Beriksa Neighbourhood Park

Beriksa Neighbourhood Park or named as "Taman Kejiranan Beriksa", is a park located at Farlim. If you know where is the Farlim McDonald (that had drive through) and Econsave, that is the place nearby. Years ago when I started to move to Paya Terubong with my wife, we didn't know there is a park nearby. We often try to look for places for jogging and walks until recently we saw a new park had been built. Maybe this park was there for years but we didn't know about that. However the environment seems quite new.

There are jogging trek and bicycle trek. I personally feel it not a good place for cycling because the trek are shorts and narrow (side by side with jogging trek).

There are also some exercise machine available around the park.

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Youth Park Penang

When I was a kid, I use to go to youth park at Penang. Back in 20 years ago, youth park was very plain and blank. Just a lot of nature trees and lots of kids. When I was in secondary school, this place also become our camping place and we held our scout activities here such as treasure hunt. The Penang government back that time basically didn't put any efforts to improve or enhance. After DAP party (opposition) take over Penang state as state government, the quality of youth park had improved. Renovation take place, new plant, refurbishment, new scenery, new playground and a lot more. Penang-traveltips do post about youth park previously.

I don't really have any DSLR or Hybrid camera. All pictures taken from my Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos. The photo below taken from the top of the youth park. See how colorful the trees and the play pool.

There are also fresco wall for painting.

I kind of like this painting on the left below. Very anime feel.

Painting below suppose to be like 3D.

There are still a lot more in this area. This is just some part of the photos I took. You really need to see it yourself to believe it. This place is a good place for family outing, picnic, jogging, sports, recreation, photography and any outdoor activities.

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Penang Sakura Blossom

Every year during early quarter of the year from February to March, Penang have Sakura blossom. It happens almost everywhere is Penang but there are more near the Bayan Baru and Bayan Lepas area. The most beautiful will be at Bayan Lepas Technoplex area. Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone and Technoplex is just basically a very smaller version of silicon valley in US. Smaller as very very small. OnlyPenang blogs contains more pictures during the mid of the season. VisitPenang site also post the pictures about this event. This "Penang Sakura Tree" actually consist of several species name Tabebuia Rosea, Pink Tecoma, Rosy Trumpet Tree.

Although it bloom every year around near end of February till earlier April, this year 2014 are the most beautiful and happening. This is due to the dry weather that it had not been raining for continuous 2 months. Such hot and dry weather somehow follow with beautiful flower blossom. It was explain that due to the dry weather, the tree attempts to survive by passing down next generation with blooming more flowers. Just like what happens in Japan and Korea that Sakura bloom after winter.

A view from my car.

A beautiful view around the factory area.

Korea Palace Set Lunch

Korean food in Penang is always not cheap. The price is also rather expensive for a meal. Two person will cost around RM50-RM120. Not to mention hardly able to have a meal at RM10. Korea Palace at Krystal Point offers RM10 per set lunch. The set were choose from 5 main dish, plus free flow of 4 side dishes, dessert and and free flow of Korean tea. The set lunch only available from Monday to Friday.

The 5 main dishes includes Kimchi Stew + Rice, Sanchae Bibimbap, Ramyeon with Seafood, Haemui Sundubu + Rice and Kimchi Fried Rice.

We were a group of 6 people there, so we decided to order all the 5 dishes and tried. Not to compare with the taste I ate at Korea, because it is too much different.

1. Kimchi stew + rice.
The taste is not bad. Quite spicy. For me it is fine but for those who can't take spicy, better avoid.

2. Sanchae bibimbap.
Although I can't read chinese, I know Sanchae means Fresh Vegetables in Korean. Sanchae bibimbap means fresh vegetable mix rice. Yes it means all only fresh vege and no meat at all. This dish taste bad and sucks. Bibimbap eggs should be raw but the one in this menu is fried egg. Also the dried seaweed were not roasted. No taste of sesame oil in it. Totally not a Korean bibimbap. The one I cook taste way better than this.

3. Ramyeon with seafood.
The taste is fine. Just like normal Korean instant noodles we can find in the market.

4. Haemui sundubu + rice.
I think it means Haemul sundubu or Haemul Sundubu Jjigae? Because it taste like one which is Seafood Soft Tofu Stew. This one sucks too. It is quite empty with very less seafood and less vege. Haemul Sundubu Jjigae should have very rich taste of seafood else why it was call haemul. This one really fail.

5. Kimchi fried rice.
So far kimchi fried rice taste very good. It taste better than I cook one. The rice taste full with spicy kimchi which taste savory.

Look at all the side dishes. Some taste good but some taste bad. The kimchi taste average. So far the best kimchi I tried was the Tosokchon Sam Gye Tang restaurant at Seoul which near to the Gyeongbukgong at my trip last year.

Jal meok ge sumnida! 잘 먹겠습니다!

After finish tasting each all the 5 main dishes and side dishes, we finish the meal. Overall the service is average. Not very good and not as friendly as the one at Daorae. The food taste is bad but there are some is good. I will still go back here to eat but not frequent because the set lunch is cheap and the environment is good.

Location can be refer to the foursquare website here.

Teow Chew food

Last week I went to lunch with my colleague. While we are looking for some chinese restaurant, one of my colleague recommend Teow Chew food. Information about Teow Chew or known as Chao Zhou people can be found at wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teochewpeople. Teow Chew cuisine are very famous in Penang too. Their food usually taste good with some sour, spicy and gravy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teochewcuisine

We then want to go somewhere nearby to Bayan Lepas area (our working office) which we were recommended to try Teow Chew Meng located at Sunway Tunas. This restaurant were once recommended by a popular local TV food channel Ho Chak!. The shop located exactly after turning in to the Sunway Tunas traffic light if you are coming from the Sunshin Square / Giant hypermarket. As soon as we enter the shop, we were serve with menu.

Looking at the menu and I was "WTF!!". It is not cheap and rather expensive. Unless the food is nice else it is not worth it.

Then when I turn the menu to the beverages page, I was like "Holy Shit!". Less ice +RM1, no ice +RM2 thingy.

End up we order Set Meal A but change 3 items in the menu to others choices. First dish arrive was the Seafood Mee Sua Kor. This is very delicious. The taste was so good.

There comes the fried poh piah, belacan chicken wings, vege and fried rice. The chicken wings and the fried rice taste very good.

The Oyster dishes also taste very delicious except a little bit too spicy.

The fried fish noodles taste not bad. It is very spicy and sour. Not suite my taste but some people may like it.

Lastly is the dessert, Oh Nee or known as yam paste. Taste not bad too but because it is kind of sticky, some people don't really like it because the texture just like eating oat except yam paste taste way better.

The service here are very good and the food taste is consider delicious too. Just that the price is quite expensive. If consider the price, I can have better meal at some seafood restaurant. Considering the services, food taste and environment, it still worth to try but may not be regularly.

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Free parking at Penang until further notice

Since January 1st 2014, Penang had implemented the coupon parking system. The parking system are so messy due to improper planning of roll out. There are a lot of people do not aware of this new parking system. Some even didn't bother to purchase the coupon. There are also a lot of illegal selling of coupon along the parking area. Bunch of people walking around with sling bag selling coupon to drivers which makes the location very messy.

Just after a week of the new system roll out, a lot of places like 7-eleven or mamak stall running out of stock. This situation cause lots of people do not have coupon for parking. After some complain, MPPP decided to temporary stop the coupon parking system until further notice except for the 4 locations which not under MPPP management.

Majlis dengan ini mengumumkan berkuatkuasa mulai hari ini khamis, 16 Januari 2014, orangramai tidak perlu mempamerkan kupon letak kereta (sistem kupon) sehingga masalah kekurangan stok diatasi oleh syarikat pengurus letak kereta, di mana semua penjual kupon mendapat bekalan dan dapat menambahkan bekalan pada bila bila masa tanpa sebarang kelewatan dan masalah. Tarikh kuatkuasa baharu akan dimaklumkan kemudian. Walaubagaimanapun Perkhidmatan Alam Indah Sdn Bhd dikehendaki membayar sewa bulanan tempat letak kereta kepada Majlis sebanyak RM651,923.00 setiap bulan. Pengecualian ini adalah untuk kesemua petak letak kereta Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang sahaja, kecuali (tidak termasuk):- 

(a) Tempat Letak Kereta Lebuh Light 

(b) Tempat Letak Kereta Batu Lanchang 

(c) Tempat Letak Kereta Padang Brown 

(d) Tempat Letak Kereta Terminal Bas Ekspres Sg Nibong 

For the details of the announcement which can be find from the MPPP sites with link below. 

http://www.mppp.gov.my/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=f8c76f41-fd1e-4ccf-9ccc-7e650bfb0414&groupId=834689

In the announcement, it do mention some location still have the illegal attendance which require cooperation from public not to give them parking money. MPPP will work with local police to resolved the issue of illegal attendance. I really hate those illegal attendance, please go and get a proper job than asking for parking money like beggar! There are lots of factory which are hiring operators. As long as have determination and hardworking, there are no reason not able to get a proper job or at least selling burger.

Half boiled egg & toasted bread

According to myth, eating half boiled egg is good for male to recover their sexual energy after a good night laid. The reason because egg are good source of proteins and half boiled egg resemble the men sperms? Or probably because of liquid type, it makes easy absorb by human body?

Some people just like the taste of the half cook egg, especially when toasted bread are dip into it. Yum yum. There are many types of toasted bread or we call "roti bakar". Some seller toast the bread and apply butter or kaya. Most popular is "roti kahwin" or married bread. 1 side with butter and another with kaya.

The Joo Leong Cafe selling the toasted bread with butter and condense milk. This kind of bread also quite popular in a lot of places in Penang. You can check the cafe details at this site. http://www.penangnet.com/jooleong/. Joo Leong cafe are one the famous cafe selling half boiled egg & toasted bread. I park my car next to the shop.

On the way to Penang International Airport from Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, the shop located on the left. If you on your way to airport in the morning, you might want to drop by for breakfast. It is very close to the Snake Temple. After pass by Snake Temple on your right, the cafe are not further distance on your left. This is how the shop inside looks like.

I usually order "bread & egg 1 set" which include of 2 pieces of toasted bread and 2 half boiled egg. There are also others prepack food such as fried bihun and nasi lemak. The nasi lemak taste quite good but the fried bihun not that delicious.

The price for the set is pretty expensive or just at reasonable price. 2 pieces of toasted bread cost RM2.00 and 2 half boiled egg cost RM1.80. Total of RM3.80 per set. With some drinks like coffee or tea, I easily hit RM5 per meal and not really full my stomach. With this cost, I can prepare the same meal at home for 3 persons (using omega egg). It is not hard to prepare if comparing cooking a decent meal. Of course if eating outside, we have to consider the labour charges and their profit. The food arrive quite quick and I finish it quick too.

Overall the taste is quite normal as anywhere else. Nothing really special about it but the environment is nice. I prefer the nasi lemak more than the breakfast set.

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