I know everyone is talking about 'the wedding' - the Royal Wedding. Frankly speaking, this is my very first time watching a grandeur royal wedding (through satellite tv of course). I couldn't imagine myself to be standing outside Westminster Abbey and the Buckingham Palace together with the huge crowd. After all, it would cost me a fortune just to go to London. Thanks for the technology because I was able to watch the live coverage of the royal wedding via satellite tv. 

While watching the service, something caught my attention. It's not the wedding dress. It's not the fancy hats worn by guests. It's not Victoria's sky-high Louboutin heels (woman, you're a preggie and those heels are surely hazardous for the lil' one). It's not (well, admittedly yes at the beginning) Beckham's debonair hairdo. It's not even Princess Beatrice's hat (I personally think it looked hideous on her and it would be more appropriate for Lady Gaga *wink*). Anyhow, enough with the digressions. What caught my attention the most was the sermon given by the Bishop of London. It was so inspiring and I can't stop myself from listening to every single word uttered by that old chap. 

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.

Many are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.  

In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.

William and Catherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so loved the world that he gave himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

And in the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to each another.

A spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this; the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.

You have both made your decision today – “I will” – and by making this new relationship, you have aligned yourselves with what we believe is the way in which life is spiritually evolving, and which will lead to a creative future for the human race.

We stand looking forward to a century which is full of promise and full of peril. Human beings are confronting the question of how to use wisely a power that has been given to us through the discoveries of the last century. We shall not be converted to the promise of the future by more knowledge, but rather by an increase of loving wisdom and reverence, for life, for the earth and for one another.

Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art. It is possible to transform as long as we do not harbour ambitions to reform our partner. There must be no coercion if the Spirit is to flow; each must give the other space and freedom. Chaucer, the London poet, sums it up in a pithy phrase:

As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: we all need the love which is secure, rather than oppressive, we need mutual forgiveness, to thrive.

As we move towards our partner in love, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is quickened within us and can increasingly fill our lives with light. This leads to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can practise and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit, whose fruits are love and joy and peace.

I pray that all of us present and the many millions watching this ceremony and sharing in your joy today, will do everything in our power to support and uphold you in your new life. And I pray that God will bless you in the way of life that you have chosen, that way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day:

Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

  

When it comes to legendary Sabahans, whose very name has entered the local vocabulary, it must be Gintak Gabui.

In 1990, perhaps even earlier, Gintak, then 70, was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl.

That gained him instant infamy. Everybody talked about him, and his name came to mean the act of raping / worse, usually said with a snigger, often followed by maniacal laughter.

When he was on trial, many people reportedly congregrated in courtrooms to catch a glimpe of the infamous man, to which he once allegedly said the immortal words:

"Sabar peminat" (Please, my fans, be patient)

The only person whose time in the limelight is remotely comparable to him is Tausang @ Tingal Sagunting, a rubber tapper, who was on trial in 2007 for allegedly raping an 18-year old girl in August 2004, at a rubber plantation in Kampung Laputong, Tamparuli (hence, “the mattress” was not exhibited in court I suppose). As a result she got pregnant and gave birth to a boy. He was then 77. The late Tausang caused a stir when he refused lawyers and instead conducted his own defence, in Dusun language no less.

When the trial got underway he was about 80 years old, probably the oldest ever person in Malaysia ever to be charged with rape.

He uttered two immortal sentences, reported in the newspapers:

"Saya tidak akun rogol, sebab saya suka sama suka, sama dia, saya tidak dapat kacau sama dia, kalau bukan kerana sinta." (Meaning: I do not admit raping her, because the act was consensual. I would not be able to “disturb” her if we didn’t love each other.)

"Nokuro tu au dau pinoruput tontok do korogol, soira pod minontian om man nogi dau poruputo?" (Meaning: Why didn’t the woman make a police report when she was raped? Why did she make the report only when she found out she was pregnant?) 

He was eventually found not guilty, and died about a month after that in his sleep.

Even now, there are more google search results on “gintak gabui” as compared to “tausang sagunting.”

Source: http://bengodomon.com/2010/06/25/the-legend-of-gintak-gabui/ 

**The word "Gintak" has been coined by the locals and being used widely to denote the act of raping/sexual act. Wow! That's the legend of Gintak Gabui. He'll be remembered by all... *wink*

Last night's event was a huge success and there was a fantastic turnout! Thank you to everyone who filled the seats at  Panggung Seni UKM last night for the dramatization of "Rumpelstiltskin" and "The Fruitcake Special". Your full supports are very much appreciated. *takes a bow*

The last night's event also commemorates the final project of my colleagues and I as a group. It's the finale! Although there were lots of frictions inflicted during the preparations, everything went just fine towards the most anticipated night.

 

Kudos to all the production crews particularly my group. Everybody being so professional on the stage despite being mere amateur performers. Mistakes were covered up professionally and the dramatization finally went well till the end. One of the audience tweeted me after the show that the show was fantastic and there's not even a single moment of boredom throughout the show! What a great compliment don't you think? 

Anyway, everything was over and it's time to shift the focus to another important stuff - the final exam. The first paper will be on this coming Monday and the final one will be on the 20th. Yes. We only have two papers to sit for this semester and after that we're off to respective hometowns.

That's it for now. I just want to stay in the room today. Time to get myself a good rest.

 Introducing...P.O.P (Prince of Pop)!!

Formerly known as Da Prinz and P.R.Inc., they are now known as P.O.P (stands for Prince of Pop). The group has been in the music industry for quite some time now and they are mostly known by the Sabahan music lovers as all the group members hail from the Land Below the Wind and they have done many shows there. They even released their first single album entitled "Ada Hiivai Dandi Toh" - a Kadazan phrase which basically means "Don't forget our promises". The group members consist of Allen, Aegy, Melvin and the new member, Benny.

Allen a.k.a 'Aye' 

 Vin

They are taking another leap by putting their best foot forward to be recognized in the mainstream industry with the help of Cat Farish (The Fabolous Cat) under the record label of Cat Presents Productions Sdn. Bhd.  A single entitled "Buku Baru" has been released just recently. You can listen to it here.

By having a glimpse at their image, one can easily associate the group with K-Pop (Korean Pop) - especially the outfits! Stylo! Despite of their K-Pop-ish image, P.O.P actually are more into R&B and Soul genre of music. In terms of their appearance it is definitely K-Pop, however their music reminds me of Boyz II Men. Criticism is something that can't be avoided. People would judge their image and even their music. In my opinion, they've done nothing wrong by infusing some foreign elements to their music. After all, music is universal and music influence is something common happening all over the world. Take Hip Hop for example, you can listen to so many music injected with the element of Hip Hop - locally and internationally.  

Yours truly would like to wish all the best to P.O.P and hope you guys will come out with more great music! Dari kamu seja baitu! =) Make Sabah proud too!

Visit P.O.P facebook page here.

p/s: Just helping friend promoting their music...that's all! *wink*

This is actually an e-mail forwarded to me. So, I'm just spreading the words. 

Dear friends,

Thembi (name changed) was pulled from a taxi near her home, beaten and raped by a man who crowed that he was ‘curing’ her of her lesbianism.

Thembi is not alone -- this vicious crime is recurrent in South Africa, where lesbians live in terror of attack. But no one has ever been convicted of 'corrective rape'. Amazingly, from a tiny Cape Town safehouse a few brave activists are risking their lives to ensure that this heinous practice is stopped and their massive campaign has forced the government into talks.

P/S: Yours truly has no say about one's personal preference - "alternative lifestyle". After all, one has no right to judge other people's way of life. Being raised and inculcated with values from a conservative Catholic family, I have never been taught about discriminating people with "alternative lifestyle" because at the end of the day, it is a matter between that particular person with God. In this post, I would like to highlight the petition that I've signed to ramp up pressure for concrete action to curb 'corrective rape'. Just to remind you again, 'corrective rape' refers to a criminal action whereby men rape lesbian women, purportedly as a means of 'curing' the woman of her sexual orientation. Mere disgusting and absurd idea don't you think? I hope and pray for all mankind in the world, that there will be a swift shift in public attitudes towards rape and homophobia, not just in South Africa, but all around the world. 

  **Steve George has signed the petition to South African president Zuma and Minister Radebe to publicly condemn ‘corrective rape’, criminalise hate crimes and ensure immediate enforcement, public education and protection to the victims of this terrible crime. Pledge your support through Avaaz.org