A CUTE DAY AT PURRFECT CAT CAFE, PENANG

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Purrfect Cat Cafe | Georgetown, Penang

" Family and friends welcome, fleas are not "

- Purrfect Cat Cafe -

Cat Cafe sebelum ini popular di Jepun dan sangat digemari oleh orang ramai. Kini Cat Cafe ada di Penang Malaysia dimana telah dirasmikan oleh Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, YAB Lim Guan Eng pada 26 Januari 2014. Ia merupakan satu cafe yang bertemakan kucing dimana para pelanggan akan menikmati hidangan sambil beramah mesra dengan kucing sebenar. Terletak di No.53, Jalan Muntri, Georgetown, Cat Cafe tersebut merupakan yang pertama di Pulau Pinang. 

Pengalaman sendiri berada di sana, Cat Cafe berada  bersebelahan dengan Camera Museum. Ia merupakan kedai dua tingkat yang telah diubah suai. Tingkat bawah merupakan bahagian jualan cenderamata yang bertemakan kucing. Terdapat keychain, bantal, patung dan lain - lain lagi. Bagi mereka yang ingin menikmati hidangan dan beramah mesra bersama kucing, setiap orang perlu sekurang - kurangnya membeli hidangan bernilai RM18 (makanan + air). Umpama kita membeli tiket bagi masuk ke muzium, di Cat Cafe tiket tersebut digantikan dengan makanan. Bagi saya, kos itu agak mahal sebenarnya, tetapi mungkin atas faktor penjagaan yang membuatkan kos seperti itu dikenakan.

Secara jujurnya, kawasan persekitaran adalah sangat bersih. Pada waktu saya di sana, keadaan masih kemas dan teratur serta tidak mempunyai sebarang bau yang tidak menyenangkan. Mungkin ada yang berkata, akan ada bau kencing dan tahi kucing, tetapi saya tidak lansung terhidu bau tersebut. Di tingkat atas bahagian cafe, hanya ada bau makanan sahaja. 

Makanan yang dihidangkan di Cat Cafe adalah berbentuk western. Lebih kepada "High Tea Concept". Sesuai bagi mereka yang datang untuk merehatkan minda. Bila diceritakan, ada yang bertanya, kucing - kucing di Cat Cafe tidak mengganggu mereka yang sedang makan? Jawapannya tidak kerana di atas, terdapat satu dinding lutsinar yang memisahkan cafe dan kawasan kucing. Mereka boleh bermain dengan kucing tetapi tidak boleh membawa masuk makanan ke kawasan kucing tersebut dan sebaliknya. 

Pada pendapat saya, untuk pertama kali ke Cat Cafe, perasaan itu menyeronokkan terutama bagi penggemar kucing. Tetapi untuk menjadi "loyal customer" mungkin tidak. Apa yang saya lihat kekurangannya adalah harga makanan yang agak mahal serta tempat duduk yang terhad. Overall cafe tersebut kemas dan teratur serta selesa. Kebersihan juga terjaga. Satu pengalaman yang menarik bagi mereka yang masih belum mempunyai kesempatan ke Cat Cafe di Jepun. 

PENANG ROAD FAMOUS TEOCHEW CHENDUL ICE KACANG

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Penang Road Famous | Teochew Chendul Ice Kacang

" You have to taste a culture to understand it "

- Deborah Cater -

Travel seems incomplete if you don't taste the local food as Deborah Cater said, you have to taste a culture to understand it. Its true. Some culture have their own local foods which there maybe others can sell the same foods, but believe me, the taste will be hell different. People will always talk about the origin of the foods or the first one who sells it. The first usually the one who created the "secret recipe" to make it different than others.

A bit history about the Teochew Chendul Ice Kacang, it was established by Tan Teik Fuang back in 1936 and sell it as a source of family income at Penang Road. It is said that he's so humble and friendly because he believed that by doing that, the business can run longer and will have a lot og loyal customers. After years of business now the Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul is widely known not just locally but internationally. 

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Penang Road Famous | Teochew Chendul Ice Kacang

Everyday, people will make a long queue just to buy the cendol. The customers include local people and tourist (locally and internationally). My personal experience, even with the long queue, the service was very fast and its worth to queue for the delicious cendol. For your information, Teochew Chendul have several branch in Penang, and also at Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor but as I said before, the origin will always be the best which is the stall at Penang Road. Its my first time, but I really love it. Its surely busy on that day, but the icy sweet cendol really refresh us.

STREET ART OF PENANG

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Penang Island | Street Art


" If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission "

- Street Artist, Eddie Colla -

One of the main tourism attractions in Penang Island is the amazing Street Art of Penang. Mostly based in the heart of Georgetown Heritage Zone, there are more than 10 Street Arts where you can find it on the wall between buildings, inside the buildings and other places which you can take the photos without any payment. Its free but you need to find it. There's a trick where you can find all those Street Art without missing any, just keep reading. This Street Arts are unique somehow because it is a combination between the Graffiti and the surrounding itself to create the masterpiece. Its an interesting idea to start with, and people starting to love graffiti. Before this, graffiti considered as Public Vandalisme, but with the right way, its now one of the tourism attractions. Some of the Street Art was made by a great artist Ernest Zacharevic ( http://www.ernestzacharevic.com/ ) starting 2012 till now. Each year there will be a new Street Art made by him. As a photographer, why don't we made it as a Street Art Portfolio collection around the world. For your information, he did the Street Art at other countries too such as Poland, Lisbon, Singapore, LA, Ipoh (Malaysia), Singapore and a lot more. You can see it at his website.

Here's the trick. If you're travelling to Penang for this Street Art, its better for you to have a Penang Street Art Map which you can get it through Google. Based on my personal experience, without the map, you'll end up lost in the middle of the Georgetown and you can't get to see see/snap photos of all the Street Arts. What about the local? Can we ask them where's the Street Art? Believe me, they don't know. Its better to walk or rent a bicycle and don't use the taxi service. Trust me. I paid the taxi RM15 for a short distance about 500m.

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Street Art Penang Map | travel2penang.wordpress.com

Here's one of the maps which you can get at travel2penang.wordpress.com and there's more maps for others Street Art. The Street Arts are quite far from each other. Its walking distance but its not that near which I said before, its better to rent a bicycle. I managed to get 5 from all the Street Arts. I never expect it will be that far, and the weather was so hot. If I'm travelling alone, maybe I can snap all the Street Arts in one whole day by just walking, but with my lovely wife pregnant at that time, I need to cut it short. Well, there's always a second time. I'll travel to Penang again one day to snap new Street Arts made by Ernest Zacharevic.

Some advise for those who wants to make the Street Art as your portfolio :-

• Travel Light and wear a proper clothes
• Use a wide lens. There are Street Arts at a narrow lane. 50mm is not that wide even with a full frame.
• Rent a bicycle
• Get the Street Art Penang Maps 
• If you're travelling alone, bring along a Go Pro/SJcam or any type of action camera for selfie photos. Its wide enough for you and the street arts in one frame. For safety precaution, tripod is not recomended
• Start early in the morning at 7.30 to 8.00 a.m for better photos in terms of lighting plus to avoid lots of other tourist in frame unless you're doing a Street Photography

Start the journey now. The Street Art will never be there forever. The paint fades by year. The photos that you take will be a history someday. Those in Klang Valley, you can try the Street Art at Laman Seni, Seksyen 7 Shah Alam. Its pretty cool ! You can read about it by clicking this link Laman Seni . I've posted about it before this and will post it about it more later with more photos.

Till then..

Some of the photos taken by me, Street Art Penang.

FOCUS IS WHAT I LACK OR SELF BELIEF?

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Camera Museum | Penang

" Photography helps people to see "

- Berenice Abbott -

The thing is, I realised that one of the problems I'm having is "focus". Having a cup of Roasted Coffee here in Mc Donald alone, thinking about things that I've done and things that I've planned. Some of the things, I failed even before I started. Usually because first, I don't have the proper equipment, I don't have friends to work it out, and I'm always afraid what people will talk about it. Is it because I'm thinking to much about the negative side that it failed me?

A lot of people, especially my friends know that I'm in love with photography. They even call me "En. Photographer" or "Abam Photographer" and sometimes they even ask me for quotation to shoot weddings. I don't know why, when it get to business, this "afraid" feeling will haunt me. Or maybe, I'm confuse, is it lack of focus or lack of self believe. 

I want to be a Fashion Photographer. That's what I want, but It's hard to start.

FOOD HUNTER | PENANG ROAD FAMOUS TEOCHEW CHENDUL ICE KACANG

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Street Food Hunter

© 2015 Hasif Rahman - Awesome Chendul !

" First we eat, then we do everything else "

- M.F.K Fisher -

 Street Food !

Food. One of the things that can make me flying without wings. Not that type of choosy in terms of food, anything nice even at street, I'm gonna try it. Kalau anda ada baca entry sebelum ini tentang Line Clear Nasi Kandar, Chendul ni terletak di satu jalan yang sama cuma ia berada di hadapan sedikit di lorong antar dua blok barisan kedai. Macam mana nak tau gerai Chendul dia? First boleh lihat nama gerai dia Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul Ice Kacang or, tengok je gerai yang orang ramai beratur panjang. Haha. Sebut pasal beratur panjang, mesti orang akan kata, lama nak tunggu. Eh, no worry, fast service ! Tak lama pun beratur. Must try food kalau ke Penang ! 

Psst..sorry takda gambar chendul, sebab dia takda kerusi meja, makan sambil berdiri. Haha