The November issue of MYC!news just came in this evening.. and i must say.. it didn't turn out as bad as I had expected it to be.. I just hope that December wouldn't be a 48 hours job again.. Check it out at your nearest Starbucks or McDonald's if you want a copy.. or you could just call me (and belanja me teh tarik or milo ice) and I'll get one for you. Hehehe.
My aunts from Singapore and I had traveled to Penang for a 3 days - 2 nights stay (cause they were 'itchy backside'... can't keep still at home). The rest of the days were spent shopping in KL and where ever that had a Sommerset Bay boutique.. (I think i have been to at least 7 outlets .. from Penang.. to KL). My aunts have some.. fetish for the clothes there.
Took a couple of nice shots while I was at Penang. It has been a long time since the last time I had fiddled around with a camera... for my HOBBY.. and not for the magazine. Hehehehh...
P.E.N.A.N.G
It started off on a rainy day.. (after a mere 5 mins of planning for the trip.. speak about spontaneous).. and I was feeling bored after the first 30 mins.
*me with my pink.. sunnies*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
And.... I couldn't help admiring my toenails.. (finally.... a much needed pedicure after 4 months.. courtesy of Aunt) and a RM10 star toe ring from Bonita.
*daisies on toes!*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
It rained for most of the journey.. surprisingly.. there were no speed traps by the police - just a line of abandoned hideout tents along the highway. The traffic was pretty much bearable.... until the Penang bridge..
*rain.. and the signature jam of Malaysia*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
The rest of the evening was spent at Batu Ferringi. A spot where there's a tourist night market along the same row where Golden Sands Resort is - the hotel where i had locked myself out of the hotel room whilst wandering along the carpeted hallways: looking for the same two aunts in my pink pajamas with pink kitten motive (mind you.. that was 18 years ago) until some kind ang moh brought me to the reception: the receptionist kept announcing over the intercom "Will the guardians of a lost 6 year old little girl dressed in pink pajamas named Su Lynn come to the reception counter immediately". And amazingly, I wasn't crying. And my aunts were nicely having a morning stroll along the beach.... Pfftt.. I should have stayed in the room to watch Tom bullying Jerry on telly.
There was nothing much worth buying from the silly market. It's a place where traders charge non-locals absurd prices for their wares - there was this salesgirl who sold a Sinma quality bracelet for RM55 to this bunch of ang mohs from Australia.. just normal silver plated with a few miserable studs of 'gems'. So i brought my aunts to eat at an open air hawker centre to makan some char kway teow and assam laksa - and being the fussy food critiques my aunts are reputable for, they complained about the bubur cha cha being so diluted to the shallow dish that the satay gravy was served in.
The night was young when I turned in for the night.. not before watching Astro (yay!.. TV!... after ...err... a year of not tuning in!) discovery channel's documentary around fat wives being favoured in South Africa... (ohh. the irony.. :P) and calling my loverboy for a good night kiss.
The next morning we took a stroll along Gurney Drive to the nearest shopping centre.. (to guess where... yup.. Sommerset Bay).. where my aunts had laid their paws on the cheapest bargains. Went to some.. market after that to makan at a quaint little shop which serves ... .. some kinda nyonya styled food. Then went for a tour of the island in one of my aunts' friend's car. Had a dizzy spell up the hill.. passed some resevoir.. a fruits park.. some durian trees.. (with no durians on them).. an abandoned fruit stall with rotten manggis hanging like prayer beads from the roof.. more durian trees.. a butterfly park... and guess what.. more durian trees!
*see the monitor lizard taking a midday sun bath?.. Hehe. That's my aunt's arm - shot taken by the walkway at Gurney Drive*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
Then we stopped at er... Air Hitam.. and my aunts guzzled down more assam laksa at a rickety stall in some.. isolated kampung area. Then we stopped at the friend's place where I was amused by the collection of fish tanks that she had in her living room. There were small tanks on the coffee table, on top of the cd rack, beside the TV, in the toilet and at the balcony. I had half expected to see guppies swimming in the toilet bowl too. Most of the tanks were occupied by pregnant mother fishies and tiny baby fishies...
Then we had a normal chinese dinner at an open-air hilltop.. market restaurant with more long lost friends of my aunts. And I have to add that the place stank like it rained chicken droppings. That seemed to be the most significant finding of the night. Heheh.
The next day, after laying their hands on more Penang goodies (and that 'sek kek ma' sticky.. biscuit thingy for me!), they decided that they just HAD to go up to see the Kwan Yin statue at the hill before we had lunch with more long forgotten friends.
*the famous Kwan Yin statue.. they are going to built 16 pillars of stone around it.. each with a circumference of 8 - 9 feet of carved dragons and phoenixes.. and 1000 mini 'golden' Kwan Yins around it.. and a magnificent altar to boot*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
Just a facinating side note that I heard about this magnificent symbol: Apparently, there was a much taller, white coloured Kwan Yin in place of the current gold replica of her a few years ago. However, the governing authorities of Penang brought up the issue of her height - she should NOT be taller than the peak of the Penang National Mosque. So, numerous works of 'cropping' the base and remeasuring of her height took place until she began to look.. ... .. stumpy. So... .. .. to make a 'tall' story 'short', they took the exact measurement of the mosque.. and made a 'less' impressive GOLD version of the Lady. *shrugs*.. she's still on a hill (which means much higher ground = 'tanah yang lebih tinggi = ketinggian bukit dari paras laut adalah lebih tinggi berbanding dengan ketinggian tanah rata dari paras laut') .. don't know what's the fuss about.
*a carved window .. thingy at the steps up the pedestal where Kwan Yin reigns - gotta love the intricate details*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
*an aerial shot of Penang from the top of the hill and one of the statues 'guarding' the temple*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
*a conceptual shot of another one of the Guardians*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
*carved stone water buffalo - made in China - it's like... 6 feet in length.. and a gadzillion tonnes in weight - I bet you can never fit one of these in a DHL Jumbo Box. Heheh.. *
~an original p@ssion-@rt
*an aerial shot of the err... mini temple - those hexagon like thingys at the bottom of the picture are the pieces of the stone pillars - each slab is imported all the way from China and then pieced together to form pillars taller than the Kwan Yin statue to hold up a roof shelter-sorta-altar-thing to keep her protected from the elements*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
Then... we had a lunch of Porridge Buffet (at Crompton Orkid Hotel - courtesy of long lost friends batch #2) - which did not taste as good as KL porridge - i think the salted peanuts were the best bet. Had a little chit chat about my job position.. they seem to have a high regard for 'branding' people.. Heh.. wait till they meet the M&M's clients... ... ..
*panoramic view of Penang.. I think you can spot Komtar in the center*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
I had to drive the long journey home.. it was not too bad.. My aunt's Renault is a good drive (yarrr... at 140KM/hour.. nyehehehe.. 3 hours flat to KL). And my aunt had fun fiddling with the Canon (which is incidentally hers... i've yet to get a good camera.... and a PS2... a new cupboard... and a red Porsche... and a bungalow... with a pond and 3 hunky butlers.... .. etc.. )
*i like the... perspective of this picture*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
Then it was back to home sweet home.. .... with an additional kg at least.. :P. And it was my brother's 19th birthday (another kg from the cheesecake).. and I caught Buttons' smile on camera.
*my cutesy-fluffsy-fuzzy Buttons*
~an original p@ssion-@rt
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