May 29, 2013

Tragedy in the Rajang before Gawai 2013

The Rajang is a huge Mother River, running 366 miles from its source to the delta at the South China Sea. It is a river that passes many ethnic groups along the way. So in a way, so many different peoples drink from the same source.

The Rajang is also famous for first its long boats which carried warriors who hunted for heads and then made peace in the 1880's, wooden motor launches built by the Chinese 1900's and then the special bullet lik express boats which are sealed up except for the two front doors and one back door where the power engines roar with life.

Sibu is the foremost ship building hub of Sarawak. It builds boats for the locals as well as for the foreigners who place orders which take one or two years to full fill because of the long queue. Sibu express boats are found in Sumatra to name one foregin country. Sibu built expresses ply along most of the Sarawak and Sabah rivers.
Photo: TRAGEDY before Gawai! Belaga-Kapit express boat sank with 14 missing & 170 saved! The boat's capacity was 74 pax.There's only 1 boat from Bakun-Belaga-Pelagus Rapids-Kapit-Sibu per day. There's a pot holed road from Bakun-Bintulu but that's a long ride. There's NO road from Kapit to any other towns.

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But how many accidents have really been seriously recorded by the Sarawak River Board and the Sabah River Board? What stringent rules have been maintained?

The Bakun/Belaga/Kapit express plies only once a day. This boat reaches Belaga with already a full load of workers who are working in the Bakun. The passengers thus were mainly Ibans and Orang Ulus.

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It is so ironical that the express is called KAWAN MAS. Golden Friend. Did any one check its RIVER worthiness before the fatal trip? Its engine was reported failure one hour after Belaga. Was there any Government officer or Police Officer on patrol in Belaga? The Express company would have earned three times more on this trip having so many illegal passengers. Is the extra earning all worth it? (Photo : Borneo Post)


May 28th was a dark day in Belaga. An express boat carrying 3 times its capacity first had engine failure and then hit a rock near  Buyong Tebok area. It capsized. Turned turtle. 170 people survived. 14 missing. It has capacity for 74 passengers only.

Gawai is a thanksgiving cum harvest festival. It is a time when the Ibans in particular would rush home with goodies, and cash for their reunion in the longhouses. Young bujangs (bachelors) of the Iban ethnic groups, amongst others like Kayan, Penan and others are often the sole breadwinner or cash cows of the family, bringing home cash,more often than not, for three generations. Those members of the family who stay home are involved with padi and oil palm planting, fishing and vegetable gathering.



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Bottoms up. (Borneo Post Photo)



Photo: Update 10:00pm: A fateful Tuesday unlike any day. That capsizal hit hard this land. Waves strongly felt in Sarawak and beyond. And grief broke loose. Despair was fast at hand. The 170 survivors had drawn some cheers, but 14 missing drew warm tears. Calamity of scale unseen before. Homecoming joy for festive celebrations robbed. May God of comfort be with the families and rescue team who vowed to search till miracle does break.
 This photo reminds me of a lost toy floating in a river far away from the child because it is too dangerous to pick it up. The bottom of the express boat Kawan Mas when it turned turtle.(Pix courtesy of Culture and Heritage Assistant Minister Liwan Lagang. NST)
Borneo Post Photo)




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Some of the survivors, a bag is noted.(Borneo Post photo)




When a member of a family passes away, the mourning ADAT(way of life) of the Ibans prescribes the switching of radio, talking in soft tones, no merrymaking,no outside visitors. All their women will take out their black sarong to wear, and they wear no makeup, some do not bathe for a few days. These mourning and grieving rites will be observed until the NGETAS ULIT (FORMAL CLOSING OF THE MOURNING PERIOD)  mark the end of the sorrowful period.( Gregory N. Mawar)

Why can't the Timber Companies charter boats for their workers as part of their Social Concern or Corporate Commitment to Society once a year, at least for Gawai? Why can't the River Board get their men to control the crowds? Did the Police turn a blind eye?

Don't blame the rock that sank the express boat.

May 28, 2013

Kwong Hua Primary School


The Kwong Hua Primary School in Sg. Sadit is one of the earliest schools to be set up by the Foochows in Sarawak under the guidance of Rev James Hoover. 

The Kutian group of pioneers settled here, as the area was allocated to them by Wong Nai Siong. In no time the Kutian group made Kwong Hua area into a thriving and vibrant village.

As the villagers prospered, land was donated to build a primary school and a church.

This school is one of the few with a bell tower, and the bell is still used.' The wooden school block has long ago been changed to a concrete block. The school name was written by Sun Yat Seng.

May 23, 2013

The Holy Basil or Tulsi

A  friend  recommended Tulsi  or the Indian Basil to cure my cough and fever. I am trying it out now.

Tulsi is grown in Miri and other parts of Sarawak by the Sikhs and other Indians.

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First of all, the 'tulsi' plant or Indian basil is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition. The name 'tulsi' connotes "the incomparable one". Tulsi is a venerated plant and Hindus worship it in the morning and evening. Tulsi grows wild in the tropics and warm regions.
A Hindu household is considered incomplete if it doesn't have a tulsi plant in the courtyard. 
Secondly, not many Asians and others know that it  is a prime herb in Ayurvedic treatment. Marked by its strong aroma and a stringent taste, tusli is a kind of "the elixir of life" as it promotes longevity. The plant's extracts can be used to prevent and cure many illnesses and common ailments like common cold, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning and malaria. Essential oil extracted from karpoora tulsi is mostly used for medicinal purposes though of late it is used in the manufacture of herbal toiletry.

Thirdly, it is believed that having tulsi plants at home will dispel negative forces and prevent them from entering our homes and our minds.

Fourthly it is even known to purify or de-pollute the atmosphere and also works as a repellent to mosquitoes, flies and other harmful insects. Tulsi used to be a universal remedy in cases of malarial fever.

Prof Shrinivas Tilak,( Concordia University, Montreal) cited a letter written to 'The Times,' London, dated May 2, 1903 Dr George Birdwood, Professor of Anatomy, Grant Medical College, Mumbai said, "When the Victoria Gardens were established in Bombay, the men employed on those works were pestered by mosquitoes. At the recommendation of the Hindu managers, the whole boundary of the gardens was planted with holy basil, on which the plague of mosquitoes was at once abated, and fever altogether disappeared from among the resident gardeners."

According to one legend, Tulsi was the incarnation of a princess who fell in love with Lord Krishna, and so had a curse laid on her by his consort Radha. Tulsi is also mentioned in the stories of Meera and of Radha immortalised in Jayadev's Gita Govinda. The story of Lord Krishna has it that when Krishna was weighed in gold, not even all the ornaments of Satyabhama could outweigh him. But a single tulsi leaf placed by Rukmani on the pan tilted the scale.



We must really plant a lot of tulsi around our homes in Miri to repel mosquitors. That is a paramount task for us.

May 19, 2013

Fruit for the birds @ Piasau Camp, Miri

The Piasau Peninsular is a very interesting sand spit which became a housing estate in the 1950's. A concessionary land, it was given over to the Shell Company for the construction of tropical , one storyed colonial style bungalows suitable for expatriate employees of Shell Co.

House No.100 is the designated Managing Director's Quarters since the beginning.

The housing estate became known to locals as Piasau Camp from the beginning. It is neither a military camp, nor a fenced, barb wired camp. It is an open concept with no fences and small lanes criss cross the estate. Children play together in the well kept compounds, birds fly easily from tree to tree. A few monkeys have been known to play havoc in the gardens.

But nothing beats the presence of the Oriental Piped Hornbills and a few other beautiful birds. This is idyllic to everyone who has lived here. It is always sad for many of the "Piasau Campers" to leave when their contacts are completed.
No photo description available.


If I were a bird, these beautiful red fruits, which could be a kind of oriental wild passion fruits

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would be really good supper. Birds love to eat fruits and God has created special colourful fruits and seeds for them.

According to a cleaner in the Piasau camp, this fruit is also very edible by humans. A little bitter it can even be a good herbal cure for stomach ache.


She continued to say that it is a very good thirst quencher. When she has sore throat, she will take a few of these fruits, and suck the white little pips." Better than taking Panadol, which costs money." I like that.
We need to do more research into this claim. And why not? And this is not just one of the wild fruits available in this place. There are hundreds of fruits which have been attracting birds to this area.

Ancient Chinese medicine men had followed birds to see what they ate. And they found cures ...that's history for you to know.

All the more important to conserve Piasau Camp as a Bird Park.....



May 15, 2013

Rain Water Collection in Sarawak

Foochows have been collecting rain water for all purposes since 1903 in Sarawak. It is free and it is a good thing to do.



People should continue to collect rain water.No photo description available.

The photo shows the Penans in Ulu Belaga where they are forced to collect rain water because it is the only source of clean water. The river water from the Malim is too polluted now for drinking and cooking. Even for washing of clothes the people have to think twice. Only during certain times of the year will the river water be clean for a while.
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Pesticides, erosion, etc pollute the river water.

We thank God He sends rain.

May 7, 2013

Mum's Laundry

mum was always very hardworking .

When we lived in Sibu, after having moved from Kerto Island, laundry was first done by our neighbour Kak who came to help her. But later, when my dad passed away we could not have a helper. So she did all the housework herself. There was no washing machine in those days.

To save money, and to make sure that we were on a very tight budget, we saved rain water in a cement well or tank. When rain came we would jump for joy. And when grandma came, instead of boiling water for her bath, mum would put a huge aluminium basin in the yard to heat up the water in the morning sun. By ll the water would be warm and grandma would have her bath. I love the grandma smell. Being in born in China, she had a special fragrance on her skin after she took her bath. It was not the Baby Johnson Powder. Grandma was a very very fair woman.

But what I remember most was the way mum dried our clothes in the sun.


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We would help her with the clothes. My sister would pick up the clothes for her so that she did not have to bend down. and when all the clothes were up, I would happily place the pole to hold the clothes line up.

It was a real joy to listen to the clothes flapping in the wind. It was my responsibility to make sure that the clothe lines are up. When the pole came down clothes would be dirtied and it would mean that mum had to wash again. It would give her a lot of pain. So we have all to be very watchful and attentive.

Keeping an eye on the laundry in the morning was an important task. Mum would always remind us how important it was to be watchful and mindful of our daily work.

Every now and then, we had to watch out for the rain, or the gathering clouds, we had to see if neighbours' dogs had come into the backyard, we had to watch out for the wind which might blow the clothes away. And the happiest time was when mum said it was time for her to turn the clothes over so that they would dry faster and we would help her with the clothes pegs. She would go out with her big Iban hat and a towel over she shoulders.

I remember the grounds in our backyard which were never dry. We had wooden planks below the laundry lines for her step on.

Growing up, a soggy backyard was part of our life because that was the way it was in Sibu. No one then ever thought of buying a load of yellow soil to raise the land level. Our backyard was just inches above the flood level. We often watched the flood level rising in the stream and got prepared for the big flood. In my childhood, the big flood came into our kitchen only once. God was merciful indeed.

In this way, we grew up learning about being mindful at all times so that we do not have to do things twice.

Be always mindful, watchful,and observant.









Sibu Tales : Tien Ma

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Gastrodia Elata (tien ma) 天麻


Chinese mothers would steam some tien ma for their children when they sit for their exams. Before and during the end of the year exams (in China the Gou Kou - end of senior middle school exam for university entrance) the price of tien ma would surge. Such is the demand for this root.

The roots have calming effects. It is believed that they prevent headaches, neuralgia, vertigo and diizziness, expel wind, alleviate pain for migraine, numbness of extremities and general fatique.
Gastrodia Elata Tian Ma
Flowers bloom from July to August
The best tien ma come from the Tibetan mountains. The Tibetans would look for the perennial alpine plant. It has a large central root with 12 smaller tubers on the side. The fresh tubers are used as food and the dried tubers are sold, the good ones are worth their weight in good.

It is a superior TCM root well recognised as the most effective remedies for headaches, vertigo and other neuralgic afflictions caused by inflammations of the liver. It can help ease epilepsi. It is also known as an aphrodisiac and a tonic.

I had my share of tien ma soup (usually made with pork bones) for my headaches and in turn I steam tien ma for my children from time to time.

Today it can also be bought in pill form from TCM shops. Very convenient. However I still go to my cousin's shop Ing Kong Drug Store in Miri to get my supply. It is not expensive.


May 3, 2013

Nang Chong Stories : Mandong Boats

Before the roads in Sarawak were developed, most people depended on the rivers for transport , food, washing and agricultural development.

The interior of a Mandong Boat, Fort Alice Museum, Sri Aman
One of the services provided by traders was the floating shops or grocery shops in the form of Mandong Soon (Kapal Bandong).

These boats ply up and down the river Rajang especially and in other rivers of Sarawak bringing fresh supplies of groceries and at the same time, help farmers sell whatever they had.

It was actually a floating house, as the operator would have a kitchen at the back. His toilet would be the little box room sticking out at the back. The engine room would be at the back and all the goods would be on the shelves in the middle portions. His living room would be where he steered his boat.

This one man operated grocery boat would be the kind of dream life many men would like to have these days if the market is still available.

A special item which would bring a lot of memories to friends of my age would be the ice cream potong and ice blocks sold by the trader. We would be so happy to get some in the evening when Mr. Ho came back to berth his boat at Pang Sing Jetty in the 50's and 60's.

Mr. Ting , another Mandong Soon owner, who plied between Bawang Assan and Ensurai served the Foochows and Ibans for many years, selling items like Aerated water, dried fish, dried goods, salted vegetables, biscuits and kerosene.

Kerosene was a valued commodity which most people needed.

Kerosene came in tins, and a small aluminium pump would be used to pump up kerosene into glass bottles. One bottle of kerosene in those days would be 30 cents if I remember correctly. It was so essential for every day life.

The boat operators would also be the mail men and even match makers.

The Mandong Soon have their own specific areas/markets to cover so the operators did not have much competition.

Soh Mien on First Day of Lunar New Year

 Today 10.2.2024 is the first day of the New Lunar Year of the Dragon. Yes I have cooked the chicken and made the soh mien. Happy New Year!!...