[UBD FASS-HUFS Tips]: After I am successfully accepted, what’s next?

Is your application successful? Congratulations!

Now, moving on to the next steps!

 

ASKING FOR DY LETTER AND CERTIFICATE 

 

For UBD students applying for HUFS, after your application is successful, HUFS will send you 3 documents (Certificate of Admission, Letter of Acceptance and Certificate of Business Registration) via email and via post.

You need to print all these 3 documents and also academic calendar for your term. If the academic calendar is not available, find any documents/information that can tell when is the orientation, dorm check in/out, starting/ending of the semester and exams.

This is example of the non-academic calendar for HUFS.

You need to print and submit these 4 documents to DYU at Student Central. I submitted these documents on 18/11/2019 in the morning and then in the afternoon, I already got an email from DYU telling me to collect my DY offer letter and DY certificate.

Note: DYU will explain to you what should you do next and they will give: 

• your subsistence allowance form,
• scholarship card (they will tell you how to fill it up & you need to attach your passport picture),
• indemnity form and parental consent (you need to provide 2 emergency contacts), and
• guideline on overseas health insurance for UBD students (for you to show to your desired insurance company). 
• They also will give you a personal detail form (DYU/5). This one is to be submitted to DYU via email WHEN YOU ARE ALREADY IN KOREA.
• And, you are also required to report to Brunei Embassy in Korea via email ONCE YOU ALREADY IN KOREA and there is also a student registration form for Brunei Embassy that you need to fill in and you also need to report back to Brunei Embassy when leaving Korea. 
• If you are planning to go to Korea a week early or going back to Brunei a week later, you should ask for extension form from DYU

 

If you have receive the hardcopies of the three documents from HUFS, you need to bring them to the nearest Korean Embassy to make your student visa.

I will cover how to apply for visa in the next entry.

잘가요! 다음 봐요 🙂

[UBD FASS-HUFS Tips]: All you need to know to apply for exchange program in HUFS, South Korea

Hello! As you can tell from the long title, I will be talking writing about my own experience applying for an exchange program at South Korea, specifically in Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

While I was in the midst of preparing documents and applying for the program, it was hard for me to find information that is directly written for FASS students in UBD/ international students applying for HUFS so I had to ask my friends who have done their Discovery Year (DY) in Korea.

In UBD, we have the chance to do our DY in our third year from our 4-years bachelor degree. There are 4 activities that we can choose from and one of them is study abroad/student exchange program. The activities and the university/work places you choose is based on your cGPA in your Semester 3. 

You can refer to the table below if you are eligible or not. This is taken from DY application for FASS students so I am not sure about the other faculties.

I chose to do my exchange program in the first half of my DY. I chose HUFS as my first option because only FASS and APB students can apply so I had less competition. Then, for the second half of my DY, I will be doing my local internship.

 

BEFORE APPLYING FOR DY

First and foremost, there will be a briefing on DY and the DY Office people will give you a week to complete DY application form. For my batch, our briefing was in January 2019 because it was combined with the August intake (I am from January intake) but we are asked to submit our application form on 21st July 2019. We had a lot of time to finish our forms, but, people tend to forget things… so make sure you know when to submit and mark it on your calendar!

List of things needed for FASS DY application: 

• form (you can download here)
• 2 recent passport pics (I highly encourage you to take white background and write your full name & registration number at the back of your pics)
• 2 copies of latest academic transcript (you can buy them in the Finance building located between CH and Business Library. Then, bring your receipt and go to Student Central to collect your academic transcript. The counter should be on your left once you enter SC. )
• 2 copies of English proficiency certificate (your O Level result)
• 2 copies of CV (include your passport number & expired date)

After you submit the form along with the required documents, wait for the final nomination result which will be posted on  FASS DY Facebook . Make sure you add them on Facebook.

There is no first or second nomination so once the final nomination result is out, you can’t change your placement. If you have a change of heart, go to the DY Office as soon as possible.

While waiting for the final nomination, I suggest you to check websites of your soon-to-be host university and take note what are the documents and how many they required.

 

AFTER FINAL NOMINATION RESULT IS OUT

The final nomination result for my batch came out on 9/10/2019 which was actually late compared to other faculties because our faculty was the first one that opened the DY application. Nevertheless, I still secured my first options for both semesters.

So, after the result is out, you need to do fulfill the application of your host university. I applied for HUFS so I will be talking about HUFS only.

After DYC sent you an email regarding the confirmation of your DY, you will receive an email from HUFS that contains your login info (username and password). For HUFS, you are required to do online application. There is no need to submit hard copies. The email from HUFS should reach within a few days. But for my batch, we received our login info after a week which was after we met our DYC in her office to tell her about the issue we faced. So, if you have not receive an email from HUFS in three days, I suggest you to tell DYC as soon as possible. Please learn from our mistake.

 

APPLYING FOR HUFS 

Luckily for us, international people, HUFS uses online application only. But, you need to print your application, sign it and compile with other supporting documents in a single PDF (I use this website to compile my documents) to be sent to HUFS via email. Your coordinator is the one responsible to submit your supporting documents.

List of documents required by HUFS:

• printed version of the online application form (with your signature)
• brief essay that includes your personal history & your plan of study
• 1 copy of your academic transcript
• 1 copy of your home uni offer letter
• 1 passport size photo (it is compulsory to use white background and it is in jpg/jpeg form)
• Proof of English proficiency (IELTS, TOEFL, or recommendation letter)
•  dorm application form (if you are planning to stay in a dorm)
• Health examination form (if you are planning to stay in a dorm)

 

How to write for your essay?

As I am not confident enough to show my essay, I pinpoint what my friends and I wrote in our essays:

1. background info about yourself – your name, your home university, your major/course, etc
2. Why you want to study in Korea and why HUFS specifically?
3. What you plan to do/participate/study in HUFS? (I recommend to check out their website and social media to find out more)
4. How can you contribute when you return from South Korea?

 

English proficiency

I don’t take IELTS or TOEFL so I submitted recommendation letter from my faculty. For FASS students from UBD, you can get your English Proficiency recommendation letter from FASS General Office which is located at 2nd floor of FASS building. They will give you a slip to be filled in and there is no other document to be submitted to the GO. Then, in 3 days or less, one of the clerks will send you an email and you can collect your letter.

 

Dormitory

you can check HUFS website to see which dorm is available in your desired term.

For spring 2020, the Globeedorm is not offered. Only Global Hall for on – campus and International House A and International House B for off-campus (but close to the HUFS campus). I choose International House A which is for females only and we can cook there but I don’t really know how to cook. 

 

Health form 

The form requires you to take TB and Hepatitis B tests. For UBD students, you can only to your medical check-up, strictly, in PRIVATE CLINICS only.

I did my tests in Lee Clinic Gadong. The Hepatitis B blood test is $80, doctor filling my health form for $20 (the price varies according to your form). And then I was referred to JPMC for TB test. I paid $10 for registration and $39 for mantoux test (a skin test for TB). In total, I spent $149.

if you plan to do all of tests in JPMC, you can too.  I heard from a friend that it is cheaper to do the Hep B test in JPMC than in Lee Clinic but I don’t really know.

And, if you want to know how much your form costs, instead of giving them a call, go to the clinic directly so that they can check your form and give you a price.

For the Mantoux test, the health practitioner injected something on skin and you have to come back after 2 days. The size of that thing on your skin is then measured. I remembered the nurse told me that it might enlarge and it might be itchy so I was worried. But, it was nothing. I say, the scar is like a mosquito bite. 

Both Hepatitis B and Mantoux tests took at most 3 days so I recommend you to do the tests on the same day. But I have to warn you, I got 6 needles injected onto my skin on the day I did my tests because the doctor couldn’t find my veins and I ended up have 4 bad scars. It was really painful.  😭

 

WHAT’S NEXT? 

After you submitted your application and supporting documents, wait for your acceptance email from HUFS. They will send you an email if you have not completed your online application or your coordinator(s) have not submitted your supporting documents.

I submitted my application on 17/10/2019 but my supporting documents did not reach HUFS before the closing date. So I informed my DYC about it and the coordinators resolved the problem (yes, another problem). But I still managed to be accepted by HUFS. Yeay!

 

 

I hope I cover everything that you need to know. Personally, I hope someone actually give me an actual detailed guideline that is specially made for FASS students in UBD or for in general, people who apply for HUFS because I really don’t like to bother my friends with my zillion questions ☹️

For the next entry… Let’s just keep it as a secret for now 

 

If you have any questions, you can reach me at @LakastahTerabang on Instagram

 

Side note: This information is true as of November 15, 2019. It is mostly for FASS students from UBD and for people who apply for exchange program in Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. I hope it helps!

 

Thank you!

A Day In My Life

Hello! I’m back with another post which is a little bit personal. I am showing you about my not-so-fun life! I hope I don’t make anyone doze off or exiting this website 😦

For your information, I am a full-time undergraduate student and I have a small online business. On top of that, as you also know, I am a blogger. I don’t really plan what I want to write so sometimes when I run out of ideas, I don’t write any blog post. And, it is now Week 12 of my semester so I have lots of assignments and tests. However, I am trying my best to find the balance between an undergrad, seller, blogger as well as my role as a daughter and sister.

In today’s post I will be talking about my usual busiest day of the week.

Shall we start? 😉

MORNING

I woke up at 7:05-ish because my first class is at 7.45am. After spacing out for quite awhile, the first productive thing I did was checking my DMs on Instagram especially in my business account. Then, I took shower and got ready for school.

At 7:40am, I arrived at my class.  As I don’t have time to make breakfast, I always bring any sugary drink to class. I actually might have time if I woke up early but naaaah

 

The first class for that day was Gender and Development. This class is usually at 8am but our lecturer wanted to start early on that day. Probably because most people tend to come super late. But, my lecturer seems like she doesn’t really mind. She is humorous and very positive. There was a student who came like 30 minutes late, instead of giving him “the look” or telling him to hurry up to get his seat, she just said “thank you for coming. If I were you, I would continue sleeping”. She radiates huge positive vibes, right?

 

After an hour and a half or so,  I went to my faculty’s office to get my English Proficiency Recommendation Letter which is on the second floor at the adjacent building near to my earlier class. The letter was supposed to be done by Monday but they got my name wrong. This happened too often and I am so tired of it.  😞

When I reached there, I almost missed the clerk. They were about to have a meeting but I managed to stop one of them instantly when she locked the door. And just like that I managed to secure my letter!

Hmm, why do I need the letter for? I am applying for an exchange program abroad! I will tell you more soon 😉 

After that, I met up with my three friends at the canteen as we have same classes throughout the day, including in the Gender and Development class.

On that day, unusual incident happened 😆 One of my friends managed to buy us food for brunch before she came to class so we ate the Nasi Lemak she bought together.

 

While we were still at the canteen, I ordered my second meal because I was still hungry!  😂 I was eating my waffles and drinking my milo cincau (it is a weird drink) while working on my assignment.

Only the two of us were left in the campus because the other two went sightseeing to Balai Khazanah Islam, but we met up with them hours later.

 

Around 11am, my friend and I went to the library to continue with our work and these paintings are displayed in our main library. All of these paintings are by Turkish people, or so I believe.

And, yup! I was still working on the same assignment. #ENDLESSWORKLOADS

 

AFTERNOON 

Around 12.15-ish, we met up with our 2 friends at the surau and performed our Zuhur Prayer there.

 

And as it was during lunch break, I ate my chocolate Mars to get rid of my semi-hunger. I am starting to feel like this will end up to be my food journal instead of my A Day In My Life.

 

Then after we finished with our prayer, the four of us met up with our another 2 friends at the Cafe to discuss about our assignment and presentation that will take place next Tuesday. The discussion did not take too long, but we stayed at the Cafe until almost 2pm. We talked about some random stuffs like why old Bruneian people prefer to put aside chicken bones out of their plate and never place them back on the plate and why ayam goreng is not called as cucur ayam? I never actually think about these stuffs.. #mindblowing.

Except for this week, we usually have our second class at 11.50 – 1.40 pm but the class was cancelled for this week as our lecturer was away.

 

Then, we had our second class of the day. It was an Islamic Civilization class which I couldn’t really concentrate anymore…

 

At 3.30pm, my friend and I headed to our third class which is the tutorial for Islamic Civilization class. It was on another building so we had to *take deep breath* walk *take deep deep breath* again.

This tutorial was supposed to be for an hour but it got extend until 5.30pm. My group of this tutorial had our video presentation on that day and it was… not as smooth as I thought…

And, finally I ate (again)! I usually ate my dinner before 8pm on school days because I am so lazy to go out again to find food if I reach my dorm already.

 

 NIGHT

I arrived to my dorm around 6-ish. I took my shower and performed my prayers. Then, I went to my friends’ rooms to deliver their brownies which they bought from my sister. And, oh, my sister owns a small brownies business. Go follow her @bakeaway.bn on Instagram!

 

At 7-ish pm, I went to a clinic to get my revised lab report result. They made mistake on my name in the previous lab report and on the latest one also… I’ve told you, this happened so often.

 

Soon after that, I got back to my dorm and started doing my laundry. While waiting for laundry, I went on Facebook to fix the problem in my business’s Instagram account. then, I sent message to my supplier regarding the items that have not reach Brunei. After that, I start to write this blog.

And, at 11.30pm until i-don’t-know-how-long-will-i-can-endure-my-tiredness, I revise for my exams and tests. This is why I always sleep late and can’t really wake up early. I want to change my sleeping patterns, but, it is harder to do than said.

 

 

When I read everything here, I just realized I ate a lot in daytime. oppppsy.

And, today, which is on Tuesday, is definitely my busiest day for this week as I have to submit documents for my exchange program, manage a business and a blog, finish my assignments, revise my exams and tests too.

How about you? How is it like to be YOU on your typical day?

Artworks in Billionth Barrel Monument, Seria

A couple of years ago, I visited Billionth Barrel Monument in Seria for the first time. The place was deserted and quite… sad. The only thing that kept the place “alive” was the monument itself. There was nothing much to see there… or in Belait, in general.

Soon after that, Pokémon Go started to become famous in Brunei and one of the places in Belait to catch the Pokémon ball was Billionth Barrel Monument. I knew about this because my parents (yes, my parents!) used to catch the balls there every time we passed by Seria. I assume the place became a little bit busy after working hours as people went there to catch the balls or people went for jogging or brisk walking.

Based on my previous visit to Belait Museum, I learned that The Billion Barrel Monument was built to celebrate the billionth barrel of crude oil produced in Brunei in 1991. However, like Belait Museum, the place was not really promoted well. It was just a historical landmark.

When I think of it, I realized that how people who are not yet born during its glorious days can relate or have sense of belonging to that place? 

So, when I saw my friend’s Instagram post on the artworks exhibition in Billionth Barrel Monument, I gotta check it out.

When I was there, I saw a lot of people – not just joggers. There were people who took pictures with the artworks, someone played with a kite, families spent time with one another and people who went to the beach just opposite the Billionth Barrel Monument. The place is “alive”.

These are some of the artworks that I personally like:

Although maybe I don’t really have strong sense of belonging to Billionth Barrel Monument, the artworks, which are from my generation, are interesting to see. However at the same time, I feel like the artworks would probably attract people more than the Monument itself. And, if you really look at the pictures, the artworks are facing towards the Monument so when people take pictures of the artworks as a whole, the Monument would not be in the picture. I’m not sure if that was done intentionally or not.

What do you think? Do you find Billionth Barrel Monument “alive”? What should we do to keep it “alive”?

 

 

Spend BND10 in Pasar Gadong for 3 people?

Hello everyone! I’m pretty sure that everyone knows Pasar Malam Gadong or Gadong Night Market. If you don’t, Pasar Gadong is one of the must-visit places in Brunei. Pasar Malam was featured in KBS’s Battle Trip in 2017 in the episode where Roy Kim, Eddy Kim and Park Jaejung were in Brunei. There are also other Youtube videos from vloggers that came to Brunei.

So, why locals love their Pasar Malam? First and foremost, Pasar Malam is well-known to be the cheap place to eat in Brunei. But, how cheap is cheap?

To challenge, the cheapness of Pasar Malam,  two of my friends and I did a BND10 challenge when we were in Pasar Malam Gadong a few days ago.

Can we find food and drink with just BND10 for three people?

Let’s find out!

 

What did we buy?

My friend bought Cakoi Kawin (the long-shaped ones) for BND1

They also bought Popia McCheese for BND2

Each of us bought one drink. I bought Teh Ais Bussku for BND1

My friend bought Avocado drink for BND1

Kek Takis (5 pcs) for BND1. I chose 2 pcs of chocolate, 2pcs of kaya & 1pc red bean

 

All-time fav, Nasi Katok, for BND1. You can choose your Sambal & chicken part you want. 

 

The most expensive food we bought, Lamb Skewer, for BND3 per stick. 

 

So, did we succeed? 

Nope.

We went overboard.

 

We spent BND15 but we didn’t finish everything. We brought back the leftover and ate them at home.

Pasar Malam has so many food and you really need a strong mindset to decide what you want to buy. A friendly advice from me, don’t go there when you are extremely hungry. The appearances and smells of those foods are really appealing.  😆

 

So, are you up for the BND10 challenge with your friends or family?

Tag us on Instagram @lakastahterabang

I will be back with another BND10 challenge at different place in Brunei soon 😉

Day trip to Belait Museum

Last Tuesday, I went to Belait Museum with a friend. My family and I just moved to Belait a few years ago while my friend is born and raise in Belait but both of us had not been to Belait Museum. This museum is first opened in 2016 so it is relatively a new museum. It is located in Jalan Maulana.

 

The museum is not hard to find as you can just follow the signboards but it is quite far and it is really really really quiet.

 

Beside the door, there is this opening hours information.

When you first open the entrance door, the reception table is on the left and you have to sign in first before you begin exploring the museum. And, there is no entrance fee.

 

 

You can see this Gallery Information near the reception table. There are 5 galleries:

1. Galeri Warisan Budaya (Cultural Heritage Gallery)
2. Galeri Sejarah: Pentadbiran dan Perkembangan Daerah Belait (History Gallery: Administration and Development of Belait District)
3. Galeri Sejarah: Industri Minyak dan Gas (History Gallery: Oil and Gas Industry)
4. Temporary Gallery 
5. Galeri Warisan Alam Semulajadi (Nature Heritage) 

 

We started at Gallery 1 which is Galeri Warisan Budaya or Cultural Heritage Gallery. 

The first gallery is all about the ethnic groups that lived in Belait. I just knew a very interetsing fact. The majority of Belait people was not Malay Belait, but Dusun and Iban (not sure if this applies to present Belait). Most of them came from neighbouring Sarawak and eventually ended up in Brunei border.

In addition to that, there are also displays of cultures of Iban and Dusun. From their traditional clothings to their agriculture tools and other ritual tools.

It is quite interesting to see how Brunei was like before the influence of Islam was strengthened.

 

 

The second and third galleries are just events put in chronological order and displayed on the walls. It would be interesting if you did not learn that in History class or if there are some video clips or animated pictures that can show these important events. 

 

After that, we went to the fourth gallery but it was empty as the museum did not have any temporary exhibition. So we proceed to Gallery 5: Nature Heritage.

If you are a fan of Night At the Museum movies like me, you will have this imagination whereby these animal skeletons would be alive at night. If you didn’t, boo~ This part of the museum is a little bit interesting than the second and third galleries as they included “did you know…” information and there are physical objects such as animal skeletons, a monitor lizard and horn bill. However, I don’t really know why they included these animals in the museum. Perhaps, these are the animals that can be found in Belait only but I am not really sure about that.

 

My overall experience

First of all, it is quite unusual to see that the entrance of the building is not facing the main road and it is also surprising not to see a reception table right after we opened the door. On top of that, there are also no parking spaces!

As of the exhibitions, I learned a lot but I also have a few unanswered questions that I do not know who to ask. Personally, I like Gallery 1 and 5 because I can picture the objects and touch them (but don’t touch the ones that are labelled “do not touch” okay). On the other hand,in Gallery 2 and 3, there are just written facts inscribed on the walls.

 

What I wish the museum be? 

Brunei History is something I was (or am still) passionate about. I used to take Brunei History in secondary school but what we learned on textbooks are, on my opinion, repetitive and just a little. I know Brunei History is more than what was taught. So I am glad that we have museums where we can learn a little bit more. However, I do hope that the museums to be more interactive. For example, I wish they can show how the rituals are conducted. Perhaps through animations (I think it would be scary to see how rituals in the past are made because it seems like the rituals are very un-Islamic).

On another note,

Not to scare you or anything but from what I read on Twitter, the uncle at the reception said to the tweet owner to “baca – baca” (pray) and not to look at the eyes of the mannequin. A teacher was once “kena” there. And, the tweet owner also mentioned that Bacaan Al-Quran was played at that time.

When I was there, I already knew that the place is haunted but I didn’t know what or which part is haunted. So as for my own protection, I read some do’as before I entered. Although my friend and I already sensed that we were not welcomed there once we were in front of the building, Alhamdulillah, nothing bad actually happened to my friend and I.

We just want to give one gentle reminder to just make sure you and your friends or family to be careful and all. When we were there, the uncle didn’t say anything to us but he kept on looking on our direction. My friend said that when we were at the Gallery 1 section, he even walked to check on us (the whole time he was just sitting at the reception). I don’t really know why, but perhaps he was just looking to see if we overly touching or looking at the mannequin. If the uncle had told us about the mannequin, we would probably be scared and probably abort our mission.  🤣

 

 

5 Exciting Things You Can’t Miss For your next Penang Trip

Hello! Are you going to Penang any time soon? Put your worries aside! I’ve got you covered 😉

I know Penang is very well-known as food heaven (Read my post on 5 Must-try Food in Penang) as well as for its street arts and UNESCO Heritage Sites. But, Penang is more than just that.

I’ve listed 5 things you NEED to do while in Penang. So, shall we begin? 

1. Stay in Arte S Penang

Although Arte S Penang is not really close to Georgetown, it is considered as one of the cheapest place to stay in Penang AND you still get some privacy too. I don’t know much about architecture or interior designs but I love how every corner of the buildings are designed! They are really – just like its name is – artsy. You can read about my honest review of Arte S Penang on Accommodation Review: Arte S Penang by FIFI Suite

2. Eat like locals

Besides going to eateries which are popular among the tourists, why don’t go to the locals’ favorites too? One of the locals’ favorite is Ali Nasi Lemak which is located in Sri Weld Foodcourt.

But, how do I know it’s the locals’ favorite?

Well, I have never queued up for Nasi Lemak in my entire life, except for Ali Nasi Lemak. And, my sister and I were the only tourist-looking people there!  😆

Although I recommend you to try Ali Nasi Lemak, I would like to point out that it is spicy. So if you can’t handle spiciness, perhaps you should share your one portion (luckily it is a small portion) with other people. It would be a waste if you don’t try it out. 

LT’s tip: One of our Grab drivers recommended us to try Assam Laksa in Air Itam. When we went there, it was during lunch hour so the place was packed. I suggest you to pay a visit early or after lunch break.

3. Conquer your fear of height in The Gravityz

If you are looking for some adventure or you want to go outside of your comfort zone, don’t forget to try the rope challenges at The Gravityz. Yes, challengeS with a S. According to The Gravityz’s website, there are 6 challenges altogether. Oh, did I mention that those 6 challenges have to be done at the 65th floor? Oppsy.

Taking the challenges in The Gravityz was part of my itinerary but the weather didn’t permit me to do them when I was in Penang. Maybe next time! 🙂

4. Boba hunting

There are a few bubble tea shops that supposed to be on my itinerary I stumbled upon during my ‘research’:

1. Muyoo+: Gurney Plaza (07-10A). 170, Gurney Dr, Pulau Tikus, 10250 George Town
2. Tealive: Gurney Plaza (170-07-K1)
3. MEME Xpress: Gurney Plaza (170-G-45A)
4. Gao.enough: 16, The Whiteaways Arcade, Beach Street, Georgetown
5. The Alley: 48 Jalan Nagor, 10050 George Town
6. Tiger Sugar: 166 & 168, Jalan Hutton, 10050 George Town
7. Belle and Cream: 16, Medan Lim Cheng Teik, Kampung Syed, 10250 George Town
8. Daboba: Lot 2, Aroma Hotel No 11, Butterworth Business City Centre, Jalan Raja Uda, 12300 Butterworth (Mainland Penang)
9. Xing Fu Tang: 13, Juru Road, Sentral, 14000 Bukit Mertajam (Mainland Penang)
10. Galaxy Tea Bar: 22, Jalan Nagor, George Town, 10050 George Town (not recommended because they sell white rabbit bubble teas which are non-Halal)

Besides drinking pearl milk tea, a few of these shops actually sell burnt cheese cakes with pearls, ice cream with pearls, and bubble tea steamboat. Don’t forget to try them out!

5. Hop on a free shuttle bus from Design Village Outlet  to IKEA and vice versa

Design Village Outlet (DVO) and IKEA are located in mainland Penang but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spare some time to visit these places!

Design Village Outlet is said to be the greenest mall in Malaysia. I haven’t personally been there but from the pictures that I’ve seen, that mall doesn’t look like it is in Malaysia. It is really beautiful and surrounded by nature or greens.

Meanwhile, IKEA… who doesn’t know IKEA? It is famous as a furniture brand AND for its Swedish meatballs! People also like to take pictures there too.

So, why not visit these 2 places in a day? Hop on the free shuttle bus and you can save a few bucks. Don’t forget to check the schedule first, yeah?

 

That’s all from me today. This post will be the last part of my Foodtrip in Penang. I hope you can get some insights or useful knowledge from my posts.

You can share with me your experience in Penang in the comment section or you can contact me in Instagram @LakastahTerabang

Thank you!

 

 

 

Eat Your Way Through These 5 Must-try Food In Penang

Assalamualaikum and hello! Have you been waiting for this entry as much as I excitingly want to publish it? I hope you are. Because… this post will probably make you hungry AND grumpy at the same time because, sadly, you can’t find some of them here in Brunei. A sis is sad too 😢

Nevertheless, I hope you can use this recommendation while you are in Penang OR you will change your planned trip and go to Penang instead BECAUSE OF THIS POST.  😉

So, here we go!

5. Aris Cheese Naan’s Cheese Naan Special

I really love my Roti Canai Telur Cheese (or anything that has cheese, actually) so when I found out that there is a restaurant that specializes in Cheese Naan, I had to try it out. To be honest, I’ve never tried the normal Naan or Cheese Naan in Brunei before, so I tasted it for the first time when I was in Penang. The Cheese Naan Special in Aris Cheese Naan tastes like pizza without any toppings and the cheese they used is mozzarella cheese (my normal Roti Canai Telur Cheese used cheddar cheese). And, there are two dipping sauces provided: curry and honey or maple-like sauce. As I have not taste the second sauce before, I don’t really know the name of it. It tastes sweet, just like maple syrup. The combination of both these sauces are quite unique to my taste buds. Not bad unique, but more like weird unique (I am so bad at describing..). You gotta taste it to find out how unique it is.

Halal status: Halal (but I don’t see the cert with my own eyes)

Price: RM8

Address: 2-1-23A, Plaza Ivory, Halaman Bukit Gambir, 11700 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening hours: 5.30 pm until midnight

Social Media: Facebook

LT’s Tip: Don’t forget to ask for extra cheese when you order it.

 

4. Bee Hwa Cafe’s Char Kuey Teow

Are you craving for authentic Chinese food but most of them are not Halal? Don’t worry! Bee Hwa Cafe got you covered. I ordered Char Kuey Teow in regular size with seafood only. Their Char Kuey Teow was a little bit spicy for me but the spiciness was bearable. To cool down my burnt taste buds, I drank Teh Sejuk Limau Kasturi (they don’t have Ice Lemon Tea!). If you think you can’t handle the spiciness, you can try their other dishes too, such as, Mee Udang.

Halal status: Muslim-friendly (no pork or alcohol served)

Price: RM6 (regular size)

Address:  10, Lebuh Dickens, George Town, Malaysia 10050

Opening hours:

Weekdays 7 am – 3 pm

Saturday 7 am – 1 pm

Sunday closed

Social Media: Facebook

 

3. Shwimpyo Korean Cafe’s Dak Gang Jong

Unlike in Brunei, there are only a few Korean restaurants that are Halal-certified or Muslim-friendly. One of those rare stores is Shwimpyo Korean Cafe. It is located among a line of other restaurants in Plaza Ivory. In my first visit, I ordered Dak Gang Jong and Tteokbokki. Dak Gang Jong is spicy crispy fried chicken and Tteokbokki is stir-fried rice cakes. In the Dak Gang Jong, they use chicken breasts, instead of chicken wings and it is best eaten as soon as it is served. When I ordered it in my second visit (yes, I went there twice!), I cooled down the chicken first before I ate so it was less delicious than on my first time. On the other hand, the Tteokbokki was just okay to me. The rice cakes were too soft. However, they gave lot of rice cakes and less vegetables. The spiciness was bearable. ‘Though I don’t really recommend their Tteokbokki, that shouldn’t stop you from trying it out.

 Halal status: Muslim-friendly (no pork or alcohol served)

Price: Dak Gang Jong – RM18; Ttteokbokki – RM 14

Address: 2-1-14, Plaza Ivory, Halaman Bukit Gambir, Sunway Bukit Gambier, 11700 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening hours:

Weekdays 12 pm – 10 pm (last order 9.20pm)

Saturday 4 pm – 10 pm (last order 9.20pm)

Sunday closed

Social Media: Facebook

 

2.The Mac’s Malaysia’s Mac & Cheese Chili Flake Chips

Another hidden gem in Plaza Ivory is The Mac’s. Their menu consists of different types of Mac & Cheese and Spaghetti. I ordered Mac  & Cheese Chili Flake Chips. The sauce is very savory. You can also pick either chicken or beef inside of your Mac & Cheese. As I ordered Chili Flakes Chips, they sprinkled chili flakes on top. Furthermore, they cook in an open ‘kitchen’ so you can also get to see how they cook it including how they torch the top part but I am not if it is safe or not…

Halal status: Muslim-friendly (no pork or alcohol served)

Price: RM9 (small size)

Address: Plaza Ivory, Halaman Bukit Gambir, Sunway Bukit Gambier, 11700 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening hours:

Everyday (except Wednesday) 6 pm – 12.30 am

Wednesday closed

Social Media: Facebook | Instagram

LT’s tip: Always go for its bigger size! It is really good!!

 

1. Haru Hari Coffee’s Boba Frozen S’more

The first place goes to Boba Frozen S’more from Haru Hari Coffee. Although it is not a meal like the other food in this post, it does deserves to be on first place! It is not the type of s’more you would see in American movies, it is just a simple marshmallow on a stick. Then, what makes it so special, you ask? This marshmallow on a stick contains vanilla ice cream and it is torched to give a brownish look. On top of that, there are pearls! Heyyyy my boba girl/boy, where you at? 

As it is a dessert, it is sweet so you may want to order their drinks too. They have lattes, americano etc.

Halal status: Muslim-friendly (all ingredients used are Halal)

Price: RM10 – RM15 (I’m so sorry, I don’t remember the price!)

Address: Cubo Park, 6 Jalan Tanjung Tokong Tanjung Tokong, 10470 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening hours: 4.30 pm – midnight

Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | Website 

 

I know that I don’t include Penang food like Nasi Kandar and Cendol in here but I believe other bloggers have covered them in their websites/blogs. Furthermore, I don’t like to mix 2 or more “lauk” (what’s that in English?) with my rice and I don’t like to “banjirkan” my plate so I don’t eat Nasi Kandar even though people say you need to try it out when you are in Penang! As for Cendol, I tried the famous Teochew Chendol but it wasn’t up to my expectation so I don’t recommend it.

With that being said, all of the food in this post are based on my own liking and opinions. And, I hope you can try at least one of them soon!

Don’t forget to share this post if you think it can help others too!

Thank you.

 

 

Accommodation Review: Arte S Penang by FIFI Suite

Hello! I’m back with another post about my trip to Penang. In case you are new here or you forget about my foodtrip, I was in Penang for 5 Days 4 Nights in last July (read about my itinerary and expenses here: Foodtrip to Penang Itinerary & Expenses).

Location

I stayed in Arte S Penang located at Bukit Gambir which is about 20-30 minutes drive from Georgetown, where most attractions and food scene in Penang are situated. But fret not, there are many restaurants in Plaza Ivory, near to Arte S Penang. Most of the restaurants are opened from 4pm until midnight. So don’t worry if you need to munch on something at night! You can get shawarma from Mr. Shawerma or tteokbokki from Shwimpyo Korean Cafe or cheese naan from Aris Cheese Naan. And oh, did I mention, you can get tomyam too?

Transportation

I didn’t see any train rails and buses, however, I saw one bus stop with shelter around the area. However, I think it is quite far if one wants to walk towards it. I strongly recommend using Grab instead.

How To Spot Arte S Penang?

Credit: Agoda

 

The building is very hard to miss! The shorter tower is Tower A whereas the higher tower is Tower B. I stayed in Tower A and on the highest floor (floor 33A).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facilities

There are sauna, Jacuzzi, outdoor swimming pool, gym, executive lounge and children park. I managed to check out the lounge as it was just opposite of my apartment (Level 33A). When I entered the lounge, I felt like walking around living room of an artist (even though I have never been to one). The designs and furniture are very eye-catching. On top of that, we were standing at the highest floor (in Tower A) so the view at night is very amusing!

Sadly, when we were in Penang, the swimming pool and Jacuzzi are closed for maintenance. I was so eager to swim! If you want to know whether they have open their pool or not, I suggest to give them a call directly. So that you won’t get your heart broken, just like me…

The Apartment 

The apartment has 3 bedrooms (including 1 master bedroom with private bathroom), one shared bathroom, laundry room equipped with washing machine, kitchen (no stove and microwave provided), living room (with TV) and balcony. The balcony is connected to the living room as well as the master bedroom. I stayed in the master bedroom and I got the private access to the balcony.

Watch my IG stories to see the apartment.

Good

• very near to restaurants – heaven for foodies!
• clean
• very artistic designs
• iron and ironing board as well as hair dryer are provided
• good security – there are security guards in the entrance gate and in the hobby. And, you need your card to access the door to the tower as well as the lift. You also need to find the correct lift (out of 5 lifts) that can take you to your apartment

Bad

• Slipper and rubbish bin are not provided
• noise from the lift (my room is near to the lift) is really annoying especially when I wanted to sleep (I know, we can’t do anything to that fact)
• “Ok” distance to Georgetown – To be frank, I felt that Georgetown is far from Arte S Penang and hence we spent more on transportation. For a single trip, I paid around RM16.
• There is only one lift connected to our apartment so I had to wait for the lift to move along 34 FLOORS!
• I think the high building deteriorated my hearing ability 🤣

 

Additional Comment

Initially, I planned to go to Mainland Penang as well. Hence, I booked this accommodation as it is near to the bridge connecting to the Mainland as well as to Georgetown. However, after many changes have been made to my itinerary, I decided to visit places mostly near Georgetown.

So, I recommend this accommodation to those who want to visit other places too, such as Bayan Lepas and Mainland Penang (Ikea is located here!).

Rate 

 

P.S: I stayed in Tower A so I don’t know how the apartment in Tower B looks like and how it differs from Tower A.

P.P.S: As of July 2019, the information provided are true. There might be changes in the near future. In addition to that, this review is my honest opinion. And, it is unpaid too 🙂

5Days 4Nights in Penang

What comes to your mind when you heard ‘Penang’? Nasi Kandar. Cendol. Laksa. Food!! You named it, Penang got it! Yes, I went to food heaven for 5 days and it was amazing. I kept eating for 24/7 while I was there  😋

 

ITINERARY 

 

You can check out my itinerary here: Foodtrip Penang 2019

 

HOW MUCH DID YOU SPEND? 

 

Flight = BND207

Accomodation (including tourism tax) = ~BND74

Transportation (Grab) = RM161 (~BND54)

Admission fees (Wonderfood Museum & Penang Hill) = RM95 (~BND32)

Food = RM356.40 (~BND119)

Shopping = RM905.15 (~BND301)

Total = BND850

 

I know BND850 isn’t really considered as cheap or on a budget. But unlike my previous trip, I did some shopping for myself, my family and friends. And also, I ate a lot. I am not joking! I got hungry all the time because the food here made my intestines healthier than the food in Brunei.  😝

I will share about the food next time, okay?

Stay tuned! 😉