Teochew Opera

Let the show begin!

The hungry ghost festival in is full swing and every night, there is a Chinese opera performance somewhere in the streets of George Town, Penang. The photographs in this post were taken at the Phor Tor (Hungry Ghost Festival) held in Jalan Gurdwara (formerly Brick Kiln Road).

During the festival, these Chinese street opera are performed as an entertainment offering to Phor Tor Kong or the King of Hades, and the wandering ghosts who are allowed to roam the human realm for a whole month. Indeed, during our photoshoot that night, there were only two of us and two other photographers there. Perhaps there are other invisible 'souls' around us at that time?

These festivals are set up by the business communities in their respective areas and features giant paper effigies of Phor Tor Kong with various offerings placed on extended altars in front. The highlight of each festival is on the last night when the giant effigy of Phor Tor Kong is lit up in a bonfire of paper offerings, sending the King off in a grand way.

Sadly, the popularity of these street performances amongst the people is dwindling fast in the past years. This is probably due to the lack of artistic appreciation amongst the younger generation.

Dusky Leaf Monkey

Dusky Leaf Monkeys

Last Sunday was a day of discovery for me. Behind my apartment, there is a unique tree which bears clusters of fruits from its branches and trunks occasionally. For the past few days, I have noticed that  there were more fruits than usual this time around, and they were all in various stages of ripening, from light green, to yellow, orange and red. Not knowing what tree it was, I planned to take a photograph of the tree and its fruits and ask my friend, who is a botany enthusiast, to identify the plant.

As I was walking towards the tree, with my camera in hand, I was greatly surprised to see our local gang of Dusky Leaf Monkeys perching and swinging on the tree, foraging through the fruits. It was a wonderful sight to behold - bespectacled langurs, as cute as can be, eating the ripe fruits, balancing on the branches with their overly long tails.

Trachypithecus obscurus halonifer

These monkeys are also known as Spectacled Langurs and the scientific name for it is Trachypithecus obscurus. This particular subspecies in the photograph is only found in Penang Island and is called Trachypithecus obscurus halonifer. It's features are described below:

"The subspecies of the dusky leaf monkey has a brownish body color with distinct formation of stripes on its dorsal side. The tail and limbs have a coloration that is similar to the body and the crown has a creamy white color. These subspecies are only found in Penang Island in Malaysia."

More information about the dusky leaf monkey at https://www.aboutanimals.com/mammal/dusky-leaf-monkey/

As it turns out, the fruiting tree is a cluster fig tree - also known as Indian fig tree or goolar (gular) fig. The scientific name for it is Ficus racemosa. More information can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_racemosa .

It was an auspicious day for me indeed as three different elements met together at that moment - the dusky leaf monkeys, the cluster fig tree and my beloved camera. 

Sky Walker

Sky Walker

A few weeks ago the sun decided to splash its glorious colours onto the perpetual canvas above us. It was a sunrise captured by many in Penang and posted all over Facebook. The fiery orange and red hues contrasted with the deep blue sky, mirrored perfectly on the bay at Tanjung Bungah.

It's the start of the skyscape season for landscape photographers, as the sun moves back to the north easterly horizon, and frequent rain storms brings about dramatic clouds in the sky.

As a bonus, here is another photograph of the same sunrise; this time with a beautiful light trail of moving traffic below. I call it Phoenix's Trail.

Phoenix's Trail

A Penang Chinese New Year

Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang

Chinese New Year in Penang is not complete without a visit to the historical Kek Lok Si Temple. During this time of the year, the temple is grandly lit up with colourful lanterns and bulbs, welcoming visitors and devotees from near and far.

This shot was taken during the blue hour, just as the sun set and the sky is deep blue in colour. It is also the time when the lights are switched on altogether, eliciting a wave of awe amongst the people in the area. 

Kek Lok Si Temple complex is beautiful and majestic by itself in the daytime. And when the lights come on, it turns magical.

Penang Buddhist Association

Penang Buddhist Association

Pagoda and Octagonal Pond

The Penang Buddhist Association in Anson Road holds special memories of Chinese New Year. It is here that our family come to pray and welcome in the Chinese New Year annually. These visits are usually made on the night of the eve of the Lunar New Year, after the family reunion dinner.

For this special season, the temple is always lit up with colourful lights and the great chandeliers in the immense prayer hall cast a majestic glow on the various white marble statues of Sakyamuni Buddha and other Boddhisatvas.

The smell of incense and burning candles amidst these joyful lights always bring about a sense of peaceful grandeur - a hope for a prosperous and happy new year, each and every year.

Same Same But Different

Sun

Set

These two dramatic pictures were taken from Signal Hill Observatory Platform right in the heart of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. They were shot just about half an hour apart from each other.

Same Same But Different.

Tang Cheik - Winter Solstice Festival

Tang Cheik 

For every winter there is a spring,
And spring brings forth the warmth of summer,
When summer’s gone, autumn reigns supreme,
Until it falls again into winter.

Wishing Everyone a Happy and Wholesome Winter Solstice Festival!