Celebrating Malaysia Day 2013 @Kuching

Cordial, glorious and wonderful- Malaysia Day is one of the best public holiday in Malaysia, the most important festival and the most memorable date to all Malaysians. Together with a new theme- 'Malaysiaku Berdaulat: Tanah Tumpah Darahku' (My Sovereign Malaysia: My Native Land), this festival are held at Kuching, Sarawak in the morning and Tanjung Aru, Sabah in the evening. 

Since I am Kuchingites, I'll show you the colours of 50th Anniversary of Malaysia's Formation at Padang Merdeka, Kuching.

The 1000 words of pictures>>>

Arrived early in the morning, the weather was damp but the sensation of this huge festival can't stop people to come over. Padang Merdeka, Merdeka Palace and Suites, and Plaza Merdeka- three icons of independence of 50 years of Malaysia's formation, the 63 contingents from government's agencies, the statutory body and education institutions were in absolute energy. It reminds me the 49th Independence Day 2006 in Kuching, when I was part of the National Choir team.

The ocean of people- they were prepared to get the best view before the beginning of the event. Each corner of Padang Merdeka were occupied by all kinds of visitors. Media teams and photographers were ready at each position although the sizzling rain was quite unpredictable. Inside this kind of weather, I was kind of hungry but no food stalls were allowed around Dewan Tun Abdul Razak. So, most of them packed their own food from home.

Waiting patiently at the hillside, free Malaysia and Sarawak's mini flags were given to visitors as a gift. We've got four Malaysia's flags from a man and it was a wonderful-and-free gift, though. I do appreciate that. Besides, free is glee. 

The far view of three contingents who responsible to escort two big flags. Those were standing close to Dewan Tun Abdul Razak and few museums scattered around. The weather was still damp and they stood up for hours. The pain of standing must be indescribable, which reminds me the good old days in 2006.

Before the event started, two helicopters with two flags roamed leisurely over the cold sky, which attracts a lot of people to catch the moment with cameras, phones or video cam. By using an average phone with some limited abilities, this is the only good picture of helicopters I ever get. Be grateful, Shield~

Those were from Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), ready to escort the Malaysia's flag. With their white-smart and good looking apparels, they looked completely enthusiastic and tidy. And of course, the marching parade was all at once, beautiful and catchy. 

Another view from the left side. I was standing between tall people and to tell you the truth, it was not an easy job to stand close to them. RELA team won't allowed us to get closer. But, I understand that. Job is more important. And I am truly happy to stand this close to them. Although I was not part of the media, I managed to get a nice picture for myself.

See that white screen at the backstage? Back to 2006, it was just a huge colourful canvas covered the whole countenance. But this year, the new high technology big screen has replaced the canvas into a new form of interactive presentation. To put it in simple, I saw a big TV at Padang Merdeka.

Then, the marching parade begin after 8, joined by many school clubs and associations. For example, Kadet Bomba (Fire Cadet) was one of the contingents, followed by other school cadets at the back and education institutions such as UiTM, UNIMAS, IPBL, IPTAR, and private universities such as Swinburne and Curtin.

The other contingents were school bands such as St. Columba, SJKC Chung Hua and mission schools at Kuching, Sibu and Miri. As far as I remember, those school bands were the winner in certain championship- I can't remember the name. But one thing for sure, they're very well-known.

And before I leave the crowd and noises, I stopped at the road and saw those bicycle group, waiting to show up. The narrator told me that those group had travelled the whole Sarawak and arrived at Kuching on 8 September. If I was the one of this team, it would be bad. I'm a bad 'cycler'.

So...this is the last desert for you. Hope you enjoy it well~HAPPY MALAYSIA DAY TO ALL. [#tmg2013]