I have tasted for you: the roasted suckling pig for Bai Tian Gong

Posted on February 27, 2014 by skisoo

In this beginning of the year, many Chinese around the world celebrates Chinese New Year. For Hokkien people, the ninth day of Chinese New Year is the Bai Tian Gong: prayers are addressed to the gods and many offerings, often including a roasted suckling pig, are placed on an altar in front of houses.

Roasted pig ready to be delivered

During a Chinese New Year of the Ming dynasty, intruders invaded the Hokkien province, robbing and burning villages on their way. A group of villagers fled the bandits and took refuge in a field of sugar cane. The intruders tried to pursue the villagers but failed and on the ninth day of Chinese New Year, they abandoned the search and returned to their home. The villagers realized that it was the ninth day and also the birthday of the God of Heaven (Jade Emperor) and since that day, the Hokkien people thank the God of Heaven with offerings and prayers.

Altar with the offerings and the roasted suckling pig

Nowadays, on the eve of the ninth day, an altar decorated with two sugar cane attached on each side is placed in front of each house and many offerings are placed on it, including a nice roasted suckling pig.

Let’s start cutting the pig

Well then, how tasty is this roasted suckling pig ? Well, it is fat, very fat ! But also very nice. A block of meat, a block of fat and a super crispy skin. It is similar to the roasted Pork often found in food courts in Singapore or Malaysia. I really loved it, but after a dozen greasy pieces, it becomes really sickening. At this point I went for the leg (where the ham is), more meat, less fat.

Overall, the roasted suckling pig is really nice but not every day!

Pig all cut in small pieces

Exposition Art is Rubbish is Art by Ernest Zacharevic

Posted on February 10, 2014 by skisoo

The famous Lithuanian Street Artist, Ernest Zacharevic is currently having his first solo exposition in an abandon building in the middle of Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia.

He is famous for his beautiful mural works in the streets of Penang, bringing vibrant life and tourists to Penang old heritage streets. He received some attention recently for a controversial mural in Johor Bahru depicting a Lego woman figurine walking with a branded bag along a side of a wall and a Lego robber waiting for the woman on another side of the wall. Local politician complained a lot about the signification of the painting.

Mural in Johor Bahru

The first solo exposition by Ernest Zacharevic in Penang focuses on the use of items that might be considered rubbish, old coffee bean bags, vintage furniture, old decrepit walls… and transforms them into beautiful work of art. The exhibit is also initiating the opening of a new art space in Penang in an abandon bus depot aiming at bringing together the old and new Penang through Art.

Children drawings – Exposition Art is Rubbish is Art

The exposition Art is Rubbish is Art is free and open until 14 February 2014 at Jalan Gurdwara, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Old Furniture turned into Art – Exposition Art is Rubbish is Art

Decrepit wall art- Exposition Art is Rubbish is Art

Trishaw on window blinds – Exposition Art is Rubbish is Art

What to do in Malaysia during Spring 2014

Posted on January 25, 2014 by skisoo

You live in Malaysia or you are just passing through for a few days and you don’t really know what to do during Spring 2014! 2014 is a special year for tourism in Malaysia, the Ministry of Tourism has prepared a rich year full of festivals and activities under the slogan “Visit Malaysia 2014”.

I made a small selection of festivals that sound interesting.

Le tour de Langkawi

The equivalent of the Tour de France is in Malaysia ! Le tour de Langkawi 2014 will take place in 10 stages starting from Langkawi to Kuala Terengganu and of course passing through Kuala Lumpur. The race will be held from February 27 to March 8, 2014.

Future Music Festival Asia

The biggest music festival in Malaysia is back for a new edition. Future Music Festival Asia is a huge music festival which takes place from March 15 to 17 at Mines Wonderland. The music festival will feature many internationally renowned artists such as Pharrell Williams, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis deadmau5 , Armin van Buuren and as well as many recognized local artists like Yuna.

Formula 1 Grand Prix Malaysia

For the big fans of racing cars, the Formula 1 Grand Prix Malaysia is an important stage in the international circuit. The race will be held on March 30 at the Sepang International Circuit.

Penang World Music Festival

During two days, the Botanical Garden Penang become a world bazaar. The Penang World Music Festival brings amazing World Music to Penang: Malaysian tribal music, Portuguese folk music, African percussions, and other rhythms of South America or the Middle East. From April 12 to 13 in Penang.

Rainforest World Music Festival

Another festival of world music, but this one takes place on the island of Borneo, in Kuching, Sarawak. Many musicians of all backgrounds and countries will be present. Workshops, music lectures and mini-concerts will accompany the Rainforest World Music Festival. From June 20 to 22.

What is the best passport for travel ?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by skisoo

Most passports allow travellers to go many countries without having to get a visa in advance. Except for entry into the Schengen area where conditions/restrictions are the same to all countries in the zone, all countries have their own rules to accommodate foreigners.

The Henley & Partners agency publishes every year a study on Visa restrictions around the world. The 2013 study shows that the citizens of Northern Europe (Finland , Sweden) and the owners of a British passport have the best passports in the world with the opportunity to travel to 173 countries without a visa (the study considered 219 possible destinations). Citizens of Western European countries, the United States and Canada can travel without a visa in 168 to 172 countries. Asian citizens with the most freedom to travel are the Japanese, the Singaporean, the South Koreans and the Malaysians with 170, 167, 166 and 163 countries respectively accessible without Visa.

Country	Score
Finland	173
Sweden	173
United Kingdom	173
Denmark	172
Germany	172
Luxembourg	172
USA	172
Belgium	171
Italy	171
Netherlands	171
Canada	170
France	170
Ireland	170
Japan	170
Norway	170
Portugal	170
Spain	170

For South America, citizens of Argentina have the best passports among their neighboring countries with the ability to travel freely in 147 countries. For the African continent, the citizens of South Africa are freer in their global movement with 94 countries.

The bottom of the ranking is reserved for Iraq (31 countries) and Afghanistan (28 countries).

For new countries, nationals of Kosovo (independence in 2008) can go to 38 countries without a visa and nationals of South Sudan (independence in 2011) can go in 39 countries without a visa (one more than Sudan).

The study ranks countries based on the number of visitable country without a visa, but if you look more closely, what is the passport that allows travel on the most surface as possible? Well, only nationals of Japan and Singapore can go to China, India, Europe and North America without a visa. They are the winners of international travel.

Map of Visa restrictions

Seri Tanjung Pinang phase 2&3, a few USD billions land reclamation project

Posted on August 29, 2013 by skisoo

Penang will soon have a baby! Last week, a public consultation revealed the phases 2 and 3 of the Seri Tanjung Pinang development project : a 307 hectares man-made island will be created in front of Penang’s Strait Quay. Two 400m-long bridges will connect the new island to Strait Quay and Gurney Drive.

The second phase will reclaim 102 hectares on the sea and should take around 30 months to complete and another 10 years to develop the residential and commercial projects for a gross development value of RM8 billions. 60% of the construction jobs will be done by Penang based contractors. The sand for the reclamation will come from the coast of Lumut and the dredged material from the flushing canal will be dumped in the sea 40km away from Penang. 12000 houses will be built under Phase 2, including 30 % of « affordable housing » (which will not really be affordable by Malaysian standard).

Seri Tanjung Pinang phase 2 & 3 (from radiantjustice)

The third and last phase will reclaim the remaining 205 hectares and will take four years to complete and 14 years to develop projects with for a gross development value of RM17 billions.

Many concerns were raising during the public consultation : fishermen will loose valuable fishing ground, the current siltation of Gurney Drive may worsen and there will be more siltation around the new island and this mega project will have a huge ecological impact.

Seri Tanjung Pinang phase 2 & 3 details (from radiantjustice)

I don’t really know what to think of that. I wonder if such a project is really necessary… Is Penang trying to become like Dubai with crazy land reclamation ideas ? This project will stimulate for sure the local economy but for what cost ? The ecological impact will be important and Penang is already becoming more and more expensive for local people, the landscape is already changing at a very fast pace and rich foreign investors (lots from Singapore and Hong Kong) keep buying properties pressuring the local housing market. I fear that Penang will become like Hong Kong soon: overcrowded, accommodation overpriced and local population push out from the city center to the main land…

Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26541172@N08/sets/72157635209942496/with/9579359529/

source:
– https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2936991
– http://anilnetto.com/economy/development-issues/seri-tanjung-pinang-phase-2-gurney-drive-will-not-be-the-same-again/

Perhentian islands for the week end

Posted on August 26, 2013 by skisoo

I had heard a lot about Perhentian islands, that it was among the most beautiful islands of Malaysia and the dive sites were amazing. So I went to check for myself.

The problem with the Perhentian Islands is that they are not easily accessible due to its location in the North of the Peninsular Malaysia .. I heard about the overnight bus journey from Singapore in 7-8 hours but I finally opted for the plane. Flight on Thursday night for Kuala Lumpur and an early flight on Friday morning to Kota Bharu, followed by an hour of taxi to finally take the boat to the island in late morning.

Arriving at the island

Once on the boat, the weekend can start, with a beautiful blue sky and a bright and strong sun! After an hour, I started to see the islands covered with jungle and is bordered with rocks or long beautiful beaches. Our humble abode is the Bayu Dive Lodge, a set of fairly basic bungalows on the South beach of the Big Island. The location is great, only three accommodations along the beach and easy access to Shark Bay by swimming (the lodge provides the snorkel and mask for free). The comfort of the bungalows is quite spartan and services performed (snorkelling, diving) are not the most interesting compared to other lodging on the island (but hey, no choice, it was one of the last free when booking). But the restaurant next door is really excellent!

Bayu Dive Lodge

It was a relaxing weekend. Since I do not have my Padi, I went snorkelling on the first day (3 spots, 50 MYR, it’s possible to find more interesting deal). The spots were average with many varieties of fish. I was especially lucky to see two small sharks and some clown-fishes (Nemo!).

Turtle

Shark

Clown fish

The day after, kayaking, initially I was thinking of doing a tour of the island, but I did not know it was so slow and gruelling in the sea, so we stayed in the bay. The island also has some small walking trails, especially one that connects South Beach to North Beach, known for its turtles. In the evening, the beach is super quiet, just four tables filled in the restaurant and nobody! We had some troubles finding a bar but we did and we enjoyed the Orang Utan Arak Kuning (Juice Monkey), a kind of local rum that smells of vanilla. Very good.

The walking trail in the jungle

I really loved this week end in the Perhentian Islands, If it was easier to access I would definitely go back often! I’ll have to try other accommodation, the Turtle Beach look nice or otherwise on the small island which from what I’ve heard is more festive at night.

The beach on Perhentian Islands