Back from RWMF 2009
Monday 1353
Warning: A very lengthy and heavily loaded with pictures post. I mean it.
Note: Pictures without my watermark are courtesy of Lenny LJ, one of my travel mates.
Yes, I am back from the just ended Rainforest World Music Festival 2009.
This year’s event marked its 12th year already.
I am not, what you called, music fanatic.
But I appreciate music, no matter what genre it is.
As long as it brings the dum-dum la di dum-dum feeling I wanted when I’m listening to it, that is all that matters.
Prior to coming, I have high expectations for this event.
High because of the exaggerations I have been hearing all this while.
Almost everyone who attended this event in the previous years claimed the event was a blast.
And that, one who loves music must at least attend this event once.
So I surrendered myself to all these positive testimonials and let myself witness this grand event myself.
The event consists of two main programs, the workshops and the concerts.
Because it is impossible to have all the performing bands/groups from around the world to perform in just one workshop and concert, hence the three days event.
I was unable to attend the whole three days event due to work commitment.
Which was a pity for me cos I clearly had missed half of the fun.
I was here!
A RWMF volunteer putting the wrist strap on LJ’s wrist at the entrance
After the wrist band, we had to go through body search where the RWMF volunteer will run a baton-like metal detector on our body. I thought that was just about it for the security check until I came upon another RWMF volunteer who said, “This way Cikgu. Need to check your bag.”
I was a bit startled.
This must be a blogger or else no one will know I am a teacher.
It did not came to my mind this could be Melbie cos from how I ‘hafal’ her face, it’s nothing like her. What more with the face mask on.
LOL!
Thanks for the rare introduction, Melbie. 
Bag search at the entrance. That’s your behind Melbie!!
Face mask on. Not!
We arrived at Sarawak Cultural Village around 1pm, just in time to meet up with the other Sarawakian bloggers as planned.
So yes, my first time meeting them and they are all very friendly!
L-R: Faizal (sory, half ja muka ko), Alus, Chin, Kee Man, Melbie, Cyril, Chegu, Amiey, Ladybird, Mike and Fahriee…yg tiada link tu, i forgot ur URL address la. Sowie…
After the jumpa-jumpa session, off we went to attend the workshops.
Workshops were conducted in three different location inside the SCV and held at the same time.
This was kind of a put off for me cos I could only attend so much of the workshops.
In the end, I decided to stay at the Theater Hall because one of my most anticipated group, the New Zealand was performing there.
Personally, I think this is the vital content of the Rainforest World Music festival - the workshops.
It’s educational and very informative considering this was conducted by the professional musicians themselves.
I would not know what is the difference between a Mandoline and a Ukelele if it wasn’t for this workshop called Little Wonders-Amazing Small Strings.
To me, both looked the same due to their similar feature - tiny guitar.
You might say, ‘But you can google these stuffs over the Internet.’
Yes, I can.
But isn’t it even sweeter to know the difference by hearing it sounds, live, as well?
In this workshop, some musicians from different countries were invited to sit together, explained about the instruments that they carried on the stage, and by combining their professional skills in playing the instruments, performed a few songs spontaneously - impromptu jam sessions.
That was just awesome!
L-R: Russin Bayan/accordion (Poum Tchack group), flute (Kinabalu Merdu Sound), Sompotons (Kinabalu Merdu Sound), piano accordion (Asika) and violin (Asika). Performers during the Free the Reed - Mouth Organs to Accordions workshop.
Little Wonders - Amazing Small Strings: I only remembered Eriata Peri (Moana & the Tribe, NZ) 2d frm left, Jeff Burke (Jeff & Vida, USA) 2nd from right and Mei Han (Red Chamber, China) far right cos these three talked the most. There were 4 more performers at the right side but my view was covered by another photographer.
My favourite group: Moana (pronounce Mona) & the Tribe from New Zealand, performing a Haka dance in their Soul of the Maori workshop. It made me wanna jump as well!
We managed to catch a bit of the workshop done at the other location, Iban Longhouse. Something about instruments that struck. Didn’t get to see what the instruments were cos we were in a wrong angle to take pictures.
After the workshops ended, we hang around the place waiting for 7.30 p.m. for the concert to begin.
Orang Ulu house, known for its tall pillars
…the steep stairs…sure cannot wear high heels to ascend and descend this kind of stairs la
Bamboo walkway
Some interesting going-ons outside…
I took this picture simply bcos the girl in white was seated next to me on our flight to Kch. We stayed at the same hotel and saw her again at RWMF. If I am a guy, that would be lotsa coincidence meeting, aye? 
Check out the face expression of the crowd at the back…
Mr. P doing his thang…playing with api
Airbrush tattoo anyone?
Or henna tattoo?
Guess what’s his tattoo design?
Chimping activity at the Orang Ulu house… it’s windy up there.
When I came to this event, I was aware that I will bound to see some Malaysian celebrities around.
I told myself, if I saw one, never to let myself get over excited.
So yeah, when i saw Cheryl Samad and Anding AF…I was like, who cares to take picture with them.
However, one look at this guy and upon recognizing who he is… I jumped in delight, shouted out his name and demanded to take picture with him.
I was pretty sure he had jumped as well, surprised to see a strange girl shouted his name out of sudden.
Probably, he would have thought that I was a lunatic and was ready to run away.
Sorry Kenny Sia.
You could have collapsed should you have a weak heart and I’d be in deep trouble for that.
Haha!
Thing is, your blog was among my first reads when I started blogging and still following (a silent reader btw).
So, meeting you is like meeting Justin Long.
Ok maybe not Justin Long but yeah… almost.
Obviously I was too excited. The face and the ‘peace’ sign explains it all.
After having our stomach filled, we hurried to the main stage to secure a good spot to watch the concert.
Everyone was on their self-brought mat and looked like a huge picnic at a park.
Since, we didn’t have mat or any means to allow us to sit on the ground, we stick to just standing.
We got the nearest spot to the stage…right in front of the humongous speakers.
Near as in less than 2 meters away.
I am amazed that we could stand it for more than three hours and did not have any hearing-loss after that.
Before the concert started…
The crowd…
Big screen for those at the back…
First group performing…Asika of Malaysia…enjoyed their performance very much. Canggung song anyone?
From Morroco…this guy’s dancing skill is superb!I wonder if he does belly dance for his dance practice.
My most anticipated group; Moana & the Tribe from New Zealand. Eriata Peri as the Haka dancer and Moana Maniapoto is the lead vocalist at the back.
Moana’s two other vocalists- Trina Maniapoto and Amiria Reriti (forgot the one at the back).
We didn’t stay until the concert’s over.
Someone in the gang was too tired.
So yeah, we missed performance from Portugal which according to Cyril, was a blast.
Oh well, next year again. *finger crossed*
Some pictures on the way back.
They said RWMF would not be RWMF without the mud party.
My verdict of my first Rainforest World Music Festival?
It didn’t really get to my expectation.
But I did enjoy the event and I still think it was an awesome event.
Besides, it isn’t fair to judge when I was only there for one day.
So yeah, if I have the opportunity again next year… I surely booked myself for the three days event.
Didn’t I warn you about the lengthy post? 
Ya jangan lagi lupa itu *tuut* ni kali.. Ngehngeh..
Nessa said,
July 13, 2009 @ 7:24 pm
Excellente post and pics!
Sia rasa cam sia di sana seja… hehe
Wah, ada begambar sama si Kenny Sia lagi tu
Mana gambar diorang si Anding and Cheryl??
Sia jual mahal sama durang.
Teda ambi gambar sama durang…sama si Kenny saja…hehe
kaDusMama said,
July 13, 2009 @ 8:24 pm
nda payah risau Carol..Nick punya post still the longest..HAHAHAHHAAHA (jangan marah nick!!!)
If i can go kan, sia pun mau ikut oh..macam siokkkkkkkk jak tu!!!
O yalah kan bcos my post penuh gambar ja kan…hahaha
Ok, ada one year to plan for next year’s RWMF…
tapi, anak mau tinggal lah kalau mau pi sana…nanti tida buli lumpat2 menari time concert. ekekeke
lola said,
July 13, 2009 @ 8:31 pm
Just now I had kolo mee lunch with Melbie and the gang and she told me about you being surprised when she called you Chegu. Haha.
I heard that this yr’s RWMF wasn’t good as previous RWMFs due to H1N1. From the photos itself, it was a small crowd unlike last year.
Too bad I can’t meet you at this yr’s RWMF. Maybe next RWMF, perhaps?
Yalah, I didn’t expect to see her that soon bah. I mean, she did tell that she’ll be volunteering again but with the face mask on and my bad memory of her face…terus tida kenal dia.
I cant compare it to anything cos this was my first time…i tot that was quite a huge crowd already.
Yaaa…hope to be able to go for next year.
Chris Anthony said,
July 13, 2009 @ 8:53 pm
So sorry I missed the chance to meet in person. Maybe next time ya.
One more working Saturday for me (whole day lagi tu) *sigh*
Yalah kan…maybe next time.
I’m sure will visit Kuching again.
eljay said,
July 13, 2009 @ 11:06 pm
hola Kay..
i had a great time with tis unplan plan event.
nway, i’ll be fit next year.. (^___^)
*sori again ahh..
we shud stay til d concert end kan.. tp wat to do. i really couldn’t stand anymore..
Tia cukup trening ko ni LJ…bilang selalu pi kawad…
yeah, t’was fun.
tapi ko sama jill tia pandai guyang badan ni…hahaha
perry said,
July 13, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
those people in the last pic still look so clean!
where’s the mud???
Oyakah?
Clean kah tu?
It didn’t rain that night…so kurang sikit lupak la.
Nadia said,
July 14, 2009 @ 12:04 am
wah, ni yg bikin jeles ni tau.. huahua.. *nangis..
Emm.. i think i wanna go there next year
yeah!!
Yes, go!
Joan said,
July 14, 2009 @ 8:36 am
wow, nice post.
siok la i see. quite funny though this time with the presence of the mask. new accessory in town.
tidak penat ka have to go work again the following day? hehe
iya, tapi tu mask tida suma pakai.
penaaat.
i actually applied last minute leave on Monday.
penat mau bangun awal pagi mo drive back to kgau.
Amanda said,
July 14, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
punya best! and u caught kenny sia!
yabah…terkezut dia sia tiba2 panggil nama dia. hahaha
bah, next yr lah….kita plan sama si botak ko and me bro pi partay sana…
Ivy said,
July 14, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
aisey .. ni yg buat jeles ni :D.. siok oh tingu kamurang.. and was expecting ramai la yg pakai mask, but nampak nya inda
hahaha…i think only around 30% ja pakai face mask. the rest ndak peduli sdh. including myself!
keeman said,
July 15, 2009 @ 3:27 am
Your snaps are really really good! Very captivating. Hope to see you again next year!!
Thanks Keeman.
I was hoping to snap more interesting pictures but one day just isn’t enough lah.
Yeah, cross fingers for next year!
philters said,
July 15, 2009 @ 10:50 am
the moroccan guy had the most adorable hip jiggling dance, kan?
ya bah! i am still amazed at his skill oh.
patah pinggang if i go and try to do that myself.
melbie said,
July 15, 2009 @ 2:27 pm
Cheguuuuuuu…. haahaha .. thanks for the mention.. ko cakap “thanks for the rare introduction”, macamlah sia ni some sort of celebrity bah.. yaiiii, jauh panggang dari api! LOL! Jangan ko gitu ba .. hehehhe
Lain dari yang ko ‘hafal’ muka sia? Alala, susa hati sia ni tau, macam lain macam jg tu bunyi LOL.. tapi tiapa, ko sinang kana kanal ba.. tu la pasal
As for the group photo, baca msg yang sia send kasi ko sana FB 
In response to the rest of the story in this post, nantilah sia blog ah (kalau kesampaian tu niat) hehe .. tapi gambar² yang ko ambil memang lawa - nda sabar sia sampai rumah ni tingu gambar² yang lain yang nda kana load sini ofis pasal connection melampau² slow!
Hahaha…yabah, if u didnt tegur me, i wudnt know it was you.
Actually, the image of you that i have in mind was someone with glasses bah…didnt expect u to wear contact lens…hahaha….
Bah, I’m waiting from your side of the RWMF stories.
Cyril said,
July 15, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
Fantastic shots!!
It was glad to see you the other day Chegu. Hope next year can meet up again, and where’s the pic of your tattoo??
Thanks!
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ok, will post it on my FB.
U know, this morning i wore skirt to school.
Sekali masuk kereta, then i noticed my airbrush tattoo on my ankle.
Weiiii…lucky i saw it and quickly changed to baju kurung. If not…gerenti jadi bahan umpatan sdh sia di school hari ini. Hahaha!
AnnieMing said,
July 15, 2009 @ 10:53 pm
macam teringin jua mau main mud tau.. bila lagi kan.. haha.. kalau ada peluang & ngam sama tempat dan masa, apa lagi~!! ^_^
bestnyaaaa kamurang sana chegu..
sa pun bukan ada termain itu mud..teda geng yg sanggup mo main mud…hahaha…
amieyalen said,
July 16, 2009 @ 9:34 am
your photos are all nice taken… talented anyway… hehehehe
nice meeting you in person chegu… and fun being around with all of you…
hoping for next year lagi ni… sia addicted suda sma rwmf and also bloggers@rwmf… fun!!!! hope to see you again… perhaps next year ya chegu….
Thanks Amiey
Ya lah…too bad we didn’t get to hang together longer cos masing2 pun mau discover the fun at RWMF. :0
Irenelim said,
July 16, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
Wow, you really had so much fun… pics with Kennysia and so much peace sign, they just say it all! Haha… too bad I wasn’t in Sarawak then.
Yes, I had fun during RWMF but I think I haven’t feel it all bcos I was only there for one day.
I didn’t even roam the whole place due to time constraint.
mama mia said,
July 16, 2009 @ 4:37 pm
If you ask me, dlm banyak2 gambar, mana satu paling mahal? Sia bilang tu nah gambar ko sama Kenny Sia..hahaha..Nasib baik dia teda heart attack kan..
Hahahaha…im just another ‘fan’ of him.
Dia ingat sia sot kali tu…tiba2 terkinja2 panggil nama dia…hahaha
Nick Phillips said,
July 16, 2009 @ 11:32 pm
Wow, I like the pictures. Looks like it was a blast
I had fun but not quite a blast though.
But i’m going again next year, God’s willing
melbie said,
July 17, 2009 @ 9:40 pm
Now that I’ve seen all the photos… in regards of Kenny Sia, do you know how many times I met him? LOL! He was also there last year, and again this year, but I still didn’t take any photos with him… eheheh …
Hahaha….sa jadi mcm tagas bah when i saw him.
nasib ja tida shrieking mcm urg gila. Hahaha
carmel said,
July 19, 2009 @ 11:37 pm
Me wanna go there next year ( kununlah )
ketara excited oh the face plus the peace sign..hehe
memang excited!
hahaha!
borneolad said,
July 23, 2009 @ 6:36 pm
I noticed that Kenny Sia was there.
Carol..”Wow”….
I wish i was there too
He was there.
And the year before…and maybe the year before before.
After all, he’s a Kuchingite.