Second Shot from a Malaysian Magazine

Hi it is me. I'm back from hiatus. Last weekend in Malaysia, I spotted this interesting magazine at the news-stand in Dang Wangi Station. The cover was enough to send my heart racing. It could not have been more coincidental, as the day before I was at the same place in the cover doing .... research. I gave the unwrapped magazine a flip and was sold on this RM5 copy.

KLue is a hip website and monthly magazine that connects the reader to the people, places and events that energise and drive Klang Valley. I was surprised at the heritage issue on front cover despite the magazine's focus on modern lifestyle. I counted at least 25 pages of heritage-related articles. The articles are not even about leasing a new life to restored buildings, much like our Mount Emily/Sophia.

KLUE Issue 138 (Picture credit: KLUE)

Feature Story (Picture credit: KLUE)

What is Malaysian heritage to you? The feature story asks the question if Malaysia had its own Smithsonian National Museum of History, what would the people include and why. This was broken down into two sub-questions:

1. If you could have "saved" one heritage entity that's now "lost", what would it be?

1. Klang River.
2. Rare local past-times like bull fighting and women in kebaya performing silat routine.
3. Forests drowned to build Bakun Dam.
4. Universiti Bangsar Utama.
5. Old shop-houses around KL.
6. Yasmin Ahmad.

2. Given the choice, which place/person/item would you grant heritage status to and why?

1. Malaysian rainforests.
2. Ramly burger.
3. Petronas' oil rigs.
4. Hulu Langat.
5. Old buildings around KL.
6. Ding Dang and Tora filmography of commercials.

While the list is not very interesting to us non Malaysians, I wonder how we would fare if the questions were asked in Singapore. Opps, I am beginning to hear people screaming Changi Tree and Stamford Library already. Cool down, and there is still Dead Chicken River if Singapore River is too cliché.

Do you remember Ding Dang and Tora? If you have been watching TVs in the 80s you remember them. I remember the commercials were pervasive when I was watching TV, which must be in the afternoon after school. Here is a blog to stir your memory of those fun times.