Okay, so it's been awhile since I updated this blog, I've been preoccupied with stuffs of late... Anyway, I'm sure every Penangite must have heard about the great Penang Free Wi-Fi project by the state government.
Well, let's make one thing clear. It's not installed by the state government but approval was given by the state government. The project is by RedTone, some telecommunications company. And the CM, who loves to harp on something on and on, is merely promoting it and of course, taking credit for it too. Anyway, essentially, it's a private project, condoned by the state government and promoted by the state government. 'For the good of the people' or so it's said.
Whether it's any good or not (the wi-fi service), one should not be complaining too much right? After all it's free (so said the CAT minister). Whatever it is, his claims of almost whole of Penang will have free Wi-Fi should ALWAYS be taken with a bucket of salt.
Why? Well, from the looks of phase one, the hotspots are only at certain locations and shops. Not exactly at some kampungs or public parks or anything. Here's the list in case you want to try using the free service. Oh yeah, and another thing, before using, you need to register and enter personal details like your name, IC, race, income, age group, profession, etc. It's a rather long questionnaire.
And if you can't see the list clearly, to put it in a nutshell, it's available at Prangin Mall, Komtar, Queensbay Mall, some shops and restaurants in Bukit Jambul, BJ Complex, two shops in Jalan Dato Koyah (Lee Car Engine Servicing & Commass Construction), one shop in Argyll Road (Kaiser Hardware), Jalan Kampung Malabar, one shop in Jln Kangsar (Perniagaan Ban Seing) and over at the mainland, Megamall Pinang, some car accessories shop, Synergy College, computer shops, some restaurants and some other shops (check the list).
Oh well. The stupid Wi-Fi card in my laptop is not working so I won't be surfing outside the house for now. But if you want to surf, go to Starbucks, the wi-fi is also free and pretty good too.
The monthly Little Penang Street Market is this weekend and in conjunction with the Festival of Lights coming up this Monday, it is themed 'Deepavali' naturally.
So, there's going to be some Deepavali cultural shows from a talk on the origins of the festival to some performances.
The Little Penang Street Market is a pretty cool bazaar full of artsy stuff and handicrafts. If you are looking for some great souvenirs, gifts, decorative items or pretty knick knacks, it's one of the best places you can check out.
However, prices are fixed so there's no bargaining here. Some of the prices here are pretty steep too but there are quite a few charity stalls so I usually buy from these knowing that the money goes to charity.
Now that they have a food section there too so you can even eat lunch there. Worth checking it out.
Where: Upper Penang Road
When: Sunday, 11am - 6pm (Every last Sunday of the month)
What: Handicrafts, art works, food, cultural events
If you planned to check out the Asean Culture Centre at the Pesta Site in Sungai Nibong, let me tell you, don't waste your time because it is an absolute, total failure.
It is really, really bad.
Boring.
Less than 30 stalls open.
The worst Pesta EVER!
And I have proof too. Look:
Looks like some normal night market except that it is WORST. What Asean culture? Oh, they must have meant this stall:
There are maybe two or three Thai stalls selling stuffs that you can find in night markets.
Only thing that remained the same is the funfair. The same old rickety, don't look safe, rides and 'games' are there. Though the entrance to the Pesta is free, remember they charge you damn expensive for the rides in the lousy funfair. A ride in the kiddy train is RM3 per child! A ride in the merry-go-round costs RM2 and it does not even have any music and the horses and vehicles in it are dusty and in bad condition too. It is RM4 PER PERSON to sit in the Ferris Wheels but no thanks, it looks even more dangerous than walking into the middle of a busy highway while blindfolded. Who knows how well they maintain these things.
The one attraction in the whole so-called Asean Culture Centre is this air-inflated playground for children. Yep, only my son enjoyed going there because of this playground but then toddlers are pretty easy to please.
Entry is RM2 per child.
My verdict: It is the worst ever Pesta Pulau Pinang I have ever been to. It is even worse than a night market. Going to a night market is infinitely more interesting than going to the Pesta site for the Asean Culture Centre. It is practically like a dead town with a few stalls selling worse than night market quality stuffs.
If you think last year's Pesta Pulau Pinang is bad and looks like a night market, well, you'd think last year's event was like Disneyland compared to the travesty of this so-called Asean Culture Centre.
Seriously. The exco in charge, Danny Law, needs to buck up and DO HIS JOB. This is obviously an absolute failure.
Entrance free, so what? To walk around empty stalls? Hell, they charge you parking for RM2 per entry okay, so it is not entirely free.
I feel that there are just too many commercial complexes coming up all over the island recently. Okay, just look at the existing shopping and commercial complexes:
1. Island Plaza in Tanjung Tokong - it is pretty much a dying place with most of the shops closing down and moving out. Having Metrojaya there did not really help it much. It was destined to suffer this setback the moment Gurney Plaza opened years ago. Right opposite it is a huge commercial complex which is also turning out to be quite a failure. Many of the shoplots are vacant and only those on the ground floor are occupied. Even the hawker centre within it are barely surviving.
2. Gurney Plaza - it is now expanding in preparation for the fierce competition it may face from the soon-to-be-opened Penang Times Square complex. It is fortunate that it is still pretty much packed on weekends and public holidays.
3. Midlands Park, One Stop Centre - This is another dying behemoth. It is destined to be a white elephant soon because many shops have closed down and those few that are left are practically struggling to survive. The only shops with brisk business are the DVD / VCD shops on the ground level.
4. Penang Plaza (Fima) - Now, this plaza only has Giant to keep it alive or else it would probably end up abandoned like the white elephant it is soon to become. About 70% of the shops on the upper levels are all vacant.
5. Komtar - although they are upgrading this grand old lady of Penang, it is pretty much a very dark and dinky place. Much more like a covered bazaar than anything else. I wouldn't want to walk the empty corridors even in broad daylight. There are way too many suspicious characters hanging around those dark, secluded corners. The Penang state government has plans to revive it and I am waiting to see what they could do.
6. Prangin Mall - it is like the Sungai Wang Plaza of Penang and although most of the shoplots are occupied, it is also a fire trap with most of the shops placing their wares along the corridors and walkways, obstructing the way. As for the tech section near Parkson, it is like a dead town there. Many shops have closed and only a few strong ones remained.
7. Gama - this is a very old supermarket that has been around for decades. Though old, it is still enjoying brisk business and has sales all the time to draw in shoppers.
8. Sunshine Farlim - this is a hypermarket selling mostly groceries so it does not really qualify as a shopping complex and yes, business is still quite brisk there.
9. Bukit Jambul complex - this is another soon to be white elephant. There is an ongoing legal battle or something between shop owners and management or something. And also, many shops are closing down. And it is pretty much run down.
10. Sunshine Square - it is a departmental store under the same group as Sunshine Farlim and though business is slower it is not dying yet.
11. Queensbay Mall - the newest shopping complex in town and the largest in the state for now. It is so new that many of its shoplots are still vacant. However, it is one of the latest 'in' place to be until a new mall opens up.
Commercial complexes / office lots:
12. Wisma Central along Macalister Road - it is practically a white elephant with only a few shops left open.
13. Axis Plazone in Pulau Tikus - another white elephant in the making. It currently has the Bandar Baru supermarket on the ground floor to keep it alive.
14. Bangunan KWSP - although newly built, most of its office lots are still vacant.
15. Bangunan Umno (along Macalister Road) - the shiny blue building is also soon to be another white elephant as it also has a lot of vacant lots within.
There are actually plenty more office buildings and commercial complexes all over the island and most of it are not even fully occupied. There are so many I actually lost count!
The worst of all is that residential houses are being turned into shops while there are so many of such complexes with plenty vacant lots. AND more are being built even as I type up this list.
Every single new development coming up on the island has a commercial complex or an office building or retail lots. It is all very well and good if ALL those buildings I mentioned above are filled and above their capacity.
However, that is not the case at all. There are plenty of vacant units in the older buildings and some new ones too and now, they are building even more. Shouldn't something be done about those older buildings first before the government approve more commercial complexes?
Seriously. I remember some DAP fella would point at some decrepit building or other (in the newspapers) and declare that the state government should do something about those white elephants in the past.
So, now, my question is, will the DAP-PKR state government do what they preach?
If you plan to go up to Penang Hill for some cool respite, think again because the funicular train service has stopped taking tourists up in the past few weeks.
There was some problems or faults with the cables and despite numerous repair works over the past months, similar problems kept cropping up, thus causing frequent service interruptions. So, in the most recent problem, they decided to just shut the whole thing and stop taking tourists up that way rather than leaving tourists stranded for hours.
However, residents still get to take the train up midway if they do not stay higher up. Those living further up would need to take a jeep up all the way. It seems that the state government is really at a loss over what to do to solve this problem.
The federal government had promised RM40mil to upgrade the whole funicular train service and guess what? Yep, the project has been 'deferred'. Apparently, this project is also not people-centric enough.
I guess cutting off tourists from one the major tourist sites in Penang will not affect Penangites that much. I mean, after all, Penang Hill is only one of Penang's major landmark. It is nothing. Tourists do not need to go up. And the funicular trains. Those are also another of Penang's landmark. Nothing great. Not important at all. Tourists do not even bother going there anymore. (sarcasm, people, sarcasm...)
Is it me or do I feel that the federal government has already started 'marginalising' Penang just because it is now under an Opposition government?
First they 'postponed' the Penang Outer Ring Road and Monorail projects and then this upgrading project too. Okay, so, I fully agree that PORR should be scrapped. But we do need an integrated public transportation system that THEY, BARISAN NASIONAL, HAD BLARDY PROMISED before the general elections.
This goes to show that the BN government NEVER EVER keep their promises, huh?
Anyway, blame and finger pointing aside, what is the state government doing about this? Well, it seems that they are still stuck in their Opposition party mindset. They are pointing fingers at the federal government for canceling, errr postponing, the projects.
Yeah, sure. We ALL know what the federal government did but what ARE you going to do? What is the DAP-PKR state government going to do about it?
I mean other than pointing fingers and blaming the federal government and urging the federal government to fulfill their promises. Heck, we ALL know the federal government couldn't care less about what the Opposition state government has to say or urge, right?
I think it is REALLY time that the DAP-PKR state government start thinking about solutions and solving problems like putting in place an integrated public transportation system and a way to replace the cables or upgrade the funicular train service FAST.
After all, George Town is now one of Unesco's World Heritage Sites. Soon, we will be having droves of tourists and it won't do that they find that they could not go up to one of the main landmarks in Penang that is, Penang Hill. Also, how are they going to get around the heritage city of George Town if the public transportation system is in a shamble?
It is just so wrong. So, to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, I think it is time that you stop pointing fingers and start working on solutions. Preferably NOW. And please, DON'T place any bets on help from the federal government because NONE is forthcoming.
It was all out on today's papers that the Penang second bridge is now even more expensive - RM4.585billion to be exact.
I know many people, including the state government, must be damn sceptical over the progress of the bridge and well, here are some of the facts/ claims I found in the papers by UEM Group (the contractor building the bridge).
It's a box-girder bridge - meaning a bridge made of box-girders (read all about box-girder bridge here)
It is right on schedule and will be completed by end of 2011
Connects Batu Kawan to Batu Maung - approximate 20 minutes drive
Length - 24 km of which length over water - 17km
Three lanes each side - 2 for cars, 1 for motorcycles (each)
Built by UEM and China Harbour.
Currently they are still building the casting yard (the factory) that produces the box girders that made up the bridge.
Piling works for the bridge is expected to start early next year.
Here are some things not so easily found in the press:
UEM has an agreement with the federal government (for the first Penang bridge which they are the concessionaire and also undertaking the expansion works now) that UEM is entitled compensation in the event of a second bridge being built for possible loss of concessionaire 'income' from toll collections.
UEM is making tonnes from the expansion of the first Penang bridge and now the second bridge.
UEM will be financing RM2.1bil (from the federal government) while China Harbour RM2.2bil of the costs for the bridge. The RM285mil will probably also be taken up by the federal government.
UEM will be in charge of producing the segmental box girders and assemble these while China Harbour will be doing the piling and the foundation.
UEM will tender for the concession of the second bridge and will probably impose a heavy toll like the first bridge.
Penangites are pretty well screwed because it may mean another bridge but toll charges will be cut-throat.
If you have heard of the famous Teochew food especially crab porridge by Cheang Kee Restaurant in Nibong Tebal, make sure you do not go to the wrong one!
We went there recently and had a rude shock when we realised the real Cheang Kee Restaurant had moved to another location while another owner has taken over its old shoplot.
We did not even bother to take pictures of the place (the old shoplot where Cheang Kee used to be) after eating the very first dish, boiled baby octopus. I did not even want to bother with taking pictures of the food either. I do not want to waste camera battery and memory on this lousy restaurant.
The new restaurant, Law Chang Kee Restoran, was a far cry from the old Cheang Kee Restaurant. We ordered boiled baby octopus, butter prawns, fried fish, crab porridge, siau pai chye (green veg) and mantis prawn fried with dried chili.
The baby octopus, even though a simple dish which required literally little cooking skills to prepare as it is just boiled and served with chili sauce, were overcooked and stringy.
The butter prawns were oily, soggy and tasteless. They put some soya sauce over it to give it some taste which makes it worse.
Crab porridge- they obviously had it in with the crab because they smashed it to smithereens so we had to spend a whole hour picking out tiny, minute pieces of crab shell from the porridge. Oh, and the porridge was bland. Bleagghhh.
The green veg - nothing remarkable. I could have cooked better one at home.
Mantis prawn fried with dried chili - extremely soggy and too much of ketchup. It tasted like they fried the mantis prawn and pour in a whole bottle of ketchup and then add the dried chili for decoration. Ugghh.
Fried fish - well, again nothing remarkable. It is just the normal fried fish you can find at any economy rice stall.
Rating: 2/10
Now, if I had not eaten the real Cheang Kee Restaurant’s food, the rating for this faker restaurant would have been a tad higher, perhaps 4/ 10 but it definitely would not have me going back there ever again.
Price: $$$ (for that kind of food!!!)
Luckily, we found the real Cheang Kee Restaurant which had moved to a more prominent location right on the main road just after the toll plaza and with ample parking space too! After the toll plaza, turn left at the traffic lights and go straight. It is on your left at the first traffic light. You won’t be able to miss it since it is a corner lot with a huger signboard.
Here’s the new address for the famous Cheang Kee Restaurant (which I would have rated 8/10):
Restoran N.T.Cheang Kee
No. 60 & 62, Jalan Besar, Air Lintas, Taman Merbah, 14300 Nibong Tebal
Tel: 04-5943728
So, remember. The Restoran Law Chang Kee has lousy food so go only at your own risk! I will do a review of the Restoran N.T.Cheang Kee when we go there next and with loads of pictures too.
We took a trip to the depths of an oil palm estate somewhere near the Kulim Hi-Tech Park and enjoyed some really great freshwater fishes!
We ate FOUR whole fishes! Each fish costs between RM20 and RM38. Not bad considering the size and how fresh it is.
I don't know what fish these are except that it is freshwater and darn fresh and very delicious, deep fried, covered in sweet and sour sauce and steamed.
The shack that passed as a restaurant where the delectable fishes are cooked and served.
There's a wooden rickety bridge from the shack over a bubbling river heading to large ponds where they rear the freshwater fishes.
A closer look at the wooden shack...
The fishes are really good and I would recommend this place if you have a hankering for fish. Also, the fishes are all very sweet without any muddy taste at all.
Rating: 8/10
Price: RM20 and above for each fish
Menu choices: Only fish, rice and one or two vegetables
Location: Sungai Kob, Kulim. Accessible through a small dirt road marked with only a small signboard with Restoran Kolam Ikan on it. Just take the turning to Kulim Hi Tech Park Phase 2, drive all the way to Sungai Kob and once you reach the tiny town, you will see Petronas on your left and right after that a row of shophouses. The small dirt road is on the right and right next to the Klinik Kesihatan. Otherwise, call the number in the picture above for more accurate directions!
I have always been a Pasar Malam stalker...way back when we were dating also, we will go to pasar malam as a dating place, to jalan-jalan, to cari makan, to buy illegal stuffs like pirated things (we all know what things!!), etc...
So, recently, we went up to the Batu Ferringhi Night Market which is famous for all the illegal chio'ng ciplak things. We need to restock our...errr...movie collections...You know la, Heroes season two is already in, House season four already in and seems like Supernatural season three is on the way. These are my favourite series la and I don't have time to wait for stupid Astro.
Also, we have missed so many movies such The Water Horse, Alvin and The Chipmunks and even Transformers. Ever since having my toddler, it is difficult to find time to go pakthor and watch movies....so we go for cheaper, easier option of home theatre la.
Of course, the Batu Ferringhi Night Market offers a lot of other things and not only the...errr..entertainment stuff. They have trinkets, decor items, chio'ng branded handbags, chio'ng branded clothes and more decor items.
It was not easy trying to take pictures of the stalls there because the stall operators are mostly very hostile. Perhaps they are worried about being caught 'red-handed' with pictures of them selling chio'ng things...
As you can see, we stick to taking pictures of things that are not chio'ng at all....Just no-brand things, some local, some made in Thailand and some Made in China.
Now, along that stretch, there is Long Beach Cafe which offers local hawker fare. It is also quite near my favourite..err..chio'ng entertainment stall. Eh, the stall sell very cheap you know! Only RM4 each and the quality, VERY GOOD. Always no problem with the err...things.
Choices: 8/10
Quality: 8/10
Price: 9/10
Here's Long Beach Cafe along the Batu Feringghi Night Market. See the Spring Roll stall? That's my favourite! Their spring roll is very good.
Review of Spring Roll: Crunchy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. The vegetables inside are nicely cooked and tasty. It goes very well with the sauce consisting of cut chillies and Lea & Perrins sauce.
Price: A bit pricey for a single spring roll, RM3 each.
Rating: 7/10
There are a lot of other stalls there selling a variety of hawker fare. Some are good, some are not. I have not tried all so can't give any ratings on that. The prices are quite reasonable considering it being a tourist spot. A plate of food could be priced from between RM3 and RM5 depending on what you order.
Oh, there is also a stall selling presumably Haagen Daaz ice cream at RM7 a scoop. Well, trust me, it is ice cream but it is definitely NOT Haagen Daaz! It taste nothing like Haagen Daaz! It is either they use some other higher quality ice cream to pass it off as Haagen Daaz or it old stock taken at a cheaper price from Haagen Daaz, thus the taste a bit out.
Well, there's a 'My Career and Education Fair 2008' at Pisa this weekend so if you are thinking of furthering your studies or wondering what you want to be other than being a blogger, head on over to the fair.
I won't know if it's any good because I haven't been to any of these things for ages! I am way beyond help when it comes to education...heheheh
Also, for those hungry ghosts out there, there's a charity food fair coming up this Sunday. It is a two-in-one event. You get to eat and you get to help cancer patients! What a deal. Seriously. Okay, okay, so the eats aren't free but hey, it is to help poor cancer patients and you have to eat right?
So, don't forget to go to:
Ho Chiak Charity Food and Fun Fair 2008
Venue: Mount Miriam Hospital
Date: Sunday, April 27
Time: 10am - 3pm
As a bonus, all of you who wants to meet the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng may get to see him there! I heard he is officiating the fair at 10am.
If you don't know how to go there, just call 04-8907044 for directions. Or check out their website at: www.mountmiriam.com.
All the previous political posts had made me hungry so I binged on these succulent fried chicken! Although I used to be a fan of KFC, I now only eat hawker-style fried chicken or I-fry-it-myself-style fried chicken. Heck, the fried chicken pieces in KFC are shrinking so much I think the next time I go, the fried chicken will be no bigger than my thumb!
So, I went around trying quite a few roadside stalls and hawker stalls at hawker centres selling fried chicken till I find a few that I really like. Which is not many. Somehow, finding the perfect fried chicken is akin to the excuse people use for masturbation - it is better to do it yourself! Heh.
Anyway, I was very, very lazy to de-frost the chicken, season it, heat up the oil, fry it and clean up the whole oily kitchen after that so I had to rely on hawkers to get my fried chicken fix.
Again, TH, my number one foodie partner, recommended this fried chicken stall tucked away at the Hillside Astaka / food court. The guy's open only at night, from around 7pm onwards and sorry, I didn't know what day he tutup since TH is the one who went down to get the chicken for me while I...er...jaga kereta. And being a non-blogger, he didn't bother to ask the guy details, like operation time, days, address, etc...
Anyway, these spiced fried chicken should not be mistaken as the ciplak version of KFC's hot and spicy chicken. When I say spiced, it is in the context of spices, not chili. The fried chicken is crunchy on the outside although it don't look it and the flesh inside is just tender, soft, juicy and oh-so-tasty! Yummmm....
Prices aren't that cheap but it is quite reasonable, RM2 for each piece of chicken breast or wing, RM2.50 for the drumstick and if you are into chicken butt, it is five for RM2.
Rating: 8/10
Taste: Hint of spices, crunchy outside, juicy and soft inside, just salty enough to tingle the tastebuds
Definitely recommended as a side dish to whatever you are having, or just as a snack.
A Word of Warning: Contains fat and probably cholesterol too but for this saliva-inducing taste, I don't care!
I have this thing for pastries and nothing hits the spot more than a wonderfully baked, crumbly and perfect chicken pie or apple pie!
TH found this stall and bought some of it for me to try and since then, I was hooked! These pies may be tiny but it sure do pack a punch in taste, flavour and most importantly, it is cheap too!
This is where you get the yummy Apple and Chicken Pies
The pies are stored in airtight containers
The little stall is just outside a coffee shop along Jalan Sungai Kelian in Hillside, Tanjung Bungah. He also sells mini cream puffs with real cream, not custard. These little bite-size delights are all homemade by the stall owner's relative, thus the great taste!
Just look at these tempting pies!
My review for the Apple Pie - pastry is crumbly, buttery and melts in your mouth - fillings are generous, just sweet enough and tasty
The nice friendly stall owner packing the pies for me
My review for the Chicken Pie: - pastry is the same as the apple pie, it is crumbly, buttery and melts in your mouth - fillings contain a few tiny pieces of chicken, peas and carrots, just the right amount for such a tiny bite-size pie
My review for the Cream Puff: - pastry is soft and just the right consistency - filling is real cream, not too sweet and when you bite into it, if fills your mouth with its creamy taste.
Snack rating: 7/10 - definitely recommended for teatime or just for the heck of it!
Price: 6 for RM3 (cream puff) / 5 for RM3 (pies)
Venue: Outside Chew City Cafe, Jalan Sungai Kelian, Hillside
They have created a death trap, if ever a fire broke out, at the Pikom PC Fair in Pisa!
Firstly, the stalls are all so crammed together that the walkways are narrow and with the huge crowd there, it isn't very easy to get around.
Secondly, they have this REALLY STUPID idea to have one entrance and one exit. That's not the worse of it, they partitioned off the entrance so if you are on the other side of the concourse, you will have to walk ALL AROUND to the entrance if ever you need to get out in a hurry. The exit is on the lower ground so those who had walked around the concourse, go downstairs to the indoor stadium to check out the stalls and came up to the concourse again, will find that they have no way out but to go back down.
I do not see the point of this at all as there was no entrance fees. Since each and every single stall has so many staff to push their items at you, I would hardly think it is that easy for thieves to steal expensive stuffs like, say, a notebook (which are all locked, anyway).
As for the fair itself, if you are looking for cheap DVDs, CDs, thumb drives, memory sticks, memory cards and other techie accessories, then, going to the Pikom PC Fair is a good idea. Some of these items are being sold quite cheap and much lower than market rate.
A word of advice, though, go early as the crowds there are truly unbelievable and you may not get a good parking spot!
Other than that, well, it is not so great la. Most of the more expensive stuffs such as notebooks and some cameras are being sold at normal market prices...maybe with discounts of RM50 or so or worse, stupid free gifts that you do not need.
To prove my point, I went and checked out the prices of HTC Touch, my PDA phone, and found that there were no special discounts, no special packages and no special free gifts. It is the same as going to the shops on normal days to buy it. I also checked out wireless modems and the discounts were only between RM20 to RM50 or some of it the prices are the same but it includes unwanted free gifts.
The only good thing about the Pikom PC Fair is that all of the techie shops are concentrated in one place and it makes surveying and scouting for the best prices the shops can offer for certain items easier.
The Pikom PC Fair at Pisa is until Sunday and open from 11am to 9pm.
These are the reasons why this blog is called Penang Views and News...
This is the Penang view that greeted me every morning. Can you see Komtar?
My little relaxation corner to relieve stress from work
This is what I see on a hazy misty morning. I can also see Komtar and if I look harder, a tiny little slice of the sea.
The Penang view from CM's office in Komtar
The Penang view with the Penang bridge barely discernible from CM's office in Komtar
It is sad that all these views from high buildings, even Komtar, no longer offer the tantalising glimpse of the sea or much greenery. Sure, we can still see a tiny slice of the sea from Komtar but for how long more?
Penang is fast becoming a concrete jungle and though it may mean more housing for the people but at what cost? It is sad indeed that Penang may just end up like Hong Kong where every single available space is crammed with high rise buildings.
It's going to be a really wet three days from this Sunday to Tuesday. If you are interested in gawking at pretty girls in wet T-shirts or for the ladies, ogling at guys in wet T-shirts, then head on to the Siamese Buddhist Temples at Perak Lane and Bangkok Lane this coming weekend.
No, no, no. It is not an obscene wet T-shirt contest (you know, the ones they always have in some mat salleh country where you get to see body shapes imprinted through the flimsy wet T-shirts...). This April 13 is the Thai New Year or popularly known as Songkran Festival.
Though very much a Thai event, the Songkran Festival is also celebrated by locals of Thai descent and Buddhists here. The only thing I knew about the Songkran Festival was the water splashing. I would remember because I was one of those who had to literally walk around in a wet T-shirt just because I was too kaypoh and went to look at how it was celebrated at one of those Buddhist temples I mentioned. Everyone there was splashing water at everyone using pails, buckets and water guns.
So, this year, to avoid being splashed I will steer clear of the temples and water-wielding people. No walking around in a wet t-shirt for me. It'd be too gross for others to see... my... err... prosperous figure imprinted through wet clothes... heheheh...
However, I am still curious about the significance of the festival and did some digging through the net. Well, it seemed that the water splashing started with a milder tradition of visiting and paying respects to the elders, relatives and friends much like our Chinese New Year tradition. The religious aspects of it was the bathing and cleansing of the Buddha statues and pouring a token amount of water on the hands and shoulders of people as a sign of respect. Water was used as a sign to cleanse away all the bad luck. Buddhists also uses this time to go to the Buddhist temples to pray and offer food to the monks.
However, over the years, the water pouring part became fun while the other aspects took a back seat. You know la, youngsters will always find the fun part of any tradition and made it a main feature! So, that's why la water was splashed indiscriminately during the three days of the Songkran Festival.
If you want to join in the fun of water fights, go on ahead to the temples and have a great time! In this hot humid weather, it is a great way to cool down while enjoying some nice...err...views...
Recently, due to an affliction called 'hiau ka chui' (Hokkien phrase which sorta means 'itchy backside' or punggung gatal..heh), I went and bought a brand new gadget. A costly one, too. Well, it's costly for me la, but for others, it may be considered cheap lo. You see, I went and bought a PDA phone.
Ok, ok, all you updated, high tech fellas out there must be laughing now, thinking I must be crazy to think a PDA phone is some new fangled thing. Well, it may not be all that new in the market, it is new to me la. So, please bear with me here. I have more to write about it.
Anyway, just like most kiamsiap ku (that's kedekut in Hokkien, also another affliction, but this is quite a common affliction amongst Penangites...), I went around looking at different brands and comparing prices and specifications. And I found out one frustrating thing, well, actually a few frustrating things.
The first one is this: blardy hell, why Nokia here, Nokia there, Nokia everywhere? I am looking for PDA phone la, not just a phone pretending to be a PDA phone, okay? Sure, there are a lot of handphone shops, handphone stalls, handphone shacks, handphone whatever everywhere but PDA phone???? Well, susah la want to cari.
First I went to Gurney Plaza and immediately realised I made a huge mistake. The handphone shops there are more like handphone boutiques. I am looking for bargain prices but there is no such thing there. Besides, the PDA specialist shop which I bought my ancient PPC (that's Pocket PC, for the less gadget inclined) from sudah tutup kedai. The few handphone boutiques there aren't that well stocked either, not to mention a tad 'high fallutin' with hidungs in the air and the sales people looking down at me from their blue, sharp pointed noses in the air. Woi, I may be wearing slippers and shorts but it doesn't mean I can't afford one okay? Only Charlie Communications offered a friendly service but no less cheaper. Choices were also very limited in the mall. The only PDA phone brands to be found were Asus and HTC (formerly Dopod) and one or two O2.
From there, I went to Prangin Mall and browsed through the many handphone stalls on the ground floor. Hmmm...there must not be a market for PDA phones cause most of the stalls don't have any! The only PDA phones they have is Nokia N-something or other. Look, Nokia-pretending-to-be-PDA-phone is over-priced and over-rated okay? I don't intend to spend that huge amount of money on a tiny so-called-computer-but-not-really-a-computer when the same amount can be used to buy a brand new laptop from Dell. Or better still, can buy one of those ultraportable tiny notebooks, Fujitsu Lifebook. There was one stall who tried to push the O2 XDA on me at a very low price. It was so low, I was suspicious. But still, due to the great service, I gave it great consideration before walking away. Hey, I'm a Penangite la. I don't buy things, especially expensive ones, without comparing the prices and other brands till I am satisfied it is the best I could get!
Then on to Bukit Jambul Complex where I was told there is practically a handphone street within the mall. Well, it is true. There are about 20 (or more?) handphone stalls along the walkways of the mall. I went from stall to stall and guess what? Cehhh...only about two or three stalls has PDA phones while the rest all sell only handphones. The brands available? HTC, Eten Glofiish and again, handphone brands pretending to be PDA phones.
Sigh...that's not much comparison to go on right? In the meantime, I surfed around on the net and found that the few reliable brands are HTC, O2, Palm and iPhone. Palm and iPhone is definitely out for me coz I use a PC, not an Mac/ Apple and those are more Mac/ Apple compatible. Those are also quite expensive.
So, I went to Queensbay Mall. My gawd. The digital section is practically a ghost town (it is very near the toilet bowl restaurant with the toilet food which I wrote about here) It has only a few shops. Discouraged by the lack of choices, I only asked two of the shops there though the salesmen were not much help.
Why most of the people jaga-ing the counters in all four places don't know the specs or even the basic functions of the gadgets they were selling? Err, hello?? Aren't you the salesman? Hey, if you don't know this, don't know that, you expect a newbie gadget-gal like me to know ah?
Finally, I went to Prangin Mall again and this time, I went to the tech section on level four (or is it five?). Here, I found several shops selling PDA phones and realised I should have checked here in the first place! I finally bought a HTC PDA phone at the shop called Gadza due to the sterling service, great bargain and me becoming tired of going around looking for a PDA phone!
So, what did I learn from this whole experience?
- the PDA phone market in Penang is a small one with very limited shops selling a variety of PDA phones - salesmen selling handphones are not always well-versed with the products they are selling - there is no such thing as a cheap PDA phone, all are above RM1k and most are around RM2k. - buying a PDA phone means extensive research on the reliable brands and some knowledge on what specs I needed it to have to suit my..er..needs - when buying a PDA phone must get it from an established shop for after-sales service because PDA phones are all about software updates, applications updates and proper usage! - it is important to check the whereabouts of service centres for the brands as it is not that easy to repair a PDA phone as compared to a regular handphone - the reliable/well-known PDA phones on the market are HTC / Dopod, O2, Palm, Asus, HP to be followed by the handphones pretending to be PDA phones such as Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Nokia.
I finally decided on HTC Touch because of the price (RM1688) and the colour (burgundy) and the design (slim and small) and the specs suit my needs. I was seriously considering HTC Touch Dual (at RM1999 by SenQ which is a steal considering all other shops sells it at RM2,399) but decided that I don't have to splurge so much on a PDA phone.
Hey, I'm the person who buys RM300 basic handphone and only change handphone when old phone rosak, so getting a RM1,688 PDA phone is considered VERY unusual especially when my handphone is still in good working conditions, okay?
This is a video of my brand new gadget which I found in YouTube when I was researching on it:
So, now that I got my brand new gadget, anyone any idea what I should do with my old PPC/PDA? Its an old HP iPaq without camera or phone. The shop I bought from don't even want me to trade it in. Yep, it is practically valueless (thus my hesitation to splurge too much on a PDA phone since it will be obsolete and unwanted by the time I decided to change it!) and err..obsolete.
Sigh, want to go put it into the recycling box but feel its a waste, want to trade in nobody wants it, want to sell even worse nobody interested, so now, it is gathering dust and taking up space in my drawer.
Picture blurry because used camera phone to take, forgot to bring camera la
Makes me sick and nauseous because the food was extremely lousy!
Blearghh..gack...choke...uwekk....*chokes and throw up*
If you think this concept restaurant with toilets as chairs, glass-covered sinks as tables complete with bathroom accessories as decorations looks like fun, well, be prepared to get exactly what it offered, toilet food!
The restaurant looks interesting enough, which is what attracted me to go give it a try. We looked at the menu and thought, hey, they offer food something like Kim Gary's and the prices are almost the same so might as well give it a try.
We ordered the 'Japanese Chicken Flaming Pot', 'Chicken Chop Rice' and 'Chicken Ramen Soup' and green tea to wash it all down. The verdict?
The flaming pot thingy is served on the mini toilet bowl (as in picture) and the rice is just, well rice with some slices of chicken and a piece of broccoli. The ramen soup is some soggy noodles in salty water...err...soup.
The taste: bland, salty and full of Ajinomoto. Otherwise, no other taste.
The portion: luckily is very small or else it would be a waste to leave most of it uneaten.
The price: RM45.90 in total for the three dishes and the drinks which is not worth it at all.
The only thing that is passable are the drinks, which incidentally is just Boh packet green tea.
In summary, DON'T EVEN think of going to T-Bowl Concept Restaurant to eat! They do keep to their concept to the T! Toilet-flavoured food in a toilet concept restaurant.
Now, excuse me, I need to throw up some more to get rid of the horrible taste of the shit they served which they insisted is food.... serves me right for eating in the toilet!
I don't know about you but I am thinking of dropping by at the monthly Little Penang Street Market at UPR (that's Upper Penang Road for those not from around here). The theme for this month is Cosplay, manga and anime. You know, Japanese animation and costume role-playing. So, manga and anime fans should drop by to see what's there.
I have been to the arts and crafts bazaar several times since they started in July 2006. In the beginning, I was sceptical that it would last. After all, Penangites are known for their sin jamban attitude. You know, we just love the novelty of anything new but once it gets old, it is chucked aside and quickly forgotten.
Well, not surprisingly, the Little Penang Street Market survived! The organisers have done a superb job in keeping the little bazaar interesting every month. They have different themes each month, though most are based on our festivals. They also brought in great entertainment in the form of bands and performances to draw in the crowds.
Most importantly, the arts and crafts stalls are really arts and crafts stalls. Not some stall selling stuffs that are 'Made in China' or worse, 'Made in Thailand'. It is indeed a local arts and crafts place with many of the artists behind the masterpieces on sale doubling as stall keepers and sellers.
Handicrafts and masterpieces you can find includes handmade accessories like earring and bags, handmade clothes, artsy stuffs like vases and framed pictures made of beans. As for pricing, well, some are dirt cheap (at least for handicrafts) while some are so expensive most of us probably can't even afford to stare at it for too long.
There are also a few local food stalls so you can grab a bite as you browse. Alternatively, there's Beach Blanket Babylon and Segafredo there too. If you want some entertainment, they also schedule some sort of performances at certain times of the day.
The market / bazaar opens at 10am and closes by 6pm or so. So, go early if you want to spend some time browsing around. It is fun and entertaining, if you don't mind the heat. It is open air with canopies to block out the direct sunlight or possible rain but it doesn't help with the heat. Definitely no air cond there.
I will be posting pictures of my visit there this Sunday and report on its success.
Okay, the upper floors are all occupied by the government agencies so the whole building isn't exactly vacant but the five-level podium below the tower is practically lifeless.
Let's see. The two anchor tenants have long gone. Either tutup kedai or well, tutup kedai. The rest of the shops have moved out or also closed down. The remaining few are either struggling to make ends meet or just barely surviving.
The conditions does not left much to be desired. It is dark, dinghy and sorta creepy with its emptiness and lonely walkways. It echoes with the ghosts of its past glories in the times of the great 80s and forgiving early 90s. (No, no, no, not talking about real ghosts here la)
Even popular fast-food outlet McDonalds have fled from the place. The only 'lively' place within the complex is Level Three where the MPPP office and the lifts to the government agencies are. However, it is more like a cheap, pasar malam bazaar than a shopping mall.
To think I used to hang out at this place and it was once a very happening place to be.
Well, there is still hope for this grand old lady.
The Store has signed an agreement with PDC and planned to invest RM15mil to open its first supermarket in Penang island this July.
Will this supermarket chain bring back life to the dying grand dame?
I hope so. It is such a waste to see our main landmark disintegrating into such horridly bad conditions.
PDC has announced that it was upgrading and renovating parts of Komtar in a three-year plan for RM15mil. However, I do not see anything concrete materialise from that apart from the renovation of the lower ground lifts area now.
It is my fervent hope that the new state government crack the whip to make sure PDC does it efficiently and really do upgrade Komtar to bring back its former glory.
It's been awhile since I took a leisurely early dinner with plenty of time to walk around and browse so over the weekends we decided to have dinner at New World Park in Swatow Lane/ Hutton Lane/ Burmah Road.
I've heard that there's a Ladies Street sort of bazaar going on over the weekends there so I thought, maybe I could pick up some really nice stuff or browse around for birthday present ideas.
So, what I found there was pretty disappointing although it was pleasant walking around the beautiful hang-out place. There's no other name to call it since it is so very conducive for friends to simply hang around there at any of its 'coffee' shops and chat for hours...
The Ladies Street is just an array of about 20 stalls selling pasar malam stuffs like handbags, earrings, dresses and knick-knacks. There are a few arts and crafts stalls, a charity stall and more stalls selling accessories. The things sold there are not in any way exceptionally different. Just plain normal accessories and clothes you can get at any pasar malam anytime, anywhere. Even the pricing aren't something to shout about, certain dresses for RM45 each, tops for RM25 each and RM10 for three pairs of colourful, plastic earrings.
Incidentally, there are several similarly themed shops around the park, namely, a few knick-knacks / souvenirs type of shops and a few clothing and accessories shops. These are nothing to shout about either but if you have some time to waste, it is a good choice to have lunch or tea there.
Now, the good thing about New World Park is of course the variety of food there! It is a great place to search for any type of food you are hankering for. You want to dine in a restaurant? Sure, they have an Indian banana leaf restaurant, a nyonya restaurant, a Taiwanese restaurant, a Japanese restaurant and several western food restaurants like the Manhattan Fish Market.
Not to your taste? Well, head on over to the hawker side fronting Swatow Lane and Hutton Lane or at the back of the 'expensive' side which fronts Burmah Road. The hawker food is also relatively good with Cucur Udang, Mee Sultan, Curry Mee, Hokkien Mee, Dumplings, Chee Cheong Fun, Fish Ball Soup and many more. And to wash it all down, there's the famous New World Park ABC ice kacang!
As a hang-out place, the two popular tea time places there would be the western-style Starbucks or our local Old Town Cafe. Coincidentally (or carefully planned), these two outlets are opposite each other so you can stand there and make your decision between western or local!
Well, in conclusion, though it is not exactly a great shopping place, it is great for meeting up with friends, great place to spend a lazy weekend afternoon (did I mention free wifi internet thanks to Starbucks?) and most of all, it is pleasingly landscaped and decorated. Very comfy to window shop around what little shops there are and ultra comfy to spend hours chatting (online or real-life).
