bigger things will come, someday.
do your best, and if that's not enough, don't fret. days will come and days will go. the sun still rises, and the sun still falls. |
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Friends: Much of the trips I have taken these past few months are due to the people I have met throughout my life. As my counselor, Jason Lee, from AID said, "when you're on the go, it's always hard to stop and take a moment to really see. Life is a one time offer, use it well and live everyday as if it's your last." And I've been very fortunate to forge a tight relationship with Jason as well as those around me, enough to ask for suggestions and see the world from their perspectives. I know that I don't own any expensive gear and most of the time, it's just my iPhone and I. But, Jason has taught me that the only way these pictures come to life is if the person behind these pictures see something. I see a lot of things — I see stories, I see my friends, and most importantly, I see myself smile. I still have a good four more weeks of stories to capture, so I hope you'll stay around for the remainder of my journey :) I love light and shadow, just as much as I love a good teh-o. Penang, Malaysia | March 30 - April 1, 2019 Beeeeeeeeeeep — that’s the sound of cars and motorcycles honking back and forth because of how congested traffic is. And that was the start of my Malaysia trip to Penang :) Although I flew in a day after Anna, that didn’t stop us from exploring the farther parts of Penang! If you’ve already been to Taipei or any Southeast Asian country, you’d know how bad the traffic is. Instead of taking the bus (Rapid Penang) to each location, we decided to take Grab as it was the most convenient and fastest way to get through since we didn’t have much time. To kick off the day, we went to Kek Lok Si Temple right after noon. It is one the largest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia and one the very few in Malaysia since the country isn’t really Buddhist at all. However, there is quite a lot of people who speak Hokkien, come from Thai or Burma in Penang which plays a huge role in the existence of these Buddhist temples. And although I speak Taiwanese, it’s essentially a variation of the Hokkien dialect which made it a lot easier for me to order food, figure out what’s honestly the best to eat and ask for directions on what to do :) Legend has it there’s at least 10,000 buddhas in the temple which is probably true — a tall Kuan Yin statue stands atop a hill which you access through an incline lift (RM 6 roundtrip). If you’d like to access the pagoda/prayer halls, it’s RM 2. Since we wanted to make it for sunset at Penang Hill, we decided to kill time at Air Itam Market to have some famous Pasar Asam Laksa (Penang’s version of Laksa). If you tried rojak (Indian salad) before, that’s what the laksa tasted like to me — tangy but spicy and refreshing at the same time. In Malaysia, if you want Singaporean style laksa, it’s actually called curry mee shua and there’s a stall close by called Sister Curry Mee but they close at 1 pm or maybe even earlier so best to eat there first! Across the street was another row of food stalls so we treated ourselves to some cendol (shaved ice with red bean, coconut milk, green rice flour jelly, and palm sugar syrup) to cool off. You could easily walk to Penang Hill Lower Station or bus it before catching the train up (RM 30 round trip) but it was too hot and traffic was still bad due to early Tomb-Sweeping Day so we took a Grab. From all four directions, you could see Georgetown, Penang Bridge and mainland Malaysia from the Sky Walk. If you walk some more, you’ll pass by a sign that says The Habitat Penang Hill. With your student ID, you can purchase tickets for RM 42.50 to walk around the nature trail right before sunset. The guides suggested we walk towards the Langur Way Canopy Walk first, hit some giant swings (first one was the best), then walk all the way back to Curtis Crest Treetop Walk right before sunset at 7:15 pm. The crest is the highest point in Penang with nothing above you but the clouds! Due to the thunderstorms, the sunset wasn’t too great but it was well worth the experience. Sadly, we missed out on a few local treats in Penang once we got back to Georgetown :( but everything else was delicious as well! I’d say Chulia Night Market in Little India has the best Oh Chien (oyster omelette) I’ve had since leaving Taiwan. Rather than mixing the oysters with a lot of rice flour and eggs like Taiwan usually does, Malaysia actually fries the egg instead & makes it without too much rice flour. Lok lok (steamboat) on the street is fun but not if you're hungry. Near our AirBnB was New Lane Food Stalls and Food-ker where we grabbed a couple more treats before calling it a day. Tip: Space is really limited in Malaysia so night markets with seating area or food markets all require you to purchase a minimum of one drink along with the food you buy. I’d suggest getting hot/warm drinks during the hot weather because too much cold drinks can actually make you sick quicker. Most kopitiam (coffee shops) sell a variety of drinks ranging from Penang white coffee, teh (milk tea), fruit juice, sodas, to herbal teas. I usually go for herbal teas to soothe myself as I hide from the heat (longan or barley are my go-to!) If I really want a cold drink, I grab fresh sugar cane juice instead. Anna left the next day, so we went to Chew Jetty right after sunrise to catch the first rays of daylight. After sending her off to the airport, I ran around Georgetown for the remaining of the afternoon to see if I could beat the crowd at the street art locations scattered across town. I lounged around at a kopitiam to cool off and waited until it was almost time for sunset before booking a Grab to Batu Ferringhi. Traffic was still bad but I managed to make it to the beach just in the nick of time. It was the first time in a long time since I sat at an actual beach and watched the sun set. Hawaii sunsets are definitely prettier, but I’d say nothing can really beat island-style sunsets anywhere. For a good hour, I just sat there and watched families, elderly, couples, and children enjoy their time at the beach. In the far distance, you could see horses freely galloping along the shoreline, too. I was at ease again — just me, my thoughts, and the sound of waves crashing. What makes Penang’s sunset stand out is how long the sky stays reddish pink even after the sun completely set. I was so mesmerized by the sky I almost forgot to leave. I woke up bright and early to see if I could catch the sunrise at Lee Jetty (one of the only jetties open at 7 am in the morning, but be extremely quiet and respectful if you go). Since the storms come and go, there’s been a lot of clouds which blocked the sun — that didn’t mean it wasn’t pretty :) I grabbed a quick breakfast (roti bakar) at the entrance of the Jetty and had a nice conversation with one of the owners. A lot of people who I spoke to on this trip were actually quite curious why an American who could speak Taiwanese and Mandarin studying in Singapore would end up in Penang. And I always had a hard time explaining, but it’s nice to be able to speak consistently in my mother tongue after these past few months abroad. I went on a food adventure for the rest of the day before I had to leave for the airport. The weather might’ve been bad, yet Penang was a nice getaway before I wrap up the last two-three weeks of presentations and finals. It was also nice being able to catch up with good company knowing that we’ll all be really busy in the upcoming weeks. Dubbed the food central of Malaysia, Penang is a quick place to get a taste of nature if you don’t have time for the rest of Southeast Asia.
Sorry for the lack of updates, life has been hectic — but I guess that’s good. I’ve been so distracted with school work that I just haven’t had the time to properly sit down and ponder on the last two weeks. This week was my last week of big assignments and group projects. Of course, NUS doesn’t make it easy because local students study and prep like crazy. But, I have really good teammates who I’m grateful for in helping me since the start of the semester. Here's a group picture for DSC3203 after we presented about new technologies in the hotel industry. Can you believe I’m leaving Asia soon? :( Before presenting, Prof has been sharing articles lately reminding us that it doesn't take much to be happy. I guess he knew that as finals approach, all of us would be scrambling to get through the semester. If you ever get the chance, definitely take a course with Prof Thompson :) Coursework is tough, but it's worth your time if you are a management major. Coming back from Malaysia meant I only had a week before two huge group presentations and assignments are due. And today, I finally completed all my course requirements (kind of)! I only have one more class (DSC), one last tutorial for MKT, and a final on May 2nd for MKT before I return to Taiwan shortly after. In-between prepping for all those presentations, Felice was kind enough to be my tour guide for a day around Bugis. She’s actually studying abroad in Singapore from Japan but she’s also half Singaporean which was really interesting to hear as I got to know her better. To hide from the heat after we spent much of the afternoon at the National Library reading books, we ended up at Lau Pa Sat Market for dinner (I only go there for carrot cake). It's also been a while since I last step foot in Gardens by the Bay - the Super Tree Grove is beautiful as always!
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Apa Kabar, Ni Hao! My name is Irene Chen. I am currently a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa pursuing a BBA in Accounting & Finance. Join me on this journey through Singapore!
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