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Irish Insights Published by Penang Irish Association (PIA), a non-profit association of Irish and friends of Ireland living in and around Penang. A vibrant organisation that celebrates all things Irish.
The blending of skills which go into the production of each issue of 'Irish Insights' makes it a joy to work with.
By Keith Hockton
Cover design by Keith Hockton
Book layout by Adrian Cheah
Kuala Lumpur has fallen. Barbed wire cuts the city in two, and Doris van der Stratten finds herself imprisoned in a world where every kindness is suspect, and every silence hides a threat. As war drags her from comfort into captivity, Doris must navigate a maze of suspicion, violence, and impossible choices.
Wazir Jahan Karim, Editor
Cover design and layout by Adrian Cheah
Designing "Timeless Penang: Tradition in Transition" was a journey as rewarding as it was challenging. From the outset, I wanted the visual design to echo the spirit of the book: vibrant, textured, and deeply rooted in Penang’s cultural and historical richness.
Author: Mike Gibby
Cover design and layout by Adrian Cheah
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Mike Gibby, the author of "Penang Confidential", on three of his previous books. Each time, I have been impressed by his dedication to meticulous research and his passion for bringing his books to life. However, "Penang Confidential" stands out as a particularly exceptional and thorough work that exemplifies Mike's constant dedication to penning a gripping narrative.
Author: Quah Seng Sun
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah
Cover painting by Khoo Cheang Jin
In 1923, a group of high-profile individuals which included personalities such as Yeoh Guan Seok, Khoo Sian Ewe, Quah Beng Kee and Harold Cheeseman established The Old Frees’ Association, an organisation for former students and teachers of Penang Free School. The Association reaching its 100th anniversary in 2023 is indeed a milestone. The journey has been marked by resilience in the face of adversity: from surviving the ravages of the Second World War to enduring fires on its premises. Yet, amidst the trials, there have been moments of triumph as well. Notably, the Association played a pivotal role in giving Hutchings School its name, as well as supporting Penang Free School during its Sesquicentenary celebration in 1966 and Bicentenary in 2016. As The Old Frees’ Association reaches its own landmark Centenary in 2023, the occasion is commemorated with a book that reflects upon the Association’s legacy of the past century of years.
A Novel of Late 18th Century Penang
E.S. Alexander
Book cover design by Adrian Cheah
What would you risk to avoid obscurity?
Malaya, 1788.
Aspiring journalist Jim Lloyd jeopardises his future in ways he never could have imagined. He risks his wealthy father’s wrath to ride the coat-tails of Captain Francis Light, an adventurer governing the East India Company’s new trading settlement on Penang.
Quah Seng Sun
Book design and layout by Adrian Cheah
Cover design by Peta Yeap Liew Shih
Preface
A great part of my working life has been spent in the banking industry. In particular, 23 years of a total 24 were in the employment of Ban Hin Lee Bank Berhad, from 1977 till 2000.
Mike Gibby
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah
From the first colonists to the towkays and millionaires of modern Malaysia, a bungalow on Penang Hill has always been an aspiration and a dream. How better to confirm one’s position in society, than with a home at the top of the Hill?
Book review by Andrea Filmer
The Star, Monday, 26 July 2021
Even with the country in lockdown, Balik Pulau has continued to receive a steady stream of visitors.
Coming in from the long, winding roads that connect the old town with the rest of Penang island, travellers now are not heading for the durian estates or famous laksa stalls.
Rather, most have their attention on their GPS devices, trying to make their way to the mega vaccination centre (PPV) at the Balik Pulau Sports Complex that has been administering hundreds of Covid-19 vaccines daily to those living in the state’s south-west district.
Nadia H. Wright
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah, ACEK Creative Solutions
So small a community: so great a legacy!
Fewer than 750 Armenians have ever lived in Singapore, yet St Gregory’s Church, Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, the Straits Times newspaper and Raffles Hotel owe their existence to the pioneering Persian Armenians.
Who were these Armenians, what did they do and what happened to them?
This book throws light on those questions.
By Marcus Langdon, with photographs from the Robert Hussey Collection
Cover design and book layout by Adrian Cheah
Designing Pritchard’s of Penang
This year, I had the privilege of designing and laying out an extraordinary book, "Pritchard’s of Penang: Enterprise, Secession, and Murder". It will be launched at the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF). Scheduled for 28 November 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., this long-awaited title by historian Marcus Langdon brings to life a fascinating chapter of Penang’s past.
By Leela Devi Panikar
Cover design by Shanta Ranee and Esina Ranee
Book layout by Adrian Cheah
This simple novel portrays depths of human relationships. As the novel progresses, we get to meet fascinating characters with interesting identities. The author shows intense empathy. We see fusion of the older and confusion of the younger. But soon the confusion unfurls, portraying a cultural difference and defiance. Changes occur, a new assertive identity emerges.
By Mike Gibby
Cover design and book layout by Adrian Cheah
Designing "The Man Who Built a Castle"
I have had the pleasure of working with Mike Gibby on three of his remarkable books: "In the Best of Company: Postcards from the Hajj" (2019), "The Bungalows of Penang Hill" (2020), and "Penang Confidential" (2023). Every time I work with Mike, I come away with a deeper appreciation for the art of storytelling. He is a brilliant writer, a thorough researcher, and an intuitive photographer. His books take readers on captivating journeys through time’s passageways, places, and the heart of human experiences.
Author: Yin
Cover design and layout by Adrian Cheah
I had to lay out 45 poems within a 104-page book for a good friend, who pens under the pseudonym Yin. When I first received the draft, I could not put it down. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting, stirring up a well of emotions. As I laid the last page down, I could only marvel at the depth of love Yin had for this late wife. I quickly grabbed my phone and congratulated him on an amazing book. I also told him that I would consider myself extremely lucky if I could love my wife as much as he loved his.
Author: Anwar Fazal
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah
This book honours the legacy the experience of a local and global leader, Anwar Fazal, expressed through poetry. Anwar has received the Right Livelihood Award popularly known as “the Alternative Noble Prize”.
Anwar Fazal often called “The Multiversity“ and the ”Cosmopolition Extraordinarie”, speaks in this book of the many facets of his knowledge and innate wisdom encompassing the vast dimensions of life that transcended ecology, equity and economic justice. His poetic voice vibrates soulful whispers of love, peace, and joy that touch your soul. His writing, teaching, and engagement with others reflect his natural flow of profound wisdom sprouting through poetry.
Simon Dunford
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah
Foreword
Like you all, I am a busy person and, to be honest, whilst I like a good bit of research-based reading, I seldom have the time or the inclination to do it as often as I might like.
Research and writing by Keith Hockton
Editing and indexing by Sharon Giraud
Book design and layout by Adrian Cheah
Introduction
Welcome to, ‘Bersama Lima – Celebrating 50 Years and Beyond’, the story of the fifty years of multilateral cooperation between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom under the Five Power Defence Arrangements. ‘Bersama Lima – Celebrating 50 Years and Beyond’ is intended to walk you through the Five Power Defence Arrangements history interwoven with personal recollections and finishing with a view of what lies ahead. A fitting tribute to a proud history and a bright future.
Josephine Choo
Photography, design and layout by Adrian Cheah
"Never Forgetting Balik Pulau" is part memoir, part guide. The author, after spending her entire youth in the village, accumulated a bagful of tales. Exploratory trips back gave credence to past memories but gradually, a comprehensive guide with maps to the village evolved.
Book review by Lillian Cheah
12 December 2020
A book was printed yesterday. Straight from the printers, the very first copy was delivered to me so that I could read and critique it.
Titled “Never Forgetting Balik Pulau”, this 176-page book is physically eye-catching, peppered very generously throughout with beautiful photographs many of which almost breathe life.
I was privy to the journey undertaken by the collaborators of the book – Josephine Choo and Adrian Cheah.
Mike Gibby
Design and layout by Adrian Cheah, ACEK Creative Solutions
Muslim pilgrims have been travelling for Hajj for more than fourteen centuries. How similar, how different have their experiences been? In our changing world, how has the safety and convenience of air travel changed the experience of Hajj?