Pages

A meaningful mix at Anyaman Rasa Timur

 

This Ramadan, the culinary team at Holiday Inn Johor Bahru City Centre introduces a meaningful creation where authentic local cuisine is creatively combined with the hotel’s specialty – Middle Eastern cuisine – into a spread dubbed, Anyaman Rasa Timur which loosely translated into, A Tapestry of Tastes from the East.”

 

Traditional tudung saji for dried fruits
that carefully covered but does not conceal!

As in-dining welcomes diners back into restaurants, the culinary team is keen to present over 200 dishes in a much-anticipated buffet spread to celebrate the holy month with an unforgettable dining experience.

 

In the tradition of breaking-of-fasts, a range of dried fruits including dried dates were served in charming covered platters. I thought it was a nice touch to use traditional tudung saji to keep the dried fruits covered but not concealed from sight.

 

Carving the whole roasted lamb 
 marinated in 33 herbs & spices
 
Among the signature dishes in this buffet spread were Roasted Whole Lamb marinated in 33 Herbs and Spices, Three Brothers’ Gulai Kawah, traditional Naan and Chicken Tandoori, Secret Recipe Lamb Kabsa, the Tanjong Soup Stall, along with freshly-made Kuih Ketayap and Roti Jala served from live-cooking stations.

 

Chefs were ready to serve the Middle Eastern favourites in a range of rice dishes like Al Kabsa Rice, Bukhari Rice or Mandi Rice to savour with dishes like Baharat Roasted Chicken, Vegetable Dolma, Baba Ganoush, Hummus, Khub Saj, Lebanese Fatoush and the very popular Chicken Shawarma.

 

While surveying the spread, I was delighted to discover that their popular dish of Oxtail Asam Pedas was served warmed within a wok. This was one item which (Ahem. I must confess!) that I returned for a hearty second helping.

 

Mmm... Oxtail Asam Pedas served from a wok

Don’t miss another signature dish, Duck’s Eggs in Spicy Coconut Gravy, prepared in a recipe taught by celebrity chef Dato’ Fazley Yaakob.

 

These rich gravies in the buffet are best savoured with steamed white rice but at Dine@Eight Restaurant, I was pleased to be served a warm portion of authentic Lemang Kampung, rolls of glutinous rice steamed in coconut milk, at the table.

 

Chefs serving diners
popular Middle-Eastern cuisine

From the range of Bazaar-Inspired thirst-quenchers, I spotted Air Katira – a Ramadan favourite, distinguished by its Pandan green colour and floating basil seeds – among other refreshing drink choices.

 

At the Fresh Fruits section, there were a range of locally-sourced fruits, freshly cut and served upon request.

 

Diners may help themselves to ready-made or make-your-own salads with the fresh ingredients from the Classic Ulam Station, or visit the Noodle dan Laksa Station, the Roti Canai Station and particularly, the BBQ Station for a special Grilled Stingray Fish prepared with a choice of three different marinades.

 

An added treat (in anticipation of Hari Raya!) must be a section dubbed, Taste of Syawal Eve, served every night throughout the holy month, for diners to feast on traditional celebration dishes like Burasak, Ketupat Palas and Ketupat Nasi paired with Kuah Kacang, Serunding Daging and Serunding Kelapa.

 

Portions of warm Lemang
Kampung
, served to the table!
I liked that the range of desserts were served in small portions so that diners may indulge in a wide(r) range of attractive treats in cakes, tarts, puddings and pastries while the kids and young-at-heart may have fun with Popcorn, Cotton Candy and enjoying treats from the Chocolate Fountain.

 

Selamat Berbuka!

 

The Anyaman Rasa Timur, Ramadan Buffet will be served at Dine@Eight Restaurant from 24 March to 21 April 2023.

 

Priced at RM178 nett for adult, RM158 nett for senior citizen of 60 years old and above, and RM98 nett for children aged 6-12 years. Kids aged 5 years and below will eat for Free.

 

Roti Jala and Kuih Ketayap
made from this live cooking station

Early Bird vouchers are priced at only RM158 nett per person. Available exclusively from now till 22 March 2023, or the first 2500 vouchers only. Enjoy the Buy 10 Free 1 promotion for Early Bird bookings and normal price adult bookings.

 

Get rewarded with 20% off IHG One Rewards Dining Privileges, limited to eight persons for every receipt. For reservations or more information, call Tel: 607 - 207 8686 or email info@hijbcc.com.

 

Dine@Eight is on Level Eight, the lobby level of Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre, located in Johor Baru City Centre Mall, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, 80000 Johor Baru, Johor.

 

For more information, visit the Holiday Inn Johor Bahru City Centre official Facebook and Instagram pages for holidayinnjbcc or website: holidayinn.com/johorbahru

Downtown Johor Baru: Heritage Traders

 

On Friday, a day before the Heritage Walk and Book Reading planned for Saturday, February 18, I was on a telephone chat with a neighbour, JN, to arrange for an autographed copy of My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, for her brother who was keen to complete his collection of a trilogy of My Johor Stories.

 

Book Reading: Heritage Traders on Feb 18

In the course of our conversation, JN also mentioned that Chris Pocock, a friend visiting from the UK, would like to join my Heritage Walk and Reading, and had written to my webpage to book a place.

 

She said he even bought my 2017 MPH Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, and wanted me to autograph it. [Later I found out that he bought my book from Y-Space, Johor Baru.]

 

By this time, I already had the complete list of participants registered to join the Walk and Reading session on February 18 and when I checked (over and over again!) I felt awkward because his name was not there.

 

With Elton Ho to draw the
winners in a FB live event

The list for February was very encouraging – more than double the number of participants in the previous month – probably because the Chinese New Year season was well behind us and from photos and videos, participants caught a glimpse of the fun we had at our activities in January and wanted to be part of it in February.

 

JN went on to say that her friend will be turning up tomorrow morning and asked me to share the details of our meeting point for the start of the Walk.

 

I appreciated his enthusiasm and was ready to welcome him along so I told her to remind him to bring along my book for me to autograph it for him.

 

As our tropical weather may be unpredictable, I had reminded participants to wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes, bring along a hat or cap and an umbrella as well as their own drinking water.

 

Walking along Segget Walk to
see Heritage Traders in JB

The next morning dawned bright and clear with rain expected in the afternoon. That was fine because the Book Reading session was arranged comfortably indoors at the Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre.

 

This Heritage Walk experience would be completed by the Book Reading where I would read portions documented in My Johor Stories books that highlighted the Subjects that we visited/experienced in our Walk.

 

As the weather grew steadily warmer, the mood was upbeat as I made my way to the meeting point to welcome everyone on arrival.

 

At the entrance of Johor Baru City Square mall, I met with our videographer, Chong Han Sun of JB Twenty-Twenty. While waiting for the others, he shared with me his own memories of visiting this very site with his mother when it was then the Central Wet Market.

 

An adventurous trek along the
city's heritage shortcut walkway

As the participants arrived, I observed that this was an eclectic group made up of local Chinese, Malay and Eurasian – a couple, individuals as well as a family with three young children – two Singaporeans from the Singapore Consul Office in Johor Baru, an Indian lady from the Johor Baru International Women’s Association and our Japanese friend, Mihoku Yui of the Japan Club in Johor.

 

When we made a final headcount, I anticipated the arrival of just one more – the Englishman (not on our list) – and was soon rewarded with the arrival of a gentleman who approached and introduced himself as Chris Pocock.

 

It was much later when I discovered that Chris had written to the blog for My Johor Stories to express his interest to join instead of registering on the Google form provided. (I do not read this mailbox often so I failed to see his message!)

 

In my view, however, Chris scored highly for his determination to connect with me and to join the My Johor Stories in Downtown JB activities that day.

 

Stanley Yeow at using a giant 
needle on a cotton-stuffed mattress

With a round of introductions done and when each participant was given a sticker to identify them for this Walk, we headed off to our first destination which entailed a ride up the nearby elevator to Level Five and a short walk to Level Six.

 

I glanced at the excited group and was delighted to see Ms Hana Badriah, a representative from Think City Johor Baru, among them.

 

Meanwhile, Tengku Tarmizi Bin Tengku Aziz of the Sultan Ismail Library who joined the January Heritage Walk, was also on the list for February but he sent a message to say that he was delayed and would join us at some point, later.

 

On Level Six, I was pleased to introduce Mee Ho Seng Kee among the Heritage Traders that were featured in Book Two of My Johor Stories, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, published in 2018.

 

I shared with the group that these popular wonton noodles, made in a family recipe that included ducks’ eggs, was an established brand now run by Elton Ho, the third-generation operator.

 

Some participants with Stanley Yeow at
Kedai Tilam Sin Keng Wah, Jalan Trus

It was Elton who moved their family business which originated from a push-cart and developed it into a brand of popular noodles served in a modern mall café, appreciated by generations of wonton noodles fans, here and abroad.

 

Chris, the Englishman who is married to a Johorean wife, chipped in with a comment that Mee Ho Seng Kee was also his wife’s favourite and they had placed an order for takeaways when they leave for the UK, later this month.

 

In the café, Elton played a short video to illustrate the process of making their family recipe of noodles in a method that remained virtually unchanged since his grandfather’s days.

 

A queue waiting outside traditional wood-oven
bakery, Hiap Joo, at Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk

Just as he did when Book Two of My Johor Stories was published, Elton recently held a Lucky Draw among his diners to win copies of Book Three of My Johor Stories.

 

The group then witnessed as Elton did a Facebook Live event to announce the happy winners as I drew out ten dining receipts collected inside a box, one-by-one.

 

The affable Elton also generously gave all participants with a Food Voucher valued at RM20 each to spend at Mee Ho Seng Kee (Non-Halal) or to present to their non-Muslim friends.

 

Before the group moved on to the next destination, I took the opportunity to highlight two other heritage traders featured in my Book Two, who had moved out of the downtown area to continue their businesses in the suburbs.

 

Outside the vintage photo studio,
Johore Heng Photo Studio

They were familiar brands, Haji Wahid Mee Rebus, a family business that used to serve their family recipe noodles at the Satay Club, a site opposite the former Railway Station and Kerala Restaurant, another family business that served banana-leaf South Indian cuisine which was formerly located along Jalan Ibrahim.

 

Our group then headed across Jalan Wong Ah Fook for a brief trek along the Segget Walk, designed along the Segget River and exited the promenade to step into an ancient part of the city, the old shortcut that linked Jalan Wong Ah Fook to Jalan Trus.

 

Walking this short path on old flagstones, worn smooth by the footsteps of generations of pedestrians, was (at least to me!) a special experience on one of the city’s charming heritage trails for an authentic glimpse of old Johor.

 

We emerged on Jalan Trus, also known as Johor Baru’s Street of Harmony featured in My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, because the places of worship for the early community in Johor, were literally located along the same route.

 

Making their way up the flight of
stairs to Johore Heng Photo Studio

From where we stood, the Johor Old Temple was directly opposite while the churches were to our Right at Jalan Gereja and Jalan Gertak Merah.

 

To our Left were the Gudwara Sahib Sikh Temple with the Arulmigu Raja Mariamman Devasthanam, Hindu Temple next to it while the Masjid India was at the corner where Jalan Dhoby meets Jalan Duke.

 

Vehicular traffic seemed extra heavy that Saturday morning as we carefully crossed the road junctions to reach the block of shops where the city’s last cotton-stuffed mattress-maker, Kedai Tilam Sin Keng Wah, was located.

 

I had briefed the mattress-makers, Stanley Yeow and his father, Ah Soon, about this visit and they were ready to demonstrate how a cotton-stuffed mattress was secured by skillfully stitching through the thick mattress with a giant needle-pulling-thread.

 

The Book Reading session at
Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre


Stanley welcomed us in and as many of us gathered around his work table to observe his demo. We watched while Stanley did his best to answer the participants’ curious questions.

 

The group also had the opportunity to touch and squeeze samples of a cotton-stuffed pillow and bolster, and learnt that orders could be made to their choice of firmness.

 

Then we headed to the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk via Jalan Dhoby to reach the corner where Jalan Pahang meets with Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. Here we paused at the road-sign to acknowledge the namesake of this road.

 

The three roads in this Heritage Quarter that run parallel to each other are Jalan Tan Hiok Nee bordered by Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Ibrahim which faced the Johor Straits.

 

Reading relevant portions from
My Johor Stories books at the
Book Reading: Heritage Traders

I explained that the open space between by Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Ibrahim that was now a carpark and had container cafes there, was once part of these rows of shophouses that had been destroyed over the years.

 

The double-storey shophouse at No. 24 Jalan Ibrahim, was once occupied by a pharmacy called Universal on the ground level while the upper level was Chow Dispensary, a clinic where patients would consult with a Eurasian doctor named Dr Chow (her maiden name) or Dr Comber (her married name).

 

I had shared in My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage about our connection to Han Suyin, that this medical doctor, Elizabeth Chow Kuanghu, was also a prolific writer and novelist who wrote in French, Mandarin and English under her pen-name, Han SuYin, and she lived in Johor Baru for about 10 years with her husband, Leon F. Comber.

 

In 1955, Twentieth Century Fox made her semi-autobiographical novel, A Many-Splendored Thing, into a movie, Love is a Many Splendored Thing which won Oscars for best picture, best song, best score and best costume.

 

Mee Ho Seng Kee on Level Six of
Johor Baru City Square Mall

When our group reached the traditional wood-oven bakery, Hiap Joo, its entrance was blocked by a long, long queue of people, patiently waiting to reach the small window to place their order for a choice of baked bread and/or banana cake.

 

This overwhelming crowd was clear proof of the bakery’s popularity. And when I squeezed in to ask for the baker, James Lim, I was told that he was not there. (I know we had arrived later than planned and learnt he had to leave for another appointment.)

 

I had (wisely!) made a prior order for banana cake so we only waited to collect this order to distribute to each participant for them to savour and enjoy.

 

Facade of Kedai Tilam Sin Keng Wah, Jalan Trus

Then we were off to our next and final destination in the Heritage Walk that featured another interesting Heritage Trader, Johore Heng Photo Studio.

 

While the adults were thrilled to visit a vintage photo studio, I observed that the youngsters were exhausted by the physical exercise in our tropical weather and had to be carried up the steep flight of ancient stairs.

 

I encouraged the group to appreciate the gallery of vintage photographs that showcased Johor Baru in a bygone era and to be prepared to pose for their own photos in the studio.

 

Alex Liew, who runs this photo studio with the help of his brother, showed off their ancient wooden cameras, photo negatives used for processing of photos and was happy to set up the lighting to capture studio shots of individuals and groups.

 

A valuable collection of vintage photographs
in the Johore Heng Photo Studio

Meanwhile, I had prepared photo-frames to let participants pick their choice to frame up their photos that Alex printed out for them to take home as souvenirs.

 

It was noon when I stepped out of the photo studio, at the corner where Jalan Trus meets with Jalan Ibrahim, and walked along Jalan Ibrahim to Jalan Wong Ah Fook to enjoy a breezy stroll on the Segget Walk to the hotel for my next activity.

 

After a short break, I was on Level 10 at the Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre by 1.30pm where my Book Reading session was arranged in a hall there.

 

Thank you all for being part of
My Johor Stories in Downtown
JB's February Heritage Walk

As registered participants trickled in, I recognised the familiar faces of Mihoko, Rhys and Chris from the Walk that morning.

 

I was much encouraged by the presence of Jonathan Lai, General Manager of Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre, who joined the Walk as well as this Reading with his wife and daughter. Incidentally, his wife who was from HongKong, shared very encouraging comments about her experience with me and My Johor Stories in Downtown JB.

 

While the Reading session was in progress, I observed that a lady had slipped in to join the group. Later, during our interactive time together, she introduced herself as Helen Cheng, sister of Lucy Cheng who was at our Reading session in January.

 

Helen said her sister, who have since returned to the UK, had such a refreshing time at our Reading session in January that she insisted that Helen joined this session in February.

 

Thank you all for being part of My Johor
Stories in Downtown JB's Book Reading
session for February 2023


Over refreshments, participants continued to reminisce about familiar things in Johor Baru and as we got to know each other better, discovered much in common in our passion to preserve the soul of this beloved city we call Home.

 

The Heritage Walks from 10am to 12pm in four different routes and the Book Reading sessions from 2pm to 4.30pm are arranged in hotels in Downtown JB that has particular relevance to the Walk and its themes.

 

They are the Amari Johor Baru on January 14, the Holiday Inn Johor Baru City Centre on February 18, with the DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Baru on March 18 and the GBW Hotel Johor Baru on April 15.

 

My Johor Stories in Downtown JB activities are planned for Saturdays in four different themes: the Segget Waterway on January 14 and Heritage Traders on February 18, with the next on Teochew Heritage on March 18 and Cantonese Heritage on April 15.

 

So let Downtown JB come alive for you again in an exciting experience hosted by My Johor Stories, only for two more Saturdays early this year.

 

Participation in each event is by registration, priced at only RM50 per person to receive a limited edition My Johor Stories tote bag, one book of My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now and an exclusive My Johor Stories souvenir bookmark.

 

At the Book Reading sessions, more copies of My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now are available from a book sale.

 

The activities planned for the My Johor Stories in Downtown Johor Baru is an initiative under the Downtown Johor Baru Grants Programme: Arts, Heritage and Culture, a collaboration between Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and Think City, supported by Majlis Bandaraya Johor Baru (MBJB).

 

Focusing on the heritage core of Johor Baru, the grants programme aims to support community-based initiatives to reactivate Downtown Johor Baru. For more info, Tel: +6016 727 5537.


Note: Photographs are courtesy of happy participants of the Heritage Walk and Book Reading session in February 2023. Thanks everyone for capturing the exciting moments!

Come celebrate with Drum Up JB

 

Following the success of the Drum Up Johor Baru shows staged on January 7 & 8, two more exciting shows will be presented on the evening of Saturday, February 25 and the morning of Sunday, February 26 at the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House.

 

The two Tans, Tan Chai Puan [Left] and the 
late Tan Hooi Song, co-founders of the
art of the 24 Festive Drums in Johor Baru

Drum Up JB, a collaboration between JB Drums and R&F Princess Cove showcases the art of the 24 Festive Drums in a 90-minute programme that features creative performances by the artistes in JB Drums and Orang Orang Drum Theatre.

 

This Drum Shows certainly lived up to its promise of a spectacular show and I echo the comments of many in the audience who were impressed by the performances, in particular the Drunken Drummers by JB Drums and Memories, a collaboration between JB Drums and Orang Orang Drum Theatre.

 

In the past few years, I have worked with Tan Chai Puan, co-founder of the art of the 24 Festive Drums, to publish many stories on this dramatic art of drumming showcased in a number of exciting events including their bi-annual International Drum Festivals and the 30th anniversary celebration since its founding in Johor Baru in 1988.

 

An old Chinese newspaper report
that featured the late Tan Hooi Song

Tan, who is bi-lingual in Chinese and English, helped to fill me in with the many details of each event to share about such exciting events in English so that those who do not read Chinese, were able to understand and share the pride about this proudly Johor-born art of drumming that has impressed audiences all over the world.

 

[The Chinese community here often shared about their culture-heritage events in the Chinese media but very little was ever published in other languages.

 

With the help of Tan, I was able to fill this void by sharing news about Johor Chinese culture and heritage in English so that (even!) the Chinese who don’t read Chinese, were able to discover more about their culture and heritage when it was (finally!) written in English.

 

My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People,
Rich Heritage
, displayed in the 
Museum of the 24 Festive Drums

Tan was aware that news about the 24 Festive Drums should to be published in English because this art of drumming had already been exported abroad to Non-Chinese-Speaking nations and it was important that the drumming community worldwide could read about drumming events in a universal language like English.]

 

In fact, I had the privilege to share the story of Tan Chai Puan as co-founder of the 24 Festive Drums, documented in my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage.

 

Presenting Book Three to 
Mrs Tan Hooi Song and Guang Mei

When the Museum of the 24 Festive Drums was declared opened on 1 January 2020, I was pleasantly surprised to see copies of my book, opened to the page on Tan, displayed among the precious artifacts.

 

It was also at this event when I was introduced to Tan Guang Mei, daughter of the other co-founder of the 24 Festive Drums, and her mother, Mrs Tan Hooi Song.

 

While I know about them and saw Guang Mei and her brother (from a distance!) when they presented a music performance at the national-level celebration for the 30th anniversary of the founding of the 24 Festive Drums, I did not have the pleasure of being introduced to them until 1 January 2020.

 

Meanwhile in 2019, while I was preparing the manuscript for Book Three of My Johor Stories, I decided to include the story of the 24 Festive Drums, documented among brands that were proudly born in Johor and have since been exported abroad.

 

Mrs Tan, untying the ribbon on her copy of
My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now

Published in English, I was keen to share the proud heritage of the 24 Festive Drums with drum enthusiasts and readers, all over the world.

 

At the book launch of My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now in December 2022, I had the pleasure to present this book that contains the story of the 24 Festive Drums, to Tan Chai Puan.

 

I also had a copy of this book ready to present to Guang Mei and her mother but they were unable to attend my event as their music school, South Front Art & Music House, had organised a concert on that very same day.

 

While I was sad that they could not join me at my book launch, I asked Guang Mei to arrange a date for me to meet with her and her mother to present Book Three to them.

 

On the evening of January 25 when Guang Mei was at the lobby of the opera house for the Drum Up JB show, I failed to recognize her because I only met her briefly at the Museum’s opening on 1 January 2020.

 

“I’m Guang Mei,” she reminded me with a sweet smile and I could not help feeling a pang of embarrassment, mortified for failing to recognize her.

 

Once again, I reminded her that I wished to present Book Three to her mother and asked her for a date to meet up with them.

 

Poster for Drum Up JB shows
planned for February 2023

This year’s Chinese New Year season was a busy time for all who enjoyed reunions and festivities after the past few years of toned-down activities.

 

And it was already February 2023 when I received a message from Guang Mei about our meet-up and we agreed for a date and time to meet at South Front.

 

I was delighted with this arrangement as it was never too late to present my book to them.

 

When she received Book Three, Mrs Tan agreed with me that it was important to document the story of the 24 Festive Drums for future generations to appreciate the legacy of the two Mr Tans who worked hard to develop this art of dramatic drumming that continues to thrill and entertain audiences, not just locally but also abroad.

 

It was significant to me that Guang Mei and her family received the due acknowledgement for the contributions by her late father, Tan Hooi Song, who lost the battle to cancer and did not witness the many new developments of this art of drumming that he and his co-founder created together.

 

[Later, when I looked at our photos together, I was delighted to see that a portrait of the late Tan Hooi Song was also captured in the shot because my story of the 24 Festive Drums is also a tribute to his life’s work.]

 

A humble beginning at the Johor Old Temple

While the art of the 24 Festive Drums had its humble beginnings in Johor Baru with an event held in the Johor Old Temple in 1998, the two Mr Tans should be so proud that this art of drumming has developed discipline among drummers and continues to be taken to new heights of creativity in each performance.

 

As the Drum Up JB show was proudly presented at our city’s foremost opera house, I see it as a top tribute to the two Mr Tans who founded this art of drumming with much respect for the passion and commitment of talented and well-trained drummers who take pride in promoting this performing art to audiences both here and abroad.

 

The JB Drums troop proudly performing at
the 2023 Johor Chingay celebration

On the evening of February 11, when our city came to a standstill for the grand celebration of the Johor Chingay, the JB Drums troop was proud to perform their dramatic art of drumming for the public and dignitaries including His Highness the Johor Sultan, in front of the main stage set up at Jalan Wong Ah Fook.

 

This was just a glimpse of what audiences can expect to be thrilled with at the exciting Drum Up JB shows staged over the weekend of February 25 & 26 at the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House.

 

Do get your tickets for the two shows scheduled on Saturday, February 25 at 8pm and on Sunday, February 26 at 11am.

 

Tickets priced at RM85, RM105 and RM150 only are available now from https://www.cloudjoi.com/shows/drum-up-jb#about

 

Drum Up JB is an initiative under the Downtown Johor Baru Grants Programme: Arts, Culture and Heritage, a collaboration between Iskandar Regional Development Authority and Think City, supported by Majlis Bandaraya Johor Baru, R&F Princess Cove and Malaysia Digital Districts.

 

P.S. It is my privilege to complement the Drum Up JB shows with a Sale of My Johor Stories books, in particular My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, which documents the story of the 24 Festive Drums, that will complete the trilogy of My Johor Stories.