More than two hours on the Penang Bridge

Will there be no let up in the weather? Ever since I saw the weather forecast on Penang two days ago, it has been gloom and rain. On the right is the weather prognostication from Weather City. Yes, more rain expected the whole of this week. Never seen so many rain icons for a localised region before...

Yesterday's rain came in the afternoon and it has been wet all the way throughout the night and this morning. Traffic out of Bukit Mertajam was actually quite smooth and i felt rather breezy but the moment I hit the major intersection at the Pacific MegaMall, it was a traffic snarl all the way until the mid-span of the bridge.

So say what you want about the third lane on the Penang Bridge. You may expand the bridge all you like but there is no denying that the heavens have the ultimate say. Will try to post some pictures on the traffic jam tonight but in the meantime, enjoy the next few days of rain, rain and more rain. If not for the traffic, I really do enjoy the nice, cold, wet weather!

An update: my friend Eric just texted me from Kuala Lumpur to say that the weather there is bright and sunny. Feeling rather intrigued, I viewed the weather satellite picture of the peninsula. It's interesting that there is a patch of cloudless sky over the Klang Valley whereas Penang is drenched wet! Pardon my inverse metaphors but that patch of green is like an oasis in a desert. A dry oasis in a wet desert.

Bloody health scams

The Star reported this on its front page yesterday. (Important news must have been a bit slow coming in on a Sunday.) It's about a scam perpetrated by Chinese sinsehs, alternative medicine practitioners and yes, even unscrupulous doctors. What they'll do is to take a droplet of your blood, put it under a microscope and then tell you that you are susceptible to a host of impending health problems. The newspaper identified this scam as the Live Blood Analysis (LBA), a discredited test method in the United States but which has sprung up as a scam in the country.

Well, I don't know about it. At least, none of the doctors I've visited lately in Penang has offered to do this test for me. So, I would like to believe that my doctors are ordinary, honest-to-goodness folks. The only time that I'll ever have my finger tip pricked is to test for my sweetness level...and even then, my doctors would caution me that this test is not totally reliable.

But bloody hell, health scams in Malaysia are nothing compared to that carried out by the greedy mainland Chinese. I'm sure that if you have visited the Old Country as a tourist, you would have been taken by their tour guides to visit all sorts of places including factories that produce the so-called traditional Chinese medicine.

I would admit that I've fallen victim to this scam in China. The moment you step into the premises, someone would pounce on you and bring you to one of their resident Sinsehs who would take your pulse and then claim that you are either (a) already suffering, or (b) will potentially be suffering from ailments affecting your heart, lungs, kidneys, digestion, etc etc etc. And then, as your defences drop, they would push you to buy their magic pills. Yes yes, I've been a victim of their hard sell and persuasion. I'm sure many more people have been conned by those greedy, money-faced, unscrupulous, irresponsible, no-repeat-business scammers from China. The best way to avoid them? Stay in the bus. Don't be curious if the guide brings you to a shop selling traditional or alternative medicine. And don't be so gullible. There's nothing miraculous about their pills, I assure you, because they are just playing and praying on our natural human weaknesses. Who doesn't want good health? Who doesn't want to avoid bad health? In our moment of weakness, we'll be agreeing with them that we already have this or that ailment. But if we think properly, these ailments are nothing special. They will affect us sooner or later as a natural progression of growing old. If we are lucky, we'll suffer from just one ailment and if we are less lucky, well, there'll be more. If the ailments don't hit us now, they will hit us later and no amount of unidentified, unknown pills will make them go away.

More rain expected

If the weather forecast is anything to go by, it looks like the whole of this week is going to be wet wet wet in Penang. I know that we were feeling the long-distance brunt of Typhoon Ketsana in the region last week when it battered the Philippines and Indo-China, but are we also going to be affected by the tail-end of Typhoon Parma?


This is the satellite picture of South-East Asia at 11.12pm last night. Typhoon Parma is now between Hongkong and northern Luzon, while another big one is brewing over the ocean between Manila and Guam.

Dim sum must be good business

I was astounded to read this piece of news in yesterday's newspapers. Despite all the claims and statistics we hear from the Police, everyone knows that crime on the streets continue to spiral upwards. If it's not about people being found dead under mysterious circumstances, then it's about people being waylaid in armed robberies.

But this story raised my eye brows for a completely different reason. I didn't know that the dim sum business is really so lucrative. I couldn't imagine that this dim sum fella could rake in RM42,000 in a single day just by selling those delectable little morsels that titillate our hearts. Yes indeed, a day's taking for him was worth that much. Just think how much he collects in a month. Or imagine the number of plates he sells in a day. Wow!

Art in the 50s

I've been a little pre-occupied lately with my own thoughts. It's not easy looking to the future. Uncertainties abound. Nevertheless, I've managed to put together a collection of artwork -- some a bit naughty --by some unknown American artists. Most probably done in the 1950s. Don't ask me where I got them from because it has been a long time since I downloaded them. Want to see them clearer? Just click on the picture to view. I hope you'll like them!

Breath taken away by Jerry Lee Lewis

That great American ego-centric, piano-thumping, rock 'n' roller Jerry Lee Lewis turned 79 three days ago. I didn't realise it until I started listening in the car to a compact disc of his London Session which was recorded at the Advision Studios, London in 1973. He was backed by some really big names of that time in the music industry: musicians like Rory Gallagher, Kenny Jones of the Faces, Albert Lee, Alvin Lee, Klaus Voorman, Matthew Fisher of Procul Harum and Peter Frampton of Humble Pie, among others. A really great rock 'n' roll album that helped to resurrect his career in the 1970s.

It was really exciting to feel the energy of this man that people nicknamed The Killer. Yes, he could slay anybody with his honky tonking type of rock 'n' roll. Here's a typical performance that I picked up from YouTube. Vintage Jerry Lee Lewis, and I'm sure that he's still rocking away at 79, imagine that:

Leon Thum

I want to introduce you to this young man from Penang. Leon Thum is his name and he runs a small and thriving enterprise in Penang. But his talent goes beyond managing the family business. Just watch this video and you'll know why. In fact, the organisers of this year's Penang Jazz Festival at the end of the year should invite him to be there!

LCCT now nearer with KLIA Transit

---- The information in this post is no longer applicable but is retained for archive purpose only ----

Now, this is one piece of interesting news for people like me who sometimes travel by AirAsia or any of the other budget airlines from the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)! Instead of the shuttle buses that ply between KL Sentral and the LCCT, there is a real alternative.

Maybe I should add, with tongue-in-cheek, that it is a rail alternative as well. You see, since 15 Sep 2009, travellers heading to the LCCT have a choice with the KLIA Transit train. The train still doesn't stop at the LCCT but the air terminal is now one step closer.

The KLIA Transit train from KL Sentral, Bandar Tasik Selatan or Putrajaya and Cyberjaya now stops at the Salak Tinggi station and a dedicated air-conditioned shuttle coach will ferry people directly to the LCCT. If you need porter service at the Salak Tinggi station, no problem: they'll be available at no extra charge.

ERL CEO Noormah Mohd Noor said the service was not meant to compete with bus services to LCCT but to provide an alternative for passengers. “It is the right time for this service. There is a demand for better, safer and more comfortable modes of travel and passengers are willing to pay for that.”

With 73 daily trips between KL Sentral and LCCT, a one-way ticket from KL Sentral to the LCCT costs RM12.50 for adults and RM6 for children. Two-way tickets cost RM22 (adult) and RM11 (child). Shuttle bus services from the Salak Tinggi station to the LCCT are free during the promotion period but at this time, there's no indication when this promotion will last. Note: This is still a half-an-hour journey by the shuttle bus.

From Bandar Tasik Selatan station to the LCCT, tickets are priced at RM8.30 (adult) and RM4 (child). The shuttle bus service is charged at RM2.50 per person. And from Putrajaya and Cyberjaya station, tickets are priced at RM3 (adult) and RM1.50 (child) while shuttle bus services are also at RM2.50 per person.

Archived post: KLIA-LCCT shuttle bus

---- The information in this post (first written on 22 Nov 2007) is no longer applicable but is retained for archive purpose only ----

[A special note to readers. This post refers only to the shuttle bus service plying between the KLIA's Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) and the Main Terminal Building (MTB). This bus service is especially useful if you arrive on a budget airline at the LCCT and need to catch a connecting full service flight from the MTB, or vice-versa.

If you want to know more about the shuttle bus services plying between the LCCT and the KL Sentral transportation hub in the Kuala Lumpur city centre, click here for my subsequent post.

LATEST (29 Sep 2009): And if you want to know whether it's possible to travel by the high-speed train between the LCCT and the KL Sentral, yes, it is. Click here to read.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you feel the information is helpful, please leave a message.]

When you look out from an AirAsia aircraft at the KLIA-LCCT, chances are that you will see the Main Terminal Building (MTB) of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The MTB is just a relatively short hop across from the LCCT. In fact, they are located within the same grounds of the whole KLIA complex, only at different buildings. If you are permitted to cut across the tarmac from one building to another, which you cannot do, it will probably take you no more than 30 minutes of walking time.

But of course, you can't. If you want to go to the MTB from the LCCT, you'll have to travel in a long, circuitous route instead of in a straight line.

Not many people realise that there is actually a shuttle bus that plies between the LCCT and the MTB, departing every 20 minutes or so. The shuttle bus service costs RM1.50 per passenger. And because of the long, circuitous route which it must take, the journey takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Recently, I had the occasion to take this bus from the LCCT to the MTB. The station is just outside the LCCT building. As you exit, immediately turn left and walk maybe 10 to 20 metres. There'll be several buses, most will take you to KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, but be patient and wait for a green bus to come around.

I didn't have long to wait before boarding the vehicle. But be forewarned. Some of the vehicles may not be in impressive condition, and that's a shame because the shuttle bus may possibly be the first exposure that some foreign tourists will get of our country.

Okay, maybe this was just one of the many buses. There may be worse and then, there may be better ones too. But I imagine what some tourists will think of them. Maybe, the authorities believe that people who travel the low-budget way and use the LCCT will not mind and have no grounds to compare and complain even if an old junk is used to ferry passengers between the LCCT and the MTB. Well, it is time for the authorities to clean up their act. They'd better do something fast.

Passed my medical

"Uncle, you're okay." Reassuring words from a ... doctor. Mmm...since when do doctors start calling their clients uncles or aunties? But it's true, that was how a doctor addressed me last Saturday when she went through the results of my medical check-up.

I had gone for the medical about a month ago - the whole works: blood test, ECG, street test, spirometer test, ultrasound to check my internal organs, bone density test, hearing test - but only bothered to collect my report last Saturday. Whew, what a relief! A whole lot removed from my mind. By and large, the pieces I call my body parts still click in unison. Cholesterol level is well within the normal limit without medication and stress test showed that the old muscle in the chest is still thumping away okay. There may be a little continuing concern with uric acid level, a problem dating back some 20 years, but it's also well within control with my unorthodox prophylactic medication. Anyway, I know that I must continue to watch my diet, especially intake of carbohydrates. Oh yes, the tests also showed a little wear-and-tear in my left heel. Osteopinea, the report said. No wonder I was feeling stiffer than normal for quite some time already.

New old glasses or old new glasses

I really hope this will not be an unlucky third time for me. Twice already, I have had to replace the lenses on my spectacles because twice, I broke them. Put it down to clumsiness on my part. The first time I broke my glasses, I had perched it precariously on the edge of the bathroom sink. The second time, my hands went wild and I accidentally hit my glasses. Naturally, it flew off my face. So this is the fourth pair of lenses on the same spectacles frame. Wish me luck; I need it for my spectacles!

English mauled

This post is dedicated to my dear wife who is about to experience the warm hospitality of the Korean people.

But first .... here is a lesson in the English language from one of them!

But there's one redeeming factor...I admire his courage.

OyeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEay

I know that you bean waiting for me, I’m weighing too
In ma inaiinasin I be a lump on you
I know you cop dat fever for me hundrentu
Bo I know dat fir sem my temperentthru

If there’s a camel up a hill then it’s Gong Li with me when I do Ido
If there’s a camel up a hill then its asbestos flaygon you too you too
Coz if you run your mother break a bottle sicker run day boo
I will hunt chu down
Coz baby I’m up in my beegees like a windy interview
But dis is prry vee bit two in eye

tuts my barreh
pull me on the flow
wrestle me around
play it wit some more
tuts my barreh
throw me on the bay
i juss wanna mek yu fill like yu never dee
tuts my barreh
rape me in the thighs
uh around your ways
just a little taze
tuts my barreh
know you love my cock
come on a give me water dessert

bo you can poo ne on yolakka branoo eye-tee
i'll honk you berra tara den my favorite cheese
i want you to caress me like a tropical priest
a flororo with you in the caribbean sea

tuts my barreh
pull me on the flow
wrestle me around
play it wit some more
tuts my barreh
throw me on the bay
i juss wanna mek yu fill like yu never dee
tuts my barreh
rape me in the thighs
uh around your ways
just a little taze
tuts my barreh
know you love my cock
come on a give me water dessert

don't you like a teddybear
you won, wanna go Norway?
in the labor luxury
boys just turn to me
you wanna run for nothing bo
i will give you plankton

Tuts my barREH!
Pull me on the flow
Lesson me around
Play it wit some more
Tuts my barreh
Throw me on the bay
I juss wanna mek yu fill like yu never dee
Tuts my barreh
Rape me in my thighs
Araranyo way
Just a little Tay
Tuts my barreh
Know you love my cock
Come on a give me water dessert

And toss me

oyEe oyEe oyEe oyEe oyEe a a a a a
ohyEe ohyEe ohyEe ohyEe ohyEe ohyEe
a A a A a
hoOOOooOOoo hoo hoo babeh
oooooOOOOOooOOo oo oo tuts my
aaaaAAaaaAaa aah aahh uhaughh

Come on and give me water dessERT!

hoo
hooooooohohoOho ohooho ahuh

A spider's lesson

We just returned from a morning at the Buddhist Hermitage in Lunas. Nothing extraordinary happened, except that we saw this huge spider. Is it a golden orb weaver? No matter, it's one big mean specimen, a true wonder of nature. I would estimate that its body length alone - excluding the legs - would measure some 1.5 inches long. However, a closer examination would reveal that it is missing a leg. Sad to see that in such a beautiful creature. But this is a lesson in survival. Despite obstacles that life puts in our paths, we will still find a way to live, grow and be successful.

Roast rats, anyone?

Talking about rats running around free and naked at the Campbell Street wet market in George Town, someone pointed out to me that in Thailand, roast rats make a great delicacy. That was very intriguing information; intriguing enough for me to look it up on the Internet.

But first, I thought that roast rats are only sold in southern China but obviously, my news is rather out-of-date. They are more widespread than I thought: there are roast rats sold all the way from India, through the whole Indo-Chine region and into China. That's one huge region! And according to a Reuters report, Cambodia exports about 50 tons of rats to Vietnam every day:

The rains in the Mekong Delta area have helped boost the Cambodian trappers' catch, as more rats rush out from their flooded holes and into waiting cages.

"There were so many rodents we just can't eat them all, so we need to export lots more to Vietnam," Cambodian rat trader Kang Chanthan told Reuters. "It's good business."

"If you prepare them well and fry the meat with garlic and put some mint on it, they're tastier than chickens," he added.

The rat hunters (or, rat farmers??) are making good profits from their huge bounty, especially since the price of a rat is many times higher than an equivalent piece of chicken meat or pork. Man, if rats are such delicacies in this region, why hasn't any enterprising person turn this into a business in Malaysia yet? I'm confident there will be lots of enthusiastic people who can't wait to pick at the pieces of roast rat meat with their dainty little fingers, dip the meat into some tangy chilly sauce and slurp it all down with a glass of local kopi-oh. Or maybe, we should see whether our local vermin can be exported too. I'm sure that if Cambodia can export rats to their more advanced Vietnamese neighbours, Malaysia can also send our quality rats to, let's say, our more affluent Singaporean neighbours.

Note: This is a picture from the Internet. I haven't been so unlucky to have come across them any where in Malaysia!

Going country with Doye O'Dell

This is one of the very few 10-inch record in my collection and it turns out to be quite a gem: possibly Doye O'Dell's very first album. When I was listening to his music as a kid, I used to imagine myself being one of the cowboys sitting around the crackling fire at night and listening to cowboy songs. Well, listening to this album today left me with exactly that same imagination and warm feeling inside.


Allen Doye O'Dell (22 Nov 1912 - 2001) was an American singer and songwriter of cowboy songs, and also an actor. He grew up on a Texas cotton spread and went on to raise his own crop of country hits.

Side 1: It Makes No Difference Now, According To The Evidence, San Antonio Rose, You're The Only Star In My Blue Heaven, Pretty Woman For The Boss
Side 2: Bow Your Head And Pray, Oklahoma Hills, Old Shep, It Won't Be Texas To You, Red River Valley

Non-starter?

Huh! So it turns out that there really was a challenge from Gerakan Youth to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to debate the Kampung Buah Pala land scam issue.

However, Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon looks like he wants to dodge the issue himself and has sent some underlings to represent him, which is really an insult.

It begs the question why he doesn't dare to face Lim Guan Eng directly. This will always raise the question of whether there is really something to hide. It would've been interesting to see the two square up again.

Debate over Kampung Buah Pala?

Remember this Big Debate on 20 Aug 2008 on the land scam issues affecting Penang? Will there be another one soon between Lim Guan Eng and Koh Tsu Koon over the Kampung Buah Pala land title transfer scam?


I think this matter needs to be sorted out once and for all so that we know for sure who were the parties responsible for creating all this big mess in Kampung Buah Pala - the present state government or the previous state government - and this Big Debate, Part Two if it ever gets organised, should be the forum to let everything out into the open. Let the facts speak for themselves!

Penang Heritage: George Town's Campbell Street wet market

This is the Campbell Street wet market. It is probably the oldest existing market in George Town, built around 1900 or so at a then princely cost of $21,000. It sits at the junction of Carnarvon Street, Buckingham Street and Campbell Street, next to a police station and diagonally across from the wakaf land belonging to the Kapitan Kling mosque.


This is the interior of the market's main building that houses the fish and vegetable sections. The building itself has ornate cast iron columns and brackets reminiscent of late Victorian markets but I hadn't the time to explore the building properly as my attention was soon diverted to the poultry section at a side building.


The main building was empty but at least here, there was still some activity going on in the late afternoon. Time was about 5pm. People - obviously the poultry sellers - relaxing and bumming around with cigarettes in their mouths.


You get to see these caged chicken and geese. I wonder how well they are fed. Looked scrawny to me. Obviously, after market hours, nobody bothers much with them.


We shouldn't forget these bold friends running along the ground and into the drains. I would estimate that from tip to tip, that, is, from the nose to the tail, the critter is probably 12 to 13 inches long. Enough to scare the blardy hell out of me!

A dash of luck

I was exploring a bit of Campbell Street on Monday afternoon to while away some time while my wife was busily working away her credit card in a fabric shop. The road was almost deserted. Must be due to the Hari Raya holidays. Anyway, most of the shops were shuttered down, including this one:


Nice name for a shop although I don't know whether the business owners are as lucky as they sound.

Note: Luck was with me. Not much of a fiscal damage to the credit card...only about RM200 worth of swipes. Textile shop's boss was away in Japan or otherwise, damage could have been far more worse.

Cute boy

This three-foot high statue was found selling in, of all places, a shop specialising in Chinese worship paraphernalia.