Practicalities

Pay Penang Parking Ticket online

Once again, I’m revisiting an old post from years ago.  Times change and things improve.  Years ago I wrote about paying for the different parking tickets downtown.  Since that time, the City Council of Penang Island, started a new scratch-off parking coupon system.  (Recently the City Council’s Malay acronym changed from MPPP to MBPP because of a status upgrade from a municipality to a city).  When the new parking ticket system went into effect, the payment window was only in Georgetown, in KOMTAR.  Now, the tickets do list other payment options, like mailing in a check.  What it doesn’t list is the online payment options. So here they are for your information.   Read more…

Banking For Foreign Expatriates In Penang

If you’re looking to explore the opportunities of making Penang your next home, you’ve probably heard about the amazing reasons why a foreign expatriate should consider Living in Penang. However, you will definitely want to know more and compare the various personal banking products and services that are available to you.

So whether you’re looking for a bank with a global reach, to have easy access to ATMs, or looking for personal financing options to help you explore the sights and sounds of Penang, we’ve compiled some of the best choices for you in this quick guide to banking for foreign expatriates in Penang.

First up, we’ll take a look at the foreign and multinational banks, followed by our choice of the best local banks to help you get your personal finances in order when you first arrive in Penang.

The Foreign and Multinational Banks

Citibank Malaysia

Citibank is part of the Citigroup and offers global banking services for foreign expatriates in more than 160 countries worldwide. There are over 11 Citibank branches in Malaysia, and Citibank is the only foreign bank to be rated AAA for 15 years in a row. In Penang itself, Citibank’s main branch is located on Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang and they also have another branch which is located in Bukit Tengah, Seberang Prai.

HSBC Malaysia

HSBC bank is one of the largest banking groups in the world, and HSBC Malaysia is also the largest foreign bank in Malaysia with over 40 branches nationwide. HSBC also has a network of over 6,100 offices in 72 countries across the world. If you are looking for Sharia-compliant banking services, HSBC also offers Islamic banking services via HSBC Amanah.

In Penang, HSBC has three branches with its main branch located on Downing Street being one of the oldest bank branches in the country.

Standard Chartered Bank

Standard Chartered is also one of the oldest foreign banks in Malaysia and its first branch opened its doors in 1875 in Penang, on Beach Street. Today, Standard Chartered has three branches in Penang with over 40 branches located nationwide in Malaysia. For Islamic banking services, you can also choose to open an account with their subsidiary, Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad.

The Local and Regional Banks

Maybank

Maybank is Malaysia’s largest financial services group and is the fourth largest bank in Southeast Asia. It has a global network of 2,200 offices in over 20 countries and in Malaysia; Maybank has over 400 branches with 2,600 ATMs and self-service terminals across the country. In Penang, Maybank has over 32 branches and over 90 ATMs across the island and Butterworth.

CIMB Bank

CIMB Bank is one of the largest banking groups in Southeast Asia and has over 1,080 offices across the ASEAN region with more than 290 branches, plus over 2,200 ATMs and self-service terminals in Malaysia. CIMB also operates in 17 global markets and there are over 30 branches and 59 ATMs for CIMB Bank in Penang.

Public Bank

Public Bank is one of the largest banks in Malaysia, with over 180 branches and 1,800 ATMs and self-service terminals. Public Bank’s presence in Penang is spread out over 21 branches and more than 50 ATMs across the state.

There also other banks that offer their services in Penang, such as UOB, OCBC, Scotiabank, Kuwait Finance House and the Bank of China that you may want to consider during your time here in Penang.

Online and Mobile Banking

If you’re not keen on having to brave the seemingly endless queues at the bank, online or mobile banking is a great alternative that gives you the option of hassle-free banking at your convenience.

In Malaysia, there are over 18.8 million online banking (31 banks) and 6.6 mobile banking (13 banks) subscribers* who enjoy the convenience of banking on the go or from the privacy of their homes via the Internet.

The number of online banking subscribers in Malaysia has grown over 90% in the last five years and the banks in Malaysia have made it even easier for you to settle your bills, transfer funds and apply for credit cards and personal loans online.

*Source: Bank Negara Malaysia: “Malaysia’s Payment Statistics – Internet Banking and Mobile Banking Subscribers”

Whatever your final choice might be, we’re confident that you’ll come to enjoy the amazing lifestyle that only Penang can offer you in Southeast Asia. Selamat datang and enjoy your stay!

This guest post by Michael Vincent Mislos.  Find him on twitter @mmichaels_21

HypnoBirthing in Penang

There are many expats in Penang who have had babies while they were living here. We’ve had one, and we’re about to have another. There is a Certified HypnoBirthing Practitioner who works in Penang. Her name is Jaye Chan. She agreed to an online interview to help us understand what HypnoBirthing is and where in Penang we can find her services.

It is a pleasure to get to know you, Jaye. Let’s get started.

1) What is HypnoBirthing ^® and how is it better than conventional birth practices?

HypnoBirthing ^® is as much a philosophy of birth as it is a technique for achieving a satisfying, relaxing, and stress-free birth. Unlike conventional birth practices, which often marginalize the mother by distrusting her natural birthing ability and usher her into an anxious and restless mode by being so highly dependent on machinery and drugs and relying on unnecessary protocols and practices that are less effective and less humane, in HypnoBirthing ^®, we see birth as natural, normal and healthy, with a natural rhythm and flow. When a healthy woman, carrying a healthy baby, experiencing a healthy labour, trusting birth, is free of fear, is undisturbed and is appropriately relaxed, her body will function normally without pain or incident. HypnoBirthing ^® teaches you to release all prior programming about birth, to free yourself of limiting thoughts and emotions, and embrace the amazing ability of your body to birth your baby naturally, easily and comfortably. The techniques you will learn allow you to stay in control and calm during labour and birth and works very effectively with all types of birth – natural or surgical.

2) Am I giving up control when I am under hypnosis?

Although there are many misconceptions and misinformation about hypnosis, you are definitely not unconscious during self-hypnosis. When giving birth with HypnoBirthing ^®, you will be conversant and in good spirits – deeply relaxed, but fully in control. You will be able to decide the extent to which you feel the sensation. You will experience your birthing calmly and relaxed, with your body’s natural anesthesia (endorphins) replacing the stress hormones that cause pain. When it is time for your baby to be born, you will be fully awake, aware and involved.

3) What is the process for having a HypnoBirthing ^® birth?  How far in advance do I need to prepare?

It is always better to prepare yourself as early as possible to ensure a positive outcome. When opting for a HypnoBirthing ^® birth experience, your body and mind need to be optimally conditioned, so that when the time comes, you can effectively enter into a deep relaxation state, which will bring your body into harmony with the birthing rhythm and the orchestration of your birthing hormones, making your birthing calmer, safer and easier. Hence, it is important to attend a HypnoBirthing ^® course to increase your chances of having a successful HypnoBirthing ^® birth. There are special breathing, relaxation and visualization techniques, meditative practice, attention to nutrition and positive body toning exercises that can be learned. Most importantly, it fosters an air of mutual respect for the birthing family, as well as the health-care provider in a conventional health-care system or an alternative setting. All this knowledge can help you in your preparation to have a beautiful HypnoBirthing ^® birth.

4) Where can I read more about HypnoBirthing ^®?

For more information on HypnoBirthing ^®, you can visit the official website www.hypnobirthing.com, or you can grab a book “Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method” authored by Marie F.Mongan.

5) How can I find you, Jaye, online to ask more questions and to hire you?

You can find me through my website www.gentlebirthmalaysia.com, or you can also contact me through my Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/jayechan, or through the Hypnobirthing in Malaysia Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/hypnobirthinginmalaysia.

US Consular Officer coming to Penang

This came in from the US Embassy Kuala Lumpur. 

The U.S. Embassy in Malaysia is pleased to announce that a Consular Officer will be traveling to Penang to provide limited service in the area on January 28 2015 from 9am to 12pm.  During this visit, the officer will be able to provide notary services and take U.S. passport applications back to the Embassy for final processing.  Appointments are required.  Please email [email protected] to schedule your appointment.  We will provide information on the venue and required fees for each service when we confirm your appointment.

Appointments needed for American Consular Services

Americans take note

There is a new online appointment system for the American Citizen Services unit at the US Embassy in KL.  The new system kicked in at the start of 2015.  This is for non emergency services.  Those include

• notary services
• passport services
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (see my past experience)

The exact procedure is on the Embassy website.  Also included is a list of things you can and cannot bring in.  Finally there’s a link at the bottom to the online form that you can fill out to get an appointment.   There’s also a online form to fill out to cancel your existing appointment.

You can also contact the American Citizen Services section during normal business hours.  Phone: 03 2168 4979 or 4997.  I’ve found that they are very responsive on their email line [email protected].

I’m excited about the change.  I think this will speed up the wait time when we go to register our next baby’s birth.

Anyone used the new system yet?

Labuan Offshore Company work permit renewal

It’s been some time since I wrote an update about how it has been going having a Labuan Offshore Company.  The first one was my How to article for incorporating a Labuan Offshore Company.  And I wrote one about Why you should have a Labuan Offshore Company.

I’ve reached the end of my first two years of my work permit and it was time to renew.  This is the work permit visa that is pasted into my passport and the dependent passes that are pasted into the passports of my wife and children.  And here’s what happened.   Read more…

List of International Schools around Kuala Lumpur

As a service to friends looking for information about International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, here’s the results of several hours of research. I am quite shocked at the number of schools I was able to find.  There are 45 on this list, and growing.  The largest list anywhere else on the web doesn’t even get to 30.  I want to keep this list as complete as possible, so if there are any schools not listed, please let me know by plugging your school in the comments below. I will be sure to add your listing to the main list as well.

The list of International schools in Penang can be found here as well.

Alice Smith International School

Alnoor International School

How to use the MPPP Parking coupons in Penang

After a few false starts the MPPP (Municipal Council of Penang ) is finally in operation.  As Penang Momma put it, I hope you enjoyed your one month of free parking in Georgetown because the officials are out there looking for parking violations now.  Tweets were going the first day of operation warning people to get the coupons on their dashboards.

Here’s a quick How To guide for using the system.

Buying the cards

I stopped in the Caltex in Tanjung Bungah and they said “Yes we have them, but the guy who sells them is not here.” I was told that most 7-eleven outlets would have the cards. That was bad information, as I popped into two different 7-elevens and they did not. Fortunately, the Happy Mart next door did have them.

The first time I bought them they came in packs of green and orange tickets for RM 6. The Green coupons are worth RM.40 and are good for 30 minutes of parking. The Orange coupons are worth RM 0.80 and are good for an hour.

The second time I bought these tickets it cost me RM 4 and it had 10 green tickets. I think that’s actually better for most people.

Scratch the date and time

Using a coin or a key, or if situations warrant it, your fingernail, scratch off the year, month, day, hour and minute. The card says that if you make a mistake during this time you forfeit that particular card. I have made a mistake with my card once. I scratched the wrong hour. I risked it and scratched off another hour mark. Now I didn’t get a parking citation, but perhaps I should have been wiser and thrown away that particular card.

If you are using multiple cards, scratch off times that are appropriate. So, if you are parking at noon, and you’ll stay for 2 hours, scratch off 1pm on the second card.

Placement of MPPP Parking Coupon

Once you’ve scratched off the right times and dates on your parking coupon, put them on your dashboard in front of your steering wheel, where the parking attendant can come by and inspect it. If you have more than one parking coupon make sure they are all visible from outside. Then lock your car.

When the time is up on those coupons, they are done; invalid. You can’t reuse them. You’ll just have to throw them away.

If you forget and get a citation

The fines are paid at KOMTAR in Georgetown. The cost of a single parking citation is RM 30, but someone told me that you can get it down to RM 15 if you show up in the first seven days of the ticket.

Since the cost is both time and money, it seems like it would be better to just use the RM 0.80 parking coupons rather than have to go downtown to settle a violation.

Anyone had to go pay? How was your experience?

Kidland Penang Field Trip

We went to Kidland Penang with a large group of homeschoolers this week.  It was an incredible place for fun, adventure, learning, and fun.  Our community of homeschooling families has periodic opportunities like this.  Interested in joining us some time, like the Living in Penang Facebook page and let me know that you want to be included in the next outing.

Read more…

Field Trip: Serba Wangi Rice Mill in Kedah

I’ve mentioned it before that we are a homeschooling family.  Our kids aren’t enrolled in any of the (many) international schools in Penang.  We are hooked into the Distance Learning Resource Centre at Dalat International School which is a great opportunity for anyone who is homeschooling in Penang.  One of the big benefits to this program is the opportunity to connect with the other families that are registered with DLRC.  This past August one of the moms organized a field trip to Kedah and we were grateful to be part of it.

This post is being linked up to the Hip Homeschool Moms link up party.  They are collecting field trips around the world that homeschoolers can find.  Readers who have found this post through that website might also be interested in our field trips to

• A local organic goat farm
• A Batik Factory
• The Royal Selangor School of Hard Knocks – where we made our own pewter ice cream bowls
• and more to come

Read more…