Picture 1: Christmas Lunch
A senior citizen enjoying her packet of Christmas lunch given by the organizers. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).
Three days ago (Sunday, 27th December 2009), I traveled back to Kuala Lumpur (KL) to search for another inspiration.
I needed to do something that stands out, something different, something that NOT every other blogger there is doing. It was not that easy as I first expected. Interestingly, the latest idea just came to me like that!
Picture 2: Guess What?
Can you guess, what is going on in this picture? Are they bargaining the price? Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).
Picture 3: The Street Magician
Nope! Here comes our very own David Blaine - the Central Market street magician :) Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 4: We Can Dance
Subtle, graceful and beautiful. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 5: We Can Also Sing
The talented native singers belted out string of brilliant performances. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Traditional Christmas Song. Video recorded with my hand phone.
I was walking along Central Market. At first, I wanted to interview some street buskers and workers over there. Halfway doing that, I was distracted by something loud!! I heard 'live' Christmas songs from the open car park at Central Market. I quickened my pace, anxious to reach the crowded car park.
The management of Central Market has jointly organized Christmas Day 2009 Open House with some NGOs and Church groups in Klang Valley. WOW! I was impressed! This will be my first visit to a public open house in a shopping complex. I was jumping for joy! After hours of searching, I finally found it. 'Christmas Day Open House for 1 Malaysia' - What a great idea! HIP! HIP! HOORAY!
It was a cloudy day with occasional rain drops. The gloomy weather failed to deter Malaysians from all walks of life to celebrate Christmas together. I saw Malay, Chinese, Indian, Punjabi, Eurasians and even foreign workers at the open house. This is a very effective and proactive way to bring Malaysians from all walks of life, religion and creed together as one.
Picture 6: Sharing is Caring
Christmas is and was a day of unconditional giving and sharing. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 7: Under Control
A moment of chaos. This man (in green shirt) was trying to calm down the crowd. There were some pushing and mad rush to get Christmas goodies bag and lunch. I was shocked to see some senior citizens squeezed out! Luckily, everything was under control...15 minutes later. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 8: Thank You!
A man expressing his gratitude towards warm - hearted contributors for their kind donations. Generosity is natural for kindhearted people. We need more people in this world who are kindhearted and charitably inclined. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 9: A Hearty Lunch
Hundreds of Malaysians sat down to hearty Christmas lunches thanks to the work of charities helped by tireless volunteers. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 10: We Are 1 Malaysia
This is what 1 Malaysia is all about - Sharing special and joyous moments with everyone. The spirit of unity in diversity is timeless. It gels us together as Malaysians regardless of race and religion. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).
It was a simple Christmas Day Open House. But the crowds LOVE IT! The event was filled with laughter and happiness! The Central Market was bustling with people from all walks of life on the Sunday afternoon. Both the young and old, families and friends were spotted mingling with one another. It may be a typical scene in Malaysia but they were all present to celebrate Christmas regardless of race and religion. That's really AWESOME! You don't see this very often in KL.
Firstly, I visited the Christmas booth located along the main entrance of Central Market. Visitors were encouraged to play interesting games such as hoops on bottle neck and ping pong maze. It's a vibrant and festive mood of merrymaking. The organizers did a fantastic job of putting together a really polished event. The best event of the day is the distribution of food and hampers to general public, senior citizens and underprivileged groups. I was waiting eagerly for this event. I wanted to snap some pictures to share with my readers.
Picture 11: A Mesmerizing Performance
A choir group from Philippine performing some beautiful, soothing and pleasant Christmas song. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).
Picture 12: A Joyous Performance
Christmas choir performance. What an absolute joy to hear this choir sing their hearts out! Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 13: Indie Christmas Rock 'n Roll
Christmas Indie Rock Band. This young chap is a cool and terrific singer. The crowd loves him! Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 14: Emcee, You Are The Man!
The talented emcee. He really knows how to hold a crowd. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).At the beginning, the food distribution was chaotic! People were pushing and cutting queue just to get to the front line. It was getting uglier by the minute. OMG! I was shocked to see old citizens squeezed like sardines. Luckily, the organizers managed to calm down the crowd. I also shouted at the top of my lung. I said "People! The food is enough for all of you! Please do not push! Make two lines and we'll resume with the food distribution".
Thank God! Our wonderful Malaysians listened to our plea and start lining up. I did not expect to be the hero of the day. But, I'm glad the situation worked out the way it did for both parties.
At one point when the food was being distributed, I almost cried. I did not expect to see underprivileged Malaysians lining up for free food. It was surreal for me. It made me want to help out more and be a better person. Later, I approached one of the organizers and voiced out my intention to help out in future projects.
Picture 15: Make Me Gorgeous
Christmas makeover. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).Picture 16: Malaysia, Truly Asia
It was a definite crowd puller as the event saw a tremendous turnout of a sea of hundreds of locals and tourists who packed the car park at the Central Market. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).
Picture 17: It's Game Time!
There is no better time to observe happiness and laughter than during the Christmas holiday season. A man was throwing hoop on the bottles. Picture taken at Central Market, KL with my Nikon D60 (27th December 2009).After that, I walked to the stage to check out the Christmas performance from local Church groups. There were plenty of Malaysians sitting down enjoying the Christmas performance. I was granted a VIP access to the podium to cover this event. The person in charge gave his permission even though I'm not a reporter. I spent almost two hours documenting the Christmas show with my hand phone and Nikon D60 camera.
I've covered the following 5 events:
- Christmas rock band by 1 Malaysia youth (An amazing indie band performing 'live' Christmas song - a great hit among fans and spectators!)
- Christmas traditional sing and dance (The graceful native dancers enthralling the audience with their beautiful performance)
- Christmas clown and puppet show (An imaginative and entertaining performance - the kids loved it!)
- Christmas choir (The audience was enthralled by the performance of this choir which contained the ‘cream’ of talent from a variety of choirs)
- Christmas road side magic show (A fun filled magical entertainment for children of all ages and even the whole family)
It has been such a wonderful experience to join a colorful Christmas Open House. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me! The presence of hundreds of people from all walks of life signify the true 1 Malaysia spirit envisioned by our beloved PM Najib. This event is a celebration of peace, joy and harmony among all Malaysians. Well done Malaysians!
Christmas For 1 Malaysia - Slide show
Central Market - Getting There:
Due to its location in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the Central Market is well served by public transport. It is located along Jalan Benteng off Jalan Hang Kasturi, near the Klang Bus Stand. If you walk from the bus stand, it will take around 5 minutes to reach there.
There are taxi stands and bus-stands (serviced by Metrobus) located at the front (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) and the side (Leboh Pasar Besar and Jalan Silang).
In addition, the PUTRA LRT Pasar Seni Station, STAR LRT stations and the commuter trains are located just a short walk away.
Central Market - Contact Info:
Central Market Sdn Bhd (643213-W)
No. 10, 1st-3rd floor,
Jalan Hang Kasturi,
50050 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 1300-22-8688
Fax: (6) 03-2032 2399
Email: info@centralmarket.com.my
Official portal: http://www.centralmarket.com.my/home.aspx
Hmm... Did you get yourself a pack of free lunch too?
Ha ha...
Was trying to watch your video but I couldn't turn off the background music? So I tried again next time...
1ondoncaller
I wanted my very own lunch pack. Priority to our underprivileged friends.
The 1 Malaysia theme song is stream directly to the musical slide show (at the bottom). You may turn off the volume by clicking the mini speaker symbol (at the right hand side)
Cheers!
mylo
Wow... 10,000 unique visitors, what a great achievement! That's saying we reap what we sow.
This is a good post that really delivers a strong message about 1Malaysia.
That's so kind of you to volunteer for the future event and to help to control the crowd too. By blogging more about charity events would definitely help to raise people's awareness about helping and caring.
Good luck on your blog and Happy New Year!
Mylo, some nice charity stuff done here and hope they continue all the way instead of just doing it for occasions. Great work with the music too. I thought there was an official 1Malaysia music? This is not the one I usually hear on the radio.
Happy New Year 2010 and good luck!
Regards,
David
Shelyn
I'm hoping the numbers (readership) will climb up steadily :)
We need more caring Malaysians. The volunteers at the event inspired me to give back to our society. I'm really proud of these kind hearted Malaysians. I'm glad I can help out a bit. We need more charitable works from Malaysians.
Sharing is Caring.
David
This is the second year the organizers hosted this event. Other than that, the church groups also set up kitchen soup programs for underprivilieged Malaysians and foreign workers at several locations. So, I guess our friends are doing a fantastic job.
I decided to remove the 1 Malaysia song from the slide show. The loading time for this article is way too long.
Have A Roaring Tiger Year! RAWR!!!
mylo
All the best for your 2010!
1ondoncaller
Thanks. Same to you!
Cheers!
mylo
nice touching entry... its been a while since i saw a big massive charity event like that... i mean the more meaningful ones... bravo to 1msia
junsern
Thanks! Glad you like this article.
Well done to the organizers (Central Market, NGOs & Church groups) for making this year's gathering a possible event. Credits go to the tireless volunteers, participants and 1 Malaysia for your kind participation.
1 Malaysia is ALIVE in KL :)
Cheers!
mylo