Life In Borneo

Posted by Daniel on July 1st, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals, Promotionals, Travels

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

In the fourth and final part of our coverage of the World Harvest Festival 2008, we have the Miss Fair & Lovely 2008 Ethnic Beauty Pageant, where 14 young and beautiful contestants vie for the honour of being chosen as the fairest of them all in this year’s World Harvest Festival.

All 14 contestants

their special performances before the result announce

Ms. Siti Rokiah Abdul Majed, Miss Congeniality 2008

Ms. Pearlycia Brooke, Miss SMS Voters 2008 and Miss Best Traditional Costume 2008

Ms. Fatin Syahira Yusuf, Miss Beauty Photogenic 2008

Ms. Ramdaniza Hasbi, 2nd Runner-up

Ms. Cassandra Daniel Manja, 1st Runner-up

Ms. Pearlycia Brooke, Miss Fair & Lovely 2008

8 Comments

Posted by Daniel on June 23rd, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals, Legends

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

In the third part of our coverage of the World Harvest Festival 2008, we have a theme play based on a 500 year old Bidayuh legend, titled Panglima Kulow. The show was played out at the Sarawak Cultural Village’s lake at night, with an army of casts and a display of impressive special effects worthy of a movie.

Once Upon A Time, In The Land of the Hornbills…

The theme play for World Harvest Festival 2008 was titled Panglima Kulow - The Saviour of Bung Bratak. Several generations ago in Sarawak, Panglima Kulow was the leader of the Bidayuh village of Bung Bratak, which have prospered peacefully for generations. He guided his people in time of prosperity, in times of hardship, and in times of rebuilding and renewal. This theme play retold that epic story, using Disney-like special effects and dozens of actors and actresses to play out the tale in front of live spectators.

Lights Off. Silence Please.

As any show would do, the theme play started with the telling of the origin of Panglima Kulow’s tale. But what caught our attention was HOW they start off the show.

Before they began the theme play, they turned off the lights. The entirety of Sarawak Cultural Village was covered in total darkness. Only the whispers of the audience and the creaking chatter of insects could be heard.

Blind as a mole and with only the staffers’ flashlights to illuminate the walk path, we made our way to the guest seatings while imagining how they were going to perform this theme play. As we reached our destination, we discovered that the seating was positioned directly overlooking the lake. It was at that moment that a realization set upon us: they were going to use the lake and its surrounding as their stage.

A Legend Re-enacted

Seven fireballs flew down from the night sky like meteorites, each one trailing after another, and splashed down into the lake in front of an audience of hundreds. A spotlight then moved to highlight the rooftop of one of the longhouses by the lake, where seven dancers were dancing in a graceful and hypnotic motion.

That was how the show’s introduction went off - it gripped the audience’s attention right from the start.

Watching the theme play was like hearing those mystical stories your grandparents used to tell you about, only that it was actually happening right before your waking eyes. Suffice to say, we have never seen anything like it before (in person at least). The amount of special effects that went into this production must have been immense; without those visual effects, the theme play would not have been as jaw-dropping or as memorable.

And they lived happily ever after

The essence of the story, I believe, was unity. Panglima Kulow held his people together in times of hardship throught the unity of his people. Towards the end of the theme play, he united two communities together through the marriage of his son and the daughter of the other tribe. Like the bedtime stories our grandparents used to tell us, the tale of Panglima Kulow’s mystical pull was that it combined entertainment with storytelling in the most surreal way. And like those bedtime stories, there’s always that moral-of-the-story at the conclusion of the tale, and in Panglima Kulow, the point of it was unity. Take out all those visual effects, all those colourful props, and you’ll find a story that teaches you the virtue of living in harmony.

Entertainment, art, culture, teaching - all creatively woven into a brilliant theme play.

Up next, the most unique ethnic beauty pageant…

Stay tuned to lifeinborneo.com as we bring you the final part of our coverage of World Harvest Festival 2008, where we have the Miss Fair & Lovely Ethnic Beauty Pageant.

3 Comments

Posted by Raz on June 19th, 2008 in Events, Hot Spots, Night Life

Chivas held a party for 2 nights (29-30 May) at the boardwalk of Waterfront Kota Kinabalu. The nights were fun filled with entertaining performances like breakdancing, fire breathers, local cultural Magunatip Dance, street magician and funny antiques from a very tall clown (on stilts)

Breakdancing by the Chivas International Dance Team. They consist of dancers from The United States, Belgium and France. Awesome performance by them dancing, head spinning, hand stands etc.

The guy above is not part of the professional dancers, he is one of our local “b-boys” who was called up to join on the spot. Not bad huh?

The Magunatip is a local traditional dance where bamboos are clapped together and the dancers must step between them but avoid their feet from being caught. The tempo goes faster and faster and it becomes more difficult to step through.

Finally, the Body Care “Fire Eaters” group performed a modern tribal dance. Also featured in this dance, is spectacular fire-spitting performances.

No Comments

Posted by Daniel on June 9th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

In the second part of our coverage of the World Harvest Festival 2008, we have stage performances from the participants of the International Cultural Concert. The show was held inside the Dewan Lagenda located within the Sarawak Cultural Village on the 24th and 25th of May.

Minstrels of Culture and Tradition

This year, the World Harvest Festival brought in guest cultural performers from Pahang, Indonesia and Senegal to enlighten the audience with their own brand of uniqueness to Santubong. They also invited 22-year old Erhu virtuoso from Perak, Ell Zain Hyder Zainuddin (also more famously known as Endang) who enthralled the audience with her soulful play. Although we didn’t managed to catch the Senegalese group in action, we were more than ecstatic to have seen the performances of the other groups.

Bah Bola, from Pahang

From Pahang there was Bah Bola, an indigenous cultural group consisting of members of the Semai (whom are natives of Pahang) and have performed throughout many events in Malaysia. Palm leaves, intricately handcrafted and integrated into their costumes, were obviously central to their unique cultural performance along with musical instruments fashioned out of bamboos. But it was their lead singer that won the hearts of the crowd with his rapid recitation of the word “Bola!”.

Sanggar Tari Bengkawan, from Kalimantan, Indonesia

Hailing from Kalimantan, Indonesia, the Sanggar Tari Bengkawan cultural group showcased traditional dance and music of ethnic Kalimantan people. This was their second time performing for World Harvest Festival. One of the dance piece the group performed was about the rivalry of two princesses; one was of good heart, while the other was wicked. The dance was a show of beauty and motion, in which the dancers were storytellers retelling a folk tale in a poetic ballet.

Endang, from Malaysia

Far from her humble beginnings in Perak, she has since performed on many international arenas such as China, Barcelona, Paris, Singapore and throughout Malaysia. Now Ell Zain Hyder Zainuddin or Endang may add another internationally renowned location to her list of visits. She is an Erhu virtuoso, a Chinese musical instrument of classical charm which, when played perfectly, exudes a hypnotic sound like the calling of an angelic maiden of the orient. Endang played the magic of the Erhu so well it befitted the listening ears of emperors and kings - and the audience definitely felt as such.

Sarawak Cultural Village Dancers

And not to forget, Sarawak Cultural Village’s very own dance troupe, which performed an array of ethnic dance and music such as the Iban Ngajat and the Joget.

The Dance and Music plays on…

Stay tuned to lifeinborneo.com as we bring you Part 3 of our coverage of World Harvest Festival 2008, where we have the theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore, titled Panglima Kulow.

4 Comments

Posted by Xander on June 7th, 2008 in Events, Night Life

Shenanigans sent shock waves through out Kota Kinabalu night life scene again. From ‘Boot and Scoot’ event to Harajuku Night, now this famed nightspot features DJ Meg from Venezuela. She’s one of the most prominent female deejays in the world and have been playing in places such as Japan, Caracas and Puerto Rico just to name a few.

Last Friday(May 30th), the Lifeinborneo.com crew came in around after 11.00 pm to probably catch a glimpse of this amazing woman behind the DJ console but it seemed we had to wait awhile till she turns the place wild. The crowd started pouring in close to midnight. With the band performing their last night, it was memorable for most of the regulars that frequent Shenanigans.

It was a long wait, but worth while nevertheless. I’ve heard an accumulation of house music before from various clubs in the city but DJ Meg was simply, phenomenal. An assemblage of people that lend a convivial atmosphere combined with breathtaking performance; the dance floor was more than just packed and it was beyond wild.

With music as entrancing as what DJ Meg could produce, which included a uniquely mixed The Uninvited from Alanis Morissette; the crowd was absolutely enthralled by the whole performance. Exceptional multifarious repertoire of dance music from House, Acid House, Electro House, Electro and Tech House. All through the night, DJ Meg at Shenanigan’s Fun Pub was phenomenally awesome!

Organized by Amir Yussof of Freestyle Avenue.

Quote from The DJ List:
“DJ MEG Biography: Maria Eugenia Gonzalez Vallenilla AKA Dj Meg born in Caracas - Venezuela the 6 of June of 1982. Their beginnings with music and the art began to early age in the school of Classic Ballet “Ana Maria Correa, later studied contemporary dance and also she made factories of dramatic art, music and solfeo in the schools of art like El Ateneo de Caracas and El Teresa Carreno. Finally to the 21 years of age she decides to express music through the vanguardism and technology taking the art from the mixture and the electronic production as form of artistic and musical expression, at the same time she develops her studies of social communication in the Santa Maria’s University. Dj Meg began her development like Dj in the Dj’s School in Caracas-Venezuela, and later she dedicates herself to the production under the trusteeship of Dj, Musician and Producer Tony Funichelly.”

No Comments

Posted by Daniel on May 29th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals, Legends

The World Harvest Festival 2008 was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Sarawak on the 24th and 25th of May. Lifeinborneo.com took this opportunity to cover the two day annual Borneo cultural event which featured ethnic music and costumes, locally made products such as food and handicrafts, an Ethnic Beauty Pageant and a spectacular theme play based on a Bidayuh folklore.

A Cultural Event Extravaganza

There were a line-up of events for visitors to see during the two day cultural extravaganza, and Lifeinborneo.com managed to cover what we considered as highlights of the festival:

International Cultural Concert

An international concert featuring cultural groups from around the region. This year they brought in Bahbola from Pahang (a cultural group consisting of Pahang natives, the Semai) and Sanggar Bengkawan Cultural Group from Kalimantan, Indonesia. World Harvest Festival also invited 22-year old Erhu virtuoso Ell Zain Hyder Zainuddin from Perak who enthralled the audience with her soulful play. She is also more famously known as Endang.

Theme Play - Panglima Kulow

Based on a Bidayuh folklore five centuries old, this theme play tells the epic of Panglima Kulow and how he guided his people in times of prosperity, hardship and rebuilding. The play was performed at the Sarawak Cultural Village’s lake at night, with a cast of dozens and a display of amazing special effects.

Ethnic Beauty Pageant Grand Finals - Miss Fair & Lovely WHF 2008

The grand finals for the Miss Fair & Lovely WHF 2008 was held on the first night of the festival. 14 young and beautiful contestants made it through to the finals, but only one will don the queen’s tiara. Introduced 10 years ago, Miss Fair & Lovely is different from other ethnic beauty pageant in that it is open to all single ladies regardless of race. The brand name Fair & Lovely has been sponsoring this event since 1998.

More to come

Stay tuned to lifeinborneo.com as we will bring you more coverage of the events at the World Harvest Festival 2008!

No Comments

Posted by Daniel on May 5th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals

Sabah Fest 2008 - The Launching

“Welcome to the most spectacular celebration of Sabah’s cultural riches, Sabah Fest!”
That was the first two lines printed on the introduction of the booklet. Indeed, the launching of this year’s Sabah Fest on 3rd May, held at the Magellan Sutera last Saturday, was nothing less than spectacular!

Sabah Fest 2008 - Harmony In Diversity

Sabah Fest is a yearly event aimed to provide visitors the opportunity to see, taste, hear and feel Sabah’s unique culture through a kaleidoscope of cultural performances and spectrum of activities lined up throughout the month of May. Visitors will get to sample local delicacies such as cakes and traditional foods, and also witness unique works of crafts demonstrated live by skilled handicraft makers of various ethnic groups.

This year’s theme is ‘Harmony In Diversity’, which paints a picture of the people of Sabah living in unity within a society of diverse races and cultures. This was strongly reflected in the opening presentation of the launching ceremony with a mock enactment of a wedding ritual of a Bajau bride and a Murut groom. The display began with the matrimonial preparations and celebrations of Bajau bride’s family, which was then joined by the various races to celebrate that occasion and then concluded with a bridewealth presentation and dances of the Murut.

A Spectacle of Diversity and Unity

The evening started with a cultural dance performance by several ethnic groups. Dancers dressed in multitudes of colourful costumes - symbolizing the unity of the people of Sabah - bore gifts to bid a warm welcome to the dignitaries. Among those that attended the event were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yahya Hussein, Datuk Masidi Manjun who is the current Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment, and Sabah’s Head of State Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Ahmadshah bin Abdullah, who officiated the launching.

Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Ahmadshah bin Abdullah officiated the event with the hitting of the Gong

Datuk Masidi Manjun presents a souvenir to Head of State Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Ahmadshah bin Abdullah

After the opening presentation, the guests were treated to a variety of ethnic performances. Traditional dances of the Kota Belud Bajau were showed earlier on, namely the Limbai dance, the Kuda Pasu and the Berunsai.

Kudapasu Dance

Igal Tabawan Dance

As the evening went on, dances from other cultures were displayed such as the Dusun Tindal Mongigol, the Igal-Igal dance of the Bajau of Semporna, The Sumazau Penampang and the Sazau Papar of the Kadazandusun, The Nainung and Umang Ting-Ting by the Brunei Malays and the Dansa of the Cocos.

Umang Ting-Ting Dance

Some of the attention-grabbing presentations were performed by the youngest performers of the night. The children of the Dance and Cultural Society of the SK Kiawaian primary school from Tambunan performed the Pangkulian, a creative dance with the inclusion of bamboo play as its central theme.

Pangkulian Dance

Pangkulian Dance

Medtemu Dance

The Medtemu dance of the Ranau Dusun was awe-invoking, where the dancers performed a symbolic war dance of ‘a meeting to settle disputes’. The audience was also treated to a mock traditional Murut Tagal Wedding and the Murut Anggalang, a dance ritual traditionally performed in celebration of a victorious battle or a successful headhunting party (a part of Sabah’s culture no longer in practice). One of the best performance of the evening was the Magunatip, a fascinating dance where the dancers must dextrously skip between clapping bamboos in an ever-increasing tempo.

The Festival has Begun

The opening ceremony signalled the start of the festival, but the closure of the night’s event only marks the beginning of a month full of cultural activities. Ladies and gentlemen, Sabah Fest is back and it’s going to be a very colourful month of May.

9 Comments

Posted by Raz on April 20th, 2008 in Events, Festivals

Miri International Jazz Festival aims to be the leading tourism-driven music festival in the region. By assembling regionally and internationally recognised, jazz musicians, the musical event aims to draw visitors to Miri and the Northern Region of Sarawak for a fun-filled and entertaining experience and at the same time showcasing Miri as a city of cosmopolitanism and relaxing lifestyle.

The Miri International Jazz Festival is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board in collaboration with a select group of committee members from the private sectors.

Date: 9 - 10 May 2008
Venue: The Pavilion, Park City Everly Hotel, Miri, Sarawak Malaysia.
Tickets are available online at www.ticketcharge.com.my!
For further enquiries, kindly contact the:
Visitors’ Information Centre
Lot 452, Jalan Melayu in Miri
Tel: 60 85 434181, Fax: 60 85 434179

or log on at www.Mirijazzfestival.com
Email contact: info@mirijazzfestival.com

No Comments

Posted by Raz on April 17th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals

Sabah Fest, the festivity which presents the essence of the cultural extravaganza of Sabah’s diverse people will soon be here again. This year, the event takes place over four days, from May 3rd to the 6th. A presentation of Sabah’s colourful culture, it will be launched by Sabah’s Head of State, Tuan Yang Terutama Yang Di Pertua Negeri, Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Ahmadshah bin Abdullah on Saturday, May 3rd 2008 at the Magellan Grand Ballroom, Sutera Harbour Resort, Kota Kinabalu. On Sunday, the 4th of May audiences can enjoy another night of traditional music and dance while festivities take place at Sabah Museum’s Heritage Village on the 5th and 6th of May.

The much-anticipated event includes a multitude of cultural dances and traditional music performances, local food and beverage stalls for all to enjoy and handicraft-making demonstrations by the respective ethnic groups. On the 3rd and 4th of May there will be exhibitions from 10am to 10pm at the foyer of the Magellan Grand Ballroom, Sutera Harbour.

This is a great opportunity to see skilled craftspeople at work during the handicraft exhibition and a chance to purchase hard-to-find items, from handwoven baskets to intricately-carved Sea Bajau lepas (wooden boat replicas). This year, the Sabah Fest exhibition will also see the participation of some of Sabah’s top spas and wellness centres offering spa treatments for all to enjoy. Come and try delicious local delicacies such as the kuih cincin and sample our famous Sabah Tea.

On the concert nights on the 3rd and 4th May there will be a wonderful array of unique and rarely-seen traditional dances such as the Pangkulian, a Murut-inspired creative traditional dance performed by the students of SK Kiawaian Tambunan and the graceful Igal-Igal Tabawan dance, performed by the Bajau people who reside in Semporna along the East Coast of Sabah. The biggest ethnic tribe in Sabah, the Kadazandusun, will present the Paina and Sumazau, accompanied by the mesmerising beat of the gong.

Sabah is known for its multiculturalism and this year’s theme, Harmony in Diversity, reflects just that. The highlight of the night is the inter-marriage of two different ethnic groups, the Murut and the Bajau. Two traditional mock wedding displays with two very different rituals will be shown on stage - a truly unique experience!

This year an additional two days will be dedicated to give visitors a spectacular cultural experience at the Sabah Museum Cultural Village on the 5th and 6th of May. The village is made up of various traditional houses such as the Rungus longhouse and the bamboo Murut home. Visitors can mingle with the ethnic groups who will be there to show guests their way of life in their respective houses. Age-old rituals will be demonstrated, such as the Rungus fertility ritual called the moginum /manimbang at the Rungus longhouse and a ritual for house cleaning called the mamahui at the Lotud Dusun house. Various other activities will be held to make this event even more colourful, such as traditional musical and dance performances by the Lotud Dusun and the Bajau as well as cooking demonstrations by the Bisaya. This 2-day affair will take place from 10:00am to 5:00pm, with a special traditional dance performance at the Main Stage at 11:00am and 3:00pm.

This event is brought to the public by the Sabah Tourism Board and is organized by Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sabah Tourism Board. For more information, please call Susan Shahira or Melissa Leong of Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn. Bhd. (Tel: 088 – 232121).

Tickets for the cultural shows from 3 – 4 May are sold at RM30.00. Tickets for viewing the traditional houses and activities at Sabah Museum’s HeritageVillage are priced at RM10.00. For ticket bookings please contact Jane Lai at 088-232121 or Shirley Teo at 088-212121. All tickets can also be purchased at Sabah Tourism Board and Sri Pelancongan Sabah tourist information counters.

(Source: Sabah Tourism Press Release, 04 Apr 2008)

No Comments

Posted by Eshark on December 13th, 2007 in Events

The F2000 Sabah World Cup 2007 Power Boat Race was held here in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo Malaysia.. Today’s race was on the final round and the battle for the champion title was amazingly hot!.. A total of 20 world-class power boat drivers from Holland, Norway, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, US, Sweden, Portugal and many more around the globe. This was such a huge sports event ever hosted by Sabah for the very first time and I just couldn’t resist to come to the event eventhough I’m still with the chicken pox infection. Continue reading this post…

No Comments