Chance to see Penang after dark

Chance to see Penang after dark

THE public will have the opportunity to get a closer look at the nightlife in the George Town heritage enclave in Penang in a 5km night walk on July 6.

The Heritage Family Nite Trail, organised by Bank Simpanan Nasional’s Sports and Welfare Club, will start at 9.15pm from the Esplanade.

Participants will be able to view the nightlife along roads with heritage and cultural attractions such as Leith Street, Muntri Street, Love Lane, Chulia Street and Queen Street along the 5km route.

“It will be a wonderful opportunity for families to come out in the evening and check out what the oldest part of George Town looks like at night,” said organising chairman Wan Mohd Razali Wan Jamal in Penang recently.

He said police would provide ample traffic control to ensure that participants would be able to enjoy the walk safely.

“We have also invited welfare organisations to bring along the physically handicapped. Our bank staff members will help push their wheelchairs,” he said, adding that 5,000 people were expected to join the walk.

The walk will be preceded by exhibitions by government and non-governmental organisations at the Esplanade from 5pm. There will also be free general health screening for the public.

There will also be a Festival of Dances event at the Esplanade at 9.15pm where cultural dances by the Culture and Arts Department and boria performances by SMK Permatang Tok Jaya will be staged.

The organisers have also prepared commemorative T-shirts, goodie bags and a lucky draw for participants.

Registration forms for the walk are available at all BSN branches in Penang and at www.facebook.com/bsnheritagewalk. Entry is RM10 per person. The closing date for entries is Saturday.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Ben’s Vintage Toy Museum

Three generations of toys Ben’s Vintage Toy Museum displays some pretty unique items indeed



Back to the past: Visitor Jasmine Chai Jia Min, 23, admiring a robot on display at the Museum in Lebuh Acheh.

TUCKED in a quiet nook in Lebuh Acheh, George Town, is an intriguing vintage toy museum with over 10,000 toys.

Run by a father and son team, Ben’s Vintage Toy Museum carries vintage toys from as early as the 1800s up to 1995.

Malik Ben Junior, 21, the curator and manager of the museum said the museum was the brainchild of his father, Ben.

“My father had the idea to put together our family collection of toys that was started by my late grand-father.

“My late grandfather used to be a sailor and he picked up toys from the various countries he visited during his voyages,” said Malik.

He said that the family collection, together with some toys purchased from avid collectors, made up the museum.

“The oldest toy in the museum is the Victorian Era Triangle Horse which is handcrafted from wood. It was made in the 1800s,” he said.

Malik said that most of the toys in the museum were still in working condition.



Walk down memory lane: Visitors admiring the toys at Ben's Vintage Toy Museum in Lebuh Acheh, George Town.

“Visitors can even try out some of the toys such as the pinball console from the 1960s,” he said.

Among the many attractive vintage toys on display at the museum are a Penny Farthing bicycle from 1860, and original wind-up Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse dolls from 1930.

There are even vintage superhero comics from the 1950s.

He said that many of his visitors, particularly adults, have expressed happiness at seeing toys that they played with during their childhood.

“Some even cannot hold back their tears as they recall their childhood memories upon seeing the toys,” he said.

“This is why we came up with the idea for the museum, to spread the joy and happiness that toys can bring. It is a walk down memory lane for the parents while the children can learn about toys that their parents played with,” he said.

Ben’s Toy Museum is open from 10am to 6pm daily except Fridays when it is open from 3pm to 6pm, and Mondays when it is closed.

Visitors are charged an entry fee of RM6 for adults and RM3 for children.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Fest kicks off in colourful style

Fest kicks off in colourful style

The George Town Festival 2013 which promises to be a feast of the arts got under way last night.

The month-long festival’s opening ceremony in Esplanade began with drums played by a group of six members along with two conductors.

The group clad in striking orange T-shirts guided some 100 spectators to play along with the instruments provided to them such as the kompang and sita drum.



Blast of culture: Visitors to the first day of the George Town Festival watching a kite taking off above the Esplanade Field.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng joined in to play a drum in the 10-minute session which was held to display the rich diver-sity of Penang.

Later, Lim accompanied the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas to fly the state’s official kite.

The traditional wau bulan together with other colourful kites in all shapes and sizes dotted the skies to the delight of spectators.

Minutes later, a giant yellow kite in the shape of an octopus also took to the skies.

Enjoying the merry atmosphere were festival director Joe Sidek, Seberang Prai Municipal Council president Maimunah Mohd Sharif and Penang Municipal Council head Datuk Patahiyah Ismail.

Earlier, both local and foreigners flocked to the venue, drawn in by the number of huge kites flying above the open field.

The kites, which were provided by the Asean Kite Council, were brought in from Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Children were awed by the designs of the different kites. One kite, depicting a dragon named Zulu, was brought in from Indonesia.

A kite-making workshop for those who registered prior to the festival was held.

There was also a drum circle learning workshop where participants were given a lesson on playing the percussion by a group of percussionists.

The carnival mood went on with a group of stilt walkers entertaining the crowd with their performances.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Festival in full bloom with orchids, bonsais

Festival in full bloom with orchids, bonsais

Everything is coming up roses for the annual Penang Floral Festival where the “stars” of the show are the orchid, bonsai and adenium.

About 50,000 visitors are expected to attend the eight-day festival at the Penang Botanic Gardens’ car park area in Jalan Kebun Bunga from now till June 9.

With the theme “Penang Floral Paradise”, the festival will feature, among others, 57 classes of orchids.

“In total, we have about 900 orchid plants of various species and hybrids, brought in by orchid growers and enthusiasts from all over the country,” said Federation of Malaya Orchid Society vice-president Tony Tan.

“There will also be orchid shows on certain days of the festival and talks by our experts on how to grow and manage the plants,” he said at the Gardens yesterday.

The Friends of the Penang Botanic Gardens will hold a Nature Education Programme daily during the festival from 9am to noon at the Gardens’ car park, hawkers’ complex and Botanika Outreach.

The activities include canvas shopping bag printing, T-shirt printing and a children’s programme.

There will also be talks on plants as well as methods to regrow plants and composting techniques.

T-shirts, canvas bags, fertilisers, leaf crafts, quilled cards and painted glass bottles will also be on sale.

The Penang Floral Festival 2013 is open from 9am to 7pm daily. Admission is free.

The festival is jointly organised by the state Tourism Office, Penang Art Society (Bonsai and Suiseki Division), Federation of Malaya Orchid Society and the Penang Botanic Gardens.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Fast becoming a city of murals

Fast becoming a city of murals

GEORGE TOWN is fast becoming a city of murals as 13 more paintings are being drawn on a 50.3m stretch of wall along Magazine Road in the city.

The series of murals will, among others, depict what Penang looked like in the olden days and impressions of the state’s future.

Art teacher Jim Oo Chun Hee, 26, who is among those who initiated the mural project as an effort to exhibit the art of Penang, said the project began in June last year and was expected to be fully completed in a year.

He said he had gotten permission from the Penang Municipal Council to paint on the wall as the premises inside belonged to the council which uses it as a recycling centre.

He said the project has been dubbed the ‘Great Wall in Penang’.

“This project is done voluntarily. We have help from friends and art students. It is a place for us to paint and relax.

“The wall here used to be dirty, cracked and bare. We fixed it up, painted it all white and now there will be paintings of Penang for all to see.

“I am from Butterworth and I will come to paint here during weekdays. When the paintings are all done, we will add 3D features to all of them,” Oo said on Thursday.

Equator Academy of Art student Seow Kar Liang, 20, who was painting part of the mural, said he wanted to help out as art was his passion.

“It is also a project which makes Penang art alive,” he said, adding that he got to know of the project through friends.

The first three paintings which are expected to be finished in two weeks depict activities at the Goddess of Mercy Temple in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. Work on the other paintings are in progress.

Besides the murals in Magazine Road, Oo also has mural and 3D art projects at the Penang Botanic Gardens, Armenian Street and a narrow back lane between Bank Negara Malaysia and the AIA building in Bishop Street.

The 3D feature at the gardens is that of a cobra while at Armenian Street, it is an image of the head of the lion used in the Chinese lion dance. The one at the back lane is an image of Tan Tong Tong, a minstrel who was popular in the past. Oo said only the lion head mural was still incomplete.

Other murals which have been painted in the city included those by Lithuanian street artist Ernest Zacharevic, 26, and local artist Louis Gan Yee Loong, 25, from Balik Pulau.

Three artists are also currently creating twelve 3D street art murals in the city in conjunction with the George Town Festival 2013 which will be held from June 7 to July 7. Cats are the main subject matter of the 3D paintings which the artists hope will inspire the public to stop animal cruelty.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Cultural feast awaits Penangites

Cultural feast awaits Penangites

CELEBRATED Flemish-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is set to present a brand new dance called Sutra during the upcoming George Town Festival 2013.

Festival director Joe Sidek promised it would be one interesting performance that should not be missed.

He said Sutra, inspired by the skills, strength and spirituality of Buddhist Shaolin monks, would feature 17 monks from the original Shaolin Temple in China.

“Cherkaoui has collaborated closely with Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley who has created a design comprising 21 wooden boxes.

“The boxes are repositioned to create a striking and ever-changing stage environment,” he said.

Joe also said the dance piece would include a beautiful new score for piano, percussion and strings by Polish composer Szymon Brzoska.

Sutra is among some 80 exciting programmes to be featured during the month-long festival from June 7 to July 7.

The dance will be presented on June 29 and 30 at Dewan Sri Pinang at 8.30pm on both days.

Other programmes recommen-ded by Joe include the ‘Secret Gardens of Earthly Designs’ held throughout the month and a performance by Italian chamber music group I Musici on the festival’s first day at Dewan Sri Pinang at 8.30pm.

‘Bridges and Kaki Lima’, a contemporary dance to be performed along Victoria Street on June 29 at 6.15pm, is also one that should be watched as its choreography is devised to celebrate cultural commonality.

“One of the choreographers is Aida Redza who is a Penangite herself,” said Joe.

“We also have the three-day heritage celebrations from July 5 to 7 to commemorate the inscription of George Town as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008.

“The living heritage of George Town will be demonstrated through traditional and multicultural arts and practices, food and events that highlight historical and cultural pride,” said Joe during a talk to some 100 people in Bayan Lepas.

He said the festival, in its fourth year, would be ‘Taking Off’ on June 8 at the Esplanade this year.

“‘Taking Off’ is our festival’s opening ceremony where we take to the skies with kites made by master kite makers around the region.

“Free kites will be distributed and kite enthusiasts and representatives from the Asean Kite Council will be taking part in the ceremony,” he said.

He said the festival’s secretariat was looking for volunteers to help in the event.

For more information or to volunteer and to purchase tickets, visit www.georgetownfestival.com.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Street market going strong

Street market going strong

THE Little Penang Street Market (LPSM) will be turning seven in July and it is showing no signs of slowing down.

Organiser James Lochhead said a recent survey showed that 60% of the market’s visitors were domestic and foreign tourists while the rest were Penangites.

“Generally, the visitors were pleased with the market.

“Considering the limited resources, it’s fantastic that the LPSM has gone on every month since its inception – clearly there’s a demand for it and it has huge potential to grow,” he said when met at the market on Sunday.

The LPSM was started to celebrate creativity and heritage, he said.

He added that going forward, the challenge was to publicise and develop the market.


Bargains galore: Visitors to the market checking out the many items on sale

“If we can get someone to do outreach work for the market and bring in new participants and talents, it will be great.

“Perhaps the state government can come up with a more coherent policy for the development of the arts, culture and festivals here so that event organisers who need more support will receive assistance,” he said.

Lochhead said future plans included having designated tents for schools to exhibit their projects and the public to show items related to the environment.

More activities for the kids are also in the pipeline.

More than 70 stalls sell a range of products at the LPSM from 10am to 5pm at Upper Penang Road in George Town every last Sunday of the month.

Asia Community Service (ACS) Stepping Stone centre supervisor Hasra Othman said its members had been selling their home-made snacks and handicraft like soap, bags and clothing at the market since day one.

The ACS booth sells over 50 items all made by people with disabilities.

“In the last three years or so, the market has become more commercialised in terms of the items sold.

“Perhaps we need to go back to the traditional craft items which are one-of-a-kind pieces to attract the crowd,” she said.

ACS member Rozihad Yahaya, who started as an apprentice, has been weaving craft items for over a decade and is now a trainer at the centre.

“Many kids who come to the market like to try their hand at weaving and I enjoy teaching them,” she said.

Artist and gallery assistant curator Jeff Jansen said the market draws an especially large crowd during long weekends.

“I’ve been here for about three years and I’ve seen traders move on as new ones come in, which is good for the market.

“For the visual arts display, we put up paintings by both locals and foreigners on display so that they are accessible to everyone including kids.

“Often, even adults feel too intimidated to visit art galleries.

“Here, anyone can just walk up and enjoy a painting – there are no walls and no doors,” he said.

For details on the market’s upcoming events, log on to www.littlepenang.com.my/wordpress/ or call 017-4290806.

~News courtesy of The Star~