Multicultural interactions!

For this post, I'm proud to say I'm a Malaysian, truly Asian! (Another long post)


WHY?????????????????????

Let's see what activities ( multicultural, multiracial, multicolor and "multi-religion"), I had for last week!



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Date: 07/02/2009
Venue: Batu Caves!
Objective: Celebrate Thaipusam!




Thaipusam-the day when the Child God owns his power! Millions and thousands of Hindus gather at Batu Caves performing offering to the Child God for the sake to make their wishes come true!


The day before, Pui Yin, Hui Chin, Julius and me followed Uma to her aunt house...........


We took Ktm to Uma's aunt place, the 1st time I stepped my foot on Sentul Station!


Inside the train.......... We saw dozens of Hindus...... according to Uma, all of them were going to Batu Caves and staying over night there!


Julius, Hui Chin and Uma!


Me and Julius! We took almost two hours to reach Sentul! I slept for most of the time!


Uma's Aunt's House.............


Uma's aunt cook some Indian traditional food for us, all vege because Uma's aunt's family are vegetarian!



Uma's mom cooked sweet rice for us as well! Its heavenly! I have never taste such scrumptious rice before! I'm loving it!



I learned how to eat with my hands! I never tried to eat with hands (not counting eating KFC or MC Donald's!)! Well, there is a huge knowledge behind on how to eat food by using your fingers!



After dinner, we played poker and gambled! I feel sinful because I taught them how to gamble 9 points ( refer to my previous post if you do not know what is 9 points)!




Arrival at Batu Caves..........................



It was 6 in the morning, but Batu Caves has already crowded with hundreds or even thousands of people!


The entrance to Batu Caves:



The 272 staircase! Look at the crowds, climbing up the staircase early in the morning!



The golden Statue God! I forgot to ask Uma the name of the God! But you will see the statue on the way to Genting Highlands! I think it is the tallest Hindu God statue in the world!




Took some picture with the 'golden god'!





Enough of crapping! It is time to climb the 272 staircase! We do not have time to take a rest or even take any picture while we were climbing up the staircase because people behind us will be pissed off as they were climbing with heavy KAVADI!




Inside the cave.......................................


The Hindus offered coconuts and incense to the God!



Uma's mother climbed up the staircase by carrying a steel bucket of milk on her head! This is the easiest way of performing offering to the God if you were asking wishes from the God!


Uma's mother gave us some milk from the bucket to drink! I thinks, it brings good luck for us!



I am drinking it! I'll be super duper auspicious for the whole year, I hope!


The view outside the cave! you can see how crowded the place is!




You guys might be wandering what is KAVADI!


From the picture below, you can see three KAVADIS! Try to spot them out!

There several kind of Kavadis,m each Kavadis are decorated with peacock's feathers and other colorful stuffs with a god statue on top of it! Each Kavadisi are super duper heavy and people have to carry it and climb up the staircase and offer it to the GOD!


Family Members will follow the person who carries the Kavadi! They will have some sort of cheer in Hindu which I do not understand at all! I wonder how they climb up the staircase with such heavy Kavadi! I was incredibly tired once I reached up the Cave!


This is what Uma's mother did earlier! This is the easiest way of performing their offering! However, some women fainted on their way up the stairs! My Goodness!

Piercing! Ouch!

Another type of offerings! According to Uma, they do not bleed or feel paint because the God has possessed them!


This guys has at least 20 hooks pierced on his back!



Let's have a closer look! Hooks with coconuts and pierced on the back of this guy! I feel painful for him!



Not only man, even woman pierced a steel through her mouth! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I'll give her a standing ovation!



Make s guess! What is this guy doing?






He was pulling a some sort of 'rolling Kavadi ' with ropes and hooks pierced on his backside skin! WOW, that's a wow! It is really an eye opening experience for me!



More Kavadis.....................................

The most common decoration for a Kavadi is Peacock's feather! I wonder where they find such a huge peacock's feathers! It must be a giant peacock!


The guy who carried this Kavadi was actually dancing! Wow, dance with such heavy Kavadi!





How many layers? WOW, it must be incredibly heavy and how is this guy going to climb the stairs with this heavy Kavadi?



Surprisingly, I found a god who is similar to the Chinese god! The money God!

In Hindu, they have money god as well but the difference is the money god for Hindu has a black face and skinnier than the Chinese's money god!



Now, it is time for Indian traditional Candies!

Colorful candies, all of them taste nice but fattening! Who cares actually? They tastes sweet and Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

I have to really Thanks Uma and her family for this eye opening trip to Batu Caves and for the food as well!





Well, we need to head back to Cemara Akasia as soon as as possible because we have another outing in the evening! And Pui Yin drove us back to Shah Alam! Thank Goodness, We are all save and unbroken! Wuahahahahahahahahahaha




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Date: The same day!!!!!
Venue: Dong Zhen Tmeple!!!!!
Objective: Celebrate Chinese New Year!




Such a rushing day! Afetr I showered, it is time to depart from my hostel to Dong Zhen temple!

Took a picture with the early birds!




Arrival at Dong Zhen Temple! Before having our dinner, we took a moo-moo picture!



Bak Kut Teh for dinner!

We had to actually wait for half an hour for our turn! There's a lot of people! Well, I think the restaurant only experience it during Chinese New Year as people from all over the temple!


However, the tatse is just so so, okay okay, digest-able! I still prefer Bak Kut teh in Sandakan!



After dinner, it is time to perambulate around the temple!

生耕致富! The definition of this words is, I'm not good in madarin! I do not know the meaning! wuahahahahahaha!



The flowers are much much lesser this year compared to the flowers feast last year, maybe because of economy crisis?!


But still, the flowers still look nice and refreshing!


Took picture with the moving gargantuan lantern cow sponsored by dutch lady!
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


Well, I will never miss my chance in taking picture with my chinese zodiac! DRAGON!



Its getting darker, but the night is still young!

I bought chocolate pearl tea as I was really thirsty! Taste normal, what you expect from a pearl tea from a temple?




I found something similar about Buddhism and Hinduism! Both of these religions like to use peacock as decoration!



"We are from Borneo!" said Julius and Kia Tzun

( Don't ever say we acted like Orang Utan!)




OWwwwwwwww, this little Buddha statue really looks adorable! I can't resist myself from kissing it!


Although, we do not have 桃花 in Malaysia! We still have some fake one which glows at night!




Took picture with some of the performers of the parade! They were so delightful when we requested to take picture with them!




Look at the lanterns behind us! Spectacular!




While we were waiting for the parade! We did some silly stuffs like blowing the fountain to make it bigger and bigger! People started blowing when they see us blowing it! They might thought that this will b ring good luck for them! Sigh!



The place was so crowded with people! Can you feel the same way as us???????




Here's a group picture of Intec Students! Someone actually was on top of me! And it is a guy! EWWWWWWWW disgusting! Wuahahahahahaha






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Date: 08/02/2009
Venue: Taman Tasik Permaisuri!
Objective: Celebrate Cap Goh Mei ( Last day of Chinese New Year aka Chinese Valentine's Day)





We have a mission for Cap Goh Mei especially for single people like me! We were going to 拋柑 (toss mandarin oranges) to find our future partner!


Again, took Ktm to Salak Selatan! My goodness, something wrong with the air condiotioner, the train was hot, and as a heavy sweater, I sweated like hell! lol



After a hot and long journey, at last we arrived at Taman Tasik Permaisuri! We took a hipping, jumping picture before the weather turned bad!







It rained eventually...........


Although, it rained heavily,the rain did stop our determination in finding our future partner!


For dinner, we had 'Lok Lok'! There were not many people since it was raining, the boss actually give us RM0.10 discount for every single stick!


Since, I was way too hungry, the food tatsed heavenly! Scrumtious 'Lok Lok'!



We had soya bean pearl for drinks! The boss actually let us to refill as we are his first bunch of customers! Thanks a lot! By the way, we had free taufu fa as well!


It is time to work!

For girls, they will write their names on the mandarin oranges and for guys they will write their names on bananas! Sound so wrong when we say throw your bananas for the guys and oranges for the girls!



Since, I'm too desperate, I wrote down my name, phone number and email address on my three bananas! Wuahahahahahahaha




Me and my three bananas! Thanks Wei Lun for giving me an extra banana since you already has a girlfriend!





The boys!



The girls! more girls because they are more desperate!




Besides, love, we need wealth as well! Especially me since I like gambling! A picture with Chinese Money God!



Arrive at the pool side!

This is the stage and this is the 10th toss mandarin oranges night!



Actually, I have never heard of tossing madarin oranges at all! And I have no idea what it is for! Buy now, i defitnitly know the reason of tossing mandarin oranges!




Before the ceremony started, my friends and I was asked to go up stage and played games!


Just look at the the amount of oranges floating on the pool! There are more to come later!




After the ladies have thorwn their oranges into the pool, the gentlemen will go into the pool and collect oranges! Well, I don not that I have to go into the pool and collect oranges, that is why I did not collect any oranges at all! What a lost! lol

Well, no offends, but single uncles are the most desperated one, they use a big plastic bag to put oranges, Well, I think they should have just taken one or two oranges because there are more single men like me who wished to get some as well! wuahahahahahaha




Well, my firends (girl) have gotten a lot of bananas but the bananas are from 'uncles'! Good sign or bad sign? It depends!


Well, although I did not get any oranges but there are two girls added me in MSN since I have written down my email address on my 'bananas'!

WUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Conclusion for the ox-picious year!

This is the best Chinese New Year ever, lots of novel experience like celebrating Thaipusam, eaten Indian traditional food and candies, learned how to eat food with hands, tossed banana instead of mandarin oranges because I'm a guy!



Honestly, sicerely and truly, I really had a great time for this Chinese New year!


Before, I end my post!


Happy Chinese New Year too all my friends and family members!