Business opportunity

In Malaysia, any kinds of events, that area will be ready with the foods fair and also the shopping fair.......

The place of selling area mostly have a big compound of area.

Malaysia is a multi racial country so the opportunity for all the races to sell things are the same.

The business opportunity is every where.

They just put up the big umbrealla or built the tent at that place. Then they will put thiers' items to sell

Of course aome area is free for business, but they will donate some to the temple. Some of them have to pay the fix fees.

All these business owner will do the business according to theirs' sweet time. For this kind of business really cannot have the rain pour season. They just hope the weather always be good, then the customer can come out and buy things from them.

Union Kathina 2011 at Wat Rajchaphohong Teluk Wang

Kathina 2011 was held successfully in this Thai Buddhist temple at Teluk Wang, Ara Kuda. Well ! The Buddhism flags were everywhere. More and more people came after 8.30am, mostly were Chinese and local Thai people.

People came and paid respect to Buddha and Sangha (monks) first. Some people brought thiers' own food to offer to the monks. Most of the poeple are busy in the kitchen. The food mostly put into the big round tray. Buddhist can offer anything to monk to eat. Somehow not to give the fruits which have the seeds for monks to eat. This Hinayana Buddhism cannot eat the foods after 12 noon.

Wow ! In the kitchen ! there were two happily brothers chef, cooked something with the big wok. Everyone were so busy.......One of the auntie, she made this 'glutine dumplings' Ketupat....herself and also she cooked this curry....well ! when the ketupat dipped with this Thai curry....wow ! marvelous !

A monk gave dhamma talk in Dharmasala Hall. Many of them do not understand the Thai language which spoke by the monk. Somehow, one thing very good about was, a Thai speaking translator gave some informations in Hokkien dialect, so that local people did not get lost.

In the hall, many people gave donation by put on the banana tree. There were many robe offerrings items which wrapped with the yellowish paper and put on the long table. Of course there were the main sponsor offering items.
Tak bhat (offerring of foods) by main sponsor family also happened in the hall.

Many devotees went to the dining place to do the Tak Bath. After the monks took the lunch, all the lay people quee up and took the foods and Ulams (fresh salad) with Thai chilli paste....hot !

After the lunch, the main sponsor guiding the group of people (took the offerings items) round the Dhammarsala hall for 3 times and took off the slippers and walk on the tar road. Sponsor offered the kathina robe and some other items to the monks. Then followed by the lay men and lay women. The kathina 2011 programme last at about 2 pm.

Why Buddhist celebrate Kathina ?

The buddhist will give the most supports and also generous in donation for this kind of ceremony, they believe that this meritorious resulted the great happiness and merit towards own good karma in life.

Kathina celebration marked the ended of the 3 months rainny season retreat for the sangha (monks) organization. It also called as "Phansa period". This celebration mostly held in October or November each year.

This ceremony has to be perform only once within one month right after the end of the rainny season retreat, the criteria will be at least 5 monks in the group.

The main Kathina robes can only be presented to the most noble monk who practise well during the rainny season retreat. The noble monk who get this robes will be select base on the discussion by Sangha group.

They also offering the other requisites besides the robes to the monks.

All these offerings need to be willingly give and in happily feelings and the best is the lay people also take the sila (precepts). If both party, the people who receive and people who give also take precepts, then it will be the most meritorious and blessing one.

Paradise Bird flower

The local people called this flower as Paradise Bird (天堂鸟). There are many species here, this one is one of them. Some people put this flower pot in the new house, especially Chinese. It significant the people stay in the house also like heavenly bird. It means the life also good and beautiful.

The colour of this flowers are striking....yellow, red and green in leaves...The combination of colour were beautiful.

It can grows widely and wildly here, no need to specific taking care of....

The flowers are tough in life....It stands alone in it's stem.

Elderly Chinese birthday celebration

This was the local Chinese 76 years old birthday party. After discussed and agreed the celebration date had been selected by the family members, they went to the spirit medium to confirm again for the celebration date. The family members also went to order the restaurant food, ordered the cake from the bakery shop,bought champangne and red wine too.
This elderly celebrated the birthday with immediate family and tea-time chatting friends only. The birthday party started at 7.15pm in a VIP room in the local Zui Xiang Lou seafood restaurant. The 8 courses that they took like these....The family members also served red wine and champagne, and the restaurant waitress served Chinese tea.
'Happy birthday' song in mandarin language
was sang by the guest and immediate family.
The family members gave cake and two drinking tea cups which put in the small bag as a gift to the guest.
!
This was one of the birthday celebration for the elderly Chinese in Malaysia.

Chinese elderly people birthday

Nowadays, more and more of the elderly ethnic Chinese in Malaysia celebrate theirs' birthday. My friend told me that usually Chinese only celebrate theirs' birthday when they reach the ages of 60, 70 and 80. Some old people health condition is not good, so they try to plan and organize this kind of event. They believe that this kind of happy environment can make those kind of bad luck to be overcome or bad health to be recover. Anyway now, the practise is changed. Some wealthy people will celebrate theirs' birthday grandly and yearly. For which the financial not so good family, maybe theirs' birthday is low profile.

Very commonly that the family member will go to the Chinese God temple to ask whether the elderly people in theirs' family can celebrate the birthday or not ? Of course it's through the spirit medium who convey the voices of Chinese God. Mostly the date of the celebration picked by the family members, then they go for the second confirmation of whether the elderly people in the house can celebrate or not ? If no good, no choice, have to cancel the celebration ; if good then proceeded for the next step.

The family members will go and print the birthday invitation cards after confirmed. After printed, the family members will go and distribute the invitation card and at the same time invite the relatives and friends to the birthday party. Somehow some families just invite friends and relatives orally only.

Meanwhile the family members also started to go to restaurant or hotel to order the food (if celebrate in the restaurant or hotel) or order food from catering service( if celebrate in the compound of the house or public hall). Some restaurants even give the 'food testing' service for the family members who order the reataurant food. They can change the course of food, if found the previous order no good. Mostly 10 person share a table. The courses of foods will 8 or 9.

They will order the cake from the bakery shop. It depends whether they want the western style or chinese style of design. Mostly the bakery shop will deliver the cake, but some need to take by ownself. Some even order the small piece of cake to let the guest enjoy, rather than give the initial birthday cake which had been cut by the birthday people.

The size of the party based on the friends or relatives headcount and also the financial background. Mostly the bill will be pay by all the sons and sometimes involve the daughters.

Shou tao (寿桃) is an important course for the people ages 60, 70, 80. Mostly the family members will order for the guest to take. Shou tao outlook is like the peach fruit. Inside is mostly the lotus seeds paste (sweet).

The birthday party usually held in weekend and after 7 pm. The elderly birthday mostly wear the 'cheongsum' type of clothing. Anyway, some also wear the ordinary clothes. Well ! the birthday party hardly to start on time here. We need to wait for some 'VIP' people.....need to be improve.............

For this kind of birthday party, the family members often prepare Calsberg beer, red wine, champagne, tea, mineral water or soft drink. Beer and wine waitress will serve the guests from the party begin until end.

Some wealthy family will invite local singer and band to do the performance. Some having the karaoke session in the birthday party.

Here, the family members and guests mostly sing the 'Happy Birthday' in Mandarin, English language and Cantonese dialect.

You can also see the 'red egg' being distribute in the party. 'Red egg' is the hard boiled egg which roll in the red colour after take out from the hot water.

The birthday party owner often give the 'Ang pow" which is the red packet with money to family members and guests. Some gives the bowl, mug, tea cups.....as a gift. Some give the 'Shou tao' to the guest.

Rectangular shape of plain rice

The plain rice was served in rectangular shape. Rare !

It was seldom see the serving like this. This is a Thai food restaurant. Mostly restaurant serve the plain rice in the round shape. Creative !

Chinese like to serve the rice in round shape. It significant all the way will be as smooth as round shape. Mostly they will put the rice in the small bowl and press a bit, to make the rice had no space between each other. It will make the rice stick together also and the shape is formed.

Then they will put the plate on top of the small rice bowl which had been pressed. Carefully over turn the bowl and plate. Just take out the bowl and we can see the beautiful round shape of rice on the plate.

Somehow in the house, most of them never really follow this kind of serving. Nowadays, they seldom use bowl, Chinese spoon and chopstick to take rice, but instead of that they use the western style of fork, spoon and plate.