Visit the Old Istana Negara

Finally we get to glimpse how the Royal Agung (King) in Malaysia live in the former Istana Negara now that they plan to turn it into a museum. Most of the time we only get to view the gates and the changing of the guards. And if you crane your neck and try to look through the bush you can see the royal palace facade.

Now that the King has relocated to their new residence in the Jalan Duta area, the old Istana Negara could finally be open to the public! It would be great to have a walk through and view the grand interior! However I wonder if the public would be allowed to snap photos. A few of the royal museums that I visited did not allow the public to take pictures, which was such a crying shame.

Anyway, in order to entice the public to come visit the royal palace, here are some photos from the local dailies giving you a rare glimpse on the inside interior of the old former Istana Negara!

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Petaling Jaya History in Brief

Here's a brief history about Petaling Jaya. It was a satelite town to Kuala Lumpur but now has grown to be a little city (and getting rather congested too!) with many new buildings sprouting out office lots, shopping centres and brand new condos. This is getting to be a prime location to live in. I studied here, live here, work here and practically get most of my things done here. Though I grew up in KL, Petaling Jaya or PJ for short, is now my hometown!

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PJ: The little town that grew and grew
By Priya Menon
Photos by Art Chen & Muhammad Syamil Johar
Friday August 3, 2012

ARTIST photographer Soraya Yusof Talismail tried moving out of Petaling Jaya once, but her love for the satellite town — declared a city six years ago — drew her back in no time.

The 44-year-old artist and photographer was born in Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya, close to where her family was living at that time in Jalan Kelang Lama. They moved to Section 14 in the 1970s.

A PJ girl through and through, she studied at the popular Jack and Jill Kindergarten before moving on to Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Petaling and later shifting to Bukit Bintang Girls School in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

After years of living in PJ, Soraya and her husband Ariff Awaluddin moved to Jalan Duta for a while but found that it was nothing like her "hometown."

Picturesque: The Taman Jaya Lake is
an iconic lake for nature lovers and
joggers who frequent it every day.

"Our place in Jalan Duta was really nice, we had large grounds and a superb view but we just had to come back," said Soraya.

She then recalled her father's prophetic words on her wedding day.

"I remember my late father telling my husband, ‘This is Soraya's hometown', meaning that we should not move out.

Petaling Jaya was founded in 1952 to overcome the overpopulation in neighbouring Kuala Lumpur.

The new satellite town started with over 800 houses in what is now known as Old Town, made up of Jalan 1 and Jalan 2. These two roads have since been renamed Jalan Templer, after Sir Gerard Templer, and Jalan Othman respectively.

Soraya's love for Petaling Jaya is shown clearly on her face as she describes the best things she had while growing up.

Her family owns the house in Section 14 where she still lives with her mother.

Good old days: Soraya and her mother
Rogayah Ismail reminiscing about their
times in PJ at their home in Section 14.

According to her mother Rogayah Ismail, their house was surrounded by bushes and it was really a quiet neighbourhood.

Having large grounds was an advantage for the family, who often played host to their cousins, who turned up for the holidays.

Both of Soraya's siblings are still in Petaling Jaya; her brother is also living in the family home while her sister lives across the road.

Back then, the only shopping complex was Jaya Shopping Centre, best known as the Jaya Supermarket, which Soraya loved to visit, especially when shopping for Hello Kitty toys at the Sanrio Shop. There was Kathy's Toy Shop, a record store where everyone went to get the latest albums and the always sweet-smelling bakeries.

"Then there was the Asia Jaya Shopping Centre. It is no longer there but the LRT station has retained the name. The old mall had an ice rink as well as a roller-skating rink," she said.

Petaling Jaya was a small town then, with only a few development projects. The only tall building was the Jaya Puri Hotel, now Hilton Petaling Jaya.

As a child, there were a few thrills she indulged in. One of them was the only fast food chain available at that time — A&W.

She spent a better part of her teenage life there, meeting up with and dining with family while listening to songs on their casette players.

The A&W restaurant is still standing tall today, drawing a crowd during lunch, not just from the offices nearby during weekdays but also families and large groups of friends on weekends.

When not hanging out at A&W, Soraya loved eating at Medan Selera, a food court in Section 14 that had "one of the best" ayam golek with prawn crackers and satay.

There was also Gazebo near Jalan Gasing, which served her favourite mee Bandung.

She and her family still frequent Jackson's Burger in Section 14, a household name among PJ folks.

These days, however, she spends most of her time with her husband at their own restaurant, Kokopelli Travellers Bistro. Yes, it is also in Section 14!

"My husband and I love travelling and good food, and we always wanted a neighbourhood art gallery so we started one in Jalan Bukit, Section 11 in Petaling Jaya. After more than a year, we decided to relocate to this current place," she added.

The couple's bistro serves as a gallery as well, featuring new artists especially photographers since both she and Ariff are professional photographers.

They are also parents to a teenage boy, Ushuaia.

Soraya enjoys the morning walk as she accompanies her son to school, which is located next to the Taman Aman park.

"The view is beautiful and it is great to see so many people exercising or doing their tai-chi routine in the morning."

For Soraya, Petaling Jaya is a great place because it has everything and anything within easy reach.

Having said that, she said certain parts of the city could do with a makeover.

Looking at some of the abandoned houses along Jalan University and the run-down factories, Soraya believes that these places can be turned into something more useful to prevent them from becoming an eyesore.

She suggested that houses along certain main roads should be turned into commercial areas for hip restaurants, businesses and office units.

As for abandoned factories, she hopes an organisation will undertake the redevelopment but retain the original structure and renovate them into an arts centre comprising a museum, gallery, a place for performing arts and a library.

"There are so many universities in this area (Section 14, Section 13, Section 20) and with so many students, this corner of the city should be more hip.

"The arts centre will draw a larger crowd to Petaling Jaya and will serve the community as well," she added.

Soraya also hopes Petaling Jaya will become a more disabled-friendly city with sufficient wheelchair ramps and other facilities to aid those in need.

Source: The Star Metro

As we celebrate Malaysia's independence, StarMetro takes a look at the places you grew up in and how they have changed. In this first part of the series, we take a look at Petaling Jaya, which was established years before the founding of this nation.

Tune in to Astro's channel 318 for more My Hometown stories from Aug 31 to Sept 17.

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Kolam Artform and Deepavali

Whenever Deepavali comes around the corner, you can see many PJ and KL shopping malls and offices with decoration of Kolam on the floor. If you wondered what it all meant, the article below would give you some insights about the tradition of Kolam and what it symbolizes.

Kolam an artform to symbolise happiness
By Vijenthi Nair
Photos By Low Lay Phon
24/October/2011

KOLAM is much more than just an aesthetic art and symbolises happiness and prosperity, according to Indian beliefs.

The dotted kolam that is made from rice flour is drawn at the entrance of the house to feed insects and birds.

It represents man’s concern for all living creatures.

The kolam and the bright red border enclosing it, is also believed to prevent evil spirits from entering the house.

White beauty: Maruthamuthu with
his white flour work of art.

Kolam artist Mohan Maruthamuthu said Ranggoli (coloured) kolam was the evolved version of the dotted kolam.

However, in recent times the Ranggoli kolam have seen an evolution with many shopping malls and corporations drawing the artform in their premises.

Over the years, people added colours to the dotted kolam to make it more attractive.

“All of my work so far are for Ranggoli Kolam.

“The bright colours fused with creative designs is more appealing to many and also involves a lot more work compared with the original one. Usually dyed crushed rice are used to create beautiful Indian designs and symbols.

Colourful: The Ranggoli Kolam
at the entrance of K&N Kenanga
Holdings building.

“However, the beauty of the white flour is in a class of its own. Kolam should be drawn at the entrance so it would not be missed by visitors. In India, kolam is drawn every day by the women in the morning to invite ants to feed on it, thus receiving its blessings in return.

Mohan said kolam design was up to one’s creativity although there were now many kolam guide books to help beginners, especially with the dotted kolam.

“The parallel dots need to be calculated and arranged in order to get the straight and curves right. For dotted kolam, all the dots are drawn first, followed by the curved lines around the dots connecting each other. The thumb and forefingers are used to control the flow of flour.

“It is easy once you get the feel and flow of it. There is no end to the design as you can add on as you like or just run a finger through the lines to get an added effect,” he said.

Mohan feels that tradition can evolve but must not deviate from its main purpose.

“The tradition should be kept alive. The youths expressing their support for the football teams through kolam adds no value or meaning to it. It is best to keep it traditional and create innovative designs to further enhance the age-old art,” he added. -- Star Metro

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Cheong Fatt Tze Building aka The Blue Mansion in Penang

Here's an interesting place to visit, the Cheong Fatt Tze Building aka The Blue Mansion in Penang. Look for it when you next visit Georgetown Penang and see what it is all about!

Cheong Fatt Tze building is one of two in Asia featured on Lonely Planet list
By Andrea Filmer and Fong Kee Soon
Saturday October 22, 2011

George Town: The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (aka the Blue Mansion) here has been named one of the world's top 10 greatest mansions and grand houses by popular travel guide Lonely Planet.

The grand dwelling, often dubbed the Blue Mansion due to its vivid colour, is one of only two buildings in Asia to make the list.

The other is the Marble Palace mansion in Kolkata, India.

Others that made the list include the Villa d'Este in Italy, England's Castle Howard that provided the backdrop for the television and cinema adaptation of Brideshead Revisted, famed 16th-century Chateau de Chambord in France and the Catherine Palace in Russia.

The United States was the only country with two venues making the list Fallingwater in the woods of Pennsylvania and Beauport House in Massachusetts while Australia and Ireland rounded up the grandest homes list with Werribee Mansion in Melbourne and the 13th-century Powerscourt Estate in the Wicklow Mountains respectively.

True blue: The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang.
The historical structure was also featured as
the title picture for the Lonely Planet list.

The Lonely Planet list was reprinted last Sunday by the Fox News website, which chose the Blue Mansion as its story's main picture.

This latest accreditation follows several other prestigious awards already given to the mansion, including a Unesco “Most Excellent” Heritage Conservation Award in 2000, an Asean Tourism Association Excellence Award for Best Asean Cultural Preservation Effort in 2004 and the Malaysian National Architectural Award For Conservation in 1995.

The mansion was built in the late 19th- century by Cheong Fatt Tze, a self-made wealthy Chinese merchant.

Loh-Lim Lin Lee, who bought and restored the dwelling with husband Laurence Loh in the late 1980s to 1990s, said the mansion received some 2,000 visitors every month. -- The Star Nation

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Putting Malaysia on the world map

Putting Malaysia on the world map
Sunday June 10, 2007

Travel and tourism is the country’s second largest income spinner after manufacturing. It is a big though relatively young business, especially with this being Visit Malaysia Year and the nation’s 50th birthday.

HOW many times have you heard your parents mentioning Morib as the seaside place during their time?

Located at the southern end of the Selangor state, Morib is hardly an attraction now although historically, it is noted for being one of the first landing points on the west coast for the British and Indian Army liberation forces during World War II.

In the 60s and maybe early 70s, when the subject of holiday came up, locals would inevitably head for places where their relatives were. Travelling outside those perimeters was a rarity unless you came from a wealthy family.

Recalled one tour agent, “It was the norm then. When school holidays came up, we would go visit our aunties and uncles who lived in different towns and states. It was a thrill just to be in their houses. At that time, trees were plenty, pollution was less ... just doing simple things like roaming around the garden was joyous enough. Or, our parents would take us to Port Dickson to spend the day at the beach.”

Times have changed.

Travel and tourism is a big though relatively young business here, especially with this being Visit Malaysia Year and the nation’s 50th birthday. It is the country’s second largest income spinner after manufacturing.

Tourism in Malaysia dates back to 1959 when the first Tourism Department was set up.

Unfortunately, there were no hard records to justify the significant role played by tourism at that time as the Bureau of Statistics only limited its findings to external trade and estate agriculture.

Besides, tourism hardly made any profound impact on the economy then – until the department was upgraded to the Tourism Development Corporation in 1972. It then charted a new era in the history of Malaysian tourism.

That was the same year Malaysia Airlines was formed and together, they worked tirelessly on putting Malaysia on the world tourism map.

In the 80s, increased financial affluence, where more people could afford cars, improved infrastructure and better public transportation services, saw the domestic tourism market booming.

Land-based transportation including buses, coaches, and rail was the primary method of transportation for all tourists travelling to and from Malaysia although locals preferred to drive to their domestic destinations.

Morib was forgotten as there were more places to visit like Teluk Batik (Pahang) Ipoh, Penang, Pulau Pangkor and Langkawi.

The 90s saw the emergence of Star Cruises and low-cost carrier Air Asia, which allowed connectivity into Malaysia to improve by leaps and bounds. The reduced travelling costs have also allowed the lower income groups to get a taste of being in the air and visiting another destination.

Hotels started sprouting up all over the country, especially five-star ones. Our five-star hotels offer some of the cheapest room rates in the region for unparalleled luxury. Then, with the introduction of the nationwide Mega Sale Carnival in 1999, the economy received a boost from the retail sector. The Malaysian tourism authority has undertaken efforts to position Malaysia as a leading international shopping destination.

Each Mega Sale has managed to attract an additional half a million foreign visitors and day-trippers from the neighbouring countries, on top of the normal tourist arrivals. The effort facilitated the growth in tourism expenditure and consumer demand, which enhanced the growth of retail trade.

Kudos must be given to Tourism Malaysia for their Malaysia Truly Asia tagline and its catchy jingle. It portrays Malaysia as a peaceful, colourful and festive multicultural nation with many diverse religions and cultures living together in perfect harmony, a tourism experience encompassing the whole of Asia within one comprehensive destination.

Events such as Petronas Malaysia F1 Grand Prix, Le Tour de Langkawi, Langkawi International Maritime and Air Show Exhibition (Lima) and other world-class events further enhanced the image of Malaysia as a desirable holiday destination.

Since it was introduced in 1999, medical and health tourism has also contributed handsomely to the national economy. Last year (2006), a total of 296,687 health tourists visited Malaysia yielding revenues totalling RM203.66 million.

However, the tourism industry, like most businesses, is not without its challenges and uncertainties. They include a distorted perception of the country, global uncertainties such as SARS, avian flu, natural catastrophes, acts of terrorism and lack of synergy support. These factors may impede tourism development and it may not be able to play an effective role in the Malaysian economy.

The industry has come a long way since with almost 50% (2005) of the national workforce being employed either directly or indirectly in the tourism sector i.e. in hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, airlines and transportation.

With VMY2007 timed to coincide with 50 years of independence, tourist numbers were initially off to a slow start. But in February, the arrivals were up by 9.7% compared with that of last year’s.

Tourism Malaysia’s latest statistics reveal that Singaporeans made up the bulk of the visitors (1,641,459), followed by Thailand (270,591), Indonesia (257,980), Brunei (125,435), China (117,939), Japan (61,133), India (53,870), Britain (51,213), Australia (50,296) and South Korea (41,595).

Top tourist sites among locals and foreigners are Kuala Lumpur, Penang, the islands of Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Pangkor, and Pulau Tioman; Kota Baru, Miri – Mulu, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Lumut, Ipoh, Malacca, Taman Negara, Johor Baru and Desaru. Sadly, with the exception of Genting Higlands, other hilly areas like Cameron Highlands, Frasers Hill and Maxwell Hill are not as popular as they once used to be.

Recording more than a million tourists a month during low season is indeed a positive trend and is line with the government’s aim of registering more than one million visitors each month, to lead up to the targeted 20.1 million tourists this year with an estimated total spending of RM44.5 billion.

The stability of a country remains a major consideration for tourists, especially those from Europe and North America. Being the catalyst for growth, the tourism industry has opened up new avenues and provided many with hope, career and a future.

Today, almost half of a century later, the industry has moved with impressive celerity. With a stable government and its continued cooperation with other countries to combat terrorism and crime, favourable trends should be sustainable for the Malaysia’s tourism industry in the coming years. -- Sunday Metro.

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