Western Fast Food has landed on Balik Pulau!

Some have obviously listened... and realized the opportunities for a huge eatery at the "New Balik Pulau"... So the question I posted over a year ago has now been answered. It's Kentucky Fried Chickens (KFC) who has stepped up to the "plate" to bring hot, spicy, fried chickens and ala-western burgers to one of the most strategic business location in Balik Pulau! (It's the corner shoplot, next to the new Ambank - after having moved from the centre of the old & crowded Kongsi Town just weeks ago, where at least one traditional "Ramly" Burger Stall/Cart is operating just a few dozen metres across the street).


Ironically, I've been urging my brother all these months to open up a fried chicken stall, because no one else are doing so except one stall at "Genting" Simpang Empat (in front of Umno & MARA offices) and at Pasar Malams on Wednesday & Sunday (also near Simpang Empat). Now, new ventures for "fried chickens" would have to go head to head with the big old uncle of KFC...


This is obviously a huge bet by franchisee (if any) or owner of this KFC outlet to serve a region of much less than 100,000 people (but with a handful of weekly visitors), but I'm sure they have done a comprehensive study before willing to put up an investment that could run into millions of ringgit over the course of a year of so... And if KFC will manage to survive, I'm sure many others will follow to "invade" Balik Pulau, including KFC's conventional competitors like McDonald's and other local franchises like KLG or Marrybrown, assuming that business will boom at the site, perhaps with a newcomer from the category of a "supermarket" or "mini hypermarket". (Sunshine, Giant, Tesco, Carrefour etc., are you there?)

I doubt this KFC outlet will open 24 hours daily though (like the ones in Bayan Baru and near USM's Sg. Dua Gate). But I hope, KFC will offer free Wi-Fi for its patrons, so, the locals and Balik Pulau visitors can benefit from it more than just great food. After all, if a Tomyam restaurant on Jalan Balik Pulau (e.g. Azlan Tomyam, near Taman Indah) can offer Wi-Fi Internet Access, why can't a big million-ringgit restaurant offer the same courtesy?


Say, how about adding "KFC" or "Kedai Makan Ayam Goreng" to above already crowded direction sign board?

Mari-mari! So many things to see and do in Balik Pulau!!

Penang celebrates and ANSARABP to hold Silver Jubilee (25th Anniversary) Reunion Celebration for historic MRSMBP in Balik Pulau on 25-27jul08

It's OFFICIAL: The weekend of 25th until 27th of July 2008 will be filled with state-wide celebrations in Penang, the tiny (2nd smallest, but most densed and second-most urbanized, after Selangor - Dept of Statistics Malaysia, 2000) most popular state among the thirteen states of Malaysia (not including Malaysia's three Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya & Labuan).

The three days of celebration will be historic by themselves, when Penangites & friends celebrate George Town as the only two towns/cities of Malaysia (along with Melaka) being made into UNESCO-WHC's List of World Heritage Sites (for cultural category, in addition to the only two others in Malaysia so far -- for natural category: Gunung Kinabalu, Sabah & Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak) announced earlier this month (announced on 7th of July, 2008).

Impressive achievement if you'd ask me considering the following cultural criteria for selection set by World Heritage Centre (WHC):-

• I. "to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius";
• II. "to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design";
• III. "to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared";
• IV. "to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history";
• V. "to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change";
• VI. "to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria)".

As of 2008, The Straits of Malacca's George Town & Melaka are sharing spots in the prestigious list of 878 sites: 678 cultural, 174 natural, and 26 mixed properties, in 145 states... Consider these names that are on the same list: Pyramids of Giza (Egypt), Persepolis (Iran), the Statue of Liberty (United States), The Great Wall of China, Chichen Itza (Mexico), St. Petersburg (Russia), Borobudor (Central Java, Indonesia) and the Shinto Itsukushuma Shrine (Hiroshima, Japan)!

As the only other district of the two districts in Pulau Pinang (the Penang Island), folks from Balik Pulau (centre of Penang's southwest district, as well as one the thirteen parliamentary sections of Penang) would definitely join in the celebration for GeorgeTown (capital "city" of Penang as well as one of the major towns in the Penang's northeast district), along with folks from everywhere else especially those from Seberang Perai and nearby regions in northern peninsular of Malaysia.

To spice up Penang's celebration (accidentally, actually!), Persatuan Anak Sains MARA Balik Pulau (ANSARABP) is also pledging all of its thousands of (both official and non-official) members, current and former students of of Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM, ie. MARA Junior Science College - MJSC) Balik Pulau and staff (present and former teachers etc. of MRSMBP) to also gather at the historic school (one of the first educational institutions in this once remote town/forest-dominated small village) on the same weekend, starting on Friday afternoon, July the 25th, 2008 for its 25th Anniversary (Silver Jubilee) Celebration cum MRSMBP Students/Alumni Reunion 2008.

The following is an official invitation letter from the organizing secretariat for MRSM/ANSARA Balik Pulau Silver Jubilee 2008 Event:

24 Jun 2008

Tan Sri/Dato’/Datin/Tuan/Puan/Encik/Cik/Saudara/Saudari,

JEMPUTAN ‘SAMBUTAN JUBLI PERAK MRSM BALIK PULAU - ULANG TAHUN YANG KE 25 TAHUN’

Saya bagi pihak ANSARABP ingin menjemput Tan/Sri/Dato’/Datin/Tuan/Puan/Encik /Cik/Saudara/Saudari ke majlis Sambutan Jubli Perak MRSM Balik Pulau pada tarikh berikut:

Tarikh:
25 Julai 2008 (Jumaat 9.00 pagi)-27 Julai 2008 (Ahad)

Masa:
9.00 pagi-5 ptg setiap hari

Tempat:
Dewan Besar Maktab Rendah Sains MARA,
Jalan Pondok Upeh, 11000 Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang

Kami amat berharap agar kehadiran pihak Tan Sri/Dato’/Datin/Tuan/Puan/Encik/ Cik/Saudara/Saudari dapat memeriahkan suasana sambutan majlis yang julung-julung kali diadakan..

Jika ada sebarang pertanyaan berkenaan majlis diatas, pihak Tan Sri/Dato’/Datin/Tuan/Puan/ Encik/Cik/Saudara/Saudari boleh menghubungi urusetia yang bertugas seperti tertera dibawah ini:

• Mohd Ramzi b. Mohd Sharif ( 019-2272694)
• Noor Azlina Bt. Zainal Abidin (012-3451069)
• Roslinda (019-28000061)
• Zaky SPM90 (019-4122994)

Sekian. Terima Kasih.

Yang Benar,

Mohd Ramzi b. Mohd Sharif
Ketua Cawangan ANSARABP
B/p: Ansara Balik Pulau

_______________________________________________________________________________

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PROGRAM SUMMARY

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FORM

THE FEE IS

Dewasa = RM 25.00/person Kanak-kanak= RM 10.00/person (8-12 tahun) and RM 20 for Malam Ala Kenduri Kahwin 26/07/08

PLEASE CALL THE RESPECTIVE PERSON FOR ACCOUNT NUMBER

KEEP PROOF OF PAYMENT FOR REFERENCE WITHOUT WHICH ANSARABP WILL NOT ENTERTAIN ANY PAYMENT CLAIMS

PLEASE FAX THE FILLED FORM TO 03-21684201 OR E-MAIL SOFTCOPY TO azlina@3treetrading.com AND SMS TO 012-3451069, TOGETHER WITH ANY REFERENCE/TRANSACTION NUMBER & AMOUNT TO ACKNOWLEDGE PAYMENT,TQ

‘SAMBUTAN JUBLI PERAK MRSM BALIK PULAU YANG KE 25 TAHUN”

ANSARABP
C/O: Noor Azlina bt. Zainal Abidin, 3Tree Trading Group Sdn Bhd. Level 40, Petronas Twin Tower 2, 50088 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-21684476 Fax: 03-21684201 E-mail: azlina@3treetrading.com

Other related events on the same weekend in Penang include Japanese Film Festival 2008 @ GSC Gurney, a FREE Economic Forum entitled "The Petrol Price Hike - How It Affects Us" (with panelists including Dr Suresh Narayanan, Dato' OK Lee and Mr Anil Netto) organized by SERI @ Dewan Sri Pinang and SME Conference 2008 @ Gurney Hotel organized by ACCA Malaysia (and joint organized by SAMENTA & investPenang and supported by KENANGA, SSM, ORACLE, Penang Joint Chamber of Commerce and MCA ICT Resource Centre (MiRC)). Refer TechPenang.com's ICT Penang Calendar for more details or links to add to your Google or other web/desktop-based calendars.