Royal Retreat at Putrajaya-- Istana Melawati

A little bird told me ....

Perched atop a hill on the north-western side of Putrajaya, this is the royal retreat for His Majesty The Yang Di Pertuan Agong and his family, the venue for meetings with other Rulers as well as the venue for certain official and private functions hosted by the King.

The palace is oriented south-west towards the general direction of the Putra Bridge where you get a good scenic view of the Putrajaya Lake, The Seri Perdana Brideg, Masjid Putra and the Mercu Tanda.

Modelled after ancient Malay palaces, Istana Melawati is pretty similar in design to the Istana Kenangan in Kuala Kangsar,Perak. Cruising along the driveway leading to the palace, one is greeted with streetlights featuring birdcage designs.

Befitting the status of a Royal Palace, the roof forms are arranged on tiered levels- symbolizing the prominent status of the buildings. Open-sided verandahs are also featured prominently throughout the Istana, acting as a very important interface between nature and the built environment in vernacular tropical architecture. The verandahs enable the enjoyment of scented flowers and herbs which are used extensively in the Royal Pleasure Gardens "Taman Indera" within the Palace grounds.

A closer look at some of the decorations within the palace

WITHIN THE PALACE

THE INTERIOR REFLECTS THE SPLENDOUR OF THE EXTERIOR

Located within , there is a lounge that overlooks a ceremonial courtyard flanked by traditioal wooden gazebos built over water. A little distance from the lounge is found a replica of a balai nobat made entirely from cengal wood by master craftsmen from Terengganu.


The Royal Wing houses the private quarters of the King and Queen as well as VIP suites. The Main Wing is where all ceremonial and official functions are held.

Bilik Singgahsana is where all official investiture ceremonies are conducted.

The Rulers' Conference Hall is where rulers of each state converge annually to discuss matters of national importance. Chairs bearing the royal crest of the individual states are assigned , while smaller chairs are reserved for each Mentri Besar.

The Main Banquet Hall seats 250 guests, while a smaller hall is reserved for the royal family to dine in privacy.

Covering a land area of 6.9 ha, Istana Melawati is complete with a swimming pool too.

Old Chinese Shophouses

A little bird told me...........

A shophouse, normally has two or more storeys, is a commercial and private structure. The tenants usually use the first floor for commercial purposes such as sundry shop, light industry or warehouse, and reside in the upper floors. The building is not free standing, rather, it is connected to several other shophousesss, which create a shophouse block. This shophouse is repeated to form streets and town squares. Building materials such as brick, plaster, concrete and timber are commonly found in shophouses.



Kuala Lumpur- shophouses..
Though the shophouse form was developed in Malacca, Penang and Singapore by the early 19th century, shophouses did not reach Kuala Lumpur until 1884. At that time Frank Swettenham, the British Resident of Selangor, introduced building regulations that decreed that the original attap hut settlement was to be rebuilt in brick or wattle with tiled roofs and allowance for a five foot covered passageway by the road.

The early shophouses were purely transitional adaptations to the tropical climate. What emerged was a building form that minimized the effect of heat, rain and glare of a tropical climate by using thick, brick walls with high ceilings, a roof with ventilation, an interior with an air well and shop front with a verandah.

The early shophouses took on various Chinese characteristics such as curved gable ends of the roofs, glazed ornamental tiles and stucco decoration. Gradually these characteristics were replaced by European features, As land continued to be subdivided into long, narrow lots, the emphasis was on creating unique facades. Neo-Classical elements were adopted. These elements, derived from the classical architecture to Greece and rome, suited the climate of Malaysia, co colonnades, porticos and verandahs were utilised for sun and rain protection.

Quick rundown on shophouse architectural styles:

Pre -1884 - mainly attap huts built by Chinese merchants to service tin miners
Post-1884 - Concerned about fire hazards, Sir Frank Swettenham, the British Resident
Selangor, introduced building regulations that decreed that the original
attap hut settlement was to be rebuilt in brick or wattle with tiled
roofs, and allowance for a five-foot covered passageway by the road.
From then on, evolves the facade of the shophouses according to styles in
Europe but the basic plan did not alter. The variation in facade can be
roughly seen as follows:
Transitional (1880s - 1900s)
Simple wooden shutters with a minimum of decoration

Neo-Classical (1910s - 1930s)
Elaborate Greek and Roman columns, ornately decorated window frames details, pediments, parapets, comices

Dutch Patrician (c.1930s)
A Dutch-inspired gable was adopted for the front facade of the shophouse




This shophouse is found in Ipoh

Art Deco / Art Moderne (1930s - 1940s)
Simplified lines, geometrical patterns



Post W.W.2/ Modern (1950s - 1980s)
No ormamentation, totally transitional

Chinese Opera

A little bird told me..........

The Chinese opera dates back thousands of years. In olden China. it was used to carry messages that promotes harmony, good morals, history and sometimes propaganda.

What stands out uniquely about chinese operas are the costumes, the elaborate head dresses, the hair ornaments for the women, the high court shoes which increases the height of the performers and the different styles of face painting.
Each painted face has a special meaning to depict the character of the performer.
For example, the hero characters are normally painted in relatively simple colours, whereas the enemy, bandits, rebels have more complicated designs on their faces

Our Malaysian Chinese operas are fast disappearing and perfomances are usually confined to entertaining the rural and urban folks during religious festivals.
Putting up a show is hard work ! Let's peek into what happens back stage.
Trade secrets are closely guarded, as certain make-up methods and rituals are followed. Taboos are to be closely observed backstage. As plenty of equipment are utilised, crates containing important costumes cannot be kicked even accidently as it symbolises bad luck.
Cues for meals, prayers, sleeping, acting, singing have to be followed to the dot.
You can tell a performer's ranking by her cubicle. The more senior ones gets their own cubicle, her own make-up table. The room is also where she eats, rest and rehearses. Everyone else only gets a hand-held mirrow for doing their make-up and has to share the common hall at the back.



An accomplished actress is required to be multi-functional and that includes impersonating male roles. As such, she has to master voice intonation, moves and perform martial arts to wow the audience. If you were to consider that she has to change attire and switch between masculine and feminine roles seamlessly during the three-hour play, its certainly no easy feat !

PICC (Putrajaya International Convention Centre)

A little bird told me .......



Initially developed to host official funcitions, the first being the 10th OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference Summit) in Oct 2003, PICC covers a total of 135,000 sq metres of space spread over 9 levels from large halls for conventions to smaller rooms for meetings.
Its motto "Where Great Minds Meet", PICC prides itself as the premier venue for domestic and international MICE (Meetigs, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) events. PICC assets includes it size, plush setting and state-of-the-art facilities- all designed to ensure conducive interaction and optimum comfort to the delegates.
These extend from the grand 3,000 capacity Plenary Hall and 3,000 dining capacity Perdana Halls to its plush 180 seater-Heads of State Hal, luxurious suites, the VVIP lounge, discussion halls, two restaurants (Asian/Western cuisine) and meeting rooms for as few as 3 people.

With its vantage spot atop Puncak Selatan, PICC's 20.6ha site has picturesque surroundings that has also played host to many outdoor functions, from banquets to evening cocktails parties and product demonstrations. One of its most populous event is the recently concluded Malaysian International Fireworks Competition last August. What with 1,200 free parking bays available, PICC is certainly a good hot spot for MICE events in Putrajaya.

To view further pictures on PICC, please visit my other blog at www.dnatourchannel.blogspot.com

for further information go to www.picc.gov.my

ref: NST THE Review- May 16 2008
PICC HAS 1,200 free parking bays!

Cyberjaya- More Than Just a High Tech City

A little bird told me ........

Cyberjaya- known for its niche focus in technology and ICT related activities,is Malaysia's first intelligent city. Besides the above, what else does Cyberjaya offers?
Cyberjaya offers a balanced mix of residential and commercial development.
Logistics wise, Cyberjaya has an integratged transportation system. Do you know Cyberjaya utilises the world's first Dedicated Transportation System where Global Positioning System (GPS)is used to co-ordinate a fleet of buses that operates 24/7, linking Cbyberjaya to the Klang valley, Seremban and Banting.

Within city limits, there is the Cyberview-managed free shuttle service that runs on two routes at 15-minute intervals from 7am to midnight, passing all buildings in the city.

On the business side, there are 400 multinational and home-grown companies making Cyberjaya their base of operations. They include BMW, DELL, SHELL, DHL, HSBC, MICROSOFT AND ERICSSON. Workers can use any of the free parking bays in the city, then hop on the free shuttle bus.

Apart from the comprehensive and well conceived business structure, Cyberjaya itself offers plenty of residential areas and recreational facilities.


ref: NST - The Review May16 2008

What's In a clock??

A little bird told me........



Yeah, am refering to our very own Malaysian "Big Ben" at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
The first peals of the clock was heard in 1897, struck during a parade to mark Queen Victoria's 78th birthday. For a clock that was made 111 years ago, it has kept inpeccable time, and helped to marked all of Malaysia's New Years and Merdeka Day with aplomb. As far as we know, it has never stopped ticking, not even during the 46month Japanese occupation when it was put forward two hours to match Tokyo time.
This time piece is set to the time signal from Telekom Malaysia.
You'll be amazed to know that the time piece is still being wound manually twice a week by a technician.



Winding the clock is heavy work! It takes two men about an hour to give the crankshaft 200 turns, which will lift two massive weights about three storeys to the top of the tower. The larger weight,650lbs of lead, powers the hammer that strikes the bell hourly and half-hourly, and the smaller 350lb one keeps the clock going.
The clock winders learnt it all entirely from their predecessors. There's no manual, no blueprints, and no written instruction.

Technicians from the Surveying and Mapping Department has to climb up 4 flights of ricketing stairs to make sure the giant grandfather clock stays wound.



The bell chamber, is pretty well litted, thanks to the 12keyhole-shaped windows.



One more floor up is the top of the tower are the four opaque glass clockfaces. A thick tubular pendulum regulates the ticking of the seconds, which hangs from a metal plate, which has incredibly borne the 50kg pendulum for more than a century.



Near the bell's crown is the name of its English maker, Gillett & Johnson, and 1897 the year the bell was cast. It was ordered by Crown Agents of Downing Street, London.
This clock is a Number 3 movement striking the hours, with the facility to strike the half hours. The Bell weighs 20 hundred-weight, driving four 8foot 6inch diameter cast iron, glazed dials. The whole shipment was manufactured in 90days.

The cost free on board (minus shipping expenditure) from London Docks was £356 and 10shillings. To replicate the same clock and bell today would cost at least £60,000 today. The clock was shipped via the Straits Steamship Company on the SS Singapore.

So the next time you pass by this historical clock tower, take a moment to remember the winders who has to carry out his work two times a week, irrespective of holidays and all, and its no easy feat!


ref: Nuance-Mar 03

Hash House Harriettes

A little bird told me......

Do you know that our very own Royal Selangor Club has the honour of being the Mother Hash? For this was were the first chapter of the HHH story began in way back in 1938, where the mother of all HHH runs was first held in the last week of December in 1938 ! RSC(ROYAL SELANGOR CLUB)was also called the Hash House.
How did it all started?
The origin of hashing is shrouded in fact and fiction. Legend has it that a group of Englishmen and Australians were hanging around the Selangor Club on a Monday night nursing a hangover from the weekend's debauchery when they suddenly had a bright idea.... perhaps they would feel better if they had a run to work out the alcohol from their bodies. They had their run and they felt better, and thereby they also started an institution- the Hash House Harriers!

So what exactly does these Harriers do?

A typical HHH run starts with the "hare" marking a trail with pieces of paper. The route is often tricky with detours leading to dead-ends. The whole run is really very enjoyable, but the climax comes at the end of this whole workout, when delicious food is served buffet style and thirst is quenced with beers chilled to perfection. After World War II, the HHH regroup and the weekly fun-runs started again and became increasinly popular. Expats who worked and hashed in KL started chapters of the HHH when they returned to their home countries. Now there are about 2000 HHH chapters in 160 countries. In Malaysia alone, there are 137 Hash Chapters.

PLANTERS' CLUB

RSG- was also known as the "Planters" Club". as most of its early members owned or managed coffee plantations. The white planters, being isolated in remote estates and left out of the social circuit would make it a point to go to the Selangor Club to catch up on things. Most would be in KL at least once a month for appointments with their bankers to withdraw salaries for their workers. Apart from coffee planters, it was also a watering hole for civil servants and lawyers.
In the 19th century, the Selangor Club was where the action was. Everybody who was anybody was a member. This was the place where white planters and colonial administrators quenched their thirst with several rounds of stengahs (whisky and soda).



SPOTTED DOG
There are a few theories to its origin.
One has it that police Chief H C Syers's wife had 2 dalmatians, which were often spotted sprinting behind her carriage while she went to and from the club, so the locals called it the spotted dog.
Another has it that the first emblem of the club was a clumsy rendition of a spotted leopard, which many mistook as a spotted dog. Look at the stature of a spotted dog, still found inside the RSC. !

"BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN PEOPLE.. IF YOU TRY, YOU CAN LIKE EVERYBODY, AND EVERYBODY WILL LIKE YOU ! "

ref:Insider's Kuala Lumpur by Lam Seng Fatt