Penang Hill has a quaint rustic charm that some Penangites may take for granted. After all, we see it everyday when driving around. Nonetheless, my love for this tourist landmark was rekindled this evening when I went up the hill in the funicular tram with my cousin Hoy, Alice and Freddy Aeria.
As usual, I was late because of blogging - my feedburner for my post called THE BRAIN DRAIN
could not update in other blogggers' blogroll so I had to do the necessary a few times. By the time I reached Cantonment Road, the others were already calling me on the handphone to ask about my whereabouts.
I picked my cousin Hoy and Freddy and then swung by to pick Alice and off we went to Penang Hill Railway Station. The tram was stuffy and the air reeked of a potent mixture of sweat, body odor, perfume that had lost its essence, the musky smell of clothing that had not been aired properly, armpit odor ARRRRRRRRGH ...It was awful to say the least but the company made the torture chamber experience more bearable.
Upon arrival at the Upper Station, we strolled around marvelling at the panoramic view of the island while simultaneously lamenting its over development. Following that, we took many pics of the vista before us and then proceeded to David Brown's Restaurant and Teahouse where we made reservations for dinner. Then we walked to the exhibit of the original tram.
We were not too interested in the snake charmer's show nearby as Alice was stricken with fear at the sight of the albino python and the tame macaque so we made our way to Belleview Hotel where to my delight, I found a copy of Antares' book " TANAH TUJUH - Close Encounters with the Temuan Mythos". I had looked high and low for it in many bookshops in Penang, KL and Singapore.
The view from Belleview Hotel offered a different view of Penang than the one we enjoyed before and again, we were held spellbound that this is Penang - the island where we had spent more than four decades of our lives (except for Hoy who resides in US). The hotel is quite famous for its steamboat and the gardens are well manicured and the whole place well-maintained, including the large aviary housing a commendable array of birds. Soon after, I felt weak and feeble and persuaded the others to adjourn to David Brown's Restaurant and Tea Terrace. The maitre d greeted us warmly and we made our way up the red-tiled steps.
We were amazed at the ambiance of the whole place. Located on top of Strawberry Hill, the owner had done wonders with the place. Smack in the middle of the open area was an iconic lily pond with five-feet high water reeds standing in their resplendent beauty and the building had a quintessential charm of a British colonial Restaurant and Tea Terraces.
Freddy ordered Beef Stew and Dumplings and pineapple juice.
My cousin had Spring Chicken and ginger ale.
Alice and I shared a Grilled Salmon stead and I had ginger beer.
The homemade buns were warm and nice while the butter was certainly imported Australian butter - creamy, tasty and so silky in texture.
As we sat there, we watched the sunset and then slowly but surely, Penang lit up and when it was dark, the city seemed to be sparkling like precious stones.
Honestly, this place deserves a visit. The ambiance of the place is simply so romantic and the food is real good too. After a long dinner conversation, we made our way home.
The food and company were simply brilliant and I am truly glad I had such a lovely time with them. So, this weekend if you have nothing to do, go up the hill and have a lovely sunset dinner with your loved one. Believe me, once you visit the place, you will want to make another trip there. That's the stuff that unforgettable hilltop experiences are made of - the element that makes you want to go back over and over again, as if you can never have enough of the place.
"When you get to the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on." - Franklin D Roosevelt
"The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if:
(1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving,
(2) You're willing to take massive action,
(3) You notice what's working or not, and
(4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way." - Anthony Robbins
"More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take them, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t." - Anonymous
"Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill." - Muhammad Ali
"Most of the important things in the world have been accompanied by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." - Dale Carnegie
"So many of our dreams at first seems impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." - Christopher Reeve
"There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition." - Steven J Ross
"Our greatest glory is never in failure, but in rising every time we fall." - Confucious
"The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach." - Benjamin Mays
"Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas A Edison
"Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!" - Donald Gardner
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
"Success is what you attract by the person you become." - Jim Rohn
"Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune." - Jim Rohn
"The future has several names. For the weak, it is the impossible. For the fainthearted, it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant, it is the ideal." - Victor Hugo
"There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice." - Po Bronson
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." - Henry van Dyke
"Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life’s about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shaw
"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point." - Harold B Melchart
A vexing problem in many countries, including Malaysia, is the brain drain. Through the passage of time, while our government tries (or think it does) to develop the education system (I reserve my comments on this one), we can see the alarming trend in the mass exodus of qualified professionals such as technologists, technocrats, engineers, scientists, doctors and engineers to the developed parts of the world. Personally, many of my friends have or are in the process of migrating and I too would have left, if not for my age.
Sadly, what one country loses, another gains (especially a particular neighbouring country) and I firmly believe that this loss of much needed brain power has seriously hindered the development of our country.
On one hand, the government dishes out scholarships to students of different calibre based on different criteria; on the other hand, many of these scholarship recipients do not come back to Malaysia and much money goes down the drain as the brain drain continues. Granted that these professionals get their training, locally or abroad, at the expense of the tax-payers. Certainly, the opportunity cost of training these professionals is beyond computation!
Where medicine is concerned, the costs of sending scholars abroad for their training is ridiculous, especially if we bear in mind that many choose not to return, thereby robbing the country in broad daylight for instead of choosing to serve our country whose citizens paid for their education via taxes, they are serving in a foreign country instead.
As it stands, many job opportunities for professionals are lacking in Malaysia, especially in research and further development. Some of them vegetate for long periods because they are unable to find suitable employment locally. Thus, it is no surprise that many top notch scientists do not return to Malaysia for they have a thirst for the latest knowledge and to be in the place where knowledge expansion can be maximized, something which is a rarity in Malaysia.
Apart from that, are they willing to give attractive perks and higher salaries on par with those of developed countries? Even if they did, would the support staff have the technological expertise to assist them? Let us not forget the added attraction of better social and public goods in those countries as compared to ours, especially in education.
Has the government done anything to ensure that scholarship holders fulfil their obligations? Hundreds of thousands of scholars never return and millions of ringgit are flushed down the drain to train these ungrateful characters. What has the government done to recover the money wasted on these ungrateful irresponsible scholars? What are the statistics to show the actual situation? Have they brought to task these absconders? Have they tried to provide employment opportunities for qualified persons with adequate and attractive opportunities for employment?
The current political climate would most probably have exacerbated the problem. Like what I discussed in my post called My Sons, please look for greener pastures, who would want to return to a country where so many uncertainties exist? I sincerely wonder if the politicians wonder about the impact of their public bickering in the mass media on various issues which creates more instability and disharmony than anything else.
Let’s face it. The dictum “Man does not live by bread alone” does not wholly appeal to professionals. Some may be patriotic but many may not be patriotic enough to forgo their material advancement. I would say it is more than just a lack of equal opportunities..I would think it is largely material needs and the desire to be in a country that promises a better future for the next generation that compel many to go in search of ‘greener pastures’.
But does the government care about this brain drain? Or do they prefer that the smart ones leave so that they do not cause trouble by raising issues or awakening the masses? Perhaps they prefer to resign themselves to mediocrity because it is less threatening. Do you think the authorities concerned have tracked trends of the brain drain in terms of variables such as age, sex, profession, expected salary etc?
Do you think they bother to rectify the situation?
I doubt it,
And so the brain drain continues and if the authorities concerned do not nip it in the bud, our country is likely to go down the drain…
*sigh*
The brother who ate prunes - Gotta Gogh
The grandfather from Yugoslavia - U Gogh
The cousin from Illinois - Chica Gogh
His magician uncle - Where-diddy Gogh
His Mexican cousin - A Mee Gogh
The brother who worked at a convenience store - Stop N Gogh
The Mexican cousin’s American half-brother - Gring Gogh
The nephew who drove a stage coach - Wells-far Gogh
An aunt who taught positive thinking - Way-to Gogh
The constipated uncle - Cant Gogh
The ballroom dancing aunt - Tang Gogh
The bird lover uncle - Flamin Gogh
His nephew psychoanalyst - E Gogh
The fruit loving cousin- Man Gogh
The little bouncy nephew - Poe Gogh
A sister who loved disco - Go Gogh
And his niece who travels the country in a van - Winnie Bay Gogh
And there ya Gogh!
-Author Unknown-
*This post is specially dedicated to Madeng with whom I had countless and endless moments of joyous laughter. I hope she survives reading this post. HUGS!!!
If the Great Flood happened today, this is a possible scenario....:-)
Have a wonderful day!
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And the Lord spoke to Noah and said, "In six months I'm going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered with water and all the evil people are destroyed. But I want to save a few good people, and two of every kind of living thing on the planet. I am commanding you to build an Ark."
And in a flash of lightning, He delivered the specifications for an Ark.
"Okay," said Noah, trembling with fear and fumbling with the blueprints.
"Six months, and it starts to rain," thundered the Lord. "You'd better have the Ark completed, or learn to swim for a very long time."
Six months passed, the skies clouded up and rain began to fall. The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard, weeping...and there was no Ark.
"Noah," shouted the Lord, "Where is the Ark?"
"Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. "I did my best. But there were big problems. First, I had to get a building permit for the Ark construction project, and your plans didn't meet code. So I had to hire an engineer to re-draw the plans.
Then I got into a big fight over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system.
"Then my neighbor objected, claiming I was violating zoning by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission.
"Then I had problems getting enough wood for the Ark, because there was a ban on cutting trees to save the Spotted Owl. I had to convince the U.S. Fish and Wildlife that I need the wood to save the Owls. But they wouldn't let me catch any owls.
So, no owls.
"The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board before anyone would pick up a saw or hammer.
Now we have sixteen carpenters going on the boat, and still no owls.
"Then I started gathering up animals, and got sued by an animal rights group.
They objected to me taking only two of each kind.
"Just when I got the suit dismissed, EPA notified me that I couldn't complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didn't take kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.
"Then the Army Corp of Engineers wanted a map of the proposed new flood plan.
I sent them a globe.
"Right now, I'm still trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over how many Croatians I'm supposed to hire. The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to avoid paying taxes by leaving the country. And I just got a notice from the state about owing them some kind of use tax. I really don't think I can finish the Ark for at least another five years," Noah wailed.
The sky began to clear. The sun began to shine. A rainbow arched across the sky.
Noah looked up and smiled.
"You mean you're not going to destroy the earth?" Noah asked hopefully.
"No," said the Lord sadly. "The government already has."
You’ve probably heard of arachnophobia, thanks in part to the movie with the same name, and claustrophobia, but what about gamophobia or phobophobia? Here’s a brief introduction to phobias, from the familiar to the more obscure.
*This post was first posted on November 14th 2008 and am reposting it today :-).
Acrophobia: Fear of heights
Agoraphobia: Fear of being in a public place
Ailurophobia: Fear of cats
Androphobia: Fear of men
Anthropophobia: Fear of human companionship
Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders
Bathophobia: Fear of deep places
Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed spaces
Cynophobia: Fear of dogs
Entomophobia: Fear of insects
Ereuthophobia: Fear of blushing
Gamophobia: Fear of marriage
Gephyrophobia: Fear of crossing a bridge
Gymnophobia: Fear of seeing a naked person
Gynephobia: Fear of women
Hedonophobia: Fear of pleasure
Hypengyophobia: Fear of responsibility
Hypnophobia: Fear of sleep
Ichthyophobia: Fear of fish
Mysophobia: Fear of dirt
Nostophobia: Fear of going home
Nyctophobia: Fear of night or darkness
Ophidiophobia: Fear of snakes
Pathophobia: Fear of disease
Pediophobia: Fear of children or dolls
Phobophobia: Fear of phobias
Psychrophobia: Fear of the cold
Scopophobia: Fear of being stared at
Spectrophobia: Fear of mirrors
Tocophobia: Fear of childbirth
Theophobia: Fear of God
Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of the number thirteen
Zoophobia: Fear of animals
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The following were comments left by Antares and Danielykl.
Malaysian phobias by Antares
- Agiphobia (fear of being prosecuted by Abdul Gani Patail)
- Anwarphobia (fear of becoming the parliamentary opposition)
- Bumiphobia (fear of company going bankrupt)
- Petraphobia (fear of being exposed on Malaysia Today)
- Salmonolabraphobia (fear of lips turning pink)
- Tyrannophobia (fear of being oppressed)
- Toyophobia (fear of being attacked through Utusan Malaysia by rabid dentist)
- Sinophobia (irrational fear of Slant Eyes)
- Umnophobia (fear of absolutely no change)
- Velluphobia (fear of traveling on toll highways)
And this one is from danielykl:
-Albarphobia (fear of getting bald and despised)
* Please feel free to add on to the list. Thanks. Have a nice day!
It is almost 5 a.m. on Friday morning. I went to bed at 11ish and woke up in the middle of the night because I am too excited to sleep. And why so?
My favorite and closest cousin, Hoy, from San Francisco called me last night and invited me for tea in Penang Hill later in the day together with Alice and Freddy. You will think I have lost my marbles for getting excited over such a humdrum run-of-the-mill event but you see, my best childhood experiences were with Hoy whom I get to see once every two years or so.
Thanks to Hobart who shifted his session to an earlier slot in the afternoon, I can go with them. But my main concern is whether the funicular train is working and if we would be stranded up there :-) and then hike down the hill. God forbid! Holy smoke if that were to happen!
Gee! And we will be going to David Brown's Restaurant and tea Terrace on Strawberry Hill for tea - something that I have wanted to do since the restaurant first opened last year.
I am gushing like a schoolgirl and so so so excited because the last time I went on an outing with Hoy was to Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara, California and we were so zonked from motion sickness after taking the rides that even when we reached downtown in Frisco, our heads were still spinning and the ground seemed to be moving!
Such a pity my boy and hubby will not be able to go with us as my son has his music theory lesson in the evening. I can imagine us laughing and cracking up all the way, especially with Alice around! Too bad Wilson will not be able to be with us to entertain us with his stories and to explain stuff to us in his usual wikiwilsonpedia style :-).
During our childhood days, a treat was going to Maxim's along Penang Road (not the cake shop but a restaurant) and having a Merry Widow or a Butterscotch Special - that was the ultimate. Then a Division 2 treat would be tea at Wing Lock along Penang Road where Hoy and I would enjoy the chicken chop and cream horn plus other cakes. Division 3 treat would be a dinner at Seng Kee at Dato Kramat Road for the char hor fun :-). Sadly, Seng Kee closed down recently.
I am mega flooded with memories of the times I spent with Hoy ...when our mothers would go shopping for chiffon and other material in quaint Indian shops in Little India and Chulia Street. Our mothers would buy a packet of sequins and then scatter them on the floor for us to pick!!! I cannot believe that we were dumb enough to fall for that ploy to keep us busy. Goodness! If I were to do that to Nick or Xuan, they would not only scoff at me but would most likely laugh hysterically at the ridiculous scenario. But such was our naivety that we found so much joy in each other's company and played endlessly together. Another highlight of my childhood days were sleepovers at his home during the holidays where we would play and then fight and then play and fight etc. Such bliss...Oh to be young again...*sigh*
Truly, I cannot imagine what sort of person I would have been if I did not get to play with my Hoy and my other cousins. I blogged about those playtime experiences a few months ago....
Just the other night when we were reminiscing at dinner, I recalled how I would be the director deciding what scene to play and who would take on which role. Once, we reenacted the manger scene in Bethlehem and at that time, Hoy's baby brother was perfect as baby Jesus sleeping peacefully in his pram until he wailed and we all scurried away before our mothers reprimanded us for being absurdly irresponsible..
Believe me, I played a lot when I was young, mainly all kinds of imaginative games and it was truly such fun. No wonder Hoy and I are creative in our own ways. He is a superb artist but did not end up as one though. As such, I have always emphasized the importance of creative games for my boys and other students. Needless to say, I disapprove of electronic games :-) with the exception of Pet Society in Facebook ;).
Hoy is almost six months older than me and he is the closest relative that I have and I love him as my own brother. He was a pillar of strength in my most challenging times in the 1990's and I will never ever forget his words of wisdom and perspective. A warm and caring person, both my boys love him and his brother very much too!
When he goes back to US on next Tuesday, I will miss him dreadfully and do not know when we will see each other again...but I know my life is all the richer because of his love and that of his family for mine.
Penang Hill - here we come!!!! And now, I'd better hit the sack! Thanks for reading the middle of the night ramblings of an eccentric blogger!
Cheers! I am in such a happy mooooooooooooooooooood!!!!! Yipppeeeee!!!
How I can ever fall asleep ever I log off will be a mystery!!!
