Penang = Assam Laksa + coffee (that’s about it)

I went to Penang over the long weekend and concluded that my takeaways are assam laksa and coffee on one extreme, and the bus terminal on the other. The walk on the deserted streets was quite relaxing. The Indians (my favourite!) and Malays were very very friendly but my own people….errr…. maybe I didn’t speak hokkien. The Penang friends and colleagues I know in Singapore are definitely not like that (at least they gave me tips for my trip and even offered me accommodation)!

Went to the glutton’s square at Gurney Drive. Remembered to snap pictures only when I almost finished eating. Recommendation – assam laksa from the 2 Thai/Philippino ladies at first stall from entrance. I thought they were Chinese and tried to pass off as a local with the accent but it turned out that they didn’t understand a word, so back to English. Next to it is Gurney Plaza run by capitaland which probably explains why it looks different from the rest (you won’t want to shop at the rest).

The famous kway tiao teng near chulia street (little india – my favourite!) was something new and could be said to be yummy. The roti babi was salivating – minced meat n vegetable filling in bread, deep fired. Actually, the name itself is enough to tempt!

Had the signature penang white coffee at Mr Pot and Georgetown Coffee. Tasted good cuz maybe I’m a evaporated milk lover. Apparently, white coffee is coffee beans from anywhere in the world (Georgetown coffee’s beans r from Rome) ground into powder, then added in the evaporated milk and labeled penang coffee.

Hot Wok Café – the nyonya restaurant highly recommended by lonely planet, the ang mohs who probably haven’t tried the best of peranakan food. Assam curry fish head and stewed pork (not biased) were nice, bedsides the décor. And can someone pls update the location? I made a wasted trip to Jln Pantai Molek at Tanjung Tokong (half an hour bus ride from my hotel in Georgetown, really Tokong!) when it is actually within walking distance on Jalan Burmah.

Yes, this IS the bus terminal (not rubbish collection point or something) behind the centre of activity Komtar shopping centre, which is like a rundown and smaller version of Bangkok’s MBK, or maybe slightly better than Singapore’s Golden Mile. But buses seem to be the best option besides our legs cuz the taxis don’t run on meter but on the mood of the driver.

I would prefer Melaka anytime, nice place with the small town, heritage feel but too bad when I went there, I wasn’t into photo taking yet. Good food too and plus the so much shorter distance: 4 hours vs 12 hours!

No, not the Daiso u see in Singapore. It's a sundry shop.

Some nice places - Penang Hill, Cheong Fatt Tze mansion and Khoo Kongsi

Of course, I had to bring my closest with me! He was worn out by the coach ride too...

The last we saw of my friend's Elmo... or is it Ernie?

Calling People Names

I went to the ktv with my ex-colleagues (now friends) yesterday. One of them has always been disturbed by one particular singer’s name – Fish. I have constantly been amused by names such as Yoga, Show, Noodle, Jam…but I can’t fault them for trying to be close to our daily lives or wanting to stand out. To get into their world or understand their mentality with the choice of names, I suggested these names to my friends:

-Venison Lim
-Beef Tng

And of course, I am Pork Lee.

Pet Lovers

Recently, an upcoming joint promotion by the People’s Association (PA) and Pet Station to hard sell the Passion card, which never seemed to have taken off after all these years and which is why they are still trying so hard, was aborted after protest by outraged animal lovers and intervention by SPCA and AVA. At this road show at tiong bahru plaza, discounts would be given to Passion card holders, and Pet Station would give away a free hamster to anyone who spent $25 or more (or maybe it’s $35 but doesn’t matter). It was a dumb idea but I could understand why – for years, the PA has been associated with people a.k.a human beings, so we should be more forgiving that it’s not sensitive to animals. As Pet Station, maybe it just wants to clear its stocks? To prevent such hoohas from happening in future, maybe they can offer cooked animals – like grilled hamsters or stewed rabbits, and keep these as mystery gifts, so the public has no time to complain in advance and ruin their promotions.

Many years ago (i think even before attended kindergarten), McDonalds also gave out free goldfish for the purchase of a set meal (I supposed). I got to choose from a pail of black, yellow goldfishes. Of course, I went for the gold one – goldfish has to be in gold mah! I was so excited to own a pet for the first time in my life and started to fall in love with fish rearing! I couldn’t sleep that night, waking up every now and then to check on my goldfish. It could blow bubbles (like Ponyo) at me. My parents certainly shared my joy with me. My mom went to the market the next morning and bought my pet a companion – a little green fish with a sharp tail. Then, my goldfish turned on its tummy. It was only much later that I learned the murderer was called “sword tail”. And till today, I haven’t got to know the sex of my goldfish, but I guessed it’s a boy cuz it enjoyed playing with me. Subsequently, we also bought guppies, some which got caught in the sink or washed down altogether while we were changing the water. 10 guppies dwindled to nine, then eight, then… My mom bought a pair of angel fish which avenged my goldfish! Their fate – my mom poured them into the drain cuz they turned out to be nasty pets.

When I closed the windows this morning, I saw the pail which came with my little goldfish hanging next to the windows. My mom uses it to hold clothes pegs, and it should be around for quite a while. I hope SPCA wont contact us cuz it really happened ages ago…ages…

Halal 猪

The following terms are actually halal. Don’t be deceived by the words.

猪肠粉 – self-explanatory
猪兜 – no no, it’s not Mc Dull but anyone (as in human beings) stupid
猪头炳 – still for stupids

Caught In the Act

We had farewell lunch for my colleague (centre) today at Hogs Breath. I like the mascot – the weird pig but not the pork. And how do you like the checked red n white table cloth?

Anyway, shortly after that, we spotted our boss in the act! So he likes sweet young things!

Mosquitoes

Lots of mosquitoes at my place n cockroaches in the office recently. I wonder what kind of life I’m having.

Cockroaches are not a problem cuz I’m a cockroach lover, cum killer (my weapon is a simple small piece of post-it sticker). It’s the mosquitoes that get on to my nerves. Anyway, after a month long’s battle with them and the trials and errors, I found the solution.

Patches – completely useless. In fact, I got more bites the night I used it. I supposed the mosquitoes were angry with me using it n decided to be harsher on me.

Sachets - useless against some very resilient mosquitoes

Insecticide – I almost died too but the mozzies managed to make a comeback at night after the spray in the evening

Coil - I may get choke cuz it’s a no-no for now

Blankets – too thick for hot weather

Best Solution – hide in a sleeping bag. I got a (fake) silk one form Vietnam. The most effective method so far!

The last i heard of him

The kidnapper told me he has turned into deep fried pork chop....... Yummy!!!