A Festival Of Flowers

Flower Festival in Tenom

By AV Latinggam

The Lagud Seberang Agricultural Park in Tenom celebrated floras on August 24 and 25. The Flower Festival celebrates Sabah's rich floral heritage where various types of flowers was showcased, while offering interesting programmes and activities for visitors and guests. This included a display booth- market around the area that offered customers interesting items for sale. The flower festival, which has been celebrated for the last ten years, also invited those who love these blooms and enjoy flower arrangement. Participants this year comprised of students and individuals. The Terrarium competition proved interesting as not many were familiar with this from of creativity. A terrarium is actually a container designed to hold small plants and animals in controlled conditions.

The ‘Flower Fashion’ for children, where they dressed accordingly to represent the event, was also a roaring success with parents and families cheering for their little ones. Besides that, cultural dancers entertained visitors with their exotic presentations.

At the Bougainvillea Garden

A Flower Arrangement and a Lundayeh Dancer

February in Sabah

February
By AV Latinggam

February is almost over. It seems not so long ago that we were going all nostalgic about the year end. Singing Auld Lang Syne to the old year and saying 'Say hey Hello' to January.

Cakes for Valentine's Day at Sabah Oriental Hotel KK Sabah

February, lets see what happened then, besides Chinese New Year. Well there was Valentines Day. There are some interesting stories as who Valentine was, and it just does not seem to tally with the Day of Love so to say. In one story he was a canonised priest who died for his belief in a Leper Colony, and according to Wikipedia..."he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner – until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor – whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stones; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate." 

So there you go.
In Sabah however not everybody give that a thought, all they do was celebrate it together with their loved ones. Its like everybody got a Valentine wish or card from their children, parents, friends, boyfriends, spouse. They went out for family reunions. They reaffirmed their love and affection to one another. If Cupid was real, he would be one glum angel perched somewhere. On Feb 14, here in this little city North of Borneo Island, hotels. restaurants and eateries, homes and coffee shops were filled with well wishers, sms flew back and forth: hallmark wept and florists sighed.  
Hah, I suppose not really, but it was a far cry from old days when flowers and cards were sent to each other and one another by revelers.

Chinese New Year

CNY Celebrations ala Sabah
By AV Latinggam

Chinese New Year celebrations in North Borneo may be a little odd to some, but to us here its very much part of the culture. This is because the Chinese have been here in this part of the world for a long time and we have celebrated this event with them for as long.
We, the Dusunic-Murutic tribe here are also believed to be descended from China, notably from Alishan Taiwan. We have almost the same costume, and cultural norms. http://www.dmtip.gov.tw
Anyway, even if we don't actually come from that neck of the woods, we do enjoy the occasion like anybody else. As I write I can hear the cymbals in the distance.
HEL who happened to celebrate the occasion in Sydney (Yes, Australia...) says it  rained during the first day of CNY there...his parade got rained on so to say.
But here, the sparklers were everywhere, the Lions danced, the unicorn pranced and the Dragon soared! This year starting from February 10, 2013 is the year of the Snake and will end on January 30, 2014.Meanwhile,  the Lantern festival will end the Chinese New Year season. Cities with Chinese celebrants will usually have spectacular lantern displays. Favourite food during Chap Goh Meh or the 15 days after the first day of CNY, are sticky rice dumplings with sweet or savory fillings.

A Snowy Lion eating Mandarin Oranges

The Dragon soars at the Sabah Oriental Hotel

A golden lion contemplating at the altar 

New Year 2013: thoughts

Happy New Year
By AV Latinggam

Happy New Year 2013. The old year 2012 has ended and a new year is about to start.  This is the time to contemplate achievements this year and in the previous years. Contemplation will usually point on the goals set and achieved from the past.  Achievements of any proportions are usually crowned with determination to achieve further.
The transition, is quite noisy where I am, the fireworks started as early as 8pm, way before midnight. They set off car alarms too; irritating but it synchronise with the bangs, so who is to say they are bad.
The festivity is apparent in both firecrackers and car alarms.
All over the world tonight or their nights will be letting off steam, letting  down their hair so to speak, and dance to tunes of celebrations; toasting the coming year. 
I remember as a young adolescent when I celebrated with friends, at the beach no less: at the strike of midnight we jumped into the crashing waves. It is quite interesting that we do this, maybe because its a throwback of my people (tribe) who believed that at every new year one should wash or bath in a flowing stream to wash away the bad luck of the previous years. Its a transition from the old to the new.

At this stage of my life, however, its more of reminiscing silently or otherwise about the previous years, achievements and experiences. It was an interesting and fulfilling year personally. Success on some level and failures in some.

Sunsets will always Return...Blast from the Past

Overall though, I am happy to be healthy and well. Lets hope it stay that way. Some friends during this New Year are not so lucky; a friend is in ICU taking care of a sick daughter fighting for her life. Someone else is going through an emotional upheaval.
On a wider angle, New Year could not be good for the civilians in Syria and other war-torn zones; the family of the woman who died after gang-raped in India. It will be just a passing of time for them.
The New Year indeed will bring a lot of changes and ideas in most people, especially with their resolutions. I believe however that resolutions or an aspiration of self-betterment in every way is an everyday affair.
So Happy New Year from the Land below the Wind....I wonder why we say Happy New Year and not Merry New Year...

Thoughts: Christmas

My Christmas: By AV Latinggam

Christmas Day is here again and as we all know this is when celebrants all over the world revel in spirit, together to celebrate the auspicious occasion. This is especially true for Christians. This is when churches of all denominations stand together to rejoice in their respective interpretation of that day.
Christmas in the tropics is always interesting. We have this vision of snow, and snow sleds and toboggan;  we hear about frosted window panes and the fluffy falling snow outside and of course log-fireplaces We hear so much about winter wonderland that, as a child, I always look up the sky and wondered if the clouds will ever fall and allow me to touch it. 

We had mists in those days when we lived closer to nature: tall tropical rain-forests,  thundering water falls and vast untended fields.  But no snow (!!)
Growing up, we learned about our location: nopes! no snow here. All sun and rain, the occasional floods, gusts of cold wind..but no snow. (sigh) So we made do with what we saw on TV, and like Bing Crosby's song, we dream on. Later we made do with Hallmark's pictures. My first Christmas card was one that depicted a Bambi looking at a small snow-roofed cottage sited under tall snow laden pine-trees. I wonder how rubber trees look like laden with snow. Christmas is not all about snow though; its about glitters and baubles and presents too. Or so it seems. Well, we see Christmas trees all laden with decorations and underneath it, there are the gifts all wrapped and ready to be given away... 
Christmas nowadays is so commercialised; so much so that during this time of the month, we will see Christmas Trees all over the city; on side walks, in offices and of course the shopping malls. They sprout out in their glittery glory and then the pipe-music begin to play: Jingle Bells, Drummer Boy, Silent Night, Santa Claus is coming to Town...which reminds me; Santa albeit brown ones seem to walk around the malls here during this time. This is especially true where some promotions for Christmas gifts are. Way to go Santa! 
HEL says Christmas is all about giving and getting joy from the happiness and appreciation that lights up the recipients' faces. I totally agree. Some gifts do of course end up on a shelf or worse on the 'give-away' boxes.
Personally I believe that Christmas is a day of contemplation, delving within oneself and seeking further self-betterment: to thrive towards the side of life that cannot be bought: health and well being; forgiveness and love for others. This day symbolises the birth of a Man, whose selflessness and beliefs led towards the creation of a religion, that embraced the world and made it what it is today. His teachings live on in a book; all that are stated within, leads to goodness and the coming of the White. Not just Snow, for snow gets old and trampled and then it turns into grey cold slush. And then nothingness.
Merry Christmas.

Sights and sites of Sabah

Sunset at Kota Kinabalu Sabah

Sites and Sights
By AV Latinggam

Tip of Borneo

From the highest mountain to the valley, from sunsets to butterflies, flowers, birds and bees...Nature always offers the best there is; in all its stark beauty...

Kg Tombulion River Kota Belud

Eco-tourism

Of Nature
By AV Latinggam

The soughing wind over the tree-tops, the swishing sounds of bamboo fronds, distant calls of children and the ever rushing gurgles of water flowing down the river bed; these are the perfect scenario of rural life which of course translate to peace and tranquility.

The Hot Spring Garden Hotel has this to offer and more. This hotel sited within three acres of land, is located at the famous Poring Hot-Spring in Ranau, about three hours’ drive from Kota Kinabalu, the State Capital.

Boasting eight rooms, this garden hotel offers a tranquil getaway where guests can relax away from the hustle and bustle of city life; read or even surf as they have WiFi... go for walks and just enjoy nature around them.

Its a perfect getaway especially for city dwellers and overseas tourist, who wish to savour nature and to live for a few days within the perfect settings, where they can wake up to the sounds of nature.

These typical sights for the locals are quite the novelty with visitors, so they become the selling points by the hotel to their visitors. With this in mind, the hotel is tailored with simple functional accommodations where four rooms are equipped with dorm-style bunk beds, while four others are family style rooms.

Hot Spring Garden Hotel

The dorm style rooms offer eight beds, on double-decker while the family room offers beds for a couple and a child.

To adhere to the local norm, the hotel offers two different kitchens for guests, one for Muslims and one for none-Muslims. The cutlery and kitchen utensils as well as the plates, bowls and dishes are kept in different cupboards.

Presently, a camping ground is there for those who love the outdoor as well as a shower in the middle of the field. It can be interesting to cool off under it during a warm afternoon.  Tranquil and quiet, it is the perfect getaway indeed.