The Street Art of Penang Island

Posted Jan 2, 2014 by Shawn Tan & filed under Art, Travel.

What is a Penang road trip without visiting the famous street art of Penang? The street art craze in Penang was first initiated by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic after he did a couple of wall paintings all across historical Georgetown, and soon after that, anyone that visits Penang makes it a point to visit the paintings and have a picture with them. These wall paintings have definitely added a new lease of life and also fresh colorful character to the already culture-ful city.

There’s so many street art all around Georgetown, and we did not really have the time to visit all of them during our short visit to the island. So we visited the wall paintings that Ernest Zacharevic drew which sorta started it all. These paintings are situated around Chulia Street & Armenian Street.

Even if you have seen the paintings in pictures like a thousand times, nothing beats the experience of seeing it in person. So don’t forget to mark this as one of your must-visit-spots in Penang, and have a look at the awesome street art by yourself! For more information, just head over to Tourism Penang’s Website.

“Little Children on a Bicycle” located at Armenian Street.

Ernest’s Neighbour, a famous wooden clogs painter, Mr. Ng Chai Tiam located at Armenian Street Art Cafe

“Reaching Up” located at Cannon Street.

“Children on the Swing” located in an alleyway off Chulia Street.

“Sister and Brother Playing Basketball” located at Gat Lebuh Chulia.

“Love Me Like Your Fortune Cat” located at Armenian Street Ghaut.

“Skippy Comes to Penang and The Giant Rat” located at Armenian Street Ghaut.

“I Can Help Catch Rats” located at alleyway along Armenian Street.

*All photos are taken by iPhone 5 and processed by vscocam.

Everyday’s a Pik Nik

Posted Jan 1, 2014 by Shawn Tan & filed under Food, Travel.

To continue on our road trip to Penang Island, we stopped by one of the current best “lepak” place in town – Pik Nik . We gotta say, it’s a very cozy and homely cafe. The lightings, couches, pillows, just gives you that “I’m Home” feeling. The founder of the place is a graphic design graduate, which explains why the whole restaurant is just filled with graphic art throughout the cafe.

If you wanna take a break from all the Nasi Kandars and Char Kuey Teows of Penang Island, this should be one of the spots in your to-visit list. Menu wise, they serve a variety of food from western to Malaysian cuisine. East-Meets-West fusion cuisine is also something to look forward to at this cafe. And not forgetting the pretty sinful desserts too.

Price point wise, pretty reasonable. Lets just say we walked out of there with very filled tummies but without holes in our pockets. Oh, and there’s no service charge nor government tax. The cafe itself is located at 15, Nagore Road, Penang. It is open from 3pm to 12am on the weekdays, and to 2am on weekends. Please note that they’re closed on every tuesday.

It’s pretty hard for us to explain how the cafe vibes through words, so we shall let the pictures do the talking, or better still, head there for yourself! For more info on Pik Nik, do visit their Facebook Page.

“Spicy Kimchi Spaghetti”

“Dori Dori Fish”

“Signature Waffle Combo”

“Salmon Roll”

“Miss Strawberry Ice Cream Waffle”

MASSES’s Top 5 Happenings of 2013

Posted Dec 31, 2013 by Bryan & filed under Features.

It’s THAT time of the year again where people make new year’s resolution for the upcoming year, and most of the time you set goals for yourselves to achieve in the following year. It is always good to look forward to the future, but sometimes it is good for us to look back and analyze the good and the bad, and learn from it. That is why we decided to come up with this list of top 5 happenings, which WE THINK made a huge impact on our scene and society. Check it out and let us know what you think of our list in the comments section.

5. The BRED 1s brought all the boys to the yard

We are unclear whether or not all the hype for the Air Jordan 1 BREDs were because it is sorta like the last big drop for the year from the Jordan Brand, or whether the shoe is just that damn irresistible, but the pair took the queuing culture in Malaysia to the next level. The shoe dropped on the 28th of December, which is a Saturday, but people were already queuing on Thursday afternoon. So, even though this just happened last week, but this happening definitely earns a spot on our top 5.

4. “Kicks On” definitely Kicked Ass

22th September 2013 was definitely a day to remember. More than a 1000 pairs of shoe were on display, more than a 1000 pairs were on sale on that day and a few thousand sneakerheads laced up and turned up for Malaysia’s largest sneaker convention. Sneakerheads from around the region came too. Definitely a great day for the sneaker scene in Malaysia which earns it the number 4 spot from us.

3. Roy has balls of steel

We literally mean balls of steel. To be able to cycle 7000km++ throughout Europe, Ayin Ismeil aka Roy definitely has balls of steel, and also the guts to back it up. The trip took him 6 months throughout 12 countries in Europe, and he had only 300Euros in his pocket for the entire time. He slept on the road side, cooked his own food, crashed on random people’s couches, and the best part was he came back with an extra 20Euros. Mad respect to this Malaysian hero that truly embodies the “Malaysia Boleh” spirit.

2. Malaysia’s streetwear scene got “Brandwashed”

You all have to admit it, Mr. Brandwashed really did make a huge impact on our streetwear scene. Supporters, haters and trolls congregated at the @brandwashed_ Instagram handle to see what Mr. Brandwashed had to say about on a daily basis. The comments on a post can sometimes reach up till a few hundred. People created fake accounts just to troll the brands. The account had more than a thousand followers in less than a week. But underneath all that hate and trolling, the Instagram account is very educational and it definitely opened up a lot of eyes to the issue of #PARODYorPIRACY and that is why it has earned the number 2 spot on our list.

1. The word “HAVOC” got it’s own hashtag

You gotta say kudos to our one and only Joe Flizzow for making such a tragic word in meaning, sound so damn cool. And also each time you hear anyone say “Subang Jaya”, you gonna automatically say “ada gaya”. ADMIT IT! you do it too right?! Buses with #HAVOC printed on them, people hashtagging their tweets, instagram post and FB updates with #HAVOC, a parody video of his own song, crazy airtime on the radio, performances at major events.You name it, Joe wreaked #HAVOC everywhere, even right up to the mineral bottles that you buy from your grocery store. Joe Flizzow took music marketing to a whole new level and definitely showed our homegrown artist how it should be done. Joe Flizzow did not just create a song, he created a culture, and that is why he and #HAVOC is taking the top spot for our list this year.

With that said, we would like to use our last post of 2013 to thank all of our readers, brand owners, people from various scenes, thank you all for an amazing year for us! We couldn’t have done it without each and everyone of you! We hope that you all will continue to support us as we embark on bigger things in 2014. Cheers to a great year ahead!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Jin Hackman – 2013 Malaysian Rap Up

Posted Dec 31, 2013 by Bryan & filed under Entertainment.

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And that my friends, is how you wrap up the year! We would also like to thank Jin Hackman and the guys of TapauTV for giving us a chance to cameo in the video. Enjoy!

#2013RAPUPMY

The Casp – Third Batch Delivery

Posted Dec 30, 2013 by Bryan & filed under Fashion.

The Casp is based out of Shah Alam and was established in 2012. They initially started out as a photography studio where they provided their services as photographers and also rent out their white studio. The studio’s name is Create Aperture Studio Photographic, which is how they got their name for CASP, which is a much easier name to remember. Along the way they got an idea to start their own clothing label and that is how The Casp was born.

Here in their third batch delivery, they have released 4 designs which is the Monochrome, Scriptwriter, Chaos and Medusa II. Get in touch with them on their Facebook page and also follow them on their Instagram ( @thecasp ) to be up to date with their happenings.

Gifted Clothing – Seek & Recruit Holiday ’13

Posted Dec 27, 2013 by Bryan & filed under Fashion.

Continuing their “Seek & Recruit” campaign, Gifted Clothing is back to seek and recruit the gifted during their Holiday ’13 release. The brand releases some pretty winter-ish items for their latest release which features beanies and some sweatshirts. On top of that, some of the designs do resemble snowflakes. We definitely feeling the holiday spirits in this release.

Add them on their Facebook page and also do follow them on their Instagram ( @giftedclothingmy ) to get more of their latest updates. But before you do that, check out the full lookbook for the release.

Hood By Air for Yo’Hood 2013 Holiday “BLACK XMAS” Collection

Posted Dec 27, 2013 by Bryan & filed under Fashion.

Originally released at Shanghai’s Yo’Hood trade show earlier this year, and since then many hypebeast were left wanting for more. Luckily for them, and in the spirit of Christmas, Hood By Air has released the ‘BLACK XMAS” collection which drops today at JUICE KL.

The range is inspired by HBA’s usual black aesthetic which includes a pair of layered sweats and six long-sleeves tee that feature the signatory large HBA logo printed on the sleeves other parts of the tee. Comes in white, grey and of course, black. Each colorway has their own name and theme, which is “IT MAKES ME SICK IT’S XMAS IN THE AIR” for the white, “I AM FEELING GREY IT’S XMAS IN THE AIR” for the grey, and “BLACK XMAS, XMAS IN THE AIR” for the black.

This release is a JUICE exclusive release so be sure to pop by JUICE KL store in Bangsar and check it out. For more updates, do add them up on their Facebook page or follow them on Instagram ( @juicekl ).

Macbeth – Tom Delonge “Fischer” & Switchfoot “London” Launch

Posted Dec 27, 2013 by Bryan & filed under Sneakers.

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Macbeth Malaysia will be launching 2 special pair of shoes this coming Saturday. The first pair would be the Switchfoot “London” pair which is the band’s 2nd collaboration pair with the brand. The pair features a cool insole that uses the band’s latest album art for the album “Fading West”.

The 2nd pair that will be launched is for the Macbeth’s co-founder, Tom Delonge. This pair dubbed “Fischer”, is designed by Tom himself which spots an old school runner-like silhouette with that features insole art that is out of this world. The drawings you see in the insole and also in the teaser video is drawn by Tom’s best friends.

Head on over to 17Gallery, in Subang Jaya this coming Saturday at 3pm for the launch party as it will definitely be a rocking one with special performances by “One Buck Short” and “Eat Shit And Die” in the store itself. Yes you heard that right, 2 rock bands in a shoe shop.

Penang Hill

Posted Dec 26, 2013 by Shawn Tan & filed under Travel.

When we talk about the beautiful Penang Island, it’s always about the food. However, this time we’re trying to show y’all some other side of Penang besides all the “Char Kuey Teow” and “Nasi Kandar”. We headed up to Penang Hill! It is one of the Island’s landmark and featured attraction. Well known for it’s cool climate, and the panoramic view of Georgetown. If you’re tired of living in the concrete jungle, Penang Hill is definitely a nice place for you to escape to from your stressful life, and for you to refresh your mind.

There’s two way to get up here, one is by hiking, and another one is by taking the train. Obviously, being the typical lazy Malaysians that we are, we chose to take the train. It is open from 6.30am to 7pm on the weekdays and to 9pm on the weekends and public holidays. We were there around 7am in the morning as it wasn’t that crowded yet, so we did not have to wait to take the train. When we finally get up there, the view is just simply breathtaking, and there’s also some places for you to hang around, such as the Owl Museum, Cliff Cafe, David Brown Garden to name a few.

There’s a saying that “You have not really been to Penang, if you have not been to Penang Hill” , so next time when you’re in Penang Island, make sure to make a trip up to Penang Hill, and take in the view by yourself. For more information, please check out Penang Hill’s official website . In the meantime, enjoy some of the pictures of our trip up the hill.

Super Duper – New Generation Collection

Posted Dec 25, 2013 by Bryan & filed under Fashion.

One of the most basic form of t-shirt designs is the white print on a black t-shirt. Definitely one of the best combination for t-shirts. And the Gothic Glam trend is one that makes full use of that, which is why it is such a huge trend right now. Here in Super Duper’s latest release, the “New Generation” collection, they follow in the footsteps of many international Gothic Glam brands and employ big white prints on black t-shirts.

Hailing from Sandakan, Sabah, Super Duper released 4 different designs that features huge, drippy and bold typeface which is executed in a very simple and straightforward manner, yet having a cool factor to it. Check out the lookbook of the collection below.

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