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Well, don’t ask me why this is called Singapore Beehoon … I’m still trying to find out myself. My guess is that this is probably originated from Singapore a loooooooooooong time ago or probably it’s fried based on Singaporean style. Whatever it is, it’s the taste and feels that matter. Hahahahaha !!!

For a typical dish of Fried Singapore Beehoon, it consist of mainly bee hoon or vermicelli. The beehoon will be stir fried with black sauce and some soya sauce which give the bee hoon its taste and also colour. The beehoon is usually fried together with some beans sprout.

The dish will normally garnished with char siew (barbecued pork), prawns and also come cabbage. Singapore Beehoon is not so commonly available everywhere in Penang. Anyway, you should be in luck to encounter at least a stall that sell this dish with the many hawker centers / food courts around Penang. Happy hunting !!!

Penang, Penang Food, Holiday in Penang, Singapore Beehoon, Vermicelli, Singapore

Making your own travel plans can be fun and at the same time confusing and frustrating. There is so much to do and you have to make sure that you making the right decision for you and your family to get the best value for your dollar. There are a few things that you can do when travel planning to make your chore seem a little less unpleasant.

Save your MONEY
When planning to travel sometimes we decide months in advance to start saving money to make the expense of the trip a little more affordable when the time comes to pay for everything. This is a great idea for family vacations. Everyone who wants to go can chip in a little at a time. This will get everyone involved in the planning of the trip.

Decide where you will be going and how to get there
The first thing that you need to do for your travel plans is decide where you are going. This will depend on why you are traveling. If you are planning a family vacation, then you may decide to go somewhere that the whole family will enjoy. This maybe a fun spot like Disneyland or maybe a tropical getaway for two.

The next step is to figure out how you will be traveling. This could mean that you want to fly, or take a train, or maybe you are going to drive. Considering how many people are going and where you are going should make this. Make sure that you go with a choice that allows everyone to be comfortable and that it is a route that you can afford.

Penang, Travel Tips, Holiday in Penang, Travel Planning, Save Money

Lor Bak or literally translated as Meat with Gravy is another favourite dish among local Penangites. Available at most of the hawker centers / food courts around Penang, Lor Bak is usually taken as a snack along with other dishes. It’s also loved by kids as it’s not spicy and it’s served with a Lor or gravy which is sweet and easily likeable by them.

The content of Lor Bak is usually not fixed. Each stall that sells Lor Bak will have their own varieties and choices. The usual choice that will be available at most stalls will be things like lor bak which is seasoned pork wrapped in a soft piece of soya wrap, prawn crackers or better known as haer piah and fried tofu. For the rest of the selections available, it depends on what the stall operator offers.

When one were to order Lor Bak, you can choose from the varieties available at the stall. It’s not necessary to choose everything but you can also do so if you want to try everything. Customers are usually charged based on what they have chosen. Prior to serving, all the items selected will be deep fried by the stall operator. The selected items are usually fried till they are crispy.

Once the dish is ready, it will be served together with a small bowl of lor or gravy and also a small bowl of chilli sauce. For those who do not like spicy food, then you can enjoy the dish having the meat dipped into the lor. For those who like spicy food, the chilli sauce is there fill up your crave

So, when you are having a holiday in Penang, remember to order this dish as a snack along with other dishes. This will add varieties to your dishes and also keep the kids occupied if you have them along.

Penang, Holiday in Penang, Penang Food, Penang Lor Bak, Snack

Movie goers in Penang will be delighted to know that they are getting 8 new screens at the new Penang Queensbay Mall. Leading exhibitor Golden Screen Cinema Sdn Bhd (GSC) is kicking off the new year with a new 8-screens multiplex at the new Penang Queensbay Mall. It’s scheduled to open before Chinese New Year 2007.

The proposed 1,512 seater GSC Queensbay is also designed to cater to the needs of physically-challenged patrons.

Movie fans from mainland Butterworth will also find this a good piece of news as the new multiplex is within the vicinity of the Penang Bridge. The new multiplex will be located on the 3rd floor, south court of Queensbay Mall.

Prior to the launch of the multiplex, GSC Queensbay will be offering FREE movie screenings to the public for five consecutive days. Watch out for more details of the launch activities in the local dailies or log on to www.gsc.com.my.

Penang, Holiday in Penang, Queensbay Mall, Golden Screen Cinema, GSC

The all time authentic local Penang dish is definitely Laksa. Penang Laksa is a sour, fish-based soup dish. It’s made up of specially prepared white Laksa noodles, shredded mackerel, finely sliced vegetables like cucumber, chillies, onions, pineapple, lettuce, mint leaves and ginger buds.

The most important ingredient of Penang Laksa is the soup. The soup is prepared using finely shredded mackerel and asam (tamarind). The shredded mackerel will give the Laksa it’s sweet taste and the assam will do it’s part in the Laksa’s sourness. Together, they give the dish a sweet & sourish taste which is simply unique and out of this world.

Laksa is usually served with the ingredients stated above together with a sweet prawn paste known as ‘hae ko’. Personally, I like Laksa with extra pineapple and prawn paste.

There is another variety of Laksa called Lemak Laksa which the soup is prepared with rich coconut milk. It’s also known as nyonya laksa. The dish is heavily influenced by Thai laksa till a point one can even claim that they are both the same thing.

Laksa can be found all over Penang in most hawker centers / food courts. Be sure to try out this classic Penang dish when you are in Penang. You’ll sure to love it.

Penang, Penang Food, Holiday in Penang, Penang Laksa

This morning, I just received an official announcement from the HR department. Very susah this time. Reach office sure late. Now, the jam already so terrible … I guess next week I need to wake up at 6am and go office at 7am.

Dear employees,

We have recently received some news from FREPENCA regarding the above and would like to share with you so that you are able to plan your route to work accordingly and hopefully not miss any morning meetings:

JKR will be upgrading the junction of Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas and Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa. In view of this upgrading work from 13 Jan 2007 to 22 Jan 2007, vehicles from Georgetown will be unable to turn right from Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas into Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa. Also, vehicles from Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa will not be allowed to turn right into Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas. In addition, the traffic lights at this junction will be switched off.

Road users from George Town who wish to enter the FIZ Phase 3 are advised to use Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah and then turn into Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa (the PSDC junction).

Road users from Georgetown who use Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas will have to make a detour into Hilir Sungai Kluang, Lintang Bayan Lepas and Medan Bayan Lepas before turning left back into Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas and then left at the Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa junction.

Location map attached.

For more information, you may refer to En Zaik (012-4209600) and En Mohamad Azman (012-5152525) of JKR.

Regards
Penang HR

Maybe I need to ask my boss whether can go back earlier if I report to work early.

They say 10 days … will they keep to their schedule ? Let’s see …

Carry On Items
If you are traveling with some carry on luggage, and you know that you going to be on a popular flight with others, then maybe it would be a better idea to get a seat towards the back of the plane. This will make it possible for you to be the first to get on the plane. This way you do not have to check some of bags due to lack of space for your items.

Bring Some Goodies With You
When you are traveling, make sure that you bring some snacks with you. It does not matter if you a traveling by bus, plane, or train, make sure that you have some type of food and drink for when you get hungry or thirsty. This will lessen the chance of you getting sick or feeling weak during the ride. If you do not bring your own items, you may have to purchase them. Some transportation companies do not serve complimentary snacks or drinks.

Bring Some Form Of Entertainment
If you are traveling long distances, bring some type of entertainment for you and other members of your family like children. Bring a book, coloring book, magazine, or crossword puzzle. This will make the time go faster and occupy your mind when traveling.

Penang, Travel Tips, Holiday in Penang, Quick Check In

I got a email notification sent out by the FMM Northern Branch informing road users that the JKR will be upgrading the junction of Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas and Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa. Called FMM and they confirmed the news.

In view of this upgrading work from 13 Jan 2007 to 22 Jan 2007, vehicles from George Town will be unable to turn right from Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas into Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa. Also, vehicles from Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa will not be allowed to turn right into Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas. In addition, the traffic lights at this junction will be switched off.

Road users from George Town who wish to enter the FIZ Phase 3 are advised to use Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah and then turn into Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa (the PSDC junction).

Road users from George Town who use Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas will have to make a detour into Hilir Sungai Kluang, Lintang Bayan Lepas and Medan Bayan Lepas before turning left back into Lebuhraya Bayan Lepas and then left at the Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa junction.

Even though traveling can be an exciting time for anyone, it can also bring along a lot of headaches and hassles. There are long lines, inconsiderate people, and crying kids. This could cause anyone to have a stressful flight. There are however, some things that you can do to make your travels a little bit easier.

Give yourself plenty of time
The lines at the airport and bus or train station can cause anyone to have a nervous breakdown. The best advice for the long line situation when you are traveling is to arrive early. No matter what type of travel you are taking, make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to arrive, check your bags, and get yourself checked in. It is best to arrive at least two hours in advance before you are scheduled to leave. This may seem like a hassle now, but it will save you time and aggravation later.

Do not carry any foreign object
Make sure that you do not have anything packed that could cause a delay when you are checking your bags. This means do not carry things like of course guns, knifes, any kind of weapon, dangerous materials, or anything that may cause a stir at the check in. This will not only slow up your check in, but it will also bring attention to you and stir up an unnecessary reaction by the staff.

Penang, Travel Tips, Holiday in Penang, Quick Check In

Previously, Phua Chu Kang was mentioned in the blog. Well, now let’s talk about PCK’s favourite dessert which is Tau Huay

Tau hua or soya bean curd is one of the favourite dessert available in Penang. It’s also known as Tau Fu Fa in the Cantonese dialect. It’s one of the all time favourite desserts among local Penangites.

Tau hua is widely available around Penang mostly in the evening. There are also some shops which sell soya bean desserts that have it available during the day as well.

Usually, tauhua is served with white sugar as well as brown sugar. There are certain shops that also have solid brown sugar to accompany the dessert. My recommendation is to mix the white & brown sugar together. The reason is that the white sugar will sweeten the tau hua and the brown sugar will enhance the fragrance. For varieties, tauhua is also served with longans, lychees and other fruits.

Give tau hua a try when you are in Penang and you’ll love it.

Penang, Penang Dessert, Holiday in Penang, Tau Hua, Phua Chu Kang, Soya Bean Curd