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Coffee now and then

Tawie

Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.  – Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author Coffee, someone says, and the eyes of its enthusiasts sparkle with excitement. This may be a typical scene in workplaces, especially for us in the media fraternity — many of whom are likely […]

Pranks, here, there and everywhere

Tawie

I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it. – Jack Handey, American humourist Beware the day of pranks — a reminder of the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar to beware the Ides of March in 44 BC, but I’m not giving warning about a blade coming your way.  Whatever shenanigans are […]

Mysterious undead and so-called dead

Tawie

No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow. – Euripides, Greek playwright Cases of people declared dead in the longhouse but rising up again alive are very rare. In Saratok’s Melupa Basin, a tributary of the Krian, we came across one. It also happened at my dad’s original longhouse Munggu Embawang. […]

Biting a legendary blade for strength

Tawie

The path of the Warrior is lifelong, and mastery is often simply staying on the path. – Richard Strozzi Heckler, American author Any history about headhunting during the Brooke era would feature Iban warrior Kedu, nicknamed Lang Ngindang (Vigilant Eagle). Kedu, a native of Skrang at Nanga Bunu, was given the nickname for his bravery […]

Scary, funny rubber-tapping encounters

Tawie

The rubber tappers use a whistle that mimics a local bird as they move from rubber tree to tree. They say they use it to disguise themselves in the forest so they won’t startle the wildlife. – Lulu Garcia-Navarro, American journalist Most rubber tappers in yesteryear and today might consider rendezvouses with rubber trees as […]

Struggling around rubber trees

Tawie

The rubber industry is of much significance to our countries. For millions of our smallholders, the rubber tree is a tree of life, serving as a crucial source of income for earning a living and raising families. – Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai ex-prime minister Longhouse kids nowadays spend a very much different daily life than ours […]

Tasty flesh despite from discarded seeds

Tawie

On first tasting it, I thought it like the flesh of some animal in a state of putrefaction. – Henri Mouhot, French naturalist It is interesting to compare durian experience in the country, namely in Malaya, Sabah and towns in Sarawak. This is provided one has travelled throughout the state from Sematan to Limbang and […]

Moments with first Iban SS

Tawie

Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heart-warming! – Joseph B. Wirthlin, American businessman “Try to write about Gerunsin bro; especially your memories of him,” a high-profile journalist messaged me through WhatsApp last Thursday. This was after reading my column on suspension bridges, including the iconic Satok’s “jematan gantung” earlier that day. I did […]

Early memories of suspension bridges

Tawie

Sometimes, if you aren’t sure about something, you just have to jump off the bridge and grow your wings on the way down. – Danielle Steel, American writer The Satok suspension bridge in Kuching is nearing completion. It is certainly good news during this challenging pandemic. For those coming from the remote areas of the […]

Interminable teaching and learning process

Tawie

Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.   – Jacques Barzun, American historian In my Senior Cambridge exam for English Language, I just managed a mediocre credit, but that was well balanced by my three distinctions in English Literature, Art and History. My ‘C’ in English wasn’t […]