BorneoColours.Com

Hey I 'm featured in the BorneoColours.com

 
 
BorneoColours.com wanted to feature me as their blogger as I have put up this blog...here are the interview questions:

Upclose&Personal with Veeky Leo

	We are privilleged to have an interview with Veeky, the Kumang Iban winner of Borneo Hornbill Festival last July. As usual before we move on to the interview, please introduce yourself. Hi there, I’m Veeky-Leonora Andria from Kuching, Sarawak. I’m 100% Iban and currently working at Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) as an administrative and diplomatic officer.
1	You are still new to blogging, what inspired you to create a blog for yourself? I used to write in my journal and share it among my close friends as one of my hobbies but that has been put off long time ago. Now blogging has revived my passion to write again as it is an easier way to share my thoughts on things that I write to all my readers. What really drove me to write this blog is because I want to share my knowledge and perspective about Iban culture and hope that the younger generation will be more appreciative towards culture.
2	Why do you chose Blogger to host your blog? My friend Susan Leo recommended it to me.
3	Name us 3 bloggers that promotes cultural heritage as you do in your blog. gnmawar.wordpress.com by Mr. Gregory Nganggau, dayanglaing.net by Ms. Jacqueline Selaka Mawar, and parenbonjour.com by Mr. Paren Nyawi. I would also like to include this blog as well, dayakwithgoldenhair.wordpress.com
4	What do you plan to achieve for your blog in the future? To disseminate Iban culture to all my readers and my main target audience is the younger generation.
5	Tell us your experience as the Kumang Gawai top winner in Borneo Hornbill Fest (BHF). Being crowned as the winner for Kumang Iban category is a great honour to me not because it is simply a beauty pageant but Kumang reflects the image of a perfect woman in the olden days and it is a task to uphold the sanctity of that title too! I was encouraged by again my friend Susan Leo to enter this competition. Sleepless nights in promoting the online voting was one of the experience that I will never forget. The experience throughout the journey of this competition itself I must say, very enlightening. A lot of things been discovered, more friends came along the way.The more I discover about my Iban culture, the more passionate I get particularly getting the Indu Dara Insin Temaga "look" as closely as possible. Even getting the costumes itself was an adventure as I did not have all the accessories. Research done through reading, museum visits, antique shops and asking around was worth it, hence Indu Dara Insin Temaga emerged on 23 July 2011 first ever since the Kumang Gawai competition was introduced in 1966.
6	You mentioned about introducing Indu Dara Insin Temaga, tell us more about it.  Indu Dara Insin Temaga is the depiction of a Saribas lady (one of the Iban tribe located in Betong area) wearing the Rawai Tinggi (high corset) with all other silver regalia complete with kain kebat (the pua kumbu skirt). A rough description of Indu Dara Insin Temaga: “Kumang, the great beauty of all Iban goddesses, only wore the kain kebat, rawai tinggi betating pirak , silver lampit belt, the sugu (headdress), a pair of stud ear-rings, silver necklaces and a complete set of tumpak pirak(bangles) for the lower and upper arms. Maybe some feet bangles with tiny bells too. In her right hand a white lace handkerchief, in her left the silver buah pauh - her purse and tucked discreetly in between her sanggul siput, a flower.”
7	In your opinion, what steps have to be taken to ensure our Bornean cultural heritage doesn't get lost in a modern society. To tackle the modern society, we must use the modern way which is the internet. Like myself, I spread my knowledge and my views about my culture through my blog. I admit that I do use materials from other internet sources but I put up my views about it. The Borneo Hornbill Festival is one of the programmes that should be continued as it promotes the culture not only to the locals but to the foreigners as well. Another interesting way in promoting our culture is via photography. I love “Kauluan Express’ “blog, you don’t need to speak much as the beauty of the culture is spoken through the eyes of the photographer.
8	What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you achieve your dreams now? When my dad asked me at the age of 4 what I want to be when I grow up, I replied “I want to be a judge”..to date I’m not a judge though I have a degree in Law..but to say that I don’t achieve it is not true at all.. What I know now, there is still so many things to achieve bit by bit. I would not say winning the Kumang Iban title is my dream, but at least I can say that I have gone through it and it was a successful try for me. My dream in life is to be able to live happily by achieving things in life be it big or small happy or sad as experience makes your life worthwhile living.
9	Tell us something about you that most people don't know yet. That I am a 2nd Dan Black Belt holder in Taekwondo..haiyakk!
10	Can you draw for us a portrait of you for the last question? Here it is, sealed with a kiss ;)
	That wraps up our interview with Veeky, learn more about Sarawak cultural heritage through her own view at veekyleonora.blogspot.com, and don't forget to add her as BC Buddy at her profile page.