jab2's Profile

Hi Jet2. Pleasure to meet you. I get the impression you think I am from SE Asia somewhere. I am rather perplexed as to why Turtle, and now you would think that as my User Profile is rather clear as to my base. I am from the southern tip of Africa, very far from SE Asia.

I must however add that I am not totally ignorant about your area and it's people, as diverse as they may be. We in Africa have the same problem where people thing Africa is one country and people. We are thousands of tribes and different cultures, just like SE Asia and its inhabitants.

I worked for a HK based company here in SA for a number of years. The major shareholder was a Chinese Indonesian, and the Chairman was an ex Chinese Military Intelligence guy living in HK, both stinking rich people and very much into art. Our CEO was also Chinese Indonesian and the finance director a Filipino. They befriended some Japanese people who owned a mainly Japanese restaurant in Johannesburg, were we were based. Since we where all living together on a compound at the tannery that employed us, we frequently had meals together on Sundays. This turned into a cooking feast and a "school" of culinary delight for all of us, specially when the restaurant chefs would join us. They learned about African cooking and we were taught the finer points of SE Asian cooking. Must say that both the Asian people and us South African had our likes and dislikes about both sides cooking. Must say the Filipino fermented eggs with the chick inside was not a favourite of the South Africans.

I have also travelled to HK a few times to visit the Asian Pacific Leather Fair in the HK exhibition centre in Hong Kong. Very interesting city, but very expensive for us. I might even visit your country as the major thrust for leather will be in Shanghai in future.

Take care and if you have cooking tips you think I would enjoy, let them roll.

Cheers
Cobus

Hi there. Jet2 here. Nice to meet you. I am from China. SE Asia 2...

Acknowledged all. This citizen of USA had in mind Africa as a continent. It is primarlily this instrument/toy/device, the spinning-thing-on-a-string, that I have an interest in. So far I know of it in N. American native people, Eastern Russia/Asia, Europe, and now Africa. If you chance upon any more of it, by all means please post to the thread.

At first I had no idea what you were talking about, but after viewing the supplied thread, I suddenly remembered we used to play with something similar when we were children. We called it a woer-woer, after the sound it made when spinning. I am not sure whether it is native African, as I grew up in the area around Cape Town, where most people are, or used to be then (early 60s, mid 70s), from either European, Javan Malaysian or Indonesian descend and intermixed with the fairly light brown coloured indigenous people Called Koi (not Black/Bantu people). My wife, who is 10 years my junior and grew up on the North East coast of South Africa, were the people were mainly Zulu (Black tribe) and European also know it and used to play with it, using also the same name.

BTW, I can only speak for what I knew about South Africa, as Africa are 5000 miles north/south and 4500 miles east /west, have 54 sovereign nations which speak over a thousand languages. Maybe you know this, but it is always intriguing for us that people, mainly USA citizens, talk of Africa as if it is one huge country.

If your interest is not only in this one instrument, but in indigenous musical instruments in general, let me know, and I will try and find some info for you. There are some really interesting stuff in Africa. (The whole of A)

I think I confused you with Jet2. Since you're in Africa and I got your ear a minute, have you ever run across folks using/playing with a spinning disk on a string? As best I can tell, it's a very old device, and here's the info I have on it so far. http://hypography.com/forums/physics...on-string.html
I'd love to hear anything you know of it in Africa.

SE Asia Nay, too hot and wet for me. I'm curious as to why you thought I am from there?

My current and most likely last place of residence is 34° 7'24.18"S 22° 6'23.44"E

Aha! And here I thought you were in SE Asia for some reason. Just droppin' by for a little jib-jab.