.. AND TALKING ABOUT HAIR...

Have been toying with the idea of changing them hair style... mine.  Getting a little tired of these long tresses.  Perhaps time to cut it short..or short-..er.   But I'm not sure if I could live with that drastic results after..  hehehe

For as long as I can remember, I have always had long hair and every now and then have it trimmed or treated but never very short.  I did sport a short hair a long time ago... and that was like more than 10 years ago?  Now should I or should I not...decisions, decisions...

..getting tired of them long tresses...

WHAT'S WITH THE HAIR..

the 'gong shaped' hair styles

As a member of the State Level Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan Committee, I would like to take the opportunity to clear the air on the infamous gong hairstyles of the UNK Participants. 

Contrary to popular belief, the GONG style is NOT a prerequisite to the competition. Participants or hairstylists are free to choose other styles such as the modern 'sanggul' as long as the hair is up. 

The modern 'sanggul' (right pic)

The Unduk Ngadau Organizer have since several years ago held briefing to the district's organizers, to advise the participants and make-up artists on these hair rulings. Briefing was also made to the Participants on the 27th and 30th May (competition day was 31st May) to advise their make-up artists and that hints were even made that Judges may even deduct points should the hair becomes too big and does not complement with the participants' face. 

 
The modern 'sanggul'

District winners with the modern 'sanggul'

But each year, some hair becomes bigger and even I cringed with pity for the poor girls. Some even commented that it makes the girls look like "auntie".. and I don't blame them.  

I am compelled to say something about it in the Unduk Ngadau Facebook page and also here when I noticed so many negative comments about the hair.  Some even  resorted to name-calling.  Now that was comical, amusing  but unkind to say the least. But they had a point.   If only it was  commented it in a more professional way instead of ranting like a mad person and not only about the darned hair but about so many other things related to Unduk Ngadau.  

some does look nice when done tastefully

(Miss Melinda Louis, UNK 2012)

Anyway, I can't even remember when this hairstyle came into being.  I don't remember the Unduk Ngadau of yesteryears sporting this hairstyles at all. But am sure it must have started somewhere.  I am not denying that some of them do look nice especially when done tastefully and may have contributed to the 'hair revolution' when that particular girl won the competition!  But then again it is not for everyone. 

The hairstyles of UNK of yesteryears..

Miss Jeremiah Ginajil, UNK 1998

Miss Kathie Renjus, UNK 1999

Miss Nicoleta Sanseh (UNK 2001)

UNK 1991

                    

(Pictures from newspaper cuttings, courtesy of Dolly MJ)

ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL...

The top 7 winners of the State Level Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan 2013 

We are proud to welcome Miss Immaculate Lojuki, a beautiful lanky standing at 5' 8.5" (as per her resume) of Kota Kinabalu as the new Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan 2013.

1st Runner Up - Miss Ritchell Andreas, Ranau
2nd Runner Up - Miss Nillsey Debbie Sening, Tuaran
3rd Runner Up - Miss Diana Gilbert, Putatan
4th Runner Up - Miss Didie Phang, Penampang
5th Runner Up - Miss Ledesma Steven, Klang Valley
6th Runner Up - Miss Sarah Gleophas Gorotud, Tambunan

I wish to thank all the amazing photographers...

Picture courtesy of Donna Gloreyta. 

Picture courtesy of Leslie Isaac Kok

(Velvia Fotographic)

The contestants are judged on: 1. Beauty,

2. Costume,

3. Presentation,

4. Questions & Answers: 2 sets of questions, one of which is in local dialect and another question to be answered in    Bahasa Melayu. This carries 35% of overall marks.

5. Attitude  & Personality. Congratulations to all winners.State Level Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan

ON BEING A BEAUTY PAGEANT JUDGE...

On May the 1st, I was invited to be one of the Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan (UNK) Beauty Pageant judges. This was in conjunction with the launching of the month-long statewide Harvest Festival celebrations celebrated annually in Sabah.  Launched by the Chief Minister, Kota Belud district was chosen to be the host for this year's celebration.  The winner of the UNK here will represent the district in the State Level competition held on 31st May 2013 at the Hongkod Koisaan KDCA, Penampang.

It is always a challenge to choose a winner as some of the girls are really beautiful with sparkling smiles, looking resplendent in their traditional costumes and deserving to win too.  As there can only be one winner, others  would of course be disappointed.  I do receive the odd request for so and so to win. Well, too bad, they ask the wrong person.  A contestant may be my best friend's daughter but if I feel she doesn't deserve to win, then she doesn't.  The end-results of course must be a consensus by the panel of judges (usually 5) and audited by an independent person.

lovely smiles from the top 3.  Imelda, 18 years of age (centre),

 will represent the Kota Belud district.. 

I feel that it is an honour to be invited as a judge for any event. That shows people actually acknowledge your opinion. My experiences as a beauty pageants' judge, be it for just a small fashion show, or pageants held by higher institutions of learning as in colleges or universities or Unduk Ngadau competition at district level,  never fail to diminish my fascination for girls who vie for these beauty titles. Some girls jump from district to another district, from one pageant to another to compete. Or perhaps they are attracted by the prizes? But I do admire their courage for without them, then there would not be any competition. 

The prizes can be quite lucrative and cash prizes can run up to the thousands of ringgits, normally offered by generous corporate sponsors.  For last year's state level winner, the total amount prizes was valued at almost RM70,000.00! This included cash prizes, scholarship to do a Diploma Course,  trips overseas,  jewelry, smart phones with free reloads for a year,  trophy, tiara and lots more!  

 an image of the  tiara that the UNK 2013 winner expect to receive, 

sponsored by Diamoney Jewellery.  

I

Beautiful smiles from these stunning ladies..

UNK judges hard at work  :)

We, as the State Level UNK organiser, of course try our best to look for credible judges. The appointment of judges for State Level UNK competition is usually 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 involves traditional costumes, then at least one judge should be knowledgeable on the traditional costumes.  We also try to ensure that the judges do not have any personal ties with the contestants. The line-up should be from diverse background, geographically distributed and have different professions and that they should have some experience in appraising the ideals of the pageant.  This would eliminate if not all some degree of biases. 

To the UNK 2013 participants, good luck to all of you. May the winner be the best girl that can truly symbolize the virtuous Huminodun and worthy of the title "Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan"!

Cheers!!

WHEN PEOPLE WALK AWAY FROM YOU...

I WISH HER WELL...

Dear All.. gosh seems a long time ago  since I was here. I sure miss this neglected blog and have taken a little of my time just to jot down something lest this blog forget me.. hehehe..

As usual, my busiest months would be April and May and this is due to preparation for the Pesta Kaamatan or Harvest Festival held every 30th and 31st May organised by the KadazanDusun Cultural Association (KDCA). Coupled with that, this year, it is election time and everyone seems to be busy concentrating more on the upcoming GE13.

As usual, we the Organising Committee would arrange a photoshoot for the reigning Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan (Harvest Festival Queen)  a month before the celebration. These photos would be used as publicity for the upcoming celebrations in the form of streamers which would be lined up along the roads or at billboards by the sponsors, this year Digi, a telco company. 

Come May 1st, 2013 photos of Melinda Louis, the reigning Unduk Ngadau would be found all over Kota Kinabalu and even out of town. However, as it is election time, the spaces along the roads are at the moment filled with candidates'  flags and posters.. a war of flags and posters. So looks like, Mel's photos might have to wait until after election that's on May 5th 2013.

Melinda,  (centre)

So, we not satisfied to be just those behind the scene people, we too took the opportunity to experience that 5 minutes of fame. Being made up  and hair done by none other than the reknowned make-up artist, Mr Mart who is also a member of the Committee, is every girls' wish. We, too  had our own photoshoot ..NO, not to be displayed anywhere of course, but just for our own collections and some to be used for our magazine.  

clowning around with Mart (centre), and Ando his assistant, standing behind.

Mart is a well-sought individual, especially come every May when girls line up to vie for the Unduk Ngadau title fight to use his services to make them beautiful.  He is usually already booked like a year in advance by unduk ngadau aspiring participants. He also has bookings like 2 years in advance by prospective brides! The only weekends he is free is during the month  of Lent, where Church weddings for Roman Catholic is prohibited.  And that is, if one can afford his fees! So to be made-up by him complimentary is like a dream come true!!  

We had that session yesterday, this being the 3rd year. We ladies marvel at how our plain looks suddenly looking so much different and each of us shrieking in laughter at each other's transformation. In the midst of our fun, I couldn't help missing our former Chairperson. I felt her absence and could feel myself tearing up every time I look at our old photographs. 

on happier times...April 2012.  Mart the guy on the right.

Jornah,  (Centre) and Jo on her left.

A few days before, we were shocked to receive news that she had resigned from all her posts in KDCA including leading the Unduk Ngadau Organising team.  A former Assistant Minister and Matunggong assemblywoman, she decided to stand for election in her constituency after being left out from the fray in the 2008 election when the Party decided to field someone else at the eleventh hour.  She had agreed to stand aside and gave her full support to the chosen candidate. 

Seems there is a repeat where again, someone else was fielded at eleventh hour. So disappointed was she that she decided to give everything up. I hope she is happy with her decision, though  I read from some papers that she has switched camps and is now busy campaigning for the opposition.   Ohhh...I hate politics!  I am sure that those without any political inclination sleeps better at night.  Oh well, I wish her well...

Joanna Kitingan, the Deputy is now our new head and she is well supported.

TRAVEL MEMORIES TO 'MIDDLE EARTH' ..Part 1

It would be almost a year now since my visit to the 'Middle Earth'. Gosh, time does zoom at an alarming speed doesn't it?  I have not really shared my experiences of my travel there apart from some of the pictures taken.

Though almost a year has gone, some incidents are still so fresh as if they happened only yesterday. The  memories of my almost 3 weeks visit to this beautiful country shall always be something most cherished. So before they get stolen by the mist of time, perhaps it might be a good idea to just pen down some.  Ok, be prepared to yawn.. haha..

We were supposed to travel in a group of around 10 but due to circumstances, the rest couldn't make it and so only 4 of us proceeded. 3 of us ladies and a gentleman, the thorn among us, much to his dismay. Well, him with us was actually a blessing as afterwards he became our porter, photographer, sometimes driver, bodyguard etc etc.. haha.. poor guy.

We traveled from KK late in the evening of 26th April 2012 and supposed to arrive KL LCCT International Airport around 9pm. Due to weather conditions, to our horror, the plane couldn't land!  We felt the plane tried several times to land but had to abort it and so hovered around mid air for a while.  And I was thinking...die lah this time...hahaha... and of course everybody prayed and I guessed even those not religious suddenly knew what prayers were all about!



The plane later proceeded to the nearest airport and landed in Subang but we were not allowed to  disembark.  We waited and the almost 200 passengers were couped inside the plane for almost an hour! 

Not sure but I think I was looking down at the Great Barrier Reef Aust.

Our prayers must have been answered for we later heard the pilot telling us that the flight would be proceeding to KL LCCT in a bit. A sigh of relief pervaded through the air when the plane finally landed safely!  The 4 of us spent the night at the airport as it didn't make sense to stay in a hotel as our flight was due the following morning. We boarded the Air Asia plane all ready and excited for the 13-hour flight bound for Christchurch.



                      our first motel..

Christchurch.. taken the following morning during our walkabout..

We arrived Christchurch late at night, took a mini bus to our motel.. felt the sharp cold autum air on my face and made me feel I was really abroad!! As our arrival was at an ungodly hour, the motel we booked wasn't manned but they had left instructions through email that keys would be under the doormat.. it was there.  We were delighted with the self-contained motel complete with kitchenette and utensils,  smallish but was nice and cosy.  We even managed to cook maggie mee brought from home!  

After the long journey,  we could not do without a hot shower even though it was freaking cold. I think it was only about 8'C, but to us, it was like being in a freezer! For the rest of my stay there, the gloves, socks, thermal undergarments were my constant companion....Jakun kan... haha.....  With the heater on and the electric blanket, we actually had a most restful night.. .

..to be continued.... but first, let's laugh ... hehehe