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Tourism Malaysia

MNS Visit to Berembun Forest Reserve

September 20, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Jungle trekking is not always about exploring the wild jungles like the Amazon. One does not need to go specifically go to a national park just to experience a connection with Mother Nature. There is another option that may be equally as challenging and exciting as the wild jungles, and that is the forest reserves located around Malaysia.

One such forest reserve that is worth exploring is the Berembun Forest Reserve which is located in Negeri Sembilan. Measuring about 4,000 acres in size, the Berembun Forest Reserve stretches from the outskirts of Seremban town right through Kuala Pilah. Although logging went on at the fringes of the reserve about four to six decades ago, regeneration measures has gone well throughout this area. The forest was gazetted as a protected area during the colonial times as it played an important role as a water catchment area that supplied half of Seremban’s water needs.

Berembun Forest Reserve

The Berembun Forest Reserve stretches from the outskirts of Seremban town right up to Kuala Pilah.

The Malaysian Nature Society will be organising a trip to Berembun Forest Reserve on 25th September 2011. They will start the trip with a visit to a show house that is constructed from interlocking bricks. This show house is located on the way to Pantai, near the Veterinary Department. The group will then proceed to the Berembun Forest Reserve. Participants can participate in some of the activities including bird watching/photography, walking through the forest reserve as well as a visit to the Orang Asli communities. Those who are interested in participating are required to bring packed lunch, insect repellent and leech socks. For more information, please contact Ms Yap Miow Yen at 016-2372887 or yen@gaia-oasis.com or Ms Lim Ming Hui at 012 276 0327 or limmel05@yahoo.com .

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Tourism Malaysia

Canoeing the Baram River

September 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Does the thought of canoeing down a mighty river ever catch your fancy? Ever wanted to try out a new type of outdoor activity, but never seem to be able to find the time for it? Well, if you are currently looking for something new to try or just a different way of spending your vacation, then do make a date with the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) towards the end of September 2011. MNS will be organising a trip to the historic Baram Regatta and the Baram, which is Malaysia’s second longest river in Sarawak.

One of the activities that the participants will be doing is a visit to the Penan settlements and the Kenyah and Kayan longhouses. For those who have yet to experience staying in a longhouse, this is the perfect opportunity as members of this trip will be given a chance to do so now. The MNS Nature Guides will also be organising a visit to the native tribe’s animist longhouse and the spirit house before spending some quality time with their hosts through music, songs and dances.

Sunset by the Baram River

Sunset by the Baram River

This trip also presents the participants with an opportunity to familiarise themselves and discuss the impact of the proposed Baram Dam with the local communities. One result that is hopefully achieved is to give the locals a stronger voice that will be heard by more people. One of the threats that comes with the building of the dam is the destruction of the cultural sites and homes of these people, and in due time the disappearance of their culture as they migrate to towns and cities. It is feared that in a few years time, trips such as this will no longer be possible. So grab this chance and join the trip to the Baram regatta and the Baram river. The trip will cost RM 1,300 per person and it is recommended that one books early as arranging flights to the upper Baram requires advanced planning. The dates of the trip are scheduled on 24th – 25th and 27th September to 2nd October 2011. For more information, please drop an email to Ashleigh at a.kivilaakso@gmail.com or log on to Malaysian Nature Society’s website here.

Photo (c) Malaysian Nature Society

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Tourism Malaysia

Silent Cry Photo Exhibition

September 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

A picture says a thousand words as the saying goes. And probably that is why photography is an art form that many find very intriguing and easy to understand. Each photograph represents a moment in time captured and preserved for eternity. This September, klpac brings to the public a photography exhibition by Amir Naser Dabaghian, a photographer, editor and director based in Kuala Lumpur.

Silent Cry Photo Exhibition

One of the photographs by Amir Dasaghian currently being exhibited at the Silent Cry Photo Exhibition.

The exhibition, entitled Silent Cry, will feature photographs from Amir’s collection, and represents his way of recording the things that go on in our lives and times. He often focuses on people, as the nature of humans is one of the things that stir his curiosity. The exhibition will begin on 19th September 2011 and run till 2nd October 2011 at Pentas 2 Foyer, klpac, Sentul. Admission is free and all are welcome to take a look at the world through Amir Dabaghian’s eyes.

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Tourism Malaysia

Paul Loosley’s Oscar and George on Film

September 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Join Paul Loosley, Director of Axis Films and an adjunct professor at Limkokwing University as he examines two great works by two very different Irish playwrights, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde. Both were Dublin-born, a little more than a year apart, and while both had much to say about society, were used their remarkable writing skills to say quite dramatically different things in quite contrastingly different ways.

By examining their work, the audience is able to better understand these two highly intelligent and creative individuals, and also appreciate the messages that they were trying to convey through their works. This series of movie screenings will take place at 8:30 pm, on 18th and 25th September 2011, both at Indicine, klpac. Admission is free and is the seating arrangement.

Paul Loosely's Oscar and George on Film

Paul Loosely’s Oscar and George on Film

The movies that will be screened are as follows:

18th September 2011: George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion

In, surely, his most famous play, Shaw demonstrates that accent, demeanor and birthright do not guarantee innate intelligence nor moral standards or any other desirable human value. Class, even education, is an illusion. The hilarious and ingenious use of language has never been surpassed in the theatre or on the screen. In this 1938 film Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins spar brilliantly more as a modern 1930’s couple rather than the Edwardian pair of the original play. Shaw added new scenes and oversaw the whole production. And, as a result, the screenplay won an Academy Award much to Shaw’s bafflement. Starring Leslie Howard (who also co-directed) and Wendy Hiller.

25th September 2011: Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband

This was Oscar’s penultimate play. A tale of perfumed letters, stolen bracelets, past indiscretions and outright blackmail set amongst London’s noble classes. With some of Oscar’s wittiest repartee; in particular the line that could probably sum up Wilde’s own character: “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance”. This colourful 1999 film version, directed by Oliver Parker, has a brilliant cast who simply sweep through the bourgeois opulence of Victorian upper class life. The starched shirt fronts, the sumptuous gowns and the profusion of décolletages perfectly recreate a decadence anyone would envy. Starring Rupert Everett and Cate Blanchett.

For more information, please call klpac at 03 4047 9000 / 9010 or walk in to klpac at Sentul Park. Alternatively, one can also surf klpac’s website here.

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Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Day 2011

September 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Today is the 16th of September 2011, the 48th anniversary of the foundation of the federation of Malaysia. Two decade ago, Malaysia Day was just a footnote in the country’s collective memory, a historic day that passed without much ado. It was not even a federal holiday, until last year, when it was finally declared a holiday by the government.

Malaysia Day is rather interesting. If Tunku Abdul Rahman had his way, we would be celebrating Malaysia Day on 31st August, a day that bears more meaning to the country, as it is also Merdeka Day. 31st August was not the date that only Peninsular Malaysia gained independence, but also the date Sabah and Singapore declared theirs, on 31st August 1963. The date does not bear any significance for Sarawak as it declared its independence on 22nd July 1963. Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was the Prime Minister at that time, was known to be a man who chose historic dates carefully, and as such had planned for the federation of Malaysia to share the same date as Merdeka Day. As we all know, the date was postponed due to certain objections from Indonesia and the Philippines which were resolved through a referendum in Sabah and Sarawak. Thanks to them, we, for better or for worse, celebrate the founding of our country, Malaysia, on the same date as the birthday of the founder of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. For those who are not familiar with the shared history of Malaysia and Singapore, Singapore seceded from Malaysia in 1965, thus giving that little bit of trivia a sense of irony.

Malaysia Day 2011

Happy Malaysia Day to all Malaysians out there!

Anyhow, we certainly have come a long way as a nation. Although it took nearly 50 years for Malaysians to finally feel a need to celebrate the founding of our nation, the focus on the establishment of Malaysia, as opposed to the celebration of our independence, does show that the citizens of Malaysia have come to view this country that they were born in as their own. We hope that another 50 or so years will bring prosperity and joy for this country and its people.

Happy Malaysia Day 2011!

Photo (c) .E.T

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