SSYS Penang 2008 (part 2)

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry for the uberly-delayed update! You see, my computer just took the liberty to conk out of me in the most inopportune of times and thus found its way to the computer shop to be fixed.

Therefore, it took a leave of about 2 weeks, with all my saved blog posts and photographs and all.

I apologise for any inconveniences or crest-fallen hearts caused by the lack of updates. OK now, continuing off where the last post left off....

I awoke at 6 in the morning to our second day in Penang where all the delegates were to attend an opening ceremony for the SSYS 6th Regional Congress.

A quick yet hearty breakfast later, we headed off to the SEAMEO hall where the ceremony was to be held.

A quick look at the brochures of the place the night before told me that the hall was able to sit approximately 200 people, give or take. Upon arrival, we were met with the sight of various blazers and traditional costumes of the different delegates.

Bright red: Singaporeans, Dark green: My company, Blue: Thais

After a grueling and boring talk (with a horribly-sung patriotic song added into the mix), we were finally let go to get started on setting up our exhibition booths for the following day.

Me and Liew's assigned booth

After an hour's work, we've finally managed to get most of what was needed up onto the once-naked booth. And I must say, we did a fine job at that!

A booth never looked this good

Pwetty flowers!!!! (thanks Cedrych)

With that all said and done, a night out to town was in order and so we asked one of the SEAMEO staff members to drive us out to Gurney Drive where we could hopefully wolf down some of Penang's most prominent cuisine; hawker food!!!

Since it was just 4 in the evening, we decided to loiter about in Gurney Plaza till 7 or so when the hawker centers open.

I just envy the fact that the shopping malls here are so much bigger than Kuching's!!

Within 2 hours of senseless walking about and window-shopping and by that, I mean Ryner popping into random stores to see the digits on the merchandise's price tag, we stopped by at place where these edible, cute round things with holes in the middle were sold.

I love donuts, they make the world go round and round~~

Yep, I have a soft spot in my heart for all things pastry and pies, especially when they have oodles and oodles of chocolate topping on top!!!!!

Our company of sugar-craving teens ordered say 8+ donuts and a couple more as seconds cuz they tasted so damn good what not with our empty stomachs, chocolate fillings and toppings and all.


Sad to say, the heavens frowned at us for giving into gluttony and ordered the heavens to open up to a steady downpour, hampering all chances of eating Penang's highly-esteemed hawker food!

I must say though, the thunderstorms in Penang have their bark worse than their bite. With ferocious gales, dark and sinisterly clouds looming over us, we'd expected another Katrina. Thus, we took shelter in the shopping mall where we had dinner.

The gods then forsaken us for our gluttony again and made the rain stop right after our dinner. Arghh!!! So sim tia to have the hawker centers so close to us but with a full stomach, I doubt we'd be able to eat another bite!

Oh well, at least we still had a cool, breezy night in which we took the opportunity to enjoy outdoors whilst looking out over the beautifully-illuminated shorelines of Penang.



Oh well, we still had a ways to go in Penang before I call it quits on my never-ending quest to savour the real Pearl of the Orient, and by that I meant the food, not the ladies lar.....

part 3 coming shortly.....with the buff, hawt Singaporean delegates I keep promising you gals out there!!!