What happened before year 1400?

In the Form 1 syllabus of the Sejarah (History) subject, the first chapter introduces the definition of history by explaining what is artifacts, archeology as well as reminding us the importance of learning the subject. Then, in the following chapter, students learn about the prehistoric era from Paleolithic to Mesolithic and Neolithic before they start learning the prosperity of Malacca and its downfall.

So what happened before Malacca?

Although there is a brief topic discussing about Gangga Nagara in the syllabus, which is considered the earliest kingdom in our country back in 2-11 A.D., the Hindu Malay kingdom is simply forgettable. Gangga Nagara is the present day of Beruas, Dinding and Manjung which is situated in the state of Perak.

Personally, I think it would be interesting to pay a visit to the Beruas Museum, whereby they have over 300 artifacts from the lost kingdom.

In the following 3-5 A.D., there was a small kingdom in Kelantan/Terengganu known as Pan Pan. However, not many information were known about this kingdom.

I am pretty sure many of us know that Kedah Tua (1136-?? A.D.) is one of the earliest kingdom before Malacca. According to I-Ching, Kedah Tua is also known as Cheh-Cha (not Che-Cheh, mind you). However, again, very little facts were discuss during this era as the main focus of the history text is based on the empires after conversion to Islam.

Astro: you pay what you watch

Personally I'm very excited because there will be another two new channels coming up on Astro on June 15. I'm all for The History Channel which will be on channel 54. The other new channel is Crime & Investigation on channel 79.

As a history buff, there's nothing better than a history channel that stand on its own. I always never get enough of history shows on Discovery Channel or National Geographic. I'm looking forward to watching shows about The Universe, about the Roman Empire, The French Revolution (my all time favourite), political and historical figures, great scientists and many more. I just wish there will be more shows about the history of China but it's kind of hard to come by especially in English programmes.

Since there will be more channels coming up, Astro subscribers don't complain too much lar. You should pay for what you watch. It's pay television! If you do not wish to pay so much, then get cheaper package. Don't complain because there are other subscribers who are willing to pay to watch these new channels.

300 follow up: who is the real King Xerxes?

This is the follow up of my previous post on the movie 300.

In my opinion, the most fascinating character in 300 is not King Leonidas or his Queen but the effeminate Xerxes of Persia. I was asking myself, since when a Persian King was bald, gold and jewel-clad and had his fingernails manicured?

Eventually, the real Xerxes in the picture above wear little jewelery or probably no jewelery at all. He also has a beard and mustache and a head full of hair (even more than Leonidas).

To continue from the ending of the movie, which is based on what I get from wikipedia, after King Leonidas was killed by Xerxes men, he was beheaded by Xerxes' order and his body crucified. Immediately after Xerxes ordered the desecration of Leonidas' body, however, he felt remorse and, forty years later, Leonidas' corpse was returned to the Spartans.

museum at Stadhuys, Malacca

With all the criticisms about Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007, I somehow feel that it isn't quite true especially when you are in Malacca. I was there yesterday and I can feel the VMY atmosphere there.

Since this week is school holiday, parents should take the opportunity to bring their children, especially those studying in lower secondary level (Form 1-3) to the museum which is located at the Stadhuys building, Malacca.

In the Form 1 syllabus, students are required to learn about the rise and fall of Malacca. So, there's no better place to learn than the museum itself.

At the first floor of the museum, the history of Malacca began with the story of the arrival of Parameswara who founded Malacca. in the 15th century. You will also read about the relationship between Malacca and China, Hang Tuah and friends, the sultanate in Malacca, Portuguese, Dutch and British colonization, as well as Japanese occupation. There's also a special gallery for Admiral Zheng He to commemorate the ties between China and Malacca in the 15th century.

The entrance fee is RM5 for adults and RM3 for kids. If your child doesn't like Sejarah, it's time to plan a trip there.