Exploring Kuching: All about cats

By Karen Loh

DSC_2303As first time visitors to Kuching, we (5 museum volunteers) decided to visit the Cat Museum during our visit in August, 2014. Built to promote tourism since ‘Kuching’ literally means ‘cat’ in Malay, the museum is the first of its kind in the world dedicated to cats. The brainchild of the former Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Hj. Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife, this museum was opened in 1992 at the Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara (Kuching North City Hall) building on top of Bukit Siol (Siol Hill). Divided into four galleries, this great cat collection has 4,000 artifacts on anything and everything that has to do with cats; from clay and wrought iron figurines, posters, artists’ collection and artwork, cat cemetery, cat’s eyes, music labels, cats during the medieval period, sculptures, cat engraved coconut shells and graters, a cat cave, preserved cats, soft toys and many other curios.

all about cats

 

DSC_2348Nevertheless, Kuching was not named because it is a city of cats. One version for its name is that Kuching came from the Indian name ‘Cochin’, a term commonly referred to as ‘port’ by Indian traders. These Indian traders were one of the first to settle at the base of Santubong in Sarawak in the early days. Another famous version is the one of James Brooke, who was sailing down Sungai Kuching (Kuching River) from Bukit Mata Kuching (Cat’s eye Hill; cat’s eye or longan is a fruit and the hill was named after the abundance of longan trees which grew on the hill) when he saw a village. He asked a local for the name of the village and was answered ‘kuching’ because the person mistakenly thought that Brooke was asking about a passing cat. Founded in 1827 by Pengiran Indera Mahkota, Kuching is actually named after Sungai Kuching (Kuching River) and was the third capital of Sarawak under the Sultanate of Brunei. The city later flourished and grew as an administrative capital under the Brooke Government.

We had a ‘meowing’ good time.

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Exploring Kuching – The Chinese History Museum

by Kon Cze Yan

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis charming little museum is located on the Kuching Waterfront.  It was built in 1912 as a court by Chinese traders to enact their laws and customs. Thereafter it was taken over by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and in 1993, it became the Chinese History Museum.

James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak, disliked the Chinese, but regarded them as a necessary evil. The Rajah detested people who had anything to do with money. ‘The Chinaman’, wrote Ludwig Verner Helms, the managing director of the Borneo Company, ‘must have his tea, tobacco, opium and samsu, and when he has ready money he must gamble. He is, therefore, an excellent subject to tax, and from the opium, arrack and gambling farms the Sarawak Treasury was largely replenished”.

And so the Chinese in Sarawak occupied a special place during the period of the White Rajahs. They formed a state within a state. They had their own temples and their own code of laws.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe Chinese now make up about a quarter of the population of Sarawak and are Sarawak’s second largest ethnic group after the Ibans. The museum describes the 3 waves of migration of Chinese into Sarawak. The origin, destination and occupation of each major dialect group are detailed. It also highlights the early prominent pioneers and the current leaders of the community.

The 1st wave of immigration took place in the early 19th century.  These were mainly Hakka gold and antimony miners from Kalimantan. The 2nd wave of Chinese immigrants arrived by sea and consisted mainly of Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese. These traders arrived before the 1st Rajah, James Brooke.  The 3rd and biggest wave of immigrants arrived mainly at the invitation of Rajah Charles Brooke to open up land for cultivation and provide labour for the mines.

An information panel on each of the Chinese immigrant groups who helped build Sarawak – Hakka, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Chao Ann, Henghua, Hainanese, Foochow, Luichew and Sankiang – forms the bulk of the displays in this little museum.

Two large sections of the museum are devoted to prominent Chinese leaders both past and present. Sadly there is no mention of the ‘Uncrowned King of Sarawak’, Wee Kheng Chiang. So influential and wealthy was he that Lady Sylvia Brooke, wife of Rajah Vyner Brooke, bestowed that title on him. When she often told him he was a rascal and rogue, it delighted him so much he would send for a bottle of champagne and drink to it!

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Petaling Jaya – a satellite township of Kuala Lumpur

by Soundaravalli Paraman

150px-MBPJIn Malaysia almost all new townships have a suffix, the word Jaya which in Malay means success in the hope that the town will live up to the given name. The city of Petaling Jaya has lived up to its name. Petaling Jaya lies alongside KL in the heart of Klang Valley and can be said to be the most advanced region in Malaysia. It is the leading growth centre of Selangor and arguably the foremost industrial hub in Malaysia.

When Kuala Lumpur was becoming overcrowded in the 1950s, squatter enclaves sprouted in and around the city. To solve this problem the British conceived the idea of a satellite settlement in the neighbouring Petaling area in 1952. The Selangor Government allocated 1200 acres of the Effingham estate and to attract people to this settlement it offered 1300, 50’x90’ lots at a nominal price to the landless. In 1953, residential areas of sections 1, 2 and 3 were developed. About 800 wooden houses were built around the area now known as “Old Town”. The only two main roads were Jalan 1 and Jalan 2, now renamed Jalan Templer and Jalan Othman respectively. Here, public amenities and facilities for commerce were developed. Lieutenant-General Sir Gerald Templer (High commissioner of Malaya, 1954-56) was made chairman of the Petaling District Council to plan the development of Petaling Jaya as a satellite town. Due to communist insurgency the earlier housing areas were fenced off from the surrounding areas to prevent the people from assisting the communists.

Initially the town was administered by the Kuala Lumpur District officer and the Petaling Jaya Board until the end of 1953.

1954            Under Ordinance No 36 a legislative body, Petaling Jaya Authority, took over

1964            Petaling Jaya Town Board was given financial autonomy    

1/2/1974      When KL became a Federal territory, Petaling Jaya became a township in the state of Selangor

1/1/1977      PJ Town Authority became PJ Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya, MPPJ)

20/6/2006    Petaling Jaya attained city status (Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya,  MBPJ)

After 1954, rapid development took place. More land was acquired from rubber and oil palm plantations and refilled tin mines, for industry, infrastructure and housing. As of 1957 there were over 3200 houses, more than 100 shops and 28 operating factories. By 1964 Petaling Jaya expanded to 19.9 sq km and a population of 35 100.

As of 2003, PJ had grown to 51.4 sq km  and had a population of 450 000 consisting of 55% Malays, 30% Chinese and 13% Indians.

In 1954, the Federal Highway was developed to link the Federal capital to Port Klang and thus areas developed north of the highway came to be known as PJU or Petaling Jaya Utara and areas which started in 1953 onwards were known as PJS Petaling Jaya Selatan.

Petaling Jaya Selatan (PJS) refers to an area which started off around 1953 from section 8 to PJ Old Town. Petaling Jaya developed rapidly due to rural-urban drift in areas like Sungai Way, Subang Jaya and Seksyen 52.  PJ New Town is the central Business district of PJ with the landmark Menara MBPJ which acts as a focal point. Interestingly PJ New Town is called State because of the location of the first theater known as State.

In a realignment exercise in 1997, parts of PJ such as Subang Jaya, Putra Heights and Bandar Sunway came under jurisdiction of the newly created Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).

Facts, Form, Feelings and Future in Museum Guiding

by Asma Abdullah

As volunteers we have to remember a lot of facts on the various artefacts, events, personalities and exhibits displayed in the four galleries of Muzium Negara, Malaysia.  So, how do we organise our presentation in an interesting (not amusing), informative (not teaching), stimulating (not astonishing), and convincing (not influencing) manner when we take our visitors through the museum?

One structured approach that I want to recommend is to use the whole brain thinking model based on the left and right brain research done by Ned Hermann.  This model states that we can segment our delivery by using the 4Fs of Facts, Form, Feelings and Future to sieve through the voluminous information that we have gathered from various sources.

4Fs

In the first segment, FACTS, we can include dates, numbers, and anything quantifiable relating to the specific artefact or event. It has to be logical and technically accurate as dates are important especially when we are describing a particular event. These facts are processed in the left hemisphere of our “thinking” brain.

For the second segment, FORM, we can describe the features, fixtures, format and if there is a  particular sequence on how and when the artefact was constructed.  It would also be useful to highlight the planning process, procedures involved and how the tasks were completed in giving shape to the object/event we are describing. These are processes in our left brain which likes order, system and sequence.

In the third segment, FEELINGS, we highlight the personalities involved in the construction of the artefact and the people involved in order to give it a human perspective. After all, there is always a personal attachment of a person to the artefact if we care to look for it. This takes place in our right emotional brain.

For the last segment, FUTURE, we can use a big picture or overview about the artefact/event and its meaning and significance to people who are associated with it. At this stage we can begin to draw some implications that the artefact may have in modern times. This is our “abstract” right thinking brain.

These 4Fs can be remembered through color coding: Blue for Facts, Green for Form, Red for Expressed emotions and Yellow for Future.

To illustrate the use of the 4Fs the national heritage artefact, Avalokiteswara, located in Gallery B will be used.

12-1 AvalokiteshwaraFACT: It is a Boddhisatva which is a Buddha-to-be.  Ava means down, Lokita means to notice/observe and Isvara means lord/master.  Avalokitesvara means the lord that looks down to observe in compassion those who are suffering. Avalokitesvara first appeared in Indian Buddhism as one of a number of Bodhisattvas who are personifications of various attributes of the Buddha relating to compassion. It was found in a tin mine belonging to Anglo Oriental at Bidor, Perak in 1936 and dated to being between the  7 – 12th centuries when the culture of the region was Hindu-Buddhist.

FORM:  The statue is made of bronze and has 8 arms, each arm representing a different aspect of his compassionate nature. One of its arms has broken off.

FEELINGS:  Avalokiteswara is shown as a female Boddhisatva, seen as a light for the blind, shade for those hot and weary, a stream for the thirsty, a remedy for the ill, father and mother to those who suffer and a guide for the beings in Hell. It has a mantra Om mani padme hum which translated means jewel (compassion) in the lotus (wisdom). This mantra is widely chanted in Tibet and carved onto stones, printed on flags and embossed onto prayer wheels.

FUTURE:  If you go to Ayer Itam in Penang there is a big statue of the Goddess of Mercy or Kuan Yin – an important deity to Buddhists on the island.  This deity is also found in the homes of Malaysian Chinese of Buddhist faith. Kuan Yin is a manifestation of Avalokiteswara.

So, the next time when you have to take visitors through the galleries in Muzium Negara, try using the 4Fs to remember your historical facts and information and to make your one hour guiding an easy task.  Good luck!

Hubback Walk

by Rose Chin with photos by Eunice Moss

The National Textile Museum
The National Textile Museum

Last Saturday (14 June 2014), we participated in a walk that was organised as part of the ongoing Hubback Exhibition. The walk was led by Ar. Ahmad Najib Ariffin and Ar. Rosli Mohd. Ali and covered three heritage buildings designed by A. B. Hubback who was then an assistant architect at the Public Works Department. We started at the National Textile Museum (1905), then went on to the Sultan Abdul Samad building (1896) and ended at the Jamek Mosque (1907).

The purpose of the walk was to sensitise the lay-person to the unique architectural styles and construction techniques employed by Hubback and the state engineer he worked with, C. E. Spooner.

The highlights of the walk were:

1. Past Lives

The Sultan Abdul Samad building
The Sultan Abdul Samad building

The National Textile Museum (2007) started life as the Headquarters of the Federated Malay States Railways Service, then housed the FMS Public Works Department. From 1959-1971 it served as the Headquarters of Bank Negara Malaysia.

The Sultan Abdul Samad building was built as a Government building to house the FMS. Administrative Office. From 1957 it housed the High Court and the Supreme Court and today, since 2007, it houses the Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture.

2. Mughal Architectural Style

This is a north Indian Islamic style characterised by onion-shaped domes and chatris (spires). The domes of the Sultan Abdul Samad building are unique in that they are made of copper, the original ones having been donated by the Australian government.

3. ‘Blood and Bandages’

This is a term used to refer to the red and white banding pattern of the exterior walls, the result of alternating fair-faced bricks with plastered ones, so typical of Hubback.

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4. Thick ‘load-bearing’ brick walls and columns

A good example are the ones used to support the 40 metre tall clock tower of the Sultan Abdul Samad building.

5. Cast iron columns

These are filled with concrete for added weight bearing strength.

6. Arches

Inside the Sultan Abdul Samad building
Inside the Sultan Abdul Samad building

Pointed arches and horseshoe arches are predominant features.

7. Towers

All three buildings are characterized by their onion domed towers with their functionary purposes, one as a clock tower, four as watch towers and the two at the Jamek Mosque for the muadhins to call the people to prayer.

From halfway up one of the towers in the Jamek Mosque-note the many little chatris and the tower to the right
From halfway up one of the towers in the Jamek Mosque-note the many little chatris and the tower to the right

We came away from the walk a little wiser and very much more appreciative of the architectural legacy left by the British and, in particular, Arthur Benison Hubback.

 

 

Hubback Exhibition

Brig. Gen. Arthur Benison Hubback came to Malaya as the chief draughtsman with the Selangor Public Works department. He eventually became the chief architect and during his stay in Malaya, he designed 25 buildings; with Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad being the first. An exhibition showcasing these 25 buildings is on-going at The Textile Museum and the exhibition will last till 30 June 2014.

The design concept for Malayan buildings of that time was laid down by the state engineer, C.E Spooner who shied away from classical European architecture for Malaya. Instead, Spooner introduced an eclectic style that had originated in British India; a style which combined various architectural traditions including Gothic, Hindu as well as Indian Muslim. Buildings in Malaysia incorporate more of the Mughal elements.

ipoh railway station
Ipoh Railway Station (image taken from: http://www.photomalaysia.com)

This eclectic style can also be described as neo-saracenic and the display boards at the exhibition describe the Ipoh Railway station as such. The style has the classical European design which includes domes, arches and gable designs. In addition, it also has non-European features such as Mughal chatri spires.

The Textile Museum was previously the FMS Railways Central Offices and this red-brick building with white plaster bands was built to include both cupolas and chatris. The chatri towers on the old KL Railway Station (previously FMS Survey Office) are said to resemble the chatris on the roof of the Taj Mahal. The Malay College in Kuala Kangsar is a little different as it is more of a Greco-Roman design.

The only thing common between the 25 Hubback buildings is that the buildings include elements from different architectural styles. Other buildings that A.B. Hubback designed include Carcosa Seri Negara, Masjid Jamek, Royal Selangor Club, Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta and the Ubudiah Mosque.

Below is the logo for the Hubback exhibition. The organisers have cleverly shaped the alphabets in his name using the structure of the buildings he designed. Try to figure out which alphabet comes from which building.

Hubback

 

 

Visit to Sri Kandaswamy Kovil

by Maganjeet Kaur

Last Sunday (20th April 2014), a bunch of Museum Volunteers visited the Sri Kandaswamy Kovil at Scotts Road, Brickfields. We were hosted by Dr. Thilaga from the temple committee and Dato’ Jega who had helped arrange the trip.

DSC_4813The word ‘Kovil’ means temple and it is composed of two syllables: ‘ko’ meaning god or king and ‘vil’ meaning abode or residence. The Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is a 110 year old Sri Lankan Tamil temple. In Hinduism, Brahman is the Supreme Being; the formless god who takes three forms: Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the preserver and Siva as the destroyer. So, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are manifestations of Brahman in its different roles. In Saivism, Lord Shiva is revered as the Supreme Being and in a Saivite temple, Lord Shiva would be the principal deity. In Sri Kandaswamy, a Saivite temple, the residing deity is Sri Shakthi Vel Peruman, the divine spear of Lord Murugan, the second son of Lord Siva.

MuruganDr. Thilaga’s stressed that images of Hindu deities and the rituals performed in Hinduism should be taken as symbols and not at face value. For example, Lord Murugan (the son of Lord Siva and the goddess Parvati) is pictured with six heads which represent the six attributes of wisdom, strength, (and I did not catch the rest). The six heads also represent the six directions: north, south, east, west, top, bottom indicating the all-pervading nature of god. His vehicle is the peacock indicating mastery over pride and vanity. One of his hands points downwards and another one points upwards representing fear and fearlessness respectively. Duality, such as this, can be seen represented in all Hindu deities. The exterior of a Hindu temple is very ornate. This reminds the devotee that there are many distractions in the material world and to leave these behind as he/she enters the temple. The ritual of bathing the deity is actually a symbolic process for the devotee to ‘wash away’ his/her emotions of jealousy, anger, greed, etc.

DSC_4833Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is a very orthodox temple and adheres rigidly to the ancient Saiva Agama scriptures which lay out the correct procedures to erect a temple, the form and placement of deities in the temple as well as how rituals in the temple are to be performed. Dr. Thilaga explained that the temple is shaped like the human body. The Sanctum sanctorum (that houses Sri Shakthi Vel Peruman) represents the head and the Gopuram (the main gateway of the temple) represents the feet. In the central portion, which represents the body, a representation of an enlightened soul, a representation of bondage and a huge golden flagpole have been placed. The flagpole is at the end of the ‘body’, i.e where the legs start. Saiva Siddhanta philosophy recognises three eternal entities: god, soul and bondage. Bondage of the soul in pursuit of materialism prevents it from knowing god.

The image of Sri Shakthi Vel Peruman in the temple is that of a ‘Vel’ which is loosely translated as spear.

Mythology behind the Vel: The goddess Parvati embodied her power in the Vel and presented it to Lord Murugan to assist in his fight against the asura Soorapadman. To escape Lord Murugan, Soorapadman turned himself into a mango tree but the Vel split the tree into half; one becoming a peacock and the other a rooster. The peacock became Lord Murugan’s vehicle and the rooster, the emblem on his flag. The Vel would, after battle, cleanse itself in the Ganges River before returning to its owner.

Symbology behind the Vel: it show the power of wisdom and that one must not only have in-depth knowledge of a subject but also that the knowledge must be broad (multi-disciplined). Sri Shakthi Vel Peruman is thus ‘one whose knowledge is deep, broad, and sharp’.

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Dongson Culture Exhibition

Exhibition: 4 March to 4 May 2014

This is an ongoing exhibition at Muzium Negara showcasing treasures from the ancient Dongson culture in Vietnam. The artefacts are on loan from Vietnam. Dongson is the name of a village in the Thanh-hoa Province in northern Vietnam and it was here that bronze artefacts dating to around 2000-2500 years ago were first discovered. The culture associated with this ancient bronze technology became known as the Dongson culture.

034Drums rolled at the opening ceremony of the exhibition held on 11 March in a sterling performance that saw a number of different types of drums being beaten. The energy was palpable not only from the drumming which was brought to crescendo a number of times but also from the performers themselves who were obviously having a lot of fun on-stage.

This opening was, perhaps, appropriate as the most well-known object from the Dongson culture is the bronze drum and the star exhibit did not fail to awe. Known as the Sao Vang drum, this drum stands at 86 cm (2.82 feet) high with a diameter in the drumhead of 116 cm (3.81 feet). It is the biggest Dongson drum in the Vietnamese collection.

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The Sao Vang bronze drum is on display at Muzium Negara in a temporary exhibition until 4 May 2014

It is not only the size that awes but also the exquisite carvings on the surface. All Dongson drums, regardless of location, have very similar designs. A star at the centre of the tympanum is common to all drums and the rays of the star are all even-numbered. Drums found in Malaysia have either 10 or 12 rays. The star bulges out; perhaps to strengthen the place where it is struck the most. The flying heron is a common motif and researchers believe this to be the legendary “lac bird”, a symbol adopted by the ancient Vietnamese to represent diligence. Motifs on the drums provide valuable insight into the daily and the spiritual life of the Dongson society and the motifs include dancing, pounding rice, beating drums as well as sailing. Images of frogs are embedded at the edge of the tympanum and these possibly indicate a ritualistic ceremony to induce rain which is important to an agricultural society.

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Motifs on the Sao Vang drum: star, frog, herons

Dongson related artefacts have been found in locations other than Vietnam including in Southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines leading researchers to argue that these items were valued trade items. Did the Dongson culture also influence the cultures it came in contact with? The display boards at the exhibition show one such influence. The design of houses engraved on some of the drums is similar to the houses of the Toraja community in Sulawesi, Indonesia although it is uncertain to what extent other cultural elements had been absorbed. Carvings on a bronze drum found in the Yunnan Province in China indicate the Tien community had also absorbed this architectural style.

Dongson houses
Left to right: house depicted on a Dongson drum, Toraja houses in Sulawesi, depiction of a Tien house in Yunnan

A forum discussing Dongson culture was held on 13 March with a panellist from Malaysia, one from Cambodia and two from Vietnam. The panellist from Malaysia, Dr. Adnan Jusoh, highlighted that the Dongson culture was not just about drums but that it was a highly developed culture based on agriculture and husbandry. PanellistThis is borne out by the display boards at the exhibition that discuss the skill of the people in making equipment and tools, personal accessories, weapons, houses as well as boats. However, the use of bronze drums is the most enduring element of their culture as testified by the number of communities in Southeast Asia and China that continue to use the drums till today. An example is the Karen community in Myanmar and researchers report that these Heger Type III drums are used by the community to assemble ancestor spirits as well as to take the spirit of the dead into the after-life.

End of Training – ‘Attendance Certificate’ Award Ceremony

by Maganjeet Kaur

Starting this year, a two-step process will be followed before trainees are graduated from the MV training programme, i.e:

  1. Trainees, having satisfactorily completed all requirements of the training programme, will be given a ‘Certificate of Attendance’ and they will be paired with mentors who will work with them to hone their guiding skills.
  2. After guiding for six months, a formal graduation ceremony will be held upon which trainees will become full-fledged volunteers.

Last Saturday (15 Mar 2014) saw 55 trainees from batches 19, 20 and 21 receive their ‘Certificate of Attendance’ in a ceremony hosted by Jabatan Muzium Malaysia (JMM). As the trainees milled around and enjoyed the delicious food, courtesy of JMM, it became quickly apparent that this year’s trainees have become very close knit and have obviously supported each other during the training period. This became even more clear from the speeches made by representatives of the different batches.

269In her opening speech, Karen Loh (president of MV JMM) focused on the administrative side of guiding duties including wearing the MV vest and recording attendance. Karen also highlighted a new process due to be implemented whereby guides will need to fill out a short questionnaire after each tour to record the number of people in the tour, their nationalities and how they came to hear of the tour. This survey will provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of our marketing activities. More details on this survey will be made known when the process has been firmed up and the questionnaires have been printed.

Karen also explained that the MV is an entity under the Corporate Communications Division of  JMM. This Division is headed by En Zainal and within this division, En Jamil has direct responsibility over the MV. En Jamil is assisted by Fiza who is responsible for preparing the monthly guiding schedules for the English tours as well as for the Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin tours held during the school holidays.

285Representatives from each batch shared their experiences on the training programme and Mayumi from Batch 19 (Japanese Group) was up first. She shared that the first challenge for the Japanese trainees was to relearn the art of studying as the last time they did any serious study was 12 – 20 years ago. They also had language issues as some words were difficult to translate from Bahasa Malaysia to Japanese and they also had problems pronouncing some of the Malay words. Although they were initially nervous making presentations, their experience helped them to overcome this and they are working towards giving a tour that is interesting, exciting and efficient as this is what their visitors want.

290The primary message from Batch 20, represented by Frank and Janet, was one of thanks. Thanks firstly to the Malaysian government, through JMM, for trusting them (as foreigners) to represent Malaysian history and culture and this trust will be something that they will have to live up to. They showed appreciation for their three trainers, Hayley, Anne and Lena, for acting as mentors; giving their time and knowledge as well as patiently encouraging them through the use of positive reinforcements and constructive criticism. The museum staff, they found to be friendly, smiling and generally helpful. In short, they enjoyed their Tuesday training sessions which were accompanied by kopi tarik and nasi lemak.

On a lighter note, Janet said that in addition to learning the theory, they also had practical experience in handling the keris and that they practised silat in Melaka and were now ‘dangerous’ guides. Frank expressed admiration for his colleagues whose first language is not English as they did serious academic work and prepared presentations in a language that was foreign to them; showing that courage matters as much as brain power.  He also expressed thanks to the Malaysian members of their class who not only brought in a vast amount of knowledge but also helped to put things in context for the rest of them.

In closing, they are looking forward to sharing the knowledge they have acquired with visitors to the museum.

297Ee Lin from Batch 21 said that their team was lucky to have the triple J’s (Jo, Jane and Justin) leading them on their Saturday training sessions. She also thanked the MV President and other committee members who dropped in from time to time to offer help and in answering their questions. While Batch 20 comprised many foreign trainees, Batch 21 were mostly Malaysians but were diverse both in age and background. Three decades divided the youngest trainee from the oldest and the trainees comprised accountants, engineers, lawyers, designers, writer and teachers; each bringing their unique perspective on Malaysian history resulting in a ‘kopitiam’ like chat with everyone contributing to the discussion. Batch 21 also formed their own discussion group and Ee Lin felt this contributed to their learning and helped them bond into a family. Although they were nervous and apprehensive when making their first presentations, the support from the team nudged them on till the shyest person in the group became one of their best presenters. In the coming six months, Batch 21 members aim to hone their skills and not only live up to the standards expected of them but to go beyond these and become an inspiration to future guides.

Batch 19 analysed the requirements of their visitors and will be developing their tours to be “interesting, exciting and efficient”. Batch 20 will gratefully share back the knowledge they have received with visitors to the Muzium while Batch 21 wants to exceed all expectations and become an inspiration to future guides. With so much enthusiasm displayed by the trainees, they are going to be very valuable members of the MV and the MV is happy to welcome them into the fold. Kudos to batches 19, 20 and 21!