..EVEN A HAPPY LIFE CANNOT BE WITHOUT A MEASURE OF DARKNESS..

..even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. So take things as they come with patience and equanimity..

Location: Langkah Syabas Beach, Kinarut, Sabah

THE LEGENDARY NUNUK RAGANG CIVILIZATION..

According to Aki Sapikit Kabindong of Ranau, the legendary Nunuk Ragang Tree was quite consistently told in stories to located at Sabah's heart centre and at pibuntulan (the confluence) of the Kogibangan (left) and Kawananan (right) rivers that merged to form the Liwogu (deep and calm) river that further feeds into the greater and mighty Labuk river before emptying into the Labuk Bay. However, over the years the river courses and point of confluences have been constantly changing and as such the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) has decided the Nunuk Ragang Heritage Memorial monument to be sited off road to the right at Km 54 Ranau-Telupid-Sandakan Highway just after the main Liwogu Bridge.

Picture courtesy of Nikko San

Completed by KDCA on September 23, 1995, the Nunuk Ragang commemorative heritage building is uniquely conceptualized in the imagery of the legendary trunk of the giant Nunuk Ragang (ficus) tree. In 1996, the KDCA started to celebrate the Annual Nunuk Ragang Moginakan Festival in conjunction with the annual Anniversary Celebration of the installation of the current Huguan Siou (Paramount Leader) of the Kadazandusuns, Huguan Siou Tan Sri DSP Joseph Pairin Datuk Kitingan who was installed as Huguan Siou on July 1, 1984 at Kg Tuavon Penampang.

The Kadazandusuns accept that their major past has been lost in their own unwritten history. The current generation of Kadazandusun has only the tail-tale of their oral history on the legendary Nunuk Ragang civilization and Bobolian's (Priestesses') revelations of Kinoingan and Sumundu's (creator couple's ) divine intervention in the genesis of the Kadazandusuns, which form the foundation of the Kadazandusun traditional world views, cultural values, beliefs and justice system in the Adats.

Although vague being a legend, the entire Nunuk Ragang legendary civilization accounts from numerous Kadazandusun ethnic and speech communities throughout Sabah do confluence as formidable foundation of their belief that they belong to common ancestral origin long before written history. Legendary Nunuk Ragang civilization is thus still the main reference point for the current generation of Kadazandusuns in their desperate attempt to demystify their past origin, identity and destiny as a multi-ethnic community.

It is from Nunuk Ragang that the numerous Kadazandusuns ethnic communities first got their ethnic descriptive identities.  Today, Sabah is Malaysia's most diversely populated state, wherein numerous ethnic labels are often arbitrary and confusing, defying simplistic demographic statistical enthnic classification. The constitution of the KDCA enumerates the Kadazandusuns to comprise some 40 sub-ethnic. Incidentally, Yours Truly belongs to the Liwan tribe, supposedly the largest of all the sub-tribes and traces of the Tangara tribe from my father's side . However, most of the definitive indigenous communities of Sabah have in recent times self-determined their generic identity as Kadazandusuns and has since then undergone a process of transformation and progressive unity in diversity under the KDCA, Sabah.

Sources: KDCA Nunuk Ragang Publication 2012

                Research done by Dr (H) Ben Topin, a well-respected member of the KDCA.

Priestesses of a certain Kadazandusun sub-tribe 'blessing' the Huguan Siou

Kadazandusun maiden..

 

Bobolian or Priest

The Kadazandusun Paramount Leader, Huguan Siou Tan Sri DSP Joseph Pairin Datuk Kitingan (left) being greeted by members of the KDCA during the commemoration of his 28th year installation as Huguan Siou on the 8 July 2012.

BADLY DAMAGED BUT LIFE GOES ON...

I've been wanting to post these images of the once beautiful but now earthquake-ravaged Christchurch for quite a while now, but was sidelined by other matters. Somewhow, I felt that my visit to this beautiful country would not be complete if did not snap the ugly side of it too.. not by its choice but by force of nature, a natural disaster no one had foreseen.  Two years had gone by since that first terrible natural disaster struck the once serenely beautiful Christchurch, leaving in its wake many damaged properties and lost lives that made the city almost unrecognizable.  Christchurch would never be the same again. Still, life has to go on and it is now in the process of rebuilding.

..trails of damages..

 Our arrival in that city around midnight did not really show us the extent of the damage done at first, but the miles and miles of uneven roads of which our taxi driver told us were the results of the earthquake were keenly felt. I asked him whether there were any signs at all of the coming of the earthquake and was told that there was none whatsoever. He said that everything was as normal can be, and he jokingly said that if ever they did expect earthquake to strike at all, it would be in Wellington.. 'touchwood' but never in Christchurch!! I was told that tremors could still be felt every now an then but so far not strong enough to cause any real damage.

..but life has to go on...

some areas remained untouched..

The car that we used to drive us around the south island.

TEA WITH THE 'QUEEN'

When we received an invitation to have tea with the Sabah Governor's wife, everyone was like.."Really?" and of course the response was 'we are honoured and delighted to accept'. For never in history have the team been invited to Istana Negeri for tea.

The State Level Unduk Ngadau Chairperson, her Deputy and I have been to the Istana Negeri several times in the past for courtesy calls where we would formally extend invitation to the Governor's wife to crown the State Level Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan. But this would be the first time that I get to visit the Istana after the appointment of the new Governor, Tuan Yang Terutama (TYT) Datuk Seri Juhar Mahirrudin which was on 1 January 2011. The previous TYT's term expired on 31 December 2010.

..Mart, our most-abled make-up artist adorned the girls in their finest..

It was a pleasant surprise therefore that a week after the crowning of the new Unduk Ngadau 2012 on 31st May 2012, TYT's wife, Toh Puan Datin Seri Panglima Hjh. Norlidah binti Datuk R.M. Jasni was keen to invite us plus top 3 Unduk Ngadau 2011 and top 7 Unduk Ngadau 2012 for tea at the palace. On the 8 June 2012, we adorned the girls in their finest traditional costumes complete with make-up and hairdo and bundled them in a posh rented MPV to make their grand entrance to the Palace. My team and I decided to use our 'uniform', a modified costume inspired by the traditional costume of the Rungus tribe.

..our 'uniform', a modified traditional costume of the Rungus tribe..

with the regal Toh Puan..  

At precisely 2.00 pm, half an hour before the appointed time, we were ushered by the palace usherettes into the grand hall of the beautiful Palace where we took the opportunity to snap few photographs. Toh Puan came in at 2.30pm and we couldn't take our eyes off her. I knew from photographs taken here and there that she is beautiful but to see her up close and personal was a delight. Not only endowed with classic beauty, she was graceful, regal, soft spoken, humble - to me, an epitome of beauty. When she speaks, her smiling eyes sparkles and her conversation sprinkled with her magnetic smiles.

We were later brought to a large dining hall and treated to a sumptuous hi-tea. I noted with quiet amusement that all of us were in our best behaviour. And why not, we were after all having tea with the 'Queen'...

Our Chairperson (left) and her deputy with Toh Puan

THE RACE IS ON....

WHO WILL BE THE FARIEST OF THEM ALL...

PARTICIPANTS OF THE STATE LEVEL UNDUK NGADAU KAAMATAN 2012 REPRESENTING THE  RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS.

(I must give credit to all the amazing Photographers.. I am not able to name each and everyone of you, but you know who you are).

Some of the contestants taken before the competition.

Photo courtesy of Tay Kenneth.

For more of his pictures, do look him up in Facebook. 

ONCE UPON AN AUTUMN IN NEW ZEALAND...

They say it is the journey, not the destination that stays etched in your memory forever.  As I made my way to Christchurch airport bound for home, I didn’t want my journey to end.

On that windy frigid cold but magical autumn of New Zealand, I stopped, took one last glance at the beautiful country I’ve grown to love…. I wanted this memory and my journey to last a lifetime… Till we meet again someday..

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown NZ

Queenstown, New Zealand

April 30th, 2012

LISTEN, LISTEN TO THE RAIN..

Listen..listen to the rain

Listen to the music on the lake

Listen to the wind

A sad song drifting low

Listen to the summer storm

Listen to the tears roll

Listen..

Yesterday don't matter if it's gone

While the sun is bright

Or in the darkest night

No one knows

It comes and goes

When you change with every new day

Still I'm gonna miss you...