Do you hear the people sing?

Just watched the musical, Les Miserables. It was REALLY good!! Wanted to share one of my favourite songs from the entire musical (and there were many good songs)...at the point where young students were getting inspired for the revolution at the barricades.
REALLY wish that UMNO, BN, and all other racist Malaysians would hear the people sing and do the right thing for the country and the people, not their wallets and bank accounts.

Do you hear the people sing? - from Les Miserables the musical
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

COMBEFERRE
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Courfeyrac:
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!

ALL
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

FEUILLY
Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!

ALL
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Lets not fail our future generations today...

Anwar can win with a majority of 1 vote for all I care - I just want him to win. We need change in this country that we love so much. And we need it now. And Anwar and his team seem prepared to try to deliver this change.
Whether or not he is going to be a good PM, and whether or not things really change in Malaysia going forward is up to the pressure that we, the people, put on the PM and his new government. They seem more willing to listen and to make practical changes than the present government. They seem more willing to consider options to make Malaysia truly a home for each and every one of us, regardless of race or religion. And they seem more willing to make tough calls and adapt in the face of challenges. That's the kind of leadership that we need for this country.
And if they do a lousy job, we have the right to kick them out in 5 years time. Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. We can do this, Malaysia, let's not fail our future generations today!!!

Start with the man in the mirror...

EVERYONE can play a small part in building the Malaysia of the future...up to you if you want to rise to the occassion and be part of history...or just sit at the sidelines and comment!
Some thought-starters in this article by Nathaniel Tan, as posted on his blog, jelas.info.
http://jelas.info/2008/04/08/understanding-the-malay-dilemma-how-you-can-ensure-a-racism-free-malaysia/#comment-116827

Understanding the Malay Dilemma - How YOU can ensure a racism-free Malaysia

Posted on April 8th, 2008 by Nathaniel Tan

I’ve been meaning to write this for a mighty long time, as it’s something I believe quite strongly in.

Lately I have been looking at the possibility of Umno’s demise (see Part 1 and Part 2). Again, I think that on the whole, this would be a positive thing, but if we do not take the right attitudes down this road, it will be fraught with no good.

I address this post in large part to non-Malays, because as a non-Malay myself, I think the following is an important position for me to take and to articulate, for reasons that I hope will become evident.The key to a healthy transition from an Umno dominated Malaysia to a relatively Umno-less one (they keep keep Johor and maybe Pahang, that’s not the end of the world :) is to under stand the concerns of not only your rabid Umno supporter, but your more general, middle ground Malay Malaysian as well.

We have to affirm and respond to what are real, genuine, and not completely unfounded fears.

The first step along this path is to see Malaysia in the same context a Malay might. Most non-Malays view their situation in a purely Malaysian context. Many Malays understandably view their position in a more global, universal context.

I feel that it is a common apprehension among Malays that their culture and their heritage run the risk of being overrun by globalisation. In a world dominated by English-speaking, materialist non-Muslims, how is a small culture to survive?

Add that to the fact that rightly or wrongly, many Malays perceive the economy, many professions and wealth in general in Malaysia, to be dominated by non-Malays. True, this perception could possibly be due largely to Umno fear-mongering, but that in itself does not detract from the weight of that perception.

A parallel exists where religion is concerned. To many Muslims around the globe, Islam is under siege. So while most non-Muslims see themselves as being contained by a Muslim majority, Muslims feel called to defend their faith against encroachment from forces both local and foreign.

This type of siege mentality must be appreciated to the fullest. Mahathir’s old warning that Malays must take care to ensure that they never end up like Native Americans, black South Africans or Australian Aboriginies carry weight for a reason.

Whether we like it or not, not only the Umno hardcore, but many middle ground Malays would see the removal of Umno from federal power as a serious blow towards the Malay position.

I, like you perhaps, obviously believe that the future of the Malays - along with every single other Malaysian - would be better off, better cared for, and better protected under a Pakatan government. Yet, it is not enough for us to believe this; how can we help others believe it?

Here, I find Kian Ming has a few days ago articulated a number of the things I wanted to suggest.

At the same time, I wish that there was a Chinese or Indian politician who would tell his non- Malay constituents about the deep insecurities felt by many in the Malay community, about how they feel that they might be overrun in their ‘own’ country, as it were, if the NEP were to be lifted, much like how the non-White community in South Africa were marginalised under apartheid.

I wish that there was a Chinese or Indian politician who would tell his non-Malay constituents about the genuine fear that many Malays feel when they perceive that Islam is being ‘attacked’ by organisations such as Article 11 or the Interfaith Commission, about how this is related to the perception that Islam is being ‘attacked’ on a global scale in the war on terrorism.

I wish that there was a Chinese or Indian politician who would tell his non-Malay constituents that many Malays still feel as if many non-Malays are reluctant to embrace a Malaysian identity and would rather retain one which seemed to place more emphasis on ancestral ties and that many non-Malays are still reluctant to embrace BM as the national language of the nation.

Basically, I feel it is the duty of non-Malay believers in a better Malaysia, be they Pakatan sympathisers or not, to help assuage some of the fears of the Malays.

This is not a one way street. I am encouraged to read and see all sorts of signals from Pas that indicate their going through great pains to assure and affirm the needs of the non-Muslim community.

It is not enough for us to applaud these actions, we have to reciprocate in kind.

It is very meaningful when Anwar talks about the need for a race-blind Malaysian Economic Agenda, or when Hadi Awang speaks passionately about the rights of non-Muslims. Now we have to do our part.

There are countless issues we can address, in addition to what Kian Ming touched on above.

For instance, we can speak about the need to protect and encourage the growth of Malay culture and heritage in a world dominated by Western culture. We can speak out against the policies of private companies that for no good reason require job applicants to have Chinese language skills. We can speak up for the countless underprivileged Malay communities, be they urban squatters or rural poor.

If you don’t think these are genuine problems, I humbly invite you to do some soul-searching and look around with more open eyes.

It doesn’t stop there. We obviously have to practise a sincere zero-tolerance policy on snide jokes about Malays being lazy, spoilt, etc etc. Don’t make such remarks, and don’t just smile quietly when your friends do.

There are also other ‘battles’ that we have to pick with greater care. I don’t have strong feelings on the use of the term ‘Allah,’ but from an ethnic relations standpoint, I do have to wonder if those advocating its use by non-Muslims really have that much to gain from a stance, as compared to the strain it may put on religious relations.

I admit to being quite perturbed with statements like: “Saya betul-betul tidak faham kenapa segelintir orang amat sensitif jika menyentuh perkara berkaitan babi atau daging babi.”

Jika betul-betul tak faham, berusahalah untuk faham sket.

The new dawn for Malaysian politics requires politicians to up their game somewhat where nuances and maturity are concerned, as well as to leave behind old mindsets. Lim Kit Siang seems to be doing a great job evolving, as witnessed by his more measured statemens and the way he responded and changed his stance over the Perak MB issue. That, along with statements from Hadi Awang, Husam Musa (and even the Kelantan Deputy MB who clarified his backbone statement in Harakah) really signal positive maturing.

But we can’t just leave it to politicians. You and I have to do our part too. I’m quite confident my Malay brothers and sisters will help to break this new ground. The rest of us are going to have to do the same, and go above and beyond, and far out of our way, to send all the right signals to assure Malay Malaysians that even if Umno were to fade, Malay culture, Malay heritage, and Malay dignity will all continue to be protected and upheld according to the best traditions of defending human rights for all Malaysians.

Support Irene Fernandez

Received this e-mail from Irene's son...

The trial of Irene Fernandez resumes this month.

Date: 11th June 2008
Time: 9.00 a.m.
Venue: Kuala Lumpur High Court, Kompleks Mahkamah Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Duta, 50592 Kuala Lumpur.

Please show your support by being present in the court room.
Please tell your friends.
Please be present in thought & spirit.
Please pray.
Please channel positive thoughts.

Please Never underestimate the power of solidarity.

http://www.rightlivelihood.org/irene-fernandez.html

Thank you.

The Children,

Tania Jo. Maliamauv.,

Camverra Jose Maliamauv.,

Katrina Jorene Maliamauv

Toni Kasim - A Truly Amazing Person

Am so sad that Toni is no longer in this world...met her a long time ago when I was volunteering with MAC. She stuck in my mind because of her bubbly personality, her passion for her work and her commitment to making a difference, regardless of how long it would take or how difficult the path would be. Truly an amazing human being, and I am privileged to have known her. Rest in Peace, Toni.

Article by JJRay below taken from Malaysiakini - http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinions/83993

We were supposed to get down to having coffee, something which we both kept postponing because of our respective schedules. And that coffee affair will never take place for that friend, Toni Kasim, is no longer in our midst.

MCPX

Toni or Zaitun Kasim, a noted human rights activist, passed away on Wednesday (June 4) at 5am at her sister’s house at Taman Mesra, Batu Tiga in Shah Alam after a bout with duodenal cancer over the past few months. She was 41.

When news reached me that she was no more, I was shocked, unable to accept the fact that she was indeed gone. Whilst we her friends knew the grim prognosis, being the typical mortals that we are, deep in our hearts we silently prayed for a miracle to happen. It never did.

I met Toni for the last time early this year and at that point she was not yet diagnosed with the cancer. But she was terrified and with tears in her eyes said to me “I don’t want to die”. I did not know what to say so I held her hands and encouraged her to fight the cancer.

She was tired of fighting the pain, she told me. I could sense her anger at being bed-ridden, confined for a period of time in hospital and not being able to do what she loved best – work.

“I can’t wait to get back to work. It’s what keeps me going,” she shared.

Praying for her swift healing

But the cancer which spread very quickly left her tired, so tired and in pain that at one point she decided not to accept visitors. Maybe she was tired of trying to not to be tired. Text messages sent through mobile phones to her often went unanswered but her friends knew why and respected her decision to be left alone.

We each tried helping in whatever way we could. Some stood vigil at the hospital, helping her in and out of bed while others prayed for her, sending her reiki, praying for her swift healing.

But reality was harsh, in that Toni was fighting against time. While we all realised that just too well, we still prayed for a miracle.

Life is transient and so it was with our friend Zaitun, better known to all of us as Toni. Tears flowed down our cheeks as we, her near and dear ones, visited her for the last time at the mosque in Shah Alam where she was being readied for burial. While she finally found respite from her suffering, it tore our hearts to see a friend, always zestful and hard working, lay sound asleep. There was nothing left to do. Tears flowed and continue to flow.

Watching her at the mosque for the last time brought back memories of how we first met. I was attending a workshop organised by Sisters in Islam, an outfit that Toni worked with several years ago. I had walked into the room while a session was on and as I sheepishly took my seat, Toni, who was seated across me got up, extended her hand and said “Hi, I’m Toni Kasim”.

I liked her style, her ability to not let people dictate how she should behave and what she should say. She followed her heart and maybe that is why she was adored by her friends.

Post- workshop, she gave me a ride back and while in the car we chatted further. I found out we were once school mates and her sister Aishah and mine used to be classmates while her father was the manager of the bank where my father worked at. Although it has been many years I can still recall the day when my sister had informed us that Aishah and Toni’s father, Encik Kasim as we addressed him, had passed away due to a heart attack.

Talking to Toni was always nice. She had the gift of making people comfortable, of wanting to talk without inhibitions. That we will now miss sorely.

From then on, I never failed to “harass” her whenever I needed comments for stories I was pursuing. She complained to me once that the press had a tendency to misquote her so she decided to refrain from giving comments. I promised her no such problem would occur in my case. Once she had given me her comments, I would read them out to her or summarise her views, and voila! She became my favourite contact.

Her passion for life never ceased to amaze me. She believed in living life to the fullest and being young at heart. I remember wishing her happy birthday when she turned 39 and she replied: “I wish to be young forever…”.

As I write, tears swell up...

Due to her work commitments and mine, we never actually got down to meeting for a chat. It was always a work-related meeting and while coffee was always on the menu, we were never able to get down to doing it. We took things for granted. I think we instead took life for granted and kept postponing the coffee meet. That I regret very much.

There were moments when I was tempted to call her up and ask how she was doing. But fearing that I would be disturbing her process of recuperation, I never did call her up after she was discharged from hospital and stayed at her sister’s to rest. Once or twice, she did reply to my SMS’. And I left it at that, somehow naively believing all would be well.

I write this tribute six hours after Toni’s burial took place. Once I got back from the burial ground, I took a shower and when I finally sat down on the sofa, I broke down. I cried because I would miss a dear friend who made it a point to help whenever she could. I cried because I felt helpless watching a dear friend die. I cried because I wanted her to get up and say, “Hi, I’m Toni Kasim”.

As I write, tears swell up because I realise Toni Kasim will always be missed. While I allowed tears to unveil my grief, I looked at the weather turning foul, the blinding lightning, the deafening claps of thunder and a heavy downpour accompanying my grief and the grief of all those whose hearts Toni had touched.

For some strange reason, I wished I could go wake her up from her eternal place of rest and ask her to treat me to that coffee that she had promised. And I would only be too happy to continue “harassing” her for comments because I knew she enjoyed speaking her mind and I enjoyed talking to an individual who always could speak her mind. Never mind that she took a knock at me once for not being “visible” in supporting the issues that I wrote about. That was Toni Kasim!

As I write this tribute, I notice the sunset is extremely beautiful today. It had rained cats and dogs for over two hours and now the sun too says adieu, flashing its rays of hope beautifully for the arrival of yet another day. Toni, wherever you may be, know that we will continue where you have left, our dream being the same, to make the world a home for one and all.

Toni, we will always remember you.
May your soul rest in place, Toni. Al-Fatihah.

Growing up as a Malaysian of Indian descent

Brilliant article written by a very close friend of mine - published on Malaysiakini, 3rd Apr 2008. Hopefully it will make us think twice before making "jokes" about other races, and more importantly, inspire us to reflect about what kind of Malaysia we want our children to grow up in.

WHAT WAS I SENT HERE FOR?
Natalie Shobana Ambrose

Persian poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi (fondly know as Rumi) wrote, "The human being therefore has come into the world for a specific purpose and aim. If one does not fulfil that purpose, one has done nothing.

When I was younger I remember wishing so hard that I wasn't Indian. Many times I'd ask my mother if I looked like I was of mixed parentage - my mother's straight to the point answer 'Of course you look Indian. What else would you look like? Both your parents are Indian. '

Much to my disappointment, without a shadow of doubt – I was Indian. My attempts to not stand in the sun didn't help me on the fairness graph either.

It wasn't that I didn't like the way I looked or my inherited ability to roll my 'r's'. I just didn't want to be Indian because of the stigma of being Indian.

To me, being Indian meant that we were not the brightest lot, we were poor, didn't have much of a future and enjoyed fraternizing around coconut trees singing songs to our heart's content.

But that wasn't me. I refused to be defined by society's perception of Indians.

No matter how hard I tried not to be Indian, I was derogatorily called Tangachi (literally, little sister, but often denoting, cutie or ah-moi) and would be teased by students of other races attempting to speak Tamil (something only fellow Indians would understand).

I grew up not seeing Indians on TV unless on the news, - usually at a crime scene - and I grew up listening to radio adverts mocking the Indian accent. Surrounded by all these observations, who in their right mind would want to be Indian?

Anything but Indian I pleaded. Anything! It must have been quite an amusing sight but an even more common sight in today's Malaysia.

I've grown up since then, and fully embrace my Indian heritage. But what about society?

Of course the likes of Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty, the glamorization of Bollywood moves and movies has helped in the acceptance of being Indian. But what does it mean to be a Malaysian Indian?

Always #3

Am I, Malaysian first and Indian second? Or am I, Indian first and Malaysian second?

The reality of living in Malaysia means that we are defined by race. Every application form we fill subjects us to define ourselves by race and the Indian box is always at its highest position at number 3.

It didn't matter that my parents raised their children to believe that we could be anything we wanted to if we really wanted to, because society dictated otherwise and the law makes sure we remember our 'standing' in the country. Always #3, nothing more.

I remember clearly being defined by race from a very young age. I remember while in primary school, my class teacher (who I thought was a very nice Malay lady) told the whole class that I looked like her maid.

Not a very clued-in child, I thought, well her maid must be very pretty. Little did I realise what had just happened. Of course, when I got home and spoke of my day to my mother this compliment turned into the bitter reality of class-fuelled racism. I had been indirectly told I was #3 in the scheme of things!

I never understood what I had done for someone whom I respected – and my teacher of all people - to treat me in such a manner.

In a perfect world, we would not see colour, but the reality is we do see colour and we interpret and place judgments - good or bad based on our biases, socialization and upbringing.

Maybe if we acknowledged that racism does exist in us, we might be better able to address it. It is a bit of a radical idea in harmonious unified Malaysia, but we all are biased to a certain extent. It's just that some people are able to conceal it better than others - but it that doesn't mean it doesn't' exist.

I'm not advocating racism, in fact the opposite. I'm looking for a solution. The first step to any recovery is acknowledging the problem, - if not what are we trying to fix?

We may have different likes and beliefs - but when does a preference become racism?

I believe it is when a sales person refuses to let you try on a dress because he thinks you can't afford it. It is when a quota system limits you to the right of an education of your choice. Or when a job advertisement specifies what race, age and gender you should be before you can even apply.

It is when scholarships are limited by race and not test scores, it is when you have to pay more for the same house your neighbour has - on top of paying for your child's education because there weren't spaces left for your race in the public tertiary education system.

How then are we to love our neighbours?

When life is defined and limited to race, problems arise. When people are suppressed, repressed, bullied and forced to be voiceless a country suffers.

For today, we, as a nation may look well, but will Malaysia have a multicultural society to brag about in twenty years to come or would we have to scour foreign lands for sightings of Malaysians?

Tolerating one another

As a nation, our greatest asset is the fact that we are a multicultural people, and as the travel brochures would say 'living in harmony with one another'. Or, as the Tourism Malaysia ad says, Malaysia – Truly Asia!

Somehow it has become a song we sing rather than a reality we practice. In many ways, it should read Tolerating One Another. After all that is what we do best - tolerate.

The very word advocates hatred. We should not have to put up with each other, rather we should embrace one another and strive to understand each other better …. not looking at race or religion.
The only way to do this is to spend time with each other instead of allowing our prejudice to distance us from one another.

It sounds very much like my moral classes back in the day. Maybe we should all hold hands and sing Kum-Ba-Yah or Rasa Sayang and sit around a bonfire and magically we will be transformed.

A huge part of me wishes I hadn't spent all those years trying so hard not to be Indian. But an even bigger part of me hopes that young Indian children don't feel like they have to apologize for being an Indian in Malaysia - for this is the only country they can call home.

Have migration enquiries to other countries increased in the last six months? I don't think we need statistics to confirm it. As a young Indian living in Malaysia, why wouldn't I embrace a country that allows me to be the best I can be without penalizing me for my race? As I ponder on Rūmī's words, I wonder to myself, will Malaysia allow me to fulfil my purpose or will I stay and achieve nothing

JAKARTA

1. Hotel
I stayed at the Four Seasons, which was super-expensive but very nice! :-) One of my friends was there recently and she stayed at Crowne Plaza which she said was pretty good. It's also close to the highway to the airport, so should be quite OK. The shopping areas are quite spread out, so no really good place to stay. Better to stay at a more central area, so that easy to go out for makan and to move around, I think. A cheaper hotel that some of my colleagues have mentioned is Ibis, but I don't know the location, sorry.

2. Shopping:
I think many people like to go to WTC Mangga Dua, to buy all sorts of stuff, like Handbags, cheap baju, etc. It's like Sungai Wang, but 10 times bigger and 10 times more crowded! It's quite far out and traffic getting there is quite bad (esp on a Saturday afternoon), so it's worth it only if you REALLY want to do and see the place.
Another place that people always talk about if they want to buy kain/material is Majestic (Mayestik), I don't know where that is, but seems like that's the best place to buy materials.
If you want to buy/just look at Indonesian handicrafts, the best place to go to is Pasaraya. It's got an amazing collection of Indonesian products on the 5th floor, really a nice way to spend an afternoon....it's also very peaceful and relaxed...!! The other floors are like normal malls, so you may find something nice or a bargain there as well.
The shopping malls are pretty OK, but mostly expensive. Plaza Indonesia and Plaza Senayan are the most posh, and most likely you wont want to pay to buy anything there...!! Plaza Semanggi is a bit mid-range, and OK to spend a couple of hours just jalan-jalan... The malls are open until around 9-10pm, so if you have nothing to do in the evening, then can go there. Another place is Jalan Surabaya, which is just one street of antiques (and "fake antiques")...nice to walk around and look at the stuff, but can get hot in the afternoon.

3. Makan
I would be careful about eating things on the street...generally it's OK (and I've eaten at some really dirty-looking stalls), but I would only do that if someone local, like my colleague, takes me there. One place I'd definitely recommend is Salero Jumbo for Nasi Padang. It's very good and authentic Indonesian food...the place is behind BII bank at the back of Jalan Thamrin. Usually the hotel will know.
Another place you should try is Bakmi GM, which is all sorts of rice and noodles, Chinese/Indonesian style. Some of it is pork, but mostly chicken - the ayam cabai hijau is good, and the chicken with mushroom (can't remember it's name). They have a few branches around, so if you ask the local people they should be able to tell you.
If you're really adventurous, on your way to Pasaraya, you can try to find this place called Soto Kudus...it's in a nice building, and clean. They make a special kind of Soto Ayam, where the rice is in the soup. Pretty good!!
The hotel food (room service) should be pretty affordable as well, not cheap, but not that expensive either, so you might want room service one of the nights...and there is also Secret Recipe in Plaza Indonesia, and all the other usual food chains. There is a good Indian restaurant called Ganesha in the BRI building quite near your hotel as well, a taxi should know how to take you there, or check with the hotel. But not sure how expensive it is, coz I never paid the bill-la :-)

4. Cultural
The museums and all are quite poorly taken care of, and there's nothing really that is a "must-see"...you might want to take a walk around the Monas park...especially on a weekend, you will see a lot of locals out with their families, so that's quite a nice thing to do. The National Museum (locals refer to it as the Muzium Gajah coz there's an elephant statue outside) is very nice with a lot of things that we can identify with, from Indonesia's Hindu past, and it also shows all the different types of Indonesian people and culture...but it closes at 1pm or sthng funny like that, so make sure you go early. we couldnt see the upstairs coz we were too late.

5. Getting Around
It might be worth asking at the hotel about renting a taxi/car for the day and have the driver take you around, prob works out cheaper and more convenient for moving about the city. ONLY use blue bird or silver bird taxis. They are safe and reliable. Silver bird is the luxury taxi but it's not that expensive. You should use this when you're coming into town from the airport. (Make sure they don't offer you Golden Bird, coz that's SUPER expensive).
It's quite easy to hail a cab here and there, and if you're in a group, quite safe. Just make sure it's BlueBird, coz there are some copies which look similar!
Another option you may want to consider is using the BusWay...it's safe, cheap and convenient, but a bit crowded. Depending on where you want to go, it's an easy way to get out of all the horrible Jakarta traffic. Ask at the hotel each time, whether you can use the Busway to get there...they will try to discourage you, but I've used it a few times and it's totally fine...like LRT but in a bus! :-)

KL Holiday Tips

On the whole, Journey Malaysia is the best website to get info on Malaysia and things to do, whether in the cities, islands or jungles. You can also book hotels and get tours from there. www.journeymalaysia.com

KL (within and around city centre)

Museums
Islamic Arts Museum is supposed to be very good (though I've never been there myself), also the National Art Gallery, Petrosains Musuem (in Twin Towers), National Science Centre, Rumah Penghulu at National Heritage Centre

Parks
Eye on Malaysia (Titiwangsa Lake), KL Bird Park (also a couple of other parks/gardens in the area worth dropping by if you're in the area)

Shopping
all the usual places - KLCC for high-end, Bukit Bintang for medium-high, Petaling Street (Chinatown) for fake goods, Central Market for souvenirs/cultural, Little India (Jl Masjid India) for Malay & Indian stuff, Brickfields (around KL Sentral main train station) for Indian food and clothes

Religious monuments
Walk around old city centre to Masjid Jamek, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple & Chinese temple opposite. This is all in the same area as Chinatown and Central Market, so if weather is good you could spend about half-day in this area just walking around.

There is a hop-on hop-off bus service which takes you to major tourist attractions in the city for about RM 40 per person. Might be worth doing that for one day, to get an orientation of the city and the major tourist attractions. It's called KL Hop-on Hop Off, and should be available at major hotels.
http://www.myhoponhopoff.com/
http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MC_kualalumpur.htm

Around KL (day-trips)

Batu Caves + Orang Asli Museum - definitely worth a day trip. Should just rent a taxi for the day and get them to take you to these two places.

Sunway Lagoon - big water theme park, probably fun for older kids and teenagers. There is also a huge shopping mall next to the theme park.

Fireflies in Kuala Selangor - this is an evening event, and only if weather is good. Hire a taxi to go out to Kuala Selangor (1.5 hours drive) and take a small boat cruise to see fireflies along the river. This is the only place in the world that you can see so many of them in the wild like this. If you dont mind eating chinese seafood, there is also a place where you eat seafood by the river.

Outside KL (1-2 nights' stay)

Fraser's Hill (Bukit Fraser) - nice cool place up in the mountain, abt 2 hours drive from KL. Old golf course if you're interested to play. Otherwise just a quiet place to relax, jalan-jalan and enjoy nature. Have to rent a car/taxi to take you there. http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MH_fraser.htm

Melaka (also possible for day trip) - historical city with a lot of monuments, museums, antique stores, abt 2 hours drive from KL. There are buses every hour from KL, very convenient for day trip4. Very good local food.

Makan

Malay
Kelantan Delights in KLCC. Also, for very good Nasi Lemak there are 2 places: AJ in Jalan Lumut next to Vistana Hotel and Puteri in Desa Sri Hartamas
Chinese (Halal)
Spring Garden in KLCC (price and taste ok, but not very good), Dim Sum at Mandarin Oriental (expensive but very very good, especially the durian pancake), Little Penang Kafe in KLCC or MidValley (my favourite - good food at reasonable price), Precious (upstairs of Central Market - great food, not too expensive)
Indian
Lots of places!! For Banana Leaf rice - Nirwana Maju in Bangsar from 12noon - 3pm, Roti Canai - Nirwana Maju from 8-11am, B'Sentral in Brickfields opposite KL Sentral. For Indian sweets, Jai Hind in Jalan Melayu, near Masjid India/Masjid Jamek (very famous!!)

Areas where you can find a lot of restaurants & good food:
Hartamas - many pubs and restaurants, one of my favourites is Souled Out (very popular and good value for money)
Bangsar - Delicious, Marmalade at Bangsar Village II, Sakae Sushi, Nirwana Maju, Devi's corner, La Bodega Deli & Lounge (one of my favourites for brunch)
Bukit Bintang area - lots of restaurant franchises/chains.
If you like Japanese food, the Japanese Buffet at Jogoya (4th floor Starhill) is really good value (RM 100 per person - all you can eat, with good quality and good taste). Also the area in the basement of Starhill has a lot of nice restaurants (Tarbush - middle eastern - is best value for money in the entire place), very nice to walk around even if you don't eat there.
If you really want to find more eating places, try www.friedchillies.com

Good food in KL

Jalan Imbi
Oversea Restaurant (Chinese) - it's behind the Westin area, on Jalan Imbi. Very good Chinese food - almost anything on the menu is good. I really like the cod fish.
KTZ (Chinese ice desserts) - after dinner at Oversea, cross the main road (Jalan Imbi) to get to KTZ for Mango Ice. It's basically mango puree with shaved ice and pieces of mango. There are other flavours too but my fav (and I believe still the best!!) is mango.
Meng Kee (Chinese) - this place is behind KTZ. Very famous for beef and prawn noodles, however, may be a bit risky coz you need to go with a local chinese who will know how/what to order. If they know you are foreign, highly likely they will overcharge you :-)

Tengkat Tung Shin - this is a small street 2 rows parallel to the main Jalan Bukit Bintang.
Sao Nam (Vietnamese - Halal) - One of my favorite places. It's actually a row of colonial shophouses which have been refurbished to create lovely little restaurants. I like the Pomelo and Prawn salad, and the duck breast with orange. Best to order a few different dishes and share.
Old Siam (Thai - Halal) - next to Sao Nam. Have not eaten here but keep hearing from people that it's very good.
Famous Beef Noodles Stall (Chinese) - excellent place for late dinner/ supper. It's a stall right at the end of Tengkat Tung Shin. It's become famous now, so it's quite clearly marked as the "Famous beef ball noodles" :-) Hygiene is subjective, though I've never heard of anyone who had problems after eating there, but be careful if you have delicate stomachs.

Changkat Bukit Bintang - this is another small street very close to Tengkat Tung Shin.
El Cerdo (European) - absolutely the ONLY pork heaven in the universe!! It's totally porky from items on the menu to decor on the walls (even in the bathrooms!!!). Very good quality food, and very tasty!! Should try to make reservation as they are usually packed. +603 2145 0511 2. Ceylon Bar (Western/Local) - the only reason to go to this place is the all-day brunch on Sunday. For RM 26, you get a very filling meal of pork sausage, bacon, eggs, etc etc. Starts late - go after 11.30am only.

Other great places
Yut Kee Coffee House (Hainanese) - Jalan Dang Wangi. Very very good traditional coffee shop, gets packed on weekends, so go around 11am or after 2pm. Pork chops here are legendary, as is the Belachan Fried Rice (very spicy!), and noodles overall are very good too. Also make sure you have the cakes for dessert - marble cake or Kaya roll (kaya is a sweet jam made from coconut milk and eggs)
Souled Out (Western/Local) - this place in Sri Hartamas is very popular and great place to hang out and chill. Good mix of locals and foreigners, mostly groups of friends relaxing and having a good time. Food is generally good, and great selection of cakes for dessert. The Hartamas area itself is a lively night spot with lots of restaurants, bars, pubs, etc.
B'Sentral (Indian) - this place is in Brickfields, opposite KL Sentral station (you can take the monorail from Bukit Bintang to KL Sentral Station and walk from there). Must try Roti Canai - this is almost Malaysia's national food, Claypot Biriyani, Roti Prata, Mango Lassi (drink). The tandoori and other oven-baked chicken is really really good too.

Good Food in Melaka

Ball Chicken Rice
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball - corner shop next to OCBC Bank (Jalan Hang Jebat). Go before 12noon else there is a big queue.
Chung Wah Restaurant - across from St Paul's church (Right at the beginning of Jonker Walk)

Chinese Food
Restaurant Sin Yin Hoe, Lorong Hang Jebat (near Melaka River and Melaka Clock Tower) Mr Khoo's (shellfish, etc) - lane at the side of Jalan Melaka Raya (next to Madam Kings Emporium)

Snacks
Roti Bakar Nam Thye - in front of the beach in Limbongan (5am - 5pm)
Satay Celup - Ban Lee Siang, 45 Jalan Ong Kim Wee, off Jalan Hang Tuah
Pork Satay - Xiang Ji Satay Shop, opposite Pay Teck school on Jalan Portugis, a few blocks from Jonker Walk
Cendol - Stall 88, Jonker Street
Mille Feuille - Nadeje G23-25 Jalan PM 4, Plaza Mahkota (in between Mahkota Parade and Hotel Sri Costa)
Popiah - Old man on bicycle at Jonker Street (really very good, and so cheap!!); Famous popiah outside of Madam King's
Wantan Mee - Kedai Makanan & Minuman Wantan Mee (Heeren Street)