One festive goodie I can never resist is the very pretty (and fattening) pineapple tart. I make it a point to find interesting ones every year, and this year I am going for healthy pineapple tarts – organic low GI. If I can’t stop this yearly sinful indulgence, I will make it sin LESS.
I am eating quite a bit of organic food nowadays, and was quite excited when I found these organic pineapple tarts from Bud of Joy. They definitely don’t come cheap ($38.80 for a bottle), but if it means lesser snacking guilt – why not? :) They taste pretty good and I like the melt-in-your-mouth crust. The pineapple is also not too sweet.
The low GI pineapple pearls made from wholemeal flour and other organic ingredients taste pretty good as well. I know cos’ my mum has polished off half the bottle. And Chinese New Year hasn’t even started.
Ordering was fuss-free via their website and they offer delivery too, so I ordered a bottle of organic kaya (coconut egg jam) to try too. While Bud of Joy has a number of perishable items such as bread and cookies at their physical shop, it’s best if you order-to-make so as to minimize food wastage. I will try ordering a pine nut butter spread the next time, sounds like it will make a yummy breakfast :)
I’m excited about the New Year! And all the goodies to be eaten lol. What’s your favourite part of the New Year? :)
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…why is my reflection most hideous of all?! Having fun with trickeye photography at Made in Penang Interactive Museum
On our recent trip to Penang, Darren & I checked out one of Penang’s latest attractions, Made in Penang Interactive Museum. Now visitors to Penang can have an additional place, other than its renown street art, to pose for while learning a bit about the city’s history.
The museum is within the vicinity of the Clan Jetties further up from the Weld Quay Bus Terminal, you can plan to visit these two attractions in a day. You will pass by an open-air car park beside this clock tower as you walk along the road coming from the clan jetties – continue walking straight up and you will reach the museum in about 10 minutes.
The experience starts right away at the entrance Along the passageway as you walk in, you will see Malaysia’s longest 3D wall mural (25 metres) depicting Georgetown’s waterfront during the 20th century.
Pretending to be a COOLie
“Why you no give this month’s allowance?” Helping out a squabble aka kaypoh-ing
Even the cafe is made to look retro
Entrance fees are divided it into three categories: – Tourists (non-MyCard holder): RM30 – Malaysian (Adult): RM15 – Malaysian (Kid/ Student): RM10 You get a souvenir pin badge as part of the admission, and I like it that they designed the ticket stub, which is usually thrown away, as a bookmark. There’s another purpose for the ticket too – you will need it for an interesting activity at the last stop of your visit.
The museum showcases three-dimensional interactive art over two levels depicting Penang’s iconic landmarks as well as famous historic figures. The ground floor houses a Diorama Gallery while the first floor houses the Penang 3D Gallery (trickeye photography).
Diorama Gallery The Diorama Gallery showcases seven scenes of life in Penang in miniatures sculptured by Khoo Chooi Hooi. Left: Durian seller; Right: Nasi Lemak (coconut rice wrapped in banana leaf) seller
The biggest diorama – a panoramic view of Georgetown’s waterfront during the early 20th century The white Behn Meyer building in the background is also the building which now houses the museum.
A cool squat
Bullock carts were the main form of transport back in those days
AND the cam-whoring begins…DING, DING! :D
Main highlight of the museum – Penang 3D Gallery Be prepared to go shutter-happy on the first floor with 30 3D murals featuring various icons of Penang as well as famous personalities such as P. Ramlee (icon of Malaya entertainment) and Sun Yat-Sen (Father of the Nation in the Republic of China).
Forget about being shy – think of the most creative pose you can have with the murals! The murals utilise varying contours, forced perspectives and simple props to create a real-life mind trickery – on photographs. It’s quite interesting observing the other visitors too – even the auntys can surprise you with their imaginative poses ;)
For the less adventurous, check out the suggested poses on the signages. You can read up on the particular scene/personality featured as well.
And here’s my interpretation of the scene!
Dino fight!
This will be the closest I’ll ever get to Sun Yat-Sen
I ain’t a ‘small person’, don’t hit me! Villain hitting, or 打小人 (da siu yan) is a popular folk culture especially in Cantonese precincts. Basically, you hit the paper effigy of the person you want to curse with a red clog, and keep scolding them. It’s similar to Western voodoo, just much noiser and dramatic. Elderly Cantonese aunties excel at the cursing, and made a profession out of it (think professional curser). Such practices are so integrated into their culture that it has been named ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ by the Hong Kong Home Affairs’ Bureau.
Rat busting – 1910 bubonic plague in China I really wonder why they chose to feature such a dark topic at a tourist attraction
Oopsie!
Queen Victoria Clock Tower Mural The only floor mural, visitors lie on the floor to pose as if they were hanging precariously on the tower, with Spiderman on the way to the rescue. You have to take off your shoes, so it’s best if you don’t visit with shoes with a gazillion laces or straps. We were expecting more of such adventurous murals.
Getting caught in the carnivorous plant of Penang Hill. Beware the carbs, poor plant.
Slurping up a bowl of local street delicacy – prawn noodles
Now’s the time to take out your ticket stub Point the QR code printed on your ticket at this augmented reality kiosk to see a three-dimensional image of Penang’s tallest bulding Komtar or the Penang ferry. There is another interactive kiosk located at the end of the Diorama Gallery on the Ground Floor where you can see your face being painted with vivid Sichuan opera masks on screen.
Ta da – Komtar building in my hand!
For those interested to learn more about Penang’s history, catch a video presentation at the mini theatre (available in English and Mandarin).
Overall, it was an enjoyable visit for both of us. Perhaps we were so excited about a new attraction in Penang, we expected a bit more from the exhibits. At RM30, it was one of the more pricey attractions about town. I believe the museum will improve over time as there were still a few areas under renovation when we visited.
If you have a sense of humor and like cam-whoring, do visit. Set aside 1-2 hours for the visit, and it’s best to go with a friend who can help you take photos and have fun together (there’s obliging staff around to help solo visitors too). If you shun the spotlight like vampires to sunlight, think you would be better off spending the money on another bowl of Penang laksa.
Made In Penang Interactive Museum 美因槟廊
Address: No.3 Pengkalan Weld, 10300 George Town, Malaysia
Tel: +604 262 6119
Opening Hours: 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/MadeInPenang
Every year during Chinese New Year, I keep telling myself not to face the crazy queue for Lim Chee Guan’s bak kwa (sliced barbeque pork), which can take hours. But every year, I find myself unconsciously setting aside time for this personal task, rain or shine. Why? Read the end of the post…
3 weeks before Chinese New Year, people start queuing for the famed BBQ pork. As the days draw nearer, the queue gets longer…and loooonger. You can wait in line for as long as four hours during peak hours. Yes, Singaporeans love to queue, in addition to curious tourists who join in as well.
Singapore is definitely not short of bak kwa stores – in fact – there are at least three other stores within a stone throw’s away from Lim Chee Guan, but this is the only store with a queue. So much so that it’s considered a luxury (think Japan’s square melons) to receive Lim Chee Guan during Chinese New Year since it takes that much effort to get hold of them. Families proudly display their prized bags of Lim Chee Guan amongst the festive goodies, and they are usually chomped up quite quickly.
Its immense popularity has also resulted in copycat stores, so do note they only have three outlets in Singapore – 2 in Chinatown just opposite the street, and 1 in Ion Orchard.
Prices of the bak kwa rise as it gets nearer to Chinese New Year, and it has almost doubled to over $50 for a kg with two weeks away. One person is only allowed to buy a maximum of 50kg of bak kwa to ensure sufficient supply. While 50kg sounds like a gigantic load, many businessmen do come to buy in bulk as corporate gifts. And nope, Lim Chee Guan does not do corporate sales so come queue for yourself.
Ahhh, the glistening of freshly grilled BBQ pork! I got their Signature Sliced Pork, and also the Prawn bak kwa to try something new (they have fish flavour too). I would have to say their BBQ pork is the most tender and flavorful that I have eaten, and it is now difficult for me to eat other brands after getting accustomed to its taste.
More than simply satisfying my gluttony, the reason why I would take time to queue is to keep my memories of family alive – when I was a child, I used to accompany my late Grandma to buy Lim Chee Guan for the family during Chinese New Year. I was told it was the best, and we would only get the best for the family. I also remembered the happy times we shared during Chinese New Year, laughter reverberating throughout the house, and erm…trying to earn extra pocket money playing cards with my aunties & uncles lol. So by continuing this routine, it’s my little way of showing my love to those I care about. Some people may call it silly to waste time queuing up and paying more during this festive period, but I think it’s worth it to make my loved ones happy.
I can’t wait for Chinese New Year to arrive…it’s also a legitimate time to wear pretty clothes – and to pig out! LOL :D
In conjunction with an on-going exhibition, internationally-renowned media artist Naoko Tosa transforms Singapore’s city skyline with an exterior projection on the ArtScience Museum façade.
“Sound of Ikebana” – the theme of four seasons inspired by different cultures showcases Japan’s four seasons alongside strong artistic influences of the Rimpa School. Colours representative of China, Malaysia and India have been included to acknowledge the exhibition’s staging in Asia. Shot at 2,000 frames per second using high-speed photography, “Sound of Ikebana” is a series of videos that showcases vibrant images using various liquids (such as paints and oils) created from sound vibrations.
Naoko Tosa is an internationally renowned Japanese media artist who believes in the artistic concept that “various cultures in the world are connected just as one culture from the ancient time of human history at unconsciousness level overcoming nationalism”. Connecting this concept to a computer, she has created a new concept called “Cultural Computing”, creating a new frontier of art products to lead society to a richer future. Covering a wide range of areas, Naoko’s art includes sculpture, visual art, video art, digital art, just to name a few. She has exhibited her artworks at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the New York Metropolitan Art Museum and Japan Creative Center at Singapore among many locations worldwide. Naoko is currently a professor at Kyoto University and a visiting professor of the National University of Singapore.
Contemporary Terracotta Warrior No. 10 Yue Minjun, China
Now into it’s 4th edition, Art Stage Singapore presents works from 158 galleries as well as eight new country and regional platforms curated by experts of the respective arts scenes including Mami Kataoka, chief curator of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, and Huang Du, the Beijing-based art critic. This year’s fair seemed to be a bit more chill, with less large-scale installations on show compared to the previous years. The fair has shifted its focus to education with more talks and curated platforms. There were some pretty interesting and thought-provoking artworks which I really liked.
Bamboo sculpture at the entrance
50 Faces Jane Lee, Singapore Comprising 50 miniature painting objects on a 10metre wall, the artist attemptes to create a painting’s portrait, and to incorporate the viewer’s face into the artwork in order to add an element of interaction.
Good Things Come in Pairs Peng Wei, China I call them hum-sup shoes. Choy..
Shield Rachel Kneebone It’s a wall of…the male anatomy that left me slightly dumbfounded. Definitely not hanging this one in my living hall.
Tityus Damien Hirst White Cube gallery doesn’t disappoint with this year’s showcase. Darren & I loved this particular piece formed up of entomological specimens and Hammerite paint on canvas. Never knew bugs could be so beautiful, and they were very well-preserved.
A piece of artwork admiring an artwork We stood transfixed, admiring every detail. Too bad Christmas is already over, else “Thank you for the lovely present oppa!”
We loved the artworks by one of Belgium’s top artists Jan Fabre as well.
Wondered how many hundreds of thousands of bugs were used for this cloak.
Angels have pets too
One of the few large-scale installations we spotted. Darren called this Air Pig. I think it’s really cute. I like happy art.
Animals on show
And a bronze safari
They No. 2 Cai Lei
Goldrush Dolk, Norway A popular Norweigian street artist, Dolk remains anonymous and little is known about him. His works have been exhibited globally in New York, London, berlin, Oslo, Tokyo and Bergen, the artist’s hometown. The musk ox in this artwork is a symbol of nature in constant struggle against expanding civilization.
The Cutest Oz Celestial-Eye Yan Mao-Lin
Whale of a ship
The story of my life. Period.
Tracy Emin’s neon artworks never fails to tug a little emotion in my heart.
Artwork by Bounpaul Phothyzan, Laos at the Southeast Asia platform
There Is No Other Paradise Justin Lim, Malaysia One of our favourite works
I bet you won’t be playing hooky with these
We really liked these 3-dimensional artworks by TeamLab at Ikkan Art Gallery. TeamLab is not an artist cohort, but made up of programmers, mathematicians, architects, CG animators and other collaborators. Way cool.
Very clever interaction of furniture with light and puppetry by a Taiwanese artist
Flower Co. Guard Jiang Shuo This $86K guard is definitely festive-looking
Fairy surrounded by two pleasure-seeking men
The Emperor’s New Clothes: Afternoon Excursion Zhao Limin
Why do they remind me of Power Rangers?
Art is also resistance Hayat
OO-X Shigeki Hayashi
It’s life-likeness gave me the creeps.
Legs parade
Image of Chair (Father) Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew This was painted on different layers of mesh, and put together.
It’s lonely at the top…
You have to look at an angle to see this artwork. Very space-saving!
Shuttlecock fairy wings
I was pretty amazed with this piece by Choe U-Ram. Only the price tag stopped me from bringing it home.
How would you feel working in a room filled with dots painted on newspaper?
One of my favourite pieces. I love wood carving, something I excelled in back in school.
Trisha Dancing Susan Weil
Picasso Painting on a Pepsi Crate
Kiddy representations
Liu Bolin is one of my favourite Chinese artists. He painstakingly paints himself to blend in with his surroundings. Can you spot him in these three works?
Parfums de Revolte Hayat
Layer Drawing – The Tactual Sky Nobuhiro Nakanishi printed 100 images of sunrise photos he took on acrylic sheets and layered them to depict the passage of time.
We realised it made a terrific photo op too! Till edition 2015… :)
spunktitud3 