Penang

2 weeks ago we went back to Malaysia to attend my wife's cousin's wedding held in Penang. We spent 3 nights there and managed to catch up with many of our relatives who live in Penang, and also those who turned up to attend the wedding.

Penang is an island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It was also called "The Garden of the Orient". The name "Penang" comes from the modern Malay name Pulau Pinang, which means island of the betel nut tree (Areca catechu).

Here are some interesting facts about Penang:

Top 10 of Penang's Firsts

1. Penang became the first British outpost in the then Malaya and South East Asia in 1786.
2. Penang Free School founded in 1816, is the first and oldest English School in South East Asia.
3. St George's Anglican Church on Farquhar Street, established in 1816, is the oldest Anglican Church in South East Asia and the only building from Penang that was declared one of the 50 National Treasures by the Malaysian Government.
4. The Sekolah Kebangsaan Gelugor in Penang founded in 1826 is the first Malay school to be established in Malaysia.
   
5. Convent Light Street or the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, a girls' school established by a French Sisters' Mission in 1852, is the oldest girls' school in South East Asia.
6. Chung Hwa Confucian School founded by Cheong Fatt Tze in 1904, was one of the oldest formal Chinese Schools established in South-east Asia.
7. The Municipal Council of Penang Island (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang), is the successor of the Municipal Council of George Town, which was established in 1857 as Malaysia's first local authority.
8. The Penang Turf Club, established in 1864, is Malaysia's oldest horse racing and equestrian centre.
9. Standard Chartered Bank, the oldest bank in Malaysia, opened its doors in 1875.
10. Malaysia's oldest Chinese newspaper still in circulation today, Kwong Wah Yit Poh or Kwong Wah Daily (光华日报) was founded on 20 December 1910 by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen in Penang.
    

Top 10 Famous Penangites (People born in Penang):

1. Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia's fifth and current Prime Minister.
2. Alleycats, Popular Malaysian band formed in the 1960s.
3. Anwar Ibrahim, the ex-Deputy Prime Minister during Tun Dr Mahathir's administration. He is currently the Parti KeADILan Rakyat (PKR) adviser and its de-facto leader.
4. Chin Fung Kee, a well known authority in geotechnical engineering who designed the Penang Bridge.
5. Jimmy Choo, the famous shoe designer.
6. Eddy Choong, the four-time All England badminton champion.
7. Nicol David, the international women's squash champion. She is currently ranked No. 1 in the world (April 2007).
8. Lee Chong Wei, currently ranked No.2 badminton player in the world. (February 24, 2008)
9. Loh Boon Siew, a tycoon famous for his Boon Siew Honda.
10. Lillian Too, feng shui consultant and best-selling author of feng shui books.