June 2009 Archives

I stand here as a witness to the best popiah in Melaka, nay, the world! It's a gem of a find since most people will dismiss the unassuming stall, but not the locals. This popiah stall at Jalan Bunga Raya has been in operation for since time immemorial and picked up a couple of awards during its reign too - including a seal of endorsement by the good people at Ho Chiak!

There is no signage on the mobile stall but this stall is so popular that it doesn't need one. It totally eschews the trappings of modern marketing and prefers to maintain its (relative) anonymity. The queue for the sublime popiah kinda gives it away though. Just look for the Popia Bunga Raya sticker hidden in the stall. :)

The popiah in Melaka costs RM 2.50 (small) and RM 3 (big). The sign says it's open till 9 pm but don't let that fool you! It's a trick, I tell you. A TRICK! The owner usually packs up by early afternoon coz all the popiah is sold out! We wanted to eat this on the very first day, but the stall was nowhere to be found. You really need to arrive early (and queue up) for this.

The secret ingredient which makes this popiah so great is the deep fried pork lard. I have always been highly skeptical of claims that there's one ingredient that makes or breaks a dish, but here I stand corrected. The turnips, another important ingredient in popiah, are fresh and juicy too!

I had mine with chilli sauce and it was just BURSTING in flavor. I approve!

Hail to the King (of popiah), baby!

P/S - Excuse my T-shirt. :p

I am so proud of myself! :)

Dear nail clipper,

It is with great sorrow that I draft this letter to you. I am afraid I can no longer turn the other cheek to your constant and prolonged disappearance. You have been trying to avoid me for the better part of two weeks and I am deeply saddened to inform you that if this continues, I will have no recourse but to buy a new one.

Signing off with a heavy heart,
Huai Bin

"It's like lok-lok...but with peanut sauce!"

Satay Celup originated in Melaka but like most other things it has migrated far and wide. I hear it's even available at the mobile lok-lok trucks around here, but for the Real Deal (TM), nothing beats going to Melaka to eat satay celup!

The place we went to is none other than Ban Lee Siang - one of the renowned satay celup establishments in Melaka. There are two other satay celup places flanking Ban Lee Siang and it's very telling that Ban Lee Siang is the only one packed to the rafters, with people waiting for a free table while the other two are practically deserted.

Satay celup is a Malay word meaning "sticks of stuff" and "dip". The skewers are kept refrigerated and you walk around with a tray to choose the items you want. There's easily 50 different items on offer, ranging from clams to quail eggs and everything in between. The prawns are surprisingly fresh and sweet, and the balled up vegetables provides a nice, crunchy texture. The mushrooms and stuffed chillis are pretty good too.

Satay celup invariably comes with the same setup - there is a communal satay celup pot in a recessed pit in the middle of the table. The satay celup pot is constantly kept full by the staff, who roams from table to table to refill the sauce. The sauce is none other than satay sauce a.k.a. peanut sauce!

This is what makes satay celup interesting. It's like lok-lok (where you dunk food skewers into boiling hot water or broth) except you dip this into a simmering pot of peanut sauce. The sweet (albeit diluted) satay sauce tastes delicious with the meat, vegetables and seafood on sticks. It's a great twist to a classic dish.

The satay celup system, for the uninitiated, is rather like a buffet. You pick the items you want from the bank of fridges and put it on a tray. Each stick is RM 0.50 except the red color coded ones, which goes for RM 0.60.

You're free to eat as much as you want and by the end of the meal, a waiter comes over to count the number of sticks you've consumed and you pay accordingly. Easy!

Satay celup in Melaka is served with bread. The bread is used to soak up the delicious peanut sauce.

I think the peanut sauce actually tastes better after a lot of people have eaten from the same communal pot. The satay sauce absorbs the taste of the ingredients dumped into it by previous diners since the pot is never emptied but refilled.

It's the shiznit, yo.

There's only 1 thing, 2 say, 3 words, and it's not the ones you think. Saya Anti Rasuah (No to corruption) was this huge campaign done by Malaysia's finest to increase the admittedly low credibility of the police force with regards to corruption. You don't need to be a rocket scientist (or a chaos theory physicist) to know how widespread this culture is.

Every little kid in Malaysia understands the concept of kopi-o - the euphemism for bribery. It's sad how corruption can be reduced to "coffee money", a fairly innocent phrase that suggests you're somehow buying our hardworking men in blue a hot, streaming cup of caffeine to combat their fatigue during the long hours they pull. It's just plain wrong.

I'm not saying that the problem lies with the police force alone. It always takes two to tango and a lot of it has to do with cultural and social mores as well. I must admit that I'm no saint and I've bribed enforcement officers several times when I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. It had always seemed to be the "right" thing to do for a victimless crime - the phrase "You senang, I senang" comes to mind.

I've never understood why some people get their panties all in a twist when I do that...until now.

Bribery slowly erodes the society's sense of right and wrong. It can become so endemic and entrenched that it's nigh impossible to weed out. It can go to the point where fire marshals won't put out YOUR house fire unless you grease their palms (I've actually seen this happen). Or police stopping you just coz you look wrong and searching your car, threatening to drag you off to the nearest station for a urine test unless they're going away happy with a few extra notes in their wallets.

We've got to prevent this from happening and the only way this can happen is when everyone stops bribing enforcement officers. Yes, it is easier to just pay your way through, but as the saying goes, the easy way isn't the right way.

You too, can help Malaysia be a better place by thinking twice before pulling out your wallet. Unless it's to take out your MyKad, of course. ;)

Do you think that Malaysia needs a change?

Do you think your voice can make a difference?

YES IT CAN!

It takes a concerted effort by all Malaysians to make this a reality. You too, can make a difference by NOT GIVING BRIBES! Malaysia Boleh!

Snap a picture about how you can make Malaysia a better place and send an MMS to 016 602 9788 before 30th July 2009 with your name and location to be in the running for fabulous prizes:

More details in the DiGi Speak Up Malaysia microsite. This is a contest by Nuffnang and DiGi.

Melaka is famous for chicken rice balls. It's practically an institution over there, with shops dedicated to the golf sized morsels of delight every few meters (or so it seems). There are a lot of established chicken rice ball shops in Melaka, with each person having their favorite. Jennifer brought us to Chop Chung Wah at Jalan Hang Jebat, off Jonker Street.

This place is arguably one of the best chicken rice ball shops in Melaka. The line snaking out of the shop is a testament to the popularity of the chicken rice balls. People actually wait under the hot Melaka sun just to eat the chicken rice balls here. Don't play play, got queue one this place.

The interior of Chop Chung Wah is basic, with seating arrangements that harks back to the 60's. Think marble tables and stools. It only registered to me while writing this that I could very well have fallen off the stool coz I usually sit on chairs. There are articles from newspapers adorning the walls and an interesting anecdote here is that the place got on The Star in 2006...and Jenn was part of the entourage who went for that food review.

The chicken rice balls is hand rolled by an old lady, conveniently stacked five (5) to a plate in an endless stream to cater to the never-ending march of customers filing into the coffee shop. I'm amazed that they can cope with such demand at all - every single table is full, with people queuing up outside waiting to get in. It's an exercise in efficiency, I tell you.

The chicken chopping is done by the son of the owner (who can be rather grumpy sometimes ;)). The family operating this place is Hainanese, and word is, the son is so busy with this chicken rice ball shop that his wife was literally shipped in from Hainan, China to help with the business. It's a true Hainanese place, they take the phrase "keeping it within the family" to new heights.

The chicken in Chop Chung Wah only comes in one variant - steamed chicken. It's very authentic Hainanese chicken indeed. I found the meat juicy and tender, and you can even see the essence of chicken forming a bed for the steamed chicken. The key ingredient in chicken rice is the chilli, as most would tell you, and this place dishes up really good chilli sauce.

The chicken rice balls are actually flavored with chicken stock and have a slight glutinous texture to it. It goes down really well, and we ordered another plate coz five rice balls each is just not enough. Apparently, five rice balls is equivalent with a regular plate of chicken rice. It tastes delectable dipped in chilli sauce!

It's definitely a must try if you haven't eaten chicken rice balls in Melaka before. Just look for the awe-inspiring queue to find the place. :)

I just got back from a weekend getaway in Melaka with Jenn and Michael. It was fantabulously fun! Melaka has changed a lot since the last time I was there (a good 20 odd years ago). It's now super tourist-y and there's HEAPS of Singaporeans there. Almost half the cars we saw had Singaporean plates (both regular and "weekend car plates").

Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself. I remember being there when I was 8, but the details escape me so it was good to take photos and experience Melaka all over again. It's a UNESCO world heritage site now and a lot of effort has been put into historical sites, which was fun for me. I did the eating expedition thing too, full post up tomorrow coz I'm damn tired and sleep deprived.

Jennifer kindly contributed to the sixthseal.com alcohol cabinet by giving me a bottle of Wyborowa vodka (from Poland).

She also bought some Melaka stuff for you guys (er...not everyone la, that's impossible with the size of the company - just the team I'm working with) so I'll be coming to work tomorrow bearing gifts. :)

Don't you just love girls in uniform? ;)

Allow me to wax lyrical about my favorite pork lunch. Restaurant New Yew Sang Seafood is a dai chow place that magically transforms itself into a chap fun (mixed rice) place in the day. It has a rather unassuming façade, but dishes up hearty meals for the office workers around these parts.

The crowd here during lunch is formidable - the tables and chairs snakes lazily out the front of the restaurant and runs along the side and all the way down, illegally infringing on the sidewalk of the other business establishments as a testament to their popularity.

The place isn't really optimal for eating though - the corrugated tin roof causes major heat retention in the afternoon sun and the place is always so packed it's hard to even find a seat. There are two mixed rice places here - one is Malay and the other Chinese. Needless to say the Malay one doesn't serve pork.

I usually come here if I want to take away. The pork has been calling me the entire week - this is the fourth consecutive day I've eaten here. I would eat here at night too, except they don't open at night.

The owner with ready packed rice in Styrofoam boxes for easier distribution.

What's so special about the chap fan over here? It's just chap fan right? Yeah, when it boils (haha) down to that, I can't exactly put my finger on why I like this place. It has an impressive repertoire of dishes with enough variety that you can go for a fortnight without having to eat the same dish twice. That's not the reason though - I always get the same stuff every day. If I was forced to cough up a reason, I'll say it's the pork.

The left flank of food.

I'm particularly fond of the stewed pork over here. It's unashamedly swine: loud, brash and full of fat. It's like there's a neon sign saying PIG over it.This is not a place which believes in taking off the skin and fat before serving pork - the huge chunks of lard and chewy skin is not discarded, but celebrated. Totally unapologetic. I like.

Center.

I always take one huge steamed chicken drumstick in soy sauce - it tastes like the "Asian marinated chicken" I used to get in Countdown (a chain of grocery stores in NZ) to microwave before eating. I think you're supposed to take one piece (each drumstick is conveniently chopped into three bite sized pieces) so perhaps this is why my rice tends to rack up a bill on the high side.

The right flank - the pork is here.

I also like the tomato cooked with eggs and starch, producing that distinctive look. I've never been a big fan of this when I was a kid, but it was the best (as in palatable) dish that the cook in rehab could come out with. You can't exactly go wrong with a couple of tomatoes, an egg and starch.

It usually costs RM 7 for my pork extravaganza...and it's worth every penny (or sen).

View SS 6 Pork chap fun in a larger map

Guaranteed to send you into a post-lunch coma. ;)

I was given a proper tarot card reading while having dinner some time ago. I was quite keen to believe and actually thought hard before picking the cards from the deck. Heh!

Check out the 7:54 video (opus?) if you're so inclined:

The mamak ambience with the tarot cards placed on serviettes on the tables actually added to the experience. ;)

Was it accurate?

Maybe si, maybe no.

I mean seriously, I didn't know the Alpha and the Omega was within cell coverage. I was surprised Yahweh keeps up with the times at all. I guess that newfangled business with U2charist and praying for the CEOs of Google and whatnot is not hogwash after all.

What Would Jesus Do (with a cell phone) indeed...

Update:

#1: Number has been removed. The girl texted me back saying that you guys are spamming her number. ;)

#2: Jeff answered the rhetorical question:

Hmm.. What would Jesus do with a mobile:

1. Ring Josef & Mary
2. Call God for instructions
2a. Report Sinners.
2b. Get weather reports from heaven and hell.
3. Top up less fortunate peoples credit on prepaid plans.
4. Perform miracles, like turn old phone batteries into new ones. Gasp!
5. SMS sermons to his followers.
6. Order pizza.
7. Prank phone calls to Romans esp. Pontius Pilate.
8. Translate Ancient Hewbrew into Latin and debate the pros and cons of roman numeral keypads.

Enough. Now let us pray...

A match made in heaven, solemnized on earth, and consummated in hell

I decided to go on an impromptu trip to Port Dickson during the weekend. It was a totally random (which of course means "The latest buzzword used amongst mindless teenagers as a way of showing just so utterly irreverent their predictable sense of humor is") decision made last Friday, consummated on the same day, with me driving down on Saturday.

It takes about 1 ½ hour to get from KL to Port Dickson. You need to find your way to the PLUS Highway and keep on driving towards Seremban before switching to Port Dickson. It took me close to 2 ½ hours to drive there coz I kept getting lost, but we made good time coming back, in just under an hour. ;)

Anyway, I'm still not sure why I went (much like the reason behind me booking tickets to Shanghai just now escapes me). I think a lot of it had to do with the awesome Corus resort photos (just love that lagoon) and the concept of water chalets. Oh wait, this refreshes me memory. I know why I went...I went for one sole reason:

This cursed glass floor panel on the floor of the water chalets. I mean, its awesome right? You can watch the gently undulating waves come in during high tide and receding the next day. Best of all, the glass floor panel is visible from the toilet, so you can take a leisurely dump while watching schools of non-existent fish swim by. ;)

That, my friends, is the sole USP of The Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson. I wanted to stay at the Corus, but their rooms were all taken, so I booked the Executive Water Chalet at The Legend Water Chalets for RM 450. It's a single story chalet build above the sea with a balcony that overlooks the sea and the refreshing smell of sea spray enveloping you as you chill on the deck.

The deck is pretty fucking awesome. There are two sun chairs and a table for you to chill in, and I've seen people with fishing rods trying their luck with the Port Dickson water. It seems that anglers would find this particularly attractive, since you can just throw your line into the sea from the comfort of your private chalet.

If you're not into fishing, you can check out...the pool. There's no private beach in The Legend Water Chalets which is a damn shame. I wish there was a nice swath of sand to chill by, that would have been great.

The pool at The Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson isn't really that awesome though...it's just a regular pool with heaps of children running around it with their parents in tow. However, we brought a bottle of wine to the pool and drank it by the pool. That was fun. ;)

Anyway, with regards to the food department, I can't really say much about the offerings at The Legend Water Chalets. We went to the restaurant to order food, before deciding to get it sent to our room. The seafood pasta I ordered turned out quite tragically. It tastes exactly like chow meen (Chinese fried noodles) complete with the soy based sauce. It tastes like the chef went all kung fu on its ass.

However, it was a pretty relaxing weekend...

Pros:
Water chalets
A nice, huge bathtub
Shower that opens to the sky
That nifty thingy on the floor

Cons:
Shitty food
No private beach

I'm back from Port Dickson! Stayed in a water chalet above the sea, with morning glories adorning the (man-made) beachhead. All in all, it was a pretty chill weekend. :)

...and now I'm back at home, playing Spymaster. Crap.

P/S - I just realized I spilled Jack Daniels all over the back seat. It seems that I have neglected to properly cap the damn thing in PD before transporting it back. You probably know how atrocious whisky-on-fabric smells like. Fuck me.

I am told there's an undiscovered gem serving awesome Hoi Seen Meen (Seafood Noodles) in SS4, Petaling Jaya. A couple of us went there for lunch. The unassuming place is either called B & Best Restaurant or Restauran Rasa Sayang. I don't really know which really, since there are two signboards.

The trick is to peek in and find this stall. It's conveniently labeled Seafood Porridge & Noodle for those of us who have problems with Chinese comprehension. I'm told it serves both clear and spicy broth. There are reports that you can opt to add in abalone as well, but be prepared to fork over the cash for that. I think its RM 68 for abalone. Not that hoi seen noodles are cheap, it'll set you back at least RM 12 (not RM 11 as the sign says).

You can order a side of fish cake (RM 7) to go with your seafood extravaganza. Might as well do the full Monty right?

There are two variants of Seafood Noodle that you can order:

Spicy Soup Seafood Noodle

Dry Seafood Noodle (the Soup Seafood Noodle looks like this too - just imagine the noodles dumped inside the broth)

I had the dry seafood noodle since I'm not a big fan of hot, soupy things...especially in the midday sun, where you're apt to sweat 2 liters just from attacking the broth.

View SS4 Seafood Noodles in a larger map

It should be noted that all dishes are RM 12 and not RM 11 as the sign states. You can micromanage the type of fish you want too: Choose from garoupa, pomfret, or whatever the catch of the day is. It's pretty good seafood noodles, filled with aquatic goodness!

My apologies for the extended leave of absence. I have been positively sick for the last couple of days and dragged myself to see another doctor just now. I'm still running a fever of 39.5 degrees, which while better than the previous day, is still making me thirst like nothing else. Thus, the good doctor put me on 1,000 mg of cephalexin per day. Doctors giving antibiotics for what is essentially a viral infection (influenza comes from a virus although the doctor thought it was dengue at first) always puzzles me.

On another note, I've been having really weird fever dreams. I dreamt about...Sibu, of all things and the interesting thing is I always see it through rose tinted glasses. It's like I (wonder of wonders) miss the place. That is pretty bizarre coz I never feel homesick. I'm not sure it's homesickness per se, I hear you dream about your hometown when you're really sick, it's just one of those things.

Okay, enough crap, the only reason I got myself out of bed is coz I miss writing. See ya on the flipside folks.

I went to HQnine, TTDI for the Standout with Tiger and Nuffnang party on Saturday night. I wasn't feeling very well that night, and didn't manage to get much of a costume together. I went to get a Banana Republic shirt coz everyone has been bugging me about my remarkable wardrobe. ;)

I went and signed up...

...and who did I see? PPC! (okay, very lame rhymes)

I also met Su Ann, who was there as Cecelia Chung in Edison Chen's photos...

Cheesie...

Kimberly...

...and Suet Li.

The Nuffies are out and about, spreading cheer with their Nuffnang Dollars.

Carol isn't exactly a champion at thumb wrestling, mostly due to her small hands, but props for going for it anyway (and netting me a cool ND 80). I had about 240 (or was it 340?) Nuffnang Dollars which I pooled together with Hitomi and friend (er...my memory is a bit messed up, sorry!).

I also won some from Doria and I was bidding for Yee Hou, which I lost, and it's a good thing too coz the mystery prize was bananas that round.

I nearly won the next round if not for the Spartans (grr...lost by about ND 40 and it was a Nintendo DS Lite) but the stakes were high at the end and I found it impossible to proceed without pooling resources.

It was fun. A three word summary of the night. ;)

I was down with a serious case of The runs (TM) yesterday. I'm not sure if it's something I ate that didn't quite agree with me but I'm glad it has run its course. I'm still feeling dehydrated today from the intensity of the experience. ;)

The National Kidney Foundation provides dialysis treatment for everyone at a huge discount. That's just part of what they do, but most people associate them with this. I will need to have access to dialysis treatment in the near future - I kinda messed up my kidneys and had to undergo an emergency dialysis back in 2006.

I have seen first-hand how the NKF operates, and understand how charities like the NKF require public support to function. My donations in the past have always gone to organizations that I believe in - harm reduction groups sees the bulk of my philanthropy, with Erowid being my favorite group (it's even tax deductible in the US). On the local front, I tend to support NKF, for obvious reasons.

It's hard to take care of others in the current economic climate. I'll be honest and say that I haven't been contributing much in the past few years. Common excuses:

Donate??? Crazy ah? In the current economic crisis?
Sorry lah...I just got retrenched and I have a family to support.
I don't even have enough money for myself...

The Love to Save campaign runs for the entire month of June - just click on the charity of your choice and DiGi will donate RM 5 per click, on your behalf. You don't even have to fork out a single sen!

More of an animal person? Love taking care of the underprivileged? You can also choose to support the following charities:

Nature
SPCA Selangor
Malaysian Nature Society
Borneo Conservation Trust
Global Environment Centre

Medical
National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
IJN Foundation
Hospis Malaysia
Malaysian AIDS Foundation
MAKNA (Majlis Kanser Nasional)

Social
National Council for the Blind Malaysia
Malaysian Council for Child Welfare
Women's Aid Organization
National Council of Senior Citizens Organisations Malaysia
Persatuan Kebajikan HOPE worldwide Kuala Lumpur

You can also setup your own personal group and promote it using the various social networking tools - Facebook, Twitter, or your own blog. You can even set your MSN status to display the code and append signatures like the one above to your emails!

I created an NKF group to spread the word among friends and coworkers. I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and ease of registration. It just takes a couple of clicks to reach the registration page, which only requires my email address, age group and the name of my group. Nice!

I verified my email and the group is good to go after that. The Dashboard is where you go to grab your group link and banners for use in Facebook or as email signatures. You can also keep track of how your group is doing.

The world would be a better place if everyone takes a breather from the rat race and think about others. You too, can make a difference - click on the banner above and enter your email address. DiGi will contribute RM 5 towards the cause with just that one click! Go on, donate with DiGi's money. You know you want to. ;)

It is interesting to note that Fort Cornwallis saw no actual combat to date. Thus, unless you unleash hell at the fort, it'll remain relegated as the fort that never went through the tribulations of war. It's such a sad title. Who will do the right thing? Who here is righteous enough, with fire in their bellies and steel in their balls? Who here will attack Fort Cornwallis tomorrow? - Crap from Huai Bin, 2009

I woke up nice and early on Saturday morning. I only managed 3 hours of fitful sleep on Friday (mostly due to people calling me at odd hours) and crawled out of bed to hit the shower before heading out for breakfast with Cheryl and Kah Wheng. We had planned to hit some of the further tourist attractions in Penang so a hearty breakfast is in order.

Cheryl recommended the chicken rice at (The Famous) Goh Thew Chik Hainan Chicken Rice. I was a little out of it during breakfast but I didn't realize that anyone could tell until Cheryl told me. :x The breakfast was good, and I was having doubts I could even eat lunch coz I stuffed myself. I figured I needed to walk off all that chicken rice so we headed over to...

Fort Cornwallis!

Fort Cornwallis was built in 1786 when Sir Francis Light took over Penang from the Sultan of Kedah with Fine Print (TM) that would make most bankers today go green with envy.

The admission for Fort Cornwallis is only RM 3. I highly recommend this place - it's a famous historical site (it's in our history books) and there's surprisingly a lot to see and do over here...

...and I don't just mean camwhore

...with huge cannons. ;)

Whoa! You gave me a fright dude.

This here cannon is the British Empire's finest back in the days. It's the largest cannon in the fort and a gift from the Dutch (which makes it Dutch's finest, I guess, but I tend to think of other things when that is mentioned) to the Johor Sultanate. The British seized it under the Dangerous Drugs Act: Forfeiture of Property Act of...er, 1701, and placed it in Fort Cornwallis. It even has a name - Seri Rambai Cannon.

BE CAREFUL LADY!!!!

Let us deal with the fucking invaders...

Check out the gunpowder barrels and cannon balls in the artillery store. I loved it!

There are also jail cells for the misbehaving masses...I imagine thieving folks and deserters were thrown in the brig back in the days. I remember going to this gaol in Melbourne and spending the night there. I wish we can do that in Fort Cornwallis.

It is interesting to note that Fort Cornwallis saw no actual combat to date. Thus, unless you unleash hell at the fort, it'll remain relegated as the fort that never went through the tribulations of war.

It's such a sad title. Who will do the right thing? Who here is righteous enough, with fire in their bellies and steel in their balls? Who here will attack Fort Cornwallis tomorrow?

Okay, enough crap.

We headed over to QE II after that. It's a nice beachfront place, but that's not saying much on an island. ;)

I took random shots of historic looking structures...

...before we adjourned to Khoo Kongsi.

Khoo Kongsi (RM 5) is located in some back alley in Penang and still maintains the housing facilities for clan members. Kongsi is a benign triad of sorts, a clan if you will. This is the Khoo clanhouse.

Khoo Kongsi used to be a miniature village and most of the facilities can still be seen around the compound.

However, it is first and foremost a temple, and there are a lot of intricate sculptures and carvings at the temple.

There are surviving members of the Khoo clan up to today. The rooms hold an exhaustive list of the Genealogy of Khoo, aptly called Numbers.

I'm kidding but it really lists down every single Khoo that came in FOB from China to the ones who're alive (and kicking) with degrees from Australia, US and England.

How times have changed...

Continuing along the same theme, the next stop also retraces our cultural roots - it's the Cheong Fatt Tze Heritage Tour. It should be noted that no cameras are allowed inside the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.

However, no one is going to stop you if you go around snapping photos (except for the tour guide, but don't worry about her ;)).

The tour costs RM 15 and it'll be quite informative for those of us who have, somewhere along the line, lost track of our Chinese culture and heritage. I count myself as one amongst this lost generation and I found the tour to be quite enlightening - especially the bits about why they had water in the middle of the courtyard.

The reason they have water in the middle of the courtyard is...er, I forgot. :p

Nevertheless, it's a good introduction to Chinese culture. I learnt that the good Cheong Fatt Tze couldn't ride first class on a ship to England due to racial prejudices back then. He was so pissed off that he threatened to start his own shipping fleet. He could have done so easily with his considerable financial clout but finally the British acquiesced and let him ride first class.

He was also known for breaking bowls before shipping them to avoid taxes against china (as in the delicate tea cups and saucers, not the country) and reassembling them back in Penang. Very interesting. I would advice giving the overpriced souvenir store conveniently located at the end of your tour a pass and go camwhore with the props outside.

Next stop: Bukit Bendara a.k.a. Penang Hill!

...but not before refueling with the famous Penang Assam Laksa at Pasar Air Itam. It's on the way to Penang Hill.

Penang Hill is a hillside resort located in Air Itam. I wanted to go on the funicular railway that brings you to the peak of Penang Hill in 30 minutes. A funicular railway is just a fancy way of saying the railway runs on a steep incline. ;)

Bukit Bendera (Flag Hill) refers to Penang Hill's highest peak - Flagstaff Peak. I figured the ½ hour and 2 km ride to the top would be fun since it was a pretty warm day. Unfortunately, all tickets were sold out except for the 8:30 PM. It would be way too dark by then for any decent photography so we decided to head back to the hotel and come out again later at night.

I managed to get a photo of the Penang Hill Railway. This is the funicular railway (the only one in Malaysia) that propels you to the top. Propel might be the wrong word to use since it takes ages; a leisurely ride is more like it.

You can get to this vantage point by going to the restricted Exit area when you see the train coming down. I don't think the train driver liked me being there though. ;)

Anyway, we got back to the hotel, showered and rested for a while. It was raining heavily that night so a lot of options were closed. It's a good thing we already went to Gurney Drive the previous night. Cheryl and Kah Wheng picked us up and took us to eat the Hokkien Mee in Penang, which is very different from the Hokkien Mee in KL.

We ordered Hokkien Mee as recommended. I had mine with square fish balls and pork ribs. You can actually choose what ingredients you want to be in your noodles - eggs, roast pork etc. Penang is a Hokkien bastion and Hokkien Mee is one of its famed delicacies.

It tastes like what KL people would call Curry Mee. This is authentic Penang Hokkien Mee and to go with it, we ordered a platter of O Chien (oyster omelet). It was a good choice for soaking up all the alcohol we'll be drinking later that night. ;)

We headed to Soi 11 for a drinking session since it's a Saturday and we're due to fly back the next day. I remembered ordering several buckets of beer...

...and sculling it. I also vaguely remember meeting some local chicks and getting their numbers. The Memory Keeper (TM) went on sick leave and I couldn't remember much after that. Heh! I told you I shouldn't mix, Cheryl. ;)

Now...where are we? Okay, the drinking session ended at around 2 am and Cheryl and Kah Wheng sent us back to Cititel. The Memory Keeper (TM) also kicked in around that time and I remember we have to eat the famous Sup Torpedo at Sup Hameed. It's conveniently located right outside the hotel and it's only open from 6 pm - 3 am, though they extend (LOL!) the opening hours when there are customers.

Bull's penis is the shiznit...

...and for some strange reason I couldn't sleep that night and ended up ordering room service (in Penang?!?!?). I didn't know what I was thinking but when I woke up I found the remnants of a club sandwich. I can't remember if I paid for it but the room was charged under my credit card, so I just let it be.

Jesus, eating room service in Penang. I blame inebriation for this sin. :p

The RM 1,000 bankroll kindly furnished by MAS is still looking healthy and there's only one more day to go!

Next up: Penang Day 3!

The T9 text prediction on your cell phone defaults to gin instead of him when you text someone.

Okay, enough crap, this is just too good not to share:

An amazing reinterpretation of Total Eclipse of the Heart. ;)

I've always been a big fan of Penang Asam Laksa. I prefer asam laksa over the santan (coconut milk) saturated variants out there. Cheryl brought us to the best Penang Asam Laksa in Penang when I was there for the long Labor weekend.

In true Penang tradition, the best Penang Asam Laksa lies not in an air-conditioned food court but at Jalan Pasar in Air Itam. The stall is a bit dingy and the seating arrangements nothing more than plastic stools and slightly shabby tables beside a drain.

Appetite stimulated by the authentic smells and ambience, we ordered ice cold five fruits soup (it's a shaved ice dessert popular in Sibu too, except we call it five tastes soup) and fried popiah with century eggs.

The Penang Asam Laksa (RM 2.70 and worth every cent) at Pasar Air Itam did not disappoint - it came in a broth that had the signature medley of tastes distinctive of asam laksa. Tamarind? Check. Lemongrass? Check. Onions? Check. The hearty soup went down really well with its minced fish pieces. It's awesome-ness!

I also learned a trick from Cheryl - dipping popiah into the rich Penang Asam Laksa broth is addictive! I'm lovin' it.

"Over here in Penang, we just call it laksa". ;)

ruumz Most Wanted ruumate finalists have been announced! I was supposed to go to the Meet & Greet session with the finalists last Monday but I couldn't make it to Packet Hub in time. I managed to get the group photo from ruumz though. Okay, work beckons. :)