"sai4 weng1 shi1 ma3, yan1 zhi1 fei1 fu2"
Literal Translation: The old man of the frontier lost his horse, how do you know this isn't a blessing?
Meaning: Blessing in Disguise.
Literal Translation: The old man of the frontier lost his horse, how do you know this isn't a blessing?
Meaning: Blessing in Disguise.
Indeed. Last Saturday, I was actually supposed to join a race in Ipoh, but ended up having to stay in Penang and had a good time as well. Not to the exaggerating extent of "Blessing in Disguise", but it was something similar: I lost something and got back something else as a replacement.
In this case, I went to Bon Odori and had some good time with my good old buddies.
Before that, let us know something that I'm supposed to go but had to forgo.
It was a race called Trailblazer, organised by R.AGE, a project by The Star. Something similar to the TV Reality Series "Amazing Race", where they race and travel throughout the world to fight for the 1 million US Dolar up for grabs.
For Trailblazer's case, the race is constrained in Ipoh & Papan, Perak with RM 2000 as the winning prize.
I excitedly find a race partner and registered for the race without checking my schedule carefully. And I ended up finding myself occupied with an exam, an absurd Moral examination ON THE SAME DAY! Of course I fight my way through to have the best of both worlds: to be able to sit for the exam at the same time can still go for my Trailblazer race. But eventhough for the trouble, the sweat or the hassle that I don't mind going through to get my "mission" accomplished, I still failed.
I had to forgo the Trailblazer that me and my partner highly anticipated, and sit for my Moral exam. =(
Worst of all, my team already had some kind of a small publicity when my team was chosen to have some write-up in the R.AGE newspaper. 11 July 08, Friday issue.
In this case, I went to Bon Odori and had some good time with my good old buddies.
Before that, let us know something that I'm supposed to go but had to forgo.
It was a race called Trailblazer, organised by R.AGE, a project by The Star. Something similar to the TV Reality Series "Amazing Race", where they race and travel throughout the world to fight for the 1 million US Dolar up for grabs.
For Trailblazer's case, the race is constrained in Ipoh & Papan, Perak with RM 2000 as the winning prize.
I excitedly find a race partner and registered for the race without checking my schedule carefully. And I ended up finding myself occupied with an exam, an absurd Moral examination ON THE SAME DAY! Of course I fight my way through to have the best of both worlds: to be able to sit for the exam at the same time can still go for my Trailblazer race. But eventhough for the trouble, the sweat or the hassle that I don't mind going through to get my "mission" accomplished, I still failed.
I had to forgo the Trailblazer that me and my partner highly anticipated, and sit for my Moral exam. =(
Worst of all, my team already had some kind of a small publicity when my team was chosen to have some write-up in the R.AGE newspaper. 11 July 08, Friday issue.
And we didn't turn up.
As sad and as disappointed as we could be, X-Cruisers (that was our team name) had to find other entertainment to fill up our supposedly fun weekend Saturday.
And THANK GOD we had the Bon Odori celebration, the Japanese Ghost Festival. =)
And THANK GOD we had the Bon Odori celebration, the Japanese Ghost Festival. =)
There were already some substantial amount of crowd over there when I reached at 6pm.
As this is a Japanese festival, of course, people will grab the chance to dress like a Japanese.Some look sweet and demure, but other Wannabes look as horrible as they can be. XD
Such an interesting trio.
Me and my sister met up with my Trailblazer partner, Hsien Ming there. Togother with Jastin, Michael, Stanley and his friend.
Jastin, Me Me, Michael, My je je, Hsien Ming and Stanley
Wee..!Going to Bon Odori isn't really my ritual every year, but somehow I went this year and last year too, although knowing that I can't really do anything there besides "Sardin-ing" with the crowd and listening to Japanese traditional music. Too bad I don't really enjoy the latter one.
My buddies were having a great time taking photos, capturing moments of joy while I realised a mistake a blogger should never make: Leaving their camera at home!!!
I do realise there are bloggers who never post up any photos in their blogs, but at least not for my case. Luckily I still have my Nokia 6300 2.0 Megapixels camera with me. Photo quality may not be good, but is always better than nothing!
As the name of the festival says, this celebration is never complete without ghost. And so Stanley tried to be one..(with his undersize mask)
My buddies were having a great time taking photos, capturing moments of joy while I realised a mistake a blogger should never make: Leaving their camera at home!!!
I do realise there are bloggers who never post up any photos in their blogs, but at least not for my case. Luckily I still have my Nokia 6300 2.0 Megapixels camera with me. Photo quality may not be good, but is always better than nothing!
As the name of the festival says, this celebration is never complete without ghost. And so Stanley tried to be one..(with his undersize mask)
And obviously he failed to scare anybody..Not until I got a hand of it..
And I realised I was also too lovely to be a ghost.After food, we went 'sight-seeing' around the field area. We passed a crowded booth, and I squeezed through the crowd to kaypo-kaypo for a while.
And I saw some sweet-looking miniature Japanese Dollys on sale.
There were more like display items for photo shoots than on-sale-take-me-home dollys.
Pink Hair?
We continued to walk around and I met quite a number of my friends over there.
While strolling, I saw a man holding on to a small plastic bag, the one where you bungkus teh-tarik from mamak stall, containing some goldfish. His young little son was looking at him hopefully while he tried his best to save the soon-to-die goldfish.
It has been a tradition of the Bon Odori celebration in Penang to have the goldfish game which I have never tried before nor tried to understand the game or even to have a look at the booth as it is always super-crowded.
After that, they will bulldoze themselves out from the crown holding packets of goldfish in plastic bags without having oxygen pumped into the bag to keep the fishes alive. So just like any other being, they can't live without proper oxygen supplied therefore the cute goldfishes stranggled and.....die.
Goodness! Why do mature adults still want to take them home knowing this fact? I reckon there were lots of goldfish killed on that night itself.
So any goldfishes being sent to the Bon Odori festival means: their day has arrived. So long, fishey!
We wanted to wait for the finale fireworks, so we stayed on till the end whilst dancing along with the music and taking some photos.
While strolling, I saw a man holding on to a small plastic bag, the one where you bungkus teh-tarik from mamak stall, containing some goldfish. His young little son was looking at him hopefully while he tried his best to save the soon-to-die goldfish.
It has been a tradition of the Bon Odori celebration in Penang to have the goldfish game which I have never tried before nor tried to understand the game or even to have a look at the booth as it is always super-crowded.
After that, they will bulldoze themselves out from the crown holding packets of goldfish in plastic bags without having oxygen pumped into the bag to keep the fishes alive. So just like any other being, they can't live without proper oxygen supplied therefore the cute goldfishes stranggled and.....die.
Goodness! Why do mature adults still want to take them home knowing this fact? I reckon there were lots of goldfish killed on that night itself.
So any goldfishes being sent to the Bon Odori festival means: their day has arrived. So long, fishey!
We wanted to wait for the finale fireworks, so we stayed on till the end whilst dancing along with the music and taking some photos.
When our neck nearly elongated, the fireworks Wheesh...Whoosh...Whaash...
Emerging into flowery sparks of burning flames..Filling up the space with light and hopes. =)
One amazing happening this 2008: It did not rain at all during Bon Odori! Wee...!
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