Penang War Museum

Tourist attraction to be struck off the list.

Penang War Museum

Yes! Finally I have been to somewhere touristy! The next destination would be the Peranakan Mansion. Hmm, I wonder when I will have the determination to go. If it were not for friends, I think Penang War Museum will be the last place that I will visit because it is so far away!

All of a sudden, my cold seemed to get better when I was out having fun. Thank God for giving me strength in times like this!

So the adventure began at approximately 9:00am on a clear Sunday morning, 12 August 2012 to Batu Maung. The fares cost me a bomb! RM4 to go to Batu Maung from KOMTAR. Two and fro would already be RM8! That excluded the fare back to Feringgi. Add another 50 cents to the total of fares and I would be able to purchase a ticket back to Ipoh. Oh well, it's way cheaper than driving to the site though.

The journey took almost two hours from Feringgi to Batu Maung (inclusive of the time we waited for bus). After an arduous journey on the bus, we had to hike uphill to the museum for another 500 metres which felt like 500km under the afternoon sun which was fortunately filtered by the shrubs and trees along the way.

This was the sight to behold. The mark of the start of our adventure!


Let's begin the journey to take a step into the past.

I was a little apprehensive before entering the museum because I did not know what to expect. RM20 per entry so it better be good. I mean, better be good in the supernatural department.

I did not know what I expected to see or hear then. Probably some shadows and sounds of screaming from the living quarters of the soldiers? I really had no idea.


It was reopened in 2002.


A soldier greeted us when we entered.


Lest we forget the brave and gallant soldiers who fought for our country, look at this. A memorial stone is erected to commemorate them. Did you see the figure in multi-coloured outfit? That was not a ghost. It was me. Hehehe!!!

Please be prepared before scrolling down to the next picture because there is something real in it that you will soon find out.

A brief description about the photo: The location is just opposite the memorial stone and right behind it, a banner with a figure that looked like a Grim Reaper chopping the head of someone is hung in full view with Japanese words "Sayonara" (which means good bye in English) written on the painting. Gruesome.


Oh yes, the human skull is real if you are wondering.

Entertainment is essential and pivotal to the survival of humans even in times of war.


Here's the proof. They played the piano till the keys were peeling off.



These are snapped from the barracks of the British soldiers.




They were drinkers too.

I didn't snap many photos so the photos that you are seeing here are just random shots taken whenever I felt like it.


During the Japanese Occupation.


One of the original bicycles the Japanese soldiers used to invade into Kota Bahru in December 1941.



Wanna take a ride home?


I have no idea what this was.


This picture was snapped from one of the torture chambers. I don't see how torturing it was but there was one room where a mannequin with long hair covering the face stood in the room. That was torture for me.  


A huge snake outside the torture chambers (if I am not mistaken).

The next photo is also quite shocking so brace yourself before scrolling down.


The boards hanging on the wall were used to chop off the heads of the Japanese soldiers when the British returned. That is literally putting your head on the chopping board. I actually touched one of them without knowing the purpose of the boards in other chambers.

*shudders*


This tunnel leads to a few rooms used for discussions on strategies. Rumour has it that the light will automatically turn off at random so visitors, remember to keep your flashlights on all the time while passing through the tunnel.

We spent approximately one and a half hours in there and after visiting the museum, I felt thankful that I was not born during the World War II era.

I guess I shall stop writing now and hope this post does not scare some of you till you can't sleep at night. There is no escape from haunted places because every place has its own past and there is no way you can change that. :o)

Next up: Wait for it.... I might go eccentric and post up something interesting again.

Healthily gone for two months but sickly back after that.

It is a surprise, isn't it? After disappearing for more than two months, I am finally back here to pen down something. I can be a little eccentric and do the impossible -yes, I call posting an entry in my blog impossible because it feels like a chore most of the time - when I am sick.. Well, not that sick. Probably I should call it less healthy. :P

The period from the last post I wrote till a few days ago, I was still very much myself. By saying that, I mean I was as healthy as I could be. How I wish I could answer, "I am fit as a fiddle!" whenever anyone asks me how I am. All I could say was, "I (let out a Super Cough) am (another long stretch of Super Coughs) FINE!" Notice how I capitalised the last word because that is exactly how I desperately form a sentence now from my mouth. The sentence would rise in a crescendo and ends with the last word ending up as a shout, most of the time. Sorry if some of you who have spoken to me experienced my reply in this manner. I absolutely did not mean to be rude or being deaf. It is just how the cold is taking away my good manners.

I remember the last time I had a bad cold was the beginning of last year when I first started my industrial training. How time flies! Weird thing though. I seldom get sick when I was in Ipoh but here, I have been struck by the cold virus for three times! I hope third time's the charm and this will be the last of it. No more cold for me. Okay, I will allow you (Mr. Cold) to visit me for a maximum of 24 hours and after that duration is over, you have to be gone!

On an unrelated note, sort of related I guess, because I feel a little stressed out due to my current sickness as there are so much to follow up at work at the moment since my dear colleague is going to leave for another department starting from next week. So it means, I have to be versatile enough to do jobs for two people. Not to mention some of her tasks are quite different from what I have been doing so I just have to get used to it.

Tuesday will be the only day for me to do handover with her. Hope we do not leave out anything important!

Counting down to Raya as I will be back home eating all the wonderful delicacies again so Super Cough, I warn you not to ruin my festive mood! Be gone by then!

Signing off with another blast of SUPER COUGHS.

*cough cough cough*

UGH.

Before I forget, please like www.facebook.com/rasasayangresort if you haven't because we have great promotions to offer and it will be quite a waste for you to miss it.

Okay, thanks and bye!

A Saturday of good food

Today is Food Day! Come and check out the food that I had from morning till night.

BREAKFAST: Dim Sum at Sun Kok Kee Restaurant, Bercham


This was our selection. Scrumptious! We had another round of the furry balls and more rounds of tea (a compulsory beverage as accompaniment to the dim sums).

There were not many people at the restaurant considering it is a Saturday. A good experience to have breakfast there since there are less people around! I don't guarantee it is like that every week though.

LUNCH: Spare Rib Rice at Home-Cooked Recipe near Woolley

Our initial plan was to eat at the Taiwanese Shop near Jalan Yang Kalsom but it was not open (I think, as my sis showed me her friend used a voucher there today. Weird.) so we went to Ipoh Garden and had our meal there.


This was how it looked like when it came. One piece of pork for RM1 (according to Eunice) since there were only 4 of them and the cost of this meal was RM5.50.

It was quite delicious so no further complaints other than the number of pork slices.

DINNER: Tom Yum and Kangkung with Chilli Paste at Koh Samui

This was the highlight of the day when we had our most awaited tom yum at Koh Samui. It was my second time there and the place had not change much.


The tom yum that satisfied my stomach.


Looked pretty ordinary but the chilli paste was heavenly. I could just mix the gravy with my rice and finished the whole plate!


What better drink to order in a Thai restaurant than the Thai tea? Refreshing and thirst-quenching!

At the end of the evening, we were all bloated humans.


There was not a single drop of soup left! If only the lemon grass could be eaten, I would have consumed them too.

I am not exaggerating. Probably not many will agree with me on this unless you love tom yum.


Even the kangkung was not spared. Yum yum.

So that is the end of my Saturday in Ipoh.

Oh yeah, I finally collected my HND cert from the college. I am officially graduated now that I have the certificate!

A Tribute to a Good Friend

I am still feeling numb by the news. So this is how it feels to know someone whom you know personally passes on. When I received the news, my initial thought was "This must be someone else with the same name. It can't be her." But reality sometimes catches you by surprise and you have to accept the truth no matter how much you wish for it to be otherwise.

I remember you being a tough young lady, always filled with energy keeping the noisy bunch of us in order. It is hard to speak of you in the past tense because you are still very much alive to me. The memories of all those years ago, being in the same class as you for the mere one year when we were fifteen, are jumping out of the archive of my mind seeking to be seen and relived. 

Thank you for being a part of my life once. Though you have bade us farewell, you will be forever etched in our hearts as an incredibly smart and talented girl. And most of all, you are a great friend. So long, comrade. Till we meet again in eternity where there are no longer pain and sufferings.

Siew Pik, rest in peace. 

Tangy laksa on a warm Saturday evening

I don't have to think so hard on where to eat for dinner every Saturday as the night market is only walking distance away!

Been dying to try out the laksa for the past few weeks but somehow did not so this time, I went straight to the laksa stall although the Malay economy rice looked tempting.


This is where the delicious laksa is born!


I always prefer mine with no hint of vege so I can taste the soup better! I can actually eat two bowls of this but it is unwise to spend too much on being a glutton.

So what did you have for dinner? Feel free to share with me in the comment below.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I will go to church to be spiritually fed again. I am guilty for not feeding myself well on my own. Oops.

***

On another note, Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort &Spa has opened a Facebook Page! There will be many more updates in due time and why not be the first one to receive upcoming promotions and events? Click here to like the page! Thank you!

Walls' up!

Here are a couple of photos of the renovation outcome. A safer haven for us all to live in.


The lower step is for us to keep a look out at anything suspicious. Just kidding. It is more practical to put the padlock of the main gate before locking it each time we go out.


Elly and Elsa very well hidden in the corner.

***

I had a delicious lunch today but as I was too hungry, I forgot about snapping a photo. It was sotong with vege fried with belacan with a complimentary bowl of laksa soup. The soup was really tasty!! Until now, I could still imagine how it tasted like. My stomach is growling at the thought of it. Yum yum. 

That's all for today! I wonder what to have for dinner later.

Aerobics and the Naughties with the Great Walls

I had another good session of aerobics after work. I find today's session quite strenuous compared to last week's. Probably I was late so I missed most of the strenuous parts. My mobility today was quite limited as I was wearing three quarter pants.

Lesson learnt: You either wear long pants or shorts that hang above your knees. 

I realised something when I came back home after the session. I have yet to learn the name of the instructor although it has been two sessions working out under her. It is funny how getting to know her name did not cross my mind at all.

Every Thursday is workout day for me now! Nothing to be proud of, I know but to me, it is a great achievement as I will never take the initiative to exercise being the lazy person I am.

Mom sent me two pictures of The Naughties this morning. These are the two best photos ever as both of them have the same pose.


Elsa with her funny ears.


Elly trying to prove that she could do better with non-funny ears.

Tomorrow is the final working day of the week! What better way to spend the full weekend that comes after  that than to sleep through the day? Maybe mopping the floor?

I shall let my brain decide for me when Friday is over.

I heard, or rather seen the pictures, that the renovation at home is over (well, almost as there is more finalisation to be done in June) and the walls are quite impressive. They give off a feeling that we are all in a refuge and isn't this is what a home should be? It is the best decision being made ever! Fix a fan on the ceiling and we can all practically camp outside without being eyed by nosey neighbours. Only the neighbours staying opposite us can see our activities but a vision that needs to cross the road is not powerful enough to scrutinise our every move.

Now, the dogs can even jump up against the wall as they like without risking being poisoned.

P.S. Happy birthday, Foo Suk! You might not see this post but I still would like to wish you Happy Birthday for the second time of the year. Hahaha!!!

Happy Labour Day!

It is another public holiday! Happy Labour Day, everyone!

This is the day that I always plan to do some room cleaning but I end up procrastinating. I hate to say it but the 'P' word is ingrained with me. I just cannot shake it off! The next thing to think about is what to have for lunch. I hope the chicken rice stall is open so I can order my favourite chicken/roast pork rice.

My initial plan was to wake up early and shower so I don't go back to sleep. It did not happen. I woke up at 9.15am today. TWO HOURS LATE! But I shall give myself the excuse that it is a public holiday and no one should wake up early today. Hahaha!!!

My home has been under a minor renovation for a week now and here is the progress from Day 1 to Day 6.


Bricks nicely stacked                                                                      Daytime


Painted with cement and soon to be tiled                                  Beautified by tiles!

***

The other day when I was in Ipoh, I went to Jusco at Station 18 with my family. Dad got a voucher of RM50 for Nando's so we headed there for lunch.


The addictive chicken coated with Nando's special sauce!


Peri-peri Fries, Bread, Grilled Salad, Baked Potatoes and the main course - The Ultimate Nando's Chicken!

Another look at these pictures and I will need to go to Gurney for another round of Nando's. I shall refrain from looking!

Are you hungry already?

Last weekend of April

It's been another weekend back in Ipoh and I enjoyed myself tremendously although it was a short trip. Let's see what I did today.

 Went to Christ Church with mom and sis and it was a good service. Plus good food! The people there were so warm and friendly. Really felt like home. :)

Came back soon after that and it was shower time for The Elles. Here is a  picture of us bathing the reluctant Elsa. Every time we want to drag her to the shower area, she will lie down and pretends to be deaf.

 
Say Cheese!!!!!!!!!!

Time truly flew when I was enjoying myself and it was time for me to head to Medan Gopeng for my 3.45pm bus back to Penang. I will see you all again in three weeks' time!

I was still full from lunch at 2.00pm just now so did not buy the sandwich from the ferry. In the end, I bought a tin of biscuits from the mini market at Ferringhi and had a simple dinner.


A few delicious biscuits to line my stomach.

One last picture of The Elles before I sign off.


Immortalised in picture.

Last but not least,

Happy Labour Day in advance! 

Let's bid April goodbye and welcome May 2012 to our lives. May May (pun not intended) brings us more success and warmth. Erm, this is turning into a festive message. Hahaha!!! 

A night out with Wei Theing

I had a great evening yesterday. Went out to Gurney Plaza with Wei Theing (a training friend of mine since last year) to watch The Hunger Games and we bought popcorns and drink. Since we were both not that hungry nor thirsty, we shared the single bottle of mineral water. At first, the resolution of the cinema screen was badly adjusted, but someone went to complain and it was back to normal again with the actors' head no longer being cut halfway across.

The Hunger Games was great! Now I have got the spoiler of the novel (which I am currently reading) but it is okay. I love spoilers.

After the movie, Wei Theing brought me to a hawker centre where the Hokkien Mee is said to be very famous. The hawker is located just directly opposite Him Heang at Burma Road.


Delicious Hokkien Mee at only RM3.50. Thanks for the treat, Wei Theing!

We also ordered some appetisers before the noodles came.

Pandan egg tarts and normal egg tarts.


Two paus that were quite hard but tasted good nevertheless.

Time to introduce this sweet girl to you!


Wei Theing posing with her noodles.


Last but not least, me with the food!

By the time I reached home, it was already 11.30pm. It's so good to be able to go out and eat and watch movie to my heart's content.

There will definitely be another outing soon! Next, we go to Sungai Petani! Just kidding, Wei Theing!

April Fool Post

First and foremost, Happy April Fool's Day to all! Did anyone get fooled?

It was another half day of work yesterday and I received a message from Elaine asking whether we would like to have lunch together. So we went to McDonald's and I ordered the McChicken at RM6.30 inclusive of tax. It was good.

Last night I supported Earth Hour by switching off unnecessary light (in my case, only one) in my room. There is only a small, pathetic bulb but it's all right. I have done my part as a good citizen of Mother Earth. Erm, a confession to make. I actually forgot it was Earth Hour before I went out to the night market below and then it struck me when I returned. So I actually contributed to world-saving for only half an hour.

Bought myself a couple of fishballs and three siew mais for dinner since I had a heavy lunch (at McD as well as the staff cafeteria).


Looked good, didn't they?

They were delicious.

So Sunday came and I dreaded to get up from bed for some reason but thank God, I heaved myself out of bed and got into the bathroom successfully.

I learnt this theory every morning: Once you manage to get into the bathroom, you will not feel sleepy anymore especially when the first shower of water rains on you.

It is like a second alarm clock. Super effective!

We had a guest speaker for the day and his name is Pastor Daniel Ross who came with his lovely wife, Shannon. The topic today was about how following Christ is not a bed of roses but it means to have the faith to die for Jesus every single day, trusting the plans that God has for us is wonderful and whatever hardships we are going through are part of the process to get there. Inspirational message. For more information, you can check out his website here.

After the service, I thought there would be curry puffs and milo but when I got down to Level 2, there was nothing. They probably planned for the fellowship to be for Easter next week. So I headed to Prangin Mall and bought a ticket for Mirror Mirror (only RM9 for Sunday! Will be watching more movies at Lotus Five Star Cinema from now on.) show at 12.20pm then had my lunch at 75 Food Court.


RM5.50. Not too bad since it was good. I guess when you have a great start of the day, everything you eat will be tasty.

So how was the movie?

It was a good, refreshing twist of the classic Snow White and this version of Snow White was much braver and less stupid. You should go watch it!

The next movie in line: Snow White and the Huntsman

I seem to be targeting all the Snow White remakes.

I came home at around 3.15pm determined to do the laundry but as soon as I saw the bed, I slept off and decided in my dream that I should do it tomorrow. Procrastination has stroke once more! I thought I have defeated it long time ago.

I woke up two hours later. Afternoon naps are bad news! There goes my two hours on Sunday.

Went to have dinner at Long Beach with Kah Men and this was what I ordered.


Char Koay Teow at RM4. I finished it in less than 5 minutes. And I drank the glass of barley in less than a minute.

When we were done with our food, we walked back to the car and realised there was another car blocking me. So we waited for around 15 minutes before the owner came along and removed his car. The car park keeper gestured an apology which I took graciously when in my heart, I really wanted to ask for a refund of the RM2 since the service was so terrible. How could he double and triple-parked all the cars to maximise the capacity so that more cars could go in? Maybe time is hard and I should not be so harsh on him. At least I didn't say a word when I was blocked. That was good enough.

This post has gotten kind of lengthy and I shall be back when I have more updates.

Adios.

A few lines

I feel like writing today. I don't want to be lengthy but just to pen down a few words, hopefully a few lines if the mood and the mind are still here with me.

Today had been pretty interesting and I realised the more you meet people, the more eloquent you could be. It just needs practice. That was a long conversation and my growling stomach told me it was time to stop and head home. We had a great time though. I wrote minutes for the first time and I guessed I did okay. Next, I want to write a press release. Haha, just kidding.

As soon as I got home, I received a message saying Elly had been throwing up for the whole day. I remembered something in the past that slowly crept back out to the surface as I read the message. Saffy had been throwing up and I took that as a bad omen because it did what it did and when I heard about Elly doing the same thing, I could not help but worry. I just hope she gets well soon.

Currently engrossed in a novel entitled Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson. I could not imagine spending my life not remembering anything when I wake up the next morning and have to do things all over again for the day, dreading its expiry the moment I close my eyes and sleep. The book is unputdownable, of which the term not suitable for me to use as I am reading the e-book. Still, my eyes could not look away from the screen whenever the PDF file is opened.

I guess I shall stop for today. Elly, please don't die just yet. You still have loads of poop to eat. Think about that!

1st post in March because I had been lazy

My blog has been dead for almost a month now. Again, here is a post to say that I am still alive and kicking.

Been in a new position for three weeks now and I am still coping. This whole Communications thing is still too new for me.

The second day at the new workplace, I joined in the birthday celebration for January and February babies!

This was how the cake looked like. Delicious.

A couple of days ago, I saw this car in front of me with a cute occupant inside.


This picture was snapped while I was waiting for the traffic light to turn green while on the way to work. Isn't he/she a cutie? I guessed it was a retriever.


He/She was helplessly looking around while the car was idle. Must be wondering where the owner is taking him/her to. Maybe a visit to the vet?

Dinner today was black pepper chicken rice. Only cost me RM4.70. Not too bad.

Not only was it yummy but it looked absolutely delicious too.

Another great Sunday tomorrow. Hope all of you have a great one too! By the way, tomorrow is also Car Free Day in Penang at Beach Street so if you are here, come and join the crowd!

Convocation 2012 at Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur

Finally, I officially graduated. The convocation ceremony was held at Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur on 25th February 2012. For this purpose, we took the opportunity to have a holiday and booked two nights at the Royale Chulan Hotel around fifteen minutes walking distance from where the convocation was.

Something that really touched me.

Thank you for the cute teddy! It was indeed a great artwork. You could not buy this from anywhere!

Although the whole ceremony was pretty long, I enjoyed myself in the midst because I finally got to meet some of the friends that I had sort of lost touch with after moving to Penang.


A reunion picture of us HND (missing Patricia there) and Miki and Alfred from DHM.

The most valuable picture that every student covets:

The proof of all the toil and hard work after a few years. Oh, and that is the Chairman of the Raffles Education Group, Colin Pereira.

It did feel surreal to stand on the stage receiving the folder. Was this for real?

I am too shy to post the studio picture here so you can go scout it out from the album in Facebook. :)


My sis, the teddies and me

The best alternate background for the studio photo.

Thank you for all the congratulatory messages!

The outcome from graduation: Got a cold as souvenir from KL and I hope I get better by tomorrow. I don't want to appear sick on my first official day at Communications.

A slightly tainted Monday

Yesterday., my sis and I decided to watch a movie at GSC Ipoh as I have a complimentary ticket to watch a movie with asterisk sign for my birthday month. You could call it one of the most deserted cinema in Ipoh because there were hardly ever humans who watched movies there. Everyone would be at TGV for movies although the ticket pricing were more expensive.

So we watched Ah Beng and it was a hilarious movie with some touching scenes. For local production standards, it was not bad.

After the movie time, I felt like eating at Kenny Rogers and since there was no special occasion to celebrate, my sis said why don't we celebrate on me going to a new department on Wednesday? I thought it was a pretty good suggestion as it would make me feel less guilty for spending much on lunch.

We browsed through the menu and finally decided on the 1/4 chicken with 3 side dishes meal.

The muffins that came with them. Vanilla and chocolate.


Sky juice


My choices of side dishes: Rice, Macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. I chose original flavour for the chicken gravy. It is the best!


My sis' selection of side dishes were pasta salad, fruits and mashed potatoes. The chicken gravy was black pepper-flavoured.

We had 6 different types of side dishes so we shared all. Instead of getting only three side dishes, we each had six!


Ready to chow!

Initially the plan was to go for shoe shopping at Ipoh Garden South right after that but some technical problem arose and we had to wait for dad to pick us up. What a black Monday! So I will just have to postpone the trip to the shoe shops today.

While waiting for dad to come, we went to Popular to browse some books.

I was shocked to see this section for pens were almost empty! Where have they all gone? The BB1M vouchers must be the culprit.


See the comparison with the other sections. Those looked more normal.

At night, we had a grand dinner again, this time at Black Canyon, Kinta City. I was craving for the Fusili Chicken Tomyam and it was really kind of dad to take me there.


Oops, sorry for the blurry pic! It didn't look like that when I snapped. Then again, I should have checked the result of the picture to see if I should snap another one. It is probably best to leave the picture as it is though because clearer picture will definitely make you salivate more.

See how thoughtful I am? :P

I even snapped some pictures of Elsa before her bedtime.


I said 'Pose!' and this was what she gave me. Hahaha!!! Funny dog!

One in a million picture. You can never get another picture like this.

Will be taking the bus back to Penang in less than 5 hours. I will try to come back every alternate week when I have my Saturday off. It will be nice to be home so often. :)