News updates as it came in:

2.52pm: Top 15: Keningau, Inanam, Beaufort, Tuaran, Ranau, Paitan, Kota Kinabalu, Klang Valley, Tongod, Likas, Marudu, Tamparuli, Tanjung Aru, Penampang, Sandakan

5.06pm: Top 7: Tuaran, Ranau, KK, Likas, Tamparuli, Sandakan, Penampang.

5.22pm: 1st Penampang, 2nd Tamparuli, 3rd Tuaran

Bo Tiza Disimon, Unduk Ngadau 2011

[pic source: Neo, taken 31st May 2011]

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On 30th May 2011, a family day on my mother’s side was held for the first time ever at my house at the village. For a first time event, it was a big gathering – almost 150 at last count.

A group photo

2 meetings were held in preparation, one in March and another in early May, plus a few gotong-royongs.

The heads of the 7 families were all well represented, with the biggest “team” coming from Tambunan. That’s appropriate, they’re the hosts in the next family day.

While waiting at a traffic light some time ago, I was positioned just at the right angle to notice that a top Malaysian telecommunication company’s billboard and a Taiwanese tyre company’s car could fit in the viewfinder:

Being in car stuck in traffic, I think that was a stroke of luck. Definitely, many a time it’s not that easy, you’d have to twist and turn inside your cramped space – do that often enough and you’ve found the alternative cissus quadrangularis.

Apparently the following can be found at a hotel somewhere in Malaysia.

And somewhere in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur one could reportedly see a notice put up on a staircase saying “Tiada Amoi Di sini”.

Photo credit: Rooney Biusing

Here’s my list of the most well-known Kaamatan (Harvest Festival of the Kadazans/Dusuns of Sabah, Malaysia) songs.

If you have any additions / corrections / comments, please drop a comment. Thanks.

Tadau Tagazo Do Kaamatan (songwriter: Datuk Dr James Ongkili)

Kasakazan Bambaazon / Tadau Kaamatan (songwriter: Peter Pragas / Sundang Alex)

John Gaisah – Norikot Nodi Bulan Lima

Tadau Kaamatan [played at almost every Unduk Ngadau pageant]

MY Ismail – Toun Vagu do Kadazan (Songwriter: MY Ismail)

As you can see, the songs almost run the gamut of musical styles, although, as expected, the majority are sumazau-able. Perhaps this month one’d dance enough to qualify for no medical exam life insurance.

If you try too hard, you could end up inadvertently saying the opposite of what you meant to say, with guaranteed comical effect.

The cancellation mark on the word “tidak” was put on later by good samaritans, the person who originally put the notice up blissfully unaware.

Spotted somewhere on a shoplot stairwell wall in Tuaran town, Sabah.

Villages are usually associated with peace and quiet, the perfect place to recharge one’s batteries in preparation for the impending storm at the workplace and to study such heady topics such as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement.

It was with this kind of spirit that recently back at the village, as I was reaching out to plug in the mouse into the laptop’s USB port, I totally forgot how close I could be to nature: a creepy-crawlie was blocking the way…

… an arachnophobic scream filled the air.

Sunday Mass on 15th May 2011 and two restless kids produced the following which I thought are rather pretty floral art:

This morning I participated in my first competitive badminton tournament in 2 years. The second, and last game, in particular was very tiring: 23-25, 21-12 (?), 22-20.

After lunch, went back to the office to do some tedious data transfer work which lasted almost 5 hours. It took so long because the hard disk was problematic and about 10 years old. My USB-IDE converter didn’t work on the hard disk – so I decided to find an old PC – so old it wouldn’t look out of place in one of those store rooms full of stuff like receipt printers.

Most importantly, it had precious data. I finally managed to copy almost all the 1,600+ files to an external hard disk + backup to another hard disk, just in case.

It was already dark when I finally went out, lugging a big bag of paper, then found out I had to walk all the way out of the office compound because security already locked the gates.

I thought I’d crash right after dinner, yet I am still up now. Was it the coffee, or the overdose of bananas during the badminton match?

Usually, for Mother’s Day and her birthday, we’d treat mum to a seafood restaurant around Tuaran, usually Salut or Gayang.

For this year’s mother’s day, we brought her to Salut Restaurant.

It was our first time there at night, as I’d usually have problems finding that place after dark.

Picking a table was easy, it was right by the sea, with a most special number, which reminded me of the other encounter with the number at TVRC Tambunan back in February.

We had prawns, crabs, shells, fish and mixed vege. Damage: RM244. The most expensive portion was the drinks :-) No lobster this time.

After that, it was the usual visit to the one and only SC, to reminisce about the times when she’s carrying us still decked out in maternity clothing.

Happy Mother’s Day!