Malihom

Malihom is a retreat atop a ridge on the Southern tip of Penang. Takes a 4x4 to get up there. Stunning views to the west towards the bridge,

and on the other side, over Balik Pulau. For details and more pics of the facilities, click

http://www.malihom.com/gallery/. Fab place.

Apart from lunch my companions were after durians, aided by these very able Burmese chaps.

Gek, Linden and Judy were intent on tasting the durians from the surrounding plantation. Yuk. For those interested in durian info, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian

Suited me. Had a whole load of mangosteens to myself!!!! Yum.

Film - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a day.

Well, a good farce, if you like that sort of thing. Nothing to say really, 2.5 I think.

Polly in Penang.

Well, this trip was about eating, at 'coffee shops'

E and O, and Coffee Bean.

Not only brilliant food but very reasonably priced too!!!!!

But all good things must come to an end. Glum now that Polly's gone!!!!

1st Aniversary

Lunch at the Keppel revolving restaurant. Peking Duck.

Very skillfully packaged.
Lucky to have Polly with us.
The venue over looks the container port and revolves 360 deg in about 90 mins.

VIVO City in the foreground and Sentosa beyond with the cable car.

Integrated Resort Revisited.

Photo by Polly Whitworth

Watching Singapore grow. There will be 20,000 new jobs created when the IR's are fully operational. LA on an island!!!

Now, did the architects plan this? As the sun sets, sunlight is reflected from the concave glass walls into the bay. When the towers are complete the effect will be an attraction!!!

Film- Duplicity.

Complex ploy. But if you can follow it, not bad. Do people like this exist? I wonder. Anyway, dialog a bit flat at times and not totally convincing but still worth 3 out of 5 for effort!!!!!

DH update

Stairs and air well screens partially competed. The detail is taking for ever!!!

Film - I love you Man

Another chick flick. A funny story with the message for women that all boys will grow up eventually. Problem is, I came away thinking women are frivolous and men are creative. Opps!!!! And mind the language....would make a trouper blush!!! Anyway, did make me laugh so 3 out of 5.

7th Singapore Special Olympics

Football photographer for the day.

Venue, the University sports fields. Participants, local schools catering for kids with special needs.

Result, some exciting, fast five-a-side football played in a hectic 15 minutes.

T'was very hot. We bought a silver umbrella specially for the day.

Lotus Children's Centre.

A small group of young Singaporean women have been to Lotus during the Summer months, 2007 and 2008. They want to return next year, 2010, with enough money to take a group of the teenagers to China. The girls will fund their own costs entirely. The idea, suggested by Didi the Director seen in the Tube Video, is to broaden the participants horizons by showing them another environment. (Also click here for pictures from last winter)

Together we have created a blog for the project. If you would like to help, please visit our blog at http://lotuschild2010.blogspot.com/ . Thanks..

Balik Pulau

Balik Pulau means the other side of the island, apparently. Well the bus trip of 40 mins on the 401E, (plug for Rapid-Penang), up and over the hills is quite something and gives you the feeling of going over to the other side!!! It is Durian time and they are everywhere at the moment. I didn't realise how many grew on one branch, never mind on the whole tree. A walk in the forest becomes very hazardous with Durian trees a round. Nice Church too.

Photo from B P Blog at http://blog.balikpulau.org

We also met Mr Fong Ten Sent a silversmith. He is 68 years young. I bought a couple of silver miniatures from him. See http://david-dollhouse.blogspot.com/. He has a miniature wok and burner in silver which I will get on our next trip.

Penang flat - the finish

With the instalation of the kitchen sink, the flat can be considered.....finished. We do need a coffee table and a couple of chairs for guest would be nice, but hey, there is always next time.

Building work has started across the way, but unlike Singapore, work stops before dusk and nothing happens on Sunday. The boards show a low rise development with a mix of shops and houses. This area is really on the up. The north of the island is running out of flat land to build on so the centre of the island seems to be moving south. Out of the 11 bus routes that serve the South, 10 place our place. And the wonderful Rapid-Penang bus company has just taken delivery of 200 new buses!!! Sorted.

Christian Lacroix

The National Museum of Singapore has a couple of exhibitions on at the moment. We went to see the Christian Lacroix collection of theater, mainly opera, costumes. Just a little bit over the top. His concept sketches are displayed along side the finished works. Loved those.

And for something completely different....furniture. From the exhibition blurb..."As a child, Danish designer and architect Verner Panton (1926–1998) had always dreamt of a large room full of colourful cushions. His designs reveal that love for bold colours and his preference for spatial harmony and comfort." And did he do just that! Eat your heart out IKEA. Like our Penang flat, red is the new black!!!

Penang

This trip we set up Gek's new studio. Another bedroom conversion.

On a previous visit we made two new friends, Chris and Ranu. Chris paints in oils too. Their apartment has a wonderful view out towards the bridge.

Quilt

Gek has been busy too. A hand sewn quilt.....600 over pieces!!! Very pretty it is too.

Funny Fellow

Think I made it a bit big??? Fitting the roof has always been a challenge for me. No matter how carefully I work out the roof panel sizes and how much care I take in cutting them out, IT NEVER FITS PROPERLY!!!! So frustrating.


Anyway, after several hours of faffing about, got a result. Well a fit that can be patched.

I also put the missing pieces into the base and when brought together the two halves of the house line up to with in less than 1mm over 900mm. Impressive hey??? Well that is down to the very skillful gentleman at the wood yard who so carefully cut all the plywood pieces for me. He will definitely get contracted to do the cut outs for the next house.....a Black and White, still in the design stage.

SAM's Wu Guanzhong Collection

Wu Guanzhong

Born in 1919, this remarkable man lived through China's modern history as a artist. Check this link for a bit of his history.

Wilderness

He works in oils with his later paintings being a fusion of oils and ink.

Households in Hainan

Chinese, but somehow different.

Pomagranate,

and Cranes in Dance

are amongst my favorites but to be honest I liked all 130 paintings in the collection!!!! Follow this link to see more.

Leaving Penang

A new Five Star bus. Our transport back to Singapore.

Fully reclining seats with massage option, three modes, personal video and games and an in ride magazine. Comfy!!!

Approaching Penang Bridge. The carriageway is being widened to three lanes. Work is very nearly finished. Gets very busy.

And the view back looking to Relau where we stay. Ta ta till next month!!!!

Singapore new builds.

The new URA model for the near future developments in Singapore. I couldn't get further enough away to get in the whole island. Like an idiot I didn't think of going upstairs and taking a down shot!! Derrrr.

Anyway, things of interest. The new Lake Side Development around the Chinese Garden, purple in the model. We didn't realise that it takes in the new work at Jurong East MRT station as well, off the picture on the right.

Of course we had to look at the area around Regent Heights. No changes. Little Guilin is the blue bit under the Bukit Batok Town Park sign.

And finally the area around Marina bay. The new bits in pale blue. They are going to completely dominate the area. Not sure I like it.

Film - Last Chance Harvey.

Feel great movie for those of a certain age. Of course, never happens in real life....does it? Just a little too obvious and a tad woodenly scripted, so only star rated 3. Sorry Emma, like I know what I am talking about!!!!!!

Kusu Island

Another nostalgic trip for me. Brought the kids here when they were little. We had the place to ourselves this time, it being a week day.

Snapped by Ruth with the Turtle temple behind us. Legend has it that a turtle rescued ship wrecked sailors and landed them on the island.

Mount Faber

In the three year I spent here in the 1980's, I never visited Faber hill. It isn't even in the guide books we have. But it a great place to see the city scape.


Singapore pockets of green are being progressively joined together by walk ways.

This one is between Faber and Telok Blangah Hill. Just don't look down between the walk way boards. Turns your tummy.