Qing Ming in Brunei III

Since this Saturday is a public holiday, it is a very good day for the people to come and clean the graveyard of their departed family members. Its good to see that despite the different income gap in existence then and now, many Chinese family still remember and honour their ancestors just like generations before... such practise should continue so that our future generation would know our culture and roots and understand who are present and past relatives were..

The Christian cemetary is just next to the Chinese cemetary...

Many Christian in Brunei are chinese and they also follow the Chinese tradition of visiting and cleaning the cemetary during Qing Ming...

A private family graveyard

Offering to the deities...

Qing Ming in Brunei II

Qing Ming is a serious event... so much so that the Malaysian newspaper, the Star reported that people who went early to the graveyard should use less jewellery, for fear of being robbed. Below is the story, from the Star newspaper today...

Personal items such as shoes, shirts, dress, passport, money, houses or even paper cars were burnt during such event... STuffing the whole item bought by several members of the family took a while to burn...

This is much easier to burn...

Offer to the deity who protects the tomb as well as the afterlife...

The Star newspaper news:

DO not wear expensive jewellery when you go to the cemetery for Qing Ming – this is the advice from Federal CID director Comm Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee. He said this was to prevent any untoward incident from happening.

China Press reported that many people had voiced concerns as they would be going to cemeteries before dawn to avoid traffic jams and the heat. Comm Wan said policemen would be assigned to patrol cemeteries if graveyard managements make such requests.

“The cemetery management will arrange security or for Rela members to be present to ensure the safety of the people there,” he added. Qing Ming falls on April 5 but most people will be visiting the tombs of their loved ones this weekend.

Qing Ming in Brunei....

Qing Ming is the day that the Chinese people remembers their ancestors hence they would go to the grave usually a week before or after the "real date" which falls on the 5th April 2007 this year.

Ethnic Chinese who live overseas would go back home (i.e. Malaysia, Singapore, or in Brunei, go to the Kuala Belait, Tutong, Berakas, Tesek, Muara, Pulau Baru-Baru, Pulau Berangan? or family own private land) just for the event and usually members of extended family would come and offer prayers as well and "money" for the departed family members.

The Chinese Cemetary in Berakas
The view of the Chinese Graveyard
Some items which were offered...
After completing the cleaning of the grave, family members would put coloured papers on the top of the grave....

Chinese Wedding: The menu

How much people give for the "ang pow" not only depends on how well the giver knows the married couple but also the venue of the wedding reception....Really, no kidding....

If its kampong style wedding - eg. malay wedding, in the afternoon at home with camps, then $10 would be enough (though I have heard of people of just giving $1 or $2, yet bring the whole family for the event!!!).... but for Chinese wedding, possibly $35 - $45 per head is reasonable, from a posh hotel to a minor restaurant with reputation...

Usually the tables are arranged in a seats of 10, so restaurants calcuate by the number of tables the married couple booked. So, per head meal is $35, then for a table of 10, it would be a $350, and if you have 50 tables for the event $350X50=$17,500 for a wedding dinner.

If you have two reception, one for the groom family and friends and the other celebrated by the bride's family for their family as well as her friends, the both reception could cost B$25,000... and thats for the dinner only....

What to expect during the dinner... the menu will be on the table...

ok, we were that hungry so we attacked the chicken before i realized that i havent taken the picture of the chicken...

Fried tau-sa - fattening la....

Hey, nice light.... The ballons are not included in the reception package.

This you usually have to ask outsiders to do for you, at a price....

Wedding Reception Dishes

In Chinese wedding reception, most of the time, it would be a 8 or 9-course dinner. Its not buffett but a real 9-course dinner. It's significantly cheaper than Malay lunch dinner which can cost about $10 but for Chinese wedding dinner it could cost $30 and above. Most of the time, the food served inclues, steam fish, prawns, chicken (since many Chinese dont eat beef because of religious beliefs), rice or noodle, vegetables, shark-fin soup, cold dish starter and the final one usually "sweet" dish which is sago or longan cold drink as well as a Chinese "biscuit".

Hence it is very important to guests to RSVP to say if they are coming or not so that the newly wedded couple would not waste $$ on their reception for people who dont turn up.

Legislative Council Building, March 2007

The progress work on the Legislative Coucil building... going to be completed soon...

"Back" view of the building

The front view

"Surat Saman" - "Fined"

When one receives a red card invitation, one would somtimes jokingly say it as "kana saman," or "surat saman" or "got fined". This is because, it has become a tradition to give angpows to couples who come and celebrate your wedding in a reception, while for close relatives, gold and jewellery are normally given to the newly wedded couple. However, now many find that giving ang pow is far more easier since it allow the couple to get whatever they like with the token given....

An invitation card from the Rizqun International Hotel, Gadong. Surprisingly this card is not of good quality and even the printing is poor.

Some couple who find that if the printing is of low quality would demand the hotel to redo the printing, which I think is within their right, since they do pay thousands of dollar for one night reception.

In Limbang...

The new airport in Limbang.... its runaway looks longer than the one we have in BRunei!

The Limbang Museum - 1897 - do this house is roughly 110 years old and still looking good... The oldest building in Brunei is probably Bumbungan Dua Belas, the former British REsident home, which overlooks Kampong Ayer in Bandar SEri Begawan.

An interesting read on how BRunei lost the Lawas District to the Brooke family, 1905

Towards Limbang...

The only time Brunei and Malaysian flag can stand together? at their international waters... at Kg Ujung Jalan, Puni, Temburong.
Before you leave Limbang, dont forget to get your passport chopped at the Immigration post here before going to Kuala Lurah.... Technically, your passport will be chopped for at least 8 times on the way to KK and back again - so 16 chops... I'm getting my passport renewed...
Scene of Limbang Town
Limbang Tamu (market)

Brunei Labu Immigration/Customs Checkpoint

Supposedly "Temporary" but the Malaysian on the other side of the road is in the process of building a new CIQ building, possibly smaller than the one they are building at Kuala Lurah border....

I guess the "temporary" would be permanent boarder....

RM10 ferry

Above the hill will be Brunei's border

Hey, we reach Brunei in 3 hours from KK (with stops at Beaufort for pee), hehehe

Sabah/Sarawak Border

Clean toilet at the Sindumin Immigration Checkpoint.
The bridge crossing over Batang Lawas - or sungai Lawas
Look rock pebbels!

Site and Scene of the Journey from KK to Sindumin

The bridge on the right is important to drivers to KK as that would be the indication to turn left once he/she reach the town of Beaufort, Sabah, inorder to go to KK.
Welcome to Sipitang
Reminds me of old Muara where the shophouses are just infront of the sea - here in Sipitang, its literally facing the South China Sea
The view of the mountain range, knowing that you will reach the Sabah and Lawas, Limbang boarder of Sarawak.

Site and Scene of KK City

Taking some pictures of Kota Kinabalu City.... Its growing and even the new University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is HUGE!!!.. The new administrative city of Sabah, which is near UMS, is also new and huge - reminds me of Puterajaya in Kuala Lumpur.

KK Tamu - its mango from the Philippines

Every city got Chinatown and KK has it as well!

(Reminds me of NBT Chinese new year decoration - heheh)