Back to Little India Again

Threading of Eyebrows

    So, what's going on here?  Is this a form of torture?  Well, some might think so, but actually it's an Indian beauty procedure called "threading."   The practitioner uses ordinary sewing thread still on the spool  She puts one end in her mouth, forms a pincer or scissors effect with the other end.  Then she tightens the pincer by jerking her head back.  That action causes the two strands of thread to close like a pair of eyebrow tweezers.  The thread pulls out more hairs at a time than a pair of eyebrow tweezers and, in my opinion, it's less painful and much more thorough.  I've heard that if you have it done to other areas of the face, or even body, it can cause some stinging, but the results are worth it.  And the price is sooo right!  For eyebrows, it costs only RM 5  ($1.60 or 121 yen)   Well worth the money, though I'd have to take a bus down to Little India to get it done.

The US $2,000 Sari 

    On our walking tour of that part of George Town, Penang, we also got to see a lot of other interesting aspects of Indian life here.  We went to a sari shop, where our guide insisted that the owner show us the whole range of his offerings. So, we saw the low end, which is sari costing a few bucks and made of "art silk" (artificial silk).  Then he showed us the high end, represented by this completely beaded maroon and gold number that cost RM 6,000, or US$ 2,000.  (In Japanese yen that's 240,000.)  I couldn't resist buying a sari (NOT this one!) even though I have no intention of ever wearing it.  Too pretty!

Flowers for Hindu deities

The man who makes 'em

      We saw the man who makes flower "leis," not for people, but for the religious statures in their homes and temples.  Marigolds and jasmine flowers are preferred.   Then we went to the temple where some of the flower garlands are donated to the gods and goddesses.

Hindu priest and a parishioner 

   When we visited the Hindu temple, we learned that the priests there are over from India on 2-year work visas, kind of like everybody else.  They are encouraged to be married so they can empathize with the trials and tribulations of married life.

A Hindu deity 

    We only dipped our toes into the real life of Little India, but I certainly know more now than I did before about this fascinating place where I now live.


     

Fishin' in the Pool

     Lots of things happen around our condo swimming pool.  On Monday afternoons, a swimming coach comes in to give a lesson to the children of the young Japanese mothers who want their kids not to fall behind their counterparts back in Japan.


     The local kids just shriek and hoot and have a noisy good time.  The Japanese kids, always accompanied by an adult, as per the pool regulations, are shushed and kept quiet by their parents.  Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks!

You shoulda seen the one that got away!

   However, until yesterday, I'd never actually seen anybody FISHING in our swimming pool.  He did this for hours and never actually caught anything.  Imagine that! 


   Our low-rise, low-density condo complex is constantly undergoing some kind of modification or repair, and for this we are most grateful.  They're always plucking weeds, rebuilding stairs, re-doing walls and so on.  This is very reassuring to us because it's the sign of a well-managed  complex.  Since this is our home, we need it to be well-managed! 


     This complex is apparently popular with Japanese families here for 2-3 years on a company assignment.  I've often wondered why, besides the "birds of a feather flock together" syndrome.  Recently it was explained to me that 1)  it's along the route taken by the Japanese school bus, and 2) the Japanese wives are often not allowed to drive by their husbands and from this complex they can walk most places they need to go.


   But unusual things happen here, too.  Just after we arrived, a drunk barfly gal followed an Australian bloke back here and took a drunken nosedive off the third-floor balcony.  She wasn't too seriously injured, thanks to the nicely-maintained shrubbery that broke her fall.  Last month we had five cases of dengue fever in our well-maintained complex here, necessitating a visit from Public Health .

    And then yesterday our friendly, but super-strict gate guardman, Simon, stopped us as we entered, wanting to give us something.  The "something" turned out to be a boxed set, plus two additional albums, of signed records by Joan Sutherland, the noted Australian opera signer.  The signatures say things like, "Happy Birthday, Suida.  Best wishes, Joan Sutherland."  They aren't in mint condition, but they aren't all scratched up, either.  I wonder if they're actually worth anything and how I can find out?


    Life is never dull here in Penang!

Wine is For Sharing . . . .

Guy Hooper

. . . .or so said Mr. Guy Hooper, who came all the way from Chile to present his company's Santa Ines wines to Penangites.  

Scallops in 3 different sauces

The Lobster

    It was our first anniversary in Penang!  How to make it memorable on a budget?   Luckily, the Santa Ines Winemaker’s dinner fell on the very day of our anniversary.   After reading through the luscious-sounding menu and elegant wine list, we were quick to sign up.  Who could resist Grilled Pacific Scallops,  Baked Baby Lobster and Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb?  Not us!

            The price was incredibly cheap, considering all the gold-or-silver medal winning wines. Each table was blanketed with glistening stemmed wine glasses that were kept full.  Luscious food appeared, each dish more fancy than the one before. We had a grand ole’ time and then, suddenly, it was 11:00 and time to leave the realm of clinking glasses. 

Tiled Wall at Hotel

       By the time the dinner was over, we were in no condition to get home safely, but luckily we didn’t have to.  We’d booked a room right there in the Penaga Hotel, so all we had to do was make it up one floor.  The hotel staff were quite solicitous, whether out of human kindness or simply to protect their hallway full of Chinese antiques that we were in danger of ricocheting off of.  They escorted us right to our door and kindly helped us get through it.

Lobby of Penaga Hotel

            The room was lovely—a tasteful mix of traditional Chinese furnishings paired with tutti-fruiti-colored modern leather furniture.  Works of art were displayed throughout the hotel, including in the guest rooms, a far cry from the “hotel schmaltz” that you see in the chain hotels. I gather that many of the pieces are original art produced by those who’ve been chosen to participate in the Penaga Hotel’s “artist in residence” program. 

Lovely Mix of Old & New!

     
    The bathroom was well-appointed with a super-modern shower, a Jacuzzi, and the occasional nod to the hotel’s past in the vintage vanity and mirror.  The four-poster bed was comfortable, and the little balcony was perfectly suited to sitting with an evening drink or morning coffee and watching the world pass by.  They’ve done an excellent job of blending the old and the new in that charming little hotel!  

Mr. Hooper characterised one of his Santa Ines wines as being “easy, not too complex, friendly, not difficult to understand.”  I think the same can be said for the Penaga Hotel and indeed for Penang itself.

   

Pink, Pink Party Fun

  Who are these luscious-looking gals?  They're gingerbread ladies and they were part of the fun at a recent charity event that I attended here in Penang.  It was called "Fun in the Sun," and the idea was to raise money to support a pair of charities here that help women with cancer.  And they certainly did do that!


    These little cookies were part of the entertainment.  Each table was given two gingerbread men that we had to turn into gingerbread ladies with pink icing.  (I did the one on the right, who looks a lot like me, I daresay.)  The Japanese gals at my table did the one on the left, which is why she's called "Geisha Girl."  We didn't win, but we had fun trying!


   The event was held at the ultra- fancy E&O hotel, which was an immediate draw right there.  The ladies who attended were the real upper-crust of Penang ladies' social society and virtually all of them were wearing pink.  (Except me, because I don't have any pink clothes whatsoever.)

    Th ballroom was beautifully decorated, all in shades of pink and white.  There was a raised stage on which they had a very extensive and exciting fashion show.  The models were mostly local gals--our own friends and acquaintances.  It was fun to see people you actually know all decked out in gobs of make-up and hairstyles that are far from what they normally wear.  The clothes were the kind you'd love to be able to wear, but either couldn't afford or couldn't find the courage to wear--at least not ME!


    The food tables at the back of the ballroom were just amazing.  For a mere US $16 (1,200 yen and 10 pounds), we could get, essentially, any breakfast food we wanted.  Freshly-cooked omelets, pastries, fruit galore, cold cuts, hot dishes, pink sweets of all kinds, and much more.  The event lasted from 9:00 to noon, so some people (like ME!) had lunch there as well as breakfast.  Wher I come from, that spread would have cost at least double what we paid.

   They had all sorts of silent auction offerings, too, mainly 2-or-3-night get-away weekends at various hotels or dinners in resort hotels.  There were merchandise offerings, as well, like Persian carpets, hampers (baskets) of beauty products, jewelry, artwork and such.  I didn't bid on anything, but many ladies did.  I understand that the silent auction is a huge money-maker and I can see why, since it's an in-kind donation and whatever people pay for it is all profit. 


       Last I heard, they'd raised RM 40,000 ( about US $12,675  or 8,000 British pounds)  We all had a wonderful time, too.  This isn't exactly what I thought I'd be doing in my retirement years, but I wouldn't have wanted to miss it!


        

Tea, Glorious Tea -- Indian Style

Pouring Malaysian teh tarik

  Arguably, the beverage Malaysia is best known for is "teh tarik."  The "teh" part means, logically, "tea."  But the other part means "pull" or "pulled."  Until I went on a tour of Little India the other day, I didn't know why.  But this is how it was explained to us:  When Indian laborers were brought over to Malaysia, they were allowed tea breaks, but only for ten minutes.  It was impossible for them to gulp down boiling hot tea in such a short time.  So they would ask the tea seller to "tarik," or "pull" the tea to cool it down.  This fellow in the picture here is doing just that--pouring the tea from mug to pitcher to make it cool enough to slurp down easily.  
  
      The tea itself is given a huge dollop of sweetened condensed milk before it's poured back and forth like this.  It seems that Malaysians like everything sweetened, from their tea to their cheese buns, for Pete's sake.  

Indian restaurant style teh tarik

Pouring Indian teh tarik at the table

   In the Indian restaurant where we had breakfast before sallying forth into Little India, the tea was served like this, in two tin cups, one sitting inside the other, with milky tea in both.  (See the little ring of tea foam around the bottom of the smaller one?)  After it arrives, it, too, is poured from one vessel to the other until it cools.

      Along with the tea, we had a whole array of Indian food and specialized breads.  Can you imagine having spicy Indian curry before going off to school or work?


    Yum! Yum!  The Breakfast of Champions!

People are people. . . .

Tokyo "Women Only" Coach on Subway

. . . .wherever you go.  There's a song to that effect, as I recall.  More and more these days I'm struck by how issues and problems seem to be universal.  Japan, Malaysia, America--they share so many of the same concerns So many people complaining about almost the same woes!


   For example, the pink train car pictured here is actually in Tokyo.  But here in Malaysia, too, in the op-ed pages of the newspapers, the public is wondering aloud about exactly the same concerns.  Is having such cars sexist or a necessary evil? What happens if they have few women in them but the other cars of the train are jam-packed?  How can you keep men from boarding them? SHOULD men be kept from riding in them?  Etc.


    Today's paper had an education section.  In it, teachers are fretting--no, actually, howling--about how they're so bogged down in paperwork, they can't find the time to plan or teach any more.  They want class sizes to be reduced.  They want salaries commensurate with the long hours they put in.  They want support from their administrators and protection from meddling parents.  Those feelings are universal.  American teachers are singing the same song and so are Japanese educators (though admittedly less loudly.)


     For years American teachers have been protesting the "No Child Left Behind" program.  Among other drawbacks, it has forced teachers to "teach to the test," and caused schools and administrators to prevent low-achieving students from taking proficiency tests.  They were (are?) afraid that low scores from those students will bring down the school's overall academic standing.  Here in Malaysia, one of the government-mandated "KPI" (Key Performance Indicator) initiatives has done the same thing.  Recently, three young students were kept from taking standardized tests for fear their low scores would damage the achievement score of the whole school.


    Over in Japan, they've been agonizing for years about the teaching of English, with much comment (and not much truly effective action) on the subject of how "English is the global language"  and "We're handicapping our children if we don't give them a good grounding in English."  Needless to say, as a former English teacher, I agree 1,000%!  But I also find it interesting that here in Malaysia, too, there is ongoing debate over whether certain school subjects should be taught in English to give students a language advantage later in life.  In America,  too, with more and more immigrants, there are issues about in what languages children should be taught.

    Rude youth.  Graffitti all over the place.  Crazy young drivers who endanger everybody else. Cell phone users with no courtesy or common sense. These problems are lamented by authorities here in Malaysia, in Japan, in the US, and (no doubt almost) everywhere.


    As far as I can tell, most worries and concerns, dilemmas and quandaries seem to be universal, except, maybe, for declining birth rate.  Malaysia doesn't seem to be having a problem with THAT!