Bagan Ajam Beach

After finishing work this fine Sat, (6am till 3pm) i decided to take my 3 kids out for a drive, My intention is to scout for a location with good view of Penang Island, so i can take some night photos.

View of Komtar from Bagan Ajam.

I found it, and i also found a decent beach not to far from Butterwort at Bagan Ajam along the BORR highway at the BORR Bagan Ajam Rest Stop. Click here

Beach, Nice Sandy, just like what you will get in Penang Island, only with view of Komtar

Close Up View of the Ships

"The 4 fingers" at Tanjung Bungah on the Island, A Controversial condo Project

the Beach, with view of the Port at the Back

A Speeding Sampan

If some one put their heads to it, this area can be the Esplanade, Gurney Drive and Queensbay of Butterworth,

Birthday @ Corner Club

Happy Birthday Mom!

It was mom birthday, and we started looking for a wheel chair friendly restaurant to take her to. Having that in mind, I suggested Corner Club, as it was pretty wheelchair friendly and the food is good.

As it was quite some time we have been here last, I was surprise to see the ramps at the restaurant entrance have vanished. Still it is easy for my mon to step out of the car, and manage that one step up in to the restaurant.

That when we notice that the restaurant have undergone some extensive renovation, it bigger, brighter, neater, and that i begin to get worried on the food quality.

To cut the story short, the food quality remains, it's still as good as before, even with the new management, the renovation, all the usual menu items remain, and now you can even get tim sum at night here.

They dont bring the tim sum in carts any more, you order from a photo menu, and they steam them fresh and bring it out. I like that, many time i have to eat soggy tim sum due to oversteaming in the carts.

Price wise it remain the same. Any way we enjoy our lunch here! and will be back for more

Water Tap Display

Normally when you enter a shopping center wash room you will find that all the taps are similar, well not this shopping center wash room, it also serve as a tap display showcase! Every single tap inside this place is different!

Red Garden, George Town, Upper Penang Road

Cross a Food Court and a Nite Market, you will get Red Garden. formerly a Pub, now this old mansion have been transform in to a food court, that concentrate on late nite crowd, as some of the stall were not even open or ready at 7pm. It have two entrance, One on Upper Penang Road, while the other is on the road behind, where New Cathay Hotel is.

I use the Penang Road Entrance which is inside a Car Park, Very Convenient, However the car park is pricy, RM2/- per hour.

Nice interesting Ceiling Decoration.

Oyster Omelette, Fairly good, Up to Standard.

Chicken Rice, Overall, Urg! No comment, however if you eat just the chicken it fairly well done. The Rice is some thing else though. Even My wife agreeed. Western Food, Better then average . . . . There also a few shops that is open just like a typical nite market. This place is a place where you have to go late, It cater to the tourist as well as the night drinking crowd, and there are singers around too.

Neww BT Food Court

There is a new Food Court in Town. I have not sample the food there yet, but i is a big food court, with all the usual hawker food and some. There is also a lucky draw or some thing. Location : next to Am Assurance along Burma Road, Just after Penang Plaza.

Food here is not cheep though, But it big, wide and airy, not hot at all, and many many car parks which is important. I will be back here to try it out. This food court even have a web!

Restaurants & Parking at AEON Seberang Prai

I like AEON Seberang Prai, (at Bandar Perda) because in bring to the Penang (Mainland) some of the frills of Penang Island Shopping and KL Type Restaurants. I was there last night, not too crowded, but not bad. There is good parking space with sheltered walk way and the access is nice.

It even have a lot of handicap parking, spots, however i notice some not too civil conscious drivers will park their car at this location, when i walk past there was this merc and kancil, and they don't even bother to park properly. In the Restaurant Corner you will get all the usual suspects such as KFC, Mac D, Nando, Kenny Rogers, Starbucks, some KL grown restaurants like Secret Recipe, Nandos, Laksa Shack, White Coffee, and some local grown restaurants . . . . What i notice is some of the restaurant are pack, Mac D, Pizza Hut, White Coffee,while some business are not so good, like secret recipe, nando, kenny rogers, Is this due to the Penang Price Factor, and perceive value for money? The Main thing however as a person in the Hospitality industry is that all the workers seem to be FOREIGNERS, even some restaurant all the SERVERS and the COOK are FOREIGNERS including the captain, supervisors, managers. . . . One Restaurant though, (a KL Chain, on the 1st Floor) seem to be making a effort in hiring locals, there was a small banner up, Manager 3K, Supervisor 2K, etc, To me Salary seem to be on the higher side of norm, but there seem to be no takers? What Up? Locals are shying away from working in Restaurants? etc.

26th Aug 08, Public Holiday for Penang

it seems that 26th Aug 08, has been declare a Public Holiday, (via malaysiakini , the Malaysia Insider & NST on line) by Penang Chief Minister Mr Lim Guan Eng, to enable voters to vote in the P44, Pematang Pauh By Election. . . . . That well and good for the Govt Servants, a few Private sector employees may follow suite in granting the Holiday. But most in the Private sector, especially in the Hospitality Trade like Me, will be working as in our appointment letter spell out the number of Public Holiday that is available for us. I am not hopefull to get that extra one day off. . . . . For some its just 8 days, other may be more, at my current working place its 14 day, not bad already. . . . . Well every one will do what ever to get their ppl to win.

Time for a New Note Book Computer

Time for a New Note Book Computer

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It time for me to get a New Note Book computer, My current Notebook (which I purchase 2nd hand) is feeling it’s age. It’s symptoms include very Slow Boot up time (5min), It will slow down when switching applications, it Hangs when shutting down, Batteries is practically dead 30 min only and I just purchase another acdc adaptor for it. I have it close to 2 years already, and who know how long was if running before I purchase it.

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It is a Acer Travermate 2300 series with a 15in screen, Celeron 1.5 Ghz, 40 gb Harddisk DVD – RW, with 256MB DDR, it has serve me well.

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I have in fact been looking for a long time, various Notebook, sub note books and net books, but it still come back to a Note Book that have a bit of power to handle graphics especially now I am actively taking Photographs, and Small. Financial it is going to be a strain, but thank to cost saving I think i can manage, In view of my productivity time and that my home & finance minister want me to get a computer for my daughters.

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One of my colleagues just bought a Acer Aspire 4920, for RM2499, which appear decent enough for me with Dou Core Processor 2Ghz, 160gb hard disk, 2Gb of DDR ram, and a 14 in screen. (it seem that the whole department staffs that need a computer, have purchase Acer for various reasons.) Then I saw the Acer advertisement for a Acer Aspire 2920-6A2G16 for just a RM100 more, same specs4920 as the except for a 12 in screen, Looks perfect for me.

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I want to Prangin Mall, (Convenient car park, numerous computer shop), and started walking around. Shop 1 say yes we have, but to order, Shop 2 say, we don’t sell Acer, Shop 3 say yes, we have any time, in fact why don’t you try it out now, we have a demo set. Great!

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And the best it is Pineapple Computer, a Computer shop that is around from the 086 days, Some how or other then my first 086 desk top, computer shop I purchase, does not last long.

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The Manager demonstrated the Laptop to me and I tried it out, key pad is a bit smaller I think, I have to adjust. I then ask him what disk comes with it, as I had some trouble after reformatting my Travel Mate as i did not have the disk, He then surprise me by saying no disk, its all built in, Acer (or is it vista?) have a system where by you can recover the HD to original, ie reformat and reload all the programs to factory default. Just save your "Data" into the other partition of the HD he said it will all be there afther the format.

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This I like, as when surfing the web, and doing work, my computer slow down on me, due to cookies, virus, spyware, malware and what not, and when I cant take it any longer, I will take it to the shop to reformat it again.

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Well I will be getting the Notebook soon, after consulting with my Home & Finance Minister. J. My old Laptop will be for my 10 year old daughter to learn computers, after I have download all my item and reformat the hard drive.

Bathing Baby Buddha

Bathing Baby Buddha at the Malaysia Buddhist Association Building, Burma Road, Penang Island, not too long ago on Wesak day.

What a Crowd! at Malaysian Post Office

On My way to work today, I pass by a Small Village/Town Post Office at 8.10am. There was a crowd of people all waiting for the post office doors to be open, which i assume at 8.30am . What all this people doing? Waiting to get the Vehical Petrol Rebate.

Traffic Jam at Green Lane exit.

Penang is famous for its traffic jam at the Green Lane Exit, when using the costal highway, especially when entering Penang Island via the Penang Bridge.

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Years ago back when the only exit is the green lane exit, when i drove back from KL for the first time, i was stuck at this point for 1 hour, Imagine KL to Penang Bridge, 4 hours, then for a distance of around 2 km, it took me 1 hour.

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With the New Jelutong Highway open all the way in to the Jetty, you did think that traffic at this spot will have ease. Yes it did, but it will still jam up, Why?

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Well it is due to the drivers who jump que by driving on the left and then cramp them self in to the underpass toward green lane which is on the right lane. I will forgive those car with out of the state plates as they might not know which lane to use, but for the others.

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I manage to get this snap of a car (circle) cutting in to the underpass as i was the passenger this day. I do hope that the Penang Police Chief or His traffic counterpart will place a traffic police man here, Oh the number of saman he can get will definitely exceed his quota for the month.

Pasar Malam - Nibong Tebal

Pasar Malam = Open Air Super Market, with many vendors.

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Location, from north (trunk road), before you enter town, turn right, go straight.

from south (trunk road), when you turn right just before the flyover, immediately turn right, then left. Landmark = Nibong Tebal concrete Boat.

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Large Chinese base Pasar Malam, 500 meter Plus in front of blocks of shops.

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I will let my snapshots do most of the talking.

Need replacement Electronic parts

I don't need tables

Toys and Stuffs Traditional Medication can cure all Hmm, Silver and Gold Trinkets on wheels Traditional Munchies Here the Cloth Racks Steaming Hong Kong Chee Chong FunThe Finish Products Local Delite Chye Koey with Chives Buy Me, Buy Me, Slippers hanging in rows House Hold needs

Termites!

The house I am renting now is having Termites! For the last 5 days i and my family have been sleeping with the fumes of the Termites Spray, as well as not having a ceiling in the bath room.

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Replacement Wood being delivered

The saga started when our next door neighbour ceiling collapse, and my wife notice the termite pest control people came, and she started looking at the ceiling, She call our land lord which came by to collect the rent and told the landlord about it.

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Results of Busy Termites having meals

Land lord said we know about it, and we said "please do some thing about it." Privately i told my wife, if nothing is done, we are moving. Result a man came and did some spraying and check the wood, and told my wife, do not park the car at the poach, it may drop down any time.

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The Landlord was inform and work to replace the wooden beams started. We ask that person to take a look at other locations and that when the toilet ceiling was remove. Thank God after 5 days all the work is over, with all the daily cleaning but the termites are still around some where, our other next door neighbour is also doing some repair works.

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The mess to be clean up

Quite a bit of the wooden beams was remove, and speaking to the repairman, he say this not the first time repair work have been done. In hind sight, i notice new houses being build in the area use aluminium beam, and the local neighbourhood store now say that no one want to buy these houses.

. Well Lucky I do not own the house, but i am worried of my furniture which are mainly wooden or chip board, i will have to do some treatment on my own.

Fort Cornwallis India Mee

One in a while I get offer of free food in exchange for some work done. Well on this day the reward was Fort Cornwallis Indian Mee or Hameed 'Pata' Special Mee. and i must say that it is good.

This stall is located at the Fort Cornwallis Food Court, so those tourist out there you can drop by when you visit the fort. Well patronise, especially by the navy guys (from the nearby RMN base), Though I have to give this warning, Do not order your noodles extra Spicy hot, unless you can really take it. (I come from a family that spicy is normal, extra spicy is good), It was "Explosive" hot, and had a bit of trouble the next day.

To accompanied the mee, was Ice Kacang, a small bowl topped with Ice Cream, which help to cool down the hot noodles that i have ordered.

Back to the Main Course, the Noodles was explosive spicy hot, serve on a metal plate, (to prevent breakage), but tasty and good, with generous topping of Sotong (cuttlefish) mmmm. I can feel the noodles going down. I will be back for more, though with out specifying i want in extra hot.

1 final advice, the food court is a bit run down, crack cement, old tables etc, so i would advice those who like to consume their food in nice bright food court to think about it before coming here, But then the crack cement, old tables, tree growing through the roof add ambiance to the street food you can get here.

Federal Place/Theater Char Koey Teow

This Char Koey Teow Stall use to be at the Maybank that is near Lorong Kulit, where is a sign that say Kimbley Street Char Koey Teow, Now having move here there a Sign here that Say Ah Leng Char Koey Teow.

The Coffee Shop

Located not too far away from the Padang, Police Station at Datuk Keramat, the Stall is at a coffee shop just opposite Federal Theater or now what is now know as Federal Place along the main road George Town heading to Ayer Itam, Parking is hard to get.

The Stall (Right in front)

The Char Koey Teow here is as pricy at the one in Lorong Selamat, RM5 per plate normal and RM8 ++++ for special. The fella here use duck egg, and this stall is open for lunch. As with the price, what you get is extra big prawns. It is just as good as the stall in Lorong Selamat, without that long of a wait.

But to me it really a place i come too often, I bring out station big spending friends here as they are impress with the big prawns.

Lorong Selamat Char Koey Teow

Reputed at the Best Char Koey Teow in Town, a blog recently comment that the stall move shop just a few shop a way in a new coffee shop, As i was in town and need a urgent fix of char koey teow, i drop by and try out the new shop.

Now is this the original char koey teow? I am a bit, 50 50 to say either way, though to me it that this stall have loss some taste, but it look like the same person cooking it, and charcoal fire is use. I only been here once. It's still good, (dont get me wrong) but a bit lacking in taste on this day.

I like the new coffee shop though, its clean. I had the normal Char Koey Teow which is 50% more then what us penangite usually pay for char koey teow. ;-) as the special is just only extra prawns and stuff. A bit disappointing is the lack of Cockles. which to me is the highlight of Char Koey Teow.

How to get here?, simple, look for the UMNO Building, or the Pakistan Mosque, Lorong Selamat is just next to the UMNO Building.

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I will need to confirm by trying out the stall at the original shop.