Categories
Tourism Malaysia

Scuba show

An interesting range of talks will be held during the Malaysia International Dive Expo (MIDE) from July 5 – 7.

These include:

Stories Behind The Picture by Michael Aw, the director/publisher of Ocean Geographic.

It’s a Small Blue World – Miniature Life Underwater by Jason Isley, managing director of Scubazoo Images.

I’m Bent – Now What? by Chris Wachholz, deputy CEO of Divers Alert Network Asia-Pacific.

Marine Mammals of Malaysia by Louisa S. Ponnampalam, co-founder of The Marecet Research Organization.

Underwater Photographers – A Nuisance? by Julian Hyde, general manager of Reef Check Malaysia.

Sharks in Sabah and Sea Turtles in Malaysia by Rohan Perkins, a conservationist.

Photographing Marine Animal Behaviours by William Tan, and underwater photographer.

MIDE was initiated in 2006 and has been held yearly since then. The objective is to promote Malaysia and its surrounding waters as one of the word’s best diving destinations.

MIDE is a trade, consumer and conservation exhibition.

It also aims to develop a new generation of divers to take an interest in environmental issues. Major brands of products and services are also being promoted.

Besides that, visitors will get a chance to have temporary body art tattoos by the artist Empayar Kukubesi. They (including the children) can also express themselves via canvas or T-shirt painting and colouring, activities which will be guided by artists Anuar, Orkibal and Jefferson from Canvas of Nature.

Photo exhibitions including True Colours of Redang (by AB Lee), Picture of The Year (by Ocean Geographic Society) and Natures Photo Art (by Imran Ahmad) will also be on display.

There will also be scuba pool demos and tryouts.

Out of Malaysia’s population of 27 million, there are now approximately 120,000 certified Malaysian divers and MIDE aims to accommodate the needs of both the industry professional and the amateur diver.

The BE A DIVER program has been initiated to create more awareness of the dive industry and to encourage college students and young graduates to take up diving as a hobby, sport and even a career.

MIDE also established the Dive Divas Fanclub last year for women divers to encourage and empower them to build careers and businesses in the industry. To date, there are some 100 members in the fanclub.

One of MIDE’s corporate responsibility initiatives is to help conserve the marine environment. Conservation groups such as Sea Shepherd International (France), Shark Savers Organization (United States), Reef Check Malaysia, WWF, Malaysia Nature Society and Project Aware Foundation (Australia) will be among those which will be represented at the exhibition.

For more information on MIDE, visit www.mide.com.my or call 03-7980 9902/9.

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Categories
Tourism Malaysia

HK’s new luxury cruise terminal

Repurposed: The former Kai Tak International Airport is now a luxury cruise terminal.Repurposed: The former Kai Tak International Airport is now a luxury cruise terminal.

Hong Kong’s old airport is now a contemporary seaport.

HONG KONG opened a US$1.1bil (RM3.5bil) cruise terminal at the site of its former airport on Wednesday in a bid to become Asia’s hub for luxury liners.

The new terminal, built on the runway of the old Kai Tak airport, will be able to accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world – liners of up to 220,000 gross tonnes.

�Kai Tak was the site of our legendary airport and is now turning a historic page by connecting Hong Kong with the rest of the world through the seven seas,� said Commissioner of Tourism, Philip Yung.

“With the addition of this new facility, Hong Kong is in full gear to receive mega cruise ships,� said Yung.

Royal Caribbean’s 1,020 feet (310m) long Mariner Of The Seas was the first mega luxury cruise liner to dock at the two-berth terminal, which boasts a 360° panoramic view of the city. A troupe of lion dancers welcomed more than 3,000 passengers as they disembarked.

“Our favourite port was Venice. You beat Venice,� George Lamson, a 74-year-old artist from the United States, told reporters, adding he was amazed by the views as the ship entered the city’s famed Victoria Harbour.

“We feel privileged to have this honour,� 65-year-old retiree from Britain, Valerie Blakeway, said of being amongst the first visitors to the terminal.

The former Kai Tak International Airport was considered one of the most challenging places to land an aircraft due to its central location in the city and tall mountains surrounding it.

The airport closed in 1998 after being in service for over 70 years and was replaced by the current Chek Lap Kok International Airport.

The cruise terminal will open to the public in the third quarter of the year with its second berth opening in 2014.– AFP RelaxNews

Categories
Cuisine in Melaka

OLD MALACCA SCENT

20 October 2012 | last updated at 12:14AM

Old Malacca on St Paul’s Hill

By PHILIP LIM | streets@nstp.com.my 0 comments

MALACCA: THERE’S an old scent of history on St Paul’s Hill in Malacca that draws tens of thousands of visitors there every month.

There are about 10 old Portuguese tombstones inside the church.
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Even though the roof is missing, with only the walls left standing, visitors who walk on its grounds can’t help but feel that history has left a long trail of invisible footprints left behind by forgotten Christian missionaries.

The original building on the hill was built in 1521 as a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The chapel was named Nossa Senhora da Annunciada or Our Lady of the Hill. In 1548, the Bishop of Goa handed over control of the chapel to the Jesuits and a missionary named Francis Xavier took over the deed.

Renovations to the chapel took place in 1556, 1590 and 1592. In due course, the chapel was renamed Igreja de Madre de Deus or Church of the Mother of God.
When the Dutch took over Malacca in 1641, the church was renamed St Paul’s Church. One hundred eighty-three years later in 1824, the British gained control of Malacca but the name of the hill remained.

On any given day, one will find on St Paul’s Hill souvenir pedlars and artists who seem to be drawn there more by the place’s serenity than by anything else.
Foo is one of them. He is on the lighter side of his 50s, but looks like someone who has emerged unscathed by the Flower Power of the 1960s.

His greying moustache and his lean frame give the impression that he is a bohemian seeking his fortunes amid 400-year-old ancient ruins. Sporting shoulder-length hair, a red jockey cap and cropped pyjama-style pants, Foo has that enigmatic smile that reveals he has seen far more of life than he is willing to share with strangers.

But once he warms up to you, Foo, who is sometimes called Patrick, is quick to recount tales of those early years when he was a fisherman. He weathered the storms on the high seas for two or three years before he realised that it was not his true path in life.

“During those fishing years, I was out at sea for two or three days at a time. Occasionally, it was about one to two weeks,” said Foo.
The weather was unforgiving and life sometimes seemed to hang in the balance, added Foo with a whimsical smile.

About 10 years ago, Foo decided he had had enough of the rough seas, scorching sun and vacillating fortunes. He returned to being a landlubber on terra firma where his feet did not have to sway.

With the help of some business friends, he obtained an ample supply of prints of old Malacca. The prints, popular among tourists, are given sepia tones to lend an old charm to the historical city.

Among the 20-odd pictures of old Malacca are scenes of Jonker Street in 1890, Heeren Street in 1910, Malacca River in 1880 and Kwee Meng Kuang footbridge in 1890.
A batch of five prints is sold at RM20. For a KL resident, the price seemed immensely reasonable. In Jonker Street, where some photo shops are located, a similar old print which is framed is priced at RM45 each.

Foo readily admits that he is not an artist and that the items spread on the floor are not his work. Sitting on a stool in the corner of the interior of the church, the congenial individual seems to like life as it is right now.

His “work station” is in the rear of roofless church, which houses an old burial vault and Portuguese tombstones removed from the grounds in the 1930s.
The Portuguese tombstones, which number about 10, form a boundary of sorts around Foo’s “exhibition area”.

A few feet from Foo is a sign in three languages (Bahasa Malaysia, English and Dutch) that says “laid to rest here is Ioanna six who was born in Tayoan, wife of Jacobus Pedel, a merchant and harbour master for Malacca town. Departed this life on 1 January 1696 at the age of 40 years, 9 months, 15 days also, before her on 21 May, 1695, their son Jacobus Pedel Junior passed away at age less 2 days to 7 months”.
With these centuries-old tombstones and relics on St Paul’s Hill, the old Malacca that Foo somehow seems to personify, has come alive with its ancient walls and tombstones speaking in whispered tones about lives come and gone.

This former holy ground, like many others, is not without its own tale and mystery. The story lies in a statue of St Francis Xavier, erected in 1952, that has a broken right arm, at the front of the church.

The statue was to mark the 400th anniversary of the saint’s stay in Malacca. One day after the statue was put up, a large tree fell and broke the arm.

It would not have been an unusual occurrence if not for the fact that in 1614, the right forearm of St Francis Xavier was removed from his body as a relic.

Today on St Paul’s Hill, if you care to listen in silence to the whispers of the slow, incoming sea breeze, you, too, may hear something.

Read more: Old Malacca on St Paul’s Hill – Central – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/old-malacca-on-st-paul-s-hill-1.159199#ixzz2A0Y2BVki

Categories
All Malaysia Info

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic [PIC]

Mirrors George Town is a street art project by international artist Ernest Zacharevic, commissioned  for George Town Festival 2012.  (25 Photos)

The project consists of several large-scale wall paintings, all located within the core heritage zone of George Town, Penang.

The idea behind the project was to turn the streets of Penang into an open-air gallery that can be admired and experienced as one takes a walk while exploring the heritage enclave. The murals – figure drawings and portraits – celebrates the multiculturalism and diversity of the city’s inhabitants, the living heritage of George Town.

George Town Festival (GTF), as described on the official website “is a month-long celebration of art, music, theatre, dance opera and film to commemorate George Town’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage listing on July 7, 2008. Each year since 2009, GTF transforms George Town into an exciting and unique platform for the arts, heritage and culture.”

Below are snapshots of the project Mirrors George Town, photos of which were provided to allMalaysia.info by the Lithuanian artist’s official Website and Facebook.


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Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Penang Road Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Armenian Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Chew Jetty
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Muntri Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Ah Quee Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Ah Quee Street
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Ah Quee Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Cannon Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Cannon Street
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Artist at work. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Zacharevic mixes colours to get the right tone. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Zacharevic’s eight-year-old art student was the inspiration for the mural at Lebuh Muntri.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Balancing act. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The half-done Jalan Muntri mural. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic It’s not just about paint and brushes.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Setting the scene. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Interactive art. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic A curious audience.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Zacharevic proved to be a hit with the locals. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The Chew Jetty mural mirrors the life of the people living there. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Art imitates life.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic A close up of the Chew Jetty mural. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The artist poses next to his masterpiece at Chew Jetty at dusk. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The artist, busy at work.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The artist’s tools.

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Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Penang Road Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Armenian Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Chew Jetty Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Muntri Street
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Ah Quee Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Ah Quee Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Ah Quee Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Cannon Street
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Cannon Street Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Artist at work. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Zacharevic mixes colours to get the right tone. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Zacharevic’s eight-year-old art student was the inspiration for the mural at Lebuh Muntri.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Balancing act. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The half-done Jalan Muntri mural. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic It’s not just about paint and brushes. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Setting the scene.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Interactive art. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic A curious audience. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Zacharevic proved to be a hit with the locals. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The Chew Jetty mural mirrors the life of the people living there.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic Art imitates life. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic A close up of the Chew Jetty mural. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The artist poses next to his masterpiece at Chew Jetty at dusk. Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The artist, busy at work.
Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic The artist’s tools.

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Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Penang Road

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Muntri Street

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Chew Jetty

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Armenian Street

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Ah Quee Street

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Ah Quee Street

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Ah Quee Street

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Cannon Street

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Cannon Street

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Artist at work.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Zacharevic’s eight-year-old art student was the inspiration for the mural at Lebuh Muntri.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Zacharevic mixes colours to get the right tone.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

The Jalan Muntri mural.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

The artist’s tools.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

A close up of the Chew Jetty mural.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Art imitates life.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

The Chew Jetty mural mirrors the life of the people living there.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

The artist, busy at work.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Balancing act.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Setting the scene.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

The artist poses next to his masterpiece at Chew Jetty at dusk.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

A curious audience.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Interactive art.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

Zacharevic proved to be a hit with the locals.

Mirrors George Town by Ernest Zacharevic

It’s not just about paint and brushes.


Map: Mirrors George Town murals


Video: Mirrors, George Town – Armenian Street, 2012


Ernest Zacharevic

Faces of art on the wall

Ernest Zacharevic

Art goes up the wall

George Town, Penang

Witty heritage markers

Mr Five Foot Way

Street humour

Garland making

Penang’s unique crafts

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Categories
Tourism Malaysia

Antara by Hamidi Hadi

January 16, 2012 at 2:00 pm

The subject of art is a really interesting topic. Everything about it is open for debate… from the hidden meanings behind each of the artist’s paintings to the most appropriate sum to pay for a work of art. Even the interpretation of the finished masterpiece is open for discussion, as different people can have different opinions and feelings about the same piece.

Unavoidable by Hamidi Hadi – Enamel paint, Polyurethane, Resin on Canvas

If you are a big fan of art, whether local or international, make your way to Wei-Ling Contemporary as it is currently hosting the works of Hamidi Hadi entitled “Antara”. His large and confident canvasses have earned him the reputation of being known as one of Malaysia’s most radical and bold painters. His interest in abstract painting started after a short stint in the United Kingdom while furthering his education. His earlier works consisted of singular life-size figures painted from oblique angles set again dark backgrounds.

Wait and she will come eventually by Hamidi Hadi – Enamel paint, Polyurethane, Acrylic on Canvas

His recent work sees him using the word ‘Antara’, which means ‘between’ in English, as the key word for his creative process. This allows him to have the space, freedom and versatility to find all the possible varieties using industrial materials such as aluminium plate, polyurethane, resin, glue and enamel paint. To him, these materials are a form of artistic expression; a way to view the world using different media. “Antara” is Hamidi Hadi’s fourth solo exhibition and is deemed as one of the much-anticipated event in Kuala Lumpur’s art world. This exhibition will feature at Wei-Ling Contemporary located at The Gardens Mall from now until 2nd February 2012. Wei-Ling Contemporary is located at G212 213A, Ground Floor, The Gardens Mall, 59200 Kuala Lumpur and is open daily from 11.00 am till 9.00 pm. For more information, please call 03 2260 1106 / 03 2282 8323 or email weilingart@gmail.com.

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