As a result of “chap langkau” (locally brewed alcoholic drink) Abuk (not his real name), an elderly grandfather, slipped and hurt both legs when coming out of a bus. This happened at the junction of his longhouse, about 22 kilometres from Saratok town. Pangup, 77, is still strong and active.
Duplication never works for anybody. – Dulquer Salmaan, Indian film actor My encounter with a good friend and former school teacher Penghulu Wilson Alli at a Saratok coffee shop led to a discussion on a number of topics. A regular reader of my column, Alli pointed out one of the
Have you heard of fancy names such as Helikopta, Engkabang, Bilun and Jipun? These are products of inventive, sometimes humorous Iban parents when it comes to naming their kids at birth or upon reporting the births at the National Registration Office (JPN) or with their clerk at the District Office.
When you work on something that combines both the spectacular and the relatable, the hyperreal and the real, it suddenly can become supernatural. The hypothetical and the theoretical can become literal. – J J Abrams, American filmmaker My father (apai) Salok Jembu (1910-2002), a leading bard, would probably be the
People gossip. People are insecure, so they talk about other people so that they won’t be talked about. They point out flaws in other people to make them feel good about themselves. I think at any age or any social class, that’s present. – Blake Lively, American actress Women folk
There were many unforgettable experience in the ‘ulu’ part of the Melupa river basin, my familiar childhood territory in the 60s. Brought up by farming and rubber-tapping parents, I was out of the parental cobweb at the age of eight and since then, had been roaming freely in the depths
Our group of boys in the ‘ulu’ (remote hinterland) of the late 50s through to the 60s had to be contented with our surroundings as our playground and source of entertainment as well as joy. In the absence of toys, gadgets, cinemas and other entertainment items the urban centres could
A Chinese movie in the late 60s/early 70s entitled ‘Have Swords Will Travel’ starring David Chiang and Ti Lung provided me with some inspiration with the title of this article though there are scores of other titles that could possibly fit in. Oh yes, the Chinese movies, especially those of
July 2, 1975 was historic in various ways. One, it was the first time Sarawak had her first TV broadcast. Secondly, that was the day Muhammad Ali fought Canadian Joe Bugner in Kuala Lumpur. It was also the date I and two others arrived at the Minden campus of Universiti
When a tradition gathers enough strength to go on for centuries, you don’t just turn it off one day. – Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic Iban traditional designs and tattoos, both known as ‘ukir’ in our language, are a legacy of our forefathers. These are indeed arguably