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

Mountain resorts are a popular relaxation venue for most Malaysians as it is a place where we can get a short break from the heat. Today I'm introducing Cameron Highlands - a mountain resort located in the state of Pahang. Located about 1800 m above sea level, temperatures usually hinges between 14 - 20celsius. Well known for her tea plantations. it is an absolute must for visitors to pay a visit to the tea centers located in and around the mountain resorts. Enjoy a cuppa tea while "sipping" in the beautiful view of stretches' and stretchers of tea terraces. Besides that, Cameron Highlands is also well known for fresh vegetables, flowers and strawberries. 

The story of Cameron Highlands is still aplenty which I will be talking about in my future episodes. Do connect with me if there are topics that you would want me to cover. You can email me at dosesofmalaysiastories@gmail. com

Danie  Picot- having been in Malaysia for more than 20 years, is still very much in love with Malaysia.  It was love at first sight when she first landed on the island of Penang. She fell in love not only with the peoples of Malaysia, even the food tugs at her heart strings too. To top that up, even her son fell in love with a Malaysian girl. Today she shares with us her first impression upon landing on our Malaysian shores is still the same impression that she carries with her even after 20 years. Though she is back home in France, she is still hoping to be able to spend this coming Christmas in Malaysia and meet up with her grandchildren here. Her sharp observation and enjoyment of Malaysian sites and sounds and food brings a warm smile to me and I certainly hope that you, my listeners will also be able to savor this enjoyment when you are here .  Malaysia is ever ready to welcome you ...

Do let me know if you wish me to speak on certain topics of interest to you. You can reach me at my email: [email protected] or you could also follow me on my Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories.

If you have enjoyed the podcast, do click on the like and follow button so that you will be notified of my upcoming episodes. My podcast runs on every 1st & 3rd Sundays every month and looking forward to see you again on my next episode.  Thank you once again for hanging out with me. Selamat Tinggal and Bye !!...

Today I'm taking you on a leisurely walk in and around ChinaTown of Kuala Lumpur.  I am also recommending a few stops for you to linger and get to know ChinaTown better. If you have been following my previous episodes, you would also be adding another  word to your vocabulary building of the Malay language. And probably when you are finally able to step foot on our Malaysian shores, you will have gathered sufficient words to carry on a simple conversation with the local communities..hahaa...

Sites I would recommend for you while you Jalan-Jalan around ChinaTown as below. The list is not exhaustive.  

1) Jalan Petaling

2) Central Market

3) Medan Pasar

4) SinSze Si Ya Temple

5) Sri Mahamariaman Temple

There are certainly more interesting spots besides this list which I will probably cover in my future episodes.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to hang out with me and being so patient with me as I navigate through this digital space.  Do leave me a message if there are topics that you wish me to cover. If you have enjoyed the podcast, appreciate if you could click the "" like and follow buttons " and also to share with your friends.

Feel free to write to me at  [email protected] or connect with me on the group Facebook group below:

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

Selamat Tinggal- Bye --

What can you make out a city from her name?  Well my dear listeners. On this episode, I'm sharing the history of how this town Muddy Confluence city got her name. 

Yes, there is a city here in Malaysia named as "The Muddy Confluence"  See if you can locate this city on the map of Malaysia. Guaranteed.. you can't. because written in local language, it takes on a totally different name. If you want to find out what is the local name of this city, stick on and listen till the end. And at the same time , you will also be able to pick up a few Malay words along the way. Clues will be dropped subtly to help you   as the story unfolds and I would love to hear from you if you are able to piece the name of the city after that. You can either post your comments here, email, or you could also connect with me on my group Facebook group 

www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories/

email: [email protected]

Once again thank you for spending time with me and I look forward to meet you again. Selamat Tinggal ... cheers!!

Selamat Datang and welcome to Doses of Malaysian Stories !

Today I'm talking about the weather. While weather talk is a good conversation starter for the British, probably because their weathers changes so drastically within a span of 24hours. Having been under the British rule for more than a century, well, weather talk is definitely not something that Malaysians would indulge in. So our conversation starter here focuses on something that is very close and important to our survival on a day to day basis. Listen on to find out what that is. And at the same time, you also get to pick up a word or two in the Malay language which would definitely be of use when you interact with the local community.

In this episode, you will also be given tips on what to expect from our weather and how you can adapt to it while on our Malaysian shores.

Finally, I invite all of you to do a fun experiment with me and send the feed back to me in the Facebook under the same title as my podcast.

Please join https://www.facebook.com/groups/210914573944037

Don't forget to like, follow and share with your friends if you have enjoyed this podcast. 

Once again, thank you and Selamat Tinggal .. cheers

Selamat Datang - Welcome once again to Doses of Malaysian Stories. Hi, I’m Deanna, a local Malaysian Tour Guide and the host of this podcast.

Today my story is about the recent celebrations for the Muslims -The Eid Mubarak or locally Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, the festiva marking the conclusion fasting during the holy month of Ramadhan for Muslims. Malays, forms the largest Muslim community in Malaysia, approximately 63% of our population of 32million. During pre-pandemic times, the yearly Raya Celebrations will see an exodus of Malaysians (Muslims and non-Muslims) taking the 2 days public holidays travelling back to their home towns to be with their families. Buses, trains, flights will usually be taken up at least 3-4 months ahead.

It is an absolute must to plan ahead to avoid disappointments. Highways will be heavy with traffic, and police will be deployed to help control this mass exodus. Cities like Kuala Lumpur- will be unusually quiet and deserted during this time. Small towns will instead be congested. We would greet our Muslim friends  “Selamat Hari Raya” This year 2021, the usual get together did not happen as gatherings were not permitted due to the recent spike in cases. it will be a celebrated in a much quieter manner. .

I have with me today, Ms Shuhana, my fellow Tour Guide who is already semi retired.  She will share with us her thoughts on this year’s celebrations and the popular food that is usually served during this time of the year. 2021 celebrations may not be as happening as the years before the pandemic, nevertheless food is still a very much sought-after affair for Malaysians. She will touched on the popular ones that are usually served during this time :like Rendang - a sort of dry curry. Ketupat- a pouch like compressed rice wrapped in young coconut leaves and also Lemang- glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves cooked inside hollow bamboo shoots.

 Ms Shuhana also touches on the tradition of asking for forgiveness (Maaf Zahir Batin- words that are often reflected in greeting cards) from the elders during this special time of the year, a tradition that is indeed meaningful.  We also touched on the subject of Duit Raya ( Festival Money), tokens of blessings given to children, which could probably be an influence from the Chinese community who practices gifting from the married to the singles in red packets which is called äng pow" locally. This is the beauty of multi-cultural Malaysia where some customs or traditions and food were adopted by different communities within this melting pot of cultural assimilation.

That was indeed a good catching up session that I had with Shuhana. 

I wonder if you could pick up some unique Malaysian slang during my interview? Ms Shuhana, punctuated her speech with a lot of this phrase “lah” – no lah… it was fun lah . Yeah these are some of the examples of Manglish- the Malaysian lingo that I mentioned in my first episode. Looking forward to share the Malaysian lingo – Manglish in my next episode.

If you have enjoyed the show, please click the Like and Subscribe button and share with your friends too, You could be doing them a good turn if they would like to understand Malaysia and Malaysians more. 

You can reach out to me at

Email; [email protected]

Facebook; www.facebook.com/groups/dosesofmalaysianstories/

Thank you for taking the time out to hang out with me and I shall look forward to see you in my next episode. Selamat Tinggal !! Bye !!

Good day to you. Selamat Datang and Welcome to my trailer podcast “Doses of Malaysian Stories” Hi I’m Deanna, your host. Incidentally Selamat Datang literally translated in our Malay language is Welcome.

A quick introduction to who I am and why this podcast. I’m a Tour Guide  and also a trainer for aspiring tour guides for the past 20+ years. I’ve trained more than a 1000 guides in Malaysia, while still actively guiding foreign guests on a journey exploring my country, through her sights and sounds. And of course, along the way I also share doses of our Malaysian culture, our arts, our diverse communities, our food and things that makes us uniquely Malaysians. For the past year, I missed these sharing sessions as there were no guests coming in. That got me thinking on how else can I continue to do these sharing? That’s when I decided to pivot on to this virtual audio space of podcasting.

Well, this may not be a time for travelling yet, but it is certainly a time to start researching and plan for your future travel. Malaysia is one place you should certainly don’t want to miss in Asia.

I hope this podcast will serve as a reference point to help you in your planning stage of “the Hows, the Whens , the Whys and the What “of Malaysia.

My podcast shall be broadcast every 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. And my first episode shall fall on the 1st Sunday in the month of Jun – yes -that will be on the 6th Jun-. I hope to see you there. Your presence and support would be much appreciated.

If you have any feedback or suggestions as I take you on this journey with me, feel free to connect with me at my email address: [email protected].  So I’m dating you on the 6th Jun.

Sending you virtual hugs … See Ya !! Bye – Selamat tinggal !!!