FREE COPY ISSUE 10 | JUN 2013
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KDN : PP17797/06/2012(032765) MICA : MICA(P) 155/08/2012
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Tuck in @ Chang Man for some delicious favourites!
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came here at the invitation of the owner Adrian Ooi as they opened for business recently. There was already a steady stream of customers at the restaurant on a Monday morning. I guess this is partly because Chang Man serves Dim sum, chicken rice, char siew rice and Hor fun which are familiar staples that are usually in demand, and more importantly, the food here is good. We tasted some of the Dim sum, chicken/ char siew rice and Hor fun and it was obvious that a lot of effort had been put in, to create good food for customers. Their seafood soup dumpling is also a lovely treat here as it was delicious and there was a small piece of shark’s fin in it. Coming to their Dim sums, their crab roe siew mai is simply superb. Made with chopped pork and fresh shrimps topped with crab roe, it has an excellent mouth feel and flavour. This is a Must Try! Chang Man’s shrimp dumpling soup Hor fun is also another must try as the soup is made with bone stock and was tasty and has an umami flavour! That dash of secret yellowish sauce on top was savoury and seemed to be made with salted egg. Overall, their shrimp
dumplings are made well, fresh, succulent yet bouncy and crunchy with nice “prawnysweet” flavour. I also loved trying their fried carrot cake. It is made with lots of radish, so it is tastier and softer than the ordinary version made mostly with flour. The restaurant also serves chicken rice set at RM6.00. The steamed chicken is made with ordinary farm chicken, yet it has a tender texture and flavour of a good kampung chicken. The rice that came with the chicken and char siew was very lightly coated with fragrant chicken oil. The grains were separate and (very) slightly nutty. The accompanying fresh chilli was mildly spicy and tangy. As for their char siew, they were a really good blend of caramelised outer layer, juicy fat and tender lean meat. Do not give this place a miss! Restaurant name: Chang Man (Hong Kong Dim Sum, Chicken Rice, Hor Fun) Address: 24G, Jalan Bestari 5/2, Taman Nusa Bestari, Skudai, Johor Bahru Parking: Ample free parking at location Hours: 8:00am to 8:00pm (Closed on alternate Fridays) Non-Halal
Buz Walker-Teach: Capturing Johor Bahru’s Cultural Heritage on Ink
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merican artist and graphic design lecturer at Raffles University Iskandar (RUI), Buz Walker-Teach is highly passionate about capturing Johor Bahru’s cultural heritage. He actively seeks out historical sites and buildings that may be threatened by urban redevelopment, and races against time to create a visual record by capturing images of these sites on ink before they vanish. Buz is a talented visual artist, illustrator, graphic designer and design entrepreneur. He operated a successful commercial graphic design and art studio in California, USA, for twenty-one years before his search for new adventures led him to Asia. Buz re-located to Asia in 1995. Since then, he has been teaching and sharing his passion for art in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Buz is credited with establishing the Sacramento Illustrator’s Guild (California, USA), where he also served as President for three years. He is a published artist and his works have been exhibited in numerous gallery group shows in Singapore. He is wellknown among the painting, drawing and sketching groups in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Buz’s unique background allows him to balance being both a practicing artist as well as an art educator. With his vast experience in graphic design, art-related fields, advertising and marketing, Buz hopes to meet and exceed
the creative and learning needs of his students at RUI. The Iskandarian talked to Buz about his passion and experiences as an American artist in Asia. What is Graphic Design? There are many different definitions of Graphic Design. In essence, it is the practice or profession of designing print or electronic forms of visual information for use in an advertisement, publication, or on a website. It is a way for human beings to visually communicate information and messages, through a combination of words and images/ pictures. What are the different drawing techniques and media? Drawing is usually thought of in terms of pencil, pen and ink media. However, sketching outside can be done through a variety of media - watercolours, markers, or pastel. In this day and age, I have even witnessed artists sketching digitally on their i-Pads. When I first started keeping sketchbooks, I mostly drew with pencils but now I prefer working with permanent ink pens, then adding watercolour pencils to create a colour wash to enhance the degree of realism and permanence. Why draw when you can just take a picture?
When I draw an object, a person or a place, it involves an exercise in observation. I have to study it closely and thus I become acquainted with it. I may see intricate details and nuances that do not show up on photographs. I believe such scrutiny and highlighting make my sketches much more unique and interesting. When I look back at my sketch books of the past sixteen years, I still have profound memories about the subject itself, as well as the situation, the surrounding ambience and the emotions I felt as I did the drawing. In addition to the drawing process being highly experiential, it is also very therapeutic. As an American artist in Asia, I have been very privileged to draw at the Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, Raffles Hotel in Singapore, heritage shophouses in Penang and Johor Bahru, Mount Fuji in Japan. I have also sketched Filipinos donning traditional dress in the Philippines. These are priceless moments that I will cherish forever. What are the subjects or themes that inspire your drawings? I enjoy drawing buildings, landscapes and figurative subjects. A good example of some of these can be found in my favourite sketching areas located around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Dhoby in Johor Bahru, where historical buildings still stand and traditional trades continue to flourish.
Lately, I have been attracted to old buildings and objects where the details of chipped paint, rust, mould, and broken parts create interesting patterns of “accidental design”. These “designs” provide a highly unique character to the subjects. What are some of the challenges or interesting situations that you have encountered during your drawing sessions? As an outdoor sketcher in Asia, one always has to deal with the heat, humidity and rain. In addition, one is also susceptible to attacks by mosquitoes and other insects. Nevertheless, it all becomes “part of the experience”. I have also encountered many interesting people who stopped to watch, chat and even take pictures of me drawing! They are surprised to find a foreigner sketching on the streets of Asia. Once I was caught off-guard by a sudden tropical rainstorm while sketching at an ancient and isolated temple site in Indonesia. I quickly took cover inside the temple and it dawned on me that I was the only person there. Time seemed to stand still as I stood in that large shadowy stone hall that had been so wellpreserved for over 400 years. It was a timeless, surreal and slightly unnerving experience that I will never forget. A collection of Buz’s drawings may be found on-line: www.flickr.com/photos/buzwalker