Beginning with Deepavali, we entered the season of giving thanks for the blessings in our lives, but it is also a time of reflection of things past. I have been reminiscing a great deal the past three weeks, as my husband and I have just returned from Germany after selling our home. This was a very difficult decision as our home was a place where friends gathered regularly to celebrate, and it held so many precious memories, especially for me. During my ten years in Germany, I was activities co-ordinator and then President of the German-American Association, which was like having a full-time job, but I loved every minute of it. Meetings were held at my home in the winter, so we could enjoy the huge fieldstone fireplace and I could try out my new recipes on willing victims. During my recent visit to Mannheim, the group took a trip to Cologne and I decided to join them. Although I hadn’t seen many of them in nine years, the time melted away and conversation and laughter were constant. My old friends were very curious about my life in Malaysia and I was only too happy to tell them all about it, but they were especially interested in the Malaysian Culture Group—as usual, I had a copy of our newsletter to show them! As I was telling my old friends about my new friends, I realised once again how truly blessed I have been in the past and how very lucky I am to live the life I have here in Malaysia. The MCG has been a huge part of my life here in KL and I am so grateful that I ‘discovered’ it several years ago. As we say goodbye to 2003, I want to thank all the members of my committee for their dedication, support and hard work through this year. I truly appreciate it. I look forward to their continued friendship in the new year. To all of you who support our group in so many ways, thank you. I wish all our members a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai! - Cindy Zeier PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
REPORTS FROM PREVIOUS EVENTS
BUKIT GITA BAYU VISIT - 7 October A group of MCG members consisting of mostly Malaysian and long-term residents, met at Bukit Gita Bayu (Wind Song Heights), the exclusive 120-acre residential enclave in Sri Kembangan, 15 kilometres from KL, just past the Mines resort. We were warmly welcomed at the Kebun Mimpi clubhouse by Hazel Chin, one of the in-house architects, who briefed us on the interesting history and architectural concept behind the development. Karen Tan, the Events Manager and her team treated us to drinks, Malay delicacies and a beautifully decorated cake especially for the MCG. Bukit Gita Bayu’s ‘environmental’ concept was launched in 1997 as the former site of Kelton Estate, the second oldest rubber plantation in the country, was sold when commercial rubber tapping ceased. It was designed to maximise the retention of the existing trees 3,000 of them and minimise any change in the existing terrain. Built overlooking a lakeside park and set within the heart of the development is Kebun Mimpi (Enchanted Garden)the pavilion-style clubhouse designed by the renowned Thai architect Lek Bunnag (of both Pangkor Laut and The Regent, Chiangmai resort fame). Linked by jogging tracks, there are actually two lakes in Gita Bayu. Hazel and Karen took us on a guided tour starting at the clubhouse with its swimming pool. Then we were taken to the adjoining multi-purpose pavilion with seminar room, gym and upstairs reading room. The local cengal wood décor made it look very warm and homely. We continued to yet another pavilion, which seemed to float on the water’s edge, and then on to the BBQ area nestled in the trees. Finally, we drove around the development in a convoy and were even shown the inside of a display home so that we could see the high quality concept firsthand. We so appreciated the natural environment and the idea of relaxing, healthy living away from the hustle and bustle of the city that many of us stayed on for lunch after the final video presentation. We were pleased to hear that the clubhouse is open for lunch to non-residents from Tuesday to Friday and felt it is a good place to relax and well worth an outing. It is not surprising that this unique back-to-nature residential development won the prestigious FIABCI Property Award in October this year and many of our members had wishful fantasies of buying, or even renting a home here with such an exotic, tropical resort ambience.
Explorers Find Nirvana! - 13 October One Monday, the Explorers Group visited the Nirvana Memorial Park at Semenyih. To get there drive along Jalan Ampang out of KL, turn right into Jalan Kosas and follow the signs. (Detailed directions next page) The route takes you into the hills past a huge lake, rubber and oil palm trees, and rural houses. At the look-out there is a fantastic view back to KL and the Twin Towers. The Memorial Park occupies 600 acres of land with another 200 acres earmarked for future development. It is the world’s second largest memorial park. The park has areas dedicated to traditional burial plots, several styles of columbaria, places for Ancestral Tablets, a temple and several waterfalls. The layout for the park is based on feng shui principles, with the best locations demanding the highest prices. The most outstanding feature of the meticulously maintained park is the fabulous Nirvana Golden Dragon. The dragon is 1,000 feet long. Inside it is fully air-conditioned, and has over 6,000 urn compartments. In the Golden Dragon, we experienced a ten-minute light, music and smoke show. The time allows for reflection and meditation. Our guide Judy took us to several locations in the park in the courtesy bus. After visiting the Golden Dragon, we saw the Musical Tomb which is in the shape of a piano. This is the memorial for the late legendary Bai Guang, a Chinese singer. When the piano keys are stepped on the Musical Tomb plays one of her famous songs. On the headstones, we noticed that some of the writing was in red and some in gold. Judy explained that the deceased’s name and details are in gold and the surviving person’s details are in red. When the person is deceased, the red paint is covered with gold paint. On the tour, we visited rooms with excellent air conditioning and magnificent views over the distant hills. These rooms house either Ancestral tablets or urns. For the outdoors type, urns can be placed in the pavilion-type urn columbaria. For those who would prefer to be buried there is a variety of locations, including the Royal Zone. The Royal Zone is considered as the ultimate ‘Land of Eternal Bliss’fit for noble, rich and famous. After an hour and three-quarters, the heat began to take its toll and it was time to head back home. Some explorers stayed to eat their packed lunches in the open area canteen. Complimentary hot Chinese tea was available from a huge urn. On each visit to the park, I have been impressed by the hospitality shown by the Nirvana staff. They enthusiastically show visitors around and willingly answer questions. As a result of our recent visit, the Explorers know of another good place to take their visitors and their knowledge of burial and cremation rites of the region have been enhanced. Thank you to all the staff at Nirvana Memorial Park and to the ladies who took time out to explore.
PLANTATION LIFE: A Talk - 22 October Mr Mahbob made the talk easy to follow for all of us, even if you not have read his book. During the talk, he elaborated on his life in the plantations. In the first part of the talk Mr Mahbob mainly explained the oil palm growing process from start of growth to fruit collection and up to oil production. One tree gives about 25 years of profit, but it takes about 3 to 5 years before they are mature enough to produce a lot of fruit. The collection of the fruit takes place immediately when they are ready and one bundle of palm oil fruit can weigh up to 20 kg. He also told us about rubber plantations and that the profits of palm oil are much higher than rubber. This is the main reason why there are so much palm oil instead of rubber plantations these days. During the slide show about the production process he showed us the products made from oil, such as soap and cooking oil. Fertilizers, animal food, noodles and margarine are made as side products. The second part of the lecture took us through his life on many plantations all over the world. Since his delivery was anything but boring, he made it a very entertaining morning. One of the things he showed us was the distillation of the oil straight from the fruits into a dangerous kind of alcohol in Ghana. Amazing what people do to get a good feeling even if it could cost them their lives! For the estate owners palm oil is a good investment. There is a 140% profit, which is about RM1,000 per ton on average. This is also the reason why rubber was replaced by oil palm, which I have already mentioned. With some light refreshments and the possibility of speaking to Mr Mahbob Abdullah and his wife, a delightful morning came to its end.
MCG NEWS BOOK CLUB REPORTSLife of Pi by Yann Martel ISBN: 1-84195-283-4 This story has a happy ending, declares the author at the end of Part II, page 93. Does it really? This very thought-provoking work of fiction by Yann Martell, a Canadian author and winner of last year’s Booker Prize, will make you believe in God an interesting claim by the story-teller but one with which we did not necessarily agree. Our first consideration was: What is this book about? Oddly enough, there are many possibilities: a tale of survival, a story of faith and morality, a ‘shaggy dog’ (read ‘tiger’) story were some of our ideas. It starts off as a true story of a young boy, Pi Patel, growing up in India where his father is a zookeeper. The family decides to migrate to Canada, taking many of the zoo animals on the ship for delivery to their buyers. The ship sinks and ultimately leaves Pi trapped on a lifeboat with a few exotic and dangerous animals. From then on, the story becomes one of grueling endurance, a test of faith and morality. Woven into the plot are details of methods for training animals, of techniques for survival and managing loneliness, of relationships between God and Man. Finally Pi is rescued after a bizarre experience on what turns out to be a man-eating island. When he tells his story to the Japanese ship owners, it seems unbelievable. The author has Pi ask the question, Which is the better story real-life or imaginative fiction? Martel himself is grappling with the question of which type of fiction is better. Pi proceeds to tell a different, more believable version of his story that does not include animals, and then asks which is preferable. The disbelieving Japanese officials and our group both agreed that in the long run the more imaginative version, with animals, made the better story. It is difficult for some readers to remember that both versions are actually complete fiction since one is tempted to ask, ‘So what really happened?’ Our readers tended to fall into two evenly divided camps: those who preferred credible realism and resolution, and those who enjoyed the imaginative journey and the questions raised. Martel said in an interview that his goal was to push readers into believing the incredible more and more. Because the reader wants to believe, he or she tends to until Meerkat Island, where the tall story pushes the reader a bit too far. Martel maintains that a good piece of fiction is like a religion it makes you suspend disbelief. We also discussed the accusation that Martel ‘stole’ the story from a Brazilian author, Max Scliar, who maintains that this story idea is his ‘intellectual property’. Martel had never actually read the other’s book, only a review, and although he tried to locate that book, he was never able to. He does not believe that an idea is ‘copyrightable’ and our group tended to agree. So does this story have a happy ending? As Olivia put it, The ending was very sad really, even if for Pi himself it wasn’t. Certainly, the majority of us felt that reading Life of Pi was a worthwhile experience. Many thanks to Leida for hosting; it was a lively, enjoyable morning.
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ISBN: 0-671-51012-6 Pearl S. Buck, the author of The Good Earth, was taken to China by her parents, Southern Presbyterian missionaries, at the age of three and spent most of her next forty years there. The Good Earth was written out of her firsthand experience in China. The novel follows the life of its principal character, the Chinese farmer Wang Lung, from his marriage day to his old age. Wang Lung’s triumphs and defeats map the encounter between traditional China and the revolutionary future. The Good Earth was first published in 1931, and it quickly became a bestseller, winning the Pulitzer Prize and the William Dean Howells Medal in 1935. It was later adapted as a major motion picture. The novel had a great influence in shaping Western attitudes toward China. It was the first book in which Western readers encountered Chinese characters who behaved like ordinary, believable human beings rather than cartoon Orientals. The Good Earth is an easy read and is very interesting. Almost everyone in our group enjoyed the book. I recommended the book to a friend in Canada and she enjoyed it as well. However, no book appeals to everyone and one member of our group found it hard to immerse herself in the story. Nonetheless, we had a very good discussion about the characters, the story and a number of the events. As the book covers everything from concubines to infanticide, there was no shortage of discussion topics. In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book to others. The Good Earth can be found in the classics section of the local bookstores. It includes a thorough background on the author and a selection of photos and drawings. The story of Pearl S. Buck’s life was almost like a short novel itself. Thanks to Geraldine for hosting our meeting.
LIBRARY REPORT Dear members, we are now renovating our library system. We are changing the old library cards for all books, so any help is welcome. If you have a free morning, please give me a call and we can work together. At the same time you will have a chance to see our wonderful collection. We have only one new book for the library this month Hans Küng’s Tracing the Way - Spiritual Dimensions of the World Religions but I hope this book will be very useful to all of us. Please come and check it out. Hans Küng is from Switzerland. A former expert at the Second Vatican council, he has devoted himself to the study of world religions. He is now Professor of Ecumenical Theology and Director of the Institute For Ecumenical Research at the University of Tubingen. He has traveled to every corner of the globe in search of God’s many guises. In the book he analyses the major world religions, their historical stages and offers a view of the present and its meaning when measured against the past. He attempts to understand the world’s religions and to discuss the social, political and historical contexts of the many beliefs that exist today as objectively as possible.
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