Sorry for the long delays! Ive just move and now currently in Penang. Somehow or rather although not from Penang I love the Island and to me it is my kampong!!!My Mother was an orphan and she and my father were second cousins. She became a ward to my grandmother who took her in and schooled her. She have a brother whom we have lost touch with. It seems the Father side of his family who took him in abuse him. He ran away from home and the last time we manage to get in touch with him was when he suffered an illness and laying in the hospital. when he recovered he left us again and that was in the mid 80 s. And until now we have not heard from him. My Mom died when she was just 25 yrs old and I was just 2 1/2 years old. So I do not know her. I don't have any memories of her somehow I can't recall. Sometimes alone I would weep,after knowing or getting a taste of unselfish love but that is another story. For now let's go back to the family and their stories. My Grandmother was among the first Malay girl who studied in an English School in the Malay States. Her name was mention in the the memiors of Mustapha Hussein which you could read on line on Malaysia Today. Although he got the places wrong and the name not exact but the rest are true. She is Che Dun from Taiping who studied in the Treacher School. She also known as Misi Dun or Nurse Dun.Her adopted Mum the wife of Raja DiHillir Puteh Baidah was responsible for that. She was a woman ahead of her time an independent woman who drove a car a buick before it was fashionable for woman to do so. She was a great beauty in fact the last husband she married a detective Encik Younos was 25 years her junior! It was said that he was responsible for the ambush of PKMM officers during their meeting in Aulong which was held at their home by the British. Few people were caught including Pak Sako and Datok Ahmad Boestaman. She was responsible for her son in law interest in Politics and yet the other side of her is her tryst as Madam Fatale to two Caucasian Man Robinson and Crinkerback. She was a Diamond Merchant and when the war ended she was going to sail to England to visit her amour before tragedy struck she got a stroke.
After her Mom Tok Hitam past away in 1951 at the old age of 90+ she follow suit. She died in 1954 and both of them were buried at the Masjid Kota of Taiping. Although she provide ample luxury to her adopted child she never made her cut her roots with both her parents. My Grandma was aware she was adopted and she never forget her siblings.Her real Father was a watchman a guard at the nearby quarry. There were 9 of them and she have a half sister who was born when her father remarried after her mother's death. All of them have pass away except her half sister who was born in 1929. Her half sister Tok Su is an anglophile a clever lady a beautiful lady indeed.Her eldest brother was Tok Wa(tua) Desa who was a forrester and during those time it was one of the highest post available for Malays not of the ruling class.They were childless. One of them married an Indian and i don't know what the Indian did but she died young. She got a pair of children. At least ada juga Indian terselit but not my blood. I will love to continue but for the meantime this will do. Happy Reading

Well it still hasn't awnser why I am Wan? Well Im not Syed Jumaat that's for sure but a real Wan. Mohd Nor when he went back to visit his grandparents and uncle and aunts in Patanni they call him Wan Kecik or Wan Cik. This was his official name to his relative in Patanni. Patanni was a Malay Kingdom, Yala Narathiwat and Patanni in South Thailand was part of the Malay Kingdom. It must also be understood his father was the only one to move to Malaya so to them he is still Wan. What so big about wan nothing really it just meant to say we are of blue blood ancestry. In the malay Kingdom of Champa in Cambodia Wan would mean we are of Syed lineage i.e. related to the prophet but to the Arabs Syed really mean Tuan. The Kingdom of Champa like the Kingdom of Malacca has left her influences to the Sultanate of Patanni Kelantan Terengannu and Kedah. As can be notice their palace tradition are different than Perak Pahang and Johore which borrow much from the Kingdom of Malacca. Even Negeri Sembilan palace tradition show some influences of the Malacca sultanate.
Just so we don't lost our topic I am sorry to interupt I have to pull you back to the main topic why am I Wan. Well this is the tradition of Malay Elite including Jawi Peranakan (those that have indian blood), the pairing of children to be married. My Great grandmother(Grand Aunt another story) was one of the wives of Raja Di Hilir Perak Raja Mansur third in line to the throne of Perak, his son was Raja Kamarulzaman whom was the Aide the Camp(ADC) of the Sultan and was famous for creating the National Athem of Perak. The story goes that on visiting England the Sultan was ask what was the national Athem so the Royal Band can play and he turn to his ADC who was a musician and he proceed to teach them an Old Polynesian foklore song Terang Bulan and it became the National Athem. This song was later adopted with a slight variation to become the National Athem of Malaysia.
To my readers this song is ban here for the above reason. So back again to the story. Since My Great Grand Ma was also a very rich business Woman the pairing of the children was set. The intention may not be sincere but the goal was the same to keep the monies between the family. For my Great Grandfather I suspect the idea that he has, as normal with Malay elite of the time, if you don't send your 'Naughty' child to Mecca you get them Married so that they can be responsible adults. Why I said so because one my Grand Uncle was send to Mecca for that reason and now I have Saudi families and who insist to call me tut ( Arabs don't have the vowel "O" ) instead of tot as all the family members would call me.
My Grandfather never change as loepard do not change his spot so des he. He is still the Che Guevera of his time galloping to who knows what. He became an orderly in the hospital (for a short time) and his wife was a nurse. Their first born died during infancy and as the custom during those days shaman were call and decided this was due of not naming your children Wan as it is your heritage. For the readers please understand the malays love title it is not enough just to be plain uncle deference is made to the eldest and the youngest. Begining with Sulong (eldest) to Bongsu. Adding a prefix Pakcik (uncle) or Tok(Grand) to denote rank. So since the eldest one dies there is no Sulong in the family the second assume the post only so he is given the rank of Besar (Big) so my father is Pakcik Besar or Pak Chak to his nephews or Tok Chak to his grand nephews. To fulfill the requirement only him and his younger were wan the rest of the family don't have any title and as luck would have it only both of them have male heirs the others don't. My Fther was given the name Wan Zan and that is why I am Wan. Cherrio for now!!!!

Let's continue where I left off. On my Paternal side of our family we came from the Kingdom of Patanni. That's where the Wan came from. My greatgrand father was somehow related to the royalty of Patanni. His family was instrumental to prepare the "Bunga Emas" an offering of Gold made into a flowering tree to the Kingdom of Siam every three years as an act of subsevient to them. I think he got enough of it so in the late 19th century (1800"s) he decided to move to Perak Malaya and reside in Kuala Kurau the Northern part of the State quite close to Penang. He became a big landowner has his own driver who later would become his son in law to drive around visiting his land. He only has two children the eldest was a girl and the youngest was my late grandfather. My Grandfather was spoilt rotten and he would quietly as I was told by his late Friend Pak Mat would push his father's car out of the garage in the middle of the night and travel north and have a very jolly time enjoying themselve in Penang.
Sayang!, and those of you who've seen the film anakku Sazali would have understand how dotting the Malay parents are to their sons. It didn't help if you only have two children and only one male as Asians are nuts about male heirs, don't know why something to do with carrying their name as though they be around forever but it is an Asian thing i suppose most of us are Male Chauvinist. So I do understand the current Prime Minister dillemma he has only two children and now his wife has past away he would not brood any insunuations or criticism on his children not even his in laws!
My Great Grandfather when he made his migration decided to throw his Wan heritage, to the people of Kuala Kurau he is known as Tuan Haji Awang. His Son he gave the name of Mohd Nor it means one who is full of light to be exalted,like that lah! Did he live up to his name well depends he was a ladies man for sure! But other than that nah! He is an irresponsible Man, why? Because he left his family while the Mother was still nursing a baby on the crib. All of you might read about him or come across his name in the history books. He is known as Wahi Anuar a name he coined which mean A man who brought message like lightning,macam tulah! to those who don't well let just say before the Late Rashid Maidin hold the post of the 10 Malay Regiment in MCP it was Wahi Anuar. He was the husband to Shamshiah Fakeh who fathered the children who were born in the jungle and said to be left to die(Not true)!
He was nearly hang was caught by the British in 1952 or 51 branded as a traitor by the Communist intered in Kamunting and later release by the government and work as a special secretary to the Agriculture Minister. He owe this debt of gratitude to Aziz Ishak whose brother was Yusof Ishak the President of Singapore. Aziz Ishak was famous also as the first vice president to be fired from UMNO!He work as a shadow writer to Tunku Tun Aziz Ishak Ghazali Jawi and last was Pak Khir. I end it here now so I hope you would continue to read. Sleep tight and good night

Today at this date 15 th of January 2007 begins a new day for me. For the Tamil which I am not, it is beginning of their new year. So this Pongal I made the resolution to begin writing on my blog. I like to talk about my roots of what I know and can be verified. I will not gloss over my ancestor as most Malays are prone to do. In fact many Asians hold the belief not to blemish the dead thus lot of the stories of our famlies have been sanitized to the extend they remain an object of ideas of the writers a fictional account of a real person.
So let's begin the tale, on my Maternal side of the Family we trace our roots back to Sulawesi. We are of Bugis stock, and as the readers are aware Bugis are seafarers, pirates and mercenary for hire. The Sultanate of Johore and Selangor have Bugis blood in them which is not a suprise as all Monarchs be it the West or the East were basically pirates.
In the 60's when i was still a young urn my late Uncle was courting the Selangor Sultan niece and it upset the royal family and when they made a search on our family tree they found out that our ancestors were responsilbe to elope with the Sultan's daughter to another state. Bedebah sungguh toknenek aku ye!, Ha! Ha! Ha!.......because the truth was he kidnap her and fornicate her(big words because it is the Sultan's daughter!)
Arrangements were made that during the engagement ceremony the couple would be 'berarak' aroud the royal Capital Klang as a welcoming ceremony. My uncle chicken out, he prefer to elope than to be subjected to these shenanigans! A pity it would be nice to be related somewhat to the new groovy Sultan although only in name, well what luck. I have to end this blog now because i got a meeting presently and i hate being late so cherio!!!!