Life In Borneo

Posted by Xander on November 20th, 2008 in Events, Wildlife

Friday, November 14th 2008 marks a historical and monumental day in which the first major collaboration between conservationists, several corporate companies and the government took place. The BSBCC (Borneo Sun Bears Conservation Center) Fundraiser Event was held at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa at 6.30 pm and it was attended by the Chief Minister of Sabah, Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun and Kota Kinabalu Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim.

It was a night equivalent of the Grammys night where all the distinguished guests and the socialites from all over Malaysia graced the event with their presence. The stage was set in an extravagant and picturesque manner identical to the forests of Borneo and the ambiance imbued throughout the grand ballroom was unlike any other.

An event as opulent as this would not be complete without the participation of celebrities, musicians and artistes. The hosts for the evening was television personality Daphne Iking, and actor/playwright/comedian Jit Murad. Also hosting was talented actresses Ida Nerina, Joanna Bessey, and Lina Teoh (Miss Malaysia World 1998 Winner, Miss World 1998 2nd Runner Up). Seeing these glamorous and talented people gracing the stage that night was indescribable and  they made the whole event inordinate and ostentatious as it already were.

Daphne Iking and Jit Murad

Ida Nerina

Lina Teoh

Joana Bessey

The show would not be complete without the talented and multifarious assortment of musicians that came on stage on that night. They started the evening with a performance by Amir Yussof, Rafique Rashid and Badar. They sang a song titled “Calling On You” which was specially written by Amir, a song beautifully composed for the Sun Bears. Rafique and Badar was also joined later by Albert Sirimal to perform a wonderful song called “House in Pooh’s Corner”.

Amir Yussof

Rafique Rashid, Amir Yussof, Albert Sirimal and Badar

Albert Sirimal

Jit Murad

The night didn’t end with there, more performances ensued the whole night including musicians like Roger Wang which did an acoustic piece of the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. One song which took the crowd into a very jovial mood was a ”re-write” version of the famous tune ‘Bear Necessities’ which was performed by Rafique Rashid and Roger Wang. All of the musicians that night was simply ingenious, exquisite and exceptional to say the least.

Roger Wang

Rafique Rashid and Roger Wang

Also included as the highlights of the night, special auctions was held for the guests. Items included art pieces from exceptional and prominent local artists such as Mariana Musa, Wong Siew Lee, Wolf Sungmanitu Peters, Cede Prudente, Tony Gonzales, and Sarah Lim. Most art pieces such as the sculpture named ‘Obama’ from Wolf Sungmanitu Peters started the bids at MYR 1500 onwards. The highest bid made that night was Sarah Lim’s painting titled “Wake Up Call” which was around at MYR 40,000+.

All the proceeds that night including the auctions would go to the construction and maintenance of the BSBCC which will be situated at Sepilok. An infrastructure dedicated to keeping and studying the endangered Sun Bears, in which Borneo is its last hope for survival due to the fact that all over the region of South East Asia, their numbers are in fast decline.

Wong Siew Te, which is also known by some as the ‘Sun Bear Man’ took the stage and told tales of Cerah, a Sun Bear which is one of the bears under his care. Cerah means ‘bright’ in the Malaysian language. Executive Director of LEAP, Cynthia Ong also came on stage to show a planned infrastructure for the sun bears which is located near the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center.

Wong Siew Te

Cynthia Ong

The MoU on BSBCC was signed by Laurentius Ambu of the Sabah Wildlife Department, Datuk Sam Mannan of Sabah Forestry Department and LEAP by Cynthia Ong and was witnessed by YAB Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman. In his speech, he also announced a government match of one to one on total donations.

YAB Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman

It is a milestone event in conservation history for it is the first time such a major collaboration ever took place in Malaysia. An estimate of MYR 1.3 million was raised that night towards this project and it shows that cooperation between the conservationists, large corporate companies and the government is not only possible but also can be very overwhelmingly successful.

A night of elegance, cheers and jovial ambiance within a spectacular event all for a very important cause - the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center. With such a monumental event, it was also gracefully ended as all the artistes and musicians took center stage and sang, ‘Conviction of the Heart’.

Special thanks to Wong Siew Te, Cynthia Ong and Amir Yussof for having the LifeInBorneo.com crew be part of this prestigious event.

Photos by Eshark and Zie

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Posted by Daniel on November 15th, 2008 in Events, Wildlife

The fundraising event for the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre went down successfully last night at the Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa on Friday 14th November 2008. The event was able to raise a total of RM 1.3 million, which exceeded far beyond anyone’s expectations.

A line-up of Malaysia’s best-known musicians, television and film personalities delivered “compelling conservation messages with music, comedy, bear stories, art and rare video footage of Sun Bears in the wild, as well as a Sun Bear-themed live auction of specially commissioned or donated artwork.”

The dinner was attended by a host of dignitaries including the Chief Minister of Sabah Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman as the guest of honour, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun and Kota Kinabalu City Major Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim.

Stay tuned to Lifeinborneo.com as we bring you the full coverage of the event in our next article.

Update: Full article is now online. Read on>>>

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Posted by Daniel on November 3rd, 2008 in Events

A huge gathering of traders, buyers and visitors went down to the Tamu Besar Kota Belud on the fourth weekend of October. The annual event started on Saturday on the 25th of October and lasted for two days, during which many activities both traditional and modern took place.

A means to trade

In the old days, a tamu (which means Gathering in the local tongue) was a place where traders from different tribes could barter for goods with one another in an open-air market. This practice still goes on today, and has become an attraction for tourists. These open-air markets can be found in many other places of Sabah, but the biggest of them all can be found only in one place - the Tamu Besar Kota Belud. Many items of daily use can be acquired such as parangs, shoes, clothing and fresh produce.

Open-air activities

There were many activities in store everyone. There was a cooking competition and a singing contest held on the first day. Ratu Serimpak, the event’s beauty pageant was held on the second day. There were also sport competitions such as buffalo racing, relay race (where the buffalo riders must pass the baton to their horseriding team mates) and a variation of the “musical chair” game that involves horse-riding.

Throughout the two-day event, cultural performances entertained the visitors while traders displayed their goods to eager buyers.

One of the highlights of the event is the display of horsemanship by the Bajau people of Kota Belud, famously known as the Cowboys of the East. Around a hundred Bajau horsemen performed complicated manoeuvres on the field to form iconic symbols of the country, such as the hibiscus (the national flower of Malaysia). Both horsemen and steeds (which are actually ponies) were adorned in colourful costumes and bells distinctively of Bajau designs.

The image of the tamu might have changed according to times, but its purpose hasn’t changed throughout the ages. It’s a testament to Sabah’s multicultural unity, and we hope that this practice will continue on for many more generations.

Photos by Eshark of EsharkDesign.com

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Posted by Xander on October 22nd, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events

An Art & Tattoo exhibition is being held at the Monsopiad Cultural Village, every Friday to Saturday for the month of October. For the people of Borneo, Tattoos are a part of our culture and tradition. While modern tools have almost replaced all traditional methods, ancient tribal patterns are not forgotten. Flora and fauna motif passed down from generations are still being used till today.

Some people display tattoos to celebrate or memorialize a significant point in ones’ life and at other times, to commemorate a loved one, may it be name(s) or even an illustration of a person. Though these times in history are not depicted using words, rather they are more like etchings using designs of places and dates which only the person that received the tattoo would know the meaning behind them.

Here, a Tattoo artist is inking a Chinese character for a customer.

Those that exhibit their tattoos regardless of age and/or ethnic backgrounds mostly prefer designs that somewhat depict their personality. Usually these types of tattoos are represented using Japanese and Chinese characters or even illustrations of animals or even mythical creatures which are diverse in every culture known throughout the world. Characters or designs using different languages or inspirations are not unheard of and it mostly depends on the recipient of the tattoos and the tattoo artist.

Tribal patterns are also famous due to the fact that its origin is widespread across the world. To name a few the Berbers of Tamazgha, Ainu (indigenous people from Japan) and Maori of New Zealand have been known to have facial tattoos though these days you rarely see those types of designs. It is also known that tattooing were also widespread among the Polynesian peoples and numerous tribal groups from Borneo, Philippines, Mentawai Islands, North America, Africa, Cambodia and Micronesia just to name a few.

Regardless of where or when the art of tattooing came into widespread popularity, you’ll find that Borneo is never short of places to get your ink from. With much diversity in ethnicity and multifarious in its history and culture it is an opportunity not to be missed if you ever find a chance to come here and get a tattoo done by some of our very talented local tattoo artists.

Read more about Monsopiad Cultural Village>>>

Photos by Eshark of EsharkDesign.com

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Posted by Daniel on October 18th, 2008 in Events, Sports

Legend has it that more than two thousand years ago, a Greek messenger ran from the town of Marathon to the city of Athens for two days to bring news of great victory over their Persian Invaders. He ran without stopping, with only the honour of bearing the news giving strength to his weary legs and aching heels. Two millennias later, modern-day runners continued the long-running legacy of Philippides at the Likas Stadium last Sunday in the Borneo International Marathon. We didn’t wish to be left behind, so we packed our equipments and our running shoes and ran to the Likas Stadium at the hour of the owls to cover this international marathon event.

Runners, please take your place

12 October, 2008 - The event started during the early morning hours of Sunday at the Likas Stadium. The organizers - and some of the participating runners as well - had arrived at the stadium as early as 3:00AM to go through their checklists. Representatives from local and international press were also present to cover the event. It is also interesting to note that this is the first time ever that an internationally-recognized event in Borneo had invited bloggers to the event as medias - bringing the Borneon blogging community to the same level as professionals from the press.

The Marathon

The Borneo International Marathon 2008 had 5 categories, but the highlight of the event were the 3 main categories: Full Marathon (42km), Half Marathon (21km) and Quarter Marathon (10km).

The starting of the Full Marathon video

The Full Marathon started first at 4:30AM, followed by the Half Marathon at 6:00AM and lastly the Quarter Marathon at 7:00AM. The routes took the runners to some of the city’s most prominent tourist destination, such as Sutera Harbour, 1Borneo Hypermall and the Coastal Road - known for its scenic view of the coastline. The marathon starts and ends at the Likas Stadium.

The Half Marathon category started at 6:00AM

The Quarter Marathon category started at 7:00AM

Here are the top three finishers for the 3 main categories:

Full Marathon (Men’s Open)
1st - Sammy Kiprop Kiptoo (Kenya), 2hr 25min
2nd - Geoffrey Kiprotich Birgen (Kenya), 2hr 26min 42sec
3rd - Elkana Ruto (Kenya), 2hr 33min 18sec

Full Marathon (Men’s Veteran)
1st - Paul Hague (England), 3hr 10min 31sec
2nd - Duanis B. Indam (Malaysia), 3hr 26min 38sec
3rd - Yusop Tungkob (Malaysia), 3hr 31min 5sec

Full Marathon (Women’s Open)
1st - Frida Lodepa (Kenya), 3hr 18min 4sec
2nd - Pui Shan Chan (China), 3hr 27min 48sec
3rd - Joyce Runo Chemeli (Kenya), 3hr 32min 43sec

Full Marathon (Women’s Veteran)
1st - Tan Lee Huang (Singapore), 4hr 57min 27sec
2nd - Christina Daramat (Malaysia), 5hr 35sec
3rd - Ang Bee Hua (Singapore), 5hr 16min 7sec

Half Marathon (Men’s Open)
1st - Wilson Kibogo (Kenya), 1hr 11min 49sec
2nd - Muniandy Ramadass (Malaysia), 1hr 13min 54sec
3rd - Micah Kiprotich (Kenya), 1hr 18min 1sec

Half Marathon (Men’s Veteran)
1st - Guianus Salagan (Malaysia), 1hr 22min 2sec
2nd - Supermaniam Govindam (Malaysia), 1hr 23min 35sec
3rd - Lim Lian Hock (Singapore), 1hr 35min 2sec

Half Marathon (Women’s Open)
1st - Doris Chuchumba (Kenya), 1:24:10
2nd - Michele Tan Bee Kiang (Malaysia), 1:39:26
2rd - Mariana Mohammad (Malaysia), 1:41:11

Half Marathon (Women’s Veteran)
1st - Lian Bee Hoon (Malaysia), 1hr 44min 28sec
2nd - Kirsten Conrad (USA), 2hr 3min 4sec
3rd - Ling Nyuk Hwa (Malaysia), 2hr 4min 11sec

More results can be found at the event’s official website at http://www.borneomarathon.com/home.html

A smile to the finish line

The Greek messenger Philippides ran for two days from Marathon to Athens, but the spirit of marathon itself will continue to run around the world for many years more, crossing every boundaries. Perhaps the spirit of marathon had visited Borneo last Sunday, inspiring everyone to perform their best. Regardless, the Borneo International Marathon 2008 was a great success.

A few runners from the AirAsia Team

We at lifeinborneo.com congratulate all the runners that participated and we give our hands out for the organizers and their supporters for their tremendous effort. We were pleased to be part of this historic occasion and hope that it will become a yearly event in the Borneon calendar.

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Posted by Xander on October 16th, 2008 in Events, Sports

October 11th , 2008 - The BIM 2008 Pasta Party was held at the Likas Sports Complex Indoor Multipurpose Hall at 6.30pm. Among those that attended the event were the events organizers, local press and various medias including celebrity bloggers and international runners from all over the world. The event was held to welcome the participants especially the international runners to Borneo.

International participants and celebrity runners..

The event was an opportunity to mingle with the participants and organizers alike. Some of the celebrity bloggers that attended that evening was Kenny Sia, recognized as one of Malaysia’s most famous blogger. He also participated in last years Penang Bridge Marathon. Another notable person which attended that evening was the ‘Cat Woman’ which hails from Singapore. Jenap M Said (aka Cat Woman) is widely known for running in a cat woman costume at almost every marathon event held in Singapore and throughout the neighboring countries. Some of the runs she has participated in the past were KL Marathon, Great Eastern 30km, Pacesetters 15 New Balance Run, Penang Bridge Marathon and KL Mizuno Run. In Thailand she also joined the Hatyai Nature Run, Laguna Phuket International Marathon and Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon.

Kenny Sia and Catwoman

And the show begins…

It was a night to relax and enjoy the evening with friends both new and old. Besides the good food and mingling that took place, traditional dances were performed that night. With a wide variety of ehnic backgrounds, Borneo is never short of eloquent performances such as the Sumazau dance and even from the far south of Sabah; a variation of the Daling-Daling dance. The performers even invited a few people from the crowd to join them on the stage especially the international runners and notably the AirAsia staff which was also present that night.

Sumazau Dance

The Kenyan runners join the Sumazau Dance

Kate from AirAsia also tries the Sumazau Dance

A variation of the Daling-Daling Dance

The runners join the Malay Joget Dance

Other than the dance performance was also the demonstration of the Borneon blowpipe. Most of the crowd also were invited to try out this weapon which was used by the tribes of Borneo a long time ago. Though they were only aiming it at the balloons tied to the ends of a long pole, it still looked like a hard task in itself and obviously enjoyable too as the people cheered at every target hit.

Borneon Blowpipe demonstration

It was a night that none may soon forget and the next day happens to be a long day indeed for both the participants and the organizers.

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Posted by Xander on October 11th, 2008 in Events, Sports

11 October, 2008 - Conference started at 1.00pm at the lobby of Tune Hotel in 1Borneo Hypermall. The floor was quite packed with the media from both bloggers and the press. 8 AirAsia staff were present for the press conference and photo shoot session which includes the various medias.

Most of the AirAsia staff that is joining the Borneo International Marathon are mostly from Kuala Lumpur while 7 staffs comes from Kota Kinabalu. From the Q&A session, we also learned that 13 of them (AirAsia) will be running for the half marathon circuit while 6 will be entering the quarter marathon circuit. Only one staff will be running the full circuit(21km) which is the captain of the team, Captain Razali.

Most of the team members joining have had experience in long distance runs like Kate, which have joined the the 10K Power Run held in Kuala Lumpur.

Kate

The only stewardess from AirAsia that is joining the marathon is Lily. According to the officials from AirAsia, she is promised by AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandez, MYR 1000 for each 1KM she completes. When asked how far she thinks she could run for concerning the offer, she said “of course 21KM!”.

Lily

Tonight the Pasta Party will be held at 6:30pm in the Stadium Likas Multipurpose Hall and those who will be attending are the officials, the organizing committee, international runners, local press and bloggers.

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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 i