THE GOD OF WAR.

Myths and tales of Indonesia are very diverse, because the people comes from hundreds of ethnic groups, each with their own way of beliefs.
Some groups that were isolated from the rest of the World until recent centuries have their own myths still free from foreign influences.
This myth is an animistic belief related to Borneo's abundant bird species. Birds have the faculty of flight, envied by man, that they only need to flap their wings and fly away from danger, yet that simple action warns man from the dangers these birds perceived.
In Iban floklore, SING'ALANG BURUNG's thoughts were recorded as follows: "I am the ruler of the SPIRIT WORLD and have the power to make men successful. In all work you undertake YOU MUST PAY HEED TO THE VOICES of sacred birds."
SING'ALANG BURUNG was the bravest god of war and in his earthly form, disguised as a bird, the Brahminy kite, he conveyed messages to the Ibans.
Ancient Iban Woodcarvings and Wooden War Shields depict this bird as a Sign of Invisibility. It is the state bird of Sarawak.
Today in Kenya and Iban this bird has been usurped by the supreme Avian god in both cultures: the RHINOCEROS HORNBILL. These magnificent birds fly in a flock at dusk across the Kinabatangan River in Eastern Sabah. They are distinguishable by the rapid succession of their roaring calls and the whooshing sound of their wings and white tip of their tails, when they are in route to their nests in the trees bordering the River.
The RHINOCEROS HORNBILL are in size between 91 and 122 centimeters long and are named after their reddish yellow horns protruding upwards beyond their whitish beaks. This horn, made of keratin, is hollow inside and slightly larger in the male species.
To the Dayak community, it represents a sign of virility and male dominance, derived from its habit of imprisoning its mate in a dark hollow and emergent primary forest tree at breeding time. Usually the nest is placed in such holes near the top of the forest canopy and the entrance is sealed by their own droppings. The nest is almost glued together with just one hole, through which the incubating female bird can receive the male's regurgitating food deliveries and for her excretion purposes. Beyond this nest, the bird builds an outer nest of mud which soon is baked hard. The female bird and her eggs are thus well protected from raiders such as monkeys and snakes.

THE LONGEVITY SOUP.

This is a Borneo myth in which a simple bird's nest from the Island became a peculiar delicacy:
"Long ago in China, there was an Emperor who loved to taste different gourmet dishes made by the royal cook."
"Each dish was exotic and different every day."
"One day the cook ran out of ideas and desperately needed to find a new dish to prepare for him. The Emperor had decreed that if the cook could not prepare a new different dish daily, that he would not only lose his position as the royal cook but also his head."
"The royal cook decided to take a walk to the harbor to see if he could find something new and exotic to cook. He came across a merchant who had showed him a bird's nest from Borneo. 'How do I cook this?' says the cook, looking at the bird's nest. "You are the cook, they eat this in borneo, I just buy it, I don't prepare it. It has some potent longevity properties, that is what I was told,' said the merchant."
"Knowing the Emperor's passion for Feng Shui and longevity, the royal cook cunningly presented the soup with a dragon in one side and a phoenix on the left, with the soup in the middle. 'What have you brought me today?' asked the Emperor. 'Longevity soup Your Highness,' replied the royal cook."
The Emperor's eyes lit up, and he eagerly tasted the soup. It smelt sweet and aromatic just how he liked it, however when he tasted the food it was plain. The royal cook held his breath. 'This tastes like ordinary soup, I can get this anywhere in my kingdom,' said the Emperor.' 'Taste it again please Your Majesty,' urged the cook. The Emperor took another spoon full and said, 'It still tastes ordinary.' 'Please take another sip Your Majesty,' the cook urged again, fearful for his life. 'All right but if I do not taste anything different, I will have your head,' threatened the Emperor."
"The cook had to think fast, 'In Borneo ...' he started. The Emperor's eyes lit up because he knew that it was an exotic place. The pillars of the Forbidden City, were made from timbers that came from Borneo.
'In Borneo, the people there, eat this soup for longevity. It keeps the people young and healthy, it lengthen their years and they live long and prosperous because of this soup.' The cook went on about the benefits of the soup, emphasizing on the longevity properties of the dish. 'Such an exotic dish, why didn't you say so? This dish is fit for an Emperor,' he decreed."
"The royal cook sighed with relief, as the Emperor continued to relish his dish. Once the Emperor had finished his meal, he announced that the longevity soup had to be served to him on a regular basis, and the royal cook was duly rewarded."
"To keep the Emperor from finding out that the longevity soup's raw ingredient was bird's nest, the royal cook ensured that all those who brought back the birds nest from Borneo were killed. New crew were sent to retrieve the bird's nest each time."
"True enough the Emperor lived a long and prosperous life."
"The longevity soup was only served to the royal family and wealthy merchants, it was not allowed to be served to the general population."
"The longevity soup became renowned as a royal dish, and its potent properties claimed by the merchant were proven to be true."
"The Emperor's successors were the ones who had benefited from the soup, as it was served to them at an early age."

ETERNAL LOVE.

"I know I am not easy to love. I am a chronic over-thinker. I overreact more than I should. Every once in a while I might be a little insecure. But if I am in love with you, I can promise you wholeheartedly that you will be loved with so much passion and intensity that you will forget what life felt like before I came along."       Chelsea Carroll.
"You made me believe in love again, you made me open up to it, and eased me into it. You were gentle because you knew I was fragile and you made me believe, made me know, that it was possible for me to love again. In you I found a love I no longer believed it existed. Yes you opened my eyes to a love I never knew existed. You broke through every defense wall or obstacle of those deepest and darkest parts of me that I wanted to deflect every attempt to open up. You are the reason I learned to love again, and I feel your presence in everyday things. God, you make me feel special."
"No one else has been able to make me feel so strong and at the same time so vulnerable, while just a safe and equally as humble. Who else could reassure me that although I may fail a thousand times more, someone might still be crazy enough to love me just the same? It is in no one else, but you, whom I willingly surrender myself to. So take this as a subtle plea, in fact, I beg you, never to let go of me."
"I did not 'fall' in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we would choose anyway. And I would choose you, in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I would find you and I would choose you."
"I met my soul mate before I was conceived. We were nothing but constellations composing of dying stars. Before the supernovas consumed us, he told me: 'Don't ever feel alone in the years to come. You may have your doubts, but we will collide again.' They say the Universe is Infinite, so is Love."
"Wait for the person who pursues you, the one who will make an ordinary moment seem extraordinary. The kind of person who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be a better person. Wait for the person who will be your best friend, the only person who will drop everything to be with you at any time no matter what the circumstances."
"I love your feet only because they walked upon the earth and upon the waters, until they found me."
"I wait for you like a lonely house, until you will see me again and live in me. Until then my windows ache." "If nothing saves us from death, at least love should save us from life." "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride. I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that when your hand rest upon my chest I feel like my hand and when I fall asleep your eyes close."
"Love is not about property, diamonds and gifts. It is about sharing your very self with the world around you." "Only a burning patience will lead to the attainment of a splendid happiness." "To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that feeds our fire." "Let us forget with generosity those who cannot love us."             Pablo Neruda.
"Love must be sincere"(Romans 12:9). "Love your neighbor as yourself"(Mark 12:31). "Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast, it is not proud. Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres and never fails. (2 Cor. 13:4-8).
"Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins"(1Peter4:8). "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love"(1 John 4:18-19). "Over all virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."(Colossians 3:14). "Hate stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs"(Proverb 10:12).
"Love can always conquer whatever discord brings and love can also cover a multitude of things. Do not underestimate what love can ever do, for love is God eternal and His Love can renew."
"What is cold and lifeless and lost all hope and died, love can breathe new meaning and give it back new life. Please do not give up on love when it seems that all is lost, for there is always hope if we are prepared to pay the cost."