memories

the places that will always have a place in my heart no matter where fate takes me after this... one might say that i'm being too sentimental about this kind of stuff but five years...FIVE YEARS...surely it is my right to say that i'll certainly miss this place..(probably not the picture on the right...)

taking a break from history.short clips anyone???

those of you who are interested in making short clips or movies, two productions that really know their stuffs... Jinnyboy Tv (notable vid 'unfold') and Wong Fu production (notable vid 'The last')... the latter specializes in those mushy stuff while the former excels in funny vids...

you can always check their videos on youtube...



Jinnyboy Tv
I'll give a 4/5 for their funny vids and 3/5 for their mushy stuff (since they don't have or yet to post it...I'm waiting for unfold 2)
www.jinnyboytv.com

Wong Fu Productions
I'll give 5/5 for their romantic vid (the last was a really good video on how to melt your girl..lol..) and a 3/5 for their funny side.
www.wongfuproductions.com

or you can go straight to their sites and look around.

Sarawak

Sarawak has always been a place where you can see people regardless of their races sit together for a sip of teh tarik peng(iced). Go anywhere and you will never find a kopitiam where people will just greet other people in their native language then effortlessly changing their language back to the one they used before(only in Sarawak). I would know as it happened a lot. Not to stir up anything, Sarawakians seem to be able to adapt to every language according to the places. We speak with Sabah slang when in Sabah and Bahasa Melayu Baku when over at Semenanjung. However the same cannot be said of our counterpart from those places. Not everyone though, some of my friends have been talking bahasa melayu sarawak or even bahasa iban better than some of us here. I'm simply writing this to show that we Sarawakians are not that rascist as some of you would like to think and that racial harmony has been very alive and kicking even before the concept of 1Malaysia was conceived.

(Pardon me for my bad english.lol)

Random

taking a break from serious stuff...here is a list of trivial info that some might say are useless but for me is still an important aspect of our history...

Acupuncture was first used as a medical treatment in 2700 BC by Chinese emperor Shen-Nung.

Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.

At Andrew Jackson's funeral in 1845, his pet parrot had to be removed because it was swearing.

At the height of its power, in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves.

Bock's Car was the name of the B-29 Bomber that dropped the Atom Bomb on Nagasaki.

Britain's present royal family was originally named Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The name was changed in 1917, during WW1 because of German connotations. The name Windsor was suggested by one of the staff. At the same time the Battenberg family name of the cousins to the Windsors was changed into Mountbatten.

Canada declared national beauty contests canceled as of 1992, claiming they were degrading to women.

Captain Cook lost 41 of his 98 crew to scurvy (a lack of vitamin C) on his first voyage to the South Pacific in 1768. By 1795 the importance of eating citrus was realized, and lemon juice was issued on all British Navy ships.

Chicago's Lincoln Park was created in 1864. The original 120 acre cemetery had most of its graves removed and was expanded to more than 1000 acres for recreational use.

Christmas became a national holiday in the US in 1890.

During the US Civil war, 200,000 blacks served in the Union Army; 38,000 gave their lives; 22 won the Medal of Honor.

Everyone in the Middle Ages believed -- as Aristotle had -- that the heart was the seat of intelligence.

First four countries to have television: England, the U.S., the U.S.S.R., and Brazil.

Former President Cleveland defeated incumbent Benjamin Harrison in 1892, becoming the first (and, to date, only) chief executive to win non-consecutive terms to the White House.

Fourteenth century physicians didn't know what caused the plague, but they knew it was contagious. As a result they wore an early kind of bioprotective suit which included a large beaked head piece. The beak of the head piece, which made them look like large birds, was filled with vinegar, sweet oils and other strong smelling compounds to counteract the stench of the dead and dying plague victims.

From the Middle Ages up until the end of the 19th century, barbers performed a number of medical duties including bloodletting, wound treatment, dentistry, minor operations and bone-setting. The barber's striped red pole originated in the Middle Ages, when it was a staff the patient would grip while the barber bled the patient.

Grand Rapids, Michigan was the 1st US city to fluoridate its water in 1945.

In 1810 US population was 7,239,881. Black population at 1,377,808 was 19%. In 1969 US population reached 200 million.

In 1865, several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tennessee, called the Ku Klux Klan.

In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage for girls - to 12.

In 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a little happier for children by organizing its first Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters.

In England and the American colonies the year 1752 only had 354 days. In that year, the type of calendar was changed, and 11 days were lost.

In the Holocaust between 5.1 and 6 million of Europe's 10 million Jews were killed. An additional 6 million 'unwanted' people were also executed, including more than half of Poland's educated populace.

Influenza caused over twenty-one million deaths in 1918.

Martha Washington, Pocahontas, and Susan B. Anthony are the only 3 women to have been represented on US currency.

Members of the Nazi SS had their blood type tattooed on their armpits.

More than 20,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing in action in the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862. This was the bloodiest one-day fight during the Civil War.

from http://www.bitoffun.com/fun_facts_history.htm

Origin of Iban

I am fortunate enough to have a Malay as my dad and an Iban as my mum. Since the topic of Malay or Orang Melayu is well explored, we'll talk about Iban otherwise known as Dayak and was even once called the Sea Dayak.

The origin of the name Iban is a mystery, although many theories exist. During the British colonial era, the Ibans were called Sea Dayaks. Some believe that the word Iban was an ancient original Iban word for people or man. The modern-day Iban word for people or man is mensia, a totaly modified Malay loan word of the same meaning (manusia) of Sanskrit Root.
The Ibans were the original inhabitants of Borneo Island. Like the other Dayak tribes, they were originally farmers, hunters, and gatherers. Not much is known about Iban people before the arrival of the Western expeditions to Asia. Nothing was ever recorded by any voyagers about them.
The Ibans were unfortunately branded for being pioneers of headhunting. Headhunting among the Ibans is believed to have started when the lands occupied by the Ibans became over-populated. In those days, before the arrival of western civilization, intruding on lands belonging to other tribes resulted in death. Confrontation was the only way of survival.
In those days, the way of war was the only way that any Dayak tribe could achieve prosperity and fortune. Dayak warfare was brutal and bloody, to the point of ethnic cleansing. Many extinct tribes, such as the Seru and Bliun, are believed to have been assimilated or wiped out by the Ibans. Tribes like the Bukitan, who were the original inhabitants of Saribas, are believed to have been assimilated or forced northwards as far as Bintulu by the Ibans. The Ukits were also believed to have been nearly wiped out by the Ibans.
The Ibans started moving to areas in what is today’s Sarawak around the 15th century. After an initial phase of colonising and settling the river valleys, displacing or absorbing the local tribes, a phase of internecine warfare began. Local leaders were forced to resist the tax collectors of the sultans of Brunei. At the same time, Malay influence was felt, and Iban leaders began to be known by Malay titles such as Datu (Datuk), Nakhoda and Orang Kaya.
In later years, the Iban encountered the Bajau and Illanun, coming in galleys from the Philippines. These were seafaring tribes who came plundering throughout Borneo. However, the Ibans feared no tribe, and fought the Bajaus and Illanuns. One famous Iban legendary figure known as Lebor Menoa from Entanak, near modern-day Betong, fought and successfully defeated the Bajaus and Illanuns. It is likely that the Ibans learned seafaring skills from the Bajau and the Illanun, using these skills to plunder other tribes living in coastal areas, such as the Melanaus and the Selakos. This is evident with the existence of the seldom-used Iban boat with sail, called the bandung. This may also be one of the reasons James Brooke, who arrived in Sarawak around 1838, called the Ibans Sea Dayaks. For more than a century, the Ibans were known as Sea Dayaks to Westerners.

Due to some misleading adverts by the media, some still see Sarawak as a state lacking in development where Dayaks populate majority of the land and that they still live like the picture above.
However, before you make any conclusion, myself included, make a trip to Sarawak where you can find people living in harmony regardless of their races (yes, other people live here too, not just the Dayak) long before the concept of 1Malaysia was conceived.

20 Points???18 Points???

History

The 20-point agreement, or the 20-point memorandum, is a list of 20 points drawn up by North Borneo, proposing terms for its incorporation into the new federation as the State of Sabah, during negotiations prior to the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Some of the twenty points were incorporated, to varying degrees, into what became the Constitution of Malaysia; others were merely accepted orally, thus not gaining legal status. The memorandum often serves as a focal point amongst those who argue that Sabah’s rights within the Federation have been eroded over time

The 20 points were written with a view to safeguarding the interests, rights, and the autonomy of the people of Sabah upon the formation of the federation of Malaysia. A similar proposal, with certain differences in content, was made by Sarawak, and is commonly referred to as the18-point agreement.

Attention is often drawn to these memoranda by those who believe that their principles were not subsequently adhered to after federation. There have been numerous calls for the 20 point memorandum to be reviewed so as to take into account social, economic, and political changes over time.

The Agreement

Point 1: Religion

While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo

Point 2: Language

• a. Malay should be the national language of the Federation
• b. English should continue to be used for a period of 10 years after Malaysia Day
• c. English should be an official language of North Borneo for all purposes, State or Federal, without limitation of time.

Point 3: Constitution

Whilst accepting that the present Constitution of the Federation of Malaya should form the basis of the Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution of Malaysia should be a completely new document drafted and agreed in the light of a free association of states and should not be a series of amendments to a Constitution drafted and agreed by different states in totally different circumstances. A new Constitution for North Borneo (Sabah) was of course essential.

Point 4: Head of Federation

The Head of State in North Borneo should not be eligible for election as Head of the Federation

Point 5: Name of Federation

“Malaysia” but not “Melayu Raya”

Point 6: Immigration

Control over immigration into any part of Malaysia from outside should rest with the Central Government but entry into North Borneo should also require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government should not be able to veto the entry of persons into North Borneo for State Government purposes except on strictly security grounds. North Borneo should have unfettered control over the movements of persons other than those in Federal Government employ from other parts of Malaysia into North Borneo.

Point 7: Right of Secession

There should be no right to secede from the Federation

Point 8: Borneanisation

Borneanisation of the public service should proceed as quickly as possible

Point 9: British Officers

Every effort should be made to encourage British Officers to remain in the public service until their places can be taken by suitably qualified people from North Borneo

Point 10: Citizenship

The recommendation in paragraph 148(k) of the Report of the Cobbold Commission should govern the citizenship rights in the Federation of North Borneo subject to the following amendments:

• a) sub-paragraph (i) should not contain the proviso as to five years residence
• b) in order to tie up with our law, sub-paragraph (ii)(a) should read “7 out of 10 years” instead of “8 out of 10 years”
•  c) sub-paragraph (iii) should not contain any restriction tied to the citizenship of parents – a person born in North Borneo after Malaysia must be federal citizen[

Point 11: Tariffs and Finance

North Borneo should retain control of its own finance, development and tariff[8], and should have the right to work up its own taxation and to raise loans on its own credit.

Point 12: Special position of indigenous races

In principle the indigenous races of North Borneo should enjoy special rights analogous to those enjoyed by Malays in Malaya, but the present Malaya formula in this regard is not necessarily applicable in North Borneo

Point 13: State Government

• a) the Chief Minister should be elected by unofficial members of Legislative Council
• b) There should be a proper Ministerial system in North Borneo

Point 14: Transitional period

This should be seven years and during such period legislative power must be left with the State of North Borneo by the Constitution and not be merely delegated to the State Government by the Federal Government

Point 15: Education

The existing educational system of North Borneo should be maintained and for this reason it should be under state control

Point 16: Constitutional safeguards

No amendment modification or withdrawal of any special safeguard granted to North Borneo should be made by the Central Government without the positive concurrence of the Government of the State of North Borneo

The power of amending the Constitution of the State of North Borneo should belong exclusively to the people in the state. (Note: The United Party, The Democratic Party and the Pasok Momogun Party considered that a three-fourth majority would be required in order to effect any amendment to the Federal and State Constitutions whereas the UNKO and USNO considered a two-thirds majority would be sufficient.)

Point 17: Representation in Federal Parliament

This should take account not only of the population of North Borneo but also of its size and potentialities and in any case should not be less than that of Singapore

Point 18: Name of Head of State

Yang di-Pertua Negara

Point 19: Name of State

Sarawak or Sabah

Point 20: Land, Forests, Local Government, etc.

The provisions in the Constitution of the Federation in respect of the powers of the National Land Council should not apply in North Borneo. Likewise, the National Council for Local Government should not apply in North Borneo.

NOTE: For further information in regards to the related article, kindly refer to Wikipedia.

something to think about

Here is a video to kickoff our discussion....

credit to brofat.blogspot.com for this video. Depending on which side of the fence you stand on, this is a good video to discuss your perspective on our brief yet compact history. Please leave your comment...

That first post

Well, you have to start from somewhere. Blogging is not something that I'm rather fond of as I'm not the type to tell the world my daily schedule. However, I found that there are a lot of thing to post that can benefit all. Since I'm an avid fan of history, lets talk about history. Stuff that some might consider to be facts written in the stone may turn out to be some random stories our forefathers told long time ago.....................