Penang Island - Pearl of the Orient, Part 2

22nd September 2014


The next day our adventure continued with the search for street art.  After all, this is the latest ‘in’ thing happening in this island.  My web search didn’t give me detailed information of which murals were located at which street.  So, we checked with the staff at the hotel lobby hoping to get more information.  To our surprised, she passed a brochure with specific information for all the murals – pictures with its name, its location and a detailed map for each mural.  WOW!!!  Here we go.  The queen and the princess and the prince picked their choices, then the chauffeur with his guide led us to every street.

We saw a lot of people moving around the town with bicycles.   We almost wanted to rent the bicycle.  But on second thought, I doubt the children can 'tahan' that long.

Erwyn was very disappointed and upset when we couldn’t find his "minion" painting.   But later we found another "minion" in front of a shop house.  Immediately, his sour face glowed brightly.  The sorrowful boy finally turned into our cheerful little prince.  This makes me wonder - Since when he had a liking for "minions"???

This, of course, is not a mural.  Is it???  We saw this while walking around.  A pink colour tank?!?  Catchy to the eye indeed.

Don't be mistaken this as a mural.  This is a REAL fire truck.  We passed by the fire station and there was no one there.  The children had an up close encounter with the fire truck.  Look how happy they were.

Back in Malacca, the kids had their one and only trishaw experience early last year.  It costs us RM50 for a 5 minute ride!!!  Since then, the children have been pestering us for another round but we did not give in.  The price is simply too ridiculous!  But here in Penang, the uncle on the trishaw offered to take us around for 15 minutes for only RM10!!!  All 3 of us – one adult with 2 children, of course.  The children finally fulfilled their dream of sitting in a trishaw.  The downside is: The uncle tried to explain each mural as we passed by with his perfect Penang Hokkien.  Neither of us could understand him.  Well, I am a Hokkien but mine is Southern Hokkien.  It is not entirely the same as the Northern Hokkien.  Whenever my mom and Andrew speak to each other in Hokkien, I laughed.  They could both be speaking Hokkien but its meaning may not exactly be the same.  And of course my Hokkien is quite rusty by now.  Even my Mandarin is getting rusty.

 Looks like the uncle was very used to taking picture with the tourist.  Say 'cheese'...

This mural was located inside a coffee shop.  The uncle pointed it out to us, if not, we would certainly have missed it!  I really like this mural as compared to many others.  Noticed there were 2 little boys next to Erwyn?  And the young girl carried a cup of coffee?  Erwyn and Elyse fit perfectly in between the children.

 

Lunch was served and we proceeded to our next destination in our To-Do-List: Made in Penang Interactive Museum for 3D Photo Fun.  Well, if you are looking for food you are at the wrong blog.  I’m not a food lover.  So, blogging on food is really not my strength. 

A little hiccup after our lunch - our car’s headlight fell out!  Yup, you read it correctly!  Headlight fell out!?!  My father in law found a mechanic somewhere along Burma Road and this kind uncle just drilled a hole next to the original one and fixed it back!  LOL… So, here we go – 3D Interactive Museum. 

It was said that the walkway leading into the museum has Malaysia’s longest and widest 3D mural.  We took some photos before entering the museum.

A cup of coffee with Lim Guan Eng?  This mural was painted right next to the ticketing counter.  Ehh... seriously, don't you think Lim Guan Eng deserved the right to charge some kind of copyright fee?

Hero to the rescue!

Hold on, Elyse!  Spiderman is coming!!!

Elyse rescuing Ah Gong from the mouth of a .... monster?

hey, watch out on your diet, man!

The museum may not be very big, but it took us almost 2 hours for the whole tour.  By now, all of us were exhausted.  We went back to the hotel to wash up and rest.

Just before dinner, we dropped by Gurney Drive for a stroll.  Andrew and my father-in-law were taken aback by the view.  It was nothing like how they remembered it.

As we drove around the streets in Penang, my father in law showed us some of the places:-

The Lim Kongsi - This is where Andrew's grandfather plaque is kept

Road named after Andrew's great-grandfather

Road named after Andrew's great-great-grandfather

To be continued...

All-night Prayer Meeting

1st May 2014



Seriously, I'm so way behind my blog update.  Just realised our second All-night Prayer Meeting is going be to tomorrow but I haven't write anything about our first All-night Prayer Meeting yet.

My experience in All-night Prayer Meeting goes all the way back when I was a teen.  Ahh... sounds like ages ago... Pastor Ronnie was my pastor then and he truly was a man of prayer.  Every Saturday night we gathered together from 10pm till the next day 4am for a time of worship and prayer.  That's where I learned what is it to wait upon the Lord, what is spiritual warfare, what is driving walk/drive and etc.  I love every moment of it!  However, there were times we fell asleep (oops!!!) while praying; there were times time seemed to pass-by so fast without us realising it.  6 hours of praying non-stop is no joke.  But we did it with the strength of the Lord.  I really missed those days.  It was one of the best moment in my Christian walk with God.

It has been years since I last attended an All-night prayer meeting.  So when the church organised one early this year, my heart was pumping with excitement.  But I was very reluctant to attend.  'How about my two kids?  I couldn't just leave them at home unattended though they are sleeping'.  Motherly instinct kicked in again.  Thank God for a supporting hubby.  He encouraged me to bring the children over.  'Just let them hang around', he said.  I wasn't very sure will that work but decided to give it a try.

On that very day itself, I made sure both my kids took a long nap in the afternoon.  I also packed lots of food for them in case they grew hungry.  Books, ipad, DVD and everything I could imagine to keep the children occupied were all part of my 'luggage'.  The two kids were very excited, more excited than me, I think.  How many kids are allowed to stay up till the wee hours?  This would be their very first time.

On the other hand, since this is the first time Wesley Melaka is conducting an All-night prayer meeting, the leadership did not expect many to attend.  A row of chairs were prepared which could only accommodate 20 pax the most.  But at 11pm, another 3 rows of chairs were added due to the overwhelming response from the floor.  72 people were present!!! ... and 44 stayed till the end!!!  Praise the Lord! 

The 6-hour-prayer-meeting were divided into 6 slots.  Each slot started off with praise and worship followed by a time of intercession.  Then a 5 minutes break for people to refresh themselves with a cup of coffee.  However, as we embarked on the 5th and 6th slots, something different took place.  God moved in His special way amongst us.  Exactly how and what was it I'm not too sure, coz I was occupied with my kids and I did not witness it first hand. 

My two kids and I stayed in the Baby Room most of the time.  Although I may be a little 'far' from the crowd, I'm contented with this baby step.  As much as I would love to join the rest of them right at the front pews, I do not want my children to be a disruption to the meeting.

For everyone who have participated, it is my sincere prayer that you be ministered to during these special hours of prayer.  May this experience give you a taste of what David wrote in Psalm 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

And for those who have yet to join us, why don't you give it a try?  Whilst it is not easy to deny the flesh and stay up till 5am just for prayer; if we can do so for a football match, or preparing for exam, or doing an assignment; we certainly can do it for our dear Lord Jesus.


Looking forward to our second All-night Prayer Meeting!  As the song goes...

Come, Holy Spirit, fall on me now

I need your anointing, come with your power

I love you Holy Spirit, you've captivating my soul

And everyday I grow to love you more

I'm reaching for your heart, you hold my life in your hand

Drawing me closer to you, I feel your power renew

Nothing compared to this place, where I can see you face to face

I worship you in spirit and in truth

The crowd at 4am

Penang Island - Pearl of the Orient, Part 1

21st September 2014

It was quite a last minute planning to visit Penang although Andrew has been telling me that he wished to visit his grand-uncle for quite some time.  My parents in law are from Penang.  Andrew used to visit this beautiful island every CNY when he was young.  But his memory of this place wasn’t very pleasant.   

Well, what do you expect?  Sitting in a car for hours due to the huge crowd flooding into that 295 km² (114 sq mi) of land; enduring the heat and meeting with strangers whom he only met once a year.  No doubt those ‘strangers’ are his relatives, but let’s be honest: Distance and time have rendered relationship non-existent.

Andrew hasn’t met his grand-uncle for almost 15 years.  My parents in law and even Andrew’s sister who is now residing in Australia visited him a couple of times but not him.  Remember, he is a busy guy.  Time is not in favour of him.  The last time I went to Penang with Andrew and his parents (which is also the first time I stepped foot on that island) was around 11-12 years ago.  We visited a few tourist attractions such as Botanical Garden, Penang Hill and Fort Cornwarllis.

The idea came about when there was one Sunday he had an invited speaker to take over the pulpit.  Realising that the trip was long overdue, Andrew made the decision to set out for this Penang trip.  So, his dearly beloved began her web search for hotel, places of interests for the children and etc.  The one thing that is not in her job scope is FOOD.  After all, my father in law is a local there and finding all the famous stall should be a piece of cake.

We drove back to Subang on Saturday evening and put a night there.  The journey continued on Sunday early morning.  I love the mountain scenery along the highway.  We reached Butterworth around 9am, waited for about 5 minutes to board the ferry.   The children were excited.  Their very first experience of a car in a ferry.  

Penang Ferry Service is the oldest ferry service in Malaysia.   The ferries are designed for vehicles to roll-on/roll-off. Some board pedestrian passengers on the upper deck and small vehicles (cars) on the lower deck, whereas some board vehicles on both decks.  (Information taken from Wikipedia)

Beautiful scenery of Penang island

The Penang Bridge

After boarding the ferry, we went to the upper deck for a better view.  But be careful!  The stairs are rather steep.

I read about Project Occupy Beach Street sometime ago in a friend’s blog.  Was glad that I can bring my children over for some fun!  I was a bit disappointed as some of the stalls mentioned in the blog were not there anymore.  Nevertheless, the children were happy after 4 hours of drive!

Every Sunday, Project Occupy Beach Street will temporarily barricade major streets adjacent to Lebuh Pantai for family-friendly, community activities that the public can be a part of. This is in conjunction to the state government's initiative for Penang Car Free Day, where everyone can utilize the six-hour, traffic-free space for brisk walking, jogging, biking, dancing and social activities - yes, busking is officially legit.   (Information derived from timeout.com)

The Giant Snake and Ladder

There were 2 of these Giant Snake and Ladder on the floor with huge dice.  FOC and is opened to public.  When we arrived, there were some children playing with it.  We stood there for a couple of minutes but the other children seemed to ignore our presence, holding on to the huge dice without giving a thought of sharing with other kids.  I was so disappointed with the Malaysian culture showned here.  Though the parents were standing nearby, they too, did not speak a word.

So, I brought the kids to another stall - bubbles!  We paid a mininum fee for this.

Now you see the little girl unleashed!

After "bubbling", we went back to the Giant Snake and Ladder Game and this time, there was no one there.  We played for awhile and another boy joined in.  But the kids soon got bored of it and we moved on.

Hmm, what a creative idea!  Perhaps the next time churches can use Milo tin, pots and etc for a complete drumset instead of spending thousands of dollar.

There were various booths selling handicrafts, plants, food & drinks and other miscellaneous stuff.  

But none of those were as eye-opening as this... Chinese Knife Massage!  They actually used real kitchen choppers to massage the back.  Should have taken a close-up pic but I was already far behind from the children and hubby. 

Our next stop is Fort Cornwarllis though it is not in my list of things to see and play.  The reason is we parked our car nearby and we had some spare time to kill before we went for lunch and checked into our hotel.

Queen Victoria Memorial Clocktower

The Victoria Memorial Clocktower at King Edward Place, Penang, was built by local Penang millionaire Cheah Chen Eok in 1897 to commemorate the sixtieth year of the Queen's reign. The tower was sixty feet tall, with each foot for each year of the Queen's reign. Unfortunately, she never visited Penang, nor did she ever live long enough to see her clocktower completed. By the time it was completed in 1902, the Queen had died.  Do you realise that the clocktower leans to one side? That's the legacy of all the bombs dropped around it during the Second World War that destroyed the Government Building nearby.  (Informations derived from www.penang-traveltips.com)

Since all of us were drenched with sweat and dying of thirst, we decided to visit a mall (yes, air-cond please?!) which is only 5 minutes distance from our hotel.  Again, this was not in my list.  Well, I doubt anyone will include shopping mall in their list for places of interest unless you are talking about Klang Valley.

We had lunch at the food court but it was nothing to shout about.  Then we headed to our hotel and unpacked our stuff.  Chill out a little and out we went – our next destination: The beach!  My purpose is to bring Elyse for parasailing.  Look at our brave girl, she was a bit concerned at first but after some assurance, she gladly accepted the challenge!  Bravo, darling!

Daddy accompanied our little girl since she is too young to do it by herself.  It was Daddy’s first time, too!  I’d love to do it again but it was a bit pricey so…   :p  Yup, did parasailing years ago when I went to Langkawi.  Missing the cool breeze and the awesome view.

How I wished I have that kind of long range camera lens that could capture this moment.

After the adrenaline rush, we took a leisure drive to and fro the Penang Bridge.   

The total length of the bridge is 13.5 km (8.4 mi), making it the second longest bridge in Malaysia as and the fifth-longest in Southeast Asia.  (Information taken from Wikipedia)

Initially our plan is to take the ferry when we enter the island and then drive back to the mainland by Penang Bridge on our way home.  Our two little rascals (named given by Daddy when they are fighting) had some argument on that.  One wanted to sit the ferry again, the other wanted to see the bridge.  So, to satisfy both of them, we just drove along the bridge and back again.  Now, we were getting late for our appointment with grand-uncle. 

What a pleasure to meet Andrew's grand-uncle and grand-aunt.  Lovely people!

We had dinner at a nearby hawker centre.  Is this one of the famous ones?  I’m not too sure.  But Andrew’s craving for chee cheong fun with har kor was satisfied and he looked forward for more yummy food the following days.

 That's the end of our first day...

Wedding Anniversary Dinner Celebration

24th September 2014


Since last year I have been reminding hubby that we are hitting 10 years in our marriage.  To all the husband out there, when your wife constantly bringing something up for your attention, it is a 'hint' that you SHOULD do something.  :)

As usual, my not-so-romantic husband did not get my 'hint' at all.  Church is keeping him busy.  Children are keeping him more busy.  Wife is keeping him even more busy.  24 hours do not seem to be enough for him.  We always joke of him needing 5 duplicate of him: One acts as the pastor of the church, another one serve as the father of the children, one be the husband to his wife, yet another one function as the son to his father, finally one just for himself.

Just about two months before our 10th wedding anniversary, hubby asked me what are we going to do for our anniversary.  Well, usually our anniversary flew away unnoticed.  The most common thing to do is go for a meal together as a family.  10th wedding anniversary sounds a bit more significant.  Hubby suggested to go for our second honeymoon.  Well, that is a brilliant idea!  But how about the children?  "I couldn't think of anyone that can babysit our children during our absent", My motherly instinct kicked in.  The children have never left me before ever since they are born.  I doubt I could have peace of mind even if we found someone to take care of them.  That's where hubby makes a promise that during our 25th wedding anniversary, we will go for our 2nd honeymoon.  Sigh... 15 more years to go.  Don't you think it's a bit too long?

Anywhere, we still haven't solve our problem on how to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  Hahaa... it's kind of funny to think of it as a 'problem'.  Finally, we've decided to have a dinner celebration since we did not have one during our wedding.  The next 'problem' is: Who to invite?  We thought that inviting our friends in church would do the magic.  But being the pastor of the church, it is difficult to decided which member to invite, which member not to invite.  We certainly could not invite the whole church as $$ is the issue this time.  Finally, we extended the invitation to all the LCEC, their spouses and their children.  We humbly request that they do not bring any gifts and ang pow for that matter.  It is our sincere desire to bless these leaders of the church. 

Soon, e-invitation was sent out and we did not even mention what was the occasion.  But many of them guess it correctly without any clues given.  Well, it is quite embarrassing to mention 10th wedding anniversary while most of them are already passed 15th, 20th or even 25th years of marriage.

While waiting for their RSVP, I browse through the web in search for a memorable door gift.  Hubby and I finally choose this butterfly bookmark.

pic courtesy of weddingkarren.com

The venue for our dinner definitely has to be Bei Zhan Restaurant.  We would prefer to have a sit down western styled dinner rather than a Chinese sit down dinner.  Unfortunately there is no Western Restaurant in Melaka which is deserving of Andrew's taste bud.  Anyhow the food at Bei Zhan is one of the better ones in Melaka.  The ambiance is nice - white coloured walls with high ceilings and very spacious.

My first visit to this Restaurant happened all the way back in December 2012.  We were residing at KL then.  After the reading of the posting at TRAC Conference and we realized that we were about to move to Malacca, hubby decided to pay the church a casual visit.  The PPRC and the pastors of the church brought us to this Restaurant for lunch after the service.

Back to our dinner celebration - It was drizzling that evening when we stepped into the restaurant.  To our surprised, more than a dozen of the leaders were already seated down waiting for our arrival.  How embarrassing it is!  Hubby kept insisting we leave at 6:30pm but me being stubborn refused to obliged.  My argument was people are always late.  I guess hubby proved me wrong again.  The first memorable time he proved me wrong was on our wedding day (10 years ago).  I insisted that Ps Rajan only told Andrew that he wanted to give us a gift.  However, Andrew insisted that he was speaking to the both of us.  Later when we reviewed the video, we saw him speaking to both of us and I even nodded in acknowledgement.  The lesson is, hubby is NOT ALWAYS wrong.

The kids helped to distribute the door gift to the guests, the remainders were placed on the table.  Hubby brought along our wedding album for the pleasure of the guests' viewing.  By then, the secret of the 'party' was revealed and Ai Leng set on a quest to find out the longest married couple in our midst.

Before the food was served, hubby gave a speech.  SPEECH?!?  Sort of.  He thanked the leaders for gracing this day with us.  He then read out a poem to Mrs Lim as an expression of his love for her.  However, he refused to grant me the permission to publish it here.  *argghh...

Pastor Danny officiating the Renewal of Vows for the couple.(very impromptu)

I, __________, have taken you, __________, and take you again, to be my wife/husband.
To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse; for richer for poorer;
in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy law.
This is my solemn vow.

After the exchange of vow, time to dig in!  Wait a second, Dr Chuah gave thanks for the food.

Our ever-happy boy posting in front of the camera.

While my princess was dying of boredom.

We ordered the mixed vegetable curry, crispy spinach with pumpkin, deep fried prawns with mayonnaise, steamed and fried cod fish, braised pork meat with steamed bun, roasted duck, and tofu. 

Someone suggested for a toast, so here it goes - yuuuuum seeeeng!!!

Elyse and Erwyn enjoyed such fun.  We rarely bring them to this kind of function.  So it was quite an eye-opener for them and now, they even 'yum seng' at home!

Erwyn playing with grandpa while Daddy and Mommy thanked each guest for their presence.

Aunty Christina even gave him and Elyse a present each!  By the way, our princess celebrated her birthday just one day before this.  She, too, received presents from Aunty Iris and Jie Jie Amanda.

Last but not least, a family portrait.

A special thanks to Khai Chew for putting away his doctor hat and becoming the photographer of the day.  Thanks for catching those special moments for us.