Unimpressed

What is real and what is fake? Netflix's 3 Body Problem had a brilliant portrayal of the Cultural Revolution which enveloped China for many years from 1966, but beyond that, the eight-episode series felt damp. I forced myself to finish watching the first episode but I doubt that I'll be watching the rest of the series. 

Mind the gap

Margaret McCollum, after the death of her Oswald
Laurence, sits on the bench waiting to hear this
recording that became one of London's most famous
"Mind the gap" announcements. 

I thought this story was absolutely heart-warming! In London, there's a woman who goes every day on the subway and sits on the dock just to listen to the announcement recorded by her husband in 1950.

In 2003, Oswald Laurence died leaving a huge void in Margaret McCollum's heart. So Margaret found this way to feel his presence closest. But after more than half a century, this voice was replaced by an empty electronic recording. 

Out of distress Margaret asked the London subway transport company for a cassette tape of the recording so that she could continue listening to her husband's voice at home.

But learning of the moving history, the company decided to restore the announcement in the only stop near the house where the woman lives, specifically at the Embankment stop of Northern Line. Today, all passengers here still listen to Oswald Laurence's voice and think that eternal love really exists.

Wonderful gesture by the authorities (Based on a post by Yasiru Lakshitha.)

52nd anniversary

Happy 52nd Birthday to the Abbey Road album cover! This is one of the most famous, if not THE most famous, photographs in the history of the record cover art designs and was taken 52 years ago today.

The photographer was Iain MacMillan. On 8 August 1969, he stood on a step ladder in the middle of the road to shoot the cover of what would be turn out to be the last recorded album by The Beatles. Appropriately, it would be named after the street where their recording studio was located. The photo showed the band crossing the street while walking away from the studio. There's another photo from their 50th anniversary album in 2019 which showed them crossing the street in the opposite direction.

The photo shoot lasted ten minutes, and MacMillan took only six shots from his perch while the traffic was held up by a policeman, from which Paul picked the cover. 

Old George Town

A few days ago, this image of old George Town in the 1920s or 1930s popped up on my facebook feed. The main thoroughfare in the image was that of Downing Street. The domed building belonged to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank before it was demolished after the Second World War. Indeed, both the buildings on the left have been demolished too to make way for the Bangunan Tuanku Syed Putra which opened in 1962. On the right, the single-storey building and the building in the foreground have disappeared too and an open-space carpark occupies the space. But the building in the background on Beach Street still stands today. It used to be occupied by The Chartered Bank but no more, the bank (now Standard Chartered Bank) having moved further up Beach Street to new premises. 

The picture rather intrigued me and made me scour the Internet for some old images of London and came upon this one of Piccadilly Circus looking down into Regent Street in the 1920s. It's amazing how much parts of old George Town had looked like London in the past, what with similar vintage cars moving on the streets.

Finally, I's like to compare the first image with a picture of today's George Town. This picture below was taken from Google Streetview, practically from the same viewpoint but a little elevated. The building on the left is the Bangunan Tuanku Syed Putra.

The school that built a nation

Coming to a cinema near you in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, the screening of this documentary film, The School that Built A Nation, which commemorates the Bicentenary celebrations of Penang Free School in October 2016. 

The documentary in Kuala Lumpur on 1 July 2019 will be graced by the presence of the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail who, like his father Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, is an Old Boy of the School.

The tickets - priced at RM1,000 and RM100 - are already on sale and the monies collected will go to the Old Frees' Association Kuala Lumpur & Selangor's scholarship and association funds.

"This is a good opportunity to reconnect with school mates and to reminisce with old friends as well as to support the scholarship and association funds. Do get in touch with Melvyn, Adi or any of the committee members for your tickets!"

The date for the Penang screening has yet to be announced but it is also expected to be in July. An announcement by The Old Frees' Association is forthcoming.

The School that Built A Nation was commissioned by the OFA KLS to mark the Free School's 200th anniversary in 2016. The production team had even travelled to London and Dittisham. The latter was the birth place of the founder, Robert Sparke Hutchings. In London, the team met up with John Hughes, the son of the School's last British headmaster, JMB Hughes. John Hughes himself was born in Penang.

Here is the teaser trailer for anyone who haven't seen it.

Penang Street

Fancy that. In the eastern London Borough of Tower Hamlets, there is a short, quiet road that is named after Penang. Our little island is remembered in England; this is a part of England that is forever Penang! Unfortunately, I don't see any other Malaysian state similarly honoured although there is a Singapore Road to the west of Greater London. Penang Street is a quick four-minute walk from Wapping Station. 

The Farthing Fields end

The Prusom Street end

London, Days Four, Six and Seven

Nothing much was achieved on our fourth morning in London, basically because we were waiting to be picked up by Allen Choong who had rented a car to drive us to Dittisham. But first, before we could even leave London, See Liang Teik requested to be driven to Leicester Square where he wanted to buy a ticket for the West End show, Les Miserables. The problem arose because we were all unfamiliar with London traffic and we lost considerable time going down the wrong roads, despite using a GPS unit, or driving into dead ends. But eventually, we did manage to resolve the problem with good old Google Maps on my mobile.

That done, we finally left London slightly after noon and reached Dittisham at about five o'clock. A quick shower at the Red Lion Inn, and we were again on the road, this time to Paignton where, together with the convoy of cars from the overland drive and other Old Frees who had flown in from Malaysia and Europe, we were to attend a dinner hosted by Lotus Group UK. The drive to Paignton took us to Dartmouth where we had to take a five-minute ferry ride across the River Dart.

THE DARTMOUTH FERRY

That's not a flooded or submerged road. That's only the end of the road where vehicles will drive on board the berthed ferry.

The ferry approaches, pulled by cables.

  

DINNER AT PAIGNTON

  The main banquet hall of the Palace Hotel in Paignton

 Saw See chatting with Aslam bin Farikullah, the Chief Operating Officer of Lotus Group UK

STONEHENGE

We left Dittisham at about noon on Day Six to head back to London but along the way, we decided to make a stopover at Stonehenge. However, it was past three o'clock by the time we arrived at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre and there wasn't enough time for us to go in and walk around. Besides, Allen was concerned about having to return the car to the rental company before six o'clock. Therefore, after spending about half an hour walking about the Visitor Centre and buying souvenirs, we were on the way again. We felt disappointed. Stonehenge was so near and yet so far. Then, as we drove back onto the highway, we suddenly noticed Stonehenge to our left in the far distance. Allen slowed down and I managed to whip out the camera and capture a few shots. 

LONDON AGAIN

Unfortunately, the London afternoon rush hour traffic loomed ahead and by the time Allen managed to drop us off at the Manor Hotel, it was almost eight o'clock. I really don't know what happened to Allen and the car after that. I never got around to asking him.

Meanwhile. Liang Teik was persuading us to join him at the Kings Head Pub in Bayswater. The Kings Head Pub, according to him, was the most happening place for chess in London in the 1990s. So we took the Tube from Earls Court station to Bayswater. A short walk took us to the Kings Head Pub where we found people eating, drinking, reading and socialising. They were doing everything except playing chess. Liang Teik asked around but drew a blank from the waiters and staff. Chess? Never played here, they replied. Oh well, we looked at each other and shrugged. Perhaps the passion for chess at the Kings Head Pub had long disappeared. 

Since we were there anyway, might as well have our dinner. We were hungry. We ordered our food. I chose their Fisherman's Platter while Saw See and Liang Teik went for the Mushroom and Chicken Pie. And we waited for them to arrive. We waited. And waited. Well over an hour. Saw See's and mine managed to arrive. Liang Teik's dinner never came. Even after complaining, his food never arrived. We decided to leave. He called for the bill and was given a 20 percent discount on our food. Anyway, as an afterthought, I must add that the pub food at the Kings Head Pub wasn't that great. A "Great British Pub" they are not. Sad.

 The food looked better on the menu than it tasted. Serious!

  

 

Day Seven of our stay in London saw us heading to Earls Court station at an unearthly six o'clock in the morning. We were on our way to Victoria Station where we would finally catch the Gatwick Express to Gatwick Airport. We were going home and yes, I finally got to experience my Gatwick Express train ride. It was a short stay in England during which time we experienced life in a large cosmopolitan city as well as in a small English village. Best of two worlds. It's only because of Penang Free School's Bicentenary that we got the reason to do that. Goodbye, London, I really hope that I shall get the chance to see you again.

London, Day Three

Our third full day in London began with us going for the walking tour to Buckingham Palace. For that, we had to meet at the Charing Cross Road visitor centre to await the tour guide and other tourists. Can't remember what his name was, but he was good. Unfortunately, he walked at breaknecking speeds and we had a hard time catching up with him. If not for him waving his beret above his head, we wouldn't know which direction to follow!

WALKING TOUR

Catching a breather near Trafalgar Square. The Japan fair was over and not surprisingly, most of the crowd too.

  

I could have sworn that the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation lion looks about the same as this.

The office of Tourism Malaysia in London.

Admiralty Arch. I hear the central gates open only for royalty to pass through. Plebeians have to drive through the side gates.

Hello there, Horatio. How's the weather from up there?

The first of many parades which we saw that morning. This one's on horseback and so, it is something more special than to watch soldiers march.

The first of several marching bands too.

So here we are, after walking down the Mall, we have arrived at the Victoria Monument.

We asked and we got it. A snapshot with one of the mounted policemen.

We weren't the only tourists outside the gates of Bukingham Palace.

Victoria, oh, Victoria, when can you be more cheerful?

The Mall doesn't look too short a road.

ST JAMES'S PARK

The St James's Park.

Pelicans at play, pelicans at work.

HORSE GUARDS PARADE

The grounds of the Horse Guards Parade.

NATIONAL GALLERY

By the time we walked back to Trafalgar Square from Horse Guards Parade, the weather had turned and for the first time since our arrival in London, experienced a drizzle that caused everybody to try and seek shelter elsewhere. We chose the National Gallery as the gates were the closest to us. We were wondering whether to go in and have a look around when we chanced upon their restaurant's menu. Fish pie. Traditional English fish pie! We were excited. Several months ago, we had attempted to make our own fish pie here in Penang, using a time-tested Hainanese recipe that a friend had shared with us. Now, we faced a choice of ordering fish pie here in England. Without a second's hesitation, we sat ourselves in the restaurant and ordered it.

Traditional English fish pie. Other than a mixture of mashed potatoes and onions to cover the top, the pie tasted very similar to the one cooked by our Hainanese friend. But we'll have to share our discovery with him, no doubt about that!

Our hunger satiated, now we could spend time exploring the National Gallery. Here, we have Saw See admiring a portrait of Giovanni della Volta with his Wife and Children, completed in 1547 by the 16th Century Italian artist, Lorenzo Lotto, who lived from about 1480 till 1556 or 1557. This family, seated around a table, hung with an expensive Turkish carpet, was probably that of the artist's Venetian landlord. Lotto asked for payment of 50 ducats for this commission, on account of the fine colours and high quality; but he received only 20.

As an example of another painting we saw, this one was called The Virgin and Child, painted in 1527 by Jan Gossaert who died in 1532. The Child's outstretched arms prefigure the Crucifixion. The golden letters on the stone arch were taken from the biblical passage where God spoke to the serpent after the Fall (Genesis 3:15). The words referred symbolically to Christ's triumph over evil.

Note the air vent on the floor from where the air-conditioned air flowed out.

FOYLES BOOKSHOP

Emerging from the National Gallery back into Charing Cross Road, I had one small indulgent to make: a visit to Foyles which was once reputed to be the biggest bookstore in the world. I wonder whether they still are in the age of the Internet. Anyway, the shelves were filled with every conceivable book title, such as these which I found on the fourth floor of the building.

HARRODS

By the time we emerged from Foyles, our feet were getting tired again and so, we decided to re-board the Hop On Hop Off bus and see where it would take us. The one that arrived next at the bus stop took in the direction of the Tower of London again but instead of crossing the Tower Bridge or London Bridge, it took us across the Southwark Bridge, skirting around the southern shores of the Thames - the London Eye looked so enticing from close up - before crossing the Westminster Bridge back into more familiar territory. Somehow, we found ourselves at the Hyde Park Corner station from where we started walking towards Harrods. Saw See insisted on stepping foot into Harrods for the ultimate experience, even though there was nothing to buy there (but we did buy something at the end).