March Holiday Trip | Day 6 | Penang Hill | Funicular Train | Bellevue Hotel | Hindu Temple | Buggy Ride | Post Box on the Hill | David Browns Restaurant | Night view

Brayden 9Y22D

Bevlynn 4Y9M16D

We booked the train tickets up Penang Hill. 

The train was going up very fast. Along the way up, on both sides, there were hillside zinc rooftop kampung houses. It must be very difficult for these residents to commute up the hill daily.

When we arrived at the top station, we were greeted with hot sunny weather. Our shadows were almost hiding right below us. The air was fresh and it was not too humid. We found some telescopes "RM1 for 2 minutes", we looked for buildings. Bev was pointing the telescope to the sky. "Are you able to see anything?" I asked. She said admittedly, "Uh-huh". Hmm, what were you aiming to see, Bev? Birds? Superman? Castle in the sky? 

As we walked along the path, there were small huts selling souvenirs. One of the souvenirs was interesting, a ceramic bird whistle. The bird whistle could mimic the sound so well, especially when water was added to it. Bev and Bray took turn to whistle. 

We slowly walked to the hawker center to buy some fruit drinks. 

Afterwards, we explored the Bellevue Hotel. There don't seem to be anyone around the garden. It was Raya week so the kitchen was closed since the chef had returned to his kampung. We sat there enjoying the view and drank some English tea. Bev blew her whistle and many sparrows & some birds were constantly flying about. Did the sparrows find the high pitch sound of the "fake bird whistle" annoying or they loved it that they dance a formation in the sky? I do not know. But this I know, to share the view of Penang from on top the hill with the nature & birds with family is worth more than money can buy. Mom wanted to take photos. She was here many years ago with her friends. 

 

As we walked out the corridor of the hotel, we saw some drawings of the history during the British colonial times. I explained to the children why Penang Hill was an important landmark. 

We climb a short few staircases to the children playground and a Hindu temple. 

There was a beautiful Lord Ganesha's statue in front of the temple. I was curious about the history of this temple, it must be of significance to those staying there in the past. 

And I read up, it was one of the oldest Hindu temples in Penang. It was set up in the 1800s by the Indian sepoys and sedan chair carriers. They were important early transportation mode to bring rich family up the hill before the funicular railway was built. How lucky we are in this era, we have a faster train yet we sometimes forget to appreciate it. We complaint when we had to climb a few short steps. Imagine those past transporters who had to climb from the base of the hill to 833 metres above sea level; carrying a sedan & people. Suddenly, our trouble felt so menial. 

We decided to take a nice ride on the buggy. There were a few stops for photo taking. Sometimes, several monkeys would stand in the middle of the road to show who was boss. The buggy driver who was very familiar with this "monkey business"; would talk to the monkey like they were next door neighbours; as though they've known each other for a long time. "Eh, dah makan kah? Lu pegi sana" 

Stood there, midway along the buggy track was a bright red Penang Hill Post Box. one of the oldest post box in Penang (made during the reign of Queen Victoria 1819-1901). It is kinda out of place at this spot. Usually, a post box would be located at a more obvious location. I can imagine Mr Postman in the 1900s, who would open up the post box and found just a letter to send out to a loved one in Britian. If I had lived in any of the bungalows back in those era, I'd find writing letters as my joy and connection to the outside world. This would keep my sanity at least. Nighttime must had been so dull and the talks with the monkeys would be a bore.

The next trip I am here in Penang Hill, I will bring along a postcard and post it in this Post Box. 

Once we completed the buggy ride, we went to David Browns Restaurant. We sat in front of the nicely decorated pond and ordered some signature cakes. While we were talking, Bro Max dozed off. It was a long day for him. 

While we walked down the stairs, Bray suddenly shouted and had a freaked expression on his face. There, hanging from a tree, a giant spider on its webs. It was motionless, waiting for its prey. We observed it from all different angles. It didn't occur to us that the spider would hop onto us, we just wanted to feed our curiosity. 

We were back to the train station deck. It was almost sunset. We waited for the day to turn night. By darkness, we could see the beauty of Penang night life; a vibrant place, the lights outlined the streets. Some were on their way back home after a long day's work, some were on their way to their night shifts, some were keeping restaurants open late into the night, some were ready to switch off their lights,..... everyone was playing their parts to keep this place, a place we can call Home. Good night Penangite!

 

 

March Holiday Trip | Day 3 , 4 , 5 | Relau Metropolitan Park | Khing Cafe | The Thai | 2f+ | Kids Adventureland

Brayden 9Y20D

Bevlynn 4Y9M13D

Day 3, in the late afternoon, we went to Relau Metropolitan Park. It was a quiet day with just several people brisk walking. It wasn't a weekend or school holiday, so it was not surprising at all. We turned up to the parking lot with the old "haunted house". It was still there. Bray and Bev were questioning me about the haunted house, like inspectors questioning a criminal. "Why the house was haunted? How they know it is haunted?....."  Their tone was serious yet curious. I kept my stories with a little suspense. Sometimes I tell it all too real, that I would get goosebumps listening to myself.

We explored the place and found a castle playground. It is now a little too boring for Bray's age. Still this Mommy would not let her children down. With a little imagination, we played ninja challenge, zombie hide and seek, and these managed to keep the children entertained. Bray was not very good at monkey's bar, Mommy had to half-carry him across (he was so heavy, Mommy felt like she was punished at the gym)

The most fun of all, was the small pool. Nothing beats a nice dip in the cooling water. Problem was there's no shower in the toilet. We had to shower in the open space. 

We had dinner at Spice Pisa Cafe. 

Day 4, I had to make several presentations for customers today. It took almost the whole day. After a long day, we had a relaxing time at Khing Cafe @ Lin Xiang Xiong Art Galery. The entrance of the art gallery resembled a turtle. I wonder if there was some fengshui influence in the design. The view of the sea was amazing. We spent a whole late afternoon talking, enjoying coffee and eating crêpe cake. 

We went for proper dinner after Jiu mu arrived. We chose The Thai by the Sea Q1. It was our first time there, we ordered a variety of food - the tomyam was yummy-licious. The children wanted to quickly finish dinner so that they could touch the friendly doggies roaming around the restaurant in cute diapers. 

Day 5, we met Bro Max for brunch at 2f+. The coffee was good, the food was not to the children's liking. They were probably too full from last night's meals or they just wanted to quickly move to the next destination. 

The children had been pestering me for the indoor playground since day 1. I decided to bring them over to one of their favourite Kids Adventureland. In the 5-hour sitting, I managed to finish a book. The children were exhausted after all the playing. Bev K.O. before we even arrived at the dinner restaurant.  

 

 

 

March Holiday Trip | Day 1 , 2 | The Suhu | Khun Tai Thai Restaurant | Beach

Brayden 9Y19D

Bevlynn 4Y9M12D

School Holiday trip in March. It was only me with 2 children.

I was nervously packing the luggages, this time abit more careful on the things to bring. I needed to make sure I did not missed out anything important and needed to keep them light enough. I did not have any help from Hub or Lily to carry the extra loads. 

On the day of the flight, it didn't feel right. Delayed taxi booking, traffic jam at the highway causing a long traffic jam. Finally, we arrived at the airport with 15 minutes to spare before boarding. I brought the children to the highest slide and playground in terminal 4. Bev was happy that she could finally use the slide; she went at least 4 times. Bray was just happy to climb up the spiral.

Upon arrival in Penang, the arrival baggage screening was down too causing long delays. As soon as we got home, it didn't feel too bad travelling with two little ones. Maybe it's also because there's a long overdue CNY steamboat waiting for us. We ate till our bellies overturned. Ah~ it was a good long day. 

It was too early for me to celebrate. That same midnight, the children fell sick. My "night shift" started. 

Day 2, we went to The Suhu in Georgetown for brunch. Pa still remembered it was the place which I had put in my to eat list. Their jawa mee and nasi lemak was good. We then had a slow afternoon at Zus Coffee, chatting away. 

We brought the children swimming to the beach, it was right before sunset. The seawater was not the cleanest, but the children had loads of fun playing with the waves. It was a calm relaxing setting.

There was a small bricked place to wash up, with overgrown prickly plants. I had a bit of OCD anxiety coming, I had to hold it down to make sure my children cleaned up well. 

The Thai food dinner at Khun Tai was amazing; but the pestering flying ant was annoying. We had to quickly finish dinner. The night was dark at the beach. I walked with Brayden in darkness, with sand under our feet. Occasionally we see airplanes light flashing from a distance of the sky. The night sky was filled with stars. 

As we walked back to the restaurant, we saw some small crawlers on the sand. Mini CRABS! They were all over the place, there was big holes in the sand. 

It was a fun night. Except that, I almost forgotten to pay for dinner! Oops. I wanted to pay earlier at the table but they did not accept it. I had totally forgotten about it after all the excitement with the night beach, planes, stars and crabs... Good thing the lady at the counter reminded me. That's another day. 

Ocean Green Restaurant | The Ship | Three Sixty Revolving Restaurant

Brayden 5Y1M14D
Bevlynn 4Y10M8D

Friends started sharing with me news of 3 restaurants I grew up with - they are closing up this month. After decades of being part of Penang's story, the restaurants are drawing their final curtains. 

• Ocean Green Restaurant (OG)
  It is closing after 40+ years. This place draws back many pleasant memories.
  
  During my school holidays, I worked as a receptionist in a manpower company in the day. After the 8-5 work day, my mom would fetch me from the office in Bayan Lepas to OG. I'd change into my uniform, ate homemade dinner in the backseats of the car and take a quick nap. Then, I will work as the young part-time waitress in OG. I would arrive early to set the tables. The workers at the restaurant treated PS (a close friend who introduced me to this part time work) and I like family.
  
  I was happy meeting new people for my day and night job. Everyday I would meet new people from different industries. 
  
  And then it happened. One day, I arrived at OG. The place looked an absolute wreck! All tables were wet, wet floor filled with sand. My colleague told us that the waves came and washed up to shore. I nodded and simply thought it was a rough tide day. We diligently cleaned up the place and our boss called it a day.
  
  After returning home, only then did I found out that it was the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. We were just celebrating Christmas the day before and upon returning to work, this happened. Back then, not many people were alert about tsunami. There was no messages, no alarms. It just happened, swept everything in its path and left. Many people died that day.
  
  There were many more memories from the time I worked for OG - love stories, friendship stories, creepy stories... such good times.  

• The Ship @ Jalan Sri Bahari
  Operated for 45 years. 
  Pa had a friend's shop right opposite this restaurant. After going to the shop, we'd had dinner at the ship once awhile on special occasions.
  The entrance and interior decorated like a ship, waiters dressed in sailor uniform serving the meals professionally, made the whole eating experience a special one. I enjoyed my favourite mushroom soup, sizzling plate seafood and banana split. I loved having such meals with my family. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Three Sixty Revolving Restaurant 
  It was situated on top of the Bayview Georgetown Hotel. I remember the restaurant was turning slowly. The view at night from the restaurant was stunning. I was slightly light-headed after leaving the restaurant. I think it was more of psychological effect than actual sickness. It was still a nice experience. 

There are now so many new restaurants & cafes. We are spoilt for choices and we often cafe hop to try new food and new experiences. I could not be sure if there would actually be a place where my children would tell a story, where it would hold most lasting memories for them. I hope there is at least one... 

(Photos from different websites. I cannot find old photos of these places.)

USS Singapore | Bukit Batok Library | Books | Grand Price Lucky Draw

Brayden 9Y1M12D

Bevlynn 4Y10M5D

After a long hiatus, I am back to writing weekly posts. Holiday and work travel in both February and March had gotten my routines all haywire. 

This week is also a Good Friday and Easter Sunday weekend. 

We went to USS Singapore hoping for a nice Easter surprise as they used to have in the past. But no, there wasn't any. It was just another day in USS.

With outdoor temperature hitting 33-35 degC, the heat was unforgiving, it almost felt like we could turn into hot human sausages if we stayed under this scorching "solar bbq". The queue was long for each rides; more than 60 minutes waiting time. And worse, our favourite Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure was under maintenance. 

We chose mainly indoor fun - 

• Trolls Hug Time Jubilee. 
• Interactive Donkey Live in Far Far Away : How Donkey on screen can interact with the audience? the children asked.
• Shrek's 4D adventure
• Revenge of the Mummy (Brayden loved this ride so much, he went twice in a row).

Also, 

• Rhythm Truck dance vs drum duels. It was the first time we got seats exactly in front of the dancers. (High-5 Bev) 
• Puss in Boots' Giant Journey (It was a long queue. I narrated the story of Jack & the Magic Beans to Bev. She pointed to some Golden Eggs. I explained to her that we were in the Giant's kitchen with Giant cooking utensils; pan, kitchen knife, milk pot,... I read all the recipes and on the kitchen wall - poor villager Chuck. I told her we needed to make an escape from the Giant Goose.)
  She seem to understand the storyline better this time and she enjoyed the roller coaster. She's really brave for her age.  
• Character Meet - Hello Kitty & Mummy

By the end of the day, our throats started to sore. Might be from the screaming on the roller coaster, or just the heat. 

We went to the new Bukit Batok library. There was a frenzy last week, the crowd just rushed to grab bags and bags of new books. The shelves were in a mess, books were not found in their original shelves. This week felt much better. Lesser people but still crowded. I still have many books on my to read. 

I managed to catch up on some reading. 

• How to Ikigai (very simple read, not much depth in the concept) 
• Start from 0! 
• Timeless love : Poems, Stories, and Letters (classic love collection. Reading these, I am in my LalaLand "Ah~~ How do I love thee...")
• The Thinking Machine (brilliant; an obsession with an idea brought to reality can be profoundly rewarding; it is admirable work behind the scenes) Unlock : Speed of light. O.I.A.L.O

Funny thing happened this week. 

I messaged Hub about a law of attraction that happened earlier that day. He returned a message about a Grand Price Lucky Draw he just won. I couldn't believe it, it looked more like a scam. After verifying, it was true. It was announced on main pages of social media. We laughed and celebrated; such Lucky year of the Horse. Horseh ah!!  

We met HY's baby for the first time. Bev loved to touch and carry the baby. "Can I have the baby?" she asked. "No, No. No more babies. We can only play with other people's babies."