Memories of Lebuh Farquhar, Penang

Does this street in the middle looks familiar to you, especially Penangites?

This is Lebuh Farquhar where St. George's Church (left) and the Penang High Court (right) are.

It's also the street where I had my education in SK Hutchings (age 7-12), SMK Hutchings SMH (age 13-17) and St Xavier's Institution SXI (age 18-19) all at the same road. 

In my primary school years, my mum sent me to school by her old C70 Honda motorbike. My grandpa use his bicycle to fetched me to school too. Then in secondary school, I took school bus before I went to school with public transport myself. I cycled to school too. If my memory is still good, there was a free Shuttle Bus service in year 2002. Oh i always had free ride around George Town before and after my co-curriculum activities. Hehehe. In Form 4, at the age of 16, I use scooter after I got my driving license.

Not to forget, this is the street where I got to know the girls from Convent Light Street (CLS). HOHOHO. Eh, I didn't spy on them at the bus stop la ok. Students from SMH, SXI and CLS always involved together in school activities.

I remember there used to be more huge trees in front of the church but it has been chopped down. The court wasn't that big until they extend it few years ago.

So do you remember some of your childhood memories?

light drawing

Well, stress and boredom leads to this. 

A masterpiece by me and my roomate, Ah Liang.

Falling Asleep

This old man fell asleep while having his morning sip of coffee in Old Town. What i'm attracted to was when he started to mumbling in his sleep. As Kampar has turned into an education hub with the set up of KTAR and UTAR, it still remains as the haven for the old people. While the youngsters go to the big city to make a living, the old ones stay on. You can see them on their old bicycles, spending time at the parks and kopitiams, chatting with friends, and raising their hands to people to acknowledge friendship. During the weekends, Kampar will be so crowded with tourists coming in to buy the local products. For the city people, this small town becomes their escapade from the hustle bustle of life with the pollution and traffic jam eveywhere. Kampar is so laid back and peaceful, it should remain that way.

Date: 10/9/2011

Time: 10.41am

Venue: Old Town, Kampar, Perak

Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Date: 16/8/2011

Time: 5.50pm

Venue: Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 I'm glad i made it to Jalan Sultan today. It's my off day and for the first time i went out just to take pictures. It's so hard to take panorama shots in Kuala Lumpur. The cars and the people just won't stop moving. aduih.. I stood there to get this shot for about 15 minutes. I stood still at one point with my tripod ok. I couldn't move my camera, if not the angle sure lari. Everyone were like staring at me..

Anyway, we might not have the chance to see this view again in the future. Jalan Sultan is just next to Petaling Street. The entire stretch of the century old shophouses in this Chinese community enclave will be demolished to make way for underground LRT project at the end of the year.

It's such a sad thing when history and living heritage is being wipe out from our eyes.

The residents are against the project but i find it hard for them to fight the case. They will be compensated. Let's see whether the buildings and the landscape here can be preserved for the generations to come.

I'm sad heritage buildings will be demolished.

I don't wish to see a concrete jungle in Malaysia.

Don't sacrifice so many people's livinghood, heritage, living culture, history, identity and sense of belonging in the name of rapid development. All these elements can work together..

Sekolah Kebangsaan Hutchings

Sekolah Kebangsaan Hutchings, Lebuh Farquhar, Penang. My primary school when i was 7 to 12 yr old. I left school in 2000. Everything is still fresh in my mind.

10.15am 16/10/2010

Kampar New Town

7.28pm 15/8/2010 View of Kampar New Town taken from the very top of Grand Kampar Hotel, the tallest building in Kampar.

Rain in Kampar

Westlake, Kampar, Perak 3.34pm 17/2010

Ask any UTAR or KTAR students in Kampar anything they want to say about this former mining town and their answers sure homogeneous.

It’s either the weather or the quiet town.

Talking about weather, it can really make you sweat. It’s so hot, humid and heaty here. And today, it was so hot the whole day and suddenly without any warning, it rained. The funny thing is if you look at the photo carefully, the rain only poured at the right and left hand side but dry in the middle.

Tanah Rata Town

Tanah Rata town, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. 2.02pm 14/8/2010.

Panorama Group Photo at Cameron Highlands

Group photo in Big Red Strawberry Farm, Brinchang, Cameron Highlands, 4.11pm 14/8/2010.

My first attempt of photo with people in panorama. hope u guys like it. =p It's a great escapade to chilling mountain. I had lots of fun people. Thanks!

Block C: Cafeteria

Main students’ cafeteria located at Block C, UTAR Perak Campus.

12.54pm 10/8/2010

Seksyen 1/2, Westlake

Seksyen 1/2, Westlake, 7.38pm 9/8/2010

Mesyuarat MPPK bersama TPM

Mesyuarat Majlis Perundingan Pelajar Kebangsaan (MPPK) Bil. 1/2010

Mesyuarat tertutup uang bertaraf Kabinet ini dihadiri oleh para pemimpin Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar dari 20 IPTA dan 13 IPTS bersama dengan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Menteri-Menteri Kabinet, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan, Ketua Agensi dan pihak kerajaan.

Dewan B1, Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC)

6/8/2010 9.30am - 12.30pm

Putrajaya: The Administration City

View From Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), Putrajaya 1.39pm 6/8/2010.

Westlake Homes

This is part of Westlake Homes, the main students accommodation for Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s students. This housing area is located at Bandar Baru Barat, Kampar, Perak and managed by Danish House Sdn. Bhd. There are few types of houses here depending of the number of rooms, the features and types of rooms. Some of the houses are privately owned either for own family or for renting out for the students. The rental starts from RM200 and can reach until RM450 per person for a room.

*click on the photo for a larger view.

Parting Shots

A photography exhibition on the cemeteries in different perspective.

Sharon Cheah Ui-Hoon, 41, is from Penang, and has been a journalist (Lifestyle section) for The Business Times Singapore since 2000. Before that, she cut her teeth on reporting at The Star (1994-1998). Sharon is an old girl of Union High School (but can't write in Chinese beyond a few sentences, much to the dismay of her Chinese teachers), and had furthered her studies in US and UK.

For Sharon, her interest in cemeteries started as tourist snapshots taken during her travels. Most tour itineraries included monuments and memorials of famous people and as Sharon looked through her photo collection she realized that it was the photographs of the various cemeteries that she found really interesting. Ultimately, this is a photographic travelogue, but one that points the lens at how people in different cultures bury and remember their dead.

*Descriptions from Penang Heritage Trust (PHT).