sTop!

I’m back!!! From a long time vanish from blogging...I have been gone through the semester with a lot of memorable moments, happy, sad, entertaining and also boring. However, anything happens I’m glad that all have passed.. I have been to the Sabah Fest 2011 recently, and it was the first time I been to the event. Well, what is it all about then?This year, Sabah Fest took the theme from a folk tale “Pa’pakang : The Odyssey of Seven Brothers”, a tale that depicts seven brothers found themselves a magical stone, the Pa’pakang while bathing at the Liwagu River nearby their village. They were fighting and arguing to possess the stone for himself. Then the father intervened, so he decided to throw the stone and it divided into seven pieces, one each for the brothers. Their father said that each piece is a legacy and told them to keep it safely, to prove their identity as siblings and as a reminder of their place of origin, Nunuk Ragang.As Nunuk Ragang faced famine, plague and increasing population, all of the brothers fled except the youngest, named Aki Lintobon become the headman of Nunuk Ragang after his father died.One night, Aki Lintobon dreamt of the calamities that befallen on his village, and separation of his brothers. When he woke up in the morning, he felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and burning desire to find his brothers. So he told the villagers about this and decided to find his brothers, brought along his piece of the Pa’pakang stone.One by one, he found his brothers, according to the chronology, Aki Tomui of Pitas (Orang Sungei), Aki Runsud of Kudat (Dusun Rungus), Aki Datoo’ Garudin of Kota Belud (Dusun Tindal), Aki Tinggoron of Lahad Datu (Dusun Subpan), Aki Longguwai of Penampang (Kadazan) and lastly Aki Turumpok of Keningau (Murut), but Aki Turumpok somehow vanished into the supernatural world so the Murut headman named Ampal united all of them with the Pa’pakang stone on behalf of Aki Turumpok.It was a very colourful and cultural extravaganza that almost 2000 people packed the Sutera Magellan Resort ballroom that night, which was graced by His Excellency The Tuan Yang Terutama Yang Di Pertua Negeri Sabah. The story of Pa’pakang was told in a very special way, where the odyssey of the brothers reveals almost all cultures of Sabah.Well, it’s worth of having a pass to the event anyway. . .

Held at St. Lukas Apostolic Centre, Kota Padawan, Kuching, Sarawak from 4-14 June 2009, the ASC YCS 2009 was held, brought 3 issues - food crisis, climate change and human rights education. Participated by youths and priests from 10 nations of Asia, the programme also held to bring awareness to environmental issue among participants, besides making desicions in IYCS in order to make the world a better place. The 10-day event was filled with a lot of interesting activities such as exhibition, exposure trip to NGO sites and villages, workshop, talks, taize prayer, Borneo culture night, YCS session council, and Asian culture extravaganza. The amazing thing is, it was the first international event that I ever joined!! I was the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) during the event, joined the Exposure Team together with Brian, Lucy, Evelyn, Kenny, Precinia and many more.

Leonard Bonny Palma, Asian Team 2006-2009 in the opening address

Dancers pose with Archbishop John Ha of Kuching

Tara.....tara......tara..........OOOHHHH!!!!

Inspecting delegates before going for exopsure programme

At Sarawak Biodiversity Center, Semenggoh
Interaction session with the villagers of Kampung Pasir Tengah

A walk to the Sg. Biawak at Kampung Pasir Tengah

With Deepak (India) and Andy (Myanmar)

Hahaha, we are the team that bring the delegates for the exposure programme, so I experience the way tourist guides do!! As almost all of the villagers are not English speaking, so I have to do the translations to the villagers as well as delegates. The task gets more challenging when 1 of the delegate in my group (as all delegates are divided into many groups and are assigned to different villages) totally not speaking English, but only Mandarin. Luckily, 1 translator that is from the LOCs was sent into our group, so I have less burden to translate the language I did not know!! Overall, I really like the exposure, I danced during the opening ceremony and the Borneo culture night.

We danced 'Wek Jonggan' of the Salako tribe during the Borneo culture night

Not bad, Fr. James!!

Wuwh...I'll be missing this moments

During the Sessions

Owh, one more part I do like most, Asian Culture Extravaganza!!! It was the peak event of ASC 2009. I feel like attending the Rainforest World Music Festival! ( which I can't attend this year, so that event is in exchange of it...huhuhuhu) It was a very energetic night, where a lot of entertainment and dances from the nations of the Asia continent. Poco Poco from Indonesia that I like most because all of us Sarawakian knew the dance well!! Before the party ends, we have some joget with the song 'Kampung Love' and 'Semina Duduk Berimbai' as the lullaby that leads the atmosphere.

Fr. Simon Poh of Kuching presided the closing eucharistic celebration

Let the 'Lord' talk to you......

SOME SCENES DURING THE ASIAN CULTURE EXTRAVAGANZA

But most of all, I learnt something more meaningful through ASC - friendship, graditute and teamwork. I make a lot of friends, not only from LOC, but withe the delegates also. I feel that the world became so small here, as we get to know each other so fast, even though most of us are not of the same nationality and races. anyway, it was a phenomenal event, God really have this plan for me and everyone who participated. Serving the Lord is always FUN!!

THE LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE.....GOOD JOB EVERBODY!!