It
was apt that my 2023 closed with a Heritage Walk on December 27, specially
arranged with a group of foreign students and members of their host families
here.
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| The wet and cloudy weather did not deter this group of foreign students and their host family members from enjoying a Heritage Walk with me |
The
foreign students were in Johor Baru over the year-end holidays and from what
she read about the Heritage Walks with Book Reading sessions under the My
Johor Stories in Downtown Johor Baru project, she thought that such a Walk
would be an ideal experience for her group.
On
one Saturday each month from January to April, the activities for my Downtown
Johor Baru project were to escort groups on Heritage Walks based on My
Johor Stories in the morning, followed by a Book Reading session in a
downtown hotel in the afternoon. This project was successfully accomplished
with the support from the team at BrandCulture PR Marketing Communications.
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| My Johor Stories in Downtown Johor Baru brought life back into downtown Johor Baru |
My
Heritage Walk in March discovered more about our city’s Teochew Heritage
and in April, after we explored Kampong Wong Ah Fook to learn more about the Cantonese
Heritage here.
The My Johor Stories in Downtown
Johor Baru project was 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).
Meanwhile
the Drum Up JB! drum show was another project under the Downtown Johor
Baru Grants Programme: Arts, Heritage and Culture, presented in the Permaisuri
Zarith Sofiah Opera House every month from January to June and bi-monthly until
the season’s finale in December.
 |
| Tan Chai Puan, co-founder of the art of the 24 Festive Drums taking a we-fie of us with my 2017 MPH Bestseller that featured his story |
In
fact, I had already featured Tan Chai Puan, co-founder of the art of the 24
Festive Drums, as an exclusive story in my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, My
Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage.
As
all the MPH bookstores in the city had closed after the recent years of
uncertainty, I obtained permission from MPH to sell my books at events here. While
readers may buy my books from mphonline, I know that many still preferred to
touch, see and smell the pages of new books before they decided to buy.
So
it was my privilege to partner with the Drum Up JB! shows to set up a
pop-up store in the lobby of the Opera House for the sale of My Johor
Stories books.
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| At the Drum Up JB! Coffee Talk event as Moderator with a panel of three speakers |
Speaking
about books, among the participants in my first Heritage Walk in January was Tengku Tarmizi Tengku Aziz, the Librarian at Perpustakaan Sultan Ismail, the City Council’s public library at Jalan Datin Halimah.
After Book Three was launched in December 2022, I was e-introduced to Tengku Tarmizi by Datin
Patricia Lim, great-grand-daughter of Johor pioneer, Wong Ah Fook, herself also
a published author, who suggested that I should donate a set of my books to
Johor Baru’s public library for their Malaysia Collection.
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| Johor Baru City Mayor received the trilogy of My Johor Stories for the city's public library |
To
commemorate the 35th anniversary of the founding of the 24 Festive
Drums, a number of activities were planned for the celebration weekend of June
17 & 18, and it included two sessions of Drum Up JB Coffee Talk,
separately hosted in Mandarin and English, held at YSpace on Sunday, June 18.
As
I was familiar with the journey of the 24 Festive Drums and its co-founder, I
was invited to participate as the Moderator for the English session of the
Coffee Talk that featured a panel of three distinguished speakers.
They
were co-founder of the 24 Festive Drums, Tan Chai Puan, Indian classical dance
virtuoso in the art of Bharatanatyam, Ajith Bhaskar of Suvarna Fine Arts, and
Mohd Shahril Abd Manan, Programme Manager with Think City Johor Baru.
Incidentally,
the stories of both Tan Chai Puan and Ajith Bhaskar were documented under
Portraits in My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage.
Our
Coffee Talk turned out to be a lively and beneficial discussion on how the
staging of Drum Up JB! shows had impacted audience members in our
multi-cultural community, with ideas shared on ways to develop the cultural
scene in our city.
After
this event, I thanked the organizer and was pleasantly surprised when I
received his reply which read like this: “I am the one who need to thank you
for guiding us to a fruitful discussion and brainstorming with the community.”
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| Tan Mei Ling read My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, in her room at the luxurious One & Only Resort, Desaru Coast |
Tan Mei Ling, who read My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, that was placed in her room at the luxurious One & Only Resort, Desaru Coast, wrote to seek my help to publish a book as a tribute to her father, Tan Kiah Teck, a retired lawyer who had a practice in Johor Baru.
While she was born in and spent her early years in Johor Baru, Mei Ling and her family now live in Singapore.
When I learnt that her father was terminally ill, we wasted no time in proceeding with her book project and made rapid progress by liaising through email and telephone.
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| With Tan Mei Ling, holding her book we worked on as a loving tribute to her late father, Tan Kiah Teck |
When Mei Ling came to collect her stock of books, it was the first time we met but I felt strangely familiar with her and her family - she was with her mother, brother, uncle and his wife - because I got to know them while I was working on their book project.
Mei Ling told me that this book - which was for private circulation - will be launched at a Christmas Eve family dinner on December 24. Then on Christmas Day, I received her photographs of their book launch with her family and close friends.
When I received an invitation from Lee Sheah Liang, co-founder of Infinity8, to the grand opening event for their ninth branch at Mid Valley Southkey in August, I expressed my congratulations to him on yet another exciting milestone in their journey to establish quality coworking spaces in Johor Baru, Kuala Lumpur and beyond.
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| Lee Sheah Liang presented my book to VIP guests at the official opening of Infinity8 Mid Valley Southkey |
The
event went on smoothly from the start to the Ribbon-Cutting ceremony,
officiated by YB Liew Chin Tong, Deputy Minister of International Trade &
Industry, Johor Baru City Mayor, Dato’ Haji Mohd Noorazam Dato’ Haji Osman and
Lee.
The
highlight of the event – for me personally – must be that among the souvenir
items that Lee presented to them was one book each of, My Johor Stories 3:
Proudly Johor, Then and Now.
Then in October, I accepted an
invitation from Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas to meet with their
guests, a group of German-speaking journalists that comprised five media
representatives from leading newspapers and magazines based in Austria,
Switzerland and Germany.
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| The trilogy of My Johor Stories was presented to each of the German-speaking journalists by Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas |
The guests each received a set of
the trilogy of My Johor Stories so they turned with me to each book to
see the stories and visuals when I made reference to them in my presentation. Personally,
I was simply delighted that these guests will take home a bit of Johor in My
Johor Stories books.
In
November, I had the pleasure to meet award-winning fashion designer, MelindaLooi who collaborated with Sogo Department Store in Mid Valley Southkey.
Her
Mell by Melinda Looi line of designs is affordable designer-wear,
wearable daily and not too formal or limited to only special occasions.
True
to her avant-garde and vintage style, this collection featured colours that
ranged from pastel shades to bright and bold neon prints, made in fabrics that
are suitable for our tropical climate.
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| Yvonne Yap explaining her son's sketches to Tunku Tun Aminah at "Talking to the Stars" |
Over
the years, I got to know this family and was pleased to document Hanzhen’s
remarkable story in, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich
Heritage.
The
exhibition was launched by Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Tun Aminah Binti Sultan
Ibrahim, and it was my pleasure to present our Johor Princess with the trilogy
of My Johor Stories for her reading pleasure.
Then
on December 3, I received an email to My Johor Stories which read like this. Quote:
Hi
Peggy! This is Casey Volden’s mother, and Tammy Cyngier’s mother-in-law, both
teachers living in Johor Baru.
Tammy
kindly bought the trilogy of your wonderful (signed) books “My Johor Stories”
for me when I came to stay with them in Johor Baru in July and August this
year.
I
just wanted to tell you that I have finished the final book and absolutely
loved them all.
You
are such a good writer and held my attention on every page – packed with such
interesting, factual, humorous, fascinating history, your loving family (and
especially Papa) and information on incredible local people.
I
come from a family of journalists and authors and know well about good writing
when I see it.
Thank
you for entertaining me Peggy – and Tammy, knowing me well enough to put the
Trilogy on my bedside table. (My daily journal was happy with added facts and
info I did not know about!)
I
wish I could hug you but I send salaams and best wishes to you and your family.
Janey
Unquote.
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| With Tammy Cyngier who bought the trilogy of My Johor Stories at the Drum Up JB! show |
Several
years ago, I met Tammy Cyngier, at their school’s Book Week event where I
shared with students about my journey to My Johor Stories. We met again
this year when she was at the Drum Up JB! show and bought my books from
my pop-up store.
December
continued on a high note when I joined Ajith Bhaskar and Suvarna Fine Arts for
their 30th anniversary celebration.
When
Ajith reminded me that I have been part of Suvarna’s journey since their first
20 years and should be there for their 30th year celebration, I felt
deeply honoured and pleased that I was privileged to document his story under Portraits in, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real
People, Rich Heritage.
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| My Johor Stories Heritage Walk held at end December in downtown Johor Baru |
I am
deeply grateful for an eventful year 2023 with the support of hotels and
resorts who agree with me that people liked to stay in a place with a story,
the readers who appreciate my storytelling style and the many opportunities to
share My Johor Stories “live” through various activities.
As
I look forward to another exciting and eventful year ahead, here’s wishing you
a very Happy and Healthy New Year 2024 with My Johor Stories.
Very Exciting !
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