This Time For TAMPARULI

This year's month long Karamayan Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) will kick off in a small West Coast town of Tamparuli. For several years now the month of May has been officially declared as the State's Harvest Festival celebration month. The beating of gong to commemorate the traditional festival will be on 1st May 2011 at Dewan Tun Hamdan, Tamparuli.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, all pictures in this article were taken by the author himself.

Related opening ceremony which happened on 1st May 2009 in Papar can be viewed here.

Image credit: Sami Bangud, PKR of N11-Kiulu

Picture showing of one of the Walai (traditional dwelling house) constructed to give a brief impression of the kind of shelter our grandparents had in the olden days.

So, lets throng Tamparuli this Sunday and get to witness first hand, not just the celebration but the taste of foods you wouldn't find elsewhere, the culture and especially the warm welcome and friendship you will feel as you walk among the folks.

Let's revisit some of the images I personally captured about Tamparuli:

Bukit Ruhiang (some call it Bukit Prahu):  The World Class Paragliding - Sabah Malaysian Borneo XC 2010 competition was held here in June 2010. Note the tiny size para-gliders waiting to be flagged off.



"Digital age":  A man in traditional costume taking picture of the crowd during the World Class Paragliding - Sabah Malaysian Borneo at Tamparuli Tamu  ground.





" Sebenrnya ramai juga saudara-mara saya di Tamparuli in..", Datuk Masidi Manjun - Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Sabah as he officiated the World Class Paragliding in Tamparuli.



"Satu kilo dua ringgit saja."  Scene of Tamu traders negotiating sale of Langsat

The two bridges of  Tamparuli. Remember the song Jambatan Tamparuli?

Tamparuli Tamu  ground. The weekly bazaar is on Wednesday. The hill at the background is Bukit Ruhiang, the highly potential take-off spot for paragliding enthusiasts.





Sun setting behind oncoming rain, seen from Jalan Ranau, Kg. Minangkob Tamparuli.




Mount Kinabalu viewed from Pekan Nabalu, Tamparuli. If you are travelling to Ranau, Sandakan and Tawau, don't forget to spend sometime to enjoy the spectacular view of the South East Asia's tallast mountain from this location.


**Picture on page top: Unduk Ngadau 2010, Miss Crystal Eve Huminodun (middle) is flanked by 1st runner up Miss Rochelle Fayrenie (left) and 2nd runner up Miss Lydia John Alai (right)**

CLASsy Esther Won It.

SEASON-4 (2011) : CLAS AWARDS

CLAS is a Malay acronym for Carta Lagu Artis Sabah and this year is the 4th edition in the RTM's calendar for recognising talents and awarding local artists for their contribution in the musical industry.

For the record 2010 award went to the witty and lively Felix Agus (ex-student of Akademi Fantasia).

Date : 20th March 2011
Venue : 1Borneo Centre Atrium
Organised by : Radio TV Malaysia, RTM
Champion: Esther Applunius (Song: Selalu)

Senarai finalist:

1. Alvin - Cincin (dinyanyikan oleh Ferrardy)
2. Suib Zainin - Bohong
3. Dayang Noraini - Kelawar O' kelawar 
4. Rieno - Mahu tapi malu
5. Esther - Selalu
6. Momain Blues (gabungan Kump NSD & Jiaja) - Blues Kita
7. Frontman Company - Emosi muzikal
8. Albab - Lamunan silam
.
Juri profesional:
.
1. Pn Lucy Gawis,
2. Pn Aminah Ag Besar,
3. En Richard Akim,
4. Prof. Madya Abd Jamal Abd Hamid (ketua juri),
5. Pn Zalina Yusuf

Untuk anugerah CLAS Musim Ke-3 (2010), sila lawat di sini.




The Champ: Esther Applunius, with her number Selalu
Esther is also one of the finalists in "One In A Million" reality TV Show in 2009.



Tidak seperti tahun lepas, freelance photographers tidak dibenarkan berada dalam kawasan yang dikhaskan untuk peserta dan tetamu. Para peminat dan jurukamera persendirian hanya berpeluang mengambil gambar dari tepi pentas, belakang atrium dan di tingkat-tingkat atas hypermall tersebut.


For better image resolution, go to Photostream here.





"Handsome boy!!!"  Ferrardy is the substitute for Alvin who could not make it due to family commitment.
Check out Alvin at KKFM. Alvin is also a blogger. Good to know.




"yeaahhh! yeahhh!! you rawk!" Suib Zainin dengan lagu Bohong
Get to know Suib here.




Dayang Noraini dengan lagu popular Kelawar O' Kelawar.  Lagu ini khabarnya dirakamkan di luar negeri.
Dayang Noraini's Fan Club page is here




"Mantapsss!"   Persembahan bertenaga telah menobatkan beliau sebagai artis dengan persembahan terbaik.





"Aku jugalah yang menang paling ramai cewek pengiring."
Rieno dengan lagu Mahu Tapi Malu





"...balik kampuuu...ng konon juara,  mahu bertanding tanah digadai..."
Caya lah lirik korang, bro!
 Kumpulan Momain Blues, lagu Blues Kita

Jiaja's Fan Page is here, and click here for Momain Blues.



Momain Blues (featuring Jiaja) - don't play play ah, macho2 ni!


For better image resolution, go to Photostream here.



Kumpulan Frontman Company, lagu Emosi Muzikal
Temui kumpulan Frontman Company di sini.




Kumpulan Albab, lagu Lamunan Silam
Kumpulan ini berasal dari Sandakan dan anda boleh melawat mereka di Albab Page.




Kedudukan SMS terkini. "Pelan-pelan kita pai sama dia, mana tahu ada hung!"





Ebi dan Obby. "Esteady kamurang, kasi gegar sama dia! Tapi jangan berebut microphone aah"





Ebi: Akak rasa siapa yang menang ni kali?
Peminat: Mestilah dari Sandakan! (dengan selamba jak..)
Ebi: Huh, kenapa dari Sandakan?
Peminat: Sebab saya dari Sandakan....





"Terimakasih sokongan anda"
Datuk Masidi Manjun - Menteri Pelancongan, Kebudayaan dan Alam Sekitar Sabah





"Gotcha!"
Kalau tidak silap, beliau ialah penyanyi Janrywine Jelusin dengan lagu Maafkanlah Aku tahun lepas. Jadi photographer rupanya sekarang.





"Bergaya dan penuh penghayatan, nampak!" - Felix Agus, pemenang anugerah juara CLAS Musim ke-3 (2010)


For better image resolution, go to Photostream here.

Generate electricity at home and earn money

Ever thought of running your home appliances without worrying about your utility bill? Really, in Malaysia? Isn't that the familiar catch line of a spam mail? Is it possible?

Short answer: Yes. It is possible.


Long answer:

Our monthly bill is about RM180 to RM250 monthly, depending on how energy-wise we are on a particular month. I would like to trim that to, say RM30 to RM50 or even zero without having to switch of my fridge, air-conditioners, and other energy guzzling equipment.

This is very much possible with the enactment of the Renewable Energy (RE) Act 2010. According to the RE Bill 2010, residential homes that produce solar energy could earn up to RM1.75 per kWh of electricity produced. Dewan Rakyat has approved the bill earlier this month and once it is enacted  (hopefully next month) it becomes a law. Let me explain.

1 kWh of electricity is 1 Unit of energy consumed as stated in our SESB bills. We are paying a tiered rates for domestic tariff, i.e. RM0.24/unit for the first 40 kWh and RM0.16/unit for the next 160 kWh, and RM0.28/unit for the remainder. If you are to install Solar PV System on your rooftop, SESB will pay you up to RM1.75/unit for the “net” kWh your solar system feed-back to SESB grid. Apparently not the "net kWh", read the Update HERE. (Kindly disregard the following example and explanation)

Interesting? For me, it is.

I say “net” as the energy that is fed back to the grid is the difference between energy that is produced by your home Solar PV System and the energy consumed by your home. Don’t worry about how it’s computed; SESB’s meter will do it for you.

Example:
If your Solar System produced 200kWh this month and your energy consumption is 150kWh then SESB owes you RM87.50 (50kWh x RM1.75). That is an income. But if your energy consumption is 220kWh then you’ll be billed RM4.80 (20kWh x RM0.24, tiered).

Without the Solar PV system, you pay SESB RM27.20 (150kWh x 0.24 & 0.16, tiered) and RM40.80 (220kWh x 0.24 & 0.16 & 0.28, tiered) respectively for the above cases.

For a complete electricity tariff check the SESB Tariff Structure and Rates.

The feed-in tariff works by giving you income when you feed in electricity to the power supplier (SESB) grid and only charge you when you consume more than what your Solar Power system produce.

This tariff is applicable if your Solar Power system is generating up to maximum of 4kWp. The 4kWp refers to the size of the solar power system and in most cases is sufficient to power up a semi-detached house. For installation of bigger than 4kWp, the feed-in tariff is slightly lower.

To give you an idea of how much you’d need to invest, a 1kWp system would cost you RM15,000 to set up, so, for a fairly sufficient capacity of 4kWp system for your bungalow you will need to fork out RM60,000 or perhaps slightly lower. Source: The Star Online

A bit expensive but the Bill has a provision for a guaranteed income for the next 21 years from the date of signing the agreement with your local power producers, such as TNB, SESB or SESCO. That is long enough a payback period and perhaps even outlast the lifespan of the solar panels.

Let’s hope the cost to install solar panels for residential homes drops dramatically when more people start adopting, plus declining cost of the technology.

It interests me and I may seriously consider this when the incentive is rolled out fully.


Further readings:

1) Higher income for home solar energy – The Star
2) Malaysia to start Feed-In Tariff (FIT) for Renewable Energy by 2011 - GK Sdn Bhd

Ginawo Nosindualan

This is an un-released version of a song composed by a friend of mine, Martin. It is a Dusun number, expected to be released in May 2011 to coincide with the Harvest Festival or Kaamatan.

A teacher by profession, he is an avid musician and very good with his acoustic guitar. I play guitar quite well too but maybe not up to his par, hehe.

Inquiries can be channeled to him here.

Happy Listening!



Song title(Sinding) : Ginawo Nosindualan
Singer (Susuminding) : Elsie James
Composer (Minodsupu) : Martin Gindou
Expected date of release : May 2011
Currently playing & topping : Sabah Vfm, Bontugan Sinding Dusun


Streaming of music may take sometime as the buffering is quite taxing.

Sayang sekali Sabah Vfm(Dusun) tidak memaparkan kedudukan semasa carta lagu mingguan, tidak seperti Sabah Vfm(Cina). Diharap pihak berkenaan mengambil tindakan segera.

Tambalut ku Martin, sila update sekiranya ada perubahan tarikh atau aktiviti-aktiviti promosi.

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The TOWERS - a Second Chance

"It's 7.01pm by my watch..."

I shot these iconic towers not too long ago during year-end holiday with my family. It was somewhat touch-and-go kind of result, a.k.a not very impressive.

To say that I did not have long enough time to get some decent shots would be too lame an excuse. I guess it was a combination of many things such as lack of experience, creativity, time, weather and equipment that caused this sort of stuff.

When you are travelling with certain kind of itinerary - with photography being low on the pecking order - I guess a compromised pictures quality has to be deemed acceptable. Luck plays quite a big role especially when travelling during wet season.

A second chance? Yes! Especially when we are talking about paying another visit to these spots later this month. Later this week, to be exact.

For me this should be a very good opportunity to better my personal achievement since 3 months ago. Fingers crossed that I'd be blessed with fine weather, and with some inspiration from fellow shooters hopefully I can achieve something more decent.

The less popular Maxis Tower beside Petronas Twin Towers

Kuala Lumpur Tower is essentially a communication pole.

Panoramic view the national capital from KL Tower

When it is hazy, you would not get the view you are after.

Alternative view of the famous Twin Towers.

Evening fountain at KLCC.

Without tripod, you have to crank up the ISO to something like 3200 to get a reasonably usable image.

The Galaxy vs iPhone

By Galaxy, I was talking about Galaxy S and Galaxy Ace.

From a couple of weeks of using the newly released Galaxy Ace, I may be able to offer a personal opinion based on my own experience.

Short conclusion: Galaxy Ace is a toned-down, sluggish version of the power packed Galaxy S, and it's a bit sluggish for a much praised android clan.

First up. Why choose Galaxy? That's simply due to the size, feel and functionality of the two galaxies in comparison to the iPhone (3GS). In fact, if you are to look at the galaxy from front - and perhaps from its side - there's little to differentiate the two makes. At least that's my first impression when window shopping the other day. Of course there are other touchscreen galaxy variants such as Fit and Mini but appearance-wise, the S and Ace fits my bills.

If you look at the hands-on demo of the Galaxy Ace in my previous posting, you'd be forgiven to believe that this mini version of the power packed S is just as sleek and fast. Predictably it's a slight disappointment as I was hoping the android phone would not be to far behind the dated 3GS, although the money I spend on the Ace is substantially less. Newer gadgets should cost less at better specs and features, isn't it?

In fairness to Samsung, the 3GS should be pitted with Galaxy S considering price and features. Well I did not as I was prepared to lower the satisfaction bar for the Ace to begin with. But not too low as I later found out.

So I read a little bit about what others say about the Ace and the 3GS. I beg to differ with their preference for the Ace. My opinion is that there's nothing that beats the feel of the iPhone. Solid, assuring and feel luxury befitting its cost.

Both offer on screen QWERTY keypad that looks similar in arrangement and button size. With the iPhone, I can tap and type with accuracy. It's amazing how Apple fit in large thumbs and fingers to tap accurately on the small keys. With the Ace and S, texting with one hand is a pain, my goodness.

The Ace's 800MHz processor is not any faster than the 600MHz installed in 3GS. On paper you might think it should but try browsing the Internet and you'll find there's no match. The 3GS is fast! In real life even the 1GHz Galaxy S struggle to match the surfing experience with the iPhone 3GS.

Bluetooth connectivity with iPhone is a little bit tricky as it has pairing issue with other devices but with WiFi being easily available everywhere nowadays it is not a big problem for me.

Other than the occasional fiddlings at Maxis centres, I have not get the chance to use the iPhone 4 for longer period but I don't intend to upgrade my 3GS just yet. The iPhone 5 is rumoured to be announced in the summer and I would seriously consider upgrading if it comes out that soon.

As for Galaxy Ace, it's good enough if you are on the budget but want something elegant, trendy and something that fits sociable young professionals. It is retailed at RM999.00 but soon you'll be able to get a street price of RM950.00 to RM980.00, now that's not too bad.

A good summary about the differences between the Galaxy Ace and Galaxy S can be found here. For the record, the S is priced much higher than the Ace (more than double). I am using the Ace as a second handset.