Good Dentist

One of the services that you don't need too often but when you need one it can be a pain (literally) to have to waste time to try and find a good one. Not had call to use a dentist myself yet here but when the time does arise I plan to use a dentist in Tanjung Tokong who has now been recommended by several people.

The dentist is KK Ong (04 899 1469) and it is situated on the Tg Tokong Road at the junction with Jalan Fettes (the dentist is actually on the right hand side of the road as you travel towards Batu Ferringhi and is opposite Fettes Residence).

Underworld 4 - In Cinemas 19 Jan

Finally go to go and see Mission Impossible (4): Ghost Protocol yesterday and I have to say I thought it was brilliant. Plenty of action and very well filmed. If you haven't seen it already and are even the slightest bit interested in action movies I'd suggest catching this before it closes.

I was also delighted to see that my favourite actress Kate Beckinsale returns to the role of Selene in Underworld (4): The Awakening on 19 January. Really looking forward to this as the Underworld series of movies has always delivered. If I was going to get bitten by any vampire, Selene would be the number one choice ;-)

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!!

FM Radio Stations - Penang

Prompted by the need to programme the radio memory on the recently arrived car, the following is a list of what I've found to be my favourite English language FM radio stations in Penang over the last few months (good for streaming on internet too):

Fly FM: 89.9

Hitz FM: 92.8

Lite FM 104.4

Mix FM: 91.0

Red FM: 107.6

Traxx FM: 98.7

The Malaysia Central site is also useful as it lists these and the many other Malaysian radio channels transmitting with live stream so you can listen through the internet.

'Pick of Penang' Goes Mobile

Picked up the new Vios from Toyota today and have to say I'm very happy. Chin from Toyota even picked me up to go and collect it. Must say I was very impressed with the thoroughness of the handover from Toyota and was even more impressed with the bonus discount they gave me of a further RM 1,000 and RM 200 off the price of the tinting I had done (I went for the best quality CoolTint as I have seen the disastrous results of using cheap rubbish). They also threw in a large umbrella, full set of rubber mats, more fuel than they needed to and a pack-away large shopping bag.

Must admit it's really nice to have the car now, while the buses etc. are fine they are a bit inconvenient at times. Fathoming exactly where the bus-stop is can also be immensely hard in some parts of town!!!

I did drop one clanger though. Flicking through the brochures you can see that the numerous editions of the Vios include a radio/CD player which is listed as 'MP3/WMA'. Ordinarily you might be forgiven for thinking that means that the vehicle comes fitted with socket where you plug in your MP3 player of choice. Not so!!! It means the CD player can play MP3/WMA files from the CD. The system can be switched to 'Aux Input' if an adaptor is fitted 'in some units'. So, if playing music through an iPod/iPhone or whatever is important to you, check that your vehicle has an 'Aux' input. I shall be using the car rarely and even on the longer trips it's no BIG deal. I might explore the option of a retro-fit 'Aux' input but it's an assumption I'd made from the catalogue that was incorrect :-(

I'll post up some more specifics about purchase finalisation, insurance, servicing and such like in a few days but for now I'm just happy to have the car. I was also very impressed with Toyota who handled the whole MM2H tax-refund application for me as part of the purchase. Couldn't have been easier. I will be happy to provide Mr Chin's contact details to anyone interested in purchasing a Toyota, MM2H or not.

Good Taxi Driver

Mostly, while in Penang, if I have needed to take a taxi I just tend to grab one from the nearest rank and, now I have a rough idea of the going rates, I've always got a reasonable enough deal. Meters here are just for decoration. However, at the top of Penang Road in Georgetown, near the junction with UPR, there is a taxi rank (almost opposite Soho bar) where they even publish their rates to different areas.

At times though it's handy to have a number to call to book a taxi, especially if you have a lot of running around to do. Yesterday I had a lot so I used my trusted taxi driver chum Mike.

The trip yesterday involved:

• Pick up from Tg Bungah
• Drive to Downing Street in Georgetown and wait while I went to post office and bank
• Drive to Bayan Lepas while I went to JPJ / RTD
• Drive to Sungai Penang and wait at car showroom
• Drive back to Tg Bungah

Total cost RM 80 with a total 'hired' time of about 3 hours. Very reasonable IMO. It would probably have cost the same flagging individual taxis down and there is a need to bear in mind that a couple of these locations are not near ranks.

So, if you need a taxi for some running around (he does a good price to /from the airport too at around RM 40), drop me a mail from the contact form here (or my profile) and I'll pass on Mike's details.

New Bagan

Another quick update as I have had several contacts from readers asking about the opening of the new Bagan (see previous posts), mainly about when and where.

The new Bagan (although it's name will change) will be in Mcalister Road, Georgetown. The slightly bad news is that the opening will now not likely be until March 2012. It's a shame as there are no other venues like Bagan in Penang and it is missed by a lot of people. I also hope the format of the new place doesn't change too much, but we shall see.

Catvoque Events Production

I have previously posted a few shots of some good friends of mine who are members of the very talented Catvoque Dance Troupe based in Penang. Recently I got to shoot some more pictures of them in action at the Cititel Hotel in Penang. Managed to get some nice shots of them despite the scourge of photographers everywhere, dry ice or stage smoke :-)

A link to the public album can be found here. Tags and captions to follow.

Catvoque really are superb to see in action and their full show is really something to behold. If you are planning an event and need something to wow an audience you should really consider Catvoque. They can be contacted through their Facebook Page here.

Penang Heritage Haven Event

Thought I'd give this event an a mention seeing that it combines very good black and white photography, Penang heritage and the and a charity sale all the proceeds go to a very good cause, National Autism Society of Malaysia.

The event opens at 2pm on Saturday 17 December at the E&O Hotel and features over 100 photographs by 15 photographers. It runs for a week with a heritage and photographic talk at the hotel at 2:30pm on Sunday 18 December.

Dehumidifiers

Just a quick post this, merely to let people know about the small disposable dehumidifiers that can be purchased from many supermarkets and used in cupboards and wardrobes etc. They are basically plastic tubs with a reservoir at the bottom and which contain small water attracting pellets suspended above it. They draw water into the reservoir and are good for helping to keep dampness from clothes and shoes etc.

They are used extensivelyin the Middle East where they are somewhat cheaper than in Malaysia where they retail at about RM 5 each. At times they can be had on offer. One of the most popular brands is Thirsty Hippo and, used in a cupboard with the doors kept closed, they will last for up to a month. Quite useful.

Maxis and Facebook problems.

In addition to all the other problems that many people I know seem to encounter with Maxis it now seems that there is now an additional problem that is affecting large numbers of Facebook users who have the misfortune to be on Maxis. They cannot upload pictures and constantly getting error messages regardless of the browser they use.

Even using Blogger is absolute torture. I do find Blogger quite poor when it comes to image uploads and particularly when it comes to moving them around. Several browsers handle this very poorly and about the only one I have found effective is Firefox. I have never had the problems I have had with Blogger today before though, oh and yes, I was using Maxis. Coincidence???

Yet another reason that I am happy to say I avoid Maxis like the plague.

Restaurant: Nyonya Breeze - Straits Quay, Penang

I had seen this restaurant on the first floor several times on visiting Straits Quay and often thought about giving it a try but I'd heard mixed reports about it and was a little hesitant. Recently I called in with a friend of mine and tried the set lunch that they have at around RM 25-30 per person.

For one person you will normally get some rice, a meat or fish dish and a vegetable dish. As there were two of us we opted to try different menu choices to get a good mix for sharing. We opted for roast belly pork, prawn sambal, a fried egg based dish and a potato dish. There was also a broth style pork-based soup accompaniment.

I have to say that the meal was very disappointing. To start off with the portions were very small, much less than you'd get from a hawker with little more than 2-3 mouthfuls per person. The quality of the food was also very poor, my friend, a local, commenting that it was like home cooked food made by someone who couldn't cook. The pork was tasteless and not well cooked, the egg dish was greasy and quite sickly with only the prawns, 4 of them, being anything like enjoyable. The broth was almost completely tasteless. The peach tea was about the only thing we really enjoyed. I think the waiter sensed the disappointment as he did say that the best dishes were on the A La Carte menu in the evenings. Trouble is, these were on it too!!!

Sadly this was one of the poorest meals I have had in Malaysia. Maybe it was a bad day, maybe there are better dishes on the A La Carte but I have to say I won't be in a rush to try. Not recommended at all :-(