"Doomsday" Georgetown Round and About.

...or how the earth has confounded humanity (or rather, a certain feeble, idiotic and paranoiac section of it) once again by defying purported doomsday prophecy and thus surviving yet another non-event that has been recurring since the beginning of humanity. Oh human, how we never learned. 

This time around, it was New Age/Conspiracy Theories nutcases who were convinced that the Mayan Long Count calendar that so happened to end on 21/12/12 also signifies the end of our world as we know it. Just so you know, it didn't. It's just another beginning of a new long count cycle. That meh disaster movie has certainly exacerbated the phenomenon if not piquing the fascination and intrigue of public and thus kickstarting the whole bloody thing especially (and oddly enough) in China in which it actually turn into a full-fledged cult and posited to be the key motive behind yet another school stabbing incident in China. (Meanwhile in an unrelated story, condolences to victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. How much more blood that has to be spilled before American realized the warped and flawed logic of incorporating bearing arms as fundamental "human right" in their constitution. Sadly however, probably they won't just like how they believed in Rapture.) At the end of day, I would say there aren't many people who truly believed in this phenomenon (save from those loonies of course) aside from seeing it as yet another passing fad or things to poke fun of. For better and for worse, there isn't any report of idiots committing mass Darwinism ahead of THE EVENT (tm) so the rest of the globe will have to stuck with them just little more.

Anyway, while the earth didn't spontaneously explodes or underwent cataclysmic upheaval as 21 December came, I was idling away in stifling boredom wondering what should I do to mark this non-event. Then I came across this food review over Tastiest so hop on a bus I go to Georgetown at late evening of Friday 21 December.

Oh but before that, a shout out to Me'chelle for the cheesecake. It was delish~ Doomsday tea time sorted and happy birthday!

Yeap Noodle is a cozy family owned establishment located over Lebuh Chulia just a short walk up from Eu Yan Sang HQ junction. Their specialty is novelty handmade noodles which incorporates a variety of flavourings and ingredients. While I am not sure whether you can actually choose your noodle or not because I didn't ask, all their menu items has already been matched with a specific noodle deemed best to go along with its content such as the turmeric noodle for Dry Curry Sotong/Squid Noodle that I ordered that night. For RM5, the portion is just alright but I am willing to give it a try again just for the novelty purpose and I am sure the soup noodle will be more filling than dry noodle.

In conjunction of (and an attempt of hyping up) of the impending non-apocalypse, 12, a group exhibition by 12 artists is held over The Warehouse, 212, Lebuh Pantai/Beach Street starting from 12.12.12 until (and since the world didn't end) 2/1/2013. (Opening hours: 10am-6pm daily.) I actually planned to visit this exhibition on Friday 21/12 itself but inclement weather in the afternoon as well as other distractions (note: mostly internet) has stalled my plan to the next day, Saturday 22/12. Hey, some part of the earth hasn't gone through 21 December yet when I went to the exhibition at noon so it still counts, right?

The Warehouse at 212 Beach Street has actually been left most untouched in its original dilapidated, leaky state even when re-appropriated to its current purpose as an art gallery. I have actually been here a couple of months ago for Rescube in conjunction of Georgetown Festival 2012 and I think most of the artist participated in 12 have been involved in Rescube as well. Kudos for the organizers for making modern art more accessible for public as evidently shown with a family of tourist ogling at the exhibits. Oh the best thing about this exhibition: no camera ban (unlike most private galleries spruced up recently around Georgetown) so feel free to pose with their quirky exhibits!

On the subject of quirkiness, one exhibit will immediately catches your eyes as soon as you enters the premise: a painting of a naked man taking a dump squatting while peering at his smart phone, rounded up with tagline in transliterated Hokkien colloquialism: Pangsai pun boh eng (Lit: Even one has to be busy while taking a shit/Can't even shit in peace). Despite being crude, such lack of subtlety has actually tied in neatly with the theme of this exhibition as a critique of the 21 December Doomsday Prophecy being given disproportionate attention by the public and media, occupying our psyche and the information (and disinformation) overload so much so that it has even crept into the most intimate, vulnerable moment our daily life such as taking a shit, bringing in our 3G enabled smartphone peering at it 24x7. The usage of Hokkien and all the four digits number sequences appearing on the screen of the phone can also be seen as a jab towards a very Chinese obsession towards numbers especially if it's in 4 digits because of lottery. With that being said, any taker for this "masterpiece" to grace your home?

Then there are a few other exhibits that frankly, give me the creeps such as those that involve babies. From left: babies in munition box, probably on anti-war theme about the innocent death of children in warzone, baby standing upside down and carved into a tree and loads of white babies/humanoid suspended with strings while awash with lights, both of which I can't determine its meaning. Frailty of life?

At one corner is an multimedia projection of various frames onto one screen. The projection starts off relatively harmless with random snapshots of natural scenes in each small frame before actually rounding up with one frame depicting a caterpillar writhing being attacked by swarm of ants while footage of Hitler and Stalin delivering their speech appeared on other frames. On the floor right in front of the benches set up for the projection is chalk writing of people's dream including "日本に行きたい" and "Lovely, I "saw" particles dance! Really..."

In comparison with those mindfuck, what Ernest Zacherevic (of Georgetown murals) offered in this exhibition in tamer such as kids piggybacking and a roast duck made on a rusting steel plate for browning. 

Other exhibits includes an art that has been suspended on the ceiling which can be seen with a corresponding mirror on the floor, portrait of girls posing on a shophouse and sold on Doomsday Discount price of RM18,000,  a psychodelic painting accompanied with various quotes about Quantum theory from Niels Bohr and Richard Feynman, the emo tapirs over Komtar as well as wall of glass shards.

It right about lunch time when I am done with 12 and I am feeling peckish. As I sauntered to Lebuh Chulia wondering where should I go next, I went past Lam Ah Kopitiam located strategically at Beach Street/Chulia Street junction facing directly Chulia Street Fire Station...which immediately reminded me that a famous Beef Koay Teow Thng stall is housed in this kopitiam so make a turn back, ordered my large bowl of Koay Teow Thng and sat down. Manned by a couple of charming ladies (especially the taukeneo who still entertain orders despite being busy with cooking. Must be all the collagen in beef), apparent the stall originates (and still labelled as so on its signboard) from Acheen Street/Lebuh Acheh/打石街 but has been in Lam Ah Kopitiam since 1996. Despite yet again rather steeply priced with RM8 for large bowl, the rich flavour of its soup base and all the beef meats, balls and entrails made up for it. Apparently further research told me that there are at least two other places that lay claim as the best beef kuey teow thng so definitely jotting down for future exploration purpose.

To wrap a cold evening as well as because its Saturday which means Sungai Dua Pasar Malam is on, me and my bro decided to go to the famous corner house bak kut teh for dinner. Miraculously, there are empty seats because usually it's packed to the brim during dinner time every night. Warm herbal pig meats and entrails, yam rice and ginger in soysauce for the soul.

Epilogue: If there's anything that actually came to an end on 21 December, it's the end of the semester. A smart of me do wish the earth spontaneously explodes on that day so that I could end it all but since it didn't, the impending end of my life (on various level of meaning and existence) has to be postponed to a later date...some of which in fact looms way too close for my comfort.