UPDATE 6.30pm

It seems that a plausible explanation for the phenomenon is that the “UFO” was merely a lenticular cloud, i.e. a cloud that is shaped like a lens. This kind of cloud is usually mistaken for alien planes. The colour change could be due to “irisation” which could sometimes be seen on the edges.

An example is the following which was seen over the British coast for almost an hour in January 2009:

Of course that could not explain the “a mere minute later [it] disappeared in an instant,” although that could very well be an exaggeration by the witnesses.

Whatever it is, this wonder of nature should not stop one from doing a Paul Vasquez :-)

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After that front-page-reported “UFO sighting” by no less than the Managing Director of Sabah Publishing House Datuk Clement Yeh on 11th October 2007, we finally could have a real mystery on our hands.

Date: 18th July 2010 (Sunday)
Time: afternoon
Place: Tuaran Beach Resort

Witnesses reported a circular, blue object floating in the sky that a few seconds later turned green, and a mere minute later disappeared in an instant, all in complete silence.

The following is purported to be a photo of the saucer – I know, even without aliens from outer space, the photo already looks spectacular doesn’t it:

[Photo credit: Mohd Azrone Sarabatin - full size]

Zoomed:

Conveniently, as expected, “some” mobile phones used to take photos of the object “switched off by themselves”, as if the creature piloting the alien plane used a universal remote control compatible with many mobile phones in the known universe.

This piece of news was reported in Harian Metro and not any of the major dailies. Does that say anything to you?

Someone mentioned that it’s merely a photo of a helicopter at the lowest ISO setting possible. Someone else said it’s merely a cloud formation. Some wondered whether the photo above was taken from inside a room, hence the object was merely a reflection of a light inside – but probably all the witnesses were outside the building, perhaps even some even looked up while working on the equestrian apparel next door. Inevitably, someone quipped that it was a Zionist plot to stray Malays away from the true path.

Apparently the last time a bona fide UFO appeared in the country was in 1999 in Tanjung Sepat, Kuala Langat, Selangor. But according to George Matanjun, a Catholic Lay Minister and a Catechist, hence “does not lie”, as reported at UFOevidence.org, he saw a UFO on 8th October 2005 at Tanjung Aru Beach, Kota Kinabalu.

Then there was that “Flying Coffin” over Kota Kinabalu airport that was caught on CCTV as reported in TV3′s Misteri Nusantara in October 2002, which rose near the sea, flew “at great speed” over the terminal, then disappeared behind the adjacent hills, all in complete silence. The radar station did not pick it up.

Sabahans certainly have a penchant for extra-terrestrials, for probably the first reported UFO abduction in the history of the nation was reported to have happened near Tambunan in February 2001, where a man claimed that a square-headed alien wanted to “take him away,” and he apparently did disappear for 11 days, which was very unusual – most “UFO abductees” went missing for a maximum of 5 days. But chillingly, the coordinator of The Centre for Malaysian UFO Studies (Cenmyufos), Ahmad Jamaludin said, “there were some UFO activities around Kota Kinabalu at that time that could lend some credence to the claim.”

Close encounters of the third kind, Sabah style? Perhaps he just had one tapai too many.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Long before the era of ipods, on 6th April 1980, 4 (5?) minutes before the end of normal time, with the score at 1-1, the most famous goal in Malaysia’s footballing history was the product of a brilliant counter-attack: left wing Hassan “Lipas Kudung” Sani, then 22, received the ball well in his own half, then ran with it, beating 2 South Koreans in the process, then when confronted by the last defender, Cho Young-jeung, instead of taking on the man, passed to the waiting striker “King” James “Ah Fook” Wong Chye Fook – then 28 – instead, who, after evading a desperate tackle by Young-jeung, slotted home past the keeper (Kim Hwang-ho?).

The inimitable Azmi Anshar summed it up:

…that immortal 20-second Hassan Sani-James Wong beautiful game combination that led to that second and most important goal ever scored by Malaysia because it was a historic and definitive moment that hoisted the country to actual world football glory.

So Malaysia won 2-1 and qualified for the football tournament at the 1980 Olympics: the highest level one could go at amateur level.

Bakri Ibni had opened the score in the 12th, then Kim Gang-nam equalised in the 58th.

Malaysia was then coached by Karl Heinz Weigang, and the late great Mokhtar “Supermokh” Dahari, then 26, was not even part of the team.

The commentary is memorable too, especially the last 20 seconds, when the commentator uttered the now-immortal phrase “Cocok Hassan,” and suddenly became gravelly-voiced when the ball reached Wong:

Jung-moo, ke tengah, Khalid, dapat kepada Hassan, masih lagi Hassan, cocok Hassan, Hassan, Young-jeung mengejar, kepada James, peluang untuk James, James, GOL, GOL

Classic. I think every Malaysian football fan still remember that commentary word for word.

Just look at the Malaysian starting lineup – it’s almost like a who’s-who list of the greatest Malaysian footballers ever:

R. Arumugam a.k.a Spiderman, then 27
Jamal Nasir
Soh Chin Aun, then 29
Santokh Singh, then 28
Kamaruddin Abdullah
Bakri Ibni
Shukor Salleh
Khalid Ali
Abdullah Ali
Hassan Sani, then 22
James Wong, then 28

The South Korean first XI:
Kim Hwang-ho
Choi Jong-duk
Cho Young-jeung
Lee Jang-soo
Kim Hong-joo
Park Sang-in
Kim Gang-nam
Cho Gwang-rae
Shin Hyun-ho
Chung Hae-won
Huh Jung-moo [then 25, playing for PSV Eindhoven. He played for South Korea in the 1986 World Cup and scored a goal against Italy. His enduring image is probably that foul against Diego Maradona in the same tournament. In the match against Italy, he scored 1 goal. He later became South Korea's coach at the 2010 World Cup.]

I am not sure why the legendary Cha Bum-Kun, then 27 and playing for Eintracht Frankfurt, the IFFHS’s Asia’s Player of the Century and all time leading goal scorer for the South Korean National team (55 goals in 121 games) did not play.

Results of previous matches:
beat South Korea 3-0 [James Wong, Khalid Ali & Abdullah Ali scored,
Cho Gwang-rae missed penalty]
drew 1-1 Japan (bereft of Kunishige Kamamoto and Yasuhiko Okudera)
beat Brunei 3-1
beat Indonesia 6-1
beat Philippines 8-0

Malaysia topped the group, the Koreans second, but the winner of the group was determined via a playoff, hence the legendary match with South Korea was a rematch of sorts.

Thus, Malaysia won the qualifying round and hence made it to the 1980 Olympics, the second, and last time the nation ever qualified for a world-level football tournament.

Popularity: 2% [?]

When I visited The Lost of World of Tambun [a theme park] in Ipoh recently, I can’t really remember the park brochure advertising that a wonder of nature is in the vicinity.

So after seeing the Siberian tigers, the concrete walkway ended, but I saw a van coming out of a corner. Curious, I walked towards it, saw a huge clearance, and flanked by hundreds of meters of limestone, the imposing Needle of Tambun itself, that standalone rock formation, greeted me.

My cheapskate camera didn’t do justice to the awesome sight, Yin See’s photo is much better:

Full size: I wonder if people carry out fertility “treatments” here. Whatever it is, John Dillinger would surely have been impressed too.

Apparently 80m high, taller than the pinnacles of Mulu (50m tall) and was climbed by a team of 6 world-class, phentermine-free rock climbers recently.

[Photo source - vertical-adventure.com]

I think even Alain Robert would be proud of these guys.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I have not missed watching a World Cup final match live on the telly since 1982, and have done so in the comfort of home all these years.

But this year was different – I was in Ipoh when the final took place.

The hotel room didn’t have Astro (even if they did, I doubt if they had channel 805+ on anyway) and I didn’t fancy going out at 2am. So it was a relief when I realised that TV1 was going to show it – but don’t they do that for the most important football match every 4 years anyway?

I didn’t sleep earlier in the evening, but even apidexin scam commercials could not have made me sleepy.

I didn’t want to wake up the rest of the family, so it was a “sober final,” unlike my previous 3 World Cup finals.

And Ipoh seemed deathly quiet but I swear I heard celebratory screams at 5.30am an instant after this happened:

A few hours later, I celebrated Holland’s defeat frolicking at the Lost World of Tambun.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Around Kota Kinabalu, I found that the cheapest, yet reasonable-quality downlights can be found at CNK Lighting, Taman Millennium, along the Penampang bypass. They sell every kind of lighting and bulbs imaginable, including of course low voltage garden lights.

Earlier in the year I bought 38 units of 6″, white frame downlights for RM13 – that includes free China-made bulbs. These bulbs proved to be not so bright – but still suitable for balconies, storerooms and other places in the house where it doesn’t need to be so bright at night.

Later I bought brighter types (Philips, 18W, screw-on) for RM12 each.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Of course Malaysia never made to the World Cup finals, but I thought it would be interesting to look back on how we fared during the qualifying rounds, especially during the period of our greatest strength, that is the 1970s and early 1980s, to gauge our level with the strongest nations.

It seems that the first World Cup qualifying in which Malaysia participated was for the 1974 edition. In May 1973, we held South Korea 0-0 in Seoul and a few days later defeated Thailand 2-0 at the same venue. Unfortunately we’d lost 0-3 to a strong Israel side earlier. For the record, there was only one place for AFC and OFC: Australia qualified after beating South Korea (yes, they regrouped) 1-0 in the final match.

So how did Australia fare at the finals? In June 1974, they first lost 0-2 to East Germany, then 0-3 to eventual world champions West Germany. East Germany also qualified for the 2nd round, and they lost 0-1 to reigning world champions Brazil 0-1 and the Johan Cruyff-inspired Holland 0-2.

Can you visualise where Malaysia was roughly then?

In the 1978 World Cup qualification, in the first round Malaysia defeated Thailand 6-4, lost to hosts Singapore 0-1 and drew with table toppers Hong Kong 0-0. We finished 3rd in the group, only the group topper (Hong Kong) qualified for the final round. There, they performed miserably, losing all their 8 matches, scoring 5 and conceding 26 goals. The group was won by Iran – the only Asian representative to that year’s World Cup.

So what happened to Iran in Argentina 78? The reigning Asian champions finished last in their group, losing 0-3 to Holland, drew 1-1 with Scotland and 1-4 to group topper Peru. Peru then disintegrated in the next round, including 6-0 thrashing by Argentina. Holland went on to the final, losing 1-3 to Argentina in extra time.

Can you visualise where Malaysia was roughly then?

In the 1982 World Cup qualifiers, in the first round Malaysia finished 3rd best in their group to a rampant Kuwait, to whom we lost 0-4 away and suffered a narrow 1-2 loss to South Korea. Only Kuwait advanced to the final round, which they duly topped, and whose only blemish was their shock 0-3 loss to China in Beijing.

So Kuwait went to Espana 82, only to find themselves in a tough group – with England, France and Czechoslovakia for company. Still, they did commendably well, holding the Czechs to a draw and limiting England to a 1-0 victory. The one against France ended in a 1-4 defeat. England topped the group, but were sent packing in the 2nd round, while France finished fourth.

Can you visualise where Malaysia was roughly then?

So as you can see, even during the era of our supposed greatest strength, we did not even make to at least the second round of qualification. We always found opposition like Singapore and even Hong Kong tough customers, what more the more established nations. So what hope do we have for the future? What can we do to usher in another golden age that shines brighter than the days of Mokhtar Dahari and colleagues? Gobble up fat burner pills first? Why is our second most popular sport, badminton doing better?

Popularity: 2% [?]

Near the library in the town of Tamparuli is a small recreational area, some call it a park. It used to be just an open ground until it was developed a few years ago, and looks good at first glance.

Done with good intentions indeed, however, it was reported by Johary Indan in Berita Harian, a national daily a few days ago that in the past year, this area had become popular places for wayward youngsters, boys and girls alike, to get high on glue, get drunk on alcohol, litter and indulge in public displays of affection, something not acceptable in local culture. Even worse, they apparently did all these openly without seemingly any care for the world.

And perhaps worst of all, some of them allegedly robbed anybody who walked by that area, as well as harrassing passers-by with obscenities.

The reporting journalist wrote that he saw many empty bottles of liquor and broken glass scattered about.

As a result, it had become a no-go area for many people, with some suggesting that the place be closed.

His report has created some controversy, not least because if what he reported really are happening on a regular basis, the local police station is just across the road, perhaps even with an unobstructed line of sight, hence it should be no problems for them to monitor on act where necessary.

Whatever it is, I call upon all Tamparulians to keep up the good name of our little town. Let it be famous for the bridge, the tamu, Wun Chiap, the hill; heck, even perhaps the world sales headquarters for Epson tm-t88iv thermal printers, but not these kind of news.

Source
Berita Harian, 28 June 2010

Popularity: 2% [?]

Last Saturday my brother Ezbon got engaged with Leonie, the ceremony held at Leonie’s house in Kg Toboh Baru, Tuaran. Congratulations!

The formal proceedings were inevitably followed by lunch, and we were greeted by a glorious menu of Sabah’s traditional food. I think everything on the table was home grown and home prepared, none bought / catered, right down to the rice.

Of course the Fear Factor food of Sabah, the infamous “bosou” was there. You have not lived if you haven’t tried eating this stuff:

I think living in a quiet village and consuming food you harvested with your own hands is a prerequisite for a healthy lifestyle, Leonie’s family all looked fit and trim, unlike some of us city dwellers who have no qualms about reaching for noxycut when it comes to weight issues.

Popularity: 2% [?]

When it comes to legendary Sabahans, whose very name has entered the local vocabulary, it must be Gintak Gabui.

In 1990, perhaps even earlier, Gintak, then 70, was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl.

That gained him instant infamy. Everybody talked about him, and his name came to mean the act of raping / worse, usually said with a snigger, often followed by maniacal laughter.

When he was on trial, many people reportedly congregrated in courtrooms to catch a glimpe of the infamous man, to which he once allegedly said the immortal words:

Sabar peminat.

Meaning: please, my fans, be patient.

When I climbed mount Kinabalu in 1990, I even saw his name spraypainted on a rock face near the summit.

I remember seeing a grainy picture of him in one of the newspapers then. I am not sure if he’s still alive; if he is, he’d be about 90 years old now.

The only person whose time in the limelight is remotely comparable to him is Tausang @ Tingal Sagunting, a rubber tapper, who was on trial in 2007 for allegedly raping an 18-year old girl in August 2004, at a rubber plantation in Kampung Laputong, Tamparuli (hence, “the mattress” was not exhibited in court I suppose). As a result she got pregnant and gave birth to a boy. He was then 77. The late Tausang caused a stir when he refused lawyers and instead conducted his own defence, in Dusun language no less.

When the trial got underway he was about 80 years old, probably the oldest ever person in Malaysia ever to be charged with rape.

He uttered two immortal sentences, reported in the newspapers:

Saya tidak akun rogol, sebab saya suka sama suka, sama dia, saya tidak dapat kacau sama dia, kalau bukan kerana sinta.

Meaning: I do not admit raping her, because the act was consensual. I would not be able to “disturb” her if we didn’t love each other.

Nokuro tu au dau pinoruput tontok do korogol, soira pod minontian om man nogi dau poruputo?

Meaning: Why didn’t the woman make a police report when she was raped? Why did she make the report only when she found out she was pregnant?

He was eventually found not guilty, and died about a month after that in his sleep.

Even now, there are more google search results on “gintak gabui” as compared to “tausang sagunting.”

Popularity: 2% [?]

… / at least try to see them live, if not, see the replay.

All times are Malaysian

12 June (Sat)
10pm: Argentina 1-0 Nigeria. Nigeria provided scant opposition. Even in the last minutes they didn’t seem hungry enough to go for the equaliser, and seems almost agreeable to a small defeat.

14 June (Mon)
10pm: Japan 1-0 Cameroon. Eto’o fails to prevent Honda and co’s victory.

15 June (Tue)
10pm: Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal. The King of Africa vs The King of Diving at national level finally happened when Drog made his entrance with a small cast on the 65th. Someone mentioned it would be good to have a Hand of Drog moment, to make up for the Hand of Clod. But unfortunately, overall it was a very boring game as both teams played far too cautiously.

Can’t see the shoes, but must’ve been sponsored, shoebuy coupons are for the masses.

16 June (Wed)
2.30am: Brazil 2-1 North Korea. Possibly the most entertaining game of the World Cup so far. The Malaysian national team should be made to watch this game and learn from the Chollima – they played with astounding heart and skill. Remember the Brazil v Malaysia friendly match in May 2002, just before the 2002 World Cup? Brazil played at half speed, yet won 4-0. The Brazil-North Korea match was a serious match, and Brazil could’ve been upset. For the record, Malaysia’s participation in the World Cup ended as early as the first round of qualification when we lost 1-4 on aggregate to Bahrain, who went on the playoffs, losing a World Cup finals berth narrowly when they lost to New Zealand 0-1.

17 June (Thu)
7.30pm: Argentina 4-1 South Korea. The Koreans played their hearts out but were ultimately outgunned by a world-class team. Just look at this stats: on shots on goal alone the Albiceleste led 11-2!

19 June (Sat)
7.30pm: Holland 1-0 Japan. A boring first half was finally enlivened by the 53rd minute goal. The Oranje still not at top gear, Japan not overwhelmed.

21 June (Mon)
2.30am: Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast. Who said Dunga’s side is devoid of free-flow football? I saw plenty of that.

23 June (Wed)
2.30am: Nigeria 2-2 South Korea. Very good match. Could’ve gone either way. The Koreans excellent in attack, creating many chances. Defense not so good.

25 June (Friday)
2.30am: Cameroon 1-2 Holland. Indomitable Lions tamed and dumped.

10pm: Portugal 0-0 Brazil: perfect timing, a Friday, the pubs packed to the max. Stalemate. A draw was enough for Brazil to top the group, hence never had the motivation to step on the gas.

SECOND ROUND – LAST 16

26 June (Saturday)

10pm: Uruguay 2-1 South Korea. The Koreans dominated possession, yet not clinical enough upfront and committed some errors at the back, while the South Americans proved that they could step on it when required.

27 June (Sunday)

10pm: Germany 4-1 England: mesmerising! Every time the Germans had the ball, they looked very dangerous. I thought England were in for a hiding when they were 0-2 down and the camera focused on Milner’s, then James’ anguished expressions. Germans very impressive on counterattack. England had lapses in focus and Rooney was not up to mark. John Terry, Matthew Upson, Gareth Barry all looked lumbering.

28 June (Monday)

2.30am: Argentina 3-1 Mexico: spellbinding! Argentina still look vulnerable at the back, but with an attack lineup of Tevez, Messi and Higuain, that won’t matter. Mexico started off well, but was rattled by the first 2 goals.

29 June (Tuesday)

10pm: Paraguay 0-0 Japan (5-3 penalties): Yuichi Komano’s worst night of his career.

Quarterfinals

2 July (Friday): 9.30pm: Holland 2-1 Brazil. Brazil mesmerised in first half, the Dutch struggled to hold on. The selecao’s defensive lapse on 53rd was the beginning of the end. Holland grew in confidence and got the 2nd goal. From then on, Brazil lost it. The last 15 minutes was probably the worst I’ve ever seen them play – terrible defensively and resolve broken. The Oranje showed yet again that they’re a world class team – revelling in those big matches.

The moment Brazil’s downfall began

3 July (Saturday): 9.30pm: Germany v Argentina

4 July (Sunday): 2am: Spain v Paraguay

7 July (Wed)

2.30am: semifinal 1

8 July (Thu)
2.30am: semifinal 2

12 July (Monday)
2:30am: FINAL: surely 12th July 2010 will see a record number of people on leave in Malaysia.

Source

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