A Beautiful Day

A holiday cannot be complete without a body massage. So cousin Moo Lan brought me to this centre managed by the St Nicholas Home in Penang. A 28-year-old masseuse, Liew Yee Kuan, 28, gave my body a top-to-toe pampering.

Yee Kuan was among the six visually-impaired therapists working here after undergoing a wellness course offered by St Nicholas Home, a non-governmental organisation that works with the National Vocational Training Council.

The massage costs RM55. Part of the proceeds go to charity.

Earlier in the day, my cousin also brought me here 

1254W, Jalan Paya Terubong for breakfast. I enjoyed a bowl of "bak-kut bee hoon mee". Patrons can choose either the prawn shell based stock or the pork-rib based stock.

And after the massage, I had this bowl of milky fish soup bee hoon at Jalan Burmah in Pulau Tikus. The restaurant is called Restoran Sawara. The dish uses the garoupa fish.

Next, Moo Lan dropped me off at

where I indulged in some window shopping. After that I walked over to Gurney Plaza and the most amazing thing happened!

Johor former bureau chief Shahrum Sayuthi, who is now the NST political editor, spotted me in one of the shops.  He was there with our colleagues Balkin Kaur, Predeep Nambiar and Adrian Lai. We later walked over to the Gurney Drive Hawker Centre for a meal. I'm so happy to meet all of them.

I later joined Moo Lan and her daughter, Diane, for a meal at the Namoo Korean Dessert n Bistro. I had a tiny portion of rice and a bit of carrot cake, thinking that that was going to be my dinner.

I found myself hungry again after an hour or so. So I treated myself to a Fish-O-Fillet burger at McDonald's.

I am now a certified Chubby Chinese, no doubt about it!

The Miracle Drink

Updated. Thanks to Ah Tin for pointing it out to me that the 6th veggie is indeed  Kailan (Chinese kale) and not white spinach. I have checked with my aunt. The error is regretted.

Original Post

I took down the last post because I really wanted to write about "sloth" but decided that it was not for me to judge. You don't really know the other person's position or circumstances to pass any judgement because you're not caught in that situation.

So, I'll just share a fruit + vegetable juice recipe which was given to me earlier today. My aunt gave it to me because she knows I have some health issues. She said I need to steadfastly consume this "miracle drink" daily to see the results.

Just blend all these together and bottoms up every morning.

   

+ WHITE SPINACH (which I can't find a picture of and don't really know what it is).

Met some of my aunts today because my 79-year-old uncle had succumbed to lung failure. He passed away on Wesak Day but I just knew about it last night. Maybe I was fated to attend his funeral this Saturday before I return to JB. His wife is 89. I didn't get to talk to her because she was sleeping.

The passing of my uncle was not as unsettling as the sight of the clutter in the house. But it really is none of my business. Even if I wanted to help the family I also don't know how.

So ...

Concentrate on the juice recipe. Can someone tell me what is white spinach?

(Note: This post was not written to attack anyone. What I saw bothered me but there's not much I can do here).

A Tale of Two Bridges

A friend invited me to join the family for a scenic drive across the second Penang Bridge which was declared open on March 1.

I was curious, so I gladly accepted the invitation which also includes dinner at the Red Chopsticks, an authentic Nonya cuisine restaurant in Bayan Lepas, Penang.

After dinner, we headed to the 24km long bridge that is the longest in Southeast Asia. Traveling on the curved bridge that is well adorned with lights felt like a never-ending ride. I fell asleep in the car, probably because of the sumptuous meal earlier.

When I awoke we had already reached the toll and we wanted to U-turn.  The toll collector told us to exit at Tambun.  My friend did that. We were looking forward to check out the curve and lights again.

But we ended up on the first Penang Bridge instead. The first one was opened in 1985 and stretched 13.5km.

It was odd that we got to use the 1st and 2nd bridge on the same night. While we were heading home we had a different view of the 2nd bridge from the 1st bridge as both bridges were running parallel to one another.  We wouldn't have been able to enjoy this view if we were on the 2nd bridge. Again, this was all unplanned.

Sitavana Vihara: Pristine Energy

This is the gateway to the Sitavana Vihara (悉达林) on Penang Hill.

To reach this place, you need to travel 2.8 kilometers of rugged terrain. We went up there in a 4 wheel drive driven by this hero.

He deserves to be called a hero because he has contributed so much to the development of this place. The former cop, who owns and manages the sanctuary together with a group of dedicated volunteers had planted all the fruit trees, built the stairs, the kuti, etc over the last decade. At 73, Yeoh Keng Hock is fit as a fiddle. If you wish to get to the sanctuary, call Uncle Yeoh at 0124996118.

That's me on my way up to the Santa Vihari Sima Hall, built at the peak of Sitavana Vihara, which stands at 600 meters above sea level. The pristine energy here is invigorating. The hall is where monks are ordained.

The entire development spreading over 7 acres has 376 steps but we only used the steps when descending the hill which took only 3 minutes. 

View from the top. I can see the two Penang bridges from here. 

The view mid-way.

A worker, Aung Aung, seen here with the Miracle Fruit tree. I don't know if that is the name of the tree but that's what Uncle Yeoh calls it. I'm bringing back the seeds to plant in my own garden.

The "guardian angels" of the place.

Sadhu (3x)

Trick Art and Wesak Day Rainbow

Have heard so much about the Penang street art but haven't seen the real thing till tonight. 

May also visit the Made In Penang Interactive Museum in the Behn Meyer Building at Weld Quay if I have the time. I was told the artists are all Penangites who are based in China and is owned by Penangites Sdn Bhd.

Tonight I just want to enjoy the breathtaking view at Straits Quay. Caught the Wesak Day rainbow which was there with the moon.  

The moon and the rainbow were certainly there but it's hard to see them in this shot.  

Dined at Blue Reef Fish & Chips. I had peppermint tea to go with the outlet's signature Garoupa in Traditional Beer Batter.  

With my cousin Lee Moo Lan. I really enjoyed her company and gracious hospitality. Thank you for making me feel at home.

Twenty Minutes Ahead Of Schedule

Took a selfie at the Senai International Airport in Johor this morning. So sad to leave dear Shella behind.  

Soon it was time to check in. I've not made any plans.  Don't even know when I'll be back. Will just go with the flow.

While waiting for boarding call, I bumped into Rotarian and Past District Governor Lim Hock Teck and his lovely wife Sally Tan. My Wesak Day certainly got off to a great start.  The couple invited me to the Sitavana Vihara in Penang Hill tomorrow.  Yes, we are on the same flight. It was all unplanned and I am certainly going with them to the Buddhist sanctuary.

And my flight arrived at the Penang International Airport earlier than scheduled.

Managed to visit the Mahindarama Buddhist Temple in Kampar Road for the food dana offering. It was packed with devotees.  I heard it is one of the oldest Theravada Buddhist temples on the island.