IT'S THE TIME AGAIN AND THE AFTERMATH OF ORGANIZING THE STATE LEVEL UNDUK NGADAU 2015..

Soon it would be the celebration of the Pesta Kaamatan or Harvest Festival again and the launching this year will be in Tenom, a district in the interior of Sabah on May 1st, 2016.  And the usual flurry of activities that is  going on making preparations.   April seems to be flying and it is making me nervous.

The emphasis that Unduk Ngadau Committe is making this year will be "Speak your Mother Tongue". Last year was 'Back to Basic' in relations to the traditional costumes.

The Kadazan language profeciency has decreased among younger generations and Unduk Ngadau is taking this initiative to prevent further decline of its usage and to preserve the legacy for future generation. Some efforts on this has been made by various groups but we felt it timely to also include it in our programe as the novelty of speaking the language seems to rub through the younger generations with the influence of these gorgeous young ladies. 

Anyway re posting this...

This post is long overdue and it was lying in draft form in my vault since June 2015. Anyway was browsing through this almost dormant blog.  It is so easy to forget this blog and just let be as there are so many social media mode.  Just reading through the endless messages from friends on my watsapp, wechat or telegrams, Instagram and of course Facebook take me almost a whole morning.   So much has happened this few months.
 
Was not able to take any pictures this Kaamatan as was too occupied to even think about taking. Tried to snap some with my handphone and horrors, it gave me a message  'full memory'.. Oh well, will have to depend on our Official Photographers and also those photographer enthusiasts.

Thank goodness, the 5-day event from 27th May the day of registration, photoshoots, videoshoot for the 42 UN participants each representing a district/sub-district/municipalities till the final competition on 31st May 2015 went well but not without some glitches.

Experiences in handling a big event such as this does count as we were able to cover it and was able to act fast and remedy the situation. Each day was packed with program for the ladies..seminars, practical learning at the museum, rehearsals that stretched through the night.  Well, the Crown is certainly not going to be given to them on a platter! Told them this is a competition and they were not here on a holiday!

 The top 3 Winners
Ryannie UNK 015 (centre)
Shirley (left)1st Runner up and Everina (right 2nd Runner up. 

Special appearance

Giving back to society in our own small way..

In Aid of the Underprivileged Children of St Pius X, Bundu Tuhan, Ranau.

HAPPY EASTER - HE HAS RISEN, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA

HE IS RISEN!  ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!  

HAPPY EASTER

WORDLESS...

A NITE WITH THE OLDIES BUT GOLDIES - A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

Last night I was at Kimmy and Daffie's wedding dinner. Kimmy, a former beauty queen and a model is not only a friend's daughter but is also one our girls in the Unduk Ngadau pageant a few years back. She emerged as the 2nd runner-up.  Daffie her husband, is the only son of a well-known individual in the State.

 

 the newly-wed in the Kadazandusun traditional costume.

And so, I met an old friend. After hugging and exchanging pleasantries as well as giggling like teenagers checking each other out, she exclaiming.."Huhh.at this age, we don't look too bad yet , do we?" she said laughing. "Well with this positive attitude, how to grow old" I laughed.  

And it reminded me of this post which has been in my vault almost forgotten since last August, a reunion with my primary school classmates which I had intended to blog about but did not complete. Here it is, a throwback August 2015.

" Recently, we managed to have a reunion of friends from long ago... 40 odd years, primary school days.  Were just kids then.  But that's the beauty of modern technology as some friends managed to track me and included me in their watsapp chat group. Everyone was excited at suddenly being in contact of long lost friends. Slowly the contact number of old friends grew. Some have migrated, a few have passed on, some living just in the neighbourhood, yet we've never bumped into each other. Goodness, Kota Kinabalu can't be that big! 
 

We then arranged for a gathering and managed to gather about 30 + people.  The Glamour Lounge at the Palace Hotel was the perfect place.  We wanted the occasion to be informal and so chose our dress code  "Bohemian" haha .. to commemorate those days when we were growing up... well at least some did try.    Everyone was excited at the prospect of meeting each other again after so long. The day came and  when we met,  the years just melted... it was amazing how friendships rekindled again. Though a few have gained spare tyres, some quite unrecognizable, gray hairs, wrinkles and double chins, yet it felt like we were the young carefree kids again.

 We shared stories, jokes,  laughter, the incessant teasing from the guys, some confessions, which were hilarious.  The night just flew and soon it was time to say good nite with a promise to meet again..   Oh but we have the chat group and we do 'meet' everyday, the normal greetings and all."

I like the saying : " Good friends  are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there"

Ok here are some pics for rememberance, lest one day we grow too old to remember.

                                        some of the guys. Now all successful individual..

my gorgeous bestie.. those days. We still keep in touch occasionally..

  Till our next reunion, adios, stay healthy, stay positive and stay young always..

THE MEET BEFORE MY LONG LEAVE OF ABSENCE..

The just revived *KDCA Women Council together with the newly set up KDCA Youth Council - paid courtesy visit to Huguan Siou YB Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan @ President of KDCA, 
Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah merangkap Menteri Pembangunan Infrastruktur Sabah to brief him on KDCA Women's and the Youth's Vision and Mission - 12 October 2015.


* KDCA - Kadazandusun Cultural Association

The KDCA Youths, headed by Mandela Malakun )left_

The women

The Protem Committee of the KDCA Women's Council

from Right: Deputy, Puan Sairah, Flavianm, Dr Azlina, Janeta, Josephine Luping, Yours Truly

and Dr Mary

WINGS ON MY HEELS..

." .all my bags are packed, I'm ready to go.."

Well not now actually.. but hopefully soon. Counting the days.

God willing, will fly in say another couple of weeks. When will I be back? Depends on where the wind brings me. Maybe next month, or the month after, or perhaps by Christmas, maybe even next year. Who knows what the future holds. Why am I itching to travel again?  

Well, as age catches up, better do it now when them knees are still not rickety yet and them eyes are still able to focus.  My camera will be my best friend.. and a couple of friends.

I remember when I was young and staying with my grandmother and during weekends, I was supposed to stay home and study or do my homework but whenever she look elsewhere, I would quietly go out to play with my cousins. And stay out the whole day and sometimes stay for meals at their house which was just a couple of houses away actually.  Then later at dusk, I would try to sneak back home and get an earful from grandma which I knew was inevitable. She would scold in her most meanest voice "where have you been, you have wings on your heels, why is it that you never stay put!" But my grandmother, bless her never beat me and I guess I was a little spoilt.  But how could I stay home alone all day doing nothing.  Those ancient days, tv or computers were non existence, at least in my part of the world.  

Google pic.

Books borrowed from friends or the school library were my best friends and I would read all day and night with a small kerosene lamp until the cock crows at dawn.  So when I run out of what to read, I would read my school text books and when I get bored, I would sneak out and play with my cousins in the fields, to the woods, climbing fruit trees and playing tarzan, fishing in river and even helped my cousins watch their buffaloes grazing in the fields. Yeah, we gotta watch them lest they wander off to the paddy fields and grazed on the young paddy plants.  That was an absolute no no. There was once, we were busy playing and did not notice that the buffaloes had wandered into the paddy fields and were happily grazing on the young paddy plants.  My aunt was so angry, we almost didn't get our dinner that night.

Paddy field

Water buffaloes. Google pic.

So back to my yearn for travel, yes my heels are winged.. but will be back home somehow when I get weary from all these.  Where am I going? Wish I am travelling to Europe but I am not. I simply cannot afford it especially now that the ringgit is tumbling down everyday.  Hopefully one day soon though, then I can die peacefully...LOL!

Cheers.

Hint of my destination...

below pics, my sis, behind her is a library and the other a train station. She used to study, work and live there. She holds a PR.

'TREASURES' FROM MY MOBILE PHONE..

My mobile phone hanged again. Must be because of the thousands of pictures stored that is taking away most of the memory space.  Not only those taken by me, but also those sent by friends through text messages, Watsapp and so on.  I think I must have about almost 30 group chats with an average of 10 people per group. Imagine if all these friends send in videos or pictures!!

What do you do with all these pictures that are stored in handphone or computer?  Well, delete them of course but I can hardly keep up. Seems like I am forever deleting pictures or videos LOL!  Those favourite ones get to stay and some saved in external drive or pendrive and then.... forgotten! 

I was deleting pictures from my mobile phone the other day, and came across several that took me by surprise haha...some sent by friends and some taken by me.  I have totally forgotten their existence. Not well taken but hey, who's complaining.  It's that moment captured that's more important, no?   

Cheers! :)

 At a wedding reception few weeks ago... oops the the feet hilang. haha..

 one of the tip of Petronas Twin Tower, KLCC taken by me at the 86th Floor. .. another oops.. tip missing (June 2015).

At the 'breaking of fast' dinner courtesy of Le Meridien Hotel with

my good friend Jo, Director of Sabah Museum and top 3 UNK 2015 winners.

 Shopaholic sistas from trip to Ho Chi Min, Vietnam.. at the airport homeward bound enroute to KLIA2 

bird's eye view from the Skybridge and 86th floor of  Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC - June 2015

Who doesn't love ice cream..... a quaint ice cream parlour just 5 minutes walk from my house. Yummmy.. a treat from a friend..

Primary School Classmates Reunion recently... 

Oldies But Goldies, A Walk Down Memory Lane - Together Again  after more than 40 - odd years. When we met again for the first time, the years just melted!

Spot me? 

Like Mother like Daughter..

With my Mary Kay buddies .. 

Gosh, looks like I have had too much burgers!

Ok, now I can delete the pics from my handphone.  :)