In This Jungle of Stones...

The train stops here,but I'll be back...

2005-09-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

I have to stop here,for a while...all the projects and assigments on my back,rendering me too washed out to put my thoughts in this blog (the bulb above my head don't even blinks).So I decided to rest myself from blogging and sharing my thoughts here.Thanks for all who thinks that all my thoughts here are worthy enough to read ....and thanks to all the friends that I have associated with thru this blog.I'll be back someday and I'll still be around (thru my email :limauraya@yahoo.com)...but for now,i'm signing off...

"The future depends on what we do in the present"
Mahatma Gandhi

New Blog!!!

2005-06-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Announcing a new blog on the block by a fellow O.A!!!
the chronicles of zumeera
The second one perhaps (if mine can be counted as the first :p).It will be great to have another view and perspectives from a fellow tribesman (or woman for that matter).Anyway,great to have you aboard,zumeera!!!

Update

2005-04-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Man, quite a while since my last update. Just finished a really hectic and busy semester. Currently reviewing materials for my other blog (its about the museum around kl and Malaysia) and my website on my days in the reserve unit (army). Will post update soon, thanks for checking........

Sad

2005-03-12T00:45:00.000-08:00

it have been almost a month since i last posted,the time flies really fast.....i'm almost totally lost the sense of time and date, due to the back2back assignment+test+quiz+lab work+study+meeting(??) et. cetera.....darn tired.......

ok.enough whining. I just want to update on the teacher from singapore (David - refer to post "teacher") who still remember his o.a students, it turns out one of his (ex)student have passed away quite sometimes ago.Although it is a sad news,but the brother-in-law of the deceased told me that he served in the police force until the time of his demise,so although he (the deceased) is not really good in his studies,he still live a good life, and i hope that will make the former teacher feel happy.

For certain is death for the born
And certain is birth for the dead;
Therefore over the inevitable
Thou shouldst not grieve.

Bhagavad Gita (250 BC - 250 AD)

R.I.P Alang Nikam Kulop Igin

Weddings

2005-02-15T05:01:00.000-08:00

My uncle is getting married this weekend.But in all of the weddings i attended before, all are conducted in Malay styles - wearing songket and all and the bersanding ceremony.I never saw a "real" OA wedding except for the one in the museum... (the "dummy" wedding....).I remember seeing one documentary (in Majalah 3) about OA wedding (i can't remember which tribe),and the ceremony is much simpler. The hantaran (dowry) are just hoe,pigs and items for everyday usage.And the amount of money involved is not too much.Not like when I went to a friend engagement few years ago,there are so many kinds expenditure (belanja) that he have to fork out and so many regulation he have to listen and abide,stretching the ceremony to almost 2 hours. I really fear that the simple tradition will die out in favor of "modernize" style wedding.
.....and my uncle too is getting married Malay style,because he is marrying a Malay girl.Cheers to my uncle !!!!May they both live happily ever after.......

Laugh

2005-02-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

Actually this happens to me in the beginning of the semester,but I just remembered to write about it a few days ago.At the beginning of one subject I am taking,the lecturer ask each one of us to stand up and introduce ourselves.When my turn came,I told the lecturer I live in Gombak,because he is quite familiar with the place (I guess), he ask me which part of Gombak.I told him at Bt. 12 (12 miles), and he replied "oh,near the OA settlement there?",and then almost the whole class laugh.I don't quite understand whats funny with that,but I guess the knowledge and perception of people on OA still not wide enough.This is why I intentionally don't publicly tell people who I am,I want to see how well is their reception and perception on OA.

Gong Xi Fa Chai

2005-02-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish all gong xi fa chai,wan shi lu yi.Happy Chinese New Year!!

Teacher

2005-01-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

I've recieved an (or few) e-mail from Mr David Chew,a former teacher currently resides in Singapore.He told me that I'm the first OA he contacted since the 70's.He used to teach 4 OA students in a malay school at Bota in the late 60's.I asked my mom about the names he has given me and my mom told me she recognized the name of one of them and still live somewhere near Bota,i hope maybe someday i can reunite the old teacher with his student.I'm really suprised that he even still remember the names of his students after 30 years,maybe beacuse these students seem to be different from the other boys that make him still remember them after all these years.In those days,OA are not given any scholarship in study so it is hard for them to pay the school fees,and sometimes they just have to skip school to help their family to search for food or things to sell,or to take care of their younger siblings when their older family members went into the jungle.
Today,student are given scholarship in school where they did not have to pay for the school fees and books,and in IPTA(not in private uni) where tution fees and allowance are given (although much less than other scholars and funds,but we did not have to pay it back no matter what the results).But still the level of education achievement are not good enough.The awareness of the importance of education is still not in the satisfactory level.The parents should be grateful that today it is much easier to get their children better education,and the children should be grateful that they have the chance to make a better living through education.I still wonder who is to be blame on this......

something to think about.... by Yati

2004-12-18T03:07:00.000-08:00

hey.

my class hgot cancelled so i decided to drop by the IT lab and send you
mail. well, how is the add and drop subjects going on? i hope you have
settled with it.anyway, mine, we have started with all the subject, but
this
morning the lecturer didnt showed up so we think its been cancelled.
but i
still have class till 4pm today. and yes the schedule is as hectic as
it is.
thats student life right, i should be grateful that i am here or where
else
i might be?
its pretty sad when im thinking about our tribes. i am wondering where
might
we be in the future? its too much competitive and pressured out there.
in here. UiTM, i hardly see any of us, ('sabah and Sarawak are
exceptional"). i want to see our OA tribes..maybe because i am in
different
fac. so i didnt get to see them? i dont know, but i wish so much to see
ones
here...maybe you could write something regarding this matter..about the
future of our tribes, i have read in one of your blog, about the
inferiority
complex, its true that once i felt the same way too and about the
shyness
its never will leave me.. i thinks its not shy but its the feeling of
respect towards other, but you too could be right..i am not sure where
i
stand when i think back.
and these days our youngster involved mostly with alcohol and
drugs..especially during festives season. i really dont understand why?
are
we easily got influenced? but why drug and all those things? they knew
that
its not good...the image og our tribes is at stakes...what is our
opinion
regarding those things? i assumed you have a lot to say. take your
time..both of us are busy and its clearly understood.

a friend..

Mail

2004-12-18T03:06:00.000-08:00

The following post is the email i recieved from a friend, Yati Suboh who is currently studying at UiTM. I'm very delighted and grateful to have a fellow OA responding to my blog.Thanks Yati!!

New

2004-12-09T04:17:00.000-08:00

New semester has started for me,so my post in this blog will be limited maybe on weekends only (until we manage to setup an internet connection in our new rented house. (we have moved into new house,not far from the previous one but nearer to the university-hope streamyx will be available there ;) )
I hope that this semester will yield better results for me to cover up previous semester blunders...
Until next post.....

shave

2004-11-26T03:22:00.000-08:00

I've gotten my exam results yesterday.Although i've passed,but I fared very badly.So as a reminder to myself that I can lose everything easily if I don't work hard enough,I decided to shave my hair.Moreover,although i've tried various kind of shampoos,the dandruff on my head still won't recede,and the split hair became more serious(lack of nutrien?).So there goes my thick,straight hair(a typical proto malay type hair).But i feel my head is more lighter and cooler,it make me want to stay like this for the time being.

Circumcision

2004-11-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got the chance to see a circumcision live.It is my 8 years old cousin are the one who is going through this once in a lifetime(?) experience.He started crying before the operation started and my father(working at the hospital,remember?) ask me to try calm him down.The whole operation took about 20 minutes,and it need about 2-3 days to heal.Why do people do circumcision? Many people do it (especially Muslim) on the obligation of religion.For us it is just a matter of tradition.For my family it has been done since my grandfather's time,although for Jakun (my father tribe) it is not an obligation.But for other tribe such as Jahut,Semelai and Temuan,I think it is in their tradition to send young boy to do circumcision.Then they will hold a feast with yellow sticky rice (pulut kuning) and roast chicken for the mudim(malay term-the one who is doing the circumcision) or they just send them to the mudim house.
Other than my cousin,my (other) cousin's son (it makes him my nephew,right?) also going for it.Because that cousin is married to a Semelai,I get the chance to feast on pulut kuning and roast chicken as they bring it to my home yesterday.

Race

2004-11-19T07:35:00.000-08:00

My friend ask me whether I wanted to go the the Malaysian Motogp race at Sepang as he have free passes from his institution(a lot of it).I don't really fancies motor racing but as no one wanted to go and he don't have any mean of transportation and I never been to the circuit,I agreed to drive him there.With the loud noise of the motorcycles that really deafening me and a really hot and humid day, I don't understand why people really wanted to go to watch it because all that we can see is just a glimpse of the racers every time they went past us (they are very fast - I told my friend this is like having a second of excitement every one minute).And the worse part is because no outside food and drink allowed (they have to leave it at the entrance),we have to stand in a long queue just to get a drink (the staff manning the stalls apparently not very efficient)makes me feeling like standing on a drill in a drill square all over again.The only stall that do not have the long queue is the beer stall.
Actually what I really wanted to tell is about the cleaner,I recognized the group of the youths working as the cleaner as my own people (OA).These boys (and girls) should be from the surrounding villages (if i'm not wrong - the Temuans) and looks like around 15 - 17 years of age.They busy doing their job unaffected by the hordes of people surround them (typical Malaysian festival setting - a lot of rubbish thrown everywhere).I'm wondering whether these boys are still in school,or have they stop schooling (which is possible because they have long uncut hair),how much are they paid and what will they do with the money they receive for the job,do they do this for living or is it just a part time job.I really wanted to speak to them and ask them but the noise from the race (its the motogp race at that time-really loud) and scared maybe their supervisor will get mad at them for stopping to do their job talking to me,I have to put that intention off.I still wonder...........

Museum

2004-11-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

This is my long overdue account of the visit to the OA museum with Anthony on the 31/7/2004.

There are few ways to get here;either by bus(174 previously on Len Seng,now serviced by........ kiara - can't remember the name - with fares around RM 1.60 - 1.70 - can't remember also - from Lebuh Ampang,by taxi (which is of course with higher fare) or by own transport(follow Jln Gombak until the OA hospital - there are also direction signboards at Jln Kuching,MRR2 etc.).
Since the bus service is not really reliable,I told Anthony to board the Putraline to Terminal Putra and I'll pick him up there.I arrived at the station with my housemate(he never visited the museum too,and we are planning to visit all the museums here in KL and write a blog about it - have yet to take off<bila woi!!>) at the same time as the train,at first I don't know who to be expected,but then I saw a chinese guy trying to use the payphones (which are of course all but useable) - to call me i guess , I approach him straight away and be certain he was Anthony.
The museum is located about 4 miles from the station.Not many vehicles using the road at normal time but sometimes there are lorries avoiding tolls or police on the Karak Highway uses the road.
The museum has actually moved into a new building since a few years ago and the old building is converted as a craft shop.The museum consist of 2 exhibition floors and an auditorium.The displays at the museum consists of the tools used by the OA such as blowpipes,weapons,fishing tools etc;the crafts made by the OA such as masks,carvings,baskets etc;history and characteristic of the sub-groups and pictures;weddings and deaths ceremony,some herbs (Anthony particulary interested on the Tongkat Ali,which the have uncut samples and at the shop -a large one really).
It doesn't take a long time to finished touring the museum because the museum is rather small and not really much items to display.After that i give Anthony a tour around the place where i was born(the old hospital which already been torn down for a new building) and live(the area is actually still surrounded by secondary and primary forests).One thing that I just found out from some old holiday destination map,the site which is now the new administration and clinic building is the place where the first electric generator of KL are located and has been use as an outdoor patient clinic before it was torn down.
The communities around the place (particularly the Temiars) still practiced their own tradition such as the Sewang (they have their own stage or balai) on their chosen festive day(if i'm not mistaken on the new year day and early days of June),but i never have the chance to go.We wrap the tour with Anthony treated us for lunch(it should have been me as the host,but its rude to decline isn't it? ;) ).Anthony really look like he wanted to try all the food at the warung maybe because he seldom (or never) taste most of the (malay) food there,and he really wanted to try raw petai.At first he wanted to eat the raw petai with the shell (-kulit),but i told him to peel the shell first.We enjoy having lunch and little conversation while at it.
And than i sent him back to the station to catch the train home....
End of Story...

Hectic

2004-11-17T04:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a really hectic semester for me even though i took the least credit hours in the history of my tertiary education.I don't even have the mood to update this blog until i've finished all the exams and a little r&r.I'll start blogging again soon.Keep on reading.... Selamat Hari Raya!!

Busy

2004-08-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

I am really busy for the past 2 weeks with a series of test and I have another one coming in next week.Can't help but to rest from blogging till all the tests are over.I'll try to write about few articles on O.A in the newspaper and my account on the visit to the O.A museum next time I blog.Thanks.(for Anthony story for the visit to the museum visit anthony's blog)

visit

2004-07-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Anthony and me at the o.a museum.

School

2004-07-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

Lara wrote :"i think it's not just that the current generation of o.a. are comparing themselves to their forefathers and not seeing a need to get a higher level of education - they don't see it among their peers either, so i think that's what makes it irrelevant to them."

Yes.Maybe I have to agree with you.When we are in a surrounding where people don't do what we are doing,we will start to question ourselves why are we doing it.I too have that kind of thinking when I was in the primary.

About the "inferiority complex",I guess that's depends on the person.Most of the parents send their kids to the school where their peers send theirs,while in the rural o.a area the school is exclusively ran for them (100% o.a student).So there is a pool of o.a kids in the school.When they are in a closed group,comparison is only done between themselves making the academic level stagnant. I should be grateful because i was sent to the school where only a few of us are there.(in my upper secondary,i was the only o.a in the school,ever).So that i have to compare my academics with friends of other races.This kind self evaluation might have help me to expand my perspective.I never see myself as "not as clever" as anyone else.But it is possible that they have that kind of thinking.(i mean "inferiority complex").
Lucky for me,my parents knows the importance of education so i'm "force" to go to school everyday,insist me to do my homework every night and barred me from playing with other friends in school days.I guess that sets me apart.Most of my friends parent succumbs to their child behavior and let them do what ever they please.

Maybe we do need a role model to look up to but I can't see myself as a role model because i have not succeeded yet.For me I look upon one o.a - Dr. Bahari - who have succeeded academically and now teaches at USM as my perfect role model.There are few others who have good education level,but I never saw them invent themselves as role models.I wonder why.
thanks.

Education 1

2004-07-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

From the JHEOA information book (2003),I found out that the percentage of o.a school dropouts are quite high (46% for those who did not finish secondary school and 43% for those did not continue to secondary school - for 2003).These numbers varies from year to year (up and down),but what are actually the cause of almost half of these students did not want to continue their studies?For me I think the responsibilities of parents are the most important.I can see from most of my friends who did not finish their formal education that their parents did not really push them to work hard.They just let their children do anything they wanted to do.And when these children receive that much freedom,the interest to go to school wand.At the end they stopped school altogether.If you ask them why they stopped schooling, their answer is "our forefather didn't even go to school,but they can live and we can live too"
.They didn't have the grasp of modern life where education is one of the most important aspect of it.I know that this is a common problem for all people in this world,but for a minority group like us this is serious.What do you guys think?

Tribal

2004-07-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Sorry for not blogging in the previous week because my classes have started and we haven't install internet connection(phone line) in the rented house yet.
I went to Cameron H. for R&R last week,and if you guys have been there you may find quite a number of O.A villages along the winding road - selling petais,durians and other kind of forest plants.These people are from the Semai tribe, which bring us to the topic today.
I was born from the mix of two tribes - my father is from the Jakun (Org Ulu) tribe (Proto-Malay subgroup) and my mother is from the Semai tribe (Senoi subgroup).The two (from the three) group are actually quite different.If I'm not mistaken,they came to this penisular in the different time period.The first group came here is the Negrito,followed by the Senoi and lastly the Proto-Malay.The characteristics of the groups are also different such as the builds,hairs,colours and languages etc.So the tribes (or group) are actually different and have their own identities and cultures just like the aborigines of Borneo (like Iban,bidayuh etc).While people know about the difference of Borneo tribes,most people do not know this.They thought all O.A are the same and look like those depicted in the comics or tv (with curly hairs,big nose,dark and short and speak funny sounded language...even to me).If you guys want to know the difference between the tribes,you may go to the O.A museum in Gombak to see it for yourself.If you don't know the way just e-mail me and I can take you there.
My greatest regret in this world is I am not really fluent in both of my mother tounges (and father tounge?).They are really unique and different.Even though I can speak good Malay,English and Mandarin,but the language of my own people is still the best to learn and I'm still learning.
Bor dui!

Nude

2004-06-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Anthony question - "do orang asli go naked still?"
As far as I know,the O.A of Penisular M'sia now no longer live in nakedness.Modernization have found their way into even to the tribe in the remotest area of M'sia.I remember looking at pictures in some old books about O.A when women didn't cover their breasts,and men wearing some kind of cover on their private parts,and that is old,circa 1960's books.Even then the O.A know the meaning of modesty.Maybe 40 or 50 years back,there are still O.A who live in nudity,but not now.
Modernization didn't only bring positive changes to the tribes,but also the negative things.Now,if you go to the O.A kampung's,you will find them addicted with booze,drugs and other kind of social illness,this (boozing especially) can be seen when there are some kind of festive in the kampung.I am very sad with this situation.People maybe still see us as a very naive and untouched,but the reality suggest the other way round...

....to be continued

p/s:I'm going R & R for a few days,I'll continue when I get back.Thanks.

Shy

2004-06-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

In reply to Adriene and Lara e-mails, I wrote "To tell you the truth,us O.A are a pretty shy lot and don't really like to talk about ourselves.So when other people ask us directly about O.A.its a little difficult for us to answer".The shyness is something that always there,whether we are urbanized or not and it is more significant if we are in other races present.But we can be friendly and warm quickly thus overcome the shyness.Such is one of the characteristic of O.A.
To answer one of Anthony's questions,I believe Penisular M'sia O.A did not live in long houses as far as I know.They built individual houses(pondok) closer to their relative,so that while they are living in close community,they still have a sense of privacy for the family.And no,not naked.We do have the sense of modesty ;).I hope that's good for an answer.Thanks.

p/s:It's electrical Adriene,not mechanical. ;)Sorry for the restriction Lara,I'd already change the setting for anonymous comments.Thanks.

"Be careful of what you choose.You may get it" - Colin Powell's Rules

Thanks!

2004-06-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks again Adriene,and you even announced it on your blog and a link on it.I will do my best to post more info's and views,and tell you guys about my life in this world.
And I have to thanks Lara Amir and Anthony Wong for the mail.I will try to answer ALL your question Anthony (It's aplenty man!) and if you guys have any questions,please...keep them coming.I will try to answer them as far as my knowledge goes.
Please keep on reading,maybe you guys will find something new about O.A that you never know,and maybe I can know something that I doesn't aware of.

"Shock The World" - Michigans Wolverines 1992

Merit

2004-06-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

I came across a blog, pattern-recognition that talk about meritocracy system for admission to IPTA and O.A.I have to say that I agree with him.Giving priority is just as saying that "you can't make it without our help,you might as well take this and owe your life to us".I believe that my people have the abilities as everybody else in this country.Although the number of O.A admitted to IPTA are really small (less than 200 I think) and giving priority might help to increase the number,it is a short term solution.It will make future students think "why should we study too hard? The quota system will get us in with mediocre results".The best way I can think of is to let them know how fierce the competitions are in the real world and make them work hard to level with everybody.Its not about where we live or how we live,its about how we think is matter.For example,I heard about 2 O.A girls from Selangor (siblings) that managed to get 3.9x in matriculation and gained entry to a good course in U in this year admission.Good job girls!

Heyyyaaaaaa.......

2004-06-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

hey, I have my own blog. Now, what do people usually write on the first post. Talk about Orang Asli? Nah, just use search engine on the words and you will get plenty of info's much better than I can tell you. Why did I start this blog? maybe because I can't find any sites that are made by other O.A. Few days ago, I stumbled upon a blog by one Adriene with such an interest on O.A. Now, if other people held such interest on my people, why don't I start one so that I can talk about my people, to give people an insight of an Orang Asli view on the life in this modern world. Anyway, I guess i have to thanks Adriene for making me start blogging. Thank you.

"guilt will make people sharp" - Horatio C.S.I Miami