Don't be rash !!

What will you miss?  ----  if you are not careful


(1) The Stone....after it's thrown
(2) The Word...after it's said,
(3) The Occasion...after it's missed, and
(4) The Time...after it's gone.
(5) A person...after they die

THE FINNISH SCHOOL SYSTEM

Both private and public schools are fully subsidised by the government
No school is allowed to charge fees
No standardised testing
Teachers must have masters degree
Teaching as prestigious as law or medicine
Competition fierce to get into university teaching degrees
Takes 18 years to reach top of pay scale
Teachers design their own curricula

THE Gonski report notwithstanding, at last we are hearing some sound commonsense on education in this country.
Queensland and NSW have led the way, slashing funding for schools and teaching across the board. Barry O'Farrell alone is taking $1.7 billion out of NSW public and private schools.
The truth is that far too many Australians are getting far too much education these days. Billions are being wasted. Tertiary study can be left to Chinese and Vietnamese kids, who seem to like it. Other high school leavers should go surfing or backpacking or whatever for a few years, enjoying life before going off to work for Gina Rinehart.
As we have seen just this week, university study can actually be dangerous. There is always the risk of being accosted by some enraged and menacing student politician who wants to punch the wall on either side of your head.

 

How we value education.

Apom Indian paper-flake pancake. Also known simply as Apong in Hokkien. Apong Balik Nyonya foldover pancake. Best in Penang: Apong Guan Bak Kut Teh Pork-rib herbal soup meal. Ban Chien Koay Chinese peanut pancake Bee Koh Moy Black glutinous rice porridge taken as afternoon dessert. Beef Ball Noodles Noodles served with beef balls and minced beef. Available at Ho Ping Beel Ball Noodles, Kampong Malabar Cendol Dessert of green starch-noodle in coconut milk and palm sugar. Best in Penang: Penang Road Teochew Cendol Char Koay Teow Stir Fried Rice Noodles. Available at Gurney Drive Hawker Centre Chee Cheong Fun Steamed flat rice noodle rolls in hae ko (shrimp paste sauce) and huan cheo chiau (chili sauce). Penang version differs from Chee Cheong Fun available elsewhere in the country. Chicken Rice Meal of Hainanese origin of rice cooked in chicken stock, and served with roasted or steamed chicken, or both, on a bed of cucumbers, some times accompanied by beansprouts, spring onions or parsley. Curry Mee Spicy soup of egg noodles and rice noodles with prawns, cockles, beansprouts, pig's blood cubes, soybean puffs, cuttlefish and mint leaves. Best in Penang: Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry Mee Durian Strong smelling seasonal fruit with an acquired taste enjoyed by many people in Penang and elsewhere. Economy Bihun Fried rice noodle fast food. Eu Char Koay Chinese bread sticks taken on their own or with porridge. Fried Oyster Succulent oysters fried in an egg omelette topped with parsley or coriander. Goreng Pisang Deep-fried banana fritters. Gu Bak Koay Teow Beef soup with flat rice noodles. Hokkien Char Hokkien-style fried egg-noodle dish. Har Mee Similar to Hokkien Mee, spicy noodle in prawn-based soup, often with the inclusion of spare ribs. Hokkien Mee Noodle in spicy prawn-based soup topped with fried onion and kangkung (water spinach). Hoo Bak Bihun Fish meat rice noodle soup. Hum Chin Peng Deep-fried yeast dough, some times called the Chinese donut. Jawa Mee Egg noodle in potato-based tomato gravy, topped with sliced boiled eggs, prawns, beancurd, fritters, a sprinkling of toasted grounded peanuts and chilli paste. Koay Kak Chunks of rice cakes fried with eggs, bean sprouts and chye por (preserved vegetable bits). Koay Teow Th'ng Flat rice noodle soup with slices of chicken meat, fish balls, fish cakes, minced meat. Best in Penang: Seri Nibung Cafe, at junction to Taman Seri Nibung. Laksa Fish-based spicy rice noodle soup. Penang version, known elsewhere as Penang laksa, differs greatly from laksa available elsewhere in the country - almost every state has its own version. Lek Tau Thng Nyonya sweet broth made from green beans Loh Bak Mixed dish of deep-fried titbits that may include loh bak (meat rolls), boiled egg, taukua (beancurd), tauhoo (tofu), prawn fritters, octopus, ikan pari (ray) and sausage. Loh Mee Egg noodles and rice noodles in dark starchy broth, with chicken meat, julienne shittake mushroom, chicken feet, and garnished with minced garlic sauce. Mee Goreng Indian fried noodle with fritters, beancurd, egg, prawn, squid, and a dash of lemon. Mee Rebus Indian cooked noodle with fritters, beancurd, egg, prawn, squid, and a dash of lemon. Mee Suah Tau Vermicelli soup with shreded crab meat Mee Udang Malay-style prawn noodle. Best in Penang: Teluk Kumbar Mee Udang Cantik Muah Chee Peanut-coated glutinous rice-balls. Nasi Kandar Meal of Indian Muslim origin of rice served with a variety of self-selected dishes. Best in Penang: Bayan Baru Market Nasi Kandar Nasi Tomato A Malay-style meal of rice cooked in tomato paste and served with a selection of dishes. Or Koay Steamed yam cakes topped with dried shrimp, fried shallots, springonion and slided red chilli. Otak-Otak Steamed fishcake drapped in banana leaves. Pan Mee Flour-based noodle, served either dry and in soup. Pasembur Fried titbits and shreded vegetable salad in sweet-and-spicy sauce. Popiah Teochew-style springroll with a filling comprising turnip, beancurd, egg bits and a dash of chilli paste and sweet sauce Putu Mayong Indian-style steamed rice vermicelli cakes Rojak Mixed fruit salad in prawn-paste sauce. Available at Esplanade Food Court Roti Canai Indian Muslim flatbread Roti Jala Malay-style lacy crepe Sar Hor Fun Broad rice noodle dish. Satay Malaysian-style kebab Tau Sah Pneah Green bean pastry. Wan Tan Mee Egg noodle dish with wonton (Chinese ravioli), barbecued pork and vegetable. Available in dry form and in soup. Best in Penang: Jelutong Market Wanton Mee Yam Rice Rice cooked with yam. Yee Foo Mee Cantonese egg noodles.

Return to Penang Travel Tips Hi there! My name is Tim. Thank you for reading Penang Travel Tips! I created it to share useful information about Penang. There's a thousand and one things about Penang described here. I was a three-term Council Member of Penang Heritage Trust and an avid researcher of Penang history. Whether you are a visitor or a resident, I hope you will find something here that is useful to you. You can find here details on tourist attractions, bus routes, almost every condominium and housing estate in Penang, and even learn to speak the Penang Hokkien. Please feel free to write to me if there's anything about Penang I haven't covered yet, and you'd like me to add. Send me an email and I'll consider it. You can find my email address somewhere on this page or you can also visit my personal website, www.timothytye.com. Do share Penang Travel Tips with your friends and other visitors to Penang in your blog, website, Facebook or Twitter. All information is provided free to help you. Below are some useful topics on Penang.