Doses of Malaysian Stories Thru' the Lenses & Senses of Deanna DeannaHow

Malaysians are a diverse lot with diverse celebrations from diverse communities happening throughout the year. 14Jan – is a special day for the Indian Community of Hindu faith as they celebrated the Ponggal Festival- where the ritual of boiling rice with milk and allowing to milk to overflow intentionally, signifying an overflow of abundance.  Joining me on this episode is Narmatha, who will share with us on what Ponggal is about and how it's being celebrated in Malaysia. In the conversation, I discovered that some of the significance behind the rituals, holds so much similarity with the Chinese community. And I believe, that as I go deeper into different communities, we would perhaps be directed into the same channel of being in touch with nature. 

If you would like to continue the conversations further, you are most welcome to hop on to my Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories or alternatively you could send a personal mail to dosesofmalaysianstories@ gmail.com .

 Have a great day ahead and see you in my next episode

Malaysia is one country where we celebrate a few New Years within a Year. The novelty of the Jan1 celebration is giving way to another New Year coming up- that is the Lunar Chinese New Year happening on the 1st Feb. Malaysians of Chinese descent are looking forward to a much more merrier NewYear as our economy is opening up. Though restrictions are still in place on SOP adherence, the mood is much lighter. The town is slowly being basked with everything red, from lanterns hung over streets throughout the city and shopping complexes and retailers are abuzz with sales in their bid to attract more customers. Domestic tourism is picking up real fast as hotels and restaurants are booked in anticipation of family gatherings during this time.

Chinese New Year I believe is one of the noisiest festival here in Malaysia where the sounds of drums and cymbals are heard. But I like the sounds made by these lion dance troupes.. This gives me the feel of the real spirit of the season. I would love to invite you my listeners to visit Malaysia during this time of the year when borders are open and I am sure you are so glad you did. 

If you've found value from my podcast- please share with your friends, near, far and wide so that we are able to foster more understanding between humans to humans. You can write to me at my email : dosesofmalaysianstories@gmail. com or you are most welcome to join my Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories/ if you wish me to cover certain topics of interest to you.                                                                  Looking forward to see you in my next episode - Selamat Tinggal - Bye !!!

2021 is coming to an end.. and Christmas is the time when it brings hope and cheer to all Malaysians, irrespective of race, color or religion.  As Malaysians, we celebrate each other's festival with as much gaiety as our own. Today, on my last episode for the year 2021, besides giving all a quick run down on how Christmas is celebrated by all Malaysians, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, my beloved listeners for your continued support of me on this very new podcasting journey of mine. I would also like to  wish 2022 will be a better year for all of you and may you be continuously blessed with good health always.

Will speak to all of you come 2022.. Selamat Tinggal and Cheers ! feel free to DM me should you have any personal request for specific topics  that you would like to hear or you could interact with me in the private facebook group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories

dosesofmalaysianstories@gmail.com

Malaysia is just so diverse in terms of people, cultures, arts, songs, language, life styles, festivals ooh the list is just endless. But the one thing that connects Malaysians - is FOOD !!! Yeah, that's right Food, No matter what community we represent, there is always one food that we all love as Malaysians..  and it's widely consumed and available to all, that is the Nasi Lemak- this is one food that ALL yes I mean ALL Malaysians have eaten before. If you don't believe me..  I set a challenge to all of you my beloved listeners - Try to identify a Malaysian ( wherever you are !! whichever part of the globe you are ) who has never eaten Nasi Lemak before !!! If you can identify this person,, let me know !! I would love to get to know him/ or her !!! But  I doubt you can find this person at all !! haha.  

Nasi Lemak is designated as our Malaysia national dish ! It started off as a very simple dish- of fragrant rice cooked with coconut milk accompanied with fried anchovies, 2-3 slices of cucumber, half of a hard boiled egg -sometime, 2-3 strands of greens of kangkong- or water spinach- a local vegetables leafs like the sweet potatoes grown here in SE Asia. And this nasi lemak used to be taken for breakfast. Because of it's popularity, it has gone on to be taken for lunch and dinner. And there are also so many ways of presentation this simple dish.

 Today I bring to you, Med Pang -  a Malaysian who has been residing in the UK for the last 21years. And he presently runs a stall at The Spice Lab, a Malaysia street food stall at Mercato Mayfair, serving this national cuisine. His Nasi Lemak is presented in a most unique way while displaying the uniqueness of our Malaysian cuisine. I hope you enjoyed my conversation with him and if you are in London. do drop in at his stall and try this special Malaysian dish- the Nasi Lemak!



Once again, thank you for hanging out with me. I really do appreciate it very much and I look forward to be with you in my next episode.

Selamat Tinggal and Bye !!!

Today my story is going to focus on Who are we as Malaysians!! You know, being born and bred in Malaysia- mingling with different communities of differing colors and features, cultures, food, lifestyles and everything that is so different, yet we feel so at home as it is all part of life here in multi-diverse Malaysia. On the contrary, when I visited other countries where there is more mono rather than diverse cultures, I felt kind of out of place. Strange but true.

Through the years of mingling, interacting, adapting and adopting or just observing, Malaysians of all  different communities has evolved into a unique identity of our own. For eg, like myself, being of Chinese origin, when I travel, many a times I have to explain that I’m a Malaysian (with special emphasis) of Chinese origin just so that I’m not mistaken for mainland Chinese. And I’m sure it’s the same with my fellow Malaysians of Indian origin. But truth be told, I’m actually part Baba Nyonya which is a small community of mix marriage between the early immigrant Chinese men to the local ladies here. So therefore, we are not truly Chinese nor Indians per se. but more of a hybrid race that we call Malaysians that has evolved through the years

Today I have a special guest on my show where I’m going to touch on this very topic of mixed marriages. And what are the things that mixed marriage couples do to ensure a harmonious relationship especially within the extended family unit.

My guest today is Ms Madelyn Toh, whom I met more than 10years ago, when I was invited to be an external examiner for the Tourism students at one of the most prestigious University in Selangor and she was a lecturer there.  I found Madelyn to be pleasant, soft spoken and articulate. Fast forward today, she is now a wife and also a full time Mum to her two beautiful adorable kids. Mag’s Malaysian story will centered around some of the adaptations and learning that she went through because of her mixed marriage and how she is also grooming her children to adapt and immerse into 2 differing cultures from 2 different worlds.

Connect with me here via email and also join my private Facebook group :

a) dosesofmalaysianstories@gmail.com

b) https://www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories

Terima kasih and Thank you once again for hanging out with me and I shall see you in my next episode. Selamat Tinggal and Bye !!

Today my story centers around a rather small, unexplored town about an hour’s drive away from the main city of Kuala Lumpur- Batang Kali.
I want to touch on the road less travelled as this is where the real Malaysia will emerge.. And this is one place which rarely appears in the normal run of the mill itinerary., To prove my point, I made a random check with 2 friends and their answers is like 2 ends of a pole- from one, having no inclination of what Batang Kali has to offer - and the other knowing quite a lot having lived there before.
Most of us are the in-betweens – me included, who knows a little but not enough to trigger an exploration trip there. And I hope through this podcast, touristic activities would be generated in this little sleepy town, especially during this aftermath of the pandemic where everything has been slowed down. So- let’s get to know Batang Kali.

The name originated from the main river (Batang) that flows through the town. Batang refer to a thing that is long- eg a stick, a river, a pole etc.. and (kali) refers to the many smaller streams that branches out.
Located in the northern part of the state of Selangor, it is only an hour’s drive away from the city of Kuala Lumpur, you will pass by the Ulu Yam township. If you loves nature, listening to the sounds of water falling down from atop with lots of greens surrounding, this is where you would be able to get some Zen experience amidst the sounds of nature.
One spots you should not miss are the pristine waterfalls in Sungai Sendat. Managed by the Selangor state forestry department, this is a popular site for camping and picnicking among the locals. It is also here that you could be able to see an abundance of the Malaysian Raja Brooke butterflies, a rare species of butterflies native to this part of the world and recognized as the national butterfly of Malaysia. It is pretty easy to identify them with their large black wings with bright green markings!

Next is the Hulu Tamu Hotspring ! a natural hot spring with temperatures around 50c/112F. Locals believed that this natural hot water has medicinal values, especially skin aliments and rheumatism. There are several pools with differing temperatures of hot/medium/cool, with gazebos and walkways along it. Make sure you test the temperatures first before immersing yourself into i

Malaysia boasts one of the oldest rainforests in the world with plenty of wild orchids-. Batang Kali houses the 2nd largest orchid nursery in Malaysia-,_ The World of Phalaenopsis -a unique species shaped like a moth in flight - hence its common name -the Moth Orchids - They comes in a wide range of colors. It is really a feast to the eyes for orchid lovers.. The best time to visit this nursery is in the mornings between 9 – 10am – when the flower blooms at its best. Wild orchids are beautiful as each of them is uniquely shaped- one of them is the “lady’s slippers “orchids which is shaped like a lady’s footwear when it blooms. If you wish to witness plenty more different and unique wild orchids, you really need to explore our conservation and national parks of Malaysia.

You can connect with me either personally through my email at dosesofmalaysianstories@gmail.com or alternatively you could interact and engage with me by joining my private Facebook group under the same name : https://www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories