Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2011 (Part 3)

How did I spend my Christmas Day? As in previous years, went back to my late father-in-law's kampung (village) at Bantayan, Tamparuli to visit Christian relatives.

Bantayan and Damat next to it is unique in the sense that the majority of the villagers are Dusun people (they prefer to be called that instead of Kadazan) but some of them are Muslims. Thus, quite a number of the crowd that day were Muslims. Similarly, during Hari Raya half of the crowd would be Christians. Good example of 1Malaysia, I think.

To be exact they are Dusun Lotud, a unique sub-community of the Kadazandusun found only in the Tuaran district which includes the Tamparuli sub-district. Unique in their dialect as opposed to the Kadazan spoken in Penampang. Unique in their traditional costume and dance, the Sumayau, as opposed to the Sumazau of Penampang. Thus, it is quite understandable that they want to remain as Dusuns. After all, we are living in a free world and it is their right.

As usual on that day, there was of course music and singing. But not just Christmas songs. The ever popular song and dance is still Poco-Poco. The whole afternoon that I was there, this Indonesian song was played at least a few times and each time the dance floor was full., by both the young and old. Mind you, 90% of the people occupying the dance floor were Dusuns - far from being Indonesians.

Which sets me thinking - that Poco-Poco is still very much in fashion ever in our villages, a few years after it first 'landed' in Sabah from our neighbouring country. It's just like fashion. You can't kill it. So just let it disappear by itself over time, just like fashion.

So I just don't understand so was the fuss all about when certain quarters querried, a couple of years ago I think, why Poco-Poco was incorporated as one of the dances during the State-level Harvest Festival or Kaamatan celebration at Hongkod Koisaan, the KDCA building in Penampang. Come all, let us be more civilized and open-minded. Don't be narrow-minded. Gone were the days of Sabah for Sabahans - PBS and more recently SAPP (Batu Sapi) found that out the hard way. A Poco-Poco dance lasting a few minutes among a score of other dances can't hurt, can it? It can't be Sumazau the whole day, can it? Otherwise even the tourists would be bored.

I know some people may not like what I write but I stand by my conviction. To these people, my advice is simple - stop reading and move on to another blog. As the Malay saying goes, "Dunia masih luas" (the world is still wide). Don't waste your time or energy expecting an apology from me because you won't get any. You are entitled to your opinion which I respect but I am entitled to mine. To borrow the words of the late Datuk Felix Golingi: "I won't use my importance to put other people down, but neither will I let other people to use their importance to put me down!"

The Poco-Poco reminds me of my childhood and teenage days as a bandboy. Those days, the 'dance of the day' during parties and other social functions would be Joget or in those days known locally as Dendang. Each time the music starts, the dance floor is full, just like the Poco-Poco. But I am sure the Joget and Dendang were not invented by Sabahans (or those days North Borneons). They originated from Indonesia and the then Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia). Nobody made noise then.

All they care is it is everybody's favourite dance. No problem. But nowadays the Joget and Dendang are no longer fashionable. They have been replaced by the Poco-Poco. As simple as that. So what's the problem? Over time it will pass and the Poco-Poco will be overtaken by something else.

And this change may come sooner than we think. That afternoon in Bantayan, apart from the Poco-Poco, two other songs were played over and over again. Each time these two songs were played, a goup of kids would, without being shy, take to the floor. Before long the adults joined them. And they could not even understand the meaning of the words because they were Bajau songs! One was sung by a Bajau singer called Den Bisa, I was told, and the other by a Kadazan or Dusun from Kota Belud! See my point?

I took video (amateur standard lah) of these songs/dances and will put them in my next posts after I uploaded them to You Tube. Then you will know what I mean.

Till then, bye. Oh ya, by the way, the picture - my family, in-laws, nephews, and nieces at Bantayan. In the foreground (right) is the 'matriarch' of the family.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2011 (Part 2)

So what did my wife and I do after Mass at Rasa Ria on Christmas Eve?

We adjourned to my foster brother's place, an apartment at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP). My brother was the one who invited me to Dalit where he is one of the senior guys. When and how did he become my brother? Leave that for another day lah.

My brother and his family used to stay in a double-storeyed landed property in Kota Kinabalu. They moved to Sepanggar (where KKIP is) because there are only three of them and also so that he would be closer to office.

After high tea and resting for about an hour at my brother's, we moved on to Inanam for dinner. I promised to buy him and family dinner. By the way, his name is Johnny and his wife Rose.

My foster sister-in-law recommended Kim Fah Restaurant at Inanam town proper, a new shop opposite the market and next to the Giant (?) supermarket near the Esso petrol station. The restaurant is 2-storeyed, with downstairs being non-aircon and smoking permittable while upstairs is air-conned and non-smoking, of course. We opted for upstairs for privacy.

We needed two tables, since my two other foster brothers and their kids were also there. We ordered Fish Maw Soup, Steamed Tilapia Asam Pedas, Pork Throttle (Chu Kiok), Yam Ring, Mixed Vegetables, and Steamed Chicken served with Ham and Vege. May be I missed out one more, can't remember what, getting old!

Normally, I would concentrate on the steamed fish since I can put the gravy on white rice, my favourite. My other favourite is of course the chu kiok. But after I tasted the steamed chicken, I did not look at the other dishes anymore except the soup of course. I never tasted such delicious tasting or succulent steamed chicken before, until I asked for more rice.

So, the next time you can't decide where to go for lunch or dinner, try Kim Fah @ Inanam. The restaurant which originated from Beaufort has branches in KK (Beverly and Millennium). But I am not sure if the other branches serve the steamed chicken or if they do, whether it's equally tasty. For me, I can't wait to go back to Inanam.

Beaufort must be the Chinese food centre of Interior Upper (comprising Beaufort, Kuala Penyu and Sipitang). I say this because apart from Kim Fah, at least two or three restaurants (with branches) in KK also originated from there. Leading the pack if of course Beaufort Restaurant itself, then also Man Tai and Foh Chuan. Most of them are Hakka-based and famous for their fried mee Beaufort style. They are known for using only organic vege, especially Beaufort's.

Picture: Some of my foster nephews and nieces photographed at my brother's apartment. This is only half of them. If every one of them came, at least double the number.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2011 (Part 1)

Hi friends! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2011!

Too late? Well, they say that it's better late than never! Amen?

Unlike previous years when I made New Year Resolutions on Dec 31, this year I don't make any! What I intend to do, I just do it on January 1 and hopefully the rest of the year too. Less talk, more work, they say.

Besides, resolutions are not easy to keep. So here I am, back on my blog, writing again on New Year's Day. Wish me luck.

Notice that I call this Part 1. This is because once I start writing I can hardly stop. So by calling it Part 1, at least I know when to stop.

Since this is about both Christmas and New Year, Part 1 deals only with my Christmas. So what did I do for Christmas? Or where did I go for my Christmas Eve Mass?

You may not believe it. It's an unlikely place.

For the second year running now, I have been going to Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort at the scenic Dalit beach in Tuaran, my home district. Hometown Tamparuli is under the jurisdiction of the Tuaran district.

But a Mass in a hotel? Yes, some of the top brass of the resort are Catholics or Christians and they made special arrangement for a priest to say Mass for their Catholic staff, family members and hotel guests. Very thoughtful of them, isn't it?. Thank you Shangri-La.

As expected, most of the Catholic hotel guests who attended the Mass were tourists from overseas. They too were pleasantly surprised.

"My family and I certainly did not expect the convenience of being able to attend a Christmas Eve Mass right here in the hotel. Very thoughtful of Shangri-La," said Mr Brendan Lyne from New Zealand.

He and his family (picture) were on a first-time visit to Sabah and looked forward to returning.

Joan Baez "We Shall Overcome" (2009)

Just to share with you a 2009 version of Joan Baez's We Shall Overcome made famous by the Civil Rights Movement of Black Americans in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Joan dedicated this version to the Iranian people and therefore parts of the wordings are in Farsi. Why? I don't know. May be to ask the Iranians to be patient just like the Black Americans and that victory or freedom will be eventually theirs. But it looks like the recording was done in her house. Joan is one of my favourite veteran singers partly because she has been around since my bandboy days decades ago. Enjoy and God bless!

World Cup Final: Bird vs Octopus

On Monday morning or Sunday past-midnight, all eyes (well, almost) on earth will be glued on their TV screens watching the once-in-4-years World Cup football final. Who will win? The frontpage of today's Star, Malaysia's tabloid daily, says it all. Ever since the World Cup started, Paul the octopus had gained worldwide fame by accurately (well,80%) predicting the outcome of matches in which Germany played. But Paul now has a competitor or two - Mani the bird of Singapore says it's going to be Netherlands while Paul says it's Spain. Yet another octopus, Pauline of Netherlands picked her home country to be the new World Cup champions. Looks like the World Cup has turned animals into oracles! (Click on image for better view)

What an Adjutor Bishop is....

It's from the horse's mouth....I managed to get hold of Rev Fr John Wong after today's Morning Mass and asked him what an Adjutor Bishop (his new post) is.

To avoid embarrassment, I first told him that I couldn't find the word adjutor in two major dicionaries. He agreed with me, saying that it's a Christian/Catholic term.

The humble and friendly as well as soft-spoken priest explained to me that an Adjutor Bishop is just like an auxiliary bishop with the right to succession to a full-fledged bishop when a vacancy arises.

Another English/Christian lesson for me. No wonder it's said that learning is a life-long and every-day process. That's why some parties (not necessarily political ones) including the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) do conduct Life-Long Learning classes.

(Footnote: Rev Fr John Wong was promoted as Adjutor Bishop of the Catholic Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu on Monday 21 June 2010; assisting Archbishop Datuk John Lee. Apart from the latter, there are two other Catholic Bishops in Sabah - Datuk Cornelius Piong (Diocese of Keningau) and Fr Julius Gitom (?) of the Sandakan Diocese.)