Melbourne Fires Up

A day before the Grand Prix weekend officially gets the ball rolling, the street vendors are out in full-force, however admittedly in this trying times, at a much smaller scale. Two years ago, Ferrari celebrated 60 years in F1, and they closed Lygon St for a street demo in the F248 driven by test driver Luca Badoer. Last year, they booked Piazza Italia for a whole week before the race and put a show car on display. This year, well, to get a glimpse of the Ferrari F1 car, you'd have to attend the race itself.

And I'm doing just that. Been super frugal with spendings for the past two weeks, to somehow save up enough to get a ticket. Only ate out like four times in the last week and a half, and one of them was a picnic. lol..

I still am amazed how they manage to convert a recreational park, with a lake in the middle, into an F1 standard race track every single year in a matter of weeks. Albert Park is very much like Penang's Botanical Gardens, or Youth Park, but a fair bit bigger of course. Every day, people throng the park for recreational activites or just for a nice family day out.

It's gonna be a great weekend, hearing those V8s wailing at 19,000 rpm alway sends a shiver up my spine.

Agony

Another week, another horrible defeat. This time, at Craven Cottage. A usual stomping ground for the Red Devils, who previously had not experienced the bitter taste of losing since 1963. 

More worryingly, that's three sending offs in two games now. Carry on that momentum we and we might play Everton in the FA Cup with the entire reserves squad. For a fan, there's nothing worse than losing two games on the trot. It's even worst if the first lost is against our dear rivals in Merseyside. 

If we lose our next game against Villa, I will have no other choice but to revert to my 2003-2004 period MSN display name, which reads 'God Save Manchester United'. And I am praying to the Gods of Football, please pick them up from the depths of hell, cause I just put a wager down on them to win everything at their disposal. 

Overdue

On a brilliant autumn's day in Melbourne's city square near Collins St, something came into my mind that I had to address. I dread the day when I return to Penang and there's nobody I know. Except probably for family. Think about it, it's not that far fetched. most of my friends, inevitably will be from high school. And CLHS students have a knack of going off somewhere other than Penang to study, work or whatever endeavors their lives might lead them to. Even now when I go back home for summer, it's just so damn hard to get hold of some of the great mates I had in school. We're all scattered around the world, each spreading our ideology and brilliance we learnt at that fantastic institution in a small foothill town called air itam. Ok, the teacher's weren't great, same goes to our education system. Enough on this matter, it belongs in parliamentary sessions. 

I dream of a modern Penang, an efficient Penang, a self-sustaining Penang. One that is able to challenge any other major modern cities like Melbourne or Singapore. A Penang where the people are civic-minded, polite, cultural and knowledgeable. There is an abundance of local talent waiting be discovered, polished and primed to drive this island state forward. And drive forward we must. Weed out eyesores, clean up the state, make it tourist-friendly. I would also like to take this opportunity to tell the people who strongly opposes modernising Penang to go stay in Pulau Jerejak instead. Or the two man-made islands off Penang Bridge. I would love to see you go a week without your nice air-conditioning, lifts, escalotors, mobile phones and laptops. 

However, it is the road side char koay teow stalls, the chendol pushcarts, trishaws, Batu Ferringhi, Little India, all the temples and churches, the parks, coffee shops, Penang Road, Chulia St, and everthing in between that makes it quintessentially Penang. 

Call me narrow-minded, or far too optimistic but I believe there is a solution to all the havoc that is happening around us. Some day, some other teary-eyed Penangnite, will brave the bureaucracy, red tape and the political mumbo jumbo and try to set things right. I send my regards.