Goodbye Mister!

It's happened.

Hello Mister is now Goodbye Mister. 'Passed by the place this morning and saw a bulldozer perched (precariously) atop a mound of debris; it was chomping hungrily away at the ugly bare concrete walls of the building. Workmen had put up a barricade that spilled onto the road in case pieces flew off - i was quite nervous that we might have a piece of Hello Mister 'souvenir' on our car roof as we waited to cross the busy cross-junction. Cos who could we sue for repairs??? No such thing in Timor -just your luck if anything like that happens! There has been a green zinc wall put up around the building for at least 2 weeks now so i guess today's demolition was inevitable. I wonder if it will really be transformed into that ultramodern 10-storey building, the drawing of which was recently circulated on the net? We shall wait with bated breath! It is heartening to see that things are moving on in this city, and that this was finally making way for something new - kinda shows that people are having faith again in investing here. And so, as our car finally rolled by (the jam was bad this morning!) i said 'goodbye' to this crumbling shell that has somehow become a testament to Timor's shaky beginnings as an indie nation. Adios!

Update on HOPE

Little man hunting for fish in the Gleno river (July 2007)

Just dropped by Jeremy Ballagher's blog on HOPE orphanage and thought i should just add some photos and updates. The last time i was there was in July and already saw good many changes to the orphanage. The boys were building a fence for the vegetable plot; the kitchen has been cleaned up especially the messy reading corner that used to have a dinghy mattress where the kids would plop down to play is now removed; and the big white freezer is storing food and is not opened during the day to keep the chill. Of course, more things can be done but now people like Shamim (who works with ANZ bank) are paying a lot more attention and assisting Isa to run the place better -bit by bit. A friend of ours who sold her car has also asked us to donate all the money to HOPE on a monthly basis. If you also wish to do so, you can do so with a standing order instruction from ANZ bank with HOPE's account number. (Enquire with Shamim, who is also going to ensure that all donor funds are accounted for.)

lost

Dear Y,

I found out from the news last night why that letter I sent 3 months ago never reached you - it (with its nice stamps and fancy paper) is still sitting here in Timor, along with thousands others, packed neatly in postal bags, stacked up to the ceiling in a room somewhere (i think at the Correios) waiting to be sent on a flight to you. My half-boiled Tetum deciphered the news story to be that the (previous) Government had not paid Merpati (that monopoly airline that flies to Indonesia) its fees for a long time and so thousands of letters now languish in a musty room waiting to be delivered to their right owners. Perhaps when the new government passes its budget and finally pays up, that now out-dated letter may finally arrive in your letter box. Meanwhile, I now understand why people pay through their noses to send things through DHL's 'express' service, even though a parcel can take days to reach Jakarta - apparently the parcels get sent from Bali to Singapore (its main centre) before they get sent back to Jakarta.

It may not make a lot of sense what they do at DHL, but hey, at least your parcel does reach its destination one day, instead of gathering dust here in Timor. I just hope that the delay has not caused you to worry too much. I thought this sculpture of two malnourished and severely underweight Timorese holding their heads in deep thought and worry may afford you some comfort that you are not alone.

Warmest regards,
Tumbleweeed

Woodwork @ Atauro

makhili wood sculptures
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed

Most people return from Atauro with at least one piece of wooden sculpture made by the villagers of Makhili. There's a shop @ Tua Ko'in Eco Lodge that has the works of about 10 guys - you see the names of the artist on the price tag. Marcus (the younger guy) is the leader of the group and he said the lodge didn't charge them any commission for displaying their stuff there. He also goes to Dili regularly and you can commission works from them. Call him @ 7353578 but i think he speaks only Tetum and Bahasa Indo. Jill J. and 2 friends were also at the lodge same time as us. They went a-walking to Makhili directly, and came back by boat (~$25) armed with big sculptures that a man in his 40s said he'd carved when he was 17. So if you're up for a good 1.5 hour walk along the mangrove and rock beach, and then scrambling up a footpath, you can visit the village itself. Of course, you can always hire a boat to and from there. There're no good roads to Makhili.

It was my first time visiting Atauro - in my 2 years here! can't believe it but thks to S. who organised the trip, i finally set foot on the island. We hired the Island Lady for $520 round trip for 10 pax - fast ride - about 1.5 hours each way. Other alternatives are to either take the Nakroma (leaves Sat and Wed), or smaller fishing boats for a lower price but i guess being in my pregnant state i wasn't that keen on braving out on a small boat.....

And since 2005/2006 trip to Jaco, this is the first time i've felt like a camera-toting tourist (altho i was quite a lazy snapper compared to the rest!). It was nice to be away from Dili for 2 whole days - we had a wonderful sea front bungalow that was so breezy i was lulled into inactivity most of the time. A and I did walk to a beach (about 1 hour away) on Sunday and swam there - but it was a hot hot walk! The rest of the group took a fisherman's boat (Augusto ~$50 for about 2-3 hours) out to Akrema (the white sand beach) and another snorkelling spot. Their original boat failed to come at 8am cos the guy forgot it was Domingo and he had to go to mass, so Gabriella (from Eco Lodge) arranged Augusto to come instead. They left at 930am or so and came back ravenous at 120pm.

I didn't go, cos i had a slight back ache and then i remembered - how would I get back onto the boat AFTER snorkelling? Although there was a simple step ladder, even the non-pregnant ones said they had to heave themselves up. So luckily i didn't go - oh well, next time! - or else i might have had to hang on to the outrigger and 'ski' back! So although i didn't do the usual 'active' stuff i would normally have done - i do have a growing bump right in front! - it was a nice chilled out weekend for A. and I. He is always so busy and it was good to see him so relaxed and of course he took the opportunity to catch up on his sleep. Everyone was amazed how much he could sleep.

.........

On the last evening, J. led S. and Y. on a sunset yoga session on the beach. I did my prenatal moves (so easy!) and then snapped pictures of them. C. and E. played soccer with naked, sun-kissed kiddies, while A. of course slept. M. just hung out at our verandah too lazy to move anywhere else. Ah.......................the joys of doing nothingThis morning, we woke up at 5am to leave the island. Our lil boat came late - only at 630am to bring us back to the Island Lady....... now i am in my office, surviving on coffee and determination to stay awake for the rest of the day!

farewell COLD STORAGE

It's Kmanek Supermarket now - don't worry still the same nice owner! It's just that the name COLD STORAGE was causing some confusion back in Singapore where there's a huge supermarket chain by the same name. :-)Tomorrow i'm off to Atauro - finally! Please, let there be dolphins.......

"Timor Telecom warning message/ Price of recharge is printed in the card. Please do not pay more." This beeped into our cells at lunchtime today. For those still scratching their heads over why the message, it's because the pulsa sellers have been charging 25 to 75 cents more for every $5 recharge card they sell. Last night when we drove by Acait, the cards were going for $5.25, then at Audian it was $5.50. Today a colleague went around town and concluded that $5.25 was the lowest $5 card being sold, $5.75 being the highest! Thankfully, the price for the $10 are still the same. More than a year ago, I asked a pulsa vendor his profit on every phone card, i think it's 10 cents for every $15 card they sold so i can't imagine how much they can earn on a $5 card! No wonder these guys are upping the price, and obviously this has reached TT's ears. It's the same isn't it in Indonesia? The streetside pulsa vendors also charge extra. Actually, the same has already happened in Baucau and Lautem ( and perhaps other districts) when phonecards are more difficult to come by. Now, this price hike on the $5 card seems to have become a consensus across Dili, so how can we "not pay more?" Only 1 choice, buy a $10 card. But if you only have so few dollars in your pocket, you just have no choice but to concede another $0.25 to the vendor or spend $0.20 travelling to TT's office to get the originally-priced cards.

ramblings.....of olympics and futebol

Nothing much spectacular has occurred over the week, although we have received continued reports of sporadic incidents in Dili and in districts, including a 100-men stone throwing activity over the Comoro River last Friday...wished i was there to witness the warriors...

Do you think that if they included stonethrowing or hurling as an Olympics item, Timor-Leste might just win? Or if there was a 'primitive, self-made' weaponry category, our rama ambons, darts, and slings might stand a chance of getting top spots? Or would the headhunters still living in the forests of Sabah/Sarawak and other more isolated regions triumph? Anyways, our car got a small dint on Saturday night and that does suck. Luckily it's a small scratch but still it means some dough to fix it so it won't rust.

Anyways, just thinking of the Olympics is getting me excited. Already some of my journo friends are heading to Beijing to stake out their turf, and developing their contacts for Olympics reporting.... Ahh... my envy turns me greeen....Also, those working in spinning PR stories have moved their HQ to Beijing to ride onto the press wave. I wonder what Timor's plans are? So dear Mr Olimpio (even your name bodes well!) Branco - if you see this blog, can u hire me to cover our atheletes in Beijing? I am fluent in Mandarin, and English and can speak a smattering of Tetum!

Speaking of sports, kudos once again to Joao 'Choque' Becora for the series of football matches he and his guys have organised. From now till the end of October, matches are played in Becora every Friday, Saturday and Sunday amongst 14 clubs from various bairros, including Bairro Pite, Kampong Alor, Surik Mas and of course Becora. It's nice to see the young boys and men trooping out in their colourful uniforms, clutching their footballs, instead of machetes, and united in sporting spirit instead of gang bravado. Choque's even got young boys on the organising committees so as to get them to learn how to organise and plan these events. So well done! Timor needs many more guys like him, but of course, we all know, Choque also has his formidable reputation behind him that earns him much respect and perhaps fear (?) so people won't really mess with him. Interesting guy he is... multi-layered for sure....

Have a safe, stone-free week ahead folks.............

it starts from now.....

Local wisdom here dictates that pregnant women 'lao barak' or walk a lot. it is actually very sound advice as lots of walking increases stamina, and also widens the birth canal to make birthing easier. G (who was very petite) walked so much that three times her babies just came out so easily despite her small frame. She said she used to scare the guards at Palacio do Governo whenever she ran up the stairs while being heavily pregnant. She was THAT active till her delivery. I also often spot pregnant women walking up and down the beach front.

Being pregnant here also meant that i have had to take more initiative to find out more about prenatal preparations. One of the first things i got online was a Shiva Rea Prenatal Yoga DVD. It has been a great investment - since it shows how a woman in the various stages of pregnancy can modify her poses for a safer, more comfortable workout. The music is also very soothing, and really calms me down after a day's work. The poses are also very simple, with a lot of emphasis on squats, pelvic rotation, kegels, pelvic tilts - all the exercises that are useful in expanding the birth canal, firming the muscles that will be used in birthing, and strengthening the pelvic floor. I find that even when i'm outside like at the office, i can use some of the poses to stretch myself, and ease my back. The only downside is that this is something i do ALONE. I wish there was a prenatal yoga class for preggers! At least it would be fun to mingle and see other bigbelliedmums. I have stopped attending the regular yoga classes also because i know i am no longer able to hold the poses without assistance such as a chair, or a strap. And like i said, the DVD is great!

I just read in TIME magazine too that prenatal belly dancing is hotting up. I wish i had ordered that one too from Amazon! I can imagine how fun belly dancing is, especially with my bump. but then again, what fun can belly dancing be when it's all done alone? yoga is one thing, but dancing is a social activity! it would be strange to be jiggling on my own to exotic music.....

also, without the privilege of joining prenatal classes back home, i've been reading up voraciously about pregnancy. my 'bible' "what to expect when expecting" is well-thumbed now, also "pregnancy week by week", and "praying for your unborn child" - these are all great resources.

Recently i brought back "Hypnobirthing - the Mongan method" to begin some self study on hynobirthing because i've read a lot about this online but won't have the chance to attend classes. I really can embrace the philosophy of birthing without fear- the gist is that if a woman goes into childbirth having all kinds of morbid thoughts and fears (from past experience, or stories from mother and friends), her body inadvertently seizes up, her mouth clams up, leading to her uterus also becoming rigid. Once that happens, the body simply is unable to react to its natural signals to birth the baby. Hypnosis is also not the kind of abracadabra we see on tv. This is simply learning methods of deep relaxation to control the mind so as to block the hormones that send fear and pain to our brain. Instead, the mind calms the body down, to a state of stillness and awareness. So, ultimately Hypnobirthers don't feel pain but pressure and therefore don't need EPIDURAL. This is the ideal state of course. and i agree completely that for this ultimate state to be reached, mothers have to be hardworking and practise, practise, practise those exercises - otherwise, come birthtime, it will be a painful surprise! I'm still not sure if i am up to 'it' but i'm beginning to practise the relaxation and visualisation techniques. I am beginning to see how if we kick and scream through our delivery, surely the baby would be affected? I mean, the baby's hearing is well-developed by 5th month, so surely they can hear our agony and feel so scared and refuse to come out to that horrible noisy world out there? Once again, the book encourages mothers to do plenty of exercises - which are all COVERED in the prenatal yoga dvd! Above all, in more modern birthing philosophies, what's being encouraged is for mothers and fathers to be CURIOUS, to take an active role in preparing for childbirth by finding out more instead of simply listening to what the medical caregiver has to say. I agree with that!

Last word - i think asian moms have an advantage in natural birthing because (at least for the present and older generations), they grew up in a world of squat toilets, were used to sitting on the floors cross-legged, and are generally more pliant than bigger caucasian women. I can personally attest to this when you see the asian women contorting with ease during yoga lessons! so viva, squat toilets which have such a big role to play in strengtheing the thighs and pelvic floor muscles!

axed

.
'koko baliu'
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed
Saw this fish as i was passing by the bridge back from Metiaut to Dili central. SB said it was a Mahi Mahi (cos he lived four years in Hawaii and absolutely loved sashimi mahi mahi and had a japanese gf (then) to boot). For the locals, this is called the 'koko baliu' or 'axe fish' because of the shape of the head

Earlier at the despedida for SM, Maun Toi also bought a big load of 'samber' fish which look like miniature swordfishes cos of the long whatmachacallit (spike? pointy thing?) but they did have a cute little red tip at the end. I only thought it was a pity that so many were females, packed with roe that the Timorese wolfed down delightfully. I wonder where the males were! not a single one i ate was a male fish. anyways, it was a nice saturday out - blue sky, blue sea, and lots of fish!

poxed out

Silence for the past 3 weeks can be attributed to a sudden bout of chicken pox that reared its ugly beak out from nowhere. One day I was painting kiddy murals at a child-friendly police unit, the next day I was spotty all over. No fever, no nothing; just blisters all over the torso. I was terrified initially wondering the effect it would have on bebe, but thankfully, I was past the first trimester and not near delivery so bebe’s safe from infection. I saw my gynae in the carpark of the National Hospital cos she was afraid I would spread the pox to other preggers so there I was sitting in the car, she came over took one look and said “yep, you got the pox.” She gave me some medicine to make sure I don’t progress to pneumonia as adult chicken pox is more dangerous. Everyone who found out I had the pox asked why I was such a late ‘bloomer’ but when my sis had it when she was in high school my mom did everything she could to infect me but I caught nothing. So I kinda presumed I was immune, till now. Well, better now than later. I heard that the later you get it, the more blisters you get inside you, like in all your orifices. Yucks.

So I spent the next 2 weeks grounded at home, watching every DVD I could scrounge from dark, dusty corners of my apartment. I even watched old movies like “300 Spartans” and learnt some ancient history; Oliver Stone’s “Alexander” also provided me with 3 hours of somnambulistic activity. I also took out some unread/half read books and finished up Thomas Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain (finally after a year), and Sister Catherine Emmerich’s Dolorous Passion which inspired Mel Gibson to make the film ‘Passion of the Christ’. I guess I have the pox to thank otherwise these tomes would still be gathering dust. I only wished I had internet access so I could have submitted my Masters’ assignment on time because I was feeling oh ‘so fine’ by the 3rd day of my pox. Sadly, I had to ask A to write to my professor and drop out of the semester cos there was no way I could have sneaked into an internet café without setting off the pox alarm. Dang! But thankfully Deakin U pitied me and agreed to let me drop out with a full waiver of my fees! Thank you Deakin!

This encounter with the pox also gave me new found knowledge in combating it in Timorese ways. From eating copious amounts of green papayas, to bathing in ai-dois and lemon leaves, as well as peanut shells - all of which I didn’t do. I just drank lots of water and orange juice everyday. Thankfully I didn’t even need to battle with the legendary pox itches. I did heed my own culture’s taboo on eating chicken, prawns and anything too ‘heaty’ but couldn’t overdo it cos they say if you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be too ‘cool’ as it’s not good for bebe. Anyways, it’s all over now. I did a detailed fetal scan when I returned home for a week, and all is fine! PHEW!