We visited the Muzium Istana this week which was the Old Agong’s Palace in Kuala Lumpur, not the current one opposite my home that cost 997 billion RM. The girls have been on school holiday hence my silence. Hurry up already!!!

I brought my girls today to see where some of our tax money has gone. It was a lovely experience. T2 was so excited that she’d finally get to see a real palace and said she liked her own bedroom more actually after seeing the princess’s bedroom. T1 on the other hand was paying close attention to where our tax money had gone. Big ass rooms, several dining rooms, a dental room?

Me on the other hand, I was more interested in the history of the building, built in 1928 by a Chinese man called Chan Wing.

Chan Wing started life as a laborer in a tin mine in Malaya. He was a dedicated and honest worker. He then worked for Loke Yew, a rich businessman, as a bookkeeper. This opportunity allowed him to learn about the world of finance which proved to be useful later in his life. He went back to work in the tin mine as he knew that his fate was there. His big break came when he partnered with four of his clansmen to form a syndicate (kongsi) to mine for tin. The lease of land they obtained was just next to the successful Sungai Besi Mine. They believed that there would be big tin there.

Can you guess what my first thought was when we entered the main gates?

   

 

It was, “Fuck. You mean we have to walk up that entire driveway in the hot sun?” OK, back to the story……

However, after nine months of digging, they were no closer to their fortune. In fact, they were almost bankrupt, just like the three other “kongsis” who had worked on the same plot of land earlier. Even the foreigners had given up but Chan Wing persisted as he was so sure that if he were to dig just a bit deeper, he would find it and within his very last week before everything ran out, he struck tin.

Can you imagine, they were almost out of funds to proceed any further when their lucky break hit.

They heard his victory cry “Sek Mai Ah” (tin ore in Cantonese) just as the partnership was about to give up. Thus the Hong Fatt (abundant prosperity) Tin Mine was formed. It became the largest and deepest open cast tin mine in the world. Today that area is known as The Mines where we attend National Achiever’s Congress meetings and ride on canal boats. Hong Fatt Tin Mine made so much money that they were able to open their own bank, Kwong Yik Bank Corporation, in 1913. Chan Wing’s earlier experience as a bookkeeper with Loke Yew had paid off.

Below you will see the grounds just outside the main door but on a separate level, there is a vast garden so large that you could play soccer on it. Beautiful, beautiful space to live in. I would just need a trishaw man to wheel me around.

Chan Wing went on to build his mansion on this beautiful plot of land that is now the old King’s Palace (Istana Negara). The building was completed in 1928 and Chan Wing was reputed to have lived there with all his eight wives. This part excited me the most because my rich grandfather in Teluk Intan also had 6 wives (or whatever you wanted to call them).

Chan Wing and family lived there till the Second World War in 1941 when the Japanese invaded Malaya. They had to leave Malaya as he was known to be one of the biggest contributors to the China War Relief Fund and as such, was high on the wanted list of the Japanese Imperial Army.

It was a pity we couldn’t take photos inside the palace.

   

After Merdeka, the government bought over the property and eventually some renovations were made.

But dental room seriously???

If you would like to visit, bring all your ICs along if you do not want to pay tourist rates and I would recommend going after October because an exhibition section is currently closed for renovations.

We had a nice hour there and would have stayed longer if the little monkey didn’t complain of hunger. You would have thought that I’d starved her for days. We headed off to a nearby restaurant and had a great meal of steamed fish and vegetables with tofu and lemon chicken.

Next, I’ll be taking them to Carey Island to visit the Mah Meri Tribes. We didn’t organise any big holidays for this school holiday because they are already going to Sydney and Niseko soon and I am off to Nagoya/Tokyo in 3 weeks. I hope my boss doesn’t drag me to New York now as it sounds too stressful with all this traveling! We visited Kong-Kong in Kota Bharu recently and that was superb as we got to eat so many different types of food, all these new places that Kong-Kong brought us too. YUMMEHHHH!!!!!

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Who is Mamapumpkin?
Mamapumpkin is a former Design Architect turned Multi-Million Dollar Digital Entrepreneur. She sets out to prove to all that you can have anything and everything that you want; if you have that fire of desire burning within and the drive to work hard. Even better with much love.

Mamapumpkin has not only grown corporate businesses successfully in the past and doubled her salary 5 times over 5 organisations but has grown THREE BUSINESSES to 7 FIGURES within an 8 year period. She now shows others EXACTLY HOW after retiring her own husband from employment. He is now the official dog walker, family driver, chef and THE BEST FATHER to their two girls and THE BEST HUSBAND to the woman who CHOSE HIM!

Mamapumpkin is the girl who has nothing but fights for everything including YOU. She is idealistic in her desire to put unbelievable amounts of money and extrardinary happiness into the lives of good people so we can change the world together believing in happiness for ALL. She strives to impact lives authentically wanting to reduce poverty cycles and enable quality education for all and always supports the voiceless. She believes we can all have a life of our own desires to enable real contribution into the world. But first, one needs to understand what this all means.

A beautiful life without limits.

If you wish to learn how to propel your life forward guaranteed, be brave to take action. Mamapumpkin's purpose is to build people. Her gift is to help them UNCOVER their HIDDEN GIFTS. She operates fairly and always leaves an impression. You either love her or not and she is alright either way.

She is a living testimony that women really can have a lot. Being financially and time free has enabled her to travel the world anytime, anywhere, doing anything with anyone, as she spends most of her days with her children, having fun, supporting others wherever she can. Also having fun.