hello hello..

ngagai suami tersayangn anak aku jill n nico,mummy sempat ngena free internet service ba departure lounge di bangkok. jam diatu pukuk 1.15 waktu msia tang waktu bangkok dudi sejam. fkightmummy bisi delay. 23 iko bala kami ba tourgroup tu. christine nama tourleader kami. kami mupuk ari klia kira pukul 8.30pm. besai diri airportbangkok..nadai beritabukai. mummy love you. ok

beep beep....

nya munyi handphone tone aku madah ke bisi message. Tedani aku ninga munyi nya laban jam maia nya pukul 2 lebih pagi tadi benung mata ka endar tinduk. Bisi ati aku enggai meda message laban suah endar sms datai dia maia ari..sms ari Celcom(amat begedi aku enggau sida Celcom be sms ke notis sida..kesal ngapa kitai laban nya ti nerima tengah malam tau ke dini ari). Nyu mulai ke cerita tu tadi...buka aku message nya..dia aku meda sms nya ari Tinggi,anak menyadik laki aku ti bisi di Miri madah ke anak Garai (anak kepada apai Jabu Entinggie) iya ke baru umur sebulan udah nadai ba SGH. Malam tu urang rabat ke anak mit nya ba rumah Garai empu di Kuching.
Nya meh naka jako pesan Muk ari Miri..cukup terang tu?

The Borneo Post Online

The Borneo Post Online

Around lunch time yesterday,I received a phone call from another ex-college mate from Oxford CFE who was very kind enough to say "Hi" to me instead of writing an email through Facebook. It's kind of strange to hear a voice which changed so much from the young Che Hassandi Abdullah to the now Dr Che Hassandi Abdullah. We did the usual FAQ (frequently asked questions) and he said he was in Miri during the aftermath of the Lereng Bukit Miri landslide. So I went through the BPost archives to check on the news & that's what I found out as posted at BPost above. A good friend whom I have had not heard nor seen for 3o+ years was right under my nose,so to speak. He is Head ofResearch & Development Unit from Works Ministry & he is heading the team to monitor the soil condition of the Lereng Bukit. I told him I drove past the place several times a day & little did I know he was there. Hassandi jokingly said that he thought he saw someone waving at him. Ha..ha..ha.. I hope to see you in Miri some day my friend but not for something which you were specially flown in to monitor. Nice hearing your voice,Hassandi.

Sinu ati ninga....

...bala ke ka pulai ngagai rumah panjai/menua sebana utai mar.
Aku enggau laki aku baru pulai ari Servay supermarket ke beseberai enggau Grand Palace Hotel. Benung laki aku bebayar ke utai deka bai iya pulai ke Samu,iya sempat ngerandau tudah endu cashier dia. "Nyeh,nyu abis duit bebeli ke utai tu." ko laki aku. "Bedau nya..ni ai agi ka di beli." ko tudah endu cashier nya. Tuchum enggau sinu aku ninga iya ke nyebut nya..laban iya ngasai kediri. It is safe to say,engka tak maioh bala kitai Iban ke ka ngintu gawai,pulai ke rumah panjai & menua bisi nyebut utai ke baka tu.
Aku ngasai enti kami pulai ke Samu,beminggu-minggu sigi udah mupok meli sida arak,nyangkong sebotol dua ke bala ipar. Dah nya,seminggu bedau mupok kereta mesti di servicing..ti naka ke servicing bisi ga datai RM200/-+ tang ti bisi jai,nyu ngadu itu ini..bebeli ke tyre ngambi ke kereta road worthy. Minyak kereta pulai mansang bisi meda RM250/- lebih ti suah agi ke pasar Betong makai mee ke 'best in the world" ko laki aku. Tak enda nyamai sepi aku tang laki aku tak 2 mangkuk mee ba pasar Betong nya abis di empa iya..engka baka aku ka endar makai mee Atak Lutong. Pama diri ga belanja gawai sepi aku..lebih agi diatu laban ke enda tan driving,kami selalu agi nepan bilun ke Kuching..ari Kuching nepan kereta bala ke bisi pulai ke Samu. Tahu sama tahu...lah. Datai di menua,bebeli ke itu ini,nyau ga duit..pulai Gawai,nyau ga duit. Duit magang2. Ujung bulan begisai begantung senduk.
Aroh bala penyanyi kitai Iban enti belagu lagu Gawai selalu mai lagu tusah ati ngenang ka begawai. ha..ha. Agi suba iya,enti kitai ninga ke pesan gawai ba radio,sinu ninga bala ke madah diri enda ulih pulai laban nadai belanja. Sinu ati aku....Oh Allah Taala,dinga meh sebana bala ke ka pulai gawai ba dini dini endor sida iya..dalam nama anak nuan Tuhan Jesu,kami besampi.

Selamat Gawai

....Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai Nguan/Ngibun Menua...Berkat Allah Taala Enggau Kitai Belama Lama Iya....
I hope I am not too early in wishing all readers be they Ibans or Bidayuhs celebrating the Harvest Festival or non of the two, all the same....May all of us be bountifully blessed in everything that we do.
Soon everybody,well almost everybody will be making his/her way home to his/her respective longhouse to celebrate Gawai with loved ones. Some are already declaring their own school holidays by taking off earlier than the actual school holidays. Some friends are not even thinking of Gawai at all. They are thinking of getting the airtickets,booking hotels,planning this & that & getting things done as they should be as they prepare their children to continue their studies in the various higher institutes of learning. Dear Lord,please provide for the needs of those parents...you know their minds,their thoughts & their worries,in Jesus' name we pray & ask. Amen.
After being indecisive (because of H1N1 virus ) for the past 3 weeks whether we were to go ahead with our Euro trip,my 5 friends & I +18 others from KL itself, if the Lord is willing,shall be leaving for our long awaited trip to Europe. We'll be leaving on 30th May for KL & Bangkok. At the stroke of midnight (31st May) we'll be leaving for Rome by Thai Airways.The tour of Europe would take about 12 nights & 5 nights extra in London. Ya,almost 2 weeks +.Actually we wanted to postpone our trip but we were told we had to pay penalty which was half of the tour price. What to do..pergi saja lah..went for a flu jab & leave everything to God for protection.
Anyway,itulah cerita nya.
Til then...good night. My mind is blank..wish I had more things to write about which I have but not for public consumption.

Gawai Nite,16th May,2009 @Eastwood Golf & Country Club,Miri.

Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club scenery...

Stage & backdrop

Sebugey posing with the Bidayuh welcoming reception musicians.

Cikgu Valerie Menti sempat bergambar with Sebugey...

Sebugey,Mary & Daisy

Sebugey,indai Mit,Kate,Mary,Kadir,Sandra & Mary Bajang.

Kadir,unknown & Thony Badak

Caroline,muk,Francessca,Molly,Mary & another..

Cikgu Jalong & Mary Bajang,the MCs for the night..

Dayung kerja kuat.... towkay neo Tuak... apa macam business? ada laku?

Kitty Janggot,muk,Jacqueline & John Tabot

Cecilia,Pauline & Anthony Francis Umpau.

pinning a buttonhole on George Siken

Reception committe members...

Nya iya, GM Remang/Gourmet Catering & Supplies...Mr. Jetli.

Saudagar Joseph James arriving at the same time as bala OKK Maureen Tra Nanang aka Mrs. Henry Mark Chella,in between bini OKK Mrs. Regina Alexander Isut & OKK Mrs. Linda-Nichol Nuing.

Pauline,Caroline & Francessca ba reception committee

SIDS Vice-Chairlady Miri,Puan Katherine Kiai in blue with her friends.//

Mary Dick Bala,in pink with her friends...

OKK Midas ,wife Josephine & son.

Mr. & Mrs. Julian Dusun & unknown

Mr. Michael Eli..Long time no see,says,indai Esther.

Nya iya..towkay neo AgniCrafts...

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Howell arriving.. Mr. Peter Howell is a Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Sarawak.

Puan Gulamg Howell & Sebugey sempat berposing...... OKK Christopher Bundan arriving with his Kuamng Ati iya meh...

Kumang Gawai 80'an,Ms. Lily Dosson Bundan

Molly Arthur Siricord in uniform,wondering what to do next....

Jessica,contestant for the Kumang Iban,on her way to the back of the stage.

Julia Juwen chaperoning the Keligit Orang Ulu contestants.

One of the contestants for the Keligit Orang Ulu.

Baby,the mak andam & Jane Robert Resli

Unknown,Ental & unknown. Tudah Ental nganti anak dara iya badu ngajat

Keligit Orang Ulu contestants..

Bajik magang magang bala indu.

Steady bujang sigat entepa dia meh,jang!

Kumang Bidayuh contestants..

Wiping a drop of nervous sweat..Cold sweat..

Nervous & anxious,I suppose..

Nervously waitng for their turn to parade bdfore the judges & crowd.....

"Can't you see I'm busy?Please call me later."

Difficult to choose,I suppose....

One final touch before you go on stage...says mak andam

Roderick Talap(far end in uniform) arranging the chairs for the contestants to sit on.

Yeh, not an easy task & I could see Roderick was trying his best to keep his cool.

year,the Bidayuh community hosted the Miri Divisional Level Gawai Night held at Eastwood Golf & Country Club last night. Every year we take turn to host the Gawai. Last year,the Iban community hosted it & next year the Orang Ulu community will host it. Of course,the others would assist & help each other. Like in the other Gawai celebrations,the highlights for the night would normally be the beauty contests in the respective catergories i.e the Keling contest(all the young unmarried males from the said communities would vie for the Keling title) while for the Kumang Iban only the Iban ladies &/or mixed parentage(Iban & another race) are eligible to join in the contest. The same applies to the other communities..the Kumang Bidayuh & Keligit Orang Ulu.Apart from the beauty contests the committee also rewards the children from the said communities with Education Incentive Awards for their excellent results in the previous year's public examination results. Unlike last year,this year the awards were presented during the Preliminary Round of the Beauty contests at Boulevard Hpermarket last week. It is a good idea to do it on a different day like what was done this year instead of presenting the awards during the Gawai night because it could be very time consuming & it could go on til the next morning.

Anyway,apa lagi cerita? Ukai nama aku baka ke ngumba peda kita nulis dalam jako orang putih..bala kaban ke enda nemu mereti jako Iban ngasoh aku nulis dalam jako orang putih.Nadai agi cerita..peda aja gambar. Aku enda nemu sapa bulih gelar Kumang Iban,Kumang Bidayuh tau ke Keligit Orang Ulu laban aku ba ruai sida Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Sawan. Nganti aku nanya ari bala kaban ke bisi result nya.
I haven't got the results as to who was crowned the Kumang Iban,Kumang Bidayuh & Keligit Orang Ulu.
The Patron,Guests of Honour for this kind of Gawai night are usually a minister/ministers in either the state or federal cabinets while the Tuai Gawai (host) is preferably a minister in either the state of federal belonging to or comes from the community hosting the Gawai for the year. This year, YB Michael Manyin ,a Bidayuh was the Tuai Gawai.

Gawai photos & stories....???

Minta diri tindok dulu,au? Nemu aku kita ka meda gambar kita ke cantek. Ka pamsut leka mata tu..lagi aku upload gambar.

Sebugey attending the 1st Wedding Reception for 2009

Remy & Kooi Hoon

making an entrance.....
The bride's aunties & uncle...

The bride's father's friends......John Trang,Dulles & Wendell Crocker

L-R: Mr. & Mrs. Ronnie Leong,Mr. & Mrs. Encharang Agas & Mrs. Florence Enau

L-R: Mr. Johnny Kapong & the MC, Mr. Telajan.

The groom's father seated next to Datuk & Datin Joseph Salang,unknown & Christopher Sawan.

Datin Lucy Hon-Salang,unknown,the bride's grandfather & the bride's father..

The ever sweet & pretty Mrs. Telajan aka Theresa smiling for the camera..

Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Asut,unknown,unknown & Robert..

Victor,Flora & Mrs. Victor

L-R: unknown,Julius Linggod,Lesley Linggod & unknown.

Tio Rina Sawan,Jackie Buri, Kim Sawan & Stale Buri

Here come the bride & groom...

The cutting of the wedding cake....

Beautiful Remy with her husband & mum, Mrs. Chang Yi Sawan.

Concerned elders watching to see that nothing goes wrong...

Mrs. Dublin Justin,Victor Temenggong,Dublin Justine & Dulles

Parents of both the bride & groom together with Datuk & Datin Joseph Salang Gandum leading the toast in wishing the newly wedded couple all good things in their marriage.

Cheeerrrssss!!!!

UUUUUUUHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

The new Mr. & Mrs. Leong Kooi Hoon thanking parents & all for their presence,gifts & all.

Bujang sigat

Sebugey,Daisy,indai Mit & Javerlyne Jutie

Stand by me......

L-R: Jeffrey Pasang & the bride's father singing "Stand by me".

The bride's father ( in the middle) jamming the jazz away with Jeffrey Pasang(L) & the brother inlaw of Linda (Christopher's eldest daughter).

'Baru datai amat aku ari Selanggau,meda scheme babi indu kitai Iban siko din..lelak amat driving..ti enda setegal anak nuan kawin,enda aku datai."pia ko Dubline Justine.

Cr. Victor Temenggong,Christopher Sawan,Dublin Justin & Dulles

Sebugey,OKB Daisy Nanta & Wendy Tiong

Congratulations!

In true Iban style,the sadong/serving of the ai kahwin/marriage drink(?) is a must & here you see the newly wedded couple accompanied by a proud father/father inlaw,Mr. Christopher Sawan, giving a drink to Mr. Dubline Justine.

Almost half of 2009 has had passed uneventfully in terms of single people,young or old,getting hitched. So when D & I got invited by Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Sawan to attend their daughter,Remy's wedding to Leong Kooi Hoon on the same time & night..& place that of the Miri Divisional Gawai Night 2009, I did not hesitate to tell the bride's mother that we accepted the invitation to attend the wedding reception instead,after all,every year,there's a gawai do like that. Of course,I had to ask permission to be excused with apology from any tugas that I was assigned but I did for the earlier part of the evening rendered some help in the form of pinning buttonholes to the guests who were arriving fashionably late, slowly but surely...could be problem finding parking spaces to park their cars.

I just let the photos do the talking & will add in a thing or two if & when I can think of something to write.

The wedding reception for Kooi Hoon & Remy,the 2nd daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Sawan was held last night,16th May,2009 at The Musical Corridor,Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club,Miri. It was well attended by relatives,family friends & friends from as far as the US,KL,Sibu,Kuching & Limbang. The Bario Highlanders led by Jeffrey Pasang,assisted by Johnny Kapong & 3 others entertained us with some evergreen hits. The bride's mother,Ms. Chang Yi was seemingly busy making sure things went according to plan and so was the bride's father even though he looked cool. So we thought...until we heard him giving a speech in which he introduced himself as the 'father's bride' instead of 'the bride's father'...small mistake but he compensated by giving a speech right from his heart.

We wish the newly wedded couple a blessed married life together.