I always believed criminals had a certain look.
Probably drug addicts, scrawny with mean, dour faces. Probably young, in their 20s. Probably people you never want to meet in a dark alley.
Then all my stereotypes of crooks flew out of the window when I was sent this Youtube video of two Chinese uncles robbing a house in broad daylight in Pantai Jerejak near Queensbay Mall. I have friends living in Pantai Jerejak (and last year one of them told me her house got broken in but luckily nothing was stolen but she quickly installed additional grilles and locks after the incident).
The fact that it is so close to home can shatter one’s sense of security!
I am sure the next time you see a couple of Chinese uncles sipping kopi-o in a coffeeshop, you’ll be wondering if they’re part-time crooks and robbers too.
But that is what you read and hear in the newspapers.
Last year, while having dinner at a coffee shop in Pantai Jerejak, Nic and I also witnessed a snatch theft. It was about 9pm and two snatch thefts came along on a motorbike to snatch an old lady’s handbag.
The poor woman was dragged on the road for about 10 meters before her screams alerted everyone who ran out of the coffee shop to help. The two men quickly rode off but not before the police patrol car gave chase.
Well-meaning but futile. A patrol car cannot outchase a small kapchai bike which can zip between cars and disappear into the many roads around this residential area.
The old lady was terribly shaken, her clothes torn and her body bruised. Her granddaughter of about 10 years old started crying, shocked by what she saw happen to her grandmother!
But the high incidence of snatch thefts happening around Queensbay Mall, Pantai Jerejak and Sungai Nibong area is terribly unnerving. I tweeted this to Sim Tze Tzin, the ADUN for Pantai Jerejak. He told me that he’d tell the OCPD. I hope something gets done because all these thefts make residents feel unsafe and vulnerable.
I once saw policemen on superbikes whizzing around Pulau Tikus and I thought, what a great idea. (Pulau Tikus is another notorious area for snatch thefts so be careful when you walk about this suburb.) Policemen dressed in regular clothes with flourescent green jackets on superbikes will out chase thieves on the kapchai bikes.
Something must be done about these daring small-time crooks. Well, I wished we had CSI’s Photoshop version 10 (that’s what Nic always says) as CSI people can always zoom into a video and solve a crime within the day. If we had CSI’s Photoshop version 10, then we would be able to see these 2 uncle’s faces clearly and post their mugs on coffee shops everywhere! I bet then the police will be able to catch them!
So do your part and forward this video link to all your friends, especially Penangites. The more people watch this video, the better as the crooks will not have a chance to rob another house!
Month: January 2010
Cookies, Cookies Everywhere
I can’t keep this secret to myself any longer as she’s going to officially start selling her cookies soon and with a website to boot too.
I’ve been privileged to move to my new neighbourhood and automatically get new neighbours who are both like friends and family.
It’s been great settling in and making new discoveries about our new neighbourhood. (Ah, the only thing which bugs me is that this middle-class neighbourhood which is 2 minutes’ from Queensbay Mall is a magnet for the damn snatch thieves but more on that later.)
Anyway, she stops taking orders come 1 Feb so hurry and make your orders before she takes a break for Chinese New Year.
I’ve tried many of her cookies (that’s the beauty of being neighbours – we get to be ‘guinea pigs’) and I can personally vouch that she uses premium ingredients and she never stinges! Each cookie and slice of cake is a pleasure to eat because they’re really full of lip-smacking goodness.
Oh, I haven’t introduced her ya? Well, she’s Vern’s mom. Vern’s my blogger friend who became a friend and then she interned at Redbox Studio and then we became neighbours since last November. It’s a story that is worth telling over and over. What a strange way to become neighbours huh?
Anyway, Mrs Hor’s quite the maestro in the kitchen and she is always trying out new and exciting recipes. Her baking foray is due to egging from her children and friends like us!
So let me point you in the direction of yummilicious cookies. But order soon as orders close 1 Feb.
Lest you think I’m partial to her cookies, I’d say I’m partial to GOOD STUFF.
The other ‘baker” I like is my aunt as she makes ONLY pineapple tarts. I always tell clients and friends that these jam tarts are limited edition stuff because they’re made with love and passion and therefore tastes like heaven.
Another equally good baker is my friend Ai Tee. You can find out more about her goodies from this post of mine.
I’ve also tried other so-called homemade cakes and cookies, the most recent being some carrot walnut cake which I bought at a seminar last Saturday.
The lady who sold the cake who was the baker of this cake of course exclaimed how much carrot and quality walnuts she used (“200gm you know and you know how expensive walnuts are but you feel my cake? Dense right?”). I was taken in by the fact that her cake was quite fragrant so I bought a slab for Vern’s mom to taste while I bought a slab of cempedak cake.
But what a disappointment! The carrot cake was tasteless while the cempedak cake didn’t really live up to expectations. The cake texture was dry and after 1 day in the fridge, it was drier and harder! And this from a woman who waxed lyrical about her own cakes and silly old me got taken in and bought them. But I always say, well, I have to sometimes eat some lousy cakes in order to appreciate well-made cakes.
😉
Free Talk for Women Only…Sorry Guys!
As you all know, I’m one of the founding members of WomenBizSENSE, a businesswomen’s networking group set up in 2006.
Anyway, tomorrow, we’ll be having a free talk for not only our women members but open to other women as well.
So if you are female and live in Penang and want to learn from a business coach and get to network with other fabulous women (ah yes, we all must once in a while ‘masuk bakul angkat sendiri’) with tea thrown in, then make a date with us.
Here are more details:
Business Talk @ WBS Meeting, 22 January 2010 (Friday), 2pm to 4pm
We’re kicking off 2010 with a WBS Meeting on 22 January which includes a 90-minute free business talk by Mr Radin Ikram, a business coach and speaker from Action Coach International. Learn more about Mr Radin from http://www.actioncoach.com/radinikram/
Come join us and listen to the 6 pillars of business success which applies not only to women who’ve just started their business but women already in business.
Fees:
RM 5 for non-WBS member (yes, that’s like less than the price of a KFC snack plate!)
Free for WBS member (membership has its privileges!)
How to sign up:
If you are keen to join this event, please email us to book your seat as we have limited seating.
Note:
As we are opening this event to other women, please forward this email out to your girlfriends who are in business or thinking of starting one.
As I have personally heard this talk before, I highly recommend it as it is very useful and full of good tips and ideas. Radin is also a very friendly and engaging person.
The Hill of Stories
Yoke Pin actually started with the history of Balik Pulau laksa which is quite apt as people do arrive in hoardes for this noodle dish.
Of course, Nic and I were privileged to hear the OTHER laksa story, as told to us by Mr Tan, the equally famous laksa stall owner. But then again, he told us his story because he saw me looking through the myBalikPulau map, a map of the interesting and quaint places of the town.
This map is published by artsED, a non-profit organisation which offers arts education to young people. It is a guide to what’s what in Balik Pulau as it gives a non-resident some idea of the town, what to eat, where to go and what to expect.
Mr Tan must have been peeved that his stall was NOT mentioned in this map. Uncle John’s laksa stall got all the acclaim in this map so he must’ve felt he needed to defend his laksa lineage. He even started grumbling that the facts in the map were wrong etc because the researchers (comprising youths) did not get the right stories! I listened, bemused.
Anyway, his grumpiness didn’t spoil the trip at all. We had fun walking down the one main street of Balik Pulau town. (Speaking of laksa, YB Yusmadi, the MP who followed us on this visit, told us about another laksa called Laksa Janggus. It is called such because it is situated under a bunch of janggus or cashewnut trees. This is a self-service style where you pile your own laksa ingredients and serve yourself. It’s located on Jalan Bharu.)
We learnt about the famous landmark, the roundabout which was actually a water pump and trough in the olden days for horses to drink from! Due to vandalism, the top part made of metal is missing. Originally a water pump, it became a monument/roundabout in 1882 due to a rich farmer called Koh Seang Tatt. Koh decided to build it when Sir Frederick Weld came for a visit. Until today, it is still one of the best landmarks of this town. If you do get lost, just find your way to this landmark. It is the meeting point of 3 different roads.
Climbing the Hills for God
The Roman Catholics were also here since 1800s. In fact you can see their churches and schools – SMK Sacred Heart and SMK St George as well as the quaint Roman Catholic church after Sacred Heart school. The church began as an attap house in 1854 but soon grew bigger as the parishioners grew more and more (they gave land to the Hakka who became Catholics!). That’s why there’s a number of Hakka in this town, no doubt drawn by the exciting lure of land.
In those days, the Caucasian priests who conducted mass had to learn the local dialects such as Hakka in order to communicate with their congregation. Interestingly too, the priests had to make that 3-4 hour trek from the other side of the island through the Air Itam Reservoir hills to reach Balik Pulau in order to conduct mass! Now that is amazing.
Yoke Pin also told us about the silversmith in town, Mr Fong who makes tiny handcrafted silver miniature knick-knacks. He’s growing old so he doesn’t take custom orders anymore. His shop is at the right of the roundabout if you are coming down from the main road of the town.
Old Photos Wanted
We ended up at the Moral Uplifting Society where we got a slideshow of historical Balik Pulau. According to Yoke Pin, it was difficult for them to get old photos of the town. So if you are from Balik Pulau, or have relatives who still have old photos or old stories of this town, please contact her or PHT. PHT and artsED are compiling the history of this town and need all the help they can get.
I heartily support the writing of history from the local people’s perspective. Old stories, old chit-chat. These allow us to go back in time and relive the times. With it comes appreciation for what the early settlers had to endure to build up a town. I cannot imagine how it must be for priests to trek their way here to do mass, or how far removed the residents here were from Georgetown.
This ulu-ness from town was another source of one man’s riches. Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew at that time had the idea of starting a bus service which serviced Balik Pulau. The Yellow Bus Company was the only way residents living here could travel to town in those days. The bus depot is no longer there as the Yellow Bus Company has gone out of business (though if you look closely you can still see the bus depot).
There’s really a number of interesting things to do in Balik Pulau if you wander long enough. Yusmadi spoke of the homestay village for tourists who wanted to sample the Malay villagers’ way of life. One of the rustic villages was voted the cleanest village in Malaysia, according to Yusmadi.
This young politician seemed genuine enough in wanting to help his town to grow and he invited everyone who wanted to help to pitch in to grow the town in positive ways. We got invited to visit his service centre, painted a bright yellow you can’t miss (and located at the strategic junction between Jalan Tun Sardon and Main Road). He was starting a community centre to bring the residents together to develop the town and yet at the same time preserving what was meaningful.
Another Laksa Place
So what else is there in Balik Pulau?
There’s another laksa shack near the Chinese fishing village of Kuala Jalan Bharu which sells not only laksa but Hokkien mee and lor-bak. I’ve tasted the laksa at this place and it is again, deliciousness in a bowl. But this place opens only on Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm. Lots of out-of-towners come here. It’s like some secret hideout where people in the know will know how to get here! It’s actually a villager’s wooden house where the porch becomes the makeshift eating area. I was introduced to this place by an Englishman, of all people. (Thanks Nigel!)
More Stuff to See and Do
There’s just too many interesting spots to blog about and I recommend you picking up a copy of the myBalikPulau map so you can hunt down all the yummy makan spots, belacan factories, air nira stalls, coconut plantations, batik shack, Stepping Stone Centre (run by Asia Community Service, an NGO), paddy fields, beach (Pantai Pasir Panjang), Pulau Betong fishing village, herb garden in Kampung Sg Korok, kuih bahulu maker, bedak sejuk maker and lots more.
This map is available at the Arts-ED website plus you can see how the map was conceptualised and brought to life by the children of Balik Pulau.
So the next time someone says Penang is boring, ask them if they’ve explored Balik Pulau, the agricultural heartland of the island.
A Tale of 2 Laksa
Went for the monthly PHT visit on Sunday to Balik Pulau. It was worth it though as PHT visits are always educational. I suppose that is why we keep being members. (If you want to be a member, call them at +604 264 2631 or email phtrust@streamyx.com)
For us, Balik Pulau is about durians when the season rolls around each May to August. It thrills us that we get to climb some hills just to partake in our favourite fruit.
This time, the 40 of us members were joined by Yusmadi Yusoff, the MP for Balik Pulau. Dressed in a grey long sleeve shirt with dark slacks, he was ready to accompany us as we walked down the main street of his little town (yes, he is a local boy, bred in Balik Pulau).
Many a time, I am left amazed at the rich history we have here in Penang. The rich narratives, the old stories, the people who used to live here are incredibly fascinating. If only students joined PHT, they wouldn’t despise history that is taught in schools by teachers who don’t know how to tell proper stories of the people and places that matter.
Anyway, besides durian, Balik Pulau (which simply means “the other side of the island”) is also famous for its asam laksa or Penang laksa.
This visit saw us stopping for asam laksa at Chuang Heong Cafe which is directly opposite the old (and no longer used) Pasar Balik Pulau. Yusmadi was coerced into treating the bunch of us for laksa so he picked this one although Yoke Pin gave us the history of the other one, the corner coffeeshop laksa stall manned by Uncle John and his wife.
Actually I would have preferred to try Uncle John’s laksa as I’ve always seen tourists spilling out of that coffeeshop each time we pass by! I was decidedly curious about the taste of Uncle John’s laksa, reputedly a recipe he bought from a Mrs Kim who had gotten it from Grandma Khoo. The Khoo family was one of the richest families in Balik Pulau and the story went that Madam Khoo was the original laksa soup supplier to all of Balik Pulau laksa stalls at one time.
Here’s why Balik Pulau is famed for its laksa – it is smack in the midst of fishing villages and coconut plantations. Fresh kembung fish make all the difference to the laksa gravy. Besides the traditional asam laksa, there’s also the laksa lemak version which uses coconut cream or santan. Coconuts are plentiful in this part of Penang.
Another interesting nugget of history: you cannot miss the tallest shop in this town at Number 100. It’s a Chinese shophouse once owned by the Kapitan Cina, Mr Chee, who is the great-great grandfather of the current occupant, Mr Khoo. We were supposed to visit Mr Khoo’s home to see his sprawling house but this did not materialize. Oh well. Maybe another time!
Nic and I always love chatting with people and so as we slurped up the last spoonfuls of laksa gravy, the stall owner, Mr Tan came by. I’m sure he was pleased that Yusmadi picked his shop over the competitor opposite to belanja us all.
He started to regale us with his laksa lineage. The original laksa of Balik Pulau fame actually belonged to his family. His father started selling laksa in 1968 at the old market place. When the new market was built, the stall was shifted there (the Tan family has 2 stalls in the new market, Stall Number 30 and 37).
However, business wasn’t as fantastic as they had hoped so they found a shoplot at the present Chuan Heong Cafe. So now they have 3 stalls of laksa! He mentioned that most locals don’t eat laksa, it’s the outsiders (non-Balik Pulau residents and outstation tourists) who make up the bulk of his business. He groused that the stall opposite (Uncle John, a.k.a his competitor-lah) was getting all the business as they had a website and their website popped up in all the search engines so that’s why they’ve been doing so well! (As an aside, I thought, well, Uncle Tan, you could do the same too. You could get yourself a website, right? Why don’t you?)
My verdict is that Uncle Tan’s laksa is pretty decent. It is flavourful and fragrant, packed with lots of kembung fish. The gravy is just nice, not overly spicy that it burns your tongue, nor is it so mild that you cannot taste the spice mix. Portions are also good enough. I also tried the laksa lemak version which is creamier. I cannot say which I like best, the asam or lemak version, as both have their own deliciousness factors! Try both. I think the price is about RM2.50 to RM3 per bowl.
When you are here, you must order the nutmeg and asam boi drink. Balik Pulau is famous for its nutmeg farms so you are getting the real thing here and not some nutmeg cordial (this is what happens if you order nutmeg drink in Georgetown sometimes). Some people may not like this drink as it leaves a sappy aftertaste. It’s like eating lots of nutmeg at one go and then your tongue starts feeling like someone rubbed sandpaper all over it. That’s the feeling.
This is just Part 1 of Balik Pulau. Look out for Part 2 where Yoke Pin took us on a trip down Balik Pulau lanes!
Right as Rain…Soon
It’s awfully odd but I finally get to blog a bit when I am sick.
It started yesterday with a bout of puking and purging. And today my head hurts and all I can eat are cream crackers! Food makes me nauseous, no thanks to the food poisoning of yesterday. I think I overate AfterEights and Milka, and then I had too much of Ba Zhen Tang too.
My body decided to rebel.
Anyway, so here I am, totally unwell.
To all of you who read this little blog of mine, I hope it’s not too late to wish you a Happy New Year. Despite my food poisoning, I’m feeling hopeful for this year. After all, I always view illness as a means for my body to rest and detox itself. Being sick makes me grateful that I am more often in good health and zipping about.
I’ll be right as rain soon.
Until then, take it easy for the first week of January!