa indonesia and portuguese. initially there were the mundane questions about the ballot papers since there was an earlier shortage of papers at certain polling stations. this was because the elections did not require people to vote at designated centres but they could vote ANYWHERE, and since it was the easter weekend, a lot of people had returned to their home districts, to their sukus which probably led to a surge in numbers at certain spots. Apparently the UN choppers flew out at 230pm to distribute the extra ballot papers to 11 districts but of course, with some spots so remote that required horses to access, the papers didn't get to a small number of stations. I heard Fr Martinho mention that the ballot papers didn't get there in time, and that they would review and see if the voting could resume today. not sure what's the latest on this.

the exciting part came after Anne Barker asked Fr Martinho about the rough estimates on the polls. He said something about receiving lots of smses and phone calls from the different parties from the districts and then (very surprisingly) went on to say 4 names, almost ranking them - Jose Ramos-Horta, Lu'Olo, Lasama and then something about Xavier having won in Hera (according to ASDT news). This caused quite a buzz in the room - even i could feel it sitting in my room watching! When pressed further by an avalanche of questions to clarify what he'd just said, I think the priest realised 'uh-oh, i think i said the wrong thing,' cos he sudddenly back-pedalled and said something like : oh i'm not saying anything or ranking anyone, i jsut said this is what i got from the smses and phone calls, it's not official, and i'm not saying anymore, or i will get into trouble, you can say who you like..... obviously that left a big question mark hovering over the reporters' heads .... bzzzzzz.....

anyways, it's been an exciting day of seeing timorese out there in action to cast their vote. even the avos, the pregnant women, the injured turned out to have a say. TVTL also made good effort to send news crews to cover the voting in Liquica, Manatuto, Baucau, Lautem, Covalima, Bobonaro, Dili, Aileu, and Ermera - and made it in time for the 8 o'clock news! kudos TVTL. good effort! Parabens ba TVTL!

"Baby seriously injured in attack on Fretilin rally"

it's real unfortunate that a baby got hurt last Thursday due to no fault of the babe... but i just wanted to say LOUDLY that

she would not have been hurt if she wasn't brought to the rally in the first place!

I'm so irritated with how children have been pulled into the rallies, made to wear the shirts of presidential candidates, holler slogans they may not understand, and in the process possibly get hurt. It's not a good way to introduce your children to the world: violence begets violence my dear inan aman sira out there.

Please, netizens, do your part, help to spread the word to the political parties, your friends, your neighbours to stop involving the children. Although it is their right to assemble, and have expression, we do know for sure that some children are forced to hold banners without anyone giving them information on WHY they need to do it. Of course, children love parties and gatherings, but if parents really care for their children and want to protect them, try to keep them away from rallies that can really turn violent.

I can't help but point out that Arsenio Bano who is spokesperson for Fretilin is also Minister for Labour and Communinity Re-insertion - the ministry that the Division of Social Services falls under - the division that is tasked to look out for the protection of children.

Vote ba Presidente!

Some pictures taken this morning as I passed by the Escola Duque de Caixas in Bemori. Orderly lines had formed and people were quietly and patiently waiting their turn to vote. The weather was still cool, and perhaps why tempers still cool. Only a few police officers were visible at the scene. A Timorese policeman told me he'd arrived at 4am while the first people arrived at 6am to queue up to vote. Inside, a few observers were taking notes as citizens went into individual booths made of cardboards)to make their secret vote before (coming out to cast into the ballot box. Children were excitedly waiting at the gates,
eager to see what was happening but a little too short to peer past the fences. Some other adults were also looking on from outside, not eager to join the long line, preferring to wait for a time when there would be fewer people although i'm not sure when that might be. Voting ends at 4pm! hope all will be peaceful.....

promete barak liu!

lots of promises have been spewing from the mouths of presidential candidates like water from an open spring - rather fresh and nice to hear,and perhaps even good for health cos it makes people hopeful but unlike fresh spring water, we're not sure if the words are REAL. it irks me to hear the candidates going around telling people what they will do once they are president when in actual fact, they can't do very much once voted in! but i think the realities are falling on deaf ears and people are really lapping up the promises like they were for real.

i visited the metinaro IDP camp yesterday. it's been a few months since i last visited and i was taken by the changes in the camp. there are now many more semi-permanent huts (thatched roofs and zinc walls) and fewer tents (apparently the emergency tents aren't meant to last beyond 6 months) and the whole area looked more spacious than before. This is my impression. the sad thing was that they are still displaced, but the good thing is they have taken action to make themselves slightly more comfortable than before. i saw a group of women (from really ferik to about 20 years old) attending an adult literacy class. it was really encouraging to see them participate and walk up eagerly and gingerly scrawl their names on the white board. these women have never been to school and learning just how to form the letters to their names is such a challenge but also an immensely pridely thing. one woman, her name is Maria (and she will be so thrilled i remember her name cos she kept testing me if i did), asked if i was going to the fretilin rally and went 'viva fretilin'. another old lady asked , "mana, mai escola bele simu osan?" haha. she was really so cheeky, testing if this malae would say, "ya, bele simu osan!" i said, "lae, la iha osan, bele mai escola diak ona!" hohoho...

anyways, my point is that the displaced people, especially those from the east (in fact i think the majority are easterners), are still very pro-fretilin. I spoke to a rather educated timorese and he said he'll still vote fretilin - NOT because of what it had failed to do in the past 5 years (if this was the point, he would not vote Fretilin) but because he did not know what other alternatives there were! he felt that the opposition has not been credible and this is really coming down to choosing which devils is the least harmful. rather choose 'the devil you know better or the devil you don't know at all'. i guess that's why Bush was re-elected. (*DOH*)