Rest in Peace, Darling.

Vacation. Vacation. Vacation.

I am going on vacation to the Philippines(Manila) at the end of the year (hmm… Im thinking of going to Cambodia also). I will be in the Philippines for a total of one week and will be staying in hostels. Anybody can suggest places to go and not so expensive hotels to stay? Not sure if RM2k is enough for one week.  I don’t drink so that cuts out alcohol. Any response would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

State Level Unduk Ngadau 2009 Winner

Kimmy, Appey and Pearl

THE BORNEO POST

By Mariah Doksil and Gordon Chin

KOTA KINABALU, June 1st: Papar-born Appey Rowenna Januin was crowned the State-level Unduk Ngadau 2009 at the Hongkod Koisaan Hall here, yesterday.

The 18-year-old winner, a first-timer in the Unduk Ngadau state level beauty pageant and who had just finished her STPM at St Mary Limbahau, Papar, took home a RM 25,000 scholarship sponsored by Asia Tourism Institute, return tickets to Hong Kong courtesy of Dragon Air, a pewter trophy, RM 3,500 cash sponsored by Nescafe and products from various sponsors, all totalling RM 39,000.

“I am happy to bring the State-level Unduk Ngadau title to Papar as the district has not won the Unduk Ngadau title since 1967,” Appey said excitedly after the crowning ceremony.

It was a shocking win for Abbey as she said most of the finalists were more experienced in the pageant world.

The secong place went to Pearl Dianne Petrus, a 20-year old electrical engineering diploma student from Kota Kinabalu Polyteknik, representing the Kota Kinabalu City.

Pearl plans to further her studies overseas after graduating at the end of the year. The third place went to Joanne Kimberley J. Majalap a 19-year-old foundation in  business studies, from Penampang District.

When asked about her slogan, she said: “Practicing unity and teamwork to preserve our tradition and culture.”

During the intense half-day-long pageant, the 41 finalists were narrowed down to 15 and from there, the judges selected to seven, Elinna Musiun, Jacqueline Joseph, Joanne John, Appey Rowenna, Pearl Petrus, Flina Runtum and Fredericka Camilla.

Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan 2009

Unduk Ngadau 2009 sudah hampir ke kemuncaknya. Siapakah diantara 41 finalists yang menjadi  pilihan anda? Kenapa?

Jacqueline Monalisa Guis (BANGGI)

Affy Jackleyinda Entawin (BEAUFORT)

Joanne Bernadette John (BELURAN)

Pearl Dianne Petrus (KOTA KINABALU)

Rachel Martinus (INANAM)

Lydia Binti Binidik (KEMABONG)

Jacqueline Bt Joseph (KENINGAU)

Glorica Lyne Bami (KINABATANGAN)

Erra Quency Victor (KOTA BELUD)

Liane Binti Tinggangau (KOTA MARUDU)

Jovetta Joprine (KUALA PENYU)

Lynnestherwenns Masuin (KUDAT)

Victoria Yam Pei Ling (KUNAK)

Deizi Sebastian Mojinu (W.P. LABUAN)

Wanda Hendryana Pius (LAHAD DATU)

Jovenea Jim Lajim (KLANG VALLEY)

Elinna Musiun (LIKAS)

Clarencena Kadius (MATUNGGONG)

Cecelia Riymante (MEMBAKUT)

Diana Binti Ngoai (MENUMBOK)

Wineh Binti Diwalang (NABAWAN)

Emilda Albert (PAITAN)

Appey Rowenna Januin (PAPAR)

Joanne Kimberley J. Majalap (PENAMPANG)

Sarimah Bt Tangkungon (PEGALUNGAN)

Evilin Binti Mathis (PITAS)

Maylesthelyn Matius (PUTATAN)

Stella Nakaran (RANAU)

Gilda J. Joeplik (SANDAKAN)

Jukini Gamius (SEMPORNA)

Roziyanah Bt. Mutang (SIPITANG)

Sheron Olga Fedilis (SOOK)

Efahrina Nicholas (TAMBUNAN)

Flina Binti Rutum (TAMPARULI)

Cindy Celectine (TAWAU)

Jennifer David (TELUPID)

Rounnah Bab Robert Sylvester (TENOM)

Elsie R. Marius (TANJUNG ARU)

Earoziana Elvy Venture (TONGOD)

Fredericka Camilla Richard Daut (TUARAN)

Hulliwta Eliser (TUNGKU)

Novel: DEWA CINTAKU

Aku baru sedar terdapat empat buah buku yang belum aku baca. Terdapat dua buah novel iaitu Garis-garis Deja Vu karya John Norafizan, pemberian seorang rakan pada pertengahan tahun lepas dan Dewa Cintaku karya Dilla Hussein hadiah khas daripada penerbit novel itu sendiri, Suhan Movies ketika kunjungan mereka ke Sabah untuk audition program realiti TV ‘Pilih Kasih’ bersama Rosyam Nor, iaitu watak dalam novel ini sebagai Iqbal. Aku cover audition mereka.

Tandatangan Rosyam Nor ada di dalam buku ini dan itu bukanlah perkara yang menyebabkan aku ingin mempromosi buku ini tetapi keistimewaan novel ini adalah kerana ia adalah novel cinta muzikal pertama Malaysia memyebabkan aku akan mulakan langkah untuk membacanya. Nanti aku kongsikan apa yang istimewa.

Sepanjang bulan Kaamatan ini, aku nekad menghabiskan masa lapangku ketika menunggu ‘Press Conference Menteri-Menteri’ dan ketika berada dalam bas dengan membaca Dewa Cintaku dan Garis-garis Deja Vu sampai habis. Lepas tu, baru sambung dua lagi buku yang bertajuk Dari Jakarta Menuju ke Gedung Putih dan yang satu lagi aku lupa apa tajuknya…

Dewa Cintaku

Sinopsis novel DEWA CINTAKU: Walau cinta tak pernah aku cuba, tak pernah aku rasa, aku mampu berikan segalanya. Cuma hanya… jika kau bawa aku terbang bersama, meneroka alam cintamu yang beku… izinkan aku mencairkannya, izinkan akutemanimu, hingga ke akhir masa… DEWA CINTAKU.

Iqbal & June, miliki sejarah hidup yang sama, menjadi mangsa perpecahan keluarga sehingga menjadikan mereka manusia-manusia yang tidak perlukan cinta. Namun apabila cinta itu tidak berdosa… mereka tersungkur jua di kakinya….

Aku tahu, kesibukan kerja bukanlah alasan untuk aku melupakan pembacaan. Begitu juga rakan-rakan yang sedang membaca blog ini. Luangkan masa kita untuk membaca dan  rajinlah mencari novel-novel dan tulisan-tulisan tempatan. Walaupun kita tidak punya Kinokuniya, tapi banyak kedai buku di sekitar Kota Kinabalu yang menyediakan sumber bacaan yang pelbagai.

p/s: sedang menanti novel terbaru Ramlee Awang Murshid. Dia merupakan salah seorang penulis thriller Malaysia yang aku minati. Kelahiran dari Papar…

Suatu masa dulu…

Darjah 6 (1995)

Selama tujuh hari dikuarantin, aku agak rimas berada di rumah, nasiblah broadband aku tak meragam sangat. Kadang-kadang tu memang la slow tapi ok la juga… yang penting dapat surf internet. Hehehe facebook adalah site yang paling popular bagi aku dan aku nampaknya menjadi tukang komen yang agak agresif sejak akhir-akhir ni. Sorry kawan-kawan…

Oleh kerana aku punya masa yang agak panjang di dalam rumah, aku selongkar gambar-gambar lama. Aduh, rindu kat kawan-kawan lama. Aku tersenyum sendiri melihat gelagat dalam gambar lama bersama kawan-kawan yang mana ketika tu belum ada camera digital seperti sekarang. So, kena posing sebaik mungkin sebelum hantar ke kedai untuk develop.

Salah satu gambar yang mencuri pandangan aku, gambar ketika perpisahan kelas Darjah 6 Mawar SK Pekan Pitas pada tahun 1995. Sehingga kini, aku masih berhubung dengan kebanyakan kawan-kawan dari sekolah rendah.

Aku masih ingat lagi, gara-gara bermain lompat tali getah, aku sanggup meminjam tudung dan skirt kawan dan join mereka ke sekolah agama di sebelah petang semata-mata kerana nak sambung game di sana. Jangan terkejut kalau sampai sekarang aku masih lancar membaca Al-Fatihan, mengucap dua kalimah syahadah, doa makan, doa belajar dan beberapa doa dalam Agama Islam. Sayangnya, ketika meningkat ke Tingkatan 1 aku tidak dapat meneruskan pembelajaran tulisan jawi kerana jadual pembelajaran yang gak ketat padahal pada ketika itu aku sudah pandai membaca jawi. Sampai sekarang, aku cuma pandai tulis nama aku: lam alif dal ya’ (Lady), mim alif ro’ ya’ ha’ (Mariah). Hehehe. Such a sweet memories!

Dalam gambar di atas, ada juga beberapa rakan yang lost contact dan sekiranya anda membaca blog ini, tolong hantarkan email dan drop some comments ya! Ok, kawan-kawan, bagi yang berwarna merah tu maknanya aku dah lost contact, warna purple aku ada jumpa tapi tak berhubung dan yang berwarna hijau ni adalah kawan-kawan yang dah macam family. Tiap kali hari raya, akan berusaha untuk berkumpul bersama

Barisan Belakang: Norakmal Matnor, Arwah Martini Tahir (meninggal dunia pada tahun lepas 2008), Mariah A. Doksil (Lady Mariah), Mohd Azhar Malik, Abd Aziz Jamadi, Mohd Izam Matzin, Siti Norhanah Pali, Rafidah Amirul, Junaida Jamlin, Rusminah Osnain, Ruby Ronarita Abd Rajak.

Barisan Tengah: Junainah Mamat, Mastik Abd Laman, Adibah Ghaffar, Norlinah, Siti Aminah Suari, Yuslia Yusuf, Cikgu Maimun Undan, Aznah Aziz, Roziwana Dusi, Zarinah Zainuddin, Sylvia A. Maratim.

Barisan Hadapan: Mohd Nazri, Eddy Johari Saidin.

P/S: Kami pernah didenda lari pusing padang (semua 1 kelas) kerana tak siapkan kerja sekolah. Hahahaha.

MC 7 hari: Kuarantin H1N1

Ahad lepas aku sepatutnya cover function kat Tanjung Aru Plaza pukul 10.30am. Oleh kerana sejak dari malamnya aku demam, selesema, sakit sendi, cirit-birit dan sesak nafas, aku ambil keputusan untuk keluar awal dan singgah kat Queen Elizabeth Hospital untuk dapatkan rawatan. Rumah dan QEH dekat sahaja jaraknya…

Sampai sahaja di hospital, Medical Assistant arahkan aku menjalankan saringan virus H1N1 kerana melalui testimonial yang aku berikan, aku memang mempunyai direct contact dengan tourists dari luar memandangkan pada malam Sabtu ketika Unduk Ngadau DBKK aku telah menemuramah sekumpulan pelancong dari Australia. Walaupun Aussie bukan negara yang membawa virus tersebut, tapi aku telah diberikan MC 7 hari untuk mengelak sebarang kemungkinan.

Doktor kata aku tidak terkena jangkitan virus tersebut kerana suhu badan aku adalah dibawah 38 darjah dan sekiranya (palis-palis) berhadapan dengan virus tersebut maka terdapat kesan secara terus-menerus. So, aku kena berkurung selama 7 hari dan dilarang untuk ber’direct concat’ dengan orang awam.

Kepada kawan-kawan wartawan di luar sana yang berhadapan dengan risiko terutama ketika sesi temuramah, eloklah memakai mask untuk langkah berjaga-jaga.

Hari ini adalah hari ketiga dan aku merasakan adak sihat sedikit kerana tiada lagi demam panas yang melampau. Cuma batuk-batuk yang agak menyakitkan tekak. Memang bosan untuk duduk diam di rumah tapi ternyata ubat yang doktor berikan tidak dapat memberikan peluang kepadaku untukl berbuat apa-apa. Sentiasa mengantuk dan lemas-lemas badan.

Terima kasih kepada SMSes dan calls dari rakan-rakan. Do not worry, i am not dying yet

P/S: Kepada budak-budak nakal dalam office, tolong jangan tukar gambar desktop PC aku kepada gambar Rosmah. AWAS Korang! Hahaha.

Selamat Hari Guru, CIKGU…

Jika hari ini seorang penulis masih terkial-kial bersama pensilnya,

Jika hari ini seorang Menteri makan rasuah

Jika Hari ini seorang Hakim hilang saksama

itu adalah salah dirinya

bukan cikgu atau ustaznya…

- Lady Mariah, Hari Guru 2009

My LOVE

Sorry for not being a perfect daughter for you.

LOVE you so much Mama…

Lorong Gelap Kg. Air (Part III)

Ouh! Finally. I managed to talk to the minister. And this part will be the end of my Pondan story in Kampung Air. Enjoy, guys! Happy Mother’s Day! Can’t type much. Its mother’s day and not many of us in  the office. I still have  a few stories for tomorrow’s paper.

PROSTITUTION. The world’s oldest profession.
But being one of the most senior ‘professions’, it is still illegal in Malaysia, including transsexual prostitution. Yet, in some ways or another, it exist everywhere. And Sabah is no exception.

Each night, one will not fail to see transvestites wearing the most skimpiest attire, waiting patiently in front of the shop lots in Kampung Air, trying their luck on men who prefers their kind of services. They come in many sizes, many backgrounds, be it locals or foreigners.

To begin with, they are not real women, but somehow, the demands never stop. In some countries, prostitution becomes one of the main attraction. So are we going to do the same for Sabah? Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun strongly disagree with the thought.

“Sabah is definitely not a destination for tourists who come looking for sex.
We do not need sexual image to be well known … in fact,  it would tarnish our tourism industry. This is an ill-culture from outside and it is attacking our tourism spot.

“Our initial target was to promote Kampung Air as a night market and grocery stores, not a spot for those looking for sexual pleasures!” Masidi said the transsexual prostitution is another activity that was similar to the ‘China Doll’ activities which hit Sabah few years ago.

China doll is a name given to China national girls who offer sex to earn their living. Often, they are caught abusing their visitor’s passes to gain entry into the State and later work as prostitutes.
Two years back, Masidi recalled that many of these China dolls were picked up from saloons, karaokes, night spots and reflexology centres.
“Working in these places was just a cover-up to their real activity, which is prostitution.
“It is such a shame  especially as we are in a Country which is rich of tradition and politeness. We strongly hold to our own religion and beliefs. If Thailand is famous with their sexual-related attractions, we are totally the opposite,”  said Masidi.

He said prostitution was not always legal in Thailand. Prostitution in Thailand was illegal in 1960, when a law was passed under pressure by the United Nations. But, the prohibition is seldom enforced. So instead, the government has instituted a system of monitoring sex workers in order to prevent their mistreatment.
This clearly shows that Thailand is not lack of law against prostitution, but it was not fully implemented. Without a legal precedent, other police officers will rarely agree to arrest someone charged for prostitution.

“On actions taken to rid China dolls from Sabah, we will do the same effort to clean up transsexual prostitutes in Kampung Air, or any other places for that matter. The foreigners will be deported to the countries of origin, and make sure they get the message that their services are not needed here,¨ he stressed.

And to show that he is a man of his words, Masidi gave the assurance that he would be discussing the matter further with the enforcements as well as relevant departments to ensure measures are immediately taken before the State’s good name is tarnished.

But of course, tackling prostitution is not exactly an easy job.  Under Section 372 (1) (d) of the Penal Code, those found involved in vice can be jail up to 15 years, and whipped, and fined, if found guilty.  Still, the heavy penalties does not deter them from going to the streets to offer sex services. They are still around, whether openly or underground, because the demands never stop.

“Transsexual prostitution, is however, a new kind of parasite in Sabah,¨ Masidi noted, stressing immediate measures must be taken before it is too late.

Twenty-year-old Ginie, a transsexual prostitute from the Philippines entered the State with his social pass, just like any other hopefuls who thought life would be much easier here. He disclosed there is a market for their kind of services, so why stop when the money keeps coming in.

“I will leave Sabah before my visit pass expires, stay in my hometown in Philippines for a few months, then come back here to earn a living … the ‘pay’ is lucrative, it puts food on our table, and it is an easy job, so why stop?¨ he said.

Tyna, a 21-year-old diploma holder, turned to transsexual prostitution after being rejected for ‘real job’, as he puts it.
“I have applied many jobs, but because I am a little bit softy, I become the laughing stock among my colleagues. Basically, it is not that I do not have the talent or the brains, it is the people, who call themselves ’straight’ out there who are belittling us … we are earning a living like anybody else, so why look down on us.
“Now when we cannot make ends meet, we have no other way but to turn to sex work. That seems to be our only hope to earn a living, and still we are seen as trouble-makers, nuisance … but do they realise who started it all? Who should take the blame? Are we to be blamed?¨ asked Tyna.

Tyna stressed that he still have some dignity left, and hope the public would respect them.
“Respect is earned, so if you want to be respected, you must learn to respect others first,¨ said Tyna, who claims that he used to be molested, especially after undergoing breast injections long ago.

Since transvestites or ‘pondan hits the State like a new trend, the relevant authorities are pushed to study the current situation to find the best solutions to overcome it.
Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister, Datuk Azizah Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Dun, said they would be talking to their counterparts in other departments as well as City Hall to find ways to settle the matter.

“Although it is against the law, we must also look at the other side of the coin as these people claims that they are women trapped in a man’s body … we must respect their thoughts.

“But having said that, we need to do a thorough study and carry out investigation on the how far are they involved in sex work, especially those educated transvestites who are ‘trading’ in Kampung Air and Asia city,” she said.

Stressing that it was important that the society are made aware of the problem so that they could join hands and ensure best solutions are taken.
Azizah also said it is important to help the younger generation who are facing identity crisis and having problem about understanding their own gender.

“These group of people will need greater attention, motivation and also behaviour modification … they will have to see experts, or psychiatrist, for that matter.
“We will have to set up professional groups to do their studies so that they would be able to get a collective result. We fear, if this is not overcome soon, it would lead to more serious problems such as spread of sexually transmitted diseases  or AIDS due to unsafe sex,¨ she said.

Demands. Supplies. Unsafe sex. Weird pleasures. Sexual disorders. Those are just a few unanswered facts of life. But some things remain unchanged; where there is demand, there is supply.

We must stop pointing fingers. Instead of blaming one another, we should unite and find a solution to the existing problem before it gets worst.
It is time to open up. Embrace change. Start respecting. Only then can we make this world a better place to live in.