Two weeks ago, while the Chinese celebrated their New Year in their hometowns, the rest of us celebrated the long holiday in our hometowns, or in my case in Penang where my sister calls home. As is in the past, my visit to Penang will not be complete without a trip to the (in)famous Feringghi Night Market (FNM). My nephews would invariably ask me, “Bila Mak Long nak pi Feringghi?” as then, is their chance to visit the place.
This time, I went with a buddy from KL who was also in Penang visiting her uncle and aunt. Even though Ani was brought up in KL, she and her other sibling are frequent patrons of FNM- much to the wonderment and amazement of their aunt and uncle. The Penangnites really don’t care for FNM. To them, it’s full of fake stuff and a dangerous zone to be in as raids are frequent even though most of the time they are for show only. I once was caught in such a raid, and whilst I was mildly shivering, I was treated with quite a magic show when the dvd stalls before me quickly transform themselves into sunglasses carts in a few blinks of the eye.
Truthfully, I fancy FNM for their ehem, bootlegged DVDs. It’s not that I want to support piracy, but what am I to do, as a fan of good movies, I need to have my DVDs. The vendors in FNM always have what I want, from the latest Oscar contender movies to past years’ titles that you seldom get to see in Malaysian cinemas. And they sell it bloody cheap! RM4 a piece! In KL, the titles are not as varied and the price is double that.
Truthfully, I fancy FNM for their ehem, bootlegged DVDs. It’s not that I want to support piracy, but what am I to do, as a fan of good movies, I need to have my DVDs. The vendors in FNM always have what I want, from the latest Oscar contender movies to past years’ titles that you seldom get to see in Malaysian cinemas. And they sell it bloody cheap! RM4 a piece! In KL, the titles are not as varied and the price is double that.
This time, I learned where to park for free, and more importantly my buddy showed me the shop that gives 2 free dvds for every purchase of 10 units. Other shops only give 1 free dvd. Being the second night into the New Year, a lot of shops were not opened, but lucky for me, the DVD vendors were there. This time, I even found a shop fully manned by Melayu. I figure, temporarily only-lah, whilst the actual owners are enjoying the festivities, maybe overseas.
My buddy didn’t care for DVDs (She still has not watched the 2 dozens DVDs she bought last year). She was looking out for a “patch-work” Coach bag which would cost USD400 if you buy the real thing. Education for you and I: “Coach” is a brand of middle range handbags, not as expensive as LV, but as trendy, nonetheless.
My buddy didn’t care for DVDs (She still has not watched the 2 dozens DVDs she bought last year). She was looking out for a “patch-work” Coach bag which would cost USD400 if you buy the real thing. Education for you and I: “Coach” is a brand of middle range handbags, not as expensive as LV, but as trendy, nonetheless.
In the end, Ani didn’t buy the desired bag as the price and design were not to her liking. (Her rule: do not pay more than RM60 for an imitation bag, no matter how good the quality). Instead, she got herself a white Gucci bag, which price meets her approval. I also chanced upon an Italian tourist very happily buying a Prada bag. Moral of the story: The Italians don’t waste money on hype. I guess the Prada imitation in FNM is as good as the one at home!
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