Laotian females! The males seem to have disappeared though. I can't find male clothes, although sources suggest that they are similar to Burmese clothes.
Cambodian clothes Thai clothes!
this is a Vietnamese wedding couple!
Vietnamese women's clothing.
This is basically a summary of some of the Southeast Asian clothing.
For example, the Malay males wear traditional costumes and a large black square-resembling hat, known as the songkok, one of the most distinctive features of Malay males.
Anyway, you might notice that most of the costumes look the same as they consist of:
FEMALE:long-sleeved blouse floor-length skirt
MALE: long-sleeved shirt long pants
Scarily similar, no?
Each has its own distinctive characteristics, such as embroidery which reflects the culture, but in the end, it comes back to the conservative Southeast Asian society which it reflects.
Interesting insight. Southeast Asian fashion strangely reflects the theme of my blog:
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:45 AM
And now for the universal favourite.
FOOD.
Food is perhaps one of the most distinctive features of Southeast Asia. And look at this interesting article.
MALAYSIANS TOLD TO SAFEGUARD DISHES SUCH AS SATAY
PETALING JAYA - Malaysians need to safeguard their food heritage before other countries adopt it as their signature dishes, a government official has said.
"Before we lose our satay (picture) and roti canai like we lost our chilli crabs to Singapore, we must find a way to make our signature dishes synonymous to Malaysia and no other country," said Mr Rosly Selamat, an official with Tourism Malaysia.
He was speaking during the launch of the Malaysia Truly Asia Cuisine Showcase on Wednesday, which presented a range of Malaysian dishes that appeals to global tastes.
The event was also held to suppoer the government's Malaysia Kitchen project, which plans to set up 3, 000 Malaysian restaurants around the world by 2010.
The government has allocated RM200 million ($87 million) for the project, with RM60 million more for promotional efforts.
"Take Thai restaurants, for instance. They are reeling in the big bucks because even the smallest town in Europe has a Thai restaurant," Mr Rosly was quoted by the Straits Times as saying.
According to him, Malaysian cuisine is seen by Londoners as a sexy cuisine because of the exotic mix of Indian, Chinese, Malay and Thai flavours. "Malaysians must jump rather than watch the opportunity pass them by," he said.
That's the end of the article.
WHY CAN'T WE SHARE OUR FOOD???
The article mentions that Malaysian cuisine appears to be an exotic blend of other Asian cuisines. That is only natural, considering we all stay in the same region anyway, so there must be many similarities.
Some of these similarities include lots of rice and lots of spices (there's a lot of spicy food in Southeast Asian cuisines).
And our assignment was to find a recipe for a dish of Southeast Asian roots. So here it is:
Preparation time less than 30 mins Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Ingredients! 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp green curry paste (according to taste) 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar 1-2 thick stalks lemongrass, fat ends bashed with a rolling pin (optional) 750g/1½lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks (use breast and/or leg meat) 6-8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of 1 lime) 400ml/14fl oz coconut milk good shake of Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce small handful of coriander, roughly chopped ½-1 lime, juice only
Method 1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the green curry paste and sugar and cook over a fairly high heat for about a minute, stirring with the lemongrass, if using. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the chicken pieces and lime leaves or zest until coated in the paste. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce or soy sauce and bring to a simmer, cooking for 25-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in the coriander and lime juice. Check for seasoning, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if needed. 2. The curry is now best left to sit for a few minutes so the sauce becomes creamier. You will also taste the true flavours of the curry paste ingredients when it's slightly cooler. Serve with lots of fragrant Thai jasmine rice.
Jasmine rice is a particularly fine, medium-grain type of rice. It is fragrant when cooked, hence the name. The polished white rice is prepared without salt to balance the Thai flavors. Please do not serve ordinary rice from the supermarket with Thai meals!
The secret of perfect rice lies in the quantity of water used-measure holding your finger on top of the rice-the water should reach just below your middle finger's first joint. All the water should be absorbed during cooking, leaving the rice firm and fluffy.
Rice only takes 20-25 minutes, with little attention (but don't let it burn!).
Traditionally cooked in an aluminium pan over a charcoal burner, here in the West, we use a modern stove. With the introduction of electricity across the country, today the electic rice cooker is more common in Thailand.
Ingredients 2 1/2 cups Thai jasmine rice 3 cups water
Method Place rice in a small saucepan (approx. 2-1/2 qt). Rinse rice by running cold water over two or three times to cover and pouring the water out. This rids the rice of excess starch powder and broken rice which makes the cooked rice mushy and sticky. Add just enough water to cover the top of the rice by 1/2-inch (approximately 3 cups). A convenient trick is to place your middle finger, just touching the top of the rice in the pan. The water level should be just below the first joint of your finger, from the tip. No measuring needed. Cover the pot with the lid. Place over medium to medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, another 10 minutes, until the water has completely evaporated. Turn off the burner and allow rice to sit, covered, for at least another 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature (especially with spicy curries). Serves 2 to 3.
fascinating, no?
I'd talk more about food, but it's making me abnormally hungry so I shall stop here. Maybe another time. :D
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:36 AM
In one of our lessons, we went throught the legend known as
PUTERI GUNUNG LEDANG
This translates to "Princess of Mt. Ophir" which is a mountain in Malaysia.
Here is the legend:
Most people in Malaysia knows the legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang, however, not many realised this legend happened in the district of Muar, north of Melaka.
According to Malay belief in the old days, there was a beautiful jin princess who lived on top of Ledang Hill and was called Puteri Gunung Ledang. The princess had seven sisters originated from Java. Her other relatives in Malay peninsular were Puteri Gunung Banang in Batu Pahat, Puteri Gunung Panti in Kota Tinggi and Puteri Gunung Beremban in border of Johor and Pahang.
These jin princesses cannot be seen by human beings. However, some people like Malay traditional medicine man and people who lost their way in the forest, sometimes meet and talk to them.
According to the Malay story told verbally, Puteri Gunung Ledang stayed at the top of Gunung Mahligai (Mahligai Mountain). She had a lover who lived on top of Gunung Rundok (Rundok Mountain). Every night the mountain top of Gunung Rundok will approach near Gunung Mahligai, and the two lovers met and spend the time until early morning. After a few years, one night, while spending the time together, they did not realised the time had passed early morning. The act was against the curse of jins causing the mountain top of Gunung Rundok slanted until today.
If we were to climb Gunung Ledang from Kampung Asahan (Asahan Village) in Melaka, we will encounter a deep crater before reaching the mountain top. This large crater was belief to saperate the mountain top of Gunung Rundok and Gunung Mahligai along Mount Ledang.
The mountain top of Gunung Rundok cannot straightened itself. So the jin prince have to stay at the top of Gunung Mahligaitogether with Puteri Gunung Ledang and were married.
After the wedding, they went for honeymoon to Pulau Besar (Besar Island) at the Straits of Melaka. One day, while Puteri Gunung Ledang was sewing under a coconut tree at the seaside, her husband came from behind to surprise her jokingly. She was shocked and accidently stabbed her husband's hand with her sewing pin. Immediately, her husband fell to the ground and died, as it was a curse on him to die if stabbed by a pin. She was very sad and hug her husband's body and said:
"Oh my love, Putera Mambang,I swear I will never marry again until I die."
She went back to Gunung Ledang soon after.
MARRIAGE PROPOSAL TO PUTERI GUNUNG LEDANG.
As the story goes, wife of Sultan Mahmud of Melaka died and he mourned for her death for quite a while. This caused some concern among the heads and ministers of Melaka. They asked the sultan to get married again. Quite a number of beautiful princesses and daughters of ministers and nobles were presented to His Majesty. he refused them all with all kind of reasons. His Majesty still loves his late wife.
One day, while His Majesty was missing her late wife, his Bendahara (Prime Minister) came and presented the story of Puteri Gunung Ledang to him. The Bendahara suggested to His Majesty to marry Puteri Gunung Ledang and becomes his queen. His Majesty agreed.
A few days later, His Majesty sent a team of messenger to propose marriage to Puteri Gunung Ledang. The team consist of his famous general Hang Tuah and Sang Setia. Tun Mamat was the sherpa. During their journey, they reached the foot of the mountain. There was heavy storm and they could not climb up and Hang Tuah have aged.
Tun Mamat went alone through rough terrain and through deep forest, until he managed to reached the mountain top of Gunung Ledang. He was surprised to discovered a beautiful garden full of flowers with birds chirping and flying around it. The garden gives a very extraordinarily beautiful and happy feeling. While Tun Mamat were impressed with the beauty he encountered, an old lady came an called him. "Who are you, and where are you going?" asked the old lady.
"I am Tun Mamat from Melaka, instructed by His Majesty Sultan Mahmud to propose marriage to Puteri Gunung Ledang, and may I know who are you?" asked Tun Mamat curiously.
"I am Dang Raya Rani, servant ot Puteri Gunung Ledang. If that is what you wish, please wait a moment, while I refer this to Her Majesty." answered the old lady.
She disappeared for a moment and came reappeared after a while and said, "Tun Mamat, please send Puteri Gunung Ledang's regards to His Majesty . Her Majesty said, if His Majesty want to make her his queen, His Majesty must grant her these special presents that is 7 trays of mosquito's heart, 7 trays of germ's heart, one barrel of tears, one barrel of young pinang juice, one bowl of His Majesty's blood and one bowl of blood of His Majesty's son, Raja Ahmad. She also requested His Majesty to build a silver bridge connecting Melaka and Gunung Ledang.
Tun Mamat went down to Hang Tuan and Sang Setia and they return to Melaka. The wishes of Puteri Gunung Ledang were presented to His Majesty and he agreed to grant it all except to give one bowl of his son Raja Ahmad's blood.
Puteri Gunung Ledang's nonsensical wishes for those special gifts were just an excuse not to accept the marriage proposal from His Majesty the Sultan of Melaka as she is still loyal to her late husband who died in Pulau Besar.
This is unbelievable. Who would have known that a mere legend would have made such a great film and musical???
On the other hand, it's made me see how polite the Malays are. Instead of telling the King "I dont't want to marry you", she makes absurd requests as conditions for marriage. She's cunning and can think on her feet, I concede.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:29 AM
THE SHOCK.
THE HORROR.
HOW CAN THIS EXIST???
Yes, those were my first thoughts when I watched my first video of kuda kepang.
you may wonder, what IS kuda kepang???
The Kuda Kepang is a very interesting dance from Johor. The dance was once a form of totemic worship. The dance had strong links with spirit possession and often dancers went into a trance-like state. However with the Islamisation of Malaysia, this dance now generally renders the tale of nine Javanese men who spread the Islamic faith in the interior of Java. The nine Muslim evangelists rode on horseback and dramatized stories of the battles waged and won for the cause of Islam to draw and hold the attention of the congregation. Kuda Kepang is performed by nine dancers who are seated astride a two dimensional 'horse' made of hide or pleated rattan. The dancers re-enact the early Islamic battles in enthusiastic gestures and vigorous action. Naturally as time as moved this dance is seen very much more for its entertainment value. This dance is performed in accompaniment to a rich and exotic rendition of traditional music played with indigenous instruments such as gongs, tambourines and angklungs. http://www.dancemalaysia.com/Dance/Traditional/Folk_Dance/Kuda_Kepang/kuda_kepang.htm
Just a little video to make it more visual for you.
anyway, at first I thought it was really sadistic.
then I thought maybe not!
when I watched the video, it was quite... shocking. the music was really violent, what with aggressive banging of drums, and the whole scene was really noisy as well.
and it only got worse when I saw some of the dancers being whipped. and forced to step on crushed glass, and being fed PLANTS.
WOULD YOU DO THAT??? EVER???
to your fellow human?
apparently yes.
That's because these dancers are in a TRANCE. Like those scary fortune tellers/ crystal ball gazers you see in cartoons. only its for real this time.
but its not THAT bad.
the female dancers are like any other dancer and they aren't the main highlight of the juda kepang. the male dancers, on the other hand, are the key.
they danced with cardboard horse cut-outs between their legs and then *gasps*
BECOME THE HORSE :O
as a result, they feel no pain when they are whipped and forced to step on crushed glass. They're in a trance-like state, and have to wash their faces in cold water to come out from their trance.
is this humane?
it could be.
it could NOT be.
but its still an integral part of the Javanese culture, and we should respect that. There are still performances ongoing in Singapore as well. I suppose human rights activists may question the "rightness" in kuda kepang, such as letting a 13-year-old boy perform in such a performance. but is there anything wrong with demonstrating the uniqueness of the Javanese culture.
this is, i suppose, a question which has no answer.
when things seem horrifying, look back for a second glance, and then you'll realise, that it wasn't what you've just seen.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:14 AM
Now I shall first discuss the Malay language.
It's actually pretty similar to English, just that the spelling's pretty different.
The 'k' is pronounced as 'c', so 'komputer' is pronounced 'computer' and it IS a computer.
The 'c' sound, on the other hand, is pronounced as 'ch', so 'cuba', which means 'try', is pronounced 'chuba'.
It does look complex at first sight.
I still recall the first time Cikgu Melhan read out a passage to us.
WHY IS HE SPEAKING SO FAST???
DO WE HAVE TO SPEAK THAT FAST TOO???
OH NO I AM GOING TO FAIL MY ORALS!!!
yes, but then we realised
*DUMDUM DA DUM*
Cikgu Melhan is a native speaker. Obviously he speaks extremely fast. But then we stopped marvelling at his prowess and actually focussed on our work.
Generally, I don't see things at first sight. Undoubtedly.
So when I first read from the textbook, I felt that Bahasa Melayu was unbelievably complicated. But that, on second glance, I felt that it bore an odd resemblance to Chinese.
No, I don't mean the characters, but I mean the way each word has its own
MEANING
SIGNIFICANCE
It's like Chinese. Every word has a history behind it. It's not like English, which is a compilation and then modification of all sorts of languages ranging from Greek to Latin to goodness-knows-what.
Each word has its history. It may not be something I'll ever understand in this lifetime, seeing as even native speakers may not know everything, but I'm going to strive for it anyway.
Malay is a different and unique language. It is worth learning. I can feel it.
IN MY BONES :D
Malay refers to a group of languages closely related to each other to the point of mutual intelligibility but that linguists consider to be separate languages. They are grouped into a group called "Local Malay", part of a larger group called "Malayan" within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family.[2][3][4] The various forms of Malay are spoken in Brunei, Indonesia (where the national language, Indonesian, is one form of it), Malaysia, Singapore, and southern Thailand.[5]
Malay is an official language of Brunei and Malaysia, and one of the official languages in Singapore. The national language of Indonesia is Indonesian, formally referred to as Bahasa Indonesia which literally translates as "Indonesian language". It is also called Bahasa Kebangsaan (National Language) and Bahasa Persatuan/Pemersatu (Unifying Language) in Indonesia. Indonesian is also used in East Timor, a consequence of more than 20 years of Indonesian military occupation. In Malaysia, the language is now officially known as Bahasa Malaysia ("Malaysian language"), though constitutionally it to be called Bahasa Melayu. Singapore, Brunei and southern Thailand refer to the language as Bahasa Melayu ("Malay language").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malay_language
Thats kinda like a brief summary of the language!
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
1:11 AM
Now, you may begin to wonder.
WHY ARE WE EVEN STUDYING THIS?
there are the reasons based on personal gain, I suppose.
- to gain more knowledge so that we can get good jobs and earn lots and lots of money!!!!
but it just doesn't seem right, does it?
yes, when we applied, it MIGHT have been for that reason, but not anymore, or for me, at least.
A great variety of reasons were explored when we discussed this during our first lesson.
Some of them are:
We're surrounded by Malay-speaking countries. Naturally, it would seem quite disadvantageous if we were to speak only English. Communication is of utmost importance in order to form a cohesive society, whose bonds have now been stretched, limited by our geographical borders and even some politicians. Singapore has already been disadvantaged as our political system and economic activity is more stable, and hence we are not as similar to the other Southeast Asian nations as they are to each other. This is practically a necessary requirement.
We need to learn more about other cultures and accept them. How would YOU feel being an oddball? Being a Chinese-dominated society in a Malay-dominated region, we are somewhat distant and unrelated to the other Southeast Asian nations. Since we can't BECOME them, then we'll have to UNDERSTAND them and leave it at that. That's about the best we can do.
We need to be better equipped for our future. Of course. We wouldn't take a course on this if we couldn't use it to benefit the region. Studying this knowledge will allow us to learn more about the region and then we can put this knowledge to good use in the future, hence benefitting the region.
and those three are basically the main reasons why I think the RSP was set up in the first place.
Also, I seem to vaguely remember Ms Lee asking us to research on Esperanto during our first lesson.
So here it is:
Esperanto - is by far the most widely spoken consructed international auxiliary language in the world. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L.L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887. The word esperanto means 'one who hopes' in the language itself. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible language that would serve as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding. Esperanto has had continuous usage by a community estimated at between 100,000 and 2 million speakers for over a century. By most estimates, there are approximately one thousand native speakers. However, no country has adopted the language officially. Today, Esperanto is employed in world travel, correspondence, cultural exchange, conventions, literature, language instruction, television, and radio broadcasting. Also, there is an Esperanto Wikipedia that contains over 100,000 articles as of June 2008.There is evidence that learning Esperanto may provide a good foundation for learning languages in general. Some state education systems offer basic instruction and elective courses in Esperanto. Esperanto is also the language of instruction in one university, the Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj in SanMarino.
that'll be scary but what I don't understand is how such a language could die out. Even when the Japanese invaded China during World War II and forced the Chinese to speak Japanese, the Chinese never fully gave in. To this day, the Chinese language is one of the most powerful languages, and it is one of the more ancient scripts as well. It never died out, and became stronger after enduring such obstacles.
So why did Esperanto die out? After it was declared to be the world's second language, I thought that maybe there would be a surge to learn it. But instead, it just fell off a cliff and vanisheddisappeared.
sometimes mysteries aren't meant to be solved.
so I guess I'll just leave you to decide for yourselves.
and apart from that, I realise that we learnt this major new word in our first lesson.
its called
Assalamualaikum
oh wow the longness of this word! its arabic, and the proper reply is wa'alaikumsalam.
Some information on the word is: As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم) is an Arabicspoken greeting used by Muslims as well as Arab Christians and Jews. The term Salam in Arabic means "Peace". The greeting may also be transliterated as Salaam 'Alaykum. It means "Peace be upon you". The traditional response is wa `Alaykum As-Salaam, meaning "and upon you be peace."
The greeting is almost always accompanied by a handshake.
In Arabia the greeting is associated with two or three light kisses.On the Indian subcontinent, the saying of Salaam is often accompanied with an obeisance, performed by bowing low and raising the right hand till it is in front of the forehead. In Indonesia, greeting is usually accompanied by a kind of two-handed "handshake". None of these is derived from Islamic custom, but they are based in cultural traditions.
Many Turkish people, including more Secular and non-religious people, say "Selam" as an equivalent to "Hello" or "Hi".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assalam_alaikum
and another word
Shalom
its not too long haha :D its hebrew
Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) is a Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, and welfare and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye.As it does in English, it can refer to either peace between two entities (especially between man and God or between two countries), or to the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a group of individuals. The word is also found in many other expressions and names. Its equivalent cognate in Arabic is salaam, sliem in Maltese, Shlomo (ܫܠܡܐ) in Syriac-Assyrian and sälam in Ethiopian Semitic languages from the Proto-Semitic rootS-L-M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom
and also, the classic malay one
Selamat sejahtera
see?
they all mean the exact same thing.
basically, they all translate to peace be with you
and for example, the other variations also sound alike
its exactly like ESPERANTO
like an international second language but with lots of twists around the words.
it just shows how the different societies were linked, even in ancient times. After all, they couldn't have developed these shocking similarities without interacting. maybe the ancient world wasn't as underdeveloped as we thought.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
Sunday, October 26, 2008
5:34 PM
Yes, welcome to my RSP blog! 8D
This entry is dedicated to briefly explaining the RSP to allow the reader to gain a greater insight into the RSP before reading more about it.
The RSP actually stands for Regional Studies Programme, and this programme has also been implemented in 3 other schools:
RAFFLES INSTITUTION (RI) VICTORIA SCHOOL (VS) ANGLO-CHINESE SCHOOL (INDEPENDENT) (ACS(I))
but RGS is the only girls' school to have such a programme! :D
This is the first time such a programme has been implemented in Singapore, making sec1'08 batch the pioneer batch.
The programme differs from MSP, the Malay Special Programme, in which students are taught to speak, read and write in Bahasa Melayu.
The Regional Studies Programme, on the other hand, features two components, the language component, and the USEA component.
The language component is basically the study of Bahasa Melayu and we learn to read, speak and write the Malay language.
But the unique component in the RSP is the
Understanding Southeast Asia Module I really cannot describe this module in just a few words cos there's just too much, but suffice it to say that it encompasses studying the culture, politics, economy of the various Southeast Asian cultures, and this can be studied by visiting various ethnic enclaves in Singapore.
There's too much to describe for this module, so I would suggest reading my other entries :D
The 'slogan' of the RSP is Our Region, Our Heritage, Our Future
This basically means the study of Southeast Asia, since we ARE in SEA anyway. And we have to know about our past, reflect on our mistakes and our glories, which all contribute to who we are today, as a nation, region, and as one Southeast Asia. The study will leave us better equipped to deal with what is most likely to happen, and this will create a better future for Southeast Asians.
With this, I end my introduction and move further in depth to reflect on the curriculum. :D
While we're introducing everything, I might as well introduce myself.
My name is Vivian Chew I'm in RGRSP My other CCAs include NCC(Air) Math Society LYFE (Environment Club) I love my house WADDLEand my class110'08
I love playing the piano travelling the world reading doing math
The aspect I'm going to focus on for this blog is fashion
My overall theme of my blog is unity in diversity
I joined the RSP because
I thought it was fun.ITS AWESOME<3 The USEA module fascinated me. I love studying politics, economics etc. I thought it would be a chance for me to travel the region while staying in Singapore. I wanted to know more about the culture. I knew that this programme would give me the exposure I wanted and would never have have received. that's how I would introduce myself. But how would I introduce myself as an RSP student?
I guess it would be something along the lines of
avid reader of Southeast Asian culture
lover of our region
believer in our future
scholar of RGS :D
I really think that that is all that is needed to make a good RSP student. She need not be a youth ambassador of Singapore, but she needs to have the love for our region, to bother to make an effort to help make Southeast Asia a better place for all. She needs to be optimistic, to believe that Southeast Asian nations have a lot ahead of them, and we have to have courage to overcome any difficulties we may encounter. We need to believe that the future is bright, and must be sufficiently well-read and aware to make the apprioprate choices.
And of course, because the school is offering a scholarship for most of us to take the RSP, we're a scholar of RGS too! :D
I believe this programme is going to work. Our batch has the hunger for new knowedge, the willpower to never give up even when it's hard to cope, and most importantly, the desire to do what is best for our region.
RGRSP rocks our socks. I suppose I should explain my blogskin first. Basically, this blogskin is about how fashion is an international language, and everyone can learn much from understanding others' clothes, jewellery and such. It has been said that Math is the international language, but I feel that while Math is an international language, fashion is too. It is a statement of an individual's personality, and more importantly, their cultural background and personal beliefs. Hence, fashion is an integral part of Southeast Asia, and is unique to each and every Southeast Asian country. This is the theme that I will be focusing on in this blog in order to explain culture of Southeast Asian nations. Fashion is something that will always change, yet is a constant in our very own Southeast Asian culture.
VIVIAN!
