Life In Borneo

Posted by Daniel on September 14th, 2008 in Events

On the 31st August 2008, Malaysians throughout the country commemorated the 51st Hari Merdeka (or Independance Day). Each year on this date, every state in Malaysia will celebrate this day with a march-past, and Kota Kinabalu is no exception - a Merdeka Day parade was held in capital city of Sabah at the Kota Kinabalu Waterfront, with hundreds of participants and spectators attending the event.

31st August 1957 - Independance Day
It was more than half a decade ago when the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, made the official proclamation of independence at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. The proclamation was witnessed by a score of international dignitaries and royalties including Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. It marked the start of a new era for all Malaysians - a new era of freedom and democracy. 51 years later, Sabahans in Kota Kinabalu still honour this day with other Malaysians nationwide.

The theme for this year’s Merdeka Day celebration was Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan, which means “Unity Is The Core of Success.”

The Merdeka Day Parade
The parade began with the arrival of the guests of honours, among whom was Sabah’s Head of State Yang diPertua Negeri Tun Ahmad Shah Abdullah. It then proceeded with the inspection of the guard, followed by the march-past of more than a hundred contingents.

After the march-past, several performances was held in front of the dignitaries; there was a cultural dance show, a martial arts of Silat Cekak demonstration, and an awe-invoking performance by the Fifth Infantry Brigade of the Royal Malaysian Army.

Merdeka!! Merdeka!! Merdeka!!
In this modern age, we tend to take for granted the peace and prosperity that our ancestors have laboured so hard to obtained.

We at Lifeinborneo.com salute the heroes of our country who fought and bleed for our independance and for our freedom. And to all Malaysians, may the years ahead be as peaceful and as prosperous as ever.

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Posted by Daniel on August 28th, 2008 in Events

Hundreds of cat lovers went to the Borneo International Cat Show at the Sabah Trade Centre in Likas on the 23rd and 24th of August, 2008. The event, organised by Borneo Cat Club and Cat Fanciers’ Association (USA) and sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, was the first International Cat Show ever in to be held in Sabah.

The Borneo International Cat Show 2008 was originally intended as a one-day event, but due to overwhelming response from the public the organisers decided to make it a two-day event instead.

The event was officiated by Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Yahya Hussin. It was an event of two days of cats galore, 4 Rings All Breed with 2 Rings open on day 1 and another 2 Rings on day 2.

The Borneo International Cat Show 2008 is part exhibition and part competition, where the cats themselves are the centre of attraction. More than a dozen cat owners from Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak participated in this event to show off their beloved feline pets to the public. Cats of many different breeds and colours could be seen on the exhibition floor, ranging from the Persian Longhair to the sleek Siamese.

While the cats on display were the main spectacle for the visitors, it was the cat competition that were the main focus of many of the participants. The cat competition had four categories in which the cats were judged in, which are the Championship Class, Premiership Class, Kitten Class and Household class. The competition also seperated the cats into two groups: the longhaired cats and the shorthaired cats.

The competition was held on both days, but on the second and final day of the competition the scores of all the cats were tallied to see who won the top three spot.

There were also special awards such as Best in Colour, Best in Breed and Judge’s Favourite where each judge nominate their favourite cat in the show. The panel of judges were Becky Orlando, Wayne Trevathan and Diana Rothermel from U.S.A. and Rod U’ren from Australia.

A collections of awards to be grab for cat lovers

The first ever Borneo International Cat Show had a pleasently warm reception, proving that a show such as this is always a welcome event in Kota Kinabalu. We hope to see the Borneo International Cat Show return next year with more people and, of course, more adorable cats.

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Posted by Xander on August 20th, 2008 in Events, Sports

Ultimate test of courage, almost nothing is more true than jumping off a 30-storey building and have nothing else between you and an imminent death except the strong winds of the South China Sea. Tun Mustapha Tower, (formerly known as Yayasan Sabah Tower) was that particular building on 9th & 10th August. The jumpers converged at the tower for this momentous event to showcase their skill and of course, bravery.

As the crowd gathered, the accumulation of locals and tourists can’t help but feel awed by the whole show. One of the brave-souls even almost landed among the throng of people gathered but with sheer skill and a little luck; he managed to maneuver himself a few feet away from any spectators.

We had to admit it obviously takes more than just a raw nerves to be up on that tower. Being on top of the 2nd tallest building in Borneo could be a very daunting to normal folks. And for the lifeinborneo.com crew; just being around the jumpers was somewhat comforting and perhaps a little envious of the their level of courage and calmness. To see them simply shrugging-off any fear or doubts and make that leap off the edge was astonishing.

It all started back in 2004 where only a handful of these courageous men trying out the jump from the Tun Mustapha Tower. Since then it has gained popularity and they have been organizing this event; one in 2006 and another in the year 2007.

Officially, year 2008 marks the 3rd year running of such an extreme sports event. Luckily there were no incidents occured this year and hopefully we get to see them again next year.

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Posted by Daniel on August 6th, 2008 in Events

Sabahan Bloggers Gathering 2008 (mainly sponsored by Nuffnang and Exabytes Network), the most anticipated bloggers meet on the Sabah calendar, went down successfully last Saturday night on 2nd of August 2008. It was formerly known as KK Bloggers Meet when it was first conceived back in 2007, but this time around the organizers decided to include bloggers from all corners of Sabah, hence the event’s renaming.

The gathering was held at the Roof Restaurant on top of Imperial International Hotel, with an attendance of around 150 people - triple the number of participants compared to the previous year. It was an event that the crew of Lifeinborneo.com wouldn’t want to miss.

Welcome to the Sabahan Bloggers Gathering!

The event started with the emcees DJ Selina Light (from Sabah Vfm) and DJ Fara (also commitee). Then, welcoming speech from a member of the organizing committee, Daniel Franklin Gomez, followed by Robb Chew, the representative of Nuffnang. After that, an inspirational speech from Louis Pang - Sabah’s own international award winning photographer, who is also an active blogger.

DJ Fara and DJ Selina Light of Sabah Vfm

Daniel Franklin Gomez - Blogger Extraordinaire

Robb Chew of Nuffnang

Louis Pang - International Award Winning Photographer

The first performance of the night was by members of the Sabah Institute of Art or S.I.A. The group brilliantly performed two acoustic pieces, one of which was a cover of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. There were performances by other local artists on that night as well, namely Locust Day Dream, Richado Tawith and Terry Peter, all of whom performed their own original compositions.

Musical Group from S.I.A.

Terry Peter

Lucky Draw prizes were given away throughout the event, which were sponsored by companies such as Exabytes Network and Nuffnang, the two main sponsors of the event. Unlike the previous year, the event this year received sponsorships from many parties; other sponsors that generously supported the event were Canon, Vedablu, GoShop!, Mango Cafe, Scream Video, Hot Pots, Jofanna Bridal, Louis Pang Studios, KK Box, Olumis Borneo Batik House and Yong’s Color Digital Lab. Imperial International Hotel sponsored by hosting the venue.

Click on the images to zoom

Attire for Jacq and Wei Chuen sponsored by Olumis Borneo Batik House

The night ended with a farewell speech from the organizers and group photo sessions.

The Organizers: Fara, Dinoza, Jacq, Wei Chuen, Imelda, Daniel, Papa Joneh and Julian

Wonderful Tonight indeed

If this year’s Sabahan Bloggers Gathering was a song, it will be akin to a well-written ballad played perfectly by a soulful performer, and those that attended the event would be the listeners who closed their eyes and entranced themselves listening to the mesmeric tune. Sabahan Bloggers Gathering 2008 was indeed a wonderful event, especially so to the community of webloggers that inspired this event in the first place. We enjoyed every moment of it, and we look forward to attend the next bloggers gathering. See you next year!

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Posted by Eshark on July 13th, 2008 in Events

Venue : Sabah Trade Centre, Likas, Kota Kinabalu Sabah
Date : 23rd & 24th August 2008
Rings : 4 Rings All Breed
Judges : Rod U’ren (Australia), Becky Orlando (USA), Wayne Trevathan (USA), Diana Rothermel(USA)
Master Clerk : Dick Kallmeyer (USA)

Contact person :

Mr. Ben Hsu (Organizing Chairman) : benhsu@borneocatclub.com
Mr. Ken Wee Kwong Ho (Entry Clerk) : +6012 6804045
Mr. Nor Arisham Bakar (Asst. Entry Clerk) : +6016 2782988

or email your entry at : entry@borneocatclub.com

For more info : borneocatclub.com

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Posted by Raz on March 30th, 2008 in Events

Last year, on 6th July 2007 we had our gathering on Pirates of Borneo’s cruise ship, and this year we are having it on 2nd August 2008. Venue will be confirmed later. Stay tuned for more updates.

Just to refresh, read on Jacq’s coverage on last year’s event:

• KK Bloggers Meet part 1
• KK Bloggers Meet part 2
• More pics from the KK Bloggers Meet

Interested Sponsors may contact the organisers:
Jacq, Gallivanter, Kadazanbonita, PapaJ, Impedius, WeiChuen, Julian Sabah, Fara.

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