Friday, December 4, 2009

Life and Death



Once again, I want to share my experience with you. Last week, a very meaningful incident occurred, which is I involved in an accident. Thank God I was not seriously injured and only sustained cuts, bruises, and broke a toe nail. Everything happened in a split second and the moment I regain consciousness I found myself lying next to my father’s wrecked motorcycle. People gathered around me and some of them even ask questions like ‘How can you survive the crash??’ .Maybe they want to asked the question after looked at the impact on the motorcycle. Besides that, I indirectly got the experience of kissing a Mitsubishi Triton because in the accident, I ran into a Triton. Thinking about the cause of the accident, I’m don’t know how it happened but one thing for sure, I lose control of the motorcycle and the incident leads me to kiss a Triton face to face. During the collision, everything turned into slow motion, I could see the glasses and parts of my motorcycle flew into the air and one thing appeared in my mind, I still want to live and I don’t want it to end this way and somehow ‘He’ answered my wish at the moment and I only sustained cuts, bruises, and broke a toe nail. Truly, God is great.. Guys, remember, we could die anytime and anywhere, so don’t waste your life..

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Bidayuh, a 'part' of Sarawak





Hello, I am Roystance and I come from Kuching Sarawak. I am a bidayuh and for those who never heard of the term Bidayuh before, we call it land Dayak in English. For Iban, they are known as sea Dayak. So, you can see the difference here. The term Land Dayaks was first used during the period of Rajah James Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak. Most of the Bidayuh villages can be found in the rural areas of Lundu, Bau, Padawan, Penrissen and Serian district. If you analyze the geography, the area in which Bidayuh live is mainly in the basin of the Sarawak River and hilly to mountainous forest, traditionally worked by rotational agriculture and hunting based in the nearest forest. There are generally said to be three main linguistic groupings (Biatah; Bau-Jagoi; Bukar-Sadong) but these can be broken down even beyond the list referenced below as most people can be distinguished by locals down to village level through smaller differences in vocabulary and intonation.

1) Lundu speak Jagoi, Salako &Lara

2) Bratak, Singai, Krokong and Jagoi speak Singai-Jagoi

3) Penrissen speak Bisitang(my language)

4) Siburan speak Biatah

5) Bidayuhs around Serian such as Tebekang, Mongkos, Tebedu to Tanjung Amo near the border of Kalimantan Indonesia speak Bukar-Sadong.

6) Bidayuhs in Padawan speak several but related dialects like Bi-anah, Pinyawa, Braang, Bia', Bisepug & Emperoh/Bipuruh.

According to history books and research from the World Wide Web, long before the arrival of the white Rajah, Bidayuhs are animist. The arrival of white rajah along with Christian missionaries who brings education and modern medicine changed the life of most Bidayuhs because many of them converted to Christians after the arrival of the white rajah. Some even became Muslims and the left over remains as animist.
Lastly, I am really proud to be a Bidayuh and as you all know, Bidayuh is a part of Sarawak community. Together with other races, we strive to make Sarawak a better place and just like our tourism slogan, Sarawak, a place like no other.





Music…according to the dictionary, music is an arrangement of sounds in patterns to be sung or played on instruments. To make it simple, we can conclude that sound+ tune =Music. Okay, let’s cut the educational crap. My main point for doing this article is to share my opinion about music. I’ve been living in this world for 21 years and due to the experience I had, I noticed that music is more than just a sound and tune or rhythm. I want to reveal to you guys that music also create bond between different individuals which will leads to sharing of interest and emotional, or in other words, music could unite human to be friends with each other.
To back up my point, I would like to share you with my past experience. When I was in Form 5, I stayed in the dormitory together with other students. 2 doors away from my room is a junior room and it is occupied by several form 4 students. I forgot the exact total of the roomies but I’m sure that in the room, two students just arrived from another school and it means they are about to experience living and studying in a new school.
Eventually, the two boys got along and adapted with their new surrounding without any problems. By the way, to make things easy, let’s give the two boys a name. We will call the first boy as James Lian and the second boy is called Mike Darn. Sometimes I would go to their room in search of noodles. Due to this habit, I grew fond with the group of juniors and also with James and Mike. Knowing this group really benefits me because when ever I felt stressed; I will come to their room and sometimes chat with them and somehow my stress reduced drastically. I don’t know how the heck James and Mike could be close with their roommates but for sure, I knew that James, Mike and several of their roommates had several similarities in term of music taste.
I often saw James, Mike, and Yugene( one of the roommates) chat about music and this activity indirectly break their invisible barrier with each other. I watch their friendship progress silently and for sure I appreciate the magical touch of music. For the boys, I wish that they will be friends forever. Years went by and now I heard that all of them are in the universities continuing their studies. Without music, james Lian, Mike Darn, Yugene will not be as close as now. Cheers to them. In conclusion, without music, our life will totally be screwed up and for sure true friends like Mike, James, and Yugene will not exist.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Friend or foe?


What do you know about friends? Do you have friends? If you do, are they your true friends or they only share your best moment and will be missing when you’re in trouble? Ask yourself these several question and analyze your situation. I came up with this issue because I noticed that some of individuals out there are facing this kind of problem, which is living with their life without the existence of true friends. But for fuck sake, they didn’t even notice their fucked up life. Now, let me give you some situation, and I want you to choose the one that you prefer. First, you have a friend that always on your side, during class and after class he/she will be there with you. However, you noticed that this friend of yours have the attitude of turning back on you whenever he/she finds someone new to be with. However, he/she will return to you after they felt bored with the so-called new friends. Besides that, whenever others gave you a compliment regarding yourself, you noticed that your friend will be jealous and suddenly her attitude turned cold. The next day, they will show up with something which obviously show that they wants to be better than what you have. Do you consider the guy/girl as a friend? Now, we move on with the second situation. You got another friend, but she/he is not in the same class with you. Despite being in a different class, this friend showed true quality as a friend. For example, every time you guys met, he/she will greet you even if you didn’t see her. Besides that, this friend of yours never wants to compete with you in term of getting attraction from others. This situation will create a pleasant environment every time you guys hang out. So now, between the two person which one will you consider as a true friend? Actually, there are many other situations that exist but if you could come out with a good answer from these two situations; it means you know what the meaning of true friend is. So guys, go out there and find your true friends, and don’t forget to be one. Be smart and avoid from being used by the ‘so-called best friend’. Remember, best friend will not manipulate others for their own good. If you are having the same situation, solve it quickly before it gets worse.




Whoaa!!! What a tremendous results from the match between Chelsea and Manchester United a.k.a the red devils. It seems that the red devil was tamed by the blue crusader like what all anti Man.utd was hoping. So guys, you got what you want, celebrate it and go kill yourself. This battle ain over yet. This is soccer, and anything can happen either tomorrow or today. Shit does happen in the world of Football. When I refer to shit, it really means shit and it sucks. So, did you guys watch the match?? The match was full of action as if you’re watching one of John Wu’s movies. I’m not joking. For example, you can see how Anderson pushes the head of Chelsea’s player and how Michael Ballack non stop pushing every Man.Utd players that he approached. And it was the time where the entire squad showed their true attitude (big headed retarded superstar players). However, the jewel of the game is truly the one and only Gabriel Obertan. Although he only played for 10 minutes, he gave a spectacular dribbling to beat Chelsea’s player!! From his superb show, I want to say that Man.Utd does not need Christiano Ronaldo!! This CR7 shit is OVER. Its time for Gabriel the humble French teenager to beat the arrogant so-called most expensive player. Gabriel maybe worth only a dollar to Man.UTd if to compare with CR’s value, but for sure, that dollar is one good future investment. As for me, I’m still hoping my favorite squad to show their competitors their true fresh talent. The ball is fucking round and for sure, I want Arsenal to control the damn round object. Go Gunners!!!

Friday, November 6, 2009

students vs examination


Examination, one thing that could make the cold sweats of all students to drips out and eventually, life will be easier without the existence of exam. For your information, to be honest, on behalf of all teenagers, I dare to say that there are 68.7% of teenager dislikes having an exam. You know why? It is because examination will affect their leisure time and life’s a bitch if u didn’t enjoy the world with your remaining moment. However, without exam, you can’t identify your level of smartness and it is the time to compete with your friends and see who are the best in terms of academic and so on. Besides that, examination will ends with a results and the results will affect your future. So, if you want to have a better life in the future, put more effort in your action because it all depends on yourself to achieve what you want. I still remember my old teacher saying about 99% efforts and 1% luck. I agreed to that statement because in reality, life is way fucked up than you thing and stop living in fantasy. Remember that, no pain, no gain. So guys, lets roll out and take on the world. For students around the globe, Good luck in your coming exam.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

A touch of History and so-called rivalries










Rajah Brooke, is an important name in the history of Sarawak. The name dwells in the mind of the people in the land of the hornbill every time the histories of Sarawak are being remembered. This also proved the significant of the white rajah character in the development of Sarawak.

Based on the history, he arrived in Kuching in August to find the settlement facing a Bidayuh uprising against the Sultan of Brunei. Offering his aid to the Sultan, he and his crew helped bring about a peaceful settlement. Having threatened the Sultan with military force, he was granted the title of Raja of Sarawak on 24 September 1841. After that, Brooke began to establish and cement his rule over Sarawak: reforming the administration, codifying laws and fighting piracy, which proved to be an ongoing issue throughout his rule. However, during his rule, Brooke faced threats from Sarawak warriors like Sharif Masahor and Rentap, but remained in power.
He ruled Sarawak until his death in 1868. His nephew Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke became Rajah after his death; he was succeeded on his death in 1917 by his son, Charles Vyner Brooke. Their territory was greatly expanded over the coming years. The Brooke dynasty ruled Sarawak for a hundred years and the Brooke family was intent on a policy of paternalism to protect the indigenous population against exploitation. This was proved when they governed with the aid of the Muslim Malay and enlisted the Ibans and other "Dayak" as a contingent militia. They also encouraged the immigration of Chinese merchants but forbade the Chinese to settle outside of towns in order to minimize the impact on the Dayak way of life.
During the period of their ruling, many things change including the academic aspect and the religion. During the reign of the white rajah, they also bring indirectly their religion along with them (Christian). As you can see, James Brooke invited a party of missionaries and the team was led by a person named Francis Thomas Francis McDougall. The main purpose of the invitation was to establish an Anglican church and fortunately, Francis McDougall was more than suitable for the job because besides being a priest, he was also a doctor. The Rajah gave the missionaries a piece of land on which to build their base. An allocation was made for a church which was to serve as pro-cathedral for many years. The stories does not ended here, in fact a school which named St. Thomas’ and St. Mary’s are built and this speedily won McDougall the affection and trust of the Native people who lived nearby. Nowadays, the schools are still called by the name of St. Thomas and St. Mary. The fact about being the oldest school in Sarawak is true and indirectly, this is what a Thomian can be proud of. Not long after the establish of St. Thomas school, another school was built and it was named St. Joseph. Both of the schools are good achievers in their academic and co-curriculum.

The other purpose that drove me to write this is to talk about the so called rivalry among the two schools. In fact, before I enter SMK St. Thomas, I already thought about it and I am curious about the root for the rivalry issue. However, the curiosity only became a mind playing issue because during my studying years in St. Thomas, many things need to be accomplish and these leads me to a busy life.
Years passed, and without noticing, now I’m in the University and the experience of becoming a thomian gives me the best memories in my whole life. In fact, the question about the root of the so-called rivalries is answered during my second semester in the University. I was in the library doing a research for my history assignment and I Stumbled upon a book which was written by an author from Kuching and now she is staying abroad with her families, and because of her love for Kuching, she wrote the book which contains history of Kuching. However, I am really sorry because I can’t remember the name of the author and neither the book title. I will tell you guys if I found the book in the library. According to the author, the rivalry between the two schools happens since the old days. She stated that it started because during the old days, there are rumors that claim about the student of St. Thomas are easier to get a job in the government sector. This rumor sparks a rivalry between the relationships of the two schools. Due to the rumor, the two schools usually competes each other in every aspect. At last, my question is answered. However, we must know that despite the rivalry issue, these two schools always help each other when ever there are things that required to be done together.
For your information, I wrote this article not to offend any sides but I just want to share what I discover to all of you out there. =)

Friday, October 30, 2009

Super Merida




Fran Merida, from the same Barcelona production line as Cesc Fabregas, helped Arsenal to defeat Liverpool during the carling cup match when he gave a super shot into the top right corner of Diego Cavalieri's net from outside the box for his first strike for the Gunners. The 19-year-old had been set up for the goal by Eastmond, the pair recreating their feats for Arsenal's youth team. The game also proven that the faith of Arsene Wenger towards his young guns is worth it and this is how Arsenal differentiate its strategy than any other clubs. From veteran players like titi, pires, Vieira, ljungberg, it seems that Arsene Wenger is now focusing more on developing extraordinary youngster in order to have a long term winning campaign. A very brilliant plan from the professor.

Friday, October 9, 2009

true quality of women


Do you think the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar from how most cosmetics are promoted?What do you think of this question?I would like to share my view about it.
Firstly, let’s look at how Fair & Lovely promote its product. Its advertisement storyline created its very own agenda. We knew that the motives of the advertisement is to convince the consumer that if they use the product, they will be more accepted in the society and the result will also affected their relationship and career status. So, now lets answer the question which is ‘Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar from how most cosmetics are promoted?’. In my opinion, my answer is ‘yes’.
I can strongly assume that Fair & Lovely didn’t aware about the storyline of its advertisement. For sure they are trying to create an advertisement which could vary themselves from their competitors but somehow they neglected the effect towards the women. One of the advertisements portrayed a helpless dark-skinned daughter which demoralized because she can’t bear the financial responsibility of her family, but after using Fair & Lovely’s cream, plain jane transformed into a gorgeous light-skinned women and in instant she got a good job and even can take her father to dine at a five star hotel.
I do think that the advertisement of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women but in country like India, it also raise issues on caste, race, and skin color. For the women which watch the advertisement, I can guarantee that their self confidence will shattered and they will doubt about their current social influence with their current look. Besides that, the advertisement also created a mindset which makes people think that appearance is more important than ability. Women do need to look after their appearance but we cant forget the inner self which contain ability, and spirit. Without ability, no one is useful, as if they are an empty can of Soda. Therefore, the advertisement is quite negative, since it supposed that the main qualification for women to get a job is the way she looks but not the capability within herself.




In my point of view, for Coke and Pepsi, it is a good move to participate in a condom distribution program in India, Brazil, and the United States. I dare to say this because by helping to promote the use of condom for sexual intercourse could help to prevent AIDS to spread widely and this method will of course get an attention from the world authority and organization. Indirectly, it could raise the social rank of both of the company from its competitors and of course the news will spread around the globe.

That is only the beginning. After that, when everyone has recognized the goodwill of coke and Pepsi, surely people will start to focus on their product which we all knew and that is, soft drinks. People will buy their product and this will increase the income and revenue of Coke and Pepsi. Besides that, the governments of the three countries will most probably recognized coke and Pepsi for their effort and maybe they will be given something in return such as an award for them in the country. When this happened, this is a proof that they have established their brand product, therefore it will increase the popularity and they could reduce their spending cost on publicity. Besides that, all business organization must not forget about their responsibility to the society. They also need to give back, and only take or receive from the society.

However, any actions to market condoms and associated changes in social behavior will require the most careful research in each country and in each market segment within the countries. So, before coke and Pepsi go on with the plan, they must conduct a detail research together with the governments, health institutions, and for-profit companies. This is to prevent them from doing things which is not according to the standard required by the ministry. This blatant error could only be avoided by doing enough research and it could also prevent Coke and Pepsi from having losses.

So, as a conclusion, I think it would be a good idea for coke and Pepsi to participate in a condom distribution program in India, Brazil, and the United States.