Asian Images

South of border, down Johor way lies Singapore. For centuries Singapore has been part of Malaysia until the mid-1960s, then the boundaries were clearly marked.

Today, Singapore has a different geographical outlook. It is still like Malaysia in many ways but on other aspects, the Lion city and island state is totally different.

When a visitor goes down to Singapore from Malaysia, it is a study of contrasts. We are same, and yet different. That’s the flavour of the region. There are many interesting faces of Singapore. Beneath it all, we find we are very much the same.

One thing though, Singaporeans and Malaysians find each other quite interesting.

I love going to festive carnivals because of all the tiny trinklets and other colourful and beautiful items, mostly done by hands.

Deepavali is about three months away and already I am planning to redecorate the interior of my house. The above pictures give you an idea of how many choices they are out there.

Nothing like something exotic or unusual to add that sparkle to your living room or hall. They are all quite affordable too. Remember, these are all done by hand.

Night markets are special places for that eclectic bunch of shoppers who are always game for great bargains.

Somewhere in Penang, Malaysia after dark, there is one stall which sells these medallions. They are engraved with special phrases that could appeal to you, or for someone whose heart you want to win over.

There are a variety of choices with wordings that have special meanings for different people.

There were three things that I remember well about Hong Kong Disneyland. The first was these four young gentlemen singing in harmony to passers-by on one of the many colourful streets of Disney town.

They called themselves the Dapper Dancers. Dapper, indeed, they were. And they sang very well, too. Quite entertaining, I might add.

The second was this young, energetic group of youngsters who form the High School Musical show. The wonderful thing was that they move from the stage and spill onto the streets as they sang and danced their way through the huge crowd.

Only at Disneyland on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, can you find such show pieces.

The third pleasant surprise was the river boat journey through a man-made forest filled with wild animals and crocodiles and even a live volcano.

What made the water expedition memorable was our boatman who was naturally a Hong Kong Chinese guy who spoke broken English. His fragmented English and acute sense of humour made him quite charming.

We all laughed at his jokes which he probably repeated about 25 times throughout the day to different groups who boarded his boat.

My conclusion: Disneyland is for everybody, regardless of age. Try it before your knees give way.

People say not much has changed in Penang. I beg to differ. Recently, I was up in Penang again. Someone told me about Tanjung Marina Pier. I seldom give this place an eyeful but this time, I stopped long enough to give it a good look.

That place has really been spruced up. The Tanjung Marina is beautiful. It is the docking ground for passenger liners like the Star Cruises and others.

The place is also filled with money changers and taxi drivers at opportune times. One cabbie wanted RM20 for a trip to Prangin Mall which is just around the corner. so much for the sterling reputation of the cabbies on the island.