• Art & Places,  Penang,  sculpture

    Art & Places: Welded Iron Wall Caricatures, Georgetown, Penang

    I came across one of  many caricatures installed around Georgetown. Since the inner city of Georgetown has been declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2008, Penang State Tourism Development & Culture has been developing a project called ‘Marking Georgetown’ since 2009. This project consists of a total of 52 sculpture located around the city. ‘Marking Georgetown’ creatively symbolises street and social history of the early settlement days. The project showcases the works of cartoonists such as Tang Mun Kian and Baba Chuah.

    Here is one that I managed to capture during my short visit to Georgetown.

     Welded Iron Scuplture in Georgetown, Penang
    Tok Tok Mee by  Tang Mun Kian. Installation work was done by Scuplture at Work.

    Tok Tok Mee is the name of a steel-rod sculpture placed at the junction of Lebuh China and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. The sculpture tells how hawkers of wantan mee signal their presence by striking ‘tok, tok’ sound. Housewives and children would be scurrying out of their homes to buy a bowl or two soon they heard the ‘tok, tok’ sound.

    Reference:
    http://www.visitpenang.gov.my/download2/Street-Art-Brochure.pdf
    http://www.penang-traveltips.com/tok-tok-mee-sculpture.htm

     

  • Buildings,  Penang

    Jubilee Clock Tower, Georgetown, Penang

    My son and I took a trishaw around Penang Esplanade and at the intersection of Light Street, Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai) and King Edward’s Place (Persiaran King Edward), we saw a clock tower.We managed to see part of the inscription written on the tower ‘This clock tower was presented to Penang….

    Jubilee Clock Tower, Penang

    clock-tower-inscription

    After doing some reading online, I learned the name of the tower; The Jubilee Clock Tower.

    Previously known as QueenVictoria Memorial Clock Tower, the clock tower is a free-standing clock tower at the intersection of Light Street, Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai) and King Edward’s Place (Persiaran King Edward). Completed in 1902 in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the clock tower rises to 60 feet to mark the 60-year reign of Queen Victoria.

    The full inscription on the tower reads ‘This clock tower was presented to Penang by Cheah Chen Eok in commemoration of Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee 1937-1897‘.

    This clock tower comprises of 4 tiers; the base is octagon-shaped and the following two tiers comprise four distinct sections with elaborate windows, balconies and a clock face on each side. The topmost tier is rounded off with Roman pillars and topped with a golden dome cupola.

    The total cost of construction came to$35,000, a princely sum in those days, borne by Cheah Chen Eok, a wealthy businessman. Chen Eok was also a Justice of Peace, Municipal Commissioner of Penang, member of the Chinese Advisory Board, a trustee of the Penang Free School and member of all local clubs. Chen Eok regarded himself as a loyal British subject and when Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, he offered to fully fund the erection of a clock tower in commemorating the event.

    During the Second World War, many bombs were dropped around the nearby government buildings and interestingly, this resulted in the slight lean of the clock tower.

    Reference:
    http://overseaschineseinthebritishempire.blogspot.com/2011/12/cheah-chen-eok.html
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_clock
    http://www.penang.ws/penang-attractions/queen-victoria-memorial.htm

     

     

     

  • Family travel,  Penang

    Georgetown, Penang

    It has been two years since my family and I last visited Penang and during our way back from Kedah after my uncle’s funeral last week, we dropped by Georgetown, Penang. Initially we wanted to go to Kuantan as my husband has some work to do but after confirming with the boss, the Kuantan trip was actually scheduled two days ahead. Since it was already evening, we decided to put up a night there. We found a very cheap hotel at Pitt Street that is within walking distance to Penang Esplanade; one of the attractions in Penang.

    Pitt Street
    View from our room on Pitt Street.

    Pitt Street, or now known as Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, is one of the four major streets in the Original Grid of George Town laid out by Captain Francis Light when he established his trading settlement. After naming the first street of his settlement after himself, Light realised that he may have offended the prime minister for not naming anything after him. Hence, he decided to name Pitt Street after the then prime minister, William Pitt the Younger.

    Instead of taking the short walk along Pitt Street to the esplanade, we decided to take a long walk by walking around the area passing by Lebuh China, Lebuh Queen, Lebuh Gereja, Lebuh King and Lebuh Light. After Lebuh Light, we reached the esplanade. It was a great walk as we got to see fascinating heritage shophouses.

    shophouses01

    shophouses02

    shophouses03
    Fascinating buildings! I didn’t get to capture these buildings on my previous trip here back in 2010.

    After admiring the buildings, we crossed Lebuh Light to get to Penang Esplanade. This esplanade consists of  Padang Esplanade (or Taman Padang Kota Lama), Fort Cornwallis, Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse, City Hall, Town Hall, Penang Museum, Municipal Fountain, Victoria Clocktower, Cenotaph, Logan Memorial, Supreme Court, Convent Light Street, St George’s Anglican Church, Francis Light Memorial, Cathedral of the Assumption, Argus Lane, St Xavier’s Institution, Protestant Cemetery and Eastern & Oriental Hotel.

    Padang Esplanade
    Padang Esplanade.

    Penang Town Hall
    Town Hall.

    Built in the 1880s, the Town Hall (also known as the Ang Moh Kong Kuan – White Men’s Club) is now the oldest municipal building in the state and boasts a spacious ballroom, where regular local events and exhibitions are staged.

    Fort Cornwallis
    Fort Cornwallis. Can you find Yassin and his dad?

    Fort Cornwallis is the largest intact fortress still standing in Malaysia. The fort dates back to the earliest days of British settlement on the island. When Captain Francis Light landed on Penang Island in 1786, the cape where he landed was called Tanjung Penaga in Malay. There, he established the British settlement and trading port of George Town. To defend the site, he built a simple stockade out of nibong palms.

    lighthouse
    Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse.

    Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in Malaysia. It was erected by the British in 1882 and previously known as the Fort Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse underwent renovations in 1914 and 1928. As part of the renovation, the name was also changed to Penang Harbour Lighthouse. But considering that it stands within Fort Cornwallis, the lighthouse is later called the Fort Cornwallis Lighthouse. Visual distance of the lighthouse is 16 nautical miles.

    There are more buildings that I like to cover but I don’t want to make this a very long one, so more posts on Georgetown soon.

    So… after walking for hours, we were hungry! We went to the food stalls next to the open field, not sure what to eat. My husband saw a long queue at one particular stall, Hameed Pata Special Mee Sotong and he went and order. Although we had to wait for almost 40 minutes due to the long queue, we were happy that we ordered Mee Sotong. It was delicious! We also had Coconut Milkshake from the same stall. It was worth the 1% body fat that I gained, I tell you. LOL.

    Mee Sotong
    Spicy Mee Sotong. It is actually a mee goreng with sambal sotong.

    coconut milkshake
    Coconut Milkshake with Vanilla Ice-Cream.

    We had a blast! Yassin was happy to revisit Penang. Here are some more photos around Georgetown.

    seafront
    Seafront.

    sunset in Georgetown
    Sunset in Georgetown.

    Yassin at the playground
    Yassin playing at the Taman Kota Lama playground (Day 2 before we leave Georgetown).

    husband chasing bird
    My husband chasing the birds.

  • ARTWORKS,  watercolor

    2012 Year-end Paintings for sale

    Here are some of my paintings for sale. Do e-mail me at emilayusog@gmail.com if you are interested in buying. Thanks bunch!

    rabbit girl
    Rabbit Girl. Acrylic on canvas. 16″ x 16″. RM450.

    gothic
    Gothic Girl. Acrylic on canvas. 12″ x 12″. RM400.

    cataleya-girl
    Cataleya Girl. Pen and watercolor on watercolor paper. A4 size, framed. RM500.

    sleepingbeauty
    Sleeping Beauty I. Pen and watercolor on watercolor paper. A4 size, framed. RM500.

    sambar
    Sambar Girl. Graphite and watercolor on watercolor paper. A4 size, framed. RM400.

    iban
    Iban Girl. Pen and watercolor on watercolor paper. Painting size: 10″ x 10″. Frame size: 19 3/4″ square. RM500.

    orangulu
    Orang Ulu Girl. Pena and watercolor on watercolor paper. Panting size: 10″ x 10″. Frame size: 19 3/4″ square. RM500.

  • Family travel,  Johor,  TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS

    Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia: Tanjung Piai National Park, Johor

    “Hey, do you know that the southernmost tip of Mainland Asia is not far from here?” My husband asked me after driving out from Nusajaya, Johor. “Really? Where? Show me,” I replied. And off we went to Pontian where the  the southernmost tip of Mainland Asia is at.

    Located within the district of Pontian, Johor, Tanjung Piai National Park covers an area of over 926ha — 526ha of which comprise of coastal mangroves. Entry into the Tanjung Piai park requires a minimal fee of just RM3 for adults (Malaysians) and RM5 for foreign visitors, payable at  at a small ticket counter just before entering the visitor’s complex.

    Tanjung Piai

    The above monument, made of eco-friendly-reinforced concrete, was erected in 2001 to mark Tanjung Piai’s unique geographical position as the “Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia”. Measured at 20 metres high and 10 metres wide, the monument’s stark grey colour represents the rich mangroves and mudflats of Tanjung Piai. The monument is adorned by image of Paku Piai Raya (Acrostichum aureum) – the indigenous fern from which Tanjung Piai derives its name. Tanjung means ‘cape’ in Malay, and Piai is the name of the fern species.

    The monument is just a landmark but the real southernmost tip is actually situated some meters away from the visitor’s complex.

    Visitor's Complex

    534m

    We love the fact that there are many information boards provided along the trails to educate visitors.

    infoboard

    educational signboard

    Along the trail we also got to see monkey, kingfisher, mudskipper, telescopium and crab.

    mollusc

    After walking more than 500 meters, we reached the actual site of southernmost tip of mainland Asia. Yay! We made it!

    smt
    Southernmost tip of Mainland Asia.

    smt2
    A globe structure to mark the cape as 0ne of the Ramsar sites.

    piaisunset
    Sunset at Tanjung Piai.

    So how do you get here? From Kuala Lumpur, take the North-South Expressway (NSE) south past Machap, then take the Simpang Rengam exit (Interchange 247) onto the highway headed for Tanjung Piai, via the Benut – Pontian – Kukup highways (Highway 96, Highway 5 and Highway 95). Once near Kukup, follow signboards leading to Tanjung Piai.

    As for public transportation, currently there is no direct bus service to the Tanjung Piai Johor National Park. Take a bus from KL to Pontian and then take taxi from Pontian bus station to Tanjung Piai.