Pieces

The washbasin came down with a mighty crash.For a split second, time stood still. I saw the porcelain basin smash into smithereens - pieces flying in slow motion. Slightly shocked, I stepped away instinctively.


But it was too late - a river of red had begun to flow beneath my feet.
I sighed. I knew I had been cut but the signals of pain had not yet travelled to my brain. This was going to be an eventful shower. What to do now? I tried to get out of the way, but it was tough considering that I was still soaped and slippery. Thankfully I had my contact lenses on so I wasn’t blind as a bat. I spotted my glasses lying in the broken pile and rescued it first.

The red river was gaining momentum. I lifted up my left foot and saw a pulsating wound. I sprayed it with water but the blood kept flowing.

“Remember to lift up the injured part to stop the blood flowing”
One piece of advice I am glad I remembered from my first aid course. Hopping on one leg, I curled up my left leg behind me. I must have looked hilarious if not for the blood streaming down. I kept saying to myself, calm down gal. Don’t panic. It’s just a little blood.But the blood wouldn’t stop.

“put pressure on the wound to stop the blood flowing”
A second piece of advice I am thankful I remembered.I pressed my left thumb firmly onto the wound on my left sole, while at the same time holding on to the shower head with my right arm. Bless my right leg for all the balancing work and thank goodness for the yoga classes. The blood began to decrease and trickled to a stop. I showered off the rest of the soap, grabbed my towel and hopped out of the bathroom, leaving spots of blood on the floor.

I plonked onto a chair and lifted up my foot, at that time, I realized that my right big toe was cut too! So there I was- stark naked- with BOTH my feet up in the air.
After a few seconds, the blood clotting mechanisms finally kicked in. Still looking like a duffus, I looked around and saw that the swivel chair was at arm’s length.
I tugged it towards me and hopped onto it and then rolled over to my wardrobe in search of my first aid kit. I cleaned the wounds and poured on some Yunnan Baiyao (Yunnan White Medicine). This Baiyao is considered a cure-all in China so this would be a good test to see if the claims are true.



With my cuts plastered up, and big toe throbbing, I rolled around the room, cleaning up the mess, and even had the state of mind to remove my undies from the toilet before summoning the maintenance guy – Naier – into my room. I didn’t clean up the spots of blood on the floor though. I thought I should spice up Anna’s cleaning routine the next day.

I stared at the big gauze on the bottom of my left foot (3 cuts) and the plaster on my big toe (one cut), satisfitied with my first aid. Naier took some time to extricate the washbasin (in its thousand pieces) from the pipes and then so sweetly cleaned up the bathroom. I ate some self made yoghurt (which I was supposed to blog about until this accident happened) while waiting for him to finish.

At first I thought it was purely my fault for causing the basin to fall but the smashed up pieces revealed rusty and rotted parts which would have broken sooner or later.



So what was i doing to cause the basin to fall? 'Proper' and 'Standard' writing would demand that i reveal this so as to complete the picture but i think i am taking the suspense mystery route and will keep that piece of information to myself -just so that the next time you see me you can ask me why.


Have a safe and painFREE shower today!

Tale of the Lafaek

A long time ago, a small boy found a crocodile struggling to make his way from the lagoon where he was born, to the sea. Suppressing his fear of the crocodile, and out of great pity, the boy took the crocodile in his arms and carried him to the seashore.

The crocodile, although very hungry and needing sustenance, suppressed his urge to eat the boy and instead returned the act of great kindness with a promise. He told the boy that should he ever wish to travel he should come back to the same spot and call to the crocodile.

After a while and during a period of restlessness the boy remembered the crocodile’s promise and went to the sea to call for him. True to his word the crocodile returned.

They were both very happy to be reunited with one another. The boy climbed onto the crocodile’s back and together they travelled far and wide experiencing many great adventures together.

Much time passed and the crocodile was nearing the end of his life. The boy was stricken with grief for his great friend. Sensing this, the crocodile comforted the boy and asked him not to be sad. The crocodile told him that when he died his body would grow into an island on which the boy would continue to live, along with his family and all his descendants.

The crocodile died and became the island of Timor. The descendants
inherited the boy’s qualities of kindness, friendliness and sense of justice. To this day the people of Timor call the crocodile “grandfather” and whenever they come across a river call out “Crocodile, I’m your grandchild, don’t eat me!”

----- Extracted from "Biblioteka ba ne’ebé? Libraries where you going?" Notes from a study tour of libraries in East Timor by Patti Manolis July 2005

When I was in Suai, my Timorese companions really did call the crocodile by the more affectionate “Avoo” or “Aboo” which means Grandfather, instead of its proper term “lafaek.” Timorese also believe that if you are goodhearted like the little boy, your ‘Avoo’ would never bite you. So if you are ever bitten by a croc in Timor, it’s because you ain’t so kind and ‘Avoo’ is punishing you. Tough luck, huh?

black hole

They always happen at the most inappropriate times. It’s like someone with a bad sense of humour has timed them so perfectly - I am talking about the blackouts in Dili. Because whenever I am deeply absorbed in a movie on HBO and the film reaches a climax, there would be a power outage.

Zap!

My whole compound falls into darkness and the last scene on the tv screen gets swallowed up into a dark hole. I don’t move because I cannot see nought. I just wait for the guy in charge to kickstart the generator for backup power. I hear the engine’s roar as it wakes up from its slumber, and then seconds later power returns to the room. By now, I know that what will greet me on Channel 7 is a blank screen and not the film I had been watching. I sigh and wish that the landlord had been watching the same channel because then he would switch it back to HBO. But alas, most times, that screen stays blank for the rest of the night.

I am left feeling cheated not knowing how the movie ends. Blackouts can be so frustrating and they happen almost everyday here. This is why malaes (foreigners) like me pay a fortune to stay in places that have their own generators so that we can have backup power almost immediately. For the locals, they just light their candles.

Outside Dili, most places are in a permanent state of blackouts. They have no electricity in the day, let alone at night. Some locals have wryly commented that this is why they have such high birth rates (more than 7 babies per women!) since there are no other forms of nocturnal activities except for you know what.

So in the districts, there are no fans whirring overhead to cool you down in the day, no ice cold beer or coca cola to relieve the heat, and no power to start a computer. In some places, the power does come on in the evenings from 6pm and lasts till midnight.

This lack of electricity is hard to imagine for city rats like us who depend so heavily on power in our homes and in our industries that are now running round-the-clock shifts or brokerage firms working to other time zones. The last time we had a major power outage, hundreds of thousand dollars were lost as businesses were disrupted and ornamental fish asphyxiated from the lack of pumped oxygen.

In Dili, there are no street lights so when I walk home from work at about 7pm, I depend on the headlights of vehicles that zoom past me. I have to look carefully to avoid falling into potholes and sometimes I wonder if the cars can see me as they whiz by.

My city eyes fail me here. I am uneasy with the darkness. City rats like bright lights and neon signs. We feel safer when night is like day. Maybe we don’t eat enough carrots back home but Timorese seem to be able to navigate easily even while walking in pitch darkness. I remember the Tibetans doing the same too – slicing, grinding and cooking their meals in such dimness. When I ate dinner in remote villages in China, they used to light a bark just for me while they carried on in darkness.

I can’t help thinking if man never discovered fire and subsequently electricity and lamps, where would we be now? I remember how I went to bed at 730pm, once in China because there was no electricity and hence nothing to do. I wonder how the economy and standard of living of Timorese would be like once they have power at night? I naively thought that power at night would mean more children reading and doing homework but my Timorese colleague just said, “Nah, everyone will just watch TV.” I think Singaporean kids would head for their Playstations first.

LOST & found

showers of blessings
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

It poured when I was in Aileu recently - a harbinger of the rainy season to come. The kids, like those in Cambodia, were splashing in the puddles of water, getting soaked and having much unrestrained fun. I had fun too, watching them under shelter.

The next day when I was about to return to Dili, I lost a purse which I had bought from Cambodia. It simply vanished into thin air. Poof! Like someone had conjured it to another dimension. Even after re-tracing my steps countless times, I was still unable to locate it. It’s a mystery where the little purse went.

I didn’t cry over the purse that went walking with $40, but the loss did put me in a contemplative mood. It made me think of all the things I have lost in the 30 years I have walked on this Earth: pencils in primary school; pens in secondary school; books in junior college; and files in university, etc. There were also friendships lost when pals became strangers as we grew older, and the loss of loved ones when they bade farewell for a better world.

More importantly - and predictably too – the loss of innocence: from carefree bookworm days to stressful adulthood; from a head of black, bouncy hair to graying hairs covered up with poisonous dyes. I no longer have the innocence of a child who finds pure happiness in pouring rain.

While auditing my losses, I realized that they are small, even minuscule, compared to what others have lost or are losing as we speak: the floods in Guatemala, the hurricane in New Orleans, the earthquake in Pakistan, the tsunami in Asia, the bombs in Bali & many other places.

But above all, I realized that the inputs in the column ‘FOUND’ are plentiful as well. On this journey (destination unknown) I have found many new friends, amazing experiences, wisdom, and optimism in each new day. I have found, through painful experiences of loss, richer insights and a grittier spirit. It sounds idealistic - I wouldn’t dare try telling this to someone who has just lost a child in the earthquake. But honestly, while taking stock of my life, I realize that I do have a lot of blessings to count for.

As Tiu (Uncle) Mario – my driver – said to me when I lost the wallet, “It’s ok. The loss is in exchange for good luck.”

Do you wake up each day counting your blessings or your losses?

why i dun eat BABI in Dili

Need i say more?

SWAT team

I scoffed at the idea when L first shared it with me after observing his Timorese counterparts in the office - now I am convinced there is only ONE way to kill a Timorese mosquito swiftly.

The method:

See the buzzing mossie fly past you
Observe its motion
Raise hand ABOVE the mossie and slap it onto the ground
Mossie is dazed and stunned and lies on floor
Raise foot and stamp on it

Result : Dead mossie

Would it work in Singapore? Can someone try it out?

world peace?

My aunt once said the world would never find peace until men fell at their women's feet and asked for forgiveness.

Jack Kerouac

imagination - taking off

mysterious morn
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

Last week, an American millionaire became the third person in the world to board a Russian spaceshuttle as a space tourist.

He paid $11million or so to spend 10 days up in space.

Wow huh. He must have SO much money that he can spare this pittance for a jaunt in the air.

For me, i am waiting for the day when an ANTI-GRAVITY pill is invented. I'm sure Salman Rushdie's not the first person to think of such an invention but when i was reading 'Shame' last night, the thought of becoming anti-gravity suddenly became so alluring.

The prolific and very humourous Rushdie asks in chapter 3, "What if such a pill were invented?"

Ah... I began to think: "Yes, what if?" I bet I would be popping those pills and flying to the ends of the world. North, south, east, west, it would be a travel fest! I would fly up to Mount Ramelau - the highest mountain in Timor Leste first and then east towards the Polynesian islands and into Hawaii onto Mauna Kea - the highest mountain in the Pacific Ocean and then to the South Pole - tierra del fuego - and over to ........ where ever!

Rushdie further espotulates, "personalized international travel could be made possible by manufacturing pills of different strengths for different lengths of journey."

Wow! incredible. I would fly, fly, fly to see all my friends around the world. I could fly back to Singapore for a teh tarik, to my granma's place to say Hi, fly over the treetop walk and then zip back to Dili on Monday for work.

But then, imagine the number of flying people in the air. Predictably - either the pills have to be super expensive OR the airways will get jammed with all sorts of flying human beings zipping in all different directions! the ambulance services of the world would be busy picking up humans who drop like flies after mid-air collisions, or when their pills run outta juice.

of course, then, like the iPOD, you have to invent all kinds of accessories to go with the pill. A sleek flying garment to protect you in case you fall straight into the Indian Ocean, a waterproof pocket to keep the extra pills, the sunglasses to protect your eyes, and special heat proof hat so you won't melt like Icarus' wings did.

So if you had a AGP (Anti-Gravity Pill) where would you fly to first?

I found Nemo today...

We had a most awesome start to a Sunday today! My boss and her hubby brought IR and I to Dili Rocks - a rock outcrop just west of Dili to snorkel this morning.

We met up with E and her family and had a great one hour out there floating above reef and colourful fishes. I was reminded of my weekly snorkelling sessions at Hanuama Bay in Hawaii. Then, we used to get out every Wednesday afternoon, take a bus (for one hour!) before getting to the Bay which would sometimes be crawling with Japanese tourists in lifesaving jackets. The lifeguards in Hawaii were always hunky, with a surfboard at their side, ready to dash out to sea to rescue those stranded outside the reef break and unable to swim back because of the strong rip tide.

But no, here in Dili there are no hunky, oiled lifeguards in Oakleys staring out to sea for your safety. Sometimes there are two or three young boys who go fishing with their spears.

Here in Dili, there are no public buses that stop at the snorkelling spots like in Hawaii. So you either gotta drive or pay a taxi to get there - but wait, how about going back then? So yeah, without a car or a trusty taxi driver, you're pretty much stranded in Dili town with nothing very much to do - except mebbe marketing and playing badminton. So i'm really thankful for those who have kindly allowed me to hop onto their cars.

Yesterday, IR and I went swimming at Timor Lodge. YOu pay USD5 to use the pool but you can order a sandwich or something of that same value. So we decided to just splurge a little in order to get some exercise.

This week in UNICEF, we had 3 days of a Country Programme Planning conference where we got all out partners and government counterparts to sitdown to confirm the office's plans for 2006-2007. I'm glad we have roped in these partners to brainstorm ideas cos no NGO should ever work solo. So yeah, you get the drift. The office bit of work wasn't that exciting this week compared to the snorkelling!

so much to do, so little time

morning in aileu
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

sometimes i wish i have 48 hours in a day or that every year has 24 months. Don't you?

I turn 30 next month. It seems like a lot of years to be on this earth, and yet, I feel like i am just beginning to learn to walk and run! The possibilities of what next to do seem endless. but time waits for no man or woman. It's just going tick-tock tick-tock all the time. Is there a way to freeze time? (or my ovaries? LOL)

"Many things can wait; the child cannot….To him, we cannot say tomorrow; his name is today." - Gabriela Mistral

How true this quote is. Sometimes i wish that i had begun venturing out earlier. But then, when i look back at my 4 years in news, I realise how invaluable the experience was. And would I be the same person i am now if i did not see Chile, myanmar or tibet? I guess God does work at His own pace.

And to QY who lamented on his blog about wishing to be OUT there doing stuff - patience. You don't know how many times i asked myself why i never thought of studying to be a doctor or a nurse so that i can really save lives with my hands. So your turn will come but keep the flame burning!

We can't rush things, but we can seize every moment. That famous quote from the film Dead Poets' Society comes to mind : "Suck the marrow out of life."

In Singapore, that would be "have you savoured any tulang of life lately?"

hardship posting?

going home
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

...hardly!

before i arrived here, some people asked me worriedly if i would be able to cope with being in TL for 10 months at a stretch. Honestly, because i had never been to TL before , i did not know the full answer to that - then. I knew that i was used to being on my own overseas and that i would do ok without the creature comforts of malls and cinemas.

Little did i know HOW much i would love it here. So no, there ain't any hardship involved here. Just a lot of astounding sunsets, sunrises, misty mountains and lovely children. I have time to read, to contemplate and to enjoy a certain quality of life while working 8-530pm every day. Life is a lot slower and less stressful.

The only thing i really miss now is my ultimate frisbee games at Bishan and Bugis. Oh, and the sarabat stalls with their teh-cino and teh tarik. Hmm.. and maybe the facials? :-)

HIGHway to jakarta

highway to jakarta
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

There used to be 2 'high' ways to Jakarta in the district of Ainaro, Timor Leste.

This was during the time when Timor was fighting for independence, and soldiers used to send freedom fighters to 'Jakarta' by pushing them over the cliffs, to their deaths. Their wives would be told : "Your husband has gone to Jakarta". To this day, you will still find bones of those who were sent a-flying at the bottom of the cliffs, and many people still stop by Jakarta 1 and Jakarta 2 to pay their respects. It's chilling to imagine that these awful killings happened to a country so near to ours, and during those times, what was I doing?

in 1975 - when indonesia first invaded Timor, i was born
in late 80s - I was finishing secondary school
in 1999 - I had graduated, gone to Chile for my Raleigh expedition, and had quit my first job

it's amazing how our lives just go on despite all the horrible things that happen in the world. every minute, as you read this blog, babies are dying from hunger, mothers from complicated deliveries and unsanitary conditions, someone is losing his leg from a landmine planted 20 years ago, or maybe a genocide is taking place.

you can make a difference simply by becoming more aware of what happens OUTSIDE your backyard. Don't believe the myth that YOU are too small to make a change. If you can't stop a war, at least help a poor neighbour with his next meal or better yet, put his child to school. So stop reading this blog already! Get started!

flickr flackr

just a short note to say thanks to Rani for buying me a Flickr Pro account so now i can upload as many pictures as i want a month! ;-) so guys do click on my pictures and visit the rest of my timor shots i have on Flickr. adios :-)

head banging

head banging
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

i finally found the courage to take the Mikrolet this past week. The mikrolet is , as it's name suggests, a micro bus. There are so many of them plying the streets of Dili but like in many Asian and also developed countries, there are no bus stops and signages to indicate which bus goes where. That is why it has taken me so long to muster the courage to take one as I had feared getting into unknown parts of Dili.

After some weeks of observation, I decided that Bus 10 is a good bet because i see it everywhere I go i.e. outside the church i attend, the supermarkets i go to, and the wet market i trawl for cheap veggies, and most importantly, Bus 10 stops outside my place.

So I hopped onto one on Saturday after shopping at Comoro Market, the traditional farmers' market where locals sell their produce - tomatoes, bitter gourds, bak choi, kailan, kangkong, cassavas, pumpkins, avocadoes, tofu, bean sprouts, peppers, etc. I struggled up the tiny bus with 3 bags of barang-barang, everyone was staring at me curiously. It's not often that a malae takes public transport. Most malae hop onto the many taxis on the street and it costs $1 to go anywhere. I used to think that was cheap until i started taking the mikrolet which costs only 10 cents to go to the same places!



Incidentally, someone told me that a malae who knew Tetun once took the mikrolet and he heard the locals comment on what a cheapskate he was for squeezing with them. You see, in Timor, all malaes have osan barak (a lot of money). That's hilarious to hear. But i think my presence didn't quit stir up that kind of conversation in the tiny bus.

Anyways, the ten-cent ride, if you look at it positively, entails a Dili tour of sorts. The bus stopped frequently,and I had to squeeze with 15 others, and wait patiently for it to pass all the supermarkets i frequent before i reached the red gates of my compound. Not recommended if you're in a rush, but a must if you want to see the sights of Dili economically and have plenty of time to spare. People are also friendly, and some strike up conversations. I had a conductor ask for my name once and when i alighted, he shouted , "Good bye, Miss Brigida!" Malaes sure feel like superstars here. *Guffaw*

But what i really don't understand about mikrolets or any other buses i have squeezed in in Myanmar and cambodia or Laos is 1) why they like to squeeze into small spaces 2) why the buses are built so small. I remember taking a jeep in Myanmar and we had 15-20 people packed into it, with me, Elaine and Rae hanging off the back.

In Cambodia, we packed 8 adults and 2 kids into a Toyota Corolla on a 5-6 hours journey to the northeast. How did we do that? They put TWO persons in the driver's seat (YES!) and another TWO in the front passenger seat and four of us at the back and 2 kids stuffed somewhere. I still have a picture of that somewhere....

kopi timor

kopi timor
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

Food has become an obsession for me here in Timior Lorosae. More specifically, shopping for food and cooking them. YOu see, in Singapore, I am known as one of the 'parasitic kidults'who live off their parents even at an age where they should be living on their own. Not that my parents complain - in fact, the few times i raised the subject of moving out, I was met with hysteria and emotional blackmail. But i digress.

My point is - in Singapore, i never had to worry about cooking my own meals but it is only when i go overseas that i begin to take on housewife traits. ;-) it has worsened here in TL because, as i have explained before, there ain't anything to shop for - except for food. So my Sundays before and after church are spent trawling the traditional and super markets for the best buys.

Last week, i totally OD-ed and ended up buying enough veggies for 10 people. So, i have been wracking my brain each day planning how to cook the veggies that were ageing in my mini bar fridge.

For those who might have tasted my cooking, you know it's not great. No way near haute cuisine or cuisine anything. But i have been surprising myself. With food as my only obsession, i have been keeping my eyes open to observe how others cook.

Here's a list of what i've tried so far:
1. stir fried eggplant/brinjal
2. sweet and spicy fish
3. stir friend sesame-flavoured chicken
4. avocado juice (!!!!)
5. sweet potato & white fungus soup
6. chicken stew
7. celery, tomato & bitter gourd juice

Cooking isn't as leisurely compared to when I was in Hawaii when classes ended at 3pm and we had time to potter around the kitchen. Here in TL, i come home after work about 630 to 7pm and then start cooking. But it's therapeutic and keeps me away from too much TV.

Cooking, as i have found out, is also the cheapest alternative to entertaining people. Last week, i was asked to have dinner with some people i couldn't say no to. I paid $12USD for the dinner. OK, sounds so little to you city people reading the blog. But do the math - $12 translates to TWELVE days of lunches for me here. So i blew 12 lunches with one dinner. Being the type who 'eat to live', i was really disturbed.

SO when i had some people who came from Singapore visiting me, I decided to host them at my place and cook for them. Last night, I cooked sweet and spicy fish, stir fried chicken, brinjal, and stir fried veggies. It cost me about $5 for the whole dinner, and my sweat of course.

Did they enjoy the meal? :-) I don't know but i sure hope they did!

;-)have a great weekend

define WORK : 'w&rk

I hope those who asked me about work will not regret cos this update might sound like PR materials! ;-P but please, humour me and read on....

(Disclaimer: anything i write here are MY views and should not be quoted in any form anywhere else. I am not representing UNICEF when i write this but only myself and my own perspective)

Here goes...

I work as a media volunteer in the Communication Section of UNICEF. Besides supporting the other sections in their events, our section's main aim is to raise awareness amongst Timorese of the rights of CHILDREN. We love kids and we think these kiddies are the future of Timor Leste and so a lot of emphasis should be on helping them.

'Childhood under threat'

that's a great tagline huh? It's exactly what a lot of kids here are experiencing. Many don't grow up healthily; they are malnourished and stunted; others don't survive beyond their 5th birthday. There're still many not in schools, not receiving quality education and thus will not grow up to be well-informed individuals who can participate fully in society.



One of the ways UNICEF encourages young people to express their views is by supporting and training children's editorial teams in community radio stations. Most Timorese listen to radio then tv or read newspapers so it is a great medium to spread the message. Volunteers (like Silvia you see in the picture) works with youngsters to interview fellow villagers, write stories, edit them and put them on radio! So once or twice a week, we hear the young people present their own programmes on issues they think affect them. Cool? ;-) so ya, that's what my section does.

Right now, my main duty is to focus on getting an advocacy booklet out for UNICEF Timor Leste so that we can convince donors to support the country, not just UNICEF per se.

Remember, if anyone asks what UNICEF does, we do a lot, but we don't always do the groundwork i.e. like what Raleigh and other smaller NGOs do. Instead, we work with the governments to establish sustainable systems and build their capacity.

Why?

So that even after we have left, governments can stand on their own feet and manage. Also, personally I think that if we can convince governments eg. that children's rights are important and get them committed, it's already one big battle won.

My only experience in developmental work was in Raleigh where i dealt in youth development via building/construction projects. We used to have frustrations about bigger NGOs and governments , so it's interesting to be on the other side of the fence to see what the big boys are doing. So far, i am seeing a bunch of very dedicated people who really want to make things work --- for the long term.

Mind Your Language - Faux Pas of the week

the canine has nothing to do with my faux pas of the week. it's just that it's not too appropriate to photograph the 'star' of my blog.

here's what i learnt over the last few days - it is not recommended to learn two languages in tandem no matter how 'smart' you think you are. I have been busy learning Tetum and Bahasa Indonesia here in Timor Leste. So last week, when i was in Baucau attending the Assumption of Mary feast day, i decided to put my new found language skills to work.

I was in a friend's home and wanted some tea. Instead of asking my friend, i ventured into the kitchen and said to a girl, "Teh, iha?"

She did a double-take and then said, "Iha," which means "Have" in Tetum. I was glad she understood me and I got my drink. It was not until many days later when I recounted this to a colleague that I realised what a faux pas i had committed.

Indra told me, "No wonder the girl did a double-take. You know what 'Teh' means in Tetum?" I shook my head, puzzled because teh is tea is teh worldwide isn't it? Indra smiled and said, "It means 'not so good things'." I asked, "what not so good things?" The sweet guy paused and smiled and hesitated. I decided to flip open my Tetum dictionary and scanned for the word 'teh'.

Omigosh! I had asked the girl if she had 'shit' for me! How hilarious! Indra and I couldn't stop laughing. It's a good thing I had not learnt to say "Hau hakarak hemu teh" which is "I want to drink shit" !

So there, please take my advice and mind your language! Have a great week ahead! And keep me in your prayers that I don't commit any blunders like this anymore! By the way, thanks for the comments and emails. ANd the sad thing is: the battle with the roaches is still raging on. I really need to use those recommendations you have sent to me.

Ok, till the next update, adios amigas y amigos!

'Reach for the stars' - this is the theme of UNICEF's education campaign here in Timor Leste. In Tetun - it's "Hakarak Kaer Ba Fitun" to encourage the kiddies to reach for their stars through education. Last Monday, UNICEF and the Education Ministry launched a cute, catchy tune with adorable kids shouting out their ambitions and singing "i'm old enough for school when i'm 6 years old'... kinda like the opposite of the Toys R US ad - remember the "i don't wanna grow up, i'm a ToYs R US kid..." song? The "Stars" song is to get children aware that once they're 6, they should attend school for 6 days a week, for at least 6 years. Neat huh?

School's something we all think we're supposed to have, in fact, many of us found reasons to skip school when we were younger - the 'fevers', the 'sore throats', the 'stomachaches', etc. Did/ do / will we realise how many children don't get the chance to step into school in their lifetime?

Hawaii of the east?

ice cold blue
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

It's the end of another week here in Timor-Leste - an incredibly busy one as work begins to pile up.

Thankfully i was able to steal some time last Sunday for a short hike to the Cristo Rei where an immense Jesus statue overlooks the Banda Sea.

This was the wonderful view that greeted me when i reached the top. The coastal cliffs just reminded me so much of Hawaii. It's nice to have see this great expanse of land - somewhere it relaxes me a lot. On the beach, people were swimming, sailing and just lazing there. Right now, it's still mostly 'malae' (prono: ma-lai) or foreigners like us but hopefully in a few more years, we'll see more Timorese being able to take time out to do so too.

Till my next update, enjoy the view!

Oh and thanks for all the ideas on roach eradication but so far pandan leaves are doing their magic. Of course it helped that the gaps in my toilet have been sealed with epoxy.

:-)

Happy National Day!

i love singapore!
Originally uploaded by tumbleweeed.

Ok, here's a special entry in honour of our nation's birthday tomorrow. HAPPY BIRTHDAY singapore! Incidentally, I met this guy with the 'I LOVE SINGAPORE' tee shirt at the beach yesterday. It's weird to see someone wearing something so patriotic in another country and no- he is not Singaporean! Make your own guesses how he landed this tee. Oh by the way, the Timorese like bananas and one of the types that are sold are called Singaporean bananans. Haha, they're the fat ones. I wonder why they call them that...

Speaking of nation building, it's really an exciting time to be here in TL. You see a new young nation struggling to get up on its feet and I wonder if that's how we were 40 years ago? It thrills me to see this whole 'work in progress' because the future is hard to tell. It's really how much everyone's going to give that will make a difference, ya?

The Timorese fought hard for independence but boy oh boy, getting their own flag and anthem is really just the first step of the struggle. and yes, it's hard. Very hard. Who says it's easy paying your own bills? Cooking your own food, sweeping your own floor, catching your own bugs. All those not staying with parents anymore should know what i'm talking about. I guess independence is like that. Ok, i know i simplify but really...

I'm really glad to be here now, witnessing this moment when a young nation and its people take their own future in their hands. Who knows how things will turn out? :-)

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY SINGAPORE!!!!