Greetings members It is now 18th Oct (10 days after newsletter deadline date!) as I sit and try to write this, my last President’s message, for the November edition of the MCG newsletter. I decided to hold off writing this message until after my last Board meeting on 16th Oct as I had hoped for a miracle and that I would be able to inform you of my replacement and other Board changes that I had hoped would be confirmed at that meeting. I wish I had lots of good news for you. It was great to welcome 26 Newcomers to our Annual Newcomers’ Coffee Morning held on 25th Sept at the residence of the New Zealand High Commissioner Mr David Kersey and his wife Gillian Dias – our thanks to them and their staff for the use of the Residence, the wonderful food we all enjoyed and the super setting for a warm and friendly morning. On the day, 18 of those newcomers signed up as members of MCG and there was lots of interest shown in joining Book Groups and Explorers’ groups as well as people registering to attend upcoming events. I welcome you all to MCG and hope that you enjoy all it has to offer and that you get as much out of the experience as I have over the last two and a half years. I am pleased to announce that the Board accepted and confirmed Annie Irlapati’s appointment as Membership Secretary from 16th Oct and we welcome her to the Board – she is already an active member of our Events Planning Team and her commitment to MCG is greatly appreciated. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kathryn Meidinger for the sterling job she has done of the Membership role over the last 7 or 8 months. We are sorry to lose her from the Board but appreciate her “behind the scenes” support to Annie over the next few months as we move into the busy renewal period in December/January. It is also pleasing to tell you that a couple of people have come forward to discuss the Website role with Petra – one member has contacted her directly and will meet with her when she returns from vacation at the beginning of November and one of the newcomers also approached me at the Coffee Morning to offer her help – thanks to those ladies and I hope Petra will be able to advise you all of her replacement in the very near future. Sadly MCG now lacks a President, Vice President and Events Planning Team Convenor – my term finishes 31 October and subsequently results in two Board positions becoming vacant as I have covered the EPT Convenor role since Cindy resigned from that position some time ago. As you know the Vice President position has been vacant since our AGM in May and I certainly understand no-one will volunteer for that job while the President’s chair is empty too! I regret leaving the Board and MCG in this vulnerable position, but I am simply unable to commit any extra time to these key roles as I now only have 3 months left in Malaysia and a lot to do to prepare for our return to NZ. My time as a member of MCG has been fantastic and I have learned so much more about Malaysia and the region as a result of this wonderful group. My time on the Board as Membership Secretary (November 2006 to April 2007) and President (May 2007 to October 2008) have been very rewarding and enjoyable – trust me, you get so much more out of something when you know you have contributed something to it as well. I want to say a huge thank you to all those members (past and present) who have served with me on the Board and Events Planning Team over the last 2 years – I have enjoyed working with you all and I have greatly appreciated your loyalty and support not to mention your dedication to MCG. Keep up the good work – I intend to come to as many of the planned MCG events as I possibly can in the time I have left here – I just won’t be wearing that “President” badge any more. I wish all MCG members all the very best for the future - wherever life takes you and whatever adventures you embark on, may you always look back on MCG with the fond memories I know I leave with. I look forward to seeing you all at an event soon. - Lin Streefkerk PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
REPORTS FROM PREVIOUS EVENTS Visit to Tuanku Jafar Kolej by Explorers Group B of us in 3 cars with very clear driving instructions set off for picturesque Nilai – a 45 minutes drive from the city centre.The tour was organized for us by Fran Jones, wife of the principal of Tuanku Jafar Kolej. The Royal family of Negri Sembilan on one of their visits to England fell in love with an English Boarding School and thought… “Why can’t we have a boarding school like this back at home in Malaysia?” An idea was born. They got together a group of their friends to raise money for this project and the Tuanku Jafar Kolej came into being – 18 years ago. Our visit to the Kolej began with a presentation from the principal – Mr. Walter Jones. He informed us that the Kolej offers 0 levels, A levels as well as the local streams. The school has children from 20 nationalities. and has 493 boarders and 12 day scholars . About 60 % are boys and 40% are girls. The boys and girls have separate boarding facilities, but classes are co-ed. The Kolej has 78 staff – the ratio of student to teacher is 1: 6.5. The language of teaching is English. The Kolej encourages all faiths and celebrates all festivals. The largest religious group is Muslims and the Kolej makes arrangements for Ramadan. Theatre studies, performances are also part of the curriculum. The videos of the performances of the students are sent to England for judging, we were told. The Kolej promotes a lot of London colleges. Rugby and Cricket are played here. Its sports teams are sent for state competitions The Fees –for boarding and Tuition are quite affordable compared to other international schools in KL and a steal if you take into account the cost of sending your child to England to study. A few students were asked to show us around the school. They impressed us with their well designed uniform and confident style. We visited the Girls’ boarding house, the Library, the Canteen and the beautifully maintained grounds. The atmosphere at school was very warm and comfortable. You could tell that it was a happy place. Fran describes her role in the school as the Principal’s wife as ‘decorative’. She is part of the food committee, entertains staff occasionally and also judges some school contests. Later we had the privilege to go back to school. Half the group attended the English class and half the Business studies class. All class rooms are air conditioned. I learnt ‘cold classrooms keep the children awake’. The classrooms are extremely high tech and AV ready. Our classroom had lessons on the touch screens, rather than the conventional blackboard/ white board. The teachers were friendly and the teaching style was interactive and had all the students participating. The students at the Kolej are very conscientious. They recognize how this education is going to advantage them. I felt they were very focused , very motivated. Sure enough the kids attending this school are a privileged lot. The tour made a lot of us want to turn back the clock and be part of this great institution. Sapna Walia
"An Introduction to the Malay Culture - Its Origin and how it is Today" with Abdul Rahim Bin Yassim and his wife Salina Mohammed Rashid On October 8 at Badan Warisan, MCG members and guests were given an interesting and informative presentation entitled “Malay Customs and Culture”. Abdul Rahim Bin Yassim, a lecturer at the University of Malaya and his wife, Salina Mohammed Rashid, who owns a company called Unique Explorer that provides instruction on Malay language and culture training talked to the group on a variety of topics relating to their rich heritage. Rahim began by giving us a brief outline of the history of Malaysia from the time of Parameswara and the founding of Malaka to the modern day. He explained the importance of the coming of Islam, feudalism and the colonial period in forming the culture of the Malay people and the country of Malaysia. Some basic Malay customs were discussed. Malay greetings including the use of titles, the soft handshake with right hand to the heart and ways of greeting family members were explained. Points of etiquette such as gift giving, visiting a Malay home, and appropriate attire were discussed. Acceptable topics for conversation and topics to be avoided were outlined. Rahim also talked about Malay wedding customs and traditional Malay games and entertainment. Salina discussed with us topics related to the family. She pointed out that family life in Malaysia has changed greatly in areas like Kuala Lumpur with most Malay families now facing the challenges involved when both parents work outside the home. Previously Malay families were large and the mother was a full-time housewife. Salina highlighted two Malaysian “Mother of the Year“ recipients from 2006 and 2007, each of whom had many children (10 and 17), but who managed to raise their families on small incomes to be successful, responsible citizens. Increasingly, with most mothers working, smaller families are becoming more common. Salina also pointed out that some issues such as finding quality time to spend with children, maintaining discipline and raising respectful children who are not “pampered” have become more difficult with modern life. These challenges sounded very familiar to many of us, I believe! Salina presented five principles that are of great importance in the Malay culture in bringing up a child. Parents try to ensure that their child receives a good education, is able to recite the Koran, performs prayers five times a day, works hard, and is nice to people. Punishment for misdeeds varies with the situation and family, but is seen as part of the job of parenting. Question period at the end of the discussion was very lively with many questions asked about raising children, religious customs and requirements, and family dynamics in the Malay community. The audience found the presentation interesting and informative. Many thanks to Rahim and Salina for coming to speak to us during the Hari Raya celebrations. Pam Boucher
Trip to EcoFuture and Thaya, "the Lotus Lady" true Explorer’s style, Joanne and Dawn had each come across interesting newspaper articles which seemed worth ‘exploring’. Since these both related to the use of plant fibres, we decided to work as a team. We scoped out the locations of these two contacts and made preliminary visits resulting in the final plans for our October gathering. Eleven of us gathered at Ecofuture Berhad in Petaling Jaya for a briefing by Madam Yeo Kim Luang, the managing director of this extensive company with several subsidiaries. We women were especially impressed by this passionate yet humble director who has worked in the business for 40 years. Out of university she began in the oil palm industry but soon noticed the tremendous waste this generated as well as the pollution from incineration, thus beginning her search for environmental solutions. Using the fibrous material left after removing kernels from palm oil bunches, she developed a fibrous matting that can be used on slopes to prevent erosion, retain moisture, control weeds and insects, and act as a fertilizer but which is also biodegradable. China has become one of the main customers for this matting whereas Malaysia has been slow to adopt in spite of its attributes. From there she expanded development of pulp from the empty fruit bunches into biodegradable Ecopak containers of all sorts, which are a perfect alternative to Styrofoam and melamine products. She has also developed biodegradable ‘plastic’ type bags, paper products, and various gardening materials. This is truly an amazing woman who had a vision and pursued it to fruition, an inspiration for us all! Our second destination was the culmination of a 2 year search for the Lotus Lady. We regrouped at the home of Thayanithi “Thaya” Kulenthran, also located in Petaling Jaya. We began our visit by learning about Thaya’s relationship with the Lotus plant, which is a sacred plant in both Hinduism and Buddhism. Her involvement with the Lotus came as a result of a series of incidents that culminated in a spiritual journey she now refers to as the “Lotus Pilgrimage.” For the last 7 years, she has learned many lessons from growing and observing lotus plants. She trusts in the divine spiritual guidance she has received along the way. The whole process was a challenge at first, as her family and friends initially questioned her commitment and interest in her endeavor. The first lotus plant she acquired was the sacred pink lotus flower and she gave it the name of Lakshmi, because depictions of the divine goddess show her standing on a pink lotus flower. Her second lotus plant was a white lotus flower which she named after Saraswati, the goddess of learning, who is generally depicted sitting on a white lotus flower. She showed us around her lotus collection in the yard, which now includes 8 pots and a small pond. After a tour of her lotus plants, we returned inside to learn the art of wick making from the fibres of the lotus stem. We were expecting a demonstration, but each of us was handed a lotus stem topped with an unopened flower (fibre can only be created from the substance inside stems that support blossoms). Thaya showed us the technique; which yields a gossamer-like substance when the stem is repeatedly snapped in two. Upon completion of the collection process, one stem yields enough fibre to create a wick, of highly regarded burning qualities, for use in an oil lamp. Because the lotus is a sacred plant, Thaya told us the burning of the wick is considered an auspicious act. Joanne Mahendran and Dawn Babcock
BOOK CLUB REPORTS Title: From the land of green ghosts, A Burmese Odyssey Pascal grew up as a member of the tiny, remote Kayan Padaung tribe, famous for their 'giraffe-necked' women. The Padaung practiced a combination of ancient animist and Buddhist customs mixed with the Catholicism introduced by Italian missionaries. Theirs was a dream culture, a world in which ancestors were worshipped and ghosts were a constant presence. Within a few months of his chance meeting with Dr. Casey, Pascal's world lay in ruins. Successive economic crises brought about by Burma's military dictatorship meant he had to give up his studies. The regime's repression grew more brutal, and Pascal's student-lover, who had become involved in the movement for democracy, was arrested, raped and finally murdered by the armed forces. Pascal fled to the jungle, becoming a guerrilla fighter in the life-or-death struggle against the government and seeing many of his friends and comrades die in battle. In a moment of desperation, he remembered the Englishman he had met in Mandalay and wrote him a letter, with little expectation of ever receiving a reply. Miraculously, the letter reached its destination on the other side of the world. Not only that, it led to Pascal being rescued from the jungle and enrolling to study English at Cambridge University, the first Burmese tribesman ever to do so. From the Land of Green Ghosts is the autobiographical tale of a remarkable triumph of hope over despair, and of an encounter between two very different worlds. It unforgettably evokes the realities of life in modern-day Burma, and tells of one young man's long journey to freedom despite almost unimaginable odds. The Book Club agreed that Pascal Khoo Thwe’s memoir was both moving and inspiring. Some of us found it highly readable, while others found it quite a challenging “slog”. The book is written in 3 parts, “Idyll of the Tribe”, “Revolution and Flight”, and “Rescue”. It was interesting to discuss which section members enjoyed most, and which section members found most difficult to read, as opinions were extremely varied. We did agree that the recent political events in Myanmar/Burma made this book a very timely one to read. Several of us could empathize with the author’s difficulties settling into such a different land and culture. We would like to have read more about his time at Cambridge and about his life since that time. Pascal lives in London today, and has not been able to return to Burma even to visit his family. This book was the non-fiction winner of the 2002 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize, which is awarded to a book that will encourage greater understanding of and among peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim and South Asia. We agreed that the book definitely did that, and deserved to win such an award. In spite of finding the prose somewhat jumpy and hard to follow at times, most of us were glad we had read the book, and would recommend it to others interested in the history and culture of Burma. Cathy Weston
NEWSLETTER REPORT Newsletter This is the November issue of the newsletter. The next issue will be in December. The deadline for sending in your articles/photos is November 8. Please email your write ups to The write-ups should not be more than 350 words. They should be in Times New Roman font size 11. Jaishree Balasubramanian
BOOKING POLICY FOR EVENTS Reservations Wait List Payments Cancellations Refunds Eligibility Event Participation Eligibility Your co-operation with the Booking Policy would be much appreciated by the Events Planning Team.
| Home | About MCG | Join MCG | Committee | Interesting Links |
Please forward site comments to the website administrator. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
