Tropfest SEA 2014

Always my friends will ask me: Penang still have any places to hang out ah? Usually I'll tell them either go to unveil some awesome cafes or to have heritage walk around the Georgetown area. By this month, if you ever ask me the same question, my answer will def be different: either you can go to Ernest Zacharevic's solo show at Hin Company Bus Depot (went to the opening last night, gonna blog about it soon) or enjoy the Tropfest 2014 (short film festival). Tropfest South East Asia (SEA) Festival Night debuts on next Saturday (25-Jan-14) at Esplanade, Georgetown. If you still wonder what is Tropfest SEA, check the official website for more info.

Good news from Tropfest SEA: the festival is FREE to attend! Even there is no charge but registration to this event is require so that you are eligible for lucky draw prizes. On actual day, the gates will open to public for last minute registration (as for pre-event registration, you will get fast track admission) at 4.30pm. Immerse yourselves with the atmosphere with food and beverages facilities and the music performances leading up to film screening and award presentation.

The early registration for this event is ended and those who are manage to registered on time entitle a reporter notebook with hastag #bojio on the cover (bojio in Hokkien means a act of not inviting your friend to go out together). It's easier to register up-front, so click here to proceed your registration for this event; it just require 1 minute to complete the registration after-all. Now don't say I bojio, I'm jio-ing you to go this event with me. See you guys there and let's enjoy the festival together!

Oh yeah, if you are a photographer, you may contact the organizer for this event as they are short of photographers for their event. They will credit your photos back to you. All you need to do is ready your camera and shoot perfectly on the actual day.

Official Website

Tropfest South East Asia (SEA)

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I sprain my waist, how lucky! Feeling meh.

Statue of Jesus Christ . Ho Chi Minh

Decided to end my Ho Chi Minh post with another attraction - Statue of Jesus Christ which actually located at Vung Tau; you need to sit one and a half hour in hydrofoil in order to reach Vung Tau Jetty from Ho Chi Minh. You don't need to get 2 way ticket at the first place since you don't know how many hours you going to spend in Vung Tau (other than the Statue of Jesus Christ, there have other not-so-attract attraction lol). The sweating journey is begin once you get down from the hydrofoil. 

Took a cab and we reached the entrance. No entrance fee is require, all they need is your strength to have the 30 minutes hike up the mountain (thousand plus staircase if not mistaken) in order to get pleasant panoramic view of Vung Tau. Along your pathway, you will get to see lots of statues giving you a picture on Jesus's life since the day he was born. Was feeling awe once I reached the top of the mountain, saw the Statue of Jesus Christ with outstretched arm (you can actually see people standing on its shoulder) and my next task was to climb up the hollow and spiral staircase insides the statue. Remember not to bring extra thing with you as you need to leave your bag, slippers, water bottle and etc in order to step inside the statue (except for camera bag). Each shoulder is able to accommodate up to six people; the breathtaking view stunned me much when I was on the shoulder. Love this kind of feeling, to explore the beautiful and flawless places in each countries. Hope to have more trips in future. 

Ho Chi Minh . The end. 

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Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better. I want travel lah! 

AXA AFFIN 110 Cancer Care

It's brand new year for 2014, let's say good bye and throw every bit of saddest moment back to 2013 and welcome 2014 with a happy and bliss heart. Here the first post in year 2014, it's not about food, not about my trip or my life, I want to write something which bring hope and bliss to other people. Have you guys started to watch the Hong Kong drama - On Call 36 Hours II? I'm actually near to the ending and I might finish them by this week. If you watch, you may understand that there is ups and downs in our life, maybe on the next minute you will be diagnosed to have some chronic disease by doctor. Some of us might not understand what tumor and cancer mean, we do actually carry the abnormal cell that might cause cancer cell under some circumstances. 

Here I share one video on how our healthy cell can turn into cancer cell. In Chong's family, my grandpa was dead with cancer and I never see him before in my lifetime; he died when my father reached his 20's. In this high technology era, we do have way/treatment to control the cancer cell. One quote I learnt from the HK drama - show your love to your loves one on time before it's too late.

Thus, I come across to write this post about AXA AFFIN 110 Cancer Care when I received a mail from Cassie. AXA AFFIN Life Insurance Berhad (AXA AFFIN life) collaborate with the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) to launch a campaign where each blog post that linking back to AXA AFFIN 110 Cancer Care [https://www.110cancercare.com/], they will be supporting one day cost for a cancer patient which undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

My dearies, if you do have a blog, I truly appreciate if you can write up this post as well to give a bless for those unfortunate cancer patients. This campaign will reach its end in 4 months time. Before I come to the end, I want to say: the biggest wealth is health. 

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Happy New Year and have a great year ahead.

Notre-Dame Cathedral . Ho Chi Minh

After the Saigon Central Post Office, we just need to walk straight and cross a road, until we reach another attraction in Ho Chi Minh - Notre-Dame Cathedral or Notre-Dame Basilica to be exact (you can actually started to capture the church from the post office). We reached there on a wrong timing as they were closing the gate during lunch hour; heard that the interior design will make you jaw drop with all the beautiful elements in it. People always say there are nothing much to be explored in Ho Chi Minh, well I think it isn't true as I find all the buildings in the city tell you different stories and I'm kind of explorer than a shopper. Bla bla bla. Over here, we spotted another couple did their wedding photo shooting in front of the red bricks and metal gates. 

Location

Ben Nghe, tp. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

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Have you started your shopping spree?

Saigon Central Post Office . Ho Chi Minh

I wonder when can I complete my Ho Chi Minh post, it seems like I still have few posts to update; I'll just skip all the food post in Ho Chi Minh and only focus on le attractions. Before the trip, I did some simple research, and jotted down few must-go-attraction.

Here is it - Saigon Central Post Office in the downtown of HCM city. Love the first photo to the max as if there is no tree block the view in the middle. Argh, why no one chop the tree down? Laugh. The building is not so Vietnam-feel because of its neoclassical architectural style and it was constructed when Vietnam is part of the French Indochina in the early 20th century. It was actually designed and constructed by Gustave Eiffel (he is best-known for the world-famous Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty); when I knew about this, I told the gang that even how rush is our trip, I must also go there to pay a visit. I made it at last!

If I didn't tell you this is just a post office, you will thought it was a London-style train station from the exterior. This is the first time in my life to visit such a huge post office; even the interior looks delicacy enough with all the tiny details. They hang Ho Chi Minh's portrait in the middle of the post office. If you did not have enough shopping on the souvenirs, here you have another spot to grab it but the price is slightly higher. You will see some partitions on your left and right once you step inside the post office; on your left you can actually make international call by using their phone, whereas on your right they turn it into the ATM machines. Brilliant idea.

To send some postcards from here was my objective, spent half hour sitting at the bench to finish them. I sent out 8 postcards, all my friends got it but sadly mine one lost its way back to my home. My collection isn't complete without this. How sad! If you happen to be here someday, please send me one postcard, laugh. Luckily I bought one set of postcards for collection, this little bit console my lost.

The 2 statues being ignored by most of the visitors which located on the left and right of the post office. The message that wanted to bring out from these statue is the peace after the war. I really didn't saw much people walk over here to snap one or two. 

The beauteous of the post office make it a hot spot for wedding photo shooting. Look at the lovely couple, how sweet. 

Quote of the day: When God closes a door, He opens a window.

Location

2 Cong xa Paris, Ben Nghe, tp. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

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Three days more to start my new life completely.