Kana-Psy, Shit happens

And so yesterday I went to Han Chiang to attend the hotly discussed BN CNY open house. Originally I had planned to the bus, but since I was having breakfast with wifey, she dropped me off at the state mosque at 930am.

Traffic was already quite bad by then

Some Ani-Lynas Penangites, I presumed

Some stalls selling PSY, BN merchandise were set up along the small lane to Han Chiang

I'm quite sure they are not official merchandise

When I reached the entrance of Han Chiang, I was surprised to see that the place was so crowded. The last time I saw such a huge crowd was back in April 2012's Bersih 3.0 in KL.

I was waiting for Willie, Terry & Wann King to join me, so I stood and waited at the school building, away from the heat and the huge stage which was set up at the end of the field. On stage, there were some drums and dance performances but the crowd around me were not paying attention the to TV screens set up around the place.

A die-hard BN supporter waiting the shit to start

The guys reached Han Chiang around 10.15am and we tried to move closer to the stage so that we can see Psy closer. In between some singers from some Astro competitions were performing but we didn't really pay much attention. Nothing impressive - some were a bit pitchy here and there.

The MCs were not that great as well. The female MC who spoke in Bahasa Melayu was super annoying. It sounded as if she was shouting into the microphone all the time and she kept shouting "Satu!!!" for the crowd to respond with "Malaysia" and "We Love!" for "BN!". She was more successful with "Satu Malaysia" then "I Love BN" but either response was really nothing to shout(no pun instead) about, considering there were thousands of people there.

Things got more exciting when Shila Amzah's turn came to entertain the crowd. She sang 4 song; 1st song was the famous "Zheng Fu", 2nd was Adele's "Fire to the Rain", 3rd was a Malay song and she ended with another mandarin number. She was really good.

Willie, Wann King & Terry, adhering to the CM's advice on dress code

Food wise, I was expecting a buffet style lunch, but I was sort of disappointed to find that people were lining up for food on a paper plate or put in a paper box. Looking around the stations, I think the main dishes were fried rice, fried mee & fried bee hoon.

Crowd watching the side shows from afar

I got a bee hoon box

I woke up early for this shit

One of the stations serving boxed food

the child in the pic is holding the paper box for food

The BN leaders came around 11 plus with the PM and his wife in front of course. Couldn't really see them walking to their VVIP table but the MCs mentioned that former PM Tun Abdullah and some component parties leaders were there with the PM. Throughout the walk-in, the annoying MC was still shouting "Satu Malaysia" "We Love BN!" until they sat down. She asked us to welcome the leaders but the claps from the crowd, at best, was just half hearted, The claps went up a little bit when the MC incorrectly mentioned that the CM & his wife were in the group.(Turns out, the CM couldn't make it because he had to go to the airport to receive the real First Lady of Malaysia.)

Before the real Psy came on stage, some sais had to make some speeches. First it was the Pg State BN head Teng Chang Yeow, who came up and mentioned something about how BN will continue to bring the best to Penang, and will give the best to Penang, etc. Not buying the crap.

Then the PM came up with his son and made one of the funniest moments at the open house. His son said something in Mandarin which doesn't have anything to do with CNY. He then wished us happy CNY and passed the rostrum to his father. Najib reiterated Teng's claim that BN will bring the best to Penang. He promised that he would solve Penang's 2 main issues: housing & transportation. I could hear some murmuring among the crowd around me when he mentioned "monorail". Willie mentioned, "Why now? Monorail was promised before the 12th election and nothing happened after that"

The PM also said that he was considering Han Chiang's application to become a university college. Unfortunately, he got Han Chiang's name wrong and numerous time referred to it as "Han Yang". Then Teng, who was still on stage behind him, walked to his side and whispered the right name into his ear. Embarrassing that you don't even know the name of the venue host.

Towards the end of his speech, he said that he was sure everyone was excited about what is about to happen next. So he made the BIG mistake of asking the now-famous questions. I shall not elaborate. Please see  the video below:

I couldn't believe that he asked it thrice, and the response of "NO!" got louder each time. The people beside me were quick to response to his questions.  After his speech was over, the MC announced that before Psy was to perform, the PMs wife was going to sing us CNY songs. Again the crowd went "NO!!!!!"

Unfortunately, we had to bear with bad singing:

After 2 songs, I thought it was time for Psy but instead it was the lou sang session which turned out into the most confusing moment for the people and embarrassing moment for BN. The annoying MC announced that Psy would be tossing with the BN leaders and of course the crowd went nuts(in a good way). After numerous annoucement, Psy didn't appear and the BN leaders toss the food themselves and the crowd went nuts(in a bad way). Then the leaders waited on stage for a while, hoping for Psy to come out I suppose. Eventually, sheepishly one by one left the stage when it was obvious he wasn't coming out.

Not sure what happened, but there are 2 possibilities:

A) Psy was not told of the lou sang and was not ready to join the leaders.

B) Psy wanted to stay apolitical and not to be seen with the political leaders.

After waiting for another 5-10 minutes, finally Psy appeared with his dancers and did his famous song. Of course everyone cheered and the noise level was definitely higher than the cheers for any of the performers or politicians. After one song, he left the stage and the crowd was asking for more. After numerous "Encore" cheers, he came back and repeated "Oppa Gangnam Style" to everyone's delight.

Once Psy finished his performance, almost 90% of the crowd headed for the exit, even though there were still some other performances.

Just one small exit for 50k ppl

suddenly so many empty seats.

Overall, I think in terms of numbers, BN successfully got the number they wanted. People from all walks of life came for the open house. However, I seriously doubt that they would be pleased with the reaction after Psy's performance. The MCs didn't say that the event was over but people just left like that. And with the videos of people saying "NO" to Najib's questions, BN would need re-examine their chances to win back Penang.

Penang's Most Expensive Char Koay Teow

The place to eat the most expensive char koay teow is of course Lorong Selamat.

The one most people talked about used to be right outside this kopitiam. Whwn I went to take pictures I was surprised that the stall was no longer there.


Side track a bit... the Ice Kacang used to be pretty good. Haven't tried it for ages so not sure quality still maintained or not. Anyhow, next to the Ice Kacang stall I saw this:



I reckon this is the original imitation. I remember quite well that it was a lady who does the frying. Opposite the kopitiam there's also another stall that I used to patron. The guy used to sell wan tan mee before he switch to Char Koay Teow. I think he's retired because it is his son who's running the stall now.



Then further down the road I saw a new kopitiam and right in front was a familiar stall... Not sure if patrons still have to take their own plate of Char Koay Teow or food is delivered to your table.


So there you have it.... 3 stalls for you to choose from. Which one is better? I dunno and I couldn't care less. Honestly, I have stopped eating there since they jacked up the price to a ridiculous level. There are many places in Penang to get nice Char Koay Teow without paying restaurant price. My theory is this: to survive in Penang selling Char Koay Teow, more or less your Char Koay Teow must have certain standard to make your fellow Penangites keep coming back. For eg. try the one at Penang Road cendol, or the one in Bee Hooi which I blogged about earlier.

Laksa in Penang

In Penang, when you say laksa, people would generally think of assam laksa. However, you can find 4 types of laksa in Penang.

The first is of course the widely available assam laksa. Sour and spicy, it is my favourite type of laksa. Generally thought to be one of Penang's best food, most stalls sell good laksa, if not fantastic. My favourite place to to is the one in Penang Road.

If you look around, you can find their "branches" around Penang but I still prefer this one because the kopitiam also has good char koay teow and my all-time-favourite dessert, Chendol.

Most visitors are quite familiar with the name Air Itam Laksa. So where is it?

On the way to Kek Lok Si Temple, you'll go pass a wet market. Right opposite the market, you'll see the stall with people congregating around. You can't miss it. I hardly go there because I don't like driving there - narrow road and difficult to find parking lots.

Nearer home at the Air Itam roundabout, there's good laksa available.

This open-air eating place is on the road that takes you to the Penang Hill. Good mee goreng and kaoy teow t'ng are available there. You can try the muar chee.

The second type of laksa is laksa siam. Also known as laksa lemak, it contains santan and it's sweet. Gf likes this a lot. Where's the best place to eat laksa lemak? At home, of course. Shades' mom is very good at cooking and among her specialty is laksa lemak.

Otherwise, it is not that widely available at the kopitiams. The only place I can think of is Lorong Selamat, the place with the most expensive char koay teow.

I also mentioned briefly laksa utara which is cooked by Malays. It is quite close to assam laksa but the smell isn't that strong. Can't really recommend you where to get it as I usually get mine at the pasar malam near home. But do be on the lookout for Malay eating places.

The last one is sold by Indians. Not sure what the official name is as I grew up calling it Indian laksa. It is also the most difficult laksa to find.

The soup looks orangy and it is spicy but not that sour as well. I managed to buy mine from the guy who happens to be cycling pass my home.

If you want to try this, head to Fettes Park. There is one selling right in front of the Hong Leong Bank, next to a van selling Soya Milk. There used to be one selling behind Penang Plaza, Burmah Road, but I'm not sure if the guy is still there.

While you're there, you may want to consider eating at Fatty Loh Chicken Rice.

So much for laksa recommendation....

NEXT: Penang's most expensive Char Koay Teow

Eating Thai in Penang

Penang, being close to our neighbour Thailand, has a strong following of thai food. For me, I like to eat at this Thai Restaurant in Penang called Sebai Sebai Thai Restaurant. It serves great thai food, though a bit pricey.

The restaurant is at 1, Lintang Batu, 11600 Green Lane, near the Jelutong wet market. One the most important features of an authentic thai restaurant is definitely pictures of the thai royal family. One amazing thing about the thai people is their undivided love for their king, regardless of where they are. The king may not have any political power but he is still very powerful figure. Anyhow back to the food.

pic of King Chulalongkorn at the back

The first time I ate here was with gf and Jenc. This time round, gf is in Riyo's homeland visiting her friend while Jenc was still in the land down under. Today it was with mom and OCD.

both gf and I totally love the green curry

mixed vegetables with prawns

tom yam koong

rare appearence of shade's mom on blog

Another favourite of mine is the fried fish but we didn't order it this time. Overall, drinks included, we spent around RM75... kinda expensive considering the portion we got. OCD asked if I'd still come again.

Of course... it just tastes too good to resist!

Here's how to get there....

Christmas Day 2007

Almost missed church today. Found out from Angeline the day before the service was at 10am and I woke up around 9.45am. Had my breakfast and drove to church... reached there around 10.30am. Yes, Penang is a small island.

Of course, I was one of the last to arrive. There's this portugese guy with his oboe on stage, playing some familiar Christian songs.

church was packed

Preacher for the day was someone from The Baptist Siminary in Batu Feringghi. Then Pastor Isaac took over the mic for the alter call prayer.

Pastor Isaac and his colour coordinated mic

Once service ended, it was catching up time with friends and we headed to Swatow Lane and ate at the New World food court for lunch. The place just opened a couple of months back.

Good crowd

The popular stall was of course the ice - kacang stall - shall blog about it in separate entry.

After food, we took a walk around the place. There are a ciouple of restaurants over there as well.

Western Cuisine

Nonya Cuisine

Dumplings

tea spa with thai food... hmm....

banana leaf cuisine


Starbucks

If anyone wants to visit this place, it's at Burmah Road. Just be on the lookout for the Wesley Methodist Church and Penang Plaza - it's nearby.