Sunday 15 August 2010

United to draw medical tourists

United to draw medical tourists

SEVEN of Penang’s biggest private hospitals have banded together to establish the Penang Health Association — a platform to collectively promote the state as a medical haven for visitors.

In a launching ceremony at the beginning of the month, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Island Hospital, LohGuanLye Specialist Centre, Mount Miriam Hospital, Pantai Hospital Penang and Penang Adventist Hospital partnered to boost the image of Penang health care.

“The idea for this partnership between hospitals came about four years ago.

“We realised that if we continued to only promote ourselves separately, it would be counter-productive and confuse visitors seeking medical care,” said association chairman Datuk Dr Chan Kok Ewe.

“For the sake of the medical industry in Penang, we have to work together.”

Dr Chan explained that the partnership of the seven hospitals made it possible to attract patients to a single destination – Penang – rather than to individual hospitals.

“With a common folder and a universal exhibition booth giving the information and services of all the hospitals, patients will have their own choice of treatment possibilities,” he said.

He added that although the partnership had only been announced to the public this month, its collective efforts over the last few years were already beginning to bear fruit.

“In 2009, Penang attracted 202,000 foreign visitors despite the global recession.

“2010 has also seen a marked increase with the figure expected to reach 250,000 and with this partnership, we expect these figures to continue to grow,” Dr Chan said.

-News courtesy of The Star-

Saturday 7 August 2010

Choir from Hong Kong coming to town

Choir from Hong Kong coming to town

THE 30-member Hong Kong Munsang College Alumni Chorus will present a charity concert to raise funds for the Penang Hospice Society and Musica Sinfonietta.

Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Training and Development (MITD), the event themed ‘Music For Life’ will be held at 7.30pm at the Penang Chinese Town Hall on Sept 4.

Organising chairman Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon said the choir under Sincere Yip, a prominent choral director and music edu-cator, would perform popular pieces such as ‘You Raise Me Up’, ‘Sway’, ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ as well as two Russian folk songs.

He said the choir members had chosen to visit Penang for their annual trip abroad as they were invited by MITD chairman, Datuk Dr Thomas Chee.

The audience will be treated to a touch of Malaysian flavour by local choir ‘Mayson Musical Choir’ which will showcase Chinese and Malay folk songs.

Musica Sinfonietta’s violinist Verena Koay will also perform in a solo of Vivaldi’s classic piece, ‘Spring’ from The Four Seasons violin concerto while the orchestra will entertain the audience with pieces by American composer Leroy Anderson and songs from the movie ‘Mamma Mia’.

Admission is by invitation only at RM20 for students and RM50 for adults.

For details, call Lily Boey at 012-4749020, Digital Music School at 04-2263340/ 6582366/8992108, Penang Chinese Town Hall at 2611342 or Joan Khoo (MITD) at 2620028.

Donations are also appreciated.

-News courtesy of The Star-

All things Thai at Fort Cornwallis

All things Thai at Fort Cornwallis

FORT Cornwallis in Penang boasts of a rich historical legacy but this weekend, it will celebrate a first by playing host to a Thai food and culture festival.

The Thai Food, Fruits and Cultural Festival will be held at the fort from 10am to 11pm today and tomorrow.

It is jointly organised by the Penang Govern-ment and Thai Consulate-General of Penang.

Penang Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman Danny Law said visitors to the fair would be able to sample Thai cul-ture through their dances, martial arts and food.

“The public will get the opportunity to experience authentic culinary traditions and cuisines of Thailand.

“On top of that, a few entertaining perfor- mances of Thailand’s delicate and graceful traditional dances as well as its well-known kick-boxing national sport — Muay Thai — will be showcased,” Law told press conference on Thursday.

He said visitors and tourists should try their best to be present for the festival’s opening ceremony at 6.30pm today as there would be a Klong Yao (long Thai Style drum made of hardwood) performance and Thai cul- tural dances.

He said there would also be traditional massages offered at stalls. Admission to the festival is free.

-News courtesy of The Star-

Sunday 1 August 2010

Kway Teow Soup

Kway Teow Soup

Kedai Kopi Soon Yuen
25 & 26, Jalan Kuala Kangsar, George Town.
Open 7am to noon. Closed on Wednesdays.

THE MSG-free kway teow soup here is very wholesome, tinged with the flavours of the siew pak choy that comes with it. The soup – made from pork, chicken and duck bones – is light with a natural sweetness.

The soup and the freshly-made fish balls make up for the not-so-slippery-smooth kway teow. The sai toh (wolf herring) fish balls do not contain preservatives; they are made fresh early every morning before Tan Kee Tin opens the shop for the day. A normal bowl comes with shredded chicken, fish balls and vegetables, but Tan also offers offal and duck and chicken intestines.

-Info courtesy of The Star-

Curry Mee

Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry Mee

55 Lorong Seratus Tahun, George Town.
Open 7.30am to 2pm. Closed on Thursdays but open on all public holidays.

THE 31-year-old family business is now run by the Moey sons, Kok Pheng, Kok Keong and Kok Kong. There is another outlet at 72-H, Jalan Anson (it’s open from 9am to 5.30pm and closed on Thursdays). A bowl of curry noodles here comes in a pale and watery stock with just a hint of coconut milk, unlike the thick, coconut milk-enriched curry stock elsewhere.

It is served with their special chilli paste, a secret concoction of ground dried chillies fried in oil, which is what gives the noodles their aromas and spicy flavours. This version of curry noodles has become so famous in Penang that it has come to be regarded as Penang’s very own curry mee, with toppings of blood cockles, cubes of pig’s blood jelly, cuttlefish, prawns and tofu puffs.

-Info courtesy of The Star-

Council seeks three additional CAT buses

Council seeks three additional CAT buses

THE Penang Municipal Council has requested three additional Central Area Transit (CAT) city shuttle buses from Rapid Penang to ply the CAT route in George Town.

MPPP financial management sub-committee alternate chairman Tan Hun Wooi said that there would be a total of six CAT buses if Rapid Penang agreed to the council’s request.

The three buses that ply the CAT route each make 14 trips per day within the heritage enclave.

“The council pays Rapid Penang RM50,000 a month to operate the service from 6am to midnight daily,” he said.

Tan said Rapid Penang owed the council RM656,000 in site rental for the Lorong Kulit, Tanjung Bungah and Balik Pulau bus stations.

“Therefore, we will contra the debt with the monthly payments for the three new buses,” he said.

Tan said Rapid Penang was required to provide the service as part of the conditions set by the council for Rapid Penang to enjoy the 50% discount in the site rental at the bus stations.

“We have also asked Rapid Penang to appoint three state representatives including an MPPP representative, who will be named by the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to sit on Rapid Penang’s board of directors,” he said.

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Tan said the additional three new CAT buses would allow Rapid Penang to clear the debt with the coun- cil while the council gets to provide additional transport service which would benefit Penangites and tourists.

-News courtesy of The Star-