Happy Kaamatan 2013

Hola!

Kaamatan (Harvest Fest)  is around the corner, again! We, Sabahans are celebrating it on May 30th-31st 2013. So, in light of this, I'd like to wish all my fellow Sabahans a very Happy Kaamatan Festival. Let's be merry but respectful to others. Drink responsibly and celebrate it with goodwill and friendship.

That's me and my cousin, donning our ethnic costumes, the Dusun Tinagas of Ranau :)

Mucho, mucho love from me.

XOXO

The Diving Mermaid: Pandelela Rinong Pamg

Congratulations, Pandelela on winning the bronze medal for the Women: Diving 10m Final in London Olympic 2012! You've made your country proud and the whole Malaysia is celebrating! Winning a medal and creating history is incredible but to compete in the highest level of sports such as this, is already a true class act! May you continue making history and best of luck in your future games!

Sources: Google

Image courtesy of: Facebook (Pandelela Rinong_Official)

The moment of glory (source from Youtube: Olympic official channel)



Incredible, just incredible.

Meanwhile, we are rejoicing..

The Pulse Point of Kota Kinabalu: Centerpoint Sabah

There have been many malls built around KK but one of the most enduring landmark is the Centerpoint Sabah mall, better known as CPS.  This mall was built 22 years ago and its popularity never cease to wan. It's always jam packed, especially during the weekends and, I think its popularity will continue to grow as the building management is planning to do new upgrading works as reported in the local daily: Wajah Baru Centerpoint Sabah, KK

Artist impression of the upgraded building:

Image by www.theborneopost.com

According to the CPS Managing Director, Andrew Chang, the upgrading works for the interior and out building will be conducted in stages for the next four months.  LED lights and aluminium/wooden materials will be used in outer part of the building. More toilets for the disabled and renovation works will be done in the food court (lower ground) to create a more comfortable dining experience. If you had visited Taiwan, you could expect a Taiwan-esque  version of CPS.

Well, looks like CPS will still be the main star in KK!

:)

10th KK City Tourism Treasure Hunt

What?

The Annual Treasure Hunt 

When?

27th February 2011

Where?

Nexus Resort Karambunai, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Flag Off! & Prize Presentation Ceremony

Greetings KK folks... Just want to spread some exciting news on what's happening around the city :)


The Annual Treasure Hunt, jointly organized by Kota Kinabalu City Hall and the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (Sabah) in conjunction with the 11th KK Day Celebration 2011 is back!   It promises fun and excitement during the City Day, also promotes Kota Kinabalu as a tourist destination. 

The hunt requires participants driving their cars on the trail for answers and complete several tasks at specific locations in and around Kota Kinabalu City and surroundings.

Embracing “Green and Clean” as their main theme, this exciting hunting games drives most important responsibility to be a strong international platform to promote the ‘No Plastic Bag’ campaign, which positioning ‘1Malaysia Green and Clean’ mission.

The challenge will be on for teams consisting of two or four persons. Participants will be flagged off at Nexus Resort Karambunai and follow a pre-determined route mapped out by “rally tulip” which will take them to places in and out of the city to hunt for clues and answers, before ending at same place. The team that scores the highest point will be declared the winner. At the end of the day, the treasures collected by the participants in the form of food, drinks and sportswear, which they have purchased, will be donated to charity homes. Entries will be limited to the first 150 cars on a first come first serve basis, with RM300 registration fee per team.

Everyone is welcome to join the hunt with fantastic cash prizes and goodies to be won. First place will get RM 8000, goods and certificate, while second and third place will win RM 5000 and RM 3000, goods and certificates, respectively. Consolation prizes consisting of cash, goods and certificates are waiting for winners at 4th till 20th place. Other than that, there are also attractive lucky draws and goodies waiting for each participant.

The forms can also be downloaded from their website @ http://www.dbkk.sabah.gov.my/
Grab your forms and sign up now! There is no deadline! Participant can walk in during the registration and briefing day on 26 February 2011 (1.00 - 4.00pm) at Dewan Besar, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Act fast because entries are limited to the first 150 vehicles. For more details and information, please contact:  Norsarahana Zaki / Emmanuel Gerald at 088-521800 or 088-270326.


Now, start and rev engines and go hunting!


Happy weekend and till next post. Ciao..

The Death of Chivalry

This has been nagging me for quite some times now. I am debating with myself about the rational of making this entry.  Will Sabahans hate me after this and form an 'Anti-WanderingSumandak' page in Facebook? Or will I get pros and cons responses? Either way, I still want to blog about this.

8-letters-word, C.O.U.R.T.E.S.Y!

Yes, I am talking about the basic of social ethics, the lack of courtesy among the public, about those who are commuting via public transportations in KK City. In fact, my cousin also voiced out her disappointment about this issue. As a newly-returned KKian, I still haven't got the time for getting myself a driving licence.  Hence, I take buses every day to work. My office is about 15 or 25 minutes drive from the heart of the city.  Mind you, this is when the traffic flow is smooth.  If it's jammed up then I think it probably takes you about half and hour or even an hour to reach my office and vice versa.  From my personal experience and observation, some commuters are still lacking of courtesy. Which courtesy am I talking about? I'm talking about giving up your seat to the elderly, pregnant ladies, disabled or even ladies.  I notice at times that male passengers will steadfastly glue their butts on the seats, rather than giving them up.

Once, this old makcik was standing and nobody offered his/her seat.  If I was seated, I'd give up my seat willingly and let the makcik sits down but alas, I too was standing up. I'm not saying that I'm a good example of a goody two-shoes  but imagine when you see a young and healthy man and he just sits there rolling his eyes upward to the vehicle's roof, picking his finger nails, or even turns his face up 25degrees towards the window while an elderly is having a difficult time to stable himself/herself everytime the vehicle lurches forward without warning! I saw this several times now. I am not saying that  all male commuters in KK are ill- mannered. I believe that it's only an isolated cases but still, these questions keep on nagging me.

IS THIS THE DEMISED OF CHIVALRY AMONG MEN IN SABAH?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MORAL LESSONS IN SCHOOL?
ARE WE TOO SELF-CENTERED THAT EVEN THIS SIMPLE GESTURE IS FORGOTTEN?

Having said that, I believe that not all male commuters in KK are lack of courtesy.  I did come across with some, who, actually gave up their seats willingly. So, don't worry. We're not being the rudest city in the planet.  One thing that I noticed is, most of the public transportations in the city are not practicing the 'being a considerate passenger' policy, as seen and practised on public transportations in KL. There are no active campaigns being carried out and not even a single sticker promoting 'courteousness'  amongst commuters. I have yet to see a section being allocated for disabled, pregnant ladies and elderly inside any of the City Buses. Do correct me if I'm wrong. I do feel that the DBKK and the Ministry of Public Transportation in Sabah could come up with campaigns, promoting this practice among the public. All public transportations' management could also be encouraged to enforce this policy, with endorsement from those two organizations of course.

Should and when this policy be enforced, I believe that it will somewhat  triggers people to notice and start feeling ashamed of their blatant 'don't care' attitude.  This might be a trivial matters to others but sometimes, the impact of a small or insignificant mistake can sometimes leads to a full-blown disaster. After all, we certainly do not want to project such image of being 'the rudest bunch' in the world to other people, especially to visitors/tourists, right?

So, DBKK and Ministry of Public Transportation (Sabah), what are you going to do about this?

Penat & Hitam..

My recent balik kampung was such a happy occasion BUT, was a tiring one. We had this big family reunion, complete with a prayer session.  I became the tukang masak terjun  of the day! Trust me, cooking for huge crowds is one tiring task, especially when the menus are varied. You repeat the process over and over again and by the time it reaches the "makan-time", you'd feel like puking!!

The weather's scorching hot and dry, not like in the capital and it drove me to 'berkubang' like hours at the nearest sungai, macam karabau pula! The outcome? Sia jadi hitam macam pilak sudah ni! My face and arms yang kena the most. I think I have to bathe myself in whitening lotion, baru mangkali my skin revert back to its original tone! 

I returned to the capital yesterday afternoon,  wiped out and within seconds of dumping my bags on the floor, I totally 'pengsan' (slept like a log), woke up nearly 11.00pm! After a quick shower, I went down to have tuaran mee for supper. I woke up this morning feeling tired but despite all that, I'm happy. I've got to eat nearly all the kampung food, be with my families and extended families (although half of them I could hardly recognized, especially the new generations! Gosh, I feel like ancient!) 

Oh my, sekarang musim buah di kampung! I saw fruit trees everywhere, their branches are bowed with a promising and plentiful harvest ahead, especially the tarap and langsat..yum yum..can't hardly wait!

This is me, before and after! 

My featured letter to the Editor of SabahKini.net

Today must be one of the happiest day of my life! First, I've secured myself a job. Secondly, my humble letter to the Editor of  SabahKini  actually gets featured on the website! Snippets of my letter...

Dear Editor,

I'M writing in response of Lonely Sabahan's article, Please Listen to Sabahan Voice.

The writer echoes my sentiment, totally. I am also a Sabahan, moonlighting in KL. Often times, I came across with not only prejudicial sentiments but also the common assumption of Sabah being a backward place.

I personally experienced one incident which had totally left me feeling flabbergasted. I was riding a cab going to work when this cab driver asked me about where did I come from. I dully answered that I'm a Sabahan. 

Click here to read the rest of the content: Miss, Can I Have Sabah Currency?

To SabahKini Editor, thank you!

^__^

Anticipation..anticipation ~ ya bah, inda kesabaran suda!

well, i've been posting this KK Trip Countdown thingy in my FB wall.  so,  as of now, my trip to KK is a shy away from 2 days! YES, two more days to go! inda sabar sudaini...! oh yes, seems like my posting today is full of exclamation marks (!) that's how excited i am...! really...


so, have i bought my halloween costume? checked.  Have i bought my lil' sis her birthday pressie? checked. 


and  i've been diligently clicking the links for the SBG upadates and from what i read/gathered, it's gonna be an interesting ones.  Gathering and halloween? peeps,  let's partayyy! *grins* for my costume,  i won't be dripping in blood, don't want to look gory in my picture. nanti inda cute hehehehe (choooiiii, masuk bakul angkat sendiri!) 


hmmm..for this trip alone, my schedule is pretty tight.  from KL to KK to Ranau-KK-KL, whoah, that's one helluva tight of a full-packed calendar! 


owh, forgot to mention.  one of my BFF is flying down to KK to watch the rugby tourney ~ 2009 Asian Rugby Sevens Series (Borneo Sevens, Kota Kinabalu - October 31 - November 1) hmmm..i think i might have to re-arrange my calendar.  alang-alang suda di KK, bah, apalagi.  pigi la tinguk rugby.  bulih juga tingu tanak wagu, bapa urang belari2 di padang pakai shorts baju ketat2 :P


til then...sit tight and wait for the day :)

Are We Racist?

i  have to say that whatever corner of the world you're sleeping, eating and shitting (pardon the crude language) in right now, racism is still apparent in every culture.  In Malaysia, racism has been an ongoing debate among the rakyats (common people) and one has to thread carefully before making an open remarks, least that person could be carted away to the most feared 'dungeon' of so-called political justice systems. I do not want to elaborate on that 'dungeon' part cause i'm sure the political learned people knew what i'm talking about. 

As a Sabahan moonligthing in KL, I'm having my dose of homesickness for my hometown, everyday. Yes, got that? Every single day.  So, FB is the good getaway for me to interact with my fellow sabahans.  As it happens, there's a social link in FB for Sabahans as a virtual meeting point to express their ideas, opinions, basically their pride of being Sabahans. It's called, "I Come From Sabah and NO, We Do Not Live In Trees Or Wear Gigantic Leaves" So, there's a board discussion which carries a topic title like this : Are We Racist? Judging from the responses posted in the discussion board, East Malaysians believe that they are least racist compared to West Malaysians people. Below is the excerpt that I cut and pasted from the website:

***********

goddamit..i already try to post this topic three times oredy..dc dc dc..ARGHH..
anyway..are we racist..?

we can see this as DEFENDING our pride..right guys..?i mean..how come they still think that we livin in tree and wearing a cawat..wtf is that thinking..?

i really terharu when i saw the title of this group..haha..and im doing some rofl, lmao..hehe..

majority of our ppl can talk in proper english..and yet..its not american english..Britain english much better that american..how come colour spelled color..?heh.. what is the connection..?

can native ppl livin in the tree having conversation in 2nd world lang..?

evaluate it using logical not mulut org..gila ba diorg tu.

***********

Strongly disagree, Sabahans are famous not to be racist among anyone. Racism happens anywhere, only among those who possess low mentalities n wisdom. look at successful ppl, are they racist

***************

we are well taught ppl...we appreciate and praise those who achieve great heights in life unlike others who put all their strenght to condemn ppl that are better than themselves...because they have this gene-failure called the jealousy syndrome in their blood...look in jails you'll know how well they're taught by their parents...hahahahahah. conclusion...we racist? no. we are better.

**************

yes...sabahans are known to be friendliest amongst all and i am always proud to say im a sabahan. the living on a tree thing is common but can you guys imagine, just few months back somebody actually asked me " DOES YOUR MONEY LOOKS SAME LIKE OURS?" OMG!!!! That, my friend, is outrageous. Luckily it was a senior citizen and i managed to correct her in a diplomatic manner. talk about globalisation....

**************

Even though I moved to KL at the age of 7, I am still very much a Sabahan at heart !!!!!! And proud to be one :)-

**************

We Sabahan Racist ... NO ... I reiterate that ... No ... If there is any Racist in this Country it would be the West Malaysian ... Why ... Answer simple ... All of the racist news or people who advocate racism are West Malaysian's... What a lame bunch of lot these people are ... When i was young ... I use to mingle happily with Malay, Indian, Chinese, and Kadazan plus the mix... very well ... we use to eat all on the same table and share the same food and drinks... and we still do even now as we meet ... But can we see that in the west Malaysian ... No ... They Have thier Special groups ... Chinese=MCA .. Malay=UMNO, Indian=Mic .. so whose the racist now ...?? If i were to see some Chinese, Malay and Indian sitting together at a nasi kandar place drinking and chatting happily .. it would be my lucky day ... I would go and buy 4D!!! So if anyone condemn us Sabahan a Racist ... 1st thing i would do is ask him to fuck himself, eat shit, die and burn in hell !!!! Proud To Be a SABAHAN!!! WE are NO RACIST!!!  

P.s. We are a more and much well educated lot than these westerners ... who don't even know Geography and how to speak English well ....!!!

Sumandak kind of agrees with this one:

According to Human Right and Equal Committee Commission (1998) of Australia, racism is defined as:

“ an ideology that gives expression to myths about other racial and ethnic groups, that devalues and renders inferior those groups, that reflects and is perpetuated by deeply rooted historical, social, cultural and power inequalities in society”. 

My question to those who dare call themselves a non racist person:

1. Have you ever at any point reason a person base on their ethnicity/national group/race?

2. Have you ever at any point think that all (legal and illegal) immigrants in your area should die and burn in hell because you’re so disgusted with them?

3. Have you ever at any point think that your ethnicity/national group/race is superior to others?

4. Have you ever ridiculed a person for speaking a language or an accent different from yours?

5. Have you ever thought of uniting and destroying other national group/race/ethnicity?

6. Are you doing anything to stop racism? Or are you an exclusive member NATO?

I dare stand up and admit that I have at least once in my lifetime said/did sometime that suggest the act of racism. I am ashamed of this act and I pledge to stop it. 

RACISM IS BAD AND IT MUST STOP!

*************

Be proud! We are not racist. In fact, we have no problem joining the other races in KL. We can speak malay (sa sampai skrg tu slang sabah susah mo lari!) and also English. I can easily sit with the Indians, Malays, and Chinese. Maybe I being a Sino-Kadazan helps a lot.

************

RACIST?

hahahahahahaha

org malaya mmg ada sikit problem bah pasal race ni

dah komuniti dorang itu mcm bah dari dulu. kawin campur sana meaning lain...Malay+Indian, Malay+Chinese, Indian+Chinese.... or lain2 lagi la cuba klu d sini, nah... ko check ja sodara2 ko tu ada dusun, ada bajau, ada brunei, ada sina.... campur2 bah suma sudah apa lagi kawin campur kunun, mmg sudah bacampur sia ja kan, klu d check butul2 kunun dusun+brunei+iranun+arab+brunei.... nah... apa sudah tu? klu ada Dusun/Kadazan yg kahwin, sure ada sodara mara muslim dorang yg masak utk jemputan muslim. tapi org melaya yg ndak tau tu ragu2 sikit mo makan kunun... mcm la org ndak tau bah kan. kotoh

**********

who call us racist? did anyone ever say that? among all the other states in malaysia we're the least racist of them all...seriously, im not kidding, when they are there sitting in groups, we sabahan jump from group to group no problem...but we rather stick with anther sabahan coz the negativity they're spreading are overwhelming

**************

hi, aku dr s'wak, saja2 masuk group ni sbb dia punya interesting topic....tapi seriously, spt kamurang ckp,mmg btul bah west malaysian ni racist...sbb dlm kelas aku, malay duduk dgn malay, cina duduk ngan cina n so on...tyme dkt matrix dulu ndak ada mcm tu, satu group bulih sampai 5 bangsa...satu lagi, ada kwn aku hari tu bah, bagi satu questionaire, ada satu soalan tanya, (lebih kurang begini la) "perlu kah di wujudkan satu budaya baru di m'sia utk mewujudkan perpaduan kaum?"aku pun jawab:"budaya baru? tidak perlu, sbb di sbah n s'wak perpaduan kaum mmg kukuh,tapi s'mnjg lain la" west malaysian yg ada masalah perpaduan kaum...so aku proud to be sarawakian n borneo-an.... ( i love sabah as well) ntah apa2 bah diaorg tu...

************

When i was studying in Bangi somewhere in 1996 during oreintasi, ..i noticed most of the students stayed 'berpuak - puak', ..melayu in one group, cina in one group, indian in one group, ..they were puzzled when they saw us (mostly sabahan) forming one group also but with 2 melayu, 1 chinese, 1 sino india, 2 pure kadazan, 1 sino kadazan in one group, ..one good thing about we sabahan@srwakian is that we can join any group formed by them, but they cannot @ unlikely to join any sabahan @ srwkian group like what we used to be as multiracial in sabah @ srwak ..Buli bah kalo ko!!

***************

am i racist? are we racist? PROUD TO BE MALAYSIAN! :D

************

sabahan@sarawakian were more open minded as compared to west malaysian. we accept & can mingle with all sort of people. Durang punya semangat perkauman sungguh tinggi! durang lazimnya suka buat kaum lain rasa terpinggir, lumrah durang disini suka buat org gaduh!

and lastly, sumandak's response:

the barometer of racism is kind of deep-rooted in the west malaysian culture, instigated by avaricious chest-thumping politicians (however, i've to say that there are still honest ppl whom are opposed to racism). We, the Sabahans are not decreed by the political aspiration of "JANGAN MENCABAR KETUANAN MELAYU" i could still recall the frantic "keris waving gestures" of a certain politician which was aired in the national TV not so long ago, shouting tagline of "kalau tak suka, keluar dari Malaysia". Such acts could certainly turbo-charged the already planted seed of racism sentiments towards malaysian rakyats in general. 

Having said that, I am proud to say that Sabahans & Sarawakians are the most friendliest people in Malaysia. We have a high-tolerance to other cultures & religions. Simply put, whatever ethnic you're from, you'd feel at home walking the streets of Sabah & Sarawak.

************

hmmm...for what it's worth, Malaysia is definitely still the safest country in the world, even if not 100% politically united. I believe Sabahans are truly proud of their vast multi-cultural herritages and its spirits of togetherness. The value of simple and laid back life still works as a magical charm that pulls you towards this beautiful state. Welcome to Sabah, my dear weary friends :)

 

Back in KL

hmmmpphhh...after my pleasant 'balik kampong' i've adopted (AGAIN!)the slow, idyllic and lazy days :-( it is rather sad, leaving the familiar faces and places back in my hometown, and be a Sabahan in KL. One thing for sure, i've gained weight! when i look at my latest pic, yayyyy....i look more 'montel' than the last time I had my pic taken! That's what happened when you stuff yourself with homemade cooking, the one that your mum cooks :)

suffice to say, i was chewing most of the time, be it morning, noon, evening, or late night suppers! aside from my mum's cooking, my sister's fiancee kept on feeding us! No wonder my sister has become 'tersangat-sangatlah montel' During my last night stay at my sister's place, he treated us with 'makan-makan' session at the stall, in front of the shopping mall (which is within walking distance from my sister's house) I had beef & chicken satay, soto ayam, beef burger, chicken wing bbq and fresh fruit juice. Gosh! that's all i can say....

overall, my vacation was great! oh, forgot to add... my skin has turned to brown! i was outside most of the time, roaming the streets of KK, checking out new shopping malls :-)

and....

i got myself a brand new tatoo, on the left side of my legs :-D

Sabahan Beauties - Local & International Acts

Yep.... we Sabahans are gradually storming over the entertainment scene in strides, be it locally or internationally. Over the last 8 years or so, we have quite a number of Sabahans who managed to grace the showbiz limelight.



Personally, the most prominent to date are the Sabah born lass, Cherilyn Lim a.k.a Che'Nelle, the talented young singer (she's currently making waves internationally) and Daphne Eleanor Iking (a regular face in the Malaysian entertainment industry)




My Pick:

1. Che'Nelle - The 24-year-old Sabah born singer, currently residing in U.S, debuted her first album "Things Happen For A Reason" under Virgin Records American label. She was the opening act for Kanye West's concert in Australia last year. Google her and you'd be surprised, she's all over the net. Her single "I Fell In Love With The DJ" is a smash hit internationally.











2. Daphne Iking - the delecteble former beauty queen, a model, actress and TV personality.







3. Marsha Milan Londoh - A graduate of local TV reality show "Akademi Fantasia". She's a budding singer, actress and model. She's the new face for an international beauty product, Nivea.

4. Linda Nanuwil - another Akademi Fantasia graduate. The beauty who caught the attention of many Malaysian. She has one album under her belt and acted in a film, directed by Malaysian well-known director Datuk Yusoff Haslam. Her second album is set to be released soon.

5. Nicollette (Nikki) Palikat - The Malaysian Idol graduate. Known for her strong vocal. The protege of Ning Baizura, Malaysian well-known and successful singer/actress, released her debut album "Maharani' last year. She also collaborated with other Malaysian singers.

6. Azharina Azhar - Another successful singer. Competed in Bintang HMI RTM. Known for her strong and husky vocal. Her single "Elegi Sepi" has sealed her place in the Malaysian music industry.

7. Pija - the younger sister of the singer Azharina. A graduate of local TV reality show (singing competition) "Mentor" Her energetic perfomance combine with her strong and unique vocal made her a favourite among judges and viewers. She bagged the title. Hopefully, we'll see more from her




8. Karen Kong - the petite lass from Labuan, she's a Chinese who sings in Malay songs! Yes, she's famous on her own right. Her demo and makeshift music video are widely accessed by thousands in Youtube. Her first full Malay album debuted early this year.

9. Candra "Candy" Clement - another graduate from the reality show "Akademi Fantasia"
signed under Maestro Talent Management, hope to hear more from her very soon.

10. Velvet L. Aduk - Fellow Akademi Fantasia graduate. wowed the viewers with her strong vocal.

11. Yanie - a former contestant in the singing competition "Mentor" another protege of the singer Ning Baizura, no doubt she'll make another interesting addition to the Malaysian music scene. hit single to date "Drama" a duet number between herself, Ning Baizura and Nikki. Also a budding actress, she can be seen in TV 3's serial "Farra"

well, I say good luck to these beauties. Do continue to wow us with your talents...

Che'Nelle - A hot Sabahan and currently riding international fame

Boy, i'm proud with this girl. She's one hot chick and currently riding the R&B music waves, globally. I said globally judging from her Myspace http://www.myspace.com/chenelleworld and Youtube appearances!



.....and, she's trailing hot vibes on local radio station. Tune in to Hitz.fm, she's featured on their Malaysian Top 10 English artist.



According to Wikipedia:



Che’Nelle is a young R&B soul, reggae singer/songwriter, producer signed to Virgin Records America. She was born on March 10, 1983 as Cheryline Lim in Sabah, Malaysia to a Chinese Malaysian father and Indian-Dutch mother. Raised in Perth, Western Australia.
Her father ran a karaoke lounge, where Che'nelle began singing as a toddler. She has played in bands and written her own music for years but it was American music veteran Charles Dixon, who discovered her music on Che'Nelle's myspace page.


Dixon took her material to Virgin Records and flew Che'nelle business class to Los Angeles at the end of last year to meet with the label. Within two days she had signed the deal and was being marketed as a world artist. Che'nelle worked as a promotions assistant before moving to New York in January after signing a six-album deal with Virgin Records America, the same label as Lenny Kravitz, Janet Jackson and Ben Harper. In Australia, she is represented by EMI.



She also shares the same management team as Kanye West, performing as the opening act on his Australian tour in March 2006.
Che'nelle collaborated with UK based music producer Manon Dave (aka Schizo) on a track for her forthcoming album. The two had also been collaborating on a number of projects prior to Che'nelle's deal with Virgin Records.
Che'nelle, studied music at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
Her song, "Teach Me How To Dance" was featured in the movie Take the Lead.
Her debut album "Things Happen For A Reason" is due out on August 28.



Now, how's that? I say "Keep on rocking, gal"

I'm losing my voice......:-(

I woke up this morning with a nearly gone voice!

the result? I'm a croaking frog around my office. My colleagues barely understand whatever words I'm trying to say. I've been taking medications since Monday! My friend even bought me traditional Chinese remedy for flu and sore throat. It's called: "Teh Herba Pai Chaw Wai Kan"

ok..forget about my illness.

My response to Papajoneh's entry in his blog about how much/true Sabahan are you questionnaires. Here goes mine:

1. You drive at right lane of the road, with a speed of only 50 KM/H. If people horn behind you, you still don’t know what’s wrong.
Ini mana dapat lesen ni? Was it “lesen kopi O?”

2. You have the luxury of working from 8 AM to 5 PM (get off work punctually).
nope, I work from 9am to 6pm

3. You don’t believe that there is any “clean” politician in Sabah.
Talk about “Politik Sabun, Politik Duit” kebanyakan mereka lebih suka mengembangkan poket masing2, selfish and greedy!

4. You feel “obligated” to reach the top of Mount Kinabalu at least once in a lifetime.
Ehem…ehem…I admit I’m no Mr. Salagan but I’ve been there once

5. You prefer a big car than a big house (probably you can’t drive a big house around to show off).
Can I want both? Heheheh…ok la, I’m a petite sumandak so a tiny car is ok

6. You wear slipper and short wherever you go, even in city.
yeah, I do that most of the time but I’d make sure that slipper is at least on the trendy side. Well, slipper design nowadays is very ‘kheng’ mah. Mau yang ada corak kartun, corak batik, corak geometri? Semua ada :-)
Tapi…kalau di kampung, selipar jipun warna merah, oren, hijau, biru semua pakai. Kadang2 tu, ada yang belubang sudah di tumit kaki, nipis dan putus tangkai (ni sambung balik) hantam jak pakai. Yang penting, ada poh…. tidak lah juga tepijak tai langot :-D

7. You still think that Labuan belongs to Sabah.
Well, I know that Labuan is a FT but deep down, I think Labuan and Sabah cannot be parted.

8. You will not go to any FREE seminar / function that has no food or refreshment.
Bah…siapa mo pigi seminar/function kalau teda makanan? Personally, I don’t really like going to any seminar, free or paid whatsoever

9. You don’t care about service. You just want things cheap, cheap, cheap.
Sometimes lah but nowadays, I tend to accept the fact that if you want a ‘tip top’ services, you have to pay more. Yeah, I can handle that

10. You know where to get your candles and torch light quickly in the total darkness (due to training by frequent blackout).
Yes! This is soooooo true.

11. You know what “aramaitiee” means…
ABUDEN?.....yes, ofkoz I know :-D
-cheers
-yaaaaam seeeeng
-salut
-salud
-kampai
-thanniiii
-minummmmmm....

12. You shout “referee bodoh” and at the same time throw mineral water bottles on the pitch during a football match at Likas stadium..
Hmmmm …. Never been to any stadium, thanks to TV / radio….however, I do curse sometimes especially when the players are diving here and there with no strong reasons. Sikit2 tumbang macam batang pisang buruk...Germany World Cup 2006, wahhhhh...so many diving stunts!

13. Your Timorese maid ran away with her lover, taking your money or jewellery along..
my family don’t hire maid. My mum is a ‘Superwoman’ but mostly, now that me and my sisters have grown up, we do the house chores

14. You doubt someone’s mykad whether it is real or fake..
Yup, no argument on that one. Apparently, nearly a million estimate of non-pribumis have acquired mykad, rumour says so. Betul atau tidak, you'd be the judge!

15. Your favourite assemblyman whom you vote and supported all this while…gambled away and lost a whopping 60 million ringgit in a London casino..
Holy cow…those millions are rakyat’s hard earned money and that fella lost it for nothing!

16. You go inside a karaoke at 12 pm and realise that the place is still open at 5 am…
Gosh…..how I miss go karaoke with friends in KK!

17. You come across a supposedly local person but with a very foreign accent..
Tell me about it!
Speaking about that, there’s a story about foreigners masquerading as locals. This happened when Sabah’s gahmen was doing an “operasi cegah PTI” a while back. One day, a truckload of policemen stopped a KK city bus en route to Inanam. So, one of the policemen asked one male passenger (he was sporting a slightly curly hair) to produce his mykad.

Officer: Mana IC?

Passenger: Ada tuan (he confidently fishes out his mykad) Ini tuan. Sya urang tampatan bah tuan.

Officer: (Takes the mykad and strokes his chin thoughtfully) Ohhh…bagus, bagus! Urang tampatan, bagus. Bah, kalau macam tu, cuba ko kira angka dari nombor 1 sampai 10.

Passenger: Bah. Sya kira ya tuan. Satu, dua, tiga, ampat, lima, anam, tujuh, DELAPAN…… (before he finishes counting, suddenly…..)

Officer: Heh, urang tampatan kunun! Naik ko di situ skarang jugak!! (pointing out the navy blue coloured police truck which was parked by the roadside)

Well, the passenger succeeded with flying colours on his local accent but unfortunately his thick Indon accent (when he pronounced DELAPAN, instead of LAPAN) gave him away!

18. You cannot vote in an election because someone has voted on behalf of you…hmmm….tanyakan pada pengundi hantu

19. You own a bakakuk
I don’t but my dad used to keep about 2 bakakuks. That was long time ago...and he never kept bakakuk inside our house. Kalau polis datang, habis!

Well, that’s about it lah. To sum if up, I believe I am a true Sabahan.