And then it came

What a relief! What a blessing! What a joy!

I had braced myself to endure the really dry spell till at least the month of August before there was even an iota of hope for rain. But, apparently God had different plans.

Three days ago, I heard the pitter-patter of raindrops on my roof. What started out as a slow tapping eventually built up to an incessant drum roll. It was raining, really really raining! And it continued till evening. And the next day, it rained again during the day and at night as well. And it rained today as well! And the whole place is just so cool!

After church this morning, the three of us went for lunch in town with several church members. After lunch, a few of us couldn't help but notice that we were not sweaty at all, even though we were sitting under a marquee-like thing which, under usual circumstances, would have been quite warm.

So, the weather's absolutely lovely right now, especially after weeks of bearing the scorching heat.

I'm cool. Hope you're cool, too!

The circus

And so the circus that is the Perak political situation continues.

Yesterday, the High Court ruled that the Barisan Nasional government that is currently in power was void as the means of dissolution of the previous opposition government went against the state constitution. The ruling also required that the current state assembly members who formed the government relinquish their positions immediately and vacate their offices. Many saw this as a triumph of the law.

Yet, just this afternoon I received an sms from a friend of mine who is from Perak saying that the Court of Appeal has granted a stay of execution. That basically means that the current people in office get to stay until a further verdict is issued concerning the High Court ruling. I have just confirmed this from The Star web page.

And who would have thought how quickly the appeal would have been granted. I'm no judge or lawyer, but I would have thought that it would have taken at least a few weeks. But from what I gather, the appeal was submitted at 9.30 am just today, and granted before even lunch time was over. That's within 24 hours of the High Court ruling. Amazing speed.

So, yes, it's another twist in the political drama that is unfolding in Perak.

And finally, I can't understand why the whole Perak State Assembly can't just be dissolved and allow fresh elections to take place. It seems the most efficient and logical way of solving this political impasse but it's not being done. Why?

Only reasons I can think of are negative ones: 1) somebody has a personal agenda to fulfill in this whole thing, and 2) someone is just afraid of losing if elections are called.

Politics.

Sabah Fest 2009 - A Night of Colours Part 2

Okay, finally I'm posting the follow up to my previous post about Sabah Fest 2009. It's been exactly a week ago since this event. But, it doesn't matter because I can still remember quite vividly what happened. Yes, I know. The show made such a strong positive impression on me! :)

Anyhow, after mulling about outside for quite some time, the show finally started at 8 pm. So everyone was ushered inside, and everyone was treated to the rather mysterious opening video about the Bobohizan (priestess) and their rituals concerning the rice spirit. The opening was excellently done, and that goes for the rest of the evening as well.

I was really impressed by the quality of all the presentations. The music, the lighting, the costumes, the dancing all made for a sharp performance. Various ethnic groups presented their traditional dance, but I thought the most eye-catching and interesting was the Rungus dance - the Mongigol Sumundai. It simply had me entranced!

I suppose many people would be more impressed with the now-really-famous Magunatip, but I guess I've seen it way too many times to be awed by it anymore. But, the Mongigol Sumundai, well, I was attracted to the movements and just the way the men, especially, were dancing - it was really unique. A man led a line of ladies in the dance, and they basically zig-zagged this way and that on stage. Apparently, the whole line is supposed to represent a dragon, with the man being the head, and the women the body of the dragon.

Interesting, eh?

It was a thoroughly enjoyable one-hour plus of performance. I guess what made it all the more better was that you could see that the performers were enjoying themselves as well. So, I guess that made us enjoy watching them as well. At the end of the whole thing, the floor was open to all in attendance to joing the performers in a dance, and I'd say many people really had a blast letting their hair down!

So, if you happen to be in Sabah around this time next year, make sure you catch this show! And if your haven't yet done so, what better excuse to visit Sabah!

Some more photos taken of the night. Hope you enjoy them.

Dusun women - part of the opening act for the night


The Suluk dance


A dance called the Pangalai Agung of the Suluk people


Song presentation using the gambus (a lute)


Rungus women performing their dance the Mongigol Sumundai


Raised-arm shot of the same women above


How can you not be enchanted when the performers smile like that?


The Magunatip of the Murut people


Children were also involved. This was the closing performance.


To wrap it all up, a photo of the beauties of the night in their wonderful costumes.

Night of Colours: Sabah Fest 2009 - Part 1

This post was actually due four days ago. But, even so, I'm going to have to break this into two parts as I don't have a lot of time to write at thei moment. So, wait for the continuation, ya?

Last Saturday, I attended the opening of Sabah Fest 2009 at the Sutera Harbour Resort. It was a thoroughly enjoyable night. I was sans my wife and Adelle as my wife thought that it'd be a bit too late for Adelle. Too bad, since I was sure that both Adelle and my wife would have enjoyed the whole show. Just in case you didn't know, Sabah Fest is an annual affair and it's the event to witness and experience what Sabah is all about. It's basically a showcase of Sabah's very colourful and numerous unique ethnic groups: their costumes, their culture and their dances.

Tickets were sold for RM30 each, but I got in for free! Yippee! Special thanks to Melissa Leong of the Sabah Tourism Board for putting me down under the media and giving me a free pass for the evening! Amazing, huh? I must admit I was kinda proud to wear that pink media tag round my neck. I popped into the Tourism Office in the morning to get the tag, and I arrived that evening at around 7pm. I thought I was already late as the tag said that the even started at 7 pm, but when I arrived, people were still milling around, and all the performers were still outside in the foyer standing and welcoming people. There was already a sizeable crowd then, and since I had time to kill, I went around snapping pictures of things that interested me.

Around the foyer, there were stalls selling various ethnic products as well as demonstrations in native handicraft making. Interesting stuff! I was totally drawn to all the wonderful colours, not just of the crafts but also the costumes of the various ethnic groups. So, to end this rather short post, here are some photos to share of the moments before the show.

Detail of the costume of a Rungus woman

Rungus man and woman in their resplendent costumes

Handicraft making by one of the exhibitors at the event

Another exhibitor: complete concentration in doing his craft

Fine craftsmanship: making a miniature boat

Making a traditional hat (sorry, don't know the name!)

Some of the colourfully unique things on display in the various stalls around the foyer

See you in my next post for more pictures and the continuing story!

Cheerio!