OSIM Sundown Marathon 2016

"If you are losing faith in human nature, 

go out and watch a marathon"

Kathrine Switzer

women's marathoning pioneer

They called it the Sundown Marathon, but I ran until the sunrise haha!

And so, my craziness brought me to my forth full marathon - OSIM Sundown Marathon 2016. The thought of doing a full marathon has been kicking into myself for some time; sort of an item to click off from your bucket list. In 2012, I took part in my very first race - the Chiba Aqualine Marathon. That was my maiden experience running in a race, and what a way to kick it off by doing a full marathon. Till now, I don't know what made me signed up for that hahaha! Believe it or not, the time I recorded back then - 5 hours 34 minutes 35 seconds still remain my personal best.

Two more runs followed after that - the 2014 edition of the Chiba Aqualine Marathon and the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS 2015) last year. The former was a forgettable one, as I missed the cut-off time midway through the race and did not able to complete the run. I must say however, the time limit for marathons in Japan are stricter, usually they are between 6 to 6.5 hours. 

That bad experience did not stop my pursue for more runs. Last year, I ran a marathon for the first time in Singapore and phewwww it was pure torturous, especially when you think of running under the blazing tropical sun at noon without much shades. Nevertheless, I'm glad I managed to complete the run just outside the 6-hour mark.

One main reason of me signing up for Sundown was because it's held at night. Yes, it sounds interesting to run under the dark sky isn't it? I wasn't sure how my body is going to react; whether or not my biological clock will be confused middle of the run, when I should be on my bed counting the sheep lol! Plus, I did not clock up a single night runs on the build-up to the marathon. All these unknown add-ups actually made it intriguing and I was really looking forward to having a good run.

The calm before the storm.

The flag-off for the full marathon is at 12:30 a.m. and I made myself arrive at the venue just before 11. I had a short walk around the sports village and dropped by at the hydration station to gulp several cups of 100 Plus to keep myself hydrated in the humid running condition. Once I was done going around the place, I dropped my belongings at the bag deposit counter and spend a good fifteen minutes doing pre-run warm-up and stretches. The bee-line to the starting pen has started to form by this time. As I came out from the toilet break, I found out that it's just about 20 minutes before the flag-off and I made my way to the starting pen. 

Thirty minutes into the midnight, more than 5,000 runners for the full-marathon were flag-off, starting our very long journey ahead. The first kilometre was really crowded, as everyone was full of energy and adrenaline. In fact, I even saw some were sprinting already. What were they thinking? This is a 42.195 kilometre run, not a 100-meter dash lol! I started off rather conservatively, maintaining my pace until...

To my horror, when I saw the first climb of the course - the almost 1-km climb up to Shears Bridge. I didn't really do the homework of studying the race course; I only browse through the map, to roughly get a general idea of how the race course will be. But definitely not this one. Nevertheless, I did not stop my run; I slowed my pace slightly during this climb.

At around the 6km mark, we entered the major stretch of the course - the East Coast Park (ECP). I was expecting that the sea breeze from the sea will do us favour during our run, but unfortunately there were minimal wind that night. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of this long stretch as you have to keep focussed on going straight along the mostly narrow paths. The ECP stretch this time was way longer than SCMS 2015. I was constantly asking myself when were we going to make that U-turn to return to the CBD.

The condition began to feel more and more humid, as the race wore on. By this time, everyone's motivation turned to the hydration stations. More runners started to have random pit-stops behind the bushes to answer the call of nature. 

Mid-way through the ECP, I started to felt nauseous and my stomach was not feeling good - something between taking some wrong food pre-run. Not a pleasant sign, I told myself, especially when I have another half of the total distance ahead of me. I was still running at a considerably pace up to this point that I thought, maybe, maybe that I can get a sub-6 timing this time. However, it was around this time that the 5-hour pacers from Team FatBird overtook me. Considering my poor body condition, I did not want to take risk, and decided to play safe and maintain my momentum instead of chasing over the pacers group.

It was like a game between cat and mouse; as I alternated small runs and walking from this point onward. The banana and energy gel station came later than I anticipated, nevertheless I was glad it came as I started to feel hungry. When you have been running for such a long distance, you will feel that you body is telling you that are glycogen-depleted. And when that happens, dizziness and pain will start to kick in. The best counter-measure is to fuel consistently before you reach that stage. And to stop at every water station to make sure you don't get dehydrated. 

After several kilometres under such condition, and having the 5.5-hour pacers overtook me during this painful period, I started to feel better, to my relief. We exited the ECP around the 30-kilometer mark. While people would usually hit the wall by this time, my strategy when running a full marathon was to keep a commendable pace at the first half, conserve some energy at the middle part and increase my pace towards the end. It works most of the time for me. It gives you a hero-like feeling when you are running pass people who are walking like zombies when you reach this stage of the run. The scene is just like a sea of walking dead lol!

Beautiful night view to compensate the sweat and blood (literally) endured throughout the journey.

My two most memorable scenes from the marathon this time came in the final 5 kilometre of the race. First was the pleasant surprise of a group wearing bright green t-shirts at the entrance of the Marina Barrage bridge, who offered not only food and drinks, but energetic cheerleaders to fuel and motivate the runners. I later found out that they are the Kikikukiki (K5) Runners. The lychee jelly that I managed to grab from them was one of the best I've ever tasted. A big thank you to all who volunteered at the booth. 

When my spirit was lifted after leaving the group, it took a 180-degree turn the next moment. We were made to run through the infamous Marina Barrage slope. "Like seriously??!" I said out in shock, that the runner next to me overheard and looked to me haha! It was indeed a big ask for all of us to run up this killer stretch when our legs are already under such pain. Most people, including myself decided to walk up around the loop to conserve whatever energy remaining in us for the final few kilometres. 

However, during our run along the Gardens By The Bay, I heard someone was whistling from behind. I thought it was the 6-hour pacers, and thought I may be overtaken by them eventually. But no, it was some random runner, who whistled and kept telling everyone stuff like "don't walk, keep running!" and "don't walk, lets make small runs until 40!" It indeed worked wonders, and I tried my best not to stop and continued to run, no matter how slow it was. 

It was nothing more than a series of arguments between the part of your brain that wants to stop and the part that wants to keep going. I made sure the latter had the last words. The pain is just temporary, my body is in control, and I told my legs to shut up. I know I will be kicking at myself for not clocking a better time at the end of the run for not pushing myself to the limit.

It was another couple of kilometres until the finishing line and my body felt quite good. A quick check at the time with one of the volunteers and I knew my target of achieving a sub-6 time was possible. That's the time to give all out. But there's one final climb - the Bayfront Bridge. Right immediately after I got to the highest point of the bridge, I started my final push. 

Soon afterwards, I saw the signboard written with "LAST 500 METERS". It was this moment that I know, the long journey was finally coming to an end. I started my dash when I saw the glimpse of the finishing arch looking right in front of me. Towards the last 200 meters, I sprinted so fast that everyone must have thought I've turned nuts hahaha! Crossed the line with a my right fist punching up the air, it was mission accomplished. 

Like Meb Keflezighi, the U.S. Olympic marathoner once said, "Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best."

This is where the long journey will come to an end.

I quickly moved to one corner to catch my breather, before collecting my medals and finisher t-shirt, as well as a banana and ice-cold 100 Plus. I requested for two cans and the staff was kind enough to gave to me. The walk to the bag deposit counter, though it was less than 200 meters, felt like 200 kilometres. The aching and muscle pain was bad. Looking around, everyone was walking like penguins, so I was not that weird after all haha! I had to slowly pull myself, one step at a time, until I got to the deposit counter to retrieve my bag. 

All in all, running a night race for the first time is an unique experience. Though the weather is hot and humid, with some killer climbs and sharp turns, the garden-like beauty and nice scenery managed to distract and take away the pain and cramps from the runners. And of course, the magnificent cheers from the enthusiastic volunteers who continued to cheer for the runners all night. I'm not sure where they got all their energy from at the wee hours of the morning, but those guys were simply amazing. Also, not forgetting the lady in white t-shirt at the ECP who cheered for us. She was standing there alone, but I cannot forget her genuine smile while gesturing us to keep going. I actually saw her again after the U-turn on our way back to the CBD area. 

The locations of the hydration stations was not bad, and ice-cold 100 Plus was available at most of these hydration joints to quench our thirst as well as to cold down our body. It was one of the thing that actually kept me going haha! Nevertheless, I am sure most runners would appreciate that the frequency is increased towards the second half of the race.

Another full marathon completed, already looking forward to the next one!

Few improvements from my race this time is, my muscle pain isn't that bad. I still remember clearly upon completing my first marathon, I could hardly walk. Even taking the staircase requires me to hold onto the handrail. Worse than the elderly lol! And no black toenails this time, and minimal blisters. However, I had some chaffing around my armpit and thigh area, which is something new. I had my compression tights on, but those chaffing still happened. Some post-mortem to be done there I guess lol! And of course, to train properly for my next marathon because the longest run I had done prior to this race was about 10 kilometres (like only once? lol!)

Once I got home, most people would have just grab a shower and head to the bed. And what did I do? Showered and head straight to work. Not bad eh?

Top 10 Things To Do In Bangkok

"Bangkok, like Las Vegas, 

sounds like a place where you make bad decisions." 

Todd Phillips

Bangkok has just been added to my list of places I have visited over the last weekend. For my deep love in travelling, it is quite intriguing that this is only the second South East Asia country I have visited after the red dot down south. It has been an exciting first time visit to the capital of the kingdom of Thailand especially with a bunch of partner in crime to crazy together with. The main highlight for this trip was to join the local Thais in their New Year celebration or more commonly known as Songkran. It was simply awesome and we had super fun participating in the water fights with random people on the streets hahaha!

It was just a short vacation but I am listing down the top 10 things that you should not miss out when you are visiting Bangkok!

1. Shop till you drop at Chatuchak Weekend Market

No visit to Bangkok will be complete without the visit to the heaven of shopping at Chatuchak Weekend Market. With more than 8,000 market stalls offering a diverse collection of merchandise, this gigantic market will bring any seasoned shoppers to their knees. You will find literally anything in this market, whether a Moroccan lamp, an antique wooden chest, a pair of vintage Levi's jeans, or, on the exotic side, a python. Even for myself, who is not the best when it comes to shopping, ended up going home with more than a few extra shopping items. Here is where you can put your bargaining skills to the test. If you are a first-timer to this market, the best advice is to pick a starting point then just follow your instincts, enjoy the experience and bring home your exciting new finds.

2. Gigantic Reclining Buddha of Wat Pho

Here is where you will be awed the moment you step into the complex which houses Thailand's largest reclining Buddha. This temple is famed for its genuinely impressive reclining Buddha, that measures 46 meters long and 15 meters tall, commemorating the passing of the Buddha into Nirvana (i.e. the Buddha's death). The figure is modelled out of plaster around a brick core and finished in gold leaf. The Buddha's feet are 5 metres long and exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious 'lák·sà·nà' (characteristics) of the Buddha. 108 is a significant number, referring to the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection. 

3. Joining the locals for the Songkran Festival

Also known as the Water Festival, Songkran is considered Thai traditional New Year Day celebrated on April 13, 14 and 15 annually. It is a celebration that embraces goodwill, love, compassion, thankfulness, and using water as the means of expressions. Today, hundreds of thousands of tourists plan their trip to Bangkok to coincide with the Songkran festival in order to experience the so-called water fight. And man, no one in the world knows a good water fight, like the Thais do. Armed with water guns and water containers, travellers and natives including children throw water upon others, which symbolises cleansing and rejuvenating of their bodies. For more extremes ones, they will use iced water to aim at you hahaha! So, my advice to anyone who is visiting Bangkok during the Songkran festival, prepare your water guns (preferably more powerful ones for total satisfaction lol!) and waterproof case early, and join the water fight fun with the locals!

4. Hopping into tuk tuk

Taking at least one ride in the tuk tuk is mandatory for a true, Thailand experience! The sputtering tuk tuks found in Thailand are open-air, three-wheeled carriages attached to a motorcycle chassis. Drivers are fond of decorating their rides with lights, colourful paint, and dangling trinkets to get attention. Truth to be told, riding in tuk tuks is more chaotic than comfortable. While "tuk" means "cheap" in Thai, the truth is that unless you are an expert haggler or the driver is having an off day, metered taxis are often cheaper than tuk tuks and offer a much more comfortable ride. The typical capacity for a tuk-tuk in Thailand would be two people, although the driver will always find a way to squeeze in an entire family if necessary! And during my first experience riding in the tuk tuks, the driver tried to pass us a name card for a massage place, and kept repeating the word "pam pam, good good!" lol!

5. Savouring the delicious coconut ice cream (i-dtim mat phrao)

If there is one thing that you wouldn't wanna miss out, this is it! "I-dtim" is how the word "ice cream" has been rendered by Thai accents over the years, and "mat phrao" means "coconut". Made with coconut milk rather than cow's milk, Thai i-dtim is both sweet and refreshing, and locals often take it with kernels of boiled corn or gingko biloba sprinkled on top. The coconut ice cream is usually served in coconut husk with 2 toppings (corn, peanuts, glutinous rice, sticky rice, nata de coco, atap seed, etc) of your choice plus coconut flesh/pulp. There are plenty of mobile coconut ice cream vendors wheeling around all parts of the city, especially in Chatuchak Market, but be careful not to mistake them for the regular, low quality name brand ice cream carts. You will know the real deal by the tall, round stainless steel canisters used to keep the ice cream frozen. This is certainly a must-try dessert in Bangkok! It was so good I had it twice at Chatuchak Market!

6. Glittering reflections of Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya River during sunset

With its stunning architecture and the fine craftsmanship, it is not surprising that Wat Arun is considered by many as the most famous and photographed temple in Bangkok. It is easily one of the most stunning temples in Bangkok, not only because of its riverside location, but also because the design is very different to the other temples you can visit in Bangkok. Wat Arun (or temple of the dawn) is partly made up of colourfully decorated spires and stands majestically over the water. The main feature of this temple is a soaring 70-meter-high spire (prang) beautifully decorated with tiny pieces of coloured glass and Chinese porcelain placed delicately into intricate patterns. The temple is temporarily undergoing renovation works (which apparently will last for 2 years) and some sections of the temple is covered with scaffolding to restore the mosaics, nevertheless it is still an awesome spectacle.

7. Trying the orgasmic coconut sticky rice with mango (khao niew mamuang)

If there were only one sweet that would decidedly be the classic Thai dessert, it would have to be khao niew mamuang ("khao niew" refers to sticky rice, and "mamuang" to mango). This dessert is a combination of authentic coconut sticky rice slowly cooked with decadent coconut cream to some of the world's most delicious mangoes. The golden sweet mangoes produced within the kingdom is just the perfect combination to the coconut sticky rice that offers a sublime blending of flavours. Although this popular dessert can be found in Thai restaurant all over the world, it always seems to taste better in Thailand. 

8. Exploring the street food and eat until you burst

In a foodie's dream destination like Thailand, it can be tough to refrain from all out gorging on the divine curries, haunting soups, spicy salads, and endless finger foods on every corner. The good news is that eating street food has many benefits to you as a traveller – it’s generally safe (you can see what's being cooked and it's fresh), you get to interact with the locals, it's authentic, delicious, incredibly cheap and the best way to give back to the local economy. Wherever you go in the city, these food stalls are plentiful and very often you will find a high concentration of them in particularly busy areas. My usual rule of the thumb is to follow your instinct and just try on whatever that looks tasty to you. More often than not, you will definitely bump onto stalls where a hungry soul can gobble down excessive portions of affordable and insanely delicious Bangkok street food at these street food sanctuaries.

9. Cruising along the Chao Phraya River

Sometimes nicknamed "Venice of the East", the riverside reflects a constantly changing scene day and night. There are countless interesting sights ranging from traditional river houses, water-taxis and heavily laden rice barges chugging upstream, set against a backdrop of glittering temples, luxury hotels, river vendors and the heart of drainage for the great Thai basin. The areas from Wat Arun to Phra Sumeru Fortress are home to some of the oldest settlements in Bangkok, particularly Bangkok Noi and its charming ambiance of stilt houses flanking the complex waterways.

10. Enjoying evening cocktail at the sky bar overlooking the night view

Bangkok is home to one of the most rooftop bars in the world. Here is where you can soak up the city in a full three-hundred-and-sixty degree sweep and claim to the most amazing sunset vista Bangkok has to offer. From this height, the hustle and bustle of downtown feels like a distant hum, while the glittering skyline, a backdrop before which romance unfolds.

So, there you go, the 10 things which I feel you really have to experience in Bangkok, especially if you are a first timer here. Feel free to leave any suggestions or comments if you think that there are other stuff that deserve a place in the list.

Thank you for reading and kob khun krap!

Celebrating The Jade Emperor's Birthday a.k.a. Pai Thnee Kong

When a tradition gathers enough strength to go on for centuries, 

you don't just turn it off one day.

Chinua Achebe

Nigerian novelist, poet

"Pai Thnee Kong" to celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor.

Born into a mixed parentage with Chinese, Sinhalese and Thai blood, I am glad that I get to experience a diverse culture and tradition in my family. I spent my first seven years living at my paternal grandparents place, and I guess the exposure I got during the early years gave me deep interest on the Taoism culture and traditions. "Thnee Kong Seh" ("Seh" means "birthday" in Hokkien) is undoubtedly the main highlight every time we celebrate the Lunar New Year. It falls on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year (LNY) to celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor. 

To the Hokkiens like me, this day is the biggest and most important day; it even beats the first day of the lunar calendar, throughout the 15-day long LNY celebration. "Thnee Kong" is a Hokkien term which literally translates as "Heavenly God". It is known as "Tin Kong"  in Cantonese or "Tian Gong" in Mandarin. In English, it is more commonly called the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor is regarded as the supreme deity in the Taoist pantheon, reigning above all the other Taoist deities, and is in control of all things. He is the Supreme God of the Chinese folk religion, the ruler of all Heavens (over 30 in Chinese mythology), Creator of the Universe, Emperor of the Universe, and Lord of the Imperial Court. The birthday of the Jade Emperor is an important date for the Hokkien community.

People will throng the market to get fresh fruits and flowers to be offered.

Traditional cakes to be offered; the pink ones are called the "huat kueh", whereby the more cracks it has on the top of the cake, the better it is.

The orange ones are called "ang koo", "ang ee" and "ang than".

These are a few other cakes; the pink one resembles the shape of peach.

There are actually a lot other varieties of the cakes for offerings.

Readily-made joss papers which are folded into the shape of pineapples.

Roasted chicken. It is common to offer a whole chicken, symbolising prosperity, togetherness of the family and joy>/span> 

(note: chicken with its head, tail and feet symbolizes completeness).

Roasted pigs. The whole pig does not come cheap and people usually just get a portion of it.

Joss papers, which are to be folded.

There are many ways to fold the joss papers, or "kim chua" into various shapes, but I usually use the most simple one like this.

For the cakes, we usually buy home-made ones from this aunty who lives nearby our house.

She has been making these cakes using traditional method for the past 30 years or so.

For the sugar canes, we got it from this uncle who plants his own sugar canes. The good thing about getting it from him is that

we get to choose the sugar canes ourselves and he will help us to chop them off.

Legends has it that during the Ming Dynasty, the Hokkiens from the Fujian province were once attacked by General Tang Lu Lang of the Sung Dynasty on the first day of the Lunar New Year. They took refuge and hid in a sugar cane plantation in order to escape the attack. On the ninth day, which coincided with the Jade Emperor's birthday, they emerged unscathed and found their enemies gone. They believed they had been protected by the deity and saved by the protective cover of the sugar cane stalks. Ever since, the Hokkiens have regarded this date as symbolic to their survival and celebrate "Thnee Kong Seh" (birthday of the God of Heaven) as their 'real' new year.

Preparations for the "Thnee Kong Seh" is a labour of love and devotion, which usually starts a week earlier. Traditionally, most of the offerings are prepared from scratch but over the years, everyone is so busy and occupied that we would just buy them. However, I always make it a point to prepare the offerings by myself as much as I could.

Putting red decorative papers on the food offerings. In the past, we used to buy red colour papers and cut them into beautiful motifs but these days, only self-adhesive type kind of red papers are sold and personally I do not fancy these modern type ones as they do not stick properly on the food.

It is also an important point to wash the floor of the area where the prayers will be done, usually the front porch of every household.

As midnight approached, the altar will be brought out and the sugar canes will be tied to the both sides of the altar.

Dad helped out in making the sweetened glutinous rice, or "bee koh".

One of the main thing for "Pai Thnee Kong" is the sugar canes. A pair of sugar cane is a must-item when celebrating Thnee Kong Seh. It is normally tied on both sides of the altar. Some prop up or lean them against the gate or door of their houses. The sugar canes play a significant role in this celebration because the Hokkien ancestors were saved by Thnee Kong's help when they were attacked by the bandits during the olden days. Also, sugar cane ("kam chia"), which in Hokkien is homophonous to thank you ("kam siah"), is also offered as a form of thanksgiving, to their supreme deity, the Jade Emperor. Today, they are seen as a symbol of peace and prosperity. The leafy part of the sugar cane head is taken and burnt along when we burn the gold paper at the end of the prayers and offerings.

Next would be the "kim chua" or joss papers (literally gold paper in Hokkien). They are very much like origami folding, folded into gold ingots and many many interesting shapes, which promotes a better burning. The worship of the Jade Emperor entails specific items, among them Imperial Gold, or "Thnee Kong Kim", the only paper money of legal tender in the Jade Emperor's heavenly realm. This is often folded up to take on auspicious shapes, such as that of the pineapple. They have to be fully burnt in order from Thnee Kong to fully receive everything. Some people put in firecrackers when they burn these gold papers, but my grandma never allows us to do it, because according to her, the loud noise from the firecrackers will scare away the Thnee Kong when he is here to collect the gold papers hahaha!

Joss papers which have been folded into pineapple shapes to be offered to the Thnee Kong.

This is the "leng hiao" or giant joss stick with dragon motif. It is among the praying paraphernalia used for the Thnee Kong Seh. The story was that after buying this joss stick, I suggested to Mom that we give a name to our dragon. In less than 1.45 seconds, she replied me, "Dragon Ball!!!" So, meet our leng hiao and his name is Dragon Ball hahahaha!!

Various food items offered to the Jade Emperor carries specific meaning, often based on homophone. For example, the pineapple is offered because its name in Hokkien, "ong lai" is homophonous to "heralding auspiciousness".  The food offerings are normally arranged in a certain order on the altar facing the main gate, which will be wide open to allow smooth flow of all the good things.

The altar table is usually draped in red tablecloth or red paper and then elevated with benches or tables. This is to signify the highest ranking of the Jade Emperor, as there are different status and tiers in Heaven. Pure vegetarian offerings will be placed on the higher or upper tier as those are for the Jade Emperor, who is believed to be a vegetarian. For those who offer roasted pig, duck, chicken and liquor, the offerings will be placed on a lower tier table as those offerings are meant for the heavenly generals and guardian soldiers. Another custom is to place a stack of "kim" beneath the altar table, to signify the separation of Heaven and Earth/ground as the Jade Emperor is considered the Pure Ones.

The dried vegan series. From clockwise from top left, starting with black fungus, glass vermicelli ("tang hoon"), dried bean curd sheet, black moss ("fat choy"), dried lily buds :"kim chiam"), red dates ("ang zho"), longan, shiitake mushrooms. Nowadays, there are readily packed ones, where these dried vegetables are packed into one big packets. However, I still prefer to stick to the traditional way and buy them individually.

Next would be five types of fresh fruits. The common ones are pineapple, banana, mandarin orange, lime, pomelo, watermelon, pear, peach, grapes, etc. All offerings are usually washed, arranged on the plates and finished off with beautiful red papers to give it the auspicious look and for colour contrast. One important point to note is that all offerings must be placed in bowls that are not chipped or cracked. All offerings have their own bowl and vegan series especially are strictly used to hold vegan stuff only. 

Traditional Thnee Kong cakes. The orange ones are red tortoise buns ("ang koo" and "ang ee"). The skin of the ang koo is made of glutinous rice flour which is coloured red with edible colouring. The filling is made of peanuts, green beans or mung beans. The ang koo are moulded into the shape of a tortoise to signify longevity and its red colour symbolises luck. The pink round one is Chinese steamed cake ("huat kuih") and the pink oval buns are "mee koo kuih". The offerings are usually placed in multiples of six such as 12, 24 or 36 because the number 6 is considered an auspicious number in Chinese culture, in the hope that he will bless the people with good fortune and prosperity. 

Other prerequisites worship offerings would be raw "mee sua" bundled in red thread, and red hard-boiled eggs as both are traditionally served during birthday. Mee sua signifies longevity and red eggs symbolizes prosperity and is auspicious looking. The number of the red eggs offered changes every year, depending whether it is a leap year or not, which happens 7 times in a span of 19 years. My grandma will know if it is a leap year by looking at the traditional lunar calendar. However, as we are not staying with her anymore now, we usually offer 6 red eggs, to signify the 6 members in our family. By the way, 2014 is not a leap year and the next one would be in 2017.

The sweet glutinous rice or "bee koh" is also another must-have item for this occasion. It is usually decorated with red dates and longan around the bee koh. These ritual offerings are made in the hope that the sweetness from these cakes will leave a sweet taste in the mouths of the deities and they will bless the people with a prosperous year ahead. We also made a butter and chocolate layer cake since it is the Thnee Kong's birthday.

The setup for the prayers is completed.

A closer look at the arrangements of the food offerings and prayers paraphernalia. As you notice, a delicate hand-sewn table banner dedicated to the Supreme is hung at the front of the red table. 

Ariel shot of the altar. 

Took some time for photos while waiting for the midnight to come. 

Lunar Calendar is a little different from the daily calendar we based on. According to Hokkien tradition, time is marked by two-hour blocks. So, midnight encompasses the time block from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.. Technically, the worshipers may start the rites at 11:00 p.m. as it signifies the border between the eighth day and the ninth day of Lunar New Year. Therefore, most people would offer praying paraphernalia to Thnee Kong at 11 p.m. on the eight day of Lunar CNY; but my family would wait until 12 a.m. sharp.

As midnight approaches, things start to get burning. You will hear fireworks and firecrackers being lit to welcome the New Year and to mark the beginning to the 9th day of the LNY. As the Thnee Kong Seh is considered a more grand occasion than the first day of the LNY, you will hear more fireworks and firecrackers on this day compared to the eve of LNY and any other day within the 15 days of LNY. Bright sparks and loud booms filled up the dark night and it continuously goes on all night long till approximately 4 a.m.. It is literally fire everywhere and a first-timer may think that he is in a war zone hahaha!

Mom kicked of the prayers.

Meanwhile I lighted up the Dragon Ball, who was ready for take off lol! 

Joss sticks and candles are all up.

With Dad and Mom.

Parents with my two younger sisters. One more sister was away, hence not in the picture.

Mom is learning fast in taking good photos for us *hehehe*

Sisters caught red-handed taking selfies.  

Pai Thnee Kong, from the smartphone perspective. 

The head of the family will take the lead in the prayers followed by the rest of the family members. The candles and small and big joss sticks with the dragon motif ("leng hiao") are lit. Each family members burn incense and say only good words and ask for Thnee Kong's blessing for good health, better luck, safety, money, love and generally a smooth sailing for the year ahead.

After about half an hour, we will perform a ceremony called "puak puei". We use two coins and put it onto our palms, pray and request for the Thnee Kong's approval to burn the joss papers. When the two coins show two different sides, the green light is given. However, when they show the same sides on both coins, it means the Thnee Kong is "laughing and still feasting and enjoying his time" and we should wait a little while more until we puak puei again.

The joss papers are all ready to be brought outside to burn after seeking blessings from the Thnee Kong.

Breaking the head of the sugar canes to be burned together with the joss papers.

 Burning the joss papers as offerings to the Thnee Kong.

  

Once we get the "okay" we will start arranging the joss paper and burn them, followed by the sugar cane head and finally the tea offered will be poured around the area. As the burning end, the tribute to Thnee Kong is completed. However, the night does not stop there as it is our turn to celebrate. We would feast on the food offerings as it is believed that eating this offerings will give us blessings from the Thnee Kong. A common dish is to cook "pat thin" herbal soup and add the red eggs and mee sua into them. "Ang choe teh", made of longan and red dates will also be prepared as desserts.

Nowadays, people tend to keep the celebration as simple as possible. In fact, not many from the younger generations have much interest in this occasion, yet alone knowing the significance of each do's and don'ts adhered during the prayers. However, I believe this is a very beautiful occasions which forms part of the Chinese culture that should be preserved for the future generations.

  Lots of beautiful and colourful fireworks to celebrate this special occasion.

With that, it sums up the "Thnee Kong Seh" celebration, which is considered bigger than the first day of Lunar New Year among the Hokkien community. Thank you for reading.

Iftar With Marina Mahathir In Tokyo

 I am dying for someone to go to my Dad to say, 

"How does it feel to be Marina's Dad?"

on question about her relationship

with Dr. Mahathir

Malay Asian Cuisine, a Malaysian restaurant which was opened early this year and recently officiated by Tun Abdullah.

I first come to know about Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir through her bi-weekly column in The Star newspaper when I was in high school. At the same time, I also enjoy reading her articles on her blog at Rantings byMM. This bubbly, vivacious woman has no problem talking freely about sex, drugs or religion. That was more than a decade ago. Last night, I was lucky enough to join about 80 other Malaysians for a buka puasa (breaking fast) and dialogue session with this towering Malaysian at Malay Asian Cuisine, in Shibuya, Tokyo.

So, who is Marina Mahathir? Below is an excerpt of her biodata, taken from the website of Sisters in Islam (SIS), whom Marina is one of its Board Members since 2009.

Cute orange elephant and Mandarin duck at the reception.

The proboscis monkey, which is the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 mascot.

Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir began her career in advocacy in the HIV/AIDS sector. A graduate of the University of Sussex, she was president of the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) for more than a decade, and was also chairperson of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF). Through her work with the MAC and MAF, Marina came into contact with numerous vulnerable groups, such as the transgender community, drug users, sex workers, migrant workers and people with HIV. After leaving her position as MAC president in 2006, Marina went on to focus on issues related to Islam and gender. She was voted into SIS’s Board in 2009. 

Marina is also a prolific writer and has contributed regularly over the past two decades to Malaysian English-language daily The Star. Her current column, Musings, runs fortnightly on Wednesdays. She is also a popular blogger and her writings have also appeared in numerous other print and online publications. Marina is co-executive producer of the award-winning young women’s television series, 3R - Respect, Relax, Respond. She also co-produced the critically and commercially acclaimed Malaysian film Gol & Gincu, released in 2005, and which went on to spawn a successful television series.   

Marina is the daughter and eldest child of Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

And so, we were there for this rare event with our special guest - Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir.

Marina with Siew Fong, who was the main organiser for the evening.

Marina arrived at the restaurant just before seven, and the first thought I had when I caught the first glimpse of Marina was, "Wow, Marina is so beautiful with her sweet smile, greeting each and everyone there". She seems unpretentious and utterly ordinary. Light chattings continued for a while, followed by the buka puasa sessions.

The menu for the night was one of the best I have had in any Malaysian restaurants in Tokyo. One plate set of our national dish - nasi lemak with rendang ayam, ikan bilis sambal, hard boiled egg, ayam goreng, samosa, sotong sambal. And we also have keropok, acar, banana cake, bubur cha cha as side menus. The ikan bilis sambal and fried chicken was simply out of the world.

The menu of the evening. One word - fantastic!

Once everyone was full, the event officially kicked off with a brief introduction of our special guest by Iqbal, followed by a short (10-seconds) self-introduction by everyone there. Finally, it was the climax of the evening - the dialogue session with Marina, who used to spend 2.5 years in Kobe, Japan in 1987. She started of her speech with, "Minasan, konbanwa".

To summarise her talk, Marina basically talked about the civil society movements in Malaysia, anecdotes of her involvements in various non-govenrmental organisations (NGO), how these movements and organisations raised funds to repair a Catholic cemetery in Kuantan, helped to introduced a Protestant church and Catholic church to work together, the recent issue about the soup kitchen in KL, the introduction of the Wall of Hope for MH370, her participant in BERSIH, how she felt about the current state of education in Malaysia, her relationship with her Dr. Mahathir, her hope to reclaim back Malaysia for Malaysians, etc.

Marina in action, speaking her minds out on various issues.

A candid expression of Marina taking a question during the Q&A session.

Here are some interesting quotes from Puan Marina on the evening:

A couple nights ago, the PM and the FT Minister, and the Women's Minister, who actually started it all, went on a SURPRISE tour of the streets - soup kitchens. Must have been terrifying for them; such alien territory.

Apparently, the PM Tweeted up like, "Wow, the poor really appreciate the soup kitchen." And someone said, "Well, duh...."

I think at the moment, we have a big issue in leadership; as if we don't have one.

The fact that you can even have the discussions is wonderful. It doesn't matter if you disagree or it gets really heated. The fact that you can have it is wonderful; because at home we can't. We really can't. 

Somebody had the idea to bring flowers along (to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang). It wasn't my idea, I just went along. And turned out to be my picture on the front page, handing out these flowers.

After that, we thought, hey look, there are things that Malaysians can do, which are very simple, which represents a different face of Malaysia. Instead of seeing these angry faces all the time, spewing really a lot of hatred, we (Malaysians for Malaysia) wanted to present a different face. So, we started something called "A Walk in The Park".

We got Marina a little present - a cute Wajima nuri (lacquer art from Wajima, Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa)

and two small cute plates with gold fish and water ripple pattern.

In the mainstream national  school very near where I live, the kids, when it comes to sports, they are stereotyped and they cannot get out of the stereotype. They are told to play games according to their stereotype.

So, the Malay kids play football, the Chinese kids play basketball, the Indian kids play hockey.... How to win, like that?

And they wonder why they never win anything. They are not choosing by talent, they are choosing by race. Gosh... You always thought the Brazilians all can play football, right? And now we know they don't necessarily (referring to the 1-7 semifinal lost to Germany). I've been watching a little bit... I know where to hit where it hurts.

Our secondary school kids are in the same level as the primary school kids in Vietnam. It's incredible.

She (Marina's second daughter) started looking at everyone (within few months of enrolling into her school), in terms of what race and what religion they are. And she wanted to know, always.

In the end, we took a very difficult decision, which was to take her out there. The day I had to take her out, I actually cried. I felt so sad because I believed in the (education) system so much and it was really disappointing.

But there are problems with international school too, because it's simply not Malaysia enough.

Her Malay isn't very good. I don't think any of those kids can even name the 13 states in Malaysia. And that is very sad.

 Marina's Tweet on the event on her Twitter at @netraKL.

In many of the (court) cases, if someone overstepping, making a mistake, and overstepping, and then having too much ego to want to step back. And that (Borders bookstore manager, Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz pending court case) is a very typical of a lot of cases that is happening in Malaysia these days, where people (the authority) have made a mistake; they know they have made a mistake but they can't backtrack because they feel that they will lose face. It is all terlanjur sangat dah; cannot pull back already.

If you tell me that it will only gain traction if I talk about it, you are dis-empowering yourself, and that's the problem. Because we keep wanting to put power in the hands of a few, whereas the power is among everybody, it's in everybody. So, everyone needs to take responsibility for their own cause.

Malaysians really got to learn that democracy is not every five years. It is not something you just do every five years. It has to be an ongoing, living process, all the time, all the time.

My husband (Tara Sosrowardoyo, a renown Indonesian professional photographer) blames it (failed in their application to get a Malaysian PR) on me going to BERSIH twice.

I think what we really want is for some sort of sense of rationality, calmness and civility to come back to Malaysia because we cannot carry on like this.

Sleep! And being with my family. (on question about what Marina does to unwind herself)

What's my favourite book? Well, you know, it takes me forever to finish a book because every five minutes, and then I'm asleep.

Actually I think the best way to relax is to turn off Facebook, turn off Twitter.

I was brought up by my father to think, and I think if I didn't think, he would get mad with me. So, it's not been an issue for us. It's been less of an issue for us, than it has been for everyone else.

I get all sorts of nasty things, like, "How can you be like that?" (and I go) "Yea...? (what would you expect?)"

We are so similar. We are both opinionated, we both read a lot, we are concerned about issues; so I think we are very similar. The fact that we have different approaches to things, to me is normal. So it is not an issue at all, we have no problems, we have dinner together, we go on holiday together. It's not such a big deal, but it is a big deal for other people.

They get really like, "Huhhhhh, awat dia buat macam tu???"

I remember once, I just started at the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC), few years in and I had an interview with a business newspaper. We were supposed to talk about the business on running an NGO. And this guy came in, obviously very resentful of having to come and interview me because I'm not some hotshot business person. When he came in, and he sat down, and the first thing he said was, "How does it feel to be the PM's daughter?" And I said, "Get out".

Why? You all have to run home is it? (on calling a close to the dialogue session)

Marina actually left a comment on my Facebook personally. This tells you so much what this towering lady is made of.

I tell you one funny story. My brother, Datuk Mukhriz, he was the Deputy Trade Minister, had a meeting with some foreign trade minister from some other country. And this foreign trade minister said, "Haiz, you know the problem is with my sister. You know, she works in NGO and she's always you know, saying things that are a bit difficult for me and all that". And my brother (Datuk Mukhriz) goes, "I now how that feels".

Malaysians, no matter how far away, or how long they stay away from home, there's a string there that is attached to home. And occasionally that tucks back.

I think, you know, Insha'Allah, one day, I think we will get Malaysia back, but it needs to have everybody working towards it.

It was a great pleasure to meet Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir in person and listening to her inspiring speech.

She is simply a down-to-earth person and there's never a lack in smiles on her face.

Twenty Seven Little Happiness For My 27th Birthday

“It takes a long time to grow young.”

Pablo Picasso

And so, I turned twenty-seven a couple of weeks ago. To all of you who wished me all over the places - Facebook, Line, Whatapps, Instagram, text messages, etc, here is a BIG THANK YOU from me. I sincerely appreciate each and every wishes from all. This year, it was a little extra special because I celebrated my big day in Kyoto. Why Kyoto, you may ask. That's because it was a birthday-cum-honeymoon trip. Haha, just kidding! I know it has been a while since April 1st, but no, this is not another April's prank from me lol!

This time, I will make it simple. As I had just turned 27, here are the 27 wonderful things during the 2-day-1-night trip in magical city of Kyoto.

#1: Hello from Kyoto!

#2: The long pathway of endless vibrant torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine.

#3: Kyoto city, as seen from one of the slopes which is surrounded with little shrines, tombs and neighbourhood.

#4: An antique green coach of Japan Railway, more commonly known as JR, on its way to Kyoto Station.

#5: Kamo River (鴨川), which literally means "duck river". There are no many ducks in this river, but the riverbanks are popular walking spots for residents and tourists.

#6: A group of random Japanese girls in colourful kimon, spotted along the way to Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

#7: This temple, built without a single nail in the entire structure, needs no further introduction. 

Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) in UNESCO World Heritage site

#8: Higashiyama shopping street, which is a great place to experience traditional old Kyoto.

Narrow lanes, wooden buildings and traditional merchant shops here invoke a feeling of the old capital city.

#9:Kyoto is well known for its matcha desserts and one of them is matcha soft cream.

#10: The Philosopher's Path (哲学の道) is a pleasant stone path which follows a canal which is lined by hundreds of cherry trees.

#11: A close-up shot of the cherry blossom, or sakura.

#12: A trip to Kyoto will not be completed without experiencing the stay in a traditional Japanese ryokan.

#13: Served with hot green tea, sweets and warm hand-cloth upon checking into the ryokan.

#14: One of the popular area in the Gion district is the Hanami-koji Street, which are lined with preserved machiya houses many of which now function as restaurants, serving Kyoto style kaiseki ryori (Japanese haute cuisine).

#15: Chicken broth based ramen at Monsen (門扇) in the Gion district. This bowl of ramen was fantastic!

#16: The beautiful light-ups at Shirakawa area in Gion. As it is a little off the beaten path, the Shirakawa Area is typically somewhat quieter than Hanami-koji Street.

#17:Enjoying the night sakura, or yozakura (夜 桜) at Shirakawa Canal. The canal is lined by willow trees, high class restaurants and ochaya, many of which have rooms overlooking the canal.

#18:The Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji Temple, which is one of the most recognised structure in Japan.

#19: The Zen garden at Ryōan-ji temple (龍安寺). Placed within it are fifteen stones of different sizes. The stones are placed so that the entire composition cannot be seen at once from the veranda. They are also arranged so that when looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder.

#20: Cherry blossom tunnel in between Narutaki Station and Utano Station on the Randen Kitano Line.

#21: My first visit to Arashiyama! The station was simply beautiful.

#22:The magnificent bamboo groves in Arashiyama.

#23: Two Japanese girls clad in their beautiful kimono, walking along the bamboo forest, striking a great contrast with the refreshing green bamboo.

#24: The wooden Togetsu-kyo bridge that spans the Katsura River in front of Arashiyama Mountain, offering incredible views of the spring cherry blossoms.

#25:Visitors can hop onto a wooden boat and enjoy a short ride around the river.

#26: A set of tenpura-don at Kyoto station for dinner, before heading back to Tokyo.

#27: And to cap of a wonderful day, some home-made desserts and supper from 7-Eleven over several candles in glasses.

Sometimes, I guess you do not need fancy presents, candle-lights dinner, or big parties to celebrate your birthday. Simple little things, and when they come around with the right company, in fact make things more meaningful and memorable. And for that, I am very thankful for. 

Arigato!