Life, food, travel, happenings, arts from Penang and beyond.
Happy Chinese Dragon New Year From Nick Chan – Woohoo, it’s the time of the year again, relaxing, exciting, reunion and red packet, it’s Chinese New Year! It’s the Dragon Year, I wish all of you have a prosperity, healthy, wealthy New Year ahead. Cheer!
Enjoy 7aste Hong Kong At 32 Mansion, Penang – Hong Kong, I love Hong Kong, do you? Hong Kong, the World City of Asia, a unique destination with multiple personalities and global connections to many of world’s cities. In Hong Kong, you can find the perfect blend of rich heritage and cultures as Western customs and ancient Chinese traditions intertwines. The neon signage, the steam-filled canteens and the always busy street, as well as awesome Hong Kong city scape, are just so beautiful.
Well, the main point of this post is, you can soon enjoy Hong Kong too in Penang! Yeah, that’s right, Hong Kong is coming to you at 7aste Hong Kong, which will be happening at 32 Mansion, Penang on 3rd February 2012, 7.30pm.
7aste is a brand that represents smoothness that inspires. 7aste is about good gatherings, sharing and to enjoy exclusive privileges as well as to witness the many interesting cultures from various cities just by experience 7aste. 7aste is just awesome.
The first time ever! 7aste Hong Kong event is held exclusively at 32 Mansion, Penang only.
So how do you get the entry pass? Is it free? Find out more about it at 7aste Facebook and 7aste website. =D
Visit To Pulau Aman, A Peaceful Village Island – The state of Penang does not only consist of Penang Island, but there’s many small islets laying around the main big Penang Island, e.g. Pulau Jerejak, Pulau Aman, Pulau Betong, Pulau Tikus, Pulau Gedung, Pulau Rimau and Pulau Kendi. Some is inhabited with people, some is not.
Pulau Aman, also known as ‘Island of Peace’ is a island off Batu Kawan of the mainland of Penang, I have seen the name from Penang’s Tourism brochure, as well as the road sign while driving on the North-South Highway, but I have no idea what’s Pulau Aman is about until then.
#2: You pay for the ticket once you on board the mini speedboat.
#3: Timetable of the jetty.
#4.
After doing some research on the Internet, Pulau Aman is actually a small Malay fishing village and famous for the Mee Udang (Prawn Noodle, different from the Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle). There’s is also one historical attraction, the Telaga Emas and a short stretch of sandy beach, as well as chalet for rent. Nothing much else.
#5: No fishing at the jetty.
#6: You can see a lot of jellyfish here, so it’s strictly no swimming here.
#7: It’s Penang Hill at far.
I visited the island with a bunch of friends last week and our main point of the visit was actually to eat the Mee Udang and the Mantis Prawn, which the island famous for too. From Penang Island, I travelled to the mainland Seberang Perai then headed south to Batu Kawan Stadium direction. From there, you will see direction board pointing to ‘Jeti Ke Pulau Aman (Jetty to Pulau Aman)’.
We then reached the Jeti Batu Musang, the jetty on the mainland that ferries people to the island. There’s a new jetty complex which is yet to open to public as it’s still under construction.
Ticket price to and fro the island is priced at RM6/person and there’s various traveling time per day, the earliest boat is 8am. We went on the second boat at 10am. It takes about 15 minutes to arrive at Pulau Aman.
#8: The jetty.
#9: Getting onto the speedboat.
#10: Me and dear, Hueisean.
#11: Traveling across the sea.
#12.
#13.
Upon arriving at the island, a sense of peacefulness and sound of nature approach me as the island and the city is totally two different place. Hustle bustle of city sound cannot be heard at here. It’s sea water, windy sea breeze, chicken, and the laughter of the local inhabitant at the village can be heard.
We were hungry and we went straight to the famous Restaurant Terapung for Mee Udang as our brunch.
#14: A map of attractions.
#15.
#16: Old Malay-style house.
#17.
#18: That’s the new jetty on Pulau Aman, but not open yet.
#19: That’s Bukit Mertajam from far.
#20.
#21.
#22: Instax of us!
Because of time is limited to us on that day, I did not have much time to visit the whole island, I will visit the island again and do some real exploring on it.
[This is an invited food session]
Oishi Frozen Yogurt At 1st Avenue, Penang – Frozen yogurt, frozen yogurt. oh, frozen yogurt, they are now like everywhere in Penang. Many new outlets popping out here and there just like the Taiwanese bubble tea and desserts trend. People nowadays enjoy desserts very much.
On the highest floor in 1st Avenue, also known as Cloud 8, located right outside the Tanjung Golden Village Cinema, there locates a very new frozen yogurt kiosk with a very cute theme and name – Oishi Frozen Yogurt. Oishi Frozen Yogurt is the latest F&B outlet in 1st Avenue Mall and has just opened not more than a month.
I was very lucky to be invited to join a group of food bloggers to try out their yogurt. “Oishi” actually stands for yummy/delicious in Japanese and the pinkish setting portrays a kawaii cute theme of the mini desserts cafe.
Same as other yogurt shop, the yogurt is priced by the weight of the yogurt itself plus the topping. It costs at 49sen/10gms which is much cheaper than other yogurt shop in town. What’s interesting is that you can pick from more than 18 toppings for yogurt.
As for the yogurt choices, there’s four variety for you to pick from which are Peach, Raspberry, Original Yogurt, and a non-yogurt type, Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream.
After trying 4 of the yogurts, I found out that my 2 favourites are the Peach and Original Yogurt. They are sweet and sour which is just nice. Raspberry was rather sour to me and Belgian Chocolate is just another chocolate ice cream.
I get a chance to pick and mix the yogurts with any topping of my choice and the yogurt I took costs about RM12.25 which is rather reasonable with 2 yogurts and many toppings.
Well, do give it a try as I feel that the best part of it is the pricing and the peach yogurt which is just simply yummy.
OiShi Frozen Yogurt
8th Floor, 1st Avenue Mall, Penang.
Business Hours: 10.00am-11.oopm (weekdays), 10.00am-12.00am (weekends)
Telephone: +6012-9614235 (Mr Lim Kai Yi), +6017-9381809 (Ms Cynthia)
View Shiok Or Not : Food Map in a larger map
Visit Tow Boo Kong Before Chinese New Year – Tow Boo Kong, the very famous temple in Raja Uda which also known as Nine Emperor Gods Temple is now decorated with Chinese New Year lighting and become very beautiful and magnificent at night. Besides that, the whole open compound of the temple is converted into a night market site that runs until Chinese New Year where people can shop, pray, see and eat.
It becomes very happenings at night. I was lucky to be around Raja Uda, Butterworth area last night so I went there to check out as I heard it’s very beautiful at night. Indeed it look very grand. The temple only lights up during festival like Chinese New Year and Nine Emperor Gods festival so you must not miss out right now.
Yeah! Gong Xi Fa Chai!
Party Rock Anthem Shuffling With Traditional Lion Dance – Traditional Chinese Lion Dance is always about the lion head and two people in it, dancing with the Chinese dong dong qiang drum. It’s nice, it’s fun to see, it’s the Chinese tradition that this dance can scared away the Chinese monster – Nian.
The tradition has preserved until today until lately, the dance and the music has been modified, upgraded! See the video below that the lion dance with Party Rock Anthem and shuffle with them.
#1: Guang Ming Daily Press Centre.
光明新春庙会 Guang Ming Daily’s Miao Hui 2012 – The press centre of Guang Ming Daily on Macalister Road turns into a happenings carnival on last Sunday night where thousands flocked into the compound of Guang Ming Daily and Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Centre. It’s the annual ‘temple fair’ by Guang Ming Daily which is a mini carnival that stages performance, dragon dance, lion dance, and a mini art-craft market in conjunction with the celebration of Chinese New Year.
This ‘temple fair’ or known as Miao Hui to the Chinese is a smaller scale of Chinese New Year carnival celebration by the Penang State Goverment.
#3: Sun Yat-Sen Centre on Macalister Road, Penang.
It happened on the Saturday night that I was free and have got nothing to do, curiously, I went to check out the Guang Ming Miao Hui on Macalister Road, armed with my photography gear. My friend Min Xiang, Kok Sheng, Sammy and Stanley were there too, I went there to meet them up.
#4: Kaka Art Market.
The whole carnival occupied two addresses on Macalister Road, the Guang Ming Daily & Sinchew Daily Press Centre and the Sun Yat-Sen Museum. There’s a mini art market (Kaka Art Market) at there which sells plenty of cute and cool handicraft. All the handmade were pretty impressive and nice. I bought something at there too.
#5: Cute handmade bunnies.
#6: Some handmade.
#7: More handmade.
#8: Figurine.
#9: A shit head figure.
The Miao Hui is mainly about the mini art market, stage performance which includes local artists, dragon dance, wushu demostration, magic show, dance performance and a special appearance of traditional dragon dance – Ban Deng Long 板凳龙, which the long dragon is made of wooden plank and then decorated with colourful Chinese lanterns.
#10: Wooded dragon – Ban Deng Long.
#11.
#12: The dragon is now flying.
#13: Happy boy.
#14.
#15.
#16: Min Xiang.
#17
#18.
I spent about 2 hours at there photographing and chatting with friends and home I went. Chinese New Year mood is coming very early this year with these Miao Hui carnival. Happy early Chinese New Year my friends and everyone! =)
