JUST TO SHARE (Lau Tai Onn): Attendance at Ji-an's Wedding Ceremony in Penang from 29/11/2019 till 1/12/2019

Soh Ai’s eldest sister Sock Kim’s youngest daughter Ji-an was marring to Reuben Ch’ng on Saturday, 30/11/2019 in Penang and our whole family members were invited to attend and stay in Seven Terraces Hotel in Georgetown, Penang checking in on Friday, 29/11/2019 and checking out on Sunday, 01/12/2019.

My 3^rd son Wai Yu and his wife Jia-mei as well as Jia-mei’s youngest brother哲玮 and wife 孟纯 (all from Taichung, Taiwan) flew from Taipei to Malaysia on Thursday, 28/11/2019. Wai Yu would drive a car with them to Penang on Friday, while Soh Ai, Wai Kit, Wai Jen, Wai Kei and I would take the Aeroline double-deck coach to Penang on the same day.

Aeroline ticket is RM60 per pax and it departs from Corus Hotel, Jalan Ampang, K.L. at 8.45 am and arrives at either Queensbay Mall, Bayan Lepas, Penang or Bus Terminal, Sungai Nibong, Penang. I have also bought the return tickets on Sunday, 01/12/2019 departing from Queensbay Mall at 4.30pm to return to Corus Hotel. The total return fare cost me RM600 for five of us.

On Friday, 29/11/2019, we booked 2 Grab cars (for 5 of us) at 6.15am to fetch us to Corus Hotel, Jalan Ampang. Our Aeroline double-deck coach left at 9.00am and made one stop for toilet break half way to Penang. Traffic was fine and we reached Queensbay Mall at about 1.45pm. We had light lunch at the Mall before taking 2 Grab cars to go to Seven Terraces Hotel, Stewart Lane at about 2.30pm.

This is a so-called “George Town Heritage Hotel” (GTHH). Soh Ai, Wai Yu, Jia-mei and I checked into Terraced Duplex Suite Room No. Argus 3. Wai Kit and Wai Kei stayed with Soh Ai’s youngest brother Sze Teong and wife Kitty Wan. While Wai Jen stayed with two other guests.

Built in the late 19th century, Seven Terraces was a contiguous row of Anglo-Chinese terrace houses located just behind the Goddess of Mercy Temple. The row of houses today is a sterling splendid example of an adaptive reuse of heritage buildings that were of low density and low impact.

The architecture of these shophouses, with classical decorative details imported from England, was similar to the traditional urban house models common in southern China. The five-foot-way, a covered walkway that connects these shophouses on the ground floor, was another feature at Seven Terraces that is characteristic of most heritage shophouses in Penang. This unique walkway represents a colonial adaptation designed to suit the tropical climate, providing a length of covered space as a shield from the heat and rain.

At Seven Terraces, the shophouses were relatively shorter but still highly functional, with each measuring about 100ft in length and comprising an open-air courtyard, wherein the room proportions project a sense of wide living space. Today, the terrace houses have been cleverly transformed into spacious suites on the first floor, with two suites in each shophouse. The ground floor now becomes a public area where the reception, swimming pool, lounge and Kebaya Restaurant were all conveniently located.

(Reference: https://www.georgetownheritage.com/seven-terraces-hotel/)

I was told the Terraced Duplex Suite Room that we stayed was charged at RM700 per night while the Argus Apartment that some other guests stayed was RM1000 per night. The entire 16 rooms were booked by the parents of the newlyweds for their guests so as to have complete privacy.

On the night of Friday, we were taken by a bus to have buffet dinner at the Penang Golf Club. There was a live band singing and many guests took to the floor dancing after dinner.

The wedding invitation card

Attractions surrounding the hotel

Aeroline coach tickets/boarding passes

This was our Aeroline double-deck coach

In the coach

Reaching Penang on the bridge

The main entrance of Seven Terraces Hotel

Courtyard

My room key

View of our Terraced Duplex Suite Room at Ground Floor

Sitting Room

Bathroom at Ground Floor

View of our Terraced Duplex Suite Room at Upper Floor

King-size bed

Washroom at the upper floor

Outdoor swimming pool of the hotel

A meaningless artwork viewed from any angle but one

It is a giraffe artwork if viewed from a particular angle

A glance at Kebaya Dining Room

Reuben and Ji-an rehearsing dance movements

SHORT VIDEO OF THE REHEARSAL:

Going out for dinner at Penang golf Club

Entrance to Penang Golf Club

Restaurant at Penang Golf Club

Buffet dinner

On Saturday morning, we had set breakfast with a variety of choices at Kebaya Dinning Room, next to an outdoor swimming pool.

At 10.00am, Tea Ceremony began with Reuben and Ji-an serving tea to all the elder family members and relatives and later were served tea by the younger relatives.

It was drizzling in the afternoon but it stopped just before 5.00pm when the Wedding Ceremony began at the open courtyard. Photography by guests was not allowed and thus no photos of the proceeding could be taken by us guests other than the organizer’s camera crew.

The wedding dinner was held at the Kebaya Dinning Room. The menu of sumptuous food was as follows:

Appetizer:

1. KEBAYA BAN XEO

Crispy wafers stuffed with shredded chicken, bean sprouts, crispy tofu and stir fried vegetables in a tamarind sauce.

2. PORK MAN TOU

Sous vide soy pork & pickled vegetables in homemade mini man tou buns.

3. OTAK OTAK

Red snapper cooked with garlic & turmeric and baked in a crispy pastry.

Main Course:

1. PRAWN GENG

Wild caught prawns in a curry of turmeric and lemongrass.

2. GRILLED CHICKEN KAPITAN

With a paste of chilli, garlic, shallots and candle nuts.

3. KEBAYA TAMARIND BEEF

72-hour sous vide Australian beef shoulder glazed with tamarind and Gula Melaka.

4. GRILLED SNAPPER

Fresh fillet of snapper marinated in a spice paste and wrapped in a banana leaf, grilled over a charcoal flame.

5. LOR ARK

Duck confit with caramelised spiced plums & oranges in cinnamon, star anise, cloves & nutmeg.

6. HONG BAK LAMB

Prime New Zealand shank sous vide for 48 hours and served in its jus.

7. SAMBAL GORENG

Sautéed French beans & baby corn, with lemongrass & belachan infused coconut cream.

8. WING BEAN KERABU

Salad of wing beans, toasted coconut, calamansi lime and sambal belachan.

Dessert:

1. PANDAN CREME BRULEE

Egg custard spiked with pandan essence and served with sugar snaps.

2. TANG YUEN

House made glutinous ‘onde onde’ rice balls stuffed with coconut simmered in Melaka palm sugar and served with a warm coconut broth.

Drinks included White/Red Wine, Georgetown Cooler Mocktail and Coca-Coa.

After dinner and the table-to-table yum-seng (bottoms-up drinking) session, dancing party was held at the courtyard with thunderous songs till 12.30am.

Breakfast menu

A pose with (pic second from left) Soh Ai, Sze Teong and Kitty Wan

My breakfast choice: Eggs Benedict (2 poached eggs with smoked salmon)

Soh Ai's breakfast choice: "The Big Breakfast"

A pose in front of Seven Terraces before walking outside

Wisma PCTH (Penang Chinese Town Hall)

In front of the signboard of Seven Terraces in the narrow lane

Wai Yu's Myvi car parked by the side of a lane leading to the hotel

The program of the wedding ceremony

Sze Hean with (pic from left) Le-yi , Yen Li and Jia-wei (while Xin-yi went back to school in the morning)

Ah Ma (Soh Ai's mother) and her 3rd elder brother from Kulim

Tea ceremony about to begin

Jia-wei and his 2nd elder sister Le-yi

The Choo's sibblings and their spouses with Sock Kim (pic center)

Ah Ma

The bride's parents

The bride's eldest sister Ji-ni and her fiance Alan

Sze Hean and Yen Li

Sze Teong and Kitty Wan

Auntie Bee Bee

Uncle Choo Seng Hock and auntie Stephanie

Wai Kei serving tea to cousin sis and new cousin bro-in-law

The Choo's relatives posing a photo with the newlyweds

Wai Yu and Jia-wei

Jia-wei

Wai Yu and Jia-mei

The antique opium tools on display

Activity to be carried on despite drizzling outside

Soh Ai and Ah Ma

Ah Ma with the bride's parents Sock Kim and Chooi KH

Xin-yi (aka Angeline Ng) and Ah Ma

Wai Yu and Jia-Mei with Jia-wei

Uncle Tan and 3rd auntie Siew Cheng

Sze Teong and Kitty Wan

Pic from right: Ah Ma, Angeline, Yen Li, Sze Hean, Jia-wei and Le-yi (standing)

Soh Ai (left) and Sock Kim

The newlyweds with the Choo's family

Pic from left: Doris, Stephanie, Ah Ma, Siew Cheng, Bee Bee, Soh Ai

Jia-wei taking instant Polaroid photos for many guests

The menu of dinner

My table with Sze Hean's family, Sze Teong & Kitty and Wai Kit

The Choo's table

The groom and bride entering the dinning room

A pose with Soh Ai before the dinner started

The appetizers

The 8 dish main courses

Yum-seng session. Pic from left: Ji-ni, Jia-mei, Wai Yu, Wai Jen, Wai Kei and Angeline (partly hidden)

Ji-ni and Alan in the middle as if they were rehearsing the yum-seng for their own big day in November, 2020

The Choo's table was the loudest of all during the yum-seng session

Photos by courtesy of Ji-an:

SHORT VIDEOS OF THE DANCING PARTY AT THE COURTYARD:

The commencement of the dancing party

The first dance of the bride with her father

The newlyweds dancing

Little Jia-wei stole the limelight at the dance floor

Jia-wei finally bowed out after heated dancing

On Sunday morning, we had our breakfast again at Kebaya Dinning Room. We checked out of the hotel at about 11.00am and took Grab car to Queensbay Mall.

As there was plenty of time before our scheduled departure at 4.30pm, Wai Kei and I went for the 1.00pm Malay film “Ejen Ali: The Movie” at GSC cinema. This Malaysian computer-animated spy-fi action film about the teenage agent spy Ali who uncovers a mystery that threatens the city of Cyberaya and risking loyalty to his secret agency MATA turned out to be a very entertaining and enjoyable thriller movie.

Our Aeroline coach departed at 5.00pm from Penang but we were caught with very heavy traffic along the North-south Highway all the way to KL. I noticed most of R&R stops along the highway were packed with vehicles, just like the conditions of traffic during major festive seasons. We only reached Corus Hotel, KL at about 12.15am, more than 7 hours on the road!

In conclusion, this was a memorable trip in which all my 4 children travelled together with my wife and I again after they have grown up. We are indeed grateful to Soh Ai’s brother-in-law and sister Chooi Kong Hing and Sock Kim for the generosity and hospitality and also to the newlyweds Ruben and Ji-an for the invitation to attend and witness the grandeur of their marriage.

Little China

Temple of the Goddess of Mercy

Wall painting

Sze Hean's car

About to leave Seven Terraces

Aeroline office at Queensbay Mall, Bayan Lepas

Our luggage temporarily kept in Aeroline's storeroom

Queensbay Mall decorated for Christmas

Refreshment at Japanese Coffee Shop

My coffee without syrup

The Little Nyonya Cuisine

Wai Kit and I took seafood otak-otak (RM9.90), chicken lo bak (RM10.50), two glasses of real white coffee milk shakes (2 x RM8.30), together with 10%+6% taxes = RM42.90

Wai Yu & company took the flight back to Taiwan on Monday afternoon, 02/12/2019 departing at 5.40pm.