Hungry Ghost Roadshow Penang Idol sings out of tune at Church Street Ghaut

Well, here is one very sporting Penang Idol wannabe singing out of tune a golden oldie love song duet with the pretty and lovely lady singer like Paula Abdul of 916 Entertainment at the Hungry Ghosts Festival at Church Street Ghaut, Penang. Like the panel judges, we the Penang Simons(Simon Fuller the creator of American Idol and Simon Cowell) and local Paula Abdul voted out (XXX) and censored him.

By the way, if you are wondering why the streets name in Penang have so many Ghats which are spelt as Ghaut in English or Gat in the local Malay language such as Macallum Street Ghaut, China Street Ghaut, Acheen Street Ghaut and Chulia Street Ghaut. you can learn from List of Penang Streets Names

So the Ghaut or Gat is actually GHAT as you will know that Penang rich heritage can be traced to the Bengali and Gujarati from Indian Origins who were the early traders and migrants who came to Penang, Malaysia through the port in Penang Island, especially at Port Weld. These Ghats can be mostly found to line across the Weld Quay Road (or the local name Jalan Pengkalan Weld) as these are the steps leading to the seafronts for the disembarkation to the island for the ships and boats that called at the port with their cargoes and spices especially during the merchant East India Company reign in the South East Asian Regions in the 1600s.  Below is the little definition of ghat provided by Wikipedia.

As used in many parts of South Asia, the term ghat (Bengali: ঘাট ghaţ, Hindi: घाट "steps") refers to a series of steps leading down to a water body, usually a holy river. In Bengali-speaking regions, this set of stairs can lead down to something as small as a pond or as large as a major river.

For a little bit more of history of British India, I found this blog by Mr Vinay Lal very interesting for your reading pleasure and adventure into the Indian History, Cultures, politics and religions.Thank you Mr Vinay Lal.


So here Bigfoothill set sailed to Penang Island from Bukit Mertajam on the mainland of Malaya(old name for Peninsular Malaysia) and landed out of tune with the singers and sank steps into Church Street Ghat in my automobile driven through the Penang Bridge which was once being one of the longest bridges in South East Asia.

With so many ghosts parties in Penang during this Seventh Lunar Month of the Chinese Calendar, like the one nearby QEII  at Church Street Ghaut, let us go to Churches in and around Penang on Sundays to be with the Holy Ghost.

Bridging the gap and a reflection of a fisherman's life

 

Fisherman scooping cockles and crabs near Penang Bridge

Recently, I had captured on my camera this fisherman who went out to the sea near Penang Bridge to scoop up cockles, crabs and mantis prawns.  It is tough for most of us to beat the traffics to get to our offices in the city and industrial estates daily across the channel.  Have you ever fancy that your office is located in the middle of the sea? There are no traffic lights to halt you along your journey.  Instead of driving an automobile and an air-conditioned car complete with radio and digital media players while listening to your favorite deejays spinning your chart topping songs, why not get into a boat like this man for a day and experience the transformation at his floating office along the busy bridge? If you ever get caught on the snarls when some pile ups occurred on the bridge, we can only think of getting onto the speed boat to get to our destination.

Bigfoothill salutes the fisherman for his unfailing toils to bring the harvest for the day to shore and into our kitchen daily.  It is a very risky profession that many of us will not switch to considering that many of us are academically blessed and qualified for the cool office jobs.  Moreover, their jobs are lowly rewarded monetarily. They are facing the same social and economic crisis no less like us due to the rising fuel cost for transportation and increases in prices of other consumer goods.

Think for a moment... can we survive a day without seafood in our diet? How many times we complained that the seafood prices are highly expensive or it is not fresh for our palate?  Can we survive a day as a fisherman with our academic achievements? Or we need the physical and mental strength?  Do we need to learn to "drive" steer our boat before we can jump into the boat?  Do you know how to swim? Can you repair a leakage? We need to be skillful and plenty of skills to be a fisherman.  We need to know the time to go out to the sea and the time for low tides and high tides. Where are the winds' blowing direction and how deep is the sea by just looking at the water. Can we withstand the searing heats of the Sun, and the wet and cold showers of the rain and thunderstorm. Where are the schools of fish to be found.  When to cast our net and how to pull it up without getting it entangled?  Which spot can catch what type of sea creatures? Have you heard of tales of how fishermen have saved how many human lives that fell into the seas in the past and those that "fell" from the bridge and were rescued alive or dead? They responded to our SOS. They are the sailor, captain and rescuer of our lifeboat.

Did the fisherman learn all these skills in the comfort of a conference room like many of us in our calling? Is there a fancy party to celebrate their graduation ceremony?  How nice are the smell of the flowers and the  graduation "robes" that we will happily wear, hug and kiss our heroes and heroines, take memorable pictures with our loved ones? Hopefully, we do not complain of the fishy smell or distance ourselves from them the next time we walk pass a humble fisherman.  Let us be reminded of their sacrifices and passion for the noble and lovely jobs they did out there in the dangerous seas they call their workplaces and offices.

Let us greet and thank them from the bottom of our hearts like we do when we see our teacher and master. Wave to the fishermen the next time you meet them or when you see them on the boat out in the seas. Let us honor their friendships that are unsinkable in time of crisis. Let us cheer them on in moments when they are in solitude and in need of our solidarity.  They embrace a charitable profession with life, blood and sweats, love and passion.

Thank God for the safety of our family and the jobs we keep for we do not have to do the hard and risky labor like the fishermen and do not have to suffer the agony of anxiety like their families while waiting for their daily safe return home to bring the food  and to put on our dinning table. May God bless the fishermen and their families bountiful harvest, abundance of wealth, passion and happiness, and keep them safe and in good health.

This is the day in Penang

Sunrise over Bukit Mertajam seen from Penang Island

Did you fancy watching sunrise in Penang?  Pull yourself up at 6.00am and go to the Eastern seaside area along the seafront near the Esplanade right through the ferry terminal, Weld Quay, Tun Dr Lim Cong Eu's Expressway up to the Bayan  Lepas Free Trade Zone coastal road. Pick your favorite spot and wait for the ray of lights to emerge between 6.30am to 7.00am.  Bring along your cameras, Iphone and whatever mobile phone with camera function and you will be in for the beautiful moments which you will probably want to capture and share with friends.

How many of us, especially those living in houses and apartments with the vantage views along eastern coastal areas in Penang, and those living on the Mainland and other places in Penang Island really wake up that early everyday to catch the glimpses of Nature.  There were some photographers with their equipments trotting onto the nearby fishing jetty to capture those moments on that day. They were the rare few people like Bigfoothill.

Time to rise early and jump up and down yeah!  This is the day the Lord has made. At least I have celebrated one day in my lifetime watching the sunrise in Penang with my kid.

Please enjoy this You Tube video of Hillsong Kids uploaded by kidsrealm

Credit goes to Biblos.com for the reference on Bible verses. Also, credits go to Hillsong Kids and kidsrealm for the uploaded video.

Long Hibernation and Weddings

Bigfoot went into hibernation mode at the hill.  The period of inactivity and low metabolism was to conserve energy due to scarcity of food available at certain time of the year.   Actually not.  Bigfoot was actively having plenty of food and feasting at Chinese Weddings, Malay Weddings, Church Wedding and royal weddings.  Really missed out the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Duchess Kate but somehow, I was glad to catch glimpses of the Royal Couple's visits to Canada on BBC channel recently.

Had some wonderful time clicking my Sony Alpha 380 DSLR camera and recording on Sony Handycam DCR-SR47 the brides and grooms and their families, relatives and friends during the customary rites and wedding ceremony and reception.

Tang Yuan is a dessert made of glutinous rice flour roll into rounded ball and boiled with sweet broth.  Some balls are dyed in different colours.  Some are stuffed in the center with nuts and other ingredients.  In Chinese culture, it is prepared and eaten once a year to welcome winter during the Dong Zhi or winter solstice.  By consuming it, one becomes a year older.  Today, this dessert is popular at many Chinese hawkers fair and restaurants, and can be eaten all year round.  On this wedding eve, the bride and bridegroom will offer prayers and bowls of Tang Yuan broth to the God of Heaven and are fed this Tang Yuan to signify growing up or Manhood and Womanhood.

Red paper cutting with Double Happiness and Dragon & Phoenix designs and Chinese Inscription, A Hundred Year Everlasting Good Couple

Romantic Bear Couple in Traditional Chinese Costumes.

The Journey to fetch the bride across Penang Bridge

The Wedding Car

The wedding entourage

The twin roses to pin on the Groom's suite by the Bride

The bride's veil is to cover the bride when she is presented to the Groom which in Chinese's Culture to signify her purity and a virgin bride. In today's fashion and contemporary, the veil becomes a piece ornamental dress and part of a head gear.

The desserts and beverages to welcome the groom's entourage

Traditionally, the Chinese couple will have their wedding bedroom beautifully decorated and some good elements are placed on the bed and in the room. Hey Mickey and Minnie, Bedtime.

A blessed couple having a Money tree sprouting in their toilet.  USD and Euro rolls. For richer and for poorer...till as long as we both shall live

Bear Couple lives happily ever after and bears children yeah!