Dollywood
The best at Sarawak music fest
By Dolly Anne Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:27:00 07/21/2008
Filed Under: Music, Entertainment (general)
MANILA, Philippines - Sarawak, Malaysia is lovelier the 11th time around for music enthusiasts from all over the globe as they converged at the foot of mystical Mt. Santubong in Sarawak Cultural Village for the annual Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF).
The three-day spectacle (July 11-13) featured the best of the best world music performers: Ross Daly Quartet (Greece), Kasai Masai (Congo/UK), Hiroshi Motofuji (Japan), Oikyataan (India), Cholo Valderamma (Colombia), New Rope String Band (UK), Yakande (Gambia/Guinea), Adel Salameh (Palestine), Fadomorse (Portugal), Beltaine (Poland), Sheldon Blackman & The Love Circle (Trinidad and Tobago), Malaysia’s Orchestra Anak Jati Bisaya, Sarawak Cultural Village Troupe, Kan’id, Akasha, Tuku Kame and our very own Pinikpikan.
It rained hard but the audience partied harder. All those mad about music had no qualms about dancing in the mud. The RWMF was truly one wet and wild celebration of music without borders.
Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and the First Lady, Datin Sri Jeanne Abdullah, joined the fete’s opening night. Pinikpikan wowed the crowd with its unique style and vocal power.
Incidentally, the group’s website (http://pinikpikanband.multiply.com/journal/item/16) issued a clarification about its association with KC Concepcion:
“Pinikpikan is not with KC. She is a friend of the band. We are independent of any recording company. Three Pinikpikan band members (Sammy, Louie, Budeths) simply played a session for KC in her album, but the promoter (perhaps by mistake) put the name Pinikpikan in the promotions or in the ASAP line feeder.”
MTV Asia Awards
Music aficionados have yet another reason to troop to Malaysia—the MTV Asia Awards ’08 at the Arena of Stars in Genting City of Entertainment on Aug 2.
It will be hosted by Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars. Nominees for Favorite Artist Philippines are Sandwich, Sponge Cola, Urbandub and Chicosci.
This year, MTV will be presenting the winners with a gold bar in the shape of an “M”—the ultimate bling for singers.
Cat monuments
I had a blast in Kuching (a.k.a. Cat City), the state capital of Sarawak which means “cat” (just like “kuting” in Tagalog). Interesting cat monuments are found all over the place plus a cat museum which showcases celebs’ feline pets. Several Hollywood films were shot in Kuching such as “Farewell to the King,” “The Intended” and “The Sleeping Dictionary.”
Meow, este, wow!
Sea-walking
I conquered my fear of the water as I tried sea-walking in Sapi Island, Borneo. It was the highlight of my trip. The very first episode of “Survivor” was shot on location in Pulau Tiga, Sabah, off the coast of Borneo.
Bianca Gonzales also enjoyed her visit to Kota Kinabalu (capital of Sabah). “K.K. is an adventure hub,” said Bianca. “From relaxing in a beautiful beach, a bus ride away is white water rafting, parasailing, trekking and more.” Asia’s highest mountain Kinabalu and the world’s largest flower Raffleasia are Malaysia’s priceless treasures.
Personal: Terimah kasi banyak to Mary Wan Mering of Sarawak Tourism Board, Simon Jalin, Gordon Yapp and Tracelynn Jupili of Sabah Tourism Board, Zulkifli Mohamed of Tourism Malaysia, Connie Dien of Pin Sing Travel, Alex Chin, Tiza Zafra, Anabelle Lee, Jun Reyes and Mustaffa Kamal Abdul Wahab of Malaysian Airlines, my fun colleagues—super PR man Bernard Supetran, Elias Guerrero (Business World), Karla Rey (Lifestyle Asai), Rome Jorge (Manila Times), Lito Cinco (Manila Standard Today) and Nikolai Almelor (Manila Bulletin) for another super “saya-saya” adventure in Malaysia.
E-mail wateringholeshangrila@yahoo.com
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