Emotional Tour

Mrs. Wan, 52 years old, primary school teacher.

Through my sister in law, we know each other. Through the emotional tour with Mrs. Wan, i saw a simple and satisfy smile.

18 July 2009, Saturday, Sunny but haze.

Me, my sister in law and Mrs. Wan

This is the 1st time i met Mrs. Wan, she is a kind and nice person. I thought people who work as primary school teacher is a serious person and don't like to talk much but Mrs. Wan is very friendly and she is a talkative person. Along the tour, she told more then i asked and gave me many suggestions on the assignment.

Mrs. Wan stay in Segambut with her family now, she is born in Kampar, Ipoh because of her father need to work in Kuala Lumpur as a tin worker so 40 years ago they moved in to Kepong, KL. Along this tour, three of us went along Kepong until JinJang. ( I would like to mention here, the pictures of the location were taking after the tour because the area related quite big and far for walking. Besides the haze quite strong at that day, so i don't think it was suitable for walked and took photo.)

Now, we need go back to more then 40 years ago...

When Mrs. Wan primary school, her father was a tin worker. The tin field owner let his workers built their house at the open space near the tin field ( the area all along the kepong carrefour and the new shop ). Mrs. Wan told me there only have 4 families included the owner.

(When we reach carrefour, kepong, Mrs. Wan said:" Oh my, how come it's totally changed? I really can't regonized the place. I think this area more far then the place that i stay before." "Don't worry, we just go along this whole area see how different 40 years ago and now" i said. "Hmm, as my brother told me the tin field quite big. All the way Jalan Kepong to Jin Jang and until to the Taman layang-layang are the area of the tin field," Mrs. Wan told me. "Hahaha....(oh my god!!!)" me and my sister in law laugh. ) I had stayed here before 2 years ago, i really can't believe all along the Jalan kepong was tin field.

the tin lake in Tmn layang-layang

Around that period, the resident not only work as tin workers but also built the pig shed to keep some pigs. Mrs. Wan told us, everyday can heard the sound of pigs and the smell of pig. The moment she felt most comfirtable was the time she went to school with other kids because her school at JinJang, she needed walked through the tin field to take bus. While waiting bus, the roadside got a lot of hawker sold fried dough sticks, she said the smell of the fried dough sticks very nice and finally she can breathe with the fresh air.

( "In my childhood don't have too much entertainment, besides played with the child around there my father had took me visited the tin field. The tin field very deep, the tin workers inside the tin field just look like people who stay in the Lilliputian. At night, we went to the owner house to watch TV. At that time period, the owner was the only person who afforded to buy a TV. The black and white TV box, hehe, i just enjoyed the benefits of my father." Mrs. Wan smile cunning.)

Mrs. Wan had mentioned her brother had told her about the accident occur at the tin field. At that time, the tin field has collapsed, this incident killed many people. She said when the tin field collapsed, the tin workers tried to safe themseleve with climbing another side which safe, but the tin field was too deep not everyone can climb up. After the accident, the dead body they duged were maintain at the climbing posture. She was not sure the detail about the accident because she heard everything from her brother. In addition, she said she not dared went to the accident scene because it is too horrible for a kid and she don't think she can look at the dead body which died in this incident. When the victims being buried alive, before they breathe one's last i think they had struggled for a long time. It is too hard for us to imagine the suffer of them. Now, we have the better life but don't forget the people who sacrificed themselves and please cherish the expense of all others.

Along the way, Mrs. Wan can't found the place she lived before. The shop, restaurant and others had replaced the tin field.

Even the garbage hill or the tin field's drainage channels which she said false river also couldn't found.

i found the garbage hill when i went back to take photo

When we moved forward, we found the place that haven't exploit. Mrs. Wan told us, the houses similar with the house she lived, it's also made by wood and zinc. She also said the residents at that period only can afford the old motorcycle but now, there have many nice car parking besides the old house.

On the way to Kepong Baru, suddenly...

"YY, please stop your car at the roadside now."

Mrs. Wan asked me look at the shop sign of the cafe, she said the name of the cafe is the name of the tin field, Chim Lee. Both of us so surprised because Mrs. Wan can saw the shop name clearly, from our angle the shop has blocked by a lot of cars. Would the owner of the cafe have relationship with the tin field's owner?

1969, Mrs. Wan moved to Kepong Baru because the tin field's owner immigrated.

their new house similar like those shop in the photo

I believe we all know about the 513 incident, it not happened in Kepong but it also influence the residents who stay in Kepong. Mrs. Wan had mentioned the residents around this place more to chinese at 40 years ago, they worried those troublemakers will invade Kepong because there has a big ditch in Kepong Baru, they worried those troublemakers may came in through the ditch. They faster tied the thing likes fishing nets all along the ditch to defense and protect them. Not only the residents, all the developing in Kepong also had stopped.

At the same times, the only malay family which neighbour for Mrs. Wan, they worried others will attack them because their races so they asked help from Mrs. Wan. Mrs. Wan family gave a shelter to them but they found out this not a long-term solution, after their discussion they decided to stick a note paper on all of the entrance and use the note paper to clarify they were innocent. Luckly, everyone was safe and didn't get attack by the 513 incident. As i know, the location of 513 incident was quite far from Kepong. It's not only made all chinese panic but it's also built a gap between different races.

After an hour touring, when i thought it should be enough for my assignment Mrs Wan suggested went to JinJang because it still look traditional and quite similar to 40 years ago. For comparison and i also want to know how 40 years ago look like so we decided went to JinJang. On the way to JinJang, Mrs. Wan told me a joke by other elder:" You know why Kepong （甲洞）name as Kepong（甲洞）?within that period, kepong was under the control of opposition political party and they said kepong was abandoned place for government. The road got a lot of holes and government didn't came to repair that's why here name as Kepong." In english or malay, you may not understand because it is playing with the meaning of chinese word. 甲洞 is the chinese name of Kepong, 甲 can be means A or first, 洞 means hole. It's means Kepong got lot of hole on the road so they named Kepong with the hole.

All along the way to JinJang, 40 years ago was dwarf tree forest. If you walk alone you will feel horrible. Besides, there also got lot board factory but now left only one, the cinema become abandoned building and so on. Once we get into JinJang Utara, i saw a lot of hawker store like "pasar pagi or pasar malam". I thought the "pasar pagi" was business on every Saturday only but i'm wrong. It is the old style market, it business everyday. All store just place at the roadside, traffic jam and people didn't care about the cars. It look a bit like Penang market but they not on the roadside of the main road.

the 2nd time i went back at the sunday afternoon the market closed

At JinJang, Mrs. Wan said she found her childhood memories. She felt cordial because the some of the building still remain as same like 40 years ago. The arrangement of the buildings in JinJang is irregular, because some buildings remain to the old style like using the zinc roof but some have the additional 2nd floor or 3rd floor. You may see in between two 3rd floor building has a drawrf building. Not only the shops look like this even the townhouse also put in order like the shops. "40 years ago, townhouse or shops have same height and similar design but now...a traditional wood house in between the modern design house, mmm...It's weird when I compared with the pass," said by Mrs. Wan.

Finally, our emotional tour end after we went through a part of JinJang. Mrs. Wan, a opstimism and friendly person, i'm glad to meet her. May be her story not enough excited but everything seem new for me. Look back to the history that she told me, I couldn't 100% confirm i can found it through the historical textbook or Internet. Will you relate the 513 incident to Kepong? Can you believe the place you live or you go shopping is tin field or tin lake? I stay at here for half years but I don't know pass through the carrefour have a shortcut to the Taman Layang-Layang. I never saw a tin lake large until boundless.

It is a contradiction tour for me because at the beginning of the tour, I think the expansion of a place has destroyed the traditional and destroy the nature. At the end of the tour and the 2nd time i came back for took photo, I found the expansion had gave us a better environment and more convenience. Examples, if the tin field didn't make any changes after the tin finish mining, what things will it bring to us? If the forest didn't expand to built the shop and condorminium, the residents enough place to live and enough work to do? I think it is hard to keep balance; it's just similar to the theory of give and take. You need to give up something to achieve another.

Everything has changed but your memories would not change. Looking at the smile of Mrs. Wan and her laughter, I think her life is full of happiness start from 40 years ago until now.

"Mrs. Wan, Thanks for accept the interview." I said.

"You are welcome. If got any problem, welcome you to ask." Mrs. Wan said.

Taman Layang-Layang

Taman Metropolitan Kepong

p/s: of course, i also need to thanks my sister in law.

Sis, thanks for your help.

Our Burmese Day

Lindsey Merrison, a film director in UK. Her mother, Sally Merrison who origins from Burmese but she denial her origins and always said that she is from Hempstead, London. When Lindsey found out the truth she decided to bring her mother and her uncle, Bill back to Myanmar and found the story.

The documentary has brings out the cultural of Myanmar through the history and memory of Sally and Bill but it is base on their personal point of view. When I was watching the documentary I really don't know the purpose of showing the documentary. This is all about someone that I didn't know, in addition, the main person, Sally didn't gave her support to her daughter and reject to answer the question with " it is a too complicated story to tell". The main person for the documentary didn't give the fully support and shame on her heritage; can the documentary fully show the idea to the audience? Lindsey is a clever director; she tried to fill up this vacancy with her uncle Bill who has same experiences with her mother and others interviewee who had participant in her mother life. When she can't get the following story from her mother, she tried to add the interview from other people. It's make the documentary more objective with other point of view.

What can make a person to denial her origins? There was the place that full of her childhood memory and the memory with her family, is it brings a lot of pain on her? When she back to the place that she stay before i think she is very excited even the place was different with before. She feels sad when she faced her dark memory such as Sally's mother had left her and she cried in the graveyard.

Sally despise the belief and the religious of Mynmar, she gave the grimace when she pass through the monk. Many things that Sally done have show us she felt displeasure on her heritage and the cultural of her origins, a big contrast between Sally and Uncle Bill.

The cultural and the heritage of our origins are the treasured for us; we will not shame and refuse origins because there is the place that gave us a lot of memory. Someone who refuse and feel shame on their origins, it's mean they get hurt from their origins until they acknowledge themselves are the people from other countries. May be all of us think that Sally feel displeasure on her root but this journey gave her a opportunity to affirmance herself with her origins. I think she will not regret some day because she had back to her hometown once in her life.

Persepolis

Persepolis is the miserable story about a little girl, Marjane who lived in Tehran and she had gone through the Islamic revolution of Iraq and the war in Iraq. The Islamic revolution of Iran had totally changed her life.

It is very hard for a child to face the heavy politic problem. Besides, everyone around her told her everything will become better after the revolution but she loses her uncle and her hobbies such as punk music. She thought that god not stand on her side and let the bad people to take her uncle's life.

Through Marjane in the movie, we know female lost their status in the revolution. Her mother hope she can live better so decided send her to France when her 14 years old. She needs to be stay alone in a strange country. Is it better for her? Yes, she ran away from the war, but because of her nationality, she gets despise by the other people. She also felt guilty because she can live better but her family needs to stay in a country that dangerous. It just like anytime her house will blow up by the stray bomb.

The movie makes me found that the war between adult or between countries, the people will get hurt not only the soldier but the children too. Children cannot think like an adult, they need to pay more time to digest the incident that different from their learning before. They also will misunderstand the meaning of adult and doing something harmful or hurt others innocent kids, example like Marjane want to punish the kid who father was working with the government. If they cannot adapt to the environment then they may think radical or act radical.

Besides, the movie has showed the political slogan, which encourage the people to join the war and their death and their sacrifice are better to the country. This make the resident join into a no meaning world and make their family lost their children. A better live which has changed with their life but their families will always feel sad because they lost the family members that important to them. Because of the war, a lot of people immigrate from their own country, flee from the war and flee from the dark memory. Marjane left her country and move to franch, she wish to stay with her family but she also know she cannot live in Iraq. She felt contradictions, but
the country that female don't have the rights and don't have the freedom were makes her decide to leave.

I didn't faced war before and I don't hope so. I may not understand the horror of staying in the war zone but I think all of us will hope that world will peace. I really don't know the thing that traded by the human life nice or not but we should treasure their hard. This is the movie that we worth to watch because its not only showed us the cruel that bring by the war but it is also brings a lot meaning of life to all of us.

Liew Kung Yu Cadangan-cadangan Untuk Negaraku Exhibition

The new photo works by Liew Kung Yu (the explanation from the exhibition brochure) are presenting to us his vision of what our nation could look like in the future with his proposals.

The photos captured by Liew Kung Yu had showed us many sculptures, monuments and other buildings that we didn’t saw it before. Example like those fruits statue or coconut shape building, we really do not know there are so many similar theme monuments in Malaysia. Especially the kids who are grow up in KL.

In the exhibition, there have four large-scale photos by Liew. There are Bandar Sri Tiang Kolom, Konkrit Jungle, Metropolis Warisan and Pantai Gelora Cahaya. From his works, it can show us Liew is a patriotic. Example like he chooses the nation flower to surround the photo frame.

The Bandar Sri Tiang Kolom, in this work it show lot of sculptures, houses and bulding. All of the buildings have the similar features, there got lot of “tiang”. Would he want to show about the traditional or the evolution of our country? Or he just wants to tell us the features of the building in Malaysia are tall? Or he wants to differentiate the level of the residents in Malaysia?

The Konkrit Jungle, this work means the concrete jungle. What concrete? The animal statues transform to be the apartment and shop. Would he propose to our country plan a homeland like his work? With this kind of home it will be fun and playful. Or he wants to show us after the jungle exploitation, we will lose lot of green plants and animals, so everything becomes fake?

The Metropolis Warisan, in this photo work we can saw all the famous building and famous transportation in Malaysia. All of the building and transportation wrap with the traditional batik. Our heritage not only the famous building likes KLCC or KLIA and not only the famous brand of transport likes Proton but also our traditional batik. Would he means that we can add in the traditional element into our country development?

The Pantai Gelora Cahaya, would he propose to our country should be promoted our own tourist point to ourselves and other foreign tourists? In this work, there has lot of the statues and buildings that we didn’t saw it before. Would Liew means, want to successful in our tourism, we should let our residents know the value of our own country, if not how to promote our country to the foreign tourists? Besides, in this work there has boat and the tricycle just look like pass a few eras. Example like the tricycle, when this kind of transportation was came in to our country? It created by the Malay or the Indian or the Chinese? This may trace back to the history many year ago.

In my opinion, the works that show by Liew, our country didn’t has something that strongly representation the cultural of Malaysia. But our country is rich of history from the different races and also the history of being ruled by different country. We also have different cultural from different races and different country. With all of these, we should protect, embellish and popularize the heritages in our country. Besides, we should improved our skills on the country development but not waste the money on those useless things because every things in our country represent our image and also represent the operation of our country.

"Big Durian" (cannot eat)

Q1. What scene in "The Big Durian" made an impression on you, and why?
The interview of a fat lady who don't want to accept the interview and keep running off from the camera with scolded the crews. This incident shows us the freedom of speech is not strong enough in our country, behind those freedom given by government it is still a lot of "act" to protect it. People have the right to talk and give speech but when touch to the sensitive point, the person who talk or give speech will get caught and jail. Is it fair enough? We need to responsible on our speech, when we say something fault or fake to the public then we should get punishment. But if we are saying the truth why we still get caught to the jail? Just because of that is the sensitive topic? In addition, the lack of freedom of speech also had showed in the documentary, it is the scene of the case about the stop publication of the newspaper. From all of this incident, the act is not appear to protect people, so people choose to keep their mouth shut to protect themselves.

Q2. What was rumored to be Pirate Adam's grouse (pain) / reason which lead to him running amuck(amok)?
The reason that lead Adam running amuck was because of the Johor Sultan had killed his brother who work in the golf club but the Sultan did not get any punishment after he murdered someone. The Sultan did not get caught because he is the royal member of Malaysia, at that period Sultan had the power to protect himself and he can escape the judgement from the court and law. Everyone who lose their family will also feel sad, Adam so. Adam lost his brother in this incident, he felt sad and the person who murded his brother did not get any punishment, he felt angry. I think this is the reason that make him become mad and lost control until running amuck.

Q3. A character from Sabah ends her narrative by noting the look on Pirate Adam's face. What was it that she saw and how does it contrast with her feelings?
The character from sabah had mentioned she went to Kuala Lumpur look for the better life but she felt disappointed when she lived at here. She ends her narrative by noting the look on Adam's face because she think Adam can spread his own feeling through killing people but even she wanted to shout out her feeling to other also cannot. That have many things she need to concern and she also need to protect herself and her life, she cannot afford losing anything.

Q4. From what historical vantage point is the director viewing the events of 1987? What is the 'present' of the documentary and what is it's mood?
The director used the events of 1987 to recall us about the government setting and the fighting agianst government around this few years. Those incidents had shown us the power misused by the government and royal members, and those incidents also had shown us the law appear not to protect the residents but the royal members and government themselves. He want to show us the unfair things and happens to all of the audience.