It was reported in The Star on 11th June 2010 that the Johor Council of Royal Court secretary Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli said that the title of Datuk from the state had been given out only 712 times since 1886, an average of around 5 every year.

That could very well be the rarest, most difficult Datukship to get in Malaysia, as rare as seeing people wear vampire costumes on days other than Halloween.

Compare that to Sabah’s around 1,200 Datukships conferred since 1963, and Melaka’s 84 Datuks awarded in 2004.

The current Sultan of Johor, caucasian-look Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar was installed 23rd January 2010. His mother is Englishwoman Josephine Trevorrow.

And Johor could very well be the state that took back the most Datukships, judging from recent happenings.

Even adventurewoman Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir’s Datukship was not spared.

Even if the Sultan didn’t feel the need to explain the reasons, or even to announce what had taken place, tongues would surely start wagging.

He said the 3 main criterias for awarding a Datukship are “loyalty, meticulous service and diligence.” The North Pole conqueror had failed on at least one of those points?

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Some tidbits on the 31st May 2010, the climax of the state-level Kaamatan Festival, Sabah’s biggest, most colourful, best known and most important cultural event, attracting thousands of visitors from far and wide.

Pre:
- someone mentioned that with side dishes, one could easily sell 50 crates of beer every single day at KDCA.

11.35am: a little bird mentioned that Miss Tawau, Lahad Datu, Banggi, Beluran & Telupid are probably on their way out at the preliminary stage.

11.42am: a little bird mentioned that when eventual winner Crystel Eve Huminodun Majinbon made her entrance, nobody applauded. He added that Miss Telupid & Tungku probably won’t survive the first round.

2.10pm: YB Lim Kit Siang spotted making the rounds at KDCA.

3.20pm: heavy rain lashes KDCA Hall, and the West Coast of Sabah for about 1.5 hours (?)

5.55pm: got update that the Unduk Ngadau top 7 has been announced.

6.30pm: got update on the Unduk Ngadau results. Well it seems that some are playing swap-chair. Has this ever happened before? As Crystel herself wrote on her Facebook profile on the 2nd of June:

God had a plan & purpose for everything tat happened..mayb it was his will for me to get 2nd in DBKK.. so tat im not too over confident during the state level & i wil do better to win the state level..all i got to do is be gratefull for everything tat happened & thank God.. :) GOD BLESS EVERYONE!!

Unprecedented, the first mother & daughter State Unduk Ngadau. Her mother, Esther/Easter Sikayun had won it in 1984, 26 years earlier. Also, apparently she’s the first girl to have won while wearing a “sinipak Dusun Tindal.” [sinipak = long-sleeved blouse]

She got > RM38,000 worth of prizes, including studies at the ATI – perhaps the time has come for the organisers to add an online degree scholarship to the mix.

For the record, Debra Fiona Alexius who finished 3rd in the DBKK pageant finished 7th in the state level pageant where she represented Likas.

Post:
- many complaints of problematic China-made-phone-lookalikes, with vendors specially flown in from the peninsula by sponsors.

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Dr Patricia A. Martinez of the University of Malaya (UM) is the first non-Muslim Malaysian with a Ph.D. in Religion, specializing in Islam, having studied in both the US and Middle East.

She has done extensive fieldwork in Indonesia, the country with the most Muslims in the world, and predominantly Muslim Mindanao, the Philippines.

She’s on the International Board of Directors of the Islam and Pluralism Project, Indonesia.

Some time ago Dr Dinesh Nair told of how someone impersonated her and wrote a piece critical of the national religion. So the job’s not without its risks; affordable life insurance quotes might be hard to come by.

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AirCash seems to be a grand idea, never mind its RM1,500 limit. Registration is also quick and easy.

However, I was surprised to learn that it is not possible to top up Celcom AirCash online; you’d have to trudge offline to a dealer/branch to get that done. This was confirmed by Celcom Careline which I called during lunchtime.

It’s like hearing you need another round of toilet-trip-galore-inducing colon cleansing.

But why not? I can reload my Xpax prepaid airtime via Maybank2U, so why can’t the same thing be done with AirCash?

The lady at the other end of the line could not answer that question.

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UPDATE 19 March 2010

On another corner of the same booth is what is billed the world’s first UV inkjet printer/cutter, the Roland DG VersaUV LEC-300 with a list price of USD52,495, that’s more than RM173,000!

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17 March 2010

The “Ekspo Industri Desa Malaysia dan Pameran Mesin IKS Antarabangsa 2010″ (2010 Malaysian Rural Industries Expo and International SME Machinery Exhibition) is on at Sabah Trade Centre, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 18-21st March 2010.

Among the things I saw on display is the world’s first inkjet printer/cutter with metallic silver ink, the Roland DG Soljet Pro III XC-540MT, which is a 54” (137cm) inkjet printer/cutter featuring CMYK, white and new, metallic silver, ink. According to the manufacturer’s website, its cost is almost USD40,000 (more than RM132,000!).

But what caught my eye initially was the brand name: the very name Roland evokes images of keyboards/synthesisers in my head, much like the name Omnipage reminds me of scanning software.

Also on display is the only slightly less expensive Roland DG VersaCAMM VS-640, which, according to the same website, costs more than USD26,000 (more than RM85,000).

Popularity: 2% [?]

I’ve seen it countless times on TV, but during my recent visit to China I saw it with my own eyes: there are really a lot of bicycles in China used on public roads, and hardly any motorcycles. And quite a lot of them are electric-powered bicycles.

Perhaps as a direct result of this practice, most of the locals I saw looked fit and lean, xenadrine reviews postponable for the time being.

At the same time, I also saw many nice cars and very few shoddy-looking ones.

Admittedly the cities I visited had flat roads, so that could account for the popularity, but perhaps Sabah roads are only flat for a short distance before it gets to a hilly part. But what if electric-powered bicycles get heavily marketed in this part of the world?

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During lunchtime today, somewhere in Penampang, I legally parked my car just as a woman parked next to me driving a 4WD backed out.

I was still in the car when I felt a movement; when I turned back I saw that the woman’s left front bumper vehicle had made contact with the right hand side of my car, right above the right back wheel.

I looked at the lady, our eyes met. I stepped out of the car, she drove off. Someone mentioned that I must’ve worn a bouncer’s suit, but perhaps she was quite jittery after consuming prenatal vitamins, I’ll never know the real reason as I didn’t bother to make a report.

Damage was quite minimal anyway:

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Western Governors University (WGU) was founded in 1997. It is a nonprofit, privately-funded distance learning university based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Currently with more than 15,000 students, everything is conducted online except for exams, where students have to personally be at the campus.

Sounds like a worthwhile place to consider doing one’s online degree, but only individuals living in the USA and some parts of Canada may enrol, with some special exceptions for US military personnel.

Courses offered are up to master’s level in IT, business, teacher education and health, so if you’re eligible you can consider getting your masters degree online.

Popularity: 1% [?]

UPDATE 19th December 2009

Will be launched just before Christmas Eve mass (around 7pm?) at St John’s Church, Tuaran.

I was told that:
- the launch had to be delayed due to delays in the CD printing process in KL.
- 1,000 copies will be prepared.

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For its first major project since its launching in July 2009, Papier Mache Music House and Education will be releasing a Christmas Album on the second week of December 2009.

Vocalists include local celebrities Raphiel Pinus, Ateng, Kuak (lead vocalist of Papier Mache).

Others include Jefferson “Taker”, Ezbon Godomon, Clario Charles, Velario Bingku, Rudolf Japarat, Joan Moo, Jovenea Jim Lajim, Didie Gloria Moo, Roslinah Imran, Emiliana & Petronilansia.

Done for the Tuaran Catholic Church Parish, proceeds from the sale of the album will be donated to the Church.

Price: RM17 only.

The musical concept/arrangement is “classical with orchestra and multi.”

Details

Title: Change Your Heart Christmas Album

Songlist:

1. Silent Night
2. The First Noel
3. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
4. O Holy Night (Classical vs Rock Versions)
5. We Three Kings
6. Hark The Herald Angel Sing
7. Joy To The World
8. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
9. What Child Is This
10. Jingle Bells Rock

A preview

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Role model for other young Sabahans.

Dr Kevin Ng, 34 is a Sabahan who graduated from local university Universiti Malaysia Sabah in 1999.

He obtained his PhD in Forest Genetics from Universiti Malaya aged 30 in 2005.

Since graduation, he’s been attached to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Biotechnology Division Genetics Laboratory in Selangor.

Recently he won the Japan International Award 2009 for Young Agricultural Researchers at University of Tokyo, Japan for “exemplary performance and innovative research achievements in the field of spatial structure and impact on logging on genetic diversity of selected tropical tree species.”

People like him should be treated like the state’s diamonds. Congratulations Dr Ng!

Source
Daily Express, 5th Nov 2009
FRIM website

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