BUTTERFLY CAME LATELY...

I was waiting for someone who was running a little late and getting impatient by the minute but comforting myself that everything happens for a reason... what else can one do then except wait and watch precious minutes go by. The alternative of course is to just get up and leave which I almost did.

But Mr Butterfly (or Miss Butterfly) came along and was flying around me, giving me that come hither look, challenging me and taking my attention away from boredom and seemingly saying, "Hey, look at me, I am gorgeous!"  "Show off", I muttered and ignored it. It kept coming back and I felt honoured and flattered that it thinks that I am worth getting attention from ....so I took the bait and clumsily took out my camera and shot it. As if it knew it now had my attention, Mr Butterfly perched on a cluster of yellow flowers, flapping its wings and showing off its spectacular colours!

Using my zoom lens, I took several shots, but my skills in getting the camera's mode like setting the Aperture, Shutter Speed  and ISO right is very much lacking, and so I couldn't get the desired shot.  Still, I managed to play around with the settings. These are some of my best shots and I am rather pleased with them. 

Oh well, I shall treat this as my learning process. So thank you Mr Butterfly. Yes, everything happens for a reason, you helped me learn something. 

As if saying, "it's my pleasure", it flapped its wings and circled around me and disappeared, most probably on the lookout for its next 'victim' in need of help, leaving me a little forlorn...... 

Goodbye Mr Butterfly and thank you for lesson learnt....

Cheers!!

(a repost)

In the Eyes of UNK Judge

I was invited to judge at one of the district's UNK competition

And the Winner is...

Sometimes we wonder how the Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan (UNK) judges choose the UNK winner. Why sometimes those beautiful ones fail to make it to the top 15 whilst those not so beautiful even make it to the top 7. One thing for sure is that the judges would usually have a tough time because beauty is such a personal thing and as the saying goes' one man's food is another man's poison' or 'beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder'.

Therefore, the appointment of judge for UNK competition or any beauty pageant for that matter, should be given a lot of thought. He or she should be someone known to have integrity, have some social standing in society or someone knowledgeable, experienced or involved in aesthetics beauty. And if it involved traditional costumes, then at least one judge should be knowledgeable on the tradtional costumes. The Unduk Ngadau symbolises the mythical 'Huminodun' who was supposed to possess not only beauty that anyone who gazes at her lovely counternance would be transfixed, but who was also kindhearted, blessed with wisdom beyond her years, someone with great courage and was willing to be sacrificed so as to save the starving mankind once upon a time.

This of course is quite unrealistic now but it should at least help or guide a judge when it comes to choosing a UNK winner. To know whether the UNK candidate is kindhearted or otherwise would be quite impossible to tell at short notice. That is why, the lady endowed with most pleasant counternance and physique in the eyes of a UNK judge usually wins.

THE SOLUOI CLAN OVER THE CENTURIES

The story of my great great grandmother

As narrated by my cousin,  Datuk SKK

A long time ago in the late 19^th century a very young damsel of about 15, living in a farmstead far away somewhere in the thick of the Crocker range of the Tambunan region, joined her parents in a convoy to a faraway place to the west of where they were, where, she was told, a centre, famously called Kolombuong, existed, where all manners of people gathered together every 10-day interval to exchange all manners and assortments of goods and services.

A typical of such expeditions would take several days and nights to make, traversing mountains and valleys on foot along hazardous jungle path often much infested with leaches and all manners of bugs, while all along every member of the convoy would be  carrying their burdens of jungle produce on their backs for the prospective exchange at their destination. The convoy would usually take several overnight stopovers in some friendly settlements along the way where several new members would join in and lengthen further the convoy.

It was in one of such expeditions that Soluoi, the 15-year old damsel, accompanied her parents in the convoy leaving her siblings to take care of home. When they reached, at last, the lowland region of Kolombuong, they put up in a make-shift hut in the periphery of the region in a forested area called Sobog to await for the onset of the next Tamu day. In the interim, they cleared and farmed the area. It would be several days after the Tamu day that they would begin their return to their home-sweet-home so very far away in the mountains of the Crocker Range.

On the day of the return journey, though, Soluoi volunteered to look after the newly farmed area in Sobog. Her parents let her be, knowing they would meet her in their next Tamu expedition. She never did return home for soon her new farmstead became her new homestead. She became familiar with the earlier crops of travellers from her region who had settled earlier on in the neighbourhood of Kg. Sobog.

In time an elderly man noticed her and proposed her for his son, Sombuling. For the prospect of a farmhand, she accepted him readily though, presumably, shyly; and so began the genesis of the Soluoi Clan.

The Soluoi clan has now grown into hundreds of direct members and a few hundreds or even thousands more of tokins scattered all over places, keeping in mind that we are still on our journey into the future and beyond…

THE SOLUOI CLAN 2ND REUNION DINNER

When we had  the Soluoi Clan 1st Reunion Dinner way back in 2010 which was a success having a crowd of about 300, it made a lot of impression on us and thus we had planned to hold it again at least once in 2 years.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, we were not able to carry out the plan.  Also, with deep regret, our beloved Grand Matriarch (my mother's oldest sister), the last surviving granddaughter of Soluoi has since passed away at the age of 85 a couple of months ago.

Nevertheless, it was a delight that we finally managed to have it after 3 years but not without a lot of drama, drama which we could have done without.

My cousin, and also our Advisor, Datuk SKK

... delivering my welcoming speech. 

Couldn't hear myself talk! 

Organising an event where family and relatives are concerned is not the same as in organising an official event where budget for that specific event is there, ready to be juggled around. But when organising a function where collections from individuals is the name of the game, then be prepared to be accompanied by headaches and not a little stress.  Also, there is the concern on communication among the members and tact to be given a lot of emphasis. A slight mis-communication could escalate into something unattractive and you could find yourself alone. 

Thank goodness for the bunch of enthusiastic members of the organising committee I was not unduly worried as each knew what was expected of them. I was away the whole month of November and more than half of December 2013 which was 2 months before the event. Thus, communications thru network as in Facebook, emails, mobile phone thru watsapp and even wechat have never been more useful.  Absence in the midst of organising an event especially when one is the Organising Chair is not a good idea. So my skills in delegation was a little tested. 

The families were colour coded 

 - Yellow Family -

Offspring of Soluoi's eldest, and the only grandson.

  Soluoi had 5 grandchildren.

The reunion dinner was attended by almost 200 members of the Soluoi Clan held in a restaurant downtown.  The venue, a good location and well-known for its good food and reasonably priced was chosen. What we didn't foresee was that the restaurant had also let out 2 other events in the next hall separated only by a thin folding panel.

Green Family (offspring of Soluoi's 2nd grand child)

It didn't help that the other function was a launching of some traditional event and so the sound of gongs and other instruments which were LOUD and seemed never ending drowned what little music we had.  We could not even hear ourselves talk. We knew then that the evening was going to be a disaster! Nevertheless, we proceeded and did the best we could with what we had and we actually did have fun.    

Above: Red and Blue Family 

(offspring of Soluoi's 3rd and 4th granddaughters who were twins)

Blue Family has the least number.

 Purple Family

 (offspring of Soluoi's 5th and youngest grandchild, my mother). 

December babies

Candid shot

 ..dance session

 my nephew and lovely nieces

My brother and his lovely wife

Little Soluoi Fashion Parade

..and the cute winners

Pity, we do not have any picture of Madam Soluoi. But we imagined, one of these  beautiful young ladies must have resembled her.

and perhaps one of these dashing young men must have resembled Mr Sombuling

 (Madam Soluoi's husband) 

Crowned by Datin Rosie

Voted by independent judges as the most  likely to resemble our great great grandfather 

and great great grandmother

Mr Sombuling and Madam Soluoi.

Till  the next reunion in 2 years time, adios!

Cheers...